Kink Prompt Challenge

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/30175344.

Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Categories: F/F, M/M
Fandom: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game)
Relationships: Tartaglia | Childe/Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Diluc/Kaeya (Genshin
Impact), Kong | Aether/Xiao | Alatus (Genshin Impact),
Alhaitham/Kaveh (Genshin Impact)
Characters: Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Diluc
(Genshin Impact), Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether (Genshin
Impact), Xiao | Alatus (Genshin Impact), Alhaitham (Genshin Impact),
Kaveh (Genshin Impact)
Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Top Zhongli (Genshin Impact),
Bottom Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Top Diluc (Genshin
Impact), Bottom Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Smut, Master/Pet, Top
Zhongli/Bottom Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Top Diluc/Bottom
Kaeya (Genshin Impact), Top Xiao | Alatus (Genshin Impact), Bottom
Kong | Aether (Genshin Impact), Top Xiao | Alatus/Bottom Kong |
Aether, Not Canon Compliant, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics,
Omegaverse, Rimming, Might Contain Blood, Porn With Plot, Mpreg,
Pregnant Sex, No Reverse Roles, Blood and Injury, Fluff and Smut, One
Shot Collection, Please read the ultimate list, Top Alhaitham/Bottom
Kaveh (Genshin Impact), Top Alhaitham (Genshin Impact), Bottom
Kaveh (Genshin Impact)
Language:
🌶️ ✨☄️
English
Collections: The Spice of Life , Ruth's Genshin recs
Stats: Published: 2021-03-21 Updated: 2024-05-30 Words: 599,730 Chapters:
75/101
 Kink Prompt Challenge
by MariaPurplehill

Summary

Series of smutty one-shots or two-shots based on a certain kink or prompt, inspired by 100
Kink Challenge by peach_n_creamm

MAJOR SHIPS: Zhongli/Childe🔶💧, Xiao/Aether 👹☀️, Diluc/Kaeya 🔥❄️

MINOR SHIPS: Beidou/Ningguang ⚓💲, Jean/Lisa⚡🌼, Ayato/Thoma 🧋🍡,
Tomo/Kazuha 😼🍁, Itto/Gorou 🔶🔸, Alhaitham/Kaveh 🌿🏛

Disclaimers: First, please read the tags and all the necessary warnings that may be mentioned
at the start of every chapter before proceeding for your own good. These are purely smut-
based, some of these are simply mindless sex, others have more depth and emotion, and
characters may also get v e r y OOC. If you are uncomfortable with some of the ships or
prompts, you can consult the ultimate list and avoid 'em completely. Rest assured, this book
*hopefully* won't shove anything you don't like down your throat! Please consult the
ultimate list for more disclaimers.

Enjoy reading, but remember to take it slow. One smut at a time.

 The List

Some chapters have irregular writing patterns because I usually edit chapters a bit if I
reread old ones.
There are 93 parts planned in this book, most of them are unrelated, if you wish, you
can make a request, ask for a Part 2 to a chapter, I'll do my best to comply but no
guarantee!
I may change up ships, switch around prompts, and add new kinks.
I'll stress again, please read every warning at the start of a chapter if you know you're
sensitive to things like blood, rough sex, or in general don't want to read something you
wouldn't enjoy. Descriptions can also help summarize whether or not you want to read
such a chapter.
If you have an issue with any of the ships or kinks mentioned below, please just ignore
them. You can consult with this list right here and avoid any chapters you know you
wouldn't like.

Kink Prompt Challenge list:

Aftercare (Zhongli/Childe)
Almost Getting Caught (Diluc/Kaeya)
Angry (Xiao/Aether)
Aphrodisiac (Zhongli/Childe)
Begging (Ningguang/Beidou)
Blood Play (Diluc/Kaeya)
Body Worship (Zhongli/Childe)
Bondage (Zhongli/Childe)
Breathplay (Xiao/Aether)
Caught Masturbating (Zhongli/Childe)
Chair (Jean/Lisa)
Clothed (Xiao/Aether)
Clothed PART 2 (Zhongli/Childe)
Collars (Diluc/Kaeya)
Crossdressing (Xiao/Aether)
Camboy (Zhongli/Childe)
Daddy Kink (Zhongli/Childe)
Denied orgasm (Xiao/Aether)
(Collars PART 2) Dacryphilia (Diluc/Kaeya)
Dom/Sub (Zhongli/Childe)
Drunk (Diluc/Kaeya)
Exotic Dancer (Xiao/Aether)
Enemies (Zhongli/Childe)
Food (Zhongli/Childe)
Filming/Photography (Beidou/Ningguang)
Gags (Diluc/Kaeya)
Heat (Zhongli/Childe)
(Heat PART 2) Haematomania (Zhongli/Childe)
Hair Pulling (Diluc/Kaeya)
Humiliation (Xiao/Aether)
Intercrural Sex (Zhongli/Childe)
Loud (Xiao/Aether)
Loving (Zhongli/Childe)
Mixophilia (Diluc/Kaeya)
Massage (Zhongli/Childe)
Multiple Orgasm (Xiao/Aether)
Monster (Zhongli/Childe)
Mirror (Diluc/Kaeya)
Medical (Zhongli/Childe)
Needy (Xiao/Aether)
Nipples (Diluc/Kaeya)
Overstimulation (Xiao/Aether)
On the Phone With Someone Else (Zhongli/Childe)
Odaxelagnia (Xiao/Aether)
Outdoors (Diluc/Kaeya)
Possession (Zhongli/Childe)
Partialism (Zhongli/Childe)
Virginity Kink (Xiao/Aether)
Pictophilia (Diluc/Kaeya)
Phallophilia (Zhongli/Childe)
Pregnant (Xiao/Aether)
Praise (Xiao/Aether)
Pain (Zhongli/Childe)
Psychrocism (Diluc/Kaeya)
Pygophilia (Xiao/Aether)
Punishment (Zhongli/Childe)
Pampering (Diluc/Kaeya)
Pleasing (Xiao/Aether)
Possession PART 2 (Zhongli/Childe)
Pet Play (Diluc/Kaeya)
Plug (Xiao/Aether)
Pheromone Shower (Zhongli/Childe)
Pheromone Shower PART 2 (Zhongli/Childe)
Predator/Prey (Diluc/Kaeya)
Pleasing PART 2 (Xiao/Aether)
Punishment PART 2 (Zhongli/Childe)
Penile Beading (Diluc/Kaeya)
Public Sex (Ayato/Thoma) SPECIAL
Piercings (Xiao/Aether)
Priest/Demon (Zhongli/Childe)
Penile Beading PART 2 (Diluc/Kaeya)
Quirophilia (Alhaitham/Kaveh) SPECIAL
____ (Xiao/Aether) SPECIAL
____ PART 2 (Xiao/Aether) SPECIAL
Rimming (Zhongli/Childe)
Rough (Diluc/Kaeya)
Romantic (Xiao/Aether)
Rut (Zhongli/Childe)
Roleplay (Diluc/Kaeya)
Sthenolagnia (Wriothesley/Neuvillette) SPECIAL
Servitude (Xiao/Aether)
Strangers (Zhongli/Childe)
Stigmatophilia (Diluc/Kaeya)
Salirophilia (Xiao/Aether)
Sedation (Zhongli/Childe)
Silence (Ayato/Thoma) SPECIAL
Sadism (Xiao/Aether)
Sensory Deprivation (Zhongli/Childe)
Shower (Xiao/Aether)
Shock (Tomo/Kazuha) SPECIAL
Somnophilia (Diluc/Kaeya)
Stockings (Xiao/Aether)
Spanking (Zhongli/Childe)
Size Difference (Itto/Gorou) SPECIAL
Sensation Play (Xiao/Aether)
Stripping (Diluc/Kaeya)
Submission (Zhongli/Childe)
Sloppy (Xiao/Aether)
Scent (Diluc/Kaeya)
Timophilia (Zhongli/Childe)
Toys (Diluc/Kaeya)
Threesome (Zhongli/Childe/Morax)
Teasing (Xiao/Aether)
Tentacles (Zhongli/Childe)
Urination (Diluc/Kaeya)
Voyeurism (Zhongli/Childe)
Vincilagnia (Diluc/Kaeya)
Whipping (Xiao/Aether)
Yandere (Zhongli/Childe)
 Aftercare (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Warning: Blood and biting.

After a long night of unfiltered rough sex, all Childe wants is a nice bath and cuddles.

Childe whimpered as Zhongli’s teeth dug into his neck, he had gotten used to the searing pain
after so long of being together. Zhongli ran his hands up Childe’s body, littered with fresh
bite marks, oozing with blood. The droplets of the red liquid smeared all over Childe’s body,
he shook from the pain but the deep rumbles of satisfaction that erupted from Zhongli made it
all worth it. Zhongli loved marking him up, leaving bruises that varied different shades from
pink and red to purple and blue. To Zhongli, Childe’s body was a canvas and he was the
painter. Childe’s body shuddered as Zhongli resumed thrusting, a choked-up cry escaped his
lips, Childe could feel Zhongli smiling against his skin as he started to thrust ruthlessly into
the younger, enjoying the hoarse whines and moans that escaped him. His fingertips pressed
into the back of Childe’s thighs, pushing his legs up against his chest to thrust deeper, “Z-
Zhongli—aah.. please, haven’t you had-nngh enough?”

Truth be told, Zhongli could never have enough of Childe, but hearing the younger’s broken
voice delighted him. He’d been using Childe’s body for several hours now, at first, Childe
had reciprocated Zhongli’s actions with just as much ferocity, kissing him so deeply their
teeth clashed. As the hours ticked by, Childe’s mortal body was bound to get tired, he had
come so many times he’d lost count, he didn’t think there was anything left for him to spew,
but Zhongli didn’t let him go, cumming inside him every time blissfully with no end to his
energy or his sperm supply. Where was the intensity Childe had displayed before, Zhongli
wondered as he continued to make a mess out of the ginger, earlier he was pushing Zhongli
onto the bed and grinding up against him forcefully. Yet now, tears had dried up on his
cheeks, his stomach could be seen no more with his own puddles of white cum littering his
body. With every thrust, Zhongli’s cum spurted out from his hole. He was completely broken
with no mischief dancing in his eyes, Childe was no force to be reckoned with when Zhongli
had his way. “One more time,” Zhongli whispered, kissing his lover deeply, an animalistic
growl escaping his lips. At times like this, Zhongli became more like the God of War, his
eyes grew wilder with lust, his touch became rougher and his teeth, oh if Childe wouldn’t die
so easily, Zhongli would’ve ripped him to shreds with those dragon-like fangs.

Childe could barely hear himself moaning as he gripped the bed sheets tightly. Despite his
lack of energy or his broken body, he loved this feeling. When he was with Zhongli, he felt
whole, he loved the Archon to bits even if he tended to be selfish when it came to sex, but
Childe took pride in the fact that only he could survive the ruthless Archon. Childe’s back
arched for the umpteenth time that night as he called out Zhongli’s names, tears spilling out
of his eyes as another orgasm shook him to the core. Nothing came out of his abused cock,
but his body shuddered under the Archon, watched by his glowing golden eyes as he cried
softly from the pleasure. Zhongli’s thrusts became more frenzied as he rushed to chase his
own orgasm, but Childe barely registered it. His thoughts were barely coherent as his head
lolled to the side, mouth open in a permanent O, though his voice failed him.

Finally, Zhongli came inside of him with a growl that shook the room, Childe shuddered as
he felt even more burning hot cum being spilled into him. “P-please, no more,” he
whimpered pathetically, lifted his fingers to wipe away his tears, but he only managed to
smack his hand on his face, unable to muster up any energy to wipe his face. “No more,”
Zhongli repeated, his voice as steady as ever. Childe’s back arched again reflexively, a gentle
moan escaping him as Zhongli pulled out, kissing Childe’s tears away. “I’m sorry my dear,
you didn’t use your safe word, are you alright?” Zhongli picked up Childe’s ragdoll body
with care, stepping off the soiled bed and holding the ginger to his chest, “I was enjoying it,”
Childe whispered hoarsely, curling up against Zhongli’s sweaty chest. If he’d had the energy,
he would’ve cringed at the feeling of his thighs touching his cum stained abdomen. “I’m
happy to hear that,” Zhongli pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, carrying him to the bathroom
and placing the ginger tenderly in the bathtub. He filled the tub with warm water, gently
caressing his hair soothingly before he left Childe in the water, gently dozing off on his own
shoulder with a contented smile on his face.

Zhongli changed the bedsheet as fast as he could, cringing at the mess he made, all that
spilled cum had to go somewhere, right? He cleaned the bed as best he could before hurrying
back to his lover to find him barely awake. Zhongli kissed Childe’s forehead and joined him
in the cramped bathtub, pulling him against his chest and whispering sweet nothings to him
as he washed Childe’s body free of sweat and cum. “I washed my hair yesterday, don’t wash
it again it’ll become frizzy,” Childe murmured sleepily right before his head tipped back on
Zhongli’s shoulder and he started snoring. Zhongli chuckled softly and couldn’t resist
peppering the younger’s face with kisses before he scooped the ginger in his arms and dried
him off with a towel. He laid him back on the bed, grabbing an antibacterial cream and
applying it to his new wounds, and covering them with bandages. Childe’s eyes cracked open
just a fraction as Zhongli wrapped him up in the blanket. He stared at Zhongli lovingly before
taking his face gingerly in his hands and planting a kiss on his lips, “I love you,” Childe
whispered as he gazed into Zhongli’s eyes. Zhongli smiled and kissed him again, “I love you
too.”

“Join me soon?” Childe asked as he twirled Zhongli’s bangs around his finger, Zhongli
nodded, “Just five minutes.” Childe barely managed a nod before his head fell back on his
pillows and he fell asleep again. Zhongli got up to go clean himself up as well, washing
himself off as fast as he could, eager to cuddle with his lover. He wrapped his arms around
the younger’s frame as gently as he could when he joined him in bed, careful not to wake him
up again. He pressed a featherweight kiss against Childe’s cheek again before falling asleep,
content and satisfied.
 Almost Getting Caught (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

Diluc and Kaeya try their best to keep their voices down while at it Kaeya's office over
an unpaid bill.

“Someone might come in, Master Diluc~,” Kaeya said softly, a smirk on his face as he wove
his fingers through Diluc’s red locks. Diluc grunted in discontentment at the idea, nibbling on
the soft skin of Kaeya’s collarbone. He licked a strip from his neck to his ear, sending
shudders down Kaeya’s spine as he tugged softly on Diluc’s hair. “Then they should learn
how to knock,” Diluc said simply as he pushed Kaeya’s legs further up to his chest on the
desk. The Knight chuckled as he bit the shell of Diluc’s ear lightly, wrapping his legs around
Diluc’s waist promptly. Kaeya’s jacket laid sprawled on the floor, his shirt would’ve joined it
if he didn’t slap Diluc’s hands away when he tried to pull the article off his body. “Careful,
Diluc, you’re playing a dangerous game,” Kaeya prompted in that annoyingly smug tone of
his. Diluc grumbled under his breath, settling to just push Kaeya’s shirt up to his chest. His
gloved hands wandered slowly up his caramel skin, making the younger shudder at the cool
touch of the leather gloves. Diluc’s groped Kaeya’s meaty chest, running his thumbs along
his hardened nipples and swallowing the moans Kaeya released with a kiss. How Kaeya
loved the way Diluc’s lips tasted, always soft, with a lingering taste of grape juice.

They fought for dominance, tongues clashing in a heated battle. It was promptly won by
Diluc who caught Kaeya off guard with a gentle squeeze to his nipples. Kaeya grumbled
something about unfairness but allowed Diluc’s tongue to enter his mouth, exploring every
crevice and stealing Kaeya’s breath as he relished in his spoils of war. Diluc pulled back from
Kaeya, watching with blazing eyes as Kaeya panted to regain his breath, face red with
anticipation. Diluc had barged in on Kaeya’s office minutes earlier as Kaeya had accidentally
on purpose forgotten to clear his tab for the past few times he came by to the Angel’s Share
for a drink with Venti. Kaeya had managed to smooth talk the redhead into letting the tab go
on the condition that Diluc could ravish him in return for all the unpaid drinks he’d had. With
reluctance, Diluc accepted though Kaeya did not expect Diluc to push him on the table right
away and start claiming him right then and there, though he didn’t mind. It was a risk he’d be
willing to take for the exhilarating feeling he got whenever he felt Diluc’s lips on his.

He could’ve easily paid off the money Diluc demanded, but what would be the fun in that
when one could watch Diluc Ragnvindr get riled up? Kaeya let out a breathy moan in Diluc’s
ear as the older pressed his bulge against Kaeya’s ass, “Give it to me, 'Luc” Kaeya whispered
are he shifted his leg to rub Diluc’s erection lightly. Diluc couldn’t say no to Kaeya,
especially when he called him by his nickname. Kaeya knew that was Diluc’s weak point and
he intended to exploit it to the fullest. Diluc dug his fingers into the waistband of Kaeya’s
pants, tugging them down to his thighs along with his boxers. Kaeya cringed a little as the
cold wood pressed up against his bare ass. Diluc ran his hands up and down Kaeya’s
muscular legs, resisting the urge to kiss them. He knew they were on a tight schedule.

He brought his hand up to his mouth and bit his glove, pulling it off his hand and letting the
leather drop on Kaeya’s erection. A jolt ran up Kaeya’s spine at the friction. Diluc lifted
Kaeya in his arms, kissing him again as he did so before turning the knight around and
pushing him over the desk. Kaeya’s face burned at the position, knowing his ass would be on
display for Diluc but he didn’t mind, aside from the shivers that racked his body from the
cold oak table being pressed against his front. He couldn’t hold back a gasp as Diluc spread
his ass cheeks and a wad of slimy spit was dropped on his hole, making him bite his lips to
keep from whining out loud. Diluc pressed two fingers inside, his other hand running over
Kaeya’s back, caressing his plump ass with great interest. Kaeya winced at the stretch,
bringing his hand back to hold Diluc’s hand and stabilize himself. Diluc leaned over Kaeya,
his clothed chest pressing against Kaeya’s back. He trailed kisses over Kaeya’s back, his
fingers working on stretching him out, making gentle scissoring motions to loosen Kaeya up.
Breathing became difficult as Kaeya’s body temperature increased. Diluc’s lips burned
against his back, his fingers curling up just right inside of him.

“Keep quiet and stay still,” Diluc commanded as he pulled his fingers out of Kaeya. Kaeya
shifted in discomfort at the loss of touch, looking back over his shoulder with anticipation,
excitement dancing in his eye. Diluc unzipped his pants and lowered them just enough for his
cock to come bounding out, standing as proud as Diluc did. Kaeya bit his lip again, choosing
to look straight again, fearing he might shy away from Diluc if he watched him put that thing
in.

No, he wouldn’t let himself be a buzzkill, he wanted this possibly more than Diluc did. His
hands laid flat against the table’s surface, he stared at the door in front of him, waiting for
Diluc to finally get started. A moan escaped him as Diluc slowly pushed into him, leaning
forward to intertwine his fingers with Kaeya’s, one gloved and one without. “Shut up,” Diluc
growled as he pressed his length further inside Kaeya, letting out a small breath as Kaeya
tightened up around him. Kaeya choked back another moan when Diluc’s cock filled him to
the core, the idea that he was one with the man standing behind him was intoxicating. Guilty
feelings surged up at the back of his mind, he’d managed to lure Diluc into his trap, finally
managed to convince the older to fuck him even though he didn’t love Kaeya back. What
Kaeya wanted more than for Diluc to fuck him was for Diluc to make love to him, but there
was no chance of that happening. Even though he’d gotten his wish, it felt bittersweet.

Kaeya didn’t have much time to ponder over these feelings when Diluc started to pull out
again, pressing his lips to the nap of Kaeya’s neck as his hands wove themselves tighter with
Kaeya’s. For now, he’d just enjoy the feel of Diluc’s cock inside him and the beating of his
pulse through his hands as he interlaced them with Kaeya’s. He thrust back in, it took all of
the knight’s willpower to keep from screaming. A whimper still got past his lips but Diluc
didn’t scold him, his panting matched Kaeya’s, his hot breath fanning against his ear.

Diluc started to thrust inside Kaeya, carefully looking for a special spot inside the younger
that would make him feel good. Kaeya gasped audibly when the tip of Diluc’s cock pressed
into the little swollen bundle of nerves, shockwaves running through his body. Diluc hummed
with satisfaction, pulling out and then aiming for that spot. One of his hands freed itself from
Kaeya’s, opting to cover the knight’s mouth. It was a much-needed precaution, Kaeya would
have screamed if it weren’t for the leather keeping his moans at bay when Diluc thrust inside
of him, striking that spot again.

Kaeya couldn’t keep his thoughts in order, whimpering softly into the older’s hand, holding
back the urge to bite his palm and make him lift the restrictions on his voice. But Kaeya knew
he couldn’t. If they were caught, it would take even Kaeya a lot of smooth-talking to get
himself out of the tight spot. He loved the way his body rocked in sync with Diluc’s thrusts,
each powerful snap of the older’s hips pushing him forward, causing friction between
Kaeya’s nipples and the table. Diluc’s breath became uneven, making it harder for him to
keep his grip around Kaeya’s mouth. Without his hand to keep Kaeya from running his
mouth, Kaeya’s whimpers and moans became more frequent, Diluc’s own noises of
satisfaction filled the room, making him unable to scold Kaeya for being loud.

Footsteps sounded from the hallway outside, making Kaeya freeze up. Diluc had noticed as
well but didn’t stop his pace, pushing in and out of Kaeya’s body with satisfaction as the
sounds of skin against skin grew louder throughout the room, making it harder for Kaeya to
contain himself.

“Miss Lisa, Master Jean wants to see you,” Klee’s voice called from just outside Kaeya’s
door. Kaeya bit his lip, putting all his power into holding his voice back, something he wasn’t
used to. If it had been Amber or some other adult knight, it wouldn’t have been as big a deal
if they were heard, but when it comes to a child like Klee, no mistakes could be made,
especially if Jean finds out. Diluc bit into Kaeya’s shoulder to keep his moans at bay, but he
delivered a particularly powerful thrust to Kaeya’s prostate, making Kaeya cry out and
immediately slap his hand over his mouth. “Hmm? What was that noise?” Klee asked herself,
her footsteps came closer to the door. This time, Diluc ceased all movement but neither of
them dared to move, watching the door in horror. “Klee, darling, it’s rude to peep through
other people’s keyholes,” Lisa sang as she quickly scooped Klee away from the door, she
likely heard the noise as well and guessed what was going on, bless that librarian. “That devil
child was peeping through the keyhole,” Diluc murmured in amazement, making Kaeya
chuckle. It quickly died down in his throat when Diluc picked up the pace again, this time
Kaeya was unable to hold back his noises of pleasure, calling Diluc’s name softly as the older
slammed into him. Diluc turned him over on his back and pressed their lips together in a
breathless kiss, his hands sliding up to his chest and stimulating his nipples. “Hnngh.. ‘Luc, f-
faster,” Diluc obliged with Kaeya’s request, increasing his moderate pace, Kaeya’s tongue
lolled out of his mouth, his arms wrapping around Diluc affectionately, biting his clothed
shoulder to keep from moaning too loudly. Diluc enjoyed the way Kaeya sounded when he
was satisfied, he moaned shamelessly into Diluc’s ear as he neared his orgasm.

“I’m c-close—ahh..” Kaeya said softly. Diluc’s hand slipped from Kaeya’s torso to wrap
around his cock, making the younger whine louder than before into Diluc’s ear. He clenched
around Diluc, eye closing as he pressed his lips against Diluc’s cheek before he came into
Diluc’s hand with a loud moan, back arching perfectly as his body quaked and shivered. His
grip around Diluc loosened as he fell back on the table, Diluc stopped and pulled out
courteously before he began to pump himself with his cum-covered hand, groaning softly as
he neared his own orgasm. Kaeya watched with a small smirk as Diluc came in his own hand,
his seed mixing with Kaeya’s. They panted in unison, trying to gather their wits. Diluc’s eyes
narrowed back into their permanent glare as he stepped back from Kaeya, who groaned when
he sat up. Diluc wiped his hand with tissue from Kaeya’s desk, glaring at the knight before
speaking, “I’m never allowing you to open a tab again.”
 Angry (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

Warnings: Biting

Jealousy and lack of communication spark anger in Xiao as he spots hickeys over
Aether's body on a cold night.

Chapter Notes

Sorry if this chapter is a bit rushed and OOC for Xiao and Aether, but I tried my best,
I'm just not very good at writing harsh smut, but I hope you enjoy all the same.

"You're not wearing your usual getup," Xiao noted with disinterest as Aether sat down beside
him on the terrace at Wangshu Inn, hinting at the crop top Aether usually wore.

A nervous chuckle erupted from Aether as he untied the knot of the cloth he tied the Almond
Tofu container in. "Hehe.. yeah, it got dirty and I haven't had the chance to clean it yet." He
tugged the collar of his maroon full-sleeve shirt further up his neck, his movements being
followed by Xiao's eyes as he opened the container and handed the dish to Xiao.

Xiao decided not to question the odd behavior just yet and took the spoon offered to him by
the blonde, shoveling a bite into his mouth, his gaze fixed on the horizon, the last few
remnants of the twilight faded slowly into the blue of night. He froze up before swallowing
his bite, glancing down at the dish before looking back at Aether, "You made this?" He asked,
watching as Aether shifted uncomfortably on the ground.

Something was off, but Xiao ignored it again, not wanting to make the traveler uneasy.
Aether chuckled, "I did, is it that bad?" Xiao looked back down at the neat dish, it tasted great
to him, most of the time even almond tofu wasn't good enough for Xiao's palate though it was
the only human food he enjoyed somewhat, but this dish made him feed strangely warm
inside.

He wondered if other dishes could taste good to him as well if they were made by Aether.

"No. It's fine, cook for me more often." Xiao said sharply before taking another bite and
offering the dish to Aether. Aether smiled, knowing that was the best compliment he could've
received from Xiao. He took a bite and sighed with satisfaction. Although it was a dish best
served cold, it comforted him even in the cool breeze of the evening.
He drew his legs up to his chest and curled up, slowly scooting closer to Xiao. When the
Adeptus didn't push him away, he gently shifted his head to lie on Xiao's shoulder. He
couldn't help but smile when Xiao didn't react, again, it was the best compliment one could
receive from the conqueror of demons.

He didn't realize his shirt had slipped from his shoulder until he heard a low rumbling noise
coming from Xiao's throat. He looked up at the older, confused, and saw Xiao's gaze fixed on
his neck. He straightened up, quickly covered his shoulder, hugging himself and hoping Xiao
wouldn't say anything. But luck wasn't on his side, "What's that mark on your neck?"

Xiao's voice was barely a murmur as he glared at Aether, setting down the dish. It made
Aether nervous, he lied without thinking about it, "Oh I think a pyro slime burned me during
a fight," He wanted to hit himself for the lame excuse but could only watch Xiao's tense
expression as he processed Aether's words.

Aether yelped, in the blink of an eye, he was pinned to the wooden floor, Xiao hovering on
top of him with a distasteful glare on his face.

"X-Xiao?" Aether stuttered, heat rising to his cheeks. "A pyro slime, huh? That's a very
specific spot to get burned," Xiao's lips were on his before Aether could respond, his rough
fingers held Aethers's neck, applying slight pressure that wasn't uncomfortable for Aether but
made him feel threatened.

He'd shared kisses with Xiao more than a few times, though none were ever this rough, Xiao
always treated him like he was a porcelain doll, yet now, he devoured his lips with such
ferocity, Aether could feel his own strength slipping away.

He whimpered pathetically under the adeptus as Xiao shoved his tongue inside Aether's
mouth, his hands moving down to grip Aether's thighs and pull them apart. Aether's arms
wrapped around Xiao's neck, nails digging into the strong muscles of his back as he struggled
to breathe.

Xiao pulled away, his eyes had a cold look in them that made Aether feel ashamed. He turned
his head to the side, unable to look back into his lion-like eyes. Xiao gripped Aether's chin
and pulled him back to face him, "Eyes on me," his voice was dangerously low, sending
shivers down Aether's spine.

Xiao's fingers hooked on the hem of Aether's shirt, pulling it up and letting out a puff of dry
amusement, marks littered Aether's body here and there, varying in different shades of blue
and red, not necessarily the color of burns.

"I suppose these are burns too?" Embarrassment shook Aether's body from being caught in
his lie. "I-I'm sorry," Aether didn't know what he was apologizing for, in all honesty, maybe
lying?

Sure, he and Xiao had grown more intimate with one another, but Xiao had never made it
exclusive, he didn't have any right to be as angry as he was.
Xiao stripped him of his shirt, making him shudder from the cold wind, he curled his fingers
through Xiao's locks, trying desperately not to crack under the adeptus' harsh gaze. "Who did
this?" Xiao whispered as he began to attack Aether's neck, his sharp teeth leaving small cuts
on the smooth skin as he bit and sucked on a spot on Aether's neck, earning small whimpers
for the blonde beneath him.

"I-It doesn't matter, please it's c-cold, take me inside," Aether begged, shivering as the only
source of heat for him was Xiao's body heat which rolled over Aether almost comfortingly if
it weren't for the adeptus' harsh touch. Aether tugged lightly on Xiao's roots, moaning softly
at the feeling of the adeptus' warm lips on his body.

Xiao let out a wry laugh, "Why do you expect me to care?" Xiao's words stung Aether. His
fingers ran over Aether's hard nipples, tugging at the pink nubs and making the blonde cry
out. Aether's body became warmer the longer Xiao's lips ran across it, in no time, his collar
bone and chest were littered with bleeding cuts and dark hickeys that ached faintly.

Xiao's fingers moved down Aether's body to the waistband of his pants, he moved back to
pull them off Aether's smooth legs, luckily no marks littered his thighs, otherwise, Aether
would fear Xiao flying into a fit of rage. "Someone might see, Xiao," Aether whimpered as
Xiao's hand came harshly down on his inner thigh, sending a jolt of pain up his body.

Xiao grunted, "Let them see, who knows, maybe you'll ask them to fuck you too," Tears
welled up in Aether's eyes at the cruel words but Xiao took no notice, lowering his head
between Aether's stretched out thighs to trail marks along his thighs. Aether had wanted for
the longest time to be this intimate with Xiao, but this wasn't the way he hoped Xiao would
take his virginity.

He wished Xiao would see how upset he was making him from his harsh treatment and his
cold touch, hoping he would care and handle him more gently like he always did. He knew
he shouldn't have allowed anyone to touch him when he'd shared affinity with Xiao, but he
didn't think it would warrant such treatment when Xiao hadn't even claimed him for himself.

Spit coated Aether's thighs as Xiao worked on them, his pale skin had started to bruise like a
peach from the way Xiao's fingertips dug into his hips, yet Aether still felt good, he felt good
knowing it was Xiao's lips on his thighs and not anyone else's.

He moaned erotically as Xiao slowly ran his tongue over the base of his cock, holding his
legs in place to keep him from bucking. "Did you make these same noises when it was
someone else's lips on this lewd body of yours?" Xiao's voice was barely above a growl, each
word carried the weight of his possessive anger.

Aether didn't reply, a tear slipped from his eye as Xiao sat up. He pressed a finger to Aether's
hole, making the blonde gasp and hold Xiao's hand for support, but Xiao merely slapped
Aether's hand away.

"On your hands and knees," he ordered. Despite his internal conflict, Aether found himself
obliging, he was completely bare in front of Xiao, on a terrace anybody could enter yet he
planted himself on all fours, sniffling a little as he looked back at him with his big eyes to try
and appeal to Xiao's sensitivity.
He almost screamed, falling onto his elbows when, without warning, Xiao plunged two of his
fingers inside of him ruthlessly without any sort of lubricant.

Tears fled from Aether's eyes as he choked back a sob. Xiao started to pump his fingers in
and out of Aether painfully fast, making his legs shake. Aether clawed at the wooden floor,
now littered with his teardrops, moaning against his will at the feeling of his love's fingers
deep inside of him.

"Gently, please," Aether begged as he quaked from the pace Xiao thrust his fingers inside
him. "Why should I be gentle with you? You should've been prepared for this when you went
about sleeping with others." Aether sobbed, hiding his face in his hands, it hurt so badly, the
way Xiao's fingers pumped inside him, but it also felt so good when his fingertips brushed
against his prostate, he didn't know whether to push the adeptus away or draw him closer, the
choice would've been clear to Aether if Xiao had been gentler.

Aether was a shuddering mess when Xiao finally withdrew his fingers. He couldn't muster
any words to beg Xiao to be gentle, he could only lay there in a shivering heap as Xiao
lowered his pants behind Aether.

Aether drew a steadying breath before pleading, "At least let me see your face before you do
it," he cursed his voice for shaking so much. It was silent for a moment as Xiao pondered on
what to do. Aether gasped when cold fingers wrapped around his waist, toppling him over to
one side before rolling him onto his back. He flinched against his own will at the stony look
in Xiao's eyes as he stared at the pathetic mess Aether was.

Without another word, he gripped Aether's thighs, pulling them apart once more before
pressing his length inside of the whimpering man. Aether clapped a hand over his mouth to
stifle a sob, two fingers weren't enough prepping time, but he doubted he could get Xiao to
stop now. He moaned quietly into his hand, closing his eyes as Xiao's cock brushed over his
prostate, not hard enough for him to feel great but it took his mind off of the pain.

His nails raked over the wooden floorboards when Xiao was fully buried inside him. He
cracked his eyes open for a second when he heard Xiao moan quietly before shutting them
tight again when Xiao rocked his hips, Aether's body moving in sync with the thrust.

Xiao started to thrust inside of him with alarming speed, gradually getting faster as the
seconds passed. Aether bit into his hand to stop himself from crying out, though he released
whimpers of pain and pleasure from the friction caused between his prostate and Xiao's cock.

He mewled Xiao's name, staring up at him with his vision blurred from his tears but Xiao
took no notice, his eyes were fixed upon the place where they became one, he refused to look
at Aether. Aether almost yelled out loud as Xiao delivered a powerful thrust to his prostate,
he put one hand over Xiao's, squeezing it to try and get his attention, his words failing him as
moans spilled out of his mouth.

"Please, gently," He repeated as Xiao let out a puff of amusement, his face was red and his
breath uneven as he spoke in a low growl that resonated through Aether's mind, "No, you
should be used to this," He thrust more forcefully, going deeper inside the quivering blonde.
Aether shook his head, hiccuping a little, "You've g-got it all wrong, I didn't do it..ahh-- with
anyone" he cried as he threw his head back, it hurt so much.

"Liar," Xiao growled in his ear, as he gripped Aether's hips tighter, throwing his hand off his
own. Aether choked back a sob as he delivered another powerful thrust to his prostate, too
harsh for Aether to feel good. He had enough.

He raised his hands and wrapped them around Xiao's in a chokehold, immediately, the
Adeptus' hurtful thrusts stopped as his neck twisted to the side. "I said gently!" Aether said,
putting as much power as he could into his voice but his voice still quivered.

"You have no rights over me, you have no excuse to treat me like this," Aether told Xiao as
he glared at the young Adeptus. "S-so please," he whispered, voice cracking as he lied back
on the ground, "gently.."

Xiao turned his head to look down at Aether. Realization dawned on him as he saw Aether's
bleeding bite wounds and his tear-stained face. He shook his head to bring himself out of his
trance, Aether didn't look at him anymore.

He extended his arm to gently caress the younger's cheek, he was so angry at himself for
hurting Aether like this. "I'm sorry," he whispered as Aether leaned into the touch. "I'll be
gentler." He kept to his word, rocking his hips slower than before, aiming deeper and locating
Aether's prostate, gently hitting it. Aether smiled, mouth opening into a small O as he
moaned, this time without pain. He reached out to run his fingers through Xiao's hair and
bringing the adeptus down for a sweet kiss.

This was more like the fantasy Aether had imagined, his love thrusting into him gently,
making him feel good and handling him like he was made of porcelain.

Xiao was sweeter now, though he still anchored some of his anger, "You said I have no rights
over you," Xiao whispered, breathing heavily as he thrust gently into Aether, listening to his
whimpers and mewls, "Then allow me to claim you right here and now, no one is to touch
you but me," Aether smiled, surprising Xiao, who thought the blonde would get mad at him
for being possessive, "I'd love that,"
 Aphrodisiac (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Childe resorts to an aphrodisiac to weaken Zhongli enough to get his gnosis, it backfires
when it only makes Zhongli stronger.

Childe what did you put in my drink?" Zhongli said as he felt his limbs becoming heavier, he
looked at the Fatui sitting opposite of him, casually sipping his tea while leaning against his
hand on the couch's armrest.

Childe batted his eyelashes in mock innocence, "I haven't the faintest idea of what you
mean." The ginger said, each word rolling off his tongue with smugness laced in his voice.
Zhongli felt blood rushing through his body, pulsating through his veins as he shuddered,
attempting to keep the cup from falling from his grasp.

He shakily set it down on the end table next to his seat. Childe downed the rest of the
contents in his cup and stood up, walking around the coffee table, setting his cup down as he
came closer to Zhongli, each movement being followed by Zhongli's glare.

"Sorry, sensei. But duties come before all relationships. And my duty is to the Tsaritsa."
Zhongli laughed humorlessly, his strength began to return to him despite initially fading, it
surprised him but he didn't let it be known to the harbinger.

Blood pumped through his face, while the rest flowed down to his crotch. Just what exactly
had Childe given him?

Childe gently pressed his hand to Zhongli's chest, pushing him to lay back on the couch.
Curiosity got the best of Zhongli, he let himself be guided down on the seat, watching as
Childe sat on his hips, straddling him with a smirk on his face.

"And what is your task?" Zhongli asked, his fingers itching to grab Childe by his waist and
impale him on his rapidly forming erection, but he figured that would be unethical without
warning.

He figured it was an aphrodisiac, he deduced Childe expected it to weaken him. It made

sense, why Childe kept staring at him with that infuriating little grin on his cute face the
whole time they'd been having tea at Childe's rental apartment.

"Getting your Gnosis of course. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you somehow." Childe said,
smiling down at Zhongli in a cat-like way, grinding his hips down on the Archon's as he did.

A sheet of water formed on Childe's fingertips as he brought his hand up to Zhongli's

muscular chest, just above his heart, ready to plunge through his chest to get his gnosis.
Zhongli's hand shot up at a speed Childe's eyes could not follow, his fingers wrapping around
Childe's wrist and grasping it firmly. Childe gasped involuntarily, trying to shake his hand out
of Zhongli's strong grasp, but it was futile.

The archon was holding him with too much of his power, his blackened fingers felt like stone
against Childe's wrist. He brought up his other hand to free himself only for Zhongli to grab
hold of it. The archon smiled triumphantly before he sat up, pulling the ginger's body against
his as he slid down into Zhongli's lap.

Childe smirked, "I figured it wouldn't be so easy to subdue a god." He murmured, shaking
with excitement. With his concentration lost, the sheet of water rolled off his fingers in the
form of water droplets. Childe whimpered as Zhongli's grip tightened around his wrists.

"You're hurting me," he said softly, licking his lips as he continued to grind against Zhongli's
crotch, making Zhongli's face redden another shade. Zhongli let out an amused laugh, it
sounded extremely sexy to Childe, he could feel the vibrations of his rumbling voice wash
over him.

"You didn't seem to hold any regard for my pain while following the Tsaritsa's order," Even
so, Zhongli's grip loosened around Childe's wrists, still firm but not painful. "Why didn't the
aphrodisiac affect you?" Childe wondered out loud moving forward to try and capture
Zhongli's lips and free himself but Zhongli's hands kept him at bay.

"Oh, it did affect me. You are going to take responsibility, are you not?" Childe gulped,
feeling the massive bulge hidden away under Zhongli's pants against his own rapidly
hardening cock. He couldn't pass up the opportunity.

"Yes, I want it." He whispered, pushing himself more forcefully against the Archon's cock,
eliciting a moan from the older. Zhongli tugged Childe forward, releasing his sore wrists and
wrapping his arms around his waist, and pressing their lips together in a salacious kiss.

Childe's hands rested on Zhongli's shoulders, rubbing them slightly, all thoughts of fleeing
forgotten. It didn't matter though, since Childe couldn't escape the Archon even if he wanted
to because this was his house.

Zhongli parted from the kiss, looking up in Childe's eyes with a searching glance. A blush
had settled over Childe's cheeks. If Zhongli was in any mood to joke, he would've called
Childe a carrot. "On your knees," Zhongli instructed, letting go of Childe's waist, prompting
him to get up.

"And if I refuse?" Childe asked with a slight grin, licking his lips as he returned Zhongli's
hungry gaze. "Oh, I'm not sure, I could always force you into any position I want you in. But
I will give you the benefit of the doubt to do the right thing, so be good, don't aggravate me
more than you already have."

Childe gulped and wordlessly slid off of Zhongli's lap, landing on the floor on his knees
between Zhongli's legs. He looked up at Zhongli, lust dancing in his dull blue eyes as he
waited for further instructions.
"Go on then, make it up to me as you said you would," Zhongli said, his voice dropped an
octave the heavier the aphrodisiac affected him. Instead of weakening him as Childe had
originally thought, the drug had only made Zhongli stronger. He leaned forward, his fingers
reaching out to fumble with the zipper of Zhongli's pants.

He unzipped them, pulling them down until he could see the black boxers Zhongli wore
under his pants. He made a silent prayer for his jaw and pushed the waistband of the boxers
down, tucking it beneath Zhongli's cock. His lips parted at the sight. Zhongli was fully hard,
his cock stood as long as Childe's face, throbbing and red as blood pulsated through his thick
veins.

Zhongli's large hand cupped his face, tilted his chin up to meet his eyes, speaking lowly in an
almost growl, "I didn't ask you to stare at it, dearest, I asked you to take care of it. Get to
work, my patience wears thin,"

Childe almost moaned at the endearment but didn't speak, somehow the commanding tone
had him, Tartaglia, speechless. He leaned forward as Zhongli lightly slapped his cheek before
sitting back. Childe wrapped his hands around the girthy cock, happy he had taken off his
gloves beforehand because he could feel the blood pulsating through each vein with a force
that shook the length, the feeling against his fingers was delightful.

Childe brought his face closer to it, placing an experimental kiss against the smooth tip, it felt
pleasantly warm against his lips. Zhongli let out a shaky breath. Childe guessed the
aphrodisiac had made him extra sensitive.

He stuck out his tongue, pressing it flatly against the underside of Zhongli's cock, moaning as
he felt the pits and bumps of the veiny surface. He hollowed his cheeks and took the tip in his
mouth, making the Archon moan above him, his hand reaching up to his mouth to block his
noises of pleasure.

"Let me hear you, sensei," Childe said, his eyes twinkling as he took Zhongli into his mouth
again, deeper this time. It hit the back of his throat with only a few inches, making Childe
whine. Zhongli's hands ran through Childe's hair, looking down at him, his breathing more
strained.

"Wrap your palms around your thumb and hold on tightly," He advised. Childe looked up at
him, cheeks puffed out with Zhongli's cock in his mouth. The sight was cute but it only
turned Zhongli on more, seeing Childe being so pliant and acting cute while commiting such
sinful acts.

Childe obliged, holding onto his thumbs tightly. Zhongli's grip tightened on the roots of
Childe's hair and pushed his head further down to take in more of his cock. Childe let out a
noise of surprise but was happy to realize that he didn't gag, save for the choking feeling he
got when Zhongli's thick cock blocked up his pharynx.

Zhongli let out a breath he'd been holding, his eyes half-lidded, "Your throat is so tight,"
Childe moaned, starting to suck on the length, before pulling off it with a gentle pop, gasping
for breath with a string of saliva attaching his lips with Zhongli's cock.
Childe got back to work, sucking on the tip and pumping the rest of the length with his hand.
He could feel the pumping of Zhongli's blood against his tongue. He licked the urethra,
humming quietly when the grip on his hair tightened.

Childe could feel himself getting painfully hard just from sucking Zhongli off. Zhongli's cock
started to ooze precum, surprising Childe with the bitter taste that wasn't exactly delicious but
not particularly unpleasant. He lapped it up with delight just because it was Zhongli's.

Slowly, his work became sloppier, drool and precum dribbled down his chin. His jaw began
to ache and his throat became raw from the rough pounding of Zhongli's cock to the back of
his throat.

He pulled off, trying to catch his breath, and looked up at Zhongli, the man looked beautiful
above him, his eyes glazed over and his hand bleeding from biting it with his sharp canines.
Zhongli clicked his tongue when he saw the state Childe was in.

"Such a mess," Zhongli noted as he leaned forward. He captured Childe's lips in his own,
giving him a rewarding kiss before his lips trailed down, lapping the drool on his chin. "Don't
let a single drop go to waste when I cum."

Zhongli commanded as he sat back, waiting for Childe to start again. Childe felt his own
painful erection beginning to throb in his pants and sneakily lowered his hand to touch
himself through the material as he took Zhongli back into his mouth.

"Hands where I can see them, dearest," Childe flinched, freezing up before he brought his
hand back up to rest on Zhongli's thigh. Zhongli shifted his leg, placing it in between Childe's
knees as he tried to focus on bobbing his head to make the Archon feel good.

"You can grind against my leg if you're that needy," Childe looked up at Zhongli with his big
eyes and then tried to glance down as best as he could with a huge cock obstructing his view.

He blushed as he realized what Zhongli was getting at. He didn't want to grind against
Zhongli's leg for stimulation, doing something so heinous and derogatory would be more
humiliating than failing at stealing the Archon's Gnosis and then giving him a blowjob, but
his erection thrummed happily at the idea of any stimulant at all.

His cheeks burned as he pressed his hips forward, pushing up against Zhongli's leg. He
looked up at Zhongli, their eyes meeting. Amusement danced in Zhongli's eyes, it was
terribly embarrassing, knowing how much he was looking like a dog in heat in Zhongli's
sights.

He moaned into Zhongli's cock as he started to move his hips up and down against Zhongli's
leg, causing friction with his bulge, his voice sending vibrations down Zhongli's cock.

His body shuddered, the pleasure making him forget about his embarrassment as he pushed
harder against Zhongli's leg, bobbing his head on Zhongli's cock in sync with his grinding.

His whimpers mixed with Zhongli's deep moans, echoing through the room. Childe wanted to
moan Zhongli's name but was unable to with his mouth full, he could only moan into his cock
or choke on it whenever he forgot to breathe.

Zhongli's cock twitched in his mouth, growing hotter on Childe's tongue as he came closer to
his orgasm. Childe watched as Zhongli's breathing became more ragged, his head lolling off
to the side. Even still, his voice remained domineering as ever, "Not a single drop, Childe."

Childe whimpered, unable to focus on Zhongli's words as a knot tightened in his own
stomach, his movements becoming disorganized.

Zhongli threw his head back in a grunt as his erection gave one final warning twitch before
he spilled white-hot cum into Childe's mouth, shooting to the back of his throat. Childe's eyes
widened as more and more cum kept spilling out of Zhongli's cock, filling up his mouth.

It was a lot more than he anticipated. He pulled back from Zhongli's cock, cheeks puffed out
as he held back a mouthful of Zhongli's seed. The taste didn't make it easier to swallow but
Childe looked Zhongli in the eye as he threw his head back and downed it.

He took deep breaths dazedly before the rapid throbbing off his own erection brought him
back to Earth. Zhongli grabbed him by the forearm and pulled him back up to sit on his lap.

"You did great," Zhongli praised as he pressed his hand against Childe's bulge, massaging it
gently. Childe gulped, burying his face into the crook of Zhongli's neck as he tried to steady
his ragged breathing, his throat sore from a hard day of work, but Zhongli tugged him back to
look at him, pressing his palm against Childe's erection harder as the ginger whimpered,
digging his nails into Zhongli's biceps.

Zhongli rubbed him through the material, the knot in Childe's stomach returned. "Aah--
Zhongli," Childe moaned hoarsely as he started to rock his hips in time with Zhongli's
pumping.

His moans became more frequent, gazing into Zhongli's bright eyes that watched him
intensely as he made lewd noises. Finally, the knot in his stomach unfurled, he let out a loud
moan, biting his lip and throwing his head back as he came in his pants. His body quivered as
Zhongli helped him ride out his high.

Childe's energy had been exhausted, he looked at Zhongli with unfocused eyes as the older
pulled him closer, sitting him down on his crotch. Childe realized with a start that it was hard
again, "The aphrodisiac hasn't worn off, or maybe watching you moan my name like that
made me erect again," Childe whimpered as he saw the expectant look in Zhongli's eyes, he
knew they weren't done yet, "I don't suppose you have lube?"
 Begging (Beidou/Ningguang)
Chapter Summary

Ningguang is not convinced that Beidou could satisfy her needs over a lost chess game,
Beidou promises to make her beg to make her feel good soon.

Chapter Notes

Please excuse my writing! This is my first time writing a girlxgirl smut but I hope I
didn't do too badly, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

“How good can sex with a woman be?” Ningguang said distastefully, throwing Beidou a dirty
look across the table. Beidou laughed, the noise echoed through the room, boisterous and
infuriating as it had always been to Ningguang. Beidou smirked at her, displaying her clear
confidence, “Oh, is that a challenge, Tianquan? Well then, I’ll have to work extra hard to
make you swallow your words.” The pirate grinned at Ningguang as she stood up, revealing
her lion-like fangs as she straightened out her Qipao dress if you could even call her that.

Ningguang gulped quietly as Beidou drew closer, her heels clacking against the polished
floor, her gleaming red eye fixed on Ningguang like a predator. Ningguang bit her lip as
Beidou stopped in front of her. She sat down next to Ningguang, that smirk still on her
beautiful face, their thighs touched but that was only the beginning of the night’s events.
Beidou tucked an arm under Ningguang’s thighs, while the other slid around her waist,
Ningguang gasped as she was lifted into Beidou’s lap as if she weighed nothing.

A blush spread across her cheeks as she saw the lustful look Beidou regarded her with.
Beidou pulled Ningguang closer, their torsos pressing up against one another as she planted a
kiss on Ningguang’s lips. Ningguang hated to say that she melted almost immediately into
Beidou’s domineering lips as they devoured hers. She swiped her tongue across Ningguang’s
bottom lip, asking for entry and making the Tianquan shudder. Ningguang parted her lips
experimentally, a jolt ran down her body as Beidou pushed her tongue through the opening,
running across Ningguang’s tongue in a venereal dance.

Ningguang moaned against her will, hands rising to grip Beidou’s shoulders as the Captain
completely took over her autonomy, her hands rubbing Ningguang’s exposed knees almost
soothingly. Their tongues clashed in a heated battle, Beidou’s eye cracked open to look at
Ningguang as she was reduced to a breathless mess. Ningguang dug her long nails into
Beidou’s shoulders, trying to pull away for breath. Beidou obliged, a string of saliva breaking
between them as she pulled back. Ningguang felt unsettled by how much she enjoyed that as
she looked into Beidou’s eye, searching for any excuse to blame her arousal.

She and Beidou had played a game of chess the day before, and being the gambler she was,
Beidou challenged Ningguang, the loser has to do whatever the winner asks. The stakes made
her take the game seriously for once and Ningguang was mortified that she had lost to
Captain for the fourth time and this time with the stakes being through the roof. Tonight,
she’d been visited by the Captain, her demands from Ningguang clear. “Have sex with me.”
Ningguang had no choice but to accept, a contract, once laid down, could not be broken. She,
as a member of the Liyue Qixing, should follow the ground rules set by Rex Lapis first and
foremost. Beidou’s face broke out into a grin.

“I won’t do anything you don’t feel comfortable with, but I’ll make you feel real good, just
give me a chance.” For once, the captain sounded earnest and even caring. She wasn’t going
to push Ningguang into meeting her demands. For some reason, that made her feel warm
inside. “I—continue,” Ningguang tried her best to keep her voice as cold as it always was but
it was difficult while her face was burning and her legs grew hotter with Beidou’s touch.
Beidou stood up with Ningguang in her arms, holding her as easily as she’d hold her
claymore. Ningguang allowed herself to be carried deeper into the mansion, tangling her
fingers into Beidou’s hair and initiating a kiss, guiding Beidou to her bedroom.

Beidou took Ningguang’s tongue into her mouth, sucking it gently and smiling into her lips
when Ningguang moaned softly. Once she finally managed to find Ningguang’s bedroom
among the rows of different rooms, she laid her down gently on the bed, taking her heels off
of her feet and setting them on the floor. Beidou climbed over the Tianquan, regarding her
with a meaningful look that told Ningguang, ‘Stop me whenever you don’t like what I do,’
she looked away, blushing deeply at Beidou’s consideration. Beidou’s hand slowly ventured
up Ningguang’s dress, massaging her thighs and pushing the article up until Ningguang’s
whole body was on display for her, only covered by her undergarments.

Beidou smirked down at Ningguang, reaching back to undo her hairpin from her hair, letting
it fall over her shoulders as she tossed the pin onto the nightstand. Her fingers snaked around
Ningguang’s back, fumbling with the clasp of her bra and undoing it. Ningguang didn’t stop
her as Beidou pushed her bra up, instead, lifting her back so Beidou could discard the article
to the floor along with her dress. Beidou stared down at Ningguang’s body, her face pink but
not from drunkenness for once. She couldn’t help thinking how beautiful the woman beneath
her was with her perfect proportions and her silky smooth skin, much different from Beidou’s
body that brandished scars from her many skirmishes. She trailed her fingers across
Ningguang’s waist while she covered her face, “Don’t just stare at me,”

Beidou chuckled, “One tends to be speechless when the most powerful woman in Liyue is
laid bare in front of them.” She said, burying her face in Ningguang’s neck, kissing the
porcelain skin and nibbling on it, leaving love bites and hickeys down her collarbone.
Ningguang bruised fast with her pale skin, Beidou realized. Beidou finally reached
Ningguang’s chest, experimentally running her tongue over one of her nipples, Ningguang
shuddered underneath her, sucking in a sharp breath.
Beidou kissed further down her body, occasionally biting the skin and leaving teeth marks.
“W-wait,” Ningguang said, her fingers brushing against Beidou’s hair as she pulled her up to
face her. Beidou looked confused, assuming Ningguang wasn't feeling good. “Can you—go
back up..?” Ningguang’s face burned with the request, untangling her fingers from Beidou’s
hair to hide blushing cheeks. Beidou grinned, “Oh, you mean here?” She flicked her finger
over Ningguang’s nipple before pinching it lightly, rolling it between two fingers. Ningguang
moaned into her hands, eyes glazing over with pleasure.

Just as quickly as she started, Beidou stopped and continued her trek down Ningguang’s
body, making the woman whine. “Wha—I just asked you to touch me there,” Ningguang
complained. So out of character for her. Beidou chuckled and gave Ningguang a challenging
smile, “Oh, didn’t I mention I’d make you beg for it? If you need something from me, beg for
it.” Ningguang stared up at the woman in bafflement, no doubt the idea of actually begging
for something without having it just handed to her was puzzling to her.

“But—you promised to make me feel good,” she spluttered, unable to formulate proper
words. How she hated Beidou, the woman’s lack of care for Ningguang’s rank was irritating
yet she could feel herself getting wetter at the thought of being at Beidou’s mercy. “Oh? Can
you say to my face that this doesn’t feel good?” Beidou’s fingers hooked around the top of
Ningguang’s panties, pulling them down and discarding them to the side. Her fingers reached
down to tease her vagina, laughing out loud once she felt how wet Ningguang was.
Ningguang mewled softly as Beidou’s fingertips raked across her sensitive clit, her legs
twitching in response. “That feels good, doesn’t it?” Beidou said, smugness lacing her voice
as she smirked up at Ningguang, “I won’t do it again till you beg me for it.” Beidou
straightened up, making sure she was in Ningguang’s line of sight as she brought her fingers
to her lips and licked off Ningguang’s juices.

Ningguang’s face felt as if it were about to explode and she hid her face behind her hands,
having never had something so lewd done in front of her before. Her knees shook even as she
was laying down In anticipation, her body waiting for Beidou to touch her more but the
woman made no moves other than kissing Ningguang on her lips and intertwining their
fingers in a locking manner. “Beidou.. touch me, you can’t just leave me like this,”
Ningguang whispered as Beidou pulled away from the kiss. “I won’t have to if you say
please,” Ningguang pursed her lips in frustration, considering kicking the captain off the bed
but decided she wouldn’t be able to with Beidou’s muscular build. “Please” Ningguang
pleaded.

“Please what?” Beidou teased, her head dipping into Ningguang’s neck to leave a mark on
her collarbone. Ningguang gritted her teeth, “Please touch me.” Beidou grinned against
Ningguang’s skin, still holding her wrists. “Touch you where? Get to the point, Tianquan.
Tell me exactly what you want me to do and beg for it.” Ningguang felt like crying, unable to
get the words to roll off her tongue. Usually, her tongue was sharp, she had no trouble
speaking her mind but now it was difficult with Beidou’s red eye watching her, waiting for
her to break down and finally show her vulnerability. “P-please fuck me, touch my body,
make me feel good.. please!” Ningguang begged as Beidou bit down on her neck. “Music to
my ears.”
The captain sat up, unclasping her Qipao dress and letting it fall off her shoulders until she
was left in her strapless leotard, she reached back to unclasp it and pull it off her body, all
while maintaining eye contact with Ningguang as she watched Beidou strip. She left her
thigh highs on and spread Ningguang’s legs, tucking one of her thighs under hers and
crossing the other over her. Ningguang watched with lust as Beidou quickly snapped off her
strapless bra and brew it off into some unknown direction. She licked her lips when she saw
Ningguang watching her, her eyes gleaming with want as they explored her body, scars
littered her body from her many adventures on the sea, but they suited her, she looked like the
goddess of war in Ningguang’s eyes.

Beidou pressed their legs closer together until their clits pressed together. Ningguang gasped
at the feeling, her arms wrapping around Beidou’s neck and pulling her closer until their lips
met. Beidou rocked her hips, causing friction between them as her hands wandered to
Ningguang’s chest, groping her breasts gently and stimulating her nipples. Ningguang gasped
and moaned as Beidou started to move her hips, rubbing against Ningguang’s clit with every
movement. Beidou’s lips parted, a blush rising up to her cheeks as she tried to steady herself,
waves of pleasure rolling through both their bodies.

“D-Does it feel good?” Beidou asked in between pants, looking down at Ningguang with her
we glazed over with pleasure. “Yes, so good Beidou, go faster,” Ningguang bit her lip, her
long nails digging into Beidou’s back, scratching the skin and leaving cuts. Beidou gave her a
look, but Ningguang caught on quickly to her mistake, “P-Please Beidou, go faster.” Beidou
smiled and gave Ningguang a rewarding kiss on the lips and picked up the pace, wincing a
little at the new scratches on her back. Ningguang felt her toes curl as another wave of
pleasure washed over her, white dotting her vision. Neither of them was very loud, choosing
instead to take in each other’s presence, whispering sweet nothings to one another.

Ningguang never saw herself enjoying this night but now that she was here with the Captain,
she couldn’t help but realize that despite all the infuriatingly perverse comments Beidou
would pass to Ningguang, the woman treated her as if she were as delicate as a flower,
trailing kisses over her cheek and neck and intertwining her fingers with Ningguang’s.
Ningguang came to the assumption that Beidou harbored some feelings for her, every touch
she put on Ningguang's body was full of care, but she didn’t think they were unreciprocated
by herself, she could see that clearly now as she and Beidou became one. Ningguang couldn’t
imagine doing this with anyone but her.

“I’m close,” they said in unison, panting heavily as they struggled to focus on each other and
freezing for a moment when they realized they’d jinxed one another. They shared a chuckle
and one final kiss as their highs rolled over them. Ningguang’s back arched as Beidou’s grip
tightened around her hands. Beidou rocked her hips a few more times to ride out their
orgasms, before stopping, both of them gasping for breath and tangled in a naked heap.
Beidou untangled her legs from Ningguang’s and rolled off of the woman to lie down next to
her. They stared silently at the ceiling for a few moments, processing what had just happened.
“I don’t suppose you’d care to leave?” Ningguang asked, a twinge of hope that Beidou
wouldn’t go. “Nope,” Beidou replied with a popping p, “C’mere,” she opened her arms for
Ningguang. With exaggerated complaints, Ningguang settled in Beidou’s arms after pulling
the covers over them. “I hate you,” Ningguang whispered for good measure, knowing that
she didn’t mean it.
Beidou laughed her boisterous laugh and kissed Ningguang’s cheek, “Love you too,
Tianquan.”
 Blood play (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

Diluc gets wounded after a fight with an abyss mage and Kaeya has trouble keeping his
desire for the taste of blood in check.

Chapter Notes

I was quite out of my element with this one as I'm not the fondest of blood but I hope I
didn't do too badly!

"What are you doing here, Kaeya?" Diluc growled as he brandished his claymore higher
when the knight faced him, flames burning brightly around the weapon and illuminating the
dark of night. He'd almost sliced the Cavalry Captain in half when he dumbly snuck up on
Diluc and tapped him on the shoulder, only his quick wits saved him from the angry pyro.
"Sorry~ I didn't know you'd spook so easily, Master Diluc. That startled noise you made was
quite endearing though," Kaeya teased with a chuckle as he pushed Diluc's flaming claymore
away with his sword. "Though you should really be careful when swinging around like a
madman," Kaeya continued, smirking as Diluc's scowl deepened, his red eyes burning bright
orange in the firelight. Slowly, the flames died out and Diluc strapped the weapon to his back
with a grumble, walking past the knight without another word. Kaeya didn't let him off that
easy, skipping after the bartender, humming like an annoying mosquito. "I'm on night duty,
which means that you're not allowed outside of Mondstadt without special permission~," He
told Diluc as they treaded through the forests of Wolvendom. "May I see your permission
slip, Master Diluc? Otherwise, I'd have no choice but to escort you back to--" "Oh shut it
before throw you into the lake." Diluc grumbled, stopping abruptly and letting out a small
'oomf' when the Cavalry Captain bounded into him with full speed and almost knocking them
over in the dark. Diluc glared at Kaeya as he merely grinned at the Darknight Hero, "My my,
always so violent. Even still, what could you be doing in Wolvendom on a night like this?"

Diluc grunted as he turned back to walk towards the bank of the lake, igniting a flame in his
hand as he knelt down to study some tracks along the beach. "Must you be so annoying?"
Diluc sighed as he stood straight again. He turned to Kaeya, studying him in the moonlight.
The man looked ethereal, his eye twinkling with the reflection of the stars, Diluc found
himself speechless for a moment before he shook his head, clearing his throat which
tightened up suddenly, "If you must know, I'm hunting a bounty, cryo abyss mage, nothing
you insufferable knights can handle." He stalked off along the beach, but to his dismay,
Kaeya still followed, "Oh? Well, as a knight it is my responsibility to see to the protection of
Mondstadt's citizens, even nasty ones like you." Kaeya stifled a laugh as Diluc glared at him
over his shoulder. He couldn't help but stare as Diluc's skin shone in the moonlight, his eyes
looked darker in the dim lighting but they still burned with passion in the dark of night. Diluc
heard a branch snap behind him, though not from Kaeya. He spun around sharply just in time
to see a cryo abyss mage appear behind the Cavalry captain and hurl a dagger-sized icicle at
Kaeya's back. He lunged forward, accidentally knocking both of them over in an effort to
save the knight from getting hurt. He managed to stick his hand between the icicle and
Kaeya's back. It pierced his palm, sending a wave of pain up his arm. He pulled Kaeya
behind him and drew his claymore as quickly as possible just as another icicle hurtled
towards him. He barely managed to block it with his blade, cringing at the pain in his hand as
he held the claymore with both hands. Kaeya quickly regained his wits and drew his sword
just as another abyss mage appeared at the first one's side. A hydro abyss mage. Kaeya
laughed humorlessly, paling slightly as he eyed the wound on Diluc's hand that began to drip
blood, he licked his dried-up lips behind Diluc's back.

"Looks like you need my help after all," he said as he raised his sword, he looked at Diluc
who looked back at him with a deadpan look. Together they charged at the mages. They both
knew each other's fighting styles well, knowing to keep out of each other's way to keep their
fire and ice from clashing and keep the two abyss mages from regrouping and freezing them.
The cryo abyss mage sent several daggers of ice towards Diluc, cutting him in several places
but it was ultimately triumphed over as Diluc's blade caught fire, igniting the blades of grass
around him and forming a ring of fire around himself and the abyss mage. He could vaguely
feel himself catching fire but adrenaline kept him from feeling any pain. The abyss mage
panicked, feeling its shield melting rapidly, and tried to teleport out of the fire just as his
shield died away, leaving its scrawny body vulnerable to attacks. Diluc quickly grabbed it by
the scruff of its neck and threw it into the inferno, watching as it screeched and thrashed from
burning before finally taking pity and stabbing his claymore through its abdomen where it
promptly crumbled into dust.

He looked towards Kaeya's side of the beach in time to see the hydro abyss mage's shield
freeze up due to Kaeya's ice. With a few lazy slashes, the ice broke the abyss mage's shield
along with it. "Wait," Diluc said, looking around at the blazing grass at his feet. Kaeya looked
at him with a twinge of annoyance dancing in his eye, his blade hanging midair, ready to
strike the mage down. "Send him over here," Kaeya grumbled under his breath, assuming
Diluc was going to steal his thunder by landing the killing blow to the mage but kicked the
mage towards him nonetheless. Diluc grabbed the mage by its neck and took its staff and
shook it. Water spewed out of its point, dousing the flames. He hummed in satisfaction and
threw the mage back towards Kaeya who promptly raised his sword in time to impale the
mage through the chest.

Kaeya looked unscathed but very wet and cold. Diluc wondered whether cryo vision bearers
could even feel cold until he realized the hem of his pants were still on fire and burned his
ankles. He quickly put the flames out and grunted as the feelings of pain erupted throughout
his body when the adrenaline wore off. Burning hot blood absorbed into his clothes from
various deep cuts littered throughout his body, making the redhead cringe, he could feel the
blood leaking from the gash on his palm. He moved towards Kaeya as the knight shivered,
not looking at Diluc's cut-up body. The redhead expected the cavalry captain to laugh about
his wounds and how he got beaten up by the abyss mage but the younger didn't even glance
towards him. "Head back. I'm going to wash up, can't walk around like this." Diluc took off
his overcoat and threw it onto the scorched grass as he moved towards the lake's edge,
stepping out of his dusty boots and rolling up the hems of his pants. He shed his bloody shirt
and stepped towards Kaeya who still stood in the water, his gaze now on Diluc but a shadow
cast over his face, Diluc was unable to see where he was looking. He stretched his aching
muscles, immediately regretting it when his wounds stretched open, pouring more blood. He
cupped a handful of water with his uninjured hand to douse over his bleeding body but
Kaeya's voice cut through the air, "Wait--" The water slowly trickled out of Diluc's cupped
palm as he froze, shifting his glare towards Kaeya who stepped towards him, taking off his
soaked boots and tossing them to the shore. He shuddered as the cold water tickled his feet.
He stepped close enough to Diluc to see a bleeding cut on his face and gulped, his eyes
following the droplet of blood that slowly trickled down Diluc's cheek. "Let me see your cut."
Diluc rolled his eyes, fixing Kaeya with an exasperated glare, "Which one, as you can see--"
Diluc's voice was cut off when Kaeya stepped forward, placing a hand on Diluc's cheek and
leaning forward until Diluc's breath fanned his face. He stuck his tongue out and swiped it
across Diluc's bleeding cheek in a kitten lick.

Diluc blinked in shock, trying to comprehend what Kaeya just did. "Let me clean you off,"
Kaeya said, blinking his eye slowly as if to try and convince Diluc to do something manic,
which wasn't far from the truth. "Kaeya, wha--" the knight quickly cut him off, raising his
hands to rest on Diluc's shoulders, desperation dancing in his eye as he smacked his lips, the
taste of Diluc's blood still on then "Please," he begged. He stood on his toes, his feet digging
into the sand to press a kiss to Diluc's lips. The redhead didn't respond for a few agonizing
seconds before he placed his hands on Kaeya's waist, pulling him closer and deepening their
kiss. He could taste his own blood on Kaeya's tongue as the Knight's hands slipped from
Diluc's shoulders, running his fingertips down his muscly chest and relishing in the feeling of
the hot liquid staining his fingers.

He retracted his hands and pulled away from the kiss, bringing his fingers up to his mouth
and licking the blood away, moaning under Diluc's gaze as he felt himself getting hard at the
thought of drinking Diluc's blood. Experimentally, he ran his tongue across a slit in Diluc's
shoulder, lapping up the blood. When Diluc didn't push him away, he let his lips wander
down Diluc's body, kneeling in the water in front of him as he cleaned the warm blood off of
Diluc's body, getting harder by the minute at the taste of iron on his tongue. Diluc pressed his
injured hand to Kaeya's cheek, pulling his face up to look at him. Kaeya couldn't read Diluc's
expression but he could see a bulge forming in Diluc's tight pants. He turned his hands,
maintaining eye contact with Diluc and running his tongue over the cut on his hand, slurping
the blood dripping from his palm with a soft moan. He brought his hand up to Diluc's bulge,
raking his fingers across the lump through the fabric of his pants and relishing in the small
moan Diluc let out in response.

Kaeya pressed his tongue flat against Diluc's cock, hands resting on Diluc's hips as he sucked
on the bulge with his bloodstained lips through Diluc's pants. "I need it Diluc, please," The
knight pleaded, reaching his hand up to intertwine his fingers with Diluc's as he gazed up at
him with need-filled eyes. Diluc grunted, "You're disgusting," The words stung but they were
not unexpected, "First you drink my blood like some sort of monster and then you ask me to
fuck you like a common whore," Diluc's grip around Kaeya's hand tightened as he pulled the
knight up to his feet before pushing him towards the shore. Kaeya stumbled and fell on his
ass in the sand and could only shiver in the cold night air as Diluc walked closer, dropping to
his knees between Kaeya's legs and pushed him to lie on his back. Diluc pulled Kaeya's pants
off of his legs and rolling his shirt up, making Kaeya shudder as the cool air met his wet skin.
Diluc pinned Kaeya's hands on the sandy ground and leaned over him until their bodies met
as more droplets of blood spurted from his wounds. Kaeya whimpered as Diluc's blood was
smeared all over his body, his erection became painfully hard. Diluc glared down at him, a
shivering mess as he stared at Diluc, covered in hot blood as he'd always fantasized, "Who
knew you'd be into such filthy acts likes this, you're fully hard," Diluc's fingers wrapped
around Kaeya's length, giving a few powerful pulls that made Kaeya moan and thrash
beneath him, squirming to free his hands from Diluc's grasp.

His eye glazed over with want as he stared up at the redhead, always treating him like he was
nothing, but the older's roughness only made Kaeya yearn for more. "Please fuck me, Diluc,
it's s-so c-cold," Kaeya whimpered, diluc pressed his cock against Kaeya's ass, "Think you
can handle it without prep or lube?" Frustration flared up inside Kaeya as he wined pushing
down on Diluc, "I don't care if I can't handle it, just give it to me, you coward." He
immediately regretted letting his impatience show when Diluc growled lowly, grabbing hold
of Kaeya's ankles and pulling his legs apart before pushing his own pants down. Still ever the
gentleman, Diluc spat on his cock, slathering it up before he pushed it inside Kaeya. The
Knight gasped, eye widening as he gripped handfuls of sand in his fingers, choking out
Diluc's name as he was stretched beyond what he could handle. Diluc, still holding some
regard for Kaeya's comfort despite being rudely challenged, wrapped his hand around
Kaeya's cock, pumping it to keep the knight's mind off of the pain he felt. He let out
wheezing pants, he almost thought he would cum right then and there with how tight it was.

Diluc coated his finger in some of his own blood from Kaeya's body and pushed it against his
lips. The knight took his fingers in his mouth, sucking the blood off his fingers with a gentle
moan before biting them lightly, trying to keep his attention away from the searing pain of the
stretch caused by Diluc. "M-Move, gently please," Kaeya prompted as he let go of Diluc's
fingers, taking deep breaths as he attempted to loosen up around Diluc's fingers. Diluc bit his
lip, rocking his hips as slowly as he could to avoid hurting the man beneath him. "Haah--
fuck," Kaeya whispered, shutting his eye tightly as he tried his best to get used to the feeling.
"Kiss me and c-continue--haah," Diluc thrust inside of Kaeya at a snail's pace and pulled
Kaeya to sit up on his elbows to kiss the younger gently. Diluc continued to gently move in
and out of Kaeya, grunting a little as he tightened his grip on Kaeya's hips to ground himself
and keep from slamming into the knight. Diluc quickened his pace just a bit, earning a low
moan of approval from Kaeya.

He could feel the small swollen bump inside Kaeya, he pulled out and directed himself there,
snapping his hips forward and slamming into his prostate. Kaeya screamed, his voice echoing
far off the surface of the lake, "Right there, Diluc, don't stop!" Diluc clamped his hand over
the loud knight's mouth, pushing him to lie back on the sand before he repeated the action
over and over again. The younger whimpered into his hand, tears leaking from his eye as he
grasped Diluc's forearms, clawing at the skin as his eye glazed over with pleasure. Kaeya
moaned and squirmed with pleasure as Diluc quickened his pace, hitting his prostate every
time as he cried.
Diluc lifted his hand from Kaeya's mouth and planted his lips over Kaeya's, swallowing his
moans. Scratches caused by Kaeya littered his arms. He began to pump Kaeya in sync which
his thrusts, making the younger arch his back as Diluc pulled away, barely containing his
moans and whimpers as he dug his fingers in the sand once more. He felt a knot forming in
his stomach as his body grew hotter by the minute, his shivering doubled but not because of
the cold this time. "I'm coming, Diluc, please don't stop-ah it feels so fucking good," Kaeya
moaned as a drop of drool slipped from the corner of his mouth. Diluc quickened his pace,
the younger's body had gotten used to him, now he made sure the knight felt nothing but
pleasure from his deep thrusts, his hand pumping Kaeya incessantly. Diluc came first without
warning, filling Kaeya up as the younger clamped his walls tighter around him, he could stop
his grunt of raw pleasure as he threw his head back, his movements becoming sloppier as his
orgasm overcame him. Diluc recovered quickly as soon as his thoughts cleared up, his hand
had stopped pumping Kaeya.

The knight looked up at him with a broken look in his eye, he was at the mercy of Diluc and
he knew it. Diluc took a moment to glance over Kaeya, precum dripped from his shuddering
cock, Diluc's blood had dried over his torso and his hips had bruises shaped like finger marks.
He utterly looked like a mess with his arms and back dusted with sand. Diluc took pity on the
shivering knight and began to move his hand again, stroking the younger with a quick pace
that had him moaning and gasping again. Kaeya put his hand over his mouth, blocking the
loud moan from escaping him as he came all over his stomach. His body spasmed as pleasure
washed through him, rendering him a gasping mess before he fell back against the ground
fully, completely drained of energy. Diluc pulled out of him, dripping with his own cum as he
sat back, trying to catch his breath. Once they'd both calmed down he gave Kaeya another
once-over before standing up and picking him up in his arms. Kaeya quickly straightened up,
looking at Diluc with curiosity dancing in his eyes as strength began to return to him. "You're
filthy," Diluc said as he tugged Kaeya's shirt completely off. "Well, of course, I was fucked in
the sticky sand and am filled to the brim with cum, do you think I'd be as pristine as I usually
am," the knight rambled irritably.

"Heads up," Diluc told him before he stepped into the lake and launched Kaeya far into the
deeper end, earning a startled yelp as the younger fell in the water a few meters away from
the shore. Diluc couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he discarded his own pants and stepped
inside the cool water up to his waist, noticing Kaeya hadn't resurfaced. He gasped in surprise
as hand arms rose from the depths of the water, clamping around his shoulders and pulling
him under. His lips met Kaeya's as he was completely submerged. He couldn't help smirking
into the younger's soft lips thinking, 'I deserve that.'
 Body Worship (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

After Childe leaves Liyue for Snezhnaya, Zhongli comes to visit him on a freezing cold
morning and clears up all of his doubts about their secret relationship.

Chapter Notes

Have three smuts in one day, inspiration is booming! How I managed to write
wholesome smut, I have no idea but I hope you enjoy it.

Childe tossed and turned in his bed, a scowl on his face as he tried to cope with the freezing
cold. Even despite having pyro heating, the room was so cold and he felt like he was going to
turn into a popsicle. Childe felt homesick ever since he returned to Snezhnaya, which was
ironic considering he was home. He didn't know how to explain it but he knew the cold
morning could be so much better if there was a certain someone with him. He wasn't feeling
homesick for Liyue in particular but for the feeling of being wrapped in Zhongli's arms, he
was homesick for Zhongli. The thought that Zhongli was his home was embarrassing, just a
month ago he would've never dreamed that he'd want to stick around in Liyue, he'd missed
his family a lot but now that he was back home, he yearned for the warm, salty breeze of the
ocean in Liyue Harbor. Here, it just smelled ice, and ice had no smell. Snezhnaya truly was
bland, it didn't have Zhongli's flare.

He continued to wallow in his own self-pity, glaring at the wall with the ferocity of someone
ready to kill, if only he could throttle the snow. He sighed dramatically as he wrapped his
arms around himself to fill the void of Zhongli's warm presence but his ears perked up when
a light tap against a window caught his attention, like a stone being hit against the glass. He
looked at his window with annoyance, how could anyone manage to find a stone in
Snezhnaya? He was about to turn away when another tap against the window caught his
attention. He grumbled under his breath. Who in Teyvat would be trying to get his attention
at five in the morning in the middle of a small blizzard? Finally, Childe had it when, instead
of a stone, a snowball hit his window with a loud THUNK. Someone was clearly trying to get
his attention. He threw off his covers and bounded up towards the window, ready to chew out
whoever was trying to disturb him during his own pity party. He threw the window open,
ready to yell, expecting some insomniac kids from around the neighborhood but his voice
died in his throat once his eyes landed on the tall, lean figure of Zhongli in all his glory,
wearing nothing but a silk button-up with dress pants and slacks. In the middle of a blizzard.
The Geo Archon merely smiled up at him as he stood at his window, Childe's hair a complete
mess and his silk shirt hanging off his shoulder. He didn't feel the cold anymore as his cheeks
began to burn at the cliché scene he had become a part of. "Wha-- how- you know what I'm
not going to ask, catch me," Childe called out as he placed a foot on his window sill and
jumped out of the second-story window of his room, arms spread open like an eagle and
confident Zhongli would catch him. Sure enough, even though he had surprised the Archon
with the impulsive decision, he didn't fail to catch him, wrapping his arms around Childe's
frame tightly before the force of Childe's dive knocked him back. They fell over into the
snow, Childe lying on top of Zhongli and hugging his neck tightly, face buried in his strong
chest as he inhaled the fresh scent of flowers and wet Earth. And gods, the warmth that
washed through Childe's body as he hugged the man beneath him was second to none, not
even his blanket. He raised his head and smashed his lips against Zhongli's, relishing in the
warmth of his lips as the Archon pulled him tighter against his body. Childe pulled back and
began to pepper kisses all over Zhongli's face affectionately, making the Archon chuckle,
"Missed me?" Childe's knees would've gone weak if he wasn't already lying down on his
cushion at the sound of Zhongli's familiar, rumbling voice. He couldn't lie to Archon,
nodding his head as he buried his face in the crook of his neck. "What are you doing here?"
He asked before he began to nibble on the Archon's shoulder, a habit he picked up whenever
he was feeling deep affection for Zhongli.

He tried not to show it but he was so happy the Archon had shown up when Childe most
needed him. Zhongli ran his fingers through Childe's hair soothingly, pressing a kiss to
Childe's cheek that lasted for several seconds, making the ginger smile gleefully at the
gesture, it was Zhongli's favorite way of showing love to Childe. He sat up, sitting Childe on
his lap as he pressed another kiss to Childe's forehead. They'd only been apart a few days but
those days were torture for both parties, this reunion meant more to them than they cared to
admit, "I missed you, of course." Childe pulled back and gave Zhongli a look, "You missed
me? Why?" He asked dumbly. Zhongli would've rolled his eyes if he knew how but chose for
an exasperated sigh that steamed over Childe's face. "I'm not sure, Childe, maybe because
you're my lover and I love you?" He said sarcastically and pressed his lips against Childe's
temple as a gesture to tell him 'bless your heart'. Childe's grip tightened on Zhongli's shirt as
he clung close to the heat source like a koala bear, "You're barely wearing anything, are you
dumb or just trying to catch hypothermia?" Zhongli chuckled, pinching the ginger's cheek
and pulling at the chubby skin before he scooped him up in his arms and stood up, "Now that
you mention it, it is quite cold. Excuse me if I invite myself in." Zhongli stepped closer to the
house and then waited as if expecting something to launch them into the window, "Wh--"
Childe began but Zhongli interrupted, "Shush, give it time, it isn't my pillar's fault that the
ground his buried far too deep under the snow." Childe rolled his eyes as they finally began to
rise higher towards Childe's bedroom window. Zhongli jumped through the gap, almost
hitting his head against the top.

He launched Childe on the bed and immediately flopped on top of the ginger, wrapping his
arms around Childe's waist and trailing kisses on his neck. "I missed you so much," Zhongli
whispered as he inhaled Childe's minty scent, feeling the muscles in his body relax. Childe
didn't mind the heavy archon lying on top of him as heatwaves rolled over him, he was in
Zhongli's arms just like he'd wished he would be. "You know it's really dangerous for you to
be here if the Tsaritsa found out--" "She would declare war on me for trespassing," Zhongli
finished. Childe wrapped his arms around Zhongli's neck, hugging the Archon to his chest, "I
couldn't help it, I wanted to see you. I wish you'd come and live with me in Liyue instead,"
Zhongli ventured, "or it doesn't even have to be Liyue, Mondstadt is also a beautiful place to
live in, we could live out our days peacefully.. although I'd have to deal with that insufferable
bard." Childe laughed, stroking Zhongli's hair as he relaxed against Childe's chest, sighing
contentedly. He visualized the scene Zhongli had painted in his mind, the two of them
growing old and wrinkly together (after Zhongli renounces his immortality of course),
surrounded by hills and fields of bright flowers, maybe even starting a family together and
adopting a little boy or girl. Childe thought of Teucer as he pictured the scene, warmth filling
his chest as he went through all the possibilities of having a peaceful life.

But as he glanced at his nightstand, he spotted his electro delusion lying next to his hydro
vision and frowned. He sighed monotonously and kissed the top of Zhongli's head, "I'm sorry,
Zhongli, but my loyalty lies with the Tsaritsa, and of course you too. It's more like my heart
belongs to you while my mind is just.." Zhongli sighed quietly, raising his head to rest his
chin on Childe's collarbone, looking at the ginger with unreadable amber eyes. His eyes were
one of Childe's favorite things about him, Childe had learned to read people's emotions in all
his time fighting enemies, but with Zhongli, all his abilities crumbled under his gaze and he
was reduced to a vulnerable mess. But he liked it, Zhongli was the one person he could afford
to show weakness to. "I understand," Zhongli said softly, "But that bit about going to war
with the Tsaritsa.. well I would go against all of Snezhnaya alone it in a heartbeat if it meant I
could have you all to myself like this for the rest of eternity." Childe shivered despite
Zhongli's warmth, he looked away as tears stung his eyes. In all his life until now, he'd never
experienced the love and affection Zhongli showered him with, risking war just to see Childe
even though his loyalties conflicted and being willing to even sacrifice his immortality for
him. Before long he began to cry, wishing he could have that life Zhongli dreamed for them,
raising a child together, cuddling like this for the rest of their lives, but he couldn't. Zhongli
moved forward and kissed him passionately, his fingers cupping the ginger's cheeks and
wiping them free of his tears.

Zhongli pulled back, looking into Childe's teary dull blue eyes, for once, Childe could tell the
emotion in his eyes, pure love and affection. "I love you," Zhongli whispered, kissing Childe
on his cheek, a light peck. Childe wrapped his arms tighter around Zhongli, fearing the
archon would disappear at any moment. "What do you even love about me that makes you so
willing to sacrifice everything for me," Childe asked. Zhongli gave a light-hearted laugh and
sat up between Childe's legs, "Oh dearest, everything. Where do I even begin?" Zhongli
leaned forward and kissed Childe on his nose, making the ginger smile wide, his cheeks
tinting pink. "I love your smile, seeing it fills me with undying love," Zhongli said. He placed
his hands on Childe's waist, wiggling his fingers against his side and making the ginger burst
out into a fit of contagious laughter as he squirmed under Zhongli. Zhongli chuckled, "Your
laugh brings me unbelievable joy," Zhongli took hold of Childe's hand and intertwining his
fingers with Childe's and smiled down at the ginger, "I love that your hand perfectly fits in
mine," Zhongli leaned down again, his fingers gently pushing Childe's face to the side,
exposing his neck. He licked the skin and kissed it, "Your neck and chest always look
wonderful littered with marks made by me," Zhongli continued softly as Childe blushed,
remembering how his bruises would never fade from his neck as Zhongli would consistently
paint over them with new ones nearly every day. Zhongli's hand fiddled with the buttons of
Childe's shirt, opening them one by one until the younger's body laid bare in front of him.
He placed a kiss on Childe's nipple, gently running his tongue over the hardened nub and
making the ginger moan, arching his back and pushing into Zhongli's mouth eagerly after
days of no contact. "I love the way your nipples swell with even the slightest bit of friction
from me," Zhongli ventured further down as Childe's blush deepened, he slapped the
Archon's shoulder lightly, "They don't swell right off the bat if only someone didn't suck on
them so harshly," he scolded as Zhongli chuckled. Zhongli ran his hands along the sides of
Childe's waist, wandering further down his abdomen, "I love the way your body arches for
me and pushes against me needily," he whispered as he finally got to the waistband of
Childe's pajamas. He pulled the silk off the younger's legs and put it off to the side, staring
down fondly at Childe's body. He massaged Childe's thighs, pulling them up off the bed and
allowing them to wrap around his neck, "I love the way your legs weave around me
whenever you feel good," He ducked his head down between Childe's legs, taking the
younger's hardened cock in his hand and making Childe moan and shudder, his legs
suspended in the air. Zhongli placed a light kiss against the pink tip of Childe's member, "I
love how your cute little cock is always happy to see me," Childe panted quietly as Zhongli
pumped him twice before letting go, "It's not little" he murmured bashfully, which was true,
by normal standards.

Zhongli nodded earnestly. He dipped his fingers lower until they found Childe's twitching
hole. He smiled down at the younger, eyes glazed over with affection and lust. He pushed his
finger inside, watching as Childe sighed contentedly, fisting the sheets. "I love how well you
take me in, always eager for more." Childe's face was completely red now, brighter than his
orange hair. Zhongli smiled down at him, "This isn't even half of what I love about you,"
Zhongli frowned suddenly, worrying Childe who thought he didn't something wrong, Zhongli
sighed for the dramatic effect, "It's been a few days since you left, I suppose we'll have to
prep you for me now," Childe wanted to kick the Archon as he pouted childishly, the look
didn't suit Zhongli at all. "You won't have to," Childe said, if it were possible for his blush to
become brighter, it would have, "I-- I touched myself when I was alone," he whispered.
Zhongli stared down at Childe, processing the new information, Childe hid his face in
embarrassment, he could practically imagine Zhongli picturing the image of Childe fingering
himself. "How many fingers did you put in?" Childe stuttered, peeking behind his hands, "F-
four," Zhongli smirked "Can you show me?" It wasn't difficult for Childe to decipher
Zhongli's smugness from his voice. He glared up at the Archon, "Wha-- no!" He said but
quickly crumbled under Zhongli's nonchalant gaze, challenging Childe to refuse with his
unrelenting glare. Childe bit his lip, "O-Okay, fine," Childe pulled his legs up to his chest,
avoiding Zhongli's eyes as he reached for the drawer in his nightstand and pulled down a
bottle of lube. "Allow me," Zhongli whispered as he took the bottle from Childe's hands and
popped it open. He dribbled a generous amount of the freezing cold lubricant onto Childe's
hole, making the ginger gasp at the cold feeling against his warm body, shivering slightly. He
bit his lip again and pressed two fingers against his hole, slowly pushing two fingers inside
and shutting his eyes tightly to avoid looking at the Archon above him. He moaned as he
added a third finger, panting softly as his free hand clutched the bedsheet. He cracked his
eyes open but quickly shut them again as soon as he made eye contact with those blazing
amber eyes that belonged to Zhongli. Childe pressed a fourth finger inside and stopped,
knowing he had met Zhongli's request and was about to pull his hand away when two more
fingers pressed against his walls, pushing their way inside and making Childe's eyes fly open,
the stretch was unbearable. "Haah-- Zhongli n-no, it's too-ah much" Zhongli didn't listen,
pressing his fingers deep inside Childe, pressing down on the exact spot he remembered
clearly. Childe moaned, his jaw slackening as he stared up at the Archon, pleasure shooting
through his body as Zhongli slowly pressed his fingers against the swollen bundle of nerves
inside Childe.

"I think that should be enough prep," Zhongli murmured thoughtfully, enjoyment dancing in
his eyes as he watched Childe's face twist into a silent scream as he pulled his fingers out
before thrusting them back in, hitting Childe's prostate with enough force to rock his entire
body. Childe's body twitched as Zhongli pulled out, Childe's own fingers following in suit.
Zhongli had discarded his own shirt while the ginger had his eyes closed, he unbuttoned his
pants and pushed them off his legs. Childe moaned at the sight of Zhongli's cock standing
proudly against his stomach, courtesy of the show Childe had put on for him. Childe wrapped
his legs around Zhongli's waist, as the older scooted closer to him. Zhongli dumped lube onto
his cock, hissing as the cool liquid burned before he set the bottle down and slathered it on
his cock well, releasing a sigh of contentment as Childe watching him. He placed his hands
on either side of Childe's head, staring down at his lover lovingly as he lined himself up to
Childe's hole. He pushed inside with ease, letting out a quiet grunt as Childe engulfed him,
tightening around him. The ginger gripped the sheets, his knuckles turning paperwhite as he
panted for stability, being stretched far more than he remembered. Zhongli's cock pressed up
against his prostate, making him moan. Zhongli began to thrust, starting off slowly and
quickly gaining speed. Childe cried out as Zhongli aimed for his prostate, his eyes going
wide with every thrust as he was fucked into the bed, Zhongli leaned down and pressed a kiss
against Childe's lips, slipping his tongue inside Childe's open mouth with ease, pushing it as
far back as he could reach and hitting the back of Childe's throat. "Haah-- Zhongli, s-so good,
making me feel so good," Childe babbled without realizing as Zhongli pulled away, moaning
helplessly as the Archon thrust deeper inside of him, his voice shaking in time with every
thrust as his body rocked with the snapping of Zhongli's hips.

Zhongli panted above Childe, keeping himself up on his arms with difficulty and wishing to
hold Childe in his embrace. He used Childe's body, his jaw slacking as he groaned. Childe
was so warm on the inside, it made him feel like he was on fire. He continued for several
minutes, trying to keep Childe's moans at bay in case he'd wake up his family with his
loudness. The younger couldn't form a full sentence, only uttering Zhongli's name and
cursing under his breath. Childe's cock throbbed, bobbing as his body rocked in time with
Zhongli's. He felt it twitch as a familiar feeling rose in the pits of his stomach, making him
cry out Zhongli's names, "F-Fuck, Zhongli-- Morax-ah, I'm so close," Zhongli's quickened
his pace, his breathing becoming frenzied as Childe tightened around him, making it difficult
for him to think as he groaned into Childe's ear, not even caring about how loud they were
now, they felt too good to notice. Childe clamped around Zhongli as he came all over himself
in white ribbons, almost screaming as he put his hand over his mouth to silence himself, his
body spasming as his eyes closed. He took deep breaths, moaning into his hand still as
Zhongli chased his own orgasm. With a low, animalistic growl, the archon came inside of
Childe, filling him up with his hot seed. Childe stared off into nothingness, trying to collect
his thoughts as Zhongli collapsed on top of him, drenched in sweat from his own body heat
and the kinetic energy he shed. Childe hugged Archon, sighing in contentment, his legs
loosening around Zhongli's hips. He looked up at Zhongli with half-lidded eyes, "Promise
you won't leave by the time I wake up?" He whispered. Zhongli smiled fondly, kissing him
gently, "I promise."
 Bondage (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Childe thinks he can get away with leaving Zhongli tied up after getting him hard, he
did not anticipate that the Ex-Archon could rip through rope.

Chapter Notes

Sorry if this came out as OOC for Zhongchi, couldn't find another way to get through
this prompt without making Zhongli a bit rougher and Childe a brat.

Zhongli pulled against his restraints, grunting quietly as the rope cut into his skin. He woke
up with his hands tied to a bed and a blindfold tied over his eyes.

He attempted to recall the events before he was captured, but a noise from the room caught
his attention, "Childe." Zhongli called, his voice resonating throughout the room. A laugh
erupted from the wall opposite the bed, likely a doorway. Zhongli relaxed slightly when he
realized that it was indeed Childe, his captor.

"You're finally awake, good. I didn't know how much longer I could wait." It occurred to
Zhongli that he was naked save for his boxers and he clicked his tongue, piecing the puzzle
together. "You tricked me. You said you were in danger." Zhongli said as he felt the harbinger
walking closer. Despite being unable to see or feel anything, Zhongli could vaguely make out
Childe's figure in his head, he could imagine the smug smirk the ginger would be
brandishing.

"Oh I did, didn't I?" Childe laughed again as he stood by the edge of the bed, looming over
Zhongli, "Oh dearest Zhongli, I thought I made it clear we Fatui weren't to be trusted, yet you
still fell for my trap. And me? In danger? You must've been out of your mind to fall for it,"
Childe chuckled.

Zhongli felt the bed dip as Childe climbed over the Archon, sitting directly on top of his
crotch. "I thought you were in jeopardy." Zhongli hissed as Childe rocked his hips slightly.
Even though he was in a situation he didn't want to be in, he felt himself getting hard as he
thought of Childe's schemes. Childe giggled, "Well, now you know why the heroes always
end up getting captured by the villains. In any case, I'm not doing this for the Fatui, this is for
my own personal gain. Take this.. as revenge for when you deceived me about your real
identity."
Zhongli's back arched as Childe began to rock his hips harder against Zhongli, rubbing their
rapidly hardening erections together. Childe moaned erotically above Zhongli, placing his
hands on Zhongli's abdomen to keep himself steady. Childe gasped when Zhongli bucked his
hips, launching the ginger forward and making him topple over Zhongli, their faces an inch
from one another before the ginger blinked and tried to regain his wits.

"Hasn't anybody taught you that when you restrain someone, you make sure they cannot
move their legs," Zhongli said, smiling before he smashed his lips against Childe's,
immediately shoving his tongue between the younger's parted lips, enjoyment filling him as
Childe moaned.

"Can't let me enjoy even a moment of dominance, can you?" Childe whispered against
Zhongli's lips. "I am a god, the prime of the adepti, submission is not in my nature." Childe
chuckled as he continued to grind his erection against Zhongli's before pressing their lips
together, this time attempting to fight against Zhongli's tongue for dominance. He felt himself
rapidly losing as heat rose to his cheeks, a bit of drool dribbling down the side of his mouth
from the sloppy kiss.

Zhongli ultimately won, relishing in his victory as he smirked against Childe's lips and
sucked on his tongue before pulling away, pride swelling in his chest as he was able to
dominate Childe even despite being tied up and unable to see. Childe panted as he sat up,
wiping the corners of his mouth as his cheeks burned from the embarrassment of a lost battle.

"Can't you at least pretend to be submissive?" Zhongli chuckled lowly, "I'll try for you,
dearest." Childe gritted his teeth with new determination as he shifted to sit on Zhongli's bare
thighs, pulling down the waistband of Zhongli's boxers and watching as Zhongli's erection
sprang out. His eyes followed every bounce of Zhongli's thick, veiny cock and took a deep
breath, getting second thoughts about everything he had planned as he wondered if he'd
stretched himself enough.

He leaned down, pressing his lips against the tip of Zhongli's cock and swirling his tongue in
the depression of Zhongli's urethra. Zhongli moaned, making Childe smirk at finally getting a
reaction from the older. He stroked Zhongli's length with his hand, loving the feeling of
Zhongli's pulsating veins against his palm as he hollowed his cheeks and dipped his head to
take in more of the Archon's cock in his mouth, it hit the back of his throat and went past it,
making Childe gag before he pulled away, panting for breath.

He looked at Zhongli and saw that the Archon's face was flushed red and he was panting
heavily. He smiled at the sight and gave Zhongli's cock a few more pumps before he decided
he couldn't wait any longer for it.

He unbuttoned the shirt he was wearing, leaving it on his shoulders before taking off his own
boxers and reaching for the bottle of lube on the nightstand. "I want you to watch me do
this," Childe said as he set the bottle down and scooted forward to take off Zhongli's
blindfold. The Archon blinked from the sudden light before his eyes accustomed to
brightness, setting themselves on Childe with lust blazing behind his golden pupils. Childe
almost shied away from the intense gaze but steeled himself, gazing back into Zhongli's eyes
as he dripped lube onto his fingers.
He moved his hand back, pressing his fingers inside of himself and moaning quietly. He had
prepped himself while waiting for Zhongli to wake up but decided it wasn't enough. His jaw
slackened as he leaned forward against his hand on Zhongli's chest. Zhongli watched him
with his fists clenched, a low growl rumbling in his throat as he tried to hold himself back.
"Turn around. Give me the full view," Zhongli commanded.

Before Childe could realize what he was doing, he obeyed Zhongli's order, turning around so
he was facing away from Zhongli, his ass fully on display for the Archon. Another growl
erupted from Zhongli's throat as the sound of wood creaking filled the room as he began to
fight against his restraints, almost bending the headboard, watching Childe fingering himself
drove him up the wall.

Childe cried out when his own fingers brushed against his prostate, the sudden wave of
pleasure almost making him topple over on Zhongli's legs. "C-Childe," Zhongli stuttered,
catching the ginger's attention, Zhongli's voice was always steady and cool, yet now it shook
as the Archon bit his lip, his eyes half-lidded with lust as his cock throbbed while watching
Childe. "Is t-there something you want to say to me Zhongli?"

Zhongli stumbled over his words as Childe gripped his erection, stroking it slowly to add to
the tension, "You're ready, are you not? J-Just do it already," Childe laughed out loud and
turned back around, sitting on Zhongli's thighs and clamping his legs around Zhongli's cock,
making the older curse under his breath as his back arched. Zhongli vaguely noticed that the
button-up shirt Childe was wearing was his, the one he'd been wearing before he got knocked
out by the harbinger.

Childe rubbed his legs together with Zhongli's cock in between them, watching as Zhongli
thrashed against his binds, "Oh? Do what exactly? If you want to beg me for something at
least do it right, Zhongli." Zhongli bucked his hips lightly, making Childe stop and glare at
him. He ran his fingers across Zhongli's erection, knowing exactly what he must do to make
Zhongli crumble. "You know, it would be funny if I just left you here like this," Childe
ventured, sitting up on his knees.

Zhongli's eyes widened, "You wouldn't, not when you need me just as much as I need you
right now," Childe smirked sardonically and got up off of Zhongli, leaning down to peck him
on the cheek.

"I can always take care of myself for the time being and come back to get what I want from
you after your erection dies down, maybe even leave you without an orgasm again, it doesn't
matter to me. I'll just have to be patient. You, on the other hand, you'll just have to suffer."
Childe turned around and was about to walk away when a ripping sound came from behind
him. The sound of the headboard cracking a little felt like thunder to Childe's ears, knowing
the sound all too well. He didn't dare turn around, freezing up as he felt Zhongli's arms wrap
around his waist, glancing down to see his wrists bleeding.

He couldn't believe his eyes, feeling cold sweat dripping down his back. How did Zhongli do
that? Childe's mind screamed for him to run away, to leap out if the dangerous embrace
Zhongli gave him. Childe couldn't imagine how one could just rip rope like that. "You were
saying?" Zhongli's voice was steely as he pulled Childe back into his lap, gazing at Childe's
shocked expression with a smirk as he buried his face into Childe's neck. It occurred to
Childe that he had been tricked.

Zhongli could've gotten free since the beginning but humored Childe, made him think he was
in control, but now, oh after all the thing Childe had said, he was going to be get punished
and he knew it. He yelped as Zhongli bit down hard on his skin, drawing blood, he shook as
Zhongli's fingers moved up tug at Childe's nipples, "Would you care to repeat what you were
saying earlier, Dearest?" Childe was pushed into the mattress on his stomach, his heartbeat
could be felt through his whole body as he felt Zhongli take off his button-up. Zhongli leaned
over him, trailing kisses down Childe's back, too gentle for Childe to be able to trust him.

He expected Zhongli to slam into him already, even hit him, make him suffer, but Zhongli
handled him gently, his touch full of care and consideration. Childe knew that especially after
all the things he said, Zhongli wouldn't be as gentle and understanding as he made himself
out to be.

Childe felt like crying, he would rather Zhongli just fuck into him and make him suffer
outright rather than make him anticipate his next move in fear that it'll be painful. Zhongli
spread Childe's ass cheeks, taking his place between Childe's legs. He grabbed the bottle of
lube and dripped it onto Childe's twitching hole, watching as the younger shuddered. It was
amusing how quiet Childe had gotten, so loud before when he thought he had power in his
hands, now still as a mouse and waiting to repent. Zhongli pulled Childe's ass up by his hips,
watching as the ginger fisted the sheets, staring straight ahead at the wall opposite the bed,
his shock had not yet worn off. He clearly hadn't been expecting Zhongli to retaliate, which
was absurd.

Zhongli leaned over Childe, sinking his teeth into his shoulder as he pushed inside of him.
The ginger buried his face in the sheets, shaking slightly as he tried not to moan, worried the
older would become angry. But Zhongli wasn't mad, entertained was a better word, seeing
how fast Childe switched personalities. Childe huffed as Zhongli buried himself fully inside
the ginger, applying more pressure with his teeth and breaking the skin, causing blood to spill
out. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Zhongli whispered in Childe's ear as he
pulled out.

The younger opened his mouth to say something but his words died in his throat, a mewl
escaping his lips instead as Zhongli thrust back inside, making Childe lurch forward. "I-- I'm
sorry," Childe said in a meek voice, Zhongli pulled out again and threw Childe onto his back,
grabbing the ginger's hips and thrusting back inside, making Childe cry out as he gripped the
bedsheets, "Look me in the eye and repeat that,"

Zhongli began to thrust his hips, pushing in and out of the younger and purposefully missing
his prostate as he waited for Childe to muster up words again, Childe quivered slightly under
Zhongli's gaze yet his cock throbbed harder than ever, aroused by the aura of dominance that
Zhongli exuded. "I'm sorry--hnngh!" Zhongli thrust in Childe's prostate harshly, sending
surges of incalculable pleasure through the ginger's body, a reward or punishment Zhongli
didn't care which it was. "Hah--" Zhongli laughed dryly, "You're not sorry because of what
you did, you're only sorry because you're trapped and have nowhere to run,"
Zhongli pulled Childe up by his arm, sitting back on the balls of his feet on the bed as he sat
the ginger down on his cock. Childe moaned, wrapping his arms around Zhongli's neck and
burying his face in it, trying to hide from the Archon's intense gaze. Zhongli bounced Childe
up and down on his erection, his face red as he struggled to breathe properly from having the
ginger cling to his neck so tightly and the pleasure.

"Ahh-- it feels so good, fuck," Childe whimpered into Zhongli's ear as the older's cock
slammed into his prostate again, Zhongli tangled his hand in Childe's messy hair and pulled
him back to lie on the bed and to smash their lips together in a rough kiss, Zhongli bit and
sucked on Childe's lips, making sure to leave a bruise. Zhongli grew closer to his orgasm and
took to attacking Childe's delicate skin, leaving dark marks that varied in different shades of
red and blue. Zhongli's thrusts grew sloppier but still managed to hit Childe's large and
swollen prostate with every thrust, making the younger whimper and mewl.

Zhongli came inside Childe with a loud grunt which mixed in with Childe's gasp, feeling his
body go still as pleasure surged through his body, making him shudder. He managed to give a
few final thrusts before he pulled out of Childe, focusing on him with difficulty. He smirked
down at the whimpering harbinger, "Seems like I have a choice to make," Zhongli noted, "To
let you cum or not to," Zhongli pondered this as the ginger hid his face in his hands, "P-
please" Childe pleaded into his hands, making Zhongli wonder whether he was begging him
or his hands.

Zhongli scoffed, "Do you think you deserve it?" He tugged at Childe's wrists, pulling his
hands away from his face. His glare softened at the sight of tears shining in Childe's eyes
before overflowing and starting to drip down his cheeks. He assumed this was some kind of
trick of Childe's to guilt him into letting him come but he felt himself crumbling as Childe
gazed up at him tears staining his face, Childe took Zhongli's hand in his own, tugging it
towards himself and nuzzling his cheek against it. Zhongli sighed in frustration, feeling his
resolve break into shambles. He cursed his weak heart, finding his fingers wandering down
Childe's body to cup his red erection, making the younger arch his back as a moan escaped
him.

Zhongli didn't touch him further than pumping Childe's cock in fear that he might get hard
again, restraining himself from pouncing at the broken harbinger again. Childe put a hand
over his mouth, attempting to keep his moans at bay in case Zhongli changed his mind about
letting him come. Childe squirmed more as his orgasm drew nearer, making him sob into his
hand. Zhongli gave a few strong pumps that had Childe screaming his name as he came all
over this own torso and Zhongli's hand. Childe breathed heavily, his back relaxing from its
arch as he fell back against the mattress, looking up at Zhongli with affection, "T-Thank
you,"

Zhongli cursed under his breath as he looked down, seeing his cock fully erect and ready for
Childe again. "Don't thank me yet, I still plan on ruining you," He murmured an apology to
Childe before he pulled the younger's body towards himself and shoved his cock inside him
again. The night ended with Childe unable to feel his legs the next morning.
 Breathplay (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

Xiao always tries to be gentle with Aether, but it isn't what Aether wants, rather he
wants Xiao to choke him and make him breathless.

Chapter Notes

Sorry if this was a bit stiff, I'm going through exams these days so I haven't had a lot of
time to write properly. I know this is pretty much the opposite of the first Xiaother smut
I wrote, but I felt Xiao needed redemption, so I tried to make him a bit softer. I also
realized I didn't set the record straight in the first one that they're grown in this book, so
they're not children anymore, so I tried to clear that up as well, all the other upcoming
Xiaother smuts will be adult Xiao/Aether too. :)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Xiao pressed Aether against the wall placing light kisses on the blonde's neck. Aether
shivered, wrapping his arms around Xiao's neck, enjoying the feeling of Xiao's warm lips
running over his adam's apple. Xiao was so considerate of him, showering him with
affectionate kisses, handling his body gently as always.

He enjoyed when Xiao was gentle, he loved that the adeptus was considerate of him as if he
was a piece of fine china that would break with even the slightest pressure. Xiao was always
rough around the edges, he was unfriendly to just about everything that lived and breathed,
and he was unfamiliar with the words gentleness and mercy, it was not in his nature, he was
but a machine fashioned for war and slaughter.

That was, until the traveler came along, twisting his world upside down and making him feel
things he hadn't felt in his two thousand years of living, it was absurd and he hated it at first.

He made Xiao feel warmth, showed him what being taken care of felt like, holding him when
his mind battled against itself even though Xiao lashed out at him to scare him away, to
protect Aether from him. He would be the one person to dare shower the adeptus with kisses,
smiling at him as if he saw a kind soul in Xiao.

But no matter what Xiao did to drive him away, the traveler would always show up at Xiao's
usual terrace at Wangshu Inn with a plate of almond tofu in hand along with a warm smile
that made Xiao's heart flutter, which was a terrible feeling (Xiao loved it).
Eventually, the adeptus crumbled, succumbing to the cuddles, the little kisses Aether would
place on his lips and cheeks. He let Aether fall asleep on him and would carry the younger to
sleep in a bedroom at the inn. Along with the walls he'd built around himself, Xiao's heart
began to thaw, he felt an intense need to protect the selfless man and his beautiful smile, he
wanted it to never fade.

He began by trying to change himself for the better, tried to learn what it meant to show
affection. He wanted to fulfill Aether's every wish. He forced himself out of his brutish nature
for Aether, it was all very foreign to Xiao, but he tried his best and Aether loved him for it.
Yet still, Xiao's harsh nature peeked under the surface, he felt a strong desire to cage the
younger and keep him for himself and he feared the feeling a lot.

He didn't want to hurt Aether, he didn't want to become the subject Aether should be
protected from.

Yet he still couldn't let the blonde go, not while he came so readily and eagerly in his
clutches. Aether knew the internal battle Xiao was going through, knew that the gentle kisses
that were being placed on his skin were the fruits of Xiao's labor of holding back from
hurting the blonde, he appreciated it, he loved Xiao for trying.

A part of him wanted Xiao to go rogue, he wanted to be treated harshly, he wished to be

belittled. Aether knew the idea would seem absurd to Xiao who was trying his damnedest to
be good enough for him but he did wish at times that Xiao wouldn't be so careful. Aether
pressed a kiss to Xiao's temple, "You know... you can be rough with me. I don't break easily,
I've proved that to you time and time again. You can hurt me if you'd like. After all, my body
belongs to you."

Xiao froze up, his fingers loosening around Aether's clothes as he straightened up to his full
height. Xiao had chosen to grow with Aether over the years, he'd let his mortal body take
over his growth and had grown taller than Aether by now. "What did you just say?" Aether
smiled weakly at Xiao but had no trouble being honest with the adeptus.

"I have desires, you know. Maybe I should teach you a thing or two about them. I want you to
be rough with me, I want you to hold my throat and block my breathing, I want you to do the
things you want to do to me, even if it hurts me in the process. You want to make me happy,
don't you?"

Xiao looked stunned as he stared into Aether's eyes searching for any signs of a joke being
played on him. "I'm giving you my consent," he placed a kiss to Xiao's lips, standing on his
tip-toes, "and I trust you not to hurt me too badly.. so please, fulfill my desires,"

Something snapped inside of Xiao, he felt his mind succumbing to his dark desires as he fell
upon Aether again, his gentle kisses were no more as he bit down on Aether's neck, his thick
fangs piercing the delicate skin as easily as a knife cuts through butter.

Aether wove his fingers through Xiao's hair, moaned softly in pain as Xiao licked his blood
clean, growling in exhilaration before moving on further down. Xiao grabbed Aether by the
waist and pushed him onto the bed, his golden eyes glowing almost in an animalistic manner.
Xiao threw off Aether's shirt, his nails dug into Aether's skin as he tugged Aether's pants
down as well, discarding them off into some corner of the room. Xiao stopped for a moment,
painfully still as he stared down at Aether's body, the blonde's face was red with
embarrassment and anticipation for what was to come as he hid behind his hands, feeling shy
under Xiao's predatory gaze.

"You said you wanted me to choke you," Xiao's voice was raspier than normal, making the
blonde underneath him shiver with excitement as he felt his cock twitch at the idea. Aether
nodded into his hands.

"But it might hurt you," Xiao said distastefully, sitting up on his knees between Aether's legs
as he began to chastise himself for losing control like that, "I vowed to protect you, to keep
you from harm. Not to be the one bringing you harm,"

Aether's hands fell from his face as he reached out to hold Xiao's hand, tugging the adeptus
forward and wrapped his legs around his waist. Aether pressed his lips against Xiao's
passionately, opening his mouth to let Xiao weave his tongue inside to greedily claim
Aether's lips for his own.

Aether felt his arousal double as his breath shortened, Xiao's lips lapping against his hungrily,
stealing his breath. He felt his head spinning with delight as Xiao pulled away, watching with
astonishment as Aether gasped for breath, a huge smile on trembling lips. Xiao glanced
down, sure enough, Aether had leaked a staggering amount of precum from his arousal.

Xiao had difficulty believing Aether hadn't come just from having his breath taken away. "Y-
You see?" Aether whispered between pants, "Please, it feels so good to me, it doesn't hurt
me." Xiao eyed Aether's swollen lips as his breathing started to even out.

"Fine. Tell me what I can do to make you feel good," Aether smiled brightly at him, making a
warm feeling settle in Xiao's chest as he admired his smile.

Aether brought him down for another kiss, just a peck this time, before taking Xiao's hand in
his grasp and pulling it up to rest on his neck, "Just press against the sides of my throat until I
can't breathe anymore and then release me," he noticed doubt still swimming in Xiao's eyes,
"If it starts to hurt I'll tap you three times, just.. please, it's my only request." Xiao nodded,
gazing down at Aether as his fingers began to tighten around Aether's neck, pressing the sides
as instructed. Aether relaxed in the touch, trying not to show any signs of discomfort that
would discourage Xiao.

He felt his toes begin to curl up as his breath shortened. Xiao's other hand began to venture
down, finger light brushing against Aether's leaking cock, making the younger gasp as more
precum began to spurt out.

Xiao's hand slipped further down to Aether's ass, cupping it gently. Aether began to feel
lightheaded, feeling Xiao's fingers slide over his hole, attempted to relax it before he pushed
a finger inside.

Xiao finally let go of Aether's throat and the younger gasped for breath, back arching in
spasms as Xiao pushed his finger deeper inside, curling his finger and brushing against his
prostate. He let out a choked moan, not having enough air in him to muster up Xiao's name
on his lips.

"T-That felt amazing," Aether stuttered, hiding his face in his hands bashfully again as Xiao
pumped his finger in and out of him, his face dipping to take one of Aether's nipples in his
mouth, making the younger quiver with pleasure as Xiao added a second finger.

Aether felt his breathing go back to normal, but not for long when Xiao had his hand around
Aether's throat again. He stared down at Aether with a dangerous glint in his eye as he
reached down to kiss Aether on his lips, rotating his fingers inside of Aether as he went.
Aether had nowhere to turn to, his legs wrapped tighter around Xiao's waist as he pushed a
third finger inside, moaning into Xiao's lips as his breath slipped away again.

Xiao didn't let go of Aether's lips or throat and simultaneously slammed his fingers into
Aether, hitting his prostate. Aether's hands wove through Xiao's hair, tugging at it gently as
he felt tears brimming his eyes, unable to speak or do anything except whimper as strength
left his body rapidly. Tears slipped from his eyes, staining his cheeks as Xiao pulled back and
let go of his neck, allowing him to breathe again. Xiao felt worry ebb into his gut as he saw
Aether crying but Aether smiled at him as he panted, nuzzling Xiao's hand and placing a kiss
on it.

"You're-- haah-- doing so well," Xiao gulped at the praise and how broken Aether sounded as
he spoke. He wanted nothing more than to tear him apart at that moment, as he used to with
mortals in the old ages, but his love for Aether kept him grounded and he dipped back for a
peck. He pulled his fingers out and then look around at the room Aether had booked at
Wangshu Inn. No sign of anything that could be using as a lubricant.

He looked down at Aether, "Did you bring any kind of lube?" Aether blinked, still red the
face with teary eyes, he shook his head but sat up, "I have an idea," He gently placed his
hands on Xiao's bare shoulders and pushed him back against the pillows to lie down. Xiao
allowed him, watching as Aether sat on his thighs and pulled his hair out of its braid. It fell
on his shoulders so perfectly, Xiao wanted to pull it but he kept his hands to himself.

Aether tugged Xiao's pants down, pushing the fabric off his legs. Xiao's erection sprang out,
almost making Aether drool as his mouth opened in admiration. Aether gave one last
comforting look to Xiao before he dipped his head down and opened his mouth to take in
Xiao's cock.

Xiao's back arched as he groaned, the warmth of Aether's mouth enveloping him and pulling
him into a trance as his fingers dug into the sheets. He gritted his teeth as Aether moved
further down, sucking on Xiao's cock and moaning quietly, trying to suppress his gag reflex
as it hit the back of his throat, making his eyes water again. His breath began to shorten for
the fourth time, as he pushed his head down further, tears spilling out of his eyes again as
Xiao's cock pushed further past his throat. He pulled his head back, gasping for breath as his
own erection twitched for release.

He looked down at Xiao, "That should do it," he said between pants as he scooted up Xiao's
thighs to sit on his hips. Xiao's face was red now, he was almost as breathless as Aether was.
Aether lifted his hips, hovering over Xiao's cock which was drenched in his spit. He took
hold of its base to keep it in place before he pushed down on it, his eyes widening as he was
stretched out. He placed a hand over his mouth to keep a moan at bay as he sank onto Xiao's
cock, lurching a little as it brushed against his prostate.

Xiao grabbed Aether's hips, his nails digging into the supple skin as he pushed Aether down
fully, making the blonde yelp as his hands dropped to rest on Xiao's abdomen to keep himself
balanced.

"S-So good, Xiao" Aether praised between pants as he breathed heavily. Xiao grunted as he
pulled Aether's hips up again before slamming him down on his cock once more, making
Aether cry out as he clawed at Xiao's abs, tears streaking his cheeks and dripping down his
chest. Aether began to help, pushing up and down slowly on Xiao's cock, his eyes rolling
whenever Xiao slammed into his prostate, his mind going blank.

"Fuck, it's so good--" Aether moaned, surprising Xiao who had never heard the younger curse
before. Aether began to wear out after only a few pumps of his hips, making Xiao click his
tongue before he switched their positions, pushing Aether into the mattress and thrusting into
him, his lips wandering down Aether's body to run over his nipples.

Aether's voice cracked as Xiao pounded into him, hugging the pillow to his face tightly as his
body began to tremble. Xiao ran his tongue over Aether's nipple before taking it in his mouth
and sucking on it gently, pulling back and watching as it reddened and swelled.

"I'm close, Xiao, p-please harder!" Xiao's mind felt numb, he followed Aether's request
without even realizing it, the skin of his hips had begun to flush with color from how hard
they smacked against Aether's ass. Xiao wrapped his fingers around Aether's neck again,
pressing it and choking the already breathless blonde beneath him. Xiao watched as Aether's
body became spasmodic before he let go of his throat.

Air rushed through Aether's lungs and he came powerfully all over Xiao's chest with a loud
cry of Xiao's name. Xiao felt his breath hitch as Aether tightened up around him, making it
difficult for him to move and making it difficult for him to think as he barely managed to pull
out in time to come all over Aether's legs and abdomen, his mind dazed and eyes unfocused
as he gazed down at the quivering blonde, his body rigid.

He blinked back to the present a moment later, his vision clearing as he saw Aether scooping
up some of Xiao's cum with his finger and lick it off, looking up at the adeptus with a
seductive look in his eyes, "Do it again." Xiao's mind benumbed against as he attacked the
younger again, welcomed with open arms.

__________Extra__________

"Aether, who attacked you?!" Childe yelped as he looked at the short blonde with wide eyes,
Zhongli trailing behind him and looking over his shoulder, his eyes wide before filling with
anger. "Who did this to you?"

"Did what to me? I didn't get attacked..?" Aether said, confused as Paimon joined them, her
soul almost left her body when she saw the bruises painting all over him. "Look on your
 neck." Zhongli prompted. Aether walked over to a window and looking at his reflection, his
eyes widening as he saw deep blue finger-shaped bruises painted on his neck. He blushed "O-
Oh, it's nothing."

Childe was the first to understand, he began to laugh hysterically, "Dear Archons, do you
have a choking kink?" Paimon began to laugh too while Zhongli only blinked, confused, a
clear question written on his face, "What is a choking kink?"

Chapter End Notes

I also tried to make my paragraphs a bit shorter, so if you prefer shorter paragraphs let
me know! I know longer paragraphs can be difficult for some people to read.
 Caught Masturbating (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

The lovable gym teacher, Childe, has a massive crush on Zhongli, a history teacher, and
develops a voice kink from him. He gets caught by the man himself, masturbating to a
recording of his history lecture on the roof.

Chapter Notes

So sorry for the late update! Unfortunately, I ended up skipping Car Sex as I just
couldn't get inspired to write it, but if I ever end up finishing it, I'll post it! Hopefully,
this will suffice for now. Also thanks a lot for the 500 kudos! It means so much to me
that people enjoy my shitty writing hehe. Also, I have officially completed 10 chapters~
Have fun reading.

*Edit: I decided to edit this chapter a bit cause it's one of the popular ones from my
original chapters. I hope that of you choose to read this again, you'll be able to enjoy it
more than the first time.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Childe threw open the door to the roof, flinching as the door clattered against the stair house
walls. He sighed a breath of relief from climbing all those steps as he shut the door behind
him, locking it securely with the latch as he leaned against it. He looked around on the roof
for any signs of students before he released a sigh, seeing that no one was around as far as the
eye could see.

He fixed his crooked teacher's whistle and threw the blue coach's hat off his head to some
random side, vaguely registering the smell of smoke in the air before shrugging it off and
ruffling his ginger hair.

Childe pushed off the door and walked around to the back of the stair house from one side,
faintly coughing as the smell of smoke became denser around him.

He ignored it and plopped down on the floor at the back of the roof. He unbuttoned the top
button of his polo, "Alone at last~," He sighed happily.

He was a Physical Ed teacher at Liyue National High School and let's just say things tended
to get a little sweaty, literally.
He loved his job of bullying scrawny introverted teens and pushing them to do better
physically of course, but it got old when he was constantly surrounded by sweaty kids and it
got tiring. Being a teacher was difficult, finding himself sometimes loathing going to school
some days because his students were always restless.

Not to mention, he also had to deal with the the matter of him, the man who always plagued
his mind each time Childe saw him.

Childe's worst nightmare, a boring, old (although Childe knew he couldn't be older than
thirty-five), tall, drop-dead gorgeous history teacher with the rumbling voice that made his
legs shake every time he came near Childe.

A shudder ran through Childe's body at the thought of Zhongli, his mind immediately filling
up with dirty thoughts that made him scream internally. Zhongli was quite the handsome
colleague, one of the many teachers Childe had managed to befriend.

History teachers were the worst, Childe had figured that out back when he was still in high
school, but when did they start to become hot?

Childe feared for his own sanity, being near the tall Liyuean was difficult enough, but even
more so when he spoke; it made him weak in the knees and he got hard nearly every time he
spoke, which was a lot because the man never shut up about the history of the world. It was
terribly embarrassing to think about, but each time he got sexually frustrated, he got the urges
under control by jacking off to the teacher's voice at least once a day.

He was completely boring, the opposite of Childe with perfect manners and exactly Childe's
type, though they got along well, spending their breaks together Occasionally, Zhongli
would drive Childe home too.

A dazed yet loving smile shifted onto Childe's lips at the thought of the man, wondering how
anyone could be so perfect.

There were rarely any people taller or at least the same height as him where Childe was from.
He liked feeling small after growing up taller than those around him, so he was absolutely
delighted to meet Zhongli for the first time.

It was blissful standing next to the older man and he couldn't help grinning when they made
close contact with one another and noticed the size differences between them. Childe adored
that Zhongli had bigger hands than him, albeit a lot smoother than Childe's hands which were
always dry and calloused.

Still, Zhongli ended up becoming a nightmare for Childe. Everything became a problem
when his head-over-heels attraction to Zhongli morphed into sexual attraction.

Childe assumed Zhongli knew nothing about how Childe would ask his students to record his
boring lectures to get off to the sound of his voice under the guise of wanting to know more
about war.
He also assumed the hormonal teens of his shared classes with Zhongli likely had an idea that
there was no educational motive behind wanting recordings of the hot teacher's voice, but he
was lucky not to get called out for it.

Childe patted the pockets of his blue gym shorts, pulling out his phone before double-
checking the pockets. He cursed when he realized he'd forgotten his earphones at home and
clicked his tongue at his carelessness.

He opened the recording of Zhongli's voice, hoping it would be alright considering he was
alone and played it with a guilty glance towards his surroundings.

Zhongli's voice filled the air around him and he prayed to Archons above it couldn't be heard
through the thin walls of the stair house in case anybody came up. Childe gulped as he felt
blood rush to his crotch at the sound of Zhongli's soothing, deep voice. He barely registered
the words Zhongli spoke as his body grew warmer and his heartbeat increased.

His legs curled up slightly, 'Okay Ajax, no foreplay, it's only a half-hour break and the
teachers might get suspicious if I don't show up in the staff room.'

Zhongli's calculating golden eyes popped up in his mind at that thought, wondering why
Childe showed up late to their usual lunch together, breathless and frazzled.

Of course, it wasn't the first time Childe had done this at school, but he usually didn't do it on
the roof, without earphones and only a measly door to keep others from hearing him. Childe's
hand reached down and he began to palm himself, whimpering quietly as his cock fully
hardened at the sound of Zhongli's reverberating voice.

He lowered his shorts along with his boxers, beginning to massage himself whilst low moans
and whimpers escaped his lips.

His breath caught in his throat, making him release a breathy moan, "Mmmh- Zhongli~" he
gently called the older's name, his back arching as he picked up the pace, imagining it was
Zhongli's soft, large hand wrapped around his cock.

He let out a particularly erotic, throaty moan, throwing his head back to lean against the wall
as he whimpered, pumping himself as Zhongli's voice droned on from his phone. His noises
of pleasure started to become more frequent, his body heated up tremendously and beads of
sweat began to roll down his face as his features scrunched up. Childe's muscles tensed, he let
out a quiet pant, "F-Fuck-- Zhongli, I'm going come-haahh..!"

He came powerfully into his hands, letting out a cry of pleasure before he slapped his hand
over his mouth, waves of ecstasy rolled over him. He panted into his hand, toes curling as he
rode out his orgasm against his own hand, thrusting into it a little as his seed spilled out into
his palm.

He panted quietly, coughing a little as the smell of smoke grew stronger; he vaguely
wondered if the school caught fire as he turned off the recording before reaching into his
pocket for a tissue and hand sanitizer to clean his hands.
He got up, legs trembling slightly from the aftershocks of the pleasure, and picked his phone
up off the ground. His spirits had lifted tremendously after masturbating, making him feel
ready to see Zhongli without completely panicking. It did not work as he'd hoped.

He began to walk around the stair house from the opposite side from which he came, barely
watching where he was going as he stared at his phone. But then, he felt someone else's
presence right in front of him, his head snapping up to look at who was on the roof.

Childe froze, his phone slipping from his hands and clattering to the floor. He didn't have
time to worry about it as his eyes flew wide open. Sheer panic filled his body like his lungs
had been busted up with oil, making his breath catch in his throat. 'I'm so screwed,' Childe
thought to himself, staring at the man he least wanted to meet on the roof.

There Zhongli stood, blocking his path to the other side, holding a cigarette between his
thumb and index and staring at him with shining golden half-lidded eyes. An amused smile
was curved onto Zhongli's face, but his eyes were deadly serious, making Childe wish he had
wings so he could leap off the roof and run as far as he could.

Alarm bells blared in his mind as he desperately tried to think of a way to escape. But then,
what would Childe do if he managed to run away? He vaguely thought about fleeing the
country entirely. He took a shaky breath, knowing he should at least try to defend himself.

"Z-Zhongli, it's not what you think--" Childe began, his voice quivering, but was cut off
quickly.

"Save it." Zhongli whispered, his voice low like a growl. Zhongli walked forward,
compelling Childe to move back to keep his distance as horror seeped into his veins.

Zhongli bent down and picked Childe's phone off the ground. It didn't appear to be damaged
aside from a slight crack in the screen. Thank god for Samsungs, but then again, Childe
would rather it have broken than let Zhongli see the contents of the phone.

The screen hadn't locked, the email page was still open and Zhongli hit play on the recording
linked on the email. His own voice began to play again, Zhongli's eyes went over the name of
the sender, narrowing a fraction as he realized the strings Childe had pulled in order to listen
to his voice.

He paused the recording again as he looked back up to meet Childe's stricken blue eyes.

The gym teacher looked adorable to Zhongli, usually loud and boisterous in public, now
unusually quiet as he froze up, like a startled kitten.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Zhongli said smoothly, raising the cigarette to his lips, his every
movement being followed by Childe's eyes as he drew a puff from the drug. He released the
smoke slowly, head tilting to the side to study Childe, "But it seems that you were
masturbating to the sound of my voice. I highly doubt the idea of the great war turns you on."

Childe's lips quivered a little, every ounce of his confidence seeping out through every
crevice of his body, "It's not like that-"
Zhongli interrupted him again, "It's not like what, Mr. Childe?" He began to walk forwards,
but Childe's feet remained stuck to the floor, "Explain it to me as if I am five years old
exactly what you were doing moaning my name like that."

He stopped inches away from Childe as he dropped the cigarette to the floor, stepping on it to
extinguish it.

Childe gulped. For some reason, even though Zhongli had been smoking at least since Childe
came, he didn't smell like it, always the scent of flowers. Childe didn't even know Zhongli
smoked, but fuck it was hot.

"Please," Childe whispered, wanting to run away, but he knew couldn't, at least not without
his phone which was clutched between Zhongli's slender fingers. He felt himself getting
aroused again and cursed at him in his head, wishing the floor would swallow him.

Zhongli chuckled, a low sound that went straight to Childe's crotch. Childe's cheeks flushed
bright pink, watching as Zhongli pocketed his phone before pulling him forward by the string
of his whistle, making Childe gasp.

Zhongli's large hand reached down to brush against Childe's cock, making the ginger twitch.
Another puff of laughter erupted from the back of Zhongli's throat, "You're hard again.. tell
me, does the idea of being caught turn you on?"

Childe whimpered involuntarily as Zhongli grabbed him by the arm before pushing him
against the wall of the stairhouse.

Zhongli's hands were always gentle and soft, especially when he handled Childe such as
when they held hands when leading one another to some secluded part of the school to have
lunch together to avoid losing each other in the crowd of students, but now they were rough
as if his smooth hands had calloused over in a matter of seconds.

Zhongli leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with lust. His hands rested on the wall on either
side of Childe's head, his lips inches from Childe's, making the ginger nervous. Ever the
gentleman, Zhongli asked, "Do you want this?"

Childe gulped, getting fully hard again at the thought of Zhongli asking for consent even as
Childe was standing completely broken in front of him. He covered his burning face with his
hands and nodded into them, unable to muster the courage to say it out loud.

Zhongli clicked his tongue, deciding to tease Childe a little, "Speak your words, you're not a
child anymore. Explain to me exactly what I have to do to hear you moan my name like that
again." Childe felt as if he was about to burst with embarrassment. Everything felt surreal,
from Zhongli catching him in the act to pinning him to the wall. He took a deep breath to
calm himself, he let his hands fall from his face and looked deeply into Zhongli's shimmering
golden eyes as he cupped the older's jaw.

He tried to look for words, making him feel choked up and embarrassed.
"Please fuck me," he silently cheered for himself for sounding so stable even as his heart was
hammering in his chest, "I want to be destroyed by you right now," Zhongli licked his lips at
Childe's honest words and couldn't stop himself from pouncing at the younger, pulling him
forward by his hips to close the little space left between them before pressing him up
completely against the wall and smashing their lips together.

Childe immediately opened his mouth, moaning desperately into the kiss as Zhongli's tongue
slipped inside, running against the roof of Childe's mouth.

The action sent tingles up Childe's spine, making him whimper into the kiss. Zhongli's lips
definitely tasted like smoke, unlike his flowery scent but for some reason, he found himself
getting even more turned on at the taste of it.

He wrapped his arms around Zhongli's broad shoulders, letting Zhongli explore his mouth as
their tongues intertwined. Childe's hands ran over his shoulders, feeling how far the spanned
out before falling to grip Zhongli's biceps, feeling the muscles rippling through the man's
white button-up.

Childe felt more intrigued by the man than ever, wanting nothing more than to explore
Zhongli's body. Zhongli always struck Childe as a slender and slim man from the layers he
always wore, but now feeling his tensed muscles through a thin button-up, he felt all his
assumptions fly out the window.

Childe pulled back, gasping for breath and looking up into Zhongli's eyes. "I had to listen to
you moaning and gasping like this ever since you came up here," Zhongli whispered.

He couldn't get enough of the younger's sweet lips, running his tongue across Childe's bottom
lip as his hands ventured back to grip Childe's ass. Childe's cheeks burned at the thought of
Zhongli listening to him moaning his name whilst touching himself, but he decided not to
reply to that.

"We don't have much time till our next class so just skip the foreplay and fuck me already,"
Childe pleaded, weaving his fingers through Zhongli's fluffy locks as Zhongli's eyes
calculated Childe's expression.

"Hmm.. skip the foreplay? I think not," Zhongli's hands ventured up, slipping up Childe's
shirt, his warm fingers brushing against Childe's waist and making him shudder, "Those kids
will survive without ten laps of running or another chapter on the war," Zhongli said before
his fingers finally raked over Childe's nipples.

Childe lurched into Zhongli's arm from the sudden sensation that shot through his body, "N-
No, stop that feels weird-mmh" Childe couldn't help moaning and Zhongli tugged on his
nipples gently, watching his reaction with a small smile on his face as Childe's eyes became
half-lidded, his mouth opening in a small O.

"Hmm? It seems that you like weird,"

Zhongli pushed Childe's shirt up, grunting in frustration when the loose polo kept slipping
down.
"Hold this," Zhongli told Childe as he pressed the hem of Childe's shirt against his lips,
compelling him to bite into it and hold it up for Zhongli with his teeth. He felt his cheeks
flush red as Zhongli's arms wrapped around Childe's hips, lifting him up against the wall to
put his chest level with his face.

Zhongli ran his tongue over one of Childe's nipples, smirking at the muffled moan that
escaped Childe's lips. He took the nub between his teeth, tugging on it gently before
clamping his mouth around Childe's nipple, sucking on it, and swirling his tongue around the
bud.

Childe wove his fingers through Zhongli's hair, pulling on it as he attempted to keep his voice
low. Zhongli pulled back from Childe's chest. He smirked as he saw how red and swollen it
had gotten from only a few seconds of sucking and moved on to Childe's other nipple,
performing the same for it and making Childe wrap his legs loosely around his waist, crying
out into his shirt as he felt his body going limp with each passing moment.

He doubted he'd have enough strength in his legs to hold himself up as Zhongli set him down.
Zhongli pressed his forehead against Childe's, looking deeply into his eyes, "What feelings
do you harbor for me?"

Childe's mind whirred at the question. He didn't know if he was brave enough to truly tell
Zhongli just how much he liked him. His hesitance seemed to show, causing Zhongli to pinch
his ass to force the words from his lips. Childe whimpered, sucking in a sharp breath and
looking away from Zhongli's intense eyes, "I like you,"

Zhongli's eyes gleamed malevolently as he smiled, "Just like?" He teased, reaching into his
pocket and pulling out Childe's phone. He waved it for Childe to see, reminding him of how
many voice records he had of Zhongli's voice.

He blushed furiously, cursing himself for ever getting himself into this mess, "Fine-- I like
you a lot," He managed. Zhongli raised an eyebrow, putting the phone back in his pocket.
Childe groaned a little as Zhongli bit down on his jaw in challenge, making him tighten his
grip around Zhongli's shoulders, "A lot a lot,"

Zhongli refrained from rolling his eyes at the sentiment, feeling slightly disappointed not to
have forced a love confession from Childe. Rolling his eyes was a habit he'd picked up from
the bored students of his class, but Childe couldn't help thinking how much the action suited
his bright, headlamp-like eyes. Zhongli turned Childe around so the ginger's back faced him,
making Childe nervous as he wondered if he'd done something wrong. He was pulled back
further away from the wall before Zhongli pushed him forward to bend down in front of him,
hands pressed flat against the wall for support.

Childe felt humiliation wash over him at the position and looked back at Zhongli shyly as the
older's large hands stroked his thighs gently.

"Eyes forward. Let me show you what kind of treatment I give to people who 'like' me."
Zhongli ordered, making Childe gulp and oblige without argument as Zhongli pushed down
Childe's shorts. The fact that all he could see was the cold cement floor made Childe jittery
with nerves. His sense of touch only heightened as he felt Zhongli's hands groping his ass.
Zhongli smirked at the sight of Childe's ass sticking out for him, his hole twitching with
anticipation for him. Zhongli brought his fingers up to his face and stuck his fingers in his
own mouth, coating them with saliva before he spread Childe's cheeks further, dipping his
fingers towards his entrance.

He pushed two fingers inside a little forcefully to save time, his free hand wrapping around
Childe's mouth to muffle the wail he let out.

"Be gentle with me-" Childe whined, his eyes clouding up with lust and pain.

Zhongli chuckled, waiting for Childe to get used to his fingers before he began to wiggle
them around, feeling Childe up and making him moan. Zhongli pushed his fingers forwards,
dipping towards Childe's front in the direction of his urethra, and pressed his fingers against
the swollen bundle of nerves inside of him. He fastened his fingers around Childe's lips again
as the younger mewled loudly, thrashing a little under Zhongli.

Zhongli smirked, knowing he'd found Childe's favorite spot.

He stretched Childe a bit more before pulling his fingers out and straightening up to his full
height behind Childe. The younger whimpered and quivered, still bent over against the wall
as Zhongli unzipped his pants pulling out his cock through the design of his boxers before
grabbing hold of Childe's hips again, "I'm going to need you to be quiet, Childe."

Childe snorted, wondering what that was supposed to mean. He challenged Zhongli, "As if
your dick could make me screa--aah!" Childe yelped as Zhongli pushed inside of him without
warning.

His eyes flew open as he clenched around Zhongli, mouth hanging open as he attempted to
speak, but only babbles and half-uttered curses spilled out of his mouth, "F-Fu-ck, how are
you so big?"

Zhongli planted a small smack on Childe's ass as he pushed inside completely, panting at the
tightness around his cock and shutting his eyes to steady himself.

"Natural gift-," Even his smooth, deep voice was somewhat strained as they became one with
one another; he knew he hadn't stretched Childe out enough.

Childe decided at that moment that he did, indeed, prefer his history teachers with big dicks
and deep voices.

Zhongli pulled out a bit before thrusting back inside, pushing towards Childe's prostate,
attempting to find it once more. His eyebrows furrowed as he attempted to keep himself
grounded, listening to Childe let out a long moan as he pressed into his prostate.

Zhongli gave a chuckle of triumph and aimed for that spot again and again, watching with
increasing satisfaction as Childe attempted to keep his moans at bay, lurching forward with
every snap of Zhongli's hips.
Zhongli pulled Childe up to stand straight, burying his face in the ginger's neck and biting
harshly on the tender skin, making Childe cry out loud as he trembled in Zhongli's arms,
voice cracking with pleasure while he tried to focus on reality. White spots clouded his vision
with every thrust of Zhongli's cock into his prostate.

He found it so difficult to think, but only Zhongli's name kept spilling out of his mouth over
and over, just as Zhongli wanted.

Zhongli pressed a kiss to Childe's cheek that Childe barely registered, his grip tightening on
the younger's hips as he slammed into him repeatedly.

"Mm- so good, Zhongli~" Childe whined leaning his head back against the older's shoulder
and looking up at the cloudy sky without registering what he was seeing. Zhongli couldn't
resist leaving marks on the younger's supple skin despite having actively tried not to
throughout the whole ordeal. Red splotches dotted the side of Childe's neck in a matter of
minutes, though Childe was too far into his pleasure to pay them much mind.

A sinking feeling rose in Childe's stomach, he felt pleasure surge through his body with
Zhongli's every move.

"Cumming--haah- I'm cumming" Childe wheezed as Zhongli slammed harder into him,
encouraged by his moans and the incoherent babble of his name rolling off Childe's tongue.

Childe began to tighten around Zhongli, letting out frequent whimpers as he clawed at
Zhongli's hands, attempted to cope with the feeling inside of him. Zhongli managed to wrap
his hand around Childe's cock just in time as Childe came with a loud cry of Zhongli's name.
Zhongli felt his eyes rolling as Childe tightened up immensely around him, his orgasm
shaking him to the core as his body spasmed. Childe was silent for several moments, taking
ragged breaths with his mouth wide open, drool dripping down the sides of his lips. Finally,
he came to, realizing Zhongli was still inside, still pushing into him with that freakishly large
cock.

"D-Don't cum inside--" Childe barely managed, "P-Please, I'm a P.E teacher, I have to run
around." Zhongli's mind almost didn't register his words but he managed a laugh at the
thought of Childe running with cum leaking from his ass.

The thought was too tempting but he held regard for the younger and pulled out. He turned
Childe around, pushing him back up against the wall, "Pump me then," Zhongli said
breathlessly staring at Childe with his intense gaze.

Childe's fingers wrapped around Zhongli's cock, beginning to stroke it fast for Zhongli to get
off quickly. Childe watched, biting his lip as Zhongli's eyes became half-lidded with pleasure;
he moaned quietly, leaning a hand against the wall behind Childe to steady himself as he felt
his own orgasm drawing closer.

Childe kissed Zhongli on his lips, smiling as the older moaned into the kiss deeply, white
cum spurting from his cock all over Childe's hand, his body going rigid from his orgasm
before he shuddered. Childe cracked his eyes open, seeing Zhongli's eyes go unfocused as the
older fell against him heavily, heaving. "That was amazing," Childe whispered.
 Zhongli smiled at him, catching his breath. He straightened up, stepping away from Childe,
and turned around to tuck his cock back into his pants awkwardly.

Childe pulled his shorts up quickly, patting his pockets to find another tissue but he was fresh
out of luck. Zhongli sighed, seeing their dilemma, and pulled out a pristine golden
handkerchief from his pocket.

"Here, take this." He cleaned his own hand before extending it out for Childe to use as well
but Childe shook his head, his bold smirk returning to his face as he raised his hand to his lips
and licked the sticky cum off his hands as Zhongli watched. For once, Zhongli looked
shocked and frozen.

Childe leaned forward and pressed his lips against Zhongli's cheek, "You'll come to my place
after school, right?" Zhongli found his brain short-circuiting, only managing to nod dumbly
and could only watch as Childe turned to walk away but stopped as if remembering
something.

Childe turned around and dipped his hand into Zhongli's pocket and took his phone, "I
believe this belongs to me," He gave Zhongli another smirk before he walked away, a bounce
in his step towards the door.

Zhongli let out a puff of amusement, such a wide variety of personalities Childe had, he
thought.

***Extra***

Childe arrived at class ten minutes late, he'd barely managed to make himself look
presentable in the staff washrooms, though his hair looked like a mess, plus he'd forgotten his
hat up on the roof.

He sighed, not wanting to face his students' questions but he was pleasantly surprised to find
that no one said anything to him, they only stared at him with wide eyes.

"Good Afternoon everyone~" He sang. The students didn't reply, making him whip around to
glare at them questioningly. Then a student began to laugh, "Did you have a nice lunch with
Mr. Zhongli, professor?" A chorus of giggles erupted throughout the crowd of kids.

Childe felt confusion fill his mind, but one girl was kind enough to offer him a mirror. He
looked at it and his eyes bulged out of their sockets.

A large red spot was painted on his neck along with teeth marks. Color seeped into his face as
he blushed and more giggles erupted from the group. "Okay, that's it, twenty laps, all of you!"

Chapter End Notes

Let me know if these short extras are annoying! I'm skeptical about them but I figure
that some of these smuts get more depth when describing awkward aftermaths of it, but
hopefully, y'all enjoy them well enough.
 Chair (Jean/Lisa)
Chapter Summary

Jean is very tired and very stressed, what kind of girlfriend would Lisa be if she didn't
help the woman relieve her stress every once in a while?

Chapter Notes

I haven't seen many Jean/Lisa smut fics on here, so I thought maybe I should include
one, but I'm totally out of my element when writing girl/girl haah-- but I hope this was
satisfactory!

Jean sighed as she slumped on her seat, rubbing her eyes with her knuckles to ward off her
exhaustion as she tried to gather her strength to continue filing paperwork. As the Acting
Grand Master for the Knights of Favonius, she had to step up to properly do Grand Master
Varka's job. She never imagined it would be this difficult to keep up with the bustling city of
Mondstadt, her respect for the Grand Master increased tenfold when she realized the blood,
sweat, and tears that went into his line of work. Jean wanted nothing but to rest, but her sense
of responsibility kept her afloat. "I can't sleep, Grand Master Varka entrusted me with this
task, he never slept on the job.. no, I must remain steadfast, father is counting on me." She
rambled to herself under her breath as she picked up the pen again with aching fingers. The
sun had long since set, the people of Mondstadt had retired to bed and it was likely most of
the day-shift Knights had called it a day as well.

She couldn't help feeling envious and bitter. She had much to do and no time to do it with
stress overcoming her body. Jean wished she was one of the other carefree knights again, able
to finish their duties in the allotted time, the people of Mondstadt needed her though, they'd
bombard her requests and she'd be so busy helping them that when it came down to it, she
never got any of her actual work done. Jean tried not to feel bitter about it, she loved helping
people, that was the reason she chose to become a knight, but now, she reaped what she had
sown.

Without realizing it, her eyes began to droop, her grip around the quill loosened as she
slumped over her desk, folding her arms and laying her head over them. Sleep overcame Jean
and she began to doze off, falling into the abyss of slumber.

"Jean?" Lisa's voice called as she entered the office a bit later that night. The librarian blinked
in confusion when she saw Jean curled up over her desk, fast asleep. She had stayed up to
finish a good book and lost track of time, but decided she would check on her lover
beforehand. Lisa chuckled softly at the sight, smiling lovingly as she walked over to Jean's
desk and stroked her hair gently, a deep feeling of affection for the woman overwhelming her.
Lisa's smile faded into a frown as she saw the piles of paperwork stacked under Jean's head.
She understood what had happened and a scowl deepened. "Oh Jean" she whispered softly,
"You're selfless to a fault." She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Jean's head, lightly
patting her back to wake her up. Jean blinked her eyes open, looking up at Lisa with her big,
stormy eyes. "Lisa?" Lisa gave her a smile, "You should head on home, dear." Jean blinked in
confusion before she looked down at her paperwork, her eyes flying wide open when she
realized she had fallen asleep, "No no no! How could I fall asleep when I have all this work
left, how could I be so irresponsible?!" Jean's eyes were flashing with panic and worry as she
picked her quill up again with shaking fingers. Lisa quickly snatched the pen from her grasp,
"Jean! Pull it together, you need rest. You're going to start getting wrinkles from all the stress
you've been accumulating." She teased as Jean lunged for the pen, she pulled it out of her
reach, making Jean groan, "Lisa, please. I need to get this work done, it's due tomorrow
morning and I've wasted too much time sleeping already."

Lisa shook her head sternly, "I say this out of worry, dear. You're going to work yourself sick
and I am not going to let that happen. Put those papers away and let's go. You need rest."
Lisa's voice was stern and she closed her eyes to keep from looking into Jean's knowing that
if Jean tried hard enough to be cute, she could overcome even Lisa's hardheaded
stubbornness. Jean sighed, reaching out to take Lisa's hand in hers, "Please Lisa, I need to get
this work done, just for tonight, I'll even take a day off tomorrow but just let me finish these
papers." Jean sounded so sincere, Lisa could feel her resolve to break, she cracked an eye
open to gaze at Jean, regretting it immediately when she saw the unintentional pout on Jean's
sleepy face, her eyes half-lidded from exhaustion. Lisa sighed "Alright, I'll let you keep on
working but on two conditions." Jean sat up straighter in her chair, "Anything," Lisa smirked
at that, stifling a chuckle. "Well~ first you have to take a break, something to relieve you of
all that stress you've been carrying around." Jean sighed, chewing her lip nervously as she
glanced at the wall-mounted clock. It was one in the morning at the moment, she still had
some time before the deadline to finish these. "Alright, but only if it doesn't take too much
time, what else?"

"You have to let me accompany you until you go home," Lisa grinned when Jean erupted into
protests, "Wha--no! I couldn't ask you to do that." Lisa chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss
to Jean's cheek, "But you're not asking me to stay dear, I'm doing it of my own volition." Jean
blushed at the cute kiss, a small smile growing on her face as Lisa straightened up, "Now,
what should we do for your break? How about a walk?" Jean twiddled her thumbs, "Well,
anything that takes the least time I suppose, a walk would take a while." Lisa pouted
playfully, leaning against Jean's desk as an idea came to mind, "oh but walks are the best
stress relievers.. then again, I know how we can get you in a good mood without taking too
much of your time." She grinned at Jean, but the Knight didn't seem to understand what Lisa
was hinting at. "Alright, let's try it." Lisa sauntered closer, standing in front of Jean between
her and the table, she took off her hat and placed it on Jean's head, ruffling her own flattened
hair up to give it more volume, Jean couldn't look up at her past the witch's hat but gasped
when Lisa kneeled before her, their eyes making contact as Lisa smiled up at her, "Lisa,
what--" Jean trailed off as Lisa put her hands on her thighs, massaging her legs through her
tight white pants and easing the tension in the muscles.
Lisa placed a kiss on Jean's inner thigh, "You trust me, don't you Master Jean?" Jean felt
herself blushing at the honorific and the intimate look in Lisa's forest-green eyes. She nodded
quietly, the large hat tipping in front of her eyes, making Lisa giggled. "While I would've
preferred to do this on a bed, I suppose I did promise you it would take long, didn't I?" She
smiled encouragingly at Jean again as she hooked her fingers in the waistband of Jean's
tights, urging the blonde to lift her hips so she could take them off. She smiled at cute black
panties Jean wore and experimentally ran her tongue over the material, making Jean jump
with surprise. "How cute~ You're so sensitive," she pulled down her panties and couldn't help
smirking when she saw Jean to her full extent. Jean covered her face bashfully, closing her
eyes so she wouldn't have to look at what Lisa was doing. "Mmh, you're so cute." She told
Jean as she lifted her fingers, gently pushing her index against Jean's clit and making the
knight whimper as her hands fell from her face to bury her fingers in Lisa's hair. Lisa leaned
forward, hands resting lightly on Jean's bare thighs as she stuck her tongue out and pushed it
against Jean's clit, making the knight gasp as she clamped her legs around Lisa's head,
startling the brunette. She chuckled and pushed Jean's legs apart with her hands, "Come on,
dear, it would be a great way to go but you'll suffocate me at that rate." She winked at Jean
whose face felt like it was about to explode, "A warning would've been nice," She grumbled,
hiding her face in the hat. Lisa chuckled, "Sorry~ Alright, I'm going to do it again," Lisa
pushed her tongue against Jean's clit again, giving small kitten licks that had Jean squirming
above her, moaning into the hat covering her face. Lisa looked up at her, making swirling
motions around the bundle of nerves with her tongue as Jean arched her back, pushing into
her tongue with a loud moan. Jean clamped the hat tighter over her face, biting into the fabric
to keep from moaning too loudly. "Mmh, no one's around right now, you know," Lisa stated,
pulling back for a second to reach up and take the hat away from Jean's face and place it on
the desk, "The knights are all out on patrol, so you can be as loud as you want. I want to hear
what noises you're capable of making, Jean," Jean's eyes were glazed over from the
momentary pleasure, wanting nothing more than for Lisa to continue. She pushed the feeling
of responsibility to the back of her mind, 'Maybe it would be okay to enjoy Lisa's kindness
here and now,' Jean thought as she nodded, intertwining her fingers with the librarians as she
smiled up at her. As if reading her thoughts, Lisa said, "You're allowed to be selfish you
know," she began, pressing her lips against the opening of Jean's vagina, making Jean jump a
little, "You help out in any way you can, but you always forget to help yourself," Lisa pushed
a finger against Jean's hole, pressing the finger inside of her. Jean shuddered at the feeling,
her nails digging into her palms as Lisa's finger began to press around, looking for that one
sweet spot of Jean's that would make her feel great. Lisa press her lips against Jean's clit
again, rolling her tongue over it and smirking as Jean squirmed above her, letting out
whimpers moans she was aware Jean could make.

Lisa's finger pressed against one special spot inside of Jean and she watched as Jean cried out
with pleasure, her fingers tugging at Lisa's hair as she tried to cope with the feeling, feeling a
light pressure beginning to build up at the pit of her stomach. "Lisa..haah-- do it harder,
please." Lisa grinned at Jean, "You're so well-mannered, dear. Anything for you." Lisa
pushed a second finger inside, making Jean squirm at the stretch, but she kept her movement
to a minimum for Lisa. She pumped her fingers deep inside of Jean, hitting that same spot
harder and making Jean lurch in her seat as she threw her head back in a loud moan. Lisa
planted her lips over Jean's clit, humming a little as she sucked on the sensitive spot. "Touch
yourself on your nipples, it'll help you cum faster," Lisa advises as she scraped her nails
lightly against Jean's sensitive g-spot, flicking her tongue off her clit at the same time. Jean
could barely think straight and she followed Lisa's advice without question, running her
fingers over her hardened nipples through the material of her shirt. She moaned erotically and
clenched around Lisa's fingers, feeling the pressure rising in her stomach, "I think I'm close,
Lisa.." She panted. Lisa hummed again, shooting vibrations through Jean's body as she gave
one last harsh lick to her clit, Lisa chuckled, a devilish smile on her face "You cum fast, I
see." her fingers slamming into Lisa in sync before Jean came with a prolonged cry of Lisa's
name. Jean's back arched beautifully, her hands fell to the armrests, clutching them tightly as
her high rolled over her, making white dot her vision. She breathed heavily, looking down at
Lisa with unfocused eyes as the mage pulled her fingers out. Jean's thoughts cleared up as a
pang of embarrassment rippled through her body, Lisa's fingers were covered in Jean's juices
and she was smirking up at Lisa with a teasing look in her eye, "D-Don't say anything," Jean
begged, her face burning red with embarrassment as she buried it in her hand, Lisa got to her
feet, chortling.

Lisa chuckled, "Alright, alright. I'll tease you about it when your thoughts have cleared up."
Jean peeked out from between her fingers, "Y-You can take a seat now, I'll return the favor. I
doubt I'll be as good as you but.." she trailed off. Lisa smiled as she wiped her fingers with a
tissue before leaning down to peck Jean on her cheek, "that's alright, dear. I'm happy that you
look more relaxed now, you should get your work done so you can head to bed faster,"

Jean stammered, "But--" Lisa began to walk towards the door, "I'll be fine, dear, don't worry.
Though if you insist, I'll take an IOU," She winked at the blonde knight, "I'll be back in five
minutes, clean up, okay?" She exited the room and shut the door behind her before leaning
against it. She sighed, feeling her legs getting weaker, she muttered to herself, "Oh Jean, it'll
take me a lot longer to get over the way you moaned my name like that."

________EXTRA________

Jean and Lisa ended up spending the whole night in the office together, Lisa ended up dozing
off halfway through their time together on her seat but managed to keep awake to keep Jean
company till dawn. Jean blinked weariness out of her eyes but she managed to get her work
done in time to turn it in. She yawned, as she took a seat beside Lisa and curled up to the
half-asleep woman. Lisa wrapped her arms readily around Jean, pulling her into her chest as
they shared a smile, eyes drooping to a close.

Just then, the door banged open, startling the two women awake as they struggled to
disentangle from one another. Kaeya stepped inside leisurely, he took one look at the two
ladies cuddled up together, glaring at him with bags under their eyes. "Oops~ am I
interrupting anything?" He clearly knew he was disrupting their peace and wisely flew out
the door as a ball of electricity was fired at him, giggling like a child all the while as he
closed the door behind him.
 Clothed (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

Aether, a waiter, ends up spilling red wine all over Xiao. He offers to do anything to pay
Xiao back for his ruined suit, but he doesn't expect Xiao to tell him to lick him clean.

Chapter Notes

Sorry for the subpar chapter, I wasn't really feeling it with this one as I'm brainstorming
ideas for a Zhongchi short story! I want to begin writing it, but I'm not sure yet but until
then I shall continue to finish this book of smut to the best of my ability, enjoy!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"They're the owner's family, so be on your best behavior, alright?" Keqing briefed, glaring
mostly at Childe who looked disinterested at the idea of not causing chaos in the kitchen.

Aether nodded in earnest and Keqing smiled at him and patted his head, "You're so diligent,
they'll love you, so you don't have to worry about that."

She fixed a glare on Chongyun and Xingqiu who were huddled up over their phones,
Chongyun's apron and tie crooked from his lack of experience with them.

Keqing sighed in dismay, "They're going to be so disappointed with us," She left for her
office as Childe flicked the back of Aether's head, giggling as Aether swung his knife at him.

"Hey~ watch where you're swinging that thing. Ugh, Manager Keqing treats you like some
saint, if only she knew how mean your true nature is~" Childe told the blonde.

Aether grumbled under his breath and put down the knife he was prepping ingredients with,
"Okay but seriously, let's try not to piss the owners off by putting vinegar in their tea as we
did with that last VIP table," Aether said,

Childe smiled at the memory, "Oh but they had it coming, they said my seafood soup was
gross.. speaking of which I should offer it to them too on the house,"

Aether sighed in exasperation, "They're going to have us fired."

Childe nodded with mock glumness, " 'Tis but our fate."

***
"Can I get you anything else?" Aether asked, a pleasant smile on his pretty face. He snuck a
glance at the man sitting in front of him as he placed the serving of food in front of the head
of the table, the owner of the restaurant, Zhongli.

He didn't know the other man's name but he blushed when their eyes met. Aether didn't know
why but he felt a pang in his chest as the man's gaze morphed into a glare, but he didn't look
away from Aether.

Aether broke first, stepping back from the table as Zhongli began to speak, "Mm.. let's have a
bottle of your best wine, Xiao just turned eighteen a few days, ago it would be good for him
to experience the joys of wine." Zhongli offered him a smile but then glanced behind him,
towards the doors of the chef's kitchen.

They opened momentarily as Chongyun bustled out clumsily and he managed to catch a
glimpse of the cute ginger-haired chef from where he sat.

Aether chose to ignore the subtle glance, stifling a chuckle as he knew what Zhongli was
getting himself into with that one, Zhongli hadn't been around much, he mostly left
everything to Keqing and Ningguang. Aether doubted Zhongli knew much about Childe or
even his name, though he didn't dwell on it as his mind focused itself on the name that
Zhongli spoke.

"Xiao.." he murmured quietly, then with a start, realized he had said it out loud as all eyes on
the table turned to look at him, including those blazing golden ones that belonged to Xiao.
His face turned beet red and he bowed quickly, mostly addressing Zhongli, "Right away!" He
hurried back, bursting through the kitchen's double doors to get away from Xiao's watchful
golden eyes.

He buried his face into his hands, wanting nothing more than to scream in embarrassment but
sighed deeply, looking up only to see Childe looking at him with a smirk on his face.

"What did you do?" He said knowingly, guessing Aether had made an ass of himself in front
of the VIP table.

Aether sighed, pouting, "Embarrassed myself in front of someone who's exactly my type,
what else am I good for?" He stalked off towards the storeroom, Childe's evil laughter
echoing behind him. He grumbled as he picked out a bottle of red wine before stalking back
into the kitchen.

Childe grinned at him, opening his mouth to speak but Aether cut him off, "Oh don't even
start, also why aren't you wearing your chef's hat? It's unhygienic!"

Childe pouted, waving Aether off, "Oh but how am I suppose to seduce the owner without all
this charisma~," The ginger flipped his short hair, flashing Aether a grin as he gagged
mockingly.

"He has better hair than you, leave the charisma to him." Aether told him without hesitation.
He sauntered out of the kitchen with a tray of glasses for the table.
He gave the people at the table a smile, trying his damnedest not to look at Xiao. He placed
the glasses on the table and popped the cork of the wine bottle, beginning to pour wine for
everyone. He dreaded pouring the wine for Xiao, in case he said something dumb again that
would embarrass him, but inevitably he came around the table to pour for Xiao.

His hands began to shake as Xiao held his glass up, watching with shining golden eyes as
Aether desperately avoided his gaze.

His fingers trembled as he accidentally lost his grip on the bottle for a second, he watched in
horror as the wine leaked from the bottle and dropped all over Xiao's suit. He gasped and
took several steps back, eyes wide with horror as the man stood up abruptly, his chair falling
behind him.

The restaurant came to a stop as heads turned to look at him, "I-I'm so sorry!" Xiao whipped
his head to look at Aether, his eyes burning with seething anger as he grit his teeth.

"You klutz!" Aether flinched away, wondering how he could make such a huge blunder.

He almost began to cry before Zhongli stood up to intervene, "Xiao, calm yourself. Mistakes
happen, go upstairs, alright? There's a room where you can clean up," Xiao threw his napkin
harshly on the table but didn't disobey.

He stopped in front of Aether, leaning in, "Clean up here and then come up," Aether gulped
as Xiao walked past him to walk through a doorway that led upstairs. His fingers still
trembled as he hugged the bottle to his chest.

Zhongli gave him a reassuring smile, "It's alright, people make mistakes, he'll calm down."
Aether nodded shakily and turned to see Keqing standing there, looking at him with
disappointment shining in her eyes. He walked towards her, eyes cast towards the floor as he
tried desperately not to break down into tears.

"I-I'm--" He began, stammering.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Keqing said swiftly, sympathy shining in her
eyes as she took the bottle from Aether, "He'll be mad, so just do as he asks, I'll take care of it
if he asks for compensation for the suit, so don't worry. Go grab some towels from the storage
cupboard and go." Aether nodded his head, not trusting his own voice to speak without
cracking.

Keqing gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before he walked away to a separate
storage area. He grabbed towels and napkins before he took a steadying breath, Childe
bounded out of the kitchen, his eyes gleaming.

Aether quickly became annoyed as the ginger stopped in front of him, he was grateful though
because the nerves in his stomach settled a bit, Childe took Aether's hand in his, dramatically
pressing something into Aether's palm and closing it into a fist, "Stay safe, child," Then with
an evil smirk, he walked away from Aether casually, his hips swaying just a little more than
they usually would as he walked by the VIP table.
Aether shook his head in exasperation and began to walk upstairs, he opened his palm and
froze. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he saw that it was a condom Childe had
pressed into his hand.

'That absolute-' Aether sighed before shoving the condom in his pocket and continuing. There
weren't many rooms upstairs but one of them stood slightly ajar and he knocked before
stepping inside. He looked up nervously and his heart began to beat faster. Xiao had taken off
his button-up and blazer, his strong back faced Aether as he held up his black, stained shirt.
He turned to Aether with disdain written on his face as he spotted the trembling blonde.

"I-I'm so sorry, please forgive me," Aether bowed his head, trying not to tremble as Xiao
came closer to him. Xiao didn't reply as he took him by the hand and tugged him forward,
pulling the blonde into his chest and making him gasp.

He pushed the door closed behind him and pressed Aether against it, surprising the blonde
and making him drop the towels he was holding. Aether still couldn't look him in the eyes,
his eyes trailed over Xiao's muscular chest that still had droplets of wine dripping down it.

Xiao's eyes ran over the name tag on Aether's chest, "Look me in the eyes, Aether." Xiao
ordered and pushed his chin up with his index finger to make him meet his eyes, Aether's
eyes went wide at the use of his name but somehow, the way it rolled smoothly off Xiao's
tongue felt so right. Xiao's glare didn't soften when he saw the fear in Aether's eyes or how
much he was trembling. "Do you think 'sorry' will cut it?" Aether felt tears welling up in his
eyes again and tried to blink them back as he shook his head no.

"Then what will you do to compensate me? Will you pay for the suit?" Xiao asked, his voice
getting calmer and calmer. Aether's mind traveled back to Keqing's offer to pay for it, but
now looking at the suit blazer resting on the table at the center of the room, he knew it would
be more expensive than his two months salary, he couldn't ask Keqing to pay for it.

"Please sir, I can't afford it, let me pay you back some other way." Aether blinked, cursing
himself for blabbing too much as Xiao raised his eyebrows at the offer. His cheeks burned as
images of himself being fucked over the table flushed through his mind.

He wanted to slap himself for having such thoughts, "Oh? And what could someone like you
offer me?" Aether looked up at Xiao, his eyes half-lidded as he bit his lip without realizing it.
He was being seductive without trying and he wondered for a moment if Childe's spirit had
possessed him.

"I'll do anything, sir, so please.." Aether trailed off, his voice low and innocent.

Xiao let out a puff of amusement, "Well, first you drop red wine all over me, and now you're
trying to seduce me?" Aether flinched at that but didn't deny it, he didn't know what had
gotten into him but looking at Xiao with his mean glare, he felt an urge of want for the man.
He thought that maybe, it wasn't him trying to pay off a debt for the suit, rather he wanted to
use the situation to fulfill his own desire.

Shame well up in his gut, wondering when he'd started to do whorish acts like this. "Alright
then, clean me off," Aether blinked in confusion, looking up at Xiao with his big golden eyes,
effectively weakening his resolve.

"Lick me clean everywhere the wine fell" Aether's eyes widened as his blush deepened, his
lips parting as he processed Xiao's words. He watched as Xiao moved back from him,
watching him as he wondered if the blonde would try to run away.

He leaned back against the desk, his arms hanging by his sides as he waited for Aether to
make his next move.

Aether took a few cautious steps forward, his shyness creeping back into him as he studied
Xiao's dripping body, stained with red wine. He channeled some of Childe's confidence as
stood in front of Xiao, his head slowly sinking down to lick the damp skin.

Xiao let out a noise of surprise, not expecting Aether to actually go through with it. Aether
bent down, getting more confident as he got used to the feeling of Xiao's muscles rippling
under his tongue, his sensitive skin tingling as Aether's tongue lapped up the droplets of wine
off his body.

Xiao's hand tangled itself in Aether's blonde hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail, his
eyes shone as he watched Aether clean him off, sinking down further and further. He
admitted he was impressed, he didn't expect the shy waiter to go through with it when he was
almost in tears a moment ago.

Soon Aether was on his knees in front of Xiao, looking up at him with big eyes as he tried to
study Xiao's nonchalant expression.

He glanced down and stifled a chuckle as he saw a bulge protruding from his dress pants. He
knew he couldn't judge, since he had gotten hard when he told Xiao he'd be willing to do
anything.

"Some of it dropped here too.." Aether said, his fingers reaching up to unzip Xiao's pants,
encouraged when Xiao didn't stop him, only looking down at Aether with his arms crossed
over his chest.

Aether tugged Xiao's cock out and his lips parted, 'He's exactly my type..' He thought. He
looked up at Xiao as he pressed his lips against the tip of Xiao's cock, watching as he
exhaled. 'I'll make him feel good.'

Aether stuck his tongue out completely, opening his mouth wide before he took Xiao's cock
in moaning quietly as it hit the back of his throat almost immediately, "Fuck--" Xiao moaned,
his hands dropping to tangle themselves in Aether's hair again, "That was bold of you,"
Aether moaned again, feeling it twitching on his tongue and pushed in deeper.

He gagged, tears brimming on the corners of his eyes as he held onto Xiao's hips for support,
sucking on his cock at the same time. Xiao's face reddened as his breathing constricted, he
tugged Aether's hair to meet his eyes, his hand sliding down to caress his cheek. "That isn't
going to be enough to make me cum, you know," Xiao told him.
Aether's blush deepened in color, feeling his confidence begin to crumble at the criticism. His
jaw began to hurt and he cursed himself for tiring so easily. "Bob your head up and down
while sucking," Xiao advised, feeling warmth thaw his heart at how dejected Aether looked,
he was so expressive even as he sucked Xiao off.

Aether followed Xiao's instructions and began to bob his head, saliva spilled out of his
mouth, dribbling down his chin as he felt his throat getting raw, moaning quietly every time
Xiao's cock hit the back of his throat. His own erection throbbed between his legs, growing
agitated by the minute.

One of his hands slipped down to massage himself through the material of his work pants and
relieve some of the tension that had built up.

Xiao noticed quickly, "Did you get turned on just by sucking me off?" Aether took a deep
breath through his nose, stopping for a moment to catch his rapidly shortening breath. He
didn't think he would be able to talk after this with how cut up his throat was and how much
his jaw ached.

Xiao let out a puff of amusement as he rolled his hips, thrusting into Aether's mouth and
making him yelp in surprise, he spluttered, falling backward and pulling off of Xiao's cock as
he coughed, hand rising to his mouth to calm his throat down, wiping his chin with his sleeve
to get rid of the staggering amount of drool.

"Get up." Xiao's voice was steely again as if he'd just remembered what brought them here,
his composure regained. Aether got up shakily to his feet, feeling his legs quake under him.
"You shake a lot when your nervous," Xiao noted as he tugged Aether forward by the arm,
switching their positions so Aether was pinned between Xiao and the table.

"Is that what made you drop that wine all over me?" Xiao leaned in, his lips dangerously
close to Aether's as he eyed them, he whispered, the ghost of his breath fanning Aether's face,
"Do I make you nervous?"

Xiao smashed his lips against Aether's, surprising the blonde who gripped Xiao's shoulders
for support. It was intense, the way Xiao bit and sucked on his lips, pushing his way inside
Aether's mouth.

Aether's breath hadn't recovered from the immense strain Xiao had put on his throat, he felt
himself going lightheaded from the way Xiao devoured his lips, completely dominating him
until he could barely think straight. His grip on Xiao's bare shoulders tightened, his nails
leaving crescent marks on the smooth skin as he tried to pull back. Xiao obliged, though he
was unable to get enough of Aether's lips, giving him a light peck at the end that made
Aether's heart flutter without his realization.

"This was a mistake," Xiao said quietly, looking directly into Aether's eyes. Aether's facial
expression didn't fail to show the hurt he felt at the words, but Xiao continued, "I shouldn't
have made you do that,"
Aether's cheeks reddened as Xiao's hands slid down to his chest, running his thumbs over his
clothed nipples through the white button-up. They hardened almost instantaneously under
Xiao's touch, making him smirk.

"Your body reacts so readily to me," Xiao told him.

Aether let out a low moan, feeling the stimulus go straight to his crotch as buried his face in
Xiao's neck, "Please don't say such embarrassing things--hnngh..!"

Aether's back arched Xiao's hand slipped down to cup his bulging cock. Aether clapped his
hands over his mouth to keep the embarrassing noises at bay but Xiao pulled his hand away,
pulling Aether's body toward himself to wrap the blonde's arms around his neck.

Xiao unbuttoned Aether's pants, lowering them just enough for his cock to peek out. He
wrapped his hand around Aether's cock, bringing it close to his own spit-covered erection
before cupping them both together with one hand, beginning to pump both of them.

Aether's whimpers turned into moans as he clawed at Xiao's bare back, his head resting on
Xiao's shoulder as he held onto him for support.

His knees began to weaken as Xiao stroked both of them, Xiao's cock felt hot against
Aether's though he couldn't focus on the feeling much as Xiao's free hand came back up to
massage the blonde's nipple.

He whimpered, pulling back to press their lips together, "That feels good-mmh.." Aether
could feel his body burning, thinking became a difficult task as he leaned his entire body into
Xiao's touch, he loved the way his muscles felt under his fingers, the way they rippled to
display his strength, not too buff and not too skinny, the perfect center that made Aether weak
in the knees.

Xiao's strokes became harsher, he let out quiet grunts in Aether's ear, his own breathing
becoming heavier as the time passed.

An odd feeling rose in Aether's stomach, he hadn't felt it before but moaned out Xiao's name
into his ear. Aether bit the shell of Xiao's ear gently, tugging at his pinna with his teeth as he
attempted to cope with the pleasure rattling through his body.

His back arched as a wave of pleasure rippled through his body, his toes curling in his boots
as Xiao ran his thumb across Aether's urethra just right.

"A-Ah- I think I'm getting close," Aether said softly as Xiao sped up, Aether felt his legs
almost give in completely several times as they turned to jelly. His face beaded with sweat as
his quiet moans filled the room. He felt a shiver travel down his back and then back up, he bit
his lip as an erotic moan escaped him.

He came into Xiao's hand, crying out as he bit into his skin to silence himself, he fell
completely against Xiao's body, barely held up by him. Xiao let go of Aether's cock,
continuing to pump himself at an alarming speed as the blonde fell to his knees before him.
 Aether didn't have time to dodge as Xiao's cum spurted out, some of it splashed over Aether's
face and the blonde blinked in shock watching as Xiao enjoyed the aftershocks of his orgasm.
He quickly leaned back against the table, smacking himself on both cheeks to keep his mind
away from erotic thoughts to stop himself from getting hard again. Xiao sighed wiping the
cum off Aether's face with his thumb.

"Terrible service, clumsy staff, evil chefs, hmm... I think I'll come back more often." Aether
couldn't help grinning, feeling the tension loosen up immensely as a knot of anxiety unfurled
within him.

He leaned forward and pecked Xiao on the cheek as he pulled his pants up quickly, buttoning
them before he all but flew out the door, Xiao watching after him with the ghost of a smile on
his lips as he touched his cheek.

***Extra***

Aether reached downstairs, quickly fixing himself up to make it look like he hadn't just had
sex. He spotted no one at the VIP table, the restaurant had also cleared out completely, had
they been upstairs that long?

He walked towards the kitchen, passing the washrooms and stopping when he heard retching
coming from inside. He rushed to the kitchen and spotted a grim-looking Chongyun and a
pouty Childe standing at the counter.

"What happened? Who's vomiting in the bathroom?" He asked, shooting Childe a warming
look when the older opened his mouth to comment on his shitty appearance.

"Mr. Zhongli is, after you left, Childe-sensei decided to offer him his specialty," Chongyun
explained.

Aether could guess what happened after and began to laugh, "Oh that poor soul, I don't blame
him," Childe grumbled under his breath, "He didn't have what it takes, none of the hot ones
do."

"I mean no one would be able to tolerate that gunk, my friend. I should fetch him some
medicine, I need some too--"

"Throat or ass?" Childe interrupted, grinning.

Aether replied without thinking about it, "Throat.. wait," His cheeks reddened as Chongyun
and Childe shared a look and he shook his hands in front of him, "That's not what I meant!"
His voice chose that moment to crack as he went into a coughing fit and the two went into a
fit of chortles.

Chapter End Notes

Let me know if you want to see a Zhongchi smut in this same AU with
owner!Zhongli/chef!Childe, I love having Zhongchi featured on the side at times!
 Clothed P2 (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Childe, a chef at a restaurant owned by Zhongli, flirts incessantly with his boss while
making some meat buns for him. What if the meat buns weren't the only buns Zhongli
wanted?

NOTE: This chapter is Part 2 of Chapter: 13 of this book, the prompt of which is
Clothed. Please read it before this one if you haven't already so you aren't missing out on
anything that you might not understand in this smut!

Chapter Notes

This is part two of the previous Xiaother clothed smut, I hope you enjoy! I'm desperately
trying not to show how much favoritism I give Zhongchi but it shines through with how
much I write about them hehe.

*Edit: I'm cackling so hard at the summary I wrote dfghj

Childe leaned over the pristine surface of the counter, frowning with boredom as he scrolled
through his phone. He flicked through the same three apps over and over unenthusiastically
as he yawned, trying to pass the time.

It was in the early hours of the morning... well, that was a lie; it was noon but it felt like the
early morning to Childe, who was used to staying up all night working and sleeping in
throughout the day. He usually worked the evening-night shifts, but as it was Manager
Keqing's day off today, he had to fill in the spot. Childe knew that Aether wouldn't come
either, something about a sore throat and being unable to speak with customers.

Childe snorted at the thought, knowing his throat was likely raw from last night's events. He
sighed, wishing he was in Aether spot, having throat fucked by someone else's cock, but alas,
the previous night had not worked out for him that way

Today, it would be just him in the kitchen, though Xiangling and the part-timers would come
soon enough. But it was too early right now, none of their shifts started until later and he
obviously couldn't handle the entire restaurant alone, no matter how dead it may be at this
time. He yawned, deciding opening could wait until he had help. He wandered back into the
kitchen to fix himself something to eat when the bell at the door rang, signaling someone had
come inside when he'd left the door open.
Childe cursed under his breath, poking his head back into the restaurant, calling out, "Sorry~
we're not open right now--" he froze when his eyes landed on who had come in. His blood
ran cold momentarily at the sight of the man.

Childe held back a curse, wondering whether Keqing had forgotten to tell him about this
surprise visit.

The owner of the restaurant, Zhongli, stood at the center of the restaurant with his arms
folded behind his back. Elegance shone through in his posture and the air that surrounded
him; he gazed at Childe with an unreadable look in his eyes, almost like enjoyment. Childe's
throat went dry as his eyes narrowed, recalling the events of yesterday.

"Um.. sensei, I don't know if this is a good idea, Manager Keqing said that the owner doesn't
like seafood." Xingqiu told Childe, watching the man stirring the pot with a scary gleam in
his eyes.

Childe dipped a tasting spoon into the pot, scooping some of the soup in it and taking a sip of
it, smacking his lips with enjoyment. He turned to look at Xingqiu, a triumphant look on his
face as he waved the spoon in the part-timer's face, "Oh, come off it, Xing-Xing! Who doesn't
like seafood? This is the first time the owner has decided to grace us with his presence, I
think a little treat will go a long way." Childe turned around, grabbing a bowl and beginning
to pour the contents of the pot into it, making sure to plate it well. Some of the tentacles from
the miniature octopus he used curling around the bowl and wafting the scent of the sea into
the air.

Xingqiu suppressed a gag, while Chongyun, who was standing behind the pair, shuffled as far
away from Childe as he could. Only Xiangling remained steadfast from her side of the
kitchen, focused on her work but sniffing the air curiously.

"I'll deliver it to him personally~" Childe insisted, putting the bowl on a tray and picking it
up. He was excited to meet Zhongli for the first time, determined to impress him with his
cooking prowess. He didn't want the sleazy part-timers stealing the glory of his cooking.
Xingqiu and Chongyun shared a worried glance, clearly knowing that this would end in
disaster and pondering silently if they should tackle Childe and knock over the dish before it
killed someone.

Xiangling finally turned her gaze to Childe, gazing at the deathly dish with her eyes gleaming
with interest. Then, she nodded approvingly, "Yes, serve the owner good food!"

Childe grinned broadly, happy to receive approval from his co-head chef and making up his
mind. Xiangling was a person of odd taste; she was one of the few who could appreciate
Childe's dish. Xingqiu, on the other hand, was smart; he shook his head frantically, "You
can't, sensei! He won't like it, he might even fire you for serving him.." He tried to find
gentler words than 'monstrosity' and 'foul gunk', but couldn't, finishing his sentence weakly,
"um--....t hat."

Childe glared at the teenager, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout at the claim. He didn't see
the problem, anyone with good tastes would be able to appreciate his superior dish, if
Zhongli didn't like it, then clearly he didn't have good tastes.
"Are you saying my specialty dish isn't worthy enough to give to the owner?" Childe
challenged the younger, raising a defiant orange eyebrow with his eyes flashing menacingly.

Xingqiu didn't back down easily; he gave Childe a deadpan look, "That's exactly what I'm
saying, I'm glad you understand."

Childe squawked indignantly, before huffing, muttering under his breath, "Kids these days, so
blunt!" He left the kitchen before anybody else could protest. He approached the table with a
smile, his playful gaze fixed directly on Zhongli, meeting his eyes head-on. The man's eyes
were an amazing shade of amber that had Childe mesmerized.

"Hello~ My name is Childe, I'm the lead chef working tonight, hope you all are enjoying the
meal?" There was a chorus of awkward 'yes's but Zhongli looked up at him with a polite
smile, their eyes locking onto each other for a second too long before a blush rose to Childe's
cheeks. "I'm happy to hear, as this is our first time meeting the owner of our beloved
restaurant, I'd like to present you with a dish, Mr. Zhongli, with high hopes that you'll enjoy
it, from all of us staff members to you."

He placed the dish in front of him, smiling as he saw Zhongli look at it, his eyes widening.
The stench of the seafood soup hit Zhongli head-on. Childe watched Zhongli's reaction,
waiting for him to try it but the man did not even pick up his spoon.

His pale face grew a greenish tinge as he stood up abruptly. Childe's smile fell as he glanced
around at the table, the girl with the blue hair gave him a fleeting look. Zhongli cleared his
throat, offering Childe a very tight smile, unlike the easygoing and pleasant one he wore a
second ago, "Thank you for the meal, it looks.. erm--"

Zhongli took a breath through his nose, getting a nice whiff of the octopus before his eyes
went wide, his fist shooting up to his mouth to cover it as his cheeks puffed up. He all but ran
towards the restrooms, leaving a dumbfounded Childe behind with his jaw dropped.

Zhongli offered Childe a smile as he walked forwards, "Oh? My sincerest apologies, I

thought the restaurant opened at this time."

He wore a maroon vest over his white button-up that hugged his arms in just the right places,
the vest defining his muscular chest, his maroon dress pants wrapped around his thighs,
showing muscles with every movement. Childe gulped a little, thinking he might get in
trouble, "Ah, yes well it is supposed to be but I'm alone until the part-timers arrive, so I
thought I would wait."

Zhongli nodded in understanding, as he stood an arm's length from Childe. "I understand.
Hmm, I was hoping to meet with you again today, actually."

Childe felt a grin coming on, "Even after you threw up your entire dinner after merely
smelling my specialty dish?" Zhongli gave an embarrassed chuckle, scratching the back of
his head, "Ah, yes. I apologize for that, I didn't mean to insult you, it's just that seafood and I
don't mix."
Childe nodded, ducking into the kitchen. To his pleasant surprise, Zhongli followed, "But
your other dishes have my compliments, that's why I've come here once more, in hopes that
you could let me have the pleasure of tasting your cooking again.. erm--, except seafood."

Childe laughed, noticing the way Zhongli stared at him as he did. His expression was hard to
read but he tilted his head a little as he studied Childe, making the ginger feel confident and
bold, being admired in the way he was.

"You don't have to make excuses to visit your own restaurant, Mr. Zhongli, if you're just
trying to become more involved with management then--"

"That's not it, Mr. Childe," Childe blinked, wondering why Zhongli addressed him so
formally despite being higher in the restaurant's hierarchy.

Zhongli stepped closer to Childe before leaning against a counter on his side, still facing him,
"I genuinely came here for your cooking, please cook for me again." Childe stared at him for
a moment, his blue eyes reflecting his wonder.

He also stepped closer to Zhongli, tilting his head to match Zhongli's pose as they found
themselves staring at one another for the umpteenth time since they'd seen each other
yesterday. They were a mere hand's distance away, Childe's eyes ran over Zhongli's lips
noting how soft they looked to kiss. "Okay then, what would you like?"

He leaned forward, arm reaching out behind Zhongli, trapping the older for a second as he
took his apron from the wall behind Zhongli, dangerously close to him.

Zhongli's smile was an amused one, watching as Childe turned around, putting on a show as
he wrapped the apron around himself, he made it seem as if he was struggling to tie it behind
his back. He looked back at Zhongli with half-lidded eyes, "Do you mind?"

Childe knew full well that he was flexible enough to tie a damn bow behind his back if he
wanted to, but chose to allow Zhongli to step forward, his fingers brushing lightly against his
back as he tied a knot behind his back. "Do you know how to make Hujiao Bing?"

Childe turned to him, a playful smile on his face, "How could I be a chef in Liyue without
knowing something as simple as meat buns? Coming right up, please have a seat outside after
washing your hands." Zhongli chuckled and obliged, his cheeks were a pale shade of pink.
He sat outside after he washed his hands in the kitchen, pulling out his phone but he got
bored pretty easily after fifteen minutes.

A delicious smell began to waft from the kitchen, pulling Zhongli up from his seat and into
the kitchen. He walked inside to find Childe hovering over the oven, changing the settings.

He straightened up, turning around, and jumped in surprise when he saw Zhongli standing in
the doorway, "Something wrong?" Childe asked with a smile, taking off his oven mitts.
"Nothing, I was just wondering when it would be done."

Childe raised an eyebrow, "Why? Do you have anywhere to be, Mr. Zhongli?" Zhongli liked
the way his name rolled off of Childe's tongue, he didn't know if Childe realized it but he had
a peculiar accent to his voice that made him sound different than regular Liyueans.

Zhongli shook his head, "No, not yet."

Childe checked the timer on his ph one, "There's twenty-five minutes remaining. But well,
this gives us a chance talk, I've been meaning to ask but what do you do?" Childe walked
closer to Zhongli, stopping only when he was in front of the man before he leaned against the
doorway, looking deeply into Zhongli's amber eyes, "I mean you own this fancy restaurant
but you're never here and you barely know a thing about it nor have you taken interest in
coming here before, so what do you do?"

Zhongli pondered for a moment, watching Childe eyeing his lips again as he inhaled, licking
his lips to add moisture. "I work at the Wangsheng Parlor a few blocks away from the main
street. I assure you if I knew we hired such gorgeous chefs, I would've started getting more
involved here sooner."

Childe's jaw dropped at the sudden compliment, his pale blue eyes going wide. Even Zhongli
looked surprised by his own straightforwardness.

Then Childe began to laugh, a red hue dusting his cheeks, "Are you hitting on me, Mr.
Zhongli?" Zhongli gave a smile that made Childe's heart pound, "Can you blame me, Mr.
Childe?" Zhongli took a step forward, inches away from Childe, "Correct me if I'm wrong,
but have you not been flirting with me since yesterday?"

Childe chuckled, licking his lips, "I have, glad you noticed." He grabbed Zhongli by the
collar of his shirt and pulled him forward, pressing their lips together. Childe moaned quietly,
Zhongli's lips were as soft as he thought they'd be. He turned his head to the side to deepen
the kiss, shuddering with excitement as Zhongli ran his tongue along Childe's bottom lip,
asking for entrance as his arms wrapped around Childe's waist, pulling him tighter against his
body.

Childe thought it was sweet that Zhongli came here just to taste his cooking again, but it was
even more endearing to him when he realized the man had come to taste something else
entirely.

Childe opened his mouth, allowing entry to Zhongli's tongue as Zhongli pushed his way
inside, his tongue running along Childe's to explore every crevice of his mouth. Childe
moaned again as Zhongli's hands slipped to his back, dropping slightly to cup his ass between
his large hands. Their breaths shortened as Childe felt himself weakening under Zhongli's
overbearing lips, his hands wandering around to feel the ginger up.

Zhongli broke away from the kiss first, pressing his forehead against Childe's as he began to
walk forwards, compelling Childe to move back until he was pressed against a counter. "Can
we do it?" Zhongli asked, burying his face in Childe's neck to trail kisses along his collarbone
and shoulder.

"After kissing me so ferociously and feeling me up, how could I stop you? But make it quick,
yeah?" Childe chuckled, wrapping his arms around Zhongli's neck, his fingers running
through Zhongli's long ponytail.
Zhongli sat Childe on the counter and began to trail down the chef's body, kissing him
through his clothes.

Childe vaguely thought how unhygienic it was, sitting on the counter, but decided he'd
disinfect again later. Zhongli pressed his lips against Childe's nipple through the material of
his shirt, watching as Childe took a deep, steadying breath, clearly attempting to avoid
showing his desire for friction.

Zhongli's hand reached up to take Childe's other nipple between his fingers, gently flicking
his thumb over it as he ran his tongue over the first, wetting his clothes. Childe's hands
clapped over his mouth, trying to suppress moans from escaping while his body began to
shudder with anticipation, waves of pleasure rippling through his veins. "Hey stop that, I told
you to make it quick, didn't I? Don't ruin my cl--aah.."

Zhongli laid Childe down on the counter, his mouth and hand still working on his nipples
while his free hand reached down to cup Childe's bulge. He massaged Childe gently,
wrapping his mouth around the ginger's nipple and sucking on it. Childe felt ticklish all over,
he couldn't hold back his whimpers, it felt so good.

Zhongli pulled away from Childe's body and straightened up, his lanky figure looming over
Childe as the ginger struggled to breathe. "So beautiful.." Childe's blush deepened, he yelped
as he was flipped over onto his stomach, his legs hanging off the counter as he bent in front
of Zhongli.

Childe hid his face in his hands, feeling Zhongli's fingers tug the waistband of his black jeans
down, and he was left on display for the man to see. "How cute.."

"W-wait, I have lube and condoms in that drawer over there," Childe said before he realized
how wrong that sounded, but it was too late to explain himself, he felt Zhongli's warm fingers
knead his ass gently, "Oh? You've done this before with someone here? Hmm.. and here I
thought my employees would remain somewhat professional. Maybe I ought to get more
involved in this restaurant to discipline your bad behavior."

Childe's cheeks felt as if they were on fire, he didn't mind the idea one bit. Nevertheless,
Zhongli stepped back to rummage through the drawer, pulling out of a bottle of cherry-
flavored lube and an XL condom.

Childe stared at the condom Zhongli had chosen, "Is it that big?" Zhongli stood behind
Childe again out of his line of sight, Childe gasped as Zhongli pushed his clothed bulge
against Childe's ass, "You don't think so?"

Zhongli dribbled a generous amount of the cold lube on Childe's ass, watching as Childe
twitched. He pressed his index inside Childe's hole, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from the
man beneath him.

"Your fingers are so thick." He tried to relax around Zhongli's finger, humming with delight
as Zhongli pressed around his walls, pushing deep inside of him until his knuckle almost got
swallowed up.
Childe jolted, feeling as if an electric shock had washed through his body as he moaned out
in pleasure when Zhongli's finger pressed against the right spot. Zhongli smirked as he
pressed down on it more forcefully, listening to Childe moaning his name as he struggled to
sit up.

Zhongli's hand pressed him down against the cool counter again, "Shh.. patience. We need to
prep you well, don't we?" Childe turned his head to look back at him, his face red down to his
neck, his eyes half-lidded with lust as he bit his lip, "Hurry up then, I want it quickly." Childe
curled up his leg behind him until his shoe pressed against Zhongli's hardened cock, watching
as Zhongli closed his eyes, feeling the pressure against his crotch.

Zhongli pushed Childe's leg down as he pressed another finger inside, making Childe let out
a huff of pain. He curled his fingers against that spot again, brushing against it just enough to
tease Childe by not giving him the full onslaught of pleasure just yet.

Childe whined as Zhongli began to pump his fingers in and out of him, scraping his nails
over the counter's surface from frustration as Zhongli didn't hit that spot again on purpose.
"F-Fuck just give it to me already, I can't wait for it!" Childe wailed as Zhongli's fingers
slammed into his prostate suddenly before he stopped, pulling his fingers out of Childe.
Zhongli grasped Childe by his arms, pulling him up off the counter onto his feet, pressing his
back to his chest. Childe's knees shook from the aftershocks of that last blow to his prostate,
he was only held up by Zhongli. "Impatient little thing, aren't you?"

Zhongli unzipped his pants, tugging his thick cock out as he raised the condom to his lips,
tearing off the packaging as his other hand occupied itself in groping Childe's front through
the apron he still wore over his legs, making the ginger shudder.

He let go of Childe, who barely kept himself upright to roll the condom over himself. He
tucked a hand under Childe's thigh, lifting one of his legs until his knee reached his chest,
"Hmm.. you aren't flexible enough to tie your own apron behind your back yet you bend in
any way I want you to." Childe's cheeks felt numb from how much they'd been burning and
he settled on looking down at his own lewd body, watching as Zhongli pressed his cock
between Childe's legs and lifted his apron to see Zhongli's cock better.

'Fuck, That'll be the biggest one I've ever taken.' he thought as Zhongli wrapped a steadying
arm around Childe, the other still holding his leg up.

He gritted his teeth as Zhongli pushed his cock inside, "W-Wait, it's not going to--" Childe's
words trailed off into a mewl as he threw his head back. Zhongli pushed Childe back
completely onto his cock, burying deep inside of the chef. "It hurts--nngh..!" Childe grasped
Zhongli's arms, digging his nails into his sleeved arms as the man began to thrust into him.

Childe couldn't muster up words, only his moans echoed throughout the kitchen along with
the sound of Zhongli's skin slapping against Childe's. "I-It's so good~" Childe moaned, a
quivering smile on his face as Zhongli aimed for his prostate, hitting it with every thrust, "I
wanna see it happen, please" Zhongli chuckled deeply into Childe's ear and pulled out.

He laid Childe on the counter on his side, lifting his leg and placing it over his shoulder.
Childe looked up at him with lustful and unfocused blue eyes, moaning Zhongli's name as the
man entered him again.

Childe's gaze shifted down, watching Zhongli's cock ramming into him. His own erection
leaked precum at the sight of Zhongli's cock impaling him steadily. "Mmh-- Zhongli.. so
good..!" Zhongli leaned over Childe's body, pressing his lips against Childe's as he picked up
speed.

Childe could hardly think about anything aside from the way Zhongli felt inside him, he
tightened up around him, hugging around Zhongli like a sleeve as he felt the veins of
Zhongli's cock scraping against his walls through the tight condom.

Childe breathed heavily as Zhongli pulled away from the kiss, Zhongli laced his fingers with
Childe's, his face had a pink tinge to it and his amber eyes looked down at Childe's shaking
form with lust as the younger's back arched every time he slammed into his sweet spot.
"Aahh... I think I'm coming, Zhong..li--" Childe moaned lewdly, his eyes going wide as his
cock began to twitch violently. He gripped Zhongli's hand tighter, his hands shaking as he felt
a warm feeling building up in his lower abdomen.

"Fuck..!" Childe cursed as his back arched, his vision going white as he came all over the
counter, his body twitching spasmodically as Zhongli continued his steady pace.

His body relaxed a tiny bit from his high, he blinked, finally coming to as he realized Zhongli
was still thrusting inside him, he hadn't come yet.

Zhongli chuckled, running his fingers over Childe's clothed nipples, the material of his shirt
still wet from Zhongli's saliva from before, "I didn't know you could cum from just that.. your
body is so fascinating."

Childe whimpered, his back began to hurt as his body became more sensitive with every
force of friction riding through him, "J-Just come quickly before I get hard again, don't aim
there," Childe's voice shook as he tried not to focus on Zhongli's cock.

"Oh, do you mean here?" Zhongli pulled back until only his tip remained inside before
slamming directly into Childe's prostate hard.

Childe let out a loud yelp, his body going rigid again as his eyes flew open, his abdomen felt
as if it were burning as more cum spilled out of his limp cock, "N-No, how is that even
possible I wasn't even--" Zhongli slammed into his prostate with the same intense force
again, a smirk on his face as he found Childe's weaknesses, this time, nothing came from
Childe's cock but he felt the same orgasmic ecstasy wash over him as he moaned Zhongli's
name loudly, his voice echoing through the room.

Zhongli's smirk slipped from his handsome face as Childe tightened up around him, doubling
the force around his cock. He took a shaky breath, "I'm going to cum too..mmh--" Zhongli
groaned as he gave one final thrust into Childe before his seed spilled all into the condom.

His eyes closed as his thrusts came to a slow stop. He hunched over Childe's body, his hands
on either side of Childe's head, still holding Childe's hand.
He blinked to clear his vision, looking down at the shaken ginger as he looked at the cum that
he had spurted all over the counter, "I wasn't even-- how did you make me cum twice?"
Zhongli chuckled, straightening up as he pulled out, cringing a little at the wet feeling
engulfed around his cock from his own cum. "It might be a talent of mine."

***Extra***

A minute later, the oven began to beep, shaking Childe out of his trance as he got up to pull
his pants up. His eyes widened as he glanced at the clock and then at the cum puddle on the
counter, realizing what he had done to his poor kitchen.

He cursed, "Shit-- what have I done?! This is a serious health violation," Childe rushed over
to the sink, washing his hands thoroughly, Zhongli watching him with amusement mixed with
confusion at the panic in his eyes, "Why are you just standing there?! Wash your hands,
they're filthy!" Childe quickly took the meat buns out of the oven and threw them in a to-go
box and shoving them into Zhongli's wet hands as he stepped away from the sink basin,
"Wait--"

Childe glared at him sassily, "No, no waiting, I have to disinfect this entire kitchen cause of
you," Childe pushed Zhongli towards the door and shoved him out of the kitchen "Don't
show your face here when you're horny until after hours, got it?"

Childe slammed the door in Zhongli's face, not even giving Zhongli a chance to say bye. He
stood there for a few seconds before he began to chuckle, taking a burning hot but perfectly
cooked meat bun out of the box and beginning to nibble on it, he smiled at the taste as he
began to walk out of the restaurant, "What an interesting character."
 Collars (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

Diluc is an AI created to protect Kaeya, a renowned scientist, from harm. Slowly, he

finds himself getting more and more curious about his master's body and develops
enough sentience to make him feel good.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I have made a second part to this AU which is Chapter: 20 of

this book, the prompt of which is Dacryphilia. Please consider reading it if you enjoyed
this smut!**

Chapter Notes

Ugh this came out worse than I thought but I hope it's not too bad. Honestly halfway
through I forgot that the smut is centered around collars, so I accidentally build the
whole plot on everything but the collar, oops. Hope y'all enjoy this hot mess anyways.

Kaeya sat on the edge of his bed, drying his hair with a towel and humming lightly to
himself. He wrapped the silk robe tighter around his body, tying a knot at the front. He was in
an excellent mood, one could tell by the song he was humming with a beautiful smile on his
face.

It was late at night and he was waiting for something, or rather someone. He had high
hopes he would show up. The thought was ridiculous, of course, he would show up.

After all, Diluc didn't know how to say no to him. He couldn't refuse a direct order. The
thought of having his beloved creation follow him around like a lost puppy was very pleasing
to Kaeya. It meant that Kaeya had that machine wrapped around his finger. Kaeya was a
scientist and engineer. He had taken to studying artificial intelligence throughout his
manhood. Some would go as far as to say he was nothing short of a genius because he had
created the world's first intelligent life form.

He had spent days and nights without sleep for weeks, months, and years on end, working on
his little project in secret. Using the skin cells of a human and the existing technology to
create an AI, Kaeya had borne Diluc in his lab. He'd watched him form from just an
endoskeleton, coming together to form an individual that he'd named Diluc.

He had been fashioned by Kaeya's own hands for the scientist's protection. Many Mafiosi and
other terrorists sought the man's inexplicable talent and intelligence. He had been attacked
many times by people who wanted to exploit his expertise for their personal gain before he
had built Diluc. The attacks had caused Kaeya to become paranoid and insecure wherever he
went. The human bodyguards he used to go through on the daily did nothing to help.

That was when he had gotten the idea: why not build an artificial intelligence circuit for his
protection?

A being who could be built and rebuilt again and again, unlike the loss of a human life that
could not be brought back like the ones that belonged to his many bodyguards. He made
Diluc with that thought in mind.

He had created the most beautiful man he had ever seen, the strongest, the most ruthless.
What he hadn't anticipated was that he would fall in love with him.

The humanoid held insurmountable power, the ability to bend fire to his will and unleash his
retribution on anybody who dared to pose a threat to Kaeya. He was nothing but a machine
made to fight and win. It worked perfectly for months; Diluc became one of the wonders of
the world in the sights of many people. He was the first living AI that was made a well-
known, genius scientist and it only made Kaeya a bigger target for attacks, though this time,
he had the world's first war machine on his side.

Diluc made sure never to let a single hair be harmed on Kaeya's head, following his master
everywhere he went, keeping an eye out for anybody even remotely threatening.

He kept Kaeya safe just like he was created for and he had no other purpose than to serve
Kaeya's wellbeing. But life always finds a way. The AI began to think for himself, and he
began to observe, watch the people, the animals, and register the way the world worked. And
most importantly, he watched Kaeya, who was the strongest influence on his being.

Kaeya had been an aloof master at first; he mostly ignored Diluc and was strict and curt.
This, in Kaeya's opinion, was reasonable; after all, he'd been locked up inside his laboratory
for almost two years away from human contact while building Diluc. For this reason, he was
a lot grumpier. He barked orders to Diluc left and right and justified them by telling himself
that he was nothing but a machine. That was until the first attack made on Kaeya after Diluc
was created.

The AI had leveled an empty building to protect Kaeya and got his arm blown off by a
grenade. He showed no feelings of pain or discomfort, but as soon as he managed to carry
Kaeya to safety, he tended to the smallest cut on his master's face, struggling with only one
arm intact rather than caring for himself. His fingers were so delicate when they handled
Kaeya, the scientist couldn't help falling into his embrace and beginning to cry from the fear
he had felt.

Diluc didn't understand the tears Kaeya had shed that night, but he wiped them off his face
and carried him the rest of the way back to their home in the warmth of his embrace.

It was then that Kaeya began to notice the little details. He saw the way Diluc stepped in
front of him without being ordered to whenever they met someone new; the way he leaned in
towards Kaeya to ask whether he needed the person in front of them killed; the way his
severe glare always softened the slightest bit when he looked at Kaeya.

He touched Kaeya with no hesitation, planting his hands on his waist to carry him away from
the face of danger in a way that was almost addictive.

At that moment, Kaeya began to fall in love with Diluc. Diluc couldn't comprehend Kaeya's
feelings or his desires aside from his protection, and it frustrated Kaeya to no end. He began
to desire something more from Diluc, more gentle touches, pleasure, and love. But alas, Diluc
was but a machine made for killing, it would take years to reprogram Diluc into a being made
for love. Still, Kaeya couldn't hide behind the veil of indifference any longer, he began to
touch himself to the thought of Diluc.

He masturbated in the AI's presence, assuming Diluc wouldn't think much of it, and was
turned on by his unrelenting gaze. But no, much to his surprise, Diluc observed, he began to
think, to feel.

He noted every single thing Kaeya did, the way he moved his fingers inside of himself and
moaned Diluc's name breathlessly, stroking his cock at the same time all while looking into
the AI's red eyes. Kaeya didn't pay this any heed because he thought that Diluc would neither
understand nor care what he was doing. He allowed the AI to watch him in his most
vulnerable state, getting off to being stared at by the man he yearned for. This became a
regular occurrence for Diluc and Kaeya. Diluc would come up to his room when Kaeya asked
and he would sit opposite Kaeya's bed and watch as his creator came undone before him.

Eventually, Kaeya began desiring something more, something that could make his love feel
more meaningful.

And so, today, he decided to do something different. Perhaps he could teach Diluc how to
kiss and make love. Just the thought of having sex with his beloved creation made Kaeya all
the more excited for today. He didn't know what to expect, considering that Diluc didn't know
how to do any human activities like making love, nor did Kaeya think that Diluc knew the
meaning of 'learning'.

Kaeya snapped out of his thoughts as the sound of footsteps came from outside his room at
the front door, causing him to smile gleefully, amusement dancing in his eyes as a knock
sounded on the door. Of course he'd come.

Kaeya went to open the door, unlocking it to find his mysterious redheaded AI standing there,
his gaze as dead as ever but his eyes so real.

"Good boy, Diluc, you listen so well, you followed my orders~, come inside," Kaeya praised,
stepping aside to allow Diluc to come in and shut the door behind him. Diluc's face showed
no sign of emotion as he looked down at Kaeya, who smiled mischievously. "I want to try
something different today, Diluc," said Kaeya. Diluc gazed at him, his expression
unchanging. Kaeya took the moment to admire his own handiwork because no one would be
able to tell that Diluc wasn't human, that he didn't have blood running through his veins.
Kaeya loved his stony gaze and how tough he looked despite his baby face. "Okay, master,"
Diluc told him simply. A shiver ran through Kaeya's body; he loved it when Diluc called him
that — it made him feel like he was in control.

Kaeya took a deep, steadying breath and pulled Diluc towards himself, standing on his toes to
place a kiss on Diluc's lips. As soon as their lips met, Kaeya felt sparks fly. It was just as
Kaeya had imagined — Diluc's soft and perfectly designed lips were warm against his own.
For a few moments, Diluc did nothing but gaze down at Kaeya, no emotion evident in his
eyes, which was just what Kaeya had expected.

Then, he did something that surprised Kaeya to no end. He tilted his head to kiss Kaeya
better, placing his hand on his cheek. Then, he began to respond, mirroring Kaeya's
movements. Kaeya's eye snapped open, shock evident in it as he stared at Diluc's face.
Diluc's eyes were still open, gazing at Kaeya intently, learning from him.

Kaeya felt dumbfounded, pulling away with his eye blown wide, his breathing shallow as if
Diluc had taken his breath away.

"You... you kissed me back..?" Kaeya asked, unable to help but stutter. He had not foreseen
this. Diluc's expression remained passive, "Should I not have done so?" He asked. Kaeya
blinked, wondering what to answer to that. This was nothing short of a breakthrough, an AI
made for war being able to do acts as mundane as kissing without a command.

"N-No, you did good," Kaeya said, still unsure of what had happened.

He decided to try again, wondering if Diluc would do the same thing twice. He closed his
eye, wrapping his arms around Diluc's neck, kissing him once more. Just the same, Diluc
kissed back. He still gazed down at Kaeya with his red eyes, watching and observing the man
in front of him, the way his breathing slowed down when he kissed Diluc, his eye closing as
if enjoying the feeling. It was foreign to Diluc.

Kaeya pulled back, his breathing shallow as he stepped away from Diluc's overbearing gaze.

Diluc studied Kaeya, his heartbeat had quickened in the time he kissed Diluc; his body
responded to his every touch. The thought made some odd feeling stir in Diluc's chest. He
didn't have a word for it, but it was curiosity.

He wanted to touch Kaeya, to see what reactions the man could produce, to study what kind
of creature he was and what feelings he felt that Diluc could not understand.

The urge of 'want' was strange to Diluc. He had never 'wanted' anything. He was built by
Kaeya for one thing: killing. That was all he was ever supposed to do. But over time, he
noticed his master getting attached to him, Kaeya did odd things with Diluc, touching himself
in front of him, sitting on his lap, and hugging him without any reason. Diluc didn't mind, but
it made 'thoughts' surge through his mind. It made unfamiliar feelings settle over him:
curiosity, confusion, desire.

It was foreign to Diluc, who hadn't been programmed to do anything aside from protecting
Kaeya, but these new things Kaeya offered him caused him to develop the ability to think. He
believed the word for what he was going through was sentience. He didn't know how he felt
about it, but he was learning new things through his master's body.

He had taken to researching all the things his master did to him.

Eventually, he ended up in a rabbit hole of information, realizing that all the things Kaeya did
for him were meant to be done for human couples to show affection. That's when he knew
what his master sought from him: love. Kaeya had fallen in love with him, his machine. He
had told Diluc this often too, and it was only recently that Diluc understood what that
entailed.

Diluc didn't mind it. He was made to take care of Kaeya and that was exactly what he would
do.

"You... never cease to surprise me, Diluc. Seeing you kiss me back makes me wonder what
else you're capable of," Kaeya said, his voice misty as if in deep thought. Then, he looked up
at Diluc, a mockingly sad smile on his face, "And here I thought that when you began to
develop intelligence, you'd forget about lil ol' me," Kaeya said, taking Diluc's hand and began
to take him in the direction of his bedroom.

"My duty is to you, I would never leave you behind, master," Diluc spoke, his voice simple,
but what surprised and thrilled Kaeya was his vocabulary that had expanded so much in so
little time. He stopped Diluc at the center of the room and turned around to face the AI.

Diluc's eyes ran down Kaeya's face taking in his features as he'd done many times before. He
got a strange feeling whenever he looked at his master, was it attraction? Desire? He wasn't
quite on the emotional level where he could feel love towards Kaeya, but he was learning.
Diluc's eyes ran over Kaeya's lips, gazing at how plump they were and recalling how they felt
against his own. It had been an interesting feeling for Diluc.

"Careful Diluc, with the way you're staring at me, I might think you want to kiss me again,"
Kaeya chuckled and turned away from Diluc and moved towards his bedside, his movements
being followed by Diluc's eyes.

Kaeya turned to him again, hiding something behind his back as he offered the AI a smile.

"I got you something, Diluc," Kaeya told him. Diluc tilted his head in confusion as Kaeya
stopped in front of him, "It's called a gift. You get something nice for someone to express
your love for them."

Kaeya used the word love a lot for Diluc — perhaps to embed it into his mind. Kaeya raised
the object in his hands up to Diluc's neck and wrapped it around it. He fastened it around
Diluc's neck and stepped back, watching as Diluc raised his hand to feel what Kaeya had put
on him.

It was a leather collar that had a chain attached to its center. Kaeya grasped the chain between
his nimble fingers and tugged Diluc's forward, smirking as he asked, "Do you like it?" Kaeya
didn't expect much from Diluc, knowing he likely did not have an opinion of how he felt
about certain things.
He got this gift for Diluc because he wanted nothing more than control over Diluc, to remind
himself that Diluc was his. Seeing Diluc rapidly gaining the intelligence to learn new things,
like responding to Kaeya's kiss, worried Kaeya. He was afraid that, one day, Diluc would
leave him, that he would become just like all other humans, aversive towards someone who
only had eyes for himself. If that happened, Kaeya would never be able to forgive himself. If
his own creation grew too intelligent for him to control... that would be damaging for Kaeya.

Seeing Diluc with a collar around his neck made Kaeya's heart rest easy. Even if his future
with Diluc was uncertain, he still belonged to Kaeya right now.

Diluc fumbled with his collar for a few seconds without any emotion on his face. He didn't
quite know how to feel about it, but he'd learned what a gift was a while ago; he'd also
learned how to respond to gifts.

"Thank you for the gift, Master Kaeya," Diluc said, his words sounded simple enough, but he
felt that showing his gratitude was not enough.

Kaeya's eye widened as the AI stepped closer to him, his hands wrapping around Kaeya's
waist, pulling him forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Kaeya blinked in surprise and
looked up at Diluc with shock, having not expected a reply from his AI.

"How..." Kaeya asked, thunderstruck that Diluc had expressed gratitude and had taken the
initiative to kiss him in thanks. A normal person would think this was no great feat, but to
Kaeya, this was everything; Diluc's sentience was his life's work. His lips quivered — he
didn't know whether it was out of fear and shock or thrill and excitement. Diluc was getting
smarter by the day, he was becoming more humanlike, and Kaeya didn't know if he liked it.

To Kaeya, it just meant that, even though Diluc was wearing a collar to signify Kaeya's
ownership of him, he was taking vast steps to sentience.

He should be thrilled his creation was growing sentient and that he had made a being capable
of the same wonders as humans. But he feared what Diluc would become if he got too smart:
would he kill Kaeya if he learned to overcome the purpose of protecting him? An AI had so
much potential to go on the wrong path — if they learned the true horrors about humans,
would they develop the sense to end the race? Kaeya didn't doubt Diluc had the ability to
snap his neck in a second or lead a revolutionary war to eliminate humankind, but he didn't
know what the AI was thinking right now, what emotions he had learned to control and what
he desired.

The idea scared Kaeya. Diluc was his creation, after all. He should know what Diluc was
thinking or whether he could even think, but he didn't. He was becoming unpredictable, just
like a human.

All Diluc had done was kiss him on the cheek, but Diluc never said or did anything that
wasn't related to protecting Kaeya or replying to Kaeya when necessary unless Kaeya
initiated contact directly. That was the reason Kaeya was so surprised. He didn't know how or
where Diluc had learned these things from, but as if sensing his question, Diluc spoke.
"I did my homework for you," He said softly, fixing Kaeya with his nonchalant stare that
made his heart sing, "I'm learning what it would take for me to display love and affection to
you. I see humans on the streets do the same to one another and.. it makes me want to do the
same to you."

Kaeya's cheeks burned as he looked up into Diluc's eyes. Somehow, now they didn't look as
lifeless as they did a minute ago now that Kaeya focused on them.

"You're learning this f-for me?" Kaeya asked him. Diluc nodded, his grip on Kaeya's waist
not faltering even a little. Diluc knew what Kaeya expected from him, what Kaeya
wanted him to be, and he was trying to morph into what Kaeya wanted. He was a machine
made to fill some vacancy in Kaeya's life, whether it was security or even love. Even if
Kaeya had programmed him a certain way, it did not mean that Diluc's purpose couldn't
change, that he couldn't learn how best to make Kaeya complete. That was his purpose, after
all: to complete Kaeya.

"Yes, master. I want to take care of you," Diluc told him. Kaeya didn't know what to say.
Nothing could've prepared him for this. When he'd first invited Diluc to his room earlier that
day, he had been expecting Diluc to remain as impassive as always. He had anticipated for
Diluc to remain nonchalant and pliant, to let Kaeya do whatever he wanted with him because
he wouldn't know how to comprehend Kaeya's actions.

This was not what Kaeya thought would happen: he did not expect Diluc to show him this
unprecedented side of him.

With shaking hands, Kaeya managed a weak smile, holding onto the redhead's shoulders as
he leaned in close. Diluc didn't need to breathe but Kaeya could feel his breath fanning his
face. "Okay then, have you learned anything about taking care of me?" He asked, thinking
that the answer would be 'no'.

To his surprise, Diluc nodded. Kaeya felt like his world was spinning too fast. He began to
chuckle, ducking out of Diluc's embrace to sit on the bed.

He felt dizzy all of a sudden, both amused and intimidated. He leaned forward, grasping
Diluc's chain and pulling him forward by the collar. His curiosity got the best of him,
wondering what Diluc had committed to memory for him, "Is that so? Then come and show
me what you've learned."

Diluc took that as an order and stepped closer to him, standing in front of Kaeya.

'Make sure your lover is comfortable and strip them of their clothes.' Diluc recited the steps
he'd learned on the web in his head. He stared down at Kaeya with a monotonous gaze,
kneeling before him as he untied the knot on Kaeya's robes, pushing them off his shoulders.

'Just as I thought,' Diluc thought as he felt something stir in his pants at the sight of Kaeya's
bare body. His body was responding to that of his master's. He'd learned to appreciate it in all
the times he'd seen it.
He scooped his master up in his arms, watching as Kaeya's reaction morphed into shock as he
yelped. He set Kaeya down on the center of the bed, climbing on the bed after kicking off his
combat boots just as he'd witnessed humans doing when they entered sanitary places.

To Kaeya, he was a sight to behold as he took his place between his legs.

Kaeya watched him with half-lidded eyes. He could feel himself getting turned on at the
thought of his beloved machine learning all these new functions just for him, but did Diluc
know what he was doing? Diluc stripped himself of his black t-shirt; even though Kaeya had
built Diluc, he felt his throat constrict at the AI's muscular frame, watching as Diluc pulled
his legs apart.

'Initiate foreplay, kiss them, kiss their body, tell them they look pretty. Stimulate their body.'
Diluc leaned forward, placing his arms on either side of Kaeya's head.

He pressed his lips to Kaeya's, this time closing his eyes the way Kaeya had done when
they'd kissed. He took Kaeya's bottom lip between his teeth, nibbling on the plump skin
gently, lips moving in sync with Kaeya's. Diluc pressed his lips harder against Kaeya's,
pressing his tongue inside his mouth and making the man squirm beneath him. Diluc pulled
back, mindful of Kaeya's heartbeat and breathing rate. Kaeya gasped for breath, staring up at
Diluc, wide-eyed, "Where did you learn all this?" He panted. Diluc planted a kiss on Kaeya's
lips once more before trailing his lips along his jaw, moving down to his neck. He promptly
bit the skin, making Kaeya moan in pain, arching into Diluc's lips.

'He's enjoying it, isn't he?' Diluc thought, documenting Kaeya's responses in his mind as he
moved his soft lips further down Kaeya's body; he liked the way Kaeya arched towards his
lips, pushing his skin closer to Diluc's mouth. It was an odd feeling: enjoying human acts
such as kissing and admiring one's body.

Diluc kissed the center of Kaeya's chest, his chain slithering over Kaeya's body, causing him
to twitch. He noted the way Kaeya's nipples hardened in response to the touch of the cold
metal, the hairs on his arms standing on end, making Diluc all the more curious about the
ways Kaeya's body responded to him.

"I researched how I could pleasure you from the internet," He answered like it was the
simplest thing, "You look beautiful, master."

Kaeya's face turned beet red and he hid it behind his hands. Diluc paused, making Kaeya
peek out from behind his hands.

'Stimulate your lover's nipples,' Diluc recalled, running his warm tongue over Kaeya's nipple,
feeling his master squirm beneath him. He clamped his mouth over the hardened bud, red
eyes gazing up to watch Kaeya's reaction as he began to suck on it, nibbling on it gently with
his teeth and tugging at it.

"Aahh.. Diluc, you're doing so well," Kaeya moaned, burying his fingers in Diluc's bushy red
hair. His face was red as he felt the nerves around his nipples shriveling with every
movement of Diluc's mouth and tongue.
Diluc pulled back, noting the way Kaeya's supple skin swelled and darkened from the bruise
he'd placed around his nipple, "You humans are so odd, Master Kaeya, you're changing
color," Diluc whispered.

Kaeya hid his face behind his hand and tugged Diluc up by the chain in his collar. They
looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, and Kaeya noticed that the way Diluc
looked at him had changed. The more knowledge the AI gained, the more he changed, and
the more he began to develop a personality, thoughts, and feelings. It all moved too fast for
Kaeya to keep up with but he didn't know how he could suppress these odd feelings stirring
in his chest without Diluc taking it as a threat.

Right now, all he could do was lie beneath the AI and be devoured. He was supposed to be
the Master between them — he wasn't the one with a collar around his neck. So then why
was he being flipped onto his stomach? Why wasn't he the one in control? Why did he enjoy
the idea of being fucked by his own machine?

Diluc lifted Kaeya's hips, his ass suspended in the air.

'Dominate your lover if you feel that's something they enjoy, take control of their body and
their actions.' Diluc pressed a hand to Kaeya's plump ass, pinching it with gentle fingers. He
listened as Kaeya squeaked — the sound was as good as music to Diluc's ears.

Kaeya was helpless beneath him as Diluc grasped and groped all the places he'd never
touched before. Kaeya's human body felt so different from Diluc's, which was made of a
metal endoskeleton and lab-grown skin and muscles.

The heat of Kaeya's body felt much different from the artificial heat coursing under Diluc's
skin to give the illusion of him being alive.

Nothing could hold a candle to how exhilarating it was to feel what a true human was like.
His curiosity gave way to desire, enjoying how Kaeya's skin molded into his palm and how
his body twitched in response to his touch.

Diluc felt more in control than ever, having Kaeya coming undone beneath him like this.

He parted Kaeya's cheeks, feasting his eyes on his hole. He brushed his thumb against it,
feeling the folds of his skin and admiring the way it stretched as he tried to push his finger
inside. His eyes lowered to Kaeya's perineum down to his cock that hung rigid in the air
under him.

Diluc had his own sex organ — not that he could reproduce with it — but he enjoyed
admiring Kaeya's. He wrapped his palm around his balls, pinching the loose skin while
Kaeya shook underneath him, his noises of pleasure uncontainable. Feeling Diluc touch him
like this had been a distant dream just yesterday, and today, his own creation was exploring
his body, enjoying the feeling of touching him in his most sensitive spots.

'Prep your lover with your fingers using lube first so it doesn't hurt them when you put it in.'
Diluc was well aware of how Kaeya would invite him up to his room for Diluc to watch him
masturbate. Hell, he had been preparing himself to see it again prior to coming up here.
Kaeya would finger himself as Diluc watched; Diluc would note the way Kaeya moved his
fingers in and out of himself, curling them up at a certain angle, and the way he moaned
whenever he did that. Diluc hadn't understood at the time, but he knew now that Kaeya got
turned on by just his gaze. He wished he had the intelligence back then to help his master as
he did now.

He remembered there was a bottle of lube in the drawer of Kaeya's nightstand that Kaeya
would use on himself. He reached for it, pulling it out of the drawer. He saw how Kaeya
watched his every move with a mix of emotions in his eye that Diluc deciphered as fear,
excitement, and fascination.

Diluc set the bottle down to wrap his hands around Kaeya's arms, pulling him up on his knees
to sit him on Diluc's lap. Kaeya shuddered, feeling his back press against Diluc's broad chest
as he was completely caged in the AI's arms when they wove securely around Kaeya's waist.

Kaeya shook a little in his lap as Diluc dropped his hand to his crotch, cupping his cock in his
hand. Diluc looked down at Kaeya's body, placing his head on Kaeya's shoulder as he
watched himself beginning to stroke Kaeya's erection, listening as a choked moan erupted
from his master. "Are you scared, Master?" Diluc asked, placing a kiss behind Kaeya's ear,
"You're shaking." His hand raised to Kaeya's chest, pinching his nipple between two fingers
and rolling it.

"W-Wait, Diluc..! You'll make me cum too soon," Kaeya whimpered. To his shock, Diluc
didn't listen to his order, then he remembered that 'wait' wasn't in Diluc's list of commands
unless they were in a life-or-death situation. Kaeya whimpered pathetically, wondering how
he got himself into such a mess. A renowned genius who created the first living AI, now
being controlled by that same AI. "And what's wrong with that? I'll make you cum as many
times as you want, no matter where we are. My body belongs to you and it's yours to use for
your pleasure," Diluc said simply.

Diluc buried his lips in Kaeya's neck, sucking a bruise on his shoulder as Kaeya squirmed in
his lap, mewling softly as Diluc's hand didn't stop its pace. Tears welled up in Kaeya's eyes;
he couldn't think straight anymore and he hated it. He didn't like how much Diluc's hands
alone could mess him up physically and mentally, he wondered what would happen to him if
he asked Diluc to put the monster he was sitting on inside him.

"Hnngh..! I'm coming Diluc, f-fuck!" Kaeya moaned. The speed of his hand increased, Kaeya
could feel his mind slipping as every muscle in his body tensed up and he came all into
Diluc's hand with a small scream, his eye flying open as tears spilled out.

His body quivered for a few seconds before he slumped in Diluc's arms. Diluc let go of him,
laying him down gently on the bed, before he studied the sticky white substance on his
fingers.

Kaeya panted heavily, still shaking from the powerful orgasm as he struggled to gather
himself together. Diluc's gaze was austere, making Kaeya feel all hot inside, unable to tell
what was going through his head. "Are you tired already, Master Kaeya? I haven't even
touched you here yet," Diluc said, pulling Kaeya into the same position as before, pushing his
finger against his hole. The cum on his fingers helped him enter easier.
Kaeya's back arched as he attempted to raise himself on his shaking hands, straining to look
back at Diluc, "D-Diluc.. wait—" Diluc remembered where Kaeya would push his fingers
whenever he fingered himself.

'Slightly lower,' He told himself as he didn't see any significant change in Kaeya's reaction
aside from the quiet moans he let out as he added a second finger. Diluc pushed against a
special spot inside Kaeya that made him moan Diluc's name loudly as his hands collapsed
under him, waves of shock washing through him. He was hard again. "Tell me something,
master, you didn't give me the ability to feel pain but did you give me pleasure receptors?"
Diluc pumped his fingers in and out of Kaeya. His master had been so quiet, he wondered
why. He hoped he would answer his question lest Diluc took it into his own hands to find out
for himself.

"Y-Yes, you can feel pleasure," Kaeya said weakly. Diluc hummed as he pulled his fingers
out. Kaeya reached back, taking hold of the chain attached to Diluc's neck and tugging him
forward until Diluc leaned on top of him. Diluc blinked in confusion as Kaeya raised his
head, turning it so he could press an affectionate kiss on Diluc's cheek. "If you're going to do
it then I want to be on top," Kaeya demanded.

Diluc didn't understand what Kaeya meant, the cogs in his brain whirring to decipher the
phrase.

Kaeya sighed and turned around, tugging the AI off of him and pushing him down to lie
against the pillows. Kaeya sat on Diluc's hips, watching Diluc's reaction as the AI studied the
position.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do the work, Master? You can sit back and enjoy—"
Diluc began, but Kaeya cut him off quickly, "No," He said, slight panic in his voice. He was
sitting on the thing he'd fashioned; he knew what it was capable of. Kaeya didn't want to take
any chances, "I wanted to do this at my own pace, you— you can't tell what will or won't hurt
me so just.. let me do this."

Diluc's expression remained nonchalant but he felt ashamed at the idea that he could bring
Kaeya pain. Another unfamiliar emotion clogged his mind. His fingers itched to push Kaeya
down into the mattress and fuck into him but he remained obedient. He was surprised by the
sudden urge but didn't act on it without Kaeya's orders.

Diluc watched as Kaeya unzipped his pants, pushing them off of the AI's legs before he
grabbed the bottle of lube, squirting a nice amount on Diluc's cock. Diluc winced a little, but
the cold lube felt good to the touch. Kaeya intertwined his fingers with Diluc's for support,
pinning his hands on either side of his head so he wouldn't be able to turn the tables around
on Kaeya.

He slowly sank onto Diluc's cock; it stretched him out more than he realized it would,
causing his eye to widen.

His lips quivered slightly, emitting quiet whimpers that had Diluc's mind racing, wanting
nothing more than to thrust up into Kaeya's ass, but he controlled himself. He was a good
servant to his master, he wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Diluc felt his cheeks burning
though the color of his skin did not change, he was but a machine with a high-functioning
microchip, but right now, when he was with Kaeya, he felt so human.

He felt Kaeya's warmth envelop him, the man's tight ass wrapped around his cock so
forcefully, it made Diluc's head spin. He felt so real, he didn't know what to do with himself
and could merely watch as Kaeya sank completely on his cock.

He'd never felt this kind of pleasure before, it felt so good having his Master on top of him.
"F-Fuck, Diluc, it hurts--" Kaeya mewled with pain. Tears began to trickle down Kaeya's
cheeks again, making Diluc's brain go numb as he sat up, folding his legs so Kaeya could sit
comfortably. Kaeya held onto Diluc's shoulders tightly, his vision blurred from overexertion
and tears. Diluc felt worry ebb into his gut as he wrapped his arms around him, holding his
Master and pressing kisses to his cheeks and forehead. He didn't know how to handle this
situation, he didn't know how to take Kaeya's pain away because he didn't know what pain
felt like.

He'd seen his master cry only once before, and that was when he'd been in danger. He didn't
want Kaeya to feel as if he was in danger ever again.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in Kaeya's ear, knowing he was the cause of his master's pain. He
tugged Kaeya back to meet his eyes and pressed their lips together before he thrust his hips
upwards. Kaeya's eye flew open as he yelped in pain, his nails digging into Diluc's shoulder
powerfully, cutting the skin though it didn't bleed.

"W-What are you doing--hngh.. Diluc..!" Kaeya mewled, feeling his voice fail him. Diluc
kissed Kaeya's neck, holding onto his hips and bouncing him up and down on his cock.

"I'm sorry…haah, it'll feel good soon for you, Master," Diluc said between pants as he laid
back down, watching Kaeya springing on his cock, his mouth open in a moan, a trail of drool
slipping down his chin. Diluc was right about it feeling good soon. Diluc reached up to wipe
the tears from his cheeks, his red eyes blazing with passion as he stared up at Kaeya.

'He is.. my lover. I never want this feeling to end. I will never let anyone lay a finger on him. I
will never let him be hurt by anyone but me.' Kaeya's eye began to roll as Diluc's cock began
to slam into his prostate, his mouth open in a perfect O as he began to use his own legs to
bounce on Diluc, desperate for harsher friction against his sweet spot.

Kaeya felt his mind go numb, he couldn't think of anything other than Diluc's name
repeatedly rolling off his tongue along with his lewd moans.

"How does this feel so good..? This is b-better than how I imagined it-- haah Diluc, never
leave my side..okay?" Kaeya's broken voice echoed through the room along with the repeated
sound of their skins slapping against each other's. Diluc felt exhilarated being inside of his
master. He loved being needed by Kaeya. Diluc pulled Kaeya down to lie on top of him and
kissed him passionately, their tongues intertwining.

"I won't," Diluc promised. Kaeya pushed himself up on his hands again, panting heavily as
his half-lidded eye stared down at Diluc, admiring his creation. "Then I trust you to take care
of me, take control of my body, and make me feel good..'kay?" Diluc didn't need to be told
twice.

He grabbed Kaeya by the hips and pulled out of him, switching their positions so that Kaeya
was underneath him. Diluc gripped Kaeya's thighs, pulling them apart before he slammed
into him again, making him let out a scream of Diluc's name as he threw his head back
against the pillows, his back arched perfectly.

"D-Diluc, I'm c-close--ahh..!" Diluc grabbed hold of Kaeya's cock, pumping it in his hand to
help him get closer to his orgasm. Kaeya felt his body shuddering violently, unable to stop his
moans before he went rigid, his mouth open in a silent scream as his fingers dug into the
bedsheet. With an electric shock, he came all over his stomach. He panted

heavily, covering his face with his hands. Diluc pulled his hands away from his face to look
at him, "You look so beautiful, master." He said softly as his thrusts came to a slow halt.

"I h-have a question. This is a bit late but... can I orgasm?" Kaeya blinked, attempting to
remember whether he added that feature in Diluc or not. He chuckled, "Y-Yeah, you can but
you won't ejaculate."

"Can I use your body to reach my orgasm then?" Diluc asked, making Kaeya shudder at the
idea, but he nodded, feeling he owed it to his AI to allow him to explore his own body. Diluc
began to thrust again, Kaeya's insides felt sensitive, he felt his consciousness slipping into
subconsciousness as moans flowed from his mouth again. Diluc's pace increased steadily,
Kaeya watched Diluc's expression through his eyelashes; Diluc had never been expressive
but right now, he panted like a human in need of oxygen, his hands caressed Kaeya's thighs
soothingly, more carefully than a man would.

He looked at Kaeya with more care than the scientist had ever seen even humans express to
one another. How could something man-made be more humane than humans? Kaeya
wondered what kind of person Diluc would become when he gained the entire knowledge of
this world. He was excited to find out.

Diluc felt an unfamiliar feeling rising in his stomach as Kaeya clenched around him. Kaeya
pulled him forward by his collar, smashing their lips together as Diluc's thrusts became
sloppier and deeper. Diluc moaned into Kaeya's lips, it sounded like music to the scientist's
ear. Diluc gave a last few powerful thrusts before he reached his high. His body began to
shudder as pleasure racked through it, Kaeya's eyes cracked open to see Diluc already
looking at him as he tensed up from the pleasure of his orgasm.

Diluc pulled out, but then looked down at Kaeya's body. "You're hard again, master," He
noted, making Kaeya blush.

"That's because you kept hitting my prostate, how was I not supposed to get turned on? Now
come here, give it to me again," Kaeya demanded.

Diluc gave a dry laugh that sounded so natural from his lips. "Right away."
 Crossdressing (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

Aether is commissioned by Verr Goldet to work at the temporary maid cafe opened up at
Wangshu Inn and Xiao really enjoys the view of the panties he was forced to wear for
the job.

Chapter Notes

Visit for a surprise --- https://twitter.com/hei11999/status/1358219766566117378?s=19

my prompt for this smut. Thank you for 1k kudos~ enjoy.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Aether blushed as he looked at himself in the mirror. "Um... Verr, are you sure this would
help your business?" He asked as he tied a bow behind his back, shivering a little as he
rubbed his bare arms when the wind whistled by. Verr Goldet popped her head into the
terrace and grinned at the sight of Aether in the cute froufrou maid's dress she had asked
(more like begged, Aether thought) him to wear. "You look prettier than I would in that~" she
sang as she fixed the headpiece on Aether's head, which seemed to be lopsided. Aether
glanced at himself in the reflection of a window, gulping at the sight of himself. "You don't
think this is.. uh-- a bit revealing? It's completely humiliating." He said, tugging the tight,
lacey choker on his neck. His arms were bare in the dress, leaving him susceptible to the cold
wind. Aether grumbled something about Venti having it out for him on this particular day
under his breath. "Not at all! You'll attract so many customers, and who knows? You might
even get lucky today if you know what I mean." Aether mumbled incoherently and turned
around in time to see Paimon round the corner, looking completely embarrassed. They saw
each other and began to laugh at one another. Paimon wasn't safe from Verr's wrath, she
ended up getting a maid outfit too, though hers reached her toes. "Wow, and Paimon thought
she looked bad," Paimon commented, suddenly brightening up, seeing Aether in such a
showy dress. Aether looked back into the window to study his reflection a bit more.

"You look adorable~ you'll stick by me at the reception. Thank you guys, for filling in. I tried
to get Yanxiao to fill in for the absent server but.. you can guess how that went." Aether
shuddered to think of Smiley Yanxiao, the ex-convict in a lacey dress like his own. Suddenly,
he knew why Verr Goldet seemed to be desperate for him to take her commission. She had
put up a commission for an extra server at Wangshu Inn as one of her servers had to tend to
an emergency. Aether had naively accepted the commission, only to realize the 'details' of his
duty. Wangshu Inn was hosting a maid café to increase finances for one day, and Aether was
expected to take part. Don't get him wrong, he tried to back out of it but in the end, ultimately
lost to Verr once guilted with their friendship. He sighed, pulling the hem of his dress down
whenever it rode up his thighs. "Fine, when do we start?"

________________________________________________________________________

Had Aether ever mentioned how much he hated Childe? Not enough times. The Harbinger
had dragged Zhongli to the Inn, claiming a little birdie had told him they'd be able to see
Aether in a dress if they attended. "Ha! So it's true~ Wow, traveler, I didn't know you'd were
into that kinda thing." The whole time he and Zhongli had lunch at the Inn, Childe's
comments followed him. It reminded Aether of a saying of the ever so wise Paimon, "When
life gives you lemons, you squeeze them in a nasty Fatui's eyes" he was tempted to do just
that while he served lemonade. Zhongli made no attempts to chain his unleashed dog, merely
offering Aether an apologetic smile but luckily, the man had the sense to not make jabs at
Aether's expense. "I'll see you in the Golden House," Aether murmured, stabbing a fork in the
table dangerously close to Childe's hand. Zhongli chuckled at Childe's shocked expression,
"You brought this upon yourself, dear."
Aether made an extra effort to keep his skirt down in the shady wind, especially around
Childe. His cheeks reddened every time he thought about the panties he was given along with
the uniform, courtesy of Verr Goldet, "If someone ends up seeing it, then they might as well
enjoy the view," she had said. Aether's day was going terrible, it seemed the whole world was
against him on this particular day. He sighed as he trudged up to the receptionist's counter,
Paimon seemed to be doing absolutely nothing but lounging around. Aether was jealous, he
wished he could hide with Verr too. "You called?" Aether asked his voice void of emotion as
his energy was completely drained. "Yes~ your work shift is almost over," Aether sighed with
relief, freedom was within reach, "but I have one last, little task for you." Aether groaned,
banging his head against the nearest wooden pillar, wanting nothing more than to sink into
the floor. Verr put a dish over the counter for Aether to take. Almond Tofu. Aether blinked,
trying to remember who the dish connected to, remembering it was special to someone he
knew. Realization hit him and his eyes widened to saucers, "Yanxiao dropped this off a
minute ago, he said Adeptus Xiao put in the order, can you bring it up to him?" Aether
stumbled over his words, "Uhh- I can't.. um-- why can't some other server do it?" The last
person Aether wanted to see him like this (aside from Lumine, Kaeya, and Lisa) was Xiao.
He was already nervous enough around the adeptus as he was, due to his massive crush that
he'd developed after the battle with Osial, but now wearing this dress? His day would get ten
times worse if the adeptus' harsh gaze picked him apart and his sharp tongue added more
insult to injury. "Yanxiao told us he asked for you personally, he's an adeptus so I can't really
ignore direct orders," Verr said, either not noticing Aether's discomfort or pretending not to.
Aether sighed, taking the dish in his hands and beginning to trudge up the steps to the terrace
Xiao hung around at. 'I'll hand it to him quickly and run back. I'll jump off the terrace and
glide away if I have to.' Aether's cheeks reddened, remembering he was wearing a dress and
if anybody was to look up.. not good. He sighed, steeling himself as he stood at the top step.
He peeked out from behind the wall and saw no one on the terrace. He blinked in confusion
and stepped outside, looking around for any sign of the adeptus. Suddenly, the wind picked
up and Aether yelped as his thigh-length dress lifted. He desperately tried to keep the dress
down by pressing the front but the back lifted off. "Wow. You always dress weird but today..
lace panties?" A voice came from behind him and Aether turned around so fast it almost gave
him whiplash. He stumbled over his words, shivering in the cold and nerves as he met Xiao's
eyes as he stood behind him, arms crossed and just the barest hint of an amused smirk on his
face. "D-Don't look there..!" Xiao ignored him as he studied Aether's body, eyes running
along his bare arms and shoulders, down to his (barely) clothed chest. He took a seat on the
terrace's floor and Aether quickly clamped a hand over his skirt to keep it down. Still, he had
a nice view of Aether's legs and Xiao had already seen what he needed to see. Aether had
never felt so embarrassed in his life. "Were you the one controlling the wind today?" He
asked Xiao, voice shivering as another gust of wind whipped past him.

"Maybe, maybe not. The real question is what are you doing is such a humiliating getup."
Aether blushed in humiliation, his lips quivering as he tried to formulate words on his tongue,
but looking down into Xiao's eyes made his mouth dry up. Instead, he thrust the dish of
almond tofu into the adeptus' hands and attempted to flee by walking past Xiao like he
planned but a hand clamped itself around his wrist as he passed, stopping him in his tracks.
"You're supposed to be a maid, aren't you? I don't partake in human activities but isn't there a
rule that you're not supposed to leave until I tell you to?" Aether wanted to scream. The one
day he wanted to be left alone by the hot adeptus, Xiao just had to become talkative all of a
sudden. The adeptus tugged Aether back and with a yelp, the blonde toppled into Xiao's lap,
facing him. Warmth emitted from Xiao washed over Aether's body as he grasped his arms to
stabilize himself, his eyes wide and looking up into Xiao's innocently. He noted that Xiao
wasn't wearing his usual deity style of clothing, rather he wore the opposite of his usual
colors, a black, sleeveless turtleneck along with baggy black pants with his usual boots.
Aether didn't realize the adeptus actually owned other clothes than his usual attire, but he
couldn't say he was complaining about the black color scheme. A low purring sound erupted
from Aether's throat involuntarily as he felt himself giving in to the warmth after feeling cold
all day. He attempted to scramble out of the adeptus' lap but ended up pushing against him
harder, "Sorry-- I fell on you let me just," he bit his lip, feeling his bare ass touching Xiao's
thigh as his skirt rode up again. He knew very well that it wasn't him who fell, but there
wasn't much he could do, he couldn't imagine the adeptus taking any interest in him aside
from his strength and wits enough to pull him into his lap. Xiao hissed as Aether pushed up
against his cock and grasped the blonde's hip to steady him and keep him in one place,
making him jump out of the shock that was shared between them. "Quit moving, just sit
here." Aether looked up at him with big eyes, "B-But.."

Xiao gave him a look that shut him up immediately but also caused a deeper blush to rise on
his cheeks. Xiao pushed the plate of Almond tofu into Aether's hands, barely restraining
himself from lunging at the blonde and devouring him in that froufrou dress. Aether wore
such an innocent look, it pissed Xiao off, perhaps he was unaware of the way his ass felt
against Xiao's thigh, or he intended to put up the innocent front to the fullest. "D-Do you
want me to take this back?" Aether asked, confused and somewhat delighted, thinking he had
a chance to escape the adeptus. But no way was Xiao letting him go now that he was in his
grasp. "No, feed it to me." Aether blinked before his gaze morphed into a glare, his lips
pressing into a thin line, "You have working hands to feed yourself," He grumbled. With
newfound resolve, he met the adeptus' calculating golden eyes head-on, flinching when the
adeptus' hand raised to cup his cheek, leaning forward and allowing his fangs to graze the
side of his neck, "You'd make a terrible servant. Perhaps I ought to teach you some etiquettes,
hmm?" Aether gulped, wincing at the thin cut Xiao had made with his teeth. He knew his
sharp tongue would never do him any favors, courtesy of sharing genes with Lumine. If he
knew Xiao at all, he knew the man never joked, he might actually begin to tear him apart at
the sight of disrespect. He looked into Xiao's eyes before sighing, assuming the faster he
shoveled the food into the adeptus' mouth, the faster he'd get to leave. He nodded obediently
and scooped some of the tofu with the spoon and brought it up to Xiao's lips. "Was that so
difficult?"

The adeptus opened his mouth to take in the bite, revealing to Aether his thick fangs for a
second. Aether gulped as he felt Xiao's hand rest on his lower back, fumbling a little with the
bow he'd tied his apron with. He fed Xiao another bite and felt his gloved fingers trailing up
his bare back from the low-cut dress, sending goosebumps along Aether's back and arms.
Aether tried to ignore it, watching the smirk on Xiao's lips as Xiao's other hand trailed up
Aether's thigh, rimming the straps of his black thigh-high socks. Xiao watched as Aether's
face got redder and redder with every touch. Aether's fingers began to shake again despite
Xiao's warmth as he lifted the spoon to Xiao's lips.

The adeptus took the spoon from him, surprising the blonde as he pressed it to Aether's lips
instead, urging him to eat. Aether blinked in confusion, staring at the spoon crosseyed for a
second before taking the bite, after a long day of hard work and humiliation, it felt great to
eat again. He hummed quietly at the burst of flavor but to his dismay, didn't get to enjoy it as
Xiao put the half-empty plate aside, his hands dropping to grip Aether's hips, tugging him
closer and pressing their lips together. Aether moaned in surprise as Xiao's gloved hands
slipped under his dress to grip his ass, squeezing it gently. Aether could hardly believe what
Xiao was doing, he had imagined this scene a great many times before, but now that it was
happening, he felt his brain beginning to numb as he tried to process that Xiao was kissing
him. Xiao stole the bite of tofu from Aether's mouth, pushing the blonde back onto the floor
and climbing over him. Xiao pulled away, swallowing the bolus. Aether covered his blushing
face, "Why would you do tha--aah.." Xiao pressed his lips against Aether's neck,
affectionately nipping the skin, mindful of his canines. Xiao's lips moved down his
collarbone, licking and sucking the skin as he went, leaving red and pink bruises along the
way. Aether now understood what Xiao's motive had been from the beginning since he asked
for Aether to come up, he couldn't believe he had been such an idiot, thinking all that Xiao
was doing was platonic. From being seated on his lap, to feeding him, to almost being bitten
by him, he could hardly believe that Xiao reciprocated any feelings for him at all. His cheeks
reddened to think he turned the adeptus on by just wearing a dress that he went as far as to
call Aether up to him, "I didn't like the way people looked at you while you wore this," Xiao
commented, pushing the elastic collar of Aether's dress off of his body, allowing the dress to
slip off of his shoulders down to his waist, making the blonde feel shy as his body was put on
display, Xiao's nonchalant gaze running over his bare body as if Aether lying exposed in front
of him meant nothing to him as long as it was only Xiao who saw the sight. Aether gasped as
Xiao bit his hardened nipple lightly, tugging at the bud with his teeth while his tongue swirled
itself over it. He moaned Xiao's name, his back arching into the adeptus' lips as a warm
feeling washed through him. "W-Why does it matter to you?"

Xiao let out a puff of amusement, letting go of Aether's nipple and eliciting a sigh of relief
from the younger, assuming Aether was playing dumb, "Because only I want to be able to see
you like this." He said softly as he glanced down Aether's body, from his taut and rosy
nipples down to his crooked dress, revealing his white underwear. "B-But it's not like you
like me or anything, so why are you doing this?" Aether said quietly, feeling ashamed of
himself for letting himself be looked at in such a perverse way and giving in to the adeptus'
demands as if he had no self-respect just because he had a crush on him. He quickly pulled
the straps of his dress back in place as Xiao's stare morphed into a glare. He looked up at the
adeptus, trying to figure out a way to get out from underneath him. His eyes widened as Xiao
stood up, sighing a little. He thought the adeptus would let him go, but he merely pulled
Aether up to stand and pulled him close, wrapped his arms around his waist. "Hah.. I've never
felt this way in all my years, my soul feels as if it's being ripped apart because of you and you
have the gall to think I don't feel anything for you." Aether blinked in confusion, realization
slowly sinking in as he realized Xiao just confessed to him as best as he could. He could feel
a grin coming on at the corners of his mouth "Really? You like me?" Xiao rolled his eyes, a
blush rising to his cheeks that almost made Aether want to jump with excitement at the
display of emotion, "I prefer you more than I prefer others." Aether pressed a kiss to Xiao's
cheek, smiling happily, his mood ten times better than it was mere moments ago when he
thought he was just being used for his body. He knew that was the best confession he'd get
out of the aloof adeptus, but that hardly mattered to him. "Well then... if that's the case then I
suppose I could proceed with what we were doing earlier," Aether said in a low voice, his lips
centimeters away from Xiao's. Xiao refrained from rolling his eyes again at the change of
heart and pressed their lips together before tugging the blonde inside the inn, leading him to a
room on the floor below that had been given to him as a formality by Verr Goldet during his
stays at Wangshu Inn, not that Xiao needed to sleep, but he supposed it would suffice to keep
certain blondes warm and cozy once stripped of their clothes.

To Xiao's surprise and amusement, Aether took it upon himself to push the adeptus to sit on
the bed first, crawling on his lap again as he pushed his boots off his feet. The straps of
Aether's dress were lowered once more to pool at his hips as they shared a deep kiss, their
tongues intertwining as Xiao pushed Aether to lie on the bed, his legs suspended in the air as
Xiao pinned him to the mattress before he began to leave harsh hickeys against the blonde's
skin, making whimpers erupt from him. "Get on your hands and knees," Xiao ordered. Aether
didn't take the time to process his words, silently following his instructions and turning
around on the bed on all fours. "Prep yourself, three fingers," Xiao said, pushing Aether's
dress up to reveal his milky thighs and his lacey underwear. Aether's face reddened at the
idea but decided he had nothing left to lose, he shuddered as Xiao's fingers hooked around
the waistband of his panties, pulling them down to pool at his knees. Aether stuck his fingers
in his own mouth, moaning quietly as Xiao pressed a gentle kiss to the nape of his neck. He
coated them well with saliva before reaching back, softly teasing his hole, keeping his eyes
below him on the bed as he attempted to keep from thinking about Xiao's eyes watching him
closely. He was still high on the happiness he got from Xiao's confession and now, he felt
nothing could break his spirit. He only hoped the level of inevitable mortification wouldn't
cripple him more than Xiao's cock.

He pushed a finger inside, having experienced it before by himself. Aether would never say it
out loud, but he often fingered himself whenever he found himself alone, imagining that
instead of his fingers, it was Xiao's cock penetrating him. Now that he knew that was within
reach, he could hardly feel his own fingers inside him, not going out of his way to look for
his own prostate, knowing Xiao would make him feel good soon. He wanted Xiao inside him
as fast as possible. Xiao's fingers itched as he watched Aether insert one finger after the other,
moaning his name desperately as he twitched back on his fingers, feeling his other arm
slowly giving way underneath him. He panted quietly as he fell onto the bed, his ass sticking
up still for Xiao as the adeptus pulled his hand away. Xiao pushed his trousers down and took
Aether's arms in his grasp, tugging them back to pull his body up as the blonde attempted to
look back, wanting to see Xiao's cock to its full extent, but was unable to due to his dress
bundled up around his waist, obstructing the view behind him. "Xiao... please put it in
quickly, I can't wait any longer," Aether pleaded as Xiao held him suspended in the air by his
arms, pressing his cock between Aether's ass cheeks, making the blonde push back against
him, desperate for friction. Xiao pressed his lips to Aether's back before obliging to the
request, pressing his hips forward and entering Aether. Aether's eyes widened in startlement,
feeling himself getting stretched out. His jaw slackened as a moan erupted from the back of
his throat, "F-Fuck, it's better than I ever imagined--hnngh..!" Aether yelped as Xiao rolled
his hips, thrusting deep inside of him. His cock brushed up against Aether's sweet spot,
sending the blonde into a trance as his vision blurred. He was indistinctly conscious of the
fact that he was moaning helplessly as Xiao began to pound into him, tugging him back by
his wrists as he slammed into the blonde repeatedly. "Please--ahhngh it's so good~ Right
there Xiao," Aether whimpered, crying out as Xiao found his prostate, directing his thrusts
towards it, making the blonde mewl every time he slammed into the swollen sweet spot. Xiao
gritted his teeth, attempting to cope with the pleasure of Aether tightening up around him
immensely, making it difficult for him to move from the strain and lack of lubricant. He
grunted as Aether began to push back against it, listening to the blonde's whines with
increasing arousal, "G-God it's getting bigger inside..haah," Aether panted, feeling drool
dribble down his chin as he attempted to keep from making too much noise in fear of
someone hearing them. Xiao released Aether's arms, allowing the blonde to collapse onto his
chest again, burying his face into the mattress to muffle his moans. Xiao twisted Aether
around on his cock to lie on his back, their eyes meeting. "You look.. beautiful." Xiao
commented, feeling warmth in his heart swell for the blonde as he pushed deeper inside,
listening to him moaning his name breathlessly. Aether's headpiece was askew in his messy
hair, pushing Xiao to fix it, his fingers running through Aether's hair gently before sliding
down to caress his cheek. "Is this really what love feels like?" He asked Aether, vaguely
wondering whether the blonde could even hear him as his eyes went unfocused. Aether
looked at him, nuzzling his face into Xiao's hand, nodded as he breathed heavily. "Then... I
never want this feeling to end."

________Extra________

"Hmm~ that was a good meal, though I must say, the maid outfits came as a surprise," Childe
said, his bubbly laughter echoing as he left the Inn with Zhongli by his side. The Archon
admired the silkflower he had tucked behind Childe's ear, silently wondering how someone
so far from innocent could look more dazzling than a flower. "It was indeed erm.. interesting.
Though you shouldn't have taunted Aether that much." Zhongli stated.

Childe chuckled, "Oh but it's so fun seeing him get all worked up like that. It builds a firm
base for a thrilling battle~" Zhongli sighed, shaking his head at the unsympathetic ginger.
Childe glanced back at the Inn, doing a doubletake as he saw two people at the summit of
Wangshu Inn. He stopped, pulling his binoculars out of his backpack and putting them up to
his eyes. He let out a boisterous laugh, "Well, speak of the devil," Childe saw Aether wrapped
up in another man's embrace that he could recognize as Xiao from the stories he was told
about him by Zhongli. "Aether seems to be having fun with your 'young adeptus', Zhongli~"
Childe chuckled, holding the binoculars up to Zhongli's eyes. The Archon choked on his spit,
going into a coughing fit while Childe laughed his head off, deciding it would be best to put
the binoculars away. "Say, aren't you curious what I would look like in a cute, frilly dress like
 that?" Childe asked Zhongli, wiggling his eyebrows as he calmed down. "Don't even think
about it."

Chapter End Notes

Somehow all of my Xiaother smuts end up with a forgotten plate of almond tofu haha, I
pretty much rushed through this so I'm praying it's not too bad, I hope you enjoy!
 Camboy (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Zhongli, a stressed corporate worker is introduced to a camboy, Tartaglia, by Aether to

relieve his stress. He ends up meeting Childe, who has very familiar ginger hair and the
same scar on his hand as Tartaglia.

Chapter Notes

Longest smut in this book yet, had a field day with plot building today, I've noticed that
I've given in to building plots rather than just writing mindless smut, though I hope y'all
enjoy it!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"Yeah, he hardly lives outside of work, to be honest," Aether said, his golden eyes flickering
up to Childe's to watch the man hum a little and nod, pondering his words. Childe looked like
a man who'd seen a situation like this many times as he analyzed the situation.

"He sounds totally tedious, if you ask me. Still, a man devoted to his work is pretty sexy in its
own right... unless he's old." Childe chuckled at his own words, watching as Aether rolled his
eyes at him, it was always sexual things that were on Childe's mind. Aether recognized a
gleam of interest dancing in Childe's eye as his eyes ventured off into his own little world,
trying to imagine what the man Aether was describing looked like. "Is he hot, Aether?"
Childe asked, smirking as he leaned in.

Aether tried not to look too alarmed by Childe's words, knowing he should be used to his
friend's rash and blunt personality by now. He'd never really looked at Zhongli that way,
considering he was in a very loving and happy relationship with the man's brother. He sighed
softly, "He is Xiao's brother, so I sure hope so."

To prove his point, Aether whipped out his phone, his fingers swiping through his gallery in
an attempt to find a photo of Zhongli, though his sour expression gave away that they were
few and far in between. Childe rolled his eyes at his words, shaking his head with
disappointment at Aether's words. "He must be a midget then, shame. You know I prefer the
tall and mysterious type, I've been trying to find someone to film with, but hardly anyone fits
that criteria. Ah, and I was so hopeful when you mentioned this.. Zhongli to me."

Aether looked up from his phone for a second to scoff at Childe in exasperation at the insult
to his boyfriend. He continued to swipe through his phone, knowing e should have a good
picture with Zhongli saved somewhere. "Actually, you're wrong, he's a damn giant." Aether
let out a noise of disgruntlement, "I don't even have a selfie with him, he never takes one with
me if he ever even shows up at company dinners. Wait.. aha!" Aether's eyes twinkled with
excitement from his fruitful search, amusing Childe.

"Here, it's the one photo I forced him to take," Aether handed the phone to Childe over the
table. The ginger looked disinterested at first, humming softly as if he didn't think the man
Aether was about to show him was worthy of his sights. He was, indeed, wrong. Childe ran
his eyes over the photo of the man displayed on the screen, feeling his eyes popping out of
their sockets once he saw the handsome man in the photo.

His throat dried up a little as he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the man in
the photo. He had a stern face, as if he didn't approve of Aether taking his picture, but even
with a sour expression, he looked nothing short of delightful in Childe's eyes, with the way
his golden eyes glittered with annoyance, his bangs falling perfectly over his face, just like
that of a model's. Childe licked his lips a little, his eyes lidding at the sight of the handsome
man who seemed to fit in his criteria, tall, handsome and mysterious.

Childe whistled softly, feeling heated, "Damn, he's fine," Childe commented as he handed the
phone back to Aether, pushing the thought to send the picture to himself from Aether's phone
away... for future reference. The blonde seemed not to have noticed Childe's attraction to
Zhongli, continuing, "Yeah but he never gets out of the office... I feel like one day I'll
probably find him passed out on his desk. That's why I wanted to ask you if you'd be okay
with me recommending your videos to him. He seriously needs the stress relief."

Childe's eyes seemed to gloss over at the idea immediately with mirth, his cheeks tinting pink
at the thought of a man as handsome as Zhongli watching and jacking off to his videos. He
subconsciously rubbed his knees together, biting his lip as he felt the corners of his mouth
tilting upwards.

Out of his control, Childe's mind starting wandering, venturing into the darker side of himself
as he began having naughty thoughts. Images of the stern man's face twisted with pleasure as
he touched himself while watching his videos flooded Childe's mind, his golden eyes glazing
over as he watched Childe doing perverse things through a screen and getting off to it.
Suddenly, Childe felt the room get warmer and his pants get tighter.

This time, Aether was more vigilant about Childe's expressions and actions, observing the
way the ginger lost himself in his own little world with dirty little thoughts. He'd seen the
look all too many times and shot the ginger a glare, speaking to snap him out of his daze, "I
know that look, you're probably having dirty thoughts about him." Childe seemed almost
surprised as his blue eyes came back into focus to see Aether smiling back at him.

He smiled guiltily, processing Aether's words and finding no lie in them. "Can you blame
me? He's just so..." Childe purred a little with excitement, making Aether cringe inwardly.
Childe laughed at his friend's discomfort, knowing to bring himself back to Earth for the sake
of Aether and the other people in the same café as them, if not his own. "Anyways, yeah I'm
more than fine with it, just tell him to leave a good tip, yeah?" He said with a small laugh,
winking at Aether.
Childe loosened up his tense joints and sipped his black coffee, glancing out the window
ofgthe shop as if trying to pretend he didn't just get hard at the thought of a man he'd never
met and knew nothing about.

Aether ignored his dazed look and sighed, nodding, "Right, just wanted to make sure you
weren't uncomfortable with it. Has business been good lately?" He asked awkwardly,
knowing he didn't have a better topic to switch to and making Childe chortle.

"Better than ever, why? Are you thinking of joining? Trying to spice up that boring love-life
of yours?" Childe wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Aether as the blonde's face turned
green at the thought of himself doing such acts in front of a camera. Then again, the idea
didn't seem as bad if he was doing it with Xiao. "Hey man, I'm alright with you doing
whatever you want with your body but don't try to mash me into the whole 'shove toys up
your ass in front of the camera' lifestyle."

Childe couldn't help but laugh out loud at Aether's accurate description of Childe's livelihood,
not caring if people stared at him from around the cafe. "Okay okay, but let's get back on the
topic of your hot co-worker." Childe leaned in close as Aether began to sip his tea again.
With a straight face, he asked, "Does he have a big dick?" Aether's eyes widened with horror
as unwarranted thoughts about Childe's questions flooded his mind. He choked on his tea,
coughing as quietly as he could as the wind knocked out of him, tears brimming the corners
of his eyes. "Dude, I date his brother, not him!"

Childe laughed at his reaction, "No, but come on, it's a simple enough question, does he
exude big-dick-energy?" Aether waved his hand in front of him, "This conversation is over,"
He stood up before he fled the table, Childe following with his boisterous laugh.

***

"Haah.. nngh~" Childe moaned as he pumped the vibrator in and out of himself. His legs
were curled and spread over the side handles of his computer chair for the camera to have a
better view.

He held a small vibrator up to his chest against his nipples, feeling the waves of electric
shock rippling through his body from both ends. Childe kept himself in control, knowing not
to set the vibrators on too high a setting, especially when he was live on camera.

He looked at the computer, breathless as he tried to focus on the words on the screen. He
grinned under his orange mask, arching his back as he hit his own prostate, moaning loudly
for the camera.

@MORAX has donated 5M Mora!

Childe's eyes widened under his mask, "Five million?! F-Fuck, thank you, Morax! I love
you~," Childe's cheeks reddened up to his ears, knowing who 'Morax' was after Aether had
told him what username Zhongli used online most of the time. 'Zhongli is so generous,'
Childe couldn't help thinking of the photo Aether had shown him.
It wasn't suggestive in any way, but Childe imagined the man watching him do this in person.
His amber eyes shining in the dim light of Childe's room, seated directly in front of him
where he had the perfect view of Childe's ass. Childe moaned quietly, now it didn't seem as
forced, his cock beginning to throb as he imagined it was Zhongli's thick, gloved fingers
instead of the vibrator that were making him feel better than the toy would.

He held the mini vibrator down to his crotch, against his quaking cock. Childe came all over
himself very abruptly without warning, making his eyes shoot open as he spurted cum all
over himself. He gasped, his back arching into a wide U as pleasure racked his body.

Childe panted heavily, his mind racing with thoughts as he tried to wrap it around the fact
that he just came to the idea of a stranger watching him. He chuckled quietly, wondering
what was wrong with himself that he managed to cum to the mere thought of another man
before he said goodbye to his viewers and ended the livestream.

***

It went on like this for weeks, Zhongli donating millions of Mora to Childe while the ginger
masturbated to the thought of him. Gradually, his vivid daydreams grew more and more
erotic, he imagined himself being tied up by Zhongli in front of the camera, the gentle sting
of a whip on his body with every snap of Zhongli's wrist.

Childe found that just the camera wasn't enough enjoyment for him anymore. He wanted his
daydreams to become reality. He wanted to be rimmed by Zhongli, to be taken care of by the
man, and be treated like a pillow prince. Childe sighed, wrapping his red scarf tighter around
his neck as he tried not to think about him . As if he didn't have enough problems already, he
couldn't afford to get hard in public on a day where he wasn't even wearing a coat long
enough to cover himself.

"Childe!" A voice called, pulling him out of his thoughts. He glanced across the park and saw
the familiar bushy hair that belonged to Aether. He stood hand-in-hand with Xiao while
another person stood close by, talking on the phone with someone. Childe waved back,
smiling as he walked towards them to greet his friends.

"Hey blondie~, and look who it is, fancy meeting you here XiaoXiao." Childe narrowly
dodged a kick aimed at his shin, laughing as Xiao almost slipped on the icy ground as he did
so. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Xiao growled, though Aether
quickly shut him up with a peck on the cheek. He was the only one who could control his
temper. "What are you doing here?" Aether asked Childe, who merely shrugged, his attention
focused on the man who stood with his back to them, he was tall and well-built with a long
ponytail extending from the back of his hair, though Childe couldn't see his face.

"Was just on a walk to freshen up, what about you?" He asked, turning his attention back to
Aether and Xiao. Aether glared at the other man's back, "We were supposed to be dragging
that one," Aether jabbed a thumb at the man, "away from his beloved office to get him some
fresh air, but he's literally on his phone now, give me a second."

Aether walked over to him and reached his hand up to flick him on the ear, making the hulk
of a man jump in surprise. He turned around to face Aether, and Childe's heart almost leaped
out of his body as he saw his face. It was Zhongli.

His face went red though not from the cold as images of all his past daydreams about the man
came flooding back into his mind. Xiao glanced at Childe's face, grunting in disgust at how
red Childe was.

"May I help you?" Zhongli asked Aether, bending slightly to Aether's height. Childe felt his
knees almost go weak at the sound of his voice. Childe didn't know whether a person's voice
could be so smooth and silky yet so orotund at the same time until now. Aether squawked in
disgruntlement, "Get off your phone, it's rude while you're hanging out with us."

Zhongli sighed and straightened up, addressing the person on his phone, "I'm afraid I must
call you later, tomorrow perhaps. Thank you, have a nice night." Zhongli hung up the phone
and pocketed his phone and looked up, his eyes landing directly on Childe without giving the
ginger any time to prepare. He glanced away before doing a double-take, his head tilting
slightly as he stared at him.

His deep amber eyes calculated Childe's face, running down his body before fixing
themselves on Childe's lips. "Oh? Who's your friend?" Zhongli asked, turning his body to
face him, allowing Childe to see him more clearly. He almost swooned at the sight of
Zhongli's strong jaw and his sharp nose, his pink lips looked perfect to kiss. "Zhongli,
Childe--Childe, Zhongli. Shake hands~"

Childe thought Aether had forgotten that Childe already knew who Zhongli was until he
caught sight of the smirk on the blonde's face. Childe cursed under his breath, remembering
that he had told Aether about the crush he had developed on Zhongli. Now it was biting him
in the ass. He fixed a pleasant smile on his face, extending his hand forward for Zhongli to
shake, "It's nice to meet you, Aether's told me a lot about you~"

Zhongli side-eyed Aether, "Good things, I hope." He wrapped his gloved hand around
Childe's, engulfing his whole palm within his hand and giving it a firm shake. Zhongli held
Childe's hand in his own for a second too long, gazing down at a cut on his palm before he let
go. His eyes shone with recognition but Childe didn't think Zhongli had completely
recognized him just yet.

"Very good things~," Childe said, his gaze nervously flitting towards Aether and Xiao who
seemed to be watching them, amused and piqued respectively. "Well then, I'll leave you to it,
nice meeting you Mr. Zhongli, ciao--" "You should join us, wouldn't want Zhongli feeling
awkward as a third wheel, right? Let's have dinner together." Aether and Childe stared at one
another, trying to convey silent messages.

'I'm trying to help you get with your crush, cooperate damn it!'

'I masturbate to the thought him eating my ass, I can't even look at him right now!'

'I swear to god--'

"Hmm, alrighty if that's okay with you, Mr. Zhongli?" Childe asked, unaware of Zhongli and
Xiao watching them closely as if trying to decipher the conversation they'd just been left out
of. "Of course, please feel free."

Childe sighed in trepidation, knowing he was going to make an ass out of himself, or worse.
They went to a nice restaurant, Xiao and Aether leading while the two singles trudged
behind. The wind whistled past their faces, making Childe's face scrunch up from the cold. It
was awkward between them but Zhongli spoke up first, "Say... you look quite familiar, have
we met before by any chance?"

Childe gulped quietly, the action not going unnoticed by Zhongli, he put up a fake,
enthusiastic front, "I can't recall that we have, I usually remember the people I meet." Zhongli
hummed, his eyes running shamelessly over the ginger's face, taking in his features. He felt
lost in his pale blue eyes that reminded him of pools of water.

"Is there something on my face?" Childe asked teasingly. "Mm.. just your beauty." Before
even Childe could react, Aether burst into a fit of coughs in front of them after choking on
the air.

Xiao shot Zhongli a nauseated look but the older seemed far from bothered, if he felt
embarrassed by the sudden pick-up line, he didn't show it. Childe's face turned pink at the
compliment as he grinned, covering the lower half of his face bashfully.

They had a nice dinner, he and Zhongli ended up getting to know one another, though it
ended with Aether getting drunk and Xiao being forced to drag him home, leaving Zhongli
and Childe alone together. "Is your home far from here?" Zhongli asked as they stood outside
the restaurant, "Eh, it's fine, I can walk there. It was really nice meeting you, Mr. Zhongli."
Childe said, smiling.

Zhongli tugged Childe back by his sleeve, "I'll call you a taxi, it's dangerous out at night."
Childe blinked, feeling Zhongli's fingers move to grasp around Childe's wrist to keep him
from leaving as he hailed a cab from the road. The car pulled up and Zhongli opened the door
for Childe, "Can I have your number?" Childe blurted dumbly as he rolled the window down
after sitting inside.

Zhongli chuckled, quickly typing it into Childe's phone before stepping back from the car and
watching as they pulled away from the street. Zhongli turned around to walk back to his
workplace to fetch his car, "Seems I have some digging to do."

***

A few days had passed, Zhongli and Childe had been texting non-stop, learning new things
about one another. It seemed clear that Zhongli's loyalty really did lie with his work, the man
had nothing to talk about other than work though he was a great listener when it came to
Childe's stories. The enthusiastic ginger never let the conversation dull even a little, desperate
to get to know Zhongli so he could figure his feelings out accordingly.

Childe came to realize that Zhongli's nature was gentle, though he felt a bit dismayed by it.
He should be happy someone he likes was a nice person, of course. But it only became more
and more unrealistic to imagine a person as kind as Zhongli fulfilling Childe's unruly
fantasies.
Still, he set up his webcam on the computer, livestreaming his endeavors with his body with a
vague thought that he was forgetting something important. He moaned softly as he held his
own throat, choking himself gently while his other hand worked on massaging his nipples.
He felt the black, lacey collar beneath his fingertips, shuddering a little as he felt his body
quake from the sudden vibration that shook his erection from the vibrator strapped around his
cock, leather straps slicing into his supple thighs and blocking his blood flow, making his
skin redden.

He couldn't see past his blindfold, the blackness of his vision only made it easier for the ghost
of Zhongli's figure to haunt him. Childe choked quietly on his ball gag as he could almost
feel the brush of gloved fingertips against his skin, shuddering a little as he imagined it was
Zhongli's hand caressing his nipple, Zhongli's hand wrapped around his throat.

Childe took off the gag, feeling the drool coating it. He wasn't wearing his mask today as half
his face was covered by the blindfold, giving the viewers a clear view of his swollen lips. His
hair was always gelled back when he streamed so it wouldn't be recognized in its usual messy
state. Childe took many precautions so that people like Zhongli couldn't recognize him.

He could hardly bear to think he was alone in the room. He hated that he was so vulnerable to
a man who likely would never hold him like this. Zhongli had shown interest in Childe with
his responses and his compliments the past few days, they'd even met for coffee during
Zhongli's lunch break when Childe had forgotten his red scarf Zhongli had given him his coat
for warmth, but Zhongli wasn't a person he could do these things with.

He couldn't see whether the man was streaming the livestream right now as he couldn't see
past the cloth over his eyes. He couldn't stop thinking about what Zhongli would think if he
found out it was Childe who was doing things like this to the thought of him. "Aahh...
Zhongli~" Childe moaned subconsciously, as he felt his orgasm coming closer.

He stopped abruptly, realizing what he had just said but tried to play it off as if he had said
nothing, cursing himself mentally for taking the gag off. He prayed to Archons above that
Zhongli wasn't watching the livestream right now, though, at the same time he hoped he was
watching him as he pumped himself with the black leather straps fastened around his thighs
and chest digging into his skin holding him in a risque position.

He knew it could end with Zhongli hating Childe for doing something like this to the thought
of him, but the thrill of the idea of Zhongli watching him as he did this shook him to his core.
Suddenly, the bell rang, making Childe stop in his tracks, straightening up in his chair with
alarm. Embarrassment seeped into him as he fumbled for his orange mask, putting it on as he
untied the blindfold.

"Sorry for the inconvenience everyone~ It seems I have company, though I'll definitely
continue this later. Please join me again soon!" Childe said hastily as he quickly shut off the
livestream, jumping up to grab his clothes from the bed, slipping on a pair of shorts over his
BDSM straps. He grabbed Zhongli's coat and slipped it over himself without thinking,
rushing to get the door as the doorbell rang again.

He opened the door and froze, his throat drying up as his pale blue eyes met blazing amber
ones. Zhongli stood in front of him, dressed in a suit with a trenchcoat slung over his
shoulders, clearly ready for going out. It hit Childe what he was forgetting, he had agreed to
meet up with Zhongli at this time of the evening even though he usually streamed around this
time on this day every week.

Zhongli's eyes ran over Childe's form, drool dripping down his chin, his hair gelled back and
his eyes watery. He took in the fact that Childe was wearing his brown coat that slung down
to his shins along with a black choker, Childe looked like an utter mess.

Zhongli held his phone in one hand and gazed down at Childe, his eyes running over the cut
on Childe's hand before he glanced back at the screen, double-checking, amused, "It seems
I'm interrupting something," Zhongli turned his phone around for Childe to see, and there it
was, Childe, naked in all his glory and blindfolded with leather straps secured around his
body, touching himself.

Childe's eyes were wide with shock, he was tempted to close the door in Zhongli's face. "I
had my suspicions but after you invited me over during the time you usually stream, I
thought I might've been wrong to think you were Tartaglia, but I suppose I was right after all.
May I come inside?"

Childe's mind benumbed as he wordlessly stepped aside for Zhongli to enter, shutting the
door behind the man as he took his boots off at the door before sitting down on the living
room couch, watching Childe's shocked expression with a smile on his face that he made no
attempt to hide. "The coat suits you," Zhongli mentioned, making Childe bury his face in his
hands in embarrassment, shaking a little, "I'm sorry-- I'll wash it before I return it,"

Zhongli chuckled, "That hardly matters to me. Though we should talk about what you were
doing before I got here." Zhongli played the recording of Childe moaning whilst pumping
himself before letting out a whimper of Zhongli's name loud and clear.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but that was my name that you spoke, was it not?" Childe wanted
to sink into the ground, but he steeled himself to keep from locking himself in his room. He
hated the heat that had begun to flow down to his erection again, he hadn't cum yet, and
now... being caught and confronted so abruptly, it turned him on even more.

"Yes, I did moan your name... b-but it doesn't mean anything," He added quickly, chastising
himself for stuttering, Zhongli regarded him for a moment before he pocketed his phone,
standing up as he fixed his coat. He walked closer to Childe who began to back up, reaching
out to grasp his arm and pull him closer.

The clasp on the coat Childe wore popped open, revealing his body to Zhongli. Although it
wasn't something Zhongli hadn't seen before, he found himself at a loss for words as he gazed
at Childe's pert nipples that were swollen from earlier. He hooked his fingers around the strap
fastened above Childe's chest, pulling it out a little before letting go, watching as Childe
jolted when it smacked against his skin.

"I wish you hadn't said that." Zhongli said quietly, "Because right now I'd give anything to
devour you, but I suppose it can't be helped if it means nothing to you." Zhongli offered him
a smile, "I'll see you later." He said as he walked past Childe, only to be stopped by arms
wrapping around his waist from behind, "Wait," Childe mumbled, "It does mean something
to me, I've had a crush on you for a while now... Morax."

Childe rested his head on Zhongli's shoulder, attempting to look up at Zhongli's expression.
Childe let go of Zhongli's waist as the man turned around, his expression as neutral as it
always was. Childe cupped Zhongli's cheeks and pressed a kiss to his lips, moaning quietly as
Zhongli's hands slipped around his bare waist under the coat.

Zhongli pushed Childe back against the couch until they toppled over, Zhongli pushing up on
his hands so as to not crush the ginger beneath him. They deepened the kiss, tongues
intertwining as Childe pulled Zhongli's coat off of his shoulders, allowing it to drop on the
floor, his blazer following after.

"I've dreamed of this day for a while now," Childe whispered as Zhongli buried his face in
Childe's neck, kissing his skin before he moved further down, "Describe to me what I do in
your dreams," Zhongli said as he pushed the coat off Childe's body, leaving a bite mark on
his collarbone. Childe blushed, recalling all the times he'd masturbated to the thought of
Zhongli tying him up and gagging him, depriving him one by one of all senses until only his
sense of touch would be left.

Zhongli would exploit it to the fullest, landing harsh slaps on Childe's ass or face, thrusting
toys deep inside him, and kissing and biting his skin until he bled before finally thrusting his
cock inside of Childe and fucking him raw.

His cheeks burned at the idea of conveying all this to Zhongli, choosing to keep it simple and
letting Zhongli have his way with his body, "In my dreams, you were rough with me and I
loved it that way, you tied me up and blindfolded me, used every possible method to break
my body down before you finally gave it to me.." Childe said.

Zhongli stared down at him, his eyes searching Childe's to understand what it was exactly
that Childe imagined when he thought about Zhongli. He felt his arousal tenfold as he saw
Childe's erection through his boxers, precum staining the fabric as the ginger's eyes glazed
over, thinking about the vivids visions in daydreams. Zhongli wanted to make those visions
become a reality. Childe lifted his foot, pressing it against Zhongli's cock.

He jolted when he felt it under his foot, "I-It's bigger than my foot.." Childe murmured,
dazed. Zhongli chuckled as he loosened his tie, taking it out of the collar of his black dress
shirt before he sat back on the couch, fingers wrapping around Childe's waist and flipping
him over onto his stomach.

Childe shivered in excitement as Zhongli's fingertips grazed his skin when he pulled the coat
off of him, just like he'd been imagining all this time. Zhongli leaned over Childe's body,
placing a gentle kiss on his shoulder before he bit down on the skin hard. Childe yelped as he
felt his skin break, beginning to ooze blood that Zhongli lapped up enthusiastically, his deep
voice rumbling in his chest from arousal.

Zhongli brought the tie up to Childe's face, securing it around the ginger's eyes as he
shuddered with excitement. "I don't think I'll gag you just yet, I want to hear you moaning my
name incessantly tonight." Zhongli whispered as his hands retracted. Childe whined at the
loss of touch, feeling his anticipation double at the blackness surrounding his vision.

This time, Zhongli's figure didn't haunt his vision, his mind focusing on the man behind him
as he listened for any sounds at all. He heard the unbuckling of Zhongli's belt before he slid it
out of its loops. He trembled in apprehension, licking his lips as he imagined what Zhongli
would do with the belt. Hit him perhaps? No, not on their first time together.

He didn't have to ponder long before Zhongli's hands wrapped around his arms, tugging his
hands together behind his back, holding both of them as easily as he would hold a phone with
one of his large hands. Zhongli fastened the belt around his wrists tightly, humming with
approval as he took in the sight of Childe lying on the sofa, tied up and unable to see.

Zhongli dipped his hand around Childe's throat, pulling him up to stand on his knees with his
back to Zhongli's strong chest. Zhongli left another harsh bite on the side of Childe's neck,
grunting with satisfaction as Childe's cried out.

"The noises you make naturally are fascinating. I've listened to you moaning and gasping like
this in front of the camera but listening to you now... it's a clear difference how much my
presence affects you." Childe gritted his teeth, shame settling at the pit of his stomach.

All of the things Zhongli said were true, of course. He had to force most if not all of his
moans in front of the camera until he became twitterpated with the thought of Zhongli. That
was when things got interesting, he began to enjoy himself more and more imagining it was
Zhongli's hands stroking his cock, or his thick fingers slamming deep inside of him in places
that Childe's own fingers could not reach, satisfying him more than any vibrator ever could.

Now, he could hardly bear the suspense of Zhongli doing all of those things to him. Childe
wailed as Zhongli snapped the strap wrapped around his thigh, sending jolts of stinging pain
up his leg. "This isn't too much for you, is it Childe? I expected you to have more of a pain
tolerance honestly."

Zhongli teased as he pushed Childe against the backrest of the sofa, bending his body to his
will as he stood up behind Childe, pulling his hips outward. "N-No, I'm only getting started,
you can push me to my limits as much as you want..."

Zhongli's throat tightened at the display of courage. He'd never felt so exhilarated before as
he did now, the thought of his work and his job couldn't be farther from his mind as his
fingers itched to tear down Childe's resolve bit by bit.

Zhongli pulled Childe's boxers down, smirking at the spectacle of Childe's flushed ass
sticking out for him, his pink hole twitching with impatience for stimulation, his erection
standing straight against his stomach in front of him. "Hmm... I suppose we should've taken
this to the bedroom for lube and condoms--"

"No.. you can do it bareback, I want to feel every inch of your cock inside me." Zhongli was
silent for a few moments, Childe couldn't see the expression on his face as he processed
Childe's words but he was avid for Zhongli's response.
"That was a very shameless thing to ask of someone you've barely known for a week, angel."
Childe felt elation set in his chest instead of shame or embarrassment at the endearment, "I'm
not one to lie about what I want, Zhongli," Childe said boldly, extending the palms of his tied
up hands to spread his ass cheeks for Zhongli, "It's all prepped for you so just put it in, I can't
wait for it anymore."

Zhongli's mind numbed at the brazen request, he shook slightly as he attempted to control
himself. He would be the one to exercise caution, he wouldn't give Childe the satisfaction of
breaking him so early on by doing nothing but wave his ass for him to use for his own
pleasure. He calmly discarded his pants, opening the buttons of his dress shirt and letting it
fall from his shoulders before he finally shed his boxers, licking his dry lips to moisten them
as he dropped a wad of spit on Childe's quivering hole.

Childe moaned quietly at the feeling as Zhongli ran his thumb across it, lubing it up well.
Although nothing could've prepared Childe for the painful pleasure that shot through his
body as Zhongli pushed his cock inside with difficulty. It was clear to him that he hadn't been
practicing with big enough dildos.

His mouth opened in a sharp intake of breath, feeling himself getting stretched out to the
maximum limit. His mind couldn't focus on trying to loosen up for Zhongli, clenching and
unclenching around his cock as his voice failed him. "F-Fuck, that hurts Zhongli..nngh"

Zhongli pressed his lips to Childe's back, his hand moving up Childe's body to tangle itself in
his hair, pulling him back by his roots and making him yelp in pain. Zhongli pressed Childe's
body against his own, feeling every muscle in Childe's figure quaking as he tried not to think
about the pain that racked every nerve in his body. "I'm not even halfway yet, angel," Zhongli
whispered in his ear, his big hands caressing Childe's body, making every hair on his skin
stand on end.

"G-Gods, how b-big are you?" Zhongli chuckled as he bit down on another spot on Childe's
neck, "I'll allow you to feel that for yourself." He pushed in the rest of the way, listen to the
choked-up cry Childe released from the pain, his body unable to keep itself up with his hands
tied behind his back.

He almost fell forward onto the couch again if it weren't for Zhongli's fingers slowly raking
over his skin, making their way up to his nipples. "If I recall correctly, you're sensitive here,"
Zhongli surmised, pushing his index finger against Childe's nipple, listening with a delighted
purr to the whimper Childe released.

Zhongli pulled out up to the tip, before slamming back inside with a quiet groan escaping his
lips. Childe's jaw hung open as he choked on air, moaning loudly as his back arched into
Zhongli's fingers, it was a sickly sweet sensation, each movement of Zhongli's hips rocking
Childe's entire body as he began to thrust inside Childe with full force.

"Ah-ah--aah...! Zhongli~, f-fuck it's so good!" Childe moaned, turning his head, "Haah.. kiss
me" He demanded, fighting a bit against the belt wrapped around his wrists in order to pull
Zhongli closer, but the man had tied him up more firmly than Childe realized. Zhongli
obliged, pressing his lips against Childe's forcefully, his fingers still rolling around Childe's
rosy bud.
Zhongli's other hand dipped down to roll around his thigh straps, fumbling with them a little.
Drool dribbled down Childe's chin as they swapped spit, Zhongli's tongue vigorously dancing
with Childe's, shoving it between the ginger's parted lips as he tried to cope with the pleasure
of Zhongli's cock slamming inside him, making him stagger forward with every snap of his
hips.

Every muscle in Childe's body tensed as Zhongli banged into his prostate with the force of a
hammer, letting out a scream of Zhongli's name before he was pushed down onto the sofa
once more on his chest, his ass suspended in the air, Zhongli's knee dipping into the cushion
for better penetration as he breathed heavily above Childe.

"You feel amazing inside me," Childe moaned, pushing back on Zhongli's cock perversely,
"It's so d-deep," It encouraged Zhongli to pound into him harder, milking him for his moans
and praises whilst trailing kisses along his back and neck, his hands holding onto Childe's
hips with a vice-like grip that made the ginger shudder, feeling Zhongli's nails digging into
his skin.

"Fuck, you've only b-been inside me for a few minutes y-yet I feel myself getting closer to--
hnngh~!" Childe trailed off as he was pushed on his side, Zhongli holding onto his legs to
keep them separated as he hammered inside him. "Cum for me then, give it everything you've
got, angel," Zhongli grunted, feeling heat building up in his lower abdomen.

Childe felt so warm around him, clamping around Zhongli's cock so lewdly it made his head
spin. "H-Harder..!" Childe ordered, his tongue rolling out of his mouth with pleasure as tears
of delight welled up in his eyes under the blindfold of Zhongli's tie.

Zhongli complied, deciding he would go easy on the ginger tonight and do everything he
commanded. They felt inebriated on one another, feeling themselves slowly sinking into
addiction. Childe moaned erotically, "I'm cumming--aah~" Childe cried out as Zhongli gave a
powerful thrust to his prostate before he began to pump Childe's cock at the same time.

He felt his mind desensitize as he came intensely all over his stomach, a scream escaping his
lips as his back arched, his eyes closing tightly under the blindfold. He breathed heavily as
his body recovered from the orgasm as Zhongli helped ride it out, chasing his own high.
"Mmh... I think I'm close too."

Childe crunched up to a sitting position to place a kiss on Zhongli's lips, "Good, cum inside
me, give me everything and don't let a single drop go to waste," He said, feeling his sensitive
insides burn with every force of friction that transpired between them.

"Hnngh!" Childe moaned as he felt Zhongli's cock twitching inside of him, preparing himself
for Zhongli to come inside. Zhongli reached his orgasm, spurting burning-hot cum all inside
Childe, making the ginger moan, arching his back as he pushed himself down on Zhongli's
cock, milking him for all of his seed.

"So much~" Childe commented, grinning with delight. Zhongli came to a stop, panting as he
felt his legs trembling lightly. "I think that was a decent test-run," He murmured. Childe
spluttered, "W-What? Test-run..--haah!" Childe trailed off into a moan as he felt Zhongli's
 cock beginning harden inside him again, he gave a little thrust, making Childe arch his back.
"I won't be as lenient with you this time."

Chapter End Notes

Dom/Sub is coming up soon, let me know if y'all would like to see dom! Childe or dom!
Zhongli for it, I have ideas planned for both and can't decide!
 Daddy Kink (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Warnings: Biting

Teucer comes to Liyue to spend time with his brother and Zhongli is not happy about the
lack of attention he receives from Childe and ends up making him suffer for it.

Chapter Notes

Hey all! I have recently released a new story, if you like my writing for Zhongchi, please
considering checking it out if you're interested in a story, you can find it right here or on
my profile!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30905687/chapters/76317350#main

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"Teucer, meet Mr. Zhongli. He's a friend of mine~be nice okay?" Childe said, gesturing to the
man standing behind him, his eyes shadowed by the high sun, though his golden pupils still
shone in the umbra.

Teucer looked up at him with a glare on his little face, his neck craning completely to look up
at Zhongli.

"He's even taller than you, big brother," The child noted. Childe chuckled along with Lumine
who stood behind them with Paimon, he patted Teucer's head, glancing back at Zhongli to see
no change in his expression, it remained neutral with his lips pressed in a thin line, his eyes
unwavering. He gave a light slap to Zhongli's shoulder, a forced smile on his face, "The least
you can do is smile, sensei, you'll scare him."

Zhongli turned his gaze to Childe, his eyes softened the slightest bit as he took in the sight of
his lover, "The only person that gives me the urge to smile is you, Childe."

Childe's cheeks tinted pink at the revelation, Lumine and Paimon shared disgusted looks,
Paimon making gagging gestures behind the two for Teucer to see. Teucer giggled, studying
Childe and Zhongli, "I'll call you Tall Man then!" Teucer tugged at the hem of Childe's grey
jacket, gesturing him to lean forward to listen to him, "I don't like him, the nice lady is
better," He whisper-yelled in Childe's ear, loud enough for Zhongli to hear. Zhongli's lips
pursed at that.
"I'll leave you four to it, then. Childe, please do not forget our appointment this afternoon.
Don't be late." Zhongli said, his voice quiet. Childe gulped a little at the harshness of the last
words Zhongli uttered before he turned on his heel and swiftly walked away, arms tucked
regally behind his back.

Teucer sneered, which resembled Childe's own expressions a lot, "Scary... you're not really
going to meet the tall man again later, are you big brother?" He asked.

Childe laughed nervously. He met Lumine's eyes with a knowing glance shared between
them, "Oh don't look so worried, Teucer! He's a nice man, you'll see. We'll have dinner
together tonight, see how you like him then."

Teucer pouted, his cheeks flaring up as he looked past Childe, seeing no silhouette of Zhongli
in sight. "Okay... but don't let him take you away from me! He's scary and I don't like his
face." Childe smiled, he couldn't help but think, 'Half of Liyue's population is head over heels
for the guy and my little brother is still unsatisfied,'

"Okay okay~ nothing to worry about, let's have lunch, yeah?"

***

Childe stretched, "Man, that was a hearty meal, right Teucer?" He asked.

Teucer's face scrunched up in disgust, making Lumine snort, commenting to Paimon how
similar the brothers looked, "No, it tasted weird! I miss your cooking big brother." Teucer
whined.

Childe smiled, "Don't worry, tonight I'll cook for you and Mr. Zhongli. But you should eat all
types of cooking, it'll help you get stronger... speaking of Zhongli," Childe looked up at the
sun to calculate the time, his eyes shooting wide open, "Ah crap-- I mean oh no! I'm late for
my meeting with Zhongli, traveler, you'll take care of Teucer, right?" Childe said, his eyes
bursting with panic as he whipped around to face Lumine and Paimon.

Paimon opened her mouth to tell him off for using them as babysitters, but seeing the frantic
look on Childe's face, the duo took pity on him. "Sure, we'll drop him off at the Wangsheng
Funeral Parlor in the evening," Paimon said grudgingly. Childe nodded, stepping closer to
them to whisper, "But don't come any sooner.. please. I don't want Teucer to see-- never
mind, I owe you guys," Childe told them, blushing a little.

He turned to Teucer, ruffling his hair as the younger clenched his fists, "You're leaving
already? I don't like that tall man for taking you away, we've barely been together for two
hours! You promised to spend the day with me," Teucer whined.

A clock tower's bell rang in the distance, signaling that the clock had struck three o'clock,
making Childe worry.

He offered Teucer a wavering smile, "We will! I'll be with you again in just two more hours,
so be good while I'm gone, okay? You're the best little brother. Gotta run, see you guys later!"
Childe called before he began to sprint full speed away from them, running towards Feiyun
Slope.

Lumine and Paimon cringed, seeing him run like the devil were on his heels, "Uh.. yeah,
sure. If you survive." Paimon muttered, making Teucer's head whip around to face her, "Is big
brother in danger? Does he need protection from the scary tall man?" He asked, urgency in
his voice.

Paimon shook her palms in front of her, "No! That's not what I mean, I just meant that if he
survives the jog there-- err.." Paimon looked at Lumine desperately, making the traveler
facepalm, seeing Teucer's worried expression, knowing Paimon had just made things worse
between Teucer and Zhongli.

***

Childe jogged up the steps, panting to catch his breath as he skidded to a stop in front of a
door labeled 'Consulting Officer Zhongli'. Childe took a steady breath before he knocked on
the door.

"Enter." A sonorous voice called from inside, cold and stiff.

Childe shivered as he walked inside, closing the door behind him. His eyes landed on the
man sitting at the desk in front of him, looking up at Childe with an uninterested look on his
handsome face. Childe gulped, glancing at the clock, he was ten minutes late.

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time," He gulped as Zhongli sighed, standing up as his chair pushed
back. He walked around the table towards Childe with his arms folded behind his back again.
He came to a stop in front of the nervous ginger.

"How careless... even after I reminded you not to be late. It's almost as if you don't think
you're capable of facing consequences," Zhongli spoke in a silky voice that sent Childe's
nerves into a slight panic without even trying. Childe knew that now was not the time to relax
with the menacing words Zhongli spoke. The idea of punishment went straight to his crotch
as he felt himself getting turned on by Zhongli's austere gaze, he knew he was in trouble and
it thrilled him to his core.

"I-- It's just that my brother.. you know I can't say no to him and it's family first in Snezhnaya
b-but I promise I didn't take your warning light--" Childe rambled quietly, setting his gaze on
the floor like a child about to be disciplined.

Zhong interrupted his maundering by cupping his face with one hand, his gloved fingers
pushing into Childe's cheeks, effectively shutting him up.

"Childe, the point?" Zhongli asked, clear-cut and straightforward. Childe looked up at him,
his eyes big as he tried to appeal to Zhongli's sensitivity, though he found no sign of
clemency in the man's eyes.

His lips quivered a little, "I'm sorry, daddy." Childe whimpered. Zhongli's eyes flashed
dangerously as he pressed Childe up against the door, unable to restrain himself as he
smashed his lips with Childe's, welcomed by the younger with open arms.

Childe wrapped his arms around Zhongli's neck, at the feeling of Zhongli kissing him deeply
and forcefully.

He shivered as their teeth clashed, Zhongli bit his bottom lip, tugging at it and drawing blood.
Childe moaned at the pain as Zhongli ran his tongue over the bleeding bite wound before
clamping his lips over Childe's, sharing the taste of his blood between them. Childe pulled
back, feeling his breathing getting shallower and digging his nails into Zhongli's back. He
panted, his blue eyes looking into Zhongli's half-lidded amber ones. Zhongli's fingers reached
up to strip Childe of his red sash, throwing it on the floor. He ripped Childe's jacket open by
the clasp, pulling the buttons off Childe's red button-up along with it.

Childe shivered as his eyes shut tightly, choosing not to comment on his ruined shirt.
Zhongli's eyes raked across his lean waist, up to his taut nipples and the depression of his
collarbone. "So beautiful,"

Zhongli pulled Childe away from the door, pressing him with his chest against the wall
behind his desk, Childe's back facing him. He pulled Childe's pants off his body, feeling the
younger gasp as he heard the breaking of threads.

"D-Daddy, please don't ruin my clothes, I have to meet Teucer after this--" Zhongli shut him
up with a slap to his ass, making Childe yelp in pain, "Quiet." Zhongli ordered, his deep
voice dropping an octave as strictness laced it, "Since yesterday, Teucer this, Teucer that. Just
be quiet." He hissed.

Childe's eyes widened in realization as he looked back at Zhongli. He bit back a smile,
realizing that the reason Zhongli looked unhappy all day was that Childe hadn't stopped
talking about his brother since yesterday when he arrived. He couldn't believe the serious and
gentle man, the ex-Geo Archon of all people, had gotten jealous of a nine-year-old. He chose
not to speak on the topic, knowing Zhongli would release his frustrations on Childe's body
and didn't dare make it more intense for himself.

Zhongli turned Childe around, hooking his arms around Childe's thighs before lifting him up
the wall. He bit down on the skin above Childe's ribcage, making the ginger cry out,
struggling a little as he ran his fingers through Zhongli's hair, tugging at it lightly.

"Stay still unless you want me to drop you," Zhongli warned, making Childe gulped as he
attempted to relax in Zhongli's strong arms. "Y-Yes, daddy," Zhongli hummed, satisfied with
Childe's obedience. He trailed kisses around Childe's chest, avoiding his nipples, wanting
Childe to beg him to kiss them. He made sure he was messy with his tongue, licking around
his pecs, dripping saliva against Childe's skin. He left weaker bites against Childe's skin to
keep from hurting the ginger but make him yearn for more.

"D-Daddy, please touch me there," Childe whimpered, tugging at the Archon's black locks to
get his attention, "Touch you where?" Zhongli asked, pretending to be dumb as if he didn't
know exactly what Childe wanted.
Childe took a deep breath, cupping Zhongli's cheeks and pressing a kiss to the man's lips,
wincing a little as his bruised lip was attacked once more.

He took one of Zhongli's hands in his own, prompting the Archon to hold him more steadily
against the wall with one hand. He guided Zhongli's hand up to his chest, placing it over his
nipple, looking down at the archon with half-lidded eyes as he pulled back from the kiss.
"Oh? You want to be touched here? And why, pray tell, should I comply after you left me
waiting for nearly ten minutes?" Childe whimpered quietly as Zhongli pinched the skin of his
chest, purposely avoiding touching Childe's nipple.

"Please daddy, I'll make it up to you with this," Childe whispered as he guided Zhongli's hand
down to his ass. He allowed Zhongli to press his fingers against his fluttering hole.

Zhongli took a deep, calming breath to keep himself in check. He became fully hard at the
idea of the Harbinger shamelessly putting his entire body on show for Zhongli to claim. He
was unable to say no to Childe's lewd promises, pressing his lips against the younger's nipple,
looking up at his red face as his jaw slackened. He bit Childe's nipple gently, keeping it in
place before swirling his tongue around the hardened bud. Childe moaned erotically without
a care for who might listen.

Childe pushed his foot forward, pressing his boot against Zhongli's erection, pushing down
on it with slight force and eliciting a low grunt from the ex-Archon.

Zhongli moved on to Childe's other nipple, licking and sucking on it, leaving a bright red
bruise around it. Childe sensually moved his feet up and down Zhongli's cock, feeling up his
girth, wishing he had taken his boots off prior to being pushed in this position so he could
feel Zhongli up to his full extent. Zhongli set Childe down on the floor, the ginger felt his
legs shake a little under him as Zhongli turned Childe around again, pulling his ass towards
himself. Zhongli thumbed Childe's hole, rubbing it gently before he pressed his finger inside,
shuddering a little as he felt Childe's walls clamp around his fingers.

"A-Aah.. that feels good~!" Childe said as Zhongli thrust his finger inside, succeeding in
finding his prostate quickly. He pressed down on the gland, making Childe moan as he leaned
his palms against the wall for support.

Zhongli circled Childe's rim, stretching him gently as Childe shook in front of him, letting
out whimpery moans pathetically.

"I want it now, daddy please give it to me~" Zhongli chuckled into Childe's ear. He nipped at
his pinna affectionately, "You aren't prepped yet, darling. It'll hurt." Zhongli added a second
finger, thrusting his digits in and out of Childe steadily, listening to the way he moaned,
throwing his head back against Zhongli's shoulder.

Zhongli made scissoring motions inside Childe, licking his lips at the tightness around his
fingers, already wondering how it would feel around his cock. Childe moaned Zhongli's
name as the Archon shoved another finger inside him. He made sure to press against all the
right spots as he spread his fingers inside Childe, trying his best to relax him. Zhongli pressed
his lips to Childe's neck, biting into the skin and tearing it, removing his fingers from inside
the ginger. Childe's legs trembled as he desperately tried to keep himself up to avoid falling at
Zhongli's feet. He felt disgusting, feeling his hole twitching while his body was wet with
Zhongli's spit, red and blue splotches dotting his skin at random parts.

He was turned around halfway, his side facing Zhongli. Zhongli tugged one of Childe's legs
up, stretching his hamstrings to the max as he placed it over his shoulder.

Childe shivered at the position, barely balancing on one leg as he leaned heavily against the
wall. He looked up at the ex-Archon, sweat staining his face as his eyes struggled to open.

He watched as Zhongli lowered his pants after unbuckling them, pulling out his own
throbbing erection. The sight of it made Childe smile with anticipation. He pushed back on it,
pressing his erection with Zhongli's, eliciting a quiet moan from the Archon at the pleasure
that surged through him. "Please give it to me, quickly I can't wait for it, please--" Childe's
voice trailed off as his jaw fell open when Zhongli obliged with Childe's request.

A large amount of pleasure surged through the ginger's body, satisfaction filling him down to
his fingernails as Zhongli pushed his cock inside of Childe. Zhongli's cock stretched him
wide, filling him to the brim until he was completely buried inside of the harbinger's body.

"Fuck, that's so good-- nngh..!" He grunted as Zhongli pulled his hips back before slamming
into Childe again. It made the ginger's body rock with the force of his thrust, rhythmic with
every snap of Zhongli's hip. Zhongli hugged his arm around Childe's thigh, turning his head
to place a kiss on his knee.

"Daddy~" Childe called, he hardly cared who heard them, even though he knew it would
destroy the reputation Zhongli had built for himself. Right now, while Zhongli was repeatedly
slamming in and out of him, he couldn't think straight, Zhongli's reputation was far from his
mind as pleasure surged through his body, shaking him down to his toes. He shut his eyes
tightly, his ribs ramming into the wall over and over.

"Keep your eyes open, look at me, darling." Zhongli prompted, using his index to turn
Childe's head towards himself. He placed a gentle kiss on Childe's lips, feeling all the
jealousy and saltiness lift from his shoulders when Childe tightened up around him. Childe
moaned into the kiss, wanting nothing more than for Zhongli's arms to engulf him. Although
the position they were in wasn't too uncomfortable, he wished he could gaze upon Zhongli's
face properly. His breathing became shallower as he felt himself nearing his orgasm.

"Shit-- Daddy, I'm gonna cum, fuck I love this feeling, I never want it to--aahh!" Childe
moaned as Zhongli thrust powerfully into him, driving him up the wall both literally and
figuratively.

"Don't make a mess, dear," Zhongli said, his hand clamping around Childe's cock, giving it a
little squeeze and making the ginger scream as he threw his head back, cumming hard into
Zhongli's gloved hand. He breathed heavily, gazing up at the ceiling with white dots clouding
his vision. He looked back at Zhongli, his eyes widening as he saw the archon licking the
cum off his hand. Childe was brought back to Earth by the repeated slapping of Zhongli's
hips against his ass, making the skin flush red from the abuse.
"A-ah... daddy, please cum quickly, it-it feels weird," Childe begged, tightening up around
Zhongli as his insides quivered with the scraping of his cock against his walls.

Zhongli chuckled, "Don't be so impatient, dear. I've only just begun." Childe whimpered as
Zhongli pulled out, pulling him closer and lifting the ginger in his arms, tucking his arms
beneath his thighs to hold him up with Childe's fingers laced around his neck.

Childe let out a wail of pleasure as Zhongli pushed him onto his cock once more before
rocking the ginger up and down in his arms, bouncing him on his cock.

Childe hugged Zhongli, shutting his eyes as every inch of him felt like it was on fire from
Zhongli's touch. He felt himself breaking completely in the archon's arms as drool dribbled
down his chin, soaking into Zhongli's vest.

"Big Brother?! Are you in there?" Childe's eyes snapped open, his thoughts clearing a little as
he heard the voice of Teucer outside the door.

Zhongli's jaw tightened though he didn't stop springing Childe up and down on his cock.

"T-Teucer? Aahhngh, Zhongli! Wait!!" Childe moaned helplessly and Zhongli bit into his
skin, breaking the flesh as irritation built up in his chest.

"Big brother, is the tall man hurting you?! I'm coming inside to protect you!" Teucer called.
Childe's eyes widened to the size of saucers, he vaguely wondered where Lumine and
Paimon were, but Zhongli's cock repeatedly abused his prostate, making it more and more
difficult for the ginger to think.

"W-Wait, Teucer! The tall man isn't hurting me-- I... you can enter but just-- count to ten for
me, o-okay?" Childe bit his lip hard to contain his moans, pulling back from his embrace to
look at Zhongli.

"Okay, for you big brother," Teucer's muffled voice called from the other side.

The ex-archon's eyes were narrowed with sheer annoyance, wanting nothing more than to tie
Childe up in a place where no one would be able to find him and keep the ginger for himself.
Childe knew as soon as their eyes met that there was no way Zhongli would let him go now.

"P-Please, come quickly, daddy.. I beg you, don't let him see me like this." Childe let out a
choked sob as Teucer began to count to ten.

1,

Tears welled up in Childe's eyes as Zhongli didn't respond, only clutching the ginger's body
tighter like a dragon possessive over his hoard of gold.

He placed Childe on his stomach over the table, increasing the pace of his thrusts and making
it harder for the ginger to contain his moans, desperately trying not to make a sound as he
fought back tears, knowing they would only worry Teucer more if he really did walk in on
them.
4,

"Please, daddy, please--fuck, don't ruin me in the sights of my brother!" Childe said, his voice
desperately hushed, "I'll do anything you want, my body belongs to you entirely! After
Teucer leaves tomorrow you can tie me up and do anything, just please! Aah-ah!" He begged
futilely. Zhongli's glare was unrelenting as he stared at the door, waiting for it to swing open
any second now.

7,

Zhongli pondered Childe's words for a moment as he continued to mercilessly pound inside
Childe. He had lived a long six thousand years, he thought. He had waited long enough for
this. But the broken tone to Childe's voice thawed the edges of Zhongli's heart.

Childe had never begged so wholeheartedly before, and he certainly had never offered a
contract better than this one. He sighed, supposing he could wait one more day, and pulled
out of the ginger.

Zhongli tugged Childe up by the collar of his jacket, throwing him into his chair and quickly
clasping the ginger's jacket. He grabbed Childe's clothes off the floor, throwing the grey pants
at his lover.

10,

"I'm coming in!" Teucer announced as the door swung open, Childe nearly jumped out of his
skin, still half-naked from the waist down, but luckily, his sitting position allowed him to hide
his lower half behind the desk.

Zhongli turned around, swiftly tucking his rock-solid erection into his tight pants with
difficulty. He grabbed his coat off the back of his seat and slung it over himself, clasping it
around his body to hide his front.

"What are you two doing?" Teucer asked, his eyes narrowed as Zhongli turned back around
to face him, looking as effortless as ever while his older brother looked like an utter mess. He
panted heavily as he fumbled around behind the table, hastily shoving his pants on his legs.

"Oh, it's nice seeing you again. I was merely assisting your older brother make toys to
surprise you." Zhongli spoke first as he shed his gloves, revealing his blackened hands, he
turned around for the element of surprise, his hands beginning to shine an amber color as dust
particles gathered between his palms until they formed a shape. He walked over to Teucer
who looked at him, wonderstruck, "You're a toymaker like big brother?! Why didn't you say
so sooner?" Teucer said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Zhongli offered him a gentle smile,
ruffling his hair as he handed Teucer a grey figurine of Childe made out of solid rock.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to color it in time, but Childe-- Ajax thought it would be best
to give you a memento of your time spent in Liyue." Childe watched with his jaw hanging
open at the gentle and sweet way Zhongli regarded Teucer.

"Wow! It's big brother, you made this?" Teucer asked in awe.
 Zhongli nodded, "It was a difficult task but Ajax thought you would appreciate it." Teucer
hugged the Childe figurine to his chest, jumping in excitement, "Yes, yes, yes! This is the
best gift ever, thank you tall man, big brother!" Teucer began to move around figurine
Childe's arms, pretending he was shooting lasers out of his fingertips before he froze, looking
up at Zhongli, "Can you teach me how to make them?" Zhongli ceased all movements,
remembering what he and Childe were up to mere moments ago, he patted Teucer on the
head, "Maybe once your older, Ajax can share his secret. Come now, I'll show you my
workshop," Teucer nodded happily, completely charmed by Zhongli now as he skipped out
the door, not even sparing Childe a glance.

Zhongli took one last look at Childe's frazzled and speechless form, a clear message
displayed behind his pupils as his true intentions surfaced.

'You owe me.'

Chapter End Notes

Oof this was absolutely filthy to write, sorry for any typos, I haven't reread this as it's 3
am, but I will tomorrow, hopefully, it isn't too bad so far.
 Denied Orgasm (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

Warnings: Mentions of injury and blood.

After losing a sparring match with Xiao under high stakes, Aether finds him spending
his night with his cruel lover, gasping and moaning without release.

Chapter Notes

Ahh sorry for the late update! I didn't mean to push it back so much I just hardly had the
inspiration for this one, but I managed to write it and somehow it became the longest
one in this book, damn.
Me writing this whole chapter:
✕ Writing a good smut and feeding readers good content
✓ Stare at a blank document for 5 days straight and write a word vomit

"I'm bored," Aether said for the umpteenth time. A vein began to bulge in the side of Xiao's
neck as he glared straight ahead out into the dark plains of Guili, irritation filling him.

"Then go do something about it instead of bothering me." He said coldly, crossing his legs as
he shut his eyes, feeling the wind blowing around him. He heaved a small sigh and opened
his eyes. If he wasn't used to worse things, he would've been startled by the big, golden eyes
inches from his face, staring up at him as Aether crawled forward on his hands.

They were sitting in the ruins of Guili Plains in the dark of night with only the moon
illuminating the world. Aether had been stuck at Wangshu Inn for a while since he had
explored Liyue to every nook and cranny and Paimon didn't seem to be ready to head to a
new area.

Xiao was about to ask Aether what he was doing until the blonde raised his hand and poked
Xiao's nose with a small 'boop'. Xiao blinked, his eyebrows creased in confusion as he stared
incredulously at the blonde sitting merrily in front of him with a cute smile on his face.

"You really are bored," Xiao noted as if Aether hadn't been telling him that since the night
fell. Aether rolled his eyes and sat back, curling his knees up.

"Yeah, I think I mentioned that. How do you stay like this for hundreds of years? Don't you
get bored?" Aether said. Xiao pondered for a bit, gazing at Aether as his eyes shone in the
brightness of the moonlight, his blonde hair giving a golden glow. Xiao released a breath. He
had no trouble believing Aether was from another world. In all his long life, he had never
come across a humanoid as beautiful as him.

"I don't just sit idle like you humans. I have a job to do, and I stay here to monitor my
territory for signs of danger," Xiao said curly.

Aether tilted his head, smiling, "How vigilant of the Vigilant Yaksha," Xiao let out a puff of
dry amusement at the title he had been given. He wasn't popular among the humans of Liyue
as compared to the other adepti such as Mountain Shaper or Moon Carver and he preferred to
keep it that way, lest he was given another nickname such as that.

"Then take me with you on your next hunt, Paimon is sleeping and I want to watch you
fight," Aether said, smiling as the night breeze swished past him, making his hair flow
majestically.

"No. It's dangerous for mortals," Xiao told him immediately.

Aether raised an eyebrow, "Are you calling me weak?" He asked, ready to flex the lawachurls
and ruin hunters he had brought down singlehandedly. Xiao gazed at him, calculating his next
words. His intense gaze made shivers run down Aether's back. He could spot all those years
of torment and suffering that had caused Xiao's eyes to become as cold as the stone
foundation he had helped build Liyue on.

"No. You're not weak, but you're not strong enough to handle the demons I face." Xiao said,
his voice careful. He didn't know how to convey the message as him trying to protect Aether
from the negative energy the restless souls of the past gods emitted but it came out as if he
was insulting the blonde.

Aether furrowed his eyebrows, "After all this time, you still have no faith in me even after I
fought Osial by your side." Xiao sighed softly at his words, realizing that Aether was feeling
hurt by his words. He didn't want to make Aether feel as if he doubted him. Xiao knew better
than anyone how strong his lover was. He wanted to assure Aether that he did have faith in
him, but he couldn't find the words to express his feelings.

Xiao pursed his lips, sighing defeatedly as he saw hurt in Aether's eyes, "Fine. If you want to
prove your strength to me then fight me first. It hardly matters to me but I'm not going to let
any weak-willed person get in the way of my duty," Xiao challenged. Aether's eyes widened
at that, his bottom lip beginning to stick out in irritation, forming a cute pout that Xiao tried
his best to ignore, feeling his heart fluttering a little at the sight as he continued, "You would
only be a burden for me to protect if I took you with me. But if you think you're ready, prove
to me that you're ready to face such perils, traveler."

Aether grumbled under his breath. He did not doubt his own abilities, but as Xiao stood up
and drew his weapon, he couldn't help thinking that a Polearm vs Sword fight wouldn't end
well for him. But after being challenged so blatantly, he wouldn't stand down. He hadn't for
Childe, he wouldn't for his lover either.
"Fine, if I win against you, you have to take me demon hunting," He jumped to his feet,
drawing his sword from its hilt. It gleamed in the moonlight, it would've been menacing if it
wasn't Xiao he was facing. The adeptus merely looked down at him with a straight face,
unable to take the blonde seriously.

"And if you lose?" Xiao asked, his voice carrying through the whispering wind, "I think I
should stand to gain something as well," He leaned forward, his lips dangerously close to
Aether's, making the blonde stiffen as his eyes widened.

Xiao stuck his polearm in the ground and pulled Aether closer by his waist. He was never all
that affectionate, it surprised Aether how sensually Xiao's hands snaked around his waist, his
gloved fingers applying pressure and gently pressing into his skin, making him shudder.

"How about this, if you win, I'll give you a reward. But if you lose, you get punished," Xiao
said softly. Aether gulped at the sardonic tone in Xiao's voice as they gazed at one another,
lips centimeters from touching. Suddenly, Aether wasn't so sure of his abilities anymore but
he didn't back down, whispering a small 'okay'.

Aether admitted that he didn't take Xiao all that seriously, not because he thought he would
win easily, but because he knew Xiao would have at least a little mercy on him.

He and Xiao had had sex before, but Xiao was very gentle with Aether, much to the blonde's
surprise. He always imagined Xiao to be ruthless but he thought maybe he was wrong with
how much Xiao held himself back when they had sex, he noticed the front was only put up
for Aether's sake and nobody else's. He felt excitement creeping down his back as he thought
maybe he would get to see Xiao's cruel side now.

"I won't go easy on you, so come at me with everything you have. On the battlefield, we are
no more than enemies," Xiao whispered, letting go of Aether, who shuddered at the stony
remark, before he stepped back, grabbing hold of his polearm once more, and lifting it.
Aether brandished his sword as well and with a burst of strength, he charged at Xiao.

***

"Had enough, my beloved?" Xiao asked, a malicious smirk on his face as he ruthlessly
slashed another paper-thin cut on Aether's body. Each slit he made on Aether's body was
made with precision, not too deep to injure him and not too light so that he could feel the
burning pain on his porcelain skin.

Aether's let out a choked gasp as Xiao pressed a knee to his chest, pinning him to the ground
as he crouched over Aether, his polearm hovering over the blonde's throat.

Aether's eyes were teary but still had a fire in them as they looked up at Xiao with a glare,
wondering how his lover could be so merciless. His clothes were in tatters, his top ripped to
shreds that did nothing to cover Aether's body.

"Surrender." Xiao ordered, seeing the sword still in Aether's hand. The rule was to disarm the
other person in order to win. Although Aether was in no condition to put up a fight to keep
his sword in hand, his body was bruised like a peach, he ached all over from all the times
Xiao had hit him with the dull end of his spear, Xiao allowed him a chance to preserve his
dignity. Meanwhile, the only sign of his own attack he could spot on the adeptus was a slash
on his bare shoulder and a cut on his cheek.

Xiao could easily snatch Aether's sword and throw it out of his reach, but he wanted to hear
Aether surrender. Aether took a shuddery breath, knowing there was no way to triumph over
Xiao.

"I surrender," He whimpered. He wondered how Xiao could pummel him so remorselessly,
watching as the adeptus' eyes glinted with satisfaction, lifting his knee off of him and
standing up before sticking his polearm in the ground again.

He picked Aether up off the ground bridal style, making the blonde blush as he gazed up into
Xiao's eyes, "You're mean," He said, burying his face into his chest, listening to the little
vibrations that erupted in Xiao's chest as he chuckled. He lifted Aether higher to press his lips
to the younger's cheek, knowing he hadn't been hard on the blonde as much as he could've
been. "You ruined my clothes too! This was my favorite shirt." Aether chided, making the
adeptus roll his eyes as he began to walk towards Wangshu Inn, leaving their weapons behind
whilst making a mental note to pick them up later.

"It's too revealing anyway, you can do better. Plus," Xiao licked his lips, his eyes darting
across Aether's exposed chest, "It does wonders for your body like this." Aether blushed,
burying his face in the crook of Xiao's neck shyly.

"Since when did you become a pervert?" He murmured, inhaling Xiao's scent. He began to
nibble on the skin, surprising Xiao who didn't think Aether would have the guts to make the
first move. Aether sucked on the skin on the side of Xiao's neck, eyes growing half-lidded as
he pulled back, watching a red bruise beginning to form. "Hurry up," Aether ordered softly,
pressing his lips softly against Xiao's cheek to encourage him. The adeptus began to hurry up
the steps to the top-most floor where Xiao's room was situated.

They couldn't go back to Aether's room considering Paimon was sleeping there, but Xiao's
room would suffice, being secluded from the rest of the rooms and hopefully, it would be
able to block out most sounds.

Xiao kicked the door to his room open, emitting a loud bang that reverberated through the top
floor of the inn. Aether took a sharp breath, hoping that no security guards would come
looking for them, thinking they were breaking in. Xiao carried Aether inside, about to launch
the blonde onto the bed but Aether's stopped him, his hold around Xiao's neck tightening,
"I'm filthy, please let me shower first." Aether whimpered.

Xiao's eyes trailed around the blonde's partially naked body, sure enough, drops of blood
stained his skin. A thin layer of dirt was littered on the pale skin from how many times Xiao
had thrown him around while toying with him.

He sighed quietly and carried the younger to the bathroom, placing him on the counter. They
gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before Aether planted his lips over Xiao's, eyes
fluttering to a close as he moaned against Xiao's soft lips. Xiao watched Aether through half-
lidded eyes for a few seconds before he melted into the kiss, nibbling on the younger's lower
lip.

Xiao assumed Aether had forgotten the punishment awaiting him with how eagerly the
blonde kissed him, his knees clenching around Xiao's waist zealously.

Xiao tugged Aether's braid out of its hair tie, letting his blonde locks fall over his shoulders.
He admired them for a minute, the way they shone gold in the dim moonlight illuminating
the bathroom from the small window. Xiao flicked the switch on the gas lantern, lighting the
bathroom, adoring the way Aether looked in the dim yellow light emitted by the fire in the
lamp.

Xiao stripped Aether of his ruined cropped shirt, throwing the tattered article to the corner of
the bathroom before he began to tug Aether's boots off, allowing them to drop to the floor. He
hooked his fingers around a slit he had cut into the Aether's pants, pulling them down and
accidentally shredding them to rags. "Hey!" Aether pulled away, glaring at Xiao maliciously
as he smacked the adeptus on his injured shoulder on purpose.

Xiao just murmured a small 'oops' before he proceeded to completely tear his pants off his
legs, smirking as Aether yelped in surprise, a pink blush spreading across his cheeks as he
was stripped bare.

"You're so vulgar!" Aether chided as Xiao stepped back to strip himself of his own clothing,
"Wait, you're joining me?"

Xiao raised an eyebrow at Aether, "Problem?" Aether's blush dipped into crimson as Xiao
displayed his muscular body, his eyes running down Aether's bruised and battered body with
the tiniest smile on his face, sadistic enjoyment dancing in his eyes. Xiao gazed at Aether's
pink and lush nipples before his gaze dropped down to his cock. Aether felt embarrassed at
being stared at so shamelessly, his own eyes shyly wandering down Xiao's body, admiring his
broad chest and muscular arms as he worked on taking his pants off after stepping out of his
boots.

Aether readily embraced Xiao as the adeptus pounced at his lips again, both of them
completely bare. Xiao lifted Aether up by his hips, carrying him towards the shower. "I'm
gonna set you down."

Aether squawked in disapproval, "No, I'll fall because someone decided not to go easy on
their own boyfriend." Aether grumbled, his cheeks flaring up a little as he pouted like a child.

Xiao glared down at him, no ounce of remorse in his harsh gaze, "I was going easy on you,
don't you think you'd have stab wounds instead of bruises if I didn't?" He slowly lowered
Aether to the floor, the blonde whimpered in pain but managed to stay upright with the
support of Xiao's arm, his other hand reaching behind Aether to turn the shower knob,
spurting ice-cold water on both of them. Aether yelped as the cold water hit him square in the
back while Xiao closed his eyes, relishing in the cool water as if he was taking a dip in a
spring.
Aether shivered uncontrollably, reaching his hand back to the shower handle and set it to
warm water. He sighed in contentment as the water's temperature increased, soothing his
aching muscles and cuts while Xiao tsked in disapproval but didn't argue with Aether about
it.

He took the bar of soap from the shelf and began to scrub Aether with it, making the blonde
laugh as it tickled his skin. Xiao cleaned off Aether's cuts, making sure no germs would
infect the wounds.

They shared a smile, looking lovingly into one another's eyes. Aether slowly lifted himself on
his tiptoes to plant a kiss on Xiao's jaw, his hands cupping the adeptus' cheeks. Xiao quickly
got the gist of it and pressed Aether's back against the wall, dipping his head to nibble on the
blonde's neck.

He sucked a bruise onto Aether's skin, his hands slowly dipping to his waist, squeezing his
sides a little before pulling their bodies together. Aether spluttered with embarrassment,
feeling their lower halves press up against each other.

Xiao's cock was hard against Aether's as he sank his teeth into Aether's skin, creating teeth
marks. Aether whimpered as Xiao began to grind on him, both their cocks standing erect
from the friction, sending jitters of pleasure up their spines. Xiao moved his lips further down
Aether's body, his grip on Aether's waist loosening, "W-Wait, I'll fall," Aether said, moaning
quietly as Xiao bit his collarbone.

"Good, that gives you an excuse to get on your knees," Xiao said quietly. Aether felt
humiliation wash over him again as his legs gave way underneath him, his fall only being
cushioned by Xiao as he held Aether by his arms before he could crash on the floor, gently
setting him down on his knees in front of him.

Aether's eyes widened, face to face with Xiao's cock. He had never seen it up close before but
he found it hard not to appreciate its sleek shape or the bulging veins.

Xiao's body was a reminder to Aether how much he adored veiny surfaces. His hands, arms,
neck, and now his cock. Aether raised his hand, wrapping his palms around it tenderly
without Xiao's exhortation. Xiao sucked in a deep breath as Aether softly pressed his lips
against it.

The water continued to soak their bodies, droplets of water running down Aether's face as he
kneeled between Xiao's legs. He kissed Xiao's cock again before sticking his tongue out and
running it along the depression on its underside. He had no real-world experience with
indecent things like giving blowjobs, but he recalled the lewd erotica Xingqiu had lent him
when they were young. He had thrown a tantrum when Xingqiu recommended it to him
without telling him its contents, but now he was a bit grateful. It helped him realize what
things he could do to please his lover.

Aether looked up at Xiao, his eyes half-lidded and shimmering in the dim lighting. His
golden orbs refracted the light at just the right angle, making them look luminous. He kissed
the head of Xiao's cock before taking the tip in his mouth, moaning a little as his cheeks
stretched out. Aether dipped the tip of his tongue into his urethra, smiling as Xiao released a
puff of air, his breathing becoming faster.

Aether took in more of his cock, his palms planted on the bathroom floor between his knees
to keep himself steady and balanced as he began to suck on the throbbing erection.

His eyes flickered closed, feeling the texture on his tongue, the smooth and rounded tip, the
coarse and veiny surface of his length down to the thick base. He slowly pulled off with a
pop, panting for breath as he looked up at Xiao, eyes begging for praise.

"You're pathetic at this," Xiao told him, causing Aether's lips to pout. Aether's face dropped
as Xiao lifted his foot and pressed it between his legs, massaging Aether's cock with a smirk
at the dejected look in his eye. Aether moaned softly, "W-Wait," He whimpering as Xiao
pressed down on his erection harder.

He attempted to hide his face from Xiao, allowing his sopping wet locks to fall over his face
but the adeptus didn't allow for it. He tangled his fingers in Aether's hair, tugging his head
back to look at the younger's expression as his toe teased the tip of Aether's cock. Aether's
eyes were half-lidded, his lips parted and emitting sweet moans that made Xiao's head spin
with lust. Xiao tugged Aether up by the arm and picked him up, throwing the blonde over his
shoulder before he shut the tap off.

Aether squeaked in embarrassment at the lewd position, hanging off Xiao's back. Xiao exited
the bathroom, grabbing a towel on the way before he placed Aether onto the bed and threw
the towel at the blonde.

"Dry your hair. I don't need you getting sick." Aether blushed, picking the towel off his face
and slowly beginning to dry his hair. It was almost completely dark in the room, save for the
lantern's dim light coming from the bathroom and the moonlight pouring in from outside.

He could hardly make out Xiao's chiseled outline. He gasped in surprise as his legs were
pulled apart, Xiao's head disappearing between them.

"Learn," Xiao ordered before he took Aether's cock in his mouth without warning. Aether's
eyes widened as his back arched, a loud moan escaping from his mouth. His legs clamped
around Xiao's head as his back arched, his fingers tangling themselves in Xiao's dripping
locks. Xiao sucked him off cleanly, his head dipping to the base of Aether's cock, blowing
him while his hands gently massaged Aether's balls and ass.

Xiao bobbed his head up and down, allowing his teeth to lightly scrape against's Aether's tip.
He hummed in satisfaction, listening to the noises Aether made. Aether's eyes were blown
wide as he fisted Xiao's hair, thrusting his hips upwards and letting out long and unfiltered
moans.

That was one of Xiao's favorite things about his lover, no matter how shy or embarrassed he
was, he never had trouble being vocal about his enjoyment, humiliation, anger, or sadness.
One could always tell exactly what Aether was feeling like an open book.
"A-Ah, Xiao..! You're s-so good~" Aether praised, gasping a little as Xiao pressed a finger to
his hole, rubbing it lightly with the tips of his fingers. Aether could never imagine Xiao doing
something so intimate, he had always assumed it would be his job as Xiao's submissive to
suck his lover off and please him with his mouth but even with his head between his legs, the
adeptus had the air of confidence and dominance that he always did. It made Aether realize
what a commanding presence Xiao had.

Xiao pulled off of Aether's cock, beginning to kiss past it, moving down to his hole. Aether
physically jumped when Xiao ran his saliva-coated tongue across his hole, slathering it well
to lube it up before pushing his finger inside Aether once more. He wrapped his mouth
around Aether's cock again, swirling his tongue around the girth while his finger steadily
pushed in and out of Aether's tight hole.

"W-Wait! Xiao, it's t-too m-much--ah!" Aether moaned loudly as Xiao bent his fingers
towards his sweet spot.

Xiao grunted at the tight grip the blonde had on his hair, "Please-nngh..~ I'm going to c-
cum!" Aether begged. It made Xiao stop in his tracks, making Aether's eyes shoot wide open
as he raised his head to look down at Xiao, "W-Wha- I was going to cum, please," Aether
whimpered, he knew he had begged Xiao to wait but both of them knew he didn't mean it.

Xiao pulled off of Aether, ignoring his whimpers as he pushed a second finger inside of the
younger. This time, he made no attempts to push against Aether's prostate, focusing on
stretching the blonde out. Aether still moaned with discomfort and mild pleasure, the thought
that his lover's fingers were inside him was enough for his erection to stand proud. Xiao
pressed his lips to Aether's abdomen, licking the skin and slathering his spit all over it.

He sucked another hickey above his hip, making the blonde squirm, "Wait, it tickles there"
Aether panted. Xiao shoved his third finger inside of the blonde, making him cry out at the
stretch, tightening around him desperately.

Xiao felt satisfied by the warmth around his fingers, knowing he was making his lover feel
good without even trying. But he couldn't have Aether coming so easily, could he?

He pulled out his fingers once he was pleased with the younger's looseness, gazing down at
his reaction. His adeptal sight allowed him to see the younger's face clearly. His cheeks were
flushed bright red, eyes watery as he took deep breaths to calm his racing heart. Aether
pushed down on Xiao's thigh, "I want it, Xiao, please give it to me," The blonde whispered,
looking up at him with half-lidded eyes, clearly trying to seduce him.

It worked, causing Xiao to emit a low growl as he hovered over Aether's body, his hair still
dripping water droplets on his body. He held Aether's hips in place, poking his tip at his
entrance. His lover whimpered his name, sending his mind into overdrive as he pushed inside
of him up to the base of his cock without warning. Aether let out a small scream, his toes
curling as Xiao wrapped his fingers around his ankles, holding his legs up as he thrust inside
the younger.

"Xiao! Haah-- it's so good! ♡" He whimpered, clenching around the adeptus with full force.
Xiao let out a breath, "Loosen up, you're too tight." He commanded, his grip bruising
Aether's ankles as he tried to cope with the younger's tightness. Aether tried his best to relax
around him, letting out throaty moans as he tried to cope with the pleasure, fisting the
bedsheet.

"I love you~" He moaned as Xiao thrust deep inside of him, slamming straight into his
prostate with full force that made Aether wail with pleasure. Xiao smirked down at him,
watching a drop of drool spilling out of the corner of Aether's mouth.

"Don't say that just yet." He growled into Aether's ear, leaning over his body and compelling
Aether to wrap his arms around Xiao for support. He increased the speed of his thrust, his
skin slapping against Aether's with a stinging force that made both of them wince. Aether
was confused, Xiao had always reciprocated his terms of affection with hardly any hesitation
before, but now he didn't respond to it directly and it made Aether worried. He couldn't dwell
on it for long, not with Xiao ramming into him with full force, rocking his entire body with
the thrust of his hips.

"Ah~" Aether moaned, his eyes fluttering to a close as he felt a warm feeling settle in his
stomach, slowly growing more and more prominent. It felt amazing, the way it burned like a
fire lit up in his abdomen. "I-I think I'm coming, Xiao!"

Xiao's smirk widened, it was the most colorful expression Aether had ever seen on the
adeptus' face, and it almost scared him, "Is that so?" Xiao asked coolly, his eyebrows creasing
a little as he panted.

Aether didn't think too much of it and shut his eyes again, enjoying the waves of pleasure that
ran down to the tips of his toes. He clenched hard around Xiao's cock, his moans becoming
more frequent. He wailed Xiao's name loudly as his abdomen gave a final squeeze but then,
nothing came. He was one thrust away from reaching his high, and Xiao stopped.

His eyes flew open, "X-Xiao, why did you stop? I was about to cum, please.." He
whimpered, looking up at the adeptus though he couldn't see him clearly in the dark.

"You forgot about our agreement, our contract, that easily, huh?" Xiao said, a dangerous edge
to his voice. Aether's gazed at the adeptus with quivering lips, desperately grasping for
straws, trying to remember what Xiao was talking about. Then it hit him. "W-Wait, you don't
mean..? T-The punishment?" Aether whimpered.

Xiao gave him a sardonic smirk, "What gave you the impression that I was going to go easy
on you?" He asked rhetorically. "W-Wait, please!" Aether felt the feeling in his abdomen ebb
away. "How long do you think your body will last against my blows?"

***

Aether couldn't think anymore. His mind had numbed, it had been what, several hours since
they began? There was nothing he could do but lie there and let his body be used by his lover.
He hadn't come, not once throughout the entire night.

It hardly mattered to Xiao who had only come a few times in the several hours they had been
fucking. Xiao didn't take any pity on him, not as he begged and pleaded, not when he began
to cry whenever the knot in his stomach tightened, not even when Aether had scratched him
and struggled to free himself from the adeptus. He had truly fallen in love with a cruel,
heartless man, he realized. Now, he lay limp in the adeptus' arms, his back pressed against
Xiao's chest, lying on top of him while he steadily thrust inside of him.

Even after all the time that had passed, his body hadn't numbed to the pleasure, that was all
he'd been feeling the whole night, just enough to keep him up and going but never enough to
satisfy him. He cursed himself for being weak, for not winning against the adeptus, for not
being able to assert himself and demand his rights to his orgasm even if he lost.

All he could do was lie in his arms and be used as a sleeve for Xiao's cock to use at his own
disposal. Xiao cared just enough to keep him moaning and writhing in his arms but never
enough to give him his orgasm.

Aether's voice had shut down an hour ago, now all that erupted from him were purrs and
whimpers, his body was so sensitive but he could do little about it. Bruises had formed
around Aether's wrists from the grip Xiao had had on them the entire night, keeping him from
touching himself and getting even the slightest ounce of friction that could make him cum.

He had taken back his 'I-love-you' just had Xiao had predicted, he had told the adeptus how
much he loathed him countless times throughout the night now, though he never meant it.
Gods, he would never say it out loud but he loved how rough Xiao was his body, handling
him without so much as a care for his pleasure. He was but an onahole for the adeptus to use
and somehow, he loved being treated as such. Still, he didn't know how many more hours of
this he could endure, Xiao's cum had cooled inside him, most of it had been fucked out of his
system, but he still felt heavy inside.

There was no end to Xiao's energy nor his cum. Even Aether's cock had produced enough
precum to cover his stomach from sight.

"P-please, have mercy on me, l-let me g-go.." Aether croaked in a hoarse voice, a fresh batch
of hot tears beginning to flow down his cheeks, as Xiao placed an affectionate kiss behind his
ear. Aether had a hard time believing Xiao loving as much as he made himself out to be, if he
was, he would've taken pity on Aether hours ago.

"Hmm... that wouldn't be a satisfying punishment, would it? I'm helping you get stronger so
you'll avoid this next time," Xiao pressed a kiss to Aether's cheek from behind, hugging
Aether closer to his chest as he continued to steadily thrust in and out of the younger, slower
than before to conserve his energy to make the blonde suffer till dawn.

"Please, X-Xiao, I can't take much more of this--" Aether's voice shut down as he let out a
choked moan from a powerful thrust delivered to his prostate. He wondered if he'd be able to
feel his legs tomorrow. Xiao pushed Aether up to sit on his cock, twisting the blonde around
to face him and making him lurch forward, tears streaming down his cheeks as he couldn't
even cry out to cope. Xiao sighed.

"What a weakling. Can't even handle this?" Xiao sat up, pulling Aether's body close as he
began to bounce the blonde harder on his cock, hitting his prostate head-on. Aether leaned his
head on Xiao's shoulder, only to be pulled back by his hair to meet Xiao's eyes with his on
teary ones.

He could only wheeze and whimper in response to every thrust, feeling his orgasm nearing
for the nth time that night. He had lost all hope to cum tonight, he had told himself time and
time again throughout the darkness of night that Xiao wouldn't be so cruel as to not let him
cum.

His optimism kept him from losing hope, thinking every time his orgasm came near that this
would be the moment Xiao would take pity on him and let him cum, but alas, that time hadn't
come up until now, and now Aether didn't think it would ever come within the night.

That's why his eyes shot open to the width of saucers when Xiao wrapped his hand around
Aether's cock and a shockwave of pleasure surged through Aether's sensitized body. His
mouth fell open, he panted heavily as Xiao's cock banged into his prostate whilst his hand
pumped his cock at the same time, his speed increased again.

His nails dug into Xiao's shoulders and very quickly and suddenly, he came all over himself
with a choked scream. His entire body felt like it had turned into pure kinetic energy, his eyes
rolling to the back of his head while his mouth twitched and quivered, drool escaping from
either side.

His whole body shuddered above Xiao's cock, tightening up around him so intensely, even
the adeptus gasped a little as he came inside Aether from the tightness and warmth
surrounding him.

The intensity of his orgasm mixed with the hotness of Xiao's seed inside of him was too
difficult to bear with. He fell into Xiao's arms, choking and gasping as the feeling, very
slowly, subsided.

His vision cleared up and he managed to look up at Xiao for a second, their matching golden
eyes meeting as they panted in unison. Aether reached his trembling hand up to Xiao's face,
his body's lack of energy making it very difficult for him to even lift a finger.

Aether pulled his finger back and flicked Xiao on his forehead as hard as he could, making
the adeptus' head stagger back a little, his eyes going wide at the searing pain that shot not
only through his forebrain, but put a strain on his neck as well, "How's that for strength you
little..." Aether couldn't finish his obstructed sentence as he collapsed once and for all into
Xiao's chest, in deep slumber. Xiao could only let out a breathy laugh as he fell back to lie on
the bed, cradling Aether to his chest and placing a kiss on top of his head.

***Extra***

Xiao woke up bright and early, his mind barely registering the cheerful chirping of the birds
outside their window, his main focus on the pillow placed over his face to smother him. He
gasped for breath, his hands shooting up to grasp the assailant's wrists. He pulled the pillow
off of his face, his head spinning a little as he squinted to make out the blurry, pouting, and
very angry face of Aether and a rapid knocking at the door.
"I hate you." Aether told him, "I can't even get up to open the stupid door!" He grumbled. His
whole body was red and blue with bruises and cuts, his hair looked like a rat's nest.

Xiao stared at him for a few moments, dazed. He could hardly register the fact that he slept,
especially without nightmares. A smile grew on his face, surprising Aether. It wasn't like the
condescending or evil ones he brandished yesterday, it was of pure love. Xiao pressed his lips
to Aether's and kissed him wholeheartedly. Despite his initial anger and resentment, the
blonde couldn't help melting into the kiss, sighing.

"Open this door before I tell Yanxiao to break it down!" Paimon screeched from outside the
door, but Xiao only ignored her, pushing Aether down on the bed and devouring his lips once
more.
 (Collars P2) Dacryphilia (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

Diluc has grown more and more attached to Kaeya a week after their first time together.
He finds that the best part of fucking Kaeya is seeing his humanly tears.

NOTE: This chapter is Part 2 of Chapter: 15 of this book, the prompt of which is
Collars. Please read it before this one if you haven't already so you aren't missing out on
anything that you might not understand in this smut!

Chapter Notes

Ahh, I really love the AI Diluc x Scientist Kaeya AU, so I decided to make a second
part! I hope you guys enjoy it, it was originally meant to be Dirty Talk for XiaoxAether
but I can't dirty talk on purpose for the life of me, haha. Hopefully, this'll be good
enough!

Enjoy~

* Dacryphilia: Arousal by crying and sobbing.

Diluc's eyes cracked open, feeling movement next to him. The AI hadn't slept as he wasn't
programmed to do so, nor did he need to. The only thing he needed was the battery attached
to the back of his hand to keep him up and running. He watched as Kaeya sat up next to him,
blinking drearily in the sunlight and rubbing his lower back. He grumbled something about
his ruthless lover and got up, lurching forward a little as his legs shook. Diluc smiled a little
and closed his eyes. He felt proud that he had put Kaeya in that state, with dried drops of
blood smeared on his skin, teeth punctures on his thighs and neck, and a lack of feeling in his
lower body. It satisfied him greatly. He was making his master feel good, and that was all that
mattered to him. He would continue to do so until death did them apart, he decided. Diluc's
wish wasn't as selfless as it seemed because he did it for his own pleasure as well. God, the
way Kaeya would clench around him, his nails scratching Diluc's back and his sweet moans,
they all drove Diluc insane and the AI found himself addicted to his master's body. He had
been fashioned by Kaeya's own hands for the scientist's protection. Many Mafiosi and other
terrorists sought the man's inexplicable talent and intelligence. He had been attacked many
times by people who wanted to exploit his expertise for their personal gain before he had
built Diluc. The attacks caused the man to become paranoid and insecure wherever he went.
The human bodyguards he used to go through on the daily did nothing to help.
That was when he got the idea, why not build an artificial intelligence circuit for his
protection? A being who could be built and rebuilt again and again, unlike the loss of a
human life that could not be brought back, like the ones that belonged to his many
bodyguards. He made Diluc with that thought in mind, though he thinks he gave the AI too
much free will. He made the most beautiful man he had ever seen, the strongest, the most
ruthless, and fell in love with him. The humanoid held insurmountable power, the ability to
bend fire to his will and unleash his retribution to anybody who dared to pose a threat to
Kaeya. He was nothing but a machine made to fight and win . It worked perfectly for
months, Diluc became one of the wonders of the world in the sights of many people. He was
the first living AI that was made a well-known, genius scientist and it only made Kaeya a
bigger target for attacks, though this time, he had the world's first war machine on his side.
Diluc made sure never to let a single hair get harmed on Kaeya's head, following his master
everywhere he went, keeping an eye out for anybody even remotely threatening. He kept
Kaeya safe just like he was created for and he had no other purpose than to serve Kaeya's
wellbeing. But life always finds a way. The AI began to think for himself, and he began to
observe, watch the people, the animals, and register the way the world worked. And most
importantly, he watched Kaeya, who was the strongest influence on his being. His master was
aloof at first, he mostly ignored Diluc and was strict and curt after a year of being locked
away from human contact while building, he was a lot grumpier. He barked orders left and
right, he was nothing but a machine, right? That was until the first attack made on Kaeya
after Diluc was created. The AI had leveled an empty building to protect Kaeya and got his
arm blown off by a grenade. He showed no feelings of pain or discomfort, but as soon as he
managed to carry Kaeya to safety, he tended to the smallest cut on his master's face,
struggling with only one arm intact rather than caring for himself. His fingers were so
delicate when they handled Kaeya, the scientist couldn't help falling into his embrace and
beginning to cry from the fear he felt. Diluc didn't understand the tears Kaeya had shed that
night, but he wiped them off his face and carried him the rest of the way back to their home
in the warmth of his embrace.

It was then when Kaeya began to notice the little details. He saw the way Diluc stepped in
front of him without being ordered to whenever they met someone new. The way he leaned in
towards Kaeya to ask whether he needed the person in front of them killed, his severe glare
always softening the slightest bit when he looked at Kaeya. He touched Kaeya with no
hesitation, planting his hands on his waist to carry him in the face of danger in a way that was
almost addictive. At that moment, Kaeya began to fall in love with Diluc. Diluc couldn't
comprehend Kaeya's feelings nor his desires aside from his protection, and it frustrated
Kaeya to no end. He began to desire something more from Diluc, more gentle touches,
pleasure, love . But alas, Diluc was but a machine. Still, Kaeya couldn't hide behind the veil
of indifference any longer, he began to touch himself to the thought of Diluc. He masturbated
in the AI's presence, assuming Diluc wouldn't think much of it and was turned on by his
unrelenting gaze. But no, much to his surprise, Diluc observed, he began to think, to feel. He
noted every single thing Kaeya did, the way he moved his fingers inside of himself and
moaned Diluc's name breathlessly, stroking his cock at the same time all while looking into
the AI's red eyes. Diluc thought more and more about what his master was doing, and during
the night when he would be on patrol around Kaeya's apartment complex, he would research
everything Kaeya did and monitored it until he finally came to one conclusion, Kaeya was in
love with him. Diluc took it upon himself to fulfill his master's need and they had sex for the
first time a mere week ago. Now, it became a regular occurrence, Diluc would visit Kaeya's
chambers every night and make love to him for as long as he wished.

Last night, however, was different. Diluc had taken it upon himself to try and disobey
Kaeya's orders. He didn't let the scientist go until the early hours of the morning and fucked
him in every position imaginable, enjoying the way he begged and pleaded with Diluc that he
couldn't come anymore. It was so exhilarating, the way Kaeya's eye brimmed with tears as he
called Diluc's name. Diluc thought Kaeya looked so pretty in tears, his stormy grey eye
would glisten like a star in the dim light of the room, his choked voice begging Diluc to let
him go. It only encouraged Diluc to continue, his tears were a sign of his pleasure and the AI
wouldn't stop until he had his master sobbing beneath him like a mess.

With all these thoughts in mind, Diluc watched Kaeya duck into the bathroom to clean
himself off, he stared up at the ceiling and recalled last night's events. He touched his lips
with his finger and found a slit in his skin where Kaeya had bitten him during the night. No
blood poured from all the scratches and teeth marks littering his body unlike the ones on
Kaeya's body that oozed with the warm red liquid last night. He thought about Kaeya looking
up at him with tears in his eyes, the way he choked out Diluc's name and pleaded, no, begged
Diluc to let him sleep. Diluc sighed and got up. He realized he was hard again from the tent
he made in the blanket covering him and ran his fingers through his hair. "If you ever find
yourself getting aroused, you can always come to me, Diluc~. I'll take care of you like the
good master I am." Kaeya had once told him as a joke. He wondered if that still applied after
the hectic night he'd made Kaeya go through. Diluc got to his feet, his body felt strangely
sore. He was made to be athletic and he never felt sore, but he guessed that even his hardware
had become rusted from last night. He began to feel guilt, a new emotion that he hadn't gone
through before, for all the things he put his lover through last night. If even his mechanized
body had taken a toll from the rough sex they'd had last night, then what would Kaeya, a
human who could feel pain and discomfort ten times more than Diluc, be going through right
now? He gave himself a light slap on the cheek, why didn't he stop when Kaeya begged him
to? Now he had hurt the one person he was supposed to protect with his life. He sighed again,
deciding he would make it up to his master and deal with his erection at the same time.

He entered the bathroom, effectively scaring his master, who jumped at the sight of him in all
his naked glory, his cock standing proud in front of him. Kaeya's jaw dropped, he was in the
middle of taking a shower to clean himself from the blood that had smeared on his body. "Oh
no you don't, get out," Kaeya told Diluc sternly, though his voice wavered a little as he
gulped at the sight of Diluc's cock that had been impaling him all night long. He had a
weakness for Diluc's body, and now, with the AI's body on display in front of him, he found
his resolve weakening, just like it had last night. Diluc proceeded onwards, his eyes exploring
Kaeya's bruised body. Diluc joined him under the water, sighing a little in disgruntlement at
how ice cold the water was. "You'll catch a cold at this rate, master," Diluc said, but he knew
Kaeya liked the cold. He tugged Kaeya's body close to himself, pressing a kiss to his master's
lips. Kaeya reciprocated out of the force of habit, sighing a little as he wrapped his hands
around Diluc's arms. Diluc released his lips before it could get steamy, looking into Kaeya's
eye with tenderness. He placed a kiss on Kaeya's neck, over a wound he had made on the
skin. "I'm sorry," Diluc murmured into the skin but then proceeded to place another bruise on
Kaeya's neck, unable to help himself. "Not today, Diluc, you've made me suffer enough last
night." Kaeya's voice was weakwilled, Diluc had complete control over him. Diluc's hair had
soaked up now, its fluffiness was gone as it straightened from its curls, Kaeya twirled his
fingers around the red locks, sighing quietly.

"P-Please, Diluc." Kaeya whimpered as Diluc's hand enclosed around his cock that was
rapidly hardening at the thought of Diluc's mercilessness. Kaeya moaned sweetly as Diluc
began to stroke his cock. "F-Fuck.." Kaeya moaned, his legs feeling weak as he tried to keep
himself upright. Diluc held him with one arm, beginning to increase his speed as Kaeya fully
hardened in his palm. "There's nothing inside me that you can d-draw out, you dried me up
completely last n-night, please--hngh..!" Diluc thumbed Kaeya's tip, the immense sensitivity
of his body making him fall into Diluc's embrace. "Just one more time." Diluc whispered as
he pressed his lips against Kaeya's, his long hair sticking to his body and tickling Kaeya's
face. Tears began to fill Kaeya's eyes as they stared at one another during their liplock.
Diluc's eyes widened at the sight and he shut off the water with the flick of his hand. He
gazed into Kaeya's eye, his grip around his cock tightening a little, making his master let out
a choked gasp, his tears overflowing and dripping down his wet cheek. Diluc froze up,
watching a teardrop trickle down Kaeya's face. He felt a burning feeling in his chest as if his
wiring was heating up from the arousal he felt. Kaeya looked so damn beautiful in tears and
Diluc just wanted to see him cry harder. He pressed Kaeya against the wall and lifted him in
his arms with little effort, prompting the scientist to hold around his neck.

Kaeya shuddered at the cold wall against his back, staring into Diluc's eyes that had an
unreadable emotion in them as they watched tears rolling down Kaeya's cheeks. Diluc
lowered Kaeya on his cock, pushing inside of him with a quiet grunt. Kaeya's jaw slackened
as he threw his head back a little, choking up as even more tears slipped past his fluttering
eyelids, making his vision go blurry. He had been so sore all morning from the entire night
they had spent fucking, Kaeya didn't know if he could handle one more time without being
ripped apart. He could feel the slight bumps and scrapes of Diluc's cut-up skin, it was the
result of all the scratches he'd made on the AI's back. He made a mental note to fix the skin
again later but right now, he focused on trying to make it out of the bathroom alive. His ass
hurt a lot as Diluc pushed inside him all the way, giving a light thrust that made Kaeya gasp
as he hid his face in Diluc's neck. "D-Diluc~" Kaeya wailed as Diluc thrust up into his ass, it
hurt without lube even after the hectic night they had spent together. he moaned into Diluc's
ear but was pulled back against the wall so Diluc could have a clear look at his face. Diluc
watched him with nonchalant eyes, breathing just a bit heavier from the pleasure he was
feeling. Droplets of water rolling down both of them, creating a tickling feeling with every
thrust of Diluc's hips. "I h-hate you-- aah~" Kaeya breathed out as Diluc thrust straight into
his hips, familiar with the bundle of nerves that made Kaeya feel good. Kaeya brought his
hand up, covering his mouth as he sobbed into it. He gasped as he felt Diluc twitch inside
him, "W-Why is it getting bigger, D-Diluc?" Diluc leaned forward and bit Kaeya's wrist
gently, staring deeply into his teary eye. The other one was covered with a leather eyepatch,
though tears seemed to be dripping from under it too. Diluc never asked about it because
Kaeya never told him. He didn't know what was and wasn't a sensitive subject for humans but
he assumed it was something he got from an attack. It infuriated him that someone had hurt
Kaeya before he made Diluc. He vowed to himself he would never let anybody lay a hand on
Kaeya ever again, he would never allow anyone but himself to see his tears.

Kaeya had shut himself from every community after he realized his abilities were a danger to
himself with every modern-day villain out to exploit his talents. He had even dropped
contacts with all his friends. He locked himself away in his lab for a year or so after the
attacks and kidnappings began. His paranoia had kept him anxious and jittery constantly, he
hated how vulnerable he was, he needed something to protect him, something to make up for
his vulnerability and become indestructible. One long year, he had been alone in the
countryside with only Diluc as his company. No phone to keep him from getting threatening
messages or keeping in touch with Mondstadt's governors Jean and Lisa, the two people he
could rely on that he pushed away. It made him nervous to go outside and he spent his days,
watching Diluc being built in his glass case, one metal part after the next. Each rubber skin
cell was placed over his endoskeleton with preciseness. But now, where had that taken him?
To being fucked senseless by his own creation who loved watching him cry? It wasn't what
he had envisioned in all the time he had spent in loneliness and solitary confinement, but he
couldn't say he hated it. His body reacted readily to Diluc's touch. He had long since come to
terms with the fact that he wasn't the one in charge in the relationship anymore. Now he
could only wait for Diluc to let him go when he felt good and ready to. Diluc relished in the
quiet sob his master released as he rammed into his prostate, it brought a smile to his face as
he pressed his forehead to Kaeya's chest, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he hiccupped.
He made sure it wasn't painful for Kaeya anymore, jutting his thigh out for Kaeya to sit on
and he moved one hand down to his cock, taking it within his strong and slender fingers and
beginning to pump him gently.

Kaeya moaned his name, bringing Diluc's face up to place a kiss on his lips, their tongues
intertwined, bruised lips moving against each other in sync. Diluc raised his hand to wipe
Kaeya's tears off his blushing cheeks. Something about the warm droplets just felt so real to
Diluc, tears were the one thing that made him remember how human Kaeya was. It was
where the line between him and Kaeya was drawn, Diluc didn't bleed but he didn't want
Kaeya to either, but with tears, they held so much meaning. Tears were sacred to humans,
they represented so many different things to different people, Diluc realized. To most, they
were a sign of weakness and fragility, but despite that, Kaeya was never afraid to shed his
tears, whether with happiness, fear, pain, or sadness. It made Diluc admire him a lot, and it
made him look so much more beautiful in his eyes. Diluc pumped Kaeya in time with his
thrusts, listening to Kaeya moaning and sobbing with the tiniest smile on his face, knowing
he was making his lover feel good. "Aah.. Diluc, I'm gonna cum!" Kaeya cried out as his
body shook a little, spasming with every flick of Diluc's wrist and thrust of his cock inside
him. Diluc increased his pace, feeling Kaeya digging his nails and scratching his back again
and he fucked Kaeya up the wall. "So good-- hnngh!" Kaeya whimpered as Diluc gave a few
more powerful thrusts into him before Kaeya came all over himself and Diluc. He gasped for
breath, their chests pressing up against each other as Kaeya's back arched.

Kaeya's vision cleared a little from Diluc kissing his tears away, his eyes dulled as he felt his
sensitivity tenfold. He gasped with every scrape of Diluc's cock against his walls. Diluc
closed his eyes, feeling Kaeya clamp around him harder as his body sensitized. Diluc tried
not to aim for Kaeya's prostate, purposefully missing it so Kaeya wouldn't get hard again.
Diluc felt his gears heating up he felt the muscles in his abdomen tighten. He grunted and
reached his high, clenching his eyes tightly as waves of pleasure rolled over him, making his
body shudder. He didn't ejaculate, but that made things easier for Kaeya. Diluc opened his
eyes, red eyes meeting Kaeya's shaking grey ones and he pulled out, holding Kaeya to his
chest. He said nothing as he kissed his master's cheek, turning the shower on again. Cold
water splattered over their bodies, making Kaeya take a sharp intake of breath as the water
washed his cum off their bodies. "I'm sorry for doing that to you so early in the morning,
master," Diluc said, beginning to affectionately place kisses all over Kaeya's face, making it
difficult for him to keep frowning. "Turn the water to warm, yeah? I need to soothe my
aching ass. Also, you owe me a massage after." Kaeya declared, back to his bubbly self.
Diluc smiled, though he had a tinge of confusion on his face, "Um, I don't know how to
massage you, but I trust you'll teach me."
 Dom/Sub (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

CONTENT WARNING: Graphic depictions of pain, blood, whipping, shitty world-

building

Childe gets caught infiltrating the Don of Liyue, Zhongli's domain. Zhongli isn't quick
to forgive and makes him suffer a lot for killing many of his guards.

Chapter Notes

I can't believe I wrote this in one sitting, ooof. This came out so much worse than I
thought it would, oof. I suck at Dom/Sub type smuts, but I pray this isn't as bad as I
think it is with how OOC Zhongli is. I'm a massive simp for Zhongli calling Childe
'little dove' though. Also, the quality of my writing kinda began to stink at the end, but
it's like 2am right now and I wrote this in 3 hours with a maths exam on my head
tomorrow, haah I'm gonna die. Enjoy!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Childe cracked his eyes open, feeling cold as he lay on his side, his bare chest and thighs
pressed against the tiled floor. He was freezing as he tried to move his arms but found them
tied behind his back. His eyes shot open to their full width as he began to squirm, realizing
that he was hogtied with stringy red ropes that were knotted beautifully around his chest and
back, holding his arms tied behind him to keep them chained to his ankles.

"So you've finally come to. I was beginning to worry." A suave voice spoke that made Childe
shiver more than the cold floor he lay on. He tried to look up but only got sight of perfectly
polished and shiny black boots by his face. The man stood up and walked to Childe's side,
gently nudging him onto his back with his foot so Childe could see him better. His eyes
widened before he glared, opening his mouth to yell at the man whom he finally identified as
one of the seven dons of Teyvat, Rex Lapis, who belonged to the Liyuean famiglia, but he
decided better of it.

"I trust you remember what got you into position?" Zhongli asked softly. Childe took a sharp
breath, flashbacks of hours before coming back to him.

'This is too easy.' Childe thought as he slit the throat of yet another guard. He worried a bit
about how quickly he got past the Liyuean guards that blocked the entrance to the Golden
House, surely Mr. Zhongli couldn't have that bad of security. "Go straight, there should be
three other guards stationed there, the next hall over is Rex Lapis' office, I think.'

The voice of Scaramouche instructed in a bored voice, he couldn't care less about the job at
hand and barely read the instructions off the radar. "Ya think? God, you're unhelpful. At this
rate, I'll likely be killed." Childe whispered into the earpiece, crouching as he neared the end
of the corridor. To his dismay, -- not because he didn't want a fight, mind you -- there were,
indeed, three guards stationed there. He sighed, not wanting to thank Scaramouche for the
heads up.

"Yah! Show some respect, dipshit. I am trying to warn you, you know. Besides, it's a win-win
situation for me if you die." Scaramouche hissed into the earpiece. Childe rolled his eyes and
took the safety off of his handgun, putting the silencer on. In a swift movement, he jumped in
front of the three men. He shot all of them within five seconds. They didn't even have time to
shit themselves with surprise.

He grinned as the bodies collapsed, blood splattered on his beautiful face. "Alright, there's a
door, if you're correct then that's Mr. Zhongli's office. Just warn me if someone comes, 'kay?"
Childe said, his voice now returning to normal albeit a bit croaky from whisper-yelling at
Scaramouche over the line, he was very sure he had killed every guard within the vicinity.

He walked towards the door with a light bounce in his step, he was in a great mood with how
easily he got past Zhongli's security. He tsked at the thought of the man, god he really
enjoyed killing his men as a means of spiting him. He tried the handle and rolled his eyes,
noting that it was locked, of course it was. Childe clicked his tongue as he crouched in front
of the door, fishing out a lockpick kit from his satchel with a small 'aha'.

He hummed a light tune as he expertly undid the lock, sticking his tongue out a little as he
internally laughed at the revenge he was going to get on Zhongli on the Tsaritsa's behalf. He
had met the man many times before and the gentlemanly exterior and the charming smirks
pissed him off. He visited the Tsaritsa a few times and being one of her Harbingers, Childe
was important enough to meet with the Don of Liyue, Morax, Rex Lapis, Zhongli.

The man had shown great interest in Childe. Childe was not shy by any means, but Zhongli
made him nervous with his beautiful and powerful golden eyes that seemed to shine with
amusement whenever they landed on Childe as if he was an animal caged in a circus for his
entertainment. The ginger loved fighting, he loved winning even more and was one of the
cruelest people working under the Tsaritsa, but why was it that Zhongli looked at him like he
was a puppy when he could arguably be one of the most dangerous people in the room?

It was almost as if Zhongli knew with full certainty that he was the most powerful person in
the room. Childe shook the thoughts of the handsome Don out of his head. He focused on the
task at hand, cringing a little as Scaramouche crunched loudly on some chips at the other
end of the line. "Will you stop that, for fuck's sake?" Childe hissed. Scaramouche let out an
indignant squawk, "Put your earpiece away if it bothers you so much."

Childe rolled his eyes and obliged out of spite, concentrating on the lock that seemed to be
more complicated than anything Childe had come across in the Golden House. He snorted at
the thought that a lock was more effective in delaying him than any of Zhongli's men. One
might be wondering why Childe was here, infiltrating the Don's base without any backup
aside from an evil, ill-mannered Harbinger by the name of Scaramouche. He was here on the
Tsaritsa's orders to get his hands on the Don's gnosis, a weapon mechanized specifically for
Zhongli that gave him abilities no human could fathom.

He didn't know what the Gnosis looked like or how it worked, but he was happy to give the
powerful man a run for his money. His thoughts ended up wandering back to the Don. He
remembered the amused glances he'd send Childe's way, the subtle bumps of their shoulders
when walking past one another, the flirtatious comments he'd make to Childe while calling
him 'little dove' in his infuriatingly deep voice. Childe would never admit the way he blushed
at all of the above, nor the way his heart beat faster whenever Zhongli looked at him.

He would never say out loud how he had fallen head over heels for Zhongli's charm and was
using this mission as a means to deny his crush. Even the Tsaritsa had noticed their little
affair and had told Zhongli to keep his hands off of her Harbingers, but the man had only
chuckled and tilted his head, his deep eyes fixed directly on Childe as he said, "Oh but it is so
amusing to toy with your little Harbinger. Worry not, I will not touch the dove unless he
comes readily in my clutches."

Childe blushed pink at the memory, puffing out his cheeks in embarrassment. The lock clicked
open and Childe smiled in triumph, his blue eyes gleaming with excitement as he stood up.
His eyes widened as he spotted a silhouette out of the corner of his eye, suddenly, whirring in
his pocket became prominent as all of Childe's senses awakened, he fished the earpiece out of
his pocket, Scaramouche was yelling at him to warn him.

He spun around just as a spear embedded itself in the wooden door behind him beside his
head. His jaw slackened as he saw Zhongli standing with his arms folded behind his back, his
head tilted with an amused smirk on his face that made Childe's heartbeat quicken ten times.
"Are you lost, little dove?" He asked in a silky smooth voice, his sultry gaze fixed on Childe's
shocked face as he took one large step close to Childe, his fingers grasping the shaft of his
polearm and pulling it out of the door, pointing it directly to Childe's throat. "S-
Scaramouche?" Childe called weakly into the earpiece, "A little help--" Zhongli laughed in
delight, a wicked grin on his handsome face, revealing his thick sharp fangs, "Oh? Does the
little dove intend to fly away? I can't just let you go now, can I?"

With a swipe of his hand, Zhongli took the earpiece from Childe's grasp, crushing it between
his gloved fist. He dropped the remnants of the crackling earpiece to the ground and held
Childe against the door at spear point . His free hand disappeared into his pocket and, just
when Childe was beginning to make heads and tails of the situation, the Don lunged forward
before Childe could react and pressed a cloth to his face, the fumes in the cloth made Childe's
body go limp as he held onto Zhongli's arm to pull it away, struggling helplessly. His world
went black as he fell into Zhongli's arms without so much as a fight.

Childe gazed at his own naked body, gulping as he saw he was left in nothing but his boxers
with an unfamiliar white button-up hanging off his shoulders, tied to his body with the red
rope. He looked up at Zhongli, swallowing again as he got a nice view straight up the man's
long, black trench coat, he could see the man's heavy cock weighing down in his pants, which
made him lick his lips subconsciously. "I didn't take you to be such a pervert, Mr. Zhongli,"
Childe said, keeping his voice smooth and steady to hide the pounding of his heart in his
chest.

He tried his best to glare up at the Don, but the man only chuckled softly. "Oh? You dont like
the ropework? And here I thought Baal would be proud of me for engaging in shibari. I don't
think I did too bad, don't you think, little dove?" Childe felt something stirring in his boxers,
something about the man's voice, the way he called him little dove, and the way he eyed
Childe predatorily turned him on. The position he was lying in was humiliating, but he felt
his arousal increase as he laid at Zhongli's feet. He tugged at his wrists, clicking his tongue
when he felt his wrists chained to his ankles, keeping him in place. "Did you enjoy killing my
men in my absence?" Zhongli asked, pushing Childe with the heel of his boot, his foot
dangerously close to Childe's rapidly hardening erection.

He shuddered a little but decided that honestly was the best policy. "Very much so, though I
would've preferred if it was your throat that I slit," Childe growled. Zhongli's smile didn't
waver, on the contrary, it widened just a bit. "Oh don't be so hard on me, my dear. After all,
wasn't it you who broke into my home, killed my men, and tried to steal my gnosis?" Zhongli
said softly, his foot pressing against Childe's cock.

He shrugged the coat off his shoulders, launching it into the seat he had been sitting on. He
laughed at how hard Childe was. "Dear me, and here I thought I was the one enjoying
myself." Childe moaned softly as Zhongli pressed his foot harder against his erection,
moving his foot around it in circular motions that made Childe shake. "L-Let me go, don't
touch me," Childe said feebly, he cursed himself for not being more assertive. "Hmm, that
didn't sound so convincing, Mr. Childe," Zhongli whispered as he crouched in front of
Childe's body.

"Perhaps my hands will help break what pathetic resolve you still have left in you." Childe
gasped as Zhongli pressed his hand flat against his clothed cock. He groped it and squeezed it
firmly. He bucked into Zhongli's hand, his eyes widening as a long moan slipped from his
mouth when Zhongli began to wriggle his fingers gently against his cock. Childe got a nice
whiff of Zhongli's alluring cologne, he couldn't help leaning into the touch, grinding against
Zhongli's hand as his eyes glazed over. His hand was so big as it wrapped completely around
Childe's bulge. Zhongli's smile had faded from his face as he watched Childe's reactions with
increasing trepidation. He loved the way the ginger rubbed his knees together to push
Zhongli's hand harder into his clothed bulge.

"Ha.." Zhongli breathed out, his tall frame shook a little with mirth as he thought how easily
Childe broke under him. He thought it would've been more of a challenge to cage a dove
within his grasp, alas, Childe moaned his name so sweetly, it made Zhongli's head spin as he
tried to collect himself. He stood up, making Childe whine a little at the loss of touch before
he snapped back into reality, his eyes widening as he realized what he had just been doing.

Childe's face flushed red with embarrassment, "I didn't mean to do that," He said, franticness
laced in his voice as he looked up at Zhongli's face, which had been shadowed by the
chandelier hanging above them. "Don't even try. I would've been willing to stop earlier if you
didn't enjoy it but.. I won't stop now after hearing you moan my name so seductively."
Zhongli let out a breathy laugh above Childe. "Ha.. trying to deny it like you're an innocent.
No, tonight you have fallen into my clutches and I will not let you go until I'm fully
satisfied." He pulled Childe up by the hair, making the ginger whimper as Zhongli wrapped
his arms around Childe's waist, lifting him up with his legs dangling from the attachment to
his wrists.

It was the first time Childe was able to see the room clearly, it was a bedroom, grand and
large with gold and maroon velvet furniture, fit for a king. Zhongli dropped Childe on the bed
on his side, staring down at his lewd body while biting his lip. He lightly caressed his chest,
dipping his knee into the mattress after stepping out of his boots and hovering over the
Harbinger with a carnal look in his eye. Childe whimpered a little as Zhongli ran his thumb
over his nipple.

The red rope was tied above and below his chest, knotted between his pecs down to his waist,
reaching back to knot with Childe's arms and keep them pinned together to his back. Black
leather bracelets were wrapped around his ankles and wrists, two pairs of chains connected
his legs to his arms behind him, keeping him in one place on his side to keep from squirming.
"So beautiful." Zhongli whispered as he pressed his hand to the side of Childe's head,
bringing his hand forth to pull Childe's head to face him. He leaned down and pressed his lips
to Childe's, who responded readily to the pressure Zhongli placed on his plump lips.

He moved his lips in sync with Zhongli's lifting his head to press them together harder,
surprising Zhongli with his eagerness. Zhongli's eyes cracked open as he stared down at the
pretty man beneath him, who moaned and whimpered quietly into the kiss as Zhongli
scratched his lips with his canines. He fought against his restraints, wanting to wrap his arms
and legs around the muscular man's body.

Zhongli pushed his tongue inside Childe's mouth, pressing him firmly against the mattress,
and he devoured Childe's mouth, licking every nook and cranny and claiming it. Childe
completely submitted to him, moaning as the man's hands gripped his bare thighs. Zhongli
pulled back, placing a peck on Childe's swollen and bruised lips, unable to get enough of the
Harbinger's sweet lips. Childe stared up at him, his eyes watery from lack of breath as he
panted. He looked so vulnerable under Zhongli, the man didn't know what to do with himself.
He found it difficult to believe that this was the same person who had slain countless men
with just a dagger, Tartaglia, the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers who were the Tsaritsa's
right-hand followers.

He smirked, feeling himself getting back into control as he resolved to completely destroy
every inch of the man beneath him until he was nothing but a moaning, writhing mess. He
stood up, his movements being followed by Childe's blue eyes as the ginger laid completely
pliant on the bed, begging to be fucked. Zhongli fished for a box in the closet and brought it
out. He dumped the contents onto the bed, allowing Childe to see them. Childe's eyes
widened watching as numerous sex toys of all kinds spilled out onto the bed around him.

"I'll let you choose which ones you want me to use on you, they're untouched if you're
worried about that." Zhongli purred softly. Childe gulped a little at the various sizes of dildos
and vibrators sprawled on the bed around him. His eyes caught onto a pretty silver buttplug
with a shiny gold rim. Zhongli caught his gaze and smirked. "You have expensive tastes, little
dove." He scooped the toy off the bed, Childe's eyes widening as he realized Zhongli was
going to put it in him. "W-Wait.." He said weakly as Zhongli gazed at his boxers, suddenly in
deep thought.

The man sighed, "I suppose it was foolish of me to not have taken your underwear off before
tying you up," He said softly, he dropped the toy and hooked his fingers around Childe's
waistband, "Well, it can't be helped." Zhongli whispered as he pulled the boxers apart, the
threads keeping the fabric together breaking with the strength he applied to the article. Childe
gasped as Zhongli ripped the boxers off of his body. His eyes shot open as he felt the cool air
of the room hit his lower body.

His cock twitched at the display of masculinity, feeling more aroused as he watched Zhongli
eyeing him up. Zhongli threw the shredded cloth off to the side and gazed at the man beneath
him, taking in the sight of his cute, twitching cock that was pink and swollen just like his lips
from arousal. He slowly trailed his hand up Childe's thigh, pressing his fingers into the supple
skin firmly. Childe whimpered as Zhongli moved his hand behind him to knead his ass,
slowly pushing his fingers between his cheeks until he pressed a finger against his hole.
Childe moaned lightly as Zhongli's finger began to circle his rim, not pushing inside just yet.
Childe pushed back on the man's hand.

"F-Fuck.." He whimpered. With a jerk of his hand, Zhongli pushed Childe onto his stomach,
his feet lifting off the bed along with his arms. He pulled Childe's ass up by the hips and took
a good, long look at him. Childe felt shy under the wolfish gaze, feeling the Don's large
hands on his ass as they spread his cheeks. Childe's cheeks burned at the thought of being laid
bare in front of the raptorial man who always tried to give the impression of being
gentlemanly, but now as he gazed back at the man behind him, he couldn't help thinking how
feral he looked.

He was still dressed prim and proper with a navy blue vest matching his dress pants, along
with a black full-sleeve dress shirt underneath with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, like a
man of virtue, yet his eyes and the sadistic sneer on his face looked far from gentlemanly. His
golden eyes burned with lust, craving Childe's body and wanting to claim every inch of it like
a predator pinning its prey but not knowing where to begin eating it.

"Are you just gonna stare at me the whole night?" Childe said, tightening his hole in front of
Zhongli as the man watched, shaking his ass temptingly in front of the Don. Zhongli licked
his dry lips and took a steadying breath, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, they
were calm and calculating once more. Childe felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, he could
only identify the emotion as disappointment. He wondered what Zhongli would've done to
him if he lost control, and if he were to be honest, he wished he would have. He wanted to
see the man's true colors rather than the sturdy rock surface he showed to the rest of the
world. He was undoubtedly the most powerful Don in Teyvat, holding the city of commerce
and trade, Liyue, within the palms of his hands and sitting upon billions of Mora like a
dragon hoarding its gold.

He could destroy countries with poverty and famine if he so wished, but he presented himself
as a kind Don, one who didn't wish to bring harm to anyone. But remembering the bestial
look in his eyes from earlier, he doubted that was true. Zhongli had definitely thought about
hurting him in one way or another. Zhongli grabbed a bottle of lube from the bed and popped
it open. He held it over Childe's ass and dropped the cold liquid onto his fluttering hole.
Childe gasped, his eyes widening at the cold feeling on his sensitive area. "I suppose I'll use
this to prep you, hmm?" Zhongli said softly, taking the plug between his gentle fingers again.

Childe lifted his foot as far as it would go while attached to his wrist and pressed it up against
Zhongli's crotch, moaning at the lengthy cock he felt under his foot, "I want this, nothing
else." Childe whispered. Zhongli raised an eyebrow at him, seemingly unfazed by the foot
gently rubbing his cock. "And what makes you think I'll give 'this' to you?" Zhongli pressed
his clothed bulged against Childe's ass cheek, making the ginger gasp at how hard it was
against his skin.

"Y-You have to, that's the whole point of bringing me here, wasn't it?" Zhongli frowned and
pushed Childe back onto his side to look at his face better. "I don't have to, little dove. Ha...
you feel that entitled to my body after throwing my mansion into disarray, taking the lives of
my men." A new emotion other than interest and satisfaction made an appearance in
Zhongli's eyes. Anger, fury, wrath.

"No, this won't do. I can't have you running around here like a spoiled brat thinking there will
be no consequences." Zhongli picked up a whip, making Childe's eyes widen, "No one brings
harm to my household and gets away with it, little dove, not even someone as pretty as you
who thinks I'll crumble just because you wave your ass in front of me." Childe gulped, eyeing
the leather crop in Zhongli's hand. "I-I'm sorry" Childe whispered, but he only seemed to
make it worse. Zhongli laughed at him, the rumbling sound echoing throughout the room and
making Childe's legs tremble. Then his face became serious, stony, and unreadable.

With a sudden jerk of his hand, he let the whip slap onto his thigh, making Childe yelp in
pain. He gasped at the harsh sting of the crop. "Sorry won't make a difference, will it?" He
sneered at Childe who looked up at him with wide eyes, breathing heavily as the wind was
knocked out of him from the pain, "No, I won't be satisfied until I can see you bleed."
Zhongli brought the crop down on Childe's skin again, this time his abdomen and making the
ginger cry out in pain. Zhongli glared down at him, the look in his eyes severe. Childe didn't
know how the man had gone from one to one hundred so fast, but he couldn't lie and say he
hated it.

One of Childe's favorite feelings was the sting of a cut or the stab of a knife, he enjoyed pain
as much as he liked inflicting it, he found himself shivering from pain and anticipation for
what was to come next, but with every snap of his wrist, it only hurt more. Zhongli brought
the whip down again, this time smacking it over Childe's nipple and making the ginger wail
as he arched his back, gasping from the shock as his nipple immediately began to swell.
"What an irritating sound," Zhongli said softly, lowering the crop and gripping a gag from the
bed.

It was round like a ball, red with black leather straps. He thrust it into Childe's mouth, making
the ginger squeak in surprise. He tied it around Childe's mouth and nodded, satisfied, "All I
need to see are your tears and your blood. Keep your mouth shut." He smacked the crop on
his skin again, this time humming with satisfaction when Childe's voice was muffled behind
the gag. His eyes grew half-lidded as his body began to numb from the pain. Tears began to
well in his eyes with every slap on his skin, it reddened under Zhongli's harshness intensely.
It went on like this a few more times until Childe's skin broke and his blood began to drip
from the slit in his skin. He began to cry, sniffling quietly as he was unable to sob into the
ball gag. Zhongli watched his tears with no remorse or guilt. "You should be ashamed for
having the gall to cry." He whispered, "Crying is for the innocent, my beloved dove. You are
not amongst those people." He glared down at Childe. "This isn't nearly enough for me." He
took Childe's hand in his own, tugging him up and pulling his body to sit as he lamented into
the gag. Zhongli gazed down at his fingers, noting how beautiful and slender they were,
smooth from wearing gloves all the time.

"Perhaps I should slice off one of your fingers, surely that would be a fitting punishment to
repent for your sins. I could keep your beautiful fingers as my trophy." Zhongli said softly,
making Childe's eyes widened as began to cry harder, a sudden wave of vulnerability
washing over him as he realized Zhongli was fully serious now. Zhongli took notice of his
discomfort and smiled cruelly. "Isn't one finger too little a price for all the people you killed
today?" He whispered in Childe's ear. Childe shook a little.

Suddenly, a phone began to ring in the room, the ringtone echoing off the walls. Childe
paused his crying to look for the source of the sound while Zhongli clicked his tongue with
irritation. The Don got off the bed and Childe fell down on his stomach, his breathing ragged
as he tried to pull himself together, the ropes digging into his skin. He didn't doubt that
Zhongli would slice off his finger in a heartbeat. He didn't imagine sex with Zhongli to be
like this, he wished he could rewind time to back when he and Zhongli danced around with
one another in a flirtatious waltz.

In those memories, he only saw Zhongli as a kind man, but now seeing his true, ruthless
nature, he felt fearful. Zhongli retrieved his phone from the trench coat on the seat nearby,
fixing his tie a little and clearing his throat. He answered the phone, his voice professional
and proper as if he hadn't just been threatening Childe. "Hello?" He spoke into the phone,
"Good evening, Mr. Morax. My name is Signora, Eighth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers."
Zhongli's eyes shifted to the shuddering mess on the bed, walking closer to the ginger.
"Speak." Zhongli prompted, wondering what a Harbinger could have to say to him when one
of their own had been caught. "We wish to negotiate with you on the matter of your gnosis
and my idiotic colleague, Childe. We sincerely apologize for Childe's actions, and if you wish
to get rid of him, you may choose to do so. But, we wanted to discuss the matter with you
first, the Tsaritsa wishes to make a contract with you, preferably with our Eleventh alive."
Signora paused, waiting for Zhongli to say something.

Zhongli ran his finger's down Childe's back, watching as the ginger flinched under his touch.
He frowned at the reaction, remembering how eager he had been earlier. He began to gently
massage his lower back, trailing his hand under the red ropes binding his arms to his back,
leaning down and placing a kiss on his shoulder, almost as a sign to tell him that they had
gotten past the worst. Signora's call had flipped a switch inside of him, he remembered that
he liked the ginger and wasn't willing to kill him just yet. He had to be gentle to keep his prey
from running away.

"Alright." He said, simply. "I will keep Childe alive until then. If the Tsaritsa offers me a
worthy bargain, I shall return him to you. If not.. well, he seems to be enjoying my company."
Zhongli took the plug in his hand and pressed the cold metal inside Childe, feeling the strain
as he stretched Childe out. It made the ginger whimper and moan loudly into his gag, clearly
being heard on the other end of the line. His fingers were gentler than before, they didn't dig
into his skin but caressed it lightly. Zhongli could hear Signora gulp, "And what of your
gnosis? Surely you must know by now that it was the gnosis that Childe-- the Tsaritsa, is
after." Zhongli hummed, "Again if you offer me a fair bargain in exchange for the power I
wield, I would be willing to wager that as well. Tomorrow, I will visit the Snezhnaya district
to meet with the Tsaritsa personally, is that fair?" Zhongli confirmed, climbing on the bed
after pushing the plug deep inside of Childe until only the rim was left.

He began unlocking the chains shackling Childe's wrists and ankles though he kept the ropes
knotted around his chest and back. He allowed his limbs to drop to the bed as Childe laid on
his stomach, his teary blue eyes looking back at Zhongli, wondering again how the Don
could flip a switch from ferocious to gentle within a minute. Zhongli gently massaged
Childe's wrists, pulling him up to stand on his knees in front of Zhongli, and pulled the
Harbinger to his chest. He cupped Childe's cock in the palm of his hand and smirked as the
ginger let out a choked moan into the gag, his eyes widening. "Yes, that's all right. We
appreciate your understanding and mercy, Mr. Morax. Please give Childe my regards, have a
lovely night."

Signora hung up the phone, and Zhongli sighed, throwing the gadget onto the bed. He pushed
Childe's down to lie on the mattress once more, this time comfortably on his back. "Hard or
soft?" Zhongli asked, rubbing his face as he sighed, knowing he was going back on his word
but asking the question. Childe blinked up at him in confusion as Zhongli undid the strap on
the gag, pulling it out of Childe's mouth and chuckling a little at the amount of spit on the red
ball. "W-What?" Childe asked, his voice shaky.

Zhongli stared down at him, calculating his next words. "Do you want to me to take you hard
or soft?" Zhongli asked again. Childe's blush tinted pink, wondering what had made Zhongli
change his mind or even give him an option. He thought for a moment, his discomfort
subsiding again as he felt his erection throb a little at the idea that Zhongli was being gentle
again. "Hard." He whispered, raising his legs and spreading them for Zhongli. The buttplug
was slowly beginning to feel more comfortable, it didn't hurt as much. Its golden hilt shone in
the light as he opened his legs for Zhongli. Zhongli gulped a little at the sight and took a
breath to calm himself. He wasn't expecting Childe to ask him to go rough on him.

He sighed as he began to strip himself of his clothing, discarding his tie and allowing his vest
and button-up to follow, putting his body on display for Childe. Childe ogled him for a
moment, eyes running up and down his pecs and abs to his broad shoulders and thick neck.
The suits he always wore did no justice to his real physique. Childe slowly reached his hand
out and touched Zhongli's chest experimentally. Zhongli watched with an amused smile as
Childe began to feel him up, sighing contentedly. "Is this what you imagined in your fantasies
about me, the romantic element? How did you feel when I cornered you and threatened you,
opposite to what you thought it would be like to do it with me?" Zhongli asked as he began to
unzip his pants, unbuckling his belt and throwing it off to the side.

Childe's cheeks tinted pink, there were still traces of tears on his beautiful face. He still
couldn't understand how Zhongli could ask him such brutally honest questions. It was clear
that Zhongli was aware of exactly what he was doing throughout. The thought made Childe
shudder, knowing Zhongli did that on purpose, but at the same time, it was a bit endearing
that he stopped. Would Zhongli have hurt him more if Signora's call hadn't come through? He
didn't know, but the element of surprise, the enigma that was Zhongli and his dual
personalities fascinated Childe.

"I was scared," He admitted, blushing still. He watched Zhongli strip off his pants, leaving
him in a pair of grey boxers that he shed without hesitation, "Would you really have cut off
my fingers if that call hadn't come?" He asked, slightly embarrassed by his own question. His
lips parted as Zhongli's cock sprang out, standing prouder than the biggest dildo that lied next
to them on the bed.

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath, the pretty buttplug in his ass suddenly felt so insignificant
compared to Zhongli's beautiful cock. Zhongli chuckled a little, both at Childe's question and
his reaction at his cock. "Maybe. My hands are tainted with too much blood already, I
suppose another finger wouldn't be much of a drastic difference." He saw the twinge of fear
in Childe's eyes and sighed, gently coaxing the ginger, "No, I don't think I would have. I
suppose that my affection for you has weakened me. I like you more than you think I do."
Zhongli revealed, leaving Childe stunned as he tried to process Zhongli's words.

The man didn't allow him to, his fingers began to venture down to Childe's hole until they
found the hilt of the buttplug. Zhongli curled his fingers around it and tugged it out of Childe,
making the younger's eyes widen as he arched his back, feeling the discomfort again. Zhongli
set the wet, lubed plug on the bedside table and tugged the bottle of lube in his hands once
more. He dumped it onto his cock and pumped himself a few times to spread it evenly,
sighing after hours of waiting to relieve the tension in his erection. "Hard, wasn't it?" Zhongli
asked, as took one of Childe's legs in his hands and tugged his body close to himself, pressing
his cock against Childe's hole. Childe took a deep, contented breath and nodded. Zhongli
leaned over him and pressed his lips to Childe's, a gentle kiss that swallowed Childe's moans
as Zhongli pushed his way inside of him. He let out a shaky breath against Childe's lips,
feeling the tightness engulfing his cock as Childe sucked him in, moaning loud into Zhongli's
lips.

"P-Please," Childe whimpered to nobody in particular, his eyes glazing over from the pain of
being stretched out. Zhongli thrust inside Childe the rest of the way, making the ginger yelp
in pain as his eyes flew open to their full width, staring up at the ceiling, dazed. Zhongli
pulled out and thrust back inside Childe's hole again, rough just like Childe asked.

He snaked his arms around Childe's thighs, holding them apart as he thrust deeper inside of
the ginger, groaning with pleasure. Childe mewled as Zhongli hit his prostate, "There!
Zhongli, please, right there! Aah!" Zhongli obliged and rolled his hips towards the same spot,
eyes closing as he focused on the feel of Childe's prostate, becoming more and more precise
with each thrust. He slammed into that spot, feeling the swollen bump of nerves inside of
Childe against the tip of his cock and groaning as Childe clenched around him, crying out
with pleasure as he raked his fingers on Zhongli's arms. "Haah-- so good, it feels so good,
Zhongli!"

Childe moaned, sitting up and wrapping his arms around Zhongli's neck, kissing him
passionately as he sat in the man's lap, dissatisfied with the pace Zhongli had taken and
 beginning to bounce on his cock needily. "Harder..!" Childe ordered, burying his face in the
crook of Zhongli's neck, his body still tied up with the red rope that rubbed against his skin
painfully but he didn't focus on it.

His main focus was on Zhongli's cock steadily ramming into his prostate and making him
almost scream with every thrust and bounce. Zhongli kissed Childe's ear before taking his
pinna between his teeth, tugging on it gently as he tried to cope with the pleasure.

Both of them could feel the heat building between them even in the coolness of the room,
each thrust making them sweat with exertion. Childe cried out as Zhongli's fingers began to
stroke his nipple, his other hand dipping down to his cock and beginning to pump him, "Too
much! Hnngh.. I'll cum, Zhongli!" Zhongli smirked against his ear, "Give it to me, little dove.
Moan my name when you do." The use of the endearment made Childe's mind go numb as he
bounced on Zhongli's cock a few more times before he came all over them with a scream of
Zhongli's name.

His eyes were shut tightly as he threw his head back, taking choked gasps as he gulped for
air. The feeling was so intense, so raw, Childe couldn't help the tears beginning to fall from
his eyes. Zhongli continued to thrust inside him, making his way towards his own orgasm as
he leaned his head against Childe's shoulder, gripping his ass to bounce him on his cock.
"Cum inside, please," Childe whimpered, his voice so quiet and shaky it made Zhongli
shudder with excitement and delight.

He leaned down and licked the blood off of the slit he'd made on Childe's skin with the whip,
humming at the metallic taste. He gave a few more thrusts before he came inside Childe,
shooting his seed deep inside of the Harbinger who gasped at the feeling, moaning loudly as
Zhongli milked himself for his orgasm, giving minor thrusts inside Childe as he stared at
Childe through half-lidded eyes. He sighed as his orgasm wore off.

"I'm not giving you back to the Tsaritsa, no matter what they offer me." He grumbled,
nuzzling his face in Childe's chest and clicking his tongue at the ropes that tickled his face.
He felt drops of his own cum dripping back down his cock, trickling out of Childe's hole. The
feeling made him hard again, making Childe squeak as he felt Zhongli come to life again
inside of him.

Chapter End Notes

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter! I love listening to different POVs and stuff
and I really hope that other people like it more than I do, thank you for reading!
 Drunk (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

WARNING: Drunk sex.

Diluc decides that he would never let Kaeya drink so heavily again after the man breaks
down in front of him and asks him to make him feel better.

Chapter Notes

Oof, heavy LucKae. I didn't actually intend for this to be on the heavy side, it's just that
the original idea included actually drunk Kaeya which doesn't feel right to me so I tried
to make him as least intoxicated as possible while staying true to the prompt. I'm not
good at writing angst so please excuse the shite writing!

"Get up, dumbass." Diluc hissed at Kaeya, slamming his hand down on the table next to the
knight's head and making the table rattle from the bottles resting on it. Kaeya whined
incoherently and grasped Diluc's hand, nuzzling his face against it. His cheeks burned against
Diluc's hand from his drunkenness. Diluc's glare didn't waver as he tugged his hand back,
though his cheeks tinted pink. Rosaria sat at the same table, watching the exchange with a
disinterested look. "He's shitfaced." She said helpfully. Diluc rolled his eyes at her and
narrowly dodged a drunken Kaeya who lunged to hug him around the waist. The knight
almost fell off his chair, but Diluc managed to catch him by the scruff of his collar. "No shit,"
Diluc grunted as he pulled Kaeya to sit upright in his seat again. The knight had a cute pout
on his face as he glared up at Diluc, "So mean~, whatever did I do to deserve such hostility?"
Kaeya whined. Rosaria took a sip from her eighth drink that night, Diluc side-eyed her for
setting a bad example for the already drunk knight. "It's closing time, so both of you, get
out," Diluc said, trying his best to sound monotonous with Kaeya staring at him, trying to
appeal to his sensitivity.

Rosaria grunted in dismay, "Hmph. What a nuisance, what bar closes at 5 am?" She sighed
and downed the rest of her glass. She had the limit of a sailor, Diluc thought. "Mine, now
take him and leave. I'm never allowing you two to drink together again." He grabbed a few of
the bottles and began to walk away when Rosaria stopped him, "Me, take this doofus home?
Do you want me to die?" Diluc rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that night and glared at
her in irritation, "I've seen you take down ruin guards twice his size, you got him that drunk,
take responsibility." He tucked the bottle away in a crate behind the counter and stood up,
looking back and sneering with dismay when he found both of them still there. "It would be a
great feat if I can even get myself home. You take him home, you're supposed to be the
Darknight Hero 'n all, aren't you supposed to protect the citizens of Mondstadt?" She coaxed,
flicking Kaeya's hand away as he tried to hug her too. Diluc felt a pang of jealousy at the
sight of Kaeya being clingy with Rosaria. He glared at her, his newfound irritation slowly
convincing him to fall into an agreement with her. "That 'citizen' is a full-fledged knight. Not
that the knights of Favonius are good for anything." Rosaria raised an eyebrow at him and
they stared at one another in a silent staring contest. Diluc finally crumbled under her deathly
stare and groaned, "Fine, just get out of here. I'll take him home." For once, Rosaria managed
a victorious smile and patted Kaeya on the head. "Good, I'll leave him graciously in your
capable hands, don't let me down, Darknight Hero~" She teased and ducked out of the bar as
Diluc growled with annoyance, wondering who told her his identity. He sighed as Kaeya
turned his full attention to him, his eye shining with a twinge of affection as he shakily got to
his feet. He took one step towards Diluc and fell forward. Diluc lunged to catch him before
he could hit the ground and Kaeya let out a drunken laugh.

"You catch me every time I fall, 'Luc~" He observed, wrapping his arms around Diluc and
kissing the redhead's neck. Diluc's face tinged a shade of red almost as bright as his hair. It
didn't feel right, wrapping his arms around an intoxicated Kaeya's waist, but he had no choice
in order to keep him upright. "You can't walk, can you?" He asked, feeling a hefty sigh
coming on as he tried to ignore Kaeya's breath on his ear and neck as he held the knight up.
"Nope~" Kaeya sang, "Guess you'll have to carry me." He had the gall to sound happy about
it. Diluc decided he would never serve Kaeya any more drinks the next time he swung by if
he was this type of drunk. He would rather Kaeya push him away rather than embrace him
like this, it only made his heart beat faster. He sighed again and decided to think nothing of it.
He knew Kaeya lived at the Knights of Favonius headquarters. He tsked at the idea of going
there, the memories of that place still haunted him. He placed his hands on Kaeya's shoulders
and pushed him back. The knight stuck out his bottom lip in a pout, his eyebrows tugged
back in a sad expression. Diluc rolled his eyes. He knew Kaeya, knew the ways he'd exploit
the goodness of people's hearts to break them. Diluc was pleased to know he wasn't under his
spell anymore. He lifted Kaeya in his arms and placed him across his shoulders in a fireman's
carry. He held onto his arm to keep him steady on his shoulders and wrapping his arm around
one of the knight's thighs.

Kaeya blinked at the position in surprise, his world spinning a little as his head hung towards
the ground. "Dizzy..." he murmured, resting his head on Diluc's arm, "You couldn't carry me
in a more romantic position?" Kaeya complained. Diluc clicked his tongue and ignored him,
calling up the stairs where his subordinate Charles was clearing up. "Charles, I'll head out.
Lock up the bar when you leave." Charles replied with a muffled 'okay' from upstairs. He left
the bar with Kaeya balanced on his shoulders and began to carry the knight towards the
Favonius headquarters. Kaeya hummed a tune he recognized as one of Venti's songs. Diluc
decided not to comment on him, knowing the knight wasn't in his best state of mind, not that
he was any saner in his sober state. "Hey, 'Luc.." Kaeya whispered, shivering a little in the
cool early morning air, he was underdressed for the cool autumn nights, "'M cold." He
murmured, beginning to wiggle around to wrap himself better around Diluc to suck in the
redhead's warmth. Diluc sighed, "Not much I can do about the weather. Stay still so we can
get home faster."
 Kaeya stared at the ground with half-lidded eyes, "Home..? Are you taking me back to the
winery?" Diluc stopped in his tracks for a moment at the underlying desire in Kaeya's tone.
He stared ahead of him monotonously for a moment, not knowing what to say. "No.. we're
going to your home." He began to walk again but could almost feel the frown radiating from
Kaeya's face, despite not being able to see him. "Oh... are you gonna stay with me then?"
Diluc pursed his lips, gulping a little at the twinge of hope in Kaeya's voice. What was the
matter with the knight? Earlier he was clingy and borderline flirty, but now.. he didn't know
how to describe Kaeya's tone, it was almost wistful. "No, I'll drop you off then head back."
Kaeya was silent for several minutes, but Diluc did not try to look back at him. He climbed
up the flights of steps towards the gates, avoiding eye contact with the guards who glared at
him as he passed but didn't try to stop him after seeing the knight he carried. Diluc assumed
Kaeya had fallen asleep and finally decided to hold Kaeya properly. He slowly slung him off
his shoulder, letting the knight slide into his arms. He was surprised to hear a low purr erupt
from the knight as he held him in bridal style in his arms. They gazed at one another for a
moment in the main hall of the Favonius HQ. The lighting was dull in the hall due to the
hour. Even now, Kaeya's eye shone beautifully in the dim light. His lips were parted as he
stared at Diluc, his arms wrapped around the redhead's neck to hold himself up in Diluc's
arms. He cuddled up to Diluc, seeking warmth from the familiar man before he moved
forward and pressed his lips against Diluc's. Diluc froze for a second, his eyelids slowly
drooping as he stared down at Kaeya, not kissing him back. Kaeya pulled back, he didn't say
anything but hurt shone in his eyes as he dug his face into Diluc's chest, milking the sweet
moment for all it was worth before it would end. Diluc pursed his lips and trudged onward up
the steps, ducking between familiar corridors and moving up to the barracks where some of
the knights, including Kaeya, lived.

He didn't know the exact location of Kaeya's room but found the door with the label 'Cavalry
Captain' quite quickly. "Key?" He prompted from the younger. Kaeya grumbled under his
breath and pulled his face out of Diluc's warm chest to fish a key out of his pocket, thrusting
it into Diluc's hand. Diluc couldn't help the little curling of his lips into a smile as he
observed the haughty reaction and unlocked the door. He stepped inside the threshold, as
always, the knight was as neat as he used to be when they were young. Diluc carried Kaeya
deeper inside the house, nudging the door to the bedroom open with his foot. He laid Kaeya
gently on the bed after prompting the younger to kick off his boots and straightened up, ready
to take his leave. He spun around to walk out without another word, but a hand wrapped
around his wrist, keeping him from leaving. He sighed and looked back at Kaeya. Diluc
noticed that the knight's vision had cleared up now, the blush no longer dusted his cheeks
though he still reeked of alcohol. "What?" He asked curtly, seeing that Kaeya wasn't as drunk
now. Kaeya flinched a little at the tone, his grip on Diluc's wrist wavering, "Stay?" He asked,
his voice quiet.

Diluc stared down at him, disgruntlement shining in his red eyes as he glared at Kaeya
through the darkness of the room, only the moon illuminating them. "Please.. just stay. I want
to go home." He whimpered, his fingers still fighting to hold onto Diluc's wrist to keep them
from falling. Diluc looked confused, trying to process Kaeya's words. "You are home, I
brought you to your house. You're drunk so lie down and go to sleep." To his surprise, Kaeya
began to cry. His eyes widened as he almost reeled in shock but kept himself steady, knowing
Kaeya would fall if he did. "B-But this isn't my home, home is where you are, 'Luc. I'm n-not
drunk anymore..." He was a sobbing mess within seconds, and Diluc didn't know what to do.
Kaeya let his fingers slip from Diluc's wrist to hide his face in his hands. For a minute, Diluc
could do nothing but stare at the knight in astonishment at the revelation. Shakily, he sat
down on the bed next to Kaeya, surprising the knight who thought Diluc had left. Diluc was
at a loss for words and had no idea what to do, he could only wrap his gloved hand around
Kaeya's fingers and hold them to offer some semblance of support to the sobbing knight.
Kaeya kept crying for minutes, unable to stop once he started. It was just like how it used to
be when they were younger, Kaeya would get hurt while playing and wouldn't stop crying for
hours until or unless Diluc wrapped him in his embrace and offered him soothing words.

Diluc sighed, wondering whether the trick still worked, and slowly encircled his arms around
Kaeya's shaking frame, pulling the younger into his chest. Kaeya stopped weeping for a
moment, his eye going wide as he tried to process what Diluc was doing. Diluc was not as
empathetic as he used to be, he didn't know what words to offer Kaeya to calm him down.
"Stop crying, Kaeya." He mumbled, pulling back to look at his face to find tears still pouring
from Kaeya's eye, a few even escaping from under the knight's eyepatch. He didn't sob
anymore but was still sniffling a little as fat tears rolled down his cheeks, one after the other,
as he stared at Diluc with big eyes. "I'm staying so stop crying." Contrary to Diluc's request,
more tears welled up inside Kaeya's eye, and he began to cry again. Diluc clicked his tongue,
knowing he was not good at calming anyone down, especially someone as mercurial as the
knight before him. Diluc sighed, and without warning, he leaned forward and pressed his lips
against Kaeya's. Kaeya's eye widened as he stared at Diluc in surprise, not processing what
Diluc was doing. Diluc could taste the alcohol on his lips. He ignored it as Kaeya wrapped
his arms around Diluc, kissing him back and moving his lips against Kaeya's. Diluc pulled
back far too quickly for Kaeya's liking, refraining from rolling his eyes as Kaeya immediately
stopped crying. That was a new trick to calm him down that Diluc mentally noted. "So now
you stop crying." Kaeya smiled, which surprised Diluc after how hard he'd been crying just a
few seconds earlier. Diluc stared at him in the moonlight for a minute, taking in the younger's
puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks, his trembling lips and shaking hands. He felt a strong
urge to protect the man before him, to shield him from those who wished to hurt him, to get
rid of whatever was troubling him. But what could he do when it was him who troubled
Kaeya?

Kaeya wrapped his arms around Diluc and crawled in the redhead's lap, hugging him tightly
as if Diluc would disappear at any given moment. Four long years, he waited for Diluc to
come back, to hold him like this, but when he did return, he had taken one look at Kaeya and
turned away as if he meant nothing to him. It was at that moment that Kaeya's world came
crashing down on itself. The one he loved since childhood hated him now. He shut himself
away for several days after, only working from his office and becoming deeply depressed. It
was only after the Grand Master Varka took his cavalry with him that he was forced to see the
light of day again, then the traveler showed up, and somehow, more and more people such as
Rosaria and Venti began to grow close to him along with Jean, Lisa, and Amber. He thought
everything would be okay and even managed to face Diluc again, though his heart still ached
when he found no sign of affection or anything more than acknowledgement in the older's
eyes. He was slowly becoming more attuned with the fact that they would never be the same
again. He slipped back into the playful and confident persona he had built for himself in
Diluc's absence. A large part of his heart still burned with desire for Diluc, but he kept his
distance, willing to keep himself away from the redhead to avoid getting hurt. But tonight,
after drinking more than he had in ages, the walls he built came crashing down, and he was
left bare in front of the man's dull red eyes. He felt an inexplicable feeling of happiness as
Diluc hugged him back, pulling him to his chest. He began to desire more from the older,
more of his touch, more soft glances, and more cuddles, he wanted more love from Diluc. He
wanted Diluc to make love to him. He didn't want to risk this hug to make an advance on the
redhead in case he rejected him. He feared Diluc would be disgusted at the idea, fearing that
he would be seen as tainted from the alcohol he'd drank.

Alas, he couldn't ignore his feelings. He slowly pulled his head off of Diluc's shoulder and
looked up at him, his stormy grey eye twinkling in the moonlight. Slowly, he brought his lips
to Diluc's again and pressed them together. He began slowly, gently moving his lips against
Diluc and smiling when the older responded. He sat straighter in Diluc's lap, tightening his
hold around the older man's neck. Kaeya tilted his head and deepened the kiss, running his
tongue along the bottom of Diluc's lip to ask for entry. Diluc's eyes cracked open, trying to
figure out Kaeya's intentions. The man sighed into Kaeya's lips and parted his lips for the
knight. Kaeya shivered with excitement as Diluc pressed a hand to the back of Kaeya's head,
pulling him close while leaning back on his other hand for support. Kaeya pushed their
tongues together, licking the roof of Diluc's mouth and moaning in surprise as Diluc bit his
lip gently. He pulled back, panting for breath and looking at Diluc with his eye half-lidded.
"Diluc... I want this, please, make love to me." Kaeya whispered. Diluc stared at him without
a hint of emotion readable on his face, it made Kaeya nervous about his reaction. "Kaeya,
you're drunk. It's not right." Diluc whispered but still pecked him on the lips again, "Let's just
go to sleep right now." Kaeya puffed his cheeks sadly, "I'm not drunk anymore, 'Luc. Please...
I really need you right now. I know what I'm doing, so please.." Kaeya hadn't begged this
much since Diluc left. He hoped even more that this time, his pleas would work. Diluc
studied him for a minute as if trying to calculate Kaeya's drunkenness level. He sighed, his
own desires taking over. "

You lead, so you know what you did in case you change your mind in the morning." Kaeya's
lips curled into a smile as he nodded happily, he pushed Diluc back to lie on the bed after
Diluc kicked his boots off and climbed over the older, sitting directly on his crotch. He
unclasped his cape and threw it off to the side, looking down at Diluc with half-lidded eyes as
he pressed their bulges together, grinding their hips a little. Diluc moaned softly underneath
him at the stimulation, his hands resting on Kaeya's hips, gloved fingertips lightly digging
into Kaeya's skin. "'Luc~" Kaeya moaned quietly as he ground their rapidly forming erections
hard. He tugged at Diluc's coat and shirt, "Off, please," Diluc chuckled quietly, a rare sound
that made Kaeya smile. Diluc obliged and sat up, pressing his lips to Kaeya's as he did so
before he took off his gloves and shrugged off his coat, putting it off to the side before he
took off his white vest, pausing their kiss. He undid his tie and stripped himself of his black
shirt before finally, he was laid bare in front of Kaeya. Kaeya licked his lips a little at the
sight of Diluc's muscular and scarred body. He always considered the man over-dressed, and
this proved it. What a body Diluc hid from the world, a shame. Kaeya buried his face in
Diluc's neck and bit gently on the skin as Diluc laid back down, his pale skin glistening under
the moonlight. Kaeya felt entranced by the ethereal man beneath him and how he had
changed over the years.

Kaeya began to strip off his own clothing, discarding his corset and unbuttoning his white
shirt, and leaving it on his shoulders to accentuate his chest. He noticed the way Diluc drew a
sharp breath as he watched Kaeya begin to grind on his cock again and smirked down at him,
feeling greedy with the slightest bit of power he had over Diluc. He moved back to sit on
Diluc's thighs, unclasping the belt around his waist and smiling at the sight of his vision
hanging off the belt. He carefully set it aside before he lowered Diluc's pants along with his
boxers in one go. His lips parted at the sight of Diluc's pink and twitching cock and couldn't
help smiling. He wanted it so badly. Kaeya lifted his hips to kneel above Diluc, slowly
pushing down his own pants with a bit of difficulty from how tight they were. "Your clothes
reveal too much." Diluc grumbled, noticing the trouble Kaeya was having. Kaeya stuck his
tongue out at Diluc childishly, making the exasperated redhead only more mystified by how
his moods shifted. Kaeya finally got his pants off, but his body was shadowed even in the
moonlight, the spotlight seemed to be on Diluc. Diluc grunted and decided feeling Kaeya up
would be best. He slowly ran his hands up Kaeya's thick and muscular thighs, up to his curvy
hips and plump ass to his waist. His fingertips tickled against Kaeya's skin, making the light
hairs on his arms stand on end.

Diluc's hands snaked up Kaeya's slim and well-built waist until they finally groped his meaty
chest that Kaeya loved to show off. Kaeya moaned lewdly as Diluc ran his fingers over his
nipples, pinching them between his thumb and index and tugging at them lightly. "C'mere,"
Diluc murmured, tugging Kaeya close to lean over him, prompting the knight to hold onto
the headboard. He leaned his head up to clamp his mouth around Kaeya's hardened bud,
flicking it between his tongue and teeth and making the knight moan helplessly above him.
His hand slowly massaged his other nipple, making sure it wasn't forgotten as he sucked on
the first. Diluc's free hand trailed back to Kaeya's ass, massaging the plump muscle softly
before he poked his fingers between Kaeya's cheeks, running them lightly across Kaeya's
twitching hole. Kaeya's mouth fell open as he let out a lewd moan, pushing his hips back on
Diluc's fingertips. "Do you have any lube?" Diluc murmured against his skin, making
vibrations run along Kaeya's body, making the man whimper softly. Kaeya silently reached to
the nightstand and pulled a bottle of oil out of the drawer. He gently thrust it into Diluc's hand
wordlessly, making the redhead chuckle at his shyness. He poured a few drops on his fingers
and pushed his hand back again, pressing his lubed finger inside Kaeya. He was surprised to
find it entered Kaeya quite easily. He furrowed his brows as he looked up at the knight who
shook above him, holding onto the headboard for dear life. "Have you... slept with anyone
here?" He asked cautiously, knowing it wasn't his place to ask. Still, a large amount of relief
washed over him when Kaeya shook his head, "N-No.. I use my own fingers." That made
Diluc smirk as the thought of Kaeya bending in all kinds of positions to finger himself
flooded his mind. "Then I suppose this won't be a problem." Diluc muttered, pushing two
more fingers inside at once, making Kaeya's eyes shoot open as he let out a choked gasp. "D-
Diluc!" He whimpered as Diluc began to thrust his fingers in and out of Kaeya, moving his
head up again to trail bites between Kaeya's chest, down to his abdomen. He hummed with
satisfaction, feeling Kaeya tighten up around his fingers.

"Relax, Kaeya." Diluc coaxed, easing a fourth finger inside of the knight, making him release
a long moan. He sighed heavily as Diluc twisted his fingers inside him. Diluc sucked a bruise
over his rib, digging his teeth into the knight's skin. He finally felt satisfied with Kaeya's
looseness and pulled his fingers out of the knight. Kaeya whined at the loss of contact,
making Diluc press a peck to his nipple, "Shush, I'll give you something more." Kaeya
nodded apprehensively and sat up shakily on his knees. Diluc held his hips and pulled him to
hover over his cock. Kaeya slowly began to push down, reaching to hold Diluc's cock in
place. He moaned loudly as it entered him, his mouth falling into a perfect O shape, his eyes
rolled as he sank on Diluc's erection. He bit his lip, gasping a little as it scraped against his
prostate. "Diluc~" Kaeya moaned as their hips connected, Kaeya fell fully on his cock,
twitching around him and making the redhead breathless from pleasure. Diluc had always
been a warm person, but after feeling the cryo user's walls clench around him, he felt an
indescribable amount of heat. He thrust his hips up involuntarily, making Kaeya moan loudly
as he pounded into his prostate, "F-Fuck, 'Luc, right there!" He moaned as he lifted himself
up before slamming down hard on Diluc's erection.

He bit his lip, whimpering a little as Diluc began to thrust his hips in time with Kaeya's
bounces, his eyes transfixed on the area where they connected, his eyes on the younger male's
lewd body that made him wild with exhilaration. "Please--hngh..!" Diluc felt his thoughts
slipping a little more every time Kaeya dropped on his cock, bounding up with every smack
of his ass against Diluc's hips. Diluc sat up, unable to control his urge to thrust into the
younger, and pulled him forward into his chest before pinning Kaeya to the bed. "Fuck--haah,
Diluc!" Kaeya cried out as Diluc slammed straight into his prostate, making him see stars as
white clouds dotted his vision. He wanted this to never end. He was one with the man he
loved, Diluc was making love to him in the way he always wanted him to. "I'm going to cum,
'Luc! Fu--ck" Kaeya wailed as Diluc bit down on Kaeya's neck, ramming his prostate with
every smack of their skins together. "You feel.. so good." Diluc croaked out, his own quiet
moans filled the air as Kaeya tightened up around him, making it difficult for him to think as
he tried to cope with the pleasure. "I love you, Diluc~" Kaeya mewled without thinking, but
it came from the heart. Diluc didn't waver at the confession and increased his speed, letting
out a quiet moan of the knight's name. Kaeya whimpered as his abdomen tightened, making
his whole body shudder before it finally released, making him squirt white ropes of cum all
over himself as he screamed Diluc's name. Diluc's thrusts became sloppier at the intensity
with which Kaeya wrapped around him, making his head spin. He let out a loud grunt as he
felt his own high overcome him and he came all inside Kaeya, making the knight sigh with
pleasure. Diluc rode out his orgasm a few times before he pulled out and collapsed beside the
younger. Kaeya's stared at the ceiling, chastising himself for confessing to Diluc. The redhead
had completely ignored him without mercy. Diluc could almost hear his thoughts whirring in
his brain. "I love you too." He said brusquely, pulling Kaeya's body towards himself and
wrapping him tightly in his embrace. "I... missed you." He whispered against Kaeya's cheek
as he pressed a featherweight kiss to it. Kaeya bit his lip to keep from crying again and only
sighed and buried his face in Diluc's chest.

________Extra________

"You asked to see me, Acting Grand Master? Ooh~ Hello, Lisa. beautiful as ever I see."
Kaeya said smoothly, making the librarian chuckle a little, knowing exactly what Jean wanted
to talk to him about. His voice was pleasant and calm as it always was though despite the
night's events, but neither Jean nor Lisa missed the slight limp in his step. Jean gulped,
wondering how best to approach the subject. "Yes, um.. Kaeya, we got a few complaints last
night from the knights, a noise complaint about your room." Kaeya's eyes widened, realizing
what she was talking about immediately. He had been too loud last night. He wanted to curse
himself as embarrassment seeped into his bones, knowing this would spread far and wide
across Mondstadt, "And well, I just wanted to.. umm." Bless the Acting Grand Master's heart
for being unable to blurt it out. Lisa rolled her eyes, "You were too loud with Master Diluc
last night, so we wanted to ask you to tone it down next time. Or preferably do it in Diluc's
mansion where the poor servants can at least hide themselves in the basement when you
come over." The librarian was completely and utterly ruthless and put up with no crap from
Kaeya as the Cavalry Captain stumbled over his words.
 Exotic Dancer (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

Prompt: Xiao has a crush on the cute librarian that is Aether, but never made a move on
them. One day, Xiao is dragged into a strip club. Xiao is whining about being there until
their eyes lock on the best stripper in the club, who happens to be Aether.

Chapter Notes

This is not proofread so please ignore the typos and stuff. My writing was extremely
stiff with this one, but I hope the smut makes up for the random plot holes and stuff.
Thank you for reading!

Also, for this one, I used a prompt that does not belong to me. Full credits to Neocities
for that!

Xiao leaned back in his seat, his eyes skimming over the page he was reading with
disinterest. The writing was dull, it didn't contain the heart and soul of a writer who carried
themselves with grace and confidence. He felt dissatisfied. Xiao's mind began to wander
from the words written on the page, to the person behind the desk near the front of the library.
He bit down on his thumb gently, in deep thought as the image of the cute librarian that
worked here came to mind. His name was Aether according to his name tag, in Xiao's
opinion, which he considered to be absolute, the blonde had the most beautiful hair that Xiao
had ever seen and an even prettier smile. Xiao admitted that he had a fat crush on the
librarian, at some point, he stopped coming to the library for the books and began to go there
to see the cute blonde. He liked the way he fluttered his eyelashes whenever Xiao looked his
way but acted shy and bashful when he tried to speak to him. It was a constant dance between
the two men, both without enough courage to speak to one another, but both smitten with
each other.

He didn't understand the mixed signals, he blushed whenever Xiao looked his way but
avoided him whenever their paths crossed in the library. It frustrated Xiao who wasn't used to
dancing around someone like this, he never liked anyone before and had no idea how to
approach someone he had a crush on. He lacked expertise in the area and feared his brutish
and severe nature would only scare the blonde off. He sighed and shut the book abruptly,
setting it aside. Xiao liked literature, he could appreciate good writing and liked the way
people conveyed stories through words. But there were times when in some books, the
writing was impeccable, but the story was terrible. Or when the writing was terrible, but the
story was impeccable. That always ruined it. He sighed picked up yet another book from the
pile he had set on the table in front of him. He tried not to judge books by their cover, but he
couldn't find one he liked, he wanted to lose himself in a good book, to keep his mind off of
Aether for once. He was unaware of the golden eyes that observed his reactions after every
book he picked up, but he watched from the corner of his eye, a certain blonde quietly
ducking behind a bookshelf and turned his gaze to look in the direction. It was a regular
occurrence for the pair. Stealing glances at one another when the other wasn't watching,
blushing at their interactions, wishing they had the courage to talk to one another properly.
Xiao's eyes flicked back to the page he was reading after watching the librarian out of sight.
He rolled his eyes at a particularly cringe-worthy line and shut the book with a hefty sigh for
the umpteenth time that day.

He couldn't find any book worth getting caught up in. His eyes caught onto Aether again as
he emerged from behind the shelf. A pink blush dusted his cute face as he clutched a book in
his hands. He approached Xiao with difficulty, flinching when the man fixed his glaring
golden eyes on him, watching him draw closer. It took all of Aether's confidence to keep
from turning back and hide behind the shelf again, feeling shy under Xiao's gaze. "Excuse
me, I couldn't help noticing you were having a difficult time finding a good book so.. um..."
Xiao stared up at him, his glare still prominent on his face, making Aether's throat close up.
Xiao didn't show it, but his heart danced with glee as Aether spoke to him, he admired the
librarian's pink face, not meaning to look so unfriendly, but he couldn't help his natural
expression. "Spit it out." He snapped and then almost slapped himself across the face when
he realized it came out harsher than he intended. The color of Aether's rosy cheeks deepened
to a shade of red, all his confidence and motivation crumbling. "Sorry to bother you," he
bowed his head and was about to run back to the shelf, his heart burning with embarrassment
when fingers grasped the sleeve of his oversized sweater, keeping him from leaving and
gently tugging him back.

Xiao sighed, "Did you wanted to recommend that book to me?" He asked, trying his best to
relax his face into a normal expression to avoid intimidating the shy librarian. Aether nodded
bashfully, not knowing what to say. "Okay then, I'll read it. If you recommend it then it
should be good." Aether's expression was stunned for a moment before he smiled. It made
Xiao's heart thump in his chest as he slowly released Aether so the librarian could hand the
book to him. "I hope you enjoy it." Aether didn't stick around to wait for Xiao's response and
quickly trotted away, ducking behind the head librarian, Lisa, to hide himself from the man's
intense gaze. The woman rolled her eyes at Aether, scolding him for being so nervous around
customers. Xiao bit his lip at the interaction,

"Cute."

___________________________________________

Days passed, and he had ended up taking the book home to read that day. His heart danced a
little every time he thought about the cute librarian approaching him for once, just to give
him a book. Not to mention, Aether must've been looking at him to notice he wasn't enjoying
himself while reading. The thought made him almost smile. The book was actually quite nice
to read, it was similar to Xiao's tastes but without the blood and gore that he normally read. It
pleasantly surprised him and he ended up finishing it and hurried back to the library the next
day. He finally pushed himself to initiate a conversation with the blonde based on the depth
of the plot. Surprisingly, Aether was quite open to discussion about the book, he wasn't as shy
as soon as he got to talking about it but still blushed and flinched if Xiao stared at him too
long while he spoke. He couldn't help it, the look on Aether's face as he talked about
something he loved, it was a cute and innocent sight to see that you normally don't see in the
modern-day world. Something about Aether was angelic, he spoke in a soft voice, hardly
raising his voice above a whisper. (Xiao assumed it was because of Lisa, the older librarian
scared even him.) His eyes twinkled with excitement and eagerness as he spoke to Xiao,
though he still shied away from his harsh gaze and gruff tone. He failed to realize that this
was how Xiao naturally spoke, but it couldn't be helped. Xiao chose to remain silent,
listening to the blonde speak in his melodic voice, adding in quiet comments to assure Aether
that he was listening. He liked listening to Aether talk, he liked observing the sparkle in his
eye, he felt so pure in front of Xiao, like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

Every day, he coaxed Aether into becoming more comfortable around him. Slowly, he
slipped out of his shy persona and opened himself up to Xiao, asking him questions and
talking to him about himself more and no longer flinched anymore near him. It made Xiao
feel a sense of accomplishment that he could get someone as nice and cheerful as Aether to
like someone as brooding and intimidating as him. Xiao's crush deepened each time he
looked at the pure look in Aether's eyes. He loved the way his lips curled into a grin every
time Xiao said something remotely funny. He often joked that he didn't expect Xiao to be
such a humorous person. Xiao really wasn't one such person, but he decided he could be
anything that made Aether smile. He hated how smitten he was and hoped, prayed, that the
archons would give him the courage to make a move. But for now, he supposed he could
continue to enjoy the blonde's beautiful smile and take in his soft and innocent presence.

It was his birthday one terrible spring day, a day he loathed maybe more than his brother's
boyfriend, Childe, and their friend Kaeya, partly because of the man himself. "Put this on,
quick quick quick!" Childe urged, throwing a sleeveless black shirt at him along with a
leather jacket and a pair of black pants. Xiao rolled his eyes at Kaeya and Childe's choice of
clothing for him but he supposed it fit his personality. He glared at him, "I'm not going." He
said for the umpteenth time that day, glaring at the pair of them maliciously, but the tall men
seemed completely unfazed by him. "Oh, don't be such a kill-joy! You're in college, these are
your slutty years, make the most of them." Kaeya cooed, making Xiao growl in disgust. He
looked desperately at the men sitting on the couch behind them for help but alas, neither
Diluc nor Zhongli offered any support, shooting him apologetic looks for their lovers'
behaviors. The men were likely aware of how difficult they could be. Xiao grunted and gave
up, ducking into the bathroom. He put the clothes on and stepped outside, looking completely
revolted at the thought of dressed outside of his comfort zone. Kaeya and Childe had insisted
on taking Xiao out for his birthday, much to man's discomfort and retaliation. He wished to
spend his night at the library in Aether's company, but he doubted the blonde would be there
at this hour. The pair clapped their hands, 'oohing' and 'aahing' at the sight of Xiao in their
hand-picked clothes.

"I hate this," Xiao affirmed as he was shoved into the back seat between Diluc and Kaeya. He
felt utterly humiliated as he crossed his arms, glaring straight ahead, it brought him some
comfort knowing Diluc had the same expression. The man was about as excited as Xiao was
to go to the club. Kaeya seemed to have persuasion skills that rivaled even Diluc's hard-
headedness. "It's alright, Xiao," Zhongli said calmingly from the driver's sea., "If it makes
you feel better, according to Childe, Ms. Beidou also frequents there often so we will likely
see her as well." Zhongli knew how much Xiao hated going out into crowded places, filled
with sweaty people and loud music. He tried to make him feel better by naming people Xiao
did not completely hate, though only Beidou seemed to be the one in their friend group to
enjoy clubbing. Xiao grunted, "I have nothing to do with her." He grumbled, "Where the hell
are we going anyway?" He didn't like the way Childe looked back and shared a smug smile
with Kaeya while Zhongli hummed, thinking. "Childe decided to take our party to a bar that
opened recently downtown. I do not concern myself with... clubs and such, but I suppose if
Childe and Kaeya say it's alright, then it should be fine." He didn't fully sound sure of
himself, side-eyeing his lover as he laughed for what seemed like no reason. Diluc glanced at
Kaeya who seemed to be happily rocking in his seat, "I don't trust you." He said for good
measure, making Kaeya pout.

Xiao was happy to get out of the car after fifth wheeling the couples, he cringed at the music
that was already blasting inside the club. This was going to be a long, hectic night. He
wondered how and why anybody could handle this. He clicked his tongue, he should've
fought harder against Childe and Kaeya's tag-teaming. "Oh stop brooding~ you'll like it
here." Childe gently pushed Xiao forward. It seemed that clubs were none of their
preferences as Zhongli and Diluc frowned deeply along with Xiao, except for Childe and
Kaeya who looked thrilled at the loud music. They all headed inside after getting checked in
by security and Xiao sneered at the amount people packed inside, the music pounding against
his sensitive ossicles. "Fuck this," Xiao said colorfully, his eyes opening wide as he realized
what kind of club this was. His throat constricted as he saw a stage in the center of the room,
a pole sitting on it. He swallowed and started by separating himself from the couples. Zhongli
and Diluc were tugged towards the dance floor by their partners, "Don't just stand around in a
corner, drink, meet new people, have fun~" Kaeya called out to him. Zhongli looked back at
his brother guiltily as the four disappeared into the crowds. Xiao sneered with disgust,
looking around at the people dancing suggestively together. He sighed and set his sights for
the bar, deciding that a drink would do him good before he ditched his so-called friends and
headed home. "What a nuisance." He muttered to himself, sitting down at a stool and
ordering a light drink. He never liked alcohol but decided a little bit couldn't hurt. He began
to drink from his glass and turned in his seat as the already dimmed neon lights darkened. He
shook his head with disgust and turned back around to face away from the stage as dancers
began to be called out by the DJ. Whooping could be heard from the crowd behind Xiao, but
he ignored it. It went on for several minutes, before Xiao's head began to pound unbearably,
he turned around in his seat again to get up and leave but stopped dead in his tracks as his
eyes caught onto the person at the stage.

Though the lights were dimmed and there were crowds of people around the stage, there was
no mistaking it. Xiao's jaw dropped as his eyes landed directly on none other than Aether.
"Ooh, ~ does our little Xiao like the cute dancer?" Childe popped up out of nowhere, sliding
into the seat next to Xiao, Zhongli standing behind him with a weary look in his eye. Xiao
couldn't even find the words to tell Childe off, his gaze fixated on the man on the stage,
wearing tight leather pants with thigh-length boots, BDSM straps wrapped tightly around his
body. On Aether's head were a pair of white bunny ears that stuck on even as he swung on the
pole, a confident smile shining on his face, and a natural look in his eyes. He dipped down
into a split, ending his dance before standing up, allowing bouncers to collect the money bills
thrown at him. Drunken men made grabs at him as he stood on the stage, coolness radiating
from him as he stood with his head held high, only smiling prettily at the crowd and thanking
them for enjoying the show. Xiao could hardly believe it, he blinked several times after
realizing he hadn't done so for a full minute while watching the end of Aether's show. He
tried his best to tell himself that this wasn't the same innocent and shy librarian he had a crush
on, but there was no way it wasn't. Aether's hair glimmered gold in the lighting, his eyes,
although the same beautiful shade of golden, shining with seductiveness and confidence,
unlike the Aether who gave Xiao shy smiles and avoided his gaze, hiding behind his bangs.
Xiao stood up abruptly, the sudden motion startled Childe and Zhongli who were watching
him with interest, studying his odd reaction to the stripper. The men looked back at Aether,
trying to discern what kind of relation Xiao had to him to make him react in such a way. At
that moment, Aether looked up from the crowd towards the bar and he froze up, almost as
rigid as Xiao. His eyes met Xiao's blazing ones, all the confidence from a moment ago being
snuffed out like a candle. Aether quickly turned around, grabbing his shirt from the stage
hastily and jumping off the stage. Xiao lost sight of him in the crowd, his lips trembling but
he didn't know with what emotion. He didn't know what he was feeling, anger? Excitement?
Trepidation?

He needed some air after seeing his crush in such a state. "I'm leaving," Xiao said tersely. His
voice was as stony as his expression, though his heart still thumped in his chest. "Wait Xiao--
" Xiao didn't spare the couple beside him a glance before he began to march towards the exit.
Childe was about to follow after him but Zhongli stopped him, "It is of no use to try and get
him to tell what he is feeling. He will come around in his own time, but let's not bring him to
a place like this next time." Childe stared after the man with astonishment, never seeing that
much raw emotion on anyone's face as much as he saw tonight on Xiao's and the mysterious
dancer's faces.

_______________________________________________

Xiao pursed his lips as he felt the cold summer night air biting at his face as he walked. He
all but marched towards the library with a confident force in his step. Xiao had been restless
all night, the ghost of Aether on that pole the night before, it haunted him. He would never
say out loud how much Aether's appearance affected him. His initial shock began to morph
into disappointment in the librarian for doing something so... it didn't feel right calling Aether
whorish but no other words popped up in his mind. It changed into anger, not particularly
because Aether was an exotic dancer but because of how he carried himself around Xiao in
comparison with the way he carried himself on stage. Xiao felt a sense of deep apprehension
whenever he thought about it. Aether acted so shy and closed off around Xiao, but for what?
Why couldn't he be comfortable around Xiao if he was so confident and at home on stage,
naked in front of tens of people? He felt an insurmountable amount of jealousy. He had been
trying to take things slowly, but something had snapped inside of him yesterday. He was
ready to confront Aether now. He could only pray the librarian hadn't taken off of work to
avoid him. Xiao opened the double doors to the library abruptly, startling Lisa, who sat
behind the counter, reading a book. She glared at him until she saw the look on his face and
smirked. "Where is Aether?" Xiao asked, trying his best to remain cool. Lisa leaned back in
her seat, watching him with amusement dancing in her green eyes. "Oh? And why must I tell
you?"
Xiao knew there was no arguing with her and sighed deeply through his nose, deciding to be
honest. "Because I want to confess to him. Please," The word sounded so stiff coming out of
his mouth, "Is he here?" Lisa smiled at the revelation before shrugging, "He asked to be
situated at the back of the library to sort out donations. Hmph, that kid always avoids that job
the most." Lisa chuckled and waved her hand in the direction of the basement, she knew who
Xiao was by now, of course. With how much Aether gushed about him, it was difficult not to
know his name. "Go get 'em, tiger." She said, picking up her book and burying her nose in it
once more. Xiao didn't bother to thank her and descended into the basement, his heart
pounding in his chest as he wondered whether he should handle the subject gently or not. He
stopped at the foot of the steps and leaned back against the wall. Behind rows of boxes sat
Aether, skimming through donated books, organizing them according to their readability.
Xiao watched him for a few seconds, his slim back was facing Xiao. He wore a tight
turtleneck and black jeans today, different from his usual baggy clothes. He wondered
whether it would be gratuitous of him to talk on this subject. He considered Aether his friend
now, maybe even someone close after how much they had been talking for the past few days.
Sure, Xiao didn't expect Aether to tell him he was an exotic dancer outright, but he didn't
understand why the blonde acted so shy around him but flipped a switch in public.

"You seem to be doing well," Xiao said, crossing his arms over his chest as he tilted his head.
Aether stood up sharply, his shoulders tensing as he whipped around to face Xiao. His golden
eyes were wide with worry, Xiao almost felt bad, but it gave him a sense of gratification,
knowing Aether felt something about last night. "X-Xiao..." He whispered, gulping. Xiao
stared at him with disinterested eyes, and Aether flinched under the ruthless gaze. It seemed
they were back to square one. "A stripper, huh?" He asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft,
making Aether shudder. "I-It's not like that..." Aether murmured. Xiao raised an eyebrow at
him, "Not like what?" He began to move forwards, feeling his heart dance when Aether didn't
move back but stared at the floor, ashamed. He stopped in front of Aether and nudged his
chin up with his index, "Are you saying you're not the same person I saw last night?" He
didn't move past the light touch, keeping Aether's face tilted up to look into his eyes. "N..No,
I'm not saying that," Aether whispered, feeling his throat constrict. As he looked into Xiao's
eyes, he was almost thrilled to find no disgust in them. "I do it some nights a month for extra
money... I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I-If you don't want to be friends anymore, I understand."
He said, his gaze shifted to their feet again. Xiao hummed, tilting his head to the side once
more. "I don't care that you're an exotic dancer, nor could I care any less about the fact that
you didn't tell me." Xiao said roughly, making Aether's head snap up, his eyes going wide,
"You don't?" He asked, feeling relief wash over him.

There was still a cold look in Xiao's eye as he gazed down at him that unsettled him. "No.
What I'm mad about is this act you've been putting up." Xiao took a step forward, completely
closing the distance between them as he tugged Aether towards himself by the wrist. "All this
time.. hah. You've been acting like you're innocent, pretending you're shy and bashful around
me while displaying your body for the world to see. I've been going slowly to avoid the risk
of you running away... but I think I've been pretty clear with my intentions up until now."
Xiao spoke into his ear, his raspy voice seemed huskier up close, making a blush spread
across Aether's cheeks as he felt Xiao's body press up against his. "P-Please... it wasn't an
act." Xiao smiled just a little, burying his face in Aether's neck, pressing his lips to the skin.
"Do I make you nervous then?" He released Aether's wrists in case the blonde wanted to push
him away, but he made no movements to do so. Xiao snaked his arms around Aether's waist,
"Does this scare you?" He bit down on Aether's neck softly, nibbling on the skin and making
him take in a sharp breath. "No, it doesn't." He raised his arms to wrap them around Xiao's
neck. "The reason I have been nervous around is... is because I really like you, and I was
scared you would hate me for the things I did. But now.. knowing you don't hate me, I don't
feel scared." Xiao grunted, his hand slipping under Aether's turtleneck. "Tell me then, with
the same confidence you held last night, what do you want me to do?" Aether's blush spread
to the tips of his ears, feeling Xiao's cool fingertips brushing against his skin. He grasped
Xiao's hand in his own and tugged it up to his chest, "I want you to touch me here," Aether
whispered, pushing Xiao's hand against his nipple and grabbing his other hand as well,
guiding it behind him. He pressed Xiao's other hand against his ass, "and here, please.." Xiao
took a sharp intake of breath, feeling himself getting hard in his pants at the shameless
request. He didn't think he was actually ready for Aether's confidence just yet. The blonde
wasn't, however, done with his requests. "Kiss me too," Aether muttered, staring at Xiao's
lips with increasing lust. Xiao felt his self-control break like a dam and slammed his lips
against Aether's, startling the man who moaned with surprise. Xiao pressed his fingertips
against Aether's nipple, pushing the tight turtleneck up to his chest to expose his body to the
cool air of the basement.

"Hnngh.." Aether moaned quietly into Xiao's lips, feeling his fingers enclose around his
nippled and squeeze it gently. He felt his head spinning as Xiao shoved his tongue inside his
mouth and could put up no fight against him. He held onto the man's arms and whimpering
when Xiao's other hand groped his ass, kneading it gently. Xiao's hand dropped to grab
Aether's waist, lifting him to seat him on two stacked boxes. He pulled back, panting quietly
for breath as he took in the sight of Aether's swollen lips before his eyes dropped to his body.
He eyed Aether's nipples that looked perfect to suck on, his body had red marks around his
skin where the leather straps had cut into it. Aether was used to people staring at his body, but
when Xiao did it, he felt ten times more self-conscious, unable to tell what he was thinking.
He feared Xiao would find his body tainted or unworthy, but the man didn't even spare his
body a second glance, ducking his head to take Aether's nipple in his mouth, his hand groping
the other, twisting it between his slender fingers. He tugged at Aether's nipple with his teeth,
smirking as Aether moaned loudly at the attention. His nipples swelled within seconds,
exciting Xiao to no end who wondered what other ways Aether's body would respond to him.
"A-Ah Xiao!" Aether moaned as Xiao's hand dipped to grope Aether's bulge, palming it
gently as he pressed his lips to Aether's again to keep him from moaning too loud.

Xiao slowly pushed Aether back to lie on the crates and stood over him. He couldn't wait any
longer to see Aether lying bare and helpless beneath him. He tugged Aether's jeans down
after unbuttoning them, biting his lip at the sight of Aether's ass as he let the pants pool at his
feet. Aether's erection stood to attention, making Xiao smirk at how hard he was. He was
even beginning to leak precum already, "I've hardly touched you and you're this excited
already." Aether hid his face in his hands bashfully as Xiao stuck his fingers in his own
mouth to coat them with his spit, "D-Don't say such embarrassing things.. aah!" Aether
yelped as Xiao dipped his hand down to his ass, his fingers brushing over his hole with gentle
force. He pushed his fingers inside Aether, easing two fingers inside tenderly, grunting
quietly at the feeling of Aether's tight walls clenched around them. He lifted his legs with his
other hand and pressed a kiss to his thighs as Aether let out a cry of pleasure as Xiao almost
immediately pressed down on his prostate. The man smirked above Aether, watching with
enjoyment as Aether's face twisted into one of ecstasy, his eyes rolling back as his mouth fell
open. His head tipped off the edge of the box, leaving his neck open to bites from Xiao. Xiao
pressed his lips against Aether's neck, sucking a bruise onto the pale skin. He hummed with
satisfaction at the lewd noises Aether released, his back arching a little as Xiao rubbed his
fingers against his prostate. "A-Ah-- Xiao!" He moaned, making Xiao click his tongue. "As a
librarian, you should know the number one rule of the library is to stay quiet, hmm?" He
teased Aether, knowing at least one person was reading upstairs, that person would be very
displeased to know what they were doing instead of confessing.

Xiao pulled his fingers out of Aether, making his body spasm a little. Aether lifted his head to
watch as Xiao unbuttoned his pants and unzipped them, pulling his cock out of the design of
his boxers. He gulped a little and laid back down, allowing his head to hang off the side of
the box. Xiao spat on his cock as well, pumping it a few times with a grunt before he leaned
over Aether's body, pressing a kiss to his rosy nipples before he began to push inside.
Aether's eyes widened as he clapped his hands over his mouth to stop the oncoming moan
from escaping his lips, feeling the way Xiao's cock stretched him out wide. Xiao ran his
tongue over his nipples, his hands gripping Aether's waist to keep him in place as he pushed
fully inside. Xiao grunted a little as his hips met Aether's ass. He tugged Aether up into a
sitting position again and pulled him close, pressing their lips together as he pulled out
halfway before slamming back inside. His cock pushed straight into Aether's sweet spot, his
loud moan only being slightly muffled by Xiao's sweet lips as his back arched, waves of
ecstasy rolling through his body. "Xiao~" Aether moaned sweetly as Xiao pulled away,
regretting it as the loud moan slipped past Aether's lips. It drove him off the rails, the way
Aether's fingers clutched at Xiao's shirt, holding onto him tightly, his walls clamping around
him like a sleeve while his eyes glazed over with powerful lust. "It feels so good--mmh"
Aether buried his face into Xiao's neck, biting down on the skin impulsively and making
Xiao groan as he drew blood. He kept a steady speed inside Aether, fucking into him with
precision and aiming for Aether's sweet spot. He fastened his hand around Aether's cock,
making Aether's eyes widen as he bit harder into Xiao's bleeding skin, crying out into it as
Xiao began to pump him.

"Hnngh!" Aether mewled as Xiao tugged him back by his braid before smashing their lips
together in a sloppy kiss, their tongues rolling around one another's as they fought to keep
themselves grounded, mindful of the people upstairs. Xiao thrust up into Aether's prostate as
the blonde whimpered, tears brimming the corners of his eyes as they stared at one another
through half-lidded eyes, lips still locked in a heated kiss. "I think I'm going to cum, X-
Xiao!" Aether wailed as Xiao hit his prostate with more of his strength, his breathing uneven
and heavy as his cheeks tinted red from the pleasure of Aether's warmth around him. "Do you
like this, this feeling?" Xiao asked quietly, surprising Aether who hardly registered his words.
Aether nodded enthusiastically, "Yes-- yes.. fuck it's so good Xiao~" Aether couldn't stop
moaning his name, he wanted it to be the only word in his vocabulary. He loved the way it
rolled off his own tongue, mixed in with his moans, a fruit of Xiao's skill. He felt his body
heat up tremendously at the thought of Xiao's name, "Xiao, Xiao, Xiao..!" Aether moaned
repeatedly, feeling it was meant to be spoken by him. He quickly clamped his hand over his
erection as he came all over it with a final cry of Xiao's name. He panted heavily, feeling his
body tingling with the blood that pumped through it. Xiao pulled out and began to pump
himself, leaning close to Aether's body as the blonde still clung to him, trying to catch his
breath. Xiao's breathing constricted as he came all over Aether's legs. He bit his lip hard to
contain the grunt that almost slipped past his lips, breathing heavily. He cracked his eyes
open to look at Aether and found the blonde smiling at him, he pressed a kiss to Xiao's lips,
"You have it backwards but when will you be taking me out on a date?" Xiao's cheeks tinted
pink.
 Enemies (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Zhongli is dissatisfied with Childe's unwillingness to commit to him and decides that
he's had enough when Childe launches an attack on him.

Chapter Notes

Ahh, this chapter came out so long! I ended up replacing foursome which I deeply
apologize for, I know I switch the prompts around a lot, but I just couldn't bring myself
to write a foursome. I hope this huge smut will suffice, this was actually the first
Zhongchi one-shot I ever wrote, I rewrote it of course as my writing has improved since
then. It was supposed to be its own part but I never got around to publishing it back
when I wrote it in January which is why it's so long! I hope you enjoy it uwu

Zhongli stood in the cold night air with his arms crossed over his chest, his locks blowing in
the wind as he shut his eyes. A pensive expression crossed his face, his eyebrows creasing.

He released a deep breath while the pyro-powered lamp flickered overhead. The streets of
Liyue Harbor were deserted, an odd sight for the bustling town Zhongli had watched being
built. He was lost in deep thought, searching for any variables, his body relaxed but his mind
alert for any movements or sounds.

He had been waiting for Childe, a man he called a friend, but he supposed he shouldn't put a
label on it anymore.

The pair danced around one another in a volatile dance, one step forwards, two steps back, a
hop, skip, and a jump into one another's arms before a dip into silence.

Tonight, it would be different; he assumed force would be involved.

Aether had stopped by Zhongli's office to visit him earlier that day with Paimon, but the pair
did not come bearing good news. "Zhongli! We heard Childe is conspiring against you with
his Fatui buddies!" Paimon exclaimed as the pair burst through the door to Zhongli's office at
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

The door slammed against the wall with force and all three of them were sure that the bang
reverberated throughout the whole building. It was safe to say that Zhongli hadn't been
startled like that in a millennia or more. He stood up abruptly, alarm flashing in his amber
eyes, and almost drew his spear into his palm, ready to face danger.

His mind took a solid five seconds to process Paimon's words before he heaved a hefty sigh
and slowly sank back into his seat, exasperation filling him at the heart attack that just barely
missed him.

"Say again?" Zhongli asked wearily, thinking he misunderstood what Paimon had said in the
spur of the moment. Paimon inhaled, ready to repeat what she had said in her obnoxiously
loud voice, but to Zhongli's relief, Aether interrupted her.

"Perhaps it's best if I explain, Paimon. You made him jump out of his skin." Aether said.
Zhongli felt a sincere bout of gratitude in his chest, the day had been long and hectic with Hu
Tao on his ass for every little thing, milking every drop of his consulting capabilities to her
advantage. He did not need another rowdy voice to drill into his brain.

Paimon blushed with embarrassment and apologized quietly, muttering some other incoherent
things under her breath.

"We were at Feiyun Slope earlier, Paimon was hungry so we stopped by the Liuli Pavilion for
a bite to eat. We heard hushed voices talking in a room so Paimon wanted to check it out,
cause one of the voices was familiar." Aether told him.

Zhongli nodded, waiting for them to proceed. Paimon had calmed down and Aether deemed
it safe for her to speak, which she happily did, to Zhongli's amusement. "And who do we find
but Childe, Tell 'em what he said, Aether!" Paimon said, silently fuming as she crossed her
arms. Zhongli found himself getting more concerned as the topic veered towards Childe once
more.

"He was speaking to one of La Signora's cicin mages, according to him, you're supposed to
meet tonight, right?" Zhongli confirmed with a dip of his head, making Aether share an
exasperated look with Paimon, much to Zhongli's offense, knowing they were likely calling
him dumb in their heads.

"We heard them planning on ambushing you and stealing your gnosis. We think Childe will
distract you on your hangout tonight and the cicin mage will attack you from behind to bring
you down." Zhongli pursed his lips at the information, then he began to smile a little, making
Paimon reel while Aether raised an eyebrow. Zhongli looked at them with amusement
dancing in his eyes.

Paimon shuddered, loudly whispering to Aether, "Paimon's never seen Zhongli with that
creepy smile before." Zhongli sighed, "I heard that," He muttered, startling Paimon while the
traveler chuckled. It was too often of an occurrence that Paimon got called out for her loudly
whispered insults.

"Thank you for bringing my attention to Childe's schemes," He said softly.

Paimon tilted her head, "What do you plan to do then?" She didn't give him time to respond
before her rambling began, making Aether roll his eyes and lean against the wall, knowing
that once she got started, nothing could stop her.

"Paimon doesn't understand why you even hang out with that no-good Fatui! Paimon thinks
you shouldn't meet him at all tonight, or ever again. Oh... this is exactly what happened to
Venti. Aether, we can't let this happen to another Archon friend of ours!"

Aether nodded and looked back at Zhongli, expecting an answer to her original question.
Zhongli massaged the bridge of his nose, knowing he had already made up his mind.

"I appreciate you enlightening me to Childe's plot, really, I do," The pair beamed at him,
"However, I think I will meet Childe tonight--" Paimon exploded into an angry uproar that
Zhongli could hardly understand, but he saw Aether nodded his head at every word she said,
a stern look on his face. He admired his ability to understand the fairy enough to discern her
words.

Zhongli held up a hand to pause Paimon's rant, sighing as his head ached harder. "Allow me
to elaborate," To his relief, Paimon quieted down, "I will meet with Childe if you can assist
me. May I ask you for a favor? Tonight, can you track down the cicin mage that you
mentioned? I can handle Childe just fine if need be. I wouldn't want to put you through the
effort of fighting him again, after all."

Aether thought for a moment before he nodded his head, agreeing to help Zhongli. The latter
gave the pair a tired smile, "I'm most grateful to have your assistance with this matter. Childe
and I will be meeting at 1 o'clock tonight at Yujing Terrace for drinks, please ensure that no
one is around to witness us if things get... disorderly."

Aether and Paimon nodded, wishing the Archon luck though all three in the room knew
Zhongli hardly needed it. Zhongli knew that he was out of Childe's league when it came to
strength, that would remain true even if he did not use his gnosis. Aether jabbed his head
towards the door for Paimon to follow.

From that point on, Zhongli didn't think much about it. He didn't need to formulate a plan,
there was no way he was going to let Childe betray him. He had rejected La Signora's
previous attempt at a contract for his gnosis, but it seemed the Fatui and their Tsaritsa weren't
through with him yet.

The cold wind picked up, swatting his hair around but he barely noticed it. He wondered how
Childe would approach him, what he would say to Zhongli when he arrived and what he
would say before attacking him.

He had no trouble believing the traveler and Paimon for he knew what Childe was like in the
few months he'd known him, cunning and devious.

Zhongli had grown weary of Childe's constant schemes, usually, he managed to avoid them
one way or another, but he decided today was going to be the last time he avoided it. Childe
made him suffer in many ways than one. Zhongli's patience with the Harbinger had thinned
immensely.
Oh, how he wished to wipe the smirk off Childe's face in more ways than one. Maybe tonight
would be the night that happened. With that thought in mind, he was ready to face Childe. He
heard footsteps coming from a few meters in front of him.

He opened his eyes to study the veranda and turned to the front of the terrace, spotting a lean
silhouette making its way toward him. Zhongli couldn't help the small smile climbing on his
face as he spotted the innocent smile Childe sported as he approached Zhongli, giving him a
friendly wave and calling his name with glee, "Zhongli~!"

Zhongli cursed his heart for thumping so loudly in his ribcage. He didn't understand how he
had gotten so smitten with a Harbinger, Childe no less. "Childe," Zhongli liked the way
Childe's name felt on his tongue as he greeted him, the ginger trotting towards him to hug
him. Zhongli's lips pursed a little, knowing all this was just an act and nothing more.

Still, he snaked his arms around Childe's lithe waist, digging his fingertips into the muscular
surface of his skin and tugging him close. He took in the man's scent, almost like cider and
mint, it was a nice smell.

Childe smiled into Zhongli's shoulder, "You're affectionate today, did something good happen
today?" He asked, pouting as Zhongli let him go, missing his warmth in the cool night air.

"Perhaps I just missed you." Childe's cheeks tinted pink as he grinned confidently, his smile
radiating mirth. Zhongli stared at him in the dim light of the lamp overhead, he would have
never been able to tell that Childe was up to something if he wasn't tipped off. "Is that right?"
Childe asked, smiling lovingly at Zhongli and making his heart thump, "I missed you too~,"
Childe kissed his jawline, but his smile had faltered a bit as a new emotion erupted in his
eyes.

Zhongli studied the emotion a bit, his eyes searching Childe's as he curled his lip. He was
able to decipher Childe's feelings of guilt. The thought almost made him laugh.

Childe never wanted to settle with Zhongli, he considered him nothing more than a plaything,
a pass-time for his stay in Liyue. They'd had gotten intimate before and each time, Childe
would run away from him at the fastest possible moment. Zhongli hated it.

It made his insides itch how easily Childe hugged and kissed his face, but ran away at the
slightest possibility of being tied down, of having sex with Zhongli. Zhongli supposed it
wasn't unfounded, Childe's unwillingness to be committed. He did, after all, work for
Zhongli's nemesis. There was a chance the Tsaritsa would kill Childe for harboring any
feelings for Zhongli, he understood that.

Then why did Childe have to make it difficult for him by staring at him so lovingly, kissing
him whenever he felt like it, and moaning so shamelessly when Zhongli thrust his fingers
inside him? Zhongli sighed a little as Childe tilted his head, smiling up at him, "Are you
ready to go, Mr. Zhongli?" He asked jubilantly, his acting skills were impeccable.

"Indeed, you're treating, right?" Zhongli gave him a small smile, pushing aside his thoughts
as he heard Childe's bubbly laughter. "Oh yes~ How could I not?" Childe took Zhongli's hand
in his own, intertwining his gloved fingers with Zhongli's and beginning to tug him towards
the pub.

Zhongli started at their hands, a bitter taste on his tongue. They briskly crossed Liyue, Childe
chattering about random things. "Huh, not many guards around, are there?" Childe asked, his
eyes narrowing a fraction at the suspicious scene. Not a single person had walked the same
street as them, courtesy of Aether.

Zhongli nodded, biting his cheek to keep from smiling, Aether knew how to keep his word.
They reached the bridge that connected Feiyun Slope to the central plaza. Childe tugged
Zhongli's hand, "Ooh~ let's grab a bite to eat at Wanmin restaurant before we go, I think Chef
Mao still keeps it open at this time."

Zhongli remained stationary, his eyes trying to search Childe's face as the younger looked
around. "It isn't good for your digestive tract to eat right before drinking alcohol. You should
know better than this, Childe." Zhongli chided him lightly, smiling.

Childe blushed, "Oh but I'm really hungry, let's just take a small detour, the harbor isn't so far
away from the plaza, we can head there after we eat." Zhongli's eyes narrowed a fraction as
he watched a bead of sweat rolling down the side of Childe's face despite the cool night air.
He was curious about how Childe would go about attacking him.

He dipped his head in mock surrender. "Alright, if you agree to eat light, I suppose there is no
harm in getting a snack." He placed his hand at the small of Childe's back and steered him to
the plaza, making the ginger's cheeks tint pink at the feeling of Zhongli's fingertips brushing
against his back.

Zhongli walked with an air of confidence, making sure Childe took note of it. He knew that
he was in no danger with the traveler watching his back so long as he didn't let the ginger
next to him out of his sight. Childe stopped at the fountain at the center, making Zhongli
resist the urge to smirk as he looked back at Childe, feigning confusion. "Is everything
alright?" Childe didn't respond as he glanced around, trying to be subtle.

Zhongli snaked both his arms around Childe's waist as he took a step behind the ginger,
hugging him from behind, "Looking for someone?" He asked, watching with satisfaction as
the minuscule hairs at the back of Childe's neck stand on end.

Childe raised his hands to hold Zhongli's that were clasped around his waist. "Who would I
be looking for when I'm with you, silly?" He chuckled, trying to sound convincing.

Zhongli pressed a kiss to the area behind Childe's ear, making the ginger shudder as he
tightened his grip on Zhongli's hands. "Perhaps one of Signora's minions?" Childe broke out
of his embrace instantly, turning around and taking a few steps back. Zhongli folded his arms
behind his back, watching the panic that flashed in the pools of water that were his eyes.

"How did you--" Childe didn't attempt to finish his question. An average person wouldn't
have been able to follow Childe's movements as he summoned his bow and shot an arrow at
Zhongli. The arrow had not been shot with complete precision from the mix of emotions
Childe was feeling. A stele erupted from the ground in front of the arrow at the speed of light,
deflecting the arrow. The pillar had come and gone within the blink of an eye.

They stared at one another for what felt like an eternity but was a mere second before Zhongli
summoned his polearm and moved it back, like a baseball pitcher, he shot it at Childe's chest.
Childe dove out of the way as expected. His bow slipped from his hands as he fell to the
ground due to the suddenness of the action. He gasped a little as his weapon skidded away.
He dove to grab it but a foot stomped on his hand, pinning it to the ground while the sharp
point of Zhongli's spear was at his throat. Childe let out a choked cry of pain at the shock that
shot through his hand.

He looked up at Zhongli, excitement dancing in his eyes at how Zhongli had cornered him in
under a minute without using anything but physical force. He shuddered with trepidation as
Zhongli pressed the cold tip of his spear to Childe's skin. They stared at each other for a wild
moment with unblinking eyes. Zhongli's eyes shone gold in the reflection of the moonlight.
Childe couldn't help but use the moment to truly admire the surrealism his eyes displayed.

"Who told you?" Childe asked, breaking the silence as he was unable to bear looking into
those luminescent eyes for a moment longer. Zhongli sneered at him, but his glare softened a
fraction at how helpless the Harbinger looked.

"That doesn't mean anything anymore, does it?" He nudged Childe's head to look up at him
once more, amusement dancing in his eyes at Childe's unwillingness to fight without his
weapon. "You love the thrill of a battle, but you're so quiet now. Why's that?" Zhongli teased
a little, but the firm pressure with which he pressed the tip of his spear to Childe's throat did
not waver one bit.

"Do you expect me to fight you without a weapon while you're pressing that thing to my
throat?" Childe asked, eyeing the golden polearm suspiciously. He didn't yet think Zhongli
would make a move to kill him off. With a jerk of his hand, Zhongli pulled the polearm away
from Childe's neck, hooking it around the string of Childe's bow. With a flick of his polearm,
Zhongli launched Childe's bow into the distance where it fell off the side of the railing.

He stuck his polearm in the ground and crouched in front of Childe as the ginger stared off in
the direction where his bow was launched into the ocean. Zhongli grasped Childe's jaw and
tipped his head back to make the ginger meet his eyes. "Now... help me decide, what shall I
do with you?" His gloved fingers pressed into Childe's cheeks, pulling Childe closer to
himself as he eyed the ginger's lips. Childe whined a little, putting his hands on Zhongli's
arms for support.

"It seems like you already know what you want to do." Childe croaked out as Zhongli's palm
slipped to his throat, giving it a light squeeze and restricting his airflow. Childe smirked at
him as Zhongli said nothing, "I don't quite understand the gravity of what I did that warranted
such a heinous attitude, Mr. Zhongli," Childe murmured, letting out a puff of air as Zhongli's
fingers tightened at the sides of his neck, choking him. "Why don't you make me
understand?" Childe swung his fist upwards to uppercut the Archon, but Zhongli grabbed
Childe's wrists, letting go of his neck to pin Childe to the floor with his hands on either side
of his head.
Zhongli stared down at him before dipping down to capture Childe's lips in his own. Childe
smiled into the kiss, fighting against Zhongli's hands, wanting to pull him closer. He moaned
as Zhongli shoved his tongue past his lips, allowing it to shoot to the back of his throat to
choke him a little. Childe's mind felt numb as he tried his best to fight against the Archon.

Zhongli pressed his knee between Childe's legs and pushed into his cock, feeling it harden
under his leg. Childe whimpered pathetically on the ground as drool dribbled down his chin.

Zhongli noticed and lapped up his spit before pulling back and staring down at Childe. Both
of them were aware that they were still in public, albeit the plaza was void of life save for
them. "Seems you've made up your mind," Childe said breathlessly, moaning Zhongli's name
as he shifted his leg between Childe's thighs. His face was bright red as Zhongli stared down
at him with an unreadable look in his eyes. "What's wrong? You're not scared of me after I
attacked you, are you, Mr. Zhongli?"

A growl erupted from the back of Zhongli's throat, making the ginger smirk, "If you're not
scared then show me what the Geo Archon is able to do. Punish me for what you think I've
done wrong." Zhongli bit his lip, his luminescent eyes boring into Childe's, making the ginger
force himself not to flinch under his gaze.

"I'll make you regret that challenge." Zhongli whispered. Childe tried to sit up as best as he
could with his arms pinned down, managing to stick his tongue out to lick Zhongli's lips.

"Well then? Do you plan on fucking me in the middle of the plaza or..?" Zhongli grunted and
stood up, tugging Childe up by the wrist. Zhongli grabbed his polearm and pulled it out of the
ground before turning his stony gaze to Childe, who made an effort to keep from shrinking.
Zhongli tugged him forwards, "Walk." He ordered.

Childe shuddered at the single instruction and how cold Zhongli's voice was, but he supposed
he couldn't complain, not after he'd been that terse with Zhongli every time they had gotten
intimate. He would let Zhongli have his fun.

The bruising grip on his wrist made his head spin as he followed Zhongli back up the bridge
before they went into a familiar street. Childe stared at the building of Wangsheng Funeral
Parlor before Zhongli pinned him to the double doors and kissed him, unable to get enough
of his sweet lips.

Zhongli fished a key from his pocket, keeping Childe distracted with his lips as he fumbled to
unlock the doors. When the lock clicked open, he pushed Childe inside before following. It
was empty and dark, save for the light of the moonlight and the street lamps illuminating
their path upstairs, their lips locked in a heated kiss.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair was watching them as they disappeared inside the building,
"That's what he meant by taking care of Childe?!" A voice screeched.

Childe was taken up to Zhongli's office and pushed against the door after they shut it behind
themselves. Inches away from his own blue eyes were Zhongli's brilliant amber ones,
watching for any sign of refusal. Childe felt blood flow to the tips of his ears at the
unwavering gaze. "Well? Are you going to follow through on your promise, God of
Contracts? Are you going to make me regret ever speaking of this idea?" Childe teased,
shrugging his wrist free from Zhongli's grasp to pull him closer by the tie, closing off all exits
for himself with Zhongli's build.

"Every word," Zhongli's voice rasped through the empty office and bounded off the walls
with a slight echo, making Childe shudder.

Zhongli connected their lips again and immediately, Childe felt breathless, as if the feelings
he'd been ignoring for the last few minutes came rushing back into his conscience, the pain in
his wrist, the confinement of his pants, the burning hot blush on his face. Zhongli's hands
hooked around his waist, slipping through the cut in his jacket, trailing his fingers on Childe's
skin.

Childe bit Zhongli's lip ferociously, his hands slipped down to cup Zhongli's plump ass and
knead it slightly. Zhongli pulled away and began to trail kisses from Childe's cheeks, down
his jaw to his neck. Zhongli clamped his mouth on Childe's neck, sucking a bruise onto his
neck. He grazed his sharp canines against Childe's skin, cutting it and making him hiss,
before lapping up the blood that began to seep out. Childe's hands slipped to the back of
Zhongli's thighs, feeling the rippling muscles as he felt himself losing conscience, being
forced into submission.

Zhongli lifted his head from Childe's neck to look at the frazzled Fatui's face, Childe's eyes
raked over Zhongli's swollen lips, and noticed a drop of blood on them. He cupped Zhongli's
face and pressed their lips together again, licking his own blood off Zhongli's mouth. Zhongli
bit Childe's bottom lip, pulling them apart to shove his tongue into Childe's mouth again.

Their tongues danced in a one-sided battle that Childe was desperately losing, slowly losing
composure little by little with every lick and bite that bruised his swollen lips.

The room felt ten times hotter than when they got there and Childe felt about ready to rip his
clothes off. Childe pulled back, gasping for breath but Zhongli didn't allow him any time to
recover, his hand ventured up to disentangle the Fatui mask from Childe's hair and throw it to
some corner of the office.

He tugged Childe's hair to pull his head back, greedily sucking more bruises on his neck, one
after another. Childe whined as Zhongli's hand ventured down his body to lightly massage the
bulge between Childe's legs. He leaned back against the wall completely to lessen the
pressure on his quaking legs.

Childe tugged Zhongli's mouth away from his neck by giving a sharp tug on his ponytail. He
tried to ignore the stinging from the bites Zhongli had inflicted on him, his neck tingling from
being abused so violently by Zhongli's lips. His fingers fumbled with the strap of Zhongli's
coat, his mind unable to focus on getting it open before he gave up.

Zhongli expertly undid the sash on Childe's shoulders and pulled the clasp of his jacket open,
along with the button on the red shirt that he wore underneath and letting the layer fall off his
shoulders at their feet. Childe pressed his lips to Zhongli's neck to kiss and bite the smooth
and untouched skin but was unable to get far due to the high collar of his button-up.
He whined a little as he was unable to leave more than one hickey on Zhongli's neck, wanting
to brand the Archon's body. He stepped out of his boots, a choked moan escaping his lips as
he felt Zhongli pinch his ass.

"You can be as loud as you want, no one is here to listen to you except me." Zhongli
whispered in his ear and helped Childe strip himself of his pants and boxers, leaving him
completely bare in front of those watchful golden eyes. Zhongli took a step back, gazing
down at Childe's body, smirking at the way his pink cock throbbed a little, standing straight
up with the desire for touch.

Zhongli picked Childe up momentarily to carry him further into the office, his arms wrapping
around the ginger's waist as he kissed him again. Zhongli sat Childe on his neat desk, pushing
him back to lay vertical on the cold wood. He watched as goosebumps from the cold littered
Childe's body, his nipples hardening lewdly under his gaze. Childe's blush deepened as he
watched Zhongli eye his body, humility finally getting to him now that he was laid
completely vulnerable in front of Zhongli in his fully dressed state.

Zhongli bent over Childe's shivering body to trail kisses down his torso, his gloved fingers
reaching up to brush over the ginger's pink nipples, eliciting a quiet moan and a jerk of his
thigh at the contact.

"Please, let's put aside the f-foreplay for now." Childe whimpered, cursing himself for
pleading with Zhongli after making such a show of his overconfidence earlier. "We'll end it
when I decide to end it." Zhongli whispered against Childe's body, his lips brushing over
Childe's waist, resisting the urge to bite the supple skin.

Zhongli's fingertips lightly brushed against Childe's dick, making the ginger thrust upwards.
He was desperate for the slightest bit of friction Zhongli could grant him that could allow him
to get off on his high. Childe covered his face bashfully behind his palms, unable to look
Zhongli in the eye in this state. Zhongli's eyes narrowed into a glare, this was the part where
Childe would want to stop every time they tried to have sex. Zhongli grasped Childe's wrists
with one hand and pinned them above the ginger's head.

"Don't even think about running away this time. I won't let you cum until I am fully
satisfied."

Childe whimpered pathetically at the obscene comment, making Zhongli's lips curl into a
sneer as he gazed down at the shuddering body beneath him. Many times before had he seen
this sight, but every single time, Childe ran away from him after using him to reach his high,
never allowing him to penetrate him.

He would cum to Zhongli's hand, his fingers, and his touch, but run away as soon as it came
Zhongli's turn. Zhongli didn't understand why Childe engaged him in such activities when he
didn't even want to be fucked by him.

Tonight, he would have what was his. He would make Childe regret not taking him sooner.
Zhongli raised his hand to his lip, biting the glove off with his teeth while maintaining eye
contact with Childe before discarding it off to the side to join Childe's mask. Childe gazed at
his black, tattooed fingers with amazement as he always did. He gasped as they brushed
against his ribs; they felt as cold as stone, having brushed over his skin many times before,
but he never got used to the feeling.

Zhongli lifted his hand, caressing Childe's cheek with the palm of his hand and making him
shiver. He pressed three fingers to Childe's lips, watching the ginger take them in eagerly,
sucking on them with half-lidded eyes and coating them well with his saliva. He could only
imagine how filthy he must look in Zhongli's point of view right now.

Zhongli enjoyed the warmth encased around his fingers before drawing them back, yearning
for the warmth of somewhere else. Childe watched Zhongli's hand disappear out of sight
behind his legs. He whimpered as the first finger prodded his hole, coaxing him to relax
before Zhongli pushed it inside. Childe's face scrunched up as he squirmed under Zhongli
who smirked at him infuriatingly as he slowly twisted the finger inside him. Childe wanted
Zhongli to slam the fingers in and out of him, desperate for stimulation, desperate to cum so
he could flee again.

Instead, Zhongli only circled his rim aggravatingly slowly. He knew the schemes Childe
planned, he was not going to let him go as easily as he always did.

Childe tried to push down on Zhongli's fingers, desperate for him to ram them into his
prostate as they always did but Zhongli continued to tease him. He didn't give it to him on a
silver platter as he usually did. He gently pressed a second finger inside Childe, making the
ginger's eyes widen as he felt himself stretching out. "F-Fuck Zhongli, please I can handle it,
give it to me right now!" Childe whined, making Zhongli stop the gentle shifting of his
fingers inside him.

Childe cringed at how desperate he sounded but Zhongli didn't respond right away. Zhongli
glared down at him, letting out a humorless chuckle.

"Oh? You've never been brave enough to try it before, what makes you so sure you can
handle it now?" Zhongli challenged, his voice getting gruffer towards the end of his question
as his eyes flashed with anger, a sudden burst of sadism overcoming him before he rammed
his fingers into Childe's prostate effortlessly.

The sudden blow made Childe scream, his back arching as a generous amount of precum
spurted from his cock. His eyes went wide and unfocused as he stared up at the ceiling, his
body shuddering from the harshness of Zhongli's thrust. He had never been so rough before,
always milking Childe's prostate gently, rubbing his fingers over it, and making Childe
squirm and moan so well. Now, there wasn't a hint of sympathy in Zhongli's blazing eyes.

"P-Please..." Childe whimpered. His wrists ached as Zhongli's grip tightened, his nails cutting
into the abused skin. "Please what, Childe? What, pray tell, do you want me to give you?"
Zhongli didn't press on that spot again, knowing each thrust of his fingers would only bring
Childe closer to his orgasm, he couldn't have that, could he?

"Don't make me say it..." Childe whined, his voice soft as he tried to use his charm to coax
Zhongli. Usually, it would've worked, but Zhongli's frustration with the younger was far too
unkempt to be kept at bay. Zhongli gently flicked his thin nail over his prostate once more,
making Childe kick his legs out and twitch with Zhongli's name rolling off his tongue so
smoothly as if it was the first word he learned.

"Oh, but if I don't know what it is that you want, how do you expect me to give it to you?" A
satisfied gleam could be seen shining in Zhongli's eyes as he stared down at the younger.
Moonlight shone directly on Childe's body from the windows, giving the vibe that his skin
was glowing.

Zhongli's own patience was wearing thin now that Childe was laying there, ready for him. He
pushed the third finger inside and Childe grimaced at the stretch, Zhongli had never
attempted three fingers before tonight. He felt like he was being pulled apart but at the same
time, just the thought that it was Zhongli whose fingers were so deep inside him drove him
mad and compelled him to finally answer, "I want your cock, Rex Lapis, p-please--hnngh! I
need it," He begged as he lifted his legs to wrap around Zhongli's shoulders, trying his best to
persuade the man into giving him what he wants.

Zhongli's eyes gleamed with arousal at Childe's pleas, his words felt like music to Zhongli's
ears. He hummed, trying to seem disinterested even though his heart raced, "You always
seemed to reject it before so readily, leaving me behind to take care of myself. Why the
change of heart?" Childe didn't know how to answer. He had the answer to why he never let
Zhongli fuck into him, but he didn't know how to tell the Archon the reason he avoided his
cock was that he was afraid of getting addicted to it.

Already he was so infatuated with Zhongli, addicted to the sound of his voice, his gentle
gaze, his plump lips, and his fingers. He didn't need another thing to add to his decreased
loyalty to the Tsaritsa. But tonight, he could endure it no longer, he wanted it so badly.

"I didn't want to become addicted to it." Childe whispered honestly, making Zhongli freeze
up, not expecting a reply. "Pardon?" He asked Childe, his eyes flashing with momentary
confusion as he tried to comprehend Childe's words.

"I didn't want you to make me feel too good to make me switch sides... I can't betray the
Tsaritsa. B-But I really want it, I can't deny it anymore so please." He begged, hoping
Zhongli wouldn't ask him to elaborate anymore.

Zhongli released his hands to straighten up. He gazed down at Childe with an unreadable
emotion in his eye. He caressed Childe's thigh that was resting on his shoulder. He turned his
head to bite into the lissom skin, leaving another bloody mark on Childe's body and make the
younger squeak with pain, writhing. Zhongli stared at him for a long second, observing the
blush on his cheeks, the sweet moans, and pleas that came out of his mouth. He looked into
his teary blue eyes that stared back at him with lust shining in them.

Finally, Zhongli pulled his fingers out, allowing his hand to drop to his side as he tugged his
other glove off with his teeth again. He began to fumble with the zipper of his pants above
Childe's needy eyes. Childe sat up to help, his legs falling from Zhongli's shoulders to wrap
around his waist, pushing Zhongli's bulging cock against his ass through his pants. He had
never seen the Archon's whole vessel before, but he couldn't hide how excited he was as he
felt the mass press between his cheeks.
His cheeks tinted as he lightly ground against the rock-solid lump between Zhongli's legs. He
trailed his fingers down Zhongli's torso, feeling himself frown at the layer's Zhongli still
wore. Zhongli always had at least one layer on whenever they had sex yet he insisted on
stripping Childe down to his birthday suit. He sighed, knowing it couldn't be helped, he
couldn't wait long enough to get Zhongli out of his uncountable layers.

He massaged the bulge with his palm for a second, his eyes on the protrusion sticking out of
Zhongli's pants. He elicited a deep groan from Zhongli that sent chills down his spine.

He unzipped Zhongli's pants, lowering them along with his boxers just enough for him to pull
his cock out. His eyes widened at the sight of the pale member standing proudly against
Zhongli's stomach. It visibly throbbed, shuddering a little from the blood pumping through it.

His lips parted as he took it into his hand, wondering how he had been able to resist it before.

Zhongli let out a choked breath as Childe pumped him twice, enjoying the little noises of
pleasure Zhongli released. Zhongli pushed Childe back to lie on his back, grasping his thighs
in his hands and spreading his legs wide open for himself. Childe bashfully covered his lower
half, his face bright red with embarrassment, though he knew it was futile. Zhongli had seen
and felt him in more ways than one, at this point he knew his body better than Childe did.

"No use covering yourself after all that, is there, my dear?" Zhongli teased, the endearment
rolling smoothly off his tongue and make Childe's legs tremble in his hands even as he was
lying down.

He slowly put his hands aside to hold onto Zhongli's wrists on either side of his hips. He
tipped his head back as Zhongli poked his entrance a few times with a small smile on his
face, observing as Childe sucked in a sharp breath. Zhongli pushed inside slowly, letting out a
shaky breath as he felt the immense heat around his cock.

He bit his lip to ground himself, keeping from thrusting inside of him in one go. He pushed
inside halfway before giving Childe time to adjust. Childe's mouth was open and moving,
though no sounds came from his mouth. He could already feel his mind numbing as Zhongli
stretched his walls out more than he thought he would.

He held onto Zhongli's wrists for dear life, breathing deeply as he felt himself involuntarily
clenching around Zhongli.

"F--uck..!" Childe cursed softly under his breath, feeling it slowly getting more comfortable.
He could feel Zhongli's cock shuddering inside him from the blood flow, he could feel
Zhongli's hands shaking on his thighs as he held himself back.

"You can move n-now..mmf..." Childe murmured. Zhongli glanced down at him, confused.

"I'm only halfway inside." He whispered to Childe, making the ginger's eyes snap open as he
looked up at Zhongli with wide eyes. "S-Say again?" He asked, bewildered. He lifted his
head to look at flinched at the sight. Sure enough, Zhongli wasn't fully buried inside of him.
He wondered how something so thick and girthy had pushed its way inside and could only
imagine how filthy the scene looked in Zhongli's point of view.
Zhongli pushed further, making Childe yelp with pain as he buried himself deep inside, their
hips making contact. He panted hard, tears welling up in his eyes as he tried to focus on
Zhongli, yet the image of the Archon blurred in and out of focus. Zhongli waited patiently for
him, wondering whether it was Childe's first time doing it here. He placed a kiss on Childe's
leg, rubbing soothing circles in his thigh.

The archon himself was a mess above Childe. His breathing irregular as his mind battled
itself on whether or not to fuck into Childe already. A part of him told him to be gentle to
keep Childe from running away again, but a deep desire rose from the pits of his heart to
ruthlessly slam into the younger. He knew where the sadistic feeling came from, normally he
would've gone for being gentle with a person he loved, but now knowing it was Childe, he
knew the ginger could handle him.

He began to thrust inside Childe without mercy, groaning loudly at how tightly Childe
clutched around him as the ginger screamed, "Zhongli! No..wait...aah--fuck, Zhongli!"
Zhongli aimed for Childe's prostate, feeling the swollen bump against the shaft of his cock
and slamming the tip into the gland. Childe screamed his name again, drool dribbling from
his mouth as moaned loudly, throwing his head back against the table as his back arched into
a U shape flexibly.

Zhongli leaned down and took Childe's hardened nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue
around the bud as he felt himself going half insane with the pleasure of being inside the
younger. He bit around the younger's nipple, digging his dull front teeth into his pecs and
leaving a bite mark as he felt his eyelids drooping as his head spun.

Childe could hardly hear his own screams and cries of pleasure, each thrust, each blow
Zhongli delivered to his prostate stronger than the last.

Tears began to drip from Childe's cheeks, worrying Zhongli. The younger looked into his
eyes, hardly registering his concern but he smiled at the sight of Zhongli's care for his
pleasure. He knew now wasn't the time but he felt guilty for all the times he'd left Zhongli
hanging, pretending he had somewhere to be and avoiding him whenever it came to him.
Now, he was happy to see the pleasured look on the Archon's face as he panted for breath.

"Tell me, Childe..." Zhongli whispered, barely grasping the ginger's attention as he moaned
Zhongli's name loudly. "Tell me that you love me. I-I know you do, I won't force you into a
relationship but I just want to hear you say it." Childe dug his nails into Zhongli's wrists, his
eyes wide as most thoughts were fucked out of him.

"I love you, Zhongli!" Childe cried out just as Zhongli thrust into him. He tried his best to sit
up, grasping Zhongli's tie between his shaking fingers before he pulled Zhongli down to kiss
him. "I love you so much..hnngh--ah! I want to be with you like this for the rest of my life.."
Zhongli stared at him as Childe fell back on the now warm table with a thud, panting loudly
as he raked his fingernails onto the wood, scratching it a little. Zhongli felt a deep emotion
swirl inside him as he repeated those words again and again in his head.
"Fuck--Fuck I'm coming Zhonglii--mmhh" Childe's tongue lolled out of his mouth, his eyes
closing as he focused on the deep feeling at the pits of his stomach. 'Zhongli is inside me' He
thought, 'Zhongli is making me feel this good, Zhongli is going to make me cum just like this.'
The thought alone made him cum all over himself in white ribbons, spilling cum all over his
chest up to his neck as he let out one last shout of Zhongli's name.

Zhongli's eyes shut tightly as he tried to reel himself in. He felt his body growing immensely
hot, his touch on Childe's thighs became warmer as his tattoos glowed bright gold. His hands
lit up with the light of Geo as he came all inside Childe, spilling his seed inside the younger
with a loud, choked-up moan of Childe's name. He slumped over Childe's naked and
shivering body. His eyes fluttered open as he let go of Childe's thighs, buried deep inside of
him. He let out a shaky breath he didn't know he held inside him, and wrapping his arms
around Childe, hugging him close and inhaling his minty scent. "I love you too, so much."

***Extra***

"Traveler, that's Zhongli's window, isn't it? Go take a peek!" Paimon whispered, hopping
from side to side mid-air in suspense. Aether guffawed at the request, "Of course not! I'm not
going to risk my eyes to see that, it was you who wanted to spy on them to begin with."

Paimon stomped her foot in the air in annoyance, "Oh fine, I'll look!" She floated up the
window, taking a peep inside. Aether watched anxiously, biting his nails as Paimon turned
around to face him slowly, a blank expression on her face as she floated down. He didn't even
have time to ask a single question before Paimon started bawling and rubbing her eyes, fat
tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I told you that was a bad idea." Aether said, trying his best not to laugh as sympathy washed
over him.

"I didn't know they'd be that far into it," Paimon whispered between sobs. Aether gently
steered Paimon away from the window, shuddering violently as he heard Childe call out
Zhongli's name loudly. "Let's take you to Baizhu, perhaps he'll have a bleach strong enough
to erase whatever you saw in there." Paimon only sobbed in response.
 Food (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Childe complains too much about the heat, and Zhongli finds that not even a popsicle is
enough to shut him up.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

"It's too damn hot!" Childe whined as he laid sprawled out on the seat opposite Zhongli.
Zhongli didn't look up, likely because he had said that at least twenty times. The consultant
continued to file paperwork on his desk, blissfully ignoring Childe's whining. "Not to
mention looking at you makes me feel hot," Childe froze a little as the words left his mouth
before chuckling at how wrong it sounded.

He assumed the heat was making his thoughts a bit fuzzy. Zhongli raised an eyebrow at him,
momentarily looking up at where Childe sat.

"That came out wrong, I meant the layers you're wearing, how are you not melting?!" Childe
asked.

It was true, Zhongli wore his usual three layers, a button-up, a vest, and his signature long
coat over it. Not to mention his thick leather gloves, yet still, he looked unbothered by the
heat. Not a single bead of sweat rolled down his face, nor did it look like the heat bothered
Zhongli.

"The heat was ten times hotter in intensity during the Archon War than now. I assume you are
unable to handle it because you're a Snezhnayan, used to blizzards," Zhongli told him simply,
sounding like the voice of reason Childe didn't need in the middle of a heat wave; Childe just
wanted to gripe.

Childe grumbled a little, "Even if I wasn't Snezhnayan, this heat would've been the death of
me." Zhongli sighed in exasperation, clearly, he wasn't going to get any work done with
Childe whining like a child.

He stood up, "Alright, let us look for a solution to your problem, clearly I won't be allowed to
work in peace until then." Zhongli's tone was light, Childe knew his lover wasn't actually
calling him a bother. Zhongli put up with too much of Childe's crap after they made their
relationship exclusive.

Childe was happy to know that his lover tolerated his complaints and whining because he
loved him, he loved being Zhongli's Achilles' heel.
He happily got up, eager to not sit around waiting to become jelly. He scrunched his nose at
Zhongli again for his clothing, making the older tilted his head in confusion, a small smile on
his face at the odd glare as if asking a silent question. Childe's heart fluttered every time
Zhongli looked at him like that. Whenever he tilted his head and smiled, it was easy to forget
that he had centuries of war and bloodshed behind him. He looked innocent whenever he
smiled, his eyes would soften at the sight of Childe, and his heart would swell with affection.

"At least take a layer off, looking at you is painful," Childe complained. Zhongli pursed his
lips before sighing, he unclasped his coat and slung it around the back of his seat.

"Very well then, if it's enough to make you happy," Zhongli said reasonsbly. Zhongli's back
looked broader than it did with his coat on, the vest stretched out along his shoulder blades,
defining his wide shoulders and slim waist. His shirt hugged onto his skin tightly, as if
tailored down to every inch of Zhongli's measurement. Childe would've embraced him from
behind if it wasn't swelteringly hot.

He loved the way Zhongli looked in his brown vest, it was curved perfectly in alignment with
Zhongli's lower back. Childe couldn't help checking Zhongli out, it was difficult not to when
the man's perfectly tailored pants hugged onto his legs so tightly, rippling with muscles as he
moved towards Childe, his ass looking like a snack in Childe's eyes. Suddenly, it felt like the
room got ten times hotter.

Zhongli placed his large hand at the small of Childe's back, gently urging him forward
towards the door to exit Zhongli's office. His fingers gently caressed Childe's sweaty red
button-up, the tips digging lightly into Childe's skin. Childe realized it wasn't the room that
was getting hotter, but his own body temperature.

They ventured out of the building, Childe continued to complain about the heat while
Zhongli continued to ignore him with a tiny smile on his handsome face until they got to
Wanmin Restaurant. Childe's voice became childish whenever he whined, it was cute to
witness.

"Hm? Why are we here, Mr. Zhongli?" Childe asked, tilting his head as he separated from the
man. The rays of sunlight only made him sweat harder, and he would rather Zhongli not be
able to smell him.

Zhongli still moved closer, placing his arm around Childe's waist and tugging him close. He
loved Childe's scent, he smelled good to Zhongli even as he was sweating. Childe blushed at
the gesture, feeling the stares of people on them for public display of affection. Liyueans
were always peevish about PDA, but if it didn't bother their ex-Archon, Childe supposed it
shouldn't matter to him either.

Zhongli answered his question by turning to the shopkeeper, "Good Afternoon, Chef Mao. I
heard from Chongyun that you sell popsicles?" Zhongli asked. Childe's face lit up, and he
hugged Zhongli around the waist, nuzzling his face into the man's neck. Chef Mao smiled at
them, he appeared unfazed by their relationship.

"Genius!" Childe said to Zhongli before he quickly moved back once Zhongli's body heat
enveloped him. Zhongli shook his head in amusement at how little it took to impress Childe.
"Yes, of course, Mr. Zhongli! It's a popular demand during weather like this," Chef Mao said.
Zhongli nodded in understanding, pursing his lips at the loss of skinship with Childe.

"Please give us all the popsicles you have in stock then," Zhongli stated matter-of-fsctly as if
it was a reasonable request.

Chef Mao's eyes widened as he spluttered, "A-All of them? We make them in bulk, Mr.
Zhongli. Surely, that would be too many," Zhongli raised his hand to his chin thoughtfully as
if the thought hadn't occurred to him.

Childe rolled his eyes and stepped forward, "Six popsicles should be enough~" Chef Mao
nodded and bagged the six popsicles for them. Of course, Childe ended up paying despite it
being Zhongli's idea, though he didn't mind it. Immediately he ripped the wrapper off of a
strawberry-flavored one, sighing in relief once the cool ice cream hit his tongue. He offered
the bag to Zhongli you took out a simple chocolate-flavored one and began to nibble on it bit
by bit slowly.

"Let us return to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, I have much to do," Zhongli told him. Childe
only nodded, the popsicle hung out of his mouth, getting in the way of his speech. The red
color seeped into his lips, tinting them as they swelled a little from the cool popsicle.

Zhongli watched from the corner of his eye the way Childe hummed happily, sucking on the
lolly, he didn't complain anymore about the heat. He averted his gaze, fearing the dirty
thoughts that would inevitably go through his head. He tried to avoid listening to the slurping
sounds Childe made as he ate his popsicle, humming every now and again in satisfaction, the
noises were all too familiar.

By the time they returned to Zhongli's office, Childe's ice cream was long gone and he was
complaining again, "Zhongli~, I'm hot again."

Zhongli sighed in irritation, he hadn't made much progress with his own popsicle, most of it
was still left, "Why did you give the rest of the popsicles to the receptionist if you wanted
more?" He asked.

Childe pouted in indignation, "Didn't you see how much she was sweating? I couldn't leave
the poor girl," He said defensively. Zhongli sighed again as he started stacking the documents
from his working table neatly, organizing them according to what he had yet to complete and
what he had completed.

"Fine, come here then," Zhongli told him, looking at his documents, single-handedly
arranging them with one hand holding his chocolate-flavored popsicle. Childe didn't hesitate,
he was hoping Zhongli would give him the rest of his ice cream and trotted towards his lover
happily.

He yelped in surprise when Zhongli pressed him down on the sofa that sat in the corner of the
room, his hand on Childe's chest as he pushed Childe into the cushions.

Childe spluttered, a blush creeping onto his face as he was pinned to the seat, "I can't think of
much else to do to solve your little problem," Zhongli said; voice had dropped an octave as
he leaned over the ginger to press his lips against Childe's neck. Childe shuddered as
Zhongli's slender fingers worked on unbuttoning his red shirt. He took a deep breath once
Zhongli got the last button open with one hand, the other still clutching the stem of the
popsicle.

Childe felt a little shy under Zhongli's intense amber eyes as they raked over Childe's body
despite how many times Zhongli had seen him naked before. Childe gasped, choking a little
at the sharp intake of breath when Zhongli pressed the cold chocolate ice cream against
Childe's nipple. He felt a wave of shock rifle through his skin as he tried to regain his breath,
his eyes widening as he arched into the touch.

The ice cream melted rapidly against his hot, sweaty skin, droplets starting to run down his
body. Zhongli gazed at the milky droplets and clicked his tongue, "Can't let that go to waste,
can we?" Zhongli murmured, a satisfied smile on his face.

He leaned over Childe's body once more and ran his tongue over Childe's nipple, making the
ginger thrash beneath him and moan. He lapped up the escaped droplets of the ice cream and
sighed contentedly at the chocolatey flavor. Slowly, he began to press the ice cream more into
Childe's skin. He pushed it against his neck, his nipples, his abdomen, slowly venturing down
and melting the popsicle on Childe's skin. None of it went to waste, Zhongli's warm tongue
was there to savor every drop on Childe's skin, occasionally sucking on his sweaty skin and
leaving marks.

No sound broke through the room aside from Childe's gasps and moans as Zhongli littered
marks all over his skin. His nipples were as red as his lips from Zhongli's abusive tongue.

"A-Ah.. Zhongli" Childe breathed out as Zhongli made his way further down his body.
Childe's body was in a mix of feeling cold and hot, his teeth were chattering lightly from the
cool remnants of the popsicle yet his blood pumped harder than ever, keeping him alert.
Zhongli looked up at Childe's face and almost cursed with satisfaction when he saw the mess
he'd made of the ginger. His cheeks were rich in color, eyes barely cracked open, gazing at
Zhongli lustfully through his eyelashes. Zhongli captured Childe's parted lips promptly,
humming as he shared the strawberry taste on Childe's tongue.

Childe could feel himself slipping out of control as he wove his fingers through Zhongli's
dark hair. He twirled his ponytail along his index finger as Zhongli took to exploring his
mouth. Zhongli pulled back, gazing down at Childe with a loving stare that made Childe's
hair stand on end.

"Would you be opposed to me leaving marks on your thighs?" Zhongli asked, running his
fingers over Childe's scars.

Childe spluttered, embarrassed at the blunt question, "Are you saying you haven't marked me
enough?" He asked incredulously, gesturing to his torso, which was littered with red spots
from Zhongli.

Zhongli looked down at him in momentary surprise, "Oh dear, I thought you knew what I
was capable of, I haven't even gotten started yet," Zhongli said in mock sympathy as he
leaned down to peck Childe's shoulder. Childe cried out in pain, arching his back as Zhongli
sunk his teeth into Childe's skin, tearing into the flesh. Childe gasped as warm blood started
to leak from the new wound, but Zhongli didn't let any of it go to waste, lapping it up with his
tongue every few seconds just as he had done with the popsicle. It still melted readily
between his fingers; time was running short.

Zhongli's hands curled into the waistband of Childe's pants, pulling them down to his knees.
He gazed down at his lover's body, licking his lips at the sight of Childe's erection standing
straight with arousal.

Zhongli had seen many things in his years, but nothing excited him more than the man laid
out before him.

He hoisted Childe closer to himself and lifted his leg over his forearm, holding it up. He
pressed the popsicle to his inner thigh, making Childe jolt as he hissed at the cold feeling. His
sense receptors were confused, heat waves rolled off the walls, yet he shivered from the cold
ice cream being pressed against his skin. Zhongli buried his face between Childe's legs,
licking the chocolatey droplets off his thighs, his tongue dangerously close to Childe's cock.
Zhongli had never done something this intimate before, it was usually Childe with his head
between the Archon's legs, sucking him off, but somehow, Zhongli managed to exude power
even with his face hidden between his thighs.

Just the thought of it made Childe squirm. "W-Wait Zhongli--haah..!" Childe moaned,
arching his back as Zhongli pressed the last of the ice cream against his burning red cock, it
melted almost immediately against it as he yelped from the cold shock.

A healthy amount of precum leaking from his cock and mixing with the melted ice cream. He
shuddered as he felt the cold drops sliding down the shaft of his dick, "P-Please..." He
whimpered as he ran his fingers through Zhongli's hair. His eyes flew open as Zhongli ran his
tongue across his balls, slowly trailing the muscle up the underside of Childe's cock. He
lapped up the juices dripping from Childe's cock with a throaty hum that made Childe kick
his legs out at the vibrations that ran through his body.

"Aah-- Zhongli, f-fuck!" Childe moaned helplessly, making Zhongli smirk as he cleaned the
last of the ice cream off his cock, throwing the popsicle stick off to the side.

"If I had known you would make these kinds of noises in response to this, I would have done
this long ago," Zhongli whispered lasciviously, lust shining his eyes as he licked the last of
the chocolate off his lips.

He didn't enjoy receiving oral much, he did like how wet and cramped Childe's mouth was,
but the feeling was weird. He much preferred being inside the ginger, making him feel good
and listening to the pretty noises that escaped his lips. He was alright with giving head, he
decided, if it meant listening to Childe moan his name like this.

An idea came to mind. He decided to tweak his form a bit right then and there. Slowly, his
tongue began to grow, longer and longer like a snake's until it hung from his mouth, almost as
large as Childe's face. His tongue split into two at the tip, resembling that of a reptile's.
Childe was staring at the ceiling, too busy trying to catch his breath to notice what Zhongli
was doing. Zhongli smiled as he wrapped the thick muscle around Childe's cock suddenly,
twirling it around the ginger's shaft before fastening around it and making him let out a cry of
surprise and pleasure. Zhongli unfurled his tongue and rolled it up to speak properly, "Don't
be too loud, dear. That nice receptionist is still downstairs you know," He teased.

Childe lifted his head, his face was red and his body burned under Zhongli, his red shirt
hanging loosely off his shoulders as he shook violently, "What t-the fuck did you just do?"

Zhongli flashed his lover an innocent smile, "Whatever do you mean?" Then, as Childe
watched, Zhongli opened his mouth to let his tough roll out until it stretched to its full length.
Childe gaped at him, "What--- hnngh! Zh-Zhongli, don't do tha--aahh!" Zhongli swirled his
tongue around Childe's cock, they could've been considered kitten licks if the muscle wasn't
eight inches long. It could almost rival his cock. Almost.

Zhongli dipped one of the small cuts at the tip of his tongue into Childe's urethra as he
unzipped his own pants. He pulled out his cock and began to pump himself as he wrapped his
tongue around the ginger's cock again before he engulfed it in his mouth completely. Childe
clapped his hand over his mouth and let out a muffled scream, his body sensitive from the
cold ice cream. He bit his hand forcefully to keep moans at bay, drawing blood as Zhongli
took his cock in down to the base.

Zhongli stroked himself, humming as Childe dripped precum in his mouth; he pinned the
squirming ginger down on the sofa forcefully with one hand. He tightened the grip of his
muscle around Childe's cock for a second, "F-Fuck--Zhongli...please--nngh~," His lover
sounded so pretty moaning his name.

Zhongli sucked on Childe's cock, it hit the back of his throat but his lack of a gag reflex
helped him pleasure his lover to the fullest. "I'm gonna cum--please..I'm going to cum-"
Childe whimpered, but Zhongli was unfazed as he focused on pumping himself harder to be
able to cum in time with his lover.

Every muscle in Childe's body tightened as he clamped his legs around Zhongli's head
tightly, making the Archon let out a noise of surprise before he came all in Zhongli's mouth,
shooting his seed down his throat with a small scream of Zhongli's name.

Zhongli swallowed Childe's load without difficulty and pulled Childe's legs apart in order to
pull away from Childe's cock. A large amount of saliva dripped from Childe's cock as
Zhongli straightened up, still pumping himself to reach his high. Childe watched dazedly as
Zhongli's tongue slowly began to shrink back to its normal size. He kneeled between Childe's
legs, looking down at his lover with half-lidded eyes, lips parted to pant for breath as he
studied the condition he'd left Childe in.

Zhongli's spit was smeared over the ginger's entire body, from his neck, down to his abdomen
to his thighs and cock. His body was drenched with sweat, his button-up was crumpled
behind his back like paper, his legs still suspended in the air with his grey pants pooled at his
ankles. His mouth was open as he gasped for breath, his eyes unfocused as he looked up at
Zhongli, not actually taking in what his lover was doing.
 Zhongli grunted, feeling his high getting closer. His body shuddered as bent over Childe's
body again, dipping a hand into the sofa beside Childe's head to keep himself steady. Even he
was sweating like crazy now.

With a call of Childe's name, he came in white ribbons all over his lover's chest and
abdomen, a small amount landing up to his neck and face as well as he came powerfully to
the sight of the state he'd left Childe in. Childe flinched as he protected his eyes from the
shower of Zhongli's white-hot cum that seemed to burn against his skin. He panted as
Zhongli gave him a kiss on the lips.

***Extra***

Childe shivered, finally able to focus on Zhongli as his mind cleared up. Zhongli looked his
lover up and down and bit his lip to keep from getting aroused at what a mess Childe was,
shutting his eyes as he stood up.

"I'm sorry," He said to Childe softly, confusing the ginger who still felt tingly all over as he
slowly regained his sense. Zhongli tucked his cock away before leaning over to kiss Childe's
sweaty forehead, cringing a little, "I better not hear another peep out of you about the heat,
dearest. I've taken care of you as best as I could."

He stepped away from Childe, a proud smirk on his face as he moved back to go and sit at his
desk. He placed his reading glasses on his nose and began to work, ignoring Childe.

Childe sat up slowly and squawked as he looked down at his body, "You call this taking care
of me?!" He snarled at Zhongli, who didn't respond or even look at him, "I hate you!" Childe
grumbled to him as grabbed several (almost emptying the entire box) tissues and began to
clean himself up with a pout on his face, seething with anger. He was still so god-damned
hot, he had suffered all that for nothing.

Childe quickly buttoned up his shirt, cringing at how sticky and sweaty he felt, and pulled up
his pants. He stood up and held the wall for support as his legs trembled.

Zhongli failed to hide his smirk as Childe glared at him, "I hate you!" He repeated loudly
before he exited the office after grabbing his grey jacket and sash and pulling it over his
shoulders. He felt filthy as he climbed down the steps, he probably looked like he'd just had
sex as well. The receptionist glanced at him before calling out to him. He turned his gaze to
her as she asked him, "Mr. Childe, thank you for the ice cream, it helped a lot... but um.. did
you perhaps offer the popsicles to me as a bribe to keep quiet about what you were doing in
Mr. Zhongli's office?"

Childe wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

Chapter End Notes

I laughed a lot while writing the last paragraph of the extra. I really felt for Childe
because really, it must feel so gross being covered from top to bottom in spit, sweat, and
cum. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think of the chapter!
 Filming/Photography (Beidou/Ningguang)
Chapter Summary

Beidou needs a last-minute model to take pictures of for a photography assignment, who
better than the tantalizing President of the school, Ningguang who happens to have
peculiar requests from Beidou as compensation?

Chapter Notes

Aaah back with another wlw, god my writing was so stiff during this, I don't know why I
can't really focus well on wlw, it just doesn't feel as smooth even though I'm a woman
haha. Perhaps it's because I'm a panicked gay or some shit. I hope you enjoy it anyways!

"She's... really hot," Beidou said to Zhongli, not bothering to keep her voice down, her lips
parted as she stared at Ningguang blatantly.

The man pursed his lips, watching her eye the woman sitting at the fountain with her legs
crossed elegantly, sipping from a cigarette. He couldn't understand how Beidou could be so
unfiltered. "You would do well to keep your voice down, Beidou." He sighed, attempting to
focus on his laptop. He was in the midst of editing some pictures he'd taken in the park, when
his dear friend had loudly spotted him, greeted him, and plopped down next to him.

He also didn't understand how Beidou didn't know who the woman was. Ningguang was
known far and wide, not just on the campus but regular Liyuean citizens knew her as well.
Beidou let out a puff of laughter, "You know that's not my style, I'm not afraid to tell
someone she's very pretty~" She said the last few words really loudly, gazing at the white-
haired woman again.

Ningguang raised her head and turned her gaze to look in their direction. Zhongli watched as
the woman regarded Beidou for a few moments, processing her words and connecting the
dots that Beidou meant her. Zhongli cringed visibly as he tried to sink into his seat, watching
the woman give Beidou a judgemental glance as the brunette waved at her, smirking.

"You're causing a disturbance." He informed her. He was not a shy person by any means, but
Beidou's unfiltered confidence gave even him second-hand embarrassment.

"Don't I always?" She laughed, pulling a knee up to her chest and resting her heeled boot on
the bench, spreading out her other leg in a model's pose. Zhongli sighed, it almost made him
laugh how obviously she was trying to get the white-haired woman to notice her and give her
the time of day.

"Do you have the model pictures ready for the competition the day after tomorrow?" Zhongli
asked, assuming Beidou did, as the woman was an impeccable photographer. "Nope," Beidou
said blandly with a popping P, making Zhongli's eyes widen as he stared at her with disbelief.

He shook his head with incredulity, wondering how such a talented woman could be so
irresponsible. "Will you ever take photography seriously?" Zhongli asked, annoyed as he
watched Beidou blow a kiss to Ningguang who looked back at her with a small smile on her
face, getting that Beidou was trying to hit on her. "I'm working on finding a model, you see?"
Beidou gestured to Ningguang, "Watch." She told him as she got up and confidently strode
towards the woman. Zhongli did not, however, stick around to watch. As much as it would be
fun to watch Beidou get slapped, he needed to focus, and wherever Beidou was, chaos
followed and focusing was impossible. He got up and walked away.

"Hey gorgeous~," Beidou asked, taking a seat next to her on the fountain's edge. She almost
whistled as she made eye contact with the woman's rosy red eyes as she smiled a little.

"May I help you?" Ningguang asked, making Beidou splutter with delight at how smooth and
elegant her voice was.

The woman, like Beidou, radiated confidence, but unlike the photographer's jovial and
boisterous confidence, she radiated strong, silent energy. She was dressed in a regal flower
pattern dress that reached her knees, much different from Beidou's biker outfit. "Yes, you can
help save my life by giving me your number," Beidou said, a wide grin on her face as she
gazed at her and took in her charming presence.

Beidou knew almost everyone on campus, so how was it that she had never met this beauty
before?

She fixed her leather jacket and pushed her hair out of her left eye, confidently displaying the
red eyepatch over it, letting the woman know she was not shy enough to hide from her behind
her bangs. She smiled, her pretty pink lips curling upwards as she twisted to her side a little
to face Beidou.

"How original. I'm no medical student but I don't recall that being a solution to death," She
leaned against her hand on the fountain's bench. Ningguang put her beautiful face close to
Beidou's and took in the woman's sharp and charming features. Beidou's eye was sharp and
reflected every drop of her playful charisma. Her skin was lightly tanned from being in the
sunshine; she wore biker gloves with her leather jacket, dressed in all black save for her
blood-red shirt. "Would you care to tell me the name of the person whose life I'm saving?"
She whispered seductively, watching Beidou freeze up as she leaned in close to her ear.

Beidou was caught off guard, even she clearly didn't have faith in herself to successfully flirt
with such a regal-looking woman. Ningguang didn't live under a rock: she knew exactly who
Beidou was, what with her being so popular on the campus. She made it her business to know
anybody of importance, and Beidou, being sociable and incredibly smart, had caught
Ningguang's interest very early on.
Everyone knew her name and got along with her, men, women, and all in between. It was
also no secret that she was a lesbian. Ningguang was almost disappointed at how their paths
never crossed, wishing to know what the beautiful woman was like, though her personality
seemed very different from hers, according to Keqing and Ganyu who got along with Beidou,
she didn't expect their first meeting to be so flirtatious.

However, Ningguang was no shy daisy. She was also known widely across campus for sitting
at the tip-top of the university. With her father being mayor and her in line to becoming one
of the governing officers of Liyue, it was difficult not to know her name. "Beidou..." Beidou
breathed out, her eye growing half-lidded as she regarded Ningguang.

It was clear that she hadn't been expecting such a blatant show of confidence from the
elegant-looking woman. Beidou let out a puff of laughter, the cigarette in Ningguang's hand
should've been a clear indication that she would not back down to Beidou's flirtatious
personality as easily as other ladies did.

Ningguang pulled back, putting distance between them once more and smiling slyly at the
blush on Beidou's face.

She dropped the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it to extinguish it and ripped out a
small piece of paper from the notebook in her bag and grabbed a pen, scribbling her number
onto the piece of parchment. She wrote her name as well and folded it up, clutching the paper
between two of her beautiful fingers before placing it in the breast pocket of Beidou's shirt.

"Don't lose it, Ms. Beidou." She got to her feet and grabbed her belongings, walking away
from the dazed woman with a confident and pleased smile on her face, feeling the stare on
her back.

Knowing that she had made the Beidou speechless like that on their first meeting made her
all the more excited to dance around with the woman. Beidou bit her lip as she watched
Ningguang's retreating figure, her hips swaying perfectly as she walked like a model on a
catwalk with the air of confidence around her. "I wasn't done with you yet..." She whispered
after her with a smirk curling up on her lips.

She pulled the paper out of her pocket and read the number, her eye sliding across the name.
She parted her lips and let out a small 'huh' of surprise and euphoria. "So you're Ningguang,
eh? This should be interesting." She had heard much about the prodigy that was Ningguang,
she expected her to be snobby and uptight which was why she never tried to seek her out. She
regretted that now after being flirted with so brazenly. She laughed to herself, she would have
to try harder to sweep Ningguang off her feet.

***

"Okay, I fucked up," Beidou said over the phone to Zhongli who merely chuckled at her
expense. "Indeed you did," He said, sighing a little at his friend's carelessness. "Perhaps if
you weren't busy flirting with the President of the school the whole day yesterday and today,
you wouldn't have left everything up to the last minute." Beidou pursed her lips at the
nagging tone to Zhongli's voice and grumbled under her breath, twirling a strand of her
brown locks around her finger.
"Alright, I admit that was dumb of me, but honestly can you blame me? She's super pretty
and she actually makes I, Beidou, speechless." Zhongli hummed, leaning against the palm of
his hand as he listened to Beidou over the phone, waiting for his date to show up. "I suppose
that is an accomplishment. No one can quiet you." He commented, chuckling a little at the
indignant huff he heard on the other line.

"Yeah, so in short, I'm head over heels and I've only been texting her for a day." She
concluded proudly, and Zhongli could hear the smirk in her voice. "Unbelievable." He
muttered, holding his phone slightly away from his ear to avoid damaging his hearing when
the brunette squawked. "Hey! You've got no right to judge, remember that time you called me
at, what, 3 AM to rant about that Snezhnayan exchange student? Look at you now, going on a
date with him."

Zhongli's cheeks tinted pink, it was true. "Fair enough. Weren't you planning to ask
Ningguang to be your model for the competition?" He swiftly veered away from the subject,
not going unnoticed by Beidou who laughed boisterously at his shitty attempt to change the
topic.

"Well, yeah I could try. I doubt she'll say yes on such short notice but..." Zhongli refrained
from rolling his eyes. His eyes lit up as a familiar person walked in, "I've got to go. Ask her
or else Hu Tao will be collecting your dead body tomorrow. Good luck." Zhongli hung up,
very rudely and abruptly might Beidou add, making her huff with annoyance.

She stared at her phone for a few seconds before sighing, opening Ningguang's contact. She
scrolled through their previous messages for a minute, smiling at how much they'd flirted all
night yesterday, she sure wasn't expecting the prez to be such a provocative person.

She decided that it wouldn't hurt to ask, seeing as they were no longer strangers, talking
through most of the day yesterday and the night before.

Beidou (typing...)

(02:07 pm) hey pretty~ i need help with a projec|

Beidou (typing...)

(02:07 pm) hey pretty~ i ne|

Beidou (typing...)

(02:07 pm) hey|

Beidou (typing...)

(02:08 pm) hey beautiful, I need help, can we meet up?|

Beidou (typing...)

(02:08 pm) hey beaut|

Beidou (typing...)

(02:08 pm) |

Ningguang (delivered)

(02.09 pm) I swear, just spit it out. Watching you type and delete whatever essay you're
writing to me is driving me half insane.

Beidou laughed loudly, a red blush on her face. So she had been noticed. She smiled giddily
at the fact that Ningguang was watching their chat close enough to realize Beidou was typing
to her. She didn't know how to phrase her request, knowing it was so last-minute, not to
mention she didn't think Ningguang would agree to model for her. She sighed, deciding to
just get it over with.

The feeling of overthinking was odd to Beidou, who was never shy to speak her mind and ask
for something from someone, knowing she would always find a way to return the favor. She
didn't know why she was overthinking this, it wasn't like it actually would matter to her if
Ningguang refused, right? Right?

Beidou (delivered)

(02:10 pm) you know that photography club I told you about

Beidou (delivered)

(02:10 pm) well I fucked up and procrastinated and I need a last-minute model to take
pictures of for a competition/assignment tomorrow

Beidou (delivered)

(02:10 pm) you're really pretty and shit so I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to model for me
today

Beidou (delivered)

(02:11 pm) pretty please

Beidou (delivered)

(02:11 pm) you'd be saving my ass from getting an F

Ningguang is typing...

Ningguang (delivered)

(02:12 pm) Sure, was that so hard to ask? What do you need me to do?

Beidou smiled giddily, falling back on her bed and rolling around on her mattress, her heart
swelling with happiness that Ningguang agreed. She clutched her chest, wondering what had
gotten into her. "Bitch, you might be in love." Beidou told herself and quickly scooped up her
phone.

Beidou (delivered)

(02:13 pm) wow nings, first you saved my life by giving me your number and now this

Beidou (delivered)

(02:13 pm) you're an angel

Beidou (delivered)

(02:13 pm) just need you to wear a pretty white dress, tho ngl you'd look pretty in anything,
theme's white though, so yeah

Beidou (typing...)

(02:14 pm) and meet me at the photography studio in the arts building, I'll take some pictures
of you in different poses|

Beidou (delivered)

(02:14 pm) And meet me at the photography studio in the arts building, I'll take some
pictures of you

Ningguang is typing...

Ningguang (delivered)

(02:15 pm) Sure, what time?

Beidou (delivered)

(02:15 pm) asap pls

Ningguang (delivered)

(02:15 pm) Dear Archons, fine I'll be there in 20 minutes. Don't be late. I know you're known
for never being punctual but please.

Beidou laughed heartily, sitting up from her lying position and jumping towards her closet.

Beidou (delivered)

(02:16 pm) yes ma'am, right away ma'am

***

Beidou almost dropped her camera as she entered the photography studio, which could have
been catastrophic as it was brand new. But damn. The sight of Ningguang in a long, shin-
length pure white dress, with her just as white hair hanging elegantly off her shoulders,
swaying even lower than her dress made Beidou's head spin.

The brunette took a shuddering breath, suddenly feeling underdressed with her high-waisted
black jeans, white t-shirt, and a denim jacket over it. Ningguang looked intimidatingly
beautiful, ethereal even. Beidou had a hard time believing she was just a Political Science
major, rather than the queen of a grand kingdom who probably sipped wine from a gold
goblet.

Ningguang glared at her, "You're ten minutes late." She hissed, moving towards her in her
white four-inch heels, she glided on the shoes effortlessly, looking as comfortable as ever.
"You... look stunning." Beidou's voice didn't carry the same playfulness or the flirty tone, it
was soft and gentle, it made Ningguang freeze in her tracks. There was pure, quiet admiration
in Beidou's voice that made it almost hard to believe the woman's personality was rash and
borderline vulgar.

A rosy blush rose to Ningguang's pale cheeks as Beidou stepped closer, her fingers lightly
brushing along Ningguang's jaw. She admired her face, the light pink eyeshadow on her eyes,
the soft stroke of lipgloss over her lips, the clean winged eyeliner. The woman before her
looked nothing short of divine. "T-Thank you."

Ningguang cursed her voice for stuttering, blushing under Beidou's doting gaze. Ningguang
pulled herself together, "Are you going to stare at me all day or are we going to start?" She
teased lightly, gently pinching Beidou's cheek. The brunette snapped out of her trance and
chuckled, "Sorry, couldn't help it. Come, let's head to the shooting area." They crossed the
room side-by-side with their hands brushing against one another's though neither of them
knew whether to hold the other's hand or not.

Ningguang clicked her tongue and intertwined their fingers. She felt frustrated by the way the
woman wasn't making any moves on her. The ever-confident Beidou would never be shy to
express affection to her partners, so why couldn't she do the same with Ningguang? Beidou's
cheeks tinted pink as she gazed down at their hands.

They separated as Ningguang stood in front of the white sheets that had been set up as the
shooting area. Ningguang didn't like admitting it, but her hand felt lonely without holding
Beidou's rough and calloused ones. She clicked her tongue and pushed aside the feeling as
Beidou began to flick around her camera. "What kind of shoot is this anyway?" Beidou
smiled at her, looking up from her camera momentarily, "The theme's white, pretty perfect for
you, don't ya think? With your white hair 'n all, not to mention how heavenly you look in that
white dress."

Ningguang rolled her eyes though her blush failed her. Beidou never hesitated for even a
moment to compliment her and it was making Ningguang's heart beat far too fast for her
liking, but despite all that, she didn't seem to make any moves on her, was the Beidou all talk
and no action? "Whatever, tell me when to begin."

Beidou nodded and quickly set up the camera on a stand and stood behind it, milling around
the studio, setting up the lighting, the SD card, and more. "There we go." She said after five
minutes of Ningguang standing awkwardly with her arms crossed over her chest, feeling the
cool air of the air conditioner on her bare shoulders. Ningguang sighed with relief as Beidou
stood behind the camera, "There will be a 3-second timer for every shot, just letting you
know."

Ningguang nodded and they got ready. Beidou learned that day that modeling came naturally
to Ningguang. Her throat got a little drier every time Ningguang shifted her pose, sitting on a
chair prop as well and looking so damn natural, Beidou had nothing to critique. Ningguang
shifted her pose on the seat, leaning against the backrest with her legs stretched out before
her, showing off her beautiful, long legs as her dress rode up a little bit.

With effortless beauty, she parted her lips and looked at the camera like she was made to be
in front of it. Beidou took a shuddering breath that did not go unnoticed by Ningguang.
"Wow... these are spectacular," Beidou said as she lifted the camera out of its stand to look at
the pictures she'd taken.

Ningguang got up and walked towards her until she stopped right next to Beidou, unbearably
close. She could feel the heat emanating from Beidou's body as she leaned her head against
the woman's shoulder to gaze at the pictures. She felt Beidou tense up at the gesture and
smirked a little. Even she looked impressed as they gazed at the pictures, Beidou's
photography skills were impeccable, mixed with Ningguang's effortless grace, they were the
perfect dynamic.

"I don't think I'll even have to edit these, magnificent." Beidou commented. An idea erupted
in Ningguang's mind as she gazed at the woman next to her, not bothering to hide it as she
was in Beidou's blindspot on her left. A red blush dusted her cheeks which made Ningguang
grin, wanting to tease her a bit.

She felt an immense desire for the woman next to her, she wanted Beidou's calloused hands
on her body, she wanted to see what kind of reactions Beidou was capable of producing, how
embarrassed she could make the most confident person on campus.

"Beidou," Ningguang whispered her name in her ear, pressing her body close to Beidou's and
hugging her arm, making sure her chest pressed against the woman's body. Beidou went rigid
for a moment but didn't look at her, though her blush spread down her neck up to her ears.
"Y-Yeah?" Ningguang smirked, that was the first time she'd heard Beidou stutter on her
words.

"I want you to take a few extra shots of me, hm? As compensation for helping you on such
short notice." Beidou visibly gulped and turned her head to finally look at her, "Sure, I'd be
happy to. I'm really grateful for you doing this just so you know."

Ningguang smiled at her and walked around the camera, back to the shooting area. She took
her heels off before stepping into the camera's line of sight as Beidou set the camera up again.
Ningguang turned around, her back facing Beidou. "I want you to take pictures of me like
this," She told her softly, before tugging at the elastic collar of her strapless dress, stretching
it until it was loose enough to slip down her body.

She looked back at Beidou, pulling her long hair to the front, over her shoulder as the dress
completely fell to her feet. Beidou's eye was blown wide, her face flushed red as her red
oculus explored Ningguang's milky skin, running down the curves of her body. Ningguang
wore nothing underneath but her lacy white underwear that made Beidou's nose almost begin
to bleed from the amount of blood rushing through her head.

Ningguang bent down in front of Beidou, giving her a nice view of ass through her white
underwear as she picked her dress off the floor and put it aside on a prop. Slowly, she turned
around for Beidou, revealing her breasts for her to see as she sat down on the seat in a
suggestive pose, throwing her leg across the seat's handle. Beidou remained stationary behind
the camera, her eye exploring Ningguang's body.

Ningguang raised a fine eyebrow at the woman, "Well? Are you going to do it or not?
Nothing comes free, Beidou." Beidou jumped a little, snapping out of her daze as she nodded,
taking a deep breath. She began to snap photos of Ningguang according to the different poses
she made, showing off her body to Beidou and the camera in several poses. Beidou couldn't
keep her eyes off of Ningguang and it made the woman elated. In Beidou's eyes, Ningguang
looked like a queen resting upon her throne.

"I think that should suffice, come show me the pictures." Ningguang ordered, beckoning
Beidou forward. Beidou walked towards her, her steps were just slightly hesitant. Seeing a
naked woman, Ningguang no less, where she was least expecting it made her heart pound.
She stopped in front of Ningguang, her blush had calmed down now and her expression was
calm, it almost made Ningguang feel disappointed.

How many lengths would she have to go through to elicit interesting reactions from Beidou?
Beidou turned the camera for Ningguang to see, though the woman hardly looked at the
pictures. She knew she looked beautiful, the pictures weren't for herself either way. They
were Beidou's to keep. She gripped the woman by the collar of her jacket and pulled her on
top of herself, startling Beidou who pushed her knee in between Ningguang's legs to keep
herself steady.

Her knee pressed again Ningguang's crotch as she stared into her eyes. Slowly, she lowered
the camera to the floor and set it down. They were entering an area of expertise Beidou was
very familiar with. "What are you trying to get me to do, Ningguang? Explain it to me like
I'm five years old." Beidou slowly relaxed over her, slipping back into her natural confidence
as her voice dropped an octave.

Ningguang blushed, "Isn't it obvious? I want you to make me feel good." Beidou raised a
sharp eyebrow at her words, her hair falling gently over her shoulders as she leaned over
Ningguang's naked body. "Is that so?" She asked, "Like this?" She asked Ningguang, as she
placed her fingers on the woman's supple skin, pressing into her abdomen and making her
gasp from the coolness of her fingers against her warm skin.

Beidou pressed her lips against Ningguang's soft and squishy ones, her eye open to watch the
woman as Ningguang deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around her neck and pulling her
as close as the chair would allow her. Beidou was so close, she could count each pearly white
eyelash that lined her eyelids. Their tongues intertwined as they battled for dominance,
Beidou cheated by pressing her knee hard between Ningguang's legs, making the woman
gasp in surprise.
Beidou smirked as she pressed her tongue and allowed it to shoot to the back of Ningguang's
throat, her hands resting on her full thighs. Beidou pulled back, looking at Ningguang as she
panted for breath with her lips parted, the lipgloss completely wiped off her lips by Beidou's
tongue. Beidou realized how uncomfortable she was, bent over Ningguang, and decided to
put herself in a more comfortable spot. She straightened up and pulled off her jacket,
discarding it to join Ningguang's dress as she kneeled between the woman's legs.

Ningguang watched with half-lidded eyes as Beidou ran her hands up and down her skin,
stroking her thighs and feeling her up, her hands making their way slowly up her legs. She
pressed her fingers against Ningguang's vagina, gently twisting her fingers in circles as she
studied the juices that soaked into the white panties, wetting them.

She wondered whether Ningguang would taste as good as she looked and hooked her fingers
around Ningguang's panties before pulling them off her legs, with some support from the
woman as she lifted her hips to allowed Beidou to discard them completely. They were in an
unlocked photography studio where anybody could walk in on them or at least listen to them,
and here she was, stripped of all her clothes, yet she didn't mind it.

The thought excited her, being a girl with so many responsibilities on her shoulders, it felt
good to be with such a carefree person as Beidou who put her needs first. Beidou gazed at
Ningguang’s body from this angle, admiring how pretty the lips of her vagina looked,
opening almost like a flower as she stretched her legs wide, dripping wet from arousal under
Beidou’s stare.

She took a calming breath, smirking up at Ningguang, “That excited, eh?” She teased, now
fully understanding Ningguang’s intentions from the beginning. Ningguang’s cheeks tinted
pink in response, “Are you gonna make me feel good or not?” Ningguang asked, a frown on
her face as she looked down at Beidou.

Even naked, she looked so beautiful. “Mmh… I think I’ll have a little bit of fun first.” Beidou
said, bringing her hands up to grope Ningguang’s chest, surprising the woman who moaned
softly. The sound was like music, graceful and sweet, and made a shiver run through
Beidou’s body as she tried to calm herself.

“You’re so sexy,” Beidou told Ningguang, fondling her breasts and running her fingers over
the woman’s pink nipples, smirking as they hardened almost immediately under her touch.
She gripped them between her finger’s tugging at Ningguang’s breasts lightly and making her
squirm as she felt waves of pleasure wash through her sensitized body.

Beidou let go of Ningguang's chest and gripped her thighs, burying her face between them
until she was face to face with Ningguang's vagina. "Ah, so that carpet matches the drapes? I
didn't know your white hair was natural--ow~" Beidou cut off as Ningguang pushed her face
away with her foot, glaring at her.

"Stop being so vulgar, use your mouth for something else instead." Beidou rolled her eye,
smirking as she returned to her position, "Alright, your highness. I suppose I can treat you
like a queen today as a thank you for your kindness, but don't get used to it, hmm?" Beidou
teased, making Ningguang open her mouth to retort but all that escaped from her lips was a
sweet moan as Beidou ran her tongue over the length of Ningguang's crotch, up to her clit.
She smacked her lips, humming at the taste on her tongue.

"Tangy, I love it." She laughed, dodging another kick aimed at her face as Ningguang buried
her face in her hands with embarrassment, "Stop saying such things!" She hissed, glaring
down at the chuckling woman. "Alright alright, I'll keep my mouth shut, not literally." Beidou
returned to her position and her face grew eerily serious as she stuck her tongue out, gently
rolling it over Ningguang's clit. She looked up at Ningguang, her hands reaching back up to
grip her breasts and giving them a light squeeze.

She watched as Ningguang gasped and moaned as she sucked on her erogenous zone,
clamping her mouth over the bundle of nerves and sucking on it gently. She lowered her other
hands to her vagina and lightly teased the opening a little, gently running her fingers over the
folds and getting her fingers nicely lubed. She pushed her middle finger inside, making
Ningguang moan as she arched her back, “Ahnngh, Beidou~” She moaned softly as the
woman glanced at her face, pulling off her abused clit with a light pop and watching with
delight as it swelled up.

“Amazing…” She commented before messily swiping her saliva-coated tongue over
Ningguang’s clit again, her finger’s pushing around on her squishy insides just a bit to feel
her up, looking for her sweet spot. “You shouldn’t be so loud, Nings.” Beidou whispered, her
voice slightly heavier as she looked up at Ningguang with half-lidded eyes, smiling.

“No one will come in here since they know I’m here but we don’t need them getting the right
idea about what we’re doing, do we? Unless you’re into that, I’ve always wanted to be with
an exhibit—“ Ningguang shut her up by pulling her face between her legs again, raising her
hand to bite down on her own skin to keep the noises of pleasure at bay.

She hated how unfiltered and vulgar Beidou was, but she supposed she couldn’t complain,
with the way she was moaning above the brunette, pushing down on her face harder for better
friction. She muffled a loud moan in her hand as Beidou pressed down on a special spot that
linked with her the stimulation of her clit and made the woman shake madly above her.

“Feels good?” Beidou asked, licking the juices off her lips, it embarrassed Ningguang so
much. Ningguang didn’t lie and nodded her head, she likely looked like such a mess in front
of Beidou, she couldn’t deny how good she felt.

Beidou smirked at the honest answer and pushed her face down again, this time pressing her
tongue against Ningguang’s hole and pushing it inside, making the woman gasp as she rushed
to grip Beidou’s hair. Beidou didn’t stop, pushing her tongue as far as it would go and curling
it at the spot she remembered. Her tongue couldn’t press against the spot hard enough but
Ningguang still shook above her, the thought that Beidou’s tongue was inside of her made her
feel so many things at once.

“H-Hurry, stop playing around… we still have to satisfy you too.” Beidou smirked at the
thought that Ningguang had not yet forgotten her pleasure, but she felt great even when going
down on her instead of being gone down on. “Mmh.. it would be a shame if we got caught,
alright, let’s give the queen what she wants.” Ningguang bit into her hand once more, closing
her eyes expectantly but Beidou pulled away from her and stood up, confusing her.
She wrapped her arms around Ningguang’s waist and lifted her up with all her strength,
making the woman yelp before she plopped down on the seat in her stead and placing
Ningguang over her lap. “W-Wait, we’ll dirty your clothes like this—“ Beidou smiled at her
and kissed her jaw, Ningguang cringed, knowing where her mouth had been but blushed all
the same.

“Clothes can be washed, seeing you like this is worth it.” Ningguang buried her face in
Beidou’s shoulder as the woman pushed two fingers inside her again, pushing up against that
spot easily by curling her fingers into it, her thumb pressing against Ningguang’s clit and
pushing it around in gentle circles. She buried her face in Ningguang’s hefty cleavage and bit
the skin between her chest, leaving a small bite mark as the woman desperately tried to keep
from moaning by pressing her lips into Beidou’s neck.

“Do you like it?” She asked Ningguang, who nodded fervently in response, gently rocking
her hips with Beidou’s fingers. “Aah—it feels really nice Beidou,” She moaned softly,
making Beidou smile. “I think I’m getting close…” Ningguang whispered, gasping a little as
Beidou wrapped her warm mouth around her nipple, sucking on it gently and flicking her
tongue around it. “Aahh—shit Beidou~” Ningguang moaned sweetly.

A heavy knot weighed in her stomach from the many stimulants Ningguang’s body received,
making her eyes shut tightly as she bit into Beidou’s skin, preparing for her orgasm. It came
heavily, every nerve in her body going numb with pleasure as she moaned into Beidou’s
neck, her eyes cracking open as she clawed at the woman’s clothed back.

Her body twitched a little as Beidou rubbed her clit a few more times for good measure
before she slipped her fingers out of Ningguang, smirking as she tugged the woman back by
her long hair to look at the state she’d left her in. “Beautiful.” She whispered, kissing
Ningguang’s lips. “Dress up, queen. I’m not gonna be satisfied till I take you home and
devour you whole.”

***Extra***

"Wow... Ms. Beidou has managed to woo us all with these amazing pictures, just
spectacular." Said the photography professor, as they flicked through Beidou's presentation of
her work of art. She held Ningguang's hand, lightly brushing her thumb over the woman's
knuckles and making her shudder as they watched the slide.

"It's all thanks to my dearest muse, Ningguang, sir. Couldn't have done it without her." She
pressed the button in her pocket for a long moment, feeling Ningguang's grip on her hand
tighten as the woman shook in her seat. "Ms. Ningguang did an amazing job as well, you
should look into the modelling department, dear." She advised Ningguang, who managed a
weak smile, "I've... got enough on plate as it is." Beidou smirked, knowing that Ningguang
was talking about her.
 Gags (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

Diluc catches Kaeya first after a rough game of hide and seek, deciding to take a reward
from the knight. He has trouble keeping Kaeya quiet enough to not be heard by the
others still playing outside, though.

Chapter Notes

Here with some unintentionally wholesome smut~ I've been playing Windtrace all day
and this minor idea came up around an hour ago and rushed to write it before I forgot
haha. I had a harsher smut planned for this prompt, but I suppose I'll just use it for
hairpulling.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"No," Diluc said bluntly, his voice dripping with annoyance at the people gathered in front of
him. "Do you people have nothing better to do?" Diluc asked, rolling his eyes as he scanned
the faces that stood in the entry hall of Dawn Winery, Paimon, Aether, Amber, Mona, Klee,
Diona, and last but not least, Kaeya.

The only ones that looked as annoyed as Diluc were Mona and Diona. Diona was almost
frothing at the mouth at the sight of Diluc. The redhead raised an eyebrow at the little girl but
said nothing.

Paimon smiled, "Nope~ Come on! Don't be a killjoy, let us have fun!" She exclaimed. Aether
noticed the increasing agitation in Diluc's eyes as they flitted to Kaeya who looked happy-go-
lucky, like he couldn't care less what happened as he met Diluc's eyes head on with a small
smirk that only served to aggravate Diluc more.

Paimon noticed as well and pushed the knight towards the redhead, who furrowed his
eyebrows as the knight laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Go on, convince him." Paimon hissed threateningly to Kaeya. Diluc let out a puff of
amusement and annoyance at the fact that everyone knew his weakness. "And you think I'll
listen to a knight, Kaeya no less? And you," Diluc shifted his deathly stare to Kaeya, who
jittered without a care in the world, smiling. "Yes, Master Diluc~?" He asked his lover, whose
face soured at his keen expression.
"What kind of irresponsible knight--" Kaeya prepared himself for a lecture on him being a
careless, useless knight, chuckling as he knew that tone to Diluc's voice that indicated he
wasn't actually mad at him. Klee interrupted Diluc with a pull to his coat, making him jump.

"Please, Master Diluc! It'll be fun, especially since all these people are here," The group
watched the little girl work her magic in her baby voice, Mona sighed loudly but Paimon
shushed her. Diluc stared down at Klee, but unlike everyone else who faltered almost
instantly under Diluc's harsh red gaze, the child only stared back up, more determined than
ever. Then she blinked, and there were tears in her eyes.

Kaeya turned around to stuff his fist into his mouth to keep from bursting into laughter at the
little girl's impeccable technique. He used the same technique all the time. Diluc's eyes
widened as his eyes darted to the group. Paimon smacked Aether, silently telling him to
follow her lead as she glared at Diluc, "Look what you did! You made little Klee cry~" She
said in mock disappointment as Diluc looked back at Klee, only to see fat tears rolling down
her cheeks.

Kaeya glanced back at his lover and found a plethora of mixed emotions on his face as he
tried to figure out what to do, "Master Diluc doesn't want to make Klee sad, does he? Please
play with us!" Klee said, twiddling her thumbs. Diluc gazed down at her before looking back
at the others, his eyes fixed for a moment longer on Kaeya as the knight shot him a finger
heart, gently urging him along. He sighed heftily.

"Fine," He glared at the people around him, "I'll play your stupid game. What kind of ragtag
team is this anyway? An astrologist, an angry underaged bartender, Amber, a dumb knight--
you two are understandable though," Paimon scowled at Diluc as he gestured to her and
Aether. Mona grumbled under her breath, "Are we going to begin?"

***

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1" Diluc counted blandly as he turned around to face the grape fields, seeing no
one in sight, as expected. He grumbled under his breath, not planning to take the game
seriously, but he supposed he should walk around to humor the younger ones, Klee, Diona,
Amber. He let out a puff of breath, knowing if he tried to look for Diona, he would get
scratched in the face.

He walked leisurely through his fields, having sent the servants home in order to preserve the
last bit of dignity he had left and keep them from seeing their master play a children's hide
and seek game. Four minutes passed and he didn't bother to look for anyone.

He had to hand it to them, he didn't see any obvious hiding spots. 'They're serious about
playing this dumb game?' He thought to himself. He passed by a puddle and let out a noise of
disgust as his boot slipped into it. He vaguely heard a small 'ow' and looked around with
alarm. He spotted no one and sigh before he continued to walk. Diluc spun around as he
definitely heard a small sigh of relief coming from behind him, slightly muffled. He glared at
his surroundings, again, nothing.

He sighed and was about to keep walking until something hit him in the back, very, very
harshly. He stumbled forward but managed to keep himself from falling. Diluc felt around his
back and sheer fury filled him to find a ball of mud had been thrown at him and had
splattered all over him. He spun around and spotted a very familiar figure running from him,
his cackles echoing throughout the fields. "Kaeya!" Diluc shouted, gritting his teeth.

Alright, he supposed he would have to take this game a little more seriously. Diluc jumped
into action and sprinted after his lover, his coat trailing behind and spraying mud all over the
ground. He barely kept from slipping in the puddle of water. Again, an 'ow' erupted from
somewhere but he ignored it, chasing after his lover like there was no tomorrow. Kaeya
darted up to the porch of the mansion, his laughter ringing in Diluc's ears as the redhead
struggled to keep up with the agile knight. He turned a corner and Diluc followed a few
seconds after, skidding to a stop as he narrowed his eyes, slightly out of breath.

If there was one skill Kaeya had that Diluc didn't, it would be his swiftness. It was fair,
considering Diluc had more strength on his side. He could see no one on this side of the
house, but he knew he wasn't far enough from Kaeya for him to have escaped from his
clutches so easily. Diluc walked forward, looking around at the barrels lining the back walls.

He sighed as the breeze whipped his hair around and kept his ears open and his eyes peeled
for the knight. His gaze turned towards a cart sitting by the cobblestone fencing and slowly
crouched low to the ground, peeking under the cart. He smirked as he saw a figure sitting on
the other side of the cart from under the wheels of the cart. Slowly, he crept towards Kaeya,
who seemed to be shaking with giggles.

He wasn't out of breath at all as he kept a hand over his mouth to sustain his bubbling
laughter. He listened to Diluc carefully drawing closer and cupped another ball of mud from
the front in the palm of his hand, his heart thumping with excitement. Diluc lunged at him
from one side and with a shriek of laughter, Kaeya threw the mud straight at the redhead's
face and hightailed it out of there, his bubbling giggles echoing through the fields.

Diluc slowly rubbed the mud off of his face, opening his eyes that were blazing with
competitiveness, "That little shit." He stood up from his crouched position, rubbing his face
free of dirt with his sleeves but still leaving traces.

He glared in the direction Kaeya had gone and continued to tail him, though the knight was
no longer in sight from the time Diluc had taken to clean himself off. He jogged to the front
of the house and scanned the fields, spotting no one once again. He turned to the doors and
smirked, seeing them open even though they were closed before. 'Forget the game. I want
revenge.' He thought to himself, walking inside the mansion.

He looked around and found a trail of muddy footprints that were shaped exactly like Kaeya's
sleek boots that lead upstairs. "Too easy." Even still, he proceeded with caution in case any
more mud traps had been set to fire at him.

He traced the footprints up to the second floor and found a jumble of footprints going in
several directions. He smirked a little despite his growing irritation. It was just like Kaeya to
try and confuse him, but he knew where he was. He followed the lightest prints where the
mud had begun to wear off of Kaeya's shoes, they lead him straight to his bedroom.
Diluc half hoped his lover would be lying sprawled on the bed and ready for him. Kaeya
knew better than to think Diluc would let him off easily, he might as well come readily into
his grasp. Diluc was disappointed to find that no one awaited him.

He walked inside and shut the door, locking it for good measure as his eyes scanned the
room. He crouched to look under the bed and found no one there. His eyes darted to the
closet and he smirked, seeing the door crooked, a pair of familiar dirty boots placed in front
of them. It was clear Kaeya wanted to be found. He walked towards it and threw it open
harshly, making Kaeya yelp as he had been discovered.

"Gotcha," Diluc whispered as he wasted no time in wrapping the younger in his embrace,
knowing Kaeya, he would try his best to run away again. "No mudballs for me this time,
Kaeya?" He asked his lover who chuckled into his chest, looking up to see light smears of
dirt on Diluc's handsome face.

"Unfortunately, no. I have to say, you look great with a dirty face. Very... natural, don't you
think? Like you're getting a spa treatment." Kaeya teased, chuckling again, this time more
nervously as Diluc's grip around his waist tightened. Diluc lifted him up and launched him
onto the bed. "Shut it. Tell me, don't you think I deserve a prize for finding you?" He asked, a
dangerous tone to his voice as he fell upon Kaeya, pinning him to the mattress and making
his lover chuckle.

Kaeya wrapped his limbs around Diluc, pulling him closer so that their lips almost brushed
against one another. "Oh, do you think you should have the honor of devouring your prey
after being clocked by mud twice?" Diluc gave Kaeya a look, one that told him he wasn't
getting out of this no matter what he said. Kaeya sighed dramatically, trying to hide the grin
creeping on his face, "Have at me then." He purred to Diluc, lying his head down on the bed
and pushing his neck out for Diluc.

Diluc gulped a little, gazing down at Kaeya's collarbone, down to his chest. Before he could
stop himself, he ripped the shirt off of Kaeya's body, sending it flying to the floor in tatters as
Kaeya yelped with surprise.

"H-Hey! Not so rough, that was my favorite shirt, 'Luc!" Kaeya placed his hands over Diluc's
to keep them at bay so that he wouldn't rip his pants off as well. Diluc raised an eyebrow at
him, "I'll buy you ten more, problem?"

He didn't wait for Kaeya's response and wasted no time in capturing Kaeya's lips with his
own, making the knight moan as he bit into his bottom lip and tugged at it to make him part
his lips. Kaeya stared at Diluc through his half-lidded eyes, trying his best to keep in control
under the man's warmth.

He wrapped his legs around Diluc's waist, pushing his hips to meet Kaeya's and making their
erections collide. He moaned, holding Diluc by the collar of his coat as the redhead shoved
his hot tongue between his plump lips, claiming every corner of Kaeya's mouth before taking
his tongue between his lips and sucking on it.

Kaeya whimpered a little as Diluc pressed his hand to his chest, giving the muscles of his
pecs a light squeeze before massaging his nipple with his thumb, gently rolling it around, and
twisting it. The friction made Kaeya's mind numb as Diluc let go of his abused lips, gazing at
their redness as a drop of drool slipped down the corner of Kaeya's mouth, rolling down his
cheek.

Diluc ran his tongue over Kaeya's cheek, lapping up the drop of his saliva before he trailed
his tongue down the man's jawline to his neck, bumping over his adam's apple. He clamped
his mouth over Kaeya's collarbone, sucking on the skin to leave a bright red bruise as his
lover squirmed beneath him, moaning his name softly.

"You love it when I marked you up, don't you?" Diluc asked, gazing at the spot he'd left
before he leaned down and bit into the center of Kaeya's chest, listening to the man moaning
as he left teeth marks on it.

Kaeya nodded, breathing softly as Diluc left another hickey on his chest. Diluc took pride in
the fact that no amount of running could make Kaeya breathless, but just Diluc's mouth
could. "Haah-- Diluc, here... mark me here," Kaeya urged, running his fingers through the
redhead's bushy hair and tugging at his roots to bring him to his nipple. Diluc smirked at the
quiet request and obliged, flicking his tongue over the nub before closing his mouth over it,
"Nngh~ 'Luc.. fuck it feels g-good."

Diluc looked up at Kaeya's expression as the man lifted his head to look down at him, his
breathing heavier now. Diluc licked a fat strip over his nipple, watching the lewd expression
on Kaeya's face as the knight cradled Diluc's head to his chest, a deep blush on his face. Diluc
sucked a red ring around it before pulling back with a quiet pop.

He let out a contented breath, seeing how swollen it was as Kaeya's body shuddered beneath
him. Blood pounded through Kaeya's chest as stared up at Diluc with half-lidded eyes, his
mouth open as he panted for breath.

"I want it now, 'Luc. I don't need prep since we did it yesterday, j-just put it in," Diluc stared
down at Kaeya at the shameless request, sitting up as Kaeya shifted, turning around in front
of Diluc and lying on his stomach to show his ass off to Diluc and tempt him, "please," he
added quickly, knowing that was the only thing keeping Diluc from pouncing on him.

"Haah... always asking for exactly what you want. Fine, since you asked so prettily," Diluc
pulled Kaeya's belt out of their loops and throwing it off to the side, pulling his pants down to
reveal his plump ass laid out in front of him. "Hey, be gentle with that! It has my vision--
nngh wait, 'Luc..."

Diluc pressed his clothed bulge between Kaeya's cheeks, leaning over his lover and biting
into the skin of his shoulder to shut him up. Diluc sat up again, shrugging the dirty coat off
his shoulders before stripping himself of his shirts and his cravat, feeling heated inside the
stuffy room as his body temperature increased with the pulsating of his blood.

He unbuttoned his pants and lowered them enough for his cock to poke out, not bothering to
take them off fully. He kicked his boots off and pulled Kaeya forward by his hips. Diluc
poked Kaeya's hole with the tip of his thick cock, feeling the knight jump in surprise
underneath him, before he pushed back on Diluc's cock, "Jog my memory, what is it that you
wanted?"
He asked teasingly, feeling Kaeya's impatience. Kaeya grumbled under his breath, "Inside... I
want you inside me Diluc, please put it in" He begged without hesitation.

Diluc took a shuddering breath, he supposed he couldn't tease Kaeya more with how openly
he expressed his demands. He sighed and pushed his cock harder against Kaeya's hold,
grunting softly as he felt Kaeya's walls open up to accommodate him.

"Hnngh... Diluc~ F-Fuck it's so good, go harder.." Kaeya whimpered, clenching around Diluc
on purpose, knowing it drove the redhead insane. Diluc pushed deeper inside Kaeya,
releasing a shaking breath as he felt Kaeya's warmth wrap around him. "Shut up... someone
will hear you." Kaeya smirked a little, he'd forgotten about the game. "Make me feel good,
'Luc, I want everyone to hear me even from outside."

Diluc grunted as he pulled out halfway before slamming back inside, his cock scraping
harshly against Kaeya's swollen prostate. The knight let out a cry of Diluc's name, his eye
widening at the feeling of Diluc's cock thrust inside him.

He'd felt it oh so many times before, yet he could never evade the thrilling feelings of delight
and ecstasy from washing over him. "S-So good, Diluc! Fuck, harder~" Diluc's sensitive ears
picked up on a noise outside the room in the hallway as he slammed his cock inside the
younger, their hips colliding with enough force to bruise. "Keep your mouth shut." He
groaned into Kaeya's ear, feeling waves of electric shock running through his body. "There's
someone outside..." he whispered.

Kaeya's moans didn't relent at the revelation. He pushed back on Diluc's cock every time he
thrust into him, desperate to feel Diluc deep inside of him. Diluc clicked his tongue, recalling
that the knight couldn't care less whether someone heard them, all he cared about was Diluc's
cock making him feel good.

"Aah-- Diluc! Fuck- you're so good to me, D-Diluc~" Kaeya moaned as Diluc slammed the
tip of his cock into his prostate, forcing his insides raw with every bump of their flesh against
one another.

"K-Kae... be quiet," Diluc whispered his body shaking above Kaeya's as he kissed his lover's
shoulder in a desperate attempt to shut him up. His thirst for Kaeya's body didn't allow him to
stop his hips from bucking into the younger, his body begged for the feeling of Kaeya's
warmth wrapped around his most sensitive part to never end.

"Diluc!" Kaeya wailed as the redhead sank his teeth into his shoulder, cringing at the thought
of someone being able to hear them. The thought scared him, what if it was Klee or Diona?
Or even Amber who could never fathom such things despite being an adult.

He needed to shut Kaeya up, as much as he loved milking the younger for his delicious
moans, he needed to preserve at least a percentage of his dignity, for others' sake if not his
own. He grasped the cravat he had carelessly discarded farther on the mattress, the two of
them still at it at the foot of the bed. Kaeya yelped in surprise as Diluc shoved the cloth in his
mouth, the redhead kept his hold on the ends of the cloth.
"Bite," Diluc instructed, using his commandeering voice to finally sink his words into
Kaeya's unfocused mind. The cloth tightened as Kaeya did as he was told, pressing the cravat
between his teeth.

Diluc tied the ends tightly behind the back of Kaeya's head, humming with satisfaction as the
room fell into silence, save for the small whimpers Kaeya released into the cravat -- that were
swiftly dispelled as Diluc pushed Kaeya's face into the mattress by his hair -- and the sound
of the bed creaking with every snap of Diluc's hips.

As if on cue, both of them heard voices outside, "Mona said Diluc had passed her to chase
after Kaeya, what if those idiots are still outside?" Aether asked. If Diluc was in his right
mind, he would've been offended at the thought of being called an idiot, by a person as kind
as Aether no less. But all he could think about at that moment was Kaeya.

The way he clenched around Diluc, his hands reaching behind himself to hold onto Diluc's
wrists tightly to keep himself grounded as the redhead fisted the sheets and cutting his
circulation off from his hands, all of it drove Diluc up the wall.

Diluc felt a growl rumbling in his throat and bit harshly into the nape of Kaeya's neck to keep
it from escaping and giving away their location. A wave of pleasure washed over both of
them, being felt in their bones. "Guess it can't be helped then. Let's just leave, we're so never
speaking to them again."

Paimon grumbled, "It's so dirty in here, those maids really don't clean up all that often, huh?"
Diluc almost chuckled at that, knowing only the knight shivering beneath him was
responsible for that. They heard footsteps retreating back down the stairs and Diluc gripped
Kaeya around the arms and pulled him back to kneel with Diluc.

Diluc's eyes ran over the wet spot in the sheets where Kaeya's face had been and let out a puff
of amusement, twisting Kaeya around on his cock to lie him down on his back.

Kaeya let out muffled moans into his makeshift gag that was drenched with his spit, along
with Kaeya's chin and jaw that were covered in drool like that of a child.

Diluc smirked down at him, seeing pure gratification shining in Kaeya's eye as he stared up at
Diluc, completely unfocused as they slowly rolled back with each rock of his body whenever
Diluc slammed into him. "I should quiet you more often," Diluc whispered, kissing Kaeya's
chin and licking the spit off of it.

"Are you close?" He asked Kaeya, who could barely manage a simple nod of his head,
making his lips curl up into a smile. Diluc grasped Kaeya's cock, watching as the younger's
eyes widened as a wave of pleasure coursed through him.

Diluc began to stroke Kaeya in time with his thrusts, feeling his cock beginning to heat up
intensely inside of Kaeya. Kaeya whimpered Diluc's name, muffled by the gag between his
teeth.

"Haah... cute, so cute," Diluc whispered, taking sharp breaths as he felt a dam breaking inside
of himself as ecstasy washed through him, making him moan his lover's name as he shot cum
 inside Kaeya. His grip around Kaeya's cock tightened inadvertently, making the knight gasp
as his eye widened.

He let out a few stifled curses into the cravat, his eye glazing over as his vision darkened.
Kaeya threw his head back and came into Diluc's hand with a small cry of pleasure. Diluc
stopped thrusting, breathing heavily as he gazed at Kaeya, coming off of his high.

He pulled out and gently ran his clean(er) hand over Kaeya's waist, caressing the twitching
skin lightly before he wrapped Kaeya in his embrace and moved him to lie at the center of the
bed.

***Extra***

He collapsed on top of Kaeya, who let out muffled complaints slapping his hand over Diluc's
back gently. "Oh... right, I should take the cloth out. Meh, I like you better when you can't
speak." He gave his lover a teasing smirk as Kaeya squawked, only one hand free as his other
was tucked under Diluc's heavy body, unable to untie himself.

Diluc sighed and sat up on his elbows, wiping the cum on his hand against the sheets, much
to Kaeya's disgruntlement. He reached behind Kaeya's head and undid the knot, pulling the
gag from between his teeth and cringing visibly as it dripped with Kaeya's spit. He sighed at
the ruin cravat and threw it to the ground before he nuzzled his face into Kaeya's neck.

"Diluc, you should really clean the mud off your face... although it does something to hide
your ugliness." Kaeya said. Diluc raised his head and looked at him straight in the eye, "Shut
it before I shove that cravat down your throat." Kaeya laughed and wrapped Diluc tighter in
his arms.

Chapter End Notes

*24/12* So as I was editing this, it pains me to announce that it's been 7 months since

😭😭😭
this chapter's release and someone has yet to discover that Mona was the puddle Diluc
stepped on

Sorry this is a bit rushed, I wrote this in less than an hour so its quite sloppy and I just
want to sleep uwu, promise I'll have higher quality smut coming out for the next
prompts~
 Heat (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Omegaverse dynamic.

Childe goes into heat at the worst possible moment as he tried to steal Zhongli's gnosis,
leaving him vulnerable for Zhongli to take.

Chapter Notes

Waaah my first omegaverse smut! Please excuse my lack of knowledge, I hardly read
these but I've always wanted to try writing them! I hope I didn't do too badly. Also as I
was writing this, my mood drastically changed from feral Zhongli to soft Zhongli hdfghj
it's very noticeable but I hope you like it!

Also! I've decided to start adding short summaries to the start of each chapter, so people
can decide whether or not it's a prompt that interests them, it'll take a while considering
there are twenty-seven chapters, but I'll get to it.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"I must say, you clean up nicely, Ajax," Tsaritsa said softly as Childe stepped into the foyer.
Childe bowed his head to her, grinning softly. "Your words mean much to me, Lady Tsaritsa.
You look divine yourself." The Tsaritsa's eyes were cold as she studied Childe before nodding
her head in acknowledgement of his compliment.

Childe fixed the collar of his shirt a little as a limousine pulled up in front of the grand hotel.
He adorned a suit with black slacks, a black cropped turtleneck, a ghost white blazer over it,
complete with a silver necklace with a red pendant around his neck. He chose to wear both of
his red, gemstone earrings today rather than one, accentuating the sides of his neck well. His
ginger hair was left in its messy state, though he had pinned one side to the back which
emphasized the volume of his hair to one side more than the other.

He agreed with his mistress, he thought he looked pretty handsome, not that he didn't think so
in his usual style of clothing. "Where is Signora?" Tsaritsa asked him, seeing no sign of the
Harbinger. Signora was meant to come with them to the ball. Childe shook his head, but on
cue, the doors opened once again and the blonde stepped outside, dressed in a regal pale-blue
dress to represent the colors of the Tsaritsa.
"My sincerest apologies for being late, Lady Tsaritsa. Forgive me," Signora bowed her head,
lifting the skirt of her long floor-length dress courteously. The Tsaritsa gave her a
disinterested glance, "As long as you didn't keep me waiting too long, it matters not. Come.
We would not want to be late to Morax's ball, would we?" The limo driver rushed out of the
driver's side to open the door for them.

The Tsaritsa took a seat, and the harbingers followed, sitting opposite of her on the other side
of the table placed at the center of the limo. The chauffeur sat in the front and began to drive,
making haste for the Golden House and beginning to cross Liyue in no time. "Ajax, you
remember exactly what you must do, do you not?" The Tsaritsa asked, her tone making him
flinch a little.

He shivered as the car's cool AC hit his bare torso, "Yes, my lady. I won't fail again, I promise
you." Tsaritsa tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with mild amusement. "It sounds as if you're
making a contract with me. If you insist on not failing, don't disappoint me." Childe's cheeks
tinted pink, but he couldn't deny that he had just made a contract.

"Um, yes." He said nervously, Zhongli's golden eyes popping up into his mind the way they
always did at the mention of contracts. He bit his lip at the reminder, his heart was nervous
enough with remembering the way Zhongli always looked at him. "Tell me, then. What is the
plan?" She prompted him, making him let out a puff of breath, feeling a pressure settle in his
chest.

He took a deep breath before speaking, his eyelids fluttering to a close, "I have to distract
Zhongli for the night, keep him occupied if he isn't already. Signora will keep the guards and
the servants under control. If all goes well, I will sneak away to Zhongli's quarters and look
for his gnosis."

The Tsaritsa's fangs shone a little in the blue light of the limo as she smiled, "I think you
should address an alpha with respect, Ajax." She stated softly, Childe knew she was merely
teasing him but he gulped, nodding his head. "M-My apologies, I meant Mr. Zhongli," The
Tsaritsa nodded, satisfied before she turned to both of them instead of just Childe, making
him breathe a sigh of relief after the intense interrogation.

"You both have taken your suppressants, have you not?" Childe and Signora both nodded,
"My rut has passed, my lady. You need not worry." Signora said silkily as the Tsaritsa nodded
to her. She turned to Childe, expecting an answer as well. He gazed at his lap, tugging a
strand of his hair behind his ear only for it to fall back into his face.

Talking about things like his omega nature always made Childe uncomfortable, but he willed
himself to answer the question, knowing that the Tsaritsa would not be pleased to be kept
waiting. "My heat isn't due for another week," He whispered, "Dottore told me not to take
them before it's due."

"Nothing must get in the way or tonight's plans, Childe. I will not be forgiving if something
happens, but I suspect Morax would be even less happy if something... dire were to happen.
That is the case especially when it comes to you, is it not?" Childe tightened his hand into a
fist at her words, taking a shaky breath.
Her words were true, Zhongli likely hated him after he ran away without a word, and if
something were to happen... such as an unwarranted heat, there would be no telling what the
alpha would do to him. Zhongli didn't know he was an omega, after all, but it would make it
all the more easy for Zhongli to break him if he found out.

"Y-Yes, I'll make sure everything goes smoothly," Childe said. The Tsaritsa gazed at him
warily for a moment before she nodded and said nothing more for the rest of the way. Childe
and Signora did well to keep their mouths shut in her presence.

Childe couldn't help overthinking about what was to come. He was accompanying the
Tsaritsa to Liyue, where the ruler, Morax or better known as Zhongli these days, was holding
a ball. It felt weird thinking of Zhongli as Morax after he had gotten to know him as the kind
alpha Zhongli, rather than ruthless Geo Emperor, Morax.

The Tsaritsa would use this ball to her advantage, she had to complete her objective of
disarming the other six emperors of Teyvat of their source of power. She had succeeded with
Mondstadt's protector, but now came the Geo Emperor's turn.

They had tried once before by sending Childe on a mission to uncover who Morax was these
days, but he had failed to get his gnosis even after discovering that Zhongli was Morax, the
one he was searching for. Still, he managed to keep himself from Zhongli's suspicion by
escaping the emperor's grasp at the last moment, running back to Snezhnaya before Zhongli
could tell whether he had any ulterior motives, but he knew he was a Harbinger, that much
was certain.

Now, he would be using the fact that Zhongli didn't know he was a traitor to him to his
advantage, to trick Zhongli a third time and do the Tsaritsa's bidding. That was if Zhongli
even wished to look at him after he left without a word. Childe didn't think Zhongli cared
much about him leaving, but he hoped that it meant something to him, that he would at least
be happy to see him again, even as a friend if not as someone he loved, given that Zhongli
thought he was an alpha.

Childe couldn't help feeling melancholic at the thought of betraying Zhongli a third time. The
first time, he'd betrayed Zhongli by telling him he was an alpha, by not letting him discover
his omega nature. The second time would be trying to get close to Zhongli in hopes of
uncovering his true identity as the Geo Emperor, and now, this would be his third, to rob
Zhongli of his otherworldly powers.

It had been months since Childe had last seen him, and he wondered how the emperor would
react when he saw Childe after the ginger had escaped him without giving him a word of
warning, much less a goodbye, not that he thought Zhongli cared much. Not once had
Zhongli tried to contact him in Snezhnaya since he left, though Childe never checked to
confirm, knowing it would break his heart to find no letters from Zhongli. After all, there was
no reason Zhongli would feel the need to chase after Childe, it wasn't like he shared Childe's
feelings of love for him. He was an alpha who thought Childe was also an alpha.

An alpha would not care much for other alphas unless it was a deep bond, which Childe
thought they had for a time. Zhongli would smile at him kindly, would spar with him, would
go on little "dates" with him, show him around Liyue, teach him about his culture and in
general, he would spend time with Childe. Even though they did all these things together,
Zhongli kept his distance from Childe, thinking he was an alpha, restricted from other alphas.

Zhongli wouldn't fall in love with Childe unless he knew Childe was an omega. Little did
Zhongli know, Childe was, in fact, a recessive omega. He didn't produce much of a scent,
being closer to betas rather than omegas, his heats lasted for three days normally without
help, but they were stronger to make up for his lack of omega characteristics.

It helped him pass off as at least a beta, but the personality he had built for himself made
many think of him as an alpha, including Zhongli. Childe had worked for years, ages, to build
himself right, to present himself as anything but an omega.

He had worked out sedulously for years just to build his body enough to pass off as an alpha.
He stared down at his long legs, hugged tight in his slacks, and revealing his muscles. His abs
were on display from the cropped turtleneck he wore to show off the body he'd worked hard
for. It had taken him years to achieve the figure most alphas were born with. He had worked
too hard to be recognized as an omega by anyone other than the Tsaritsa, Dottore, and
Signora, not even the other Harbingers could know.

Childe shuddered to think what would happen if his second gender got out. Male omegas
were not respected in Snezhnaya or perhaps in Teyvat in general. Childe didn't make it his
business to find out whether that was the case in Liyue, knowing it would only hurt to
remember that he had to go through so much to hide himself just because people didn't like
that he was an omega, a gender he didn't choose of his own accord.

Despite his fear of rejection, he'd asked Zhongli about it once before, whether he was
disgusted by male omegas. Zhongli had pondered his question whilst stirring sugar into his
tea, before looking back at Childe, directly into his eyes. "People are not created equal, but
with time and a lot of change in this world, even male omegas can stand on the same ground
as alphas, in my eyes, that is the case even now." Childe still didn't know what Zhongli had
meant by that. Zhongli never answered that question directly, simply making such a statement
and dropping the subject entirely.

To Childe, it was a miracle he didn't produce strong pheromones, it was the one thing that
had allowed him to change himself, work for a new life in peace, and live as a recessive
alpha. The Tsaritsa gave him a chance, and he worked hard to utilize it.

Now, he was known as a respected alpha all over Snezhnaya and had spread his influence
among the ranks of the Cryo Emperor's followers. He feared what would happen if even a
single soul in the Fatui happened to find out what he really was, even more, the prospect of
Zhongli finding out what he was.

"Ajax," The Tsaritsa called, making him snap out of his thoughts as he bowed his head to the
woman, glancing outside only to realize that they had arrived from their hotel to the Golden
House, the Geo Emperor's quarters. "Do what you must to keep Morax occupied. He's very
clearly interested in you, but make sure he is the last person who finds out you are an omega.
He might be through with you before I will be."
Childe swallowed, nodding softly as the limo rolled to a stop at the palace gates, the
chauffeur hurried out of the driver's seat once again to open the door for them. Childe and
Signora exited first, Childe pushed his nervous thoughts out of his mind as he felt graceful as
ever as he stepped out, his hair bouncing a little as he stood up. He offered his hand to the
Tsaritsa who took it and helped her out of the car.

Her long blue dress fell in layers at her feet, her heels making her stand tall. She gazed
around at the other guests exiting their respective cars, all luxurious and grand, as expected of
Zhongli's guests. Childe had to admit, even among all these beautifully dressed and powerful
people, the Tsaritsa radiated the most power, but it made him wonder. Zhongli had radiated
just as much power as the Tsaritsa, would it be possible for him to be even stronger that her?
Zhongli never gave off the vibes of a man who could lose a battle.

Standing next to the Tsaritsa made many eyes fix on him, just as it used to be with Zhongli.
He let a fake bit dazzling smile fix on his lips as he and Signora escorted their mistress to the
large, grand doors of the Golden House. Childe slipped into his Harbinger persona and
radiated confidence as a servant greeted them respectfully, guiding them further inside to a
large, grand hall where the ball was already in full swing, though it seemed the dance had yet
to open.

Childe gazed around the room, trying to spot familiar faces, particularly Zhongli's face to
help prepare himself for the evening just in case it would be spent with the man. He tugged at
the collar of his turtleneck a little, suddenly feeling a little hot despite his crop-top as he
gazed around. His body felt agitated for a few moments, but he brushed it off when it passed
quickly. A small lingering feeling of dread still stuck around in his stomach as if he felt like
there was an impending disaster awaiting him.

The Tsaritsa lead them further inside, her presence commanding people to look in their
direction. The sea of men and women parted for the Tsaritsa, though many eyes gazed at
Childe. He could hear the hum of the women's chattering, "It's Ser Childe, the youngest of the
Harbingers! He's even more handsome than I thought," A few ladies whispered to each other.

He turned his head to look in their direction and smiled, making them blush. He chuckled
under his breath, he knew he was attractive. Childe could feel his mood lifting, he liked the
attention he got and it made him feel more comfortable in the face of a giant party. He always
enjoyed going to such gatherings, and socializing would always be one of his elements.

His slowly rising confidence made him feel a bit more giddy, though it still felt like
something was amiss, the confidence didn't last long either. He looked ahead again and froze
up, all his self-assurance from a mere second ago getting snuffed out like a candle as he
spotted a very familiar, broad figure walking towards their posse.

Childe resisted the urge to hide behind his mistress, to run away at the sight of the man
walking towards him. Zhongli looked as wonderful as he had before, breathtaking even. His
presence guided attention towards him, his graceful smile looked effortless even in the face
of tens, maybe a hundred guests in front of him. Childe knew the graceful expression was all
an act, he could see a dark glint in Zhongli's eyes as soon as he caught sight of him.
He took a shaking breath as his eyes met deep amber ones that shone with an unreadable
emotion, amusement? Elation? Disappointment? Or even anger? Childe couldn't tell with
how mercurial the man had always been. He steadied himself quickly, fixing his gaze into an
uninterested glance and looking away quickly from Zhongli, fixing his eyes away to look at
the hall, though he still watched from his peripheral vision as Zhongli walked towards them.

He stopped in front of them, directing the attention of the whole room towards them with the
presence of two powerful emperors. He first addressed the Tsaritsa, putting on a gentlemanly
act that fooled even Childe. "Lady Tsaritsa, it is an honor to have you here. I must say, you're
a sight for sore eyes. The ball would be empty without your graceful presence."

He took the Tsaritsa's hand in his own, gloved one as he bowed and placed a kiss on her
knuckles. Childe ignored the way his stomach churned at the sight. "You look well, Morax,"
The Tsaritsa greeted, stepped back as Zhongli purposefully turned his attention to Signora
next, instead of Childe, "Ms. Signora, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, you're very
renowned these days."

Signora bowed a little, lifting her dress a little again as a sign of respect, though Childe and
Zhongli could see venom in her eyes. Childe felt another pang of jealousy that Zhongli hadn't
greeted him before Signora, but his heart thumped when Zhongli finally met his eyes again, it
felt like just yesterday he had been gazing into them and thinking about just how in-love he
was. Now, his feelings hadn't changed, he had never truly gotten over his feelings for
Zhongli.

"Childe," A simple call of his name was enough for Childe's mind to whir to life as a blush
rolled over his cheeks. Zhongli didn't say anything, didn't speak any words, but he didn't need
to. All Childe needed to know about his feelings was displayed in his beautiful eyes, 'I missed
you,' 'I'm happy to see you,' 'Why did you run away?' 'Why didn't you say goodbye?' Childe
knew there were a great many questions dancing in Zhongli's mind.

His heart pounded out of his chest as Zhongli took his hand as well and brought it up to his
lips, kissing the back of his hand for a few long moments. The warmth of his lips against
Childe's hand was enough to send Childe's knees weak. Why did Childe's body feel so off?
Sudden visions began to leak into his mind, Zhongli on top of him, Zhongli pinning him
down, Zhongli making love to him, breeding him and making him carry his children. Childe
shook himself out of these thoughts, a bright pink blush on his face, where did these thoughts
come from? Why did his body feel so hot all of a sudden?

Zhongli's amber eyes raked over Childe's appearance, taking in the sight of his tight
turtleneck that hugged his frame, gazing at his defined collarbone poking through the shirt,
down to his shaped pecs, before his gaze dropped to Childe's lithe waist. Zhongli felt the itch
to wrap his arms around it, "Beautiful, as always." He murmured to Childe, making sure no
one could hear him except for the man himself. He swiftly ignored the many stares on them
as he waited for Childe to speak.

The ginger inhaled sharply, relaxing his stance a little as Zhongli didn't let go of his hand,
still keeping a firm hold on it. He fixed a pleasant smile on his face, allowing his eyelids to
droop until they were half-lidded, "I've missed you, Mr. Zhongli. It elates me to see you
again... I hope to see you around the ball." Childe said, his voice steady. Zhongli fixed his
eyes on Childe's, trying to figure him out.

Childe took the moment to take in Zhongli's features. The man was dressed in a maroon
three-piece suit, complete with a vest and a matching blood red tie, and a black, silk button-
up underneath. The suit was tailored to every inch of Zhongli's body, hugging it tightly and
leaving little to one's imagination.

Zhongli finally spoke, "Ah, and here I was hoping that my first dance could be with you.
Won't you give me the honor of opening the ball with me?" Childe's lips parted, he couldn't
help looking at Zhongli incredulously as he made his invitation. Zhongli had really just asked
him, a supposed alpha, for the first dance, the biggest honor there could be when attending an
emperor's ball.

Nervousness settled in his heart, he knew from the slightly cold look in Zhongli's eyes that
accepting would mean falling directly into his trap and being forced to spit out the truth on
why he had left, and why he was here again. He gulped a little, glancing at the Tsaritsa who
had moved a bit further from him with Signora, hoping that she would tell him not to accept,
but in contrast, she gave him a nod of affirmation, a steely look in her eyes as she gazed at
him.

Childe looked back at Zhongli, who looked mildly amused at his attempt to run away from
him, clearly, Childe was hoping the Tsaritsa wouldn't allow him. Childe reciprocated the hold
Zhongli had around his hand and smiled fakely up at the man, a nervous twinkle in his eyes
as he knew he was stepping into a dragon's den.

"I would love to," He said softly, allowing Zhongli to intertwine their fingers together as he
tugged Childe closer. He glanced at a nearby servant who quickly nodded and began to clear
the center of the room of people before informing the orchestra to begin playing formal
music. In no time, the dance floor was clear with them directly at the center if the room,
looking into each other's eyes with Zhongli desperate for a moment to pounce on Childe, and
Childe praying that Zhongli wouldn't be given such an opportunity.

Couples lined up around the perimeter of the room, waiting for Zhongli and Childe to
officially open the ball. Zhongli snaked his hand around Childe's bare waist, holding his hand
up with their fingers still tangled with one another. He pulled Childe's body against him,
close enough for Childe's head to begin spinning from Zhongli's strong scent.

Zhongli was a dominant alpha, producing powerful pheromones when he felt strongly about
something and it was always bad for Childe's heart whenever he did so. Childe knew it was
from the anticipation of finally getting answers from him that made Zhongli unleash his
scent. It made his knees go weak, his omega nature trying to submit to Zhongli, but Childe
fought against it.

He wondered what emotion Zhongli was feeling to make him give out such a strong scent as
he placed his hand on his shoulder. Again, happiness, sadness, nostalgia, anger? Childe
couldn't figure it out no matter how deeply they gazed at each other. They began to waltz in
time with the music, all eyes were on them as the people gossiped among themselves. Two
alphas dancing together in such an intimate fashion would strike curiosity into anyone's heart.
Most people likely thought this was nothing but a publicity stunt as they began to circle the
room, gazing into each other's eyes, trying to find any weakness in one another after being
apart for months. Slowly, as their dance progressed, couples began to swirl onto the dance
floor with them, surrounding them as they all spun around the room though they were lost in
no one but their partners.

It took all eyes off of them, allowing Childe to finally relax just a tiny bit, looking away from
Zhongli's powerful eyes. Without anyone looking at them, Zhongli freely pushed Childe's
body tighter against his own, his eyes flashing dangerously as he nudged Childe's chin up to
look back at him.

"Why did you leave without warning?" Zhongli asked as his grip around Childe's hand and
waist tightened possessively. Childe bit his lip at the feeling of Zhongli's hands tightly
grasping him, he hadn't expected the reaction to be so strong, he didn't think it had mattered
to Zhongli enough for him to act like this even though he thought Childe was an alpha.

"Does it matter, Mr. Zhongli? I don't think so. Alphas do not mingle with other alphas, after
all, it wasn't like I was going to stay around you forever," Childe held back a puff of laughter
at his own words, they hurt him to say. Zhongli's jaw tightened, but Childe kept calm, praying
to the Lords that Zhongli couldn't hear his beating heart with how tightly they'd pushed up
against one another and also that Zhongli wasn't as furious as he looked.

He added under his breath, "It's not as if you bothered to send a letter to me, you shouldn't
care if I ran away either way." Zhongli's eyes flashed dangerously, he didn't know how to
cope with the agitation inside of him without hurting Childe.

He wanted nothing more than to take him away from the party and show him how much he
had cared, how much it had torn him to know that Childe had run away without a word. He
took a calming breath, trying to keep himself in check before he did anything rash. Zhongli
couldn't just take an alpha to his bedroom to fuck some sense into him with ease, after all.

"This alpha and alpha dynamic matters not to me. I thought we had something between us,
friendship if nothing else and yet you coldly left without a word to me. And I did write to
you, a dozen times. I know not whether my letters reached you, but knowing you, you threw
them away without a glance,"

Guilt settled in Childe's heart, had he been wrong? Did his departure matter that much to
Zhongli? His love for Zhongli had made him regret the decision to run away every day ever
since he returned to Snezhnaya, but he had no choice without giving away his true motives.
He steeled himself, narrowing his eyes into a cold glare, his heart yearned for Zhongli to keep
holding him like this (preferably a bit more gently), but this could never work.

"Sorry, Mr. Zhongli, but I don't see you as anyone special to me." He said bluntly, knowing
he was very blatantly lying. Zhongli's grip on his hand turned painful, the leathered tips of his
fingers digging into Childe's waist as the man stared down at him with an unreadable look
behind his gleaming golden pupils. "Liar." He growled.

Childe held back a whimper at Zhongli's painful touch, dragging his feet to a stop until they
stood still at the center of the ballroom with couples still dancing around them. He felt
Zhongli release even more pheromones as he held Childe close covetously, not tearing his
eyes away from the ginger for even a second.

He watched as Childe's body froze up as he took in Zhongli's scent, his deep anger turning
into a slight gleam of curiosity as Childe's eyes widened, Zhongli could feel the energy in
Childe's body deteriorating as he slowly leans into Zhongli's chest, hugging him a little. It
was odd to Zhongli, after all, an alpha's scent should have no effect on another alpha, yet here
Childe was, standing rigid in front of him as he began to breathe through his mouth, panting a
little as his body heated up.

"I have to go, Mr. Zhongli. I'll s-see you later." Childe quickly wrenched his hand out of
Zhongli's with much of his strength and hurried off before Zhongli could grab him again,
knowing that if Zhongli had held him for even a moment longer, he would get devoured right
there with the predatorial way the man eyed him. He couldn't be happier to be a recessive
type, but gods, life would be so much easier if he wasn't an omega at all who felt no
attraction to Zhongli.

He heard Zhongli call after him and glanced back, only to see the man surrounded by ladies,
asking him for his next dance at the sight of Childe's departure, some women even looked at
Childe curiously, as if pondering whether to ask him for a dance as well.

The distraction made Childe sigh with relief, knowing Zhongli wouldn't be able to follow
him with that many people clinging to him. Zhongli's eyes were wide as he stared after him
until he disappeared into the crowds, his hand reached out for him as if he was making a
futile attempt to get him back into his clutches.

This was Childe's chance to carry through with the plan. Zhongli was distracted and there
were no guards in sight, courtesy of Signora. The entrance hall was clear.

He glanced around the room and spotted the Tsaritsa conversing with a person whom he did
not recognize. She caught his eye and Childe gave her a meaningful look, asking whether he
should go or not. She glanced to the dance floor and saw Zhongli very distracted but looking
utterly distraught.

She nodded to him, giving him the signal to go and Childe wasted no time in slipping out of
the ballroom into the entrance hall. Both of them missed the fact that Zhongli could still catch
sight of the double doors opening and closing, giving away that someone had left.

Childe glanced around and saw no one around, quickly taking his chance to sprint up to the
second floor from one side of the two grand staircases leading up. He ran to the end of the
corridor lined with closed doors and spotted the familiar spiral staircase which he quickly
began to climb to the third floor.

Childe knew that was where Zhongli's quarters were situated, having been there once before,
and he would make haste to get there before Zhongli freed himself of his crowd and came
after him. Childe came out onto the third floor, he had to hand it to Signora, not a single
guard or servant crossed his path.
Likely all of them were outside, patrolling the area while keeping the inside closed off. He
jogged to the end of the hallway where there stood grand oaken double doors to Zhongli's
room. Childe stopped for a minute to catch his breath, leaning a hand against the door for a
second.

"I hate myself." He whispered as he pushed the door open and stepped inside the grand
bedroom. The furniture was lavish, covered with soft velvets with a black and gold theme to
the room. A large four-poster bed sat against the wall at the center of the room.

He took a shaky breath and walked deeper inside, immediately beginning to search
bookshelves, drawers, and cabinets while trying to maintain the neatness of everything and
leave no trace. He didn't know if it was just melancholy clawing at his heart or if there was
something wrong with his body when he felt a sudden surge of weakness wash over himself.

He found nothing and quickly turned to the large closet, swallowing a little at how big it was
and quickly getting to work, looking into every nook and cranny for anything of value that
Zhongli's gnosis could be hidden with. He gulped a little, the entire closet smelled of
Zhongli's unmistakable scent from his clothes.

His head began to spin again as his body got a little hotter at the smell but he kept searching.
He came up empty-handed once more and left the closet. His last effort was to search around
the bed, knowing he didn't have much time before someone would come up. He approached
the four-poster bed and was about to begin looking around the nightstands when a strong
smell hit him head-on as soon he came near it.

His eyes widened as an intense amount of pheromones surrounded the air he breathed. "W-
What's happening?" He asked himself, feeling his body freezing up, his limbs suddenly
feeling like jelly as he tried to hold onto one of the posts to keep himself on his feet, but
slipped and fell onto the bed, getting even more caught up in the scent wafting from the bed.
"A-Alpha rut pheromones.. Zhongli... he just had a rut, no, this can't be happening-- my
body.."

Childe tried to raise himself on his hands, feeling his breath getting shorter as he panted with
his body heating up tremendously, blood rushing up to his face and tinting it a dark shade of
red. "I have to get up..." He told himself, feeling his cock rapidly hardening as he held onto
the post for dear life to pull himself up, his knees not having enough strength to pull him
away from the scent on the bed.

His nipples began to feel sore before they hardened and poked out of his tight turtleneck. "I'm
not due for another week, please--fuck this cannot happen..." Childe stared at the ground,
eyes blown wide, his mouth open as he panted for air. His cock was fully hard making his
clothes feel tighter and irritate him.

He felt like ripping his clothes off but pinched his thigh to keep from drowning in the
Zhongli's intense scent. The door swung open, but he couldn't bear to look up at who had
entered, not in this state. "Childe?" Zhongli's voice called, making the ginger flinch terribly
as his knees almost gave in again as he heard the voice of the man who had just gone through
a rut.
"What on Earth did you come here for?" Zhongli growled, his boots clicking on the floor as
he stomped towards the ginger. Childe immediately drew out his hand as he tried to get
Zhongli to stop. "Please, it's not what it looks like! I'll leave, just let me go, don't come any
closer!"

Zhongli stopped dead in his tracks for a moment a meter away from him, his eyes going wide
as Childe's body began to emit strong omega pheromones, they drifted through the air
towards him, diluting the air around him and making it difficult for him to keep from
breathing them in.

"Let me go outside, stay back," Childe said between pants for breath, raising his shaking gaze
to Zhongli's and finding him standing rigid, gazing at him with his eyes glazed over as his
pale cheeks began to redden. Zhongli's eyes filled with lust at the sight of the ginger, a bulge
beginning to form in his pants the more he took in Childe's irresistible scent.

"Zhongli?" Childe stuttered, his eyes going wide as he watched Zhongli shed his suit's blazer,
throwing it onto a nearby chair before crossing over to Childe in three steps. "Don't Zh-
Zhongli, please!" Zhongli was upon him in seconds as Childe was helplessly pushed onto the
bed, his amber eyes were wide with lust, and stared down at Childe hungrily, a drop of drool
beginning to drip down the corners of his mouth.

Childe felt his mind going numb as Zhongli began to emit strong alpha pheromones again,
pushing him into submission and making him completely helpless. He could do nothing but
stare up at Zhongli with wide, teary blue eyes and hold back sobs of pain from how sore his
body felt.

"You were an omega all this time?" Zhongli's voice was ghostly quiet, a mere whisper as he
placed a hand on Childe's torso, making the sensitive man flinch as he pushed him deeper
into the bed, "You rejected me because you were an alpha, but now..." Zhongli pinned him
down completely, his scent overwhelming Childe into submission as his heart beat out of its
ribcage.

Tears started to leak from Childe's eyes as Zhongli spread his legs and pulled them apart,
pressing his enormous bulge against Childe's ass. Childe's instincts made him push down on
it, moaning as his body heated up even more. He wanted it so badly, his mind and body
wanted the alpha who had put him into this state.

He yearned for him, but he knew the consequences could be disastrous. Zhongli pulled his
gloves off of his fingers, throwing them off to the side and revealing his black fingers. "You
came here just to seduce me, didn't you? To take something precious from me and trick me as
you did before." Childe began to cry, his legs wrapping around Zhongli's waist as he fisted
the man's shirt, pulling him closer despite his initial need to run away.

"N-No! This was an accident-- I didn't go into heat of my own accord!" Childe cried as
Zhongli fisted the collar of his shirt in his large hands before pulling it apart and ripping it off
of Childe's body. Zhongli's drool slipped from his mouth, landing on Childe's sensitive skin
as he stared down at the harbinger's shaking body.
"Did the scent of my rut send you into heat, then?" He whispered, digging his fingers into
Childe's waist. He took a shaky breath and tore his hands away from Childe's body, sitting
back on the balls of his feet between the ginger's legs. He pinched himself harshly, the pain
making his mind clear a little as he stared down at the broken-looking omega who refused to
reply.

"It's true then, f-fuck... your scent is driving me insane." Childe's skin was flushed with the
blood that pumped through his body, his head spinning as he looked up at the dominant alpha
sitting over him. He bit into his hand harshly to keep from begging Zhongli for something he
shouldn't be begging for from the man he had just told he had no interest in.

He sobbed into his hands, trying to keep from wailing under Zhongli's intense stare, knowing
just how much caution the alpha was exercising over himself. "A-Are you going to do it?"
Childe stuttered between sobs.

Zhongli's fingers itched to grab the ginger and fuck into him, his cock throbbing from seeing
an omega in heat, Childe no less whom he had been in love with for the longest time. "Do
you want me to?" He growled, grabbing a fistful of the velvet sheets under them to steady
himself.

"Yes... please, please f-fuck-- I need you, alpha, it hurts so much" Childe cursed himself for
begging in the end, crying into his hands from the irritation his body felt, the soreness.
Zhongli froze, his eyes going wide as he felt the last thread of control snap in his mind.

Only his fingers being tangled in the sheets kept him from devouring the ginger. "What
hurts?" He asked, shuddering a little as another strong wave of his minty scent washed
through him, making him dizzy. Childe's shaking fingers slowly reach up to his chest,
pointing to his red and swollen nipples, "H-Here," then his hand trailed down to his cock,
cupping himself gently and throwing his head back in a gasp as a wave of sheer pleasure
racked through his body, "and here,"

Zhongli bit his lip, wincing with pain as his canine sank into his skin. Zhongli pressed his lips
against Childe's parted lips, unable to stop himself from completely gorging them as he
shoved his tongue down Childe's throat and made him gag a little. Childe moaned loudly into
the kiss, his arms wrapping around Zhongli's neck and pulling him as close as they could
possibly get.

"F-Fuck please just put it in, please, I can't take it!" He begged, sobbing a little. Zhongli
unbuckled the belt of Childe's pants and pulled them off of his legs as he sat up, taking
Childe's boots off and leaving his socks on. Childe was left in nothing but his white blazer
that had slipped down to his elbows.

He let out a low growl from his throat at the sight of Childe's lewd body, his pink erection
standing straight up, throbbing violently. He slipped his hand down to Childe's ass, cupping it
gently before slipping his fingers between his cheeks. He reeled as he felt wet, slimy slick
leaking from Childe's hole, lubing it up well.

"You're so wet," He whispered, pressing his index to Childe's hole and making him cry out a
little, pulling his legs up to his chest to give Zhongli better access, "Please, please put it in,
I'm begging y-you," Childe whimpered pathetically.

He hated himself right now, he hated how vulnerable he felt under Zhongli, asking him to
fuck him even though he was supposed to be stealing from him. He was pulled out of his
jumbled-up thoughts when Zhongli suddenly slammed his finger inside of Childe, forcing his
way into him. Childe let out a cry of pain and pleasure as his finger directly smacked into his
swollen prostate, making him gasp as he arched his back.

"That was easy to find... I thought it would be difficult with a male omega, but it's so
swollen." Zhongli commented, his cheeks red from the heat he was feeling from Childe's
body. He felt so intoxicated on Childe's pheromones, it was as if his mind had relinquished
control over his body and he couldn't think straight as he stared at Childe's body, gazing at his
irresistible nipples and feeling a carnal desire to devour them.

Zhongli leaned down at pressed his lips against Childe's nipple, his finger thrusting inside
Childe and making him scream from pleasure, his body heated and overly sensitive. Zhongli
began to suck on Childe's nipple, giving it kitten licks and making Childe cover his face with
his hands as he moaned loudly. Zhongli pressed a second finger inside of the ginger, making
his body quake as his tight hole was stretched out.

He parted his fingers inside him, drawing Childe's walls open and making him squirm as he
panted heavily before pressing his fingers to Childe's prostate, massaging the swollen gland
gently and urging a staggering amount of precum to leak from Childe's cock.

"Hnngh-- Zhongli fuck- please Zhongli s-stop it!" Childe moaned helplessly as the man
sucked roughly on nipple, pulling at it with his teeth before finally moving back after leaving
a deep purple bruise over Childe's chest. He grasped Childe's face with his other hand, urging
him to meet his eyes as the ginger sobbed.

"You... you can ask me to do anything and I will do it, just don't tell me to stop." He pounded
his fingers into Childe harshly for good measure, listening to the ginger hiccuping before he
pounded his third finger inside him, making the ginger thrash and wail, "It hurts! It hurts
Zhongli--mmgh fuck!"

He quieted the loud ginger by pressing his hand over his mouth, feeling his impatience
doubling as he desperately wanted to fuck deep inside Childe. He tried to move gentler inside
Childe, but it was so difficult to remain within a boundary line between humanity and ferality
while Childe was lying down so pliant and ready for him.

Gods, he'd wanted this for the longest time, to be deep inside Childe and make him scream
his name, but he couldn't even dream of it. Not when he thought that Childe was an alpha,
another alpha was off-limits to Zhongli, he couldn't force them in any position he liked, he
couldn't make them submit with just a quiet glance or touch them in any way he wanted.

He couldn't express how elated he was that he was capable of doing all of those things with
Childe because he was an omega. It was his nature to submit to the likes of Zhongli and he
would exploit it fully.
He rolled his fingers inside Childe just right, pinching the muscles over his prostate between
two fingers and making him scream into Zhongli's hand. If Childe's voice wouldn't echo
throughout the grounds, he would've loved to listen to him screaming and crying like this to
his full extent.

"Tell me something, sweet thing," Zhongli called softly to get his attention as he stretched all
three of his fingers as far apart as he could inside Childe, watching the ginger cry into his
hand at the feeling. Childe looked up at him with complete and utter obedience, hanging onto
his every word even while being in such a state.

"If I claim you right here, right now, the Tsaritsa would let me have you, wouldn't she?"
Childe's eyes widened as he processed Zhongli's words, "Surely, she can't allow her little
harbinger to suffer without his alpha, can she?" He didn't allow Childe to respond as he gave
one last thrust into him with his fingers, only allowing him to mewl into his hand before he
pulled out.

Zhongli pulled his hand away from Childe's mouth, watching the ginger take a shaky breath
of relief and disappointment as he rubbed his knees together, wanting to be filled up. "Stay
still and be a good boy, hm?" Zhongli prompted, sighing deeply as he stood up, much to
Childe's panic, thinking the alpha was just going to leave him.

He stared at Zhongli with wide, teary eyes again. "W-Wait..!" He whimpered as Zhongli
stepped away from the bed, catching his attention. Zhongli smirked at him as he began to
take his clothes off, unclasping his vest and allowing it to drop to the floor, "Don't worry, I
wouldn't be able to leave you like this even if I wanted to." He whispered to Childe, his voice
rumbling a little throughout the room and resonating within Childe.

He wanted the man so badly, he wanted him to fuck him into the bed and mate him all day
and night, no matter how much his mind told him that it would have so many consequences.
The Tsaritsa would dispose of him within seconds if she found out what it was they were
doing, but right now as he watched Zhongli strip, he could hardly give a shit.

"Z-Zhongli... please, I really need it, I-I can't wait for it any longer." Childe couldn't lie about
his desires, he wanted nothing more than Zhongli's cock right now and he was strangely
happy about it, despite his initial reluctance. He was going to be fucked by an alpha for the
first time in his life, and he couldn't think of anyone better than Zhongli, whom he had fallen
in love with so long ago.

Zhongli was gentle most of the time with Childe months ago, he kept his distance from
Childe but remained respectful, treating him kindly. Perhaps it was just because he thought
that Childe was an alpha, but he didn't care.

In his eyes, no matter how Zhongli changed his demeanor towards Childe, he would remain
in love with him. But he knew Zhongli hadn't changed at all towards him, he could see
besides lust, there was affection, tenderness, desire, and love in his eyes. He wouldn't mind at
all being like this with Zhongli, though if he had a choice, he would've avoided this ever
happening.
There were too many repercussions that came with falling in love with and going into heat in
front of an alpha like Zhongli. Zhongli stood completely naked in front of Childe within
minutes, staring down at him whilst wearing his heart on his sleeve, doing nothing to hide
how much he wanted to fuck Childe right then.

Even in his mind's hazy and fried state, the ginger admired the man in front of him. His arms
were black like obsidian, lined with gold markings that formed jagged and sharp patterns
across his forearms to his biceps, up to his shoulders where his skin faded into his pale
complexion, but the gold lines continued until they met over Zhongli's heart in a diamond
shape, the Mark of Geo.

Childe shakily pushed himself up into a sitting position, his eyes widening as he saw
Zhongli's cock, swollen and throbbing with arousal and desire for Childe. His eyes grew half-
lidded as he stared at it with an itch to have it deep inside of him.

Zhongli noticed and smiled, cupping Childe's cheek in his warm hand and tilting his face up
to kiss him. "I'll give it to you in just a moment, sweet thing. Lie down, I'll take good care of
you."

He laid Childe down further up at the center of the bed, his mind growing accustomed to
Childe's pheromones, making it easier for him to control himself no matter how much his
instincts clawed at him to destroy the man beneath him.

He climbed over Childe before reaching into the drawer, pulling out something that he didn't
allow Childe to see, a condom. As much as he wanted to shoot his seed deep inside of the
omega and make him carry his children, he knew he couldn't do that to Childe, not in his
most fragile state.

He rolled the condom over his cock, grunting at the tight fit before he gazed down at Childe's
tearstained face. Zhongli kissed both his cheeks, licking off the salty tears and the drool on
his chin as he held Childe's legs in place, keeping him pinned down as the ginger whimpered
at the affection.

He pushed inside Childe with a heavy groan, his mouth falling open at how tight it was even
after three fingers of prep. It almost felt like the time he had taken to make sure Childe was
comfortable had been for naught, looking down at the younger through his narrowed eyes as
tears filled Childe's eyes again.

He mewled Zhongli's name clutching onto his back and digging his nails into the muscular
flesh. He began to claw at Zhongli's back and cut the skin, his eyes opening to their full size
as he choked out a sob when Zhongli thrust inside his sensitive hole fully.

"I want to mark you..." Zhongli whispered through deep breaths, trying to cope with the
feeling of Childe's intense heat around his length. "Please let me mark you... I can't bear to
lose you as I did once before."

Zhongli's usually smooth and calm voice trembled, making deep guilt settle in the depths of
Childe's heart as he cried softly. He said nothing as he turned his head and exposed the nape
of his neck for Zhongli to see. He wanted this too, he wanted to be Zhongli's and he wanted
Zhongli to be his.

He rejected fate, and he wouldn't be returning to the Tsaritsa any time soon if it meant being
like this with Zhongli for the rest of their lives. He felt so full, so whole with the gentle thrum
of Zhongli's pulsating cock vibrating gently inside of him, he wanted to feel like this forever,
he wanted to be with no one, feel like this with no one but Zhongli. Zhongli pulled out
momentarily, much to Childe's confusion as his benumbed mind tried to process what
Zhongli was doing.

He felt utterly relaxed with an alpha's cock resting inside him, it felt like all the heat, the
desire, the lust, and the irritation in his body settled when Zhongli was inside him, but it
returned tenfold when Zhongli pulled out.

He began to feel breathless again, but Zhongli quickly kissed him comfortingly, turning him
around to lie on his stomach before he entered Childe again, this time more easily as Childe
relaxed once more. He kissed the nape of Childe's neck, whispering sweet nothings to him as
he began to thrust inside of the ginger.

It made Childe's eyes go wide as pure ecstasy shook him to the core. There was no pain, no
discomfort that Zhongli's cock brought to him. He felt blissful with every rock of Zhongli's
hips, hitting spots he didn't think possible as he held the ginger's arms behind his back,
pulling him up into a kneeling position gradually.

"Aah--ah-- Zhongli mhnngh...! Zhongli! Fuck--haah.." He moaned helplessly, unable to get

any words out of his mouth other than Zhongli's name as he called it out, over and over with
every thrust drawing lewd moans and cries from him.

The bed rocked against the wall, the posts shuddering a little as Zhongli increased his pace,
going fast and deep inside the younger. He grunted, his eyes rolling back as Childe clenched
tightly around him from the sensitivity of his insides.

It drove him insane, along with the stronger pheromones that Childe released, he let out a
deep growl from the back of his throat that shook the room with slight echoes, making Childe
whimper helplessly. He changed his course a bit, aiming straight for the very prominent
bump of Childe's prostate inside him and pounding into him, quickly clamping his hand over
Childe's mouth as the ginger let out a muffled scream into his palm.

He held Childe's face and pulled him up to kneel with him, wrapping his other arm tightly
around Childe as he buried his face into his neck, moaning into it at the heat enveloping his
cock.

Childe's tears fell over Zhongli's hand as he clutched his arm for dear life, letting out stifled
cries with every pound to his prostate. "You feel so good, d-dearest." Zhongli moaned softly,
licking the nape of Childe's neck and trying his best not to sink his teeth into it prematurely.

He had to time it just right to claim Childe as his own. Childe let out a muffled sob into his
hand, tapping his arm gently for release as he felt it difficult to breathe through his nose.
Zhongli let go of his mouth, feeling it drip with the ginger's spit but didn't care as Childe
 choked out, "I'm close, Z-Zhongli, I'm so close..!" Childe whimpered, clawing at his hands
and tearing the skin and making it bleed, his eyes gazing at the droplets of rich blood rushing
through the new cracks in Zhongli's skin with mirth.

Zhongli nipped at his ear affectionately, "Cum for me, Childe," He whispered, closing his
eyes as Childe squeezed around him, making it difficult for him to move. He pushed Childe
over onto his hands and knees, pulling his cheeks apart for better penetration as Childe lost
all sense of reason.

"Zhongli--fuck Zhongli!" Childe yelled as he came all over the sheets in white ribbons,
gasping as his eyes shut tightly, his body felt like it was on fire as it tingled with ecstasy,
Zhongli still repeatedly pounding into his prostate from behind, drawing out more and more
cum from him until his hands collapsed underneath him, leaving him to bury his face in the
sheets, panting and gasping for breath as Zhongli continued to thrust.

His mind cleared up a little from the orgasm though his heat still hung over him. He
desperately wanted to be knotted, though he still hadn't realized Zhongli was wearing a
condom. "Ahnnghh-- Zhongli...!" Childe wailed as Zhongli's cock began to twitch inside of
him.

Zhongli groaned into his ear as he bent over Childe, mercilessly pounding into him as the
ginger sobbed into the mattress. "F-Fuck, Childe I'm going to..." Zhongli's words trailed off
as he gave a few last thrusts deep inside him, Childe prepared for Zhongli's seed, craving the
feeling of it burning inside him before he knotted him.

Zhongli came all into the tight condom with a low growl in Childe's ear, his eyes rolling back
as he promptly bit into the side of Childe's neck out of instinct, hitting a nerve that connected
straight to his scent glands. The sheer pleasure Childe got from the bite made him moan out
Zhongli's name, pulling his mind away from the absence of Zhongli's cum as the base of
Zhongli's cock began to swell.

Zhongli's body began to relax from its tense state, still leaning over the ginger as his eyes
drooped to close, feeling an insurmountable amount of heat settle at the plinth of his cock. He
took a shaky breath as he felt Childe's body relaxing under him at the feeling of being
knotted, though Zhongli knew all he was actually knotting was the condom.

He fell on his side, still attached with Childe as he pulled the ginger into his chest, wrapping
his arms tightly around him. He buried his face into the crook of Childe's neck, inhaling his
fading scent as his heat finally subsided.

"Childe..?" Zhongli called softly in his ear, listening to the man murmur a sleepy response. "I
love you and I will keep you by my side no matter what happens next."

Chapter End Notes

Let me know what you thought of the chapter! If people enjoy omegaverse, I might
incorporate it into some other kink prompts, hehe~ I had a lot of fun writing this ngl, not
just because of the dynamics, but a bit because of the backstory set up for them. I have
no idea what AU one could put this down as, modern kingdom, I guess? No idea, but
meh I'm in too good of a mood to care. <3
 (Heat P2) Haematomania (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Warnings: Blood play

Zhongli makes a great many sacrifices just to have his beloved by his side with the
prevalence of peace throughout the land.

NOTE: This chapter is Part 2 of Chapter: 28 of this book, the prompt of which is Heat.
Please read it before this one if you haven't already so you aren't missing out on
anything that you might not understand in this smut!

Chapter Notes

Me: *Slaps chapter* this baby can fit so many typos in it

I'm super sorry for the rushed chapter, honestly, I didn't really expect to write a part 2,
all of these one-shots are mostly unfinished ideas that I don't really plan ahead so I had
absolutely no idea what to do with Zhongli and the Tsaritsa, but I hope, pray that it
suffices.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

* Haematomania: Desire to make someone bleed.

Childe stirred in his sleep, groaning softly as he woke up to light thrumming noise ringing
throughout his body. It was warm, warmer than Childe had ever felt before as a Snezhnayan.
Childe felt strangely full, like he'd eaten a hefty meal that made him feel warm and satisfied
inside.

He whined quietly in protest, wanting to carry on sleeping in the warmth that surrounded
him, but he felt sensitive to everything going on in the still and silent room. His mind was
becoming more active, thoughts began to surge through Childe's mind as he fought to let
sleep take him again.

A comforting scent lingered around Childe, making him croon and realize what had woken
him up. It didn't exactly make him happy to know that it was Zhongli who'd woken him
without even trying. A regular person might wonder what it was like to be mated to someone;
in Childe's opinion, it was pretty annoying because it had disrupted the best sleep he'd had in
ages. He felt so comfortable in Zhongli's arms, cocooned in them and cuddling with his back
pressed up against Zhongli's chest.

The little thrumming noise in the room was not a noise per se, more so a feeling against his
back, the beating of Zhongli's heart hammered against Childe's body. Every beat of his heart
was strong, reverberating through Childe but steady at the same time, slow as he slept.

Childe was aware of every little movement of Zhongli's body, the gentle rise and fall of his
chest, pushing tighter against his back before relaxing as his diaphragm pushed up whenever
he exhaled. Childe could also hear the light breathing of the man behind him, his body
relaxed as he inhaled and exhaled softly.

Childe took a heavy breath, so this was what it was like to be mated, being aware of every
little thing Zhongli did and finding comfort in it.

Zhongli's arms around Childe's waist tightened a little, making Childe's eyes flutter open and
hiss at the light flooding in from the open curtains of the window, his retinas burning. Childe
shut them tightly again before mentally preparing himself to reopen his eyes to glance around
the room. He shifted a little, squinting in the light as his nose scrunched up from annoyance.

He found arms sprawled over and under him, completely trapping him against Zhongli's
body. Childe gasped as he felt something inside of himself and involuntarily clenched his ass,
tightening around the thing which he quickly identified as Zhongli's cock, still deep inside of
him with their hips pressed against together. He realized why he felt so full.

With a start, memories of what he had done with Zhongli the night before came flooding
back in, inhaling the strong scent of Zhongli's rut and his own heat pheromones mixed in the
sheets of the bed; thankfully they didn't trigger Childe again after his intense heat, being
cooped up around Zhongli who produced stronger, fresher pheromones even in his sleep that
relaxed Childe immensely.

He gazed at the wall he was facing, standing a few meters away from the bed that sat against
the center of the largest wall in Zhongli's room.

A blush rose to his cheeks, remembering the details of the previous night. He remembered
the way he had begged Zhongli to fuck him, and the way Zhongli had called him irresistible.
He had held him tightly against his body before railing him from behind.

That was the first time he had had sex with someone, the first time he had spent his heat with
someone rather than suffering through it alone... the first time he had been knotted by an
alpha.

Worry filled him to the core as he thought about his heat, he had wanted Zhongli to breed
him. He wanted him to shoot his seed inside of him and carry Zhongli's children, but his
sober mind regretted it intensely.

If Zhongli really did cum inside and knot him, it could lead to... dire consequences. A
difficult pregnancy at the worst. But as Zhongli moved a little, shifting inside of Childe, he
couldn't feel anything, none of Zhongli's sperm inside of him, nothing but the emperor's cock
filled him to the brim.

His knot had worn off by now and Childe slowly scooted forward, tugging his body out of
Zhongli's hold. Childe cringed a little as he slid out of Zhongli's embrace, feeling the alpha's
cock slip out of his hole as he pulled himself forward. His back ached with pain, making him
shudder as he lay on his stomach and curled the sheets around himself.

He pressed his hand to his lower abdomen, feeling empty inside from the absence of
Zhongli's cock after a whole night.

He slowly reached his hand back, shivering a little as he felt for any signs of cum in his ass,
pressing his finger inside. He let out a quiet moan, his body still sensitive from the previous
night as he dug his face into the pillow with embarrassment at what he was doing.

'He didn't cum inside... how is that possible?' He thought to himself as he turned his gaze to
Zhongli's sleeping face. He gazed at the man for a long moment, admiring his features.

He had never seen Zhongli from this close before, he felt ethereal with his sharp nose and
fine jawline. He gazed at him more closely and let out a small 'huh' of wonder as he realized
Zhongli's eyelashes matched his hair, black at the roots and ended at amber tips.

He didn't know whether that was even possible, he always assumed Zhongli had dyed his
hair, but he didn't realize that he was natural. An embarrassing thought struck Childe, it was
fascinating that Zhongli's hair and eyelashes were an ombre of sorts, but did the carpet match
the drapes? He hadn't had a chance to get a close look at the man before him last night, and
his eyes ventured down his body, gazing intently at the vivid, sharp shapes etched on his skin
like he was a piece of art.

The tips of his fingers were black as obsidian and reached up to his shoulders before the dark
color faded into his pale skin tone. Childe gazed at Zhongli's hands, he knew they glowed a
gold color, just like the tips of his hair when he used his Geo powers.

He only had the pleasure of seeing it once, the way Zhongli's body glowed a blinding golden
color that was beautiful to look at when he fought. Zhongli had used his powers during his
spar with Childe; the ginger had been very proud of himself for drawing Zhongli to use his
true strength to defeat him, even if it ended with him being bruised and battered.

That fight had ended with Zhongli tending to his wounds carefully, muttering softly under his
breath that he was impressed with Childe's strength.

Childe's heart had swelled with pride at that, considering how hard he worked to achieve the
power he had, how hard he worked to make himself equal to an alpha. Zhongli shifted in his
sleep, spooking Childe and making him snap out of his trance. A hue settled over Childe's
cheeks, realizing he was staring, and decided to move on to exploring more of Zhongli's
body.

He sat up and gently tugged the blanket away from Zhongli. He almost squawked at the sight
of Zhongli's cock suffocating in the tight condom he wore that was inflated with his cum. He
quickly noted that the man's pubic hair was also two-toned and he didn't quite know how to
react to the sight.

Childe couldn't help the soft smile on his face from the sight of the condom as he looked
away quickly to avoid getting aroused at his mate's sexy body. Zhongli had taken it upon
himself to make sure they were protected and he was very grateful for it.

At the same time, he felt a bit melancholic for it, giving rise to overthinking and paranoia.
Did Zhongli not want to have children with him? What if he only marked Childe in the heat
of the moment, swallowed by Childe's heat pheromones, what if he didn't want to be with
Childe while he was sober? Childe shuddered at the thought. Childe hadn't marked Zhongli,
he had no effect on him until he mutually mated with him, unlike Zhongli, who could wake
Childe from his slumber with just the beat of his heart with how sensitive he was in Zhongli's
presence.

If Zhongli didn't want him back... things could be disastrous, to say the least. Childe would
have no option but to slowly start dying without his mate if Zhongli up and abandoned him.

"If I claim you right here, right now, the Tsaritsa would let me have you, wouldn't she?
Surely, she can't allow her little harbinger to suffer without his alpha, right?" Zhongli's words
from the night before rung through Childe's mind like wedding bells. No, Zhongli wouldn't
abandon him, not after he'd made such a statement.

He felt soft and giddy for that and smiled wide at the thought of the man willing to take him
from the Tsaritsa. He clenched his fists and began to climb off the bed, whimpering a little as
his legs shook dangerously under him, threatening to give out, but with sheer willpower, he
managed to keep himself up.

Zhongli's words had to mean something. With that thought in mind, he limped away from the
bed towards the bathroom door to wash up, feeling disgusted with himself from the sliminess
spread across his ass and the back of his thighs, not to mention how sweaty he felt from the
hotness of his body last night, the after-effects still hanging over his mind and body.

Childe didn't know whether it was normal, considering it was the first time he had been
knotted, he had no experience with such a thing. He stepped under the shower, turning it to a
cold temperature that always relaxed his mind. No matter how much he wanted to stay away
from Snezhnaya, home was still home and cold showers were his last reminder of the cold
days he used to spend with his family, playing in the snow. He took a shaky breath and
perished the thought, he was happy as long Zhongli kept him by his side without degrading
him into an object for his omega nature.

Childe sniffed the soap and sighed heftily with satisfaction, it smelled just like Zhongli, of
flowers, glaze lilies in particular. He washed his body with it, using a generous amount and
relishing as he shared Zhongli's bodily scent.

He stepped out of the shower after cleaning himself up well into every nook and cranny,
especially his ass in case even the slightest bit of cum had leaked inside, and grabbed a
bathrobe from its hanger, wrapping himself in it before getting out of the bathroom. He saw
Zhongli still seemingly asleep but lying on his back this time as he sprawled out on the
mattress, one arm extended out and looking perfect to sleep on. He didn't notice that Zhongli
had discarded the soiled condom from his cock.

Childe giddily walked over to the bed, gazing at Zhongli's face that looked so peaceful.
Childe crawled over the mattress and gently lied down next to Zhongli again, resting his head
against the man's chest and cuddling into his side. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a
deep rumble of laughter erupted from the chest beneath him as Zhongli suddenly shifted to
wrap his arms tightly around Childe's frame, hugging him tightly.

Childe yelped at the action, his heart pounding as he felt Zhongli hugging him, his warmth
surrounding Childe.

"Don't do that so suddenly, you scared the hell out of me!" Childe whined as Zhongli buried
his face in his neck. He could feel the man smiling against his skin and relaxed slowly in
Zhongli's arms.

"My apologies, I couldn't help it. You do not realize how happy it made me to feel you
curling up to me so willingly," He peppered Childe's face with gentle kisses, all over his
forehead, chin, and over his cheeks that immediately reddened from the affection.

Zhongli pulled back and gazed at him deeply; Childe felt goosebumps litter his skin at the
warmth and love in his eyes, "It feels like a dream that I get to hold you like this. I never
want this to end." Zhongli closed the space between their lips, kissing him gently and saying,
"Childe, I love you, and I want to wake up to you doing that to me every day."

Zhongli pressed his lips to Childe's forehead for a long second, pressing his body against
Childe's tightly. Childe stared dazedly into Zhongli's shoulder as the alpha hugged him.

He felt an inexplicable feeling of happiness at Zhongli's words, so much warmth spread

through his chest, it burned him as he gazed up at the man before pressing his lips to
Zhongli's tightly, he wrapped his arms around Zhongli's neck and slowly crawled on top of
him, lying over him.

The kiss was soft and sweet, taking in one another's presence through the connection of their
lips. Neither of them moved to deepen it, both taking the moment to enjoy the kiss and share
the fireworks they felt in their hearts between them.

Childe pulled back once his breathing scattered from his grasp and gazed into Zhongli's eyes,
unable to get enough of his lips and pecking them again. "I love you too," Childe whispered
to him, pressing his lips against Zhongli's jaw. Zhongli's cheeks went red as he grinned, and
Childe jumped as he felt something poking against his leg, slowly rising between his thighs
and pressing against his inner thighs.

"Y-You can't be serious, you got hard just from the kiss?" Childe asked Zhongli as the man
laughed, squeezing Childe's body closer towards himself as the ginger squirmed on top of
him, trying to detangle their legs and sit up, only to regret it as he ended up sitting on top of
Zhongli's cock, pushing down on it as it slid under his robe to rub against Childe's thighs.
Zhongli let out a puff of breath from pleasure as Childe's face flushed red, "Not in particular,
but hearing you confess to me after so long of yearning to hear those words from your lips is
a different story."

Childe whimpered a little as Zhongli bucked his hips upward, rubbing his erection between
Childe's thighs before he pushed the ginger off of himself to pin him to the bed against the
pillows. Childe looked up at Zhongli as the man undid the knot tied around his robe that
secured it to Childe's body. Zhongli pushed the robe open and immediately marveled at the
sight of Childe's body, lying in wait for him in all its naked glory.

One of his pretty pink nipples had a nasty purple bruise over it from last night and Zhongli
felt an uncontainable desire to give his untouched one a matching hickey.

He wasted no time, taking Childe's nipple in his mouth and biting it gently between his teeth
before tugging at it softly. Childe moaned, his body's sensitivity from last night's heat making
him shudder as Zhongli's mouth worked tirelessly against it.

Childe whimpered Zhongli's name as the emperor bit around Childe's chest and left dull teeth
marks in the skin. He pulled back and watched the nipple swell with satisfaction, a deep red
bruise forming around it.

He pressed his tongue flat against Childe's nipple, drawing out a long moan from the ginger
who wrapped his legs around his waist, running his finger's through Zhongli's long, wild
bedhead of a mane and curling his fingers in the tangles, gently picking them apart and
detangling Zhongli's hair as he worked on his body.

"Z-Zhongli, I just showered," Zhongli moved his gaze to look up at Childe, licking his lips at
the mess that he was already after a mere few moments of stimulation. "Then I'll help you
take another one right after we're done: your wish is my command."

Childe's eyes narrowed into a glare, but he quickly faltered under Zhongli's intense golden
eyes that reflected light from the windows, giving them the impression of a car's headlights
with how bright they glowed. They gave him an almost challenging look, telling Childe that
he wouldn't be let go any time soon.

Childe should have shut the curtains because he felt what little resolve he had crumbling
under Zhongli's gaze. Zhongli placed a gentle kiss over Childe's abused nipple, "Last night, I
wasn't in full control over myself and neither were you. I want to see what you look like with
my vision clear, what kind of noises you can make without being filtered, I want to see the
face you make when I make you feel good. And... I want to cum inside you while I have full
control over myself." Childe hid his face behind his hands with utter embarrassment at
Zhongli's humiliatingly honest words.

The emperor chuckled as he took Childe's hand in his own and pressed a soft kiss to his palm,
"I have waited so long to do this with you, won't you allow me a taste of you in my controlled
state?" Childe whimpered as Zhongli licked his waist, barely keeping control of himself, "I
want you to mark me, bite me as many times as you want while I make you feel good,
please?"
How could Childe say no when a man as powerful as Zhongli, Rex Lapis, Morax, the Geo
Emperor of all people was pleading with him for sex. Childe waved a hand of consent at
Zhongli, unable to force the words of vulnerability from his lips.

Zhongli smiled against Childe's skin and bit slowly into his waist, puncturing it with his teeth
and making Childe yelp as the man was unprepared. He groaned in pain, shutting his eyes as
he arched his back into Zhongli's lips. Zhongli licked the blood that began to leak from
Childe's wound and smirked at the way the ginger squirmed underneath him.

Childe cracked his eyes open and lifted his head to look down at Zhongli. He licked his lips
at the sight of his own blood, whimpering a little at the gentle pain, and shuddered with
delight at the prospect of more pain that would eventually come after his sex drive wore off.

It was no secret to anyone that Childe loved the sight of blood and he loved to hurt people,
loved to get hurt just as much. His love for blood came from an intense urge to bite into flesh
to make a person bleed, just as Zhongli had done.

He wondered if Zhongli would allow him to indulge in such a desire, but he knew the kink
wasn't groundless to Zhongli, who knew Childe loved a good fight as long as it involved
bloodshed on either side of the party.

"Zhongli," Childe called softly, tugging at the roots of the man's hair to get his attention as he
moved his lips to Childe's inner thighs, licking and sucking on the supple skin, "What is it,
sweet thing?" Zhongli whispered from between his legs, hooking his hands up Childe's hips
to lift him, and smirked at the sight of how wet Childe had gotten from behind.

"Can I bite you--hhngh..!" He asked, gasping as Zhongli slid his sopping wet tongue over
Childe's ass cheek, lapping up the juices Childe had released. Childe clamped his legs tightly
around the man's head but that didn't stop him from licking Childe all over his ass, making
the ginger moan loudly as he curled his fists into Zhongli's hair.

"Mmmgh-- Zhongli w-wait!" Childe pleaded, gasping as Zhongli gently bit down on Childe's
ass as he pushed him up into a reverse lunge, lifting his legs completely off the bed and
placing them over his shoulders, his hips lifted off.

"You want to mark me? I told you to do that already, dearest." He didn't allow Childe to
ponder over his words properly as he suddenly pressed a kiss to the tip of Childe's cock,
making the younger gasp and shudder.

His mouth fell into an O shape as Zhongli trailed his tongue over the depression between the
tip and shaft of Childe's cock. "N-No, I mean normal bi-biting--aah!" Childe bucked his hips
as Zhongli wrapped his mouth completely around the tip of Childe's cock. "Nngh... fuck--
Zhongli s-shit..!" Childe cursed as Zhongli sucked on his cock for a few seconds before
pulling off with a pop.

"You're free to do anything you wish to me, I belong to you, and you, to me. I will do
anything to please you, even if it means bleeding for you."
Childe blushed as Zhongli allowed his hips to touch the bed again, pulling his mate up to sit
on his thigh as he kneeled on the bed. He extended his neck out for Childe to bite, making the
younger drool a little at the prospect of marking Zhongli.

"Won't it hurt you since you're not in a rut?" He asked Zhongli for confirmation, making the
older chuckle, "It will, but I can't go another second without being marked by you, sweet
thing."

Childe smiled into Zhongli's neck as he pressed his lips against his skin, licking over it before
he sank his fangs into Zhongli's neck on instinct. He marked his scent glands as pure
satisfaction filled him from marking his mate.

It was a different experience for Zhongli, who hissed with pain, his nails digging into the
small of Childe's back. He clenched his eyes tight shut with the sheer pain that rolled through
him, the tips of his fingers going numb and jittering as if he had been electrically shocked.

It was much different from the ecstasy Childe had felt while being marked during his heat.
Childe pulled away from the bite wound he left and hummed with satisfaction as Zhongli's
rich red blood leaked from the wound. His kink didn't particularly include a desire for
drinking blood as much as seeing it, but he couldn't let the droplets go to waste and lapped up
at them as Zhongli slowly recovered from his pain.

He dipped his head into the crook of Childe's neck as the ginger leaned forward to bite him
over his collarbone.

It stung Zhongli, but not as much as the mating bite, he enjoyed watching Childe's giddy
smirk at the sight of his blood as he went on to litter more bites on Zhongli's skin, leaving
five total all over his chest and shoulders while he clawed deliberately at Zhongli's back,
scratching the skin and cutting it up. Zhongli breathed heavily in pain as Childe rubbed
Zhongli's back over his cuts with his palms, humming a little as he pulled his hand back to
see it smeared with blood.

"You're so good to me Zhongli," Childe whispered, pressing a kiss against Zhongli's lips and
promptly bit down harshly on it, smirking a little as Zhongli let out a low moan of pain. He
pulled back and grinned with satisfaction at the sight of a gash over Zhongli's mouth.

"Does that mean I get a turn?" Zhongli growled into his ear, pushing Childe's ass against his
cock and sitting him down against it. Childe stuck his tongue out and licked Zhongli's lip free
of blood as he allowed himself to be laid back against the mattress.

Childe was still ready from last night, prompting Zhongli not to waste any time pushing
Childe's legs up.

Zhongli poked the tip of his throbbing, impatient cock against Childe's hole, listening to
Childe moan his name like it was music to his ears as he gently began to push inside his
mate.

"Aaah... Zh-Zhongli, it's even bigger than I thought.." Zhongli felt ecstatic without a tight
condom chafing his cock and enjoyed the way Childe's squishy walls completely engulfed
him like a soft sleeve. His mouth fell open as he gazed down at Childe breathlessly. He was
so happy to be inside his lover, sharing this moment with him as if it was their first time
together.

Childe yelped as Zhongli bucked his hips to push his cock as deep as it could go inside
Childe. The ginger held tightly onto the sheets, smearing blood on them and scrunching them
up under his fingers as he moaned loudly, "Zhongli, it's so de-eep," Childe whimpered into
Zhongli's ear, wrapping his arms around the man's bloody, scratched back.

Zhongli grunted softly into Childe's ear, "How deep am I, Childe?" He asked the ginger, who
whimpered as Zhongli thrust hips again once, banging deep inside of him. Childe pressed his
finger near his navel, taking a shaking breath as he looked up at Zhongli with big blue eyes,
tapping his finger against his tight abdomen, "H-Here,"

Zhongli bit his lip to contain how horny Childe's innocent action made him as he began to
thrust inside Childe, fucking him deep and hard, going slowly to get a nice feel of the ginger's
walls scraping against the skin of his cock.

"A-Ah-Aah!!" Childe moaned as Zhongli's cock rubbed against his prostate harshly, pushing
into it with his slow and rough thrusts. Zhongli let out an animalistic growl as he buried his
face in Childe's neck, brushing his lips over the bite mark he had made on his skin.

Zhongli began to pick up speed, unable to contain himself from thrashing into the younger
and making the bed smack against the wall, creaking heavily under them before its banging
synced itself to Zhongli's thrusts, hitting the wall with every second thrust Zhongli gave
inside Childe.

"Z-Zhongli!" Childe moaned heavily, panting loudly as Zhongli began to aim his thrusts into
Childe's swollen gland.

The ginger clawed more at Zhongli's shoulders and arms, ripping the black flesh and coating
his fingers heavily with Zhongli's blood. The alpha was in too much pleasure to notice the
searing pain or care about it. Zhongli smacked into Childe, his hips flushing red with every
slap they made against Childe's ass, pushing his cock as deep as he could go.

Zhongli sat up, running his fingers through his messy hair and pushing his bangs back to
reveal his forehead. Childe could hardly register the sight but it only made him moan
Zhongli's name louder, some semi-conscious part of his brain admiring how sexy the gesture
was. "You feel so good..." Zhongli whispered against Childe's ear.

Childe opened his mouth to reply when a knock sounded on the door, startling both of them
as their heads snapped to the door.

"Mr. Zhongli, I have urgent news, sir." A servant's voice called softly from the other side of
the door. Childe assumed Zhongli was going to turn her away and continue to rail him, but
instead, the man extended his hand to grab the curtains hanging around the four-poster bed.

He pulled the curtain in front of them and smirked down at Childe as he continued like there
was no interruption, "Come in." He called to the servant who hesitated at the sound of the bed
creaking as Zhongli continued to thrust deep inside Childe who stared at him wide-eyed,
clapping his hands to his mouth to stop his noises of pleasure.

The servant reluctantly stepped inside and kept her sights on the floor as Zhongli spoke,
"What seems to be the problem?" He asked her as he grabbed Childe's wrists and pinned
them to the bed, drawing a long moan from Childe as he slammed into his prostate again.

The servant cringed but acted as if nothing happened, "The Tsaritsa is here to take Mr. Childe
home, sir." Zhongli's expression soured at the news as he accidentally-on-purpose delivered a
particularly thrust to Childe's prostate and made him cry out. "Tell her to leave. I'm not giving
him back." He growled over the curtain.

The servant sighed softly, "We figured that would be your answer, sir, so we told her as
much, but she's refusing to leave until she meets with both of you."

Zhongli ran his fingers through his own hair again with frustration, biting back a grunt of
pleasure as Childe clenched intensely around him. "Fine, seat her in the lounge and tell her
we'll be out in fifteen minutes," Zhongli told the servant, who left without another word as
fast as possible as Zhongli eyed Childe with mirth dancing in his eyes as the ginger glared
helplessly up at him, his eyes glazed over with pleasure as he landed a weak slap on Zhongli's
shoulder.

"Why would you do th-that?" Childe whimpered to Zhongli, feeling his stomach clench and
unclench as a warning for his approaching orgasm. He moaned Zhongli's name loudly,
though the man didn't respond to his question, merely smirking down at him with a
possessive gleam in his eyes.

"Hnggh, Zhongli I'm gonna--..!" Childe warned too late as Zhongli clocked his prostate dead
in the center, digging the tip of his dick deep inside it with satisfaction. Childe moaned loudly
as he suddenly came all over himself, splattering his abdomen with his own cum and making
Zhongli smirk as Childe's mouth fell open into a silent scream, his body twitching violently
as felt his body going rigid with intense pleasure.

Zhongli felt Childe clench around him tightly, groaning loudly as he bit down on his already
bleeding lip. Zhongli felt himself twitch inside Childe as his thrusts became sloppier with
every movement he put forward to finding his orgasm.

He let out a throaty moan as he came inside Childe, spilling white-hot cum inside his mate
and filling him up to the brim as Childe breathed heavily, gasping for breath while staring at
the wall in front of him in a daze. Zhongli's body didn't automatically knot as neither of them
was going through heat or a rut and he pulled out quite easily, smirking as his cum spilled out
of Childe's gaping hole as the ginger shook under him. "I want to do that to you every day,
you'll let me, won't you?"

Zhongli said softly, placing a chaste kiss on Childe's cheek as the ginger blinked up at him in
confusion before he glared at Zhongli and promptly proceeded to kick him ungracefully off
the bed and throw a pillow at him, "Why would you do that in front of her?!" Zhongli only
laughed in response. His reaction was the exact reason why.
***

About half an hour later (exactly fifteen minutes above their allotted time as Childe was
counting), they finally began to descend the stairs from Zhongli's floor to the ground floor,
where they were lead to the lounge. The surroundings of the mansion gave no signs that there
had been a grand gala hosted just the previous night. Childe felt nervous jitters coming over
him, making him fear for what was to come.

They had been late because Zhongli had taken Childe to the shower with him and insisted on
cleaning every drop of cum inside Childe with his fingers and purposefully teasing his
prostate and getting the ginger hard before he decided to take care of it again for Childe.
Childe only allowed him because he felt bad for the numerous scratches and bites he had left
on Zhongli's body that would be sure to scar.

Childe explained to Zhongli that he had been sent by the Tsaritsa to steal his gnosis, which
the woman had been after for quite some time. Zhongli had merely clicked his tongue as he
buttoned one of his shirts over Childe's body, and gave him way too over-sized pants for him
to wear. (Childe had to wear a humongous belt to keep it on himself, much to his
embarrassment.) Zhongli thought he looked adorable in his clothes.

Zhongli held Childe's hand as they stood outside the lounge's door and intertwined their
fingers soothingly as he pressed a gentle kiss to Childe's temple, "Whatever happens next, I
will not let you go, no matter what I have to bargain for." Zhongli whispered to him but didn't
give him enough time to respond as he tugged Childe inside the lounge room, exposing
themselves to the Tsaritsa who looked very close to murderous as she glared at Childe with
intense hatred.

"You're late." She hissed at them, making Zhongli give but a mere smile, "I didn't make a
contract to have Childe brought out to you in 15 minutes, so it hardly matters." Zhongli
tugged Childe on the couch to sit down opposite the Tsaritsa next to him.

"What have you come to discuss, Lady Tsaritsa?" Zhongli asked, feigning innocence and
purposely trying the Tsaritsa's patience as her usually cold eyes burned with anger. He held
Childe's hand in plain sight for her to see, tugging the ginger almost into his lap. "I haven't
come to 'discuss' anything, Morax. I'm here to take this... traitor back." She hissed, her voice
sounding like several snakes speaking together.

Childe pursed his lips at his newly received title, but Zhongli looked at her with a neutral
expression, "Oh, but I'm afraid your traitor is mine now. What use would you have for a
traitor?" Zhongli challenged, making Childe blush as he shifted in his seat, feeling the
Tsaritsa's gaze never leave him.

"Target practice." She said like it was the most natural thing in the world, "He deserves to
repent for a broken contract. He promised to serve me, but in the end, he betrayed me by
falling into the hands of the likes of you. Surely as the Emperor of Contracts, you wouldn't
tolerate a broken contract." Zhongli's eyes flashed dangerously at the way the Tsaritsa
dehumanized his mate, but with a small squeeze to his hand, Childe calmed him down
instantaneously.
 He let out a cool breath, sitting back in his seat, "Let's say I have taken my form of
punishment for his broken contract on my own terms. You... you have always been an
unreasonable woman, Lady Tsaritsa, but I think I can offer you a trade even you cannot
resist."

Zhongli motioned to a servant that stood nearby with a delicate box clutched in her hands,
"Bring it here." Childe stared at the box with curiosity, wondering what could be placed
inside something so small. The servant hastily rushed forward and handed the box to Zhongli,
who opened it with care and placed it on the coffee table for the Tsaritsa to see, "This is what
you have desired all this time, have you not? Well, this, for a fair price. Let go of your
Eleventh Harbinger and let him be with his new alpha. You will not touch Liyue, you will not
touch Childe's family as revenge, and you will not step foot back here, these are my terms in
return for the gnosis."

Childe gazed at him with wide eyes, "Zhongli! You can't sacrifice your power," Zhongli
looked at him with a loving smile but said nothing to him before he returned his gaze to the
Tsaritsa once more, observing the hungry gleam in her eyes. "All of my conditions are
favorable in exchange for my power if you will be wise enough to make the right decision. If
you so choose to accept, this may well be my final contract. And it would be my best promise
yet if it means I get to have the one I love by my side for the rest of my life."

The Tsaritsa had a hard look in her eye, but her answer was as clear as day in her eyes. She
would choose the gnosis, even if she absolutely loathed to see one of her Harbingers with a
sworn enemy, no amount of revenge was worth a peaceful victory. "You... how could you
give away your power for an omega?" She asked him incredulously, making him chuckle as
he pulled Childe closer to his chest, startling the ginger who quickly began to pull back.
"Love is a powerful thing, my dear Empress."

Chapter End Notes

I'm really sorry for the shitty ending, I pretty much lost motivation by the end cause I'm
having insomnia and am really sleep deprived (not cause of writing ofc!!) but I thought
the smut was alright, so I hope it made up for the lack of character development at the
end, I know most of us come here for a sexy time rather than backstory, including
myself (because I didn't want to write many stories with strings attached but yall hornies
love the backstory too smh (I'm just kidding, it means so much to me that you like it
enough to want a Part 2)). I just hope I lived up to any expectations y'all may have had
<3 Amen to the next prompt, I have a shitshow planned for Diluc/Kaeya.

Also don't @ me writing this entire smut which staying at my relative's house uwu
 Hair Pulling (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Cheating, immorality.

Diluc has a girlfriend but finds himself coming to Kaeya, intoxicated by his body while
the man desperately tries not to give in to his desires.

Chapter Notes

Please ignore all the mistakes I made while writing this, it's 2:30 am and I wanna sleep,
I'll edit this chapter ASAP in the morning!

Don't ask me why, but I felt like writing something immoral today, but I can't tell
whether I liked it or not, hence why my writing sucks. To clarify, I am not condoning
cheating, nor am I fetishizing it, this was just a random idea among many. ALSO, I
completely forgot that this was supposed to be about hair pulling sO I'm sorry for the
lack of hair pulling content

Kaeya tossed and turned in his bed, an agitated expression on his face as he stared up at his
bedroom ceiling.

His heart was restless, thumping in his chest, not with excitement, but misery. His eyes were
glossy with tears but he didn't allow them to fall, knowing he couldn't give the man who
made him want to cry the satisfaction of doing so.

Kaeya felt numb, ashamed, guilty, and irresponsible all at the same time as he lay in his bed.
Most of all, he felt distraught and angry both with himself and the one who plagued his
thoughts, his childhood friend, now his worst nightmare. The one who was making Kaeya so
miserable was none other than the man he loved, Diluc. Kaeya craved comfort, cuddling up
to the giant lion plushie he kept in his room at all times, listening to the sound of rain pouring
over the streets outside.

Kaeya knew he should've thrown the plushie away long ago, but the small bit of comfort it
gave him was welcomed.

It was a gift Diluc had gotten him years ago when they were younger, a gift given with love.
Kaeya would rather not be reminded of the redhead every time he saw the plushie. Yet still,
he kept it around for so many years, keeping it in mint condition even after the ages that had
passed since then; it was the last thing connecting him to Diluc.

Ultimately, Kaeya had never thrown the lion away because his heart cherished it too much for
him to do so. He cuddled up to it every night and kept it close, relishing in the comfort it
brought him, the ease it set in his heart.

He liked to imagine that it was a manifestation of Diluc's younger self there to keep him
company, to give him the sense of feeling protected.

Diluc probably forgot he even gave Kaeya this plushie. His heart ached at the thought, but his
mind felt revolted, both with Diluc and himself for imagining that the lion was Diluc. He
considered throwing the lion against the wall out of spite. If that was indeed a manifestation
of Diluc, then he could only pray the redhead would feel the pain. Still, he hadn't the energy
to do anything, not even to lift himself out of his bed, feeling too depressed.

Kaeya hadn't the energy to do something as dumb as punishing a plushie for the loathing he
felt towards Diluc and himself.

Kaeya had been in love with Diluc for the longest time, since... how long ago was it?
Elementary school? Kaeya remembered when he was a transfer student being bullied for
coming from a different country, subject to xenophobic behavior from his Mondstadtian
peers.

His heart warmed a little as the memory of the first time he had met Diluc surfaced in his
mind, playing it in front of his mind's eye.

Kids from around the neighborhood were picking on him, calling him names for being
Khaenri'an, for being from a different country with skin that wasn't as pure as snow like all
the other Mondstadtians.

One of the bullies had lunged to kick Kaeya, but he had been unable to reach Kaeya because
someone had stepped in to save him from getting hurt. The kid who had stepped in front of
him was Diluc, a stranger who had taken the blow for him before scaring the bullies away
with his lanky stature and fierce red eyes. He had turned to Kaeya once they were alone,
sitting in front of him to check him for any signs of injuries and to wipe away his tears.

Diluc had been so sweet back then, so energetic, always with a smile on his face whenever he
greeted Kaeya like an excited puppy. Since then, Diluc had practically adopted Kaeya in an
extrovert-introvert bond; they did everything together, played together, and went to school
together; they were inseparable.

Diluc was on a whole other level than Kaeya, his father was the greatest wine tycoon in
Mondstadt, if not the whole world. Diluc was rich, likable, energetic, outgoing, and the
perfect son. Kaeya always wondered why someone so perfect would want to be around
someone like him, someone who didn't have much to offer back, but nothing deterred Diluc
from making him his friend.
Even Diluc's father had taken him in and treated him like his own son because Kaeya's family
was never around to show him that kind of love.

The years spent with Diluc and his father were the best years of his life, but slowly, Diluc
changed and so did Kaeya. Diluc became quieter, more monotonous, and smiled too little if at
all when his father passed due to illness. The wine industry had been thrown into disarray, but
the position of power was allocated to Crepus's most trusted servants until Diluc, the heir of
the wine industry, became of age and took over the business.

Kaeya had been heartbroken then as well, Crepus was a father figure to him just as much as
he was to Diluc.

Kaeya tried to stay by Diluc's side, supporting him when he shut down, trying to show the
redhead that even though his father wasn't there anymore, Kaeya still was. Kaeya had fallen
for Diluc over the years, wanting nothing more than to stay by his side, but Diluc acted as if
he didn't exist anymore. It was painful to remember how Diluc had completely ghosted him
and left to pursue high school elsewhere without so much as a word to Kaeya, his friend of
many years.

Kaeya had been so deeply in love with Diluc in their teenage years; one could imagine how
much it stung when his first love left him behind without a word.

After that heartbreaking year, Kaeya learned to build new walls around himself, making sure
never to get too close to people. He always kept his distance so he couldn't fall in love like
that ever again, and be punished for it for no reason.

He began to sleep around, getting into drinking and partying, putting up a cool and collected
front to show people, making sure everyone knew never to get too close. His grades carried
him through the years, allowing him to get into a prestigious college and carry on his
enjoyable but truly empty life. Kaeya was often called cold-hearted; many vied for his heart,
but his heart remained shielded from all of them because they weren't Diluc.

As the years ticked on by, carrying Kaeya with them, Kaeya thought he had left Diluc behind
in his past, he thought he had moved on and was finally ready to pursue someone else, but
then his new life was turned on its back.

Rumors began to spread across the city of Mondstadt quickly, the Ragnvindr heir was coming
back.

And come back, Diluc did. It threw everything Kaeya had built for himself into disarray.
Diluc enrolled in the same college as Kaeya, without so much as a word meant to reach out to
his old friend. Kaeya also avoided him, trying his best never to see him again, knowing his
heart was not yet ready, but seeing Diluc was inevitable. As Diluc's popularity rose, he
became more apparent in Kaeya's life.

At the first sight of him, all of Kaeya's walls, his resolve, his defenses, came crashing down
with just one insouciant glance from the redhead.
Just that made Kaeya realize nothing had changed, that he was still as hopelessly in love with
Diluc as the day he left him.

Kaeya did his best to keep away, but his friends were Diluc's friends and their paths crossed
too often. Kaeya continued to sleep with others to keep his mind off of him, but he only
thought that made him weaker, that he was running away from Diluc.

His heart yearned for Diluc every time their eyes met, doing somersaults every time Diluc
said even a word to him, but he didn't want that, he didn't want to be so infatuated with his
childhood friend, who was nothing but a stranger to him now.

After a long and painful year, they began to get more comfortable around one another again,
not in the same way they used to be, but enough to set Kaeya's heart at ease.

Kaeya slowly slipped back into his normal persona, pretending he felt nothing for Diluc but
growing closer to him again as if the fates were tugging them together. But then, Diluc got
into a relationship with Donna, a herbology major, and once again, Kaeya's world came
crashing down. The one he loved had chosen someone else over him. His jealousy was too
great to bear; at one point in time, he was the one Diluc wanted to spend time with; he was
the one Diluc thought about and smiled at; he was the one who had been by Diluc's side.

Yet now, where was he? As far from Diluc as one could possibly be. It was hard not to feel
his heart aching; it should've been him in Donna's place.

He began to drown himself in even more alcohol, sleeping with more men to fill Diluc's void,
but it made him feel all the more lonely, knowing Diluc was likely in love while Kaeya was
just... a good fuck to many.

Then one day, things changed drastically in the second year of college at a party hosted by
Lisa, for better, or for worse, Kaeya couldn't decide which it was.

He had gotten shitfaced, but luckily he was alright with drinking, Kaeya kept himself at the
center of attention but never lost too much control over himself or got the urge to say
anything dumb, even in his drunken, intoxicated state.

The riot he caused at the party spread throughout the partygoers and somehow, even Diluc
managed to get drunk, despite not wanting to touch even a drop of alcohol. Something
happened that day that had changed Kaeya's life and his relationship with Diluc to a full
180°. He remembered in his intoxicated mind when he'd gone to the bathroom to freshen up,
drunk, stumbling, and giggling like a fool. Diluc had followed him without innocent
intentions. Kaeya still didn't know what had compelled Diluc to do what he did that night.

Kaeya had gotten cornered by Diluc inside the bathroom, and all Kaeya did was laugh at him
and giggle, unable to muster up the will or courage to shoo Diluc away. The redhead had
been completely silent, not even giving off the impression of being intoxicated.

Kaeya only knew he was drunk because he could taste the alcohol on his lips when he'd
pressed them to Kaeya's and shoved his tongue down his throat. Kaeya was too drunk to feel
shocked, simply slipping into the kiss without so much as a question made about Diluc's
intentions.

Kaeya's intoxicated mind could think of no reason to back away from Diluc as the man had
pushed him against the wall of the bathroom, his hands roaming around Kaeya's waist,
groping at him desperately while he only giggled and moaned drunkenly, leaving his body for
Diluc to take up without hesitation. Gods, how Kaeya hated himself for that. If only he had
been able to control himself. If only he pushed Diluc away right then and there. If only he ran
away instead of standing completely pliant in front of him, allowing him to devour his lips,
his neck, his body.

Kaeya had felt too good at the moment to care; his drunk mind could only think about how
much he wanted this, how much he wanted Diluc to hold himself like this and allowed him to
push his cock inside of him.

He and Diluc had ended up fucking against the wall of the bathroom, not even a single
thought that this was wrong crossed through either of their minds. The next morning, he
woke up with Diluc's coat sprawled over his half-naked, sweaty, and cum-covered body in a
spare bedroom in Lisa's apartment.

The woman had said nothing to him and only stared at him with shock as he slowly realized
what he had done with Diluc last night.

The guilt settled in his heart too late, his mind burst with pain, and complete and utter shame
for not doing anything to stop Diluc. Diluc was in a relationship with Donna, who Kaeya had
befriended before Diluc did. Donna thought of him as a friend and it broke him to realize
what he had done.

Kaeya was a player, but he was far from a person who got between other's relationships. His
love for Diluc had made him submit to him that night, and he hated himself for it. Luckily,
only Lisa knew what had transpired, and she was one of the greatest friends Kaeya had, no
rumors spread, and nothing changed... except for Diluc. Diluc became more and more
prominent in Kaeya's day-to-day life moving on. Kaeya desperately avoided him, praying
that Diluc remembered nothing, but he could tell just by the way Diluc looked at him that he
did remember.

He remembered every single detail and replayed them in his mind every time he looked at
Kaeya. His mouth watered every time he thought about Kaeya's seductive body, his perfect,
muscular chest, his slim waist, and thick thighs.

He remembered the way his stormy grey eye stared up at Diluc, half-lidded and full of lust
and waiting for him to fuck him like a docile pet. Diluc couldn't stop thinking of him, not
when he studied, not when he worked, not when he was with his friends, not even when he
had sex with Donna.

Every little thing made him think about Kaeya, and it was getting alarming for the redhead;
he wanted nothing more than to pin Kaeya down again and fuck the voice out of him.

Unbeknownst to Kaeya, Diluc had loved him in their childhood as well.

Diluc was similar to Kaeya, in the regard that he thought he had gotten over his feelings for
him, and thought that he was ready to move on. But something, a deep desire that was hidden
at the bottom of his heart, surfaced when he got drunk that night, compelling him to follow
Kaeya and come onto him like that.

Diluc didn't regret it one bit. He felt no remorse for his cheating; all he could think about was
Kaeya laying pliantly under him, allowing him to fuck him.

Diluc wanted that again; he wanted to fuck Kaeya again and hold him against his body, thrust
deep in his ass, and get a taste of his soft, sweet lips. And so he did, he cornered Kaeya at
another party, this time both of them sober, and had kissed him passionately. Kaeya
remembered the way Diluc had pulled him against his body and groped it as if he owned it.

Kaeya attempted to fight back this time, tried to push Diluc away, but the redhead only came
back against him harder and broke down every last bit of resolve by fucking him against the
wall of the bedroom he had pulled Kaeya into and eliciting sweet moans from him while
daring him to hit him, to push him away with all his strength if he really meant it. But how
could Kaeya mean it when he had wanted this for the longest time? How could he stop
himself from melting into Diluc's warm lips, how could he keep from faltering in his
struggles when Diluc caressed him so sweetly?

Diluc dragged him away from the party and they'd had sex for the second time in his car a
few blocks away, and Kaeya could do nothing to stop him, no, Kaeya would do nothing to
stop him.

Again, the next day, he woke up in Diluc's house, curled in his coat and naked. Diluc was
nowhere to be found that day, leaving him alone in the bed that smelled just like him, almost
in tears at his own irresponsibility, knowing he was now as scummy as Diluc for allowing
him to come on to him twice. He had no excuse to save himself now; he wasn't drunk, he just
didn't fight back as hard as he should have because he wanted it so badly.

It didn't stop there; Diluc came onto him every time they were alone, pressing him against
any closeby surface and urging him to fight back, knowing that Kaeya didn't want to and
completely destroying his resoluteness without hesitation.

Kaeya could only suffer from the guilt and sink into depression for lying to his friends, for
doing that to Donna, and could only lay awake at night in these thoughts of self-loathing. He
wondered what Diluc was thinking every time he decided to kiss Kaeya as if he loved him.
He thought about what he felt every time he thrust into Kaeya and heard him break apart in
his arms when he moaned.

Diluc thought of nothing but his love for Kaeya, but Kaeya didn't know that. He didn't think
Diluc felt anything for him.

Kaeya hated him, hated him so fucking much he didn't know what to do with himself, but his
heart loved Diluc and waited with bated breath for Diluc to push him against the wall and
fuck him as good as he always did whenever he got near Kaeya.
More than that, Kaeya hated himself and his body for giving in to Diluc so fucking easily,
barely even trying to push him back.

Kaeya wanted nothing to do with Diluc anymore; he wanted this to end, but he couldn't bring
himself to say so. He loved Diluc to bits and pieces, gently crying into the lion plushie given
to him by the one he hated.

Kaeya jumped as his phone began to buzz with a call. He stared at his phone, seeing an
unrecognizable number flashing on the screen with a pensive expression, wondering who
would be calling him at midnight while it was raining cats and dogs outside. He ignored the
call promptly, burying his face into the lion plushie as he swiped to reject the call from the
unknown number. He sighed, wishing sleep would just take him, wishing for some deity out
there to listen to his prayers to just get the courage, the desire to say no to Diluc.

He got startled again as his phone buzzed once more, and he groaned with annoyance when
he swiped decline for the second time.

The calls didn't end there and he considered throwing his phone at the wall to stop the
incessant vibration of his phone. Finally, he sat up on his bed, his jaw clenched with irritation
as he picked up on the fourth call.

"What?!" He hissed into the phone. It was silent on the other end for a moment, but Kaeya
could very clearly hear the rain smacking against the ground from the other end of the line.
Kaeya's blood ran cold as a familiar voice spoke on the other end of the line, causing him to
sit straighter, his eyes going wide. "Kaeya," Diluc's voice called gently from the other end,
accompanied by the sound of rain and thunder, "I'm outside your house; can you come open
the door?" Kaeya was silent for several moments, his heart hammering in his chest at the
sound of Diluc's voice. He wondered vaguely how Diluc had gotten his number, but listening
to the rain pitter-pattering on the other end of the line, he knew that Diluc was lightly
standing outside in the freezing rain, waiting for him.

Kaeya's nerves twitched with worry, hanging up the phone before he quickly scrambled out
of his bed, fearing Diluc would get sick.

Worry had filled his heart as he thought about Diluc standing outside his door, drenched from
the rain. He nearly tripped on his carpet, which made him stumble to a stop, his numb mind
recoiling as he processed the situation.

He stood still, gazing at the front door while standing in the center of his lounge, doubt filling
him as he took a moment to think about what he was about to do.

Kaeya bit his lip, rational thoughts finally flooding his mind as he realized that he was doing
something he shouldn't. He shouldn't let Diluc in; he shouldn't have gotten up to get the door;
hell, he shouldn't have even picked up his call. Kaeya should let Diluc suffer out in the cold
rain, Kaeya shouldn't care if he catches a cold or slips on the wet streets and falls on his ass.
That's what he was thinking at least, but his heart compelled him to take even more steps
towards the door, towards Diluc.
'Stop.' He told himself in his head as he tried his best to keep his hand from reaching out
towards the doorknob, his love for Diluc fighting with his hatred.

His mind and heart battled against one another for control over his body, making his hands
begin to shake as he shut his eye tightly. His heart desperately wanted to swing the door open
and leap into Diluc's arms, while his mind told him that he shouldn't let Diluc inside at all,
that he should leave him in the rain all night to keep himself from making yet another
mistake with the man.

Eventually, his heart won and Kaeya's shaking fingers wrapped around the doorknob and
twisted it, tugging the door to creak it open.

His heart thumped at the sight of the redhead standing on his porch, looking as handsome as
he always did despite being drenched. Diluc stared back at him, an amused gleam in his eye
like he knew the battle that had raged on in Kaeya's mind just behind the door a second ago.

His usual bushy red locks did not hold their volume after he had been drenched from head to
toe in the rain. His hair dripped fat droplets of water as he leaned against Kaeya's doorway,
shivering in the rain.

"Can I come in?" Diluc asked quietly, squeezing a handsome amount of water from his mane
onto Kaeya's porch as the man narrowed his eyes into a glare at Diluc. Before Kaeya's heart
could battle for rights over his tongue, his mind snatched up the opportunity and said curtly,
"No."

Diluc didn't seem surprised; it was as if he was expecting that to be Kaeya's answer. The
thought disgusted Kaeya, that Diluc knew what he felt and still had the gall to show up at his
door.

"Please." Diluc whispered, shivering as if to try and coerce Kaeya's mind into letting him in.

It was working, because slowly, as Kaeya stared at him, he felt his heart thawing. Staring into
Diluc's red eyes, he remembered all the times Diluc had helped him out of tough situations
when they were young. This was still the same Diluc he adored.

Kaeya shifted to the side, cursing himself for being weak as he allowed Diluc entry into the
warmth of his home.

"Why are you here?" Kaeya asked, watching Diluc drip fat droplets of water on his wooden
floor with a tiny frown on his face, his arms crossed as he glared at Diluc, knowing that he
would have to mop it up later. Diluc took his boots off and shot him a regretful glance for the
mess he was creating for Kaeya. "I wanted to see you," Diluc said though Kaeya did not
believe him in the slightest, even though a light blush rose to his cheeks.

"Liar. Don't come here again; this is the only time I'm going to allow you in," He walked past
Diluc, missing the way he smiled just a little at the unassertive tone of his voice. "Yes sir,"
Diluc murmured, following after him until Kaeya gestured to the bathroom.
"You can stay for the night on the couch, don't come into my room, take a shower before you
sleep."

Kaeya was terse with Diluc, and the redhead knew exactly why. Before Kaeya could turn
away, Diluc grabbed his wrist to stop him from leaving, pulling Kaeya towards himself. "Let
go, Diluc." Kaeya hissed, sneering at Diluc as he stared at him with a distant look in his eye.

Diluc sighed softly, leaning his head into Kaeya's shoulder, feeling at ease with Kaeya in his
arms, his body relaxing a little.

"Why do you run from me?" Diluc asked him quietly, tightening his grip around Kaeya's
wrist as the man tried to break free.

Kaeya glared at him as Diluc closed the door behind Kaeya after tugging him inside the
bathroom and pinning him to the door. His wet clothes brushed against Kaeya's body,
effectively soaking him while the man tried to look for words, feeling overwhelmed by
having Diluc pressed against him. "That... that's the dumbest question I've ever heard anyone
ask," Kaeya told him, turning his face away as Diluc leaned his head towards Kaeya's lips,
but didn't kiss him just yet.

He only stared deeply into Kaeya's eye, the other covered by a black, leather eyepatch. His
red eyes didn't give away even a sliver of emotion, looking at the pain in Kaeya's eye with a
sad gaze, knowing that Kaeya was likely sad because of him. "Is it though?" Diluc asked,
guiding Kaeya's attention back to him, "You have strength to rival mine to push me back and
you have a voice with which you can scream at the top of your lungs. You tell me that you
don't want this, but why don't you raise your hand against me and hit me when you're capable
of doing so?"

Kaeya knew every word Diluc spoke was true; he knew that he could do all of those things,
kick, scream, fight back to push Diluc away, but he never felt the urge to. He couldn't tell
Diluc that, now could he?

Diluc leaned even closer, his cold, moist body pressing against Kaeya's, who wore only a t-
shirt and a pair of shorts. Diluc kissed his jaw softly, continuing, "It's almost as if your mind
is conflicted between running away and staying within my hold... if I didn't know any better,
I'd think you liked me just as much as I like you," He whispered, Diluc trailed his lips over
his neck and pushed against him further, his chest pressed flush against Kaeya's.

He pressed his naked thigh between Kaeya's legs and locked him in his embrace. Still, he left
many openings for Kaeya to run, enough space to raise his hand to hit him, enough room to
pull his leg out to kick him. He was in nothing but boxers and Kaeya realized that this was
the first time he had seen Diluc truly naked.

He took a shaky breath, holding onto Diluc's shoulders, "I don't know what goes through your
mind when you do this, you have a girlfriend. You have someone to keep you satisfied but
you still corner me like this, why? Why do you do this to me?"

Diluc chuckled lowly against Kaeya's neck. He didn't respond right away as he began to suck
on the spot he knew was the most sensitive on Kaeya's neck. He listened to the man whine as
he reached his hands up to Diluc's sopping wet hair, slowly tugging his hair-tie off and letting
his red locks fall over his shoulders.

"She can't satisfy me like you do. She's not the one I want, you are. I don't love her," Diluc
whispered in his ear, gently nibbling on his pinna and tickling Kaeya as he ran his tongue
over the shell of his ear.

Kaeya scoffed, "Oh, you say that like you love me instead. Well, I can't love a cheater." If
Diluc was deterred by Kaeya's words at all, he didn't show it as his hands dropped low to
grope Kaeya's ass, squeezing it gently and making him stammer over his words.

He knew Kaeya loved having his ass touched, his chest even more. It was amazing how much
he had learned about Kaeya's body in just a handful of times they had had sex. "If you didn't
love me even a little, you would be pushing me away, throwing me back, hitting me, but look
at you, leaning into my touch." Kaeya bared his teeth with anger as Diluc left another mark
on his collarbone, his hands riding up Kaeya's shirt, brushing his cold fingers along his skin
and making him shiver.

He pushed his loose shirt up to his lips for him to hold up between his teeth. Kaeya obliged
without complaint, making Diluc smirk with satisfaction before his eyes fell to Kaeya's lewd
body, his nipples standing to attention for Diluc to claim. Diluc wrapped his arms tightly
around Kaeya's waist before bending down to envelop his mouth around Kaeya's bud,
making him release the shirt he was holding up for Diluc when he opened his mouth to moan.
"Haah... Diluc--" Kaeya reeled when he realized he had said his name.

"I-I can't do this anymore, p-please." Kaeya whispered between stutters, making Diluc shift
his gaze up to look at his face. Kaeya already looked like a mess, like a meal waiting to be
taken up by the redhead.

"Why?" He murmured against his nipple, making vibrations through his glands and pulling
the little hairs on his body to stand on end with satisfaction, "If you like it, then why are you
stopping me?" Kaeya gritted his teeth, leaning more into Diluc's mouth to make him pleasure
him more. He stammered, "Because y-you have a girlf-friend..." Kaeya's body quaked from
head to toe as Diluc pulled off of his reddened nipple with a loud pop, evidently leaving a
bruise.

Diluc's face turned serious as he looked straight into Kaeya's eye, melancholy shining in his
red orbs. "Had. I had a girlfriend, but I realized something on the way here. I broke up with
her. Do you know what I realized, Kaeya? All this time, I wanted only one person, and it was
you. I missed you so much in the last few years, it felt like the life was being squeezed out of
me every second you weren't by my side. I'm sorry, Kaeya. I'm sorry for leaving you, I'm
sorry for putting you through all of this, but I don't want to let you go."

Kaeya's eyes widened at the revelation, freezing up, finally allowing Diluc free reign over his
body. Tears welled in his eyes at Diluc's words, realizing with shock that the words he'd
always wanted to hear from Diluc's mouth were finally being said to him. He began to cry as
he buried his face in the crook of Diluc's neck, inhaling his scent, like oak wood. Diluc
grabbed a fistful of Kaeya's hair and pulled him back to look him in the eye. Kaeya's knees
immediately felt weak as they always did when Diluc pulled his hair, and the redhead
smirked at the way his eyes became half-lidded from the action, his hand reached up to wipe
his tears from his cheek, his lips coming dangerously close to Kaeya's again as his hand
returned to his hair

"I love you." Diluc whispered to him before he smashed their lips together, one hand tangled
in his hair while the other remained up his shirt, gently teasing his nipple with light brushes
that drove Kaeya wild. "I don't believe you," Kaeya whispered, whimpering as Diluc pressed
his cock between Kaeya's legs.

"I love you," Diluc repeated, his voice a little more assertive as he tugged Kaeya's shirt off
over his head. Kaeya wore nothing under his shorts that were promptly pulled down by Diluc
before he pressed their hips flush against each other, allowing Kaeya's bare cock to meet
Diluc's bulge. "Hnnghh..." he drew a sweet moan from Kaeya's lips with satisfaction before
he pulled Kaeya forward, moving back until his own back pressed against the opposite wall,
stepping into the shower area. Diluc flicked the tap up, allowing water to spew from the
showerhead above them and making Kaeya gasp at how cold it was.

Diluc turned him around before allowing Kaeya's back to press into his chest. Diluc's already
soaked underwear got even wetter under the water as he pushed it down and kicked it gently
off his legs. "I love you," Diluc said for the third time, pressing his fully hard cock between
Kaeya's legs and making him whimper.

"Do you want me to put it in?" Diluc asked for the first time since they'd gotten involved with
each other, digging his nails into Kaeya's hips before rocking Kaeya's body back and forth,
his cock pressed between his inner thighs, creating friction between them that made Kaeya's
legs shake.

He didn't know how he could get the words out, not when he told Diluc how he didn't love
him, not when he told Diluc that he was nothing but a liar. He slowly nodded his head,
making Diluc smirk as he pulled his cock out from between his legs.

Diluc pushed a finger between Kaeya's asscheeks, rubbing it against his hole as the man
shivered uncontrollably from the cold water. Diluc set it to warm with a flick of his elbow as
he pushed his finger inside Kaeya gently. Kaeya let out a puff from the uncomfortable
feeling, feeling Diluc's finger gently wiggle its way inside him up to his knuckle. The first
finger always went easy after the times Diluc had buried his cock inside Kaeya, urging him to
press in another.

It was a lot tighter around Diluc's fingers as Kaeya released a breathy moan as he squirmed
his fingers inside him. Kaeya's cock twitched in front of him as Diluc pulled him back harder
against his body by his hair, making his eye go wide as he whimpered from the pain, but his
nerves tingled with the sensation of arousal.

"I love you," Diluc repeated as he spread his fingers as far as he could to loosen Kaeya up,
holding him steady on his feet by his hair. Kaeya purred as Diluc's fingers lightly brushed
against his prostate, the nerves immediately humming to life. Diluc pushed inside his ring
finger, biting his lips at the pressure applied on his fingers by Kaeya's walls clamping around
his digits with much force.
Diluc pushed Kaeya forward to bend over in front of him, still holding him by the hair as he
decided he couldn't wait any longer to be inside Kaeya. He bent over Kaeya's body as it
shook under him, his legs barely keeping him from falling on the slippery wet floor.

Diluc pulled his fingers out of Kaeya's ass, moving his hand to hold onto the base of his cock
to keep it steady before he began to push inside Kaeya, stretching him open and making his
mouth fall open as it always did whenever Diluc's cock stretched him out to his full capacity.

Drool escaped his mouth as Diluc grabbed both of his wrists in one of his hands, pulling him
back by his hair and restraining him from falling forward. Diluc took a deep breath, feeling
inebriated by the feel of Kaeya's walls clenched around him for dear life. "I love you," Diluc
whispered as he gave an experimental thrust inside Kaeya with difficulty with how tight he
was around his cock. Diluc rocked his hips more and more as Kaeya almost fell forward if it
weren't for Diluc holding him up by his wrists and hair.

His drool ran down the sides of his mouth, washed away by the gentle stream of water falling
over their bodies. Diluc pressed up deeper inside Kaeya, going slow and deep to dig deep into
his prostate gland, pushing into his squishy walls with enough force to make Kaeya moan his
name loudly.

"I love it when you say my name," Diluc whispered against his ear, letting go of Kaeya to
wrap his arms around his torso to hold him pressed firmly against his body. He slammed into
him, forcing a moan out of his lips that bordered on a scream.

He loved how vocal Kaeya was with his pleasure, how he wasn't afraid to let Diluc know that
he was feeling good. Diluc wanted to make Kaeya feel good like this for as long as he
possibly could. He thrust into his body, making quiet whimpers and loud moans spill from his
mouth. Diluc kissed Kaeya's cheek, pressing his lips into the surface with a small hum of
pleasure as thrust up into his prostate, forcing precum to leak from his cock, he was almost
disappointed at how it was washed away by the water.

The storm still raged outside but they could hardly hear it, deeply mesmerized in each other's
presence as they drew themselves closer to their orgasms, feeling like their bodies were on
fire just by being in one another's propinquity. "Say you love me back," Diluc whispered into
his ear, trying to keep his eyes open even under the water droplets that rained over them.

Kaeya only responded with a loud moan that made Diluc sigh as he forced his hips into a
screeching, slow stop inside Kaeya. They breathed heavily, standing wrapped up in each
other under the running water. "Please, I want to hear you say it. Tell me you love it, tell me
you love me." Diluc said to him, pinching his inner thigh as he pushed as deep inside Kaeya
as he could go.

Kaeya panted for breath, almost inhaling water as he slowly reached his hands up to hold
Diluc's arms. Surely, it would be okay to say it if Diluc had broken up with Donna, wouldn't
it? Surely he could be with Diluc, who made him feel so fucking good without facing the
guilt weighed on him by his actions? "I love you." Kaeya finally said back to him. placing his
hand over Diluc's and giving it a light squeeze.
 Humiliation (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

Warnings: Chastity cage, semi-public.

Xiao doesn't know how else to train his lover into behaving other than a strong cage.

Chapter Notes

You guessed it, I haven't reread this and will probably do so at 6 in the morning when I
wake up impromptu cause of insomnia, bUT i made sure to check for mistakes in
mixing up my ships

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"Mm...haah--" Aether moaned quietly into his hand, clasping it over his mouth to stop the
noises escaping from his mouth as he pumped himself to the feeling of the vibrator shoved
deep up his ass.

Aether took a shaky breath through his nose, feeling the pleasure sensitize every nerve in his
body, he shouldn't be doing this, not here, not at all, because he had been instructed not to. He
leaned against the bathroom door, a leg propped up on the toilet seat with his pants pooled at
his knees. If he were to be caught, by Xiao or anybody else, things could be disastrous,
though his lover didn't work in the same building as him.

Aether almost let out a loud moan of pleasure when the vibrator hummed to life again,
courtesy of Xiao, and thrummed against his prostate.

Gods, if Xiao knew what he was doing, he would get punished so badly. His mouth watered
at the prospect of punishment. He wanted Xiao to find out what he was doing in his
workplace's bathroom. Aether craved the look of frustration on Xiao's face when he found
out Aether deliberately went against his orders and masturbated almost in public to the
thought of his lover belittling him.

The vibrator shut off again, and it excited Aether even more to know that his lover was so
involved with his body even when he was far from him.

Xiao would call him filthy for doing this. He could almost hear him telling him to cry about it
as he slapped him across the face while pumping his fingers deep inside of him. He almost
drooled at the thought. He let his hand drop from his mouth a little to rub his chest through
the material of his white dress shirt, teasing his nipple as he felt himself getting closer to his
orgasm.

"Hnngh... Xiao-- just.. just turn it on one more time, just once more...aah!" He whispered
incoherently to himself, begging his lover to give him sweet release, and he did, almost as if
hearing his pleas.

Aether knew better though, if Xiao had heard him begging, he would never turn the vibrator
on again just to make him suffer. Aether loved that cruel part of Xiao. He came all over his
hand with a choked moan, his mouth agape as he gasped for breath, allowing a drop of drool
to slip down his chin.

Aether thrust up into his hand a few more times, dragging his orgasm out for as long as he
could, thinking he wouldn't be having another one for some time if Xiao had anything to say
about it.

He licked his lips, looking down at his own lewd body and gazing at his cum-stained hand.
He wanted Xiao to find out what he'd been doing.. but how could Aether make him find out?
An idea came to mind; he decided to smear some of his cum on his inner thigh, a happy smile
on his face as he washed his hands and pulled his pants up.

He cringed a little at the sticky feeling between his thighs but knew it would bear him much
fruit later. Aether fixed himself up into his prim, proper, and innocent facade, putting on a
giddy smile on his face as he left the bathroom, happily greeting the people in the hallway as
he walked by.

***

Aether licked his dry lips with a giddy smile on his face as he saw Xiao's car parked in the
parking lot of his office, waiting for him. He refrained from running towards his lover,
knowing to keep his reputation up, but he felt excitement bubbling up in his chest as he
walked towards Xiao.

The man noticed him and gave him a once-over when he got to the passenger's side, his
golden eyes gleaming a little as he studied Aether to try and find anything out of the ordinary
for a man with a small vibrator up his ass, he couldn't find anything to note.

Of course, he couldn't, Aether was too good at cleaning up and made sure not to leave a trace
of his wrongdoings for Xiao or anybody else to see right off the bat. Everyone thought of him
as the sweet angel who could do no wrong, and that was exactly the way Aether liked it.

Aether gave his lover a loving smile as he sat in the passenger's seat and leaned in to peck
him on the cheek in greeting, making Xiao's eyes narrow when he saw that Aether was in a
great mood, "How was your day, my love?" He asked Xiao like he didn't still have a toy up
his ass or cum smeared between his thighs.

Aether was great at his games, but Xiao knew his lover too well and had good intuition up his
sleeve. Xiao wasted no time in pushing his chair back as far as it could go to put space
between himself and the steering wheel before he grabbed Aether by the wrist and tugged
him over the console to pull him on his lap. Aether blinked with shock, his smile slowly
fading as he gazed nervously out the open windows into the parking lot.

There were few people given that it was quite late, the ones that were present were his
colleagues, though they were quite far for them to be able to see him, Aether tried not to
worry about it too much. He sat on Xiao's lap with his legs on either side of the man's thighs.

Aether flinched under Xiao's calculating gaze and he slowly leaned in to press a kiss to Xiao's
lips and distract him from his suspicion. Xiao's hand's trailed up his thigh, to his ass, riding
up his back until he grasped his braid. He gave a sharp tug and pulled Aether's head back to
disconnect their lips. Aether's cheeks flushed, he knew now that Xiao definitely knew what
he had been up to without even seeing his legs.

"Strip," Xiao told him simply, curtly, as he tilted his chin up to look into Aether's golden eyes
as embarrassment flashed in them, his hairs standing on end when the simple order went
straight to his crotch. "H-Here?" He asked Xiao, glancing outside again.

Their windows were tinted, so he had no reason to worry about anything other than the front
and rear windscreens, but Xiao had deliberately pulled the windows down so that they were
fully on display for anyone who passed by. "I didn't stutter, did I, my love?" Aether's cheeks
tinted a bright shade of red, he gave one last weary look outside before he began to unbutton
his shirt, keep his eyes down, unable to look at Xiao as he stripped in front of him.

"Eyes on me," Xiao whispered in his ear as he placed his calloused hands on Aether's body as
soon as he got the last button open, Aether left the button-up on his shoulders to keep some
semblance of humility in public.

Xiao pressed his palms flat against Aether's body, looking into his half-lidded golden eyes
that were full of lust now. He gazed at the way Aether bit his lip, his nipples slowly
hardening as Xiao moved his hands over them, cupping his chest.

Aether's hands worked on undoing his belt before he unbuttoned his dress pants and lifted
himself to stand on his knees to allow them to drop from his waist along with his boxers, he
slowly tugged them off, kicking his boots off along with them before throwing the articles to
the back seat. His cheeks burned as Xiao's lips parted at the sight of the white, sticky
substance between Aether's legs, smeared and spread to his ass after sitting there for hours.
"You're such a slut, a disappointment." Xiao said, making Aether flinch at the harsh tone he
adopted.

Xiao eyed Aether's cock that steadily rose up to his stomach from arousal at his words as the
blonde took a shaky breath. "You can't even follow simple orders, hm? Are you that stupid or
do you like to go against me?"

Aether shivered as Xiao's hands moved back to cup his ass. He pulled Aether forward, still
standing on his knees and free for the world to see, and buried his face between Aether's legs.
He stuck his tongue out and began to lick the cum off his thighs, forcing a loud moan from
his lips. "A-Ah Xiao..!" He gave Aether's ass a tight squeeze, looking up at him possessively
while the blonde shook a little.
Aether's eyes widened as he looked out the window and saw a person standing very close to
them, perhaps a car away from them. They had their back to them and didn't seem to have
noticed them going at it yet. Xiao noticed that Aether's focus wasn't on him anymore and
growled a little, sinking his teeth into Aether's inner thigh and making him yelp loudly. That
caught the other person's attention, making Aether panic as he quickly leaned down and
pulled the small lever to push the backrest of Xiao's further back, forcing him to lie down.

Aether lied on top of him and just barely managed to hide them as his ears burned terribly.

Xiao glared at Aether as the blonde laid his head down on his chest, breathing heavily as he
felt humiliated at how easily they could've been caught. Xiao buried his hand in Aether's
locks and pulled him up by his hair, forcing a whimper from between his lips with pain.

"Who gave you permission to do that?" Xiao asked him, licking the last bit of Aether's cum
off his lips. Aether bit his lip as he set his gaze down, "I-I'm sorry, someone was about to s-
see us, it could've been someone I know."

Xiao clicked his tongue, "Oh, so you suddenly care about being seen by other people, do
you? Tell me, did you masturbate right at the center of your office for everyone to see? I'm
sure you would enjoy the attention, you love having people watch you while you play with
yourself."

Aether stumbled over his words as Xiao rolled up the windows before pulling their seat up to
sit upright. "No! That's not it, I did it in the bathroom-- Xiao p-please..nngh..!" Aether
mewled as Xiao bit down on his nipple as he was leaned back on the steering wheel. Xiao
sucked on his skin, leaving red bruises around Aether's chest and making him squirm.

His elbow accidentally pressed down on the center of the wheel, pressing the horn. The horn
guided the whole parking lot's attention to them, making Aether hide his face and keep from
moving as much. He felt so ticklish, he loved Xiao's lips on his skin, the way he ran his
tongue over it and left hefty amounts of spit on his skin.

"Hm... and here I was hoping I wouldn't have to use the gift I got you just yet." Xiao
murmured against his ear, biting his pinna and tugging at it. He pulled back to watch Aether's
reaction as the blonde's eyes widened, "A gift?" He asked, feeling both nervous and excited at
the prospect of a new toy Xiao might have gotten for him.

Xiao only smirked in response as he reached out to the back seat, pulling forth a small pink
shopping bag and placing it on Aether's lap. The breathless blonde warily took the bag in his
hands, seeing an expectant look in Xiao's eyes, "Thank you for the gift, darling." Aether said,
though he probably didn't mean it, knowing that if it was a gift from Xiao, it would only spell
suffering for him. Aether kissed Xiao on the cheek before pulling the item out of the bag. His
eyes widened as he looked at Xiao with disbelief.

It was a cock cage, a full-blown metal chastity cock cage. Aether almost fainted at the sight
of it, his mouth going dry. Xiao almost chuckled at his reaction and took it from his hands,
taking a look at Aether's erection and smiling a little.
"We can't have you hard before we use this, can we?" He asked Aether, who was rigid but
nodded stiffly, knowing Xiao could be very mean with that cage if he wanted to be. "Well
then, touch yourself, show me what you did while you were at work."

Aether blushed but didn't argue, he couldn't refuse a direct order while Xiao held the position
of power right in front of him. He wrapped both his hands around his cock, embarrassed
under Xiao's' gaze but Xiao was right about Aether loving being watched while he did things
like this.

He wanted only Xiao looking at him while he did this, wanted only Xiao's eyes on him. He
pushed aside his nervousness about the cock cage and began to pump himself to the thought
of Xiao's cock inside him instead of the tiny vibrator, filling him up to his core. He fantasized
Xiao's rough hands clawing at Aether's body, unable to get enough of it.

He wished it was Xiao touching him like this, but the feeling of Xiao's heat under his ass, his
powerful and nonchalant gaze on his cock as he stroked himself as he leaned against the
handle of the car's door, all of it made everything even more exciting.

He loved the raw humiliation he felt from Xiao watching him doing this in public, anybody
who walked in front of their car would be able to see him whoring himself out in front of his
lover.

"Touch your chest while you do that," Xiao ordered, making Aether blush but follow the
order at once. He removed one of his hands from his cock and raised it to his nipple.He
pinched it and gasped a little, moaning out, "Aah..! X-Xiao..."

Aether began to rub the hardened bud with the tip of his index finger, feeling his senses
heighten as he gasped and moaned in front of his lover, intentionally squirming in his lap
until he sat right on top of Xiao's cock. He loved the way his bulge pushed up between his ass
cheeks, loved how hot it was even through the tough and stiff material of Xiao's dress pants.

Gods, Aether loved this.

"Enjoy yourself well, my treasure," Xiao whispered, "I'm going to make you pay for it later."

Just the words alone, the weight they carried, the pressure they put on Aether's shoulders, and
how quietly Xiao said it sent Aether into a spiral of pleasure as he came all over himself
within just five minutes with a loud moan of Xiao's name.

He took deep, heavy breaths, dread filling him as he felt his erection beginning to go flaccid.
He took the one last chance he had to beg Xiao as he scooped some of Aether's cum with his
finger. He opened his mouth to speak but could only manage a noise of surprise when Xiao
pushed his finger between his lips. His mind reeled with shock as he instinctively closed his
mouth around Xiao's finger and sucked the cum off of it. His eyes widened, tasting himself
on his tongue and feeling utterly revolted.

Aether had no problem lapping up Xiao's cum, no problem swapping spit with his lover, but
it felt shameful to be fed his own cum while he was just about to beg prettily just for Xiao.
Xiao let out a puff of amusement as he retreated his finger, a tiny smirk on his face, "Look at
you, getting hard just by tasting yourself. Do you find yourself as delicious as I do?"

Aether's eyes widened as he glanced down, sure enough, his cock beginning to erect again.
Xiao took the cage in his hands, "We can't have you getting hard again." He murmured as
took it out of its packaging and wasted no time in pressing it against Aether's cock. Aether
gasped as Xiao clasped the cold metal around his cock, his hands reaching up to hold Xiao's
shoulders for support as the man tightened it to Aether's size.

He immediately felt uncomfortable, the cock cage was ice-cold against his hot cock. It was
tight around him, giving him a claustrophobic feeling just like a real cage would. It felt like
his whole body had become subject to submission, he felt utterly useless, pliant, while feeling
so cornered by his lover. Gods, the feeling drove him wild.

He was no one but Xiao's to have, he didn't have rights over his own body to even be able to
cum of his own accord and it made him feel borderline feral with lust for Xiao. Xiao fixed the
cage in place with the turn of the small key and pocketed it before smirking at his lover.

"Let's see how long you can last before you're begging for me to take it off." Xiao picked
Aether up as best he could in the cramped space and set him, naked, save for the shirt
hanging off his shoulders and his socks, on the passenger's seat. He leaned over and secured
the seatbelt over his body, giving him a chaste kiss on his lips before he straightened his seat
and put the car in ignition.

Aether took a shaky breath, it was too peaceful an approach for Xiao. Xiao wouldn't just let
him sit still, wouldn't just let him be good until he got him home. He was right.

Around five minutes into the silent drive, with Aether desperately trying to button his shirt,
he was caught completely off guard when Xiao dipped his hand into the pocket of his own
dress pants and flicked a switch that sent Aether into a writhing fit.

Aether gasped, his eyes wide as he yelped with pleasure when the vibrator inside his ass
hummed to life. "Xiao! X-Xiao-- please! Aahngh, I can't p-please..!" Aether kicked his legs
out as he held the seatbelt tightly in his fists. Xiao wholly ignored him, exercising a great
amount of control as he drove safely and silently, only listening to Aether becoming a
gasping and writhing mess.

He had learned how to be patient when it came to making Aether suffer. He could handle it as
long as he could hear the noises Aether made and the way he squirmed. "Xiao-- I can't handle
it, please, Xiao~" Xiao only smirked in response and continued to drive home, not turning off
the vibrator for even a second.

***

When they got home, Xiao had carried a very defeated and exhausted Aether inside with
much insistence on the blonde's part, covered with Xiao's blazer and leaving Aether's pants
and boots in the car.
Xiao was sure many neighbors saw them but didn't feel any guilt or humiliation for it. He
could parade Aether naked on the street if he wanted to (it was a good thing he was too
possessive to let anyone feast their eyes on his lover), these were just baby steps. The night
was young and he had only just gotten started with Aether's punishment.

He forced his blonde lover into the kitchen, telling him to make him something to eat despite
the lack of feeling in Aether's legs. Aether knew he couldn't say no to Xiao, not if he wanted
the cage off.

All he could do was stumble around the kitchen to fix Xiao's favorite meal for him, still in
nothing but his dress shirt from work with his legs bare for Xiao to freely massage and grope
every time he walked by and make the blonde squeak with surprise.

Xiao only smirked and watched him, taking pleasure in turning the vibrator on and off
whenever he felt like it and watching the way Aether would stumble and hold onto surfaces
to keep himself on his feet. "Xiao it hurts, I'm begging you, take it off p-please!"

Xiao gave him a disinterested look every time he begged, replying simply, "Make me happy
and I'll consider it, my love." Xiao knew that if Aether wanted out, he could very well use his
safe word, but he knew just how filthy his lover was when it came to humiliation.

Xiao was always coming up with new, intricate ways to make Aether suffer from
embarrassment and shame, always keeping his lover on his toes when it came to their sex life
because he knew Aether loved it.

Not once did Aether's safe word come to the tip of his tongue, not when his legs shook, not
when his cock ached from its confinement, not even when Xiao shamelessly groped him
whenever he passed to keep himself sane.

He loved this, he loved how humiliating it felt to waddle around, trying to cook like a servant
for Xiao with a vibrator buzzing against his prostate every few seconds and a heavy cage on
his cock. Finally, he managed to get a plate of almond tofu on the table for Xiao, having not
made any for himself because he wanted to be done as soon as possible. The faster they were
done here, the faster he got around to finally getting Xiao's cock.

Xiao took a bite of his food and gazed at Aether as the blonde fiddled with the hem of his
shirt shyly, scared of Xiao's hand dipping back into his pocket and abusing his prostate again.

This time, however, Xiao gave him only a simple instruction, "On your knees." Aether
blinked with surprise but dropped to his knees without hesitation, crawling between Xiao's
legs and nuzzling his face against his lover's thigh like a puppy trying to convince its owner
to give it what it wants.

Xiao let out a puff of amusement and caressed Aether's cheek a little before his hand reached
to tangle in his blonde roots, pulling his head forward until his face was pressed against
Xiao's rock-hard bulge.

"Suck." Aether blushed madly, holding onto Xiao's thighs to keep himself steady. He couldn't
resist giving Xiao's cock a lick through his pants, smirking a little at the quiet moan the
sensitive man gave from the sudden friction.

Aether took Xiao's belt out and unzipped his dress pants, pushing his boxers out of the way to
allow Xiao's cock to bounce out. His mouth watered at the sight as he nuzzled his face
against Xiao's cock, loving the way it felt against his cheeks, though he loved it even more
between his lips or inside him. He opened his mouth and took Xiao's cock in it, wrapping his
plump lips around the girth and moaning at the feeling. He was quite sure his cock had
started to suffocate in the cage with how much it tried to expand at the feeling of Xiao's cock
in his mouth.

Aether took no precautionary measures and immediately began to deep throat Xiao, desperate
to get a reaction out of his lover the same way he got many from him.

"Desperate, aren't you?" Thankfully, Xiao's patience had begun to wear thin as well. He
wanted Aether, he wanted him so badly. He wanted to be inside Aether; as much as he loved
the wet warmth around his cock from Aether's mouth, he preferred to take Aether from
behind, he preferred to make him feel good just as he made Xiao feel. Xiao ran soothing
fingers through Aether's hair as the blonde choked, eating a little faster whilst trying to focus
on chewing his food rather than scarfing it down to hurry up.

"You try your damnedest to be a good boy after going against me, but you know I won't go
easy on you, don't you?" Aether's eyes were teary as he looked up at Xiao and nodded slowly,
pulling back from Xiao's cock to catch his breath while still running his tongue over the
man's cock.

Aether hated how good Xiao was at holding back, how good he was at keeping from showing
his pleasure and always leaving Aether wondering whether he was doing good.

The gentle caress of Xiao's hand was the only thing that made Aether aware that he was
feeling good.

Finally, Xiao was finished with his plate and licked his lips as he watched Aether sucking on
him like there was no tomorrow. He took a small breath of pleasure before he grabbed a
fistful of Aether's hair and pulled him back to look him in the eye.

A string of saliva connected Xiao's cock to Aether's mouth, making him look filthy and lewd
in Xiao's eyes at the way tears slowly trickled down his flushed cheeks as he breathed
heavily.

"Go upstairs, strip completely, and prep yourself. I'll come up in a bit, hm?" Aether nodded
obediently as he shakily got to his feet, allowing Xiao to give one last pinch to his thigh as he
wiped his mouth clean. He trotted upstairs to their bedroom, eager for Xiao to join him as he
threw his button-up off and looked down at his body. Bruises littered his chest, courtesy of
Xiao, his cock hung shamefully, pinned down by the heavy, tight cock cage that gave no sign
of relenting without the key that was in Xiao's possession.

How cruel was his lover to him.

He could see how red his cock had gotten, it felt painful to look at it, even more to feel how
swollen it was from arousal as he crawled to the center of the bed, lying down on his chest
with his ass suspended in the air.

He reached for the lube sitting on the bedside table from this morning's shenanigans and
reached back to dribble some on his ass. He pressed two fingers inside easily with how often
they went at it, moaning a little at sweet release as he fished for the small string of the
vibrator and pulled it out, cringing a little at the way it dripped with lube applied that
morning. Aether set it aside carelessly, unable to hold back any longer.

He began to finger himself, moaning Xiao's name as he buried his face into the pillow,
pumping his fingers slowly inside of himself. He stretched his walls out for Xiao, spreading
his fingers into a wide arc to make it easier for himself to push the third finger inside.

"Hnngh... Xiao~" Aether moaned softly, almost imagining it was Xiao's fingers inside him as
he brushing against his prostate. He wasn't aware of the man leaning against the doorway,
watching him as he fingered himself with his ass up, on full display for anyone passing to
see.

Xiao licked his lips, wondering how he had struck such gold with Aether as he began to shed
his clothes, taking his pants and his shirt off and making sure to retrieve the cage's key from
his pocket.

He made sure Aether couldn't feel him getting onto the bed, almost drooling at the sight of
Aether stretching himself and moaning his name like it was the only word he knew.

Slowly, he pressed his palm flat against Aether's ass, making the blonde gasp and try to sit
up, pulling his fingers out, but Xiao pushed his face into the pillow with his other hand,
keeping him in the same position.

Xiao's cock throbbed as it stood straight between Aether's legs, thrumming between his
meaty thighs before he moved back to poke the tip of his cock against Aether's twitching
hole. "Spread yourself for me," Xiao told him. Aether mumbled incoherently into the pillow
before he slowly reached both his hands back, tugging his cheeks apart to allow Xiao to see
him in his full glory.

Xiao growled with want and his final thread of control finally snapped as he pushed inside of
Aether with a heavy grunt, making the blonde gasp as he lifted his head a little.

He moaned Xiao's name, his eyes going wide when Xiao thrust deep inside of him, his hands
moving to hold Aether's waist with his fingertips digging into the blonde's skin. Xiao
whispered Aether's name, leaning over his lover's body and pressing his chest to his back. He
pressed a kiss to Aether's back as he began to rock the bed with his fast and powerful thrusts.

Aether's loud moans were muffled by the pillow as his hands fell to fist the sheets. Xiao hit
his prostate head-on as Aether whined from pain and pleasure, slowly making an attempt to
lift himself on his elbows in an effort to speak. "Xiao, please take it off, please I want to
come with you, I promise I'll be good..!" He begged, trying to appeal to Xiao's sensitivity
with his voice cracking with moans. Xiao's cock dug deep into his prostate as he came to a
screeching halt.

He hated when Aether begged because it almost always worked for him in the end, it always
made Xiao go back on his word and forced him into submission. It made Xiao feel like he
was all bark and no bite with how easily he gave in to Aether, but seeing the giddy smile on
Aether's face every time he won was a sight.

That was why Aether never gave up on trying to appeal to Xiao and his love for him, he
knew he was irresistible when it came to begging and it was the only ounce of power he had
over Xiao, even if he had to suffer through pain and humiliation before it finally worked.

Xiao sighed deeply and reached for the key he had discarded beside Aether and threw Aether
onto his back. He licked his lips when he saw Aether crying and quickly kissed his tears
away before he inserted the key into the lock and loosened the cage. Aether sighed with
immense relief, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off of his body as Xiao finally took
the cage off. His eyes glittered as he gazed down at Aether's messy body.

Xiao wasted no time, beginning to thrust again to bring himself close to his orgasm. Aether's
cock looked strangely deformed with how swollen it was, with some parts jagged from where
the cage had cut into his skin.

He gave one blow to Aether's prostate and to his utter surprise, Aether came very suddenly
and very powerfully with a loud scream, squirting ropes of cum high into the air, some of it
landing on Xiao's face. "Xiao-Xiao--fuck, Xiao...!!"

Aether babbled his name repeatedly as he repeatedly spurted cum for at least ten long
seconds. Xiao was frozen with astonishment, though his body kept moving. Aether's face was
twisted into such a lewd expression, with his mouth wide open and full of drool and his eyes
teary, his cheeks stained with a splash of red. His lips twitched violently as his eyes rolled
back, feeling utter ecstasy as he finally finished with his orgasm.

The thought of Aether cumming so powerfully with just one more thrust while wearing such
a sightful expression drove Xiao insane. All the pent-up lust he had locked away inside
himself all day finally came bursting out as he sped up tremendously, thrusting deep inside
his lover and holding his wrists to pin him to the bed.

"Aah--hnnghh!!" Aether could only moan as his sensitive body was subjected to even more
ruthless thrusts, his mind had gotten so hazy, it was difficult to know what he was doing,
what noises he made.

All he could see was Xiao's face as he stared down at him with his eyes narrowed and his lips
pursed with exertion, and all he could feel was Xiao's cock slamming in and out of him. Xiao
felt inebriated on his lover's body, he couldn't think of anything, his hips moving of their own
accord, milking Aether of his warmth, of his sweet moans that made Xiao absolutely wild
with craving.

He came inside his lover with a grunt of Aether's name, digging his dull teeth into Aether's
neck as his momentum carried him a few more thrusts before he finally slumped over
 Aether's body, his head on his lover's chest as his eyes shut themselves tightly.

He breathed heavily in sync with Aether, listening to the fast beating of his heart that calmed
him down from his high almost instantly.

Xiao shifted to pull out of Aether, eliciting a quiet moan from his lover before he moved to
Aether's side, latching onto him like a cuddly koala and burying his face into his chest.

Within minutes, he was sound asleep.

Aether smiled as he stroked his lover's hair soothingly. It should've been him with his face in
Xiao's chest, should've been him who passed out from exhaustion with how much
humiliation Xiao put him through, but he felt an inexplicable amount of love towards the man
in his arms. He was alright with taking care of Xiao.

Chapter End Notes

I hope you enjoy the smut even if my writing is stiff! I try my best with these and take
them one sentence at a time, so they come out differently than I envision them and feel
very stiff and robotic. As always, your words mean so much to me, it makes me so
happy to read comments so please let me know what you think.

Also! Catch me fighting Azhdaha in the US server at random times throughout 24 hours,
it would be amazing to meet someone while fighting chonky boi by chance, the name's
Lorrie!
 (Caught Masturbating P2) Intercrural Sex (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Side Daddy kink.

Zhongli has much trouble keeping up with Childe's sex drive but is unable to resist his
lover when he asks him to do it between his thighs.

NOTE: This chapter is Part 2 of Chapter: 11 of this book, the prompt of which is Caught
Masturbating. Please read it before this one if you haven't already so you aren't missing
out on anything that you might not understand in this smut!

Chapter Notes

"God didn't give me the capability to draw yaoi, so I learned how to write it just to spite
him." - Satan or some shit, idk

Highkey didn't plan on giving Chapter 11 a part 2 at all, but idk this teacherxteacher
prompt really tugged at my heartstrings. I guess making Part 2s to old chapters depends
on my mood, cause I wrote this in probably 3 hours.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

*Intercrural Sex: Sex performed between a person's thighs.

"I'll let you children know beforehand that your assignment for the week is a two-thousand-
word essay on the war against Khaenri'ah."

Immediately, protests broke out in the classroom, making Zhongli's nostrils flare up with
annoyance. "And if any of you try to fool me but using a white font to spam random letters to
meet your word count, so help me gods, I will make you rewrite it by hand, understand?"

Several shoulders slumped at the new rule, making Zhongli grumble under his breath about
the children's lack of work ethic.

He sighed and slumped in his seat, rubbing the bridge of his nose, he was quite done with his
students' lack of work ethic. He was just as tired of them as they were of him, but he didn't
complain while checking their terrible handwriting, now did he? The least they could do is
offer him honest work, but they tried to trick him, thinking he was that technologically
challenged.
He managed to catch on to their schemes quickly, to their dismay and they all got Cs and Ds
on their last essay for the little number of words they actually wrote in contrast to the word
count written on their document.

Zhongli didn't know what to do with them anymore.

"It will be due on this day next week, I expect all of you to get full marks and put in full
effort to reach the word count, I spared no time in drilling this into your minds," He heard
students murmuring dirt about him behind his back but only smiled, considering it as his win
against the brats that complained about every little thing.

He sighed heavily as he turned to his book, "Turn to page 394," He told the students, turning
in his seat, placing his reading glasses on his nose as he took the textbook in his hands.

He did a once-over of the page before he took a breath to begin his lecture. He opened his
mouth to speak, but the door opened very abruptly, almost scaring him out of his boots as his
head snapped to the door, but he kept calm and merely glanced at the door. He pursed his
lips, seeing who had come in. This couldn't be good.

"Hey there kids~ I hope you're prepared to get hurt in the final period, I have a fun game of
dodgeball planned hehe," The students perked up at the sight of their lovable gym teacher,
who had stepped inside the classroom, waving around.

Childe knew he was well-loved by the students in his classes and used it to his full advantage
to take Zhongli's students' attention away from the class. He caught the glare that his lover
was giving him through his reflecting reading glasses and grinned as if it didn't matter to him
that he had just interrupted a very important lecture. "Mr. Childe, I am in the middle of a
lecture, if you would please refrain from distracting my class, it would be most appreciated."

The students watched their interaction with great interest. Zhongli gulped a little. He and
Childe had been the talk of the school since that fateful day they had gotten into a
relationship on the school's roof.

Zhongli held back a blush at the memory, recalling the events of that day, the way he had
caught Childe getting off to the sound of his voice. He had remained calm whilst confronting
his lover-to-be, but he felt quite shy about it now... Childe didn't allow him to feel shy about
it for long.

Zhongli heard a student near him murmur, "You literally haven't even started, what are you in
the middle of, Professor?" He grumbled under his breath at his traitorous children.

Childe giggled at Zhongli's futile attempt to get rid of him, "Oh don't be so cold, Mr.
Zhongli~ Sorry kids, I'll just borrow your teacher right here for a second." Childe turned to
Zhongli, a look in his eye that made Zhongli go rigid. Zhongli knew the look all too well, and
he couldn't help thinking that it was too early in the morning for this shit, rather ironic
considering it was past noon.

It was pure and utter lust that shone in Childe's eyes as he walked over to Zhongli's seat, a
slight sway in his hips while tugging his loose polo shirt down a little over his crotch. His
every movement was followed by Zhongli's watchful golden eyes that glared with suspicion
like he knew exactly what Childe had come for.

Childe stood in front of him and allowed him to see up his oversized shirt, a bulge was
protruding from his green gym shorts and it made Zhongli's mouth go dry.

He was unable to take his eyes off of Childe, not while he wore the expression he had come
to know so well.

Zhongli could only gulp as Childe leaned down, putting his hands on either side of Zhongli's
seat to get close to his ear, Childe pressed his lips to Zhongli's ear and nibbled it for a second
before he whined quietly in his ear, "Daddy," Childe whispered, making sure not to look too
suspicious as he allowed his hand to slip down to Zhongli's thigh.

Childe's hand moved dangerously close to Zhongli's crotch, making the History teacher suck
in a sharp breath, "I need you right now, please."

Childe breathed in his ear, barely holding himself back from sitting on Zhongli's lap and
asking him to fuck him in front of the whole class. He wanted it so badly that Zhongli could
almost feel the lust coming off of Childe. No, Childe never allowed him to feel shy about
having sex in school. The first time they did it, Zhongli had been the one in control in the
heat of the moment, he didn't care whether they'd be caught, all he could care about was the
fact that Childe, his 'crush' (Such a childish concept, Zhongli thought it was to have 'crushes'
at his age), was masturbating to the thought of him.

He steered the moment to his advantage but he didn't know what he was getting into with the
vigorous Gym teacher.

He didn't know that with power came responsibility, and the power he had over Childe made
him responsible for every little action the ginger took. Zhongli was forced to learn very soon
after that Childe had a very high sex drive, one that was difficult to keep up with as it could
vary drastically depending on the time of day, it made him almost lose sleep considering how
much time he spent thinking about trying to work his schedule around Childe's mood.

Usually, Zhongli got it over with during their lunch break and would take Childe to some
secluded part of the school to give him what he wanted, but these days, he'd been asking for it
several times throughout the school day.

Zhongli sighed heftily, he had to change his whole schedule to accommodate his lover's
libido. He would have to stay up late into the night and losing precious sleep to prepare his
lectures because Childe would drag him to his house as soon as the bell rang, or he would
have to eat a bigger breakfast because he could no longer enjoy lunch while having Childe
bounce away on his cock.

Lately, Childe had been getting very restless, and Zhongli didn't know how to handle it, every
day, the younger would suck him dry until he had little energy to get anything done but now
it had gotten out of hand, he had managed to balance his work life with his love life, but now
Childe was interfering with his class. Zhongli might make it out to seem as if Childe was
nothing but a rabbit in heat, but when he was not horny, he was an affectionate and caring
lover.

"Please take care of me, daddy," Zhongli would definitely be lying if he said Childe's
neediness didn't turn him on immensely.

He felt his pants tighten almost immediately at Childe's lustful and quiet pleas, oh how he
loathed being unable to deny the ginger. Zhongli glanced at his class again, most students'
gazes were fixed directly on them, some looked like they were concentrating to listen to what
Childe was saying but their pouts gave away that they couldn't hear them.

The fact that Childe was blatantly asking for sex in a classroom chock-full of gossipy teens
and seducing him in front of 30 or so children drove Zhongli wild, but he couldn't indulge in
such atrocities while he was about to start class.

"I can't dearest, be patient, and I'll give it to you as many times as you want at home,"
Childe's eyes hardened a little though he said nothing, Zhongli released an inaudible gasp
when Childe groped his forming bulge and gave it a little squeeze.

How much Childe wanted it, he couldn't put it into words.

Childe smirked devilishly, "Oh, but you can't teach a class like this, can you, Mr. Zhongli?"
Zhongli released a shaky breath as Childe massaged it gently before he stood straight. He
loomed over Zhongli as he turned around to pace the classroom dramatically and made sure
Zhongli's eyes followed the sway of his ass.

"Come on, Mr. Zhongli! We all know I can't teach football, I need help and you're good at it,"
He spoke in a normal voice suddenly, putting an innocent expression on his face like he
hadn't just been trying to seduce Zhongli into fucking him again at school as he stopped in
front of Zhongli's desk, his back facing the class as he gave Zhongli a wink.

The students watched them, it was clear Childe was trying to throw off their suspicion.
Childe clasped his hands in a begging gesture, biting his lip to tempt the older into
submission.

"I need you, Mr. Zhongli, you don't want to bore these sweet, lovable children to death with a
boring history lecture, do you?" Childe smirked at Zhongli as the class erupted into cheers,
finally catching on that if Childe managed to sweep Zhongli away, they would get a free
period.

"Childe..." Zhongli said quietly, chewing his lip nervously, a hint of irritation in his eyes.

He didn't understand why Childe was trying so desperately to get him to have sex at a time
like this when he was the one who had been shy the first time they did it at school during
working hours.

He seemed worried about doing it at school that day, but after that, Childe changed drastically
and cared no longer about doing it at school, at home, in public, anywhere, if he wanted it
then he would do anything to have it, whether it was getting Zhongli in the mood or teasing
him by giving him a little show, touching himself in front of him to tempt his lover into
taking care of him.

If there was one thing Childe had learned about him, it was that Zhongli hated not being the
center of Childe's pleasure, he intended to use the fact to his full advantage.

Zhongli had no choice but to comply with his demands, not with how hard he had gotten.
"Fine," Zhongli said, making the class erupt into cheers. Childe smirked and turned around to
give the class two finger hearts with both of his hands, "Thank me later~" He told them as he
grabbed Zhongli by the wrist and pulled him out of the classroom, ignoring the chatter that
immediately erupted from the class they left behind.

Childe dragged him down corridors, no sign of his bubbly facade left as he lead Zhongli into
an empty classroom. Childe shut the door behind them as he licked his lips, finally turning to
face Zhongli, who had a stern expression on his face.

He pushed Zhongli against the door and hugged him tightly around the neck, pressing their
crotches together and dragging a quiet moan from Zhongli.

"Childe, we cannot let this get in the way of our work," Zhongli whispered as Childe pressed
a sweet kiss to the older man's lips.

Childe ground their erections together while releasing tiny whimpers that he knew would
drive Zhongli onto the edge. He pulled back and gave Zhongli an innocent look, parting his
lips and giving him puppy eyes to completely break what little resolve the man had.

"Please daddy, you know I only do this cause I love you, and I want you all the time."
Zhongli took a deep breath, feeling himself crumbling under Childe's gaze as he wrapped his
arms around his lover's waist.

"Give it to me." Childe whispered in his ear, letting his tongue roll over the shell of Zhongli's
ear while pressing their bodies tightly against one another.

Zhongli growled into his neck and allowed his hand to slip inside Childe's shorts, the other
slipping into the pocket of his pants to pull out a condom. Zhongli grazed his fingers over his
lover's ass before he let them slip between his cheeks, but Childe stopped him.

"Wait, not there," Childe murmured, confusing Zhongli greatly who thought that was exactly
what he was asking him for. "I still have two classes to take, and it always hurts after we do it
there."

Childe said, kissing Zhongli's jawline and nibbling affectionately on the man's cheek while
massaging his tense shoulders.

"Then what do you expect from me?" Zhongli asked, giving his lover's ass a tight squeeze
and making him moan his name.

"Take this" Childe grabbed Zhongli's bulge with one hand, looking deeply into Zhongli's eyes
with mischief dancing in his eyes, "and put it here," He took Zhongli's hand in his own and
brought it to his inner thighs, whimpering a little when Zhongli gave his thighs a gentle
squeeze. Zhongli's heart thumped at the idea, they had never done it between the legs before.

Childe pushed his shorts to his knees before his hand dropped back to Zhongli's cock to unzip
his pants and pull his cock out.

He moaned softly at the sight of it and smirked, knowing he would have it very soon. Zhongli
let the condom drop to the floor as Childe stepped forward, pressing Zhongli's cock between
his thighs and drawing a moan from his lover.

Childe rolled his hips experimentally and pursed his lips a little. It felt... strangely
disappointing, it didn't feel as good as he thought it would, not as good as they made it seem
in porn and erotica, but that was likely because he couldn't get any friction with Zhongli's
cock this way, it was just his thighs taking the brunt of the force. Zhongli noticed his
discomfort and pulled out from between Childe's thighs, he gave his lover a quick peck as he
thought about it logically.

"Here, do it like this," He turned Childe around and pulled his back into his strong chest,
wrapping his arms around Childe's torso and letting his hands slip up the ginger's shirt.

Childe blushed as Zhongli pushed his cock between his thighs again and looked down, seeing
his lover's erection peeking from between his legs. Zhongli cupped Childe's hand and brought
it down to their cocks and wrapped it around both of them, though his hand was smaller than
Zhongli's and covered only half the perimeter.

"Hold them together," Zhongli instructed him as he pushed his hands up Childe's shirt to
wrap his fingers around both his nipples before he pulled his hips back and thrust between
Childe's thighs.

Childe gasped at the feeling, nearly falling forward if it weren't for Zhongli's hands on his
chest, slowly twisting his nipples and rubbing over them.

"F-Fuck, Zhongli..!" Zhongli took that as his go signal and began to pump his cock between
Childe's legs, moaning into Childe's ear quietly at the way Childe clenched the muscles in his
thighs and squeezed his cock between them, he felt ecstasy wash over him, though it wasn't
as satisfying as when he was inside Childe.

Childe was a gasping and moaning mess within minutes as he reached his other hand down to
make a wider circle with his hand, pushing their cocks tightly against each other.

"Aah--ah--" Childe moaned loudly, compelling Zhongli to fasten a hand around his loud
lover's mouth. "It h-hurts," Childe whimpered into Zhongli's hands, feeling his thighs
beginning to chafe from the force with which Zhongli rammed between them.

"Do you want me to stop?" Zhongli breathed in his ear, allowing his hand to drop to hold
Childe's and pull them away, the other still worked incessantly to abuse Childe's nipple.
Childe whimpered and shook his head.
"Hnngh..--Zhongli...!" Childe gasped as Zhongli wrapped his large hand around his cock,
tugging at it whilst nudging Childe's legs closer together for his own pleasure. Zhongli pulled
out and turned Childe around, lying him down on the teacher's desk before pulling both his
legs over one shoulder, clamping his thighs around his cock again. He grunted as he began to
thrust against Childe again, his cock heavily creating friction with Childe's with every snap of
his hips.

"So g-good Zhongli, mmf... it's so good b-but it hurts,"

Zhongli ignored him, feeling the frustration he felt towards his lover and his restless sex drive
snap as he worked for his orgasm, deciding that he was going to make Childe regret asking
him for anything.

Childe's cock began to twitch against his, making Zhongli smirk a little at how easily his
lover was able to reach his high with just a few thrusts, it took Childe an even shorter amount
of time to cum from his ass, but he made do with what he had. Childe moaned Zhongli's
name loudly and Zhongli let him, knowing that if anyone heard them, it wouldn't be just his
head on the guillotine.

He had grown weary of being cautious, though he had to put his foot down and make sure
that this would be the last time he would feel the need to take precautionary measures to keep
them from being caught.

Childe barely managed to protect his white polo from getting stained as his cock shot ropes
of cum onto his torso, making him gasp and cry out as he kicked his legs out a little against
Zhongli's shoulder. Zhongli growled and held him tightly in place, holding both of his legs
together with one hand while his other teased Childe's nipple slowly.

"Ah...! S-Stop that, you'll get me hard again," Childe murmured, feeling himself slowly
coming off his orgasm as his vision began to clear, finally being able to see past his lust, it
hurt so much, the way his thighs burned with every rub of Zhongli's thick cock.

Zhongli complied and began to thrust his cock a little higher so it wouldn't rub against
Childe's, but he continued to pinch and squeeze his nipple between his fingers, smirking at
the way Childe moaned at the feeling, "You always t-take too long to cum, f-fuck, it hurts so
bad, daddy.." Childe whimpered.

Zhongli gave a particularly painful squeeze to Childe's nipple, making his lover cry out in
pain.

"I don't care," Zhongli murmured as he turned his head and pressed a kiss to Childe's thigh,
finally feeling a sinking feeling developing in his lower abdomen.

He sank his teeth into a very visible spot on Childe's knee and began to suck on it, tickling
Childe who tried to squirm out of his grip, "W-Wait, don't leave any mark, Zhongli..!"
Zhongli wholeheartedly ignored him, closing his eyes after pulling away from the red spot he
made on Childe's skin and enjoying the feeling over Childe's meaty thighs pushing around his
cock.
Zhongli could get used to this, though he still preferred his lover's warmth on the inside. Still,
as he opened his eyes and saw Childe whimpering and writhing in pain, he couldn't help
licking his lips. If this meant seeing his lover in pain, then he could make do with it.

He released a short breath, feeling himself getting closer to his high.

The inside of Childe's thighs burned with pain with every thrust Zhongli gave to him. His
thrusts began to grow sloppier as his groans became more frequent, the closer his orgasm got
within reach. Childe watched Zhongli's facial expression while his lover got to the edge of his
pleasure.

Zhongli looked undeniably handsome when he came with a grunt of Childe's name, Childe
couldn't help wondering how he got such an attractive and accomodating lover to take care of
him. Childe yelped with surprise as Zhongli's cum spurted out farther than anticipated,
shooting all over Childe's clothes up to his face. "Zhongli!" Childe whined as his lover
breathed heavily, rolling his hips a few more times to milk the feeling of ecstasy for all it was
worth. Childe's face had been stained with a drop of cum.

Zhongli stopped and stared at his lover, a small smirk on his face, observing him covered in
his seed like that. He loved the way Childe looked with his cum smeared all over his clothes
and face.

"Childe," Zhongli said, his voice unnervingly soft as he grabbed Childe by the collar of his
shirt and pulled him up into a sitting position. His eyes were narrowed into a sexy glare that
had Childe frozen as Zhongli ran his thumb over Childe's cheek, wiping off the drop of cum
before pressing it between Childe's lips.

Childe moaned with surprise at the taste of Zhongli's cum on his tongue, waiting for the man
to speak again as he sucked on the finger gently, feeling on-edge from the hard look in
Zhongli's eyes.

"If you ever interrupt my class like that, or ask for sex while we're at school, this" Zhongli
massaged his sore thigh with his free hand, making Childe wince, "will be the least of your
worries, understand? Be patient, be a good boy and hold yourself back until I can take you
home and take you as well as I always do."

Childe's eyes clouded as he nodded obediently, his lips parted with shock as the man's words
replayed in his mind over and over again.

It compelled Zhongli to give him a kiss on the cheek before he pulled away from Childe's
body completely, turning around to tuck his limp cock back into his pants. Zhongli didn't give
him the aftercare he usually did and simply walked out of the classroom without another
word. Childe stared after him, dazed before he glanced down.

"Shit." He was hard again and Zhongli-less.

***Extra***
 "You kids can beat each other up today for all I care, I'm just gonna..." Childe plopped down
on the bench, whimpering in pain as he felt his thighs rubbing against one another. Gods, it
hurt so badly.

He regretted asking Zhongli to do it between the legs, his lover had always been so intense
with his cock, not that Childe was complaining up until now.

Luckily, he had a change of clothes kept in his car and was able to change out of his stained
shirt. "Hey Mr. Childe," A student called, "What's that on your leg?" Childe glanced down
and saw a bright red spot on the side of his knee, lined with teeth marks.

He blushed madly. "Oh-- It's just a bruise," He lied, but the students began to snicker.

They were the same students as Zhongli's History class and Childe couldn't help feeling
nervous, hearing their laughter.

"Oh, that's a very peculiar place to get a bruise, Sensei~" Another student added, "You didn't
have it before you left with Mr. Zhongli to play 'football', is 'football' the reason you can't
walk now, Mr. Childe?"

Childe hid his face behind his hands, cursing Zhongli and all three-thousand gods for putting
him in this position, "You kids are getting out of line," He muttered. A reply came
immediately from the back of the group of students, "We're not the ones doing the dirty at
school during class, Mr. Childe!" The class cackled as Childe fell back to lie on the bench,
wishing the ground would swallow him.

Chapter End Notes

I hope you enjoyed this smut! Unfortunately, I'll be trying not to write the next chapter
until Tuesday, as an important exam is coming up and I want to dedicate the weekend to
studying for once. Keyword, trying. I love writing on this book and it would be a better
escape than math, but I should try to focus. <3 Thank you for reading!
 Loud (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

WARNING: Blood, Injury

Xiao finds himself sleep deprived and sexually frustrated when his sultry neighbor,
Aether, tries his hand at seducing him.

Chapter Notes

Have some slutty OOC Aether! Sorry, this is more build-up than smut, for some reason,
I got stuck while writing the actual sex scene so...~ forgive me! I can't believe I haven't
updated this book in nearly a week idk how my weak ass heart survived without writing
smut haha. I hope this is to your liking and that you're able to look past my headcanons
for Aether~

My favorite Xiaother trope is Aether putting up a sweet and innocent front in public but
being a kinky hoe behind closed doors, or walls, if you will.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"Ah-- shit...!" Xiao pursed his lips as he listened to the lewd noises coming from next door.
His fingers shook a little as he uselessly pressed his pillow over his ear to drown out the
noise, but it never worked. He grumbled incoherently under his breath as he opened his
phone to glance at the time. Xiao kicked his legs out with frustration, feeling the heat
between his legs rise as the man next door moaned sweetly again.

Every fucking night, it was like this. Every night Xiao would return home, bloody or injured
(Or both) and inevitably tired, and every night, his neighbor Aether would either bring home
a man for a one-night stand and have loud sex, or he would play with his loud vibrator and
touch himself, whilst moaning loudly. Xiao's face soured, Aether did this every night without
fail, he and Aether shared a bedroom wall and Xiao could hear every intimate detail of
Aether's endeavors with his body through the paper-thin wall.

It drove him insane because he was forced to listen to his seemingly sweet neighbor moaning
like a whore every night. Aether was always a kind person in front of Xiao whenever they
met in the hallway. The blonde didn't take long to figure out what Xiao did for a living, he
worked as a hitman and would come home bloody from his endeavors. His sweet neighbor
would just happen to be awake at 3 in the morning whenever he returned. Xiao was very
interested in the fact that the blonde never, ever showed any sign of fear at the sight of blood,
never a sign of fear while knowing the fact that Xiao could easily kill him with just a flick of
his wrist.

He seemed confident that Xiao wouldn't kill him for knowing what he did, Xiao didn't bother
to ask why Aether wasn't afraid of him. He knew he wasn't going to give the blonde any
reason to be so long as he stayed out of his way, and he was confident that Aether would. The
first day Xiao had moved there, Aether had baked him cookies and smiled at him so brightly,
one would've thought Aether was but a ray of sunshine that likely didn't even know what sex
was.

Xiao was happy to know that he had gotten lucky with a cute, wholesome neighbor that
wouldn't tattle on him to the police for coming home in such states every night. But then, that
same night, it started, Aether would moan loudly, borderline scream with pleasure if he had
someone else with him every night. He would whimper sweetly, pressed up against the wall
he shared with Xiao and getting fucked against it, and curse softly, other times he would
press against the wall and touch himself. Frankly, it wasn't just the loud sounds that bothered
Xiao. It was the fact that Aether was right there, right on the other side of that wall, and
playing with himself without care that Xiao might hear.

Without a care that Xiao might do something about his loud noises once and for all, Xiao was
tempted, he really was. But the next morning, the blonde would smile at him so sweetly, his
words died in his throat without fail. Xiao shuddered, he could hear every little detail, the
little squelch of the vibrator humming in Aether's ass every time he thrust it inside of himself,
he could hear the ruffle of sheets as Aether kicked his legs out, he could hear every crack in
Aether's beautiful and soft voice as he moaned like there was no one listening.

At this point, Xiao didn't think Aether was unaware of the fact that he could hear everything.
He saw the way his blonde neighbor would bat his eyelashes prettily at him if their paths
crossed, daring him to do something, to say something about what he does at night. Over
time, it almost seemed as if Aether waited for Xiao to get home before he would play with
himself or begin yet another one-night stand. Sometimes, if he saw Xiao coming home
injured, he would bring him inside and take care of him with a soft smile on his face, treating
his wounds expertly with gentle hands.

Then, as soon as Xiao left his apartment and went to his own bedroom, the noises would
start. Aether moaning so lewdly, playing with himself so roughly that Xiao could hear it. He
couldn't see his neighbor the same anymore, every time they met in the hallway, Aether
would greet him cheerfully like he hadn't been shoving a vibrator or someone else's cock up
his ass, but Xiao found it difficult to be disgusted with him, not with how beautiful he looked.

Anybody would want to fuck a man with that face, every aspect of Aether looked beautiful,
every curve of his slim body, every movement he made was graceful. It made him more and
more interested in the pretty blonde, it made him wonder what it would be like to be the one
making Aether moan so sweetly. It made him almost jealous of all the other men who got
take him every other night. He wanted to be in their place, he wanted to see what kind of face
Aether made when he came, he wanted to feel how tight he was, after hearing so many men
tell Aether so.
He licked his lips as Aether moaned again, thrusting against his bed and making it creak. Of
course, it was all speculation on Xiao's part that allowed him to imagine what Aether was
doing on the other side of that wall. Xiao cursed softly as he looked down at the tent in his
pants. He couldn't help it, he couldn't help it while his mind always imagined his sweet
neighbor bent into lewd positions and moaning his name.

He slipped his hand into his sweatpants and began to pump himself as well, but he was more
careful with himself than Aether, he made sure not to make a peep that would allow Aether to
know what he was doing whilst listening to him. Xiao slowly got up from his bed and walked
over to the wall he shared with Aether and slumped down next to it. The quiet whimpers
were all the more prominent from being right next to Aether's room and Xiao began to pump
himself harder, licking his lips as he wrapped his hand tightly around his cock and imagined
that it was Aether's warmth that surrounded it, the blonde looking up at him with his
shimmering golden eyes and telling him he was doing good, that he was better than the other
fuckboys he went out with, better than his measly, loud vibrator.

"Ahh... you're doing so well," Aether whispered just on the other side of the wall, and that
was enough to send Xiao into overdrive as he began to thrust into his hand a little, eyes
dotted with lust for his blonde neighbor. He wanted him so badly, he didn't know what to do
with himself, he wanted the one man who looked at him drenched with blood and didn't care
to even flinch.

He wondered whether Aether had found out what he was doing just next to the wall and
wondered if he had praised himself or Xiao. He wanted to hope that it was the latter, that
Aether would tell him that he was doing so well. Of course, he knew it was impossible, he
was too careful, too quiet for Aether to be able to listen. Xiao licked his lips as Aether
moaned softly, his weak whimpers becoming more and more frequent the closer he got to his
orgasm. Aether's bed rocked a little with how hard he was thrusting the vibrator in and out of
himself, and Xiao imagined it was himself making his bed creak like that.

Xiao took a soft breath as he heard Aether cry out louder than ever, "Ah..! I'm cumming-- I'm
gonna... hnngh~" With a loud moan, Aether came, his sweet wails echoing through Xiao's
mind as the man tried his best to keep himself grounded. Xiao bit his bottom lip to stop his
own quiet noises of pleasure as he pictured the scene of Aether cumming all over himself and
the bed, his ass sticking up with a vibrator shoved deep into it. He came to that thought with a
wisp of grunt, listening to Aether breathing heavily on the other side. Xiao stared down at his
hand, stained with his cum. He couldn't help the feelings of guilt that swallowed him for his
thoughts about the cute blonde next door.

***

Xiao likely looked like shit the next morning, having been unable to sleep the entire night
when Aether decided to go for another round that turned into three and four rounds. He
wondered how the blonde had so much stamina, it would be a pain to keep up with, he
imagined. He could hardly look at Aether as he left his apartment to go to work at the same
time as him, as far as he knew, Aether was a part-timer at a bar, likely where he found all the
other one-night stands. Xiao had bags under his eyes that the blonde noticed quickly and
stared at, saying softly, "You look tired, I hope you'll be able to get some rest very soon, try
not to get hurt today, okay?" Xiao swore he saw a hint of a smirk on Aether's face as he
waved at Xiao goodbye.

Xiao stared after him as he left for the bus. He chuckled lowly, as if the blonde would ever let
him rest, he saw the look in his eyes that told Xiao everything he needed to know, he would
make sure to keep Xiao awake against all odds. Aether looked perfect in the morning even
after staying up all night, his hair shining golden in the sun and his long braid swaying a little
like a cat's tail as he walked away, Xiao admired him for it. How could a being look and act
so perfect yet do such heinous things behind closed doors? He didn't allow himself to get lost
in thoughts about the blonde, leaving to go to work and get his next hit order assigned.

***

Xiao grunted as he clutched his bloody shoulder, his shirt stained with his own blood, mixed
with the blood of his hit of the week. He looked around for any sign of people as he stepped
out onto his floor. He breathed out softly in pain and moved forward towards his apartment.
His nose perked up to the smell of pie coming from next door as he stopped to unlock his
door. Xiao didn't much care for sweet things but something about the smell of the pie made
him feel hungry.

Who would be making pie at this hour? Of course, he already knew the answer as he watched
out for any signs of Aether, who usually waited at the door of his own apartment to catch
Xiao coming home every night. Xiao didn't know why he did it, why he waited for him to
come home but he didn't think much of him not being there to watch him come home and
entered his apartment all the same, throwing off his suit blazer with a deep sigh. He had felt
terrible all day because of the lack of sleep he had all night. Xiao had gotten sloppy today
with his kill, which lead to him getting hurt.

This, in turn, annoyed him considering he was always punctual and thorough with his hits,
but today, here we were, with a stupid injury, all because of a stupid blonde next door that
loved making his nights miserable. He began to undress, unbuttoning his shirt and discarding
his tie in order to take care of his wound, moving to the bathroom where he kept his first aid
kit.

He cringed a little at the feeling of his hot blood running down his body and reached for a
clean cloth to wipe it off when the doorbell rang. He let out a grunt of frustration, his mind
already prepping itself to plop into bed and sleep like there was no tomorrow before Aether
could get started so he would at least have a few hours of sleep. He stomped to the door, not
caring that his shirt was left open, and threw the door open, ready to tell whoever it was at the
door at this time of night to beat it.

His patience was not to be tested today, not after suffering from sleep deprivation throughout
the whole day and getting hurt because of it. His glare hardened as he saw who was at the
door, Aether with his hair pulled back into a messy bun and dressed in a cute apron... at
midnight. Aether's eyes ventured to Xiao's body, taking in his muscles and parting his lips a
little as his eyes skidded over his bloody wound before flicking back up to meet Xiao's.

He was suddenly feeling shy, standing there with his neighbor half-naked in front of him,
blood and glowering at him like it was his fault (It was.). "Hi Xiao, I just... thought you
would like to have some of this pie," Aether kept his gaze cast to the floor as he extended his
hand out to offer Xiao a plate of a delicious-looking piece of apple pie. Xiao glanced at
Aether's face, then his eyes raked over his body in the cute frilly apron before landing on the
pie. Xiao took the plate but then startled Aether by grabbing him by the collar of his shirt,
pulling him forward until his body was pressed against Xiao's.

Xiao made sure to stain Aether's apron with his blood, putting his lips close to the blonde's
ear as he felt Aether's heart beating against his fist. "Do me a favor, keep it down tonight,
hm? I'm sleep-deprived cause of you and I don't know what I'll do if you wake me up again."
Xiao let go of Aether's shirt and gave him a mildly amused and mildly threatening glance and
taking in the sight of Aether's red cheeks and wide golden eyes, "Thanks for the pie." He
murmured before he shut the door in the blonde's face with a small smirk.

He gazed at the piece of pie for a second, it was decorated cutely with a small smiley face
made with apple sauce. He didn't miss the small heart made next to it, either. He set it down
and went off into the bathroom to take care of his wound, before returning and beginning to
eat it, he didn't particularly like eating food much except for his favorite, but... even he had to
admit that Aether's hands were magic, he had thought that on his first day moving in when he
ate Aether's welcome cookies. He almost smiled.

***

Xiao didn't have a good night's sleep that night either. He slept but for a mere hour before the
noises began again, waking him up from his slumber. Moans, whimpers, and small cries of
pleasure, right on the other side of the wall. "Hnngh..." Aether moaned loud enough for Xiao
to hear, loud enough to wake him up from his near-dead slumber. Xiao sat up, staring at the
wall without knowing what to do or think in his mind's sleepy haze.

Should he feel angry? Should he feel aroused? Should he feel frustrated? All of those
emotions came together inside Xiao's brain and his mouth began to water at the thought of
Aether going against his request, masturbating and moaning loudly on purpose just to spite
him. He clenched his fist. No one had ever dared to defy him like that before, not even in his
underground job, where he worked with and against armed men that could kill with just a
gun.

Yet the one person who went against him was a cute blonde part-timer that loved to take his
sleep away. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't exactly do anything but feel his cock
begin to harden at the thoughts of someone like Aether, someone so vastly different from
Xiao's rash self, going against him like he couldn't give a shit that Xiao was very capable of
hurting him.

He knew Xiao was very capable of barging into his house and hurting him, yet he continued
to gasp and cry like he wanted exactly that to happen. Xiao swallowed roughly, feeling a
pang in his shoulder that he had bandaged up, sleeping shirtless. "Haah... are you l-listening
then?" Xiao's eyes widened as his head snapped to look at the wall again, Aether was just on
the other side, having the time of his life. "You're there, aren't you? You can hear me, I know
you--ah..!! I-I know y-you can." Xiao couldn't believe his ears, Aether was speaking to him,
he was talking to him from the other side of the wall. "I d-don't care about your... mmf.. your
warning,"
Aether breathed softly, his voice quietening so that he could compel Xiao to draw closer. It
worked, Xiao stood up and walked over to the wall, feeling infuriated and terribly turned on
as his cock stood to full attention in his sweatpants. "So if you want this to stop... then the
door's open--!" Xiao stood frozen, staring at the wall. One would think he's a madman,
deranged for staring at a wall like it had grown arms and a foot.

He didn't feel like that was far from the truth with the mixture of feelings he felt inside of
him. Aether continued to moan erotically, continued to pump himself in his room, waiting for
Xiao. Xiao couldn't believe what he was hearing, Aether inviting him to his room,
challenging him. Xiao couldn't fathom that Aether, the sweet neighbor who baked pies and
cookies for fun, was telling him to come and shut him up.

He took a shaky breath, finding himself turning away from the wall, his feet carrying him out
of the room in a trance-like state. He almost laughed at himself for getting lulled into Aether's
trap. It was either Aether teasing him, likely testing to see whether Xiao would respond,
whether he would actually try to barge into his apartment or it was him calling for him to
fuck him. Was this how Aether lured all those other men into his trap, how he captured them
to have them fuck him senseless? Because Xiao could see it working very well, he left the
apartment and went to the one next to his.

His fingers shook a little as he grasped the doorknob and twisted it. He didn't know whether
to laugh or not when the door swung open, giving him full entry to Aether's home. He
stepped inside the threshold and immediately, Aether's sweet moans rung through his ears
again. Lust filled in his eyes as he barely took in the neat surroundings and shut the door
behind him before proceeding onwards.

This wasn't the first time he'd come into Aether's apartment, he found his feet dragging him
straight to his bedroom, his mind numb as he stepped into the hallway and saw the door to
Aether's bedroom ajar. He leaned against the doorway, feeling his exhaustion flying away
from his eyes as his jaw dropped at the sight in front of him, his eyes widening. Aether laid
on his bed, facing the doorway with his legs open, completely naked save for a black bow in
his hair to keep his messy bun in place. He had his hand buried between his legs, gently
pumping a pink vibrator in and out of himself.

Xiao's heart told him to immediately pounce on the blonde laying there in front of him so
invitingly, but his shock-filled mind kept his feet rooted to the floor. Aether smiled at him,
continuing to push the vibrator in and out of himself with a pink blush on his face, licking off
the traces of drool staining his chin. "Well..." Aether breathed, shakily getting on his knees as
he patted the space in front of himself, "Are you going to stand there a-all night, or are you
going to shut me up like you promised?"

Xiao's mind lost control as he began to walk deeper into the bedroom, making Aether smirk
as he stood on his knees and crawled to the edge of the bed to greet him. He grasped Xiao by
his neck and pulled him closer, smashing their lips together. Xiao's mind went numb as
wrapped his arms around Aether's bare waist, his hand gently caressing the small of his back
as the blonde immediately opened his mouth for Xiao to claim, pulling him forward until he
toppled over on top of Aether.
Aether immediately shut him in and wrapped all four of his limbs around Xiao, pulling him
over himself and moaning desperately when Xiao's body pressed against his, their hips
pressing flush against each other's as Xiao pressed their cocks together. Xiao felt a pang in
his shoulder as he felt the stab wound press up against Aether, though he ignored it,
immediately dominating the blonde's lips, beginning to bite and suck on them like there was
no tomorrow as Aether moved his leg back just a little to press his foot against Xiao's hard
cock.

Aether pulled back, gazing up into Xiao's feral-looking eyes with a sweet, innocent smile,
speaking in his sweet, innocent voice, "Did you get this hard just from me challenging you?
You really are such a pervert~" Aether whispered in his ear, biting it softly as he switched
their positions to sit on top of Xiao. He rocked his hips, gently grinding his ass on the tent in
Xiao's sweatpants with a small smirk on his pretty face as he looked down at Xiao with
hooded eyes. "Or did this happen because you listened to me moaning for you? How do you
take care of such a monster while listening to me every night?"

Aether lifted his hips and bounced a little on Xiao's cock, eliciting a grunt from the man as he
allowed his hands to venture up Xiao's torso, humming with satisfaction at the feeling of
muscles lining Xiao's abs. He raked his fingers over Xiao's pecs, "You don't know how weak
you made me when you opened the door like that," Aether pushed Xiao's shirt up and
marveled at the sight of his body, and began to grope around it.

Xiao breathed softly as he grasped Aether's hips, beginning to rock the blonde on top of his
cock like a dog in his rut, wanting to put it into Aether's tight ass already. Aether moaned, his
cute, pink cock standing to attention as he leaned over Xiao's body to kiss him again. "I've
been waiting for this moment since the day you moved in," Aether whispered against his lips,
sitting up again and raising his hips to stand on his knees before he pushed Xiao's sweatpants
down. He licked his lips at the sight of his cock, though he suspected the weak vibrator
tucked in his ass wouldn't be enough prep, having not brought home a plaything in a while.

Xiao's grip on Aether's hips moved back to the blonde's ass, his fingers disappearing between
his cheeks, pulling them apart as he fished for the pathetic vibrator, pulling it out of Aether's
ass and making the blonde moan softly. "W-Wait don't--- don't put it in...ahh!!" Xiao didn't
bother to listen to him, all his frustration, the anger that had built up all day finally pushing
him to his limits. He threw Aether off of himself and climbed over him and pushing his legs
open.

He licked his lips hungrily as he pressed his cock inside Aether, making the blonde yelp and
grasp at the sheets to cope with the feeling of being stretched out so suddenly. "You've been
doing it on purpose," Xiao breathed into Aether's ear as he reached his hands up to scratch at
Xiao's back, breathing heavily to ease the pain. "All this time, you've been doing it just to
spite me, doing it just to push me to the edge of my patience."

Aether managed a weak, pained smile as he lifted his head to kiss Xiao's neck and bite down
on it, "I'm glad you n-noticed--haah.. fuck it's so deep," Xiao groaned in pain as Aether left a
bloody bite wound on his neck, his teeth marks creating red dents. Aether licked his lips,
"Make me regret ever t-t-trying to challenge you," He whispered, biting Xiao's earlobe as the
man pulled his hips back until only his tip remained inside before he pounded into Aether,
 making the blonde scream as Xiao struck his prostate. Xiao watched Aether's expression with
hooded lustful eyes, taking in the way a drop of drool slipped out of the corner of his mouth
as he smiled with ecstasy, his eyes rolled back. Xiao began to thrust inside of the blonde,
watching him slide up the bed with every snap of his hips as he felt the blonde cutting up his
skin.

"Ah-ah...! It's so good, Xiao, it's so fucking--shit..!" Xiao smirked at the way he could hardly
get the words out, his cock slamming directly into his prostate without missing a beat. "Ho-
how are you so good at this?" Aether gasped as he pushed Xiao back to press him against the
mattress, sitting on top of him again and sliding all the way down to Xiao's base, his eyes
going wild with lust as it buried deep inside him.

"Am I better than the others you shared yourself with?" Xiao asked Aether deliberately
clawed at his chest, his nails leaving red marks on the skin as Xiao sat up, wrapping his arms
around Aether's body and making him bounce away on his cock. "Yes--yes! Fuck yes y-
you're so much better than anything I've ever taken Xiao~" Xiao smirked at the revelation
and held Aether's naked body close, creating friction with the blonde's nipples every time he
bounced as he screamed with pleasure. "You do this every night for more than one round,
hm? Well then, let's see how you fare with no sleep tonight."

***Extra***

"Fuck-- my ass," Aether whimpered as he tried to sit up, he winced in the early morning's
sun, he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep that night, thanks to the man lying next to him. "I
thought I just did," Xiao said, wrapping his arms around Aether and pulling him back into his
chest. Aether paused, trying to figure out what Xiao meant before realization dawned on him
and he would have laughed if every inch of his body didn't hurt with exhaustion. "Are you
tired?" Xiao asked the sleepy blonde who shuffled to get comfortable in his arms. Aether
nodded quietly.

"Good, because I want to go another round," Aether's eyes widened as his sleepy mind
processed Xiao's words, "Wha-- wait, my body can't-- hnngh..!" Xiao pushed his cock inside
of him again, ignoring his own aching limbs as he pushed Aether onto his hands and knees
and kneeled behind him. Aether moaned loudly as Xiao began to thrust again, though the
man's exhaustion was far greater than he anticipated.

Xiao's eyes began to droop. Then, the thrusts came to a slow stop and a heavy weight
dropped on top of Aether, crushing him as he yelped, falling onto the bed with Xiao on top of
him, "H-Hey!" He twisted his neck to look back at the man on top of him and almost
squawked with laughter. Xiao was out cold.

Chapter End Notes

Thank you so much for 100k reads! Honestly, all it tells me is that I'm not alone in this
horny ass journey :') hoes. We're halfway to the end of this book! just 33 more chapters
to go, I hope I'll be able to finish this without getting boring!

Let me know what you think of the chapter. I have a chemistry exam tomorrow and I
haven't studied hehe~ It's alright I'll be fine if I study 5 minutes before the exam. :) Have
a good rest of the day/night!
 Loving (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Childe finds himself needy for Zhongli's affection after weeks of Zhongli being busy
with work.

Chapter Notes

uwu my favorite fluffy Zhongchi scenario is of them married with a daughter. Idk why
not a son, but I feel like they're a couple that would be completely googoo gaga over
their child! Pls ignore the mistakes, will reread in the morning I'm ready to pass out~

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"Papa~ I'm sleepy... is daddy going to sleep too?" Childe smiled at his daughter's sleepy face
but shook his head, glancing out the open door to the door opposite his daughter's room,
Zhongli's office. "No, daddy has lots to do, but don't worry! I'll make sure he goes to sleep at
a reasonable time." She nodded and her eyes began to droop. Childe's smile widened at the
sight of his beloved daughter on her way to dreamland.

He shut the storybook as she smiled tiredly at him. "Okay. Take good care of daddy, Papa. I'll
sleep," Childe cooed at her softly, trying to resist the urge to pepper her with kisses. He
settled for a gentle pat on her hair, gently massaging her scalp and making her eyes shut.

"Alright, have a good night, my dear." Childe said in a low voice to avoid alerting her out of
her sleepy state with his loud voice. His daughter lifted her arms as he stood up, making his
heart swell with love and pride as he bent down to give her a hug. He pressed a kiss to her
forehead that lasted several seconds as she giggled. "Good night." She cooed and almost
immediately, her head slumped and she was asleep within a blink of an eye. Childe resisted
the urge to laugh, knowing she got that trait from observing him.

He turned around, placing the storybook on its shelf in her room and shutting the lights off
after flicking on the nightlight. He decided not to disturb Zhongli just yet and went off to
have a shower. He stripped himself of his clothing and stepped under the running water,
sighing as it cooled him down from the day's affairs.

Childe had felt rather heated the entire day. He knew the reason was the lack of... intimacy
with Zhongli for quite some time. It had been what, two, three weeks since they'd had sex?
The thought was unfathomable to Childe, when they were younger he used to never let
Zhongli out of his sights, always ready for him and always needy. Now, they weren't
particularly old or anything, just they had a lot less time on their hands, Childe with his
MMA dojo, Zhongli with his work at Wangsheng Parlor, not to mention when they adopted
their first daughter around a year ago.

It was... hectic, trying to raise a three-year-old, but they had made it work by staying together
and keeping themselves steady by not putting too much burden on each other. Now, however,
she was four years old, and Zhongli had taken over the Wangsheng Parlor under Hu Tao. He
had been... busy to say the least. He hardly had time for them, but he still showered them
with love and affection every second he got, but still, sex was far from Zhongli's mind with
the workload on his shoulders.

Childe understood, he really did, but he had grown weary, his feelings of needy desire had
grown unkempt and he had exhausted his options in trying to distract himself with other
things. Now the want for Zhongli had grown too large to ignore. He could easily just rub one
out right here in the shower and avoid disturbing Zhongli, but masturbating never felt
satisfying. it was a waste of effort; he had learned back when they were still just boyfriends
that if he exhausted himself trying to masturbate without Zhongli's presence, it would never
satisfy him until Zhongli took him.

Childe smiled at the thought of being boyfriends with Zhongli. It seemed such a complex
concept now that they were four years into their marriage, and they were only thirty-two, he
scrunched up his nose, he couldn't believe they had been boyfriends in their twenties. He
remembered all the times they would spend in intimacy, relieving their libidos for hours and
hours. He sighed and looked down, facepalming as he realized his cock had finally given up
holding back and had stood to its full height.

He groaned, wishing he could've avoided this, because now, he had to go plead the grinch for
sex. He knew Zhongli would probably just kiss him and tell him he was busy, but he doubted
he could be patient for Zhongli to be done with his work. Childe grabbed the towel from the
towel stand and began to dry off his hair, walking out of the bathroom into his bedroom
shared with Zhongli, though it hardly felt like it was the case.

He glanced at the bed and pursed his lips. Empty. For the third night in a row, Childe had to
go to sleep by himself. Three nights without cuddles, three nights of sleeping in the cold
without Zhongli's arms around him to keep him warm under the blanket, and oh so many
nights of not having sex. Childe pouted at the sight. He wanted Zhongli to come to bed, he
wanted Zhongli to sleep with him and to sleep together. He rubbed his knees together at the
thought of having sex. He had been horny the entire three weeks and he wanted Zhongli so
badly.

He sighed again, knowing that Zhongli wouldn't give it to him especially when it came to his
work. Still, there was nothing to lose in trying. Childe knew he was charming when he
wanted to be and that charm had gotten him a ring on his finger. He smiled as he glanced
down at it; Zhongli would be wearing its twin on his ring finger too. He licked his lips and
threw on a pair of shorts and a large baggy shirt he knew Zhongli loved on him. Childe
walked out of the bathroom, eyes dull with lust for his lover.

Childe hoped that Zhongli would oblige, otherwise, he'd have to resort to... underhanded
methods to get off without Zhongli. He smiled at an idea that came to mind and he decided
that it would be Plan B if Zhongli didn't give in on his first attempt. Childe pushed the door
open to Zhongli's office, not bothering to knock anymore after four years of marriage and
five more years of being boyfriends. Zhongli didn't immediately look up at him from his
laptop, but he smiled like he already knew Childe had come to see him.

A pair of reading glasses sat on the bridge of Zhongli's nose, accentuating his cheekbones.
Childe often made fun of him that he looked like a grandpa whilst wearing his glasses, but
truth be told they turned him on even more, Zhongli had always been and looked mature even
years ago when they first met, but wearing the reading glasses made him look twenty times
sexier in Childe's eyes. Childe licked his dry lips again and walked forward, his eyes fixed on
Zhongli as the older finally looked up at him. "Everything okay, my love?" Zhongli asked as
Childe walked around the table with a cute pout on his face, wearing an oversized baggy shirt
and a pair of shorts, ready for bed.

He turned his spinny seat towards Childe and opened his arms and parted his legs for Childe
to step between them. Zhongli sighed contentedly as he hugged Childe around the waist and
buried his face in his stomach, wiping the fake pout that Childe wore as he began to laugh
softly as Zhongli wriggled his fingers gently against his sides, tickling him briefly and
smiling at the sound of his laughter. Zhongli inhaled his scent and looked up at him.

"Everything's fine, just put our daughter to sleep," Childe said. Zhongli's smile widened. He
pulled Childe to sit in his lap before turning back to the laptop resting on the table. He began
to type away on a new spreadsheet and Childe grumbled under his breath, knowing he had
lost Zhongli's attention. Zhongli listened to his grumbling but didn't take his eyes off the
screen. He only placed a kiss on Childe's cheek that made his heart flutter.

"How long will you be working?" Childe asked him as he cuddled up to his chest. Zhongli
placed a hand on Childe's thigh and looked at him again, his eyes glinting gold under the
lenses of his glasses.

"Just a bit longer, two hours perhaps." He answered. Childe scoffed and pinched Zhongli's
cheek malevolently. "Your two hours probably means four, you take forever to get things
done." Zhongli laughed softly and squeezed Childe's leg, sending goosebumps over his skin
as he felt himself getting even more excited. He had worn a baggy shirt for a reason.

"I'm not that bad, am I? The work I produce is of the finest quality," he shot back. Childe
pursed his lips but couldn't deny it as Zhongli turned his attention back to the laptop. Childe
didn't respond, instead choosing to work on operation: 'get Zhongli to bed and seduce him'.
"You shouldn't work so late into the night, you'll get sick at this rate." He started off slowly,
scooting forward on Zhongli's lap until he sat on the man's crotch. Zhongli tried to hold in a
sharp intake of breath." Just a little bit longer, I can't afford to get behind on my work, my
love," Zhongli reasoned.

Childe pouted as he kissed Zhongli's jaw, "Screw your work, come to bed, it's cold without
you," he said. Zhongli cracked a smile, though judging by his clueless expression, he still
hadn't caught onto what Childe wanted, "Just for tonight, dearest. I'll come as soon as
possible, just... go to sleep without me, hm?" Childe grumbled and began to try harder,
kissing Zhongli on the lips, pressing his hands against Zhongli's biceps, and tugging them to
stop working. Zhongli kissed him back but pulled away, a blush rising to his cheeks.
"Please... I really need you, Zhongli" Childe whispered into his ear, using all his charm and
putting the most love and lust into his voice as he could muster, his neediness jutting out
clearly in his tone as he breathed against Zhongli's ear. Zhongli gave Childe's thigh another
squeeze, "If you allow me to finish this now, I'll come to bed and take care of you then, does
that sound okay?" Childe sighed and glared at his lover. He wasn't really mad. He knew
Zhongli's work was important and his denial gave him an excuse to act out Plan B.

Plan B would be a win-win situation either way, whether Zhongli gave in to his demands or
not, it could still end with leaving his lover flustered and satisfying himself. "Fine, but I'll
stick around for a bit." Childe said, feigning a sigh of disappointment.

Zhongli gave him a soft smile and kissed him again, "I would love that." Childe got up off his
lap, not missing the small sigh of relief that escaped Zhongli's lips and hiding a smirk as he
turned around, "I'll be right back then," Childe whispered and walked out of the office with a
devious look in his eye.

He crossed the hallway and gently cracked his daughter's door open, peeking inside and
making sure she was fast asleep before he turned around, making sure to close the lights in
the hallway before stripping himself of his shorts, leaving him in nothing but the baggy shirt
he knew Zhongli loved to fuck him in. He walked back inside, the shirt hanging down to his
mid-thighs.

Just as he suspected Zhongli didn't look up at him again, keeping his eyes fixed on the screen
and not noticing his 'change' in attire. Childe plopped down in a seat opposite Zhongli's desk
and made sure that Zhongli wasn't suspicious before he reached his hand down to his crotch
and spread his legs wide, throwing them over the handles of the chair. His cheeks burned, he
was doing something so whorish while his daughter slept in the next room, but gods, he loved
being naked for Zhongli's eyes to feast on.

Childe wrapped his lithe fingers around his cock and twitched at the feeling. It had been way
too long since he'd touched himself or been touched like this. He began to stroke himself,
slowly and gently, making sure he could activate every nerve ending in his cock to bring out
the maximum pleasure he could to break Zhongli down. He moaned softly, and it caught
Zhongli's attention. The older opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, his eyes flicking up
to look at his lover from above his laptop screen. His words died in his throat as he saw what
Childe was doing. Zhongli's tongue dried up as he saw Childe with his legs wide open, a
blush on his face, and a lustful look in his eyes as he stared back at Zhongli.

"C-Childe, my love, what are you doing?" Zhongli asked, astonishment written all over his
face as his face began to redden at the sight of Childe pumping his cock, taking his glasses
off to see Childe properly. Childe gave him a weak smirk, biting back a whimper of pleasure
as he threw his head back, twitching violently, "I-I'm taking care of myself... since you won't
take care of me like a good husband would."

Zhongli stared at him blankly, processing his words, though he could barely hear Childe's
voice through the pumping of blood through his body and beating of his heart. He could feel
his cock rising under his sweats.
Zhongli took a shaky breath, "Childe, please... I'm trying to get this done on time," he
pleaded weakly, but it was too late. He knew the game Childe was playing, he knew that he
had won as soon as he got him hard. Zhongli gulped a little as Childe let out a wispy moan
that echoed throughout his mind, "I didn't say anything, now d-did I...mmh..! All I'm doing is
accompanying you on a long night of hard work..."

Childe decided to double the pressure on Zhongli by raising his hand up to his nipple and
pressed his finger over it through the fabric of his shirt. He began to rub it and an
involuntarily loud mewl escaped his lips, making him worry about waking up their daughter.
Zhongli stared at him with wide, lustful eyes. That shirt had always been his weakness, it was
the biggest thing Zhongli had owned and Childe had fallen in love with it, promptly stealing
it for himself because it was comfortable, not that Zhongli minded.

The first time he had seen Childe wearing his baggiest shirt, it had been around seven in the
morning, Zhongli was having breakfast before he had to go to work. Childe came out of their
bedroom wearing it in all his glory, and Zhongli had pounced on him almost immediately and
fucked him over the counter without even realizing what he was doing. He had to call off sick
from work that day. Now, it had become their thing, Childe would wear it to hint that he
wanted sex because he knew Zhongli would give it to him when he wore it no matter what
the situation was. He packed it nearly everywhere he went.

"A-Alright, you win." Zhongli stuttered out, trying to hold himself back from taking his lover
right then and there on the office's floor. He shut his laptop's screen and set it aside, before
ushering Childe forward, "Come here." Zhongli told him, his voice getting steadier as he felt
himself slipping into his domineering persona.

Childe smiled delightedly and stood up without hesitation, walking around the table again
until he stood in front of his lover. Zhongli sat him on his desk where his laptop had been and
slowly began to rub his lover's muscular thighs. Childe moaned quietly, relishing the feeling
of Zhongli's hands finally on his skin. Zhongli buried his face between Childe's thighs and
promptly bit on the skin affectionately, almost playfully, to punish Childe for his neediness.

Of course, he knew it had little effect on his lover because Childe bucked his hips into his
face, making him chuckle at his desire for stimulation. Zhongli pressed his hand to Childe's
chest and laid him down on the table before pressing face between Childe's legs and running
his tongue over Childe's warm cock. Childe pressed a hand over his mouth to keep his
whimpery moans at bay, while his other hand slipped down to Zhongli's head, burying his
fingers through his lover's hair.

Zhongli opened his mouth and took Childe's cock between his lips, smirking a little as he
drew out a long moan from Childe's mouth, he pulled back to whisper, his voice dropping an
octave as it always did whenever he was aroused, "Quiet, my love, I love it when you moan
for me like that, but we wouldn't want to wake our beloved up, now would we?" Childe
nodded, obediently agreeing to Zhongli's words and bringing his other hand up as well to
tightly press against his lips to keep himself quiet. Zhongli messily licked around Childe's
thighs, making sure to get all the spots that made him feel good. He knew Childe's body
better than he knew his own, being together so long, he took pride in knowing every exact
way to make Childe moan his name.
He knew that Childe loved being covered in his spit, he knew that Childe loved when they
got messy and knew that the man adored being groped all around. So he did, he let his hands
wander, he had been impatient for this too. Work had been hard on him, and all he wanted
was to be in his lover's arms or to have him moaning and writhing underneath him like he
was now. He had tried to hide it, tried to keep himself steady and calm to focus on his work,
but his mind had done backflips when Childe told him he needed him. He had almost been
disappointed when Childe gave up so easily, he wanted Childe so bad, but now he was
delighted to have him in front of him again in his favorite state of Childe.

Zhongli made sure to leave a mess behind on his lover's inner thighs as his hands slowly
roamed up Childe's shirt, he raked his nails over Childe's skin, making him squirm and
whimper into his hand from the way it tickled. He slowly rose to his feet to stand towering
above Childe as he placed his hands over Childe's pecs and gave them a tight squeeze that
had him gasping.

He stared down at his lover with a gentle smile on his face, no matter how much time passed,
he would never get tired of seeing Childe in this state, he was too beautiful, his sensitive
body was too intriguing to ever bore Zhongli.

The man let out a shaking breath as he slowly pulled his hands back, making Childe whine at
the loss of touch. Childe looked at him with lustful blue eyes, his body twitching a little after
so long of being touched, he wanted more, he wanted Zhongli inside him right at that instant.
"Put it in," He mumbled, spreading his legs for Zhongli. Zhongli blushed at the blatant
demand and smiled at the ginger. "I can't yet, my love. We need to prep you first or it'll hurt,"
Childe grumbled under his breath as Zhongli wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled
him up into his arms.

He had Childe wrap his legs around his waist and kissed him deeply, pressing his tongue into
Childe's mouth as the ginger moaned a little. Zhongli mumbled into Childe's lips, "She's
asleep, isn't she?" He asked, nibbling on Childe's bottom lip and rendering him unable to
answer, so he just nodded. Zhongli carried Childe out of the office and, after checking to see
whether the coast was clear, moved into the bedroom.

Zhongli pressed Childe into the bed and twisted him around until he laid on his stomach. He
reached into the drawer of their bedside table and pulled out a tube of lube and pressed a
hand to Childe's ass, groping it and giving it a little squeeze and making his lover shiver as he
clutched the bedsheet. He spread Childe's cheeks and a smile made its way onto his face to
see Childe's hole twitching eagerly for him. He couldn't resist the strong urge to lean down
and press a peck to it, making Childe yelp, "Hey! Watch where you're putting those lips, I
kiss that mouth, you know...aah.."

Childe's voice faded out into a whimper as Zhongli squeezed some lube out onto his hole,
smirking a little at the way his voice died instantly. He sat up behind Childe again and threw
the lube into some random direction before he pressed a finger to his lover's hole, making
sure to spread the lube over it as his other hand ventured to caress Childe's wet, spit-covered
thighs.

Zhongli pushed his finger inside, a smile still on his face as he felt his lover's warmth around
his finger, he leaned down and pressed his chest to Childe's back, beginning to kiss his ear
and neck, "I love you," He whispered to Childe as the ginger hugged his pillow tightly,
burying a moan into it as he felt Zhongli pressing around. Clearly, he was out of practice
because he didn't find Childe's prostate right off the bat as he always did, still, he never failed
to find it, pushing his finger down towards Childe's urethra and pressing the muscles over the
gland.

Childe gasped and clawed at the sheets, Zhongli placed his free hand over Childe's and
intertwined their fingers, his palm engulfing Childe's entire hand. "Ah..I lo-af y-you too"
Zhongli bit back a laugh at Childe's pathetic confession as he squeezed his hand and rubbed
harder over his prostate as he circled Childe's rim with his finger. "Say it properly, my love."
Zhongli challenged him, knowing full well Childe wouldn't be able to get a coherent sentence
out as he pressed a second finger inside Childe.

"I-I love y-ou--hnghh!!" Zhongli pulled his fingers back and slammed them into Childe's
prostate, feeling intense enjoyment at the way his lover moaned and gasped beneath him. He
chuckled, pleased with Childe's desperate attempt to say it back, and pressed a loving kiss to
his lover's nape. "Good boy," Childe twitched at the praise, feeling his mind slipping out of
control, he loved it when Zhongli told him he was doing good. Zhongli stretched his fingers
apart, biting his lip at the feeling of Childe's walls clenching tightly around him to fight back
the spread.

Gods, it was his favorite feeling ever. He took a deep breath and decided his martial artist
lover could handle premature sex and pulled his fingers out. "I'll put it in then..." Zhongli
announced, trying to see whether Childe would challenge that. Of course, the ginger would
never, he had waited too long to stop Zhongli when he wanted it so bad. "Yes... yes, please
put it in, I need it,"

Childe babbled almost incoherently, voice muffled by the pillow he had his face buried in as
Zhongli stripped off his own shirt and threw it off to the side before turning Childe around
onto his back, Childe tried not to stare at him like a schoolgirl in his shirtless state. Surely
one should grow out of feeling shy over their lover's body after marriage, right? Right?

Zhongli tugged his sweatpants off and Childe immediately sat up on his elbows to look at his
favorite part of Zhongli. He moaned at the sight of Zhongli's cock standing proud against his
stomach and pressed his foot against it, loving how warm and quaky it was. He looked up at
Zhongli and spread his arms wide, inviting Zhongli in. Zhongli smiled giddily, affection and
love dancing in his eyes as he hugged Childe, his hips pushing forward as Childe wrapped his
legs around Zhongli's waist.

Zhongli buried his face into Childe's neck, one of his hands reaching down to hold his cock
steady as he pressed it inside Childe's hole. The ginger moaned loudly with discomfort at
first, it felt so foreign to have Zhongli inside of him after weeks, two fingers weren't enough
and he gasped at the stretch, feeling like he was being ripped apart. He wrapped his arm
around Zhongli's back, his nails digging deep into the man's skin as he tried to keep himself
calm, trying to relax around his lover to keep from hurting. Zhongli kissed him, "So good for
me," He praised, burying his face into Childe's neck and beginning to nibble on his lover's
skin.
"Ah... fuck-- move, i-it hurts... make it feel better," Childe whimpered, making Zhongli kiss
his cheek as he obliged, beginning to pull his hips back and thrusting inside of him. Childe
bit his lip hard to contain the small scream that almost escaped him at the feeling, he glanced
at the door nervously, his eyes unfocused yet his mind, albeit blank, worried about their
daughter coming in at a bad time.

Zhongli pulled out to his tip before slamming back in, hitting Childe's prostate with all his
might. Childe failed at holding back his scream of pleasure this time and cried out Zhongli's
name, feeling his vision going white as he stared at the ceiling through dull, half-lidded eyes.
"Feels good?" Zhongli asked, knowing Childe loved it when he was rough and beginning to
repeat the action, clasping a hand over Childe's mouth to contain the ginger's loud moans,
knowing their daughter probably heard him, luckily, no one came in.

It didn't take long for Childe to get there, feeling his body heating up intensely the more
Zhongli thrust inside him, filling every inch of his body up with ecstasy. Having not been
touched in weeks, it was easy to lose himself in the pleasure, feeling his mind slipping from
control as Zhongli kissed his neck, breathless with pleasure as well but very stable. He hated
how good Zhongli was at holding himself back.

He began to heave dry sobs into Zhongli's hand, feeling his body heat settle in his abdomen
as he felt a knot in his stomach that itched for release. Zhongli kissed Childe's neck and
pumped into him at full force, sending the bed creaking under them and threatening to give
out. "I'm--I'm gonna haah-fuck..!" Childe mumbled into Zhongli's hand, his eyes glazed over
with pleasure as he tried to keep his thoughts in order. He felt his orgasm at its edge and came
over his torso powerfully with a scream into Zhongli's hand as the man blinked rapidly to
keep himself steady.

Zhongli felt his breath hitch as Childe tightened up immensely around him, suffocating his
cock and making him grunt with disorderly pleasure. His face was buried in Childe's neck as
the man gave a few more pumps of his hips before he came inside Childe with a hefty groan
of pleasure. Childe gasped for air to catch his breath, his body tingling all over as Zhongli
pulled out with all his effort and energy before plopping down beside him.

The man pulled his tired and worn out body, the body that didn't wear from hours of training
students at the dojo, into his chest and hugging him. "If Hu Tao kills me tomorrow, I blame
you," Zhongli whispered as Childe grinned into his chest. He felt so contented in Zhongli's
arms, the warmth that surrounded him, the feeling of his arms cuddling him. He was so
happy at that moment.

***Extra***

"Papa, did something bad happen to you after I went to sleep?" Childe's daughter asked as he
cooked her and Zhongli breakfast the next morning, clutching his aching back. Childe looked
confusedly at her, wondering what she meant. "No... why do you ask?" She folded her arms,
mirroring Zhongli's position as the man dozed off on his shoulder. "I heard you scream last
night, I was scared and you called 'zhongli' after that. Who were you calling, Papa?"

Childe froze up whilst cooking a pancake and blushed intensely. She wasn't old enough to
realize that her parents' names were not, in fact, Papa and daddy. "N-No one," He whispered.
 His daughter regarded him for a moment with watchful eyes. He began to flip his pancake in
the air with a confident flip of the pan, "I don't believe you," She told him, making him jump
with shock as he ended up putting more force into flipping the pancake than necessary and it
ended up flying behind him, towards the table where Zhongli and their daughter sat.

Childe heard a rumbling yelp and a splat sound and spun around to find Zhongli with a
burning hot pancake on his face, their daughter cackling away. Safe to say, Zhongli was
forgiven for not getting his work ready in time because Hu Tao felt bad about the burns on his
face.

Chapter End Notes

Let me know what you think of this chapter, I really hope you enjoyed it!!
 Mixophilia (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

Kaeya has a one-night stand with a person that has a hit order on him.

Chapter Notes

Really sorry to the ones looking forward to Xiao/Aether, I promise after the Massage
prompt, I'll give you guys a long 7k+ word treat like this one! Also, you can decide
whether or not this is the same AU as Chapter:32! ALSO TYSM FOR THE 3K KUDOS
IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME

See the end of the chapter for more notes

* Mixophilia: Arousal by watching oneself having sex.

Kaeya yawned as he entered his house, his mouth stretching wide as he kicked the front door
behind him closed with his heel, hearing the quiet click of it locking immediately behind him.

He walked over to the couch and threw his laptop bag onto it before he quickly walked into
his bedroom. He had been excited to come home all day, excited to finally release a mound of
stress that had been building up. He walked over to a teddy bear that he kept on his
nightstand. It was pink, holding a mini red heart plushie in its paws. Out of place for the
bedroom of a man who enjoyed simple colors, like fiery red and navy blue.

Still, the teddy bear was the highlight of his day because it was special. It looked sweet to the
outward eye, innocently perched on Kaeya's nightstand and giving others the impression that
he was a pillow prince, a bold assumption people made from just a pink teddy bear,
considering he considered himself to be a top... until now. It looked normal, it looked like
your average cute plushie with a red nose and button-like eyes, but the eyes were different.

If you looked at it closely, you would see them reflecting blue with the light of a lens. He
smiled as he took it in his arms, hugging the squishy bear to his chest before he walked over
to his desk, sinking into his chair and loosening his tie before starting up his computer. Kaeya
unzipped the back of the bear and fished out a small chip, an SD card, and brought it out.

He plugged it into the computer, and a beautiful smirk stretched onto his lips as the folder
popped up on his screen, revealing one new video that the bear had recorded the day before
yesterday during his little endeavor. Kaeya frequented a gay bar during the weekends, usually
Saturdays, most of the regulars knew him, and he had 'seen' most of them. His day job was
complicated, to say the least. He worked as an agent for the FBI, an influential executive. If
one looked at him, they would never suspect what he did on the weekends, one would never
expect him to go to gay bars. He held a respectful position and no one dare to question him.

Lately, he'd been getting bored, seeing the same familiar faces, fucking the same familiar
bodies. He wanted to be with someone different, unique, someone that stood out of the
crowd, he hadn't met that person until the previous Saturday. His fingers began to shake a
little with excitement as he uploaded the new videos onto his laptop, waiting for them to load
impatiently while he thought of that night.

Kaeya took a sip of his drink, glancing around the room to look for anyone interesting,
someone he hadn't seen or met, or been with before. He was popular among the locals that
frequented the bar, he was known as the Ice Prince because of his detached and cold
treatment of those whose bodies he used. Still, people were attracted to him, falling for his
charms and getting lured into his traps only to end up crying because of him.

He clicked his tongue at the thought. He came to the bar just for one-night stands. Kaeya
desired a no-strings-attached relationship, one where he could be with someone without the
risk of catching feelings because sex was all he wanted, just two people meeting to make each
other feel good. But every time he tried giving a friends-with-benefits relationship a shot, it
always ended up with the other person catching feelings for his alluring personality, and it
ended with a broken heart, though not his own.

He had given up on them by now, now just pushing a fine boundary that all he was interested
in was a one-night-stand, he couldn't handle all the troublesome experiences any longer. Still,
it was more difficult trying to find a gem to fuck just for one night among all these faces he'd
already seen beneath him. If he went for someone he'd already been with, it would get
troublesome to explain a two-night stand.

It would make the next person think he was interested in pursuing them. He bit back a groan
and downed the rest of his drink. From the chatter hanging over the room, he couldn't hear
the opening of the bar's door, the small groan of disgust coming from a man who'd just
entered. But his ears perked up, quickly catching on to footsteps coming near him. His ears
had always been sensitive to noises that wouldn't matter to most people. The footsteps walked
hesitantly, but at the same time, this person walked with the air of confidence, and he dared
to turn his head to look at whoever was approaching him, expecting another same-old-same-
old he'd already been in bed with.

But he was proven wrong, his eye widened to its full width at the sight of a new face, a new
beautiful face. Kaeya sucked in a sharp breath and blatantly stared at the man who looked
straight back at him. He couldn't read the emotion in his eyes, he couldn't explain it, but it
almost felt like recognition, like he'd been looking for Kaeya. He looked away and took a seat
a stool away from Kaeya, his red eyes blazing with annoyance and his chiseled jaw clenched
like he would rather die than be in a place like this.

The man's hair was fiery red like he was wearing locks of fire on his head, it was eye-
catching because Kaeya could see out of the corner of his eye many other people looking at
him, smitten with the handsome man just by the sight of him, much like Kaeya. He was
dressed in a tight black shirt that hugged his muscles tightly, and a leather jacket on top of it.
He looked fascinating.

He caught Kaeya's gaze again, and his eyes softened a little from their deathly harsh glare,
but the redhead looked away quickly, making Kaeya smirk. The bartender noticed the new,
powerful presence and came over, "Well there's a new face, eh Kaeya?" Aether, the bartender,
whispered to him and winked at him suggestively, "Not a bottom though, interested?" Kaeya
laughed softly, and waved a hand at him, "Very much so, why, do you have your eye on him?"

Aether grinned, "Nah, I have someone vying for, he's too loud for my tastes." Kaeya nodded,
and Aether shuffled towards the new man, asking him if he'd like anything. He hummed, and
though the chatter and the music were loud, Kaeya felt goosebumps littering his skin from the
way his voice, although not too deep, reverberated through the air.

The redhead paused for a moment, before finally speaking, "...Grape juice." Aether almost
dropped a glass in shock, and Kaeya choked on the new drink Aether had given him, making
the redhead glare at both of them. Aether nodded and shuffled away while looking perplexed
to get a bottle of simple grape juice from the back. Kaeya scoffed loud enough for the man to
hear, and the redhead glanced at him again, his eyes narrowed into a sharp glare.

It would've intimidated even Kaeya if he weren't so used to glares and dirty looks like that,
though the ones he'd received were quite reasonable. "Who comes to a bar, just to order
grape juice? Hmph... weak." Kaeya spoke under his breath and shot the man a smirk, but he
regretted trying to aggravate him if he wanted to bring the man home. Still, Aether was right,
the man showed no sign of being a bottom, and Kaeya was a strict top, he didn't settle for any
other top unless they were alright with bottoming just for him. The prospect of taking such a
surly and bad-natured (or so Kaeya assumed) man home excited yet repulsed him.

"Care to repeat that?" He said as his jaw tightened, and Kaeya smirked at his tone of voice.
He got up and sat in the seat between them, facing the redhead, who wasn't expecting him to
do so. Kaeya decided to just wing it. He gave one last glance around the bar, no one else
interested him as much as this man did. "If it's my voice you want to hear, then how about you
take me home? I'll moan loud and clear for you~"

Kaeya would've winked if he could, though no one could tell because of the white eyepatch he
wore over his left eye. The redhead looked surprised at his sudden flirting, and his eyes
softened a little again, though they still burst with emotion as if he was wearing his heart on
a sleeve. He gave Kaeya a once-over turning his head to look at him properly and to judge
his appearance.

Kaeya wore a smirk all the while, feeling the man's sharp eyes slowly raking over his body,
from his shoulders to his low-cut top and blazer that showed off his chest, taking in the sight
of his lithe waist down to his crotch and meaty thighs. Kaeya could see the man's lips purse,
and he couldn't help leaning in, resting a hand on the man's thighs that seemed tense, like he
was ready to bolt if need be.

The man looked away from Kaeya, glancing around at the bar as Aether came out with the
grape juice and saw Kaeya trying to woo the man and slowly ducking back into the
storeroom, "Am I your type? I can see it in your eyes, you like what you see, don't you?"
Kaeya squeezed the man's thigh, waiting for him to push him away as he thought he
inevitably would, whispering in his ear with his lips lightly brushing over the shell of his ear.

To his pleasant surprised, he wasn't pushed away, rather the redhead turned to him with his
blazing eyes piercing Kaeya. He said nothing, so Kaeya continued, "I'd love to ride you and
see what kind of noises I could force you to make with that deep voice, take me home~"
Kaeya's bit back a bark of laughter when the redhead's pale cheeks reddened, "Don't be a
killjoy~" "Fine."

The rest was history, and he was about to relive it thanks to his beloved teddy bear. He licked
his lips as he disconnected the SD card and pushed it back into the bear before setting it
aside.

Kaeya turned back to the computer screen and took a deep breath, ready to watch his nightly
endeavors for his personal satisfaction. It had been his first time bottoming for anyone, and
he would rather not do it again with anyone other than the man, whose name he learned was
Diluc. He hadn't left Kaeya's mind since yesterday morning. Diluc had left without even a
word to Kaeya.

Kaeya felt rather salty about it, it should've been him who was supposed to push the line of a
one-night stand on others, not the other way around. He supposed that was the way tops
usually rolled, he could understand the feelings of all the people he'd been with before now,
and he had to admit that he had been cold to a great number of people, it hurt to be ghosted.
Kaeya flicked the video on and skipped to the part where Diluc and he entered the bedroom.
He licked his lips and took a deep breath to prepare himself before diving into it.

Kaeya pulled Diluc by the hand inside his bedroom, immediately swinging the redhead
forward, having to put in more might than he'd care to admit and forcing him down on the
bed. Kaeya sat on Diluc's lap, feeling his lust increasing at the sight of the man being
underneath him. Diluc grasped his collar and pulled him towards himself until he fell on top
of Diluc, their lips pressing together with force as their bodies pressed against each other.
Diluc allowed his hands to wander to Kaeya's sleek waist, his hands moving around his body
and snaking to Kaeya's back, shifting until his fingers pressed into Kaeya's plump ass.

Diluc pinched it a little as Kaeya forced Diluc's mouth open by biting and sucking on his lips.
Kaeya winced a little at the squeeze Diluc gave to his ass as he pressed his tongue inside,
ferociously shooting it to the back of Diluc's mouth. The man hardly battled for dominance,
allowing Kaeya to claim his mouth for his own. Kaeya began to grind down on Diluc's cock,
moaning quietly at the friction, feeling Diluc's bulge pressing hard against his own, though
the man beneath him looked unbothered.

Kaeya glanced at the bear sitting on the nightstand, licking his lips as he leaned down again
and flicked his tongue over Diluc's neck before promptly biting down on it to leave dull teeth
mark. His hands worked on taking off Diluc's jacket, though it was awkward as Diluc was
lying under him. Still, he managed to get it off without creasing it and pulled away from a red
splotch he left on the man's pure, smooth skin.

"Have you done this before?" Diluc breathed out, making Kaeya scoff, "Who do you take me
for? Of course I've had sex, I wouldn't be so bold if it was my first time," Diluc raised an
eyebrow at him, and Kaeya realized that wasn't what he meant. "I meant... have you ever
bottomed before?" Kaeya's cheeks tinted dully as Diluc groped his ass again, eliciting a soft
moan from Kaeya's mouth that made him all the more embarrassed.

Kaeya watched Diluc asking him that question, he was embarrassed then to know that he
would be bottoming for the first time, he would be having his virginity taken, in a way. Now,
he could hear the care in Diluc's voice. Diluc was asking because he didn't want to hurt
Kaeya, he asked to know how gentle he needed to be. Kaeya sighed softly, it wasn't like
Diluc had been gentle at all, his ass still hurt from Saturday night.

He took a sharp breath as he realized there was a heat growing in his crotch. He stared down
at his legs for a second as he paused the video, shock filling him as he felt dizzy all of a
sudden. What was this? He never got aroused by watching these videos, he didn't record his
encounters for sexual pleasure, he just felt satisfaction in knowing how he did what he did
and how the other person reacted, in this case, it was the other way around, with him reacting
to Diluc doing so many things that completely blew him away.

He felt uncomfortable, his dress pants had begun to feel tighter, his cock hardening as he
glanced at the thumbnail on the screen, him sitting atop Diluc's hips, looking down at him
with lust glittering in his eyes. He couldn't see Diluc's face from the angle at which the bear
was placed, but his memory filled in the blanks, he could remember every detail of Diluc's
expression.

However, it seemed more like Diluc had worn no expression, he looked neutral as if nothing
bothered him, like nothing made him nervous about having sex with a stranger, but his eyes
had given away that he didn't want to hurt Kaeya. That thought aroused him even more and
Kaeya didn't know what to do. He almost felt like laughing at himself for cringing at the idea
of masturbating to the sight of himself taking it up the ass. He pressed the spacebar on his
keyboard, allowing the video to play again and diving back into it.

"N-No. I haven't bottomed before.." Diluc looked almost perplexed at Kaeya's answer, even
more at Kaeya's shy reaction at admitting it. Kaeya quickly steadied himself, he could do this.
He was a renowned agent, Kaeya had the ability to bring justice to criminals and track them
down, he had power in his hands, so why should he be nervous about bottoming for another
man?

After all, many other men had spread their legs for him, perhaps he could try doing the same
for a change. "Does that bother you? You don't want to take my virginity?" Diluc's cheeks
reddened, and he sat up, dropped Kaeya onto his thigh, and kissing him on the lips. Diluc
chuckled quietly, surprising Kaeya as he laid the agent down on the bed on his stomach.

"You seem confident, you have given off the vibe since we met just an hour ago. Well, I'd like
to see you try prepping yourself in front of me." Kaeya's eye widened, and his cheeks flushed
as he glared back at Diluc, "I-I would never--" Diluc smirked at him and kneeled between his
legs, successfully ducking out of Kaeya's line of sight. He pressed a large hand to the small of
Kaeya's back, "Are you sure? I can't promise I'll be gentle to a first-timer like you. Wouldn't
you prefer to do it in a way that won't hurt?"
Kaeya's face burned with embarrassment, and he couldn't deny that he was scared of getting
hurt by Diluc's hands. Gods, how did his partners ever put up with him? He had never held
any regard for their comfort, just pushing wherever he thought they'd feel good without
thinking about whether he was too rough. "Fine," Kaeya's voice came out almost like a
whimper, making him shudder at how vulnerable he sounded.

"But I want to be on top... I don't want to do it like this." Diluc just nodded and grabbed
Kaeya by the waist and pulled him to his chest before switching their positions so that he lied
down again with Kaeya sitting on his hips. "Take my clothes off," Kaeya breathed, grasping
Diluc's hands and making the redhead's cheeks light up with color. Diluc obliged and pushed
the blue blazer off of Kaeya's shoulders and set it aside before pushing up his shirt, Kaeya
helped by taking it off of his body. He was sat bare on top of Diluc in seconds, with his lean
and muscular body on display.

Diluc couldn't resist his hands sliding up Kaeya's waist to grasp at his pecs, feeling his
arousal double at the sight of Kaeya's nipples standing erect like they were inviting Diluc's
mouth to suck on them. Diluc sat up again and lifted Kaeya onto his knees so his chest was
level with his mouth. He looked up at Kaeya with his red eyes that shimmered with lust and
poked his tongue out of his mouth to push against Kaeya's nipple.

He couldn't believe this was the man he was supposed to kill, couldn't believe that he was
fucking the man he had a hit order on. Diluc was a hitman, working at an underground
agency with his friends, Xiao, Childe, and Zhongli. He had been giving an order, kill an FBI
executive who was a thorn in the side of a high-profile criminal. It was simple enough but he
had been told that Kaeya was different, that Kaeya could not be tricked easily unless he was
approached in a way he would find suitable. Diluc was forced to go undercover, forced to go
to a gay bar just to keep his sights on Kaeya and figure out a way to lure him into a trap. He
didn't have to do much though, Kaeya gave himself to him on a silver platter, inviting him to
destroy him so prettily, Diluc didn't know what else to do but accept.

Now, when he'd finally gotten into bed with Kaeya, he was entranced by the man sitting over
him, his hit order was far from his mind and all he wanted to do was enjoy the man's body to
its fullest. Kaeya sucked in a sharp breath, his hands tangling themselves in Diluc's bushy red
locks. It tickled when Diluc clamped his mouth around one of his nipples, sucking on it gently
whilst pushing Kaeya's hair back off his shoulders to avoid them getting in his way.

His other hand teased Kaeya's thighs, it was a weird feeling, being touched so intimately and
not being the one doing the touching. His mind couldn't decide whether he liked it or not, but
the tingles running through Kaeya's body told him otherwise, he definitely liked the feeling,
but it felt so foreign to Kaeya who had never experienced such things before. "Mm... it feels
weird," Kaeya whimpered, cupping Diluc's cheeks and make him look up at him, why did he
feel so vulnerable? It was as if he, a renowned FBI agent, was laying himself out bare for
anyone to take up, he didn't think he would ever have to bottom, but now he wished he'd
saved it for someone he loved.

Still, he couldn't say this was bad, Diluc had a handsome face but his eyes held the weight of
many things, though his care and consideration for making Kaeya feel good, for making
Kaeya comfortable, shone through. Kaeya felt his heart beating faster at the sight. Diluc
kissed him between the chest as if a lover would, "Then I'll stop," He said, his rough voice
softer now, gentler, as if sensing Kaeya's hesitance.

He lied back down, his hands on Kaeya's hips, hooking into the waistband of his leggings. He
began to slowly take them off of Kaeya's body as the man lifted his hips to make it easier for
Diluc to take them off. Kaeya blushed as Diluc pulled his pants and boxers down in one go,
allowing them to droop to Kaeya's knees where he helped by pushing them off completely.

He was completely exposed to the air and Diluc's watchful eyes. Diluc stared at Kaeya's cock
and couldn't resist taking it in his palm and pumping it gently, watching Kaeya moan sweetly
and feeling his erection grow under the man's ass. "Are you sure you've never done this
before?" Kaeya whimpered a little as Diluc's hand reached into his inner highs to gently
massage them. "What do you mean?" Kaeya asked him, making Diluc smirk just a little, the
smallest curl of his lip. "You're a natural when it comes to this," He whispered, making Kaeya
blush madly.

"Now, do it." Diluc's voice was soft but something inside Kaeya urged him to follow the order.
He took a steadying breath and reached his hand out to the bedside table to pull out a bottle
of lube, he must've stared at the bear perched on top of it for a second too long. Kaeya
dripped some of the lube on his fingers and breathed deeply, gazing down at Diluc with his
eye half-lidded before he pushed his fingers behind himself.

Kaeya took the moment to pause the video, taking a deep, shaking breath as he saw that he
was rock hard now. What was wrong with him? He could hardly see Diluc on screen for more
than a few seconds, all he could see was himself, getting touched and groped by another man.
Did he get aroused seeing himself being touched like that? Did he enjoy watching himself be
made a mess out of and moan like a whore?

He desperately wanted to deny it, but he couldn't, he liked watching himself with the prospect
of soon having a cock up his ass, he anticipated watching himself getting railed in the
camera's sights. He sighed and slowly unzipped his pants to give himself more air, telling
himself that he'd take care of his erection when it came to the main event. He hit play again.

Kaeya pushed his finger against his hole and twitched a little, he didn't like the feeling of
being touched there, even by himself. He was always the one that touched others there, but he
couldn't falter now, not with Diluc, a stranger, watching him like he was a pleasant sight.
Kaeya pressed his finger inside with minor difficulty and sucked in a sharp breath, it didn't
hurt, but the intrusion made him restless as he pressed his hand to Diluc's abdomen, trying to
keep himself steady and upright.

He didn't like the feeling but he pressed on, pushing his finger in and out of himself, trying to
get used to it. He felt nothing so far, he wondered whether the men he'd been with were faking
the pleasure they felt because it didn't feel as good as they made it seem. He breathed out and
pushed in another one of his sleek fingers, he had no concept of his own prostate, he had no
idea how to find it in his own ass.

The thought would've made Kaeya burst into laughter if the circumstances were normal, but
now, in front of Diluc who watched him intently with his red eyes, he could hardly bear it. He
tried pressing around, tried to make himself feel at least a little good, to see what all the fuss
was about with the prostate, but no matter how he tried, it didn't feel good. He almost began
to believe that Diluc's cock wouldn't feel good either. Diluc noticed Kaeya's lack of
expression, all he did was look like he was hurting, his eyes unfocused.

"Pull them out," Diluc told him, making Kaeya snap out of his daze and he automatically
obeyed the order, sighing with relief. Diluc reached his hand back behind Kaeya and sat up,
pushing him to sit on his lap.

"Spread them for me," Diluc whispered in his ear, hugging Kaeya close to his own body with
their bodies pressed flush together, Diluc still clothed. Kaeya blinked and blushed madly, how
could he do something so shameless for a stranger? He was about to tell Diluc as much,
when he caught his gaze. Something in Diluc's eyes compelled him to obey, not out of fear or
any intimidation, just a silent challenge that irked Kaeya. He pressed his fingers into his ass
and spread his cheeks, just as Diluc pressed his hand back. Kaeya hadn't realized how bulky
Diluc's hand was, just one of his fingers was enough to make him gasp and bite his lip as
Diluc pushed his finger inside Kaeya.

Diluc pushed Kaeya back on the bed until he was pinned back against the mattress, though
Kaeya could hardly focus on the change in position. His mind was on the thick finger inside
him, slowly twisting inside him with every roll of Diluc's wrist as he gently eased his finger
inside up to his knuckles. He buried it in, giving Kaeya a moment to adjust as he watched his
expression for signs of discomfort or pain.

He began to gently press around the inside of Kaeya's ass, looking for his sweet spot just as
he had. His practice with it allowed him to find it quickly, pushing his finger upwards and
pressing down on a particularly swollen area. Kaeya gasped and thrashed under Diluc, his
eye blown wide as he desperately cried out under Diluc at the feeling of electric shocks
fluttering through his body. Diluc couldn't resist teasing his prostate even more, the sound of
Kaeya's moans made him see white with lust. It was then when he decided he couldn't go
through with the hit order.

Not with a man who moaned so prettily for him. He rubbed his finger over Kaeya's prostate,
pushing in deep just to make him thrash and cry as he arched his back perfectly, his head
thrown back over the edge of the bed. Diluc leaned down to tease his nipples again as he
forced his second finger inside the tight opening, grunting a little at how difficult it was to
move them, "Relax, if it doesn't hurt then loosen up,"

Diluc coaxed in his deep voice, not attempting to milk Kaeya's prostate anymore to allow the
man to think straight for a moment enough to attempt to unclench his muscles. Kaeya took a
shaky breath, feeling his face burning with embarrassment at how easily he had come undone
in front of Diluc, but the man, although his pants felt significantly tighter, looked nonchalant.
It made Kaeya feel better but also made him question whether on not he even looked
attractive in Diluc's eyes. How could the man look so neutral even during sex? There was not
even a slight tint to his cheeks as he stared down at Kaeya with an unreadable look in his
eyes.

Kaeya was pulled out of his thoughts rudely when Diluc suddenly slammed his third finger
inside of him, making him almost scream, his voice cracking as he tried to hold it back. It felt
so weird, so uncomfortable to have someone's fingers stretch him out to the max on his most
sensitive muscle, but the moment Diluc's fingers pushed against his prostate, the ecstasy was
too great to ignore.

It vaguely felt like Kaeya had the urge to pee, the thought scared him, he would die if that
happened, but he supposed it couldn't be helped, not while Diluc was making him feel so
good. Kaeya allowed his head to be thrown over the side of the bed, revealing his neck to
Diluc, who couldn't help but lean down to leave a dark hickey on it. It startled Kaeya to have
Diluc's warm lips on his sensitive neck, but the nerves in his neck hummed to life with
satisfaction at the feeling of man's soft and squishy lips sucking on them. Diluc kissed down
Kaeya's deep collar bone before burying his lips in the slight cleavage at the center of
Kaeya's chest.

He didn't know why he kept coming back to his chest, but the muscular pecs turned him on
immensely, though they were soft to the touch at the same time. He really liked this part of
Kaeya best. He finally decided that Kaeya had stretched enough, giving one last teasing
pinch to his prostate to make the man whimper before he pulled his fingers out. Kaeya took
deep breaths, trying to calm himself as he almost felt like he was going to pass out, they
hadn't even begun yet, yet he already felt like this.

He wondered if this was the feeling all those men he'd been with had, though he didn't think it
was the same level, Diluc took his time, thoroughly taking Kaeya apart little by little, while
he would just try to get it over with as fast as possible, to cum as fast as possible. It made
Kaeya almost ashamed, was this how people normally treat each other on one-night stands?
He didn't much like the prospect of pillow princes, they annoyed him frankly, but now he was
the pillow prince, he was being taken care of by Diluc so wholly.

He really liked the feeling of not having any responsibility, to just lay back and enjoy
someone else working on making him feel good, especially a man as handsome as the one
hovering before him. Diluc stripped himself of his shirt, dishevelling his already messy red
hair. His skin was pale, and the scars littered on his body stood out even more because of it.
Kaeya couldn't help lifting his head to admire them, some were fresh, some left traces of
stitches, others were but deep brown marks on the man's otherwise porcelain skin.

K aeya ran his hand over a particularly thick and deep scar across Diluc's chest, "Where do
you get marks like these?" He whispered subconsciously, making Diluc look at him with an
odd glance before he gave him his signature tiny smirk, "I thought this was a no-strings-
attached, no-questions-asked arrangement? Turn around," Diluc told him, placing his hands
on Kaeya's hips and making him shudder at how warm they were, one of Diluc's hands was
still slimy from the lube.

Kaeya obeyed, twisted around until he lied with his back to Diluc, he could feel the man
taking off his pants behind him before he stepped between his legs and pulled his hips up just
a little for Kaeya's ass to stick up for him. It was a pretty sight, with strawberry flavored lube
spread on Kaeya's ass as it jutted upward, his hole peeking out just a little from between his
plump ass cheeks. His body was muscular, yet his figure was slim, his waist the size women
would be jealous of. Diluc licked his lips, he regretted taking Kaeya up on his offer to have a
one-night stand. Now, he would have a difficult time carrying out his mission.
Kaeya took a shaky breath as he finally got to the main part, he began to take off his pants,
pushing them down until they hung off of his thighs, his thighs and hips were still littered
with bruises the shape of fingertips, and he still felt sore in his ass, though the satisfaction
Diluc had given him was second to none. He clicked his tongue, wishing he hadn't pushed the
one-night-stand concept on their night, Diluc had left just because Kaeya had done so and
now he yearned for him again, he yearned for the feeling of his thick fingers buried inside of
him, he yearned for his lips on Kaeya's chest, littering it with little marks.

He yearned for his cock. Now he wouldn't have it again, because he, Diluc, was not the kind
of person who would ever come to a bar in a million years, he had come for something, he
had come to meet someone, to find someone, yet he ended up taking Kaeya home to rail him.
Kaeya shivered, he didn't think he minded that Diluc dropped his plans just to see him. Still,
being an agent, he made it his business to know who he had sex with, but no matter how
much time he spent searching, he found nothing of suspicion on Diluc's profile in the agency.

He supposed there really was nothing out of the ordinary for such a man, but his scars were
those with the intent to kill. He dropped looking for some information on the man at that, he
didn't want to know whether he'd fucked a murderer or not. He would like to milk this video,
the sweet memories of that encounter, to its full limit. He pulled his cock out of his boxers
and wrapped his fingers around it, beginning to pump it as he unpaused the video once more.

Diluc spread his cheeks apart again and reached into the drawer next to Kaeya's bed. He
looked directly at the teddy bear sitting innocently on top of the side table. He stared at it for
a few long seconds, taking in its appearance whilst trying to appear busy looking for a
condom. He licked his lips a little, seeing the way the bear's eyes shone just a little, and
looked down at Kaeya with a smirk.

He decided not to mention it just yet and ripped the packaging off the condom to roll it onto
his cock slowly. He turned back to the man lying beneath him and lightly groped his ass,
giving it a soft smack and watching the way it jiggled a little. He almost smiled at the sight as
he pressed his hips forward until the tip of his cock poked against Kaeya's hole. It made the
agent flinch, but he said or did nothing to stop Diluc as he began to push forward, holding
onto Kaeya's hips to keep him from sliding forward off the bed. Kaeya gasped as he felt the
massive intrusion beginning to make its way inside him.

He let out a quiet groan, muffling it into the mattress as he bit into the sheets with navy blue
tresses spread out all around him, compelling Diluc to slowly brush them from the messy
state and group them into a ponytail with his fist to take Kaeya's mind off of the stretch. He
gathered Kaeya's hair into his hand and gave a sharp tug that made Kaeya lurch back, his
eye wide as he moaned with pleasure.

God, the way his cock ached with arousal at the dull pain at the roots of his hair drove him
nuts, Diluc held him up on his elbows by the hair, not rough enough to make it hurt, but not
gentle enough to be comfortable, it almost felt like he was holding Kaeya by reins as he used
his hair to hold him in place before beginning to thrust inside of him, feeling Kaeya getting
used to the feeling of being ripped apart.

He aimed for the same spot he knew made Kaeya feel good, pulling his cock back before
slamming it straight into his prostate. Kaeya wouldn't admit it to himself but he screamed,
screamed with pleasure as Diluc rapidly pounded into his prostate and drew filthy moans and
whimpers from his mouth continuously. He felt so vulnerable like this, so helpless and feeling
like a toy made just for Diluc's fucking, but he loved it, he loved feeling the way Diluc made
him feel. Diluc's grip on his hair loosened but not for long before he buried his fingers into
the roots of Kaeya's hair and pulled him up to face the bedside table.

He let go of Kaeya's hair and allowed him to drop onto the bed before he grabbed him by the
wrists and pulled him back until he was suspended in the air on his knees with his hands
tangled with Diluc's as he desperately grasped to claw at something, anything, to cope. He
looked in front of him through his watery eye and was shocked when he saw that he was
directly facing the bear, getting pounded by Diluc from behind.

Diluc leaned down, still holding him back by his wrists, to whisper in his ear, "That bear's
recording, isn't it?" He asked Kaeya, licking the shell of his ear while Kaeya began to shake,
his body desperately wanting release from Diluc's grip on his wrists and just wanting to hold
onto the pillow for dear life. He couldn't believe his ears, thinking he was hallucinating the
way Diluc had found him out so easily, "Smile pretty for the camera," Diluc told him, pulling
him back by his wrists until he plopped down in Diluc's lap as the redhead sat on the balls of
his feet.

Kaeya couldn't formulate any words, any noises other than his gasps for breath as it was
fucked out of him. He was sat on Diluc's cock, it filled him up to the brim and it felt like
Kaeya was about to explode with the way it hit his sphincter. He couldn't bear this, he
couldn't handle the pleasure as Diluc hooked his arms around Kaeya's thighs and began to
bounce him on the cock, lifting and dropping his body like it was featherweight.

"Please-Please--fuck- ahhng.." At the moment, Kaeya couldn't think straight, but he looked at
the bear, looking into its beady eyes as he rode Diluc, just like he had told him he would, but
he had meant that in a different light. He had meant that he would be the one in charge, but
in reality, he had no control over his body anymore as he was bounced on Diluc's cock.

"Its too b-big..!" Kaeya whimpered and cried as his tears spilled out of his eyes, he regretted
ever calling Diluc 'gentle', this was far from gentle, it was almost like Diluc was trying to
rearrange his insides with the way he pounded into him like there was no tomorrow, perhaps
that was what he thought. Maybe he thought that since this just a one-night-stand, he should
enjoy Kaeya's body.

Diluc bit down on Kaeya's neck, groaning quietly into his ear, Kaeya wanted to see his face,
see what kind of expression he was making, whether he finally had any emotion or any signs
of pleasure on his face, but he could hardly keep himself upright on Diluc's lap. "I-I'm getting
close...fuck--Diluc..hnggh!" Kaeya felt that feeling of ecstasy intensify every time Kaeya's ass
met Diluc's hips, he felt his body tingling down to every crevice, from the roots of his hair to
the tips of his toes, he couldn't bear it.

Kaeya moved his hands back over his head to grab Diluc's bushy mane in his fists to pull him
forward until he could turn his head to kiss Diluc. "I can't take it, please--" Kaeya's hands
fell to clutch Diluc's arms hooked on his thighs, he began to claw at them, trying to get him to
stop but at the same time never wanting this feeling to end. He shot ropes of cum high into the
air with a small scream, his mind going blank for several seconds as he gasped and heaved.
 Diluc didn't relent, twisting Kaeya on his cock and slamming him into the bed on his back
and pounding into him with all his might and making his body rock in time with his thrusts. "I
won't let you go until I'm 100% satisfied." Diluc told him, pressing a kiss to his cheek and
making his eye widen as he cupped Kaeya's cock and began to pump it again, he looked at
the teddy bear again, a smirk on his face, "Hopefully you'll be able to look back on your first
time and enjoy it to its fullest."

Kaeya gasped and moaned as he pumped himself roughly, almost pretending it was Diluc's
bulky hand wrapped around his cock and he gently twisted it and cried out with pleasure. He
didn't know why he was moaning like this, always quiet during sex and never uttering a
sound while masturbating, but every since Saturday he could feel his body's sensitivity
double. He could hardly bear it, every little touch to his body throughout the day made him
jump from the electric shocks that zoomed through him.

He took a shaky breath, just like in the video, he was getting close, but he wasn't even
halfway through the video. Diluc had kept his promise, he destroyed Kaeya's body on the
night he had it and he was unable to walk for the rest of the weekend. It was difficult getting
around because of it. He had only the man in the video to blame for it, but gods he wanted it
again so badly. With a sharp moan of Diluc's name, he came into his hand, spurting cum all
over his hands. He took deep, steadying breaths, trying to calm himself. "I have to find him
again,"

Chapter End Notes

I had my reasons for changing the ship! Personally, I did it to be petty, recently I've been
getting hate comments for writing Diluc/Kaeya, hehe~ Worry not, it doesn't matter to me
but it really put me in the mood for some luckae so I decided to go with this one! I
wasn't expecting it to be so long though! Hope you enjoyed, my lovelies!
 Massage (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Childe is a masseur working at a spa in Liyue, he is known for being on the prowl
constantly, having sex with his clients to satisfy his urges. He finds himself intrigued by
a new challenge, a man named Zhongli he couldn't wait to woo.

Chapter Notes

*I used Fontainish to substitute for Swedish skdjks

I've been looking forward to writing this chapter since what, chapter 7? I came up with
this idea a long while ago and I'm feeling super giddy to finally write it. I don't think this
came out too bad and honestly, it has the potential to become one of my favorite
prompts! In general, the prompts for the letter M are all the ones I'm really excited for
and I can't wait to get started on the next Xiaother prompt.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Childe walked into the lobby of the spa, a bored expression on his face. He shuddered a little,
drying his wet hands on his pants after washing them. Childe's mood was reflected in his
expression, clearly unhappy. The day was most unfavorable for him. He'd just got done with
a rather awkward massage with an elderly client — the client had outright moaned when he'd
gotten a tight spot on her back.

The incident hadn't helped him feel any less annoyed, making his agitation tip over the
surface these days. Childe had been feeling quite grumpy the past week or so just like he
always did when he went more than five days without playing his little games.

Childe wasn't one to feel good about not getting his way, and these days, it seemed like
nothing wanted to go his way. He was desperate for something, no, someone to please him
and make his week just a little better.

He saw Aether, the receptionist of the spa, sitting behind his desk.

Childe had been called over so that Aether could give him info on a new client. Childe
crossed his fingers in his heart, praying that whoever came next would be able to take his
mind off the previous massage. He did not need that memory to root so firmly into his mind.
Aether spotted him walking towards him and straightened up, grabbing his clipboard from
the desk. "Hey," Childe greeted, his voice sullen and unenthusiastic. Aether raised an
eyebrow at him. Childe and Aether had been working together for months now — both of
them knew each other like the backs of their hands. Aether knew Childe and his games; he
knew the expression on his face, recognizing his disdainful glare.

"Let me guess, bad client?" The blonde asked with an amused note to his voice, able to read
Childe like an open book.

Childe released a grave sigh, nodding, knowing he couldn't lie to his best friend, "Well, I
wouldn't say she was 'bad' in particular but..." Childe's face tinted green, a shudder rippling
through his spine, causing Aether to smile a little at his clear discomfort as he continued,
"Dude, she literally moaned while I was massaging her cankles. It would've been hot if she
wasn't fifty years older than me!" He whined, slumping over the reception desk and wishing
his mind would eliminate that memory; he would rather not add that to his list of 'most
embarrassing moments to reminisce before bed'.

Aether grimaced in response but didn't look sympathetic, clearly enjoying Childe's
discomfort, chuckling a little behind his hand, saying, "Ouch, now I'm not surprised you
didn't try to seduce her."

Childe made a face and released a sigh, straightening up, "Definitely not. I'm desperate but
not that desperate — I want someone to excite me, preferably a dude who knows how to use
his hands," Childe mumbled some more incoherent complaints, but finally fixed Aether with
a pleading, hopeful look, "Anyways, please give me some good news — who's next?" He
asked, praying that he wouldn't have to deal with another elder.

He needed someone to thrill him; he wanted someone he could have some fun with, someone
to entertain him and humor his games.

Aether glanced at the clipboard again, smiling at Childe, "Well, your next client — or should
I say victim — is a man named Zhongli, early thirties I think, no standing medical issues; he
wants just a regular Fontainish* massage. He's booked an hour," Aether told Childe, sitting
behind his desk and reading off to Childe. Childe rolled his eyes and smiled at Aether's little
jab about the client, enacting his revenge by leaning over the desk and flicking him on the
forehead.

Aether hissed and glared at Childe, who smirked evilly and quickly jumped back as the
blonde threw a stapler at him.

He laughed as Aether glared at him, the two of them fooling around for a bit before Childe
decided he couldn't keep this 'Zhongli' waiting for him any longer. "Alright, alright, which
room's he in?" He asked Aether.

Aether gave him a deadpan expression at the obvious question and checked again, "He's
waiting in room 4 — y'know, your personal haunted room," Childe smirked and nodded; he
was about to turn on his heel to walk away when a question occurred to him. A spark of hope
ignited in his chest. He grinned at Aether, who immediately looked worried, readying himself
for another one of Childe's antics, "Is he hot?" Childe asked the blonde, who guffawed at him
and facepalmed, not knowing how to answer.

He glared up at Childe, who still stood there, patiently awaiting an answer, that same
innocent grin on his face.

Aether rolled his eyes, deciding to be honest, "Yes, he is," He said, watching Childe perk up
immediately, revitalized by his words, but Aether quickly added, "But don't even think about
seducing that guy — that dude looks like he won't tolerate any of your bullshit."

Childe laughed a little, causing Aether to purse his lips, knowing Childe wasn't taking him
seriously. Childe had much experience in his area of expertise, and no one he was interested
in ever said no to him. No one could resist his charm; he had high hopes Zhongli would be no
different. He opened the topmost button on his white button-up that had the spa's logo on it.
His uniform consisted of an all-white attire with a loose short-sleeve button-up and tight
white pants. Childe often dressed comfortably because being a masseur called for bending
and moving into awkward positions to reach tight spots.

Childe knew how to get to all the spots of the men he massaged in a comfortable manner —
only if he wanted them, of course. If he wasn't interested, he would put in little effort to get
all their right spots with no motivation to put in his 100% into massaging someone he didn't
want.

See, Childe was what one would consider a pervert, in his own, charming way, though people
rarely dwelled on it because of his good looks and alluring physique.

Most people wouldn't deny being hit on by an attractive person, especially a masseur who
knew just how to make them crumble apart. Childe began his work as a masseur in a large
spa in Liyue to indulge in his desire to gaze upon the bodies of men and women alike and
took to massaging clients for a living because he enjoyed touching others.

He would take intimacy to another level, seeking and reveling in the enjoyment of touching a
good-looking man and pushing in subtle hints to entice them if they caught his interest to try
and seduce them into sex. He used his job as a scapegoat for his libido and exploited his
position of power over his clients to the fullest to completely break them down and use them
in any way he saw fit.

It was too easy, after all, because he used seduction methods better than anyone, save for an
aromatherapist named Ying'er — she used all kinds of underhanded tricks to bring both men
and women to their knees; Childe gave her props for that. It felt good knowing he wasn't the
only pervert in the spa.

Childe walked towards the massage parlors, making sure to look a little messy to give him
the scruffy vibe that made people yearn to see him look even messier. He walked to the last
private massage room in the hallway and knocked on the door twice before coming in.

Childe froze as he opened the door, his eyes going wide as he saw his client for the first time.
The man he saw sitting on the bed in front of him almost made his jaw drop. Childe felt
entranced for a few long seconds. He had never seen such a beautiful, handsome man as the
one sitting before him. The man oozed an aura of hardened professionalism, his eyes
swishing towards Childe as well upon seeing him enter, fixing his intense golden eyes on
Childe intently.

Zhongli had two-toned hair, black starting from the roots and amber-colored tips near the
end. His hair was long and cuffed into a ponytail at the back that was slung over his shoulder.
He was already naked, save for a short towel tied around his waist that left little to the
imagination.

Childe felt his mouth beginning to water a little, his eyes swishing from Zhongli's handsome
face to his chiseled chest to the large bump under his towel that made his body heat up.

The man sitting on the bed was everything Childe had been praying for the past week: tall,
muscular, and handsome.

Zhongli's eyes were cold and hardened, giving away none of his emotions. He gave the aura
of a domineering man, the way he eyed Childe could almost be described as predatory as
Childe's stare. Gods, he made Childe horny without even trying.

His body was lined with curved and tense muscles with his thighs flexing and unflexing with
every move much like the other muscles of his upper body. Childe could vaguely see the
muscles twitching, his keen eyes catching on to the smallest details. He'd come to know the
human body very well in his months of working as a masseur; he made it his business to find
clients' trouble spots and leave them feeling satisfied —or yearning for more in some cases
— without even putting in the effort to impress.

Childe hardly needed such a thing as 'effort' to work magic with his hands because every
client he got would always come crawling back, desiring more, especially the ones he gave
what he called the 'special treatment'. Some would come back for him more than once,
begging for his body, but Childe had one major policy: he never slept with the same client
twice. He was always on the lookout for new men to try on like they were accessories,
comparing, contrasting, and seeing how many limits he could push with different men. He
had fun playing around, and he found that settling for the same cock or the same ass was
boring.

Different people gave different experiences, and he would explore every person and judge
them based on that. But he never tried for the same man more than once because, although
some people were great, there weren't any men that he could look at and think: 'This man can
satisfy me for the rest of my life'.

Childe decided that he would definitely try Zhongli. The man definitely needed a massage
with how tense he was.

He wore a very sharp and stern expression on his face that made Childe's insides feel funny.
Gods, ideas of getting punished by a man with such a severe outward look or having his large
hands grope Childe in obscene ways drove Childe's mind up the wall. He wanted him.

Even though his heart began to beat faster as he considered the man's inevitably handsome
looks and blazing amber eyes, he steeled himself and put himself in his zone. He would
charm this man to his best ability — he would make him yearn for more and he would make
him have Childe no matter what it took.

It wasn't every day he came across a Liyuean so well-built and muscular, he couldn't let such
a man escape so easily, could he?

He fixed an alluring smile on his pretty lips, his eyelids drooping until they were half-lidded
to make his blue eyes pop more. Zhongli observed this with keen but unreadable eyes; he
didn't seem at all shy to allow his eyes to travel down Childe's body, gazing at his arms that
poked through his short-sleeved white shirt. The rest of Childe's attire did little to accentuate
his physique, but Childe thought that one could tell his body type with little effort even
through his baggy clothes.

"Hi, my name's Childe," Childe introduced himself, "I'll be taking care of you for the next
hour or so, if that's alright with you?" Childe kept his voice low, stepping inside the room and
slowly shutting the door behind him to essentially hint to Zhongli that he wouldn't be leaving
even if he said no.

Zhongli gazed at him for a moment longer, his expression guarded as if he knew Childe was
nothing but trouble. Still, he nodded, "Pleasure to meet you," He told Childe, causing him to
lick his lips, feeling a tremor go through his already weak knees at the sound of the man's
deep voice. Zhongli's eyes followed the movement of his tongue with little embarrassment, "I
hope to relax as much as possible so please take good care of me," Zhongli said.

Childe steeled himself, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, his pants getting slightly
tighter at the man's sexy voice.

"Of course, just lie facing down on the bed when you're ready," He told Zhongli, internally
congratulating himself for sounding so calm. Childe walked over to a cabinet in the room,
desperate to turn away from Zhongli before he could spot his blush or the bulge in his pants,
and pulled out a bowl along with a bottle of almond oil, pouring a healthy amount into the
bowl and stirring it for a bit as his heart thumped with excitement.

He noted the time and turned around to face the massage bed and saw that Zhongli had laid
down as instructed, his face tucked into the area made to put one's face for comfort while
lying on their stomach.

He smiled at the sight and walked to his side, looking down at him with glittering eyes that
ran over every muscle that protruded from Zhongli's strong back. It was very tense just like
the rest of his body, and Childe would have his work cut out for him, but he didn't mind a
challenge — there was nothing more satisfying than loosening a knot under someone's skin,
except perhaps another person loosening the orgasmic knot in his stomach with their cock.

He bit his lip and walked to stand at Zhongli's feet, "I'll start, then," He said softly in warning,
making sure to add to the aura of relaxation with a warning to keep from startling Zhongli.
He earned just a gentle hum from Zhongli that reverberated throughout the room.

Childe slowly trickled a few drops of oil from the bowl onto Zhongli's legs, making them
twitch a little at the cool feeling.
He began to work on Zhongli's legs, massaging his thick calves with his fingers, gently
easing the oil into the firm muscles, and lathering up the pale skin well. The man clearly
worked out or, at the very least, ran a few miles every morning — Childe could tell that much
just by feeling the tense muscles that rippled under the surface of his skin, relaxing bit by bit
under his touch.

He experimentally touched Zhongli's feet in case Zhongli was sensitive — he wasn't. They
were calloused and rough to the touch, likely from wearing boots every second of every day
and not taking proper care of his moisturization. The dry skin soaked up the oil, and his feet
began to look nicer.

From here, Childe glanced up as he bent forward, massaging from Zhongli's feet up to the
backs of his knees and tipping his head just a little as his chest nearly met Zhongli's legs to
peek under the man's towel.

He almost moaned at the sight of Zhongli's massive balls curled against the bed and the man's
thick, muscular ass. Childe didn't have to let his imagination wander too far to know that the
man had a big cock to match.

Childe decided immediately that he wanted that cock inside him.

He smirked a little, making his way up to the back of Zhongli's thighs, gently pushing out the
knots in the tense muscles and feeling the satisfaction of having them relax under his touch,
he vaguely heard a small breath of pleasure coming from the man beneath him and licked his
lips. He decided not to make a move just yet. Zhongli wasn't fully relaxed; he didn't know
what to expect because Childe hadn't given the correct hints to him.

Childe slowly moved on to his upper body, dripping oil onto his back as he stood at Zhongli's
side.

This was his favorite part of the massage, especially with the men whom he pined for. Not
only did he love the feeling of strong back muscles slowly relaxing under his hands, but also
because this was where he began to play his little game.

He started by massaging Zhongli's lower back, slowly easing his fingers a little bit under the
towel to reach his tailbone.

Childe made sure to miss some of the right spots, acting like he was uncomfortable — which
he was because he had to twist his back awkwardly to massage up and down Zhongli's back
— and making sure that Zhongli noticed how he didn't get some of the tensest spots, though
the man said nothing in complaint.

"Ah.." Childe moaned a little with discomfort, catching Zhongli's attention, but the man
didn't lift his head to look at him, "Would it be alright if I sat with you? Standing makes it
difficult for me to get all the correct spots." Childe asked, making sure the pout was heard in
his voice like a damsel.

Zhongli just hummed in response, unaware of what he was getting himself into, causing
Childe to smirk — that trick worked every time.
Unlike what Zhongli was probably thinking, Childe threw one of his legs over the man's body
and promptly took a seat on top of him, seating himself right on his plump, cushiony ass.
Zhongli let out a noise of surprise, but Childe acted like it was the most natural thing in the
world to take a seat on clients to massage them. The position was definitely more
comfortable for Childe, and he made sure to let that show by unlocking each and every
difficult knot in Zhongli's spine with precision to show Zhongli that he hadn't taken this
position for naught.

Of course, he was skilled at what he did, and even if he had continued to stand, he could
provide the same excellent care (though it would probably hurt his back just as much, and
then he'd have to book a masseur for himself; he almost laughed at the thought) but this was
necessary for Childe to make his move.

Childe pretended like nothing was out of the ordinary, and the man relaxed under him slowly,
getting a false sense of security at how casually Childe sat atop him, unsure whether or not to
say anything in opposition when he'd agreed to it.

Childe finally got done with his back and moved up to his shoulders, leaning forward and
allowing Zhongli to feel him pressing against his back.

He eased his hands into Zhongli's shoulders and he could feel a silent vibration burst through
the man's body as if he had just purred quietly. Childe wanted to hear him purr like that for
real with his deep voice; a rumble like that would make Childe weak in the knees. He made
his way onto Zhongli's arms, pressing forward and scooting onto his lower back to reach his
biceps easier. He gently wrapped his fingers around the man's arms and extended them
perpendicular to his body before beginning to ease out his triceps, one hand working on one
arm and the other on the other arm.

After getting all the loose knots, he slathered oil on the arms and spread his arms as well,
massaging up and down Zhongli's arms by leaning forward until his chest pressed against the
man's strong but now relaxed back.

He felt Zhongli twitch under him at the contact, but again, Childe acted so casual about it, he
was sure he had influenced Zhongli into thinking this was normal. He almost giggled at the
thought, enjoyment shimmering in his eyes; he'd have Zhongli wrapped around his finger
with just a few more strokes of his hand.

"I'm done with your back, can you turn around for me?" Childe asked as he lifted his hips to
stand on his knees over Zhongli.

The man hummed and complied, slowly turning around to lie on his back, facing Childe.
Childe leaned forward, pressing a hand by Zhongli's head while his other one reached under
him to switch the headrest to one made for lying on one's back. Zhongli chose the moment to
stare at him with his shimmering gold eyes; if Childe didn't know better, he'd think there was
amusement shining in them.

Zhongli's eyes fluttered to a close but then shot open again when Childe took a seat right on
top of his cock. Childe bit back a moan at the feeling of his cock pressing against the
protrusion under Zhongli's towel; it felt huge under his ass.
He gave Zhongli an innocent smile and began to drip oil onto his chest. This time, Zhongli
didn't close his eyes — he watched Childe work through hooded eyes and Childe didn't mind
that one bit. In his preference, there was nothing better than working on someone's body
except working on someone's body with them watching.

He ran his fingers over Zhongli's abs, making sure to use a light touch so it wouldn't tickle
the man as he smirked down at him, beginning to move his hands against his muscles,
spreading the oil to every nook and cranny of Zhongli's torso and making little movements
with his hips that could be passed off as his body lifting and sinking with the pressure applied
with his fingers.

In reality, Childe was trying to create friction between his ass and Zhongli's cock. It was a
tactic he sometimes used, to try and get him hard and trick him into embarrassment. Then, he
would offer his help — this was his favorite method that broke even straight men's resolves
to shambles.

Sometimes he'd choose to be on top, other times on bottom depending on his mood and that
method brought him all the right results. This time... he wanted Zhongli's thick cock in his ass
rather than just sandwiched between it.

Childe moved up to the man's pecs and began to 'massage' them, gently giving them a light
squeeze with an infuriating little smirk on his lips.

Zhongli just watched and didn't move to stop him even once. Childe lifted himself onto his
knees and began to massage the front of the man's arms, leaning directly above him so his
face was level with Zhongli's. Being watched by the man's blazing eyes only made Childe
more confident as he pushed his hands forward to lather oil up to Zhongli's wrists, his head
dipping into Zhongli's neck. He resisted the urge to bite it — not yet, he couldn't do it yet.
Then, he returned to his position and landed heavily on top of Zhongli's cock, causing the
man to suck in a sharp breath.

Childe could feel the man's patience and quietude beginning to wear thin and couldn't help
but smirk, wondering how much more Zhongli could take before he snapped.

Childe slowly spun until he sat with his back to Zhongli, facing his legs. He dripped oil on
them, repeating the procedure with the front of the legs, and glanced at the clock. It had only
taken Childe half an hour to relax Zhongli's body to its fullest. He still had another half hour
left to spend with Zhongli, and he knew just how to entertain both of them.

Childe stood again on his knees and leaned forward to massage Zhongli's ankles and made
sure to stick his ass up in the air, the tight white pants hugging his ass tight and leaving little
to Zhongli's imagination.

He bit his lip with intense excitement, feeling Zhongli's eyes directly on his ass.

He felt blood rushing to his crotch and bit back a groan, realizing that he had fucked up. He
got hard before Zhongli did. How could he break Zhongli apart if he was the one who had
broken first? Childe knew to speed things up before he lived to regret it.
He slowly returned to his position, seating himself on Zhongli's cock again after turning
around to face him. Childe decided to throw all caution and all methods to the wind as he felt
his desperation growing. He moved back to sit on Zhongli's lap — the man had closed his
eyes by now. Childe smirked a little, had Zhongli lost interest just because he didn't have his
ass in his face anymore?

He dripped some almond oil onto Zhongli's inner thighs, making him shiver. Childe began to
rub the oil between Zhongli's thighs, trying to bite back a grin as he slowly made his way
under Zhongli's towel, massaging the oil into his hip bones while slowly loosening the towel
so that it slipped and fell away. The sight of Zhongli's cock made Childe shiver with
excitement, feeling his cock getting fully hard at the sight of the gigantic organ. Childe
marveled at the sight of Zhongli's cock; to his dismay, it wasn't hard but still a spectacular
size — Childe couldn't resist it. He applied oil to it, making Zhongli's eyes shoot open as he
realized what Childe was about to do.

Childe wrapped his fingers around Zhongli's cock, whimpering a little at the feeling of the
veiny surface beginning to pump with blood at the stimulation.

He felt his mouth fill up with drool, loving how heavy Zhongli's cock was, his other hand
trailing down to cup Zhongli's balls, rolling them between gentle fingers, fondling Zhongli
everywhere.

Childe gasped as a hand grabbed onto both of his wrists. He looked up and saw that Zhongli
had sat up abruptly, holding on to his wrists with his eyes burning dangerously. The sight of
Zhongli's anger only pleased Childe further, moaning as he was pushed back onto the bed,
their positions getting switched until he was pinned to the bed instead.

"What do you think you're doing?" Zhongli hissed as Childe struggled for escape, not looking
guilty or putting in any effort to run away at all.

Childe's eyes were half-lidded, and he panted a little for breath, having the air knocked out of
him from the way he'd gotten slammed into the bed. Zhongli hovered above him, his golden
eyes blazing with unreadable emotion as he pinned Childe's wrists to the bed, his other hand
venturing to grasp Childe's thigh to press him fully against the bed. Childe felt a bit of the
drool he'd been holding back dribbling from the side of his mouth as he gazed up at Zhongli
with lustful eyes, already planning ways to take Zhongli's cock.

He preferred riding people like Zhongli; he preferred to have them submit to him before he
began to bounce on their cock but, with the way Zhongli stared at him, he didn't think
dominance was an option for him.

"It's part of the treatment, sir," Childe answered coolly, smirking up at Zhongli brattily as he
felt his hard cock pressing against his ass, his legs being pushed open.

Zhongli's eyes flashed with disbelief, his eyes following the trail of Childe's saliva dripping
from his mouth, knowing that there was nothing professional about the look in Childe's eyes
or his actions. "Is that so?" Zhongli said, his voice dangerously low, "I don't recall being
warned of something so... perverse."
Childe smirked a little, licking his lips and saying softly, "Special treatment for only those
like you," He bit his lip at the way Zhongli's jaw clenched in response.

Childe felt danger alarms ringing in his head as Zhongli stayed silent, staring down at him
with an unreadable expression as if trying to choose between walking away and fucking
Childe. Childe prayed he would choose the second option, trying to speed up the process a
little by raising his free leg, rubbing it against Zhongli's hard cock, and watching with
enjoyment as the man exhaled with pleasure.

"So then, what'll you do to a pervert like me? Will you give me what I want or go out there
with your cock standing proud?" Childe teased.

Zhongli gulped a little, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath as if calming himself. It was
a trap, a trap that this masseur had set up and executed with precision to ensure he got what
he wanted.

Surely there was nothing to lose in teaching this pervert a lesson, was there?

Zhongli let go of Childe's hands, and the man immediately made a break for it, pushing
himself into Zhongli's arms and pushing him back until he sat atop his waist with a
triumphant smirk on his face, "If we're going to do this then I want to do it my way," Childe
shivered as Zhongli allowed his warm hands to venture up Childe's oversized shirt to feel him
up, pushing his fingers up to Childe's nipple and giving it a tight squeeze that made Childe
gasp with pain.

Zhongli's voice was dangerous and deep as he spoke, "And who gave you the authority to
decide that? Am I not your client? You're supposed to satisfy me."

Childe whimpered a little as Zhongli sat up and pushed him into his lap, smashing his lips
against Childe's and taking his breath away, while his fingers gently rubbed against Childe's
nipples, twisting and pulling them occasionally to catch Childe off guard long enough to
break him apart completely. Their tongues waged war for dominance — Childe didn't give
up, not even when Zhongli used underhanded tricks to make him succumb to him completely.
Their teeth clashed with how rough they were with one another.

Zhongli allowed his hands to slip down to Childe's pants, slowly pushing them under the
waistband to grope his ass and make him shudder, remembering how much his ass had
aroused him earlier.

Childe ground down on Zhongli's bare cock as he felt his breath getting shorter; Zhongli
didn't allow him even a second's breath and continued to ravage his lips like he had lost all
sense of reason like a savage. It was as if Zhongli didn't feel the need to breathe while
Childe's face started to pale with his lack of breath, finally succumbing and pulling back to
gasp and wheeze for breath, admitting defeat.

"Looks like I have the victory, don't I?" Zhongli teased as he pushed Childe back — this time,
the ginger looked defeated and didn't look like he had the energy to fight for dominance a
second time, but he still had some of the defiant resistance in his eyes. Zhongli couldn't have
that.
Zhongli ripped open the buttons to Childe's shirt, causing the ginger to whimper, feeling his
body getting exposed to the cool air. Zhongli licked his lips hungrily at the sight of Childe's
body, his perky nipples swollen and slightly bruised with the way Zhongli had played with
them.

Zhongli hooked his fingers around the waistband of his pants and pulled them off his legs,
and threw them to the side, leaving Childe in nothing but the useless, ruined button-up.

Zhongli attacked Childe's neck, licking, biting, and sucking on the skin like a feral animal
while his hands clawed at Childe's soft ass, leaving fingernail indents in the skin. "Easy... I'm
not going anywhere just yet," Childe whimpered, squirming, completely naked under his
client. He had never been overpowered and ravaged like this. It was unfamiliar territory,
compelling him to try for some power over Zhongli.

Zhongli left numerous red and blue splotches on Childe's skin in a matter of minutes as the
ginger whimpered and mewled whenever Zhongli's lips brushed over the sensitive parts of
his neck.

Childe was unfamiliar with this play; he liked being the one to leave marks on someone else's
skin. He normally hated anybody leaving even a dot on his skin, but he didn't mind all that
much with Zhongli considering the man looked near-ready to devour him; somehow, he felt
like this was tame compared to what the man was really capable of — he would rather stick
to the safe side.

Zhongli spun Childe around onto his stomach and grabbed the bowl that had just a few drops
of almond oil left.

He hooked his hand around Childe's thigh to pull his legs up until Childe's ass stuck in the air.
He smirked a little at the sight of Childe's twitching hole that waited for him readily. He
dripped the oil onto Childe's ass and used his thumb to spread it, making Childe shudder as a
few drops slipped down to his front, creating a tickling sensation along his thighs. Zhongli
pressed his finger inside Childe slowly and was surprised to find that it fit in quite easily.

His eyes narrowed, "How many other people have you done this with here?" Childe took a
shaky breath as Zhongli fit in two more of his fingers before it felt tight around his hand.

He pressed his other hand to Childe's ass and kneaded it gently at first before giving it a tight
squeeze that derived a lewd gasp from Childe as he buried his face into the sheet on the
massage bed. He tried to keep his confidence, but his voice caught in his throat as Zhongli's
fingers brushed over a sensitive spot inside him, "Too many to count— AH..! W-Why, are
you jealous?"

Childe looked back at him over his shoulder with a look that was daring Zhongli to be rough
with him, telling him silently to fuck him into the mattress of the massage bed until he was
the one who'd need a massage instead. No matter what Zhongli would do to him, he resolved
still have that infuriating smirk on his face like he'd won since they started. The smug
expression on Childe's face seemed to irritate Zhongli, but his eyes gleamed with enjoyment,
knowing he held the position of power.
Zhongli slammed his fingers roughly into Childe's prostate, and the ginger had to clamp his
hands over his mouth to muffle the scream that almost escaped him.

Zhongli looked satisfied with the noise he'd made and pulled out his fingers before he threw
Childe onto his back once more and placed his legs over his shoulders, his long hair tickling
Childe's thighs a little.

Childe looked at him with such a lewd expression, with his cheeks tinted pink and a few
drops of saliva drenched his chin from the messy kiss they'd had earlier. "Y-You're gonna take
me raw?"

Zhongli regarded him for a moment — as an adult, it would be the right thing to do to take
care of their safety. Zhongli leaned down and licked Childe's chin free of drool, making the
ginger blink a little with confusion, though his cock throbbed harder at the action.

"I'll give you my word that I'm clean... unless you have a condom right here, right now?"
Childe whimpered a little as Zhongli poked the tip of his cock against Childe's hole, making
the man flinch a little beneath him.

"Pocket, pants pocket," Childe whispered. Zhongli raised an eyebrow at him, seeing that
Childe had come prepared. He smirked at him and buried his face into Childe's neck, pressing
his legs hard into the bed until Childe's knees dipped into the bed on either side of his head.
He glanced at the floor where he'd discarded Childe's pants and licked his lips ferally, "It's too
far away, that's too bad, isn't it?"

Childe glared at him, but as he glanced down at Zhongli's cock slowly teasing his entrance,
he couldn't help his resolve faltering completely as he thought of taking such a cock in raw.

Childe wanted to feel every bulging vein of Zhongli's cock against his walls; he wanted to
feel how warm it was, how it would feel if he came inside Childe. He'd never allowed anyone
to cum inside him, but... there would be a first time for everything, wouldn't there?

Zhongli pecked Childe's neck before sitting up, pressing his hands into the back of Childe's
thighs as the ginger was completely folded and looking comfortable even with his legs pulled
up. "How flexible of you; it's like you were made to lay in such lewd positions," Zhongli
whispered, causing Childe's cheeks to turn red. Zhongli observed his blush with amusement,
thinking of how cute he looked. He couldn't hold back anymore as he rammed into Childe all
in one go, kissing him at the same time to muffle the scream of pain and pleasure he nearly
emitted as he struck his prostate head-on.

Zhongli found it very easy to locate his sweet spot with the way it made the cramped space
inside Childe even tighter, swollen with arousal.

"Aah... too-too much..!" Childe whimpered as Zhongli bit his lip, feeling completely
inebriated by Childe's warmth as the man beneath him whimpered and quivered, feeling so
full as Zhongli's cock hit his back sphincter. Zhongli began to pump his cock in and out of
Childe, making sure to go deep and slow to make Childe feel every inch of him as he buried
himself deep inside the man.
It was a shame that Childe couldn't handle him to his fullest, Zhongli would've gorged him
whole.

Childe was such a pretty sight, more drool dribbled from the corners of his mouth as it
opened and closed with his lips trembling violently. Childe would've loved it if Zhongli went
fast and hard on him, but this— this was better. He could feel Zhongli's cock scraping so well
against his walls, pushing deep inside his hole and poking deep into his prostate with every
push of his hips and making him scream and moan without a care for who might listen.

It didn't matter though; everyone, staff or regulars knew that Room 4 was never to be
disturbed.

Zhongli dug the tip of his cock deep into Childe's prostate and pressed his fingers to Childe's
perineum as he breathed deeply from the pleasure of being inside Childe. Seeing Childe's
lewd expression, Zhongli felt himself wanting to push Childe over the edge. He pressed his
thumb into Childe's taint, dipping deep under Childe's skin until he made Childe cry out, his
eyes widening as he felt himself ripping the sheets with his nails, ecstasy washing over him.
He could do nothing but babble incoherently, feeling utterly washed out, "What are you doing
t-to me...? F-Fuck..!"

"Oh? I would've expected a masseur to know," Zhongli teased, speaking his words between
gentle pants for breath, his face pink with inebriation, "I'm milking your prostate from
outside," He told Childe, feeling aroused at the expression on Childe's face as he choked,
trying to gasp for breath but being unable to.

Having his prostate pressed from two sides made the purest form of ecstasy fill Childe's
stomach, unable to think straight, moaning Zhongli's name, "Fuck, fuck— Zhongli!! Ah!"
Zhongli licked his lips at the delicious moans Childe emitted with a gleeful smirk at how
vulnerable the bratty ginger looked under him. He picked up speed, slamming into Childe's
prostate faster from the inside while his fingers still worked on deeply massaging Childe's
perineum to make him feel twice the pleasure.

If he had a third hand, he would stroke Childe's cock as well but he decided that even the
pleasure he was giving Childe now was enough, given the expression the ginger wore on his
beautiful face.

Precum began to spill from the tip of Childe's cock as Zhongli milked his prostate well,
making tears spill from Childe's eyes as he threw his head back and moaned Zhongli's name
again. Zhongli grabbed Childe by the ankles and extended Childe's legs to their full length,
holding them up on either of his shoulders. He bit Childe's leg and sucked a red bruise onto it
with a small smirk as he observed Childe's tears, "I-I'm close..." Childe whispered, his voice
cracking a little with the force that Zhongli used to ram into him.

He couldn't think straight; every thought had been fucked out of his mind with the pleasure
he felt and he wanted nothing more than to feel like this forever.

No one had ever taken him so hard and good, no one had given him this same sense of
exhilaration before. Childe gasped as he felt a knot tightening in his stomach before unfurling
and he came all over his stomach — he smiled with pleasure, satisfaction, and the feeling of
ecstasy that washed over him.

He let out a long, dragged-out moan though he barely heard it. Zhongli listened with great
interest, watching Childe smile with a look of enjoyment dancing in his eyes. What an
interesting person Childe was, looking so gleeful as his orgasm washed over him.

"You make a good stress reliever," Zhongli whispered to Childe as he pounded into him still
more forcefully, not even trying to dig into his prostate but doing so anyway and making even
more cum spurt from Childe's cock.

Childe shook a little from the intense orgasm; his insides felt so sensitive to Zhongli's cock;
he felt like every attack made inside him was driving him closer and closer to the edge.
Zhongli's cock twitched inside of him and Childe squirmed a little; he couldn't handle it
anymore, his insides burned for release, and his abused cock didn't think it could stand again
but Zhongli still pounded into him ruthlessly, chasing his own orgasm.

He whimpered Zhongli's name, begging him to come quickly, that he couldn't take it
anymore. Zhongli merely smirked and ran his finger over Childe's abused nipple with sadistic
enjoyment. His breathing constricted; he was getting close as well. He could feel the heat
building up inside his lower abdomen and groaned quietly, waiting for his release as he
thrashed harder into Childe and made him cry out. Zhongli bit his lip harshly to conceal a
moan of pleasure as he reached his high and pulled out at just the last second to cum all over
Childe's inner thighs.

White dotted his vision as his hands fell with Childe's ankles still clutched between his
fingers. He sat between Childe's legs, panting for breath as his high wore off and he was able
to see Childe clearly again.

The ginger sat up and glared at him, "Why didn't you cum inside?" Zhongli stared at him
with bafflement, "What's the point of having you raw if you don't cum inside?!" Childe
complained. Zhongli thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but he didn't think he was
out of it enough to hear things. Childe, a stranger, wanted Zhongli, a stranger, to cum inside
of him? A smile curled on Zhongli's lip and he wrapped his hands around Childe's waist and
lay back down, pulling him on top of himself as the ginger pouted.

"Well, we could go again," Zhongli told him and Childe blushed and glanced at the clock.

"No, it's past your hour and I have another appointment in fifteen minutes," Zhongli caressed
Childe's thigh, slowly moving his hand back to Childe's ass to lift him onto his knees and
made him hover over his cock.

Childe's eyes widened as he realized what Zhongli was thinking of doing, "Fifteen minutes is
all it is going to take," The man whispered and sank him onto his hardening length again.

Childe gasped as he clawed at Zhongli's chest. What had he gotten himself into with a man
like this?
Chapter End Notes

@the people who read my xiao/aether as well, do you prefer rough and uncaring Xiao or
gentle and considerate Xiao? I plan to make the next prompt rather angsty so it all
depends on which side of Xiao I choose to portray, the Yaksha Alatus or the I'm-sweet-
to-only-the-traveler-and-no-one-else Xiao. Please let me know, and also tell me what
you think of this chapter! <3
 Multiple Orgasm (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Heavy angst, omegaverse, slight non-con, mentions of blood, mentions of

abuse.

Forced into marriage and forced to bear Xiao's child, Aether finds himself torn between
pushing Xiao away or pulling him closer on his wedding night.

Chapter Notes

Oof, I have no words for this one. I think I missed a few warnings, but please note that
this chapter can be sensitive to the heart. In the morning, I'll likely wake up and reread
this and add a few more details to help make it less stiff. I've never written angst like this
before, and I don't know whether I'll try again, but it took me forever trying to pan this
out, so I'm sorry it's quite late.

Also heats aren't important to this story!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

It was pin-drop silent as Aether walked down the aisle, passing rows of seats full of
commoners, royals, and rulers that were staring at him as he passed by. He kept his gaze
pinned to the floor as he walked towards the altar, holding a bouquet of white qingxin
flowers.

The ground that he walked on was covered with a white carpet littered with petals of more
qingxin flowers, his pure white robes shone a little in the bright lighting of the hall. Pure
sadness, that was all he felt, crossing the room towards his husband-to-be. The thought left a
bitter taste in Aether's mouth. There was a lump in his throat, and his eyes were puffy from
crying while getting ready for his wedding day.

This wasn't what he wanted. He had dreamed of a day like this, yes, but this was not how he
imagined it. Aether should have been happy to hear his wedding bells ringing, he should've
been wearing a big smile on his face as he walked to the altar towards the one he loved. He
should've looked glamorous on his wedding day, but that wasn't far from the truth.

He looked perfect, he wore a white, traditional Liyuean Hanfu that trailed behind him on the
floor, with long embroidered sleeves that hung off his fingertips. A white corset was tied
around his waist, securing the robes around him along with a white sash crossing his body.
His blonde hair had been tied back in a neat bun with qingxin flowers pressed into them. He
didn't feel beautiful, however, because he didn't want to be here.

Aether dared to raise his eyes as he was halfway down the aisle and felt tears brim the edges
of his eyes as he saw the man standing next to the priest. The prince, next-in-line to be king
of Liyue, a man whom he had seen for the first time only that morning, the one he was meant
to be wedded to.

He didn't dare use the word married for Xiao and himself, marriage was a sacred thing based
on love. All this was, was a wedding, a formality, an event held for Aether's family to sell
him to the royals of Liyue to bear Xiao an alpha to lead the era after Xiao's. This wasn't a
marriage of love because Aether barely knew Xiao's name, but the cold look in his eyes told
him everything he needed to know about Xiao as he stared back at him without the slightest
semblance of melancholy.

Aether almost laughed right then and there in front of hundreds of people, why should Xiao
feel melancholic? He was an alpha, he was not the one selling his body, he held the position
of power over Aether. Xiao was losing nothing, while Aether was losing everything. The one
chance he had at love, the one chance at happiness, to get away from his family. He slowly
tilted his head to the front row on the benches on one side of the room, where Xiao's family
sat. The king, Morax, and his husband, Childe, were the only ones Aether recognized because
they were the ones who had scouted him.

Aether looked to the other side and his mouth dried up, his family sat there. His eyes softened
at the sight of Lumine watching him, crying softly into their mother's arms, his mother, too,
had tears in her eyes. Only his father sat there with a stone-cold expression on his face. It was
almost as if he wasn't the one who was selling his son to the heir of another country to get
bred like livestock. Aether took a shaking breath to steady himself and smiled at Lumine,
trying to convey a silent message that he was alright, that he would be okay.

But he knew that he was lying, he didn't know what would happen to him after today, all he
knew was that he would never live a life of peace again, he didn't even know if he would ever
be able to see Lumine again. Aether turned his gaze back to the front, steeling himself not to
run away, only fear of the man in front of him and his father was the thing that kept his feet
moving. He finally stepped onto the altar, once again shifting his gaze to the floor, unable to
look into Xiao's golden eyes that never left his figure.

He couldn't fathom why a man who looked so nonchalant and aloof would stare at him as
such. After all, all alphas only looked down on him like he was filth or prey. He didn't care to
look up and see what emotion Xiao was looking at him with as he stood opposite of Xiao.
The priest began his sermon, welcoming them both to their wedding day and blessing the
divine gods for bringing Aether and Xiao together. Aether almost laughed bitterly, he cursed
the gods for making him stand here today.

The priest could find nothing else to say, seeing the stony looks on Xiao and Aether's faces as
if they would rather die than be here, which wasn't far from the truth on Aether's part. "Join
your hands to honor your consent to marriage before the gods, make clear your intentions of
entering into marriage." Aether couldn't bring himself to let go of the bouquet he held to his
chest. His fingers had a deathly grip on the stems of the qingxins, if the circumstances for
normal, Aether would've felt terrible for crushing such beautiful flowers in the palms of his
hands.

A hand entered into his line of sight as he kept his gaze pinned to the floor, feeling his body
beginning to shake all over. The hand belonged to Xiao, reaching out to grasp his hand that
was clutched still more tightly around the bouquet. Xiao brushed his fingers over his hands
before gently prying his fingers off the flowers. Aether flinched but didn't move back, the
touch wasn't as rough as he thought it would be, Xiao didn't try to wrench his hand into his
own but patiently tried to free it to take in his palm.

Slowly, Aether allowed his fingers to relax around the flowers until Xiao was able to clasp
his palm over Aether's, tugging him closer until he could comfortably join their hands in front
of each other. Aether hadn't realized he had backed up until he was pulled nearly half-an-arm
away from Xiao. Xiao nudged his head up with his free hand, startling Aether to make him
look up at him. Aether's lips parted as his eyes met Xiao's. "Look at me," He told him in a
low voice, underlying force applied to his words to get Aether to listen.

Unlike his gentle touch, Xiao had a harsh glare on his face, his bright, intimidating golden
eyes narrowed. The man was beautiful, to say the least, with two-toned black and green hair.
He had a sharp jaw that was slightly clenched with the expression of indifference. This was
the first time Aether had looked at him properly, having only met for a brief second earlier
that day. Aether took a shaking breath as the priest called for Aether to give Xiao his vows, as
the omega in their relationship, the second omega to enter the royal Liyuean family.

He remembered the words his mother had drilled into his mind earlier, telling him that he had
to lie in order to stay safe. He closed his eyes to stop the tears welling in his eyes from
falling, "I, Aether, take you, Xiao, to be my husband, my mate, and my alpha." Aether let out
a deep breath, he didn't want to say these words, he didn't want any of them to be true. "I
promise to take care of you in sickness and in health, I--" Aether's voice cracked at the
thought of the last two lines.

He wanted to get them off his tongue, he wanted to just blurt it all out and be done with it, but
the lump in his throat grew unbearable. He opened his watery eyes, trying to take deep
breaths to find the heart to continue, but at the sight of Xiao's eyes, glaring back into his own
like he was a disappointment, there was nothing Aether could do to stop the dam of tears in
his eyes from breaking.

Fat tears began to roll down his cheeks as he continued, "I promise to bear you a healthy
son... and-- and" Aether began to sob in front of everyone, "I will love you in good times and
in bad... and will honor you until death does us apart." The priest nodded, everyone skillfully
ignored the way he cried, no one in the room spoke to defend him, to free him of this burden,
this responsibility he had just been endowed with. Lumine had their mother's hand clasped
around her mouth as she gazed at him, both women had tears freely flowing down their
cheeks as they watched their beloved son and brother cry.

Aether tried to will himself to stop but ended up crying harder, sobbing quietly and unable to
wipe his tears with both his hands occupied. A pair of gold rings were brought to them by a
young girl who Aether had learned was Qiqi earlier that day, and she took the bouquet from
him to allow them to take up the rings. Xiao took one ring, Aether took the other. Xiao held
Aether's shaking hand up and slid the ring onto his ring finger, his touch gentle, then allowed
Aether to take his right hand in his own to do the same.

A drop of Aether's tears landed on Xiao's hand as the priest gave the final announcement,
"May the Gods shower their blessings unto you, may the gods honor the union of two nations
and allow us to celebrate the creation of a new life tonight. It is my honor to pronounce you,
Alpha and Omega," There was clapping in the hall as Xiao tugged Aether closer to himself
by his hand, wrapping an arm around his waist while his other hand reached up to hold his
cheek, wiping the tears off of them. He gave Aether one last look, a look that told Aether
nothing about the way he was feeling, before he kissed him.

***

Aether tightened his grip around Xiao as he held Aether in his arms while climbing up a
flight of steps, leaving behind the sound of the chattering hall. The wedding ceremony was
over, and Aether didn't know whether to feel happy about being away from the people's
overbearing glances or to let his real fear for what comes next set in. He held Xiao with a
death grip, fearing that the man would drop him on purpose, but he expected it, he expected
Xiao to treat him like shit.

He bit back tears again like he had all night, all throughout the ceremony, he had been
dreading this moment throughout the whole time he'd sat next to Xiao at the royal's table.
Aether had been warned beforehand by the king, Morax, about the laws of Liyue. He took a
shaking breath, he couldn't do it, he couldn't allow a stranger, an alpha no less, to have his
body. Aether had a pink blush on his face as he laid pliant in Xiao's arms, though he
desperately rubbed his cheeks, trying to get it off his face. Xiao carried him like a bride, his
long hanfu hanging off his legs, past his feet, and brushing against the ground even while he
was being carried.

The wedding guests had seen the couple off, and Xiao was forced to carry Aether away from
the hall. The alpha didn't look at him, he kept his eyes fixed in front of him while Aether
almost drowned himself in thoughts, trying to wrap his mind around what was going to
happen next. He felt his bottom lip quivering a little as he clutched the back of Xiao's pure
black Hanfu, he feared the man would let him go and allow him to tumble onto the floor at
any given second. "You... you can put me down now," Aether said, wanting to get out of
Xiao's arms as fast as possible before he got the idea of throwing him to the floor,

Aether feared that his frail body would break under the pressure after being near-starved for
three weeks while living under his father's roof. Xiao ignored him completely, only giving
him a glance to shut him up. The whole time they'd spent at their wedding, sat next to each
other, they hadn't looked at one another even once, Aether chose to keep to himself, mostly
keeping Lumine by his side before she would have to leave. He had tried to comfort his
hysterical twin but to no avail. She felt utter hatred for their father for doing this to Aether,
and Aether would be lying if he said he didn't feel the same way.

Their father... their father was the ruler of a faraway land. He had married an alpha woman,
the twins' mother, checking their mother's family tree down to every detail to ensure that
there was no omega in her lineage. He expected pure alpha children and was once ecstatic
when his wife was declared to be having twins. In his sights, omegas were nothing but the
dirt he walked on, made for nothing but breeding, especially male omegas, that had the
ability to procreate.

When Aether and Lumine were born, Lumine was declared an alpha, and their father was
ecstatic, expecting the same from Aether, but he wasn't so lucky. He presented himself as an
omega at age three, and his father had nearly killed him in a fit of rage, declaring there would
be no omega scum in his palace. Only the insistence of his court and Aether's mother swayed
him, and he was sent to live with his grandmother on his mother's side, though Lumine and
his mother were allowed to see him. He lived peacefully for twenty years, he left behind his
past and lived a solitary lifestyle save for his mother, his sister, and grandmother, he was
happy, even if he couldn't go outside because people would shun his existence and throw
rocks at him for being a male omega.

He managed to stay at peace with his life, he decided that it would all be okay as long as he
was never forced to do anything against his will. Of course, that wouldn't be able to happen if
he never left the house, right? He thought so as well... until three weeks ago, when his father
came to see him for the first time in twenty years, not to apologize, not to reclaim him as his
son, but to sell him to Liyue.

The King of Liyue, the most illustrious kingdom when it came to trade and commerce, had
come to see him, asking for a daughter or an omega to wed to the king's brother, next in line
to the throne, looking for a suitable spouse that could provide Xiao with an alpha child.
Aether's father refused to hand Lumine over to them, she was his heir, after all, but he didn't
want to damage his ties to Liyue, he feared that his refusal would anger the King, Morax, and
he would cut their nation off. In Lumine's place, he offered him Aether's virginity, Aether
would suffice for Xiao, he could bear him children, which was the most important thing for
the spouse of a king, wasn't it?

Aether had no choice in the matter, it was either his life or marriage to a stranger. His father
had threatened to kill him if he refused, claiming that it was his grace that allowed Aether to
live for twenty-three years. He loathed his father for that, and he wanted to hate Xiao just as
much, but he couldn't find the loathing in his heart for a stranger who had no say in it either,
no matter how scared he was of what was to come. But Xiao wouldn't have to suffer as much
as he would.

As much as he hated everything in the world for his shitty luck, he couldn't give up on living,
he was afraid of dying. He chose to go with the safer option, and now here he was, on his
wedding day, ready to have his virginity taken from him, ready to be bred like livestock and
bear Xiao's first child. He couldn't live with the thought, he couldn't live with the thought that
he was required to not only consummate his marriage with Xiao but also bear his child on
their first night together.

The thought almost sent him into a spiral of tears again, but he breathed to steady himself,
and Xiao ignored him, merely continuing towards their bedroom. Aether's mouth dried at the
word 'their', there was no 'they' for the newly-weds, there was no 'we' with Xiao. He didn't
love Xiao, and Xiao didn't love him, yet they were required by law to have children before
Xiao even took up the throne. Finally, Xiao stopped in front of a grand, oak door and
balanced Aether on one arm, making the blonde cling to him for dear life, to open the door.
Xiao stepped inside, and Aether's mouth dried as he saw the lavish bedroom they had walked
into. This was Xiao's room, and now this would be his room as well. He began to shake at the
thought as Xiao slowly lowered him to his feet. Aether stumbled on his shaky legs, but Xiao
held him up with his arms still around Aether's waist. The blonde tilted his gaze up to look at
Xiao and flinched when he found him finally looking at him. They were so close, too close
for Aether's comfort and Aether felt himself beginning to shake harder with fear, knowing
Xiao would be pushing him onto the bed and taking his virginity any second now.

He couldn't help begging, he couldn't help wanting to run away, he couldn't help trying to pry
himself out of Xiao's arms, "Please, let me go for tonight, I-- I can't do this, not right now,
please.." Aether begged, his voice trembled as he fought against Xiao's arms, though the man
didn't budge one bit. Aether was too weak to go against an alpha, he found his strength
failing him as Xiao pulled him tighter against his body, not letting go, "I can't." Xiao said in
his ear, his voice soft, gentler now as he saw Aether on the verge of another breakdown.

Aether's lips quivered as he stopped fighting it, trying desperately to hold back tears. He also
knew that Xiao couldn't let him go, it was law to consummate a royal's marriage, it was law
that the day a royal is wed, they must make preparations to have their first child. Aether
couldn't help falling into Xiao's embrace and beginning to sob, he felt amused at the irony of
it all, he was crying in the arms of the one person he supposed he should be running from.

"I won't hurt you," Xiao whispered, trying to offer some semblance of comfort, "I won't do
anything that you don't like, I'll make you feel good," Aether cried into his shoulder, holding
onto his robes with a vice-like grip and sobbed, "Liar, you-- you alphas don't care about us,
you don't care whether it hurts me or not, so just stop lying to me, all you want from me is
my body," Aether's heart tore apart at his own words, he didn't want to believe them but it
was true. All his life, if he ever went to the village in his grandma's place, he would be
shunned, he would have things thrown at him, he would be beaten and he would always be
grateful that he was never coerced.

And all for what? Because he was born an omega male, born with the ability to procreate. He
took a shaking breath as Xiao held him tighter, not enough to hurt but enough to give him a
sense of comfort. "You will be the father of my child, I'll take care of you, I won't lay a finger
to hurt you," Xiao said as gently as he could, but Aether's intense emotions made him unleash
his pheromones, it made it difficult for Xiao to think, made it difficult for him to keep a leash
on himself.

This was what he feared most, the fact that omegas had more power than they thought, the
power to make an alpha lose their minds and destroy everything in sight for them with just
their scent. That was the way Xiao was feeling, he felt like destroying anything and
everything that made Aether cry like this. He didn't even know Aether, but he felt such a
strong, protective surge over him, he didn't know what to do with himself, he didn't want to
see him cry. He knew Aether would misunderstand, knew just from the way he cried that he
would hate Xiao for getting hard at his pheromones.

He would think that really, all he wanted from him was his body but it wasn't true. Xiao was
not an affectionate person, and he would never be one, he didn't desire Aether's love just yet,
but they were married now, they would be spending the rest of their lives by each other's
sides, they would have children together. Xiao looked forward to a life with a lover and not
just for sex, though he didn't think Aether would understand that, nor did he know how to
explain it.

He wanted to fall in love with Aether and he wanted Aether to love him back, otherwise, life
would be difficult if they lived together in this room in resentment. Xiao took a shaking
breath. He hated how terrible he was at feelings, he hated the itch he got in his fingers to rip
the wedding hanfu off of Aether's body and breed him into the mattress. He hated that it was
in his nature as an alpha to treat Aether like a fucktoy, but he would do his best to go against
it. "I'll be gentle with you," Xiao tugged Aether back by tugging at the clip secured to his
hair, pulling it off and allowing his locks to fall from their bun majestically over his shoulder.

Xiao cupped his face with one hand, the other still secured around his waist. He observed the
tears streaming down his face and slowly began to lean forward, trying not to spook the
blonde. Aether allowed him to place a gentle peck on his cheek, breaking the stream of
teardrops. Aether's eyes widened at the sweet and gentle gesture, he had been expecting Xiao
to do many things, but this wasn't one of them. He didn't expect him to place his first real kiss
on Aether's body on his cheek.

Xiao began to kiss down Aether's jawline his hand slowly falling from Aether's face once he
was sure the blonde wouldn't shy away from him. His hands fell to Aether's body, slowly
swishing around his waist before moving up his back, his grip firm but gentle, making sure
Aether could feel everything he was doing so there would be no element of surprise between
them. Xiao pulled back from Aether's jaw and gazed at his lips, noting how soft and plump
they were, they had been nice to kiss earlier. His eyes flicked up to look into Aether's golden
ones, and the man flinched, he wasn't crying anymore, but his heart hammered in his chest
against Xiao's.

"I can't recreate the perfect wedding of your dreams," Xiao started, his hands sliding to
Aether's front to run his fingers firmly against Aether's chest, down to his abs before gripping
his hips again, "But I can make sure that this day won't fully be a bad memory for you." Xiao
took a breath, gathering his courage and willing himself not to get mad if Aether pushes him
away.

He gripped Aether's chin and placed an experimental kiss on Aether's neck, pressing his lips
over a spot above his adam's apple. Aether took a shaking breath, he didn't know what to do.
He had never had anyone kiss him like this, he had never been held by a male alpha such as
Xiao, with his dominating presence that made Aether weak in the knees. He hated how
vulnerable he felt, he hated that he could be so easily subdued in a manner of seconds.

He hated his body for being weak to Xiao's touch, how he allowed Xiao to kiss him so easily.
Another onslaught of tears began to drip down his cheeks as he held onto Xiao for dear life.
Xiao began to move forward, propelling Aether to move back, gently urging him towards the
bed. Gently, he would have to make an effort to keep that word within his line of sight, to
make sure he didn't forget that he had to deal with Aether in that way. It made Aether
nervous, the way Xiao slowly guided him back until he took a seat at the edge of the bed,
holding Aether between his parted thighs.
He began to shake again, his fingers beginning to tremble as Aether realized he was falling
into Xiao's play, and he began to lose the little surge of excited confidence he had in him, the
small bit of hope he had that Xiao wouldn't force him. His hands fell to his sides. How did he
get swayed so easily? Perhaps it was him beginning to warm up to the idea of being with
someone, of not living in solitude constantly, of being held by an alpha lovingly. Of course,
Xiao would never love him, and he would never love Xiao. He couldn't love an alpha whom
he was sold to, whose child he would be forced to carry on their first night together.

He began to feel fear again, seeing Xiao sitting in front of him, watching him with calculating
eyes as if he had been expecting this of Aether. Aether tried to shuffle back, but Xiao was
faster, reaching out to grasp his wrist and gave a sharp tug on Aether towards himself. Aether
fell into his lap, his eyes widening as Xiao wrapped his arms around his frail frame. A new
scent began to surround him, making him go completely rigid with fear, shock, or the
slightest bit of comfort.

He didn't know which it was as he sniffed the air. Xiao was beginning to release pheromones
as well, his scent was like the qingxin flowers he was holding earlier, it was almost
comforting, the way an alpha's natural scent would be the same as beautiful flowers. They
drew Aether in, slowly making the strength to fight Xiao's hold leave his body, Aether gritted
his teeth, he truly was helpless. He hated it, hated the way Xiao could subdue him with just a
flick of his wrist. The man knew that forcing Aether into it would produce the opposite effect
to the one that he wanted, but they couldn't afford to stop.

If Aether didn't fulfill his duty as Xiao's omega to bear him a child, things wouldn't go well.
The court would rule against him, and he would be killed. After all, in the sights of many, an
omega's only purpose was to breed, and if they didn't do that, then they didn't need to be kept
alive. He didn't want Aether to be killed, he didn't even know him, but seeing the fleeting
look in his eyes, the fear in them, the sadness, his sorrow, he wanted to give him a good life.
He wanted to see what Aether looked like when he smiled, he wanted to see what he would
look like, well-fed, happy, and healthy. He wanted to take care of him, to show him a new
light to life. If that meant shooting a child inside of him first, then so be it, he would put in
his best effort to make Aether happy, to make him fall in love with Xiao, and he would make
everything up to him starting tomorrow to the rest of their lives. He wouldn't stop until he
saw Aether smile at him.

Xiao pushed him into the mattress and pinned Aether down, unable to help the lust he felt for
his body, he wanted to hear him moaning and see him writhing beneath him. He reached his
hand up to the corset securing Aether's white robes to his body, but stopped midway as he
saw the look in Aether's eye.

He sighed and sat back on the balls of his feet and began to strip himself first, to give Aether
a sense of comfort knowing that Xiao didn't want him to feel anxious. He untied the black
sash around his waist, pulling it off his body and discarding it to the floor. He unclasped the
collar of his hanfu and wrenched it open, revealing his body to Aether as the top and dress
opened for Aether's sights. Aether looked at him through his blurred vision, gazing at Xiao's
body. Xiao was very well built, as expected of an alpha, his body was strong with muscles
pushing out from every millimeter of his skin.
Xiao shrugged his hanfu off his shoulders and discarded it, leaving himself bare in nothing
but his undergarments. He decided that Aether was ready, seeing the way the blonde eyed his
body even through his fearful tears. Xiao leaned over Aether's body and planted a soft kiss on
his cheek again, one of his hands reached up to Aether's face, wiping his tears with his thumb
with a featherweight touch. His other arm kept him hovering above Aether, afraid that his
weight would crush Aether's frail body, fearing it would crack under even the slightest bit of
pressure.

He let his free hand trail down Aether's body with his fingertips, keeping contact to a
minimum to avoid spooking the upset blonde. He hooked his fingers around his corset,
unpinning it and allowing it to loosen around Aether's body, leaving the white robes of his
hanfu loose as he discarded the corset and pulled the sash away from his shoulders. Aether's
hanfu was left open, resting loosely over his body and keeping it covered, waiting for Xiao to
push it out of the way. So Xiao did, he pressed his palm to Aether's waist, pushing the robes
off his body, revealing his milky-smooth skin to Xiao. Aether's body was thin and slim, and it
made Xiao bitter, wondering how little he'd been fed to have lost so much weight. He
resolved to make it better, but right now, he would cherish his body, he would make him feel
loved. He would be gentle. Gentle.

Xiao kissed down Aether's body, not yet taking in the full sight of his body, knowing they
both were in a fragile state of mind that could easily break. If Xiao looked at an omega's
body, especially an omega as beautiful as Aether was, he didn't dare to think what he would
do, he didn't dare underestimate his instincts. He wasn't good at holding back, he wasn't good
at affection, wasn't good at showing emotions.

He feared he would do something that would hurt Aether, he didn't know how to handle such
a fragile man, didn't know how to take care of him, but he would try. He trailed kisses down
to his chest and allowed his hands to venture up to grip them, groping the skin and making
Aether shiver a little. He pressed his index fingers into Aether's nipples on either side, feeling
them harden almost immediately under his touch and taking a deep breath to calm himself as
he licked a spot between Aether's pecs.

Aether suppressed a moan at the feeling, his eyes widening a little as he felt waves of shock
run through his body at the feeling of Xiao rolling the buds of his nipples between his fingers.
He continued down until he reached Aether's stomach, pressing his kisses to each of Aether's
ribs that poked through his skin, his hands still working on stimulating his nipples. He bit his
tongue to keep from biting and marking the skin, glancing up at Aether as the blonde pressed
a hand to his mouth to stop his noises of pleasure. Xiao wished he wouldn't hold himself
back, but at the same time, he was glad that Aether tried not to moan, he didn't trust himself
to stay sane if he heard him moaning for him so prettily.

He felt his erection stand prouder in his boxers at the prospect. Finally, Xiao reached the
waistband of Aether's white underwear and bit his lip. It did little to hide Aether's body, and
he saw the outline of the man's cock bulging out of the material. He licked his lips, glad to
know that he had gotten Aether hard at least, as he pulled his fingers away from his nipples.
Aether almost whined at the loss of touch and nearly hit himself for yearning for more.
Gods, how he hated his body for reacting so needily despite his mind's wishes to push Xiao
away. He couldn't say no to Xiao, he knew he wouldn't listen, but he thought that he could at
least keep from enjoying it, but here he was, wanting more of Xiao's sweet and gentle touch.
Xiao hooked his fingers around Aether's underwear and began to pull it down, pulling it off
Aether's legs until he could discard it off to the side. Aether's hanfu still laid under him,
hanging off his shoulders, he didn't try to take it off, feeling the slightest semblance of
comfort from the fabric against his skin, even though his whole body was open for Xiao to
see.

Xiao didn't hesitate to kiss Aether's cock as it stood up, freed from its confinement. The
sudden action surprised Aether, who let out a moan of pleasure without thinking about it, his
hips bucking a little into the touch. Xiao licked his lips at the action, it gave him a great sense
of enjoyment to know how sensitive Aether's body was. He hooked his arms around Aether's
thighs, pulling them up to rest on his shoulders as he shifted his gaze down past Aether's
cock. He smirked a little at the sight of slick spread around Aether's ass. He was glad that
Aether was feeling turned on.

He wondered what it would taste like, he felt the urge to taste every inch of Aether's body
with his tongue, but he didn't want Aether to flinch away. Things were going well, Aether
wasn't actively trying to push him away, nor was he crying anymore, Xiao didn't want to do
anything to upset him. He took a shaking breath and shifted his hands down to Aether's ass,
cupping it softly and kneading it a little. Aether jolted at the feeling, his hands flying to hold
onto Xiao's arms for support, his eyes blown wide with startlement. Xiao kissed Aether's
inner thigh, "I won't hurt you," He whispered, "I'll make sure you feel good," Xiao knew he
had to push it even despite the frightened look in Aether's eyes, knowing that now that they
had started, there was no turning back.

Especially now, when his brain was intoxicated on his pheromones, he didn't know whether
he would be able to walk away from Aether as he was now. He wanted to be inside Aether,
he wanted to shoot his seed inside him, make him carry his children, and impregnate the
omega. He pushed his fingers between Aether's cheeks, his other hand pushing into Aether's
chest to keep him pinned to the bed. Aether juddered at the feeling, feeling his body shaking
as he tried to sit up to stop Xiao. He held himself back, knowing he couldn't stop him.

"P-Please," Aether whimpered futilely, feeling Xiao's fingers prodding at his hole, coating
themselves in his juices to lube them up and make sure that he wouldn't feel pain. "I won't
hurt you," Xiao repeated himself, gazing at Aether's lips again. He'd kissed nearly every bit
of Aether's body, all around his front, his legs, his cock. Now, there was only one thing left
for him to kiss. He leaned forward, pinning Aether fully to the bed by pressing his body up
against the blonde's and pressing his lips to Aether's.

He felt something snap inside of him, and he immediately pushed a finger inside Aether's
tight hole, unable to wait any longer to feel his insides. Aether squeaked into his lips, his eyes
wide as he felt Xiao kissing him. Aether wrapped his arms around Xiao's neck, not kissing
him back but not pushing him away. He felt uncomfortable, having a foreign object poking
inside his hole, and began to shake as he held onto Xiao tightly. He didn't know what to do,
how to react.
He didn't want to enjoy the feeling of Xiao's lips on his, he didn't want to hold onto him, but
he did, his body bent according to Xiao's will. Aether would never admit it out loud, but he
didn't know the first thing about kissing, he didn't know how to kiss anyone, he had never
even fathomed the idea of kissing anyone like, much less having sex and getting pregnant.
Xiao pulled away, gazing into Aether's eyes. He didn't mind Aether not kissing him back, he
knew Aether was torn between his body and mind, but he continued, knowing that if they put
all these things behind them, one day he could kiss Aether for real.

He twisted his finger inside Aether, pressing inside around Aether's walls, trying to look for
the spot he'd heard about, the one that could make omegas crazy with pleasure. He would
find it, he would make Aether feel good. Xiao thrust his finger inside Aether up to his
knuckles, rocking the blonde's body with the force. Aether cried out as Xiao's fingers hit a
special spot inside him, his prostate. White clouded his vision from the sudden pleasure that
flooded his body, and he gasped, clawing at Xiao's bare back, his nails digging into his skin
and cutting it a little.

Xiao smirked, there it was, so it existed. He began to press into that spot, it felt squishy, the
surface of the muscle over it was softer than the rest, and it drove Aether wild with pleasure
to be pressed there like Xiao was pressing a button. He kicked his legs out, involuntarily
wrapping them around Xiao's waist and moaning his name loudly, "A-Ah! Xiao..--" He
realized what he was doing and immediately pressed one of the many pillows on the bed over
his face to block out the moans.

Xiao's eyes were wide with lust as Aether's voice played over and over in his head. He licked
his lips, his ears yearning to hear more of Aether's voice, more of his moans of pleasure,
more of his name rolling off the blonde's tongue. He slowly pried the pillow away from
Aether, "Moan for me," he told him as he added a second finger inside him, grunting a little
at how tight it was around his fingers. He pushed deep inside, pressing into the same spot
more harshly to draw a loud moan from the omega beneath him. Aether blushed terribly, he
didn't know he was capable of making such sounds, but it felt so damn good, he couldn't help
it, he couldn't even think to reprimand himself for it.

His thoughts were incoherent from the sheer pleasure that flooded through his body,
overpowering the pain he felt from the stretch of Xiao's fingers as they parted themselves
inside him, curled against his prostate. "Hnngh...!" Aether whined as he left scratch marks on
Xiao's back. Xiao fucked his fingers into him, making him cry and whimper, wishing to stop
his noises of pleasure. He bit into Xiao's shoulder, and the man hissed with pain but didn't try
to stop him, feeling Aether's plump lips on his skin. He liked the feeling, liked the way
Aether hummed with satisfaction at the taste of his blood as his fangs ripped into his skin.

Xiao pulled out, feeling his impatience doubling at the feeling of Aether's teeth digging into
his shoulder. He wanted to be inside Aether right away. Xiao pulled back, wrapping his hands
around Aether's thighs, and pulled them off his waist. For the first time, he took a proper look
at Aether's body. His mouth watered a little at the sight. Aether was beautiful.

He had tears in his half-lidded eyes, and his hanfu had fallen to his elbows, his nipples stood
to attention, slightly red and swollen from the way Xiao had played with them earlier, his
pretty pink cock standing against his stomach. His ass had gotten wetter, his slick had spread
around to his cheeks, and Xiao licked his lips with lust. He could devour Aether right now.
He wanted to fuck deep into him, he wanted to fuck him all night until he was begging him to
stop, but he would have to exercise caution for tonight, he needed for Aether to get pregnant.

Xiao took a shaking breath, he didn't think he could've gotten more aroused, but he did, his
cock grew bigger in his tight briefs as he took in Aether's scent. Xiao pulled down his boxers
and slowly kicked them off his legs. He took the moment to calm himself, his heart had
begun to race, the feeling of ferality was foreign to Xiao, but it made it easier to control
himself, knowing this was out of the ordinary for him. He spread Aether's legs wide, licking
his lips animalistically at the sight of him spread out for him.

He could get used to the sight. But there was an obstacle between him and Aether. Aether's
fear. He would have to work hard to get Aether to open up, he would have to work twice as
hard to get Aether to trust him, thrice as hard if he wanted Aether to fall in love with him. All
that would come in due time. He would put in the effort when the time came, right now, all
he could do was make Aether feel good. He kissed Aether's thigh, lining himself up with
Aether's hole and making him flinch, looking down at him with an expression that he tried to
morph into a soft look.

"I will do everything I can to make you feel good. Give me a healthy child, hm?" Xiao
pressed his hips forward and entered Aether, pushing his cock against his wet hole and
stretching him wide. Aether's eyes shut tightly as he wailed with pain, clutching tightly at the
velvet sheets as his back arched. He gasped as more tears welled up in his eyes, feeling Xiao
pushing inside him inch by inch, bit by bit, trying his best to be gentle, to keep himself from
thrusting inside of him all in one go. He leaned down and pecked Aether's cheek, "It's okay,
you're doing good,"

Xiao breathed though he barely heard his own voice, it sounded so far away, he couldn't
focus on anything but the warmth enveloped around his most sensitive organ, his head spun a
little. All he could see was Aether under him, looking back up at him with his glittering gold
eyes that reflected the same lust that shone in Xiao's. Xiao wrapped his hands around
Aether's scrawny wrists as he buried himself fully inside of him up to the base of his cock.
He let out a breath, trying to ground himself, trying to get his mind to stop spinning at the
immense, wet warmth clamped around his cock.

Aether took a gasping breath, he felt Xiao's cock hitting places he hadn't thought possible, he
didn't know how to deal with this feeling, he had never imagined feeling like this, so full, so
whole, and complete. He couldn't fathom the idea of getting fucked like this, three weeks ago
he would've laughed in the face of anyone who told him he would be bred on his wedding
day, but now here he was, with his eyes rolling back as Xiao pulled his hips back and thrust
into him, driving his cock straight into his prostate and making him scream with pleasure.

Tears began to leak from his eyes, but not from fear or pain, he didn't have the willpower to
feel either of those, all his brain could focus on was the feeling of Xiao's thick cock pushing
in and out of him slowly, steadily growing faster with the pumps of his hips as he bit his lip,
feeling drunk on Aether's warmth, his tightness, the pleasure he gave him.

Xiao's skin slapped against Aether's, filling the room with sounds of skin slapping against
skin as the wooden bed began to creak under them with every blow Xiao gave to Aether's
prostate. The headboard smacked against the wall as Aether cried and mewled every time
Xiao's cock dug up into his prostate, he couldn't think, he couldn't think of anything, not his
wedding, not his family, not even his fear of getting pregnant, it was like there was no one
else in this world other than Xiao. Xiao, Xiao, Xiao. The name was all he could think about.
He couldn't live with this feeling inside him, his body was so sensitive, his insides going raw
with every snap of Xiao's hips, with every grunt he gave as he forcefully bred him.

An unfamiliar feeling grew in his abdomen, a feeling he had never even fathomed of, the
feeling of the purest form of ecstasy, the purest form of pleasure. It felt like his insides were
being squeezed, like every nerve in his body was clenching. Then, the feeling released, and
Aether screamed out loud as he came all over his chest, spurting cum from his cock all over
himself. His scream dragged into a moan as Xiao pounded into him, making more and more
cum leak from Aether's cock. His mind was blank from the pleasure, he couldn't feel
anything but Xiao's cock digging inside him.

He loved the feeling, he loved not being able to think, he would rather not go through
thoughts and feelings. He would rather just stay like this forever, in this state of pure
calmness and rigidity. Xiao didn't stop, he didn't stop his cock pounding into his ass, he didn't
stop when Aether's body began to writhe with feeling again, feeling twenty times more
sensitive before as he began to cry harder. "Xiao--Xiao...! Please--hnngh!!" Xiao didn't care
to listen to him, too deep into his animalistic desires to focus on Aether's words as he pinned
his wrists to either side of his head, staring down at him with dazed eyes, like he wasn't in
control of himself, his mind or his body.

All he could smell was Aether's scent, all he could feel was Aether's warmth, all he could
think of was Aether's name. Aether's sensitive body couldn't handle it, his cock began to turn
to an angry shade of red as it stood straight again, beginning to pump with blood once more
as he felt another high coming on. He couldn't handle this, he clawed at Xiao's thighs that
were tucked beneath his ass, he tried to get him to stop, tried to tell him that he was about to
cum again, but couldn't get a word out. Was this normal? Was it normal to cum twice within
just five minutes of being pounded into? He was afraid to find an answer to that, but he
couldn't dwell on these fleeting thoughts, not while Xiao actively worked to fuck them out of
his mind. He begged the gods to make Xiao cum quickly.

He begged the kings, the queens, the deities to have mercy on his virgin body that felt like it
was on fire. He came again very heavily all over his stomach. Xiao didn't relent, he didn't
even look like he was exerting any energy on him, he didn't look like he cared at all about
what a mess he was making of Aether anymore. "Can't--can't do this-" Aether cried, turning
his body halfway onto his stomach and clawing at the sheets, trying to crawl desperately
away from Xiao. Xiao's face was stone-cold as grabbed Aether's hips and pulled him back
harder against his cock as he tried to get away from Xiao on his hands and knees, his hanfu
hanging at his wrists and so messy and crumbled as it tried to cling onto his back.

Fat droplets of drool and tears ran down Aether's face as he tried to cope with the feeling
inside of him. It was another ascended level of pleasure that his body couldn't process. Two
times turned into three and four, four times in ten minutes, just ten minutes that it took for
Xiao to come to his high. Xiao's grip on his hips was bruising, droplets of blood had begun to
 drip down his chin from how hard he bit his lip. His grunts and groans as he pounded into
Aether's wasted body became more frequent.

Aether had given up fighting it, lying pliantly under him on his stomach, clutching the sheets
for dear life to hold on to some semblance of his sanity. "Haah... it'll all be over soon," Xiao
whispered as he leaned over Aether's body, his strength and stamina finally beginning to
strain as he felt the same feeling as Aether. He felt so free, so easy while he was inside
Aether, he loved the feeling, he loved slamming in and out of him and making him scream
and cry his name with pleasure.

Aether wouldn't be able to deny that he felt good, even if it was against his full will. Xiao
took a shaky breath as he felt his abs tighten one last time before his seed flooded inside
Aether, so much cum spilled inside the defeated blonde as Xiao gave one last thrust inside
him. He groaned loudly at the feeling of intense heat beginning to develop at the base of his
cock. The heat was near unbearable as he felt his cock swelling inside Aether, bubbling at the
base until he had plugged Aether's hole tight, not letting a single drop of cum escape from
inside him. He bucked his hips a few more times for good measure, taking deep breathes as
he tried to get off his high, feeling lost in Aether's wet insides and his own cum. He collapsed
on top of the omega, who could barely groan with displeasure, feeling his breath constricting
at the feeling of Xiao's heavy body landing on top of his.

Xiao wrapped his arms around Aether's body and rolled back, switching their positions until
Aether lied on top of him with his back to his chest. Xiao hugged him close to himself, and
the blonde was too worn to care, too worn to push him away. All he could think about was
the comfort of being cocooned in someone's arms.

Chapter End Notes

Please let me know what you think of this chapter, I'm not quite sure how to feel about
it. In the end, I settled for gentle and considerate Xiao cause when I began to pan out the
details of Aether's fear, I couldn't bring myself to make Xiao be mean to him, haha. I felt
gentle Xiao in this circumstance would be more fitting for his character, aah I hope y'all
like it!
 Monster (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Rough sex, painful sex, blood, injury, rimming(?), half-dragon Zhongli,
Foul Legacy Childe.

Childe finds himself angry at Zhongli for deceiving him about his true identity and
challenges him to a battle in order to reconcile. The battle ends up taking a turn for the
worst when Zhongli finds himself losing control over putting Childe in his place once
and for all.

Chapter Notes

Oof so many warnings! Please know that I might've missed a few, I spared no ferality on
Zhongli's part this time around without it leading to mutilation, so please expect them to
go at it hard and rough!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Childe skidded down the sloping ground, his hands clutching at his waist where he'd been
slashed. A sizeable chunk of his armor fell from his body and scattered away from him, much
like the remnants of his grey harbinger's clothes and the other pieces of his Foul Legacy
armor. He took a wheezing breath as he fell heavily onto his back, while his Fatui mask lay
shattered on the ground a few yards from him.

Agony was all Childe felt as he laid there on the wilted grass from his battle, and yet, his
heart still thumped in his broadened chest from excitement. He shuddered a little at the rush
of adrenaline telling him to get up. This feeling of pain... it brought him great joy. Knowing
that someone was able to injure him as such was nothing short of exhilarating. Childe waited
for Zhongli to come to him, anticipating he would be finishing him off any moment, though
he could barely see anything but the cloudy sky hanging above Cuijue Slope.

Still, he couldn't give up; he couldn't just take defeat lying down, especially while in his Foul
Legacy state, with his muscles bulging, and his height nearly ten feet tall, though he didn't
think he was any match compared to the humanoid dragon that slowly walked towards him,
his feet creating rumbles in the earth with every step he took.

Zhongli looked and acted no more like Zhongli, but a monster instead. He was Morax, an
embodiment of his true power. His skin was black like tar, littered and etched with bright
gold markings that shone in the murk of the surrounding area. Black and gold horns
protruded from his wild black mane that seemed thicker, more untamed, than it was on the
daily, hanging off his shoulders almost majestically.

Childe shook a little as he watched him approaching his limp body. Zhongli looked terrifying,
standing at twelve feet tall, much taller than even Childe, who made his usual height look
small in his Foul Legacy form. A weak gurgle escaped the ginger as he turned to raise
himself on his hands and knees. He tried to lift himself onto his feet, but a polearm jabbed
into his side, eliciting a choked cry from him as he was thrown back. Zhongli stood above
him; his golden eyes had no whites in them, no humanity as he crouched low in front of
Childe. His pants were already tattered to shreds when he had grown twice his original
height, hanging off his body like rags along with his dress shirt.

He seemed to be observing the state Childe was in as he laid in front of him, wheezing for
breath as he clutched his side where Zhongli had just struck him. Childe's armor was no
more, only bits and pieces hanging off his body at random spots, though they looked ready to
crumble apart with the slightest touch. His inflated and muscular body showed through his
grey clothes that were no more than rags with how badly Zhongli had cut him up. They did
barely enough to hide his sensitive parts from Zhongli's feral sights.

Zhongli raised his polearm and threw it into the air, the golden tip shining in the dim lighting
from the nine pillars in the distance. He caught the spear facing Childe and pointed the tip to
Childe's throat.

Childe flinched and gulped; he had never felt this kind of agonizing fear of death ever before,
even if he thought that Zhongli wouldn't kill him. Or rather, it wasn't the prospect of death
that he feared, it was more so the sight of Zhongli. He still held some resemblance to his
human form with his facial structure and his body features, but he seemed so inhuman despite
being humanoid, so otherworldly with his glowing gold eyes and the mark of Geo carved into
his blackened skin, above his chest and arms.

"Are you satisfied?" Zhongli asked. Childe shook at the feeling of the loud, heavy voice that
seemed like a mix of a lion's growl and a snake's hiss, as it reverberated through his body.

The agony he felt was surely a sign he was at his limit, but he didn't want to give up. His blue
eyes must've reflected his fear because Zhongli's face broke into a smile, his thick fangs
glistening a little, "You seem like a caged rabbit, love." He said, his disembodied voice so
tantalizingly familiar. Childe used his last bit of strength to shoot his hand up to Zhongli's
spear, grasping it in his bruised and cut-up hands and pushing it away. He tried to jump to his
feet and run with the idea of keeping distance between himself and the monster in front of
him, but Zhongli didn't allow it.

He simply smirked and wrapped his arms around Childe's muscular waist and pulled his back
into his chest, his enlarged hand shooting up to hold onto Childe's neck, squeezing his razor-
sharp claws into the sensitive skin and forcing a cry of pain from Childe's mouth. Childe
shook heavily as he stared dazedly into the dark fields in front of him.

How did he get here? How did he manage to get himself into such a tight spot with the man
he loved? He didn't believe for a second with the way Zhongli handled him that he would be
coming out of this alive.
This was not what he anticipated when he challenged Zhongli, not one bit.

"Leaving so soon?" A deep voice called to Childe softly from behind him as he crouched at
the edge of the docks, his hand dipping in t he cool ocean while his gloves rested on the
wooden floor next to him. Childe's head snapped to face the voice, his heart thumping out of
his chest with excitement and anger at the sight of Zhongli standing at the other end of the
dock.

Childe's eyes glittered with fury at the sight of the man looking so carefree after all that had
happened. The battle with Osial had just passed, and now, Liyue was falling into its mundane
routine. Zhongli hadn't shown himself at all throughout until he revealed himself as the
former Geo Archon. Childe wondered if giving up one's gnosis lead to looking so calm and
peaceful.

Still, he could see bags under his 'lover's' eyes as he stared at Childe. He turned his head
back to the ocean, swiftly ignoring Zhongli's presence and cursing himself for getting startled
enough to even look at him. Childe shut his eyes and stood up, grabbing his gloves off the
floor and shoving them into his pants pocket. He gazed at a Snezhnayan ship that stood a few
docks away, awaiting his arrival so that they could depart to his homeland.

He breathed softly as he stared at the clear water, considering jumping into the water and
swimming all the way to his ship to avoid Zhongli's intense eyes entirely. But he wouldn't
allow himself to give off any sign of weakness, any sign of nervousness while being around
Zhongli. He smiled drily at the thought. He had been played pretty badly, hadn't he? Months
of enjoying tea and cakes in the man's presence, months of them slowly building a trusting
relationship despite Zhongli knowing Childe's status in the Fatui, all gone in a single second
because Zhongli had chosen to hide such a crucial fact about himself.

He hated Zhongli for hiding that he was Rex Lapis. He'd spent all that time talking to Zhongli
about how he would like to meet the Geo Archon, Rex Lapis, telling him about how he wished
to meet such a powerful God, to have the pleasure of battling the ultimate life form, all
wasted.

Zhongli had always just listened to him with the tiniest smile on his face.

Childe hadn't noticed it until Zhongli admitted that he was Rex Lapis, but he always looked
at him like he knew something he didn't. He'd been a fool not to notice it sooner. He had been
so obsessed with the idea of Zhongli that... he'd never fully appreciated who he was as a
person. He'd just rant to him about his endeavors without even actually thinking about who
the man he was speaking to was. H e didn't even think about how he was so learned and well-
versed in every art there was in Liyue or question it, assuming Zhongli was just a smart
scholar. Not once had he cared to consider there was something different about Zhongli, he
had been so naive.

Of course, it was partially his fault for not recognizing Rex Lapis in those thousands-year-old
eyes of Zhongli's due to his guilelessness, but he blamed Zhongli for his melancholy now.

Zhongli had chosen to become his friend (and gradually, something more), chosen to make
him feel heard and even loved at times, and has led Childe to trust him. Then he broke that
trust as easily as he broke stones. Childe hated him for not telling him, for not trusting him
enough to tell him about his real identity.

He'd let Zhongli see so many aspects of him, his thought-process, the feelings of his heart...
and even his body on occasions. He and Zhongli had spent many nights together. Z hongli
always chose to fuck him in the dark, never in the light of day or even in the illumination of a
small lamp. Childe never questioned it; just feeling Zhongli's body under the palms of his
hand had been enough for him, but now he wondered, what was Zhongli hiding from him
under the veil of darkness? Something crucial to his identity, perhaps? It was likely the
marking on his body.

He shook himself out of the thoughts about Zhongli, why was he sparing a thought to the man
he so hated? Of course, he could never truly hate him, not after he had treated him so kindly
and gently in the past few months.

Childe took a deep breath to steady himself; he would leave this chapter of his story behind
today. He would return to Snezhnaya and remove Zhongli from his life completely. He would
forget about Zhongli and never look back. Childe's heart ached a little at the thought.

His heart knew that he could never forget Zhongli, even if he allowed Dottore to experiment
on him and hypnotize his memories away. He would never be able to forget his ages-old eyes
no matter how hard he tried. Childe wiped his hand dry on his jacket. He turned to Zhongli;
he would walk past him, and hopefully, he would never look back. He squared his shoulders,
trying to seem as confident as possible as he began to stride towards Zhongli leisurely, his
gaze fixed on the path in front of him, just above Zhongli's shoulder.

He tried not to spare Zhongli a glance as he tried to walk past him, but the man's hands
dropped from their crossed position over his chest to latch onto Childe's wrist with his gloved
fingers. Childe's heart did backflips at the attempt, but he tried to wrench his hand away from
his tight grasp.

"Don't leave," Zhongli told him, his voice quiet. He didn't try to pull Childe towards himself,
willing to let Childe keep his distance while still holding onto him firmly. No matter how hard
Childe tried to pull, Zhongli didn't move an inch, just like a stone wedged into the Earth.

Childe glared at him, a trembling, amused smile on his lips from the force he had to exert to
pull his hand away from Zhongli. "Why does it matter to you? You're... I have nothing to say
to you anymore." He told him, his voice cold and forceful. Zhongli stared back at him with his
soft golden eyes. His gaze slowly fell to Childe's lips, wondering if Childe could be convinced
to talk to him with a kiss and something more. But he knew Childe wasn't that easy, he
wouldn't be fooled twice. "It matters a great deal to me, more than you can fathom," Zhongli
whispered, "Let me... allow me to work to make it right, allow me a chance at reconciliation.
Is my deception really that unfounded, Childe? You attempted to destroy Liyue, you would've
done so a long time ago if you knew I was the Geo Archon. You must understand why I
deceived you."

Childe gritted his teeth. Truth be told, he did understand, he could see why Zhongli had to lie
to him, especially after the way Childe had betrayed his trust as well by trying to destroy his
city. But it still hurt, he'd laid himself out bare for Zhongli both physically and mentally, he'd
never done that for anyone, not even his siblings or the Tsaritsa. He turned to look at Zhongli
with a sharp glare playing on his face, "There's nothing to 'reconcile', Zhongli. You haven't
done a thing wrong, happy? Now let me go, I need to return to Snezhnaya." Zhongli's grip
didn't loosen one bit, and the more Childe struggled against it, the more he felt like his
physical prowess was shutting down. "Don't go." Zhongli repeated, "I know you don't have
to, I know the Tsaritsa didn't ask for you to come back. You've no reason to leave."

Childe sighed, feeling utterly drained emotionally and now physically. He fixed Zhongli with
a glare. Childe began to consider his words, his wrist was starting to hurt, he felt like Zhongli
could rip it right out of its socket if he wanted to. He knew the man wouldn't let him go until
he gave him an answer he liked, an answer he could work with.

Zhongli had never shown such a stubborn and hard-headed side to him before. It almost
warmed Childe's heart that he was willing to be stubborn, just to get Childe to stay. Almost.
He remembered all those talks he'd shared with Zhongli about Rex Lapis' power. According
to Zhongli, who knew best, Rex Lapis' powers knew no end. Zhongli wasn't Rex Lapis, the
Geo Archon, anymore, but he was still the Prime of the Adepti and the God of Contracts,
Morax.

He could find a suitable way to unleash his anger towards Zhongli and find the heart to
forgive him. "The only way I'll forgive you is if you give me a battle worthy of a God. Fight
me with your full power, battle me with all your strength even if it kills me. I will settle for
nothing less." Zhongli didn't look surprised at his request. After all, he knew Childe best, the
thought irked Childe again, so he added, "If you accept, then it's a contract, otherwise let me
go so I can get away from you once and for all."

Childe gazed into Zhongli's eyes with determination dancing in his eyes alongside a flame of
tenacity. Zhongli closed his sad eyes at Childe's words and sighed softly. There was nothing
else Zhongli could do but fulfill his thirst for battle in return for placation, he knew that
much. "Alright, I accept your contract." Childe's gaze didn't soften at his acceptance and
merely pulled his hand out of Zhongli's loosened grip with a few more tugs.

He rubbed his bruised wrist and turned to look at Zhongli. "Tomorrow, noon at Cuijue Slope.
Meet me there," Childe spun on his heel to walk away from the silent ex-Archon and took a
few firm steps away from him before he stopped. He glanced over his shoulder and was
surprised to find that Zhongli hadn't disappeared yet, staring at the ocean just like Childe
had been doing before his arrival.

"And Zhongli?" Childe called over his shoulder, making the man's eyes snap in his direction.
Childe smiled at him, "Don't even think of holding back on me, you hear? I'll never forgive
you if you do. I don't care if it breaks me in the process." Childe said nothing more to him and
walked away, his heart thumping out of his chest from the intense encounter as he stared at
his aching wrist. He would finally be able to fight a God.

Those were his thoughts the previous day, before he had gotten into such a position of
powerlessness. Zhongli had his claws to his throat, easily able to slit it with so much as a
swipe. Childe shook a little as he sat pliant in Zhongli's big arms. "I'm not a-at my limit yet,
Zhongli." He could feel Zhongli smirking as he pressed his lips to Childe's neck, slowly
running his tongue over the sweaty skin before he reached his hand up to grasp Childe's jaw,
turning his head to kiss Childe on the lips.

Childe's hands reached to hold Zhongli's claws, trying to get them off his skin, but Zhongli
didn't budge, he simply kissed Childe with his overbearing mouth, destroying every last bit of
his resolve by shoving his long, snake-like tongue between his lips and allowing it to shoot
back to Childe's throat, choking him and not allowing him to breathe. The golden scales on
his face scratched gently against Childe's skin as he completely devoured Childe's mouth. He
pulled his arms away from Childe's body and pulled away from his lips, allowing him to fall
to the ground on his stomach, heaving for breath and clawing at the ground to try and crawl
away from the monster sitting behind him.

Zhongli watched his pathetic attempts to run away with a smile playing on his lips with
amusement dancing in his eyes. He allowed Childe to crawl a few inches away from him,
allowing him to get a false sense of security, to make him think Zhongli wouldn't come for
him again. He promptly destroyed that security by grabbing Childe by his hips and pulled
him back harshly until his plump and muscular ass smacked against his bulge.

Childe let out a moan, his eyes widening as he felt Zhongli's hard cock against his ass and
realized what Zhongli was playing at. Was he really going to do it here? While Childe lay in
front of him bruised, bloody, and battered in a place open to anyone? Childe shook a little at
the thought, not many people came by Cuijue Slope, but he still worried. He could hardly
think through the pain, but the blood rushing to his cock was prominent, feeling himself
getting turned on by the idea of it all.

Zhongli had spared him no mercy, he had transformed into a monster to fulfill Childe's wish,
he had cut him up, pummeled him, thrown him around like he weighed nothing, everything in
his power to ensure Childe would be satisfied by his display of strength. He knew that this
was what Childe wanted, that he wanted Zhongli to go all out, but feeling his engorged
bulging cock pressing against his ass, he could very well die.

He didn't know if his Foul Legacy form could handle Zhongli anymore, if he was in his
normal state, he would very well be dead by now. He doubted even his Foul Legacy could
handle Zhongli like this, he knew Zhongli always went rough and hard, in his monster-like
state, that could be the end of him.

But he knew fighting it was pointless, knew just by the look in Zhongli's shimmering eyes as
he turned Childe around onto his back and stared down at him, that he wouldn't let Childe go
until he was sure Childe was at his limit, and his only limit would be the brink of death.
Zhongli kissed Childe again, this time more softly, but his hands were rough, and his claws
made light cuts on Childe's skin as he groped Childe's muscular and inflated body, tearing the
last shreds of his grey clothes off of him licking Childe's lips at the feeling of him lying so
pliant under him even in his most powerful state, Childe was nothing in front of him.

Zhongli gripped Childe's bulge through the last rag left of Childe's pants and smirked a little.
"Does it please you to get injured and destroyed like this, my love?" Zhongli asked him
before throwing the rag to the side before taking in the sight of his fully bare body. Childe's
Foul Legacy form was truly beautiful, every muscle on his body bulged and pulsed with the
flow of blood, his skin was a rosy pink from bleeding from so many cuts, and his pecs were
large and rounded with muscle.

His nipples stood to attention on the flushed skin, his legs and back were black and blue with
bruises from how many times Zhongli had slammed the hilt of his spear into them. Zhongli
smiled as his eyes slowly ventured down to Childe's cock, which had become enlarged due to
his form, it stood straight up and shuddered every few seconds with the waves of pain that
shot through the ginger's body.

His wild, messy orange hair was just slightly longer, hanging over his face and compelling
Zhongli to push the strands out of the way of his beautiful eyes. What a wonderful sight
Childe was, all this time he'd been gently dealing with Childe, listening to him talking about
his thirst for blood, how many people he'd killed, and how many fights he'd been in, and how
he had never come out of one without victory. Zhongli didn't wish to hurt Childe seriously,
but today... he couldn't help it, he couldn't help wanting to push Childe into submission.

He complied with his demands to use his strength and give him a good fight, but Childe had
been no match for him. Now, he felt a great sense of satisfaction, seeing Childe in such a
pitiful state, he couldn't help wanting to take him in his most powerful form and destroying
every ounce of his strength in the palm of his hand. Zhongli decided to refrain from using his
sharp teeth on Childe's body alongside his claws, knowing that his fangs could cause Childe
to bleed out.

He couldn't have that, he wasn't yet satisfied with Childe's services, he wouldn't allow him to
get off so easily after challenging him so confidently. Childe shivered a little as Zhongli
licked a fat stripe of his blood off of his body, humming a little at the metallic taste and
smiling against it. His hands reached down to take his tattered pants off, vaguely wondering
how they would get back to Liyue now that they both didn't have any clothes save for
Zhongli's coat that he had discarded before they began. Zhongli kissed down Childe's body,
occasionally nibbling gently on the skin and puncturing it just a little to hurt but not enough
to injure Childe any further.

Zhongli switched Childe's position again, pushing his hulk-like body onto all fours and
gripping his ass, giving it a tight squeeze that had Childe gasping. Zhongli kissed Childe's
tailbone, gradually allowing his lips to get closer to Childe's ass. Childe shuddered when
Zhongli spread his cheeks and pressed his long tongue between them, flicking over his hole
and lathering it up in his spit. Childe didn't know why but Zhongli's saliva mildly burned, he
couldn't think properly with Zhongli groping and mauling him like a wild animal on top of
the pain he already felt.

Still, he hazily wondered whether Zhongli was poisonous in his dragon form. He was but a
half-dragon right now, a humanoid with arms and legs, just twice as tall as the average man,
the exuvia was much larger, if Zhongli was in his Exuvia... Childe didn't dare to think what
would happen to him. Zhongli applied a heavy amount of saliva onto Childe's hole, knowing
he couldn't prep Childe for what was to come no matter how many fingers he pushed inside,
not to mention his claws.

The best he could do was make sure it went inside him a little more smoothly. Zhongli sat up
and looked at Childe in his shaking form with barely enough strength to hold himself up on
his hands and knees, but he obediently kept up, knowing Zhongli would force him into a
worse position if he tried to lie down. Zhongli gripped Childe's hips, digging his claws into
his skin to hold him in place.

Childe bit his lip as he felt the tip of Zhongli's giant cock poking at his hole, trying to ease it
inside Childe. "P-Please, gently," Childe whimpered pathetically, surprising Zhongli, who
stared down at the back of his head. Zhongli smirked a little, "Sorry dear, but I made a
contract to use all my strength against you, I'll have to fulfill it, won't I?" Zhongli grunted as
he pushed his way inside as best as he could, but it was too tight for him to be able to move.
Childe cried out with pain, his arms trembling a little as he felt the Zhongli's tip pressing its
way inside.

Zhongli wrapped his arms around Childe's waist and thrust him back on his cock, pushing his
way inside as far as it would go. Childe's scream of pure agony echoed throughout the dead
silent fields, if there were any monsters in the area, they'd have run away at the sight of
Zhongli. Childe thrashed a little, "T-Take it out!! No-- Zhongli, please! It hurts so much,
aah!" Zhongli didn't listen, his engorged cock hit places one couldn't imagine possible.
Twelve inches of pure agony inside Childe's body. It made him lose all semblance of sanity as
he fell on his chest, his fingers clawing at the ground as he began to wheeze, trying to regain
the breath that had been knocked out of him.

Zhongli's eyes were squeezed tight shut, he couldn't have fathomed how tight Childe was, he
thought it would be okay because of his Foul Legacy form, thought it would be okay
considering Childe had taken his cock before, but in the end, they both were in different
forms, both had grown tremendously in size, but there was no telling what would happen to
Childe.

Zhongli pulled his hips back, his grunt sounded closer to a roar as he tried not to maul Childe
with his claws completely and tear him to shreds. He couldn't see Childe's face but observed
through half-lidded eyes the way he was clawing at the soil beneath them, no sounds uttering
from his wide-open mouth as he gulped for air over and over, choking on the massive
amounts of air he scarfed down.

Zhongli pressed his thumb to the rim of Childe's hole, checking for any tears, and was
relieved to find none, Childe's body had handled him for now. Zhongli began to thrust inside
Childe, making the ginger cry out as he beat his fist against the ground, not knowing how to
cope as Zhongli's cock aimed deep into his squishy prostate, pushing as far as he could go.
Childe's mind went numb as he screamed into the empty plains again, his entire body went
rigid with jitters as his eyes rolled back, he came all over the ground heavily, spewing cum all
over the ground beneath him.

A large amount of drool escaped the sides of his mouth, unable to find the mental capacity or
the control to shut his open mouth or think about how dirty he was getting. Truly, there was
nothing in this world comparable to the feeling of Zhongli's massive cock pounding into his
prostate so roughly, he came with just a single thrust. Zhongli threw Childe onto his back, his
golden eyes glazed with lust, his mind unfocused from the way it felt like he was suffocating
inside Childe's tight ass. How could it be so? Shouldn't Childe's body have grown everywhere
thanks to his Foul Legacy?
Now they both felt inebriated on the pleasure (and pain on Childe's part) they gave each
other, neither of them were in their right minds, but Zhongli's hips moved on their own,
thrusting deeply in and out of Childe and crossing borders that made him cry with agony but
pleasure at the same time with the way his thick cock pressed into his prostate with just a
thrust upwards.

Childe came twice in the few minutes Zhongli thrust into him, he didn't even have the
willpower to cry with pain just yet. But that power came promptly with disaster. Zhongli
keeled over Childe's body as he felt Childe getting tighter and tighter. His eyes widened as he
let out an almost inhuman growl of pleasure and pain as he felt like tearing his teeth into
Childe's skin and ripping him apart inch by inch, but he held himself back.

He pulled back, lifting his head with difficulty as it spun to look at Childe, his eyes widened
to see Childe almost on the verge of unconsciousness, his body was growing smaller and
smaller, his muscles contracting and his legs and upper body getting shorter. Childe's body
was coming out of its Foul Legacy form.

Zhongli could barely handle it, it was too much for him. The ground began to shake a little as
he placed his hands on either side of Childe's head and began to thrust into him still deeper,
shaking him away from his blackout as he latched his slim-looking limbs around Zhongli's
large body. Childe felt so small next to Zhongli, he felt like Zhongli would crush him under
himself any second, his mind couldn't even fathom the cock slamming in and out of him,
albeit just slightly gentler considering the state he was in.

He was sure he wouldn't come out of this alive, he couldn't think of anything, he couldn't see
anything with his white vision as he began to cry. He scratched at Zhongli's scaly back but
only ended up cutting his fingertips on the sharp material.

Childe blacked in and out of consciousness throughout the whole time, Zhongli was inside
him in his normal state. He had even numbed to the pain and the pleasure Zhongli brought
him, but his cock still spewed cum with every other thrust of Zhongli's cock until there was
nothing left for him to shoot out of his abused cock, which had given up even trying to stand.
Zhongli felt himself nearing his orgasm, and he almost felt relieved, for Childe's sake, if not
just his own, it felt so good, he didn't know what to do with himself, he wasn't in control of
himself, he hadn't been since he tore Childe's clothes off his body.

He gazed down at the ginger's face, his eyes were just slightly cracked open, his mouth
opening and overflowing with drool, he looked like he wasn't seeing anything. Zhongli
pressed his hand over Childe's heart and found it still beating several miles an hour and
breathed out with relief. "It'll be over soon," Zhongli growled as he buried his face in Childe's
neck, knowing the ginger couldn't hear him, having been deprived of all his senses.

Zhongli thrust faster inside Childe, licking his lips ferally as he held himself back from
tearing the ginger's frail body (as compared to his own) apart. He should've been rewarded
for the amount of restraint he exercised over himself. Zhongli let out a puff of amusement at
that, seeing the bruised, battered, and utterly destroyed body that belonged to Childe, he
didn't hold back as much as he thought he would.
 Just looking at Childe's face, it made him want to fuck him senseless just like he was now.
Zhongli grunted as he felt the knot in his stomach tighten one last time before he gave his
final thrust and spilled his white-hot cum inside Childe, filling him to the brim with a large
dose of his seed.

Zhongli breathed heavily, sitting back on the balls of his feet, staring into the grassy fields in
the distance. He glanced down at the fragile body lying beneath him and bit his lip as he
channeled his powers as an adeptus to revert back to human form. He leaned over Childe's
body and placed a chaste kiss on the passed-out man's cheek before pulling out of him and
getting to his feet.

***Extra***

Zhongli grabbed one of Childe's limp legs and lifted it to check his hole, oozing with cum...
and blood. He bit his lip, had he gone too far? He glanced around for their clothes, finally
coming off from the high he'd been on while he'd been Morax. He clicked his tongue at
himself as he saw piles of black and grey rags and a few chipped armor pieces lying on the
ground around them.

Only his coat sat placed neatly folded on a rock a few yards from where they were. He sighed
and fetched it, naked in a very public plain without so much as a thought put towards his bare
state, and walked over to Childe, seeing the man shivering in the breeze. Zhongli wrapped
him in the coat before scooping him up in his arms, gazing at Childe's beautiful face, and
beginning to carry Childe to the nearest statue of the Geo Archon. He tried not to feel
embarrassed about walking around butt-naked, but it couldn't be helped, he couldn't clothe
himself and leave Childe bare, after all, it was his fault they were in such a predicament.

As he reached the statue of himself, he placed a hand on it to activate its powers, balancing
Childe on one hand. He smiled a little, watching the bruises fade, and his cuts heal, the blood
slowly rubbing off of his body. He looked at the road ahead of them and sighed, wondering
how he would get Childe home as he glanced down at his very naked state.

Chapter End Notes

Sorry, this took so long to get out, I'm not sure why but I've been so busy on genshin
lately, I haven't had the time to pan this out more thoroughly. It's likely sloppy af, though
I've been looking forward to this prompt for a while now and knew what I was going to
write for it ages ago! I hope it wasn't too bad. Hopefully soon, we'll be able to see
powerbottom Childe/Kaeya/Aether, I wanna switch things up a bit hehe~
 (Mixophilia P2) Mirror (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

After a great many opportunities to have Diluc kill him gone by, Kaeya starts to wonder
just what Diluc's motives are for following him a week after they first met. But what can
he do when Diluc just finds him too beautiful to be killed?

NOTE: This chapter is Part 2 of Chapter: 35 of this book, the prompt of which is
Mixophilia. Please read it before this one if you haven't already so you aren't missing
out on anything that you might not understand in this smut!

Chapter Notes

Ehe, I tried with powerbottom Kaeya, and it was working for a while, however, I'm
terrible at writing dom bottom. Not sure if its just the ships I chose to write, but I just
can't see Diluc allowing Kaeya to control him to no limit. But I hope you enjoy the
chapter. <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Kaeya's ears perked up as he heard the bell at the bar's door ring, he smirked a little and lifted
his closed phone, looking into his reflection to get a view of the door. He almost wanted to
laugh giddily when he saw who had entered. A smile crawled its way onto his beautiful lips
as he watched Diluc's sour expression at the smell of alcohol and drunks in the bar.

This wasn't the same gay bar Kaeya regularly frequented, but a normal one. Kaeya sneakily
watched Diluc refrain from looking at him, slowly moving towards the bar to take a seat on a
stool and ordering a drink. Kaeya put his phone down as Diluc moved into his line of sight,
his back facing him. He double-checked his gun holster and smiled again as he observed
Diluc for a few seconds.

Why did he feel so happy, looking at Diluc, why did he feel so giddy, knowing Diluc was
following him? The jig was up, Kaeya knew exactly who Diluc was now, pinning him back
to a rich wine tycoon by the name of Diluc Ragnvindr who disappeared from the surface of
the earth around four years ago. According to the intel he'd gathered, the man now worked
underground, he assumed as a hitman. And his hit? He took a gander as he observed Diluc
following him for the past week and guessed that his hit order was none other than Kaeya.

Somehow, the thought didn't make Kaeya one bit nervous, one might wonder, why? Why
wasn't he worried for his safety? Because Diluc had had more than a few handfuls of
opportunities to kill Kaeya, such as when they first had sex, and throughout the week, he had
given Diluc many opportunities, going as far as making himself vulnerable to attack just to
find out what he was up to.

He found no hostility in the way the man acted around him, he found no reason to believe
that Diluc was going to kill him. But here he was, still following him, why? Kaeya would
find out tonight. He got up from his seat and walked over to Diluc as he was served his drink,
Diluc sat in the far corner of the bar, trying to make himself look inconspicuous, a difficult
task because of his flaming red hair. Kaeya plopped into the seat next to Diluc and the man
took a sharp breath, his hand immediately shooting to his belt where he likely kept his gun,
but Kaeya was more than prepared.

"Don't move," Kaeya said to the man sitting next to him, rigid at his command as he pressed
the barrel of his handgun to his side. Diluc's expression didn't change as he sighed heftily and
merely turned his gaze to Kaeya, his red eyes looking as nonchalant as ever like he couldn't
care less about Kaeya pressing a gun to his ribs, threatening to shoot. Kaeya gave him a
pretty smile like he wasn't threatening him.

He didn't miss the way Diluc stared at his lips and fought back a shiver at the way his heart
thumped faster with Diluc's gaze on him. He grabbed the drink Diluc was having, which was
perched on top of the bar's counter, and took a swig, his nose scrunched up at the taste of not
wine, but grape juice instead. Kaeya grunted, "Grape juice, again? You really are such a
boring man, Diluc Ragnvindr." Kaeya still kept the gun pressed into Diluc's waist, and the
man didn't dare to move. Diluc rolled his eyes at him in response, making Kaeya chuckle a
little, "No one asked you to have my drink. I suppose you've found out who I am, then."

Diluc turned his head to look at Kaeya, but the man only jabbed the gun into his side harder,
"What did I tell you about not moving?" Kaeya said in a soft tone, trying to be menacing, but
Diluc couldn't see him as such, rather, in contrast, he smiled a little at Kaeya.

Diluc let his eyes wander across Kaeya's beautiful face and sighed a little as he clenched the
fabric of his pants. He didn't like the way he felt butterflies in his stomach. Whenever Diluc
looked at him, he couldn't help thinking about that night they shared in each other's presence,
fucking in front of a hidden camera as strangers to each other and hardly caring about it.

He had been tailing Kaeya for about a week now, following him wherever he went after the
day Diluc went back to his agency to let his boss know he couldn't follow through with the
hit order. His boss was understandably disappointed with him, being one of the best close-
contact hitmen on hand, he was about to appoint another hitman to kill Kaeya, but Diluc
adamantly refused to allow it.

He used his influence among his peers to keep anyone from taking the job, he didn't know
why he went to such lengths just to keep Kaeya alive and safe. That night, he couldn't explain
it, but as he saw Kaeya hovering over his lap on his knees, gazing down at him with his
stormy grey eye that twinkled a little with nervousness and lust, but still with adamancy to be
brave, he couldn't go through with it.

That had pushed Diluc to the edge, he didn't know why but seeing Kaeya looking down at
him like that with his twinkling eye, shirtless with his muscular yet slim body, drove him to
the point of being unable to pull the trigger on him. Kaeya, a renowned FBI agent, looking so
pliant and helpless above him, was a beautiful sight to look at. He wanted to see it again, but
looking into Kaeya's eye now, he felt like Kaeya had been preparing himself for today, he
looked more confident, the way Kaeya carried himself felt like he was more prepared for
what he wanted from Diluc.

Diluc knew from the look in his eye that this time it was going to be a bit more different if
Kaeya chose to have sex with him again. "Sorry, I'm not good at following orders, I suppose
that's why I haven't killed you yet." Diluc told him as he took the drink back from Kaeya and
drank it from the spot Kaeya's lips had touched.

Kaeya looked shocked for a moment, fighting a blush creeping on his face at the way Diluc
blatantly ignored the way he cocked his gun and threatened him, moving as freely as he
would normally. "I'll have you know I'm not afraid to pull the trigger, 'Luc." Diluc raised his
eyebrows at the nickname and gave Kaeya a tiny smile as he chugged down the rest of the
grape juice. He glanced at the bar they were sitting in, Kaeya would never pull the trigger in
front of so many people as an FBI agent, but he humored him, "I believe you," He told Kaeya
smoothly, "But I can't help it if I'm not afraid to get shot, just like you. You've probably
known for long, but still kept yourself wide open for me." Diluc believed Kaeya when he said
he wasn't afraid to shoot someone, he likely did so often, but he was almost certain that
Kaeya wouldn't shoot him even if they were alone, knew from the look in his eye that he
wasn't ready to kill Diluc just like Diluc wasn't ready to kill him.

The past week had been hectic, to say the least, with Childe teasing him about not being able
to follow through with a simple hit order because he fell in love at first sight. Diluc couldn't
find the heart to deny it and only resorted to violence to shut him up. Somehow, the thought
of liking someone as untouchable as Kaeya thrilled him. He wanted to see more of him, he
wanted to know just who Kaeya Alberich was, the man whose virginity he took.

Diluc still followed Kaeya for a week after they had sex, trying to see whether his feelings
from that night had changed, however, he still couldn't go through with it. Whenever he
looked at Kaeya's face through the sniper rifle, he couldn't help remembering what face he
made while Diluc fucked him, he couldn't go through with it after that and simply gave up at
the point. He couldn't kill someone with a body so sweet and addictive, couldn't kill someone
who liked to record himself having sex to get off on it later, Kaeya intrigued him to the point
of becoming a failure, though he hardly cared.

"Hmph... you've been following me all this time, a whole week if I remember correctly, yet
you've still failed to actually kill me. So Diluc Ragnvindr, are you going to shoot your shot
yet? Or will I have to fire the first bullet?" Diluc pondered over Kaeya's words, wondering
whether he should tell Kaeya the truth or not, Diluc was no liar, it was simply that he
disclosed as much as he felt like and not the whole thing.

Somehow, he felt like putting it out into the open that he couldn't kill Kaeya because he
thought he was too pretty to die. He smiled a little, startling Kaeya. "I dropped the hit order
on you." Diluc told him as he leaned against a counter, feeling the gun pressing to his side
faltering a little at his words. He looked into Kaeya's twinkling eyes, "Oh yeah? So why are
you still following me now?" Diluc pursed his lips, dare he mention that he was worried that
another hitman would come for Kaeya? He felt like admitting it out loud would be like
admitting that he had really fallen in love at first sight.

The thought sent tingles of disgust down his spine at the cliche, still, he couldn't find another
excuse to make for why he was following Kaeya, "The person who ordered a hit on you is
probably going to order another now that I'm not going through with it." He gritted his teeth
as Kaeya pressed the gun harder into his side again, though this time it was because of Kaeya
leaning his front against him, pressing his body to Diluc's side.

He glanced at Kaeya's face and could feel a blush coming on at the way the younger smirked
at him as he blatantly hugged his arm, "Oh? So you're protecting me, are you? Tell me, why
would you do that for me? Is it because you're a good person?" Kaeya pulled back a little to
grasp Diluc's hand in his free one and pulled it closer to himself until he pressed Diluc's palm
flat again his chest, allowing him to feel up his meaty chest, "Or is it because you want this?
Did I make you feel that good that night, Diluc?" Kaeya glanced around the bar and, making
sure no one was looking in their corner, moved forward to sit on Diluc's lap, facing him.

Diluc's face had darkened another shade, a red blush had settled over his cheeks at Kaeya's
words, making him smirk, "I didn't know you were this shy, 'Luc. C'mon, be a good boy and
tell me how good I made you feel that night." Kaeya pushed forward on Diluc's lap until their
crotches pressed up together, dragging a quiet moan from the man beneath him. "I'll let you
have me again if you say it."

Diluc glanced around, praying no one could spot them as he placed his hands on Kaeya's
thighs, slowly massaging them and trying to urge him to sit further back on his thighs and get
him off his cock, though the agent didn't budge. Diluc's cock was beginning to harden at the
feeling of Kaeya pressing up against him, gently rolling his hips on Diluc's lap and grinding
their forming bulges together. "Y-You..." Diluc's pride didn't permit him to say it
immediately, he wanted Kaeya, he wanted him terribly, but he didn't think he would be able
to put down his ego in such a way.

Kaeya smiled a little at his reluctance and got up from his comfortable lap, beginning to walk
away as he holstered his gun under his jacket. Diluc was caught off guard by the action, his
eyes widening as he threw some money onto the counter for the grape juice before he walked
out after Kaeya to catch him. He saw Kaeya about to hail a cab and grasped his wrist, the
man only smirked at the action and blinked prettily at Diluc, "Can I help you?" He teased.

Diluc took a deep breath and released it in a sigh, "I want you again, please, let me have you.
You made me feeling amazing." Kaeya licked his lips with a victorious shimmer in his eyes
and pulled Diluc closer to himself by the collar, making him wrap his arms around him. He
leaned in close to his ear, "Oh yeah? Then take me to your home. Show me that I can trust
you by taking me to where you live." Diluc pursed his lips and sighed, but the inebriated
feeling he got with his hands on Kaeya's waist overruled all other feelings and he nodded,
pulling Kaeya towards his parked car.

***

"I'm sure you could have guessed, but today's going to be a bit different from last time,"
Kaeya told Diluc as he pulled the man on top of himself, falling onto the fluffy sheets of
Diluc's bed. Kaeya didn't know what he'd been expecting when he told Diluc to take him
home, but he sure didn't expect to be brought into a mansion. Servants had greeted them left
and right even at this hour, so Kaeya knew that this was where Diluc lived.

Suddenly, he felt a bit shy about himself now, he was well off, of course, but now he knew
just how much Diluc could've been paid if he went through with the hit order on Kaeya. It
made him blush that Diluc denied so much money just because... Kaeya intrigued him. He
shook his head from his hopeful thoughts, knowing that this was just a sexual relation and
nothing more, he wouldn't let anything get in the way of the events he'd planned for the
evening. After all, a friends with benefits relationship was all he really wanted, wasn't it?
Wasn't it?

"Yeah? And what change will you be bringing to us today?" Kaeya smirked at Diluc's words
and initiated a kiss, wrapping his arms around Diluc's neck and kissing him deeply. He
opened Diluc's bushy red hair by taking off his hair tie, letting his locks fall over both of
them. He grabbed a fistful of Diluc's hair to stop Diluc when the man tried to pry his lips
apart to claim his mouth, making the man grunt in surprise as he was pushed into submission.

Kaeya used his surprise to his advantage and shoved his tongue between Diluc's parted lips,
not giving him a chance to fight for dominance as he explored Diluc's mouth, a vague taste of
grape juice shared between them. Diluc gazed at him with his red eyes cracked open just a
bit, staring down at Kaeya's display of both submission, lying underneath Diluc, and
dominance, taking control of their kiss. He understood that today, Kaeya wanted to be in
charge. He let him lead the kiss as Kaeya ran his hands down Diluc's body, feeling up his
muscular chest, down to his abs before finally resting just above his bulging cock.

Kaeya grabbed Diluc's bulge, eliciting a quiet moan from the man above him as he massaged
it roughly between his fingers, rubbing his palm over it and scraping his nails against it. He
loved how it felt under the tips of his fingers, how hard it was, and loved the way he could
almost feel the veins of his cock even through the fabric of his pants. Gods, he'd been craving
this cock for a week now, he'd watched that recording and masturbated to the thought of
Diluc so many times, he'd lost count.

He had never felt like this before, never thought he would settle for the same cock twice, but
now, he was more than happy to have Diluc in his clutches. When he found out from one of
his colleagues that someone was following him in their car, he had been ecstatic to find out
that it was Diluc's car. He wouldn't let Diluc escape so easily this time, he wouldn't let him
run away, especially now that he was in his home. Kaeya broke away from the kiss, panting a
little before he kissed Diluc's jaw, moving down to his neck, where he promptly bit him,
startling Diluc enough to buck his hips up into Kaeya's ass.

Kaeya moaned a little at the feeling of Diluc's cock pressing against his ass cheeks, kissing
the reddening bite mark he'd left on Diluc's neck. Kaeya sat up on his elbows and moved
further up the large king-sized bed to lie at the center of it. He kept himself propped up on his
elbows to look at Diluc, "Strip," He told him, making the redhead blink his eyes slowly at
him. Diluc bit his lip at the shameless command and pulled off his jacket and discarded it,
complying with Kaeya's demand and beginning to take his clothes off under the man's stormy
grey eye.
Kaeya smirked at his obedience, he thought about how well he could train Diluc to hang onto
his every word because he knew Diluc wanted him and would listen to him for that reason, he
could use the fact to his full advantage. Kaeya bit his lip as Diluc stood up to strip off his
pants, leaving himself in nothing but his boxers that seemed tight and heavy with the weight
of his cock. Kaeya ushered him forward, pulling Diluc on top of himself again and kissed
him, "Now take off my clothes."

Diluc took a deep breath and obliged, beginning to strip the grey suit off of Kaeya's body that
seemed to hug him in all the right places, the top two buttons were left undone to reveal his
chest for people to feast their eyes on. Diluc took off Kaeya's dress shirt and licked his lips,
admiring his chest and leaning down to peck his nipples, but Kaeya kept his leash of control
over him, once again grabbing Diluc by the hair and keeping him up.

"I don't recall asking you to kiss me," Kaeya had an infuriating smirk on his face as he gazed
up at Diluc, he was so vulnerable, Diluc could easily force him into submission and have him
for all he's worth, but Kaeya didn't know why he trusted the man above him so much, he
knew Diluc wouldn't do anything Kaeya (said he) didn't like. The thought made his heart
almost flutter, but he pushed aside the feeling, he would never admit to himself the way he
felt differently about Diluc. Normally he wouldn't even glance at a person he'd already slept
with, not so much as a thought spared towards them, but with Diluc, he plagued his thoughts
every day since the day they first met.

He was so happy to be under Diluc again, he never thought he would ever be saying that, but
here he was. He liked the small amount of control he had over Diluc, loved the way he
listened to him obediently, it made him feel... almost heard, made him want to push his
buttons and see how far he could take it before Diluc lost control. Either way, Diluc would be
falling into his play.

Diluc shut his eyes to take a moment to calm himself before opening them once more, lust
shining behind his red eyes. Diluc proceeded to take off Kaeya's pants and discarded them to
the side, leaving Kaeya also in boxers. He breathed out, Kaeya's body was a sight for sore
eyes, so beautiful, muscular yet lithe at the same time, his skin was perfect, without a blemish
dotting it. His hair was sprawled behind him on the pillow, making him look majestic, almost
ethereal to Diluc, Diluc could only know how real he was because of the cool touch to his
skin that made his warm body feel tingly all over.

Kaeya urged him to pull his boxers off, and Diluc complied, sliding the black cotton material
off his body, making sure to allow his fingertips to rub against Kaeya's skin along the way,
tickling him a little. Diluc's lips parted at the sight of Kaeya's body fully on display just for
his eyes. He licked his lips at the sight of his cock, standing up, lightly oozing precum and
shuddering a little every few seconds from the excitement of being stared at.

"Suck it," Kaeya ordered him, making Diluc blink with shock, though he was used to such
requests from the men he'd slept with. He wrapped his arms around Kaeya's legs and moved
to level his face with Kaeya's cock, he wasn't at all complaining about sucking him off, not
with how pretty he was. He gazed up at Kaeya as the man rose up to his elbows again to
watch him, Diluc stuck his tongue out and ran it along the underside of Kaeya's dick,
watching the way the agent bit his lower lip and smirking a little as he felt Kaeya's muscles
clench a little underneath him.

He opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around the head of Kaeya's cock, the
overwhelming warmth of his mouth making Kaeya throw his head back in pleasure as he
moaned sweetly. "Ah.. 'Luc..." The nickname hit different while Kaeya was in such a state,
Diluc had found it cute earlier, thought Kaeya was just being ironic, but hearing him call him
that while he had his head between his legs was spectacular to Diluc.

His heart began to beat faster at the taste of Kaeya's precum on his tongue, it wasn't
particularly tasty and almost initiated Diluc's gag reflex, but just knowing that was the taste
of Kaeya kept him at bay as he felt himself getting bigger in his boxers. Diluc took in more of
Kaeya, moving down to swallow him halfway and sucking on him gently. Kaeya fell back on
the bed, Diluc's mouth was so warm, he didn't know what to do with himself, he could hardly
think straight as he looked up at the ceiling, the golden chandelier twinkling overhead. He
took the second he had to take a proper look around Diluc's room, if one could even call it
that with how big it was.

Diluc's room was grand and very neat with expensive-looking furniture of the finest quality,
but Kaeya's eyes were caught onto one piece of furniture fixed on the wall to the right of the
bed. A long mirror placed parallel to the bed, allowing Kaeya to see himself lying on the bed
with Diluc's head between his legs. Kaeya breathed heavily, gazing at himself getting taken
care of in the mirror, how lewd the face he was making was as he looked to his side. It felt
like he was watching himself through the teddy bear again, he felt just like he did while
watching that video of himself getting fucked by Diluc over a dozen times, he felt inebriated
watching himself being taken apart with just Diluc's mouth.

He watched his back arch as he moaned Diluc's name loudly when the man swallowed him
down to the base of his cock, gagging a little at the feeling but still going strong as he sucked
on Kaeya.

"F-Fuck, Diluc!" Kaeya moaned softly, only keeping from bucking up into Diluc's mouth
because of the man's hands on his thighs, keeping him pinned down. Kaeya ran his hands
through Diluc's bushy red lock, watching himself moan erotically when Diluc bobbed his
head up and down, sucking him well. He loved watching himself being made a mess.

He loved watching the beads of sweat rolling down his face from Diluc's heat despite the air
conditioning, he loved squirming underneath man, trying to get out of his grip that kept him
confined to the bed. Diluc noticed Kaeya's gaze wasn't on him anymore and pulled back from
his cock, gasping for air as he tried to recover from the number of times he'd choked.

He followed Kaeya's gaze and a smirk made its way onto Diluc's face as their eyes met in the
mirror. He took a shaking breath and looked down at Kaeya. "Still haven't had enough of
yourself even after recording yourself? What a narcissist." Diluc took Kaeya by the hand and
pulled him up before dropping him on his stomach on the bed sideways, making sure he was
facing the mirror.

Kaeya's eyes widened at the position as he gazed at himself more clearly. He watched Diluc
sitting behind him before slowly groped Kaeya's thighs and massaged them, his gaze placed
directly on the man's hole. Diluc pressed a thumb against it and Kaeya twitched at the feeling,
realizing what he was getting at and sitting up. He'd forgotten what he was meant to be doing,
he'd forgotten how he was supposed to be the one in control today all because he saw himself
in the mirror. He supposed Diluc's words had some truth to them, he really was a narcissist.

He leaned back against Diluc's chest and turned his head to kiss him on the lips again,
catching the redhead off guard and pushing him to lie on the bed in his place onto his back.
Kaeya took a seat on top of Diluc on his waist, his ass pressing up against Diluc's bulging
cock through his boxers, still facing the mirror to watch himself as he went. Kaeya looked
down at him with that same gleam in his eye, the thirst for power over Diluc shining in him,
though he thought he would apart any second under the man's intense red eyes.

Kaeya pressed his hand back to grope Diluc's bulge, smirking down at the man a little before
he shifted his gaze back to the mirror. "Do you have lube?" Kaeya asked, blushing a little as
he stared at his sweaty and naked body sitting atop Diluc. "Drawer," Diluc muttered,
watching as Kaeya crawled off of him for a second to grab it from his nightstand and also
pulling out a string of wrapped condoms.

Kaeya put the condoms aside and grabbed the tube of lube, squeezing some out onto his
fingers, he was going to do the same thing as he did the first time they had sex, he would
finger himself in front of Diluc, though this time, he knew what he was doing. He had
practiced just for this day. Kaeya placed a hand on Diluc's chest to keep himself steady as he
leaned forward, pressing a finger inside of himself and groaning a little. He gazed down at
Diluc, who seemed to be entranced by him, watching Kaeya fingering himself so confidently.

Kaeya smirked down at him and scooted back to hover above Diluc's cock before he began to
grind down on him with his own, moaning quietly as he pressed the finger deeper inside of
himself, trying to find the spot he loved so much. Diluc grunted a little with the way Kaeya
pushed himself down on him, grinding against him agonizingly slowly to drive him insane.
Diluc grabbed Kaeya's hips, ready to thrust his cock between the agent's legs but Kaeya
slapped his hands away.

"Did I ask you to touch me there?" He asked smugly, still not picking up the pace just to rile
Diluc up. Diluc seemed like a patient but hardy man, Kaeya was curious where that patience
ended, he wanted to see just how much of his bad attitude Diluc was capable of enduring. For
now, Diluc just pursed his lips as Kaeya pressed his second finger inside. Kaeya looked up at
himself in the mirror and moaned a little as his fingers just barely brushed against the bundle
of nerves inside him. Looking at himself doing something so slutty in front of a man he
barely knew, Kaeya got another idea to drive Diluc further off the edge.

Kaeya lifted himself onto his knees and turned around slowly until he sat facing away Diluc.
He continued to grind against Diluc, glancing back over his shoulder to find the redhead
staring at his ass as he fingered himself with wide eyes. Diluc's hands instinctively reached
up to grab his cheeks, but again, Kaeya slapped them away, glaring down at him with his
good eye, "Do I need to spell it out for you? Don't touch me unless I ask you to,"

Diluc growled a little at that but still did nothing. Kaeya pushed inside another finger and
gasped a little at the stretch, moaning softly and clutching Diluc's leg tightly with his free leg
to keep himself balanced. He looked back to the mirror and watched how lewd he looked in
front of Diluc, fingering himself in front of the man so blatantly, though he hardly cared
about his pride at this point. He glanced down at the clothed bulge protruding from Diluc's
boxers, now a little wet with precum. Kaeya rocked his hips a bit harder against Diluc for
more friction, hearing the man moan behind at the feeling as he smirked.

He deemed himself ready and settled down on Diluc's crotch, panting a little as his ass hurt a
bit, he could feel Diluc's eyes on him, etched permanently on his ass and the way it squeezed
and unsqueezed, grasping for something, something like Diluc's cock. "Hand me a condom,"
Kaeya told him, watching Diluc roll his eyes at him because the string was closer to him than
Diluc.

Diluc snapped off a roll of condoms and passed them to Kaeya, who glared at him over his
shoulder, "I asked you for one condom, 'Luc." Diluc only smirked back at him, barely
resisting the urge to grab Kaeya and pound him onto his cock raw as he watched a drop of
lube sliding from Kaeya's ass down his thighs. "Do you think we'll be going at it just once
tonight?" Diluc asked him, making Kaeya blink confusedly at him. He blushed, stumbling
over his words, "Yes, I'll only do it once with you." Kaeya watched in shock as Diluc
laughed, he actually laughed at him.

Kaeya didn't think he was capable of such wonders, but the low chuckle Diluc emitted made
his cock throb harder. "What lead you to believe that?" Diluc slowly sat up and wrapped
Kaeya in his embrace, pulling his back into his chest and nuzzling his face into the agent's
neck. Kaeya tried to pull his arms out from Diluc's hug, but to no avail, the hitman had bound
him in his limbs too tightly.

"B-Because I said so, now let go." Diluc kissed the nape of his neck as his hand gently
caressed Kaeya's waist. "Narcissism runs deep through your veins, doesn't it? Put the condom
on me, Kaeya." Kaeya blinked his eyes at the unexpected turn of events, he was hoping Diluc
would let him have his fun a bit more. He ripped a condom out of its wrapper with shaking
fingers, counting the total number of condoms Diluc had handed him and blushing madly.

Seven. Diluc had handed him seven condoms to fill up, but surely he couldn't go seven
rounds? Last time it had been four rounds that had left Kaeya shaken and unable to move all
day the next day. No, Diluc was still human, and no human could go seven rounds.

Kaeya used the little room Diluc gave him to strip off Diluc's briefs, pushing them off his
legs as best he could as he hovered above his cock. His lips parted at the sight of the pale
muscle standing proudly, bouncing out of the briefs against Kaeya's thighs and making him
twitch a little. He began to roll the condom on Diluc's burning hot cock, wondering how he
could be so warm all the time.

Kaeya's body was cold in contrast to Diluc's, perhaps that was why Diluc was cuddling up to
him as such, but he adored the feeling, he hadn't met someone as warm as Diluc. Kaeya
pumped Diluc twice, giving his cock a light squeeze just to hear him gasp a little and
smirked, perhaps he had become a bit vengeful as well, like a certain colleague of his. "Now,
I wonder what you had planned for me while trying to keep me like a chained dog." Diluc
whispered in his ear, turning around on the bed to face the mirror again with Kaeya still in his
arms.
He made sure Kaeya watched them in the mirror as he slowly trailed his rough and calloused
hand over his body, sending goosebumps running all along his skin. He wrapped his fingers
around Kaeya's wet cock, making him yelp a little at the sudden touch. Diluc lifted Kaeya to
hover over his lap before sinking him down onto his cock, making him whimper and throw
his arms around Diluc's neck behind him as he faced the mirror.

Kaeya watched himself being pushed to take Diluc's cock whole, watched the lewd
expression he was making as his mouth fell open, his eye wide when he felt the same feeling
of fullness he did last time he took Diluc. "Ah... fuck, that feels--fuck..!" Kaeya moaned
loudly as Diluc grabbed Kaeya's hips and pushed him up before slamming him down once
more. Diluc's eyes met Kaeya's in the mirror as Kaeya stared at him with his face morphed
into an expression of pleasure as he felt Diluc's cock pushing into his prostate. Diluc kissed
Kaeya's neck and licked it, "Well, your legs work, don't they? Take the reins like you've been
trying to since the start, fuck yourself on my cock."

Kaeya's cheeks burned bright red at Diluc's words as the man let him droop down completely
until their hips met. Kaeya whimpered a little, he didn't want to admit the way his legs had
turned to jelly as soon as Diluc pushed his way inside of him. Kaeya placed his knees on the
bed and placed his hands on Diluc's thighs to keep himself propped up. He began to pump
himself up and down on Diluc's cock, moaning loudly as Diluc's cock hit his prostate over
and over every time he came back down on Diluc.

Diluc lied down behind him, feeling stable with his feet firmly planted on the floor as he held
Kaeya's hips once more to keep himself grounded. He grunted as his eyes trailed lustfully
down Kaeya's back to his ass, where he watched Kaeya bounce on him, watching the way his
cock slid steadily in and out of Kaeya's hole every time he lifted and sunk on his knees.
Kaeya looked so sexy in this state, his back curved beautifully a little more each time Diluc's
cock was slammed into his prostate.

"F-Fuck, Diluc..." Kaeya could hardly find the energy to keep himself going, but his pride
nagged at him to continue as he watched himself in the mirror, bouncing slowly and sensually
on Diluc's cock while clawing at the man's muscular pale thighs to try and cope with the
pleasure Diluc was giving him. "Feels so...good--hnngh!" Kaeya twisted his head to look
back at Diluc with his grey eye glazed over, looking down at the man's red face as he
grunting a little.

Diluc raised his head to look at him better, his eyes widening a little. How could a man look
so perfect while getting fucked like this? He looked like an angel to Diluc, even if he was far
from it. He didn't regret not taking the chance to kill Kaeya, a man so beautiful didn't deserve
to not look beautiful in death. But thinking about it, Diluc was sure that Kaeya would look
beautiful no matter what, even in death.

***Extra(kind of)***

homework : unfinished
sleep schedule : ruined
kaeya's ass : destroyed
seven rounds : complete
yee : haw
Chapter End Notes

Sooo... to the people who read CH:37, I come bearing good and bad news, the bad news
is, I won't be giving CH:37 a part 2, the good news is, I will be making a whole
Xiao/Aether fic based on it! But as it can turn out to be one of my longer fics, it might
take a while to full pan everything out, but I've already gotten the baseline down! I'm
also having a Zhongchi short-story brainrot idea and I'm just kinda wondering how I
should go about all this ehe~

If you're interested, I'll let y'all know when I have the first chapter out in the notes as I
am doing right now! Hopefully will have the first chapter ready by the next Xiao/Aether
chapter.

Ah, and almost forgot, you might notice that the chapter count has gone up to 70
chapters for this book! I added five new kinks/prompts, if you can guess which new
ones I've added, I'll give you a cookie!
 Medical (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Doctor kink

Childe finds himself struggling with his sensitive body and decides to go see a urologist
to find a solution to his problem. Despite his initial reluctance, he finds himself getting
more and more interested in his new doctor and becoming more open to seeing what it's
like to be with a man.

Chapter Notes

What the actual fuck. How did this get so long b r u h 10k words, at the beginning I was
worried how I'd be able to get it to even 4k words, h o w

welp, have fun reading this, according to my writing app, this will take one around 40-
60 minutes to read huehue, ah I really wanted to write powerbottom Childe but I
couldn't fit it in with this prompt so I went with OOC Childe yoink

Almost forgot to mention, my inspiration for this prompt is a manhwa called Love Me
Doctor, please give it a read, it's amazing!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"Uh... that isn't exactly normal, Childe," Aether said on the other end of the line, listening as
Childe rolled off his bed with embarrassment and thumped onto the floor with a groan.
Childe's cheeks burned with humiliation as he finished recalling the events of last night to
Aether, who seemed to be trying not to laugh at him.

"Ow..." He whimpered as his head ached from landing on it, "You think I don't know that?
Dude, I came in like a minute, the girl I was with... jesus fuck, she looked just about ready to
throttle me. I never ran so fast in my life. It was fucking embarrassing. Completely destroyed
my self-esteem." Aether cackled at the revelation, picturing the scene Childe had put into his
mind of the ginger nutting and getting swung at by the girl he was with, compelling him to
jump off her bed and grab his clothes to flee as quick as he could.

Aether rolled his eyes at Childe, though the ginger couldn't see it. "Okay yeah, that does
sound embarrassing. You could've apologized to her, at least," Childe grumbled, Aether acted
as if he had no pride to protect, no ego to feed. How would he apologize to a girl after
cumming in under a minute of coition?
Would he tell her 'I'm sorry for cumming so fast, but... can't seem to get it up again,' he
snorted a little at the thought and sighed. "What's wrong with me, Aether? Why the hell am I
so sensitive? It isn't like this when I'm alone." Aether bit back a grin at his questions,
wondering whether he should speak his mind. Childe had always been sensitive about such
topics.

"Eh, there's nothing wrong with being sensitive, you'd make a pretty good bottom in that
regard. That's the easy road, being sensitive is nice if you're a bottom." Childe clicked his
tongue, how many times had Aether suggested for him to try out being with a man? Too
many times for him to count, and too many times for him to refrain from being annoyed. "I'm
not gay, Aether, I'm not gonna let any guy touch me, alright?"

Aether sighed heavily over the phone, then an idea struck him, "You'll have to sooner or later.
You should really see a urologist and get that sensitivity thing treated before you end up
being known as cums-in-a-second Tartaglia throughout campus." Childe grunted a little at his
jab while Aether chuckled at his own joke. He went silent for a few seconds, pondering
Aether's words, maybe he should see a doctor, perhaps they could help him get used to this
sensitivity and hold out longer.

But seeing a male doctor for something as personal as this made him shudder a bit. He pouted
his lips and slowly crawled onto his bed again, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, I'll deal with it."

***

It took two more tries, two more times with the same thing happening to Childe when he tried
to have sex with someone, before he finally gave up on his pride and ego. He sighed as he sat
in the waiting room of the urologist's office. It was so embarrassing to be seen here, so
humiliating knowing he was about to get checked by another guy, and maybe... he would
even have to allow another man to touch him, to play with him, to see how he would react.
He shook his head, perhaps his imagination was just a bit out of his control, but he assumed
the worst would happen.

Still, despite his fears, he couldn't continue doing this, continue embarrassing himself in front
of women and having the possibility of rumors spreading about him throughout his college.
He couldn't go down without at least trying to fix his little bedroom problem, even if it was
super embarrassing to be seen by a male doctor. He tried to remain optimistic, maybe the man
wouldn't try to do anything, maybe he would be understanding, wouldn't judge him, and
hopefully, wouldn't touch him.

He released a soft breath as a nurse walked out of the room, "Mr. Childe Tartaglia, Dr.
Zhongli is ready to see you now." Childe steeled himself, he hated going to the doctor's,
being a delinquent kid all his life, doctor visits had been frequent, but now he would rather be
seen for a broken bone than a broken dick. He almost snorted at himself for the thought as he
got to his feet and nodded at the nurse. He walked past her into the urologist's office and
slowly shut the door behind him, keeping his eyes pinned to the floor. "Ah, you must be Mr.
Childe. Please, have a seat."

Childe's eyes widened as he heard the deep voice rumbling throughout the room, compelling
him to look up to see a man sitting behind the desk. He was wearing a white doctor's coat and
reading something on the clipboard placed on his desk with a pair of glasses sitting on the
bridge of his nose, likely more information on Childe. Childe's lips parted a little as he looked
at the man, Zhongli. Zhongli seemed... young, and even though Childe would never say or
admit it out loud, he was very handsome, nothing like what he imagined.

He expected a urologist to be an old gay man who took pleasure in searching people's bodies
with the excuse of helping them. This was far from what Childe thought it would be like, a
blush slowly crept up to his cheeks at his own shallow thoughts. He took a steadying breath
again, trying to pull his mind away from admiring the handsome man's features. Zhongli
slowly took off his reading glasses and placed them neatly on the table before finally tilting
his gaze up to look at Childe.

He noted how he hadn't taken a seat, and a smile began to play on his lips with amusement,
seeing the look in Childe's eyes like he was a deer caught in headlights. Zhongli was used to
such glances, he was used to frightened and uncomfortable-looking men walking into his
office like they were expecting him to be an untamed lion. Childe looked no different, and it
amused Zhongli to observe.

His first thought was that the man who had just walked into his office was exactly his type,
foreign, tall, muscular with a slim waist and wild hair, like his own. Blue eyes were also one
of his most favorite features's in a man, and the pair of eyes that belonged to Childe were like
pools of water. Zhongli tilted his head a little at Childe, a smile still on his lips, he didn't try
to be welcoming or overly accomodating for such clients. On the contrary, it was fun for him
to watch them flinch and flee like wild back-alley cats like the devil was on their heels.

He found it entertaining, and he chose to humor them while still keeping professional. He
would be lying if he said that he didn't have some unprofessional fun with his clients
sometimes. Unfortunately, he knew Childe's type, he would run away and get scared of him,
no matter how pretty Childe was, he wouldn't fall into Zhongli's clutches so easily. Still, it
didn't hurt to tease such a cute man, "I won't bite, please feel free to sit wherever you like so
long as I can hear you."

A mad blush grew on Childe's cheeks as he inhaled sharply, his heart thumping with
nervousness and embarrassment. "S-Sorry," Childe whispered and crossed the room to sit
opposite Zhongli's desk. He eyed the black leather hospital bed sitting to one side of the room
menacingly and prayed that he wouldn't have to use it. He took a seat and kept his gaze fixed
on the desk in front of him, trying not to look nervous but producing the opposite effect in
Zhongli's eyes. "What seems to be the problem, Mr. Childe?" Zhongli asked, grabbing a pen
from his drawer and placing it against the paper of his doctor's notepad, ready to write
whatever information Childe could give him.

Childe took another steadying breath and forced himself to look up at Zhongli. He barely
kept from flinching when he found his bright golden eyes already staring back at him. He
could see amusement dancing behind the man's pupils, making his blush deepen at the fact
that Zhongli was probably making fun of him in his mind, but keeping a straight face just to
remain professional.

It was humiliating, sitting in front of such a handsome man and dishing out all the problems
with his body, but since he was already here, he supposed he had nothing to lose. "Um... my
body is overly sensitive, so much that I can't really enjoy... uh... sex to its fullest, it gets in the
way of my sex life." Zhongli's eyebrows arched a little, impressed that Childe had managed
to give him the summary in one go.

Usually, people like him needed some time. "I see, in what way does it affect your sex life?"
Zhongli asked, quickly jotting down what Childe had said on the notepad. He tried not to grin
when he saw that Childe's blush had spread to his ears, carefully choosing his next words and
trying to figure out how to blurt it out. How cute. "Well, I... kind of cum way too fast to be
able to satisfy either me or the girl I'm with."

Zhongli studied him for a few more moments, trying to figure out what kind of issue was
going on in the man's body. He found himself staring at Childe without even realizing it,
making the man even more embarrassed, Zhongli noted his words again before speaking,
"Right. Would you say you only feel sensitive in your penis or does it spread throughout your
whole body?" Childe gave up trying to look Zhongli in the eye and fixed his gaze on the
table. He wanted this to be over, he wanted to run away screaming bloody murder, that would
be less embarrassing than telling a handsome stranger, a man, that he had a sensitive body.
"I'm not sure... I never pay much attention to it until we get to the actual.. err.. sex."

Zhongli leaned on his elbow on the table. Childe's lack of knowledge about his body could
get in the way of things, things that even he couldn't control. "Well, do you have the other
person touch you more intimately while engaging in foreplay?" Zhongli asked him
nonchalantly, he'd gone through this a great many times with other patients, this was nothing
new for him, but to Childe, it was like his pride was shattering with every word Zhongli
spoke. "N-No. I'm usually the one in control so they don't get a chance to get a feel of me."

Zhongli hummed and stared down at the notes he'd taken for a few seconds, trying to figure
out how to figure Childe out. There were no other options left for him but to suggest the one
thing he knew Childe didn't want him to say.

"I cannot make much of this information without taking your full situation into account, Mr.
Childe. For now, I won't be able to help you, but let me sign you for a week's worth of
appointments with me. Today, I can tell you're not fully prepared, so I would like you to go
home and try testing yourself a bit, using masturbation. This way, you'll become more
familiar with your body and, in turn, can help me help you."

Childe wanted to get up and smack his head against the wall a few dozen times. How could
Zhongli say such things so nonchalantly? How could he act like the words he spoke held no
real concern or significance to him? It made Childe nervous, but he supposed he had no other
options, being nonchalant about the human body likely came with being a doctor. Aether had
told him before he looked Zhongli up on the web that having a urologist could be a long-term
thing, especially for Childe. He was prepared to see Zhongli a few more times, at least.

"I would advise you to interact with your body by stimulating various erogenous zones, such
as your neck, nipples, testicles, and engage in anal play as well. Stimulating all these points
will help you become more in-tuned with your body, it would make my job easier." Childe
felt like passing out from embarrassment at the suggestions of rubbing himself on such...
sensitive areas by a man with such a straight face, like this was nothing to him.
Childe nodded shakily, and Zhongli smiled at him, "It can seem intimidating doing such
things out of the blue, but a man's body is a very interesting thing. It would be best for you to
follow my suggestions when you get home and come back tomorrow for another
appointment." Childe pursed his lips at the idea of coming back, but he decided to steel
himself, remembering what Aether had told him, that seeing a urologist could be a long-term
thing. "Yes, Doctor, I'll do my best and will let you know how it goes tomorrow. I'll ask the
reception to set up a few more appointments like you asked."

Zhongli tried not to let it show how much he enjoyed Childe calling him 'Doctor'. His heart
began to thump faster as a fleeting image of Childe bent over in front of him, calling him
Doctor in that sweet voice of his, flashed through his mind. He nodded and offered Childe a
reassuring smile to hide his thoughts, a smile that Childe believed was innocent, and it was,
for a time. Zhongli could very well have taken advantage of Childe today and tested him
himself, right?

But he didn't, he allowed Childe to walk out of his office with a business phone number, in
case he needed advice on how he should go about doing... that. Zhongli leaned back in his
seat after Childe left, staring at the door after him. He smirked a little, Childe could be very
easy to break, just with the look in his eyes that he would submit to Zhongli if prompted even
a little. Straight men were always as such, never knowing how to put their foot down in front
of a bigger man. But Zhongli wouldn't do anything Childe didn't ask him to, he would never
take advantage of his fear for his own personal gain, no matter how pretty he looked, no
matter how much he was just his type.

Still, he couldn't stop his thoughts from running wild as he shut his eyes. Vivid images of
Childe began to flash in his mind, Childe following his suggestions, Childe masturbating and
touching himself in the ways Zhongli advised. Childe playing with his nipples, Childe
fingering himself, Childe humping a pillow and moaning out for him and calling him Doctor.
He pinched himself just a little to snap himself out of his thoughts, and sighed, feeling heated
over nothing but a stranger. He glanced down and saw a bulge poking from his pants and
grumbled under his breath. Not a day went by where he didn't regret becoming a urologist
while being a gay man.

***

Childe sat down on his bed, shutting his eyes tightly and taking a deep breath. He was naked,
save for a towel thrown over his head while he was drying his hair, he was ready to test
Zhongli's words, ready to see how his body would react to different stimulants. He pursed his
lips as he lied down with his head against his pillows, he was about to try a gay person's
pleasure.

He'd never heard of straight men playing with their nipples or fingering themselves, but he
supposed he should try to follow Zhongli's advice, perhaps it could help him in the long run.
It was humiliating to even think about, he couldn't imagine doing this with himself ever, but
now he was going to do it, all because a doctor he had never met before told him to. He
grabbed the bottle of lube sitting on his nightstand and slowly poured some over his cock,
which was beginning to get excited at the prospect of getting touched.
He prayed, prayed with all his might that he wouldn't cum fast, and he was hopeful. He never
came instantaneously by himself as he did with others, which wasn't particularly a good
thing. He wished it was the other way around, that he could last long enough to satisfy a
woman but making himself cum quickly.

He sighed softly and poured a good amount of lube over his cock, hissing a little at how cold
it was and feeling the way it dripped down the shaft of his most sensitive muscle, down until
it dripped to his ass, spreading itself well. He blushed, was he really going to be doing this?
Was he really going to feel the pleasure gay men do when they have sex? He could never
have envisioned himself doing something like this, but something about Zhongli compelled
him to at least give it a try.

He brought the bottle of lube up to his chest and poured a droplet or two over his nipples,
cringing at the cold liquid. Childe sighed and brought his hand down to his crotch, allowing
his fingers to wrap around his cock, he whimpered quietly as he felt the muscle beginning to
come to life. He shut his eyes, trying to clear his head of all thoughts that could make him
feel bad about doing something like this, trying to clear away any thoughts of Zhongli that
might be lurking at the back of his mind. He groaned softly as he began to pump himself,
twisting his hand around his cock gently, trying not to go too fast in case he came quickly.

He found himself reluctant to bring his hand up to his nipples, he found himself nervous to
even think about pushing his fingers past his cock to a place he had never touched (or let
anyone touch) before. He steeled himself, what was he so afraid of? This was his body, his
own vessel that carried him through each day, Zhongli was right about one thing, if nothing
else, he should know the basics about his body. He forced his free hand up to his chest and
experimentally ran his finger over one of his nipples. He didn't feel much, his body's focus
was on his hand massaging his cock slowly.

He began to press harder into his chest, running his finger in circling motions and panting a
little, staring down at his body. His nipples were beginning to react to the touch, the never-
before-touched nerve endings beneath them began to hum to life. He breathed out softly,
watching his nipples hardening into small nubs under the effects of his fingers, they tingled a
little, making him a little more sensitive in his cock as he stroked it while brushing his fingers
over his nipples.

It felt like the nerves between his nipples, and the head of his cock were connected,
stimulating both of them made him feel jittery tingles all over his body but not as strong as
when he had sex. His back arched a little as he moaned, feeling himself getting fully hard, his
hand began to pump himself a bit more strongly to milk the feeling of ecstasy shared between
his upper and lower half.

"Ah... f-fuck it feels weird.." Childe whispered to himself, his eyes shutting again as he laid
his head back against the pillow. Goosebumps littered his body all around his chest, making
the light ginger hairs on his skin stand on end as he felt a wave of pleasure wash over him.
He knew from the get-go that this would take a bit longer than it usually did with another
person. He could hardly focus on one fleeting thought after another but he wondered how he
would explain this to Zhongli tomorrow, that he was okay by himself but as soon as another
person touched him, he would shut down.
He pursed his lips, why couldn't that damned Doctor leave his mind alone for a second? He'd
been thinking about him all day, he'd been preparing himself for tomorrow's appointment,
preparing to masturbate just because he had told him to do so. His cheeks burned, what
expression would Zhongli wear if he looked at Childe doing this? Would he have that amused
smile on his face, watching Childe play with himself? Or would his face remain stone-cold
just like today? Childe shook himself out of these thoughts. He took a deep breath, recalling
all that he'd learned on the web about anal play, fingering, the prostate gland, and all in
between.

He pulled his hands away from his body and turned around until he laid down doggy style
with his ass hanging in the air. He took a shaking breath and reached his hand back around
his body until he groped his own ass cheek, massaging it a little to give himself a moment to
prepare. His body prickled with the sensation of pleasure, some of his muscles twitched a
little, in his twenty-two years of living, he'd never touched himself like this, his muscles were
not used to such feelings.

It felt intimidating to feel like this, even more so because of the prospect of Zhongli's intense
eyes hanging over him. He shivered as he pressed his fingers behind himself until he pressed
them over his hole. He spread the lube that had dripped back there around his rim, trying to
ease the muscles enough to be able to slip his finger inside. Childe gasped as he pressed his
finger inside, feeling it slip inside. Immediately, the feeling of ickiness and grossness
overcame him as he felt his squishy insides, having something penetrate his walls in such a
way.

He had fingered others before but never felt it himself, it felt so strange, like something was
trying to pry its way inside him even though it was his own finger. He bit his lip and pressed
on, pushing his finger as deep as he could before the awkward position became
uncomfortable. He took a shaking breath, not daring to move while he had his finger inside of
himself, it felt so weird, it didn't feel as good as he hoped, then again, he remembered it was
the prostate that was supposed to give one pleasure, not just penetration.

He began to press around inside himself, looking for that one spot that was meant to be
swollen while feeling aroused. He cringed again as he felt his own wet, mushy insides and
shut his eyes tightly, trying not to think about it. He pressed his finger as far as it could go, up
to his knuckles, and felt it brushing against a spot that sent goosebumps running along his
skin.

Childe had a fleeting thought before pure ecstasy filled him to the core of Zhongli's brilliant
eyes, how they would shine a little if Zhongli was watching him playing with his ass from
behind right now. He was in the perfect position for anyone to watch with the full view of his
hole swallowing his finger, it could've been Childe doing this in Zhongli's office today, with
the man sitting behind him, watching with keen interest.

He didn't know why but that thought sent his mind into overdrive as he let out a gasping
moan as he pressed into that spot, "Ah--fuck!! Doctor~" Childe didn't realize what he had just
said until at least ten seconds later, his eyes were blown wide open now as he felt the feeling
of electric shocks running under his skin, making him feel like he was on fire every time he
pressed into that spot like a doorbell. His face reddened a shade of the deepest maroon that
only his Snezhnayan skin could accommodate as his own voice replayed in his head, the
word doctor replaying in his mind over and over again.

What the fuck had he just said? Did he just moan out for Zhongli while he fingered himself?
He couldn't find himself being able to stop from thrusting his finger inside of himself,
desperate to find that sweet spot again that made him see stars.

Childe rolled onto his back, pulling his finger out for a second before he pulled his knees up
to his chest and lowered his hand back to his ass from the front, pushing his finger inside
again. This time, he felt no discomfort, he could hardly think straight enough to feel
disgusted with himself for shoving his own finger up his ass, his body still tingled with the
aftershocks of the blows he'd sent to his prostate.

He moaned and whimpered as he began to massage his prostate once more, it was difficult
and took much effort trying to stimulate it with just his finger, but each time his finger
brushed against his prostate, he found himself gasping with pleasure. Childe felt the pleasure
spread throughout his whole body, from the roots of his hair down to the tips of his toes, he
never thought it could feel so good to play with himself as such, he never thought it could
feel so good to play with himself as gay men did. Childe used his other hand to begin rubbing
his nipples again and found the pleasure double as his senses heightened tremendously,
making him cry out another call of 'doctor' as he curled up on the bed, pulling his knees up to
his chest, suspending them in the air.

He could almost imagine Zhongli sitting in front of him on a seat, watching him and noting
every little reaction he produced. His wild imagination lead him astray from coherent
thoughts as he pictured Zhongli getting up from his seat and walking towards him, calling
him a good boy and pinning him down, gazing at him with his luminescent eyes and an
amused smirk on his lips.

"You're doing so well, maybe I should reward you." Childe began to nod his head to
Zhongli's imaginary words even though he knew he was completely alone in the room, he felt
so out of it, he couldn't think straight. Childe came all over himself strongly with a cry of
"Doctor~..!", his back arching as his eyes rolled back. His voice choked up as he tried to
moan but found every function in his body rendered useless. His vision went white for a few
seconds as he wheezed for breath, trying to calm himself. He rolled onto his side, finally
beginning to come back to earth.

Perhaps it was because it was his first time having a prostate orgasm, but his body shook a
little for several minutes after his orgasm as he laid there, thinking. He had cum to the
thought of Zhongli, he had cum to the thought of a man he had met for only a brief ten or
twenty minutes. He buried his face into the pillow and felt like screaming if he didn't think
the people from the dorm next door wouldn't kill him.

He had cum to the thought of a stranger, he had cum to the thought of a doctor, he had cum to
the thought of a urologist, he had cum to the thought of a man and wanted a man to fuck him
into his bed and reward him. He gave up and screamed into the pillow.

***
"So, Mr. Childe, do you have any news to share with me? I'm ready to listen, and I hope you
know that I will not judge you in any way." Zhongli told Childe, who looked a little less
nervous than he had the previous day, perhaps Childe had been prepping himself for this
moment. The thought amused Zhongli. Throughout the last night and the morning, he had
been having vivid daydreams of Zhongli, he had been having vivid daydreams of what it
would feel like to get fucked with something bigger than just his finger, something like
Zhongli's cock.

Of course, he would never admit that, he would likely die of embarrassment before that
would ever happen, but he found himself unable to look at Zhongli, not after the things he'd
imagined the man doing to him. He feared if he looked into his eyes, he would recall the
vivid vision he had of Zhongli hovering on top of him, calling him a good boy while offering
him a nice reward for his good performance.

The thought scared him, so he kept his eyes glued to the table. "Well... it took me around five
to ten minutes to cum alone, I... followed your advice, and tried anal play. I had my first
prostate orgasm, but I didn't cum right off the bat as I do with other people. I don't know what
to think about it, considering, y'know, I last a while on my own but not while I'm with
someone else. I also tried..." Childe paused to take a deep breath and calm his racing heart,
trying to find the proper words to describe his endeavors with his body last night without
giving away 'unnecessary' detail.

He dared to glance up and almost jumped when he saw Zhongli already smiling at him. He
blushed madly and looked back down, trying to force the words out of his mouth before he
lost the smallest semblance of confidence that he had. "I tried to stimulate my chest, and
while it felt good and intensified my orgasm, it didn't help me cum any faster. It felt like I
wasn't feeling as good doing it myself as I would doing it with someone else. The results of
playing with myself and the results of being with other people were different. I lasted longer
by myself even after using all these stimulants."

Staring at the floor, he missed the way Zhongli licked his lips as he eyed Childe's chest.
Zhongli's mind already began picturing what Childe would look like trying to pinch and
squeeze his own nipples to make himself feel good. He shut his eyes and released a small
breath, "I understand. So what you're saying is you think being with someone else somehow
makes your body more sensitive than it does when you're alone?" Childe nodded quietly, not
knowing what to say in response to that question.

Zhongli clasped his hands on the desk, wishing he could get Childe to look up at him with
those pretty eyes of his, he almost considered reaching out to grasp Childe's chin and make
him look up, but he needed to tread carefully with such a nervous young man. "Hm... so even
masturbation hasn't gotten us far. We learned your body is sensitive enough to have a prostate
orgasm on your first attempt, but not enough to ejaculate fast as you do while you have sex.
Perhaps there is some psychological motive behind it, such as longing for someone that made
you feel like you weren't feeling as good as you were, or perhaps you didn't enjoy it."

Childe blurted out what he was thinking, not being able to stop his words from spilling out,
"N-No! I didn't long for anyone while doing it... but I enjoyed it, it felt amazing, but it... still
doesn't explain why I cum fast with other people." Zhongli regarded him for a moment, his
head tilting just a bit as he replayed Childe's words in his head. Childe had sounded very
frantic with denying Zhongli's words, knowing the basics of psychology, Zhongli could easily
guess that someone had indeed been on his mind while he was playing with himself
yesterday.

The thought bothered him just a tiny bit as he felt his eyes narrowing a little. "You're right, it
does not explain the problem you came here for." Zhongli went silent for a few moments,
thinking about how he could help Childe in a way he thought would be comfortable for him,
but he could think of no other way. He wanted to avoid suggesting such a thing, but he
couldn't make a betterment plan for Childe if he didn't know where his sensitivity during sex
stemmed from. Playing with himself alone hadn't helped them get anywhere near finding the
answer to that question.

He knew Childe would likely refuse immediately and then he would have to go on intuition
to make a betterment plan for Childe. "I'm afraid I'll have to suggest something that might not
be fully comfortable for you. I would like to see how you would react to my touch, I would
like to know what factors or what part of your body makes you feel so sensitive. I require
every blank about your body to be filled before I try to suggest any treatment for such
things."

Childe's eyes widened, Zhongli's words made him temporarily forget how he was supposed to
keep his gaze down in front of him, Zhongli's words shocked him and he felt his heart
beginning to beat faster. "Y-You're... asking me to have sex with you?" Childe slapped a hand
over his mouth to shut himself up, but it was too late as he watched Zhongli begin to laugh
softly. "No, Mr. Childe. Sex was not what I meant, it's more of an experiment I'd like to
conduct with your cooperation, to report the results, I would need to derive some deductions
from my own experimentations, to see what limits your body has, to see how it reacts
differently to the touch of someone else. Of course, you are free to say no, I would still do my
best to help you with the situation of your sensitivity with the information you gave me, but it
might not be 100% accurate in helping you without the proper data I require."

Childe thought about it for a moment, his face burning red as he tried to think about it
rationally. If he allowed Zhongli to touch him, it would mean that he would get quicker, more
effective treatment. He should feel disgusted at the thought, he shouldn't even be considering
this, he should be running. But somehow, something had changed, the prospect of Zhongli's
hands on his body didn't bother him as much as it did yesterday.

It made him nervous to think about it, but Zhongli was being considerate of him, leaving
everything up to him. Surely if he had bad intentions, he would have taken advantage of
Childe already, he would've pushed him into acceptance, but he didn't.

He merely sat there with his hands clasped on the table, watching Childe's expression
changing as he tried to come to a decision. "You don't have to give an answer right away. It
doesn't have to be today, you can come back tomorrow, but if you think you are ready then
we can proceed." Childe didn't know why but he wanted to say no almost immediately, he
wanted to tell Zhongli he wanted to do it right now and get it over with.

The vivid visions he had of Zhongli sitting and watching him while he masturbated last night
morphed into visions of Zhongli's strong hands against his body, gently squeezing and
groping anywhere he pleased, claiming Childe's body with his hands. The thought already got
him hard. "N-No, it would be okay if we did it now," Childe whispered, making Zhongli
blink with surprise. He didn't expect Childe to say yes, not while the ginger could barely look
him in the eye, he thought he would deny the idea almost immediately, hearing him tell him
that it was okay to do it elated Zhongli, though he kept calm.

He nodded, trying to seem cool and collected like Childe giving him consent didn't turn him
on. "Alright then, I hope you put a lot of care and consideration into your decision. Let me
clear up my schedule for the rest of the day to extend our time, please have a seat on the bed,
I'll be back shortly." Childe nodded as Zhongli stood up, swiftly pulled his doctor's coat in
front of his groin to hide the way it had grown. Childe did as he asked as Zhongli left the
room to prepare and took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

What was he about to do? Why was he about to let a man touch him even though he swore to
himself (and Aether) that that would never be the case? He'd never felt so nervous before,
usually, he was the smooth talker of campus that had a way with the ladies, now he was just a
pawn about to get groped by a guy. Somehow, the thought didn't bother him as much as it
should have.

He took a seat on the bed with his legs hanging over the side, he didn't know whether he
should lie down or not, but he chose not to, knowing it would only make him feel more
vulnerable. Zhongli came back a minute later, a clipboard in hand along with a box of packed
supplies, gloves, masks, tissues... and lube. Zhongli walked towards Childe, keeping his gaze
firmly planted on the man's face, hoping that his confidence would rub off on Childe, though
he had little hope. He placed the box of supplies next to Childe on the bed and leaned on his
hand.

"I know you must be feeling nervous, I won't do anything you won't allow me to and I want
you to stop me immediately if I do something you don't like, but I'll need your cooperation to
see this through. Are you ready?" Childe nodded slowly, rubbing his knees together a little as
Zhongli took a step forward in front of him. Zhongli urged Childe to sit further up the bed
until his back met the wall, his legs on either side of Zhongli.

"First, I'll touch you through your clothes, to see how you'll react and whether you're
comfortable or not. Whenever you wish to do so, you can take your shirt off and we'll
proceed from there." Childe blushed at the prospect of getting naked in front of Zhongli.
Zhongli stepped between his parted legs, fishing in the box for a pair of elastic gloves and
pulling them on his hands. Zhongli started off slowly by placing a hand on Childe's knee,
watching as the ginger flinched at the touch but didn't push him away. Zhongli allowed his
hand to travel up Childe's thigh, this time, he didn't look at his face, he blocked out all
thoughts like he'd been trained to do back when he was a med student.

He couldn't afford to think about Childe right now, he couldn't afford to look at him and get
hard at the sight of him because he knew Childe was off-limits right now. The only thing he
could do was touch him and tighten the leash of self-restraint over himself. He couldn't go
any farther than touching Childe. Zhongli dug his fingers a bit firmer into Childe's thigh, his
eyes following every twitch of Childe's body as he massaged him gently.
He leaned Childe a bit more firmly against the wall, taking the extra room to move his hand
up to Childe's hip, giving it a gentle squeeze that made Childe whimper a little. Childe didn't
know what to do with his hands, he didn't know whether he should hold onto Zhongli or keep
them on the plastic sheet-covered bed or hold onto himself. His heart rate was skyrocketing
but somehow, the word 'stop' didn't occur to him. He allowed Zhongli's hands to travel up his
side to his abdomen, awakening every nerve under the untouched skin and making Childe's
body tingle with the delight of being touched for once.

He could feel his every sense heightening with every gentle caress on his skin over the
fabrics of his clothes, he could feel himself getting a little more breathless with every stroke
of Zhongli's fingers over his body. "Are you alright? Should I proceed?" Zhongli asked,
remembering to be considerate of Childe's comfort as well as his pleasure.

So far, Childe had made no moves to suggest that he disliked what Zhongli was doing. Childe
didn't trust his voice not to break if he spoke, choosing to nod in response and eliciting a
small smile from Zhongli that made him feel even more embarrassed. Zhongli pressed his
thumbs over Childe's nipples, slowly rubbing them through the material of his shirt with just
the right amount of pleasure to make Childe moan. Zhongli's shut his eyes and took a
steadying breath, trying to ignore the ringing of Childe's cute moan in his ears as he felt
Childe's nipples hardening under his touch almost instantly.

It made him long to feast his eyes on them, they felt cute and round to the touch through his
shirt, Zhongli imagined Childe's Snezhnayan skin made them very pretty. Childe wanted to
hit himself for moaning over and over as Zhongli stimulated his nipples, what was wrong
with him? He couldn't stop himself from moaning so much, it felt like he was getting
electrocuted with every circular motion of Zhongli's thumbs over his buds.

It hadn't felt like this when he did it himself yesterday, his cock was fully hard in his pants as
he accidentally tightened his knees against Zhongli's waist, trying to hold in his breathy
moans. Was it normal to feel like this with just having one's nipples stimulated? He'd never
heard of such things, he felt about ready to cum at the feeling, and he feared he actually
would.

He wanted to fall over on the bed and pull Zhongli on top of him, his body didn't feel like it
could handle his own weight anymore and he wanted to fall apart under Zhongli's sweet and
gentle touch right then and there. Zhongli observed all these reactions with a tiny smile,
"How interesting," He reprimanded himself for saying it out loud, watching as Childe's eyes
flickered up to meet his, the emotion of humiliation dancing in them. Zhongli tried to save
face and elaborated, "I've never seen someone who reacts so readily to touch, this is different
from what you described when you said you played with yourself."

Childe's cheeks burned at his words, "S-Shut up, I told you I was sensitive, didn't I?" Zhongli
seemed taken aback by his rude comment, Childe had been polite with him since the
beginning, but he supposed he shouldn't have expected any less from a college student. Still,
he merely smirked down at Childe for his words, he held the position of power, after all. He
pinched Childe's nipples between two of his fingers and rolled them through his shirt, making
Childe's eyes blow wide as he gasped, kicking his legs out. Childe glared up at him, again,
very different from the shy young man he made himself out to be normally, but Zhongli didn't
mind, he liked a hint of brattiness.

"You did that on p-purpose!" Childe exclaimed, watching as Zhongli pulled his hands away
from Childe's body, smirking but not answering him. "Would you like to proceed further Mr.
Childe?" Zhongli asked, giving Childe's shirt a light tug at the shoulders and making him
flinch. Childe glared at him for a few more moments, his face red down to his neck as he
panted and gasped for breath, his body still twitching from the after-effects of Zhongli's
touch.

He wordlessly began to take his shirt off, pursing his lips as he stared down at his own crotch
that had begun to bulge with how tight his pants had gotten. He gulped, he'd gotten this hard
just from having his nipples played with by a doctor. He stripped off his shirt and put it next
to himself, trying to avoid the urge to hide from Zhongli's gaze that seemed to explore his
body almost instantly.

Zhongli had been right, Childe's body was beautiful, his skin had not a single blemish on it
save for a few small scars here and there. His taut nipples stood to attention, slightly red from
being played with, the skin sensitive from the blood pounding through his chest. They were
beautiful, Zhongli wanted nothing more than to suck on them, but he kept himself in line, he
would exercise self-control over himself. He allowed his hands to rise back up to Childe's
body, experimentally laying it flat against Childe's abdomen and making him shiver a little.

The rubber gloves didn't allow Zhongli to feel Childe's skin, but he could almost tell how soft
it would be to the touch. The reason he chose to wear gloves was not just because of germs,
but to keep himself in check, knowing if he got a feel of Childe's body, he'd want to feel more
and push him back to pin him to the bed. Zhongli licked his lips subconsciously, not going
unnoticed by Childe who looked up at his eyes as they trailed down his body. Childe's lips
pursed, quivering a little at the feeling of being stared at so blatantly, wasn't Zhongli
supposed to remain professional about this?

Childe wasn't complaining though, he wondered how he would react if Zhongli pinned him
down, wondered how he would feel if Zhongli fucked him senseless right there on the bed.
Zhongli's hand slowly trailed up Childe's body, pressing against the center of his chest to feel
how fast his heart was beating. He allowed it to slip back to Childe's nipples, first running his
gloved index finger over it, watching as it flicked a little and shuddered.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, to bring himself back to Earth, and keep from taking
Childe right then and there. He pinched it gently and began to play with them a bit more, this
time having the full view of the way Childe's skin stretched with every tug of his fingers in
sync with the ginger's sweet moans. Childe clasped a hand over his mouth to shut himself up,
trying to hold his noises of pleasure as he felt the feelings of electric shocks return tenfold
with his lack of clothing this time, the rubber gloves creating friction with his chest.

Zhongli noticed his reluctance to moan and smiled a bit more gently, "It's alright to make
noises, Mr. Childe. It just tells me that I'm doing right by you." Childe felt like his body had
been lit on fire by the man before him, how could his touch feel so good? He felt his
underwear getting wet with precum, the pleasure from the nipple play had left him shaking
and breathless and it was just slightly lacking to make him cum.
He felt like him Zhongli even tried to poke his cock through the material of his jeans, he
would cum right then and there. "M-More..." Childe whimpered to Zhongli, by now, he'd lost
all sense of humility and motivation to fight Zhongli's touch. He wanted more, but he was
scared of what 'more' would entail. He definitely wasn't ready to take a cock on his first
attempt at man-on-man action, but he wanted it, his gaze was fixed on Zhongli's crotch that
was covered by his coat. Surely, Zhongli would have gotten just a little hard seeing his body
and listening to him moan like this, right?

Childe didn't think he was so undesirable that one wouldn't even get hard while being given
so much free reign over his body. The small plea went straight to Zhongli's crotch, feeling the
heat building up in his own body, tremendously though he tried to hide it by covering himself
up. He put up a cool front despite how much he wanted to devour Childe right there and
raised an eyebrow at the ginger, "Oh? You want more? Such a request to your doctor isn't
professional, Mr. Childe."

Zhongli teased in a low voice, allowing his hands to slip from Childe's now swollen and red
nipples down to his thighs, holding them firmly. He didn't think Childe meant it when he said
he wanted more, but as he turned his gaze to look the man in the eye, he found sheer
determination dancing behind his pupils. "You've been anything but professional since we
started, doctor.." Childe whispered, glancing down to Zhongli's crotch again. He brought his
foot up to Zhongli's crotch and gently nudged aside the coat, taking a gander as to whether
Zhongli was hard or not.

His eyes widened when he saw the bulge protruding from Zhongli's pants, fully erect just like
he was and just barely restrained. Childe shook a little at the sight of it. He wanted it, but at
the same time he was disgusted with himself for wanting another man's cock, he was
disgusted with himself for being so needy and asking a stranger for more, his doctor no less.
He was also nervous, he'd never been with a man before, it was always women, and he'd
never taken a cock, he didn't think something like that would even fit inside him.

Even his finger had hurt being inside him for a time last night, how could he take something
that looked big enough to stick out so strongly through Zhongli's pants? "This isn't what I'd
call professional, doctor." Zhongli gulped a little at the way Childe called him that twice. His
grip on Childe's thighs tightened a little to keep his hands firmly planted so that he wouldn't
do anything impromptu.

"What do you wish for me to do, then?" Zhongli asked, keeping his gaze pinned down in case
he would crack under the pressure of Childe's beautiful blue eyes, the roles reversed. Childe
didn't know how to answer such a question. He chewed on his bottom lip, not knowing
whether to ask Zhongli for his cock or not with how conflicted his mind and body were. He
glanced down at Zhongli's crotch, thinking about how they could help each other get off. An
idea came to mind, though he didn't know how to convey it, all he could blurt out was, "If
you help me... then I'll help you as well."

Zhongli's eyes flickered back up to look into Childe's surprise dancing in them. Childe didn't
have a face of a confident man right now, but he spoke bold words for someone who shook
just at the sight of Zhongli's bulge. He couldn't help smirking at the offer, "So you're asking
me to make you cum?" Childe clutched the paper sheet that had been laid down on the leather
bed beneath them, crumpling it a little.

"Y-Yes." He said softly, making Zhongli take in a sharp as he placed his hands on that bed
next to Childe's thighs. He didn't know how to respond, he desperately wanted Childe, he
desperately wanted to be inside him, but Childe hadn't hinted at intercourse. He wondered
what he should do. Of course, the answer was obvious to Zhongli, he would get to see all of
Childe, he would even get to touch Childe more intimately than he already was. He
proceeded to unbutton Childe's jeans and unzipped them, pressing his hand under one of
Childe's thighs to lift him a bit in order to lower his pants off more easily.

He allowed Childe's pants to droop to his midthighs and left his boxers still on in case Childe
changed his mind. Zhongli gazed at Childe's milky smooth legs that twitched a little with the
light tremors racking through his sensitive body. Zhongli pushed Childe to lie down on the
bed, finally giving up on keeping him sitting upright with the way Childe was slouching and
pinned him to the bed, slowly climbing up after him and taking a seat between his legs.

He gripped the waistband of Childe's boxers and pulled them down slowly, almost as if he
was trying to create as must friction between the fabric and Childe's cock as possible. It made
the man moan out loud as he began to claw at the bed at the feeling, trying to cope with the
pleasure. Zhongli fixed his gaze onto Childe's cock, it was beautiful just like the rest of the
man, with light ginger hairs at the base and a pink tip. It was smooth with little veins, though
throbbed hard with the blood pumping through it. Zhongli was at a loss for words at the sight
of the pretty man.

Zhongli leaned over Childe's body and grabbed both of his wrists with one of his gloved
hands, pulling them above his head and pinning them there to keep the ginger from
squirming... or from pushing him back. Childe had no such thoughts, he had been
daydreaming about this on and off the whole day and the previous night.

He wanted this, he wanted Zhongli to pin him down and make him feel good, but he was
afraid Zhongli would try to put it in. He kept quiet, staring up at the man with half-lidded
blue eyes as he shivered with cold sweat. Zhongli decided to try being bold enough to press
his lips to Childe's nipple, as he'd been wanting to since they began. He felt Childe twitch
terribly at the feeling as he stuck his tongue out and licked a fat stripe over the hardened bud
with much satisfaction, moaning a little against Childe's skin at the feeling of his hardened
bud against his tongue.

Childe gasped at the feeling as Zhongli clamped his mouth around his nipple, his free hand
reaching down to cup Childe's cock, giving it a few strokes with the rubber material still on
his hands as he sucked on Childe's nipple with mirth, swirling his tongue all around it like he
couldn't get enough. Childe struggled against his restraints, wanting to pull Zhongli away
from his nipples at the feeling of utter ecstasy filling him.

He felt a familiar feeling rising in his stomach, making him gasp and cry out, his body
thrashing a little under Zhongli as his eyes were blown wide. It was going to happen again,
he would cum in less than a minute of Zhongli touching him. "F-Fuck, doctor..!" Childe
mewled as he felt his stomach give one final squeeze... but then Zhongli clasped his hand
tight around the base of Childe's shaft, keeping him from his orgasm. Childe choked on air as
he tried not to scream out, Zhongli had tried to stop his orgasm too late, Childe reached his
high and was left gasping and crying for Zhongli to stop, for him to release Childe because
his tight grip was keeping him from spurting cum.

He wheezed a little as tears spilled from the corners of his eyes, it felt like he was just a ball
of energy and nothing more from how much pleasure the near-denied orgasm gave him but he
felt such a deep itch in his gut, feeling like he had to pee with the way his sperm wasn't able
to get out. "I-It hurts... f-fuck, doctor, it hurts so good," Zhongli smiled a little at Childe's
words and pulled back, sitting on the balls of his feet even though he still had his shoes on.

Childe's body spasmed uncontrollably as Zhongli let his wrists go, watching the way Childe
slumped and heaved for breath, finally coming to from his high. Childe stared up at him with
dazed blue eyes before he sat up shakily, sitting right in front of him with his legs still spread
over either of Zhongli's thighs. Childe didn't know what came over him but he grabbed
Zhongli by the collar and kissed him.

Zhongli let out a rumble that couldn't be identified as a grunt of surprise at the feeling of
Childe's lips on his own. Childe didn't allow him to deepen the kiss or even kiss back before
he pulled away, looking into Zhongli's eyes as the man stared at him with shock. Childe was
a man of his word, he promised to help Zhongli if Zhongli helped him. He wasn't ready to
take Zhongli's cock just yet, but he could try with his mouth. He was still nervous, he had
never given head before, didn't know what to expect. He tugged at the waistband of Zhongli's
pants, trying to pull them down.

"I-I'll help," Zhongli stared at him still stunned into silence, and wordlessly lifted his hips for
Childe to pull his pants and boxers down in one go. Childe almost yelped when Zhongli's
cock sprang out, nearly hitting him in the face. Zhongli bit back a bark of laughter at Childe's
reaction as the ginger gaped at the sight of Zhongli's cock. He knew he was going to have his
work cut out for him with the way it pulsated, standing straight against Zhongli's stomach
with thick veins and a sharp v line that made even Childe swoon.

Childe wondered whether his mouth was wide enough, he didn't at all know what he was
doing, watching as Zhongli sank back onto the balls of his feet, his cock bouncing a little
with the movement. Childe took a deep breath, he didn't know the first thing about giving
head, how could he make Zhongli feel good when he had been disgusted by the prospect of
having gay sex a day ago?

Childe shifted back until he could lie on his stomach in front of Zhongli, placing his hands on
Zhongli's thighs and looking up at him with his pretty blue eyes, light traces of tears on his
cheeks. The sight made Zhongli go rigid as he slowly shifted into a more comfortable
position, sitting criss-cross with Childe's chest on his thighs as he placed his face dangerously
close to Zhongli's cock. He could almost feel the heat emanating from it and shivered a little,
wondering what the hot muscle would feel like on his tongue.

He should feel disgusted, but he didn't, there was a sense of trust between himself and
Zhongli now, Childe was willing to try pleasing Zhongli with his mouth if not his ass. Childe
experimentally wrapped his hands around the shaft of Zhongli's cock, watching the way the
man simply breathed out, much different from his own reaction when Zhongli had him
gasping and crying out with a simple stroke of his hand.
 Childe bit his lip, it was burning hot against his hands, he could feel blood pumping through
Zhongli's veins under his palms, it was... an interesting feeling, Childe didn't like how he
wasn't immediately repulsed by it. Childe gave it a stroke, slowly twisting his hand around
the shaft like he would when playing with himself.

He watched as Zhongli simply leaned back on his hands, giving no sign of pleasure yet. It
disappointed Childe, was this how men normally reacted to touch without the intense
sensitivity Childe's body had? Childe was weak to any kind of contact, just his nipples had
sent him near an orgasm. Childe placed an experimental kiss on the tip of Zhongli's cock,
whimpering a little with surprise at how warm it was against his sensitive lips. He wrapped
his mouth around the head of Zhongli's cock, trying to ignore how wide he had to stretch his
mouth in order to get it in.

He sucked gently on the muscle, not knowing how to begin. The small groan he elicited from
Zhongli was a good sign, he began to take in more of Zhongli's cock, but it hit the back of his
throat before he could even prepare himself. He choked on Zhongli's cock hard, jumping to a
sitting position and coughing heavily for a second while Zhongli stared at him with an
amused smirk. Childe felt his throat slightly aching with the way he had gagged, his eyes
watering again.

He watched as Zhongli got to his feet, a nervous twinkle in his eye as he eyed the death trap
that stood straight against Zhongli's stomach. That was what a real cock looked like, Childe
had no experience with such a thing. "I think it was a bit bold of you to try something so rash
during your first time, Mr. Childe,"

Childe's cheeks reddened as he stared up at Zhongli who stood in front of him, pressing a
hand to Childe's chest and laying him back down, confusing Childe. "However, I'm not
willing to let you off so easily, so I hope you will finish what you started." Zhongli stepped
right next to his head, his cock standing proud in front of Childe's face as the ginger's eyes
widened. Zhongli's hands pressed against Childe's chest and he began to play with his body
again, pushing his hips further against Childe's face until he pressed his cock to his cheek.
"Now, I'd like you to do it properly this time, hm?" Childe blinked and blushed... what had he
gotten himself into?

Chapter End Notes

I'm not sure if urology counts as 'medical' in particular, but honestly, it's 5 am and I'm
too tired to care. Xiaother fic is unfortunately not lookin' so hot with finals on July 30
but I hope to have a chapter or two out by then!

I kinda took forever getting this chapter out, so I'm sorry for that! I've been pondering
over using an old Twitter account I never use and turning it into a genshin fic account!
Like posting updates, giving teasers, updating on new fics and such. Sometimes I feel
like teasing some cliffhanger-like moments and I'm like m a n I wish AO3 had a
community page. Still pondering over the Twitter account, let me know what y'all think!
Have a lovely day/night, I hope you enjoyed reading this ❤️
 Needy (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Cliffhanger

Aether tries for an orgasm in the comfort of his bedroom in the Serenitea Pot, but there
are too many things like certain adepti on his mind for him to be able to enjoy himself
thoroughly.

Chapter Notes

Aaah first off, thank you so much for 4k kudos! Ehe, I'm glad to know there are so many
hornies like me that may find refuge under my smuts! We're officially at 40/70 chapters,
not including the ultimate list!

Have some K I N D O F solo Aether action, okay let me be honest here, it's 5 am, wrote
this in one sitting, I am on my deathbed rn with sleepiness but this is the last day I can
properly update for a bit before f i n a l s so I had to pull an update out of my ass today
pronto, so no seggs for us this time around~ but we do see sum sexual tension so I hope
you enjoy that! Who knows, maybe I'll continue this with another prompt someday, but
for now, enjoy!

Also, I haven't reread this so pls forgive me <3 I have genshin running in the bg with
Zhongli going oSMANTHUS WINE every two seconds and I'm about ready to strangle
someone. Will proofread tomorrow!!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"Not... not enough," Aether said softly to himself, his eyes lidded halfway as he stared up at
the ceiling. His hands were well occupied, one clutching tightly onto the sheets crumpled
beneath him on the bed, the other slowly and gently pumping his cock as he laid on his back
on the bed.

He took a furtive glance downwards to look at his own body. His hair was sprawled out all
around him, some strands stuck to his body with how sweaty he was.

He bit his lip at the sight of his own cock shuddering in the palm of his hand, a light shade of
red in color and dripping lightly with white precum, the droplets running along the head of
his cock until they smeared onto his fingers.
The substance helped to lube himself up, making it easier for his hand to slide up and down
the shaft of his cock, offering more and more pleasure to him. But he still yearned for
something else, something he could take from behind. He didn't much like suffocating his
cock with his hand because the feeling was odd to Aether; he didn't enjoy touching himself
and feeling every nook and cranny of his body this way.

He had fingered himself before this, but it ended with him being unable to please himself
enough to drive him to an orgasm.

He preferred another's hands on his body, to have someone bury their cock into his ass and
ram into him like there was no tomorrow, to be filled up with cum, to have someone play
with his nipples and render him useless. He wanted to be taken care of, wanted to be touched,
caressed and kissed, even worshipped for his body.

Unfortunately, since he came to Teyvat, he couldn't find one such person, one such relation in
Mondstadt or Liyue.

Many would jump at the opportunity to fuck him senseless. Oh, so many people would love
to have him laid out for them on a silver platter, ready to be treated in whatever way the other
person wished, but he didn't enjoy anyone's company or body enough to want to be fucked in
such a way. There wasn't any person he would allow to take the reins of his body completely,
who he would allow to bury their cock into his ass, except... maybe one person.

Aether bit his lip, feeling himself twitch a little at the thought of the man he'd grown to like a
bit too much for his own liking.

He liked one man, wanted one man, wished for one man, but that man would never fuck him
in the way he wanted to be fucked and would never lay a hand on Aether, would never touch
him.

The thought made him almost sad as he laid there in his bedroom, trying to get off while
longing for the feeling of someone he wanted inside of him. Alas, he had long since come to
terms with the fact that he couldn't seduce a man as aloof, mysterious, and most of all,
oblivious as Xiao. One might ask, how would Aether know Xiao wouldn't touch him if he
never tried to offer?

Aether would likely flare up at the question with melancholic annoyance and respond that
he'd tried a few dozen times to entice Xiao into ruining him, and it was all futile.

Xiao never spared him the kind of lustful glances that Aether craved, never even dared to
touch him though Aether left many opportune moments for him to seize. Aether revealed
much skin around Xiao, sometimes left his hair open, would bat his eyelashes as if he was
another maiden from Ying'er's 'perfume shop'.

But to this day, Xiao never fell into a single trap of seduction that Aether laid out for him.

He would always keep a safe distance from Aether, would often call Aether dumb for
charging into battle alone, reprimand him for not calling for him if he needed him. If only
Aether knew that Xiao didn't act this way just to tease him, but because the man had no idea
of his intentions.

Aether would pout and sulk whenever he lectured him like Aether was a brat that needed to
be protected. Aether was no such person.

Aether had power beyond explanation that was waiting to be unleashed, yet Xiao dared to
treat him like a child for not calling him to take care of a few measly hilichurls for him.

Sometimes, it merely felt like Xiao was treating him like a little brother than anything else.
The thought almost made Aether gag, yet here he was, lying in his bedroom in his beloved
teapot, yearning for Xiao's cock to pound inside him and derive all thoughts from his mind
until he could utter nothing but his name.

But to Aether's misfortune, the only thing Xiao wanted Aether to call him for was the first
sign of danger, which Aether would never do.

He could go against an army of ruin graders before he allowed Xiao to baby him. "If you ever
find yourself in the face of danger, speak my name, I will travel around the world just to
come to your aid."

Aether grumbled a little as he recalled the sermon Xiao always gave him whenever they
parted ways after meeting.

Still, his blush failed his true thoughts, no matter how much Xiao's protectiveness over him
offended him, it warmed his heart intensely at the same time, but he wished he was allowed
to have something more with Xiao.

He'd invited Xiao to live with him in his teapot, and Xiao had actually accepted his offer, to
his delight. It excited Aether, who thought that perhaps he could try new methods to seduce
Xiao if Xiao lived under the same roof as him. Aether made many plans to finally tempt Xiao
into fucking him, going as far as to throw Paimon in a cabin he'd built just for her, to the
fairy's dismay.

Xiao swiftly crushed all his hopes by constantly staying outside on a little pavilion Aether
had built with Zhongli's help, never stepping a foot inside, never sleeping, not even coming to
see him. His reason? "I only accepted because it would make it easier for me to protect you if
you ever went out."

Aether had wanted to clock Xiao that day when he told him this and finally decided to give
up on the man completely.

As difficult as it was to give up on a man he liked so much, Aether was tired of being
obliviously rejected all the time.

He had to resort to taking care of himself in the lonesome mansion, lying in bed and slowly
thrusting his hips up into his cupped palm to try and please himself enough to cum. His
orgasm would come eventually, but it would never satisfy him as much as a prostate orgasm.
How long had it been since he last came with just the stimulation from his ass? Perhaps since
before he met the Unknown God.

Aether would finger himself to try and make up for his lack of sex, would try to stimulate his
prostate himself, but his lithe fingers could hardly pleasure him enough to drive him to
orgasm. He could only lay in yearning for the cock of an oblivious man to pound into him
rough and fast until his screams of pleasure echoed throughout the empty mansion.

"Not enough," Aether whimpered, repeating himself to make sure his body understood that it
needed something more.

He was tempted to go outside, find Xiao, and drag him to bed, but Xiao had told him he
needed to take care of something with Zhongli outside the teapot, Aether wouldn't be able to
find him even if he tried.

Not to mention, he was afraid of getting outright rejected. So far, it was just Xiao's
obliviousness getting in the way, but Aether feared the adeptus would be disgusted by his
request to please him, was afraid he would lose him completely, that Xiao would stop caring
for him if he became aware of what Aether was doing.

As much as being treated like a child learning to walk annoyed him, Aether couldn't let go of
the one thing that made Xiao come after him.

Aether sat up, once again glancing down at his lewd and naked body as he tried to ignore the
way his skin tingled. He pumped himself a few last times, moaning quietly to himself in
response.

Aether pulled his hand away and shifted to sit on his knees at the center of the bed, and
grabbed the pillow his head was resting on a few moments ago, and bringing it forth.

Aether blushed madly as he realized what he was about to do to the poor, innocent pillow.

His cheeks burned, but he could hardly think or care to feel too embarrassed to stop as he
stood upon his knees, parting his legs to place the pillow between them. He bit his lip as he
sat on top of the pillow's edge, crumpling the soft cotton under himself as he tucked his cock
between himself and the pillow. He shifted his hair to one side of his shoulder to make it
easier for himself to keep it out of the way.

Aether pressed his hands to the sheets, holding onto them tightly and fisting them as he
breathed out, trying to prepare himself to begin working for his pleasure.

He rocked his hips against the pillow gently and gasped as the friction with the pillow sent
waves of electric shock up his spine, making him moan gently. He began to repeat the
motion, slowly beginning to thrust against the pillow to build up the feeling of ecstasy in his
gut that drove his mind to bits and pieces.

Still, his mind carried one lingering thought, "Not enough."

He had no choice but to continue, not while he was in such a state of euphoria that would not
be satisfied without an orgasm. An unfilling orgasm was better than no orgasm at all.

Aether would rather take care of himself in whichever way necessary than leave himself to
suffer in yearning for a man that would not show up to aid him with such things.

He shivered slightly as a wave of pleasure ran down his spine, making each nerve ending
tingle with pleasure as he humped the pillow, gently rocking his hips and moaning in
response.

Xiao's name came to the tip of his tongue as he experienced the pleasure the pillow was
giving him, the pillow was nothing if compared to the pleasure Xiao's cock could grant him.

Aether had seen 'it' before, having seen Xiao take a bath in the nile running through Guili
plains. It was... a sight for Aether to feast his eyes on, though he'd run as far as he could as
soon as Xiao turned to him, seemingly uncaring of the fact that he was naked and walking
towards him to ask if everything was alright.

The memory made Aether's heart ache with want, he wanted Xiao so badly, he didn't know
what to do with himself. He thrust his hips harder against the pillow, keeping his cock
pressed beneath him between himself and the pillow for friction.

The pillow was unusable now, with precum stains dripped all over it. Aether wanted to call
Xiao's name in his moment of desire, wanted to scream his name with pleasure, say it over
and over while he touched himself like this, but he knew he couldn't.

"Call my name, I will hear your voice loud and clear whenever you need me," Xiao had told
him this once, and Aether believed him when he said he could pick up his voice anywhere. If
he called Xiao's name while doing such a thing.. who knows how Xiao would react?

He might come back and find Aether riding a pillow like a whore while having only the
adeptus on his mind. The thought embarrassed yet exhilarated Aether even more.

A part of him wanted Xiao to discover him in hopes that the adeptus liked him back, that he
would jump on the chance to have Aether's body, if not all of him. But he also feared the
other, more likely outcome of Xiao being disgusted with him for committing such acts while
thinking of him, was scared Xiao would leave him for that reason. Still, it was getting more
and more difficult to hold his voice back from crying out for Xiao to take him already, to fuck
him until he could do nothing but wail and writhe.

"A-Ah! Fuck..!" Aether cried out as he gave a harsh thrust against the pillow, causing his
cock to bounce back from under him to stand against his stomach. Aether bit his lip as he
looked down at the abused pillow, taking a glance at the door just in case before he laid down
on top of the pillow, curling his arms around it to hold onto it.

He grunted a little as his cock pressed between his stomach and the pillow this time and took
a deep breath. He pulled his hips back and thrust them against the pillow, the pleasure was far
more intense this time as Aether saw stars, but for a few moments.
It was highly uncomfortable, feeling his own cock pressing up against himself this way, but
he couldn't do much to fight it without sacrificing his pleasure.

He took a deep breath and began to thrust against the pillow once more, causing his body to
rock with his front pressing against the soft cotton cover placed on top of the pillow, creating
more friction with his nipples that intensified the feeling even more. He couldn't take the
feeling anymore, couldn't stay silent long enough to have his orgasm without calling his
name, because he knew the pleasure Xiao could give him would be second to none.

"F-Fuck... Xiao, Xiao, I need you, please..." Aether went rigid for a minute, he didn't know
what he was expecting, but he froze up like Xiao would show up at any given second.

He waited, waited one minute, two minutes, five minutes, with his shoulders and body
slumping against the pillow with disappointment with every passing moment that Xiao didn't
show up. Aether bit his lip, feeling disappointed by the fact that Xiao didn't show up like he
said he would whenever Aether called him.

Of course, Aether had never tried to call for him because he'd never needed help like this
before, but now, he wished Xiao had shown up, no matter the consequences his presence
brought.

Although he was feeling melancholic, Aether couldn't ignore the slight twitch of his cock
every few seconds, yearning to finally, finally have an orgasm after around fifteen minutes of
teasing and edging himself up till this point.

Perhaps he was still hopeful that the day wouldn't have to end with him doing this alone, but
he saw no way for the one he wanted to come to his aid at this point.

Aether turned to lie on his side and pulled the pillow closer to himself, hugging it tightly to
his chest. He pressed his body against it, wrapping his arms securely around it to ensure it
rubbed against his body well. He shivered a little and bit his lip with embarrassment at doing
something so heinous.

He had never indulged in this kind of play before, choosing to keep to traditional ol'
masturbation to get himself off if nothing else could, to be doing something as embarrassing
as humping a pillow like it was another person embarrassed him to his core. Even though he
was alone, he imagined what the people he knew would say about his activities in his
bedroom, what they would think of him if they found out what he did behind closed doors.

Of course, he was unfamiliar with such things in Teyvat, not knowing worse methods of
masturbation existed, but he still considered himself innocent in that regard, even if he was
far from it.

After all, a man who yearned to have another's cock deep inside him could never be
considered innocent in any world.

Aether began to thrust his hips gently against the pillow, thrusting upwards to guarantee the
milking of the most pleasure possible. He would put an end to it this time, would cum, and be
done with the guilt he felt from his yearning for Xiao and masturbation. Aether moaned
again, this time louder because he could hardly care about anyone being there to listen, not
Paimon nor Tubby.

Xiao wouldn't hear him either, Aether was sure of it, though he hoped that he would be
proven wrong, hoped Xiao would show up. He felt himself getting closer to his high, felt the
way his body began to heat up even more intensely than it already was.

He felt his breathing becoming more and more jagged, his ears began to ring as he felt blood
pumping through his whole body.

"Nngh... Xiao.." Aether moaned softly as his back arched, his eyes lidding halfway as he
stared at the door he was facing.

No sign was given to Aether to prepare him for what was about to happen, no footsteps, no
voices, just the door bursting open suddenly, making Aether cry out. Aether's mind was hazy
as he sat upright immediately, eyes widening as his mind failed to realize what was
happening.

Only his ears had responded to the sudden loud noise of the door banging against the wall as
it was thrown open, cutting through the stillness and silence of the house.

His vision was still clouded with the pleasure which slowly seeped out of his body as he
forgot all about stimulating himself against the pillow.

It cleared instantly as he saw the man standing at the doorway, panting just as hard as Aether
was like he'd ran miles to get there. "X-Xiao..!" Aether yelped, quickly pulling the pillow to
his chest to cover his body, but it was too late, Xiao's golden eyes burned through his skin as
they ran over his shaking and sweaty form. Xiao could hardly believe what he was seeing, the
sight of Aether with his hair messy and falling all around his body, his golden eyes wide with
startlement from Xiao's interruption, his skin, flushed like it had been sunburnt.

Xiao found himself gaping at Aether's beautiful face as he peeked out shyly from behind the
pillow covering him and the curtains that were his untamed bangs.

He found himself at a loss for words, didn't know what to say or what to think, his mind had
never wandered down this path, he couldn't fathom what Aether had been doing naked on the
bed, unless... Aether was indulging in the same atrocious activities as humans.

Xiao didn't quite know the word for it, nor did he care to find out, right now, all he could
think about was the fact that Aether was in his room vulnerable, but perfectly safe, but had
still called his name.

He couldn't understand for what reason he had been summoned. He'd heard Aether's cry
faintly, and immediately dropped everything he was doing to follow it, thinking Aether was
in danger until his ears lead him back to the teapot that he and Aether inhabited.

He was confused as he entered it, confused because the teapot was the safest place Aether
could be, making Xiao think he was mistaken, but that could not be true because his ears
never failed him.
He took a shivering breath but made sure to keep himself firm and steady as he spoke, "You
called?"

Aether flinched at the sound of his voice, and Xiao could see his bare arms tightening around
the pillow, trying to find comfort in the piece of furniture. Aether's throat felt dry, and his
body shook a little as he thought about what to say, what excuse he could make, all the
confidence, the desire for Xiao to show up, the neediness he felt; it dissolved to bits, seeing
the stare Xiao was giving him.

He couldn't stay silent under Xiao's glare, he knew the situation would only get worse if he
were to remain silent. "I... I w-want help. I need you, Xiao... please help me," Aether's cheeks
burned as he spoke and waited for Xiao to yell at him, for him to leave or even curse him for
committing acts like this and calling his name.

Xiao's eyes narrowed, seeing Aether naked didn't bother him, but he felt something in his
pants stirring, something unfamiliar that made him feel odd, a sensation he'd never felt before
as if his body was becoming more sensitive after seeing Aether in such a state.

An unfamiliar itch grew in the tips of Xiao's fingers, making him momentarily tear his gaze
away from Aether's beautiful face to look down at his hand.

What was this feeling? He'd never felt like this before, it was almost as if his fingers wanted
to reach out to Aether and pin him down.

He pushed the urge away, thinking it was another one of the carnal desires he got that came
with being a cursed yaksha, but deep down, he knew that the desire to devour Aether was
much different from the desire to devour souls. He wanted to devour Aether's body, ravish
him until his face looked pretty, his hair messy, but he didn't know how he could make these
visions come to life.

He didn't even fully understand what Aether was doing.

"What do you need me for?" Xiao asked, swiftly ignoring the thought, the desires that began
to surge up from his heart. Aether bit his lip, surely Xiao couldn't be so oblivious as to not
even understand what Aether was asking him to do while he was lying on the bed?

His cock throbbed impatiently after getting denied its orgasm that had shut away again as he
was mere inches away from his high.

Aether's yearning came back headstrong. He needed Xiao, he would make Xiao understand
what he meant even if it carried the high risk of Xiao leaving him completely. Aether took a
deep breath to steel himself and slowly pulled the pillow away from his body, uncovering it
for Xiao's sights.

Xiao's lips parted as he stared at Aether, watching as he set the pillow aside to reveal his body
to him.

Why would Aether do that after his initial reaction was to cover it up? Xiao knew nothing
about the art of seducing, sex, or even masturbation, being an adeptus, he knew was that life
came from mating and didn't know humans used sex for other purposes.

Still, seeing Aether's body made him want to touch him, made him want to feel his porcelain
smooth skin, to run his hands along the little curves of his sleek body.

He glanced down, something felt weird between his legs. What was this human form doing to
him? Being an adeptus, he could take any form he so wished, but it had been long since he'd
taken a human form, yet he hadn't felt like this ever before.

It felt like his body was responding to things he didn't understand, like his form loved the
sight of Aether's body, making his body tingle all over. He'd never felt this before. Xiao
watched as Aether blushed for reasons he did not know. He'd seen Aether blush like this a
great many times, yet he could never understand for what reason.

Menial concepts like Aether being "in-like" with him were too far from his mind to be a fitful
explanation. Aether decided to be bold enough to stand up, feeling Xiao's gaze drop from his
upper body down to his beautiful pink cock.

It made him feel shier than ever, and he didn't know what he was doing or what he was about
to try to do as he began to take slow, light steps towards Xiao, as if trying not to scare him
away.

Running from Aether while he looked so vulnerable and pretty was far from Xiao's mind, he
felt no repulsion while feasting his eyes on Aether's body, in contrast, his feet twitched as if
they wanted to move forth to meet Aether halfway to allow his hands to grasp his body.
Aether tried not to shy away as he stopped in front of Xiao, breathing a sigh of relief as he
saw that the man hadn't moved away.

He experimentally reached his hand out to hold Xiao's, slowly intertwining his fingers with
the man's and watching through fluttering eyelashes as Xiao stared down at their joint
fingers.

Aether proceeded, encouraged by the fact that Xiao wasn't pushing him away with disgust.
He inched closer until he wrapped his arms around Xiao's waist, hugging him close, "Please...
touch me."

Aether rested his head against Xiao's collarbone, not daring to meet the man's eyes as he
feared he would see revulsion dancing in Xiao's brilliant gold eyes. He didn't give up, not
unless Xiao told him outright he didn't want him. "Touch you?" Xiao asked, feeling his
confusion double.

He didn't know what kind of touch Aether meant, didn't know whether he needed a hug or
whether Aether wanted to be touched another way. Aether bit his lip with silent frustration,
Xiao was not a dumb man. Aether figured he must be playing with him just to spite him. He
was about to pull back when Xiao wrapped his arms around him as well, hugging him back
while resting his chin on the top of Aether's head.

His hands slowly ventured down Aether's back, igniting the nerves that immediately came to
life under his touch. He allowed his hands to rest at the small of Aether's back, unbearably
close to his ass, but not quite there.

"Is this what you want?" Xiao asked though he felt quite annoyed, thinking Aether had called
him back to the teapot just to have a hug. He'd never requested one before, so why now?

Aether had never requested anything from Xiao before, in truth, Xiao had been somewhat
happy that Aether had called for him for once for protection, but it was only when he got to
Aether did he find out that he didn't need protection. Still, he felt fairly happy that Aether had
called him.

"N-No." Aether responded, trying not to pout his lips as he tried to figure out whether Xiao
was oblivious or just playing games with him. He knew, however, that the adeptus didn't
know how to play jokes on anybody. But Aether couldn't fathom a being well above two
thousand years old wouldn't know what he was so blatantly and shamelessly asking for. He
took Xiao's arm in his hand and pulled away from the hug, taking a single step back and
trying to mask in intense embarrassment with confidence.

He brought Xiao's gloved hand up to his chest and placed it against his beating heart. Xiao's
eyes widened a little, but Aether knew he still didn't catch on. He didn't know how to ask,
how to request Xiao to fuck him in a way that he thought the adeptus would understand.

Aether took Xiao's other hand as well and brought it behind himself to place it against his ass
cheek, flinching a little at the feeling of being touched there even though it was him who had
placed it there.

He tilted his head just slightly up to look at Xiao, gasping a little at the way Xiao's fingertips
slowly dug into his soft ass with curiosity. Xiao had never touched anyone here before, and
he could never fathom ever having to do so, but Aether had placed his hand on such a
sensitive part of his body, Xiao didn't know what to think of it.

Xiao didn't know what any of this meant, and Aether could see it in his eyes. "What do you
want me to do?" Xiao asked, genuinely wishing to know why the traveler he'd come to like
so much was behaving so oddly, and in turn, causing his body to behave weirdly. Aether's
skin felt smooth, though Xiao wished to touch it without gloves, and it made him want to feel
up more of him, made him want to touch him and explore his body as if it was his own, but
he knew it was not his.

Aether's lips quivered, he could only think of few words to describe what he wanted Xiao to
do to him. He moved forward and wrapped his arms around Xiao's neck, placing a gentle kiss
against the man's cheek, making him blink with surprise.

Aether spoke into his ear, his voice quiet and only audible for Xiao's ears to listen to, "Breed
me, adeptus... my body is yours to have in whatever way you see fit." Xiao froze up at his
words, went rigid and tense with every word that flowed past Aether's lips.

His other hand dropped to Aether's back as well, sliding down his body until he cupped
Aether's ass in both his hands. Aether words "breed" and "yours" echoed in Xiao's mind,
repeating over and over until they finally set in. Aether wanted Xiao to fuck him, to breed
him like he was some alley cat or a bitch in heat, even though he wasn't.
He was a being capable of thought with no need or methods of reproduction with another
man, but here he was, asking Xiao to breed him. How could that even be possible between
two men?

Aether did not have such a place where Xiao could put 'it', it would never work... but Xiao
found himself getting even more uncomfortable in his pants and pulled Aether tighter against
his body.

What was this feeling? Why did he feel so exhilarated when Aether told him he was his to
have? Why did Aether's request for Xiao to breed him make his insides so agitated, why did
it make Xiao wish to do just that? To breed Aether into the mattress and fuck him, but was it
possible?

"How?" Xiao whispered back, not knowing what to do and listening to the way Aether
gasped when he tightened his hands around his ass. Aether tried not to feel frustrated with
Xiao for not understanding, for not pouncing on him the moment he had been offered his
body, for not pushing him onto his hands and knees and taking him as hard as he wanted Xiao
to.

It made sense that Xiao didn't know all this, that Xiao was oblivious because things like sex
were acts that only humans performed for their own pleasure. The adepti, except perhaps
Ganyu and Yanfei who dabbled in human affairs, would not know the first thing about sex.

Aether would just have to guide Xiao, it didn't seem like Xiao was unwilling to indulge him.
Aether pulled away from Xiao's embrace, immediately missing his touch as Xiao look at him
with bewilderment.

Aether walked backward, trying to offer a confident outward persona while his heart was
doing flips at what he was about to do. He would never be able to let himself live it down. He
allowed the back of his knees to hit the bed before turning around, facing away from Xiao
and allowing him to get a wonderful view of his backside before he slowly got onto his hands
and knees on the bed, trying not to scream with humiliation.

He turned his head to look back at Xiao, his hair falling majestically around his shoulders and
dangling just above the mattress. He flinched a little, seeing the way Xiao was staring at him
as he arched his back a little, one of his hands moving back to cup his own ass and spread it
for Xiao to see.

He felt like crying at the disgusting and sinful acts he was committing around such a
seemingly innocent adeptus.

Xiao's eyes were wide as he saw every last nook and cranny of Aether's body, down to the
twitching hole that awaited him. He finally understood what Aether wanted him to do.

"Put it in here... please," Aether whimpered, making Xiao's mind spin a little as it
shortcircuited. He knew just enough to know that Aether meant his cock. He bit his lip, he
should feel disgusted by the idea of fucking Aether, especially fucking Aether there, but how
feelings were far from it.
His heart thumped at the idea of fucking Aether right up his pretty ass. Even Xiao had the
sense to think that Aether was very very pleasing to the eye. He found himself taking a few
steps closer to Aether, though he was hesitant.

He didn't know what to do or how to do anything, he didn't know the first thing about
whether there was even a proper way to do it.

"You can touch me or kiss me where you please, just please... put it in, I'm ready for you."
Xiao couldn't help licking his lips at the plea, at the reign Aether was giving him over his
body. Could he really be able to touch Aether wherever he wanted?

"Why are you giving me so much control over your body?" Xiao asked him, but he didn't
deny the power given to him, shedding his gloves as he couldn't resist allowing his curious
hands to grab onto Aether's ass. Aether twitched at the feeling of Xiao's hands on his cheeks,
his mouth falling open to moan lowly at the feeling. "Mmh... because I really want you,
Xiao.."

Aether whimpered as Xiao's grabbed both his cheeks, giving them a few gentle squeezes and
pinches, unable to help himself. He spread Aether's cheeks apart and bit his lip hungrily.

Aether had always been so beautiful in Xiao's sights, even if he would rather Aether not wear
the revealing clothes he usually wore around Xiao (they made him feel weird, similar to now,
seeing Aether in such a state), it came as no surprise that Aether was beautiful even here.

Seeing him spread out bare like this for him, Xiao couldn't help but press a thumb against
Aether's hole, rubbing it in circular motions and eliciting a gasp from Aether.

"How do i do it?" Xiao asked Aether, feeling nervous to even push his thumb inside of the
blonde man because he feared that his lack of experience or knowledge about such things
would hurt Aether. Aether bit his lip, he was hoping he wouldn't have to lead, he was hoping
that Xiao would wing it and just fuck into him without warning, without further wait, he
supposed that was his own wishful thinking.

It was clear that with Xiao, it would take time for him to learn enough to take charge of
Aether's body on his own. "C-Come," Aether told Xiao, standing up on his knees and turning
around to face Xiao.

He took Xiao by the collar and pulled him down to kiss him, pressing his lips against Xiao's
and making the man grunt with surprise, bending down a little to allow Aether to kiss him.

Aether tugged Xiao down until he was pulled onto the bed, twisting the adeptus so he'd lie
down under Aether. Aether climbed on top of him, and sank onto the man's hips, humming
into Xiao's lips as he felt that Xiao had gotten hard past the robe he wore above his pants.

It satisfied him, knowing he could arouse a man who didn't even know what arousal was.

He ground his hips against Xiao's, rubbing his ass against Xiao's bulge and feeling the man
grasp his thighs to steady himself as their lips moved in sloppy synchronization with one
another with Xiao's lack of experience. The feeling of Aether's ass on top of his cock was odd
 to Xiao, it felt like his body was tingling with a new sensation he had never experienced
before even after so many millennia of living.

It felt... nice, soothing even to have Aether rubbing against him like this, he loved the
comfortable weight Aether was on top of him, not too heavy to hurt and not too light to make
Xiao worry.

Aether was, in Xiao's eyes, at the very least, perfect. His confidence shone just as brightly as
his eyes, though Xiao could sense some humility in Aether as well. The thought of Aether
feeling embarrassed while acting bold and doing such bold things amused Xiao.

He was the student between them for now, but he couldn't help thinking how cute Aether
was. He found himself massaging Aether's thighs, choosing to take advantage of the free rein
Aether allowed him over his body. He wished to push Aether beneath him and fuck into him,
but he vowed to protect Aether, to keep him safe from hard, he would not take any risk that
could end with Aether in pain.

Aether pulled away from the clumsy kiss and lifted his hips, leaning over Xiao's body and
making his blonde hair tickle Xiao's chest beneath him. They met each other's eyes and Xiao
smiled just a tiny smile, surprising Aether greatly, who'd never seen Xiao smile like this
before.

Xiao didn't know why he was smiling while seeing Aether in his naked and helpless state, but
it felt like he had unlocked something that had been hiding in his heart since the day he first
met Aether, yet another unfamiliar feeling, but this time, he knew what it was. It was 'like'
that he felt for Aether. He liked Aether, and Aether liked him back.

Chapter End Notes

I feel that I should add this is not omegaverse, the words like breeding were only used to
help Xiao's oblivious ass understand what Aether wanted! I'm also sorry for not
responding to comments recently, AAA Inazuma came at the worst time possible and
I'm having a hard time scheduling everything. I hope y'all are enjoying Inazuma!

I created a Twitter account a few days ago, there, I will update through new upcoming
fics, changes in the ultimate KPC list, whether I have died or not, and hopefully teasers
for upcoming chapters! My twitter is @mariapurplehill so if you're interested in updates
for any of the above, please visit my very-dead page!

One last thing, I must warn the LucKae readers that the next chappie might take a while
to release, considering I'll be busier for the next two weeks than ever before, but I hope
you'll anticipate the chapter, I shall feed thy teasers on the twt account as I go! Thank
you for your support and understanding in advance.

Have a good day/night everyone, please try to sleep at a godly hour and take care of
yourselves unlike me!
 Nipples (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Omegaverse, heat, rough Diluc.

Kaeya finds himself going through his heat and doesn't wish to suffer alone. The only
option he had was to go to the one person who would treat him worst of all.

Chapter Notes

I,,, I have no words for this bECAUSE ITS BEEN 20 DAYS since I last uploaded. I am
friggin sorry for taking a millennia to update with a chapter with n a s t y Diluc, but I
think I'll get be back to my regular routine of once or twice a week after today uwu~
Also i completely forgot about this prompt being nipples so there is,,, a small amount of
focusing on the nip nops

Have fun reading, I didn't proofread through the end so if you randomly find Childe's
name somewhere i g n o r e.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"P-Please… This can't be happening, I took my medicine…!" Kaeya whispered to himself,

his voice sounding broken as he spoke between pants, feeling breathless.

He laid in his bed, curled up on his side; he had been preparing for sleep after a hectic day of
discomfort. His body had irritated him the whole day but he hadn't understood why. Only
now did he realize why he felt so terrible the whole day: he was going into heat.

He could not be going into heat right now; he couldn't suffer like this for a week. The feeling
was torturous to Kaeya as he grasped his sheets tightly, trying to calm his racing heart. His
eye was blown wide as he squirmed on his mattress, feeling like he was suffocating. He
couldn't get enough air while he gasped like he had been pressed underwater, his body felt
hot as if a fire had been ignited in his stomach to burn his insides.

He felt so damn sensitive, he didn't know what to do with himself. Every brush of the fabric
of his shabby clothes against his skin set a fire under it, every movement Kaeya made on the
bed as he squirmed felt like he was getting shocked ten times a second.

He couldn't bear it; he couldn't help the tears welling in his eye as he glanced down at his
own body. Frustration, anger, disgust, anxiety, sorrow, all of it came crashing down on him to
settle at the pits of his stomach as he bit his lip with intense disdain towards his body, seeing
his cock bulging in his pants, and his nipples standing to attention under his shirt.

He pulled the shirt outward away from his body with the weak tips of his fingers to ensure it
wouldn't cause friction with his sensitized nipples, knowing that that was where he was most
sensitive, one brush against them would send him screaming.

He felt contemptuous toward the entire universe for putting him in such an unfavorable
position, and also towards himself for being an omega. An omega going into heat in a place
with no one to help would be nothing short of torture.

He would have to suffer in agonizing sensitivity, yearning, intense body heat, and body pain
for a week. It would be seven whole days of feeling like this, seven days of feeling even
worse than this with every passing day as the heat aged, Kaeya didn't think he could bear it.
Why did he have to go into heat at the worst possible time? He had no one to help him, no
other servants would dare touch him while he was imprinted on him.

Kaeya bit back his tears, he had tried so hard to avoid a situation like this, knowing he would
suffer without an alpha to help him, but it was all for naught. Here he was, suffering alone
even after his efforts, yearning for touch, aching for friction, aching to have someone deep
inside of him.

Why did his body decide to screw him over in the worst situations? He hadn't gone into heat
for a few years now, perhaps even longer.

He could've held out even longer with the suppressants he'd been taking, but that didn't work
out as well as he hoped, he had missed not a single day of his medicine to ensure he would
not go into heat, but it was futile: his body found a way to screw him over even after years.
He gasped for breath, his back arching a little as he pulled his fingers up to his neck, hooking
them around a leather belt tied around it, a collar. He clawed at it, wanting desperately to take
it off in hopes that its absence would help him breathe, but Kaeya knew he couldn't.

He couldn't take the collar off because he had put it on him. Kaeya shuddered. He was the
reason why he was so fearful of going into heat. Diluc would likely take a glance at his body
and scoff with disgust, telling Kaeya that he was delusional to think he would help. Diluc
only did things on his own terms; if Kaeya was forced to ask him for help, he would never
touch him. He was the reason Kaeya couldn't afford to go into such a state without intense
suffering.

Diluc was the only alpha for miles, and he had already cast his scent on Kaeya, rendering him
unable to make do with even a beta. Diluc had made sure that Kaeya would not be able to
live without him.

This heat not only meant seven days of suffering alone in his room but also seven days of
missing work. Kaeya whimpered to himself as he thought about how badly he would get
punished by Diluc if he missed so many days of work, even if Diluc had many other hands on
deck. The redhead would surely punish him for missing work just for the sake of it.
Maybe a day without food, or maybe he would be tasked with scrubbing the entire attic
alone, or maybe, Diluc would use his body in any way he saw fit. The last option seemed
unlikely, now that Kaeya thought about it, hugging his pillow and shifting to his back.
Considering getting fucked was exactly what Kaeya needed, Diluc would never indulge in
something like that to help him, only on his own terms did he touch Kaeya.

Kaeya was a servant to the Ragnvindr family, having been there since he was young, and he
had been loyal to them for years. The Ragnvindrs had always been kind people, always
treating young Kaeya as their own even though he insisted on working to pay them back for
taking him in. Still, in spite of working from a young age, those days from the past felt so far
away as he rocked himself to calm down; they were the best days of his life, when Diluc and
he used to be younger, in their teens.

Even though Kaeya was a servant to the Ragnvindr family, Diluc had always treated him, an
omega, like an equal.

Diluc invited Kaeya to play with him often, he would smile at Kaeya, even help him with
chores from time to time along with the other senior servants of the Ragnvindr family. He did
all those things in spite of being an alpha child, who was more worthy than Kaeya, but he
never gave their second genders any consideration, always treating Kaeya respectfully.

He had always been kind to Kaeya; he still felt his heart thump a little faster with nostalgia
whenever he recalled those happy days. He felt his lips quivering as he held back tears of
frustration at his body along with tears of melancholy. He willed himself not to start crying,
he didn't want to be any more pitiful than he already was.

He whimpered a little, twisting and turning in his bed restlessly as he covered his face with
the palms of his hand, trying to stop the reminiscent thoughts of the past, but it was futile.

He had fallen so deeply in love with Diluc because he was an alpha who held kindness and
compassion.

Diluc had once been so kind and caring, but that all changed when Master Crepus, Diluc's
father, passed away. Days after his death, Diluc grew bitter and resentful for his father's
death, Diluc pushed everyone away, including Kaeya, and shut himself away until he left the
Ragnvindr household without a word to anyone.

Diluc had left without informing a soul; Kaeya was left searching for him for days until he
and the other servants concluded that he had left the mansion behind.

Kaeya and the other servants were confused about his disappearance, and also heartbroken,
on Kaeya's part. Kaeya would cry in his bed for days after Diluc left, missing his dear friend,
the one who was the first to catch Kaeya's heart with his kind personality. Kaeya made a
decision to wait for Diluc, to wait for him to come back.

A few other servants agreed, and they stayed behind in the lonely Ragnvindr mansion with
Kaeya, but one by one, they all slowly left as the years ticked by, their lack of income getting
to them, but Kaeya stayed, Kaeya was loyal, Kaeya waited for Diluc to come back, resolving
that he would wait even if he had to wait in that lonely mansion for eternity.
He never stopped loving Diluc, never stopped caring for him, never put aside his loyalty, and
chose to stay and take care of the mansion each day, awaiting Diluc's return.

He wouldn't lie, he doubted himself in that years-long wait, doubted that Diluc would ever
come back. His loyalty had wavered at times, but his love for Diluc always reminded him
why he was waiting, and it was enough to keep him going.

He still got up each morning to clean the mansion by himself from top to bottom, hoping that
Diluc would come back each day that passed. He would use his years' worth of savings to
feed himself and take care of the house's needs, hoping that Diluc would come home and he
would be able to make a nice meal for him again someday in a sparkling clean mansion.

The years that had passed were sad, lonely, and depressing, even. But his childish love
towards Diluc kept him happy even through the worst of times.

The years were difficult to get by in solitude, and he was almost near to giving up, but then
one day, to his utter joy, he heard the double doors to the mansion opening as he worked in
the kitchen. Kaeya had been alarmed at first, carefully grabbing a knife in case he needed to
defend himself; he hadn't the faintest idea why anybody would come to the mansion or how
they'd get past the gates.

He had been afraid that a burglar had come in, thinking the mansion was abandoned. Kaeya
had rushed out of the kitchen to hold the fort, but he had stopped in his tracks the moment he
saw a mess of bushy red hair and blazing red eyes.

A person who seemed so familiar yet so different had stood before him, looking alarmed at
the sight of Kaeya.

It had taken Kaeya several seconds to process that the man who had walked into the mansion
was the man he'd been waiting for for years. Kaeya had remained frozen for at least ten
seconds, staring at Diluc with his eye blown wide while the redhead looked surprised back to
see him still at the mansion years after his departure.

To Kaeya, those few seconds of staring at one another meant everything. All the days he'd
spent waiting for Diluc to come home had not been for naught. He had finally returned, he
had finally come back to Kaeya, and to his great hopes, he was just as happy to see Kaeya as
Kaeya was to see him.

That hope did not come to life as they got over the initial shock of it all, Kaeya had smiled so
brightly for the first time since Diluc left and almost ran to Diluc and jumped into Diluc's
arms, calling his name so joyously. Diluc never hugged him back.

Diluc offered no reaction to Kaeya other than to grab him by the wrists and wrench himself
away.

Kaeya still remembered the words that came out of Diluc's mouth that still shook him to his
core, "Get your hands off of me," Just remembering these words sent the dam of tears Kaeya
had been holding back to break.
He began to cry into his pillow, hating himself for ever waiting for Diluc, for ever hoping
Diluc loved him back.

Diluc changed so much that it was almost terrifying. It took Kaeya several hours to convince
Diluc, who was adamant about kicking him out, to let him stay. Diluc did not hold the same
compassion he had once before; he did not treat Kaeya the same way he used to, instead of
disregarding the fact that Kaeya was an omega, it became the foundation for Diluc's
resentment towards Kaeya.

He began to treat him as all alphas treated omegas, like the trash under their shoe. He saw
him as an object made for the pleasure of alphas, to be bred like livestock and made to carry
children.

Kaeya's heart ached to think about all the times he'd let Diluc have his body, all the times he'd
pliantly laid on his stomach while Diluc fucked him mercilessly for his own pleasure, using
him as nothing but a toy for his cock to play with. Although it hardly mattered, considering
Kaeya's strength was not on the same level as Diluc's, Kaeya never said no to him, never tried
to push him away or complain.

Why, why did he never say no to a man that brought him so much heartache? His love was
too deep.

Even months after Diluc returned with an awful personality, Kaeya continued to love him,
continued to serve him because he wanted to be loved by Diluc. He had hoped his
compliance with Diluc's commands would soften his heart towards Kaeya.

So far in the months that had passed since Diluc came back, his heart had only hardened
more in response to Kaeya's actions.

And now, Kaeya's worst nightmare was going into heat, going into such an unfavorable state
that could be easily taken advantage of. Soon enough, even if he didn't leave his room, Diluc
would find out that Kaeya was in heat. Kaeya didn't think he could bear seven days of
agonizing sensitivity and lust without cracking, without crawling to Diluc and begging him to
make it better. He couldn't avoid it; he needed an alpha so badly that he wouldn't be able to
make it through the week without Diluc.

Even now, as his heat was just beginning, he felt like he had the weight of a thousand hot
coals set on top of him. He couldn't endure a week of this. Slowly, he rose into a sitting
position, it felt like his world was spinning, and he could hardly focus on anything. Only one
thought remained in his mind, 'I must get to Diluc'.

He got off the bed, stumbling a little from how dizzy he felt as he panted, clutching the wall
next to his bed for support. With difficulty, he managed to stumble out of the room, holding
the wall as he walked to keep himself steady. He was still in his nightclothes, but that hardly
mattered, they would just get shredded anyway.

Kaeya's feet automatically dragged him towards Diluc's room, his nose following the alpha's
vague scent that he never failed to pick up on whenever he walked around the mansion.
The scent grew thicker as he drew closer to Diluc's room, making him pant even harder; he
prayed none of the other servants could smell his heat pheromones as he passed by room after
room until, finally, he reached the one door he was looking for. He took a shivering breath
and leaned against the wall next to the door, taking deep breaths to try to calm his heart down
as it hammered in his ribcage.

His hazy mind could find no thoughts to prevent him from knocking on the door; he needed
to take even the slightest chance of having Diluc take him. He brought his hand up to the
door, watching as it shook with the effort he had to put into his weakened arm, and was about
to rap on the door before it swung open.

Kaeya gasped, startled by the sudden action, and stumbled back as he felt the scent of lamp
grass increase tenfold as the door opened, revealing Diluc standing in the doorway, his eyes
narrowed as he stared at Kaeya.

"D-Diluc..." Kaeya called softly, instinct told him to lie down in front of the alpha and beg to
be fucked over and over, instinct told him to submit to Diluc completely, to let him have his
way with his body and fuck him senseless, but his mind, although void of thoughts, held him
back. He knew he couldn't afford to be reckless in front of Diluc, the look in his eyes
reminded him of that as Diluc allowed his eyes to roam around Kaeya's body, taking in the
way his nipples poked through his white nightshirt, the way his legs shook with the effort of
keeping himself up, the sweat lacing his skin and the blush dusting his cheeks.

Even if Diluc didn't have a nose, he could clearly tell Kaeya was going into heat, but the fact
was, he did have a nose. The scent Kaeya gave off was so strong, it would be flooding
through the whole mansion by now, the smell of calla lilies.

Diluc clenched his fist as he breathed it in, feeling a shiver run along his spine as he felt the
scent making his mind hazy, almost as if it was fighting to lose control and take Kaeya in his
fragile state right then and there.

He took a shaking breath, going unnoticed by Kaeya as the omega looked at him with lustful
desire, only held back by humility and fear. He smirked a little at the emotions dancing in
Kaeya's clouded eye, it felt good knowing the conflicts that were going on in Kaeya's mind,
even in his enervation. "What are you doing here, Kaeya?" Diluc asked lowly, his red eyes
glinting in the light of the candles in the hallway as he felt the sight of Kaeya, an omega in
heat, and his scent turning him on as an instinctual reaction.

He really wanted to reach out and grab Kaeya by the collar he wore and pull him inside,
breed him until he could see nothing but stars.

His self-control was barely enough from holding back from pouncing at Kaeya, he released a
slow breath to calm himself, to release the increasing desire for lust. What underhanded tricks
omegas used to trap alphas in such a way. Diluc couldn't succumb to that, especially when
getting bred was exactly what Kaeya wanted.

Kaeya hugged his arms around his body, trying to keep himself at bay, to collect himself
enough to speak, though his voice still shook.
"Please... please h-help me. I really need help Diluc," Kaeya said, biting back tears as he
gasped for breath, trying to calm down his racing heart as he shifted his gaze to the floor.
Diluc leaned against the doorway of his bedroom, fixing Kaeya with a seemingly nonchalant
gaze, though the man's heart was racing just as much as Kaeya's.

He bit his lip, what he wouldn't give to fuck Kaeya right now, but where was the fun in
giving the omega exactly what he wanted? Diluc extended his arm out to place it against
Kaeya's cheek, lightly caressing his face with a gentle touch, surprising Kaeya into looking
up at him. Diluc smirked sardonically and allowed his hand to drop down to Kaeya's body,
slowly raking his fingers across the omega's chest until he placed his palm over Kaeya's
nipple.

He licked his lips at the feeling of Kaeya's hardened nub poking into his palm and pinched
his nipple between two of his fingers. He gave it a gentle squeeze that was more than enough
to make Kaeya gasp his name, leaning his body forward into the touch.

"D-Diluc, please..." Diluc's hand dropped away from Kaeya's body to cross his arms over his
chest.

"Please what, Kaeya? Aren't you supposed to be my servant? You should be helping me, not
the other way around. Get out of my sight," Diluc steeled himself and turned around to walk
back into his room when a hand softly latched onto the sleeve of his long-sleeve shirt with
gentle and hesitant but desperate fingers. He heard a small thud and looked back, his eyes
widening to see Kaeya kneeling on the floor, looking up at him with a pleading look in his
eye. "P-Please master, please, I really need you to fuck me; please, I'm begging you, I'll do
anything."

Diluc froze up as he heard Kaeya call him master, feeling Kaeya's weak begging sending his
mind spiraling to a halt, the pleas going straight to his cock as he clenched his fists. He turned
back around, looking down at Kaeya on his knees begging for him to fuck him. "Anything,
huh?"

A small glimmer of hope shone in Kaeya's eye as he nodded vigorously, "Yes, anything,
master."

Diluc chuckled lowly, his eyes lidding halfway as he felt an idea come to mind "Is that so...
you really are brave, Kaeya. You know what I'm capable of, yet you still give me free rein to
do anything to you," Diluc said, his voice dangerously low. He pressed hand under Kaeya's
jaw, enjoying the sight of the beautiful omega looking up at him with his teary eyes and
trembling lips. "Blow me," Diluc commanded.

Kaeya's eye widened as he stared at Diluc, dumbfounded. Did he hear Diluc correctly? Right
then and there? "In the hallway?" Kaeya asked dumbly, glancing around. No one was there,
but any other servant could come out of their room and see him and Diluc.

His cheeks tinted a darker shade of red, but he knew from the look in Diluc's eye that told
him that he was not going to play around. Diluc scoffed, running his fingers through Kaeya's
hair, soothing Kaeya at first and giving him a false sense of security. Kaeya should've known
better than to ever trust Diluc's intentions.
Diluc's fist tightened around Kaeya's hair, pulling his hair to tilt his head up towards him for
their eyes to meet. Diluc smirked and pushed Kaeya's face towards his crotch, making him let
out a whimper of surprise as his lips met Diluc's bulge.

"I didn't stutter, did I?" Kaeya wordlessly brought his shaking hands up to the waistband of
Diluc's pants; it wasn't the first time he'd given Diluc a blowjob, but it definitely wasn't his
favorite thing to do, especially now when his body was suffering so much. He couldn't wait
for Diluc's cock any longer than he had to, perhaps it was a fair trade to give Diluc a blowjob
in return for relief, but Diluc was not a kind man when it came to having his way with Kaeya.

Often, Diluc would use his mouth as a fucktoy, choke him to the point of nearly passing out,
and fuck him senseless whenever he felt like it. He was not kind to Kaeya's body, leaving
bites and hickeys all over it, bruising his ass and hips with the indents of his fingers.

Kaeya shuddered to think of all of those happening tonight, but he didn't care. He needed
Diluc, he wanted this now more than ever before, though even when Diluc treated him
harshly, he would always cry for more, would cry for Diluc to make him feel good, as much
as it sometimes hurt, Kaeya still loved Diluc.

He still wanted to be fucked by him, though he wished Diluc would do it out of love instead
of loathing or simple lust. Diluc never spared him even a single loving glance whenever he
fucked Kaeya. His face would remain either passive or he would be smirking infuriatingly
whilst making a mess of Kaeya's brain and body. Tonight, it would be no different, Kaeya
knew that.

He lowered Diluc's pajama pants down to his midthighs, his lips parting as Diluc's cock
sprung out from their confines to stand proudly in front of Kaeya's face. Kaeya shivered with
delight at the sight of it, the scent of Diluc getting stronger as he felt his desperation for it
increase tenfold.

He wanted Diluc's cock inside of him, he wanted Diluc to make the pain, the soreness, and
the sensitivity in his body go away.

He prayed Diluc would keep his word as he rubbed his knees together while kneeling
because Kaeya didn't know how much more he could take before he cracked. Diluc spared
him no mercy, pulling Kaeya's lips to his cock with a yank of his hair, making him whimper
louder with the pain from his roots. Kaeya opened his mouth wide to engulf Diluc's cock in
it, taking a shaking breath as he wrapped his lips around the pink tip of Diluc's cock,
beginning to suck on it gently and trying to take in more before Diluc had the chance to push
it all the way down his throat.

Kaeya moaned softly at the feeling of Diluc's warm cock on his tongue, his eyelid drooping
as he attempted to focus on the feeling of Diluc's cock in his mouth rather than his heated and
sensitive body. He needed to make Diluc feel good for his own sake.

He pressed Diluc's cock deeper into his mouth until it hit the back of his throat, making him
gag on him, Diluc watched him with a tiny smirk.
His hand was still dangerously clamped around his hair, making Kaeya nervous, he knew if
he didn't take more than half of Diluc's cock in his mouth, Diluc would definitely try to shove
in more.

He tried his best to push it deeper in his mouth, but his gag reflex held him back, making
tears well in his eyes as he latched onto Diluc's thighs, scratching at them to cope with his
lack of breath. Diluc's fist tightened around his hair, making Kaeya look up at him with
startlement at what he was about to do.

Diluc pulled Kaeya off of his cock, creating a popping sound, pulling Kaeya away from his
cock. Kaeya gasped and wheezed, trying to make up for his lack of air, he couldn't think
straight, his vision blurry from his tears as his hands fell away from Diluc's thighs from the
distance put between them. Diluc didn't let him relax for long, stepping closer to Kaeya and
pushing his cock against Kaeya's lips, prying them open to put his cock in better.

Diluc let out a small breath of pleasure as he leaned his hips forward, pressing his cock
deeper inside his mouth until it hit the back of his throat once more. Diluc didn't stop when
Kaeya gagged this time, pushing his cock past the back of his throat. Kaeya moaned, his lips
tightening around Diluc's cock as he buried himself in Kaeya's mouth up to the base.

Diluc licked his lips, Kaeya's tight mouth felt so good around his cock; it felt like he was
suffocating but, at the same time, to have Kaeya lips wrapped around his cock made him feel
more exhilarated than ever. He rocked his hips twice, thrusting his cock deep into Kaeya's
throat and making him whimper with pain as he felt his throat going raw with every
movement Diluc made.

Diluc stepped back, pulling his cock out of Kaeya's mouth and allowing him to breathe.
Kaeya's vision blurred with black dots as heaved and panting, trying to regain the breath that
Diluc had knocked out of him with difficulty. He fell against Diluc's legs, coughing a little as
he clutched his calves to keep himself even remotely upright. He couldn't help feeling bitter,
even in the pathetic state he was in right now, he could feel the emotions of his love for Diluc
even as he was treated so harshly shining as bright as daylight.

He looked up at Diluc with hazy eyes as if he barely saw him, but even now, Diluc looked so
handsome in Kaeya's eyes as he stared down at him with his glinting red eyes.

Kaeya choked as Diluc pulled him up to his feet by his collar while pulling the waistband of
his pants up once again, holding Kaeya up as the servant's legs threatened to give out
underneath him. Diluc tutted disapprovingly as he pulled Kaeya inside the room and shut the
door behind him before pushing him up against it. He glared right into Kaeya's eye for a
second, almost like he was thinking about something as he stared at him.

Slowly, he began to lean in, closer and closer to Kaeya, his eyes falling down to stare at
Kaeya's lips, swollen from the abuse they had been subjected to moments prior.

Kaeya's breath caught in his throat as he froze up, why was Diluc staring at him like that? He
had never taken a proper look at Kaeya whenever they had sex, had never stopped to consider
his presence, his appearance, and his beauty before, so why did he stop now?
Kaeya's scent was rich, dense around Diluc, almost intoxicating his mind into reeling to take
a moment to admire the man in front of him.

The scent was oh so familiar, it was always strong back when he and Kaeya were young.
Diluc remembered he loved the scent Kaeya gave off, but it had dulled after his return. It
wasn't as strong as it used to be. However, now Kaeya's intense heat cycle brought the scent
back ten times stronger, so strong that Diluc could hardly think straight. He stared at Kaeya's
lips. It brought back memories of all those times they'd played together as children.

Had he ever kissed Kaeya on the lips before when they had sex? He didn't think so. They
looked soft and plump, he hadn't noticed before.

He wanted to kiss Kaeya, he didn't understand why, perhaps he was drunk on Kaeya's
pheromones, but he could do with claiming Kaeya's mouth right now. Diluc tipped his head
forward, he knew Kaeya wouldn't stop him and continued to press his lips against Kaeya's.

Kaeya gasped at the feeling, his eyes widening and his legs almost giving out beneath him,
prompting Diluc to press his leg between Kaeya's to keep him standing. Diluc stared at Kaeya
as they kissed, his lips felt odd, pressed up against Kaeya's like this. He snaked his arms
around Kaeya's waist, pulling him tight against his body as he tilted his head to kiss Kaeya
better. Kaeya wrapped his arms around Diluc's neck, his body shaking a little. He was
confused about why he was being kissed like this, why Diluc, of all people, would kiss him,
whom he supposedly loathed.

A kiss was something to be shared by two people who loved each other: Diluc didn't love
him, but Kaeya loved Diluc. It wasn't the same, this was not a kiss done with love.

Still, Kaeya could feel himself melting into it, his first kiss was taken by Diluc, his virginity,
too, taken by Diluc. The only thing left for Kaeya was the one with whom he'd have his first
child. Diluc usually came inside him, not caring to pull out because Kaeya had never gone
into heat since he returned. Without being in heat, he would not be fertile to carry a child, but
now, he was. If Diluc wasn't careful, he would end up impregnating Kaeya.

Kaeya prayed Diluc would have the sense to pull out before cumming, that he wouldn't knot
Kaeya, wouldn't impregnate him with his child. If Kaeya was made to carry Diluc's children
all because of a stupid heat cycle, he didn't think his heart could bear any more cracks.

He would be carrying the child of a man he loved but didn't love him back, he would be made
even more of a slave to his love for Diluc.

Already, he allowed Diluc to bend and twist him in any way he liked, to fuck him whenever
he pleased, to hurt him any way he wished; he couldn't bear it if he was made to carry his
children too.

Still, the discomfort, sensitivity, and pain his heat brought him compelled him to continue his
endeavor with Diluc. All he could do was pray Diluc would think for himself and wouldn't
knot him. But right now, despite the melancholy he felt from it all, he couldn't help enjoying
the kiss, the feeling of Diluc's lips over his own, gently moving in sync. Kaeya brought his
hand up to hold Diluc's jaw, but he regretted it immediately; it seemed like the action snapped
Diluc out of whatever trance he had accidentally been put in, and the redhead pulled away
almost immediately.

Diluc didn't push Kaeya away but stared at him with their faces inches apart for what felt like
an eternity to Kaeya. Kaeya could never tell what was going on in Diluc's mind, could never
predict Diluc's next move or his thoughts.

It was one of his favorite characteristics about Diluc when they were younger, Diluc was an
enigma, he was bright, kind, and considerate of Kaeya. Now, he was the opposite, but his past
self still shone through at random moments.

It made Kaeya's heart flutter to think that, deep inside, the Diluc he fell in love with was still
dormant. Suddenly, his heat kicked back stronger, his weak body collapsed completely
against Diluc's thigh as he clutched desperately at the alpha's shirt.

He couldn't handle it any longer without going insane, he felt like he could rip his hair out
from the discomfort he felt coursing through his body.

"Please... please Master, I can't handle it anymore, please fuck me," Kaeya begged, clutching
tightly onto Diluc's arms while the man regarded him. Diluc sighed, he knew he had made a
promise, that he would give Kaeya what he wanted if he was pliant and respectful. He pulled
back from Kaeya's hug, startling the omega as he thought Diluc would move back and tell
him to leave. Instead, Diluc brought his hands up to the collar of Kaeya's nightsuit, hooking
his strong fingers around it before pulling at it as hard as he could.

Kaeya yelped as his shirt was completely ripped off of his body, exposing him to the cool air
of Diluc's room. Kaeya squeezed his eyes shut as Diluc's hand ventured towards his hair
again after discarding the shredded remains of Kaeya's shirt. Diluc pulled Kaeya's head back
by his hair to give him access to his neck, pressing their bodies flush against each other.

Kaeya mewled from the friction created against his nipples with Diluc's chest as he was
pressed tightly between the wall and Diluc's body.

Diluc attacked Kaeya's neck, biting and sucking on the skin around the collar tied around his
neck. His hands dropped to Kaeya's pants, slipping under the waistband to grab Kaeya's ass
and give it a tight squeeze. He licked his lips as he felt a large amount of slick that had spread
around Kaeya's ass and bit his lip. It would be very satisfying to fuck Kaeya while he was so
well lubed and turned on for Diluc.

Kaeya whimpered quietly, his sensitive neck tickled with every bite from Diluc's teeth and
lick from Diluc's tongue. He felt Diluc massaging his ass and held onto Diluc's biceps for
support, mewling as he was groped so blatantly.

Diluc pulled back and licked his lips predatorily as he stared at Kaeya's lithe and lightly
muscular body, his eyes latched directly onto Kaeya's perky and shuddering nipples that
shivered with the way his body quaked from Diluc's touch.

Diluc stepped back with his arms still around Kaeya, making him yelp as he was thrown
towards the bed, tripping over his feet and falling on his back.
Diluc pulled the shirt up over his head, throwing it to the side and revealing his body to
Kaeya, who barely had the strength to tilt his head to look at Diluc. He bit his lip at the sight
of Diluc's body, his legs instinctively opening wide for Diluc, making the redhead smirk.

Diluc walked towards Kaeya and climbed over him, spreading Kaeya's legs to sit between
them and pushing forward until his clothed bulge met Kaeya's ass. Kaeya pushed down on it,
praying Diluc would just put it in and get his heat over with, but Diluc had a few other plans
in mind. Diluc leaned down and pressed his tongue flat against Kaeya's nipple, making Kaeya
lurch at the feeling, his hands scrambling up to Diluc's hair to bury themselves in his bushy
locks.

"D-Diluc! Please, they're too sensitive, don't do this...mmh..!" Kaeya mewled but hugged
Diluc's head to his chest still more tightly, reeling his mouth in despite his words. Diluc
licked over Kaeya's bud, rolling it with the tip of his tongue. Gods, he didn't know why but
Kaeya's chest was his favorite part of him. The idea of letting his nipples go was repulsive to
Diluc, who wanted nothing more than to raze his chest, "Who are you to tell me what I can or
can't do, hm? You're the one who needs me. I am well within my rights to do whatever I
please," Diluc said coldly.

He felt drunk on the feeling of his swollen and reddened nipples against his tongue; he felt
like there was nothing he liked better than to suck on them and play with them while hearing
Kaeya moan so sweetly in response.

He ground his cock against Kaeya's ass, placing his hands on either side of Kaeya's body as
he took Kaeya's nipple between his teeth gently and tugged it outwards, making Kaeya moan
loudly. Diluc lifted one of his hands to place it on Kaeya's thigh, squeezing it over the fabric
of his pants. He loved the feel of Kaeya's body under his palms, Kaeya reacted to every touch
with the utmost sensitivity, leaning into his palms and moaning so sweetly, Diluc's mind
numbed.

He trailed his hand up to the waistband of Kaeya's pants, slowly tugging them down to his
knees and allowing Kaeya to kick them off with his feet.

Diluc pulled away from Kaeya's chest with a popping sound, watching the way it shuddered
even harder after the abuse he'd subjected onto it. He sat up, Kaeya's body was completely
bare for his eyes to feast on, and boy did it make Diluc weak. He licked his lips; he didn't
regret not saying no to Kaeya when the omega asked him to help him with his heat.

Truly, as much as he wished to deny it, Kaeya was a sight for sore eyes with his perfect skin
and his shimmering grey eye, his perfect lips, and perfect body. He loved the feeling of being
inside Kaeya, the way he'd clamp up around him and scratch his back while moaning his
name in his ear.

He didn't know if it was because they had both grown up, but he'd never felt this way around
Kaeya before; he had never felt the desire to hear him screaming his name, the desire to fuck
him and make him carry his children back when they were teenagers. Maturity had changed
Diluc, he lusted for the one man he had always been kind to. Ever since he had returned, he
felt different about Kaeya. Perhaps his eyes had opened to how truly beautiful he was, but he
couldn't find the emotional capacity to appreciate it in any way than the one way he knew
how: through an alpha and omega bond. Diluc lowered his pants once more down to his
thighs, latching onto Kaeya's ankles to hold them apart as he tried to shut his legs with
embarrassment at what was about to happen.

He pressed his hips against Kaeya's, poking gently at his hole as he brought one of his hands
down to hold his cock steady enough to push it inside Kaeya.

He pushed his hips forward, pressing his cock inside Kaeya's wet hole, Kaeya's mind went
numb as he pressed his hands to his mouth to hold in a loud moan. Immediately it felt like the
discomfort in his body had been lifted, the pain and soreness in his nipples and cock had
faded into a light buzz with just the push of the tip of Diluc's cock inside him.

His eye shut tightly as Diluc pushed his way deeper inside, feeling the pain of being stretched
out, but the feeling was overwhelmed by the intense amount of pleasure that surged through
him as Diluc's cock scraped against his insides as he buried himself deeper and deeper inside
Kaeya. Diluc let out a heavy exhale from the tightness of Kaeya's hole clenching around him,
making him see white.

He brushed the sudden onslaught of warmth and pleasure that he felt from being inside
Kaeya's heated body.

"F-Fuck Diluc, please, fuck..." Kaeya whimpered helplessly, it was like his mind could not
think anything, couldn't feel any emotion, how could it feel so good to get fucked during a
heat cycle? The last time he'd gotten his heat, it wasn't as intense. It grew worse with age, and
now, if Diluc hadn't accepted, Kaeya didn't know what he would've done.

The intense relief he got from having Diluc inside of him was blissful, like there was nothing
else in Kaeya's way except to please Diluc with his body until they both came. Kaeya wanted
to tell Diluc to keep from cumming inside, wanting to tell him not to impregnate him, but he
just couldn't get the words out, his mind was void of all thoughts and wonders, it was just him
and Diluc in this world.

Diluc began to thrust inside him, pushing his hips back and forth to stimulate himself,
groaning heavily at the feeling of Kaeya's warm insides wrapping around him completely. He
thrust into the spot he knew Kaeya liked best, slamming the tip of his cock straight into the
omega's prostate.

Kaeya screamed into his hands, kicking his legs out and throwing his head back against
comfortable pillows, his eye snapping open wide from the sudden, indescribable amount of
pleasure that coursed through him.

"Master, oh, fuc-- Diluc..!" Kaeya cried down as Diluc slammed into the spot again, making
him see stars, the feeling was so much more intense during his heat cycle than it was
normally when they had sex.

It was bliss, being with Diluc at that moment, to have him make him feel so damn good he
couldn't think straight.
He couldn't help the words spilling out of his mouth as he latched his arms around Diluc's
neck, burying his face into Diluc's neck. "I-I love you, Diluc. I love you so much...ah!" Diluc
froze in his tracks, his hips giving one thrust that rocked Kaeya's body against the satin
sheets.

Diluc's eyes widened as he stared down at Kaeya, his clouded mind desperately grasping
Kaeya's words as they floated around inside his mind. Kaeya snapped out of the dazed trance
the pleasure had put him in as Diluc stopped thrusting inside of him. He pressed a hand to his
mouth, his eye blown wide, what did he just say? He cursed himself, cursed the world, and
how stupid he was. Why did he tell Diluc he loved him?

His mind reeled as he quickly began to sit up, knowing he had to try to escape before Diluc
had actually processed his words.

He scrambled to pull Diluc's cock out of him, his body numb with the aftershocks of pleasure
and panic. Diluc's face was stony as he grabbed Kaeya's wrists and pulled out, twist him
around onto his stomach before thrashing back inside of him, making him scream as his face
buried into the pillow.

"Say it again, more clearly." Kaeya gasped as Diluc thrust into him more forcefully than
before, kneeling behind him on the bed with his hands on either side of Kaeya's head pushing
roughly in and out of Kaeya.

Kaeya refused to speak, or rather, he was unable to because of the cracked moans escaping
his lips as his eye rolled back with every thrust delivered to his prostate. Diluc pulled Kaeya
back by the nape of his collar, effectively knocking the breath out of him and pulling him into
his chest, his hands immediately flying to grasp onto Kaeya's nipples, this time he was far
from gentle as he tugged at them before two fingers, twisting them slowly to make sure
Kaeya felt every little movement of his fingers.

"I told you to repeat what you said, Kaeya," Diluc growled in his ear, taking it between his
teeth as he struck his prostate once more, sending Kaeya gasping for air and lurching
forward.

Tears welled up in Kaeya's eyes for emotions he couldn't describe before they overflowed and
he whimpered out, "I love you, Diluc." Diluc's mind twisted into overdrive as the words
replayed in his mind.

Kaeya loved him. Kaeya loved him. He didn't know how to feel about it, but he had an
animalistic desire to mark Kaeya, make him his, bind them together in an alpha-omega bond,
and cum inside him and impregnate him. Diluc threw Kaeya onto his stomach again, Kaeya's
confession sent so much energy rushing through Diluc's body that he didn't know what to do
with himself except to fuck Kaeya even harder to bring them closer to their orgasms.

Kaeya panted heavily into the pillow, his breathing restricted by the soft material as he felt
his body heating up tremendously. His orgasm was drawing closer and closer; Diluc didn't
give him any room to speak or move or even think as he grabbed Kaeya's wrists and held
them behind his back to keep him pinned on his stomach. "Ah..! Fuck I'm coming, I'm
coming Diluc!"
 Kaeya mewled into the pillow, more tears spilling from his eyes and getting absorbed into the
fabric. Diluc pounded into his prostate one last time before Kaeya's body went numb, every
vessel in his body hummed to life as he came all over Diluc's sheets, a loud moan of Diluc's
name escaping his lips as his senses dulled intensely.

His body completely collapsed into rigidity like a ragdoll, only Diluc's hands on his hips kept
him up to keep being used as a fucktoy for Diluc to chase his orgasm.

Diluc breathed out heavily, feeling himself getting closer as well, and leaned over Kaeya's
stiff body, pressing his chest to his back placing a kiss behind his ear.

"If you love me so much, then let me breed you," Diluc whispered to him. He hardly knew
what he was saying, but the idea of making Kaeya, who loved him, bear his children was too
enticing for Diluc. Kaeya's numb brain shut off. He couldn't think of anything to say to
oppose it; he didn't think he could muster up the will to refuse Diluc, "Yes... yes, breed me..."

Diluc smirked and pressed a hand around his neck to lift his head, placing a kiss on his cheek,
"Good boy, Kaeya, good boy."

Chapter End Notes

So this wasn't originally the intended plot, it was supposed to be domestic LucKae but it
kinda bored me so I went with something a little more stimulating ehe~ Unfortunately
Diluc was a whole ass himbo in this chapter so I'm sorry if he pissed you off huehue~

Aside from that, the next prompt shall be Overstimulation for Xiao/Aether so I was
thinking of an incubus/demon AU, so let me know whether y'all would like to see
Demon!Xiao/Religious!Aether or Hunter!Xiao/Incubus!Aether. Thank you for reading,
having a good day/night!
 Overstimulation (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Burn kink, **slight** non-con elements, mentions of blood.

An exorcist, Aether, finds himself straying from his religion when he has an encounter
with a demon whom he fails to exorcise. Slowly, he finds himself craving the demon's
touch more and more, until it is too great a burden to bear.

Chapter Notes

Quick recommendation, for this prompt I'd highly recommend reading Xiao's dialogues
in his KR voice as it had been on my mind the entire time I was writing, so it kinda
affected his personality a lil bit!

Demon!Xiao/Religious!Aether won by a landslide, so here it is! I was a bit reluctant to

write it considering the original idea I had had a bit of non-con, but I think I watered it
down a lot, so I hope it is to your liking! But it still has a lil bit of pain play and burning,
so please be aware of your preferences before reading!

Also, uhh, halfway through I forgot Aether was meant to be a Christian and basically
incorporated our regular ol' stinking gods in the story so please ignore that! I am too lazy
to correct it hehe~

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Aether shivered as he walked, his eyes fixed on the dark path in front of him as he walked
through the woods. The moon was out, though it barely helped to illuminate his way because
of the canopy of trees overhead. Owls and bats twittered in perturbance due to the
luminescence of the lantern in his hand, as if they were wondering what a human was doing
in the woods in the dead of night.

Truth be told, Aether wondered the same thing, the thought almost made him laugh. He was
the one who was walking through these dark and lonely woods, yet he didn't know why he
was there. Or rather, he did know why he was there, but it had yet to sink in.

'What am I doing?' Aether thought to himself, taking a shaking breath as he clutched his fist
close to his heart with a necklace woven around his fingers, muttering incantations to ward
off evil under his breath. He was fearful, yet something kept him walking deeper and deeper
into the forest until he could see the outline of a mansion breaking the treeline. He chewed
his lip nervously, he should turn back, he should run as far as he could from that mansion, but
his body felt like it was burning with sinful desire.

He bit back a laugh of disgust towards himself. He, an exorcist that got rid of demons in the
name of the Gods, an exorcist who vowed to never give in to worldly endeavors, to never
allow a demon, of all things, to take advantage of him was allowing just that, walking
towards an impending doom for reasons he didn't want to admit to himself. His mind
screamed at him to turn back, to run away as he found himself stopping in front of the
building he was afraid of.

He stared at the eerie mansion, abandoned, some of the windows broken, vines growing on
the walls, and weeds in the garden could be seen from the gate that had been left ajar. He
found his hands shaking as a cold wind swept past him, causing the flame of the lantern he
held in his hands to waver for a second before it returned to burning steadfastly. After all that
had happened to him in this mansion, why wasn't he running away at the sight? Why did his
feet wish to press on inside until he found the demon who had ruined him?

Aether clutched the necklace tighter, a cross pendant hanging from its center over his palm,
and kept it close to his heart. 'Stop,' He told himself silently in his mind as he found his feet
beginning to move towards the gates despite his fear and reluctance. His body felt like it
couldn't be controlled, his mind's thoughts were dulled, like he'd been put under a trance, like
a rabbit being lured into a trap.

All of these actions were of his own volition, he pressed on while his mind raged against
itself. A part of him had sense, was telling him he was on a dangerous path of sin that he
would never be able to return from, but another held dark desires, hidden lust. He had never
known he had such an impure side to himself, it had been uncovered only a week ago when
he had come to this same mansion for an exorcism but ended up losing everything.

He knew it was a trap, knew exactly who or what resided in the mansion, he knew the
dangers of what could happen to him because he had already been there once before, but he
wanted it to happen. His bottom lip quivered as if he was holding back tears, but he knew
the fear he felt would be washed away if he met the demon that would be waiting inside the
mansion head-on.

He held the lantern up to illuminate his path as he slipped past the crack in the gates, his eyes
fixed forward at the double doors of the mansion. The scene was all too familiar to Aether as
he walked, he'd seen this same path with the same pair of eyes, yet now it felt so damn
different. Last week, he had been determined, resilient, brave, and confident as he walked
towards the mansion, holding the same lantern and the same necklace he held now.

He had been ready to exorcise a demon, determined to rid the world of yet another devil to
send back to hell. All of that confidence, that determination, and bravery came crashing down
when the demon had overpowered him, pushing him into submission, and took away his
purity. He wanted to believe he wasn't in his right mind as he walked towards that same
mansion again, that he was being controlled or had really been put under a trance, but he
knew his movements were all coordinated and controlled subconsciously by himself.
He wanted to go inside, he wanted to go up to the terrifying, dimly lit and abandoned
bedroom where he'd had his virginity taken from him. After all the things that had happened
to him in this mansion, why would he ever come back? Why would he ever want to come
back when his purity, his virginity, and his innocence had been stolen from him in this very
mansion?

Why was he so addicted to the thought of the demon whom he should be running from,
whom he should be trying to escape from, the one who had tainted his body and mind? There
were so many questions he asked himself as his feet pressed on inside the mansion. He
stepped inside the murky entryway, the air inside the abandoned mansion was humid and
stifling, making it even more difficult for Aether to breathe as he walked towards the large
bifurcated staircase.

He continued to pray under his breath for his safety and his salvation, knowing every step he
took would bring him closer and closer to hell, make him nothing but a sinner in the sights of
the Gods. Aether knew he had come back, not to slay the demon he failed to exorcise the first
time, but for something else entirely.

He cringed as the floorboards of the stairs creaked under his weight, echoing through the
empty mansion that looked no different from last week. His feelings of confidence and surety
were no longer there now that his entire mind had been torn to bits by that damned demon, all
that he felt now as he walked closer and closer to that bedroom was fear and desire. Why did
he enjoy being fucked by Xiao so much?

He had been scorched by him, bound and gagged, pressed into the one piece of furniture left
in the mansion, the bed, and fucked mercilessly until he was begging and crying. Xiao had
destroyed every defense he had, bound his hands so he couldn't pray, took away his voice so
he couldn't chant, he had rendered him completely useless, writhing beneath him. At first, the
demon seemed to be intent on killing Aether, had tortured him a little with his burning hot
hands, and degraded him to nothing, but then, something happened that surprised both of
them.

Aether became aroused by the torture inflicted upon him, by the hands of the handsome
demon running across his body and scorching him with the intensity of hellfire. His bottom
lip quivered at the thought.

He still had burn marks on his body that had not fully healed, but even still, the burn of
Xiao's touch had sent him gasping and moaning underneath him. Xiao didn't spare him, he
took him in his arms and pinned him to his stomach on the bed before railing him from
behind until Aether passed out. That night, he took everything from Aether, tainted his body,
hurt him, burned him, took his virginity, his purity, but why didn't Aether hate it?

Why had he come back when he was shaking with fear just at the thought of Xiao? The
morning after that night, Aether had woken up, shaken and battered, but alive in the safety of
his own home. He had almost thought that night was a dream but the burns and scars Xiao
had given him, not to mention the pains erupting in his body from how hard Xiao had
handled him were a reminder that all of it was very real. Aether had prayed that the Almighty
would forgive him, that he wouldn't be seen as tainted and filthy in the sights of the Gods, but
he remembered every little detail from that night.
The way he'd gotten turned on by the demon's touch, the way he had begged and pleaded for
Xiao not to stop, but to go harder, faster. He didn't know such pleasure existed, didn't know
how good his virgin body could feel with a demon's touch, with a demon's cock buried so
damn deep inside him that made him forget all the incantations he'd learned.

He found himself wanting to experience it again and again throughout the week, at home,
outside in the gardens, even in the house of the Lord, he found his mind never leaving that
night. He wanted that same pleasure again, he wanted that same feeling of exhilaration he got
from having Xiao's cock hit places Aether didn't think possible. He had never even taken a
good look at his own virgin body before, had never given it a second thought until he had
been pushed into submission and fucked so mercilessly that he saw stars.

As he treated his burns in front of the mirror throughout the week, Aether began having more
and more thoughts about his body. What would it feel like to touch himself as many other
men did? What would it feel like to massage his nipples and his ass as Xiao had done? He
tried to shut the thoughts away, reminding himself of the oath he had taken when subjecting
himself to his religion, that he would never indulge in worldly pleasures, but it only worked
for a few days before his curiosity was too great to push away.

He found himself sitting in front of the mirror a few nights ago, stripped completely bare of
all his clothes, and experimentally began to touch himself. He knew the moment he touched
himself in that way was the moment he had no redemption in the sights of the Gods. He knew
the only place he would be going to would be hell for touching himself in such filthy ways,
but it felt too good.

His own touch was sloppy in contrast to Xiao's, hesitant even, given his lack of experience
with such things, but he enjoyed it too much for his own comfort. Something still felt
missing, like there was something unsatisfactory about his endeavor with his own body. He
had touched his lower abdomen at that thought. It felt too empty. He had laid there in bed,
thinking about the way Xiao's cock had felt inside of him, how big he was, nearly ripping his
never-before-touched body in half.

It had hurt so much at first, but when Xiao began to start moving in and out of him, Aether
noticed a certain spot he aimed for that drove his mind wild with pleasure. He attempted to
find it with his fingers but had no luck with his fingers, the intense desire to feel that same
pleasure again grew greater by the day, leading him back to the mansion.

Now, Aether was here again, here with the desire to experience the same feeling he got when
Xiao had fucked him, the same feeling of exhilaration and freedom. Aether ended up on the
second floor of the mansion, taking a moment to calm his racing heart as he stared down at
the necklace he clutched in his fingers.

Xiao had broken it, but Aether had managed to repair it, he had quickly grabbed it and thrust
it into his pocket before Xiao began his torture. Aether shivered again, the mansion felt so
cold despite it being summer, he knew it was due to Xiao's presence, the demon had sucked
out all the warmth and light out of the mansion, and now Aether had nothing but the dim
moonlight and his weak lantern illuminating his path.
He steeled himself and held the lantern up again to lighten up his surroundings, and ducked
into the hallway, trying to keep his body from shaking with fear and anticipation for what was
to come. It felt so eerie, walking in the abandoned mansion and breathing through his mouth
due to the humidity of the atmosphere around him, the darkness was intimidating, and it felt
like shadows jumped at him from everywhere.

Every trick of his mind made him reel, made him think Xiao was around every corner. He
was getting too paranoid, every little creak of the tree branches outside made him jump with
fright, made him think he was too close to death, and maybe, he was.

He had considered Xiao would kill him at first sight, that he might slit his throat with his
sharp claws and take his impure soul to keep for himself. Death intensely scared Aether,
especially now that he was no more than a sinner far past redemption. There was no abode
left for him after death except hell, where demons like Xiao took pleasure in preying upon
weaklings like him.

Aether stopped in front of a door, the bedroom where it all started, where he lost his virginity
and purity, where he truly became nothing more than a filthy sinner. With shaking fingers, he
wrapped his hand around the grimy doorknob and slowly twisted it, attempting to be as quiet
as possible so that he could have more time to prepare. He cringed as the door squeaked on
its hinges as he pushed it open, knowing that if Xiao wasn't already aware of his presence, he
would be now.

The door swung until it was fully open, revealing the dark bedroom to Aether, only one piece
of furniture had been left in the room, the bed where Aether had lost his innocence. Aether
had vivid visions of being tied up by his own sash, gagged by his own cravat, and stripped
bare for Xiao to burn him with his hands. He gulped heavily and subconsciously rubbed his
knees together as they felt weak, why did his body grow warmer at the thought?

Just how perverse could Aether get, getting aroused just by remembering the details of that
night? Why did the memories of that day turn him on? He didn't dare step inside the room,
his wide golden eyes looking around in every corner for the demon. 'He isn't here,' Aether's
mind supplied, there was no one in sight, not a shadow out of place. He should've been
relieved, should've been happy he got to live another day, but he didn't.

He felt... strangely disappointed. His body would continue to desire Xiao's touch, the burn of
his fingers, the feeling of his cock slamming deep inside of him, but with no solution, no way
out. Would he continue feeling like this until death took him? Was there really no hope for his
salvation? He didn't wish to feel like this forever, he didn't want to live his nights in yearning
for a demon who would kill him without question.

It was strange, the air surrounding him had suddenly grown warmer, not just due to his body
growing more heated, but it felt like a soft flow of warmth had begun to envelop him from
behind. It was almost comforting, in the cold feel of the mansion. Aether took a step back,
deciding he should run away while he still could, the rational part of his mind was finally
able to take control of his body, but his back met a firm surface.

He gasped and spun around, turning around to face who or what was behind him. His eyes
widened as his eyes met luminous green ones in the darkness, staring down at him through a
mask. Aether instinctively opened his mouth to chant out a prayer to protect himself, but
Xiao's gloved hand was over his mouth within seconds, his other arm quickly wrapping
around Aether's body to pin him into place, pulling him closer until Aether was pressed flush
against his body. Aether knew who the source of the warmth was now.

"Shh.." Xiao shushed him gently, his voice rasping through the empty hallway as Aether
dropped the lantern he was holding from shock. The mask placed over Xiao's face sent
shivers running down Aether's spine at the demonic look it gave Xiao, his eyes radiating
green light with horns protruding from either side of his forehead, standing almost as long as
Aether's face.

His hair was medium length and messy, dark as the night sky with lighter streaks whose color
Aether could not make out. Aether's hands immediately flew to grip Xiao's shoulders to keep
himself steady, feeling his knees giving out under him from the familiar scent that surrounded
him. "Praying won't help you. I think you learned your lesson last time, didn't you?" Xiao
whispered in his ear, his hot breath fanning his skin through the mouth of his mask as he
spoke.

Xiao grabbed Aether's hand that was clutched tightly around the necklace and wrenched it
away before throwing it behind him, ensuring Aether had no way to pray. Aether's hands
shook as he clutched Xiao's black robes, not going unnoticed by the demon as he chuckled
softly. "I can feel how terrified you are. So, did you come to exorcise me a second time?"
Xiao asked him, his hand dropping from his mouth to wrap around Aether as well, pulling
him tighter into his embrace.

Aether's lips quivered as he tried to formulate words, but the feeling of Xiao's hands resting
at the small of his back made the little amount of confidence he had in himself dissipate into
dust.

"Or..." Xiao continued, resting his face in the crook of Aether's neck, making the tusks of his
mask scratch his skin lightly. His hands dropped lower until he cupped Aether's ass, making
the blonde whimper with discomfort as Xiao gave it a harsh squeeze. "Did you come to offer
me your body again?"

Aether went rigid in Xiao's arms for a few moments, did Xiao already know? Was Xiao
aware of the dilemma Aether had been going through the past week because of him? Aether
didn't know how to respond, and if he did, his tongue didn't think it could manage to let a
single word roll past it to confirm or deny Xiao's words. Of course, that was exactly what
Aether came here to do, to offer his body to Xiao, to have Xiao make him feel as good as he
did the first time, but how could he dare to ask such a question out loud? How could he beg a
demon to fuck him, to destroy him and his sanity as he did before?

That would be like admitting he enjoyed the burn of hellfire, the touch of a treacherous
demon, and being fucked by a demon like Xiao, ruthless and cruel to Aether's mortal body.
His heated body said otherwise, he wanted Xiao to fuck him so terribly, he wanted Xiao to
remove all thoughts from his mind, all words from his lips, make him forget everything.

"I-I'll be good..." Aether whispered shakily, making Xiao freeze up and tilt his head back to
look Aether in the eye, "You can have me." Aether felt so filthy saying these words, willingly
giving his body to Xiao for him to use in any way he saw fit. There really was no redemption
for someone like Aether. He dared to look up at Xiao's face, dimly illuminated by the fallen
lantern on the ground and the moonlight shining through the windows.

He searched for any sign of an expression on the demon's face, but to no avail, Xiao's mask
covered the entirety of his face, Aether did not know what Xiao looked like, it only made his
feelings of disgust towards himself worse. He wanted a demon whose face he had never even
seen to fuck him senseless. The guilt his religion put on him for having such thoughts was too
much of Aether to bear.

To Aether's surprise, Xiao began to laugh softly, the sound carrying through the cracks of his
mask, mocking, sardonic, jeering. Aether felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as the
levels of his fear doubled at the sound of a demon's laughter. "I can have you?" Xiao repeated
Aether's words, releasing Aether from his grip and beginning to move forward, herding
Aether into the bedroom. Aether gulped, beginning to step back with every step Xiao took
forward, cornering him and trapping him in the room with his body. "You're giving me
permission to have your body?"

Xiao's hands lifted up to his mask, carefully removing it off of his face and setting it on the
bed. The room was too dark for Aether to be able to see Xiao's face, the door creaked shut
behind Xiao by itself, shutting away any light they could've gotten from the lantern. Xiao's
eyes stopped glowing green, but glowed golden this time, bright like headlights in the
darkness and casting their gaze all over Aether's body.

Aether couldn't help staring back into his eyes, astonished by the slit pupils shining at their
centers, the depth of the color of the demon's eyes, his gaze slowly trailed up to the man's
horns, standing tall on his forehead, sleek and straight like swords. "I don't need your
permission. You're nothing to fight against me no matter what I wish to do."

Xiao leaned forward, his eyes lidding halfway as he dipped his head in the crook of Aether's
neck again, his arms folded behind his back. He allowed his soft lips to brush against Aether's
ear, making the blonde jump with fright at how warm his skin was. "But.." Xiao continued,
taking the pinna of Aether's ear between his teeth and nibbling on it gently.

Aether trembled a little, he could feel Xiao's thick fangs brushing against his skin, making
light scratches on it. "If you're so willing to be good, then you'll do anything I say, won't
you?" Xiao's hands dropped back to his sides, his eyes keenly fixed on Aether's expression,
watching with a tiny smirk as the blonde shivered at his words. He tilted his head, as if
challenging Aether to say no.

Aether had had a feeling Xiao wouldn't be kind to him, he knew Xiao would be every bit as
cruel and harsh as he was the first time, but he didn't mind it. He slowly nodded his head,
getting startled as Xiao brought his hand up to lightly pat his cheek rewardingly with his
gloved fingers. "Good boy, then strip off your clothes." Aether's eyes widened, his hands
flying up to grasp his white robes and clutch them tighter against his body as he looked up at
Xiao with wide eyes.

Xiao saw his reluctance and feigned concern for him, extending his hand to grip Aether's chin
and looking straight into his eyes. Aether really was a sight to behold, Xiao had no trouble
seeing him even through the darkness of the room. He watched the way several emotions
swam through Aether's beautiful, big eyes, the way his braided hair lightly swayed behind
him with every little movement, the way every part of his body reacted to his touch both
eagerly and fearfully. It was entertaining, seeing such an expressive human being that was so
conflicted with himself.

He seemed so frightened, yet his body leaned into Xiao's touch so readily, pushed down on
his hands for more and more friction. Human beings truly were such interesting creatures.
Xiao tugged Aether forward by his chin, making him stumble into his arms and latch onto
him for stability. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I can always rip them off myself."

Aether's eyes widened as he whimpered at Xiao's statement, it was clear Xiao was testing
him, to see how far he would go. Xiao would proceed in having his way with his body no
matter which option Aether chose. "N-No! I'll do it... just.." Aether trailed off, making Xiao
chuckle softly. He stepped back until he sat on the edge of the bed, watching Aether with
shimmering gold eyes, illuminating the room a bit enough for Aether to be able to make out
his features. His lips parted as he observed Xiao's face, his sharp nose and defined jawline
and lips that had two thick fangs just slightly poking out of them.

He found himself entranced by the demon for a moment, he'd thought all his life that demons
would be ugly, disgusting creatures in both looks and personality, he was right about Xiao's
harsh personality, but he didn't expect a demon to look so beautiful even in the darkness. "It
seems I'll have to do it myself after all." Xiao murmured, reaching out to grasp Aether's wrist
and gave a sharp tug forward, making Aether yelp as he fell into the demon's lap.

He gasped and quickly scrambled back up to his shaky feet to begin undoing his robes before
Xiao had the chance to rip them apart. He undid his sash and discarded it to one side of the
bed, not caring where it landed and just praying Xiao wouldn't tatter his clothes, it would be
difficult for Aether to go home without them. He let the robes flow loosely over his body,
hanging off his shoulders.

A mad blush rose to his cheeks as he realized he was stripping himself for a demon just to be
fucked. The thought made him feel warmer between his legs. He slowly pushed the robes off
his shoulders, allowing them to slide off his arms to fall to the dusty ground. He was left
completely bare save for his white underwear, which Xiao promptly pulled down himself,
allowing them to slip down to Aether's feet as he stepped out of his shoes.

Xiao's lips parted with awe at the beauty of Aether's skin, almost recovered from the burns
Xiao had given him last time, his nipples stood pert for Xiao, waiting to be touched and
teased. Aether's cock stood straight with arousal, ready to cum ten or so times for Xiao as it
had done last time.

Xiao placed his gloved hands on Aether's body, wrapping his fingers around Aether's waist
and pulling him closer until he stood right in front of him between Xiao's legs. Xiao observed
the burn scars left on Aether's otherwise porcelain skin and smirked. Aether looked so
innocent standing in front of him, looking down at him with lustful and fearful eyes, waiting
for Xiao to fuck him senseless.
The thought almost made Xiao laugh, Aether was far from innocent, given how he came to a
demon to make him feel good despite being one of the Gods' creations. It made Xiao wish to
make Aether suffer even more, he stuck his tongue out to run over a scar, making Aether yelp
and fight to recoil away from Xiao. Xiao kept a steady grip, knowing why Aether wanted to
get away as he watched Aether's skin redden with an infuriating smirk.

Xiao's saliva burned Aether even more, but he couldn't keep from kissing and sucking on his
beautiful skin, could he? "You're healing up nicely." Xiao commented, his hands dropping
down Aether's quivering and pained body to grip his ass cheeks, giving them a tight squeeze
as Aether held onto his horns for support. "Maybe I should give you more burns, since you
loved them so much last time."

Aether whimpered, knowing he couldn't deny that he loved the pain, asking Xiao to hurt him
more last time he was lying down beneath him. He watched in the dim light of Xiao's eyes as
he took off his gloves, revealing the green markings on his hands. Aether let out a cry of pain
as Xiao pressed his hand flat against his abdomen, his touch searing his skin and making it
redden with the burning effect.

It was just slightly less painful than having an iron pressed against his skin on the highest
setting. Aether's legs almost gave out as Xiao trailed his fingers up to his nipples, burning his
skin with every stroke of his hand and making his way to wrap his fingers around Aether's
nipple.

Aether gasp and thrashed in Xiao's arms, his legs failing him as he fell on Xiao's lap from the
searing pain that filled his entire body through the burning in the nerves of his nipples. He
felt like he'd been set completely on fire like nothing was stopping him from burning, but
still, his cock began to leak precum from the pleasure the pain brought him.

Xiao flipped him around, pinning him to the bed beneath himself, and kissed him, planting
his lips over Aether's and thrusting his hips against Aether's bare ass. Aether mewled into the
kiss, panting a little as Xiao pressed his tongue inside his mouth, his saliva stinging Aether's
tongue as he explored every nook and cranny of his mouth. Xiao pulled away, his eyes
seemed to have grown dimmer, half-lidded with lust for Aether's body as he studied the
blonde's expression, his parted and swollen lips, his tongue lightly poking out as he tried to
fan the burns in his mouth by breathing.

Xiao swooped down and bit Aether's lip between his fangs, nibbling on it gently and
puncturing it, making Aether cry out with pain, his hands flying up to grab onto Xiao's horns
for stability again as Xiao bucked his hips again. Xiao moved lower, trailing his tongue down
Aether's neck, over his collarbone, and leaving a burning trail until he reached his nipples.

He wrapped his mouth around one of Aether's hardened buds, holding Aether's wrists down
beside his head as the blonde kicked and thrashed with pain, his eyes blown wide as Xiao
sucked on his nipples while he cried from the pain and pleasure. It hurt, but why did Aether
like it so much? Why did he lie so pliantly beneath Xiao while he did whatever he wanted to
hurt him?

His wrists burned, every inch of his body felt like it had been charred with the way his nerves
tingled with the pain of a thousand coals being placed on his body. Xiao pulled back, a string
of saliva attaching his lips with Aether's body, which promptly broke away after he sat up,
towering over Aether's weak and helpless body.

"Pretty." Xiao whispered simply, giving his abused body a once-over before he grabbed
Aether's sash which was near him on the dusty bed, extending it to its full length as he
grabbed Aether's wrists with one hand and tied them over his head, attaching them to a post
with the white sash. Aether looked up at him with teary eyes as he was rendered completely
helpless, now there would be no going back no matter what happened to him.

Xiao stripped himself of his black robes, pulling them off of his body promptly and
discarding them to the floor before lifting his hips to remove his undergarments. Aether could
hardly see what he was doing with Xiao's dimmed eyes, only able to see the silhouette of the
demon hovering above him. He gasped as Xiao prodded the tip of his cock against Aether's
ass, pushing between his cheeks.

He moved to flip Aether around on his stomach, but Aether whimpered out, "No..." Xiao
stopped momentarily, raising an eyebrow in the darkness at Aether's pathetic denial. "No?"
He asked, surely Aether should know that Xiao wouldn't stop no matter how much he begged
at pleaded, he should know by now how futile it was to beg mercy from a demon. "I w-want
to see you, I was on my stomach the entire time last time... please, it was dark, I-I don't want
to do it in that position."

Xiao glared down at him, no leniency or softness shone in his eyes for Aether as he gripped
the blonde by the neck and pulled him up until their faces were inches from one another,
"You seem to be getting a little too comfortable here," Xiao told him in a deathly low voice,
pressing his fingers tighter around his neck until Aether began to gasp for breath. He threw
Aether back down on the bed, making dust kick up from the mattress.

Xiao left Aether lying on his side and grabbed his ankle to wrench his legs open, while
Aether began to cry from how much his entire body burned and ached from Xiao's touch.
Xiao thrust his cock inside Aether raw, making the blonde scream as the wind was knocked
out of him. Xiao's cock scraped against his walls roughly as he pushed inside of him until his
hips met Aether's ass, pressed flush against one another.

"Ah! Aah-- it hurts! It hurts, please...hnngh!" Xiao didn't listen and began to thrust inside
Aether with enough force to rock his body, his hands hitting against the post they were tied to
with every push of Xiao's cock inside of him. Xiao leaned over his body, his warm skin
pressing against Aether's as he buried his face in the blonde's neck, positioning himself just
right inside him to push into his prostate.

Aether mewled into Xiao's ear at the feeling, lying limp beneath him as the demon began to
fuck into his prostate, making him feel like he was seeing stars and forcing moans of pleasure
from his mouth. Aether's mind clouded up with pleasure, everything was fucked out of his
mind the same way it had last time, his religion, his sin, heaven, hell, everything was menial
right then. Nothing mattered except for the cock of a wretched demon pounding inside of
him, making him beg and cry, not from pain this time, but pleasure and ecstasy.

Xiao opened his mouth to bare his fangs and sank them into Aether's neck, making the
blonde cry out with pain at the way Xiao's thick fangs stretched his skin. Xiao pulled his teeth
away from Aether's skin and lapped at the blood that had begun to leak out of the newly
formed wound, sucking on the skin to milk Aether's skin for more of his blood.

The creaky bed shuddered underneath them from the force Xiao used to fuck him into the
mattress, though neither of them cared to worry about the bed falling apart under them. They
were too far into their pleasure, too lost in each other's bodies to think about anything else.
Aether could do nothing but lie beneath Xiao and moan for him, mewl whenever he slammed
into his prostate and shed tears whenever Xiao's hands burned his body.

"Scream my name," Xiao growled into Aether's ear, barely heard by the blonde with the
blood pounding through his ears, but Aether complied with Xiao's command, more like his
name was forced from his lips, out of his control. "Haah--Xiao!! Mmf.." Xiao kissed the
wound he'd made on his neck as Aether's breath constricted with the demon's weight on top
of him.

He turned his head to the side as he felt Xiao's horns poking against his cheek, nearly cutting
him. He could hardly hear himself, but as his orgasm drew closer, he felt his moans becoming
more and more frequent. "Feels good now?" Xiao asked, sitting up on his knees and holding
Aether's leg over his shoulder, thrusting deeper inside of him, making sure Aether felt every
inch of him.

Aether nodded his head vigorously, "Yes... yes, it's so good..!" He mewled breathlessly,
staring up at Xiao with half-lidded eyes, feeling his stomach getting hotter as his orgasm
drew nearer. Xiao chuckled softly at his enthusiasm, "Look at how sinful you are, your Gods
mean nothing to you when it comes to getting fucked, don't they?" Aether couldn't help
nodding to Xiao's every word, his eyes rolling back as he fought against his restraints to latch
onto Xiao.

"Yes... yes!" Xiao smirked at that and began to move faster, enjoying the sound of the noises
Aether made as they echoed throughout the room along with the creaks of the bed. "Tell me
you belong to me with your own words, give me your pathetic permission to have you like
this whenever I want." Xiao whispered to him, gently massaging Aether's thigh, but Aether
had numbed to all forms of pain by now. Aether threw his head back, a choked gasp getting
caught in his throat as he felt his body quivering intensely.

Why did his abdomen feel so warm? It felt like only a small spot below his navel was
burning up as if lit on fire. He couldn't bring himself to look down at his own body, too
caught up in the feeling of his orgasm drawing him to the edge.

His eyes widened as he felt his orgasm take him, whimpering out for Xiao, "AH! I'm yours,
hnngh..! I belong to you--fuck!" Aether came in ropes of white all over his own chest, his
vision going from black to white in a manner of seconds as he moaned loudly. Xiao's jaw
tightened as he felt Aether clench around him, watching the way his back arched perfectly as
he threw his head back.

Aether really was such a beautiful sight to behold, Xiao was surprised God made humans as
beautiful as angels, Aether looked ethereal, giving off his own slight glow with the light
shining from Xiao's eyes. He looked even prettier than an angel. Xiao panted a little, finally
 feeling the pleasure getting to him as he felt more sensitive with Aether clamped tighter
around his cock like a sleeve, compelling him to go faster to chase his own orgasm.

Aether's body went numb for a few seconds, unaware of Xiao still pounding into him as his
mind went blank, all he could feel were the dusty sheets rubbing against his back with every
rock of his body up the bed. Xiao leaned down and pressed their lips together, though he
knew Aether would not be able to kiss back in this state. He breathed softly into Aether's lips,
feeling himself tipping over the edge as well, and growled, "Mine."

He came inside Aether, shooting his burning hot cum inside him and filling him up, making
Aether's eyes widened as his senses began to come back to him one by one. "Hnngh... burns..
no more," He whimpered as Xiao gave a few more thrusts before settling for a few moments,
staring down at Aether, "Oh, but I'm just getting started, little angel."

***Extra***

Aether groaned awake, sunlight blinded him as he tried to flutter his eyes open, making him
quickly shut them again. His body screamed with agony as he tried to shift his position, his
skin felt raw and sensitive with pain with the friction caused between his clothes and body.
He slowly opened his eyes again, this time more prepared, and looked around, squinting a
little as his world spun.

"I'm... home?" He wondered out loud to himself. He slowly glanced down and saw that his
white robe had been slung around his shoulders, covering him up as he laid on his bed. He
slowly tried to sit up, whimpering with pain as he felt the fresh burns stinging terribly with
the movement. He gasped with pain as he felt a surging pain in his abdomen, right below his
navel, aching just a little more than the rest of his body.

"Nngh... what.." Aether slowly moved aside his robe, and his eyes widened as he saw that he
had leaked cum all over his sheets from his ass from being filled up countless times the night
before. But then his eyes caught onto a little smudge on his abdomen, compelling him to lift
his shaky fingers to feel it. His eyes widened as he realized that it was not a smudge, but a
carving.

A symbol had been engraved into his skin, he quickly got up, ignoring the way his body
screamed with pain as he stumbled to his feet, rushing to get to a mirror though his limp
slowed him down. He clutched the wall for support and looked closely at the symbol through
the mirror. His lips parted as he identified its shape, a mask, green and gold with glowing
green eyes. He slowly fell to his knees, clutching onto his abdomen with a stunned look on
his face. He had been claimed by a demon.

Chapter End Notes

For those who might've been looking forward to Incubus!Aether (who would definitely
be the dom ((not to be confused with Top)) hehe), let me know whether you want me to
incorporate Incubus AU with Zhongli/Childe or Diluc/Kaeya or even a future
Xiao/Aether prompt! For the next prompt, I suspect we will be seeing some BDSM for
Zhongli/Childe hehe~

Have a lovely weekend!

 On The Phone With Someone Else (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Warning: Light BDSM, bondage, rough sex.

Childe gets caught embezzling money from his boss, Zhongli, and offers sexual favors
to appease him. Zhongli accepts though they find themselves getting interrupted by a
phone call.

Chapter Notes

AAAAA I'm so sleepy, I had some stuff to say, but I think I forgot everything. Enjoy 8k
of pure, unfiltered smut with little background, ya hornies.

As I was trying to publish the chapter I think AO3 decided you can't have a lot of tags
anymore, so wouldn't let me post until I removed like 36 of my tags //sob

So if you see a rapidly decreased number of tags, just pray newbies know what they're
getting into with this book.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"Ah, sir," Childe whimpered softly as Zhongli pulled him towards himself, seated on a chair
in the man's large bedroom. Childe shivered in the cool night air, feeling his nipples perking
up as a soft breeze flew in from the open window nearby, washing over his naked body with
the gentleness of a feather. Childe stood completely bare in front of his boss, trembling not
only due to the slight cold, but also with anticipation for what was to come. His arms ached
faintly, shackled together behind his back with a pair of handcuffs.

He took a sharp breath as Zhongli pressed one of his large, gloved hands over Childe's thigh,
grabbing at the meaty flesh with his eyes nonchalantly running over the ginger's body. His
breath caught in his throat, tight and restricted by the collar fastened around it, a chain
protruding from its nape to attach the collar with his cuffs, binding his body for Zhongli to
take advantage of in any way he saw fit.

"You have beautiful skin, Mr. Childe." Zhongli murmured, leaning on one arm against the
armrest of his seat while his fingers grasped and groped Childe's thighs freely, as if grasping
their own property. Zhongli's eyes trailed over Childe's body, from his meaty thighs to his
cock, twitching and standing straight against his stomach, up to his beautiful and muscular
torso to his plump and pink nipples.
His eyes slowly moved up to look at Childe's face, and he couldn't help allowing a small
smirk to climb upon his lips. Childe's face was red with embarrassment, keeping his eyes
keenly fixed on the floor like an obedient dog, not daring to look at Zhongli with his beautiful
blue eyes. It pleased Zhongli immensely to see how embarrassed Childe was, humiliated to
be standing in front of him like this, with everything laid out bare for Zhongli's eyes to feast
on.

It was much deserved, too lenient a punishment after all Childe had done. Childe looked
positively delightful in such a vulnerable state, his arms bound, a chain attached to a collar
around his neck to allow Zhongli to pull and push him in any way he saw fit. Zhongli's hand
slowly roamed around Childe's body, twisting the ginger until Childe stood with his back to
Zhongli, his ass almost level with Zhongli's face.

Zhongli licked his lips as he observed Childe's legs shaking with the effort of holding him up,
clearly nervous with Zhongli so close to his most sensitive region. Zhongli groped Childe's
ass, smirking with enjoyment as he watched the plump meat mold into his hand like dough,
eliciting a quiet moan from Childe.

Zhongli could do anything he wanted to Childe in this state and Childe would allow it, all for
what? Why did Childe go to these lengths, allowing himself to be tied up like this in such a
vulnerable state and eventually, inevitably, fucked into the nearby bed by his boss? Why
would Childe allow Zhongli to have so much control over his body, allow Zhongli to see him
bare from his shoulders down to his toes?

"Bend over." Zhongli ordered Childe, making the ginger blink with confusion, he looked over
his shoulder at Zhongli, as if asking whether he'd heard him right. Zhongli was going to milk
every bit of this moment to his best efforts, he would make Childe suffer, with
embarrassment, pain, and pleasure, all depending on Childe’s behavior. Too lenient a
punishment. "I did not stutter, did I, Mr. Childe?"

Childe's lips quivered but he didn’t complain as Zhongli squeezed his ass, he had no choice
but to obey Zhongli and leaned his upper body forward, down until he was bent in a ninety-
degree angle in front of Zhongli with a slight arch in his back that made Zhongli heat up even
more to look at. Childe’s cheeks burned ever more furiously at the position, knowing his ass
was on full display for Zhongli to look at and play with as much as he wanted. His legs shook
dangerously, it felt like they would give out under him at any given second, especially with
the unstable position he had been put in.

The chain between his hands and neck clinked against his metal handcuffs as it rolled over
his back, making Childe shudder at the feel of the cold metal against his bare skin. Zhongli
allowed his other hand to join in grabbing at Childe's ass, squeezing it with gentle fingers
before spreading his cheeks apart to lay his eyes on Childe's hole, twitching just for him.

He licked his lips at the sight, a tiny smirk playing on his lips as he pressed his thumb against
it, squeezing it inside the tiny opening without a care for the fact that he was wearing gloves.
He could hear Childe release an inaudible gasp at the feeling, compelling Zhongli to pull him
closer in case he attempted to escape. He shifted his thumb inside of Childe, slowly prying
his walls apart and burying it deeper and deeper inside slowly.
Zhongli shushed Childe as the ginger mewled at the feeling, feeling every centimeter of
Zhongli's thumb pry its way inside him up to his knuckle. Childe's insides hugged around
Zhongli's thumb snuggly, he felt warm to Zhongli even through the leather gloves he was
wearing, making him crave the feeling of fucking into somewhere so warm. Zhongli brought
his free hand to his hole as well, poking the tip of his other thumb against Childe's entrance
and making him twitch and tighten reflexively around him.

"W-Wait, sir, please..!" Childe whimpered as Zhongli forced his other thumb past his rim,
pressing it deeper inside before he slowly separated his thumbs, opening Childe's hole
enough for his rosy insides to peek out. He smirked at the sight, biting his lip at the feeling of
how tight Childe was and admiring the color of his hole, the same as his nipples. "Beautiful."
Zhongli whispered.

"P-Please..." Childe moaned as Zhongli pulled his fingers out slowly to make him feel the
leather of his gloves brushing against his insides. Zhongli reached beside him and peered into
a box sitting on the end table by his chair's side, a box of toys he'd specifically gathered just
for this occasion. "Which toy shall I use on you, Mr. Childe? Do you have a preference?" He
asked Childe, watching the way the ginger's legs shook at the sound of his voice.

Zhongli pulled out a glass buttplug, it was blue and purple in color with a pointy and slim tip
and two purple plaster swirls wrapped around it. It would be a challenge to fit such a thing
inside Childe's tight hole, but Zhongli would not be a renowned tycoon of the business world
if he wasn't someone who loved the thrill of a challenge. Childe dared to peek over his
shoulder, his eyes widening as he spotted the pristine and shiny toy in Zhongli's hands. His
feet twitched as if he wanted nothing more than to run away at the sight, knowing Zhongli
would be putting that inside of him. "It won't go in, please don't..." Zhongli caught his gaze,
his ears barely paying attention to Childe's voice as he slowly twirled the plug in his hand.
Zhongli merely smiled as pleasantly as he would while greeting a client, it made Childe even
more nervous to see a dark twinkle in his eye as he completely disregarded his words.

"Kneel. You will not be able to stand when I press on." Childe didn't miss the use of 'when'
instead of 'if'. He knew that Zhongli would continue no matter how much he begged or
pleaded him not to. Their contract had been set in stone, Childe had forfeited all rights to his
body tonight of his own accord, offered Zhongli sexual favors in the heat of the moment
when he could think of nothing but the crush he had had on his boss for too long for him to
be able to count on his fingers.

Childe had promised to do anything Zhongli said for tonight, bend over in any position, allow
Zhongli to treat him in any way, and use any means necessary to pleasure Zhongli. He had
promised all this with certainty, with confidence and determination, like a man of his word,
but he had never expected it would end up like this. Zhongli gently tapped the tip of his boot
to Childe's calf, and like clockwork, his legs gave out at the slightest provocation, making
him come crashing to the floor on his knees. Childe bit his lip as he felt his knees aching
from the impact, holding back weak whimpers of pain at the feeling.

Zhongli gazed down at Childe, his amber eyes trailing down his back as he knelt on the floor
facing away from him and taking in the sight of the man chained up and collared like a dog.
Zhongli wrapped his fingers around the chain and gave a swift tug to it, pulling Childe's body
between his legs and causing him to choke from his collar.

Zhongli set the toy down momentarily to wrap his hand around Childe's neck, shifting
forward in his seat to push his hand down to his chest. Zhongli placed a hand over Childe's
nipple, beginning to roll it with his palm, forcing a moan from between Childe's lips as he felt
Zhongli's large hands working against his body. "Aah... feels good.." Childe moaned softly,
leaning his body into Zhongli's touch as the man caressed his nipple, his other hand wrapped
around his throat with light pressure, but Childe could feel the power coursing through the
man's veins.

Zhongli used a gentle touch with Childe's body, his fingers were no more than a soft brush
over his skin, but Childe knew that the man could easily force him into any position he
wanted, knew that he could force Childe to do anything if he wished. He was lucky Zhongli
did not want to do such things yet, because he was being obedient.

Zhongli let him go, "Bow your head to the floor." He told him, allowing Childe space to
follow his command. Childe froze up, his cheeks blushing a bright red as he realized what
position Zhongli was asking him to go into. Childe almost didn't recognize the man Zhongli
was right now, so damn different from the boss he'd been working under for a year now.

He and Zhongli had always had a strictly professional boss-secretary relationship. Zhongli
never came within three feet of him, always keeping a fair distance, always vigilant on
treating Childe as an employee than anything else. Childe, on the other hand, grew a massive
crush on Zhongli over the year he'd worked for him, slowly, he began having fantasies about
his handsome boss, but Zhongli never gave him a second glance, always remaining aloof
around Childe. Even at company dinners, Zhongli either never attended or kept to himself,
while Childe was whisked away by his friends.

Despite the cold relationship, Zhongli was considerate of Childe, he would give him well-
deserved breaks, would never hold him back for overtime, and at times, he would send him
home early. Zhongli had always been kind, and it pained Childe all the more to dupe him.
Childe had never been well off, and as he was an older brother to three siblings, money
became difficult to deal with.

Childe didn't know when it began, but bit by bit, he began to embezzle money from Zhongli's
accounts to make ends meet. What he hadn't been anticipating was Zhongli catching on to his
schemes and hiring an investigator to check on his accounts without Childe's knowledge and
catch whoever was committing such acts. Eventually, Childe had been caught in the act, just
earlier today was when Zhongli had cornered and confronted him about it, trapping him in his
office between himself and the door.

Zhongli had interrogated him, and Childe could find no words of explanation to utter.
Zhongli didn't take his silence well and had brought out his phone to call the police, but
Childe begged for him not to, clutching at Zhongli's hand desperately as he tried to think of
what to do, how he could make up for his dishonesty towards Zhongli. There was nothing he
could think of, no way Zhongli would let him go if he promised to pay him back over time,
no way Zhongli would let him go without immediate consequences.
He remembered Zhongli's scent completely surrounding him as he trapped him against the
door, making sure Childe had no way to escape and no way to fight by pinning his wrists to
the door. In the year Childe had worked for Zhongli, he'd never been so close to the man
before, he remembered his heart beating faster and faster as he looked into Zhongli's glinting
gold eyes staring right into his own merely centimeters from his face.

Zhongli had whispered right into his ear, fanning his hot breath against his skin and observing
every little twitch and quiver of Childe's body in response to his presence with the slightest
twinkle of interest dancing in his eyes. It was as if Zhongli had seen Childe in a new light,
having never paid much attention to his secretary's presence other than treating him like a
human being. But seeing as his lack of attention had lead Childe to embezzle money from
him, he began to take in the ginger's presence more and more, trying to figure him out and
realizing his beauty along the way.

He had never noticed how fluffy Childe's hair looked, how nice it would be to pull and tug in
any way he saw fit, he had also never realized how beautiful his dull eyes were, never once
giving away what he was truly feeling. Zhongli wouldn't have found out about Childe's
emotions if it weren't for his expressive body.

His body was reactive, sensitive to touch, and twitched and shook in response to his situation.
Childe shook in front of Zhongli because he couldn't think of what to do in this situation. He
had thought his aloof and inattentive boss wouldn't notice, that he wouldn't see what Childe
was doing behind his back, he had never taken into account that he would get caught
redhanded.

There was nothing he could offer Zhongli of value that would quench the billionaire's thirst to
see Childe behind bars, except... perhaps his body. Childe had put up a brave front,
pretending like he was confident and persuasive and offering Zhongli sexual favors in
exchange for letting him go. He didn't think Zhongli would take him up on his offer, didn't
think Zhongli would accept the favor.

He'd taken a moment to think about it, his eyes searching for weakness in Childe's, and he
must've found something if he chose to accept. He asked Childe just how much he was
willing to do for him, how far he was willing to go, and Childe had to promise that Zhongli
could do anything he wanted to him. Childe regretted it intensely now as he slowly pressed
his forehead to the ground, allowing his hips to lift off until he laid on the ground in front of
Zhongli, his ass sticking in the air for the man's sights, allowing him the free reign to do
anything he wanted to him.

Zhongli smiled at the sight of Childe's ass sticking up for him with his cheeks spread wide to
allow his hole to peek out while his legs trembled. Zhongli took the toy between his fingers
once more and leaned forward in his seat, placing his legs on either side of Childe's body as
the ginger laid shivering on the cold marble floor. Zhongli reached into the box and pulled
out a bottle of lube, uncapping it and tilting it directly above Childe's ass, pouring a hefty
amount of the liquid over it.

Childe gasped at the feeling, his back arching as the liquid dripped all over his legs down to
his front. Childe looked back at him as best he could from his place on the ground, his body
quaking and shivering as he watched Zhongli take off his gloves for the occasion and raise
the plug in his fingers again. "Please... it won't fit," Zhongli just smiled down at him, groping
his ass with one of his warm hands and spreading it wide before he brought the plug closer,
gently prodding it against his hole and making him twitch. "We will not know until we try,
will we?"

Childe whimpered as Zhongli began to apply more pressure with the plug slowly pushing it
inside of it with the swirls pushing inside first before the pointy tip. Childe's cried out with
pain, feeling the plug stretch him out wider and wider until it was enough for the center to
slip past, it felt like he was being ripped in half. It hurt so damn much to have his tight hole
stretch to such a capacity all in one go with little prep save for Zhongli's thumbs that were not
enough to get him used to anything being pushed there.

"Ah!! It hurts, sir, please, it hurts...nngh..!" Childe's chains rattled as he tried desperately to
break out of them, unable to handle the pain without having anything to hold on to. Childe
felt Zhongli push it in deeper in contrast to his pleas, making his eyes widen as his mouth fell
open, unable to stop his tiny whimpers of pain from how rough Zhongli was. "Shh... it's
almost in." Zhongli whispered, given one last sharp push, making Childe let out a loud cry of
pain before the plug was in up to its hilt.

Childe's legs trembled unbearably, trying his best to keep himself up without the support of
his hands as he felt the plug settle deep inside of him, stretching his ass wider than ever
before from the inside. Childe panted and gasped, trying to cope with the pain surging
through his body as he felt Zhongli's fingers grasp the chain attached between his neck and
hands, giving it a swift tug to pull Childe up by the collar, back into a kneeling position.

Childe choked a little from the pull at his neck, constricting his breathing until his back met
Zhongli's seat. "Turn," Zhongli ordered softly, not having any regard for the fact that he'd
pressed such a girthy toy into Childe's ass. Childe whimpered softly as he was forcibly turned
around to face Zhongli on his knees, Zhongli's eyes twinkled at the sight of tears in Childe's
eyes as he gazed up at him, trying his best not to moan and whimper with pain.

"Please... please take it out, it hurts so much..." Childe whispered, slumping between
Zhongli's legs and pressing his cheek against the man's thigh, trying to appeal to his
sensitivity. Zhongli smirked at him, gently caressing his cheek with his soft hand and running
his fingers soothingly through his hair.

"I've never noticed how cute you were before, Secretary Childe. You beg like anything can
get you out of this." Childe's eyes widened at the statement, his cheeks tinting red again with
embarrassment as he felt himself getting even more aroused at Zhongli's words.

He'd been fantasizing of a day like this with his boss, being called cute, getting fucked into
the mattress like there was no tomorrow, but he didn't think it would be like this. His eyes
followed every movement of Zhongli's hands as he began to unzip his pants to reveal his
boxers before lowering them to allow his cock to spring out. Childe's eyes widened at the
sight of Zhongli's cock, his lips parted with awe as he realized it was just as big as he'd
imagined.

"T-That won't fit inside me," Childe blurted out without thinking, immediately beginning to
scoot back away from Zhongli, but Zhongli quickly hooked his fingers around the front of
Childe's collar, slowly dragging him back in front of him while Childe gazed up at him with
big blue eyes. Zhongli's eyes dulled as he tilted his head to look at Childe's feet tucked
beneath him.

He murmured in thought, "Perhaps I should tie your legs up as well to ensure you continue to
fulfill your promise," Zhongli tugged Childe's face closer to his crotch until he could press
against Childe's cheek, watching the ginger close one eye at the feeling of Zhongli's thick,
warm cock pressed against his face. Zhongli licked his lips at the sight.

"You said that about the toy, did you not? But look, it's in now. I've been gentle with you, and
I will continue to be if you comply with my wishes. Now... I'm sure you know what to do."
Zhongli grabbed the base of his cock and redirected it to Childe's lips, pressing against them
and sighing softly at the friction created as they trembled. Childe's eyelids drooped halfway
as he felt the light tremors rushing through Zhongli's warm cock against his lips, tempting
him into opening his mouth to take Zhongli's cock between his lips.

Zhongli closed his eyes as Childe enveloped his cock in his mouth, sucking on it gently and
looking up at Zhongli with dull eyes. Zhongli's cock felt interesting against his tongue,
heating up even more with the friction caused by his mouth as he puckered his lips around
the girth. He trailed his tongue against the underside of his cock, dipping into the depression
between the head and shaft and feeling up the veins running along Zhongli's skin.

Zhongli sat back in his seat, breathing softly from the pleasure as he caressed Childe's face.
"Good... you're doing good," Zhongli told him. Childe began to bob his head up and down
Zhongli's cock, taking it as far as he could without choking but he could tell it wasn't going to
be enough for Zhongli. Zhongli's hand shifted to his hair, making Childe nervous, knowing
he would be choked on his cock any second, when a ringtone began to go off in the room.

Childe stopped sucking Zhongli off for a second but Zhongli didn't allow him to pull away,
keeping his hand firmly tangled into Childe's hair. Zhongli's face soured as he realized it was
his phone ringing from his pocket and shifted to fish it out, looking at the caller ID. He
grumbled under his breath, seeing Hu Tao's name flashing on the screen and feeling a deep
sense of irritation.

Childe gazed up at him confusedly, waiting for Zhongli to decline the call and continue to
milk Childe's body of everything he was worth, though he was relieved to be saved by the
bell. Zhongli knew he couldn't avoid the call, knowing that he'd left work with Childe
without informing anyone, and Hu Tao was likely calling to check up on him. Hu Tao was the
director of the Wangsheng Parlor while he worked under her as her CEO with Childe as his
secretary, he knew he couldn't ignore the call.

He sighed heavily and glared down at Childe, his mood considerably worse, and pressed a
finger to his own lips to shush Childe. He let Childe go and allowed him to even out his
breath, pulling off of his cock to breathe deeply and prep himself for more throat torture after
Zhongli was done. Zhongli picked up the phone and pressed it to his ear, a deep frown on his
face as he heard the over-enthusiastic and youthful voice of Hu Tao on the other end.

"Zhongli~ Why did it take you so long to pick up, you old fool?" Hu Tao asked. Zhongli
wasn't even given the time to answer before Hu Tao pressed on, "You're still at the office,
right? Are you busy?" Zhongli pursed his lips at the numerous questions, realizing Hu Tao
had not yet discovered that her CEO had wandered off with his secretary without a word.

He glanced down at Childe who seemed to be trying to struggle against his bonds now that
his arms were beginning to ache and smirked a little. "Yes, I am still at the office and--" Hu
Tao interrupted with an enthusiastic hum, cutting over his words, "Right, well! Since you're
not busy, I wanted to tell you about an amazing new idea I had. New designs for coffins!"
Zhongli blinked, feeling like smashing his head on the wall as he tried to tell Hu Tao that he
couldn't listen to her rant for hours at the moment, seeing the ginger sitting too idle between
his legs.

"I am a bit busy, Director... if this could wait till--" "Nope! It cannot wait, I will probably
forget, so drop what you're doing and listen to your boss, hm?" Childe blinked up at Zhongli,
from the way Zhongli's jaw was clenched and the way he glared down at him, he almost
thought he was angry at him for a second. He fully expected Zhongli to hang up on Hu Tao,
knowing the man had done so a great many times before and, oftentimes, Childe would be
left picking the pieces.

However, Zhongli got another idea, gazing down at Childe, his jaw slowly relaxing at the
sight of him looking so innocent between his legs. A small smirk made its way on his face,
"Alright, please continue." Hu Tao immediately went into a rave about her new idea, her loud
voice cutting into Zhongli's mind, compelling him to lower the volume on his phone. Childe's
eyes widened, realizing Zhongli would continue with the phone call and leave Childe
hanging with his erect cock.

But instead, Zhongli shushed him once more and tangled his hand in his hair again, pulling
him back towards his cock, still standing proud and twitching, desiring stimulation. He
leaned forward, quickly tapping the mute button for a second to whisper in Childe's ear,
"Keep from making a noise, hmm?" He unmuted, responding to a question Hu Tao asked him
nonchalantly and pushing Childe's face into his cock again.

He sighed softly as Childe began to suck on his cock again, this time looking a lot warier
than before and more nervous. Surely Zhongli couldn't be thinking of having Childe's body
with Hu Tao on the other end of the line, could he? He managed to bob his head halfway on
Zhongli's cock, barely holding back his gag reflex whenever it hit the back of his throat.

Zhongli's cheeks began to redden at the pleasure beginning to surge through his body, but he
felt dissatisfied, seeing Childe only daring to give him half the pleasure he could be giving.
He smiled, feeling his mind blocking out Hu Tao's voice as he pushed Childe down further on
his cock. Childe choked hard, his eyes watering intensely as Zhongli pushed down his throat
and gagged him.

Zhongli's head tilted back, his eyes closing from the pleasure as he thrust his hips upward
into Childe's mouth, pushing his head down until his lips met the base of his cock before
tugging him back up. Zhongli clasped a hand over Childe's mouth to muffle his coughing as
he gasped and wheezed, tears beginning to leak from his eyes. Childe looked up at him with
watery eyes, a fragile look shining behind his pupils that made Zhongli want to ruin him even
more. How had Zhongli missed what a gem his secretary was after all these months?
Seeing him look so messy and delicate, sitting on his knees with a collar around his neck and
his hands chained behind his back was enough to drive Zhongli wild. He shoved Childe down
on his cock again, though his mind was barely aware of Hu Tao's rambling, luckily, the lady
was so caught up in her ideas that she didn't notice the light pants escaping Zhongli's lips as
he bobbed Childe's head up and down on his cock.

His abdomen began to heat up with pleasure, feeling his muscles clenching and unclenching
warningly for his orgasm. He gazed down at Childe, watching the ginger cry even more, his
mouth wide open for Zhongli to use as he pleased as he couldn't even find the air to sob.
Zhongli felt no guilt for the state Childe was in, after all, the man had embezzled money from
him despite being his most trusted employee.

He regretted not taking Childe sooner, regretted that he hadn't witnessed this sight before
today, but now, he found himself getting addicted to the way Childe's mouth felt around his
cock, the way he cried softly, trying to be quiet while having his cock shoved so deep down
his throat. Zhongli bit his lip to hold back a moan of pleasure as he felt himself reaching his
high and pulled Childe off of his cock in the nick of time before he came all over Childe's
face.

Zhongli spurted cum over the ginger's cheeks and open mouth, all the way up to his eyes as
he shut them tightly to avoid getting Zhongli's cum in them. "Zhongli, are you listening?" Hu
Tao asked, over the line, becoming attuned to the fact that Zhongli hadn't said a word in
minutes. Zhongli tried to even out his breathing as quietly as possible with his eyes fixated on
Childe's face, covered with his cum as tears streamed freely down his cheeks while he tried to
keep his panting under control.

Zhongli smiled as Childe opened his watery eyes to look up at him with his lips parted,
gasping for breath as he felt the back of his throat aching intensely. Zhongli scooped a
handsome amount of his own cum off of Childe's face on his finger before pressing it
between his parted lips. Childe whimpered at the terrible taste, but he managed to swallow it,
holding back a gag of disgust.

"Of course, Director Hu Tao. Please continue," He said over the phone, his voice as calm and
steady as it always was. Zhongli fished out a handkerchief from his pocket and began to dab
Childe's face clean gently, almost as a way of apologizing for nearly busting a hole through
his throat, but his gentleness didn't last long. He got up from his seat with his phone to his
ear, towering over Childe and causing him to peer up at him until Zhongli leaned down to
grab the chain linking his neck and hands and yanked him up to his feet, making him squeak
with the pressure applied on his throat.

Zhongli shot him a glare to shut him up, his thumb quickly tapping the mute button again
before he allowed his hand to drop from his ear to wrap his arms around Childe's waist,
pulling him close and pressing their lips together. The faint babble of Hu Tao's voice could be
heard from the phone as Zhongli pulled Childe closer, shoving his tongue between his lips as
Childe's eyes widened with surprise, though he was unable to hold Zhongli back with his
arms tied behind his back.

Zhongli selfishly took his breath away again, taking a few steps forward and cornering
Childe to the bed until the back of his knees met the bed. Zhongli pulled away, staring deeply
into Childe's eyes for a long moment and making him freeze up. "S-Sir?" Childe whispered,
not knowing what to do or think while Zhongli stared at him so intensely. Zhongli placed one
last peck against his lips before he spun Childe around and threw him on the bed on his
stomach, making the ginger gasp with surprise.

He felt Zhongli's knee dip into the bed by his thigh, rendering him unable to get up without
the use of his arms and unable to see what Zhongli was doing behind him. Zhongli unmuted
the call, pretending he had been listening the entire time, though his mind and body were
completely focused on the man lying helpless beneath him.

Zhongli spread Childe's ass cheeks once more, forcing a whimper from between his lips,
muffled by the mattress. Zhongli hooked his fingers around the hilt of the buttplug still
lodged inside of Childe, making the ginger panic and squirm though he could do little to stop
Zhongli from wrenching the plug out of him. "Nngh..!!" Childe mewled into the mattress
loudly as Zhongli pulled the toy from his ass roughly, leaving his body spasming as he tried
his best to control his whimpers and moans of pain.

Zhongli pursed his lips as Hu Tao stopped talking for a moment, clearly having heard the
noise Childe had made and trying to figure out what to make of it. Luckily for Childe, Hu
Tao shrugged the moan off as something else and continued to speak. Zhongli leaned over
Childe on the bed, bringing his lips close to the man's ear as he twitched and gasped at the
pain still shuddering through his body.

Zhongli pulled the phone away from his ear momentarily to whisper in Childe's ear, "If I get
caught, I will make sure you will not be able to use your legs for a week, so be quiet." Childe
only quivered in response, knowing he could not reply, nor would he be able to form a
suitable reply. Zhongli stood straight again, slowly stepping out of his shoes and discarding
his suit jacket to the chair he'd been sitting on moments ago.

He loosened his tie and lifted Childe to stand on his shaking legs once more. Zhongli took a
seat on the bed, his back pressed against the headboard and motioning for Childe to take a
seat in his lap, directly over his rapidly hardening cock. He gazed at Childe's body now that
he was standing, taking in the full sights of the man's muscles, his smooth legs, and pretty
cock.

Truly, Childe had been a gem waiting to be uncovered. Childe's lips quivered as he took a
look at the man's cock beginning to stand again, recovering quickly from his orgasm. He gave
Zhongli a pleading look, but the man hardly cared, extending his hand to latch onto Childe's
arm and pull him into his lap. Childe fell on top of Zhongli's body, gasping a little as he sat
directly over him with Zhongli's cock tucked beneath his ass.

He blushed madly at the feeling of Zhongli cock squished beneath him, though he secretly
loved the way it felt against his skin, thick and girthy as it smushed between his cheeks.
Zhongli tucked his phone between his ear and shoulder to free up his hands, his fingers
moving around Childe's body to grope his ass and lift his hips. He reached into the drawer on
his bedside table and retreated a pack of condoms, proceeding to rip one out and slowly
rolling it over his cock.
Childe watched with his eyes slowly drooping with lust at the sight of Zhongli's thick cock,
remembering how much he'd craved it over the year he'd worked for him. Sure, Zhongli had
nearly suffocated him with it, but being told to ride his cock surely meant he could be as slow
and gentle with himself as he wanted to while fucking himself on Zhongli's cock. Zhongli
finished putting on the condom and grabbed Childe's hips again, pulling him over his proud
and rigid cock with a challenging look in his eyes that told Childe not to make a single noise.

Childe nodded weakly, slowly sinking his hips over Zhongli's cock as the man held it in place
for him. He twitched when the tip poked against his hole, sending his mind reeling and
making him wish to run away and never look back, but Zhongli's hand was too tightly placed
on his hip, keeping him steady in place. Not to mention, there would be no way out of his
bonds unless Zhongli let him go himself, there was no escape for Childe. Childe slowly
pushed down on Zhongli's cock, biting his lip hard as he felt his hole stretching to
accommodate Zhongli's girth as it forced its way inside.

Tears welled up in his eyes, the pain from the buttplug that had been placed inside of him
earlier paled in comparison to the feeling of Zhongli's cock making its way deep inside of
him. It hurt so much, Childe couldn't see anything for a few seconds as he slowly sank down
to the base, burying Zhongli's cock deep inside of himself.

It was hard, trying not to make a noise when it hurt so damn much, but at the same time, it
felt so satisfying to have Zhongli's cock so deep inside him, making him feel full up to his
stomach. Zhongli answered another one of Hu Tao's queries, though his breathing seemed a
bit more restricted with Childe clenching and unclenching around him, making him feel like
he was on fire.

Childe was so warm on the inside, hugging around Zhongli's most sensitive muscle so tightly,
Zhongli didn't want the feeling to end. He allowed Childe just a single moment to get used to
it before he gave a small slap to Childe's thigh, telling him to get a move on. "P-
Please...nngh.." Childe whispered softly under his breath, unable to see past the blur of his
tears.

Zhongli pinched Childe's thigh for the small noise that escaped him, though his eyes were
fixed on Childe's cock, standing rigid in front of him and beginning to leak with precum.
Zhongli didn't know what compelled him, but he ran his thumb over the tip of Childe's cock,
making him flinch terribly, to scoop some of the precum on his finger. He made sure Childe
watched with wide eyes as he brought his hand up to his own lips and licked the cum off of it
to get an idea of what Childe tasted like.

Zhongli seemed unfazed by the taste, even though Childe had to hold back from gagging
when fed the man's cum, on the contrary, he looked into Childe's eyes and smirked
infuriatingly, as if asking him what he was going to do now. Childe blushed intensely, and
looked away from him, gazing down at their bodies. It was unfair, the way Zhongli was still
fully dressed save for his cock poking out enough for him to sit on, meanwhile he was forced
to strip in front of his boss and get tied up.

Still, even though it hurt to have Zhongli so deep inside him and fucking his throat like there
was to no tomorrow, he couldn't help feeling giddy that he was having sex with his long-time
crush. Childe rocked his hips gently, pursing his lips to keep any noise from escaping as he
felt Zhongli's cock shifting inside him from the action. He began to grind their hips together,
trying to get a feel of Zhongli and rocking him inside of himself.

Zhongli watched the weak action with a tiny smirk. Hu Tao's voice had never felt so far away
until now, when someone so greatly of Zhongli's interest was sitting so obediently on his
cock. Zhongli didn't know if he would be able to let go of Childe's body after getting a taste
of it today, he would never be satisfied without having it. Perhaps... it was time to make
negotiations.

He pinched Childe's thigh again to get him to hurry up, making the ginger whimper due to the
light sting. Childe gathered up all the energy in his legs to lift himself on Zhongli's cock, his
mouth falling open as he felt every inch of it brushing against his tight insides. Childe didn't
know how he would be able to stay quiet, he couldn't use his hands to cover his mouth,
couldn't bite into anything other than Zhongli's shoulders, right where his phone was placed
next to his ear.

He didn't know what he could do, but seeing the look in Zhongli's eyes, an almost threatening
glint in his eye as his grip on his hips tightened, he knew he had to start moving quickly.

He dug his teeth deeper into his bottom lip as he brought himself down on Zhongli's cock
again, his eyes blowing wide as he felt Zhongli's cock dig into a special spot inside him on
the first try. He let out a wheezing breath, falling against Zhongli's body and burying his face
into the man's neck, not knowing how to cope with the feeling inside of him. Zhongli
breathed softly, though he didn't allow Childe's a moment's rest, tugging him back into a
straight sitting position above himself by the chain behind his back.

He swiftly ignored Hu Tao's question and muted his mic for a second, "Sit properly," He
ordered, but didn't allow Childe to get a word in before he unmuted himself to answer Hu
Tao's question as calmly as he always did. Childe felt like the skin of his lip would break
from how hard he bit it as he lifted his hips once more before coming back down on Zhongli's
cock, intense pleasure filling him to the core as he tried his best to hold his voice back.

He began to pound himself slowly on Zhongli's cock, unable to find the strength in his legs to
pick up the pace even though he could feel Zhongli's agitated stare. Beads of sweat began to
roll down his body from the strain on his hips and throat, trying to hold back his noises of
pleasure was difficult when it felt so heavenly. Each time Zhongli's cock pressed into his
prostate, Childe could feel himself losing more and more energy from how difficult it was to
keep his voice down.

Each time his ass met Zhongli's hips, it felt like he was being set on fire, every part of him
felt hot with the warmth of Zhongli's cock inside of him. He found his legs failing him, he
began to move even slower up and down Zhongli's cock, falling forward again, unable to
help it with how out of it he felt.

Zhongli tugged him back again, a sharp glare on his face, effectively scaring Childe into
attempting to sit straight as he rode him at a snail's pace. "Mnn.. feels good..." Childe moaned
softly, his eyes lidding halfway as he momentarily forgot what he was meant to be doing
when he brought his hips down on Zhongli again. "Zhongli, who's with you?"
Childe vaguely heard Hu Tao on the other line, though he barely registered her words, feeling
sluggish, unable to move further, and remaining stationary at the base of Zhongli's cock. He
toppled over on top of Zhongli, even in his sluggish state, he could feel Zhongli's agitation
rising with the bruising grip he had on his hips. "No one is with me, Director. I am immersed
in your ideas."

This time, instead of pulling Childe back to sit up, or pushing him away, or pinching him to
get a move on, Zhongli thrust his hips upward, straight into Childe's prostate. "Ah!
Zhongli...!!" Childe couldn't hold back the loud moan that escaped him, his eyes widening as
he felt Zhongli drive his cock straight into his prostate. His mouth fell open from the pleasure
as he slumped completely against Zhongli's body, everything, including Hu Tao's voice,
going still and silent.

Dread settled in the pits of Childe's stomach, remembering the threat Zhongli had given him
as he found his lips quivering. Zhongli had told him not to make a sound, not to allow
himself to be heard by Hu Tao, but Childe had done just that. He didn't dare to look up at
Zhongli's face, but his grip had loosened on his hips, making Childe fear what was to come
next.

"Zhong--" Hu Tao began on the other end, but Zhongli cut her off this time, "I will call you
later, Director." Zhongli didn't wait for her to respond before hanging up and yanking Childe
back by the chain once and for all with a sharp tug, choking him.

"W-Wait..." Childe said weakly as he was thrown back on the bed, getting pulled off of
Zhongli's cock and slammed on the bed on his side. "One job," Zhongli said in a calm voice
as he sat up straight, kneeling between Childe's legs and gazing down at him. Childe flinched
as their eyes met, Zhongli had a dark glint in his eyes again that made Childe fear for his
body. Zhongli began to unbutton his shirt slowly, "You had one job, and it was to stay quiet,
was it not, Childe?"

Zhongli stripped off his shirt and tie, finally allowing Childe to take a look at his body, his
eyes widening at the sight of him. "Wasn't it?" Zhongli repeated himself, hooking his thick
fingers in Childe's collar as Childe shakily nodded, knowing Zhongli wanted an answer.
"How come she heard you, then? Not doing your job properly warrants a punishment, does it
not?"

Childe couldn't find the words to defend himself or explain his actions as Zhongli yanked
him up by the collar. "You could not follow a simple command, and here I thought you were
such a diligent worker, yet you steal from me and do not live up to the contract you made."
Childe was thrown back on the bed on his stomach, his face pressed into a mattress and once
again obstructing his view of what Zhongli was doing behind him.

He whimpered as Zhongli groped his ass and spread it to look down at his twitching hole. "I-
I'm sorry s-sir..." Childe whimpered out weakly, feeling Zhongli lining himself up against his
hole. This time, Childe knew that he wouldn't be as lenient as he was while Childe was riding
him.

In a way, having Hu Tao on the phone had kept Zhongli from being too rough with him, but
now, there was nothing stopping him from destroying Childe's body. "Sorry doesn't cut it,"
Zhongli whispered in his ear as he leaned over Childe's body, poking the tip of his cock
inside of him, "I'll live up to my promise, I'll make sure you can't walk for a week." Zhongli
didn't give him a moment longer to respond before thrust his hips forward and rammed
straight into Childe, making the ginger scream out his name.

"W-Wait, Zhongli--aah!!" Childe cried out as Zhongli began to slam in and out of him with
little regard to how rough he was being. "Who said you could call me by my name, Childe?
Aren't I still your boss? Show some respect." Zhongli pounded him into the mattress, making
sure to aim directly for his prostate to take away Childe's ability to think straight.

Zhongli placed a kiss behind his ear, dragging his lips lower he bit an area behind Childe's
jaw gently, not too hard to hurt but enough to leave teeth marks. He kissed Childe's shoulder,
though Childe's mind could barely comprehend that Zhongli was kissing and biting his body,
nothing was as significant as the thick cock smacking into his prostate over and over again.
Childe could barely moan coherent words and curses, could find no energy to move under
Zhongli as he treated him in whatever way he felt like. "P-Please, I'll cum at this rate,
please!"

Childe mewled though he likely made little sense to Zhongli, though the man appeared
unfazed as he continued to slam in and out of him. "Cum then, I'll make you cum until you
can't anymore." Tears of pleasure began to stream from Childe's eyes, not knowing how else
to cope with the feeling of electric shocks running through his body, drawing him closer and
close to ecstasy.

Zhongli grabbed Childe by the arm and twisted him around to lie on his side, wanting to see
him shed tears again. He smirked a little as Childe looked up at him with his vision blurred
with tears, but he knew that there would be an expression of victory on Zhongli's face. All
this time, they'd been nothing more than a boss and a secretary, always keeping professional,
remaining polite and calm around one another.

Zhongli had never seen Childe break apart, in fact, Childe didn't think anyone had, not even
his siblings, despite the pressure placed over him, he never allowed himself to break as he did
under Zhongli. Zhongli would be the one to break him, and he didn't want Childe to be
broken by anyone else. Zhongli gave a harsh thrust into his prostate, driving deep into it and
finally pushing Childe over the edge, making him cum while he screamed for him. Zhongli
licked his lips at the sight of Childe's colorful expression, his mouth open with drool escaping
his lips and his eyes rolling back.

Zhongli could definitely get used to seeing that face. He leaned over Childe's body and kissed
him as his body spasmed and twitched, slipping his tongue into Childe's mouth and bucking
into him without a care for Childe's sensitivity. Childe moaned into his lips, having no energy
to kiss back and simply submitting himself to Zhongli as the man got closer to his orgasm.

"P-Please, no more..." Childe whimpered as he choked back a sob of pleasure, feeling

Zhongli kiss his cheek, his hands groping around his body. "I have a whole pack of condoms
waiting to be used, Mr. Childe. Won't you help me finish them all?" Childe whimpered a little
as he heard Zhongli panting against his ear, his cock twitching inside of him the closer he got
to his orgasm. Zhongli gritted his teeth, his thrusts growing more and more rough and sloppy
as he felt ecstasy wash over him.
 He came into the condom with a grunt, slumping against Childe's body momentarily as he
waited to catch his breath, feeling white dotting his vision from the pleasure. Zhongli sat up
on his knees, gazing down at the messy state Childe was in and smirking. He fished into his
pants pocket, withdrawing a single key, though Childe looked too out of it to notice.

Zhongli clicked open his handcuffs and removed the chain attached to his collar, setting them
both aside and allowing Childe to move his arms again. "I-It's over..?" Childe asked weakly,
blinking his eyes open as massaged his aching shoulders. He looked up at Zhongli, watching
as he slowly slid off the condom and tied it, throwing it to the floor.

Zhongli grabbed another condom from the pack and ripped it open with his teeth, making
Childe's eyes widened as he began to roll another condom on his cock, and he turned around
onto his stomach to futilely crawl away, but found that he had no feeling left in his arms or
legs. He was easily dragged back in front of Zhongli by the collar as the man's soft laugh
rang through the room. "You should know better."

Chapter End Notes

How do y'all feel about rimming in chapters aside from the Rimming prompt? I know its
not everyone's cup of tea, but I feel its getting boring, having the same nipple play, same
BJs, same regular sex in every chapter, so lemme know what you think.

Fuck, almost forgot, same drill as last time, five new prompts, if you can find em, you
get a cookie. Have a good day y'all.
 Odaxelagnia (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Omegaverse

A hunt for the Prince of the Abyss leads one thing to another when Aether goes into heat
in the middle of a fight with an adeptus. He is very prepared to let Xiao take
responsibility for it, but at what cost?

Chapter Notes

AAAAAAAAAA Finally, holy shit this took forever to write, 13 days for a single
chapter b o i. In my defense, 2.1 has been keeping me a might busy, and I'm sure yall
have been occupied as well, so it is okay, hehe~

I hope you enjoy this Abyss Aether/Xiao smut.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

*Odaxelagnia : Sexual arousal from biting or being bitten.

"Prince... prince, please save me..!" The abyss mage called as it was thrown to the ground
heavily, skidding to the center of the room, its arm extending out towards the blonde who
stood on the other side of the room. His back faced it as he stood in front of the Statue of the
Seven, chained and tied upside down.

"Save..." The abyss mage croaked out, watching with its beady eyes as Aether slowly turned
to look at it, his golden eyes glistening in the dim glow of the cavern.

The abyss mage couldn't see the emotion in Aether's eyes very clearly with how much pain
rolled through its body, but the expression on Aether's face was sympathetic as he looked
back at it. Aether made no moves to rush to the mage's aid, took no actions to save him from
his impending death, only gazed down at it, knowing he could do nothing as it desperately
crawled towards him in an attempt to seek safety. It was clear to Aether that there was no
saving the mage, that it was too late for it as his eyes flitted upward, seeing a shadow bearing
down on the room from the hallway.

In no more than a second, the loud sound of metal breaking the stone ground echoed through
the room just as a polearm pierced straight through the abyss mage's chest, a figure looming
over it and landing lightly behind it.
Aether didn't flinch as the sound echoed through the cavern, nor as the mage let out one last
choked cry of pain, reaching out to him for help before it crumbled to dust. Aether's face
remained passive as he fixed his gaze forward, looking directly at the man who had just
killed one of his subordinates right in front of him, kneeling on the ground with his hand
fixed on his polearm.

He couldn't make out much in the dim light until he rose to his feet, standing to his full
height. Aether wasn't surprised to find a mask sitting on his face, but he swallowed gently out
of exasperation at his luck, knowing exactly to whom the mask belonged. He didn't dare turn
his back to the adeptus, but kept his gaze primly fixed on him, standing his ground and
showing no signs of weakness, no fear.

Aether felt nonchalant about Xiao's presence and felt little about the sight of his mage getting
reduced to dust. Of course, he would rather not be in this predicament, cornered into the cave
with no escape, except to get past one of the mightiest deities known to Liyue.

Perhaps it was a mistake on Aether's part to bring his schemes to Liyue, even as it was so
heavily guarded by the adepti, like Xiao. He was bound to have been sniffed out sooner or
later, given that his sibling was just on the other side, but he had hoped to lie under the
adepti's radars.

He sighed softly, feeling the green eyes of the mask Xiao wore boring into his soul, taking in
his appearance just as Aether took in his. He couldn't see much past the curtains of medium-
length black hair with green highlights and the mask over his face. "So," Xiao spoke softly,
his voice was quiet, but it rang in the cold and empty cave loud and clear for Aether's ears to
pick up on.

Aether tilted his head in mock curiosity at Xiao, daring him to speak without using words.
"You're the 'Prince' of the Abyss, hm?" Xiao asked, pressing the hilt of his spear into the
ground next to him as he kept his green eyes fixed on Aether's form. Aether looked relatively
harmless for now, in fact, his features were soft, almost delicate with his long, golden
eyelashes and his beautiful, soft lips.

He looked like a normal, beautiful human man, innocent, if not for the cold and desolate look
in his eyes like he'd seen a great many things with good things few and far between.

Xiao imagined his own eyes mirrored the same expression, but it was different, seeing that
same look in the eyes of a man who looked so beautiful, so innocent, just like Lumine.
Aether didn't respond to his question, simply stating, "Adeptus Xiao," as if he'd been
preparing himself to face him.

Xiao tilted his head at the man's stony expression, "Well, this puts me in a predicament,
doesn't it? To kill you and be done with abyss order, or capture you and bring you back to
her... seems I have a decision to make." Aether's eyes widened just a minor fraction, his legs
twitched as if he wanted to cross the room towards Xiao at the use of the pronoun.

He pursed his lips, glaring at the adeptus, his eyes flitting across his muscular body as he
stood confident and proud in front of Aether. Aether swiftly ignored the way his heart began
to beat faster, wondering what the man looked like behind that mask. He stopped himself,
fixing his feet in place even though his heart writhed with anxiety at the mention of his sister.

He corrected his momentarily shocked expression and returned his face into its passive state,
the changes in his body language not going unnoticed by Xiao. Xiao didn't like the lack of
emotion in his eyes.

It was like looking at Lumine but frozen ten times over until she was nothing but an empty
shell. That was what Aether looked like. They had the same big golden eyes and the same
blonde hair, one could easily tell they were twins, but at the same time, Aether was so
different, it felt foreign to Xiao. It felt unsettling, it felt wrong, seeing someone with Lumine's
face look so emotionless.

"You... you know Lumine?" Aether asked, his voice just a tad quieter as he thought about his
sister. How long had it been since he last saw her? Centuries, maybe even millennia. His
heart ached, he remembered her face very clearly, of course, how could he forget the face of
his only living family when time was just a construct to the two of them? He would never be
able to forgive himself if he forgot her smile or her voice.

Aether longed to see her. He missed the way she'd braid his hair, letting him know whenever
it grew a centimeter and tracking its progress for him. He almost smiled, Lumine would be
surprised if she saw how long his hair had grown now. Xiao observed all of the minor
changes in Aether's expression and the emotions swimming through his eyes with keen
interest.

He began to look a little more like Lumine with that look in his eyes. Aether's feelings of
nostalgia and longing disappeared as Xiao responded. "An acquaintance, she's been looking
for you, wearing that same expression you're wearing right now. Sadness, longing,
melancholy." Aether's expression hardened at that, this adeptus seemed to know Lumine
better than Aether had initially thought.

An acquaintance, Xiao had called her, but he seemed to read both of them with ease. Could it
be that Lumine was friends with someone that had pledged their allegiance to the Archons?

Surely... surely it couldn't be so. His sister would always be by his side, would always stand
for what was right, she would not support the likes of the adepti and the Archons. Would she?
Aether shook his head free of his thoughts, he needed more time, just a little bit longer before
he was ready to face his sister.

Aether steadied himself, feeling his vision blurring warningly for what was to come, and
glared at him, though there was an empty feeling in his heart. His sister mourned the loss of
him by her side. Both of them could find no home anywhere they went, from world to world,
no one accepted them, nowhere felt welcoming to someone of their breed.

No matter where they would go, they were too different, the world wasn't ready for them.
They resembled the humans of Teyvat, yes, but they were different, they could never belong.
All they had was each other to support one another through their hardships, to fill the gap left
by loneliness. He tried to steady his aching chest, trying not to let the adeptus' words get to
him.
He would see Lumine again, but not now, right now, he could not afford to waste time against
this adeptus. It was dangerous, being in the company of someone, a man no less, while he
was so close to falling apart, especially someone as dangerous as Xiao.

Aether cursed his luck, of course he had been damned to go through a heat on the particular
day he was meant to fight someone as formidable as an adeptus. He could take no chances
while his body felt weak like this, knowing well that Xiao could kill him if he managed to
leave even a single opening.

"Stay out of this. I have no intention of being killed or captured like a stray by you." Aether
told him sharply, slowly gathering energy in his palm and attempting to keep it hidden from
Xiao's sights as he tried to make a portal.

He could feel his body growing weaker by the minute, he knew not to pick fights he wasn't
fully sure he could win. He watched as Xiao let out a puff of amusement at his words before
he slowly raised his fingers to his mask and tugged it off.

Aether's lips parted with surprise as he gazed at Xiao's face, feeling his tongue dry up at the
sight of the man's brilliant, cat-like golden eyes as they stared straight back at him, etched
into a permanent glare, though amusement shone in them. He didn't know why but he felt his
heart beginning to evermore beat faster as they stared at one another, he hadn't expected the
adeptus to look so... attractive.

"So you're going to fight me, then? Will you give me a battle worth my while and make my
decision for me?" Aether calmed himself down, trying to take deep breaths to appease his
racing heart and telling himself that this would be the last time he ever saw the adeptus.
There would be no use in admiring the man's beauty, the time would be best used for
escaping.

He steeled his gaze, meeting Xiao's eyes head-on, "I have no intention of doing that either."
Aether released the power building up in his palm to create a vortex behind himself, a portal
to get to safety. Xiao's eyes widened at the sight of it, immediately, his polearm was in his
hand.

He launched the spear in Aether's direction, Anemo energy cast over the weapon as it hurtled
through the air, straight at Aether. Then, it missed, the spear skirted cleanly past Aether, the
elemental energy surrounding it diminishing the portal with the Anemo energy. Aether
looked stunned for a moment, his eyes wide as he tried to grasp what had just happened.

He barely had enough time to summon his sword as Xiao appeared before him in the next
moment, his hand clasping around the polearm which had lodged itself into the statue of the
seven. Aether's aim was sloppy as he tried to slash Xiao away, but the adeptus caught his
blade in his hand. Xiao offered him just the slightest upturn of the corner of his mouth, his
face dangerously close to Aether's, making him freeze up, feeling his breathing getting
heavier as he took in the adeptus' scent.

It was strange, one would expect an adeptus who aided in war and bloodshed to smell...
Aether didn't know how to put it, bad, or without scent, but the case was the opposite for
Xiao. The man smelled of Qingxin flowers, he smelled pleasant.
"That all you got?" Xiao asked, making Aether glare ferociously up at him, but his body felt
weak. Xiao's scent wasn't particularly that of an alpha, he didn't smell of someone like
Aether, someone with a second gender, but the scent of a male made Aether's knees weaken.

The feeling riled him up, he couldn't go into heat like this, not during a fight. Aether threw
his weight forward, slamming his forehead into Xiao's chin and startling him, forcing him to
stumble back from the force of the impact and desperately ignoring the searing pain in his
forehead. Xiao brought his fingers up to clutch his jaw, shaking it around to regain feeling in
his jaw and shrug off the pain while keeping his eyes directly trained on Aether.

"Dirty trick," He muttered. Aether broadened his stance, knowing he was at a disadvantage
with Xiao using a spear in contrast to his sword, but he had faith in his abilities, he just
needed a little more time, he wished he could delay his heat in some way.

Aether needed to get out of there as fast as he could. He channeled electro in his sword and
shot bolts towards Xiao, pursing his lips as Xiao slipped past them and charged at him.
Aether was ready this time, countering his spear with his sword, and holding his own against
Xiao on equal footing. Xiao had the gall to look amused about it, sending Aether into a fit of
frustration.

He directed Anemo into his sword and used the wind to push Xiao back, slowly beginning to
overpower him. He knew from the look in Xiao's eyes that he wasn't taking him seriously and
used the fact to his advantage, overwhelming Xiao with a gust of wind and throwing him
back on the ground.

Aether fell on top him, but he could feel his power flowing out of his system. He began to
breathe heavily through his nose, trying to calm his racing heart, he needed to end this, but
the adeptus wouldn't go down so easily.

Aether thrust his sword down at Xiao's throat though he was blocked by Xiao's polearm. It
was all a matter of strength from here, whether Aether could bring his sword down on Xiao's
throat or not, but Aether knew he couldn't win as he was now. The feeling in his arms rapidly
faltered, his strength began to snuff out the hotter his body grew.

He desperately held onto his consciousness, afraid that he would be killed if he passed out in
Xiao's presence, but he couldn't help it. Xiao overpowered him and pushed him back,
switching their positions and pinning him to the ground by his throat, the tip of his spear
pointed down straight towards his eyes. Xiao looked confused by Aether's actions, by his
sudden lack of strength.

Xiao gazed down at the blonde, watching his eyes slowly closing, and wondered if this was
his doing. Surely not, he had barely touched Aether, his hand was gripped loosely around the
blonde's throat, not at all enough to restrict his breathing.

Aether slowly went limp under Xiao, cursing his body for being so weak, for failing him at
the worst possible time. Xiao gazed down at Aether's sleeping face, his eyes closed and
making his long, blonde eyelashes rest on his cheekbones, his lips slightly parted as he lost
all consciousness.
Xiao sighed and slowly pulling his spear away from Aether's face. He knew from the
beginning that he couldn't kill Aether, he looked too much like Lumine for him to be able to
kill him, that, and Lumine would be heartbroken if she found out her brother had been killed
by an adeptus she called a friend. He pried Aether's sword from his fingers and set it aside.
watching it disappear and slowly tugging at the blonde's wrist to pull him into his lap.

Xiao didn't know what he was doing as he gazed at Aether's face more closely. He had no
trouble believing Aether was from another world, Teyvat didn't produce beauty equivalent to
that of Aether's beautiful face. Xiao could see major differences between the twins now that
he could inspect him without fear of being stabbed, tackled, or headbutted. He didn't know
why, but he found himself drawn to Aether, he couldn't explain the feeling, but it felt nice to
hold Aether in his arms, to have his face be so close to his own, to feel the warmth of Aether
surrounding him.

There was an odd scent hanging in the air, not unpleasant, contrarily, it drew Xiao in even
more, he couldn't explain the scent, he had never smelled anything like it, he doubted there
was anything in Teyvat that could offer the same scent as Aether. He slowly leaned his head
forward, dipping it into the crook of the blonde's neck. He sighed, Aether smelled so enticing,
he wanted to bite the soft skin of his neck.

He realized what he was doing, sitting there on the stone floor with Aether rest in his lap and
sniffing the man like a weirdo. He quickly pulled away from Aether and hoisted him in his
arms before standing up, carrying the passed-out blonde with him, before shifting him over
his shoulder for easy carrying. He began to make his way back to Wangshu Inn, a sour
expression on his face as he tried to ignore Aether's enticing scent getting stronger with every
step he took.

***

"Oh? You never bring guests back here, Adeptus Xiao. Who might that be?" Verr Goldet
asked, watching with keen eyes as Xiao trudged into the lobby at Wangshu Inn, Aether slung
over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, though he slept peacefully. His breathing was
ragged even in his slumber, causing Xiao to stop a few times in the middle of their journey
back to check on him, but found that Aether was feverish.

His skin was overly warm to the touch and he squirmed a lot in his sleep as if his body was
irritated all over. "It doesn't matter. Send a letter to the traveler for me, tell her I have her
brother with me," Xiao didn't wait for Verr to respond, trudging up the steps to the rooftop
while the woman was left gaping after him, her eyes fixed on the blonde he carried.

Xiao brought him upstairs to an empty room given to him by Huai'an and Verr, where he
usually took his showers after his nightly excursions, he was glad for it now, knowing he had
nowhere to put Aether until Lumine had the chance to come.

Xiao gently lowered Aether's body on the bed, laying him down at the center and sighing
after the day's journey. It was difficult to believe how easily he managed to capture the leader
of the Abyss, the 'Prince', Xiao still had half a mind to tie Aether up just in case he decided to
put up another fight. But as he gazed down at the blonde, watching the way he slowly curled
up on the bed, he looked so innocent, so pure and otherworldly.
He didn't have the heart to tie him up while he looked so peaceful. Slowly, he leaned forward,
watching as Aether squirmed with discomfort in his sleep, his skin radiating heat. He tried to
tell himself to stop, to get himself back in line and walk out of the room, but he found himself
intoxicated by the intense scent wafting from Aether.

'Why does he smell so good?' Xiao thought to himself, nuzzling his face into Aether's neck
and taking in his scent once more. Why... why did Aether's scent arouse Xiao? Xiao quickly
straightened up, considering smacking himself to snap out of it, to get himself out of the spell
Aether was putting on him. "What the hell.." Xiao whispered, moving a few steps back as he
felt his body heat up with arousal.

Even after putting distance between himself and Aether, he could smell Aether's scent on his
clothes. It felt like he was being driven insane, surrounded by the scent as if a snake was
coiled around him. 'I need a shower,' He quickly ducked into the bathroom, shedding off his
clothes as fast as possible and ducking into the shower. In the room, Aether began to stir
awake after the heat of his own body started getting to him.

His mouth fell open, finding it difficult to breathe as he squirmed on the bed. Aether tried
sitting up, feeling panicked at the fact that he was in an unknown place, going into heat, his
most vulnerable state. His hazy gaze could barely make out the room in the darkness of night,
but there was a familiar scent hanging in the air, other than that of his own.

He fell back against the pillows, gasping for breath and inhaling the scent in the pillows, it
was very light, very vague as if the bed went mostly unused, but it was there. That same
comforting scent of Qingxin flowers that had wafted from Xiao. He bit his lip, the scent sent
his mind into numbness as he curled up in it, taking in the sweet smell like it was a lifeline.

"Shit..." He whispered, realizing how hard he'd gotten. He could find no strength in his legs
to get up and run, but he harbored no will for that either. His eyes fixed on the door to the
bathroom. Xiao, the owner of this beautiful smell was on the other side of that door. Aether's
hands slowly trailed down his own body, one occupying itself with his nipples, gently
squeezing the hardened nubs through the material of his cropped shirt and moaning softly.
His other hand hurried to grip the bulge forming in his pants, moaning softly as he felt
pleasure wash through his sensitive body.

Thoughts began to flood in his mind as he massaged himself over his clothes, gently stroking
his hand up and down on his cock as best he could. During his heat, all he could think about
was being fucked senseless, of being mated, marked, bred, and impregnated rifled through
his brain, as he always did during this time of the year, but the thoughts were tweaked a little
this time.

There was a lot more detail in his wild imagination, the hands groping him wore green
gloves, slowly teasing his nipples and twisting them in any way they saw fit, the scent
surrounding him was denser in his thoughts, and the cock that rammed into him belonged to a
certain adeptus. A drop of drool dripped past his lips, rolling down his cheek with arousal at
the thought of having the adeptus' in the next room fuck into him with all his might.

"Hnngh... come out already, stupid adeptus.." Aether murmured, lowering his pants just
below his hips to be able to masturbate better, but it wasn't filling enough for him. He needed
something from the back, something to bury itself deep inside of him until he couldn't think
or do anything except scream and cry with pleasure. That something was an adeptus' dick.

He stroked himself faster to the thought of Xiao fucking him, his tiny whimpers becoming
more and more frequent as his sensitive body grew tenser. "Xiao..." He whimpered quietly,
thrusting his cock up into his ass. He didn't notice the way the shower immediately turned off
after the small cry he'd let out of Xiao's name. Aether clasped his free hand over his mouth to
hold back a loud moan as he felt his high overtake him, causing him to cum all over his bare
abdomen.

He thrust up into his hand a few more times, his face twisted into one of pure ecstasy, which
was a sight for Xiao to see as he walked out of the bathroom, dressed in nothing but a towel,
to the sight of Aether cumming with his back arched perfectly and a sightful expression on
his face. Aether didn't gasp or try to cover himself or have the gall to feel ashamed for doing
something so heinous in Xiao's presence.

Instead, all he did was turn his head to look at him and stare at Xiao's body with his hair
dripping water over his torso, his eyes wide as he stared from his shoulders to his chest, down
to his abs and v-line that made his mouth water. He sat up, getting on his knees on the bed
and watching as Xiao froze up completely at the sight of him, trying to process what he had
been doing.

The small room gave him ample space to reach his arm out to grab Xiao's hand and tug him
forward until Xiao stood in front of him. Aether stood up on his knees, wrapping his arms
around Xiao's neck and pulling him close, gazing deeply into his eyes. Xiao hissed, feeling
the warmth of Aether's skin against his bare body as the blonde hugged him tightly, making
sure Xiao could find no way to escape. He found himself frozen, staring back into Aether's
half-lidded eyes as he got closer and closer to Xiao's lips. Aether stopped when their lips
brushed against one another's, making Xiao's mind reel at the fact that he was almost being
kissed by the Prince of the Abyss, both of them naked and scarcely covered.

He didn't dare bring his hands up to touch Aether, he was within Aether's clutches, and any
weapon Aether may have carried could be used on him in an instant, but Aether showed
hardly any sign of hostility. His lips curled into a teasing smile, "Y'know adeptus, you're one
that brought me here, and you're the one who captured me. Now... won't you take
responsibility for me?"

Aether spotted Xiao visibly gulping as he pressed his entire body against Xiao's, he made
sure Xiao could feel his rapidly regrowing arousal. "R-Responsibility?" Xiao muttered, not
following Aether's words but not knowing what to do while such a pretty man was pressing
up against him, almost naked. His scent made Xiao see stars, made him want to pin him
down and fuck him throughout the whole night.

Aether smiled at his little stutter, knowing he had knocked an adeptus speechless with just his
body. Men truly were all the same, no matter their species or their breed, Aether could take
advantage of this fact and get what he wanted and escape while Xiao was still off his guard.
But first thing was first, Aether had a major problem that needed taking care of, his body.
"Fuck me, please me, make me cum, take responsibility for kidnapping me." Aether pulled
him forward and pinned him down on the bed, the coy smile still playing on his lips as he sat
down on Xiao's crotch. "It's big..." Aether said, licking his lips as he felt the organ under his
ass through the towel Xiao wore. Xiao took a deep breath, he didn't know what was going on,
why Aether was doing this, but he felt like he couldn't complain or fight back against
someone who smelled so enticing.

Still, he wanted to push Aether back, to keep him at bay because not only was he the Prince
of the Abyss, but also Lumine's brother. He didn't doubt his skills in defending himself but if
Lumine were to find out that he'd fucked her brother the moment he captured him... he feared
for his own safety. Aether was good at whisking away any doubts Xiao had by taking off his
shoes and throwing them to the floor before lifting his hips above Xiao and taking his pants
off.

He noticed the way Xiao remained rigid under him, not daring to raise his hands to touch him
or even push him away, feeling pleased by how shy the formerly confident adeptus had
gotten. Aether rubbed his ass against Xiao's crotch, shuffling his hips back and forth and
moaning at the friction, Aether cursed under his breath, feeling the desire to have it inside of
him increasing.

He decided he would tempt Xiao into touching him, would give him a show he would
remember for centuries more. Aether pulled his cropped shirt up to his collar, revealing his
chest to Xiao, who could do nothing but stare, wide-eyed and dazed with a lustful gaze,
gazing at the blonde's perfect body, his soft skin, and perky nipples. Xiao felt an inexplicable
urge to bite the skin, his teeth grinding together like they wanted to sink into the blonde's
supple skin.

Xiao immediately wanted to reach out and grope his chest, play with his pink nipples and feel
his body up, bite him until he screamed, but his hands remained pinned to the bed, unable to
find the confidence to reach out and touch Aether.

Aether sighed at his reluctance, he could feel the lust in Xiao's gaze, even in heat, his
thoughts remained coherent, but there was only one thing on his mind, the cock he was sitting
on. Aether lifted his hips and thrust them down on Xiao's cock, watching the adeptus bite his
lip to keep from making a noise of pleasure and frowned a little. He had to take initiative
after all, it seemed. Aether lifted himself off of Xiao to turn around, moving to sit on Xiao's
bare waist and making him flinch as he felt Aether's bare ass and cock against his skin while
the blonde worked on taking off his towel.

"What are you doing... stop." Xiao murmured, though he didn't sound at all convincing,
distracted as his eyes fixed on Aether's ass with a severe urge to grab it. It looked soft,
satisfying to sink his teeth into. His senses were all over the place, his thoughts were non-
existent from the way he drowned in Aether's presence, his confidence while he sat on top of
him, his scent, his body.

This wasn't right, but why did he want to fuck him so badly? Aether let out a moan of
surprise as he unfurled Xiao's towel, allowing his cock to spring free from its confinements.
He licked his lips at the sight, watching it quake and quiver, and wondered how good it
would feel while quaking inside of him. He wrapped a hand around it, smirking at the feeling
of its veins against his palms and the faint pumping of Xiao's blood through it.

Xiao let out a soft breath of pleasure at the feeling, Aether's hand was so warm, so
unnaturally hot that it made Xiao feel like he was on fire. Aether leaned forward, bringing his
free hand behind himself and poking his finger against his own hole, knowing he would need
prep for such a cock, he could almost feel Xiao's intense gaze bearing down on him, watching
with wide eyes as fluid began to trickle down Aether's thighs.

Was that normal? Was it normal for men to release... a self-lubricant like this? Xiao had little
experience with this like this, he had lived a great many years, but he had never heard of men
producing slick. He glanced up at Aether, watching the tip of his ears turn red with desire and
mild embarrassment at being stared at so blatantly though he didn't look back at Xiao.

Xiao's eyes fell back to the fingers slowly prodding at Aether's hole, pushing their way inside
slowly while Aether pumped Xiao's cock. Xiao's breathing grew heavier, feeling the pressure
of Aether's fingers wrapped around him, but his eyes remained fixated on Aether's hole,
watching the way it swallowed his fingers like it was the easiest thing ever. He wanted to see
what it felt like inside of Aether, whether its heat would match the rest of his body, whether it
would be cramped.

Aether slowly leaned down completely on top of Xiao, pressing his body against his and
bringing his face closer to Xiao's cock. He stuck his tongue out and licked the tip with little
hesitation, moaning a little as he felt the warmth against his tongue. He wrapped his lips
around the head of Xiao's cock, suckling on it gently while his hand occupied itself with
stroking the rest of his cock, the other one still disappeared behind him to push his second
finger inside right in front of Xiao's face.

He felt vaguely annoyed by the fact that Xiao still hadn't touched him, still hadn't been
tempted to at least grab him and fuck him, but he was satisfied with the fact that Xiao was
allowing himself to submit to Aether, to let him do whatever he wanted. It would be easier
this way in the long run, but he craved the feeling of Xiao's fingers thrusting inside him, no,
better yet, he craved Xiao's cock thrusting inside of him, he craved being held down and
fucked ruthlessly until he couldn't think while playing with his body, marking his skin, biting
him, his nipples, in any way he liked.

Xiao felt dazed, feeling his fingers shaking with the effort of holding back from grabbing
Aether's ass, his eyes observing every quiver of Aether's cock, every twitch of his hole
around his own fingers, every quiet whimper against the head of his cock. "It's cute..." Xiao
whispered, his voice quiet as he fixed his stare on Aether's cock hanging just in front of him.
Xiao's fingers slowly lifted off of the mattress, reaching up to grasp Aether's cock, effectively
startling the blonde, who quickly pulled away from suck on Xiao's to peer back at the
adeptus, his eyes blown wide.

"Adeptus.." Aether moaned quietly as Xiao wrapped his fingers around his cock, gazing at it
as if examining him. "It's cute," He repeated, this time loud enough for Aether to hear,
making the blonde blush terrible as Xiao tugged it towards his lips, pressing a kiss to it which
made Aether squirm. Xiao opened his mouth and took Aether's cock between his lips,
engulfing it in his mouth up to the base without difficulty, feeling Aether faltering at the
action as he moaned out for him. Xiao sucked on Aether's dick and moved his hands as far as
he could forward to grab Aether by his hair and tug him back.

"A-Ah... wait--" Aether was pulled back to sit on Xiao's face, his hand slowly retracting from
behind himself as he pressed his hands flat against Xiao's chest to keep from falling. His lips
parted, feeling Xiao's lips kissing the base of his cock without so much as a hint of
discomfort at the way his cock hit the back of his throat. Xiao pushed Aether up.

"Move your hips," He told Aether, grabbing onto his ass as he'd been wanting to and
breathing out with satisfaction at the feeling of the soft muscle moulding into his hands. He
began to rock Aether's hips up and down, allowing the blonde to fuck his mouth. "Ah!! Fuck-
-shit, that's good...hnngh!" Aether clawed at Xiao's chest and mewled, but Xiao held him
back from bouncing even more against his face when the adeptus pushed his cock out of his
mouth, greatly disappointing Aether who huffed heavily.

Normally, he would never wish to fuck anything, his body was not fashioned to fuck, he
would rather be fucked, but he loved the feeling of bouncing on Xiao's face, the feeling of the
man's lips wrapped around his cock, and the way he grabbed at his ass and thighs. Xiao
shifted him forward began to bite his thighs, nipping at spots along his inner thighs and
making Aether yelp and whimper at the feeling.

Xiao's teeth weren't particularly sharp, but they hurt nonetheless, leaving reddening teeth
marks on his porcelain skin which would break with the slightest bit more pressure. The
feeling of Aether's skin, his muscles, the little cylinders of fat that were his thighs under his
teeth satisfied Xiao to the core.

Xiao gazed dazedly at the droplets of slick spread around Aether's thighs and ass, he'd leaked
even more from having his cock sucked, it almost amused Xiao. He wondered what it would
taste like, he had never heard of men producing their own lubricant, it could only mean that
Aether was no normal man. He ran his tongue over a droplet that had slid down Aether's
thigh and lapped it up, his eyes widening.

He had been expecting it to taste rancid, or even tasteless, but contrary to Xiao's thoughts, the
fluid was strangely sweet, a type of taste Xiao couldn't describe, just like his scent, it was
otherworldly, something he hadn't tasted ever before that made Xiao want to taste it even
more. Before he knew it, he began running his tongue all over Aether's ass, licking off every
drop of slick and effectively tickling Aether's body with his tongue.

He began to get more confident touching Aether, massaging his ass apart and trailing bites
around it that made Aether wince, but he enjoyed the feeling of Xiao's teeth digging into his
skin, some of them managed to tear into the flesh gently, forcing mewls of pain from Aether's
mouth.

"You're beautiful," Xiao whispered, grasping Aether's waist and slowly pushing him off of
his body to lie him down next to him, turning both of them to lie on their sides with Aether
wrapped in Xiao's arms from behind. Aether blushed at the position, taken aback by Xiao's
boldness though he still felt some hesitation behind Xiao's hands as he hooked his hand under
one of Aether's thighs, pulling it up to spread his legs well enough for him to press his cock
between them.
He froze up for a second, having doubts on whether or not he should go through with it. "Just
do it already, you coward. Fuck me or I'll do it myself," Aether moaned, pushing back on
Xiao's cock as one of his legs was pulled up to his shoulder, courtesy of Xiao. "How can two
people be such polar opposites..." Xiao murmured grumpily, he didn't enjoy being ordered
around, but he'd have no choice but to oblige now.

Aether felt confused for a second at Xiao's words, wondering who he was talking about but
realized he was talking about Lumine. He smirked, though Xiao couldn't see it, reaching over
his shoulder to grab Xiao by the hair and tug his face next to his. He turned his head and
whispered in his ear, "I think you like me much better after all this, am I wrong?" Aether
smirked as Xiao's cheeks flushed red at his words, it was endearing, how shy the adeptus
really was when it came to risque things. Aether kissed him on the cheek, pressing them
against the red and hot skin for a long second.

He decided that maybe this wasn't so bad, fucking a stranger like Xiao, an adeptus who
fought for the other side. Of course, he still knew his duty to the abyss, he would run away at
the first chance he got after his heat subsided. For now, he reveled in the warmth of Xiao's
body, the feeling of his chest pressing against his back, his warm hand cupped around his
thigh holding his leg up, and most importantly, the comforting scent of Qingxins surrounding
him. "Fuck me already, I can't take it anymore... don't you want to know what makes me
scream?"

Aether let his hand trail downwards to his inner thigh, where Xiao's cock rested. He raked his
fingernails across the tip, listening to the way Xiao cursed softly behind him, his hips
twitching and thrusting lightly into the touch. "Put it in," Aether's breathing grew heavier as
he felt Xiao nuzzle his face into his neck, his face burning against Aether's sweaty skin from
the small kiss placed on his cheek.

Xiao curled one leg to steady the lower half of his body, his knee facing the ceiling, and
tucked the other beneath Aether's for stability. He drew Aether's body closer with his free
arm, curling it around Aether's chest and lining himself against Aether's hole. Xiao opened
his mouth and bit down roughly on the skin of Aether's neck, puncturing it and making him
yelp.

He pushed his hips forward, pressing his cock inside of him and beginning to thrust up inside
Aether. "Ah! Xiao-- Fuck-" Xiao licked the blood off from the new bite wound made on
Aether's body, a deep sensation of satisfaction making his skin tingle as he shoved his cock
deep inside Aether. He loved the feeling of his soft skin breaking under his teeth, loved the
taste of his metallic blood as he licked across it over and over to keep any blood from going
to waste. It felt so hot inside Aether, so wet with slick, every movement he made making
lewd squelching sounds that mixed in with Aether's moans of pleasure.

Xiao's eyes closed as he focused on thrusting in and out of Aether, licking a spot on his
shoulder and not even caring about how sweaty Aether was. He wanted to lick and taste
every inch of Aether's body, to sink his teeth into his supple skin and make him writhe and
cry, but he felt like it wouldn't end well for him if Lumine were to find out he had made her
brother cry.
Aether didn't seem to mind being bitten, he had his mouth wide open, dripping with drool as
his body's functions ceased to work with the ecstasy flooding over his body. Xiao drove his
cock right into his sweet spot well, making Aether's vision go blurry as he clawed at Xiao's
arm wrapping around him, not knowing how to cope with the feeling except to cry out and
moan with every thrust. "Ah-- n-no one’s ever touched me like this, fuck ..! I can't take it,
Xiao..."

Xiao wrapped his hand around Aether's cock, beginning to pump him in time with his thrusts
and make him writhe in his arms, but he was swiftly pulled back into Xiao's chest with ease,
having a kiss placed on his neck. "No? Weren't you the one pressuring me to do things like
this to you?" Xiao bit down on the nape of Aether's neck as he drove his cock deep into
Aether's prostate, making the sensitive man scream his name, tears beginning to well in his
eyes. Xiao stopped momentarily, pulling out and grabbing Aether's wrists and twisting up
around before pulling him on top of himself again, seating Aether on his cock while gazing
up at his beautiful face as he gasped and panted for breath, grateful for the small break.

Xiao sat up and lifted Aether to stand on his knees above him to put his face level with
Aether's chest. He pressed his lips against Aether's nipple, feeling a strong urge rising from
his body to bite the skin, tear it, watch it bleed. Xiao held himself back, simply choosing to
nibble down on the bud, knowing that it was sensitive and enjoying the feeling of the skin
between his teeth.

He liked the feeling of biting down on Aether's skin, loved the way he purred a little with
pain, but didn't stop him, allowing him to have his way. Xiao left smaller bites on Aether's
ribs, making sure they left marks for Aether to observe tomorrow, but he dreaded the thought
of tomorrow. Lumine would be coming to see her brother... and Xiao couldn't predict how the
interaction would end. In his heart, he decided to not let Aether escape, to keep him chained
up here if that meant he could listen to him moan like this.

It was odd, even after all this time, he hadn't felt desires like this, the desire to bite, to suck on
Aether's skin, to make him moan, and to hit his cock deep inside him and make him feel
good. Now, he was full of nothing but desires, but he could not indulge in them all in one day,
now could he? He would take his time with Aether, break him down bit by bit as he saw
resilience and amusement still dancing in the blonde's eyes at his actions.

He pulled Aether down again by the hips, pushing him on his cock and hitting a bullseye into
his prostate, watching the way Aether threw his head back and moaned his name. A shiver
ran down Xiao's spine at the sound of his name rolling off of Aether's tongue. He wanted to
hear him speak his name more, wanted to hear it every time Aether saw him. What was
Aether's scent doing to him? He could hardly think straight save for all these fantasies of
Aether leaping into his arms, Aether smiling at him, kissing him, having sex with him.

He fell back on the bed, pulling Aether down to lie on top of him, where he promptly buried
his burning face in the crook of Xiao's neck, holding his arms desperately as he breathed in
the smell of Qingxins as Xiao curled his legs and began to thrust upwards into him again.

"Just what are you?" Xiao muttered, his hands moving back to hold onto Aether's ass and
feeling the slimy wetness surrounding it, coating his fingers with just a few thick drops as he
groped the skin. Aether didn't respond, unable to do or say anything except pant in Xiao's ear
as his orgasm drew closer. "P-Please..." Aether moaned, feeling Xiao dig his nails into his
ass, leaving red crescents as the force broke through the skin, his teeth bared against Aether's
shoulder, ready to strike again and bite him like there was no tomorrow as if it didn't hurt.

He could do nothing to stop it, Xiao was acting as the alpha right now. For now, he was the
one who had the reins to Aether's body, he could twist him, turn him, bite him, and hurt him
in any way he wanted to, but Aether didn't mind. He liked the little purrs of satisfaction
rumbling in Xiao's throat each time he sank his teeth into Aether's skin, he liked the way his
hands tightened their grip every time he got more and more aroused from biting Aether.

He now knew one of Xiao's weaknesses... or could it be counted as a strength, considering

Aether was the one writhing and crying in front of him? "I-I'm gonna--" Xiao didn't allow
him to finish, beginning to rock Aether's body harder on his cock to create friction on
Aether's cock as it was pressed between their stomachs. "W-Wait, fuck--" Aether bit down on
his lip hard to contain a scream that he barely held back behind closed lips, moaning loudly
for Xiao as he came all over their stomachs and chests.

His grip on Xiao's arms turned painful, and he gasped for breath, his eyes shutting tightly to
keep his world from spinning as he felt pure ecstasy wash over him. Xiao nibbled on his ear,
feeling the loud noise Aether made in his ear twist his arousal to grow stronger as he picked
up the pace. He wanted to cum quickly, as if he was afraid the warmth wrapped around his
cock and the warmth of Aether's hot body on top of him would disappear at any given
moment now that Aether had cum. He didn't want it to end, but the desire to reach his orgasm
was too great for him to ignore.

"Cum inside," Aether mumbled in his ear, making Xiao's eyes widen, thinking he hadn't
heard correctly, "Cum inside me." Aether said, his voice trembling but more firm, trying to
make it clear that it was an order. Xiao bit his lip. Of course, it wasn't like it was possible for
him to breed Aether, considering he was a man, but would it really be okay? Xiao didn't have
the mental capacity to ponder over these questions.

He was given an order, who was he to not follow it when it felt so damn right? Xiao came
inside him, spurting his seed all inside Aether, making the blonde claw his skin at the feeling
of the hot fluid inside him, his eyes rolling back as he felt the purest form of exhilaration
overcome him. His body immediately relaxed at the feeling of Xiao's cum inside him, at the
feeling of his alpha's cum filling him up, greatly relieving his heat.

Xiao slowly pulled out, though he immediately missed the warmth, he held Aether close,
promising himself he wouldn't let Aether escape as he felt his breathing slowing down
considerably. He placed a kiss on Aether's cheek. For once, he felt sleepy, tired, drained, but
happy at the same time. He sighed softly, perhaps he could afford to sleep for now.

***Extra***

"This bastard..." Aether muttered, a sleepy tone to his voice as wriggled himself out of Xiao's
arms while the adeptus buried his face in his chest, not wanting to let go. Aether's hand
ventured down to his ass, his fingers shaking a little with apprehension as he reached to feel
his hole. He cursed under his breath, feeling a now-cold fluid dripping out of him and
absorbing into the sheets.
"He-He came inside, holy shit." Aether breathed out, trying to calm himself, he could hardly
remember the events of the night before, but he remembered how good he felt, how thrilling
it was to have Xiao's warm dick inside him, to be surrounded in his scent. A blush rose to his
cheek as he pressed his hand over his lower abdomen, pushing his fingers to feel under the
skin and feeling the slight bump of swelling. "Fuck..." The feeling of Xiao's cum inside him
was... spectacular to Aether, though he'd never admit it.

He fell back on the bed, pressing his palms over his face as he groaned, but quickly
remembered that everything he'd touched last night was far from clean and quickly put them
away from his face, glaring up at the ceiling. 'I'm gonna get pregnant, this... this can't be
happening,' Aether turned his head towards Xiao, observing the peaceful face of the sleeping
man. His arms were covered in scratches, though he looked tame compared to the numerous
bites and scratches and bruises all around Aether's neck, chest, and ass. All the pain he felt
right now was this peaceful adeptus' doing.

Aether raised his leg, gasping a little at how difficult it was, and kicked Xiao in the stomach,
a little harder than he anticipated as the adeptus fell off the bed, his legs hanging in the air,
though Aether didn't regret it, biting back a giggle at the choking sound Xiao made at the
feeling of the wind being knocked out him in his sleep, falling to the floor with a thump.

Aether willed his anger into words, forgetting his initial plan of running away while the
adeptus slept as he peered over the side of the bed to look at him. "W-What?" Xiao asked, his
eyes wide and alert, not registering what was going on and looking frantically up at Aether.
His expression sobered a little as memories of the night before flooded his mind, his face
going pink.

"You fucking came inside me, what is wrong with you?" Aether growled, wishing he had the
strength to summon his sword and slice Xiao's head off... if not something else. Xiao looked
dazedly up at him, processing his words and connecting the dots. "That's what you kicked me
for? You told me to cum inside!" Xiao whimpered a little, clutching his stomach and feeling
the new scars on his arms burn. Aether clicked his tongue at him, though the tips of his ears
went red at the new memory that resurfaced from last night.

"And you actually listened to me? What are you, some kind of idiot?" Just then, there was a
knock at the door, making Aether's head snap towards it along with Xiao's. "Xiao~ You
called for us? Verr said you'd be in here?" Paimon's voice called from outside, though both of
them recognized the frantic knocking of Lumine. Aether's eyes widened, realizing who was
at the door, his eyes snapping back to Xiao's murderously and almost making him flinch.

"What did you do?" Xiao didn't try to sit up, feeling that his place on the floor would be safer
than trying to come near Aether. "I... told the inn owner to call your sister here to see you."
Aether cursed under his breath, slapping his palm on his face with dread, knowing now that
he had to run away as fast as possible now that Lumine was involved, he couldn't let Lumine
see him like this, as the bruised and battered leftovers of an adeptus. He stood on his knees to
hurriedly crawl off the bed, building energy in his palm to create another portal for his escape
as he wrapped the sheets on the bed around himself.

Aether seemed to have overestimated the strength in his legs, his eyes widening with horror
as he felt his hips give out, making him topple off the side of the bed straight towards Xiao.
 Their eyes met for a split moment as they hurtled towards each other. Aether managed to
hold his arms out to catch himself, planting them on either side of Xiao's head, but he
overestimated his strength again, his arms giving out and making him topple over on top of
Xiao with a crash, their lips smashing together.

"What was that?!" Paimon called at the sound of the crash, but Lumine was swifter, quickly
kicking the door down with worry and stepping into the threshold. Everyone froze, Lumine
stared at them while Xiao and Aether stared at each other, their lips pressed together and
Aether unable to pull away with the little strength in his body. Lumine took in the sight of
Xiao and Aether, both bruised with scratches and bites on Aether's part, naked, lying on top
of each other and kissing. "Aether...?"

Chapter End Notes

Lately, its been a bit difficult for me to get to writing, considering my sleeping routine is
ass incarnate and I've been feeling shit about my writing, considering it is getting dull
and repetitive, and I feel that my writing has gotten worse. But I shant bore you with the
details, I started this book and I vow to finish it even if it takes me a million years and
even if my future self cringes intensely at it.

I hope you enjoy the smuts eitherway,,, I'm sorry I haven't been responding to comments
lately due to terrible mental health, but I read every single comment because it brings an
intense smile to my face. I just hope y'all know how much I appreciate the comments,
especially the ones that make me laugh!
 Outside (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Vampire AU, blood.

The ambassador of Mondstadt, Diluc, comes to Khaenri'ah in an attempt to settle

relations with the reforming country, but he hides secrets from the world, knowing the
circumstances could be dire. He finds it difficult to quench his growing thirst for blood
but ends up meeting an interesting Khaenri'an who not only has no trouble uncovering
his secrets but seems more than willing to help him.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Diluc took a deep breath, attempting to steady himself, to keep himself standing upright as he
was dropped off at the street by the taxi. He grumbled under his breath, feeling his head spin
a little as he clutched it, trying to stabilize his sight as best he could over the cap he wore. He
used it to hide his face, dressed in black, though it was useless and impractical to think that a
cap would be enough to hide his flaming red hair.

Diluc sighed, closing his eyes momentarily to ground himself, even though he felt like he
would pass out at any given moment. He reopened them, looking around and taking in his
surroundings. The street he stood at was moderately empty, save for a few people, either
drunkards or outgoing groups of teenagers frequenting the club in front of him at one in the
morning. He sighed as he glared up at the building, his mind finally registering the intense
and loud music coming from inside, making him cringe as it made his headache even worse.

It was sad because the club was his destination, no matter how much his sophisticated mind
loathed to think so. One would wonder why an ambassador, one of the most powerful people
in Mondstadt would be standing in front of a club like this in a different country. He was on a
trip to Khaenri'ah to establish relations with the newly reemerging country, he didn't like his
job, nor did he wish to be here at all, judging by how disorderly the country was.

His lack of excitement for being in Khaenri'ah paled in comparison to his lack of excitement
from having to go inside that damned club. He knew he would inevitably have to go in,
several pains erupted throughout his body, reminding him why he was here in the first place.

Gods, he was so fucking hungry he couldn't think straight. He wanted nothing more than to
collapse, but he knew even if he keeled over, he would eventually start to regain his energy,
but not his mental capacity. He would slowly begin to lose his mind with hunger, he would
attack anyone he saw, suck them dry of all their blood. Diluc shuddered to think of himself
doing such acts, no, he couldn't have that.
He couldn't become a monster like the rest. He took a shaking breath once more and steeled
himself, masking his hunger well. He stepped forward into the empty VIP line, being greeted
by a bouncer who asked for verification, whether he had made a booking. Diluc pulled his
phone out of his pocket, tapping on it for a second before opening the receipt of his payment
that he'd made to the club privately hours before to prove that he had the authorization to be
there.

The bouncer took a look at which VIP section he was attending and his face twisted into a
sneer. He looked at Diluc as if he was a filthy monster, but Diluc didn't care, nor did he mind
the look he got. Anyone who knew he was one of them looked at him like that at least once.
He just offered a slight smirk, fake, but enough to irritate the bouncer as he was forced to call
over another worker to escort him to the proper premises.

The worker didn't look him in the eyes, simply telling him, "This way, sir," but Diluc didn't
mind. He would rather no one tried to take a good look at him, knowing that if he were to be
spotted, the consequences would be dire.

The ambassador of Mondstadt, a vampire. What headlines it would make, how many people
this fact could get talking. He preferred it this way, he was a-ok with people being too
disgusted with him to take a good look at him. Still, he often wished he wasn't a vampire,
known as the scum of the earth who preyed upon the weak. That was the true description for
most vampires, scuttling around the streets at night like rats, feeding on people and sucking
them dry of their blood, effectively killing them. Diluc liked to think of himself as... different.

Unlike most vampires who were nameless, Diluc was brought up by a rich family, his father,
a human man, his mother, a vampire. His mother went missing soon after he was born,
leaving his father to take care of him, raise him correctly, make him into an upstanding
member of society in spite of what he was.

Diluc built a name for himself, inheriting his father's wine business after his death and
becoming one of the most influential and wealthy people in Mondstadt. His status in society
was second only to the influence of the ruler of Mondstadt, Barbatos (or Venti, as he liked to
call himself when he wasn't working), a good friend of his who knew that he was half a
vampire. He was the one who offered him the responsibility of becoming Mondstadt's
permanent representative.

Diluc was completely aversed to the idea, knowing what he was getting himself into. He, a
vampire, a representative of Mondstadt? He'd laughed in Venti's face, something he rarely
ever did and making the man stare at him with bafflement. The thought was amusing, if there
was a better way to destroy an economy than making a loathed vampire its ambassador, Diluc
would be all ears to listen.

He had refused the opportunity clearcut, knowing he was better off away from the public's
keen eyes, his influence in the wine industry would be enough to save him if the public were
to find out he was a half-vampire but if he were to be discovered as a vampire as the
ambassador of Mondstadt, not only would he be dragged down, but also the entirety of the
country would fall to its knees if it became common knowledge that their representative was
a vampire. Still, Venti didn't give up, continuously pestering and moaning to him to accept
the offer until Diluc got too annoyed to keep refusing.
And thus, he didn't care for the bad treatment he got as a vampire, knowing the man leading
him didn't want to be in his presence for a moment longer than necessary, so long as no one
looked at his face, nothing mattered.

Diluc wanted nothing to do with everything, as long as he got what he came for. His body
ached with even more pain but also with jittery excitement at the idea of eating after a month.
Still, he didn't want to be in a place like this, the music disoriented his dazed mind, the smell
of sweat and alcohol hung in the air as they passed people to get to the VIP section.

The VIP section wasn't essentially for 'important people', but calling it that was likely better
than outright telling people that it was a section made specifically for vampires and humans
to meet and feed. He was lead into a smaller room but a lot more luxurious. The lighting was
a dim red neon, illuminating the room just enough for him to see a bar sitting to one side of
the room, while people and vampires alike mingled with one another here and there. There
were a lot fewer people here than back in the public club, finally giving Diluc room to
breathe.

He glanced at his guide, who just barely nodded in his direction and hurried out of the room
before anyone had a chance to look in their direction. Diluc let out a puff of amusement, the
worker almost seemed like he expected himself to get captured and eaten alive if he stayed a
moment longer inside the room.

A few eyes flitted towards Diluc, both humans and vampires looked at him as if trying to
figure out who he was under the cap he wore. He paid no heed to those around him, though
he pursed his lips, knowing that he would have to socialize with a human sooner or later if he
wanted to feed himself. He walked towards the bar, where a woman seemed to be wiping a
glass.

No others sat at the bar save for Diluc as he took his seat, not knowing where else to go. He
was terrible at socializing on a casual basis, always used to professionalism and remaining
strict and aloof. He had little skills to speak to anyone, much less make a blatant request like
asking for the blood of a stranger. The bartender approached him, she was seemingly human,
but she seemed unbothered by their surroundings.

"Can I get you anything?" The bartender asked him, making him look up at her to ponder
over the drinks menu, though he didn't allow his cap to tip back enough for her to see his
face. His lips tightened into a straight line, seeing no non-alcoholic options. Gods knew he
didn't need to get drunk while in this state. He shook his head silently, not trusting his voice
to speak as a wave of pain washed over him. The bartender stared at him for a long second, as
if trying to figure him out. "Hungry?" She asked, though her voice was disinterested.

"Guess you could say that." Diluc responded. An awkward silence fell between them as the
lady returned to working, cleaning up glasses. Diluc observed his surroundings, trying to find
anyone who was alone, like him, someone he could approach. He found few people who fit
the criteria. His eyes caught onto a pair, Diluc could sense that one was a vampire, and the
other, a human.

They stood on an elevated platform further away from the bar, Diluc couldn't hear the
conversation between them, but his red eyes caught directly onto the shorter, more lean figure
of the two, the human. The man was attractive, as far as Diluc's eyes could see, slim and
lightly muscular, wearing tight clothes that hugged his body snuggly.

His hair was long, tied into a braid over one shoulder, Diluc couldn't make out his facial
features as he didn't face him, conversing with the other man, but he could spot plump lips
and an eyepatch over his right eye. He tore his gaze away, feeling a sudden attraction to the
male but could do nothing to act on it when he was already with someone. Diluc glanced
back and froze a little.

The conversation between the two seemed to take a turn for the worse, the vampire's
expression deteriorated into one of anger, he said something incoherent, though it was loud
enough for it to reach Diluc's ears even through the music.

Diluc watched with wide eyes as the vampire grabbed the man by the wrist, immediately met
with retaliation as the human tried to wrench his wrist away from the vampire, but he was
larger, bulkier, and seemed to easily pull him towards one of the exits despite his struggles.
Diluc watched as the human man turned to look at the room, his eye landing on Diluc for just
a brief moment before he was shoved out the door. Diluc frantically glanced around to search
for any signs of a bouncer or a guard in the room, but found no one.

He clicked his tongue, slapping his palm to his face with exasperation and disgust at the fact
that no one was there to monitor these vampires and their interactions with humans. No one
was there to save that human from... whatever it was that vampire wanted. Diluc couldn't
have that. Agitation clawed at his heart, compelling him to rise to his feet as he felt worried
for the beautiful man, seemingly in danger. His sense of righteousness couldn't allow him to
sit back and watch, what kind of a sick person would he be if he turned a blind eye to what he
just saw?

He quickly stood up, barely spared a glance by the bartender and hurried out to follow them.
He walked along an empty corridor until he was able to get out into an alleyway outside the
club, looking around in both directions for any sign of the pair. His eyes widened, he was
lucky he had caught them in time, looking at the back of the alley and seeing the human
pinned to the wall, struggling.

Diluc's eyebrows furrowed with anger, and he quickly jumped into action, charging at the
vampire and delivering a punch to his face, pushing him off of the human. "What the fuck?!"
The vampire yelled, glaring at Diluc intensely, though he couldn't see his face. Diluc felt a
hot rush of anger and disgust at the utter disgrace that was Khaenri'ah, how broken it was,
how dishonest the people were.

More than that, he felt angry at the vampires, the way they used strength and power to
overrule everything else, to overpower the weak humans like the one Diluc was trying to
protect. They tarnished the name, the reputation of vampires, forcing him to live out his days
hiding his identity for not only his sake, but for Mondstadt's. All the anger and frustration, the
disgust and hatred he'd been feeling since he came to Khaenri'ah rushed out in a single
moment as he began to kick the vampire over and over until he bled, black and thick muddy
liquid, using up all his energy.
He didn't give a single shit as to whether he was going too far or not as the man grunted and
heaved with every kick. Diluc didn't stop until the man jumped to his feet and ran away as
best as he could, stumbling and falling over his own shoes as he hurried out of the alley to get
away from Diluc. Diluc took a deep breath, feeling the sudden rush of adrenaline pumping
through his body.

Damn, the process couldn't already be starting, could it? Surely he wasn't about to kick the
bucket and lose control already. He steadied his heart rate, sighing softly and turning around
to look at the pretty human. His eyes widened a fraction as he gazed at the man's face. He
was truly beautiful, his face, a perfect heart's shape with perfect, plump lips, big grey eyes
(though one was covered with the eyepatch), and his caramel skin dusted with a pink blush.

His expression caught Diluc off guard, rather than looking fearful or shaken from what had
just transpired, his beautiful lips were curled into a tiny smirk. He looked almost amused at
Diluc's actions, gazing up at him under his cap to take in his features. Diluc quickly turned
his head away to avoid him taking too good a look at his face, but his flaming red ponytail
was enough of a giveaway to make Kaeya's smirk widen.

"Are you alright?" Diluc asked, avoiding the man's shimmering grey eye as he leaned back
against the wall, staring at Diluc and sighing a little. He ignored the weird shiver that ran
down his spine at the feeling of the Kaeya's gaze on him, still accompanied by a smirk that
confused Diluc, as if he didn't fear what could've happened to him at all. Diluc couldn't help
turning his gaze back to look at Kaeya as the man laughed quietly, his voice a melodic wisp,
"Mhm~ it's all thanks to you, my handsome hero,"

Kaeya's voice was cheery and light, as if he could hardly care what had just transpired. He
tilted his head at Diluc, his braided hair falling deeper below his waist, "But you didn't have
to trouble yourself with saving me," Diluc's mind reeled at his words, his eyes snapping up to
look at him with incredulity. His eyes narrowed into a glare at him, what was this man
saying?

Did he mean that he had the situation under control when he was clearly being overpowered?
Or was the other vampire's actions not against his will? Kaeya laughed at his glare, pushing
off the wall with a small kick of his foot and leaning just a tiny bit closer to Diluc, offering
the redhead a challenging stare as he bent down just a little to look under his cap and meet his
gaze, "Oh don't try to play dumb, my hero, I know what comes next. You'll expect something
back from me in return for saving me. Ah... I'd rather have suffered under that vampire than
be indebted to an outsider like you."

Diluc's eyes flashed dangerously, a low growl erupting in his throat. He couldn't afford to
stand around speaking to this odd human anymore, he felt another wave of hunger wash over
him, but instead of feeling like he would pass out at any given moment, his mind was alert to
the human in front of him. Diluc stared at Kaeya's lean neck, licking his lips hungrily as he
felt his hunger kick in again.

No... he couldn't prove Kaeya right, now could he? Pouncing on him would merely prove his
point, would merely state that all vampires, even Diluc, were the same. He answered, his
voice carrying a weak edge, "I have no reason to ask for anything from you. It was just a
bystander's reaction, nothing more, nothing less." Kaeya's smile was teasing as he quickly
jumped to point out a hole in Diluc's words, "Is that why you followed me all the way out
here just to save me?"

Diluc's lips pursed, he didn't understand why the man argued that he had ulterior motives. His
head spun a little, but he tried to keep upright, his breathing growing haggard and his world
blurring in and out of focus. "No... I didn't-- shit..." Diluc almost lost his footing as his head
spun wildly. He stumbled forward, pressing a hand to the wall by the side of Kaeya's head to
try and steady himself and even out his lack of breath. Fuck, he needed to drink quickly, he
couldn't go on like this. His eyes slowly focused on Kaeya's neck, and he blinked. He ran his
tongue along his fangs, instinct telling him to devour the neck of the man in front of him.

Gods, he would do anything to dig his fangs into his skin, to pin him to the wall completely
and take away his mobility as if caging a stray cat. He took a shaking breath, though Kaeya
watched with a coy smile, observing his features up close and not at all looking bothered by
the way Diluc eyed him. Diluc looked very familiar, too familiar, considering he'd seen him
on the news just mere hours ago.

He let out a puff of amusement, "So that's it, is it? You want me to feed you in return for you
saving me. Is that the only reason you saved me, Diluc Ragnvindr?" Diluc's eyes widened at
the mention of his name, his eyes raising to look at Kaeya with surprise and discomfort at his
accusations, though his body screamed for him to say yes, that he wanted Kaeya's blood.

He hardly gave a damn that Kaeya knew who he was at this point, rushing to defend himself
because his true intentions really hadn't been selfish. "No, that- that wasn't my intention, not
one bit, I promise you." Kaeya laughed at him for the third time, making Diluc's mind numb
with the sound of his laughter as he struggled to hold himself back from devouring the man
right then and there.

Kaeya wrapped his arms around Diluc's neck, pulling him closer against his body and leaning
in until their chests were pressed flush against each other. He put his face right next to Diluc's
ear, his lips brushing gently against his pinna, he spoke in a ghostly whisper, "It's okay,
ambassador. You can be honest with me, I don't care. After all, I'm used to it, the common
give and receive in Khaenri'ah. I'll let you have a drink, just... don't take too much, hm? For
my sake,"

Diluc felt Kaeya tug his hat off, allowing his red bangs to flow over his face freely. Kaeya
stared at him for a moment, gazing at his hazy red eyes as he breathed through his mouth to
keep himself in check. Kaeya's finger's slowly brushed a strand of Diluc's hair out of his face,
watching as it fell back into place stubbornly.

He snapped himself out of his trance, telling himself not to get too into it, knowing that if he
did, it wouldn't end well for him. He pulled Diluc's face into his neck, feeling the way his lips
brushed against his skin, making the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end. Kaeya felt
nerves settle into his stomach, feeling Diluc's breath against his neck. He would usually never
allow a stranger to do this, to press up against him so intimately.

He always carried himself with high standards whilst dabbling into the vampire world, never
allowing those he did not fully know to have him, it was how he managed to stay alive when
the average Khaenri'an's life expectancy was so low. He knew, however, that someone as high
and mighty as an ambassador of Mondstadt wouldn't let him go without payback.

Diluc felt Kaeya pulling him closer in mock confidence, but he could feel his hands shaking
as he clutched his back. Diluc's mind was conflicted, having his face shoved in Kaeya's neck,
where there were already a few bite marks. Some were faded, others were more prominent.

His skin was smooth to the touch as Diluc brought his hand up to hold Kaeya's face, pulling
himself back to look into his eye. Kaeya raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why Diluc
didn't already devour him after barely having the strength to keep himself upright. The truth
was, Diluc didn't want to drink from him on these terms. He wasn't that kind of man, he
wasn't cruel enough to help someone just to gain an advantage over them, to make use of
them.

He vowed not to be like those other vampires who would jump on the opportunity to drink
from such a pretty man. He pushed off of Kaeya with his hand pressed against the wall
behind him, stumbling back with little energy to hold himself up. Kaeya's eye widened,
staring at Diluc with astonishment. Diluc... didn't bite him on the first chance? He didn't bite
him even though Kaeya submitted himself to him without so much as a fight.

Diluc gazed at his shocked expression and smiled, just a tiny upturn of the corners of his lips,
"I told you, I have no reason to ask for anything from you. Go," Diluc slumped a little, but he
could feel his blood pumping faster than ever, attempting to slowly recharge his body for
when he lost control and attacked whatever was in sight. He glanced up and saw Kaeya still
standing in front of him, shocked and stricken. Diluc felt confused, was it that unprecedented
of him to refuse a blatant offer to drink? Sure, he might regret it later, but... he could feel
Kaeya's fear when he'd held him, praying silently that Diluc wouldn't take too much blood
from him.

"You'll die," Kaeya said softly, Diluc's cap still clutched between his fingers. Diluc looked at
him with the slightest bit of amusement. "No, I will not die, not instantly at least. I will shred
you to pieces if you keep standing there before that happens." Kaeya didn't flinch at his
words, nor did he look as scared as before, Diluc's words seemed to have given him
confidence.

Diluc's purpose wasn't to hurt him, he was willing to die in order to let Kaeya walk away.
Kaeya stepped forward and reached out to grasp Diluc's hands, the man's cap falling to the
ground from his grasp. Kaeya tugged Diluc closer, but the vampire seemed to struggle. "Stop.
I... I don't know what'll happen if I take you up on your offer now." Contrary to Diluc's
words, his arms moved on their own, caging Kaeya in them to ensure he had no escape.
Kaeya smirked a little, once again returning them to the same position as before, wrapping
his arms around Diluc as well and allowing him to bury his face into his neck.

"Hm? Well then, you should drink up before you lose control and rip me to shreds, shouldn't
you? Because I won't leave," Diluc cursed under his breath, fisting Kaeya's tight shirt and
baring his fangs to prepare to bite into it.

The way Kaeya didn't shake anymore encouraged Diluc, all he needed to do was stop at the
right time, not take too much. Kaeya gave off no sign of a human with high expectations for
life. He worked in whichever way the world did, not fighting to change anything, knowing
that it couldn't be changed. He didn't fight the flow of this world, allowing the current to take
him whichever way they wished because he had no expectations for people.

The thought saddened Diluc, knowing Kaeya must've been through much to make him so...
composed in the face of danger, he had no expectations for Diluc to let him live or even treat
him right, and it only determined Diluc to prove him wrong. Diluc sank his fangs into
Kaeya's neck, digging the sharp teeth under his skin until he felt them pierce an artery. Diluc's
eyes shut on their own, but he felt more aware of Kaeya than ever.

He could hear the small moan of pain from Kaeya's mouth, the way his grip on Diluc's jacket
tightened to the point that Diluc thought the fabric would rip. Tiny whimpers began to erupt
from Kaeya, but he didn't do anything to fight Diluc even as his legs gave out under him, his
body held up only by Diluc's arms wrapped around his waist. "F-Fuck.." Kaeya muttered,
tangling his fingers at the roots of Diluc's hair as he was pressed back against the wall
completely. Diluc could feel the heated and rapid flow of blood in Kaeya's artery jostling
around his fangs, the stream getting faster and faster as Kaeya's heart rate picked up.

Diluc began to suck on Kaeya's neck, absorbing the man's blood through his fangs and
allowing the droplets of blood to flow onto his tongue through small cavities in the roof of
his mouth. Diluc moaned quietly at the taste of Kaeya's blood on his tongue, beginning to
take in more and more, gulping it down sip after sip as he felt energy flowing back into his
muscles with every drop of blood he consumed.

He held Kaeya's immobile body gently, his hazy mind clearing. He knew exactly what to do,
when to stop and when to step back no matter how delicious his blood was or how tempting it
was to devour such a pretty human. Diluc drank from him for about a minute, leaving
Kaeya's body tingling as his energy began to flow into Diluc's body, but Diluc didn't take
enough for him to feel weak just yet. Diluc pulled back, retracting his fangs from under
Kaeya's skin and gazing down at the oozing rich blood from the two girthy holes in Kaeya's
neck, courtesy of his thick fangs.

Diluc licked his neck until he was certain it would be enough to clot and block the new holes
in Kaeya's neck. Diluc felt Kaeya shaking a little and straightened up to his full height,
pulling away from Kaeya's neck with blood staining his lips, almost matching the colour of
his hair and eyes. Diluc gazed into Kaeya's eye, observing the way it had grown half-lidded,
his body retracting as much as it could into himself, his knees clamping together, with his
body latching onto Diluc for dear life.

He watched as Kaeya raised one of his hands from around his neck, bringing it up to cup
Diluc's jaw. Diluc could do nothing but stare as the man's beautiful face got closer and closer
to his, until Kaeya pressed their lips together. Diluc stood still in shock for a few moments as
Kaeya kissed him, licking the blood off of his lips with his tongue and sharing the taste of his
own blood with Diluc. The feeling of his soft and plump lips against Diluc's sent the
redhead's mind into overdrive. He felt so frail and fragile in Diluc's arms, broken even, but
his beauty stood out even more.

Gods, how could there be a human being so beautiful who lived in a shithole like this? This
human was too beautiful, too precious to be native to a country-- no, to be native to a world
as shitty as Teyvat. He was almost like an angel, fallen from the heavens into the topmost
layer of hell, Earth.

He couldn't help it, he pushed Kaeya's back flat against the wall and pressed his lips more
firmly against his, kissing him with the passion one would only observe in movies or books
between long-time lovers. If one were to observe them locking their lips together in a heated
dance like this, it would be difficult to think of them as strangers who had met mere moments
ago.

Diluc's hands desperately clutched Kaeya's waist, attempting to be careful with his teeth as he
felt Kaeya open his mouth for him to claim. Diluc allowed his tongue to brush over the roof
of Kaeya's mouth, the inner sides of his cheeks, tasting every crevice while all Kaeya could
taste was his own blood on Diluc's tongue. Somehow, it made him all the more turned on.

He clawed uselessly at Diluc's back as the redhead pulled away. They stared at each other
breathlessly for a few seconds, as if contemplating what to do with each now that they'd gone
this far. Diluc sighed softly, he'd gotten his fill, there was no use in keeping Kaeya any
longer. He thought that if he tried to go further than just a kiss, he would surely wreck his
own image in Kaeya's mind even more than he already had, but Kaeya stopped him as he
tried to move back, clutching onto him even tighter.

"W-Wait..." He stuttered, stumbling over his words and worrying Diluc, thinking he'd taken
too much blood for him to be able to speak properly. As Kaeya tilted his head to look at him,
he found that he was wrong. He stared at the blush on Kaeya's face, his lips apart to breathe
in and out softly and inaudibly to cool himself down after the kiss. Kaeya's eye was glazed
over, pleading with just a hint of desperation, for what, Diluc didn't know.

"I..." Kaeya seemed speechless, but as he pressed his body against Diluc's, Diluc could
clearly feel a bulge in Kaeya's pants through the tight leather he wore. Diluc's eyes widened,
glancing down, sure enough, it was exactly what he thought it was, Kaeya was hard.

"Don't... don't leave me like this," Kaeya whispered to him, making him wonder just what
had gotten Kaeya this hard. Diluc tilted his head just a little at Kaeya with amusement, "Did
you get hard from me biting you?" Kaeya blushed intensely but didn't deny it, knowing that it
was true. Diluc smirked, venturing a little even more to tease the stranger, "Is that why you
frequent here so much? Did you get turned on by all these bites you got?" Diluc gestured to
the faded scars on Kaeya's neck.

He chuckled a little when Kaeya didn't respond. "Well, wouldn't it be me helping you again if
I took care of you? I mean... wouldn't you be indebted to me again if I helped you right now?
Give and receive, wasn't it?" Kaeya looked away from him with embarrassment, feeling
Diluc's hands sliding lower and lower from their place at his waist. "Shut up,"

Kaeya whispered, "Just fuck me already, I know you want to," Diluc couldn't deny it, licking
his lips as he pressed his hand on Kaeya's ass, not making any moves just in case the man
showed signs of discomfort. "That's true, but I can't just fuck you in the middle of this alley,
now can I?" Kaeya pursed his lips, it would be uncomfortable doing it while standing like
this with Kaeya having to bend in odd positions to get Diluc to hit just the right spot.
But he really wanted it, he couldn't just walk out of the alley hard, he wanted Diluc to make
him cum, even if he wasn't inside of him. He began to shuffle in Diluc's arms, turning around
to face away from the man and leaning his front against the wall. He glanced back at Diluc
with his good eye, "Then... do it between my legs," Diluc gulped, looking down at Kaeya's
ass as he stuck it out a little just for his sights, the place between his thighs looking like the
perfect place to nest his cock.

He bit his lip, another wave of his wish to devour Kaeya washing over him, but this time it
was different, instead of just wishing to take Kaeya's blood, Diluc lusted for his whole body.

"Fuck.. how do you expect me to refuse when you ask so nicely?" Kaeya just flashed him a
tiny smirk, watching as Diluc unzipped his pants to pull out his cock but ultimately being
unable to look at it over his shoulder. He lowered his own leather pants just enough for his
cock to peek out, knowing he would need a bit more help getting there without having Diluc
inside of him.

Diluc hardly missed a beat in grabbed Kaeya's thighs and pulling him closer by the hips,
pressing his cock between his meaty thighs and grunting a little at the feel of the leather of
Kaeya's pants against his cock. He spat on his hand and slathered it all over his cock for easy
movement, knowing he needed the extra help while doing something like this so impromptu.
He glanced at the street, hopefully, no one would be coming into the alley at this time of
night.

He wrapped his arms around Kaeya's waist and pushed his cock between his closed legs,
feeling them mould around his cock until his hips met Kaeya's ass. Kaeya moaned at the
feeling of his thighs being separated, looking down between his legs with misty eyes as saw
the tip of Diluc's pink cock poking out from between his thighs. "Fuck, it's so hot.." Kaeya
whimpered, his hand shuffling down to thumb the slit of his dick while Diluc lowered his
hand to cup Kaeya's cock, beginning to stroke it gently as he began to move his hips in sync,
shoving his cock in and out between Kaeya's thighs.

"Ah! Shit, that feels so good!" Kaeya whispered under his breath, his eyes fixed down on
where Diluc's cock poked out, his hand steadily pumping Kaeya's cock in time. Diluc
chuckled into Kaeya's ear, "Well, aren't you easy to please?" Diluc raked his nails across the
underside of Kaeya's cock, feeling the tiny veins bulging across it before he dipped his hand
down to grope Kaeya's balls.

Kaeya could only moan and whimper quietly, attempting to keep his voice down in case
someone were to pass by. Gods, neither of them expected to end up like this earlier, Kaeya
never thought he'd end up fucking the ambassador of Mondstadt in an empty, filthy alleyway,
allowing him to use his body again and again, first for his blood, and now for pleasure, but he
didn't mind.

Diluc was gentler than most with his body, he kept Kaeya's pleasure first and foremost in
mind, making sure to tease his cock in ways he'd enjoy. Diluc turned Kaeya back around and
pinned his back against the wall, pushing his cock between his legs from the front this time
and pressing his body flush against Kaeya's body, squishing the man's cock between their
stomachs and kissing Kaeya again.
They locked their lips in a sloppy kiss, licking around each other's mouths with Kaeya barely
remembering to be careful with Diluc's fangs. Diluc gave Kaeya's cock a slight squeeze just
to hear him gasp against his lips, "Lift up your shirt for me, hm?"

Diluc was gentle with his wording, knowing how to approach Kaeya in a way where he
wouldn't think Diluc was only lusting for his body or him meaning to force him to follow an
order. Kaeya didn't think much of it, he was used to the request, having done so so many
times before for others, but he did notice the tender tone Diluc used to address him, no matter
his words, his teasing or his lewd requests.

Kaeya had no trouble following the request and used his hands to lift up his tight shirt until it
reached his collarbone. Diluc feasted his eyes on Kaeya's body, biting his lip at the sight of
his perky nipples, he felt an intense desire to touch them, to press his lips to them, to leave
bite marks all around them, but he kept one of his hands fixed on the wall behind Kaeya to
keep himself steady, the other working on groping and stroking his cock to help him cum.
Kaeya rubbed his knees together, squishing Diluc's cock between his thighs and squeezing it.

"Shit..." Diluc cursed, his eyes growing duller at the feeling, both of their bodies felt heated
against each other even during the night's coolness, especially Diluc's as he felt a droplet of
sweat dribbling down the side of his face. Diluc brought one of his hands up to Kaeya's chest
and flicked one of Kaeya's nipples with his index finger, making Kaeya whimper slightly.

"Touch yourself here," Kaeya blushed at Diluc's words, feeling Diluc's hands return to their
position as he began to pump Kaeya's cock once more, thrusting between his legs to get them
both to their high. Kaeya felt embarrassed, doing such things in front of Diluc, but he brought
his hands up to his chest, pinching his nipples with two of his fingers, squeezing them gently,
and tugging at them while looking up at Diluc with shyness shining behind his twinkling eye.

Truly breathtaking, Kaeya was truly a breathtaking angel at that moment in front of Diluc,
looking shy but getting lost in his pleasure and confidently stroking his nipples right in front
of Diluc. Diluc's mouth almost watered, his speed increasing with every passing second,
causing Kaeya's gentle moans to become more frequent.

Gods, he'd never felt like this before, Diluc wasn't even inside him, but just his hand and the
feeling of his cock between his legs was enough to send him gasping and whimpering. He
wondered what it would feel like to have Diluc's warm cock inside him, pulsing and
thrashing into his body while his gentle voice spoke commands softly into his ear. "S-Shit...
I'm going to come," Kaeya moaned warningly, one of his hands wrapped around Diluc's neck
to keep himself steady as his head fell against his shoulder, but the other still followed his
command, he steadily rolled and rotated one of his nipples around.

"Moan my name when you do," Diluc stroked Kaeya just a bit faster to help him get there,
pulling him back gently by the nape of his neck to gaze at his face as he came. "Nnnghh..
Diluc~" He whimpered softly, Kaeya's body went rigid, his back arching deeply as he held
Diluc's shoulder for dear life.

His lips parted to breathe as his cock began to spurt cum all over Diluc's hand. The sight of
Kaeya's face as he came urged Diluc to go faster to get himself to his high as well, letting go
of Kaeya's cock and pressing both his hands on either side of Kaeya's head to focus on
 pumping his cock between his legs faster. "Haah.. shit." Diluc moaned into Kaeya's ear,
feeling himself getting there and burying his cock as far as he could in the middle of Kaeya's
legs.

He came all over the wall behind Kaeya, saving his pants from getting stained as he bit down
on Kaeya's shoulder over his shirt, not hard enough to puncture it but enough to ground
himself. Diluc wrapped his arms tightly around Kaeya's body and held him tight. They
breathed together in unison, holding each other in an embrace in the dimly lit alleyway.

Neither of them seemed to want to let go, Kaeya basked in Diluc's warmth and how good it
felt to be hugged without any ulterior motivations while Diluc enjoyed the feeling of having a
person wrapped in his embrace. Their bodies fit together like two pieces of a puzzle as if they
were meant to hold each other. Kaeya frowned, knowing they would have to part sooner or
later, maybe... just maybe, he could be able to bait Diluc into something more, to milk the
moment for everything he could.

"I've never wanted someone to fuck me with badly before," Kaeya breathed into Diluc's ear,
his voice low, trying to settle the idea into Diluc's mind. His hairs stood on end as he listened
to Diluc chuckle into his ear, "You sure? Once I do, I don't think I'll be able to let you go,"
Kaeya kissed Diluc's cheek affectionately for a long second, "You say that as if that's not
exactly what I want."

Chapter End Notes

Finally done with this prompt, it was quite fun to write! I slyly used the same general
idea of vampires from my other book, hope y'all don't mind hehe~ Honestly I loved
vampire Diluc, he's literally the epitome of one.

The next chapter, I have been looking forward to writing for quite some time now, I may
have moved it up the list so I could write it faster, hehe~ I'll warn beforehand, I am
going to write dark Zhongli and he will not be all there or in-character, but I hope that if
you read it, you'll enjoy it! It has some yandere undertones.
 Possession (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Mild-gore, murder, heavy angst, please read notes for more information.

What happens when a god falls in love with a mortal? What happens when a god falls in
love with a mortal as cruel as Morax, who sheds more blood on the daily than even most
gods? Childe finds himself facing a cruel reality when he realizes what has to be done to
save Liyue from total destruction.

*NOTE: This chapter has gotten a sequel, you can read it in Chapter 60 of this story!
Have fun~

Chapter Notes

**IMPORTANT: If you know you have triggers relating to the warnings mentioned
above, please scroll down to the endnotes for more detailed tags. They might include
spoilers so I placed them at the bottom for those who wish to read on without spoilers.
Please do not read it if you find the theme disturbing.

This chapter is based on Greek/Roman mythology, specifically based on Rick Riordan's

Trials of Apollo - The Dark Prophecy. If you know anything about mythology, you'll
know just how unforgiving it is, and if you've read Riordan's book, you'll know exactly
which pairing this chapter is based on. I may have switched things up a little to fit
ZhongChi but it follows Riordan's depiction of the story. Please take your triggers into
consideration before reading for your own safety as some themes in this chapter can be
sensitive.

• Childe as Apollo
• Zhongli as Commodus

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"Childe..!" Zhongli called, a glorified smile shining on his face. He stood at the center of the
amphitheater, Zhongli was radiating confidence and mirth, even more so at the sight of
Childe, but Childe found it difficult to find Zhongli's smile as handsome as he usually did
when the man was covered from head to toe in blood. Childe found it difficult not to be sick
to his stomach with the way the grains of sand were stained red with the blood of so many
animals and people alike.
Childe stared at the man standing at the center of it all, gazing at the chaos he created with a
gentle smile, the smile Childe had fallen in love with. It was difficult for Childe to think of it
as gentle when Zhongli was bathed in the blood of innocent creatures and people alike.

The scene around the entire arena was revolting, but Childe managed a weak smile as he saw
Zhongli looking at him, clearly happy to see him. There was blood, so much blood in the
arena Zhongli left behind, exotic animals, gladiators, even civilians, their bodies lay on the
sandy ground of the amphitheater. Childe couldn't say he wasn't used to the sight of so much
bloodshed, so many innocents dead in one place, but Childe had never expected that one day,
this sight would be caused by one person alone, a person he loved to bits.

What was it all for? What reasons were there to cause so much fucking bloodshed? It was
unfortunate that such a sight, a massacre, wasn't anything Childe wasn't used to, in fact, he'd
seen it too many times to feel anything but emptiness, but the screams of animals, soldiers,
and innocents he'd been listening to still rang through Childe's mind.

Childe gazed at Zhongli as the man steered his bloody and terrified stallion towards him,
having had such a terrifying man sitting on its back as he murdered animals and humans alike
with a smile. Childe was used to it, even before Zhongli, there were too many battles and
wars that Childe had witnessed for him to feel anything while looking at so much bloodshed,
but this... this was different.

Zhongli didn't do these 'games' for any particular reason. One might think the animals he'd
put down, dismembered, were rabid, feral with the intent to harm, but no. The animals were
innocent, ostriches, horses, and even an elephant lay dead on the arena's premises. One might
also think the gladiators who'd lost their lives were traitors to Zhongli's empire, people who'd
betrayed Zhongli and deserved to die, but no, they had fully pledged their allegiance to
Zhongli. The civilians, the innocent, they didn't ask for death at their emperor's hands, they
were bystanders, handpicked by Zhongli himself just to be slain, executed not for a crime, but
Zhongli's entertainment.

That was all this was, 'games' Zhongli held every few years to quench his boredom, no
motives were behind it save for Zhongli's amusement. People and animals died by the
hundreds on days like this, when Zhongli just felt like it. He took lives for no reason aside
from the fact that he found it fun, that he liked the feeling of his spear cutting through the
throats of people and animals alike.

Childe could've vomited at the sight Zhongli left behind as he trotted his horse happily
towards him, his long hair hanging over his shoulders, drenched and greasy with blood, same
as his horse's once-beautiful mane. But being Zhongli's lover, he was used to it. Zhongli
wished for him to rule the empire by his side until the end, knowing only Childe could handle
him, Childe was the only one he had the ability to love and the only one who had the ability
to love him. Childe was the only one who was special to Zhongli, but that would be his
downfall in the end.

So many people... senators, *praetors, servants, civilians, anyone who feared Zhongli had
come to Childe, begging him to save them from their impending death. Childe's small smile
wavered, this was just another reason Zhongli was giving him to go through with it. He
swallowed back a lump in his throat, recalling the events of last night that had finally
managed to sway his broken heart. (*Ancient roman magistrates that rank lower than
senators)

"Lord... lord please, listen to us, we beg you," A shaking voice said from the other side of the
door as Childe shut himself inside. His heart was beating unusually fast, thoughts swam
through his head and he just wanted to shut himself away and never be found again. He
heard the servants outside take deep breaths, as if they were holding back tears just as he
was.

How many times was it now? The sixth or seventh time someone had come to him to make the
request. Who did any of these people think he was? He collapsed on the ground, sitting with
his back to the footboard of the bed and pulling his knees into his chest.

Childe didn't want to hear what they had to say, he didn't want to go outside and face them
and their teary eyes, the fear that shone behind their pupils, fear for their lives. "Please... you
know better than anyone in this world what kind of emperor he is, you know him better than
all, you know how cruel he is first hand. You stand by his side every day, you see it better
than anyone else... he is nothing but a monster,"

Childe wanted to yell, shout at them to get away, to tell them they were wrong, but were they
really? What was Zhongli if not a monster? He didn't look like one, he wasn't at all ugly, sly,
or devious as monsters were in ancient Liyue, rather he was princely, graced with good
looks, an amazing physique, and a charming personality.

Childe knew what Zhongli was really like, a true monster, one would call him. His
personality wasn't sly or devious, but Zhongli was but a simple man. If he had the power to
do something, he would do it. He didn't use underhanded methods to cheat his way up the
empire's hierarchy, rather he'd inherited the role. Zhongli killed because he could, he killed
with a soft smile on his face, but his eyes... they held no humanity in them.

Childe always observed this whenever Zhongli looked at anyone other than Childe. His eyes
would go cold, his smile would shrivel into a condescending sneer, he would become the
cruel emperor Morax, but he would always be Zhongli to Childe. There was nothing Childe
could do but observe, even if he had the power, he couldn't interfere with humans more than
he already had.

He was already breaking so many Celestial laws just being by Zhongli's side, loving him,
cherishing a mortal man so cruel. Childe coiled around himself even tighter, burying his face
into his knees and trying his best to ignore the servants' voices, but he couldn't unless he
willed his ears to fall off.

He considered it for a few moments, knowing that it would be no difficult task, but as a god...
it was his duty to listen to the wishes of humans. He would hear them no matter what. "We
know you love him... but surely you can't--.. surely you can't condone this just because of
your love for him, General," Childe couldn't, he really couldn't condone what Zhongli did no
matter how much he adored the man. He'd seen so much bloodshed at Zhongli's hands, he'd
lost count of how many people and animals Zhongli alone had killed, even he, a God, hadn't
shed as much mortal blood as Zhongli did.
He could hear so much fear in their shaking voices as they explained more to him, "Lady
Ningguang tried to poison his wine, following Ser Tian's orders..." Childe's head snapped up
to face the door, his eyes wide as he finally realized how the servants had gotten enough time
to get him alone long enough without Zhongli by his side at all times of the day.

"What?!" He erupted without thinking at the servants' words, his eyes blown wide with fear at
their revelation, but another servant quickly intercepted, "Lady Ningguang, she failed... she
and Ser Tian were both killed by his hand... the emperor is seeing to their deaths himself after
realizing there was poison in the wine after a single sip." The servant's voice was bitter as
she spoke, Childe couldn't help feeling angry at the fact that they wished Zhongli had died,
but he couldn't find the heart to blame them.

Only he had no reason to fear Zhongli, he was a god, Ajax, who had given Zhongli his
blessing, fallen in love with him, and chose to stay by his side, to rule over his empire
together with him acting as Zhongli's personal trainer, Childe. It was nothing but a story they
fed to all who dared question Childe's authority in Zhongli's presence, a disguise Childe had
taken up to keep his true identity safe from everyone except Zhongli. No one knew he was a
god except him. People accepted Childe as their leader as well, ruling by Zhongli's side after
the cold emperor expressed his love for Childe, they also accepted Childe as Zhongli's equal,
thinking that Childe really was Zhongli's trainer.

Even though he was Zhongli's lover, people still came to him, begging him to put an end to
Zhongli's life to save them. "Please... save us from him, Lord Childe," Childe's heart ached so
terribly, it felt like it would burst.

A lump began to form in his throat, he understood very clearly what the servants were asking
of him as they had been for the past few hours, many such people had made the same request
from him, senators, praetors, prefects, everyone who feared Zhongli had made that request.
How... how was it that these people begged him to murder his one and only love? How could
he ever betray Zhongli, who loved him and cherished him to bits and pieces and vice versa?

Zhongli was a cruel man to all except him, but it was enough for Childe, enough for him to
keep on loving him no matter what kind of a monster he was. He shouldn't interfere not with
the affairs of mortals in any case, especially with the affairs of Zhongli, but how could he
not?

Normally it would be praetors* or senators of Qixing who asked him of this, Childe didn't
give a damn about those rats, they were hardly better than Zhongli, but they were the ones
who feared Zhongli most. There was no greater enemy to have, aside from a god, except
Zhongli. Of course they would fear for their lives and come sobbing to Childe to murder his
lover just for them. Childe had sneered and turned them away in an instant, but now... when
innocents came to him, begging him to save them, there was only so much his heart could
take.

He knew what Zhongli did was wrong, but what could he do? Childe furiously rubbed his
eyes with the long sleeve of his robes to keep himself from breaking apart into tears at the
thought of killing Zhongli. He couldn't do it, couldn't bear to do something like that to the
man he loved with his own two hands. "Please Lord, save us, our children will suffer with him
as emperor, he will--"
The servant broke off into a quiet sob on the other side of the door. Childe's heart clenched.
No matter how many years he lived, he would never get used to the sound of innocents
crying. "He will kill us one way or another, us, our families, those we love and care for,"
Childe didn't need to look them in the eye to know that they were terrified of losing their
lives, of losing the ones they loved, but what about Childe? Wouldn't Childe be losing the one
he loved as well? Wouldn't his lover feel that same fear of death?

Childe didn't have many fears, thinking such things as fear to be a humane concept, but there
was one. He feared losing those he cared for as well. Childe didn't want to lose Zhongli after
all the times he'd experienced loss. Childe had lived a great many years as a God, he'd also
fallen in love with mortals countless times, seeing many of his past lovers die, he remembered
the heartbreak he felt each time it happened.

He'd always watch as the light left their eyes, unable to do anything about it. Childe
imagined those bright and beautiful eyes that belonged to Zhongli going lifeless, making his
heart clench unbearably. 'I can't do it... I can't kill him with my own hands, he trusts me,' He
thought to himself. Killing someone he loved was something he'd never done before, nor was
it something he wanted to do. But was allowing Zhongli to continue this tyranny until his
timely death the right thing to do?

It wasn't right, Childe was sure of that much. Could he afford to selfishly keep Zhongli for
himself when innocents died by his hands by the thousands? As if sensing his doubt, the first
servant began to speak again, "You alone are the one he trusts, you alone are the one he
cherishes, who matches his strength that knows little bounds. And... he loves you, would not
dare to harm you if you attempted to kill him, there is no one but you who can do this."

Listening to her words made the giant lump that had settled in his throat grow bigger. He
couldn't do it, he could never bring himself to. How could he live with himself, carrying that
burden on his shoulders for eternity? Zhongli, who loved him so much, treated him worthier
than a god, like the apple of his eye, would never suspect it.

He knew how much Childe loved him, and he matched that love with the same burning
passion, he treated Childe like no other. He would treat everyone except Childe like rats,
reserving his gentle, loving smiles, his soft gazes, his soft touches for only Childe. How could
Childe betray him just like that? "Please..." The last servant finally broke down into sobs.
Childe felt like doing the same.

There were many emotions and thoughts going through his mind right then, but hate towards
Zhongli was not one of them even now, he could never hate that man no matter how cruel he
was, no matter how much the rest of the world loathed him. He knew what the right thing to
do was, but it would crush him for millennia, knowing Zhongli had died not due to mortality,
but by his hands. Still, he slowly got up from the floor and walked towards the door,
unlocking the latch on it to allow it to swing open, he found all four of the servants sitting on
the floor as well, huddled up and crying into each other's arms.

His lips quivered as they looked at him with their tear-stained faces, trying his best to remain
calm. "Tomorrow, after the games, I will do it... I'll try," Immediately, it looked as if relief
flowed through their faces, shocked that they'd managed to convince Childe into it. They
couldn't see the way his heart was tearing apart behind the cold and desolate look in his
watery eyes.

They bowed to him at his feet, crying even harder and thanking him so profusely, blessing
him with the wishes of the gods, but Childe remained stone-faced as he held back tears. His
mind had made its decision, but he had yet to process it, process what he was going to do
tomorrow. He saw them off, telling them to return to the servants' quarter before Zhongli got
back from exacting revenge on Tian. He shut the door again and slumped against the door,
beginning to cry.

The truth was clear to Childe after witnessing all the death and destruction Zhongli had
caused in just a single day, the man he loved was a cruel, cruel person. He murdered people
just for the sake of a thrill, he murdered because he had the power to do so. Zhongli lead his
empire on the path of nothing but destruction, but he didn't care. He didn't care whether he
was damning every living thing in the world, so long as it amused him.

There was a very good reason to kill his one true love, but how could he? He had power on
his side, enough power to match that of Zhongli's, not evenly if he were to continue assuming
this form, but enough because Zhongli would never harm him. The thought only made him
ache more, Zhongli would never lay a hand on him, even when he looked terrifying bathed in
the blood of those he'd killed today, he still wore a soft expression as he stopped in front of
Childe on his horse.

"My love," Zhongli said softly, dismounting his steed and sticking his spear in the ground to
free up his arms. Childe watched as Zhongli wiped his bloodied hands on his robes in order
to hold Childe's hand. Childe cringed as Zhongli's sticky hand wrapped around his own but
didn't refuse it. If he was really going to go through with it, wouldn't this be one of the last
times he would ever have Zhongli's hand in his own? He swallowed back a lump in his throat
that formed instantly at the thought, he looked up at Zhongli and saw him looking down at
him with fondness, making Childe feel warm inside as well.

"You are a sight for sore eyes," Zhongli whispered, intertwining his fingers with Childe's and
bringing his hand up to his lips to place a kiss on his knuckles. Childe's lips quivered as he
managed a smile at Zhongli's words, never did a day go by when such a cruel man like
Zhongli didn't make him feel loved. "Can I kiss you?" Zhongli asked, leaning closer and
closer anyway as if hoping Childe would say yes, but of course, Childe wasn't going to kiss
his bloody face.

Childe grinned at him and chuckled, pressing his fingers over Zhongli's lips to stop him from
kissing him. "Of course not, not until you scrub yourself," Childe desperately wanted to say
yes, wanted Zhongli to kiss him a million times until his lips fell off, but he knew that would
only make the decision harder to make. Childe didn't need any more reminders on how much
he loved Zhongli. Zhongli's bottom lip stuck out with disappointment as he sighed, knowing
it couldn't be helped. "Alright then, won't you come bathe with me, my love? I could use a
hand in cleaning myself up."

Childe knew from his tone that it wasn't a request, that Zhongli wanted him to come and help
him relax after a hard day. Baths were always a common interest for the two of them. Childe
would never say no to him to bathe together on a day like this, he reciprocated his hold and
smiled, tugging him towards the arena's exits, wanting to get out of the messy amphitheater
as quickly as he could.

He could not bear the stench or sight of the massacre any longer. He guided Zhongli outside,
the amphitheater stood on a hill overlooking the Liyuean empire, and Zhongli's mansion
stood at the base, standing taller than all other buildings. They walked in silence down the
private steps to one side of the hill that lead to the mansion, built not for commoners' use but
only for Zhongli and his servants, their fingers were intertwined and stained with blood.

Zhongli stared at Childe as the ginger lead him down to the mansion with a small smile, his
eyes flitting around. Something was off, he knew that much. They met no one on their way,
the servants must've spread word about it and cleared the area for Childe. Childe didn't know
whether he should be grateful or not. Zhongli didn't push Childe to talk, he knew Childe
wasn't okay with the things he did, Childe having stated it many times before.

Zhongli was disappointed when he first learned his lover didn't share his interests, but he
supposed he would just have to respect it. After all, who knows what terrible things would
happen if Childe decided he wanted nothing to do with Zhongli because of his ways. Zhongli
licked his bottom lip at the thought, becoming more attuned to how quiet his usually noisy
lover was, how quiet their surroundings were and how empty the mansion felt as they stepped
into the back gardens. The thought of Childe leaving him sent tingles up Zhongli's arm. That
would not end well for either of them.

Just thinking about it made Zhongli's grip on Childe's hand tighten. It was one of his few
fears, he worried that Childe would leave him. If Childe, the best thing to ever happen to
Zhongli, was ever to stop loving him, Zhongli worried what he would become. He couldn't
just let Childe go, now could he? Childe fell in love with him, someone as beautiful as Childe
loved him, a god found that he was worthy of his love.

He didn't want to ever be deprived of it now that Childe's love was in his grasp, but the fears,
the weaknesses his love brought out within Zhongli worried him. How could he ever want to
let that go? Zhongli found Childe becoming one of his greatest weaknesses, given the way
that he flipped switches the moment he saw him, going from the ruthless emperor to a
lovesick puppy the moment Childe was by his side.

It was almost frightening, the way he'd bend over backwards for Childe, hold him every time
he came near him, kiss him, shower him with love and affection while still being someone so
immoral, disgusting, and brutal at the same time. Zhongli knew the things he did were vile,
but he hardly cared, as long as Childe still loved him. Still, it didn't mean he wasn't careful.
He was always looking out for signs that Childe didn't love him anymore, that he'd dispose of
him like any cruel god would without another word.

He vowed to never let that happen, he would keep Childe by his side until death did them
apart, but he didn't intend to die early. Zhongli promised himself that he would never let
Childe run away from him. Zhongli often considered attempting to subdue a god like Childe,
to make him vulnerable, to break him apart, and keep him for himself.

He often wondered whether he had the power to do so. Zhongli knew he was strong, but what
was the true power of a god? Would he be able to grow back his limbs if Zhongli were to cut
them off? Would chains be enough to hold Childe down, cage him, and keep him beneath his
mansion for the rest of eternity, where he would stay by his side forever? He found himself
getting more and more tempted to do such things to Childe, but his overthinking kept him
steadily at bay.

He couldn't bring himself to lay a finger to hurt Childe, not when he smiled at him so sweetly,
loved him with all his heart despite being an ascended being. Childe loved him, Zhongli
should trust that love to never allow anything to get between them. Zhongli felt his love and
affection for the god increase tenfold in the moment, willing his worries and suspicions to
disappear as he allowed Childe to take him inside the mansion, straight to their quarters.
Childe lead him into the bathroom and finally turned around to face him.

Zhongli met his gaze, feeling another hungry urge to kiss Childe rising from the pits of his
heart, but he took the state of his own appearance into consideration, settling on placing
another kiss on Childe's hand. Childe smiled at him, but this time, it wasn't the playful or
loving grin he usually wore, it seemed melancholic, sad. "Why do you look so upset today,
Ajax? Did the games make you uncomfortable?" Zhongli asked, watching as Childe slowly
pulled his palm from Zhongli's to ready a bath for him so he could be as affectionate towards
Zhongli as he wanted to be.

His lips quivered as he tried to hold his drowning thoughts at bay along with his tears. "They
did," He answered truthfully, making Zhongli frown. "Shed your robes, they're filthy," Childe
added in, trying desperately to steer the subject away from his feelings, knowing he would
break under even the slightest bit of pressure. Zhongli stared at him as he began to fill
buckets of water from the water tank sitting to one side of the room, beginning to load them
into the tub for Zhongli.

Zhongli did as he asked, taking off his clothes until he was left bare. He saw Childe
desperately avoiding eye contact with him as he prepared his bath. Zhongli felt guilt settle in
his stomach, not for the hundreds of living things, animals and people alike, that he'd killed in
just a single day, but because Childe was upset with him. In reality, Childe wasn't as upset as
he should've been. He was feeling his own bout of guilt, guilt because Zhongli was treating
him so well, being affectionate, loving, showing remorse at the fact that he'd made Childe
uncomfortable.

Yet here he was, planning to take away the life of the man he loved to bits. Zhongli took
tentative steps towards Childe as he stood in front of the water tank, loading water into the
bucket while desperately trying to ignore the way Zhongli drew nearer. Zhongli grabbed a
towel and wiped himself off as best as he could to make sure he didn't drip blood all over
Childe before he stepped behind him, wrapping his arms around Childe's waist and placing a
kiss on the nape of his neck.

"I'm sorry," He murmured in Childe's ear, raking his nails gently into Childe's stomach
through his white robes. Childe felt the lump in his throat get bigger at his words. An apology
was not what he wanted. There was no promise of 'I'll change', 'I'll become better for you', 'I
won't kill anymore if it makes you uncomfortable', just a simple sorry. Zhongli didn't plan on
changing a thing, didn't make him any promises that he wouldn't do it again. He simply
expected Childe to accept him as he was. That was another reason to just end it all, wasn't it?
Childe's heart clenched uncontrollably, but he steadied himself with a small breath. He turned
around, holding the bucket in his hands, and offered Zhongli a reassuring smile. "I forgive
you," Childe reached to kiss Zhongli on his bloodstained cheek, cringing along the way
before he balanced the bucket in one hand to flick Zhongli on the forehead, his smile turning
playful and pushing aside his true emotions.

"Your bath's ready, my lord," Zhongli smiled at the fact that Childe smiled, his heart filling
with sheer love. Childe guided him to the tub by the hand, allowing Zhongli to settle inside
and watching the way his body relaxed immediately as he met the water. He walked towards
a cabinet, pulling out a bottle of oil and bringing it over to Zhongli to set it on the table by the
tub, knowing he'd need it later. Childe grabbed a stool and sat behind Zhongli, taking deep
breaths quietly, trying to calm himself, telling himself to live in the moment.

He grabbed a smaller bucket and dipped it into the bucket of water he had set aside next to
himself, filling it with water and slowly beginning to pour it over Zhongli's hair. Zhongli
leaned his head back on the edge of the tub, his eyes closed as he relaxed completely in
Childe's presence. Childe grabbed the bar of soap from the table and began to wash Zhongli's
hair and face with it, scrubbing out all the blood and gunk from Zhongli's hair and rinsing it.

Zhongli opened his eyes, his face finally clean and free of blood, compelling Childe to finally
indulge his intense desire to kiss him. Childe planted his lips over Zhongli's as the man gazed
up at him. Zhongli placed a hand on Childe's cheek, drawing him closer as Childe kissed him
passionately, his arms wrapping around Zhongli's neck from the back until his hands
intertwined themselves at his chest.

They kissed for a long time, their lips pressed together snugly, making it difficult for Childe
to think of anything but Zhongli. He pulled away, his face hovering above Zhongli's as they
stared at each other with affection dancing in their eyes. Childe said nothing, simply grabbing
a washcloth and dipping it into the water to soak it, beginning to clean the blood off of
Zhongli's chest to keep the water in the tub from getting too dirty. Once Zhongli was clean,
he reached behind him, grasping Childe's wrist and tugging it at it to make him stand before
he pulled Childe around the tub to stand by his side.

"Join me, won't you?" He asked, a smile dancing on his lips that told Childe all he needed to
know. Childe faked an exasperated sigh, pretending like it wasn't exactly the command for
which he'd been waiting. He slowly tugged off his robes, wearing nothing underneath as they
fell to pile up on the floor around his ankles, leaving him in nothing. Zhongli feasted his eyes
on his lover's body, biting his lip at the sight and feeling his cock stirring in response.

Childe blushed at the predatory stare Zhongli planted on his body, watching as his lover sat
up straighter to wrap his arms around his waist and pull him forward into the tub. Childe
couldn't help yelping in surprise as he topped over on top of Zhongli, his arms wrapped
around his head to latch on and save himself from falling. "Nngh... don't do that so suddenly,"
Childe muttered, kneeling above Zhongli with his knees on either side of his thighs.

Zhongli didn't answer, simply burying his face into Childe's chest and sighing with
contentment. Childe smiled at his loveable actions, raising his hand to stroke his fingers
through Zhongli's wet hair and pressing a gentle kiss on the top of his head. Zhongli
responded by biting the skin of his pecs, gazing up at him innocently as Childe whimpered at
the feeling of Zhongli's dull human teeth digging into his skin. Childe lightly slapped his
shoulder to get him to pull back and leaned down to press his lips against Zhongli's again.

Childe feared it was one of the last kisses he would ever give Zhongli. His lips ventured from
Zhongli's lips to both of his cheeks, peppering kisses over his face, from his forehead to his
nose to his chin and back to his lips. Zhongli chuckled softly, a fond look in his eyes, "You're
awfully affectionate today," 'It might be the last time I ever see you for eternity,' Childe
thought to himself bitterly, considering chickening out so he could kiss Zhongli like this for
the rest of his life.

Of course, all mortal life would come to an end, but Childe would give anything to have just
a bit more time with Zhongli. The time it took for Zhongli to succumb to his mortality was a
blink of an eye to Childe, but that short span of time would be enough to wipe Liyue off the
map. "I love you, that's why," Childe pecked him again, feeling Zhongli's hand resting on his
thighs, caressing them and getting closer and closer to his crotch.

Zhongli lifted Childe to stand on his knees in front of him, allowing his lower half above the
water and admiring Childe's body. He began placing kisses against his beautiful skin, all over
his abdomen, and gradually getting lower. "W-Wait..." Childe said weakly as Zhongli ran his
tongue over his pelvis and bit down on the skin gently. "I've been waiting all morning,"
Zhongli grumbled, grasping Childe's cock in one of his hands to hear him moan. "Ah... Zh-
Zhongli," Childe gazed down at Zhongli as the emperor began to kiss all around his growing
erection, giving tiny kitten licks at some spots to tease his cock with his tongue.

Zhongli met his eyes, his hands slipping back to grope Childe's ass, giving it light squeezes
and loving the way his fingertips dipped into the meaty flesh as he opened his mouth to take
Childe's cock between his lips. Childe felt the heat of Zhongli's mouth overwhelm him,
taking him over like his entire body had been caged, cocooned in someplace so soft, wet, and
hot.

Childe began to moan out for Zhongli, his fingers tangling themselves in his lover's hair as
Zhongli began to suck on the tip of his cock, not at all thinking that it was degrading or
unfounded for a man such as himself to suck his submissive lover off. After all, what could
be degrading about seeing Childe moan and cry above him just because of his mouth? He
raked his teeth along the underside of Childe's dick, swirling his tongue around it as best as
he could while kneading his ass from behind, tightening his grip hard enough to bruise.

"Shi-shit." Childe whimpered, feeling Zhongli beginning to bob his head on his cock up and
down with this lips tightly knit around Childe's cock. Even in the cool water, Childe's body
grew hotter with every touch Zhongli placed on his skin, with every kiss, lick, suck and bite.
He pulled back to whisper to Childe, his voice dropping an octave as he placed a small bite
on Childe's inner thigh, making his body twitch in slight pain, "You're so tense, Ajax, would
you like for me to make you more relaxed?" Zhongli sat him back down on his cock,
watching as Childe shifted on it, grinding his ass against it to elicit a small sigh of pleasure
from him.

Childe kissed Zhongli's jaw lovingly, trying to ignore the rising sense of melancholy and
panic rising in his chest, realizing this would be the last time he ever held Zhongli in his
arms. "You always know exactly how I like it, I trust you," He didn't miss the way Zhongli's
grip tightened around him possessively, a low rumble of laughter erupting in his chest as he
pulled Childe into a hug, hugging him close and tight to his body.

Even after all this time Childe had spent with Zhongli, he still couldn't get used to Zhongli's
body against his, Zhongli's hands on his bare skin, Zhongli's lips on his own, Zhongli's lips
all over his body. Each time he touched him felt like he was getting shocked ten times over,
each time felt exciting, exhilarating, Childe loved the feeling.

He could never get bored of being touched, kissed, or fucked by Zhongli. It was a shame this
would be the last time he would be able to experience all this. Childe swallowed a little as
Zhongli pressed his lips to his temple. All this love Zhongli was showing him wasn't good for
Childe's heart, why did Zhongli have to make this so difficult for him by pulling out his entire
arsenal of affection in one day?

"You know, that is the first and likely the last time I've heard anyone tell me they trust me.
Only a god such as you would be willing to give me something so... precious," Zhongli spoke
in the softest tone Childe had ever heard him adopt, it made Childe hurt even more, his lips
beginning to quiver with the strain the lump in his throat put on him.

'Stop it... don't make this harder than it needs to be,' Childe thought internally, feeling tears
welling up in his eyes. He desperately wanted to stay like this forever, to fuse with Zhongli
and turn to stone so they could hug each other for the rest of their lives. Childe snapped
himself out of it, again reminding himself that he needed to live in the moment, feeling
Zhongli bite his neck and gently nibble on it.

Slowly, Zhongli lifted him above the water again and grabbed the bottle of oil from the table
next to the bathtub, caressing Childe's thigh lovingly and placing kisses over his ribs. He
unscrewed the bottle and poured some oil over his other hand before bringing it back to
Childe's ass, slathering the oil all over his hole. The friction of Zhongli's fingers against his
ass made Childe's eyes cloud over with lust, gazing down at Zhongli with watery eyes.

"I trust you and only you more than anyone in this world," Zhongli whispered to him, taking
Childe's hand in his own and pressing a kiss to the back of his palm. Childe buried his face in
Zhongli's neck to keep him from seeing a tear drip from his eyes. Zhongli trusted him, yet
what was it that Childe was planning on doing? He was planning on crushing that trust in the
palm of his hand, he would kill Zhongli today, the man he loved and the man who loved him.
The one person Zhongli trusted was the one he would be killed by, the one person Zhongli
trusted would break his trust instantly.

He choked back a sob as he felt Zhongli kissed his cheek again, not noticing Childe's internal
dilemma, he lowered Childe into the water right above his cock, prodding the tip inside of
him and pushing his way inside. "Nngh..." Childe whimpered in pain, feeling his mortal body
freeze up at the way his hole was stretched to the brim the lower he sank onto Zhongli's thick
cock.

"Oh, I love that sound you make," Zhongli growled into his ear, his hips twitching upwards
until his balls hit Childe's ass, his tip brushing over the nerves of his prostate. "Ah! Zh-
Zhongli--" Childe whimpered, his nails digging into Zhongli's back and breaking the skin,
leaving red crescents and forcing a grunt of pain from Zhongli's lips. "Easy... you know my
scars don't heal as easily as yours,"

Zhongli proceeded to bite down on the area around Childe's nipple as he lifted Childe up his
cock by his ass. His fingers slowly circled Childe's rim, feeling the light folds made by the
stretched skin as Childe clamped around his cock. Zhongli applied more force with his teeth
and broke the skin, not even pulling away as ichor* began to leak from the wounds. (*The
blood that runs through a god's veins, lethal to humans)

He licked it up thoroughly without even flinching at the way it burned his tongue. There was
a reason Childe had grown interested in Zhongli and eventually fell in love with him. Zhongli
seemed to recognize him as a deity the first time they met, he could see through the mist*.
Childe's lethal blood had no effect on Zhongli, who would only smile a little at the taste and
drink it like it was nothing when normal humans would die at first contact with a god's blood.
(*A veil to shroud the existence of gods, deities, and monsters from humans)

No matter which way Childe looked at it, Zhongli was purely human, he was neither a
demigod nor was he a monster (physically speaking). Zhongli was human with human blood
running through his veins, his abilities drew Childe in even more. Zhongli watched as
Childe's wound faded within seconds, even though what Zhongli said was true, Childe
couldn't help scratching at Zhongli's back when he was slammed back down on Zhongli's
cock. "Haah... it's so--mmgh..." Childe couldn't formulate the words as Zhongli began
bouncing him up and down on his cock, sucking bruises onto his neck and chest, knowing
they wouldn't heal as fast as his cuts.

"Am I giving you pleasure worthy of your godly status, Ajax?" Zhongli whispered, grunting
as he felt the water growing warmer with their body heat. Childe's moans were frequent as he
buried his face into his lover's neck, mixed in with the sounds of the water sloshing about
with their movement.

Childe didn't respond, but the answer was yes, yes he loved the feeling of Zhongli's warm
cock throbbing inside of him, yes he loved the feeling of Zhongli's lips against his skin, yes
he loved the way Zhongli hugged him possessively. He couldn't help thinking, would he ever
feel this same pleasure again? Would he ever feel so complete, so full, so whole, ever again
after Zhongli died?

Would this really be the last time he ever got to be one with Zhongli like this? He didn't want
it to be, he didn't want this moment to end, he wanted Zhongli for himself for the rest of his
life, but if he chose to be selfish, thousands would continue to die. There was no talking
Zhongli out of murder. Still, how could Childe let him go just like that, murder him with his
own hands? He would never be able to live with himself. Each time his hips came down on
Zhongli's cock, his heart tore just a little more.

Tears welled up in his eyes, falling one by one down his cheeks as he hugged Zhongli tight
enough to restrict his breath. His tears dripped down Zhongli's neck, causing the emperor to
seize all his movements. Childe cursed himself internally for crying, for raising suspicion of
his internal conflict. Zhongli's hand reached up to his hair to gently stroke it, worry settling in
his heart as he heard Childe let out a choked sob, he buried his fingers in Childe's locks and
tugged him back to face him, finding it slightly difficult with the way Childe's arms were
wrapped so tightly around him.

"My love, am I hurting you? Why do you cry?" Zhongli raised his hand to wipe Childe's face
free of tears, not even flinching as the droplets burned his hands. His heart ached at the way
Childe cried silently into his hand, taking sharp gasps for breath in the middle while all he
could do was watch. He felt an inexplicable desire to destroy anything that made Childe cry
like this.

Zhongli sat up straighter and hugged Childe, "Ajax, answer me, what makes a god feel the
need to shed tears? I will destroy everything that gets in your path, I promise you," His words
didn't stop the flow of tears streaming down Childe's cheeks, instead, it got thicker, but
Childe reciprocated Zhongli's hug. "You're so good to me, Zhongli," Childe's voice was a
meek whimper as he spoke, getting quieter and quieter, causing Zhongli to lean in closer to
hear him speak. "I just wish... that you would be that good to everyone," Zhongli's eyes
softened.

So that's what this was about, Childe was still upset over the games. He sighed quietly,
pulling Childe forward to press his face into Childe's chest. He spoke in a muffled voice, his
arms getting tighter around Childe's body possessively as if he was afraid that Childe would
disappear or try to run away at any given moment. "You're special to me, more so than any
other in this world,"

Childe's lips quivered at his words, his heart melting a little, but he snapped himself out of it,
trying not to fall deeper into his love for Zhongli. His words meant everything to Childe, they
were all he wanted to hear, but he was falling into a deeper bout of selfishness from hearing
Zhongli's words.

Childe remembered last night, when those servants were huddled together, crying to him
outside his door to save them, to help them survive when their death was inevitable under
Zhongli's rule. He remembered today, the animals, ostriches, horses, an elephant, all dead,
scattered about the amphitheater and lying dead. He remembered the bodies of gladiators,
civilians, and servants that died daily just with a careless flick of Zhongli's hand.

The people Zhongli had killed were innocent, they had families, children waiting for them at
home, but they would never see them because Zhongli was too cruel to spare them, to find
any value in their life. The animals had been bred just to be killed by Zhongli, they had not
known in their short lives that they'd meet their end at the hands of a man for no reason save
for the man's amusement. His hands still shook as he moved back to meet Zhongli's eyes.
"All life is special because it was fashioned by us gods," Childe whispered, his hand raising
to caress Zhongli's cheek, watching as Zhongli nuzzled his face into his palm, "Even yours,"

Zhongli breathed softly, but Childe could tell he didn't feel the weight of his words. Childe
leaned forward and pecked Zhongli on the lips. He knew it was now or never, if he didn't do
it now, he wouldn't be able to do it ever again. "I love you, you cruel man." Childe didn't
allow Zhongli to say it back, knowing that if he did, his resolve would fall apart in an instant,
he pressed his lips forcefully back against Zhongli's, giving him his last passionate kiss and
pushing Zhongli back against the edge of the tub.
Zhongli kissed him back, his eyes closing. He truly trusted Childe, not realizing the way he
slipped further and further down the tub. Childe's hands trailed up Zhongli's body as it
submerged into the clear water with just his head above the water to kiss Childe until he
reached his neck.

He wrapped his fingers around Zhongli's throat, feeling his stream of tears blurring his vision
at the feeling of Zhongli's veins pulsing in his neck. Childe pulled back and pushed Zhongli
under the water, allowing his back to touch the bottom of the tub. Childe couldn't see past his
own tears, couldn't hear anything save for his own sobs of anguish as he held Zhongli down,
feeling his lover's hands wrapping around his wrists with a bruising grip, attempting to shove
him back.

It was working as Childe felt Zhongli rising again, desperate for a breath of air. It was clear
that as Childe was in his human form, he didn't have the strength to rival Zhongli's. "I'm
sorry, I'm so sorry,"

He sobbed harder as he let out a burst of his godly strength, almost evaporating the water as
he pinned Zhongli to the bottom of the tub. Childe felt Zhongli's fighting spirit getting
weaker and weaker and blinked his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision. He gazed down at
Zhongli's face and saw Zhongli's eyes staring back up at him through the water.

Zhongli didn't look angry, furious, or hateful, instead, the only emotion Childe found in
Zhongli's gaze was disappointment and... love. 'You blessed me,' Zhongli mouthed to him but
fought his hold no longer, his life fading as he drowned, unable to hold his breath any longer.

Childe felt Zhongli's pulse dying as he stopped struggling, his body falling limp as his eyes
shut. Childe didn't move or lift his hold around Zhongli's throat for several moments, his eyes
wide with tears freely flowing from them, dripping down his face into the water in the tub.
He stared down at Zhongli in shock, frozen and staring at his pale and lifeless face. "Zh-
Zhongli...?" Childe whispered, his grip finally loosening, revealing finger-shaped bruise
marks all around Zhongli's neck.

Childe began to shake uncontrollably as he grabbed Zhongli's hand heaved his limp body into
a sitting position. Zhongli didn't respond to his touch or movement. Childe's heart began to
race with panic, bringing his head down to Zhongli's chest to press his ear over his heart. He
began to bawl even harder when he found no sign of a heartbeat. "N-No! Come back,
Zhongli, please..."

Childe sobbed, holding Zhongli's body close to himself and crying into Zhongli's shoulder.
Zhongli's arms didn't move to wrap around and comfort him, his face didn't get any closer to
Childe's to kiss his cheeks or his lips to make him smile, his lips didn't move to speak words
of comfort and affection to him. He remained limp in Childe's arms as the god wailed and
cried at his loss.

Childe had killed the one person he loved, now, he would never be able to experience any of
Zhongli's affections ever again. It was difficult not to regret it. He stayed like that until he
began to prune with Zhongli in his arms, still inside of him, connected to him. Childe didn't
want to let him go, he wanted Zhongli to be by his side, to be one with him like his for the
 rest of eternity. "Please... don't go," Childe whimpered, his sobbing had died down into
sniffles, but his heart was still clenched like it was being held in a tight fist.

He numbed to his surroundings, soaking in the last bit of warmth Zhongli's body held. He
didn't notice the small, meek knock on the bathroom door, didn't notice when the servants
from yesterday slowly cracked the door open to see him crying and hugging Zhongli's limp
body close. Slowly one of the servants crept closer to Childe and Zhongli, gazing at him in
his most vulnerable state.

The heartbreak in Childe's actions was evident, the sheer sorrow in his heart showed with the
way his body shook from the grief he felt and the now-cold bathwater. The servants couldn't
help pitying him. He'd lost the one he loved, but in turn, saved them all from calamity. The
sorrow of one person, one god, would save the entirety of Liyue from more bloodshed and
destruction, but that didn't make it any easier witnessing Childe's pain. The first servant
ushered for another to bring a robe for Childe, venturing closer to the broken god carefully,
trying not to spook him.

"My lord..." She called softly to him, but he didn't respond except to clutch Zhongli tighter,
knowing they were here to take him away. She was handed a robe and stood next to Childe,
respectfully keeping her gaze away from their intertwined bodies and slowly putting the robe
around his shoulders, careful not to get it wet or startle him. She motioned for the other
servants to come and help as she tried to pry Childe's arms away from Zhongli's body, but he
only turned away from them, beginning to cry again as he was forced to face reality.

"N-No," Childe muttered weakly, trying his best not to start sobbing in front of them again.
He could feel their pitiful stares on him but made no moves to turn around and look at them.
All he needed was Zhongli, all he wanted to look at was Zhongli, all he wanted to feel was
Zhongli. But reality stared at him in the face, he would never see Zhongli again, he would
never be able to see his smile, hear his gentle laugh, feel his intense gaze, or his hands on his
body again.

The thought sent him into another spiral of sobs as the servants put their joint effort to try and
pull him away from Zhongli's body. He hadn't the strength to fight them off but struggled
weakly to run back to Zhongli as he was pried away from him, to rise to his feet, feeling the
whole feeling of Zhongli's cock inside of him die out as they disconnected.

He wailed a little, calling for Zhongli, "Please... come back.." He begged futilely as he was
tugged out of the bathroom, leaving Zhongli's body in the tub. The servants couldn't help but
shed tears at the sight of Childe's misery, but they felt relief in their hearts. They were saved.
One life in exchange for hundreds and one broken heart in exchange for thousands.

Chapter End Notes

WARNINGS: Major character death, abusive themes, animal cruelty, murder, blood,
strangulation.
Whew, this was a ride, I've been looking forward to writing this chapter for uhh,,, 8
months now. I remember listening to Riordan's audiobooks back in January, listening to
the story of Apollo and Commodus, and imagining what it would be like to have
ZhongChi in their place. Since then, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I know canon
Zhongli fits Apollo more and canon Childe fits Commodus more, but I just desperately
needed an excuse to write evil Zhongli hehe~ That, and I couldn't find any way to depict
Zhongli strangling Childe to death, mans would never. I really hope that those who are
into stuff like this enjoyed it, the original draft I had was,,, a lot gorier, but I toned it
down to be considerate.

Note that this chapter will get a second part where we follow Riordan's storyline a lil but
with ZhongChi, that's where the actual Possessive prompt comes in, this was mere
buildup, far longer than I wanted it to be but oh well, I really hope you enjoyed. Also, if
you look at The List, you might find one chapter for one new special ship hehe~
 Partialism (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Vampire AU, blood, biting.

After a long day of work and faking a pleasant personality in front of peers, Zhongli
comes home to his lover with little intent to do anything but shower him in his affection
and to play with his beautiful body.

Chapter Notes

Oof this was just the right amount of wholesome with a right amount of filthy. This was
their Nipples Prompt chapter y'all deserved but didn't get.
Before you begin, if you do not know what inverted nipples are or what they look like,
I'd suggest looking it up. It's a bit difficult to convey them in words, but I tried my best!
Still, this body feature may not be for everyone, so please stay tuned with that! This is
like reverse uno card Polarity. Have a good time reading.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

*Partialism: Sexual arousal by a specific body part.

"Mr. Zhongli! Let me pour you a drink, sir!" An employee called from across the table,
making Zhongli shift his gaze to look up from a dent he was studying, etched on the table he
was seated at as he quietly sipped his tea. He sighed, trying not to feel too exasperated.
Zhongli felt vaguely annoyed at the employee's insistence, while he appreciated the sentiment
of trying to make him feel included, he had refused a drink at least a dozen times, choosing to
opt for chamomile tea.

He didn't know how long he could keep refusing their offers and urging. He fixed a fake
polite smile back on his face for the umpteenth time that day to offer it to the employee, "Oh?
My apologies, but I do not drink. However, your offer is well met and much appreciated,"

The employee seemed to deflate at his refusal, having already poured a shot for Zhongli.
Zhongli felt no twinge of guilt because there was a good reason behind the fact that he didn't
drink, a reason he'd never be able to fail. The employee ended up taking the shot himself, the
interaction being watched by Zhongli's coworker and long-time friend, Beidou. Beidou
scoffed at him, causing him to shoot her a questioning glance, raising a sharp eyebrow as if
asking her to elaborate on the demeaning action.
The woman ate at the same table as him, pointing a shrimp at Zhongli, flopping it between
her fingers as she ate her meal, and making Zhongli scrunch his nose in disgust as its
marinade dripped over the table. "Oh, come on. One drink ain't gonna kill 'ya, 'ya old fool. I
know you're like super health-conscious cause of him, but god damn, you need to sit back and
enjoy life, have a swig or two at least! It is disrespectful not to drink in my presence."
Zhongli refrained from rolling his eyes at Beidou, instead choosing to conduct himself with
grace by sipping his tea just to spite her.

"You know I can't, Beidou." Zhongli said, trying to avoid the way his head buzzed with the
chatter of the restaurant and his subordinates all around him. Zhongli was attending a
company dinner at one of the local hotspots in Liyue, Wanmin Restaurant, as a means to
create company spirit and strengthen bonds between employees, but all he could think about
was returning home to leap into his beloved's arms.

He was biding his time until it was socially acceptable to leave, knowing the employees
would likely take offense if he left too early, but his meal had long since finished, and no one
else had shown signs of leaving yet. Zhongli sighed, wishing all these responsibilities to
uphold his reputation and public image would disappear. There was only one thing he
needed, Childe's love.

He smiled dazedly at the table at the thought of his lover, his heart filling up with lovey-
dovey warmth, observed by Beidou. Beidou scoffed again, this time at the lovesick puppy-
like look in Zhongli's eyes. Another employee overheard Beidou interrogating him about
drinking and quickly joined their table a small grin on her face. "Oh? I'd like to know why
you don't drink too, Mr. Zhongli!" She asked, making him glance at her, then at Beidou
before returning his gaze to the table. He stared into his cup, pondering his answer. After all,
he couldn't just tell the whole truth now, could he?

Would he tell her he has a sensitive liver or immune system? Would he tell her he had once
had a drinking problem and was in rehab? (Gods no, Zhongli loathed the idea completely)
Still, Zhongli didn't particularly like lying to people, choosing to opt for half the truth,
looking back to meet the woman's gaze with confidence. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just, I have to
remain strong and healthy, after all, I have a kitten waiting for me at home, he doesn't
particularly like the smell of alcohol on me."

Beidou choked on her shrimp, coughing intensely at Zhongli's words as they caught her off
guard. Zhongli glanced slyly at her, amusement dancing in his eyes as he knew that Beidou
knew he was lying, but at the same time, he wasn't.

That's what Zhongli always referred to him as to other people, his kitten. Beidou was one of
the few who knew of Zhongli's lover, Childe wasn't the kind of lover you could show off in
broad daylight (much to Zhongli's dismay), it was more so that Childe couldn't stand in the
sun at all.

The employee looked intensely confused but seeing the offhandish look on Zhongli's face
gave her a false sense of normality, like this was no matter to ponder at all. She could do
nothing to question him, considering he was her superior, and just simply nodded dazedly
before retreating from the table he and Beidou occupied. Beidou finally recovered from her
coughing fit and shot Zhongli a nasty glare, "You're a sly man, Morax." Zhongli raised an
eyebrow at her for using his birth name but didn't correct her. He sighed, leaning his head
against the palm of his hand and gazing out the restaurant's window, wishing he was zooming
by in one of the cars n the street, going home to see the one he loved.

Beidou followed his longing gaze and shook her head at him with exasperation, her brown
locks swinging over her shoulders. "Seriously? If you're that desperate to get out of here then
just go," Zhongli's ears perked up at Beidou's words, looking at her with childlike excitement
as if asking, 'Can I really?'

She couldn't help but feel her heart softening at the love and affection for Childe dancing in
Zhongli's eyes, clearly happy at the possibility of seeing him earlier than he'd hoped. She'd
never seen her friend this in-love with anyone before, it warmed her heart to see Zhongli,
usually so aloof and mysterious, so smitten with someone. Beidou liked the way his eyes lit
up with hope to go home early, the way just the tiniest of smiles curled on his lips at the
thought of his lover.

She rolled her eyes playfully at him, waving her hand at him as if shooing him away, "Yeah,
yeah, just go. I'll tell everyone your 'kitten' is sick." Zhongli chuckled softly and wasted no
time in standing up, smiling at the prospect of going home.

"Thank you, Ms. Beidou," He said softly, truly grateful to his friend for giving him the
opportunity to leave. Beidou just waved her hand for him to leave before anyone noticed.
Zhongli quickly slipped by the rows of tables of his colleagues, their drunken eyes not
catching sight of him leaving the warm atmosphere of the restaurant. He hurried outside to
his car, he'd brought it knowing that he wouldn't drink, a smile never leaving his face as he
sat in the driver's side and pushed the car into ignition.

***

Zhongli's keys jingled a little as he unlocked the door to his apartment, feeling peacefulness
wash over him, knowing that he was home. Home wasn't particularly the apartment he was
stepping into, rather it was the man who lived here with him who was his true home. He took
off his shoes and placed them neatly by the door, readying his voice to call out to his lover,
but his ears picked up on the pitter-patter of running footsteps drawing closer and closer to
him. He couldn't help smiling broadly as Childe trotted into the dimly lit living room,
wearing a matching smile on his beautiful face at the sight of Zhongli.

"Zhongli!" He called happily, wasting no time in crossing the living room towards Zhongli to
greet him. Zhongli hurried to meet him halfway, wrapping his arms around his lover's waist
and pulling him into his embrace mirthfully. "Nothing can evade your sense of hearing, can
it?" Zhongli asked him lovingly.

Childe hummed and buried his face in Zhongli's neck, humming happily at the feeling of the
man's warmth surrounding him, his scent hanging in the air all around him. Immediately, it
felt like there were no more negative emotions that he could feel while wrapped in Zhongli's
arms. The hugs Zhongli gave were always the best, never insufficient in making Childe feel
loved and adored by the man with the way his heart thumped happily against Childe's chest.
Childe didn't have his own beating heart to listen to, but he was given all of Zhongli's out of
pure affection. He adored listening to his soft and calm breathing, his heart palpitating in his
chest, calming him down intensely after spending the day alone without Zhongli.

"Welcome home," Childe said into his neck, his voice muffled as he placed a kiss on it.
Zhongli didn't respond, merely tightening his arms around Childe and beginning to swing
side to side with Childe, knowing that it would make the ginger laugh.

He succeeded, his eyes shone with affection as he heard Childe laughing next to his ear at the
feeling of Zhongli rocking them like a pendulum, left to right. Zhongli sighed, tranquility
washing over his body as he relaxed completely with Childe in his arms. Childe was his
peace, his world, the only one he ever needed or desired. He turned his head a little to press a
long kiss to Childe's cheek, feeling Childe's cheek creasing with his big smile against his
lips.

Zhongli pulled back just a little from the hug, making Childe pout as Zhongli put the tiniest
amount of space between them, but it was quickly wiped off his lips as Zhongli planted his
lips over Childe's. Childe's grip on Zhongli's white dress shirt tightened with blitheness,
adoring the feeling of his lover's lips against his own, moving gently as they molded together
as if they had been made for each other.

They kissed for what felt like an eternity that was no more than a minute, still rocking side to
side as if waltzing with no music. They didn't need music when their love spoke volumes for
each other. Neither of them moved to deepen the kiss, just having their lips locked was
enough to make them feel warm and happy inside. Finally, Zhongli managed to force himself
to pull away, both with gentle smiles on their faces as they made eye contact in the faint
lighting in the room. Childe didn't particularly like bright lights. "Home is wherever you are,"
Zhongli whispered to him, pressing his lips against Childe's forehead, making his lover's
cheeks begin to hurt from smiling so much.

"I love you," Childe told him, moving his face close to Zhongli's to give him an eskimo kiss,
rubbing their noses together in a loving manner. Gods, he could never have imagined himself
to be so in-love like this one day. Actually, he used to harbor no hope of even surviving long
enough to fall in love, much less be in a loving relationship. It was all thanks to Childe's lover
that he managed to get this far. "I love you too," Zhongli whispered, as if sensing Childe's
thoughts and securing his love for him. Childe finally parted with Zhongli, putting some
space between them to allow Zhongli to move away from the doorway. "I didn't make dinner
today since you said you would eat with your coworkers, that's okay, right?"

Zhongli steered them towards the living room sofa, loosening his tie and sighing gently with
relief over not having to maintain any professional image at home. "Of course, Xiangling's
cooking is one of the best in Liyue, though it could not compare with yours. It is still a
mystery to me how you manage to cook so well when you don't even taste it, effortless."
Childe felt his face blushing a little at Zhongli's words of high praise, watching as he plopped
down on the couch, holding his hand. He gave a sharp tug to Childe's hand, lying down on
the sofa and making Childe topple over on top of him. Childe fell on him with a small
oomph, shooting Zhongli a playful glare and reaching his hand up to flick his lover's nose.

Zhongli's nose scrunched with pain, his nose tickling because of the action, causing him to
sneeze. Childe chuckled at the cute action and kissed his cheek, lying his head down on top
of his chest while his hands wandered off to find Zhongli's to intertwine their fingers.

They held hands, lying in a huddled-up heap on the couch, cuddling with Childe's head on
Zhongli's chest, listening to the beat of his heart. They didn't need words between them to
keep the atmosphere alive, all they needed was each other's presence to relax in each other's
embrace. Zhongli slowly reached one of his hands to Childe's waist and caressed it a little. He
smiled, realizing that Childe had gained some weight.

Childe was getting healthier, thanks to him. He remembered the first time he'd met Childe,
Childe was but a weak little thing, only strong enough to fight off the other vampires
scuttling like rats down the street, but not enough to bring Zhongli down. Childe had tried to
attack him out of hunger, only to be wrapped around in his warm embrace that eventually
calmed him down. Zhongli had held Childe in an alleyway while he kicked and struggled
until he lost all semblance of strength, he kept him secure in his arms while taking in the
man's appearance, how thin he was, how he wasn't native to Liyue, and how worn he looked.

He didn't understand why a vampire like Childe would pick on a bigger man like Zhongli, but
he supposed it was out of pure desperation, a last fight for survival, but his failure had landed
him in Zhongli's embrace. He feared that Zhongli would kill him for being a filthy vampire.
Childe didn't want to die, he didn't want to die so slowly and painfully out of hunger.

Childe had then asked him in a shaky voice, "Can I... please feed from you?" His eyes had
looked so broken, so void of any fight, any emotion in them. They were the most beautiful
pools of blue, like they had once held a lot of life, as much as the blue sky or the ocean, but
had lost all their sparkle. Something had tugged at Zhongli's heartstrings at the weak plea, the
biggest form of defeat there could ever be for a man, a cry for help. He couldn't bring himself
to say no and allowed him to bite him, couldn't bring himself to leave Childe there and
brought him home with him. Zhongli allowed Childe a warm bath and promised to take care
of him, to protect him.

Eventually, they fell in love, and now, Zhongli couldn't imagine a life without Childe. It made
him so happy to realize that he'd gotten healthier since that day three months ago. Childe was
now the light of his life, his home, his safe haven, just like that, Zhongli was Childe's safe
haven, the one who'd given him everything when he had nothing to give back. Zhongli placed
a kiss on the top of Childe's head lovingly. Childe, unfortunately, had to be kept a secret. The
police were hunting vampires and Zhongli knew he couldn't risk losing him, the only one
who knew about him was Beidou.

It was unfortunate, Zhongli had always dreamed of flaunting his lover to everyone, but until
Childe got healthy enough to disguise his fangs and keep from burning up in the sun, Zhongli
wouldn't risk him. His grip around Childe tightened, causing Childe to squeeze his hand right
back. Then, Childe's stomach growled out of hunger, causing Zhongli to crack a smile and
laugh softly as Childe's ears reddened. "I'm sorry, I should've known you'd be hungry by
now."

Zhongli slyly cupped Childe's ass through his pants, forcing a gasp from his lover's lips as he
pulled Childe further up his body until their faces were parallel with one another. Zhongli
lifted his head gently to press a chaste kiss to Childe's lips as the ginger spoke, "I'm not that
hungry... I already take too much blood from you as it is." In Childe's eyes, it was true,
Zhongli fed him thrice a week when the normal requirement for feeding him would be once a
week. Zhongli always insisted, telling his lover he was too skinny and needed to get healthier.

He always urged him to drink and to ask to drink any time he wanted, it made Childe feel
bad, like he was a damsel in need of care, but secretly, he loved being babied by Zhongli.
Zhongli smiled encouragingly at him, slowly sitting up, causing Childe to slide into his lap
before pulling his face into his neck.

"You know I won't take no for an answer now that I've heard of your hunger." Zhongli said,
his hand gently caressing his waist, trying to refrain from moving it up Childe's torso out of
muscle memory. After all, his hands' favorite hobby was to play with Childe's chest, who
knows if he'd be able to stop himself from doing so while Childe drank from him?

Childe pursed his lips as he smelled the very faint scent of blood coming from the base of
Zhongli's neck, wrapped under bandages that he kept hidden under the collar of his shirt. His
mouth watered a little. He loved the scent of Zhongli's blood, pure and healthy just for his
consumption. Feeding Childe was the only reason Zhongli kept away from alcohol and
unhealthy foods to keep his blood healthy, clean, and delicious for his lover.

Childe couldn't bear to resist it, his fingers reaching up to undo the bandages on Zhongli's
neck and unfurl them. He let them drop to the floor, seeing two sleek holes in his neck where
he always fed from Zhongli, covered with a platelet plug to keep blood from spilling out of
the wound. Childe kissed Zhongli's jaw, trailing his lips down his neck to press another kiss
over his bite wound. He didn't know how to express in words how much he appreciated
Zhongli letting him do this, knowing that if it weren't for him, Childe would still be out and
about the streets of Liyue, attacking people to fulfill his bloodthirst. Childe didn't know what
compelled Zhongli to save him, but he couldn't imagine he would've lived long if he
continued to live as he used to.

He was grateful to Zhongli for all he did for him, feeding him, hugging him, kissing him,
making love to him, even just loving him in general. Childe parted his lips, allowing his
fangs to peek out from behind his upper lip.

He clamped his lips over Zhongli's bite wound, slowly digging his fangs into the same
cavities he always used. Childe never made unnecessary bites even though Zhongli told him
he could. He tore through the platelet plug over the bite, sinking his teeth into Zhongli's vein
while the man breathed out softly with pain, clutching Childe tighter against his body.

He smiled, stroking Childe's hair softly as he listened to him gently moan into his skin,
beginning to suck in his blood. Zhongli whispered sweet nothings into Childe's ear, trying his
best not to let the aphrodisiac-like effect Childe's bite put him under get to him.

He had been trying to restrain himself from getting aroused every time Childe bit into him,
knowing he would always end Childe's eating sessions by fucking him into the nearest
surface. That was how it had all first started when Childe's bites were too new to his body for
him to be used to them. They would give him insatiable sexual urges, urges to fuck him, to
thrash into him, and make him scream and writhe. He hadn't been able to control himself
when Childe bit into him during the second week of his stay with him, one thing lead to
another and Zhongli had ended up fucking Childe into the bed until he couldn't think straight.
Slowly, it almost became that kind of relationship, where Zhongli would allow Childe to
drink his blood while Childe would allow Zhongli to use his body in any way he saw fit.
Neither of them liked it, but their relationship blossomed for the better.

Slowly, the sexual urges had developed into something more, romantic urges, loving urges.
Now, even three months later, Childe's body still needed time to get used to him, unable to
handle having sex regularly no matter how much he wanted to. Still, he couldn't stop his
hands from venturing up Childe's body, placing his hands over Childe's chest through his
shirt. His fingers shook with the effort of holding back from pinching Childe's nipples,
squeezing them, and playing with them in any way he wanted. He knew it would get them
both aroused, knew just how weak he was for Childe's body and how easily it could rile him
up. Childe moaned softly at the feeling of Zhongli's strong hands grasping and groping his
pecs, desperate to feel some sexual friction with his body.

Zhongli's sex drive was always a problem for Childe, but he loved knowing that he could
drive the usually put-together man wild with just his body. He could only pray that Zhongli
wouldn't get hard, knowing that if he did, he wouldn't be able to control himself from pushing
Childe into the couch and fucking him all night until neither of them could think straight.

Childe drank briefly from him, knowing to be careful not to take too much blood from
Zhongli, considering he fed on him so often. He pulled his fangs away, sucking the stray
droplets of blood from the wound before pulling back and licking his lips, dazed and well-
fed. Childe loved the taste of Zhongli's blood, always so rich and flavorful, a vibrant red in
color. He loved it, he loved Zhongli, all aspects of him.

Childe kissed Zhongli's cheek in thanks, glancing down at his crotch to check whether or not
he'd gotten hard. He didn't whether to pout or feel relieved as he saw that Zhongli's pants had
not yet gotten tighter, but he clutched at Childe's pecs even more strongly, forcing a small
gasp from Childe.

Childe glared at Zhongli as his lover blinked innocently at him, groping him like he was
doing no wrong. Childe held back a wisp of a moan at the feeling of Zhongli's palms rubbing
against his nipples, desperate to touch them, to feel the small slits where Childe kept them
hidden. He knew if it went on like this, Zhongli would be tempted to tug 'them' out to suck on
them. He placed his hands over Zhongli's, gently pushing them away from his chest and
standing up. "Why don't you start a movie? I'll grab you a change of clothes and dress your
wound, hm? We can start off the weekend in a relaxing manner." Childe didn't give him a
moment to respond, his body feeling heated as the feeling of Zhongli's hands on his body still
haunted him.

He wished Zhongli would go farther but knew he didn't have the strength to accommodate his
libido that could go on for hours, and he would wake up sore and hurting again. Zhongli's
bottom lip stuck out a little as he watched Childe retreating into their bedroom. He was
disappointed that Childe had shut him down so quickly after having just started getting into
feeling his lover up.

He clenched and unclenched his fist, licking his lips at the thought of Childe's body. His
fingers longed to touch Childe's nipples, to dig them out of their cocoon and abuse them as
much as he wanted. Childe's nipples had always been a challenge to deal with, but they were
so rewarding to suck and nibble on once Zhongli managed to work them out. Zhongli
suspected that becoming lovers with Childe was what had given rise to his partialism towards
his nipples.

Normally, nipples would not be given even a second glance by Zhongli, but he remembered
clearly the first time he had laid Childe down beneath him and had taken his clothes off. At
the time, Childe had tried his best to cover them up with his hands, an intense blush on his
face, but Zhongli slowly eased his hands away from his chest, only to be left at sea.

Childe's nipples were inverted, they didn't jut out as normal ones would, rather they pointed
inward, curled as tiny slits in Childe's areolas. Childe had hidden himself with
embarrassment, thinking Zhongli's baffled expression was a sign of disgust or aversion.
Contrary to Childe's expectations, Zhongli had twisted him around to face him and pinned
him to the bed with a near-carnal look in his eyes as he feasted his eyes on Childe's chest,
making him feel shy all over.

He had asked Childe about them, whether he could take them out, and Childe could only say
that he didn't know with intense embarrassment. Zhongli took his words as a challenge to
find out, beginning to suck on them, pinch and tease them, trying anything he could to bring
them out.

It was difficult, and it took lots of begging and pleading from Childe to stop before Zhongli
finally managed to correct them. Seeing them in all their glory after working hard for them
had driven him off the edge, he had ended up ravaging Childe's chest until they were red,
sore, and about ready to burst. Since then, they almost became his obsession, Zhongli would
never initiate sex without attempting to tug them out as they'd retracted back to their original
state the next morning.

Gods, it drove him crazy how perfect Childe's body was, he couldn't help razing it every time
he saw it. That was the biggest reason Childe didn't allow him to fuck him regularly, he knew
his nipples would always be sore if he allowed Zhongli to have his way with him.

Zhongli licked his lips in a predatory manner at the thought, he really wanted him. He wanted
to reduce Childe into a gasping and moaning mess with his mouth, it was a Friday, surely he
could be allowed an all-nighter at least at the end of the week. Zhongli watched as Childe
came back out, a pair of comfortable pajamas for him in one hand and a first aid kit in the
other.

He saw Zhongli sitting idly and clicked his tongue, shaking his head at Zhongli and walking
closer to him, "You still haven't started a movie? Come on, what would you do without me?"
Zhongli's hand shot out to grasp Childe's wrist as soon as he came near, startling his lover and
causing him to drop his clothes and the first aid kit.

Zhongli forced Childe to sit on his lap again, watched by wide blue eyes as he kissed his
chest through the hoodie he wore. "Wait.." Childe said, weak to Zhongli's hands as he pulled
his hoodie up to his collarbone, finding no other article of clothing beneath it. He bit his lip as
Childe's body came into full view, his chest littered with red marks that he had made on him
two days prior, his nipples still bright pink but hidden.
Zhongli's hands wandered up Childe's torso to tease the slits of his nipples with his fingers,
causing his lover to twitch gently. "I won't put it in," Zhongli said softly as if that was what
Childe was worried about, making the ginger smack him gently on the back of the head. "No,
they're still sore from last time," He tried to say it curtly but knew from the way Zhongli
barely even glanced up at him that he had paid no regard to his words.

Childe knew he couldn't resist Zhongli's hands or his mouth, not when his touch felt so good,
making his body burn with pleasure every time he laid his hands on him. Zhongli pressed his
index fingers to both of Childe's nipples, digging his way into the slits and feeling the bud of
his nipples inside.

He rubbed his fingers against the nubs, stimulating the nerves with the tips of his fingers and
loving the way Childe moaned gently. Zhongli pulled his hand away from Childe's left
nipple, knowing it was more sensitive of the two, and replaced it with his mouth, clamping
around it tightly to build up enough pressure to coax his bud out. He loved the sound of
Childe moaning above him as he slipped his tongue in the slit as best he could, licking all
around the bud and tried to suck it out of its cocoon. "Nngh--Zhong-Zhongli..." Childe could
feel Zhongli's cock growing in his dress pants under him, making him worry about how long
it would stay up this time.

Two days ago, Zhongli had gone at him for four hours, spending most of his time teasing his
lover's body and making him cum so many times until Childe couldn't ejaculate anymore,
only having dry orgasms. Zhongli himself had only cum twice in the range of 240 minutes,
but Childe didn't think Zhongli minded so long as he could watch him come undone beneath
his fingers.

Childe doubted he had any juice left in him to cum for Zhongli as well as he usually did, but
knew the man wouldn't leave him until he had him screaming his name. As Zhongli worked
on his nipples with his mouth and a hand, his free hand ventured down to unbuckle the belt of
his pants and unzip them before pushing his boxers down. Childe tilted his head to look past
Zhongli's face at his cock, standing straight against his stomach. He bit his lip, feeling his
upper body tingling with every suck and lick of Zhongli's tongue, he couldn't help getting
turned on by the intense sensation he got all over his chest. Zhongli laid him down on the
couch, pulling away from Childe's nipples momentarily to grasp both of Childe's hands,
"Can't leave both of these idle now, can we?"

Zhongli shot Childe an infuriating smirk as he guided Childe's hands down to his crotch,
pressing them against his erection. Childe whimpered a little as he wrapped them around the
girthy cock, wishing he could have it inside of him, but Zhongli had said he wouldn't put it
in. He massaged it gently, loving how solid it was and knowing he was the cause of it. "What
about me?" Childe asked as Zhongli licked his swollen nipple again. Zhongli raised a
questioning eyebrow at his lover, sly arrogance dancing in his eyes, "I thought you weren't in
the mood, you told me not to, so I'm not doing this for your pleasure, but my own instead."

Childe blushed deeply at Zhongli's words, biting his lip at the selfish words but knew Zhongli
was just teasing him, Childe's pleasure was always first and foremost in his eyes. "Unless,"
Zhongli whispered, his hand venturing down his body until he grabbed Childe's cock roughly,
forcing a loud moan from his lover.
"You got this hard just from having your nipples sucked on, hm?" Zhongli teased as Childe
hid his face behind his hands with embarrassment, stammering, "You-you can't just suck on
them so roughly and not expect me to get turned on!" Zhongli did nothing but laugh at him,
squeezing his nipple between two fingers in hopes for one to pop out soon. "My, and I
thought I was the perverse one between us, you're enjoying this way more than I am, yet you
refuse to allow me to make a mess out of you like this every day."

Zhongli rubbed his cock against the outline of Childe's, gently thrusting against the material
of his sweatpants and making sure Childe could feel it. He tugged hard at Childe's nipple and
to his joy, the nub ended up finally pushing out, causing Childe to moan loudly, a drop of
drool slowly rolling down the side of his mouth as his eyes clouded up. Childe could see the
almost evil glint in Zhongli's eye as he smirked down at him, taking in the sight of how much
of a mess he'd made of him. He felt his cock stretching just a bit more at the sight of one of
Childe's nipples poking out and the other still retracted. Gods, he loved this aspect of Childe.

He didn't know how to explain it, but every part of Childe's body was worthy of his worship,
he wanted to kiss his lips over and over again, play with his nipples, tease his cock and fuck
into his ass. Zhongli nibbled on Childe's nipple gently, feeling euphoric, high on Childe's
body, his scent, his sweet voice. He hooked his fingers around the waistband of Childe's pants
and pulled them down, watching as his lover's cock poked out. "I love you," Zhongli
whispered to him, cupping their sensitized cocks in one hand and beginning to pump both of
them at the same time. Childe's back arched as he gasped, feeling Zhongli squeeze his cock,
making him cry out as his back arched, his toes curling.

"Nnngh...! I hate you," Childe mewled at Zhongli, making the man smile with triumph from
the fact that he had completely broken him. Gods, was it a sight to see his nipples so swollen,
his thick pecs gently bouncing a little as Zhongli pumped him harder. "F-Fuck!" Childe
whimpered, his nails digging into the leather of the couch beneath him and nearly damaging
the piece of furniture.

Zhongli licked his lips, teasing the tips of their cocks by smushing them flush together,
making it difficult for either of them to think as the friction brought them intensely close to
their orgasms. "W-Wait..." Childe said, pushing Zhongli's hands to a stop with his own. He
panted heavily as he sat up, connecting his lips with Zhongli's and pushing him back to
switch their positions, pinning Zhongli down this time. Zhongli didn't hesitate to press his
tongue deep inside Childe's mouth this time, careless enough to cut his tongue on Childe's
fangs, allowing Childe a taste of his blood again.

Childe lapped up the blood, moaning gently as the taste of Zhongli's blood almost made him
cum right then and there. Childe pulled back and slid down Zhongli's lap to sit on his thighs,
taking off his hoodie completely and discarding it off to the side, where it landed on the
coffee table. Childe didn't give Zhongli any time to admire his body and leaned down,
bending over Zhongli's body and bringing his face close to Zhongli's cock.

Zhongli was almost ready to have his cock sucked when Childe surprised him by pressing his
cock against his chest. Zhongli lifted his head to stare down dazedly at Childe, watching as
his lover took his cock between his hands and moved it up to press it against his uninverted
nipple. He moaned gently as he began to move his body up and down against Zhongli's cock,
making sure Zhongli could feel his hardened nub pressing against his girth.

"Fuck.." Zhongli cursed, surprising Childe pleasantly as he knew Zhongli hardly cursed in
such a sense. It pleased him greatly to know he could drive Zhongli over the edge as well.
Childe switched to press Zhongli's dick against his other nipple, still retracted, and began to
rub against it, moaning a little as his free hand moved down to pump himself at the same
time.

The feeling of Childe's chest against his cock was enough to send Zhongli over the edge, he
threw his head back and came with a grunt, thrusting his hips upward against Childe's nipple.
Zhongli squirted cum all over Childe's chest, going as high as his face and causing Childe to
close his eyes.

He bit his lip with his dull front teeth, pumping himself harder, and came with a small yelp of
Zhongli's name, slumping against his lover's body as he gasped and spasmed with the effects
of his orgasm rolling through him. He used the little strength he had left to move up the
couch and laid his head down against Zhongli's chest, breathing heavily. He glanced at his
hand, sure enough, there was hardly a drop of cum on it.

***Extra***

Childe felt Zhongli kiss the top of his head and sighed with contentment, sitting up. He
glanced down at his own body and let out a small 'oh' as he realized something, catching
Zhongli's attention as the man opened his shut eyes to look at him questioningly.

With an innocent look in his eyes, Childe spoke, "Look... it came out too," He pinched the
bud of his other nipple, the one that had been inverted till the end, and tugged at it,
whimpering gently. He looked back at Zhongli and saw his lover staring at him with wide
eyes and realized what he had done. Childe saw Zhongli's hands twitching violently as if he
was trying desperately to hold himself back.

"Nope!" He yelped and jumped off of Zhongli's lap as the man lunged for him, feeling
another hard-on coming up. "Don't you dare!" Childe yelled at him as Zhongli pouted on the
couch at the missed opportunity, contemplating getting up to chase Childe down and have
him for himself. "You can't just say something like that and not expect me to be aroused,
Childe," Zhongli complained as Childe ducked into the kitchen to grab an ice pack for his
sore nipples.
He quickly saw an opportunity and took it, getting up and pulling his button-up shirt off,
throwing it to the side, and following Childe into the kitchen to see him sighing with some
relief as he pressed the icepack against his chest. He spotted Zhongli standing in the doorway
and yelped a little, trying to run past him in the cramped kitchen, only to get caught.

Childe couldn't help the thrilling laughter bubbling in his throat as Zhongli grabbed him and
hugged him close. "You're so cruel..." Childe whimpered as Zhongli kissed his cheek before
pushing him over a counter. Both of them knew Childe didn't mean it, both of them knew that
Childe was just as desperate for Zhongli as Zhongli was for him. "I know."
Chapter End Notes

Before this prompt, there was meant to be a Possession Part 2 for Zhongli/Childe but
unfortunately, I got hit by a strong sense of writer's block so I had to postpone it to a few
chapters later in hopes that I'll have more heart and soul to write it, I didn't want to write
a half-assed chapter for it and decided to sit on it for a bit longer so that y'all can get the
best quality chapter possible. Hehe~ instead, have this sweet and spicy ZhongChi
chapter I bring as an offering to mediate your mulled-over feeling of sadness over the
last chapter. I'm extra proud of myself for this one because I wrote all of it today even
though it's been increasingly difficult to write a chapter in a single day, so I hope you
enjoy it!

Aside from that, the reason it took me over a week to post this is that *dundundun* I
have a new ZhongChi story out, so if you want to read it, it'll be on my profile, called
Regolith! If you choose to read it, I hope that you will enjoy the story and walk along a
new journey through another long-term story with me!
 Virginity Kink (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Mentions of non-con, blood, self-injury, dark thoughts, rimming.

Fairies, creatures told in tales to be beautiful beings with grand wings and healing
powers that were exploited by many, were but a rare sight in Liyue. Aether finds himself
being one of the last few of his kind and spends his life running in fear of those who
wanted to harm him. He finds himself getting rescued by a guardian, Xiao, and feels
safe nowhere but his arms.

Chapter Notes

*Note: I made a mistake with the name of the kink and my sources were incorrect, the
actual kink turned out to mean something completely different, so I renamed it to
Virginity Kink.

10k words holy fuck what was I thinking. Mostly this is just a storyline with only a bit
of smut, so beware of what you're getting yourself into, a world of soft-core angst and a
whole lot of fluff. Have fun reading!!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The sound of Aether's feet against the ground shuffled through the forest as he ran for his life,
several more footsteps echoing behind him. His eardrums felt like they were going to burst
from the adrenaline, but the sounds of growling were heard by him loud and clear even
through the sound of his own panting and quiet sniffling.

'I have to keep running—I can't let them catch me...!' Aether's thoughts rang through his
mind, frenzied and disorderly as he could barely see through his own tears.

His wings shuddered behind him—they ached so much that Aether could hardly bear the
pain, his vision blurring every few seconds.

Truly a beautiful sight his wings were, shining with a translucent golden glow in the dark of
night, illuminating the path in front of him but also acting as a beacon for those who wished
to harm him. To Aether, they were nothing but a terrible burden he had no choice but to bear.
Their existence was the reason he was running for his life, barely able to see his own path
through the blur of tears and pain. One of his fragile wings had a deep gash in it, staining
them red with the blood that dripped from it. The pain was worse than any other—after all, a
fairy's wings were their most sensitive component.

Aether was what one would call a fairy in folktale: fairies were fragile creatures, humanoid
with wings that could range in size according to each individual.

Young fairies less than twenty-one years of age, such as Aether—who was twenty—had
smaller wings that matured on their twenty-first birthday, but that was only if they managed
to survive long enough.

Fairies were considered the most valuable of all supernatural beings because of the healing
powers of their blood and tears, but that wasn't the only reason.

They were terrorized, driven to near extinction by those who wished to exploit them—until
only a single colony found peace. Aether had once been part of that colony, but he wasn't any
longer. He'd lived in that safe haven with his sister, raised by the elders of the colony. They
alone made up the last of the fairy population in Liyue, their species driven to extinction by
the sheer force of instinct that affected other creatures in their presence.

Why, one would ask him, why would he leave the safety of his colony if his existence was
sought after by those who wished to do him nothing but harm?

The choice had not been up to him—their colony had been struck by other beings,
supernatural monsters, who wished to claim un-mated fairies for their own sick, twisted
pleasures.

He and his sister, Lumine, were the only ones able to escape thanks to their elders' efforts.
They had been protected and given a chance to fly away while the elders sacrificed
themselves so that they would live. They were the ones who were in the most danger because
they were immature, purer than even angels. Fairies were meant to be virgins until their time
to mature. On their twenty-first birthday, they had to find a life partner to help their wings
transform, someone who would love them and cherish them, make love to them until their
wings were all ready to ascend. If only it were easy.

Fairies could only have interspecies mates, but could not form life-long romantic bonds with
one another, nor could they reproduce among themselves.

Aether and Lumine were not pure fairies either because such beings didn't exist. Both were
twin orphans, but they didn't know who—or what—their parents were, knowing no parental
relations save for the colony elders.

Both of them soon came to realize that, despite being over twenty-one, almost every fairy in
their colony was unmated, carrying the same wings they had been born with. When they'd
asked their elders why, the answer they'd gotten was nothing short of heartbreaking. To the
outside world, they were nothing but prey; their virginity was all that mattered to other
species. They created an effect on other beings that drove them to insanity, made them wish
to hurt them, to deprive them of their purity without offering anything in return. This effect
was not under the control of the other creature, but they would never take responsibility for
their actions and mate with the fairy they'd razed, claiming it hadn't been their fault that they
had been out of control. It was truly sickening.

It affected the males of every other sentient lifeform, from humans to demons to vampires
and even angels.

They would rid them of their purity before leaving them for dead, rape them, and never claim
them as their partners or help them ascend their wings and get stronger. They did nothing for
them. It was even worse for those who were under the age of twenty-one; their virginities
were as rare as diamonds. Creatures went to war on pure instinct just to decide who would
get to devour them.

That was why Aether ran for his life, a pack of werewolves tailed him, having caught a whiff
of his sweet scent while he was trying to drink water from the nile of Guili plains.

Aether had gotten separated from his sister, Lumine, a while ago. His heart ached for her—he
missed her so terribly and was hoping that she was safe, but as of now, he could do nothing
but run for his life and try to save himself.

He had been looking for her, wishing they would be able to find one another soon, but his
hope for survival was dangling on its last thread.

One of the wolves behind Aether lunged at him, making a swift jump and clamping its maw
around his calf, sinking its teeth into Aether's skin and forcing a cry of agony from his lips as
he fell. In a second, Aether was surrounded by the whole pack; the one who had managed to
trip him pulled away from his leg, causing him to wail in agony as he tried his best to get up.

The wolves morphed into men with hair covering nearly all parts of their bodies, their eyes
shining evilly in the glow of the crescent moon as they gazed down at Aether just as they
would a small helpless bunny.

Aether could do nothing but stay still and accept whatever horrible fate lay ahead of him as
tears streamed down his cheeks. He was surrounded—there was nothing he could do to save
himself in the face of this many werewolves, having forgotten his sword by the nile. He knew
that even if he had his weapon with him, there was no way he could do anything to defend
himself against so many enemies who could think of nothing but harming him. His pride kept
him from begging as he kneeled, crying into his hands and unable to watch as they drew
closer. All hope was lost, he would lose his purity and his life here.

He waited for them to lunge at him and commit horrible atrocities against him at any given
moment, but the moment never came.

It was silent, too silent, save for a gentle gust of wind that blew past Aether's ears. Then at the
same time, several loud thumps of bodies hitting the ground echoed through the plains,
effectively startling him and scaring him even more.

He dared to remove his shaking hands from his face to see what happened—why he hadn't
been attacked yet.
The sight he saw made his heart leap out of his chest, his eyes widening with fear. The
werewolves who had tailed him lay dead all around with their bodies bleeding. He began to
tremble even more. Aether could make out gashes above their hearts in the dim moonlight, a
clean strike that killed them before they could even make a sound. He desperately looked
around for the source that could've caused the silent destruction of the werewolves within just
a second. He almost screamed when a man appeared before his eyes in front of the nearest
dead werewolf.

Aether watched as the man leaned down as if making sure the werewolf was dead.

He stared at the man with tears in his eyes, seeing a mask placed over his face as he turned
his green gaze to fix directly on Aether. Aether flinched out of fear; seeing what he'd done to
the werewolves, he knew he would be next.

He scooted back on his knees, trying to put as much distance between himself and the man as
possible, but his back met the body of a dead werewolf, causing a distressed whimper to
escape his lips. The man didn't move an inch, keeping his gaze trained on Aether's shaking
and crying form in the warm glow of his wings. His eyes trailed up to the gash in one of the
wings, oozing blood the same as his injured leg. He took a step forward toward Aether,
making the blonde stifle a sob as he tried getting to his feet to run away but ended up falling
harder.

Aether knew there was nothing he could do, no matter who or what the man was, he would
try to breed him and kill him before moving on like it was nothing.

"You're... a fairy." The man's voice rasped through the night, cutting the air as smoothly as a
knife through warm butter. Aether didn't look up from his gaze fixed on the ground, watching
his tears falling on the ground, causing the dirt to glow just a little under yellowish grass. The
grass immediately revitalized, turning green and healthy in color as if healed.

Xiao watched this with a keen gaze, feeling a deep instinct kicking in from the depths of his
heart. Of course, that instinct affected a guardian just as much as any other creature. The
thoughts of the fairy in front of him were dark and predatory, his hands itched to grab Aether,
destroy his clothing, fuck him right on the ground he sat on, and take away his purity until he
was nothing but an empty shell.

It was lucky Xiao's heart had already been tainted—he was used to dark thoughts such as this
one, they had less effect on him.

Still, his feet tried to move of their own accord; he wanted to pin Aether to the ground and
raze him. Xiao took a deep breath, knowing exactly what was happening. This was the effect
that unmated fairies had on all creatures: the urge to kill, to destroy, to fuck.

Xiao tried to keep himself calm even though his heart began to race at the thought of having
the fairy writhing beneath him as he ripped his pretty wings apart. He wasn't cruel enough to
act upon the intense desire but it was getting increasingly difficult to keep his feet fixed in
place. He glanced down at the body of the werewolf he stood over. A dagger was strapped
onto the man's back, the gleam of the blade catching Xiao's eye. He leaned down to take it
between his gloved fingers, staring at the steel that shone in the glint of the moonlight.
Aether looked up at the sound of Xiao's movement, his eyes widening with fear at the sight of
a dagger in Xiao's hand.

He thought that Xiao would kill him with the knife and began to sob. He hated to beg, to
plead with someone to spare his life. It brought him so much anguish that he needed to do so.
"Please don't kill me—I beg you, let me go..." Aether pleaded, unable to help himself out of
the sheer fear he felt, like a caged animal placed in a circus.

He thought he was going to die and shed tears of grief, knowing he would never get to see his
sister again and that all the elders who had saved him had sacrificed themselves for nothing
—either dead or kidnapped by a monster. Xiao tried not to spare Aether a glance in case he
lost control, but the sound of his sobs hurt his heart. He raised the dagger in one hand and
held his other palm up. He prepared himself with another deep breath, knowing just how
much his next step would hurt.

In a swift motion, right before Aether's wide eyes, Xiao plunged the dagger through the palm
of his hand.

His blood splattered all over the grass as Aether cried out with fright and shock. Xiao grunted
heavily as a searing pain shot through his entire arm at the feeling, making him black out as
his body ceased up. His legs gave out beneath him as he bit his lip under the mask with pain.

Aether stared at him open-mouthed and disbelieving for a second that felt like an eternity. He
didn't know what compelled him to, but he immediately rushed to crawl to Xiao's side, worry
dancing in his eyes. Seeing a creature in pain, whether an animal, a woman, a child, or even a
predator was something Aether could never bear. "Why?! Why did you do that? Take the
dagger out!" Aether wailed, wrapping his fingers around Xiao's palm, not knowing what to
do at the sight of so much blood spilling out of the man's hand.

Xiao's vision cleared at the feeling of Aether's presence next to his own, the sound of his
beautiful voice, and the feeling of his hands on Xiao's.

He stared at Aether, surprised at his sudden bold decision to come to his side when he looked
so scared. He could feel the fear rolling off of Aether's body, his hands trembling as they held
Xiao's. Despite that, Aether showed him compassion by shedding even more tears for him,
not knowing what to do with the dagger. He wanted to save Xiao, that much was clear, but
why? Why would someone so fearful wish to save a predator such as Xiao?

"Please..." Aether said in a weak whimper, "take the dagger out, I can heal you..." he lifted
his gaze to look into the eyes of Xiao's mask, trying not to flinch away.

Xiao was truly dumbfounded as he stared into Aether's eyes, seeing a plethora of emotions
spilling out of them in the form of tears—fear, anguish, sadness... even worry for Xiao. Even
though Xiao was a threat to him, Aether cried for him and his pain, disregarding his own
bleeding leg and injured wing.

Xiao sighed deeply, feeling dizzy at the blood loss but knowing it couldn't be helped. His
hand shook just as badly as Aether's as he reached up to grasp Aether's chin, keeping him in
place as the fairy tried to shy away from the touch. "This wound, this pain... it's the only thing
keeping me from tearing you apart," he said gently. Aether stared at him for a long moment,
shock dancing in his eyes, keeping him still enough for Xiao's head to tip forward until his
forehead rested against his shoulder, feeling the pain slowly numbing.

"But.. but you'll die," Aether whispered, his brain trying to process that what Xiao had done
was for him.

Xiao was trying to protect him by inflicting so much pain on himself so that he wouldn't lose
control and hurt him. The thought made the flow of Aether's tears stop. Xiao was trying to
hold himself back when no other creature would; he was stopping himself from hurting him
even though he had more than enough strength to break Aether apart, inside out.

Xiao let out a light puff of laughter, only heard by Aether from the stillness of their
surroundings.

"As if someone like me could die just from this. But you...— nothing would be able to save
you if I..." Xiao didn't finish his sentence and simply sighed deeply, feeling ashamed that he
was speaking such terrifyingly true words. He fixed his eyes on Aether, assessing him
through the green tints of his mask. "You told me to let you go, but look at you," Xiao lifted
his gaze to look at Aether's bleeding wing, cut up by a branch while he had been running. The
fragile, translucent material hadn't been strong enough to stand through the force of the
branch. Then, Xiao's gaze dropped down to Aether's leg, where the fangs of that wolf had
sunken. It was lucky that tonight wasn't a full moon—otherwise, the bite would have affected
Aether for the worst.

"You won't make it far with these injuries before more creatures come after you. You won't
be able to run away or protect yourself then." Xiao finished.

Aether's hands still shook, staring down at them as they held Xiao's injured hand. "What can I
do then?" He asked weakly, sniffling a little. His eyes followed the movement of Xiao's other
hand as it shifted to rest on top of Aether's. His gloved hand felt warm to the touch on the
cold night—Aether could find comfort in having his hand engulfed by Xiao.

"You can come with me. I'll keep you safe from everything else... and from myself too," Xiao
whispered. He didn't know why he was offering when he didn't trust himself to live up to his
own words. Aether was no better off with someone like him than he was out in the wild like
this... but something about this felt right. Xiao saw the fragility in his eyes and knew he
couldn't move on without at least trying. He was a guardian, after all. It was his duty to guard,
to protect those who crossed his lands. He couldn't leave someone as beautiful and frail as
Aether to continue towards the doors of death.

Aether looked up into Xiao's eyes, wishing he could see past the mask to see the emotion in
them, what Xiao was feeling while he made his offer.

Aether should've been scared and shouldn't have wanted to trust Xiao. After all, he'd been
through so much. He'd seen the ugly side of men first-hand—he shouldn't trust Xiao. Xiao
could easily double-cross him, take him somewhere more secluded and do whatever he
wished with Aether... but he would be lying if he said he felt any hostility in the man's actions
and intentions after he'd stabbed himself for him.
That had been the first time he'd ever heard of a man stopping himself like this. He couldn't
believe he got to witness it with his own eyes.

Xiao squeezed Aether's hand gently as if aware that Aether was tempted to accept his offer. "I
won't force you, but you fairies... everyone thinks you're extinct. You might be one of the last
ones alive, but you'll die if you continue on your own."

There was truth to Xiao's words, making them sink into Aether's mind. His death would be
inevitable if he continued like this. If not from an infected wound, Aether would die at the
hands of another creature—neither methods of death were easy to face. He would be tortured
if he got caught by anyone else—Xiao could've been one of them. He had a hundred ripe
opportunities to attack Aether, but he held himself back to keep him safe. Aether had no
excuse not to trust him when the man stabbed himself just for him; Aether knew in his heart
that there was no way he could make it without somebody's help, not when his body got
weaker with every passing moment, and his eyes drooped more and more.

Xiao's calming presence became more apparent in Aether's sights, he had so much potential
to hurt Aether even worse than those wolves, but he emanated a gentle, warm calmness that
seeped into Aether. His presence soothed his crying, reducing it to sniffles and regulating his
adrenaline levels, allowing exhaustion to finally set it.

Was it really okay to trust Xiao? It was so tempting, to just hide away in another's arms and
sleep comfortably for once.`

He found himself getting attracted to the heat wafting from Xiao's body, comforting him and
his weakened body as he scooted closer to Xiao for more comfort. Xiao took a calming
breath, able to think of nothing but the pain in his arm as he pulled Aether close to his body
until the blonde sat on his lap, ignoring the way his heart leaped at the feeling of Aether's
body against his own, feeling somewhat victorious at the way Aether curled up to him. Xiao
watched through the mask as Aether finally let himself off his guard, cuddling up to Xiao's
chest to cocoon himself in the warm wafting from him.

"You... you really won't hurt me?" Aether murmured, resting his head against Xiao's
collarbone. He knew that if Xiao wanted to hurt him, he would've done so the moment he got
closer to heal him. Now, he was wrapped in Xiao's arms, but the man made no movements to
harm him.

Aether had never felt like this before, he'd never dared get close to any man like this, it wasn't
that he didn't want to, but Aether knew that if he had ever tried, he would've been ripped to
shreds. It felt so comforting being in Xiao's arms, having someone else in his presence
without the intent of hurting him. He never wanted this feeling of safety and warmth to end,
but his eyelids began to droop more and more.

"I won't, I'll cut my hand off before that happens." Xiao watched as Aether's eyes closed, his
pretty golden eyelashes fluttering shut as he curled up in Xiao's lap, falling asleep against his
chest. Xiao didn't move in fear of waking him up and startling him, but his eyes fixed
themselves on Aether's beautiful face. Now that Xiao took a proper look at him, he felt his
heart skipping a beat at Aether's beauty, his skin had its own natural golden glow to it,
dimmer than the glow of his wings, but it made him look ethereal.
Xiao felt that urge rising in his chest again the more he got used to the pain from his new
wound. The feeling of wanting to pin Aether to the ground, to rip off the ragged and shaggy
clothes he wore, and fuck him, take his virginity, take away his purity until Aether begged
and cried for him to stop. He wanted to see those eyes full of tears again, tears of fear, pain,
and pleasure.

The sane part of Xiao just wanted to make Aether feel good, wanted to kiss his cheeks, make
him smile, massage his body, and make him feel happy while fucking into the blonde. But all
premature affected on other creatures that drove them to insanity no matter their good
intentions. This instinct made Xiao want to see him in tears, covered with his own blood from
bites and scratches made by Xiao's hands, wanted to pluck his wings, render him utterly
helpless.

The dark thoughts made Xiao suck in a deep breath, his instincts kicking in, causing him to
lean his face closer to Aether's, ready to devour his lips. His hands subconsciously met at the
small of Aether's back, and with a sharp movement, Xiao twisted the knife into his hand and
grunted terribly with pain, his head falling into the crook of Aether's neck, though the blonde
didn't stir awake, continuing to sleep peacefully. Xiao heaved in pain but felt no regrets for
causing himself such agony.

He knew that he couldn't be having thoughts like this about Aether. Aether, who seemed so
vulnerable, so fearful, so hopeless for his survival in the world, finally managed to find safety
in Xiao's arms. It was clear that Aether harbored no love for the world and its inhabitants nor
love for himself. His ability to trust was in shambles, all he had ever known was fear, fear for
his life, fear of having his virginity taken from him against his will, fear of being alone.

At last, he had found someone willing to give him a chance, willing to protect him, unwilling
to harm him, and managed to trust him enough to fall asleep in his arms, leaving himself
vulnerable to attack in hopes that Xiao wouldn't attack him. If Xiao were to break that trust
and hurt him after he had left himself in his hands, the Yaksha would never be able to forgive
himself for doing that to someone he promised to protect. Aether would never trust him
again, would never trust anyone again, would lose his will to fight. The sane part of Xiao
loathed thinking of himself being the cause of Aether's tears.

***

Aether gently stirred awake to the feeling of fingers brushing against his wing. He felt so
warm and comfortable after such a long time, he was on his stomach, his head resting on his
folded arms, lying on a soft surface. He almost didn't want to open his eyes, the feeling of
soothing fingers against his wings was comforting for him, along with the surface he slept on.
How long had it been since he'd last felt so safe, carefree, and warm?

Likely never, now that he thought about it. Still, his mind didn't allow itself any peace,
reminding him of the events from before he had fallen asleep, he became alert, his eyes
shooting open. He'd been chased by werewolves, he had been injured, had almost suffered
death at the hands of those wolves. Aether became aware of his surroundings, panic settling
into his heart as he realized that he was in an unfamiliar place.
He got up quickly, his eyes wide with fear as he quickly turned around to see who was
caressing his back. A small yelp of surprise erupted from the person sitting behind him as
Aether flipped around to sit up, pulling his wings away from the touch. A blonde woman sat
in a seat by his bed, startled by his sudden movement.

In her hands was a box of what appeared to be an ointment of sorts that she had been
applying to his wing. She immediately recognized the look of fear in his eyes from being in
an unfamiliar place, not knowing whether he was safe. She said in a soothing voice, "I'm not
here to hurt you, you're safe, I'm just trying to treat your injured wing." She told him, trying
to coax him out of his startled state.

Aether studied her for a moment, as if trying to figure her out. He glanced at his surroundings
and saw that he was in... a human establishment, a bedroom. He laid in a soft and warm bed,
under sheets of silk that made him feel like he was lying on top of clouds. Aether didn't feel
like he was in danger around the woman, she didn't seem to be affected by the instinct. He
tried to remember what had happened to him, how he'd ended up here, but no recollection
came to him.

The woman saw the way he tried to think for a moment about where he was and helped fill in
the gaps in his memory, "Guardian Xiao brought you here last night. He saved you from a
pack of wolves and brought you here at Wangshu Inn for treatment and safety," She told him.
It came back to Aether immediately after finding out his name and what he was. A guardian
had come to save him, he had slain all the threats to Aether, even quenched his own instincts
by stabbing himself in the palm just so Aether wouldn't get hurt.

Aether's heart began to calm down at the thought of him. He looked around the room for any
sign of him, disappointed to find no one save for the woman who watched his reactions with
a kind smile. Aether looked at her, still showing some wariness even though he knew she
couldn't harm him.

"Who are you..? And the Guardian who saved me, who was he? Where did he go?" Aether
asked her, feeling curiosity nipping at his heart. She quickly answered his questions in hopes
that it'll put him at ease, "I'm Verr Goldet, I manage Wangshu Inn. Humans on travels usually
come to us for shelter, but we take in individuals from other species as well. Most humans are
unaware of the existence of supernatural creatures, but after being here for so long, you tend
to pick up on a few things."

She gave him a reassuring smile, gazing at his beautiful wings. The uninjured half fluttered a
little, reacting to the admiration in Verr Goldet's eyes at the sight of them. Then she frowned
as she gazed at the other one that had a rip in it. Aether couldn't feel the pain anymore, for
which he was grateful. But he could feel the wound just like any other, a rip that could not be
sewn back together. He glanced back at it as well and sighed gravely, knowing he would
never be able to fly with them again.

Verr Goldet tore her eyes away from it, gazing down at the box of ointment she was holding,
"Guardian Xiao was the man who saved you and brought you here for shelter after you were
attacked. He is the Guardian of Guili Plains and all those that walk across its lands, he stays
here at the heart of Guili to watch over the land. Once he saw that someone was in danger, he
rushed out of here to come to your aid..." Aether listened quietly, absorbing the information
while taking in his surroundings.

He gazed at the bedsheets he sat on. They were comfortable, he felt calmer, more relaxed
now than he had ever before, he didn't know if it was the cozy environment, the presence of a
woman who would not harm him... or the thought of Xiao that made him feel tranquil. Even
in the colony, there was always a feeling that something would go wrong one day, there was
never truly any peace in his or Lumine's hearts.

"His hand... he stabbed himself, will it recover?" Verr seemed to smile at his words as if
proud, proud of what, Aether couldn't tell. She was proud of Xiao for holding himself back,
for not bringing harm to a fairy as sweet and endangered as Aether. "You should worry about
your own wounds, but well.. he can easily recover in no more than a few days, but his hand
had also been fractured from the girth of the knife he used. He's using that pain as a means to
keep himself calm and won't let it recover." Aether curled up on the bed, pulling his knees
into his chest and staring dazedly back at her.

He couldn't help wondering why Xiao would do this for him, why he would go through so
much pain just to save Aether, "Why... why is he doing all this for someone like me?
Someone who has no future ahead of him.." Verr Goldet gazed at him sadly at his words. She
couldn't help reaching out a tentative hand to him, placing it gently above Aether's.

"I don't know his reason, but if I were in his shoes... I'd want to save you just to see some
light shining in your eyes, to show you not all aspects of this world are terrible." Aether
stared at her, dumbfounded, watching as she stood up from her seat. She offered him another
smile, trying to put him at ease, "I had just finished treated your wounds before you woke up.
I'll take my leave, but if you need anything, Xiao is right outside, and I'll be downstairs, you
can come find me any time as well. You're free to stay here as long as you like with Guardian
Xiao, we won't let anything harm you."

Aether watched in shock as she left, leaving behind a vacant seat. His mind whirred to
process her words of comfort, making an unfamiliar feeling settle in his heart. What was this
emotion? Something he'd only felt when he was with his sister, sharing quiet laughs, playing
with each other's hair, being there for one another like they didn't need anyone else in the
world. It was happiness, hope, peace.

Aether wanted to see Xiao, wanted to thank him for saving him, for not attacking him when
he had the clearest opportunity. He looked down at his injured leg, covered in bandages. It
didn't hurt enough for him to think it was incapable of holding his thin weight. Aether stood
up, his legs felt shaky from exertion after running so much yesterday, but he felt determined,
determined to see Xiao. He slowly crept out of the room, looking around at the balcony
outside his room.

Aether subconsciously smiled with awe as he realized the entire structure of Wangshu Inn
had been built on a tree. His eyes caught sight of a figure standing by the railing of the
balcony, looking out over the plains. Aether smiled wider at the sight of Xiao, feeling warmth
in his chest by looking at the man who'd selflessly saved him. He no longer wore his mask,
allowing it to hang on a sash tied around his waist. Aether couldn't see well, but in the dim
light, he could make out the features of a beautiful man with green hair that shone black in
the darkness and golden eyes that glowed a little.

He wanted to get a closer look and slowly shuffled out of the room, it was in the early hours
of the morning, the sun was just barely peeking out over the horizon. "...Xiao?" Aether called
out softly, alerting the man to his presence. Xiao spun around to face him. Aether's lips parted
with awe at the sight of the man's face, his sharp features and cat-like eyes. Xiao was
handsome, his eyes danced with worry in the dim glow of the morning sky, thinking
something was wrong.

He rushed to meet Aether halfway across the terrace and stopped right in front of him, trying
to locate any sign of fear in Aether's beautiful golden eyes. "Is something the matter? How
are you feeling?" Xiao asked him, keeping his voice and his tone soft, afraid he would startle
Aether. He watched as Aether shook his head softly and took a deep breath, digging his
fingernails into his palm over the bandages placed on his injured hand. The pain made him
momentarily forget that Aether was a fairy. Aether gazed at the action, the measures Xiao had
to take to keep from harming him, with melancholy.

He slowly took Xiao's hands in his own, gazing down at them and tenderly holding his
injured palm. "I just wanted to say... thank you. Thank you for saving me and protecting me.
But... I can't bear to watch you do this to yourself for me, I can heal you in seconds," Xiao
stared at him, trying to decipher any hidden meaning behind Aether's words, looking for fear
in his eyes again, he was relieved to find none.

Aether trusted Xiao enough to not feel any fear, the thought made Xiao's heart swell with
pride, encouraged him to try even harder to make sure he lived up to Aether's trust. "Trying to
heal me will lead you to shed blood or tears for me. I promised myself tonight never to let
that happen because of me." Aether looked up at Xiao, wide-eyed and stricken. Xiao didn't
realize just how much his words meant to Aether.

Xiao failed his own promise too quickly, watching as Aether blinked his eyes before tears
began shining them. His heart leaped a little as Aether wrapped his arms around him, pulling
him into a hug and beginning to cry into his shoulder. "N-No, what did I just say, I said I
won't let you cry from fear anymore," Xiao stammered, feeling panicked from making Aether
cry already. He felt Aether shaking his head at his words, beginning to sob softly, "It's not
that, t-they aren't tears of fear. I'm just... so happy,"

Xiao pursed his lips. Just the simplest act of kindness towards Aether had been enough to win
his trust, to make him happy, safe. How could he ever have thought to ruin a man as precious
as Aether? He wrapped his arms around Aether's back and nuzzled his face into the crook of
the blonde's neck, wishing he could kiss it. "I won't let anything hurt you again." Xiao dug his
fingers into his palm again.

***

'Today's the day, isn't it?' Aether thought to himself, a giddy smile on his face as he sat in the
comfort of his room at the center of the bed. He brushed through his long golden locks with a
comb, gently easing out any knots from them after his bath. He sat alone but didn't feel any
fear, knowing Xiao would be right outside. A warm feeling settled in his chest, just as it did
every time the man's name came to mind, which was often.

He smiled a little, clutching his chest just above his heart. The day had finally come, his
birthday. It had been four weeks since Aether had first been saved and rescued by Xiao, the
days had passed by in such a blur, yet it felt like he'd known (and been in love with) Xiao an
eternity. His heart began to beat a little faster under his palm, he could finally admit it, he had
feelings for Xiao, Xiao, the man who'd saved him, Xiao, the man who'd injured himself for
him, Xiao, the man who treated him like nothing less than an angel.

He pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face in them, a blush making its way onto his
pale cheeks as he hid his smile against his knees. Aether wondered how it had happened, how
and when he'd found himself falling in love with Xiao. Of course, it was easy to believe that
Aether would've fallen for the man eventually, after he'd treated Aether like he was someone
worth saving, someone worth fighting for, someone worth affection.

The past four weeks had been nothing short of bliss with Aether being in Xiao's care. Aether
was able to do anything he wanted, ask for anything from Xiao, and the man would just stare
at him for a moment with calculating golden eyes, before doing everything in his power to
make Aether's wishes come true. Xiao allowed him to get away with too much, allowed him
too much leverage over himself, but he never seemed to care or mind so long as he got to see
Aether smile.

At times, if Aether was feeling lonely or just cuddly, he would go out onto the terrace and ask
Xiao for a hug. He remembered the first time he'd done that. Aether had been feeling restless
one night during his first week at Wangshu Inn, unable to sleep no matter how much he
twisted and turned. He remembered getting up, allowing his night robes (that Verr had gotten
for him on Xiao's request) to fall over his body in layers, and slowly cracking open his room's
door to peer outside into the balcony. He had seen Xiao sitting cross-legged on the wooden
floor, seemingly awake but with his eyes closed.

In all his time spent at Wangshu Inn alongside Xiao, Aether had never seen the guardian
sleep. He was always alert to his surroundings, his ears listening for far-away noises, his
eyes, although closed, seemed to be watching over his territory. Xiao worked diligently, never
taking a rest, never allowing anything to get in between himself and his duty... until Aether
came along. The blonde had crept out of the room and quietly took a seat next to Xiao on the
ground.

The man didn't seem to hear the sounds of his quiet footsteps, his ears focused instead on the
happenings of Guili Plains rather than the space beside himself. It was safe to say that Aether
had startled Xiao terribly when he dared to lean close enough to rest his head on Xiao's
shoulder, not wishing to disturb him in case this was Xiao's way of sleeping.

Xiao had reprimanded him for at least five minutes, claiming that startling him was never the
right move considering he could've gotten hurt, but Aether had just rocked back and forth,
smiling on like he couldn't care less. Instead of listening to Xiao's words, all he listened to
was his voice, quiet and soothing even as he tried to scold Aether. His voice had begun to lull
Aether to sleep. When Xiao had finished his tirade, Aether had keenly asked, "Is it okay if
you slept next to me tonight?"
His words had left Xiao speechless for several moments, his mouth opening and closing as if
not knowing how to respond. "I want... to cuddle with you," Aether told Xiao, slowly
scooting closer to the man as if looking for a heat source. He'd managed to drag Xiao into the
room even as the guardian tried to insist that he was on duty, but had ultimately given in to
Aether's demands when the blonde placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

That night, Aether had slept like a baby, safe and sound in Xiao's arms and cuddling up to his
warm chest, falling asleep to the sound of his beating heart thumping loudly in his ribcage as
Xiao soothingly brushed his fingers against his hair. Aether smiled serenely at the memory,
remembering how safe he felt in Xiao's arms, even though he knew there was a battle going
on in the guardian's mind every time Aether came near him.

That only made him feel even safer, even though Xiao had instincts to hurt him, he
suppressed them even though none else would be willing to try, never once touching Aether
in a way he didn't like. He was always considerate of Aether, never engaging touch unless
Aether asked, never doing anything against his will, and always keeping Aether's needs in
view.

One time, Verr Goldet had brought up a basket of berries for Aether. Xiao had noticed that
the ones Aether ate first (with the most delight and a big smile on his face) were strawberries.
When prompted, Aether had told Xiao that strawberries were his favorite, they were the taste
of home, his colony had grown them because all fairies loved to eat berries. Xiao had stayed
silent, simply nodding at the time, but then the next day, Xiao hadn't been at Wangshu Inn the
whole day.

Aether had asked Verr where Xiao had gone, but the woman had no answer for him. Aether
had felt sad and lonely the whole day without Xiao's presence keeping him company, the
more hours that ticked by without Xiao's return, the more Aether began to overthink, thinking
the guardian had left him behind. However, Xiao returned late that night after Aether had
fallen asleep, allowing Aether to wake up to a fresh basket of strawberries by his bedside
table. He'd hugged Xiao hard enough to knock the wind out of the man's lungs that day.

Xiao cared for him more than anyone else, second only to perhaps Lumine, but Lumine was
family, her love for Aether was understandable, so Xiao's affections confused Aether. It
almost felt like Xiao was falling for him too, he'd place gentle kisses on Aether's forehead
while they cuddled, he'd hold Aether's hand in his own, hug him so close to his beating heart.

His affections were not that of family, but that of a lover. Eventually, inevitably, Aether
caught the same feelings back for Xiao, he fell for his caring nature, his consideration, the
way Xiao would switch tones from harsh while speaking to someone else to soft while
addressing him. He fell for the soft kisses, the gentle hugs, the sweet glances. Then came
along another problem. Accompanying Aether's love for Xiao were desires Aether had never
thought about or experienced.

Slowly, as Aether became more aware of his feelings for Xiao, he began to see him
differently. Each time Xiao touched him, it felt like a buzz would go through Aether's body,
each caress made him desire more. It made Aether want Xiao to touch him in places no one
had ever touched before, he wanted Xiao's hands all over his body, caressing him lewdly,
making him feel good.
Aether wanted Xiao's gaze on his body, taking in the sight of him bare and laid out for him,
ready for him. These desires were unfamiliar, but they made him even more confident in his
decision. Today was Aether's birthday, but he had yet to tell Xiao, biding his time. Today
marked the start of a new chapter in his life, he had finally matured, his body was ready for a
life partner to spend the rest of his life with. If he were to find a life partner today, he would
undergo metamorphosis, his wings would transform, and he would never have to fear being
taken advantage of again.

There was only one person who Aether wanted as his life partner, only one person he would
allow to feast his gaze on his body, that person was none other than Xiao. Aether's heart
swelled a little at the thought of spending his life with Xiao by his side, even more so at the
thought of sharing his first time with Xiao, whom he trusted more than all others, who was
most deserving of his love and his body.

He didn't want anyone else. That was why he made himself look extra presentable today,
hoping that Xiao would say yes, would become his and make Aether his own as well. Aether
slowly got up from the bed, leaving his hair open, falling over his shoulders, his robes were
pure white, complimenting his skin and golden wings even more. He hoped he looked
beautiful enough in Xiao's eyes to tempt the guardian into making him his.

He ventured out of his room, having not seen Xiao the entire day. The guardian sat in his
usual spot, his eyes closed. Aether had learned his lesson in the few times he'd managed to
scare Xiao out of his wits while he meditated, opting to call out to the guardian instead.
"Xiao..?" He whispered, making his eyes open immediately at the sound of Aether calling his
name. He stood up and turned to face Aether. Xiao froze, his lips parted at the sight of
Aether, dressed in pure white robes that hung down to his feet in layers. White robes had
always been a symbol of purity in Teyvat.

Aether looked nothing short of stunning, his golden eyes, golden hair, and golden wings all
seemed to glow in the company of the white gown. Xiao felt his throat going dry, causing his
fingers to dip into his wound again. He hadn't allowed it to heal for these types of situations,
creating the wound behind Aether's back over and over every time it tried to heal. "Aether..."
Xiao whispered, not daring to take a step towards the blonde, feeling that now, seeing Aether
look so beautiful, so ethereal, even the pain in his hand wouldn't be enough to keep him from
pouncing on the blonde.

Instead, Aether was the first to approach Xiao, taking nervous steps towards the man he
loved until he was right in front of Xiao, their eyes never leaving each other's. Aether took
Xiao's hands in his own, holding them gently in front of them. He could feel them shaking
with the effort of holding back and couldn't help smiling, even now, Xiao was trying to keep
himself in line.

"I wanted to ask you something..." Aether whispered, feeling his throat drying up as he
prepared himself for what he was about to say. Xiao tilted his head a little, gazing down at
him with his cat-like eyes as if telling Aether to proceed. "You'll always protect me, right?"
Xiao looked momentarily surprised, as if he had not been expecting such a question. He
answered without hesitation, "Always," It made Aether's heart thump with affection. "Why?
Why would you want to protect someone like me, who can't give you anything in return?" He
asked, feeling himself leaning closer and closer to Xiao.

Xiao was silent for a moment, as if thinking. Aether hoped, prayed, that Xiao would say what
he was hoping he'd say. Why did Xiao do all these things for Aether? He asked himself that
question, and despite how intimidating it was, the answer came to Xiao almost instantly, but
could he say it out loud? What if it wasn't what Aether wanted? What if Aether ran away
from him if he found out the answer, thinking he was in danger?

The thought saddened him. He wanted to be honest with Aether, to tell him what had been
plaguing his mind for the last month, to tell him of his desires. "You do give me something in
return. I get to see your smile whenever I do something you like." Aether's lips parted with
shock, feeling the warmth in his heart double as Xiao continued, "I'm... not good at feelings,
but.. I think I've fallen in love with you." Xiao watched as Aether processed his words with a
nervous look in his eyes, but it melted away as a big smile made its way onto Aether's lips.

Aether laughed a little, feeling relief wash over him at Xiao's words as he threw his arms
around Xiao's neck, hugging him. "I'm so glad you said that," Aether held onto Xiao tight
enough to restrict the man's breathing, though he didn't say anything, allowing Aether to do
as he pleased just because he could feel Aether smiling as their cheeks pressed against each
other. "Do you..?" Xiao whispered, feeling himself getting more and more hopeful from the
perfect reaction. All this time, he'd been suppressing these feelings, but the slightest chance
that they may be reciprocated made him unbelievably happy.

Aether nodded happily, confirming his unfinished question, he loved him back. "Today... it's
a special day. It's my birthday today, and I can find a life partner to help me transform, to
spend the rest of my life with. I want it to be you, Xiao, only you," Aether kissed him on the
cheek happily, feeling their hearts beating as one, pounding in their chests against each other.
"Please mate with me, make me yours... save me from ever getting hurt again,"

Xiao's eyes were wide as his face rested on Aether's shoulders, his mind whirring, trying to
process Aether's words in every possible analogy. The word 'mate' replayed in his mind over
and over again. "Will you..?" Aether asked tentatively. Aether's body became more apparent
under his palms as he held his waist, it could be his if he just said yes, it wasn't against
Aether's will. Aether wanted to be lovers with him, wanted him to have his body, wanted to
spend the rest of his life with him.

Aether loved him, trusted him, was loyal to him. There was no way in hell Xiao would ever
be able to say no. He pulled back from their hug and cupped Aether's face with his uninjured
hand. "Is that even a question?" Aether's eyes lit up with happiness accompanied by tears
welling up in his eyes, nuzzling his face against Xiao's palm. He was so happy for the first
time in his life. Aether tipped his head forward, allowing their lips to meet at last, their hearts
united as one.

***

"Nngh.." Aether whimpered as Xiao pinned him to the bed, his wings folding up flat against
the mattress. Xiao's hands steadily worked on stripping Aether of his robes, eager to get him
out of his apparel and finally be able to see his body while he remained clothed. Knowing
that Aether wanted this just as much as he did made it easy to ignore the pain in his hand, he
could finally let that instinct take over, but this time, his mind was stable.

He felt no urge to hurt Aether as he did the day they first met, his love was too strong for him
to desire anything but the sound of Aether moaning his name with ecstasy and to be inside of
him, making him feel good. He knew to be gentle, considering it was Aether's first time, but
it was difficult to control the urge to raze his lover when he looked so beautiful beneath him.
He managed to open his robes without ripping them apart, taking a moment to freeze up and
stare at his lover's body.

Aether blushed heavily, feeling Xiao's weighty gaze running all over his body possessively.
Xiao took in the sight of Aether's deep collarbone, shuddering a little with every breath he
took. His eyes trailed down to Aether's chest, onto his taut pink nipples standing straight with
arousal. His ribs showed just a little, but Aether's weight had gotten a lot better under Xiao's
watchful eye as the man made it his business to make sure Aether was well-fed to bring his
weight to something more healthy.

Aether's legs looked pure, silky smooth, and soft to the touch, his knees rubbing together
subconsciously as he felt shy under Xiao's intense gaze. His naked body looked ethereal in
the glow of his wings spread out on the bed behind him, he looked nothing short of
breathtaking. After tonight, he would be Xiao's and only Xiao's, no one would get to see this
sight except for him, no one would ever have their lives blessed with the love of a fairy
except for him.

He pressed his hands firmly against Aether's torso, cringing inwardly at the feeling of his stab
wound stretching, but it wasn't enough to stop him. He wanted to feel every bit of Aether,
taste every part of him, kiss every inch of his body until his lover was a begging, blushing
mess. His hands spread out around Aether's body, grasping and groping at every bit of flesh
around his torso before traveling up to his chest. He pinched Aether's pecs between his
fingers, watching as the skin molded into his hand like smooth dough, his nipples flushing as
the blood began to pump through Aether's body with excitement.

Aether did nothing but watch as Xiao claimed every inch of him with a hungry look in his
eye, feeling exhilarated under the warmth of Xiao's ungloved hands. Xiao rolled Aether's
nipples around with the tips of his index fingers, adoring the way the blonde moaned at the
friction, his chest becoming sensitive under his touch. He pinched his pecs again, leaning his
face down until it was level with Aether's chest.

Xiao stuck his tongue out and ran it experimentally over his nipple, flicking the bud with the
tip of his tongue. He hummed as Aether's hands slipped into his hair to tangle themselves at
his roots while he clamped his mouth around the bud with mirth. Aether's face was bright red
with embarrassment and pleasure, moaning and feeling lewd at the thought that he was
having his nipples sucked on. He could feel Xiao's hands traveling down his body, his mouth
following shortly after briefly teasing his nipples, telling himself he'd come back to them
later.

Xiao kissed down Aether's abdomen, tickling his skin with featherweight kisses that made the
ticklish blonde smile. Xiao's heart swelled with love at the sight of Aether smiling down at
him as he reached the hem of his narrow white underwear. His hands massaged into Aether's
thighs, licking his lips as his fingertips dipped into the fair skin.

He licked Aether's bulging cock right over his underwear, feeling the wetness of the fabric
from his lover's precum. Aether's legs shot to clamp around his head at the feeling of his
tongue pressed flat against his cock, held back only by Xiao's hands that kept him firmly
pinned down. "Easy..." Xiao coaxed, sucking on his dick through the white material, causing
Aether to moan gently, fisting the bedsheets.

"Please..." Aether whimpered as Xiao bit into the hem of his underwear, pulling it down his
legs and revealing the entirety of his body to Xiao. He licked his lips at the sight of Aether's
beautiful cock, springing straight up with arousal and dripping light precum. Xiao licked a
droplet of the white substance off the tip, humming gently at the taste. It wasn't exactly what
he would call delicious, but the fact that it came from Aether's body aroused him to no end.

His tongue wished to venture further back, causing him to hook his arms around Aether's
thighs, pulling him closer and lifting his legs off the bed to pull his ass into view. He licked
his lips at the sight, grabbing Aether's ankles with one hand to keep them suspended in the air
as his face dipped down, his other hand groping Aether's ass to spread his cheeks apart. Every
aspect of Aether was so beautiful, from his shining golden eyes to his sparkling wings, down
to even his cute, twitching hole. It would be intensely easy for Xiao to be able to love every
inch of him for as long as he lived.

"Wait X-Xiao, you aren't thinking of-- ah! Wait...-- hnngh.." Xiao brought his tongue out to
lick a fat, wet stripe over his hole, smirking with pleasure at the sound of Aether's helpless
moaning. He pressed his tongue harder against his entrance, licking all around the tight space
and kissing it gently, before prodding it with the tip of his tongue, trying to squeeze its way
inside the opening, making Aether's eyes widen as he scratched the bed. He could feel his
toes curling in the air above his body where Xiao held them in place.

"Xi-Xiao.. please," Xiao didn't listen to any words he spoke, feeling high on the feeling of
Aether's body against his tongue as he finally managed to pry his way into the tight opening.
His tongue felt like it was being suffocated inside Aether as the blonde clamped tightly
around it. "A-Ah.." He moaned, feeling Xiao's tongue wriggling inside of him, licking up his
squishy walls, tasting every bit of him.

Xiao grunted quietly, feeling how tight Aether was and knowing that his work was cut out for
him. He lubed up Aether's hole well before moving back, sitting up from his lying position
between Aether's legs. He spat on his fingers, seeing Aether watching him, panting heavily as
he stared at the spit dripping down Xiao's fingers. "Sit," Xiao told him, taking Aether's hand
and tugging him into a sitting position.

He shifted to sit cross-legged on the bed, pulling Aether into his lap and kissing his neck.
"Watch how well you take my fingers," Xiao whispered, making Aether whimper at the lewd
comment, glancing down as Xiao's hand ventured down to his hole, poking against it and
rubbing over it with his fingertips. Aether watched as Xiao pressed his first finger inside,
pushing past his rim to disappear inside of him.
Aether's eyes widened with the feeling, his mouth falling open breathlessly as his hands
gripped Xiao's shoulders, digging his nails into the skin. He couldn't tear his eyes away from
the sight of Xiao's finger pushing inside him steadily, in and out, making obscene squelching
sounds inside of him. "You love it, don't you?" Xiao whispered against his ear, biting into it
as he winced, feeling Aether's nails digging under his skin.

Aether could only moan in response as Xiao pushed inside up to his knuckle, twisting his
finger around in different directions to look for his sweet spot. His finger brushed against it,
his eyes following the way Aether's back arched as he moaned his name lasciviously, driving
his mind to the edge as he began to press into that spot again and again, taking in Aether's
moans with great pleasure. He pushed inside his second finger in an attempt to loosen him
up, watching Aether's face scrunch up with pain and discomfort as he panted.

"Please..." Aether mewled as Xiao spread his fingers apart inside of him, watching his lewd
expression with internal delight, thinking about how beautiful his lover was. A warm feeling
settled inside of him, Aether was his lover now, he would be Aether's life partner, he would
spend the rest of his life with him.

The thought got him even more excited as he smacked his fingers into his prostate forcefully,
smiling just a little as Aether let out a small scream of pleasure, his eyebrows arching as a
hefty amount of precum dribbled down his shaft. Xiao pulled his fingers out, unable to wait
any longer even though he didn't want to hurt Aether, but he felt as if he'd be even rougher if
he was made to wait any longer.

After all, he'd been patiently holding back for four weeks, taking in Aether's sweet scent, the
sights of his pretty eyes and his pretty lips, his beautiful body, and managed to keep himself
sane with much difficulty. Now, it was finally time for his patience to pay off, Aether was his,
only his. Xiao laid down on the bed and pulled Aether on top of himself, wishing to see his
lover's face while he had his cock up inside him.

Xiao pulled Aether down to kiss him, hugging his body close, making sure the blonde could
feel his erection shuddering beneath him. Aether bit his lip gently, nibbling on it as he ground
down on Xiao's cock, feeling a deep urge to have it inside of himself. He clawed at the hem
of Xiao's pants, wishing to have them removed, wanting to see Xiao's body as well before all
else.

Xiao lifted his upper body to tug off his shirt, throwing it to the ground to join Aether's robes,
allowing Aether to finally see his body. Xiao's body was littered with thick scars, stitch
marks, and blemishes from his skirmishes, but none of them were unsightly in Aether's eyes.
Contrarily, he couldn't help smiling at the sight, running his fingers over the biggest one
across Xiao's ribs and feeling its bumps and pits. These scars were what made Xiao himself,
they were a part of him and everything that was a part of Xiao was loved by Aether.

Xiao gazed at the affection dancing in Aether's eyes, matching the same lovestruck look. He
took off his pants and undergarments as best he could with Aether on top of him, watching as
the blonde sat back to take a good look at his cock. Aether licked his lips at the sight of the
quaking organ as it shuddered, standing up against his inner thighs as he gently ground down
on it. This was really happening, he was going to lose his virginity like this, and Xiao would
be his first and last.
Xiao could also hardly believe it, he was one of the rare few who ever took a fairy's virginity,
perhaps the only one who got to do it with his fairy's consent. The thought was something to
be prideful about, it was a precious thing, Aether trusted him enough to give him his mind,
body, and heart. He was unable to keep himself waiting any longer and tugged Aether to lie
on top of him again, hugging him close with his injured hand and moving his other arm down
to cup his cock in his palm to hold it in place.

"I can do it, right..?" Xiao asked, making sure Aether was comfortable on top of him. Aether
simply smiled at him and placed a kiss on his nose, feeling no fear and no doubts on whether
he wanted to do this with Xiao.

"Yes, I love you, Xiao." Xiao didn't wait a moment longer, moving his cock to Aether's
entrance and slowly beginning to push Aether down on it, entering him at a snail's pace.
Aether's eyes widened with intense pain from the way they girth stretched his tight hole apart,
but Xiao was too far gone to stop, holding Aether tightly and just barely restraining himself
from thrusting his hips up. "A-Ah..." Aether whimpered with pain but didn't let it stop him,
pushing himself up into a sitting position and beginning to push down on it, taking more and
more in until he couldn't anymore.

He stopped for a solid moment, biting his lip at the feeling that seemed like he'd been filled
all the way up to his throat like he was about to be split in half. He loved the gentle twitches
of Xiao's cock inside of him, gazing down at his lover's face to see it flushed as he panted,
trying to get himself together. He stared back at Aether, almost not believing how beautiful
he looked in the darkness, illuminated by nothing save for the glow of his wings and his
beautiful skin.

He was lucky, so damn lucky to be able to have Aether like this. Aether attempted to lift his
hips up halfway, feeling Xiao's cock rubbing against his insides as he scratched his nails into
Xiao's abs. He braced himself for the impact and slammed his hips down, not knowing what
to expect. His voice cracked as he cried out intensely when Xiao's cock dug itself straight
into his prostate. His eyes rolled back as his body went rigid, like an electric shock had gone
through his entire body from the roots of his hair down to his toes.

Xiao didn't allow him a moment's rest, he felt the same pleasure, the feeling of pure ecstasy
that became almost addictive immediately. Xiao began to thrust upwards inside Aether,
bouncing him on his cock with every thrust making Aether scream and cry from the
overwhelming pleasure. Tears began to streak down his cheeks as he stared down at Xiao.

"D-Don't cry," Xiao whispered, sitting up as he panted heavily, cupping Aether's cheek with
his injured hand and trying to soothe him. Instead, Aether pulled back, his fingers grasping
Xiao's hand even though they shook to the point of aching. Even as he cried and moaned, he
began to take off Xiao's bandage, unable to think of anything though his fingers moved of
their own accord.

Xiao's ugly stab wound came into view, and Aether immediately brought his hand back to his
cheek, pressing against it and nuzzling it, allowing the flow of tears to meet the wound.
Immediately, Xiao's hand stopped hurting, his eyes widening as he saw the stab wound
fading, his fractured bone correcting itself. Xiao hugged Aether close and kissed him.
 "I love you too," He whispered, watching as Aether smiled happily. "I'll give you anything
you want in this world, I'll help you find your sister, and I will protect you until my dying
breath," Xiao kissed Aether's hands, causing him to shed even more tears at his vows. They
sealed them in a bond, causing Aether's wings to glow brighter and brighter, causing both of
them to shut their eyes as it got too much for their eyes.

They kept at it, holding each other beneath the darkness of their eyelids, united, one with
each other, until the light faded. Xiao opened his eyes, and his eyes widened. "Your... your
wings," He whispered, awed. Aether's previously small golden wings had transformed, had
grown bigger, wider, grander, the rip had repaired itself. They sparkled in the dark like gold,
giving him an appearance better than that of an angel. This was the sign of their love, the
ascension of Aether's beautiful wings represented just how beautiful their love was. Xiao
couldn't help thinking about how he managed to get someone as beautiful as Aether to fall for
him.

Chapter End Notes

I wanted to post this ASAP, knowing that 2.2 is coming up very soon and we'd all find
ourselves busy after it hits, I really hope you enjoyed this long rollercoaster of a ride!
 Pictophilia (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

When Diluc moves into his new apartment, he finds himself intrigued by his quiet and
mysterious neighbor, Kaeya. Sometimes, odd noises seem to come from next door that
lead Diluc to uncover secrets about Kaeya that would change their relationship forever.

Chapter Notes

Writing famous, rich, modern-day, undercover Diluc drives me absolutely bonkers

because mans is trying to keep his identity hidden when he has fucking flaming red
bushy un-hideable hair. Still, I hope you all enjoy this long-ass chapter!

It's a lil mix of the Loud prompt + the Camboy prompt but meh I've lost all fucks to
give.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

* Pictophilia: Sexual arousal by watching porn.

Diluc's eyelids twitched a little, his shut eyes fluttering open as his ears picked up yet another
quiet whine coming from the apartment next to his own.

The walls did very little to keep Diluc's ears from ringing with the sound of his next-door
neighbor moaning out with pleasure with little regard to who did or didn't hear him. His red
eyes shone a little with arousal at the cute, unfiltered noises that filled his apartment building,
coming not from inside Diluc's house but the one next door.

He tried to shut the noise out of his ears, choosing to occupy his mind by studying the
different patterns on his bedroom's ceiling, but after having done so a hundred times before, it
failed to distract him.

His eyes shut again as he tried to block out the lewd sounds, telling himself not to get aroused
by the sounds coming from the other side of his bedroom wall. Diluc rested in his large bed
with his arm curled up behind his head, though he knew very well that on a Saturday like this
one, he wouldn't be able to get any sleep at all.

He supposed he could've slept through the noises, but the thing was, he didn't want to. He
wished to listen to them more and more, take in every moan, every whimper, every
squelching sound with mirth—like music to his ears. The pretty moans plagued his house, but
Diluc didn't particularly mind them, far from it, he loved them. He loved every pitch Kaeya's
voice took, every crack in the voice that produced these moans, every cry, and every
whimper; he enjoyed listening to them.

That's right. The sounds of gentle moaning and squelching came from next door were from
the way his neighbor fucked himself with his many dildos, listening to them brought him
great pleasure, but not as much as watching it all happen. Diluc could, of course, bring out
his phone and see what was happening next door, but again, he was trying to keep himself
from falling into Kaeya's lulling trap.

Diluc was a rich man, young and handsome, with arguably the entirety of Mondstadt's regal
city in the palm of his hand, but he was a simple man as well. He chose to lead a quiet life in
an expensive apartment complex, avoiding living in his luxurious mansion outside Mondstadt
to avoid the commute there and back. That, and he didn't like the loneliness of having such a
big house to himself with no one but servants at his disposal. In spite of being a reserved and
introverted man, Diluc enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the city, the sounds of groups of
people, friends, and family talking and laughing while he looked on.

That didn't particularly mean he was lonely; there were a great many people who considered
him as their friend, but only a few he felt the same way about. He wished to lead a quiet
social life, not indulging in the same worldly pleasures as others. That was his ideology until
he moved into this apartment complex and met Kaeya. He settled here, not knowing what he
was getting himself into when he first took a moment to stop and admire the pretty man who
lived next door.

It had been his first week in the apartment when Diluc found himself smoking outside his
apartment's door. The apartment complex he inhabited had a peculiar design, hollow at the
center with floors of apartments lining up to the roof whi ch had been left open, allowing the
inhabitants to view the night sky above.

He was leaning against the railing around the edge overlooking the small park built at the
apartment complex's center, off in his own world as he tried to adjust to the new environment.
He stopped out of shock, stirring out of his thoughts when someone called out to him in no
more than a soft whisper, "Excuse me?"

Diluc's head snapped in the direction of the voice to see a man standing against the railing
next to him, an empty cigarette box in hand.

His eyes widened with surprise, trying to figure out how someone had so sneakily sauntered
to stand next to him without him noticing when they were so close to each other; he supposed
it was his fault for not being more vigilant. Diluc's first thought as he took in the sight of the
man was how attractive he was with his long navy-blue tresses falling all over his shoulders,
and his grey eye shining in the many lights of the park below like stars. His face was perfectly
shaped, and his lips were plump and heart-shaped, a small portion of his face covered by a
white, cloth eye patch.

Diluc had tried not to look as stricken as he was by the man's beauty and, keeping his voice
as nonchalant and disinterested as possible, asked, "Can I help you?" The man, whom Diluc
would come to know as Kaeya, had been staring back at him as well, seemingly startled when
Diluc spoke, but he kept himself from stumbling over his words, "Do you mind lending me a
cigarette?"

Diluc couldn't help staring at him oddly for another five to ten seconds, saying nothing and
making no movements. He felt another bout of surprise overcome him at the thought of a man
as pretty as the one standing before him, smoking. Only one thought had gone through his
head, 'Your lips are too pretty to smoke.' He knew better than to say it out loud, knowing that
it was no business of his to tell his neighbor, a stranger whose name he didn't even know at
the time, what to do. T hat, and he wasn't exactly the boldest person when it came to flirting.
He silently retrieved his cigarette box from his pocket and popped one up, extending the box
towards the man for him to take.

Kaeya took it with a small smile aimed at Diluc as thanks, making his heart flutter a little.
Having a man as beautiful as Kaeya smile at him made the Diluc feel shy. He tried to put the
small interaction out of his mind, an odd feeling in his chest.

He had pressed his hand to his chest and found his heart beating a lot faster than normal. 'Is
my smoking finally catching up to my health?' Diluc had asked himself humorously, but he
knew the real reason was the man next to him. No one had ever made him feel nervous like
this before, he could feel his hands getting clammy as the man's soft voice repeat in his mind
over and over again, plaguing it. He almost jumped when the man called again, "Excuse me?
Ah, I'm sorry to keep on bothering you."

Diluc thought he was going insane for a second, thinking his mind was ringing with his voice,
but as he tilted his head in the man's direction, he saw that he was offering Diluc a cute
smile, leaning his elbows on the railing to tilt closer to him, his cigarette hanging out of his
mouth. He observed Diluc's actions, but could find out little about what he was feeling when
his expression remained as stony as ever, even though the man's heart jittered in his chest.

Diluc's face heated up tremendously like a fire had been set on his cheeks and ears, almost
tempting him to pat it out. He was lucky it was too dark to make out his flaming red cheeks.
The man had a wonderful smile, Diluc realized.

"It's no trouble, what is it?" Diluc used his most professional voice, knowing that once he
used it, he wouldn't be able to show what was feeling at all. Kaeya's smile seemed to widen at
his words, "My lighter's run out, would you mind lighting my cigarette for me?"

Diluc blinked at his wording, his blush deepening just a little as he quickly complied with his
request, shoving his hand into the pocket of his sweatpants and pulling his lighter out of it.
He extended it out for Kaeya to take, focusing his effort on keeping his hand from shaking.
Diluc glanced confusedly back at him when he saw that he wasn't taking the lighter.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a smooth, soft hand brushed over his. Diluc stared
with wide eyes as Kaeya's lithe fingers guided his thumb onto the ignition button, pressing
down on it to make a flame appear from the lighter. He brought his face closer to the
flickering flame and pressed the corner of his cigarette into the fire, lighting it. He moved
back slowly, his eye glancing up to see Diluc's dumbstruck face as the redhead's hand fell
back to his side, the flame dying out.
"Thank you," Kaeya said, before he turned to take a small stroll around the square boundary
of the apartment complex, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his beautiful lips. It left Diluc to
his jumbled-up thoughts as his mind raced 120 miles an hour, quickly finishing up his
cigarette and running off back inside.

Diluc sighed softly, breathing out to release the tension in his joints as his body attempted to
respond to the cute whimpers coming from the apartment next to his. After the day they met,
he learned that his neighbor's name was Kaeya. The redhead liked the way his name
smoothly rolled off his tongue every time it came to his lips. He let out another puff of breath,
giving up on sleep as he sat up, staring dazedly at the wall opposite his bed, where the noises
started from the other side of the wall.

He clicked his tongue, really, what good was an apartment complex as expensive as this one
if it didn't even come with soundproof walls? His complaints about the lack of soundproofing
were all just for show, a scapegoat to make himself feel better, when in reality, he was deeply
grateful to have the chance to listen to Kaeya in his element.

It was safe to say that Diluc had become smitten with his next-door neighbor since that day,
but he tried to remain cold and uncaring, knowing not to show his emotions in case it was
met with suspicion or dislike. Of course, Kaeya had never spared him so much as a disdainful
glance, so Diluc didn't have much of an idea what Kaeya thought of him. At first, Kaeya had
seemed normal enough on the outside, beautiful beyond comparison, but normal.

Yet there was something peculiar about the man who seemed 'normal'. He was a quiet man,
hardly a tap could be heard from his room on the daily, except for Saturdays. Diluc was
always home on Saturdays, his one day off away from upholding his professional image,
attending parties, business meetings, checking up on his various bars, and more. It was his
one day to rest, but it wasn't fated for him to get any proper rest on Saturdays ever since he
moved into the apartment complex.

On the first Saturday night since he'd moved in, he heard strange noises coming from the
other side of his walls. It took a few long moments that night to decipher what the noises
were. They were the sounds of weak, whimpery moans, the sound of a chair creaking, and the
squelching of lube. Diluc didn't have to be a genius to know that his next-door neighbor was
doing dirty things in the vicinity of his room.

Diluc wasn't proud to admit that he'd stayed by his wall the entire time it went on, listening
carefully to the happenings on the other side of the room because his curiosity on who Kaeya
really was was too great to bear.

The noises aroused him to no end, and, again, he wasn't proud to admit it, but he got off to
the sound of Kaeya's voice. Diluc was able to place that Kaeya was alone in his room that
day, but he began to doubt his intuition when Kaeya began to speak after he came, speak to
who, Diluc didn't know. He couldn't properly make out the words his voice spoke. It took
Diluc two more Saturdays to figure out what Kaeya was doing behind that wall.

Along with working towards his own pleasure, Diluc observed every little sound, every pitch
Kaeya's voice took, every creak of his abused chair. He was very sure that Kaeya was alone
in that room, but with whom did he speak after he came? There was only one theory of
Diluc's that made sense, Kaeya wasn't talking to another person in his room, but a camera
instead. It felt like Kaeya had become Diluc's obsession, of sorts.

He thought about what Kaeya did in his room more than he cared to admit, during the week,
at work, during meetings, at home, he was truly infatuated with the enigma that was his
neighbor. One might wonder why a rich businessman like Diluc, always so aloof, cold, and
quiet, would be so interested in what perverse things his neighbor did when he wasn't even
annoyed by the noises. What caused him to become so obsessed with Kaeya that he managed
to plague his thoughts every single day? The truth was, he was aroused by the noises and the
concept of Kaeya doing dirty things in front of a camera for money.

His mysterious and seemingly normal neighbor mewling like a cat in heat with dozens of
people watching him while he did naughty things to himself drove Diluc wild. He began to
have deeper urges, something more than just getting off to the sound of Kaeya's voice. If
Diluc was correct in his assumption that Kaeya was a camboy, he wanted to see for himself
what Kaeya did behind the walls of his bedroom. He wanted to watch what kind of content
Kaeya created, wanted to see his neighbor's body, what kind of faces Kaeya made when he
came, what words he spoke with his pretty lips.

The perverse thoughts about his neighbor urged Diluc to look for Kaeya on the web to see
what he did behind that wall in full view. Diluc began to go on different camboy sights,
looking for that same scruffy blue mane and that same caramel skin.

It took Diluc a while, his desperation could've been spotted in his eyes every night he came
home from work, going through different sites but never getting deterred. Nothing stopped
Diluc from finding Kaeya because of his obsession with the man. He was truly smitten,
infatuated with the man who Diluc wanted to know more about desperately, wanted to see
who Kaeya was underneath all the sly smiles and soft tones.

The obsession made Diluc feel terrible on the inside, he always felt guilty for looking for
Kaeya like this, for wanting to see his neighbor doing naughty things. He wanted to put an
end to these thoughts that plagued his mind, constantly playing in his mind at the oddest of
times, finding comfort in them.

Diluc tried to stop himself many times, telling himself this infatuation was wrong, that he
shouldn't be infiltrating Kaeya's private life like this, but it never worked out, his self-control
normally worked so well but was non-existent when it came to Kaeya. Each time he saw the
man in the elevator, saw him smoking in his balcony, or heard him moaning in his room, his
mind couldn't help but be overridden with dirty thoughts.

The urges he tried to suppress reemerged stronger than ever, and before long, he ended up
making progress in his search for Kaeya. Diluc was willing to pay millions just to see the
sight of Kaeya doing dirty things to himself in front of a camera. At last, he managed to find
Kaeya quickly enough on a particular site, Kaeya was one of the most popular camboys on it,
as far as Diluc could tell by the number of subscriptions on his page. Their apartment was,
after all, far from cheap, his money had to be coming from somewhere, dressing in designer
things, looking lavish every day of the week.
That day, Diluc had been internally ecstatic, his intense searching had finally turned up
fruitful, confirming all his theories and suspicions about what Kaeya did behind his bedroom
wall, Kaeya was a camboy, Diluc knew it for sure now. He paid the subscription fee in
seconds, but after that came the hardest part, the waiting game. Diluc was forced to wait
impatiently for the next Saturday to arrive for Kaeya to go live. It was the most painful week
Diluc had ever gone through, but it built up all the more excitement, thinking that at last, all
of his fantasies and daydreams would finally come to life.

Diluc was unable to look Kaeya in the eye that week out of guilt whenever their paths
crossed, knowing he was looking forward to seeing his neighbor do lewd things. Still, he
could hardly sit still that Saturday, he still remembered the way his heart leapt to his throat
when he reloaded the website to find that Kaeya had gone live.

Then it began, Diluc saw his first video of Kaeya's, what Kaeya did for a living, what he did
in front of the camera. Kaeya had been completely naked that day with his arms cuffed in
front of him and a mask placed over his eyes, covering half his face. Diluc could do nothing
but stare for the half-hour or so Kaeya played with himself, bouncing away on a dildo
attached to his chair.

Diluc could hear every intimate detail, his moans, the sounds of his chair creaking, and the
sound of squelching not only through the video, but also in real life, right on the other side of
his wall. Diluc thought that was safe to say he had let out a lot of pent-up stress to Kaeya's
video that day, cumming twice as he listened to Kaeya moaning away without a care that
Dilucwas listening next door, that he was watching Kaeya's every move with a keen gaze.

Over time, it became more and more of Diluc's guilty pleasure, watching his sexy neighbor's
porn videos and jerking off to them. At first, everything was just great, every weekend was
bliss now that he was able to fulfill his intense desire to know more about Kaeya. He'd leave
hefty tips, gradually becoming more and more noticed by the man, who would thank him
after each session with a pretty smile on his face.

Kaeya usually adorned a mask whenever he streamed, not allowing his full face to be shown
on camera, but Diluc's clear portrait of Kaeya in his mind helped fill in the gaps created by
the mask. It was truly heaven, Diluc thought he could finally achieve peace of mind after he
saw Kaeya's body, after getting off to him every week.

He thought that it would be enough to quench his thirst, that he would stop desiring
something more with Kaeya if he was able to find peace in watching him through a screen.
That wasn't, however, the case. In the beginning, Diluc thought he was satisfied just listening
to Kaeya's moans from next door, which bloomed into curiosity, desire to see his body, see
what he did. He was satisfied, but then his mind grew hungrier for more.

Just like that, watching Kaeya from behind a screen became less satisfying as time went on,
even though he enjoyed it immensely, next came thoughts, ideations of running his hands
across Kaeya's body, kissing his skin, devouring his plump lips, fucking into his ass. The
human mind is an odd thing, Diluc thought. If you feed into its desires, the desires evolve
more and more no matter how much you try to satisfy them.
He wanted more, more than just watching through a screen now, wanted to play with Kaeya's
body, to have Kaeya come undone in front of him just like he came undone in front of a
screen. He began feeling more and more possessive, seeing the thirsty comments under
Kaeya's live streams, he wanted to be the only one Kaeya exhibited himself for. Diluc took
pride in the fact that out of all of Kaeya's viewers, he could be the one closest to achieving his
body, but Diluc didn't like these thoughts, these ideations, knowing that Kaeya would hate
him for them.

It was when these thoughts started that Diluc knew he should abstain from watching Kaeya's
videos, from listening to his voice, from thinking about his lewd body or thinking about
fucking it. He knew it was wrong, that he was treading down another, even more dangerous
path of infatuation.

For that reason, he knew to tone it down, to try his best not to give in to the desires that could
be against Kaeya's will. Kaeya would likely be disgusted if he knew what Diluc did to the
thought of him, would be revolted if he knew what kind of thoughts went through Diluc's
mind when he thought about Kaeya.

The thoughts of pinning Kaeya down, tearing off his clothes until his body came into view,
caressing his body, feeling every twitch and shiver of his muscles beneath him as he moaned
out Diluc's name, they plagued his mind too much for Diluc to feel comfortable with. That
was why Diluc never allowed himself to get carried away. If they came to meet each other in
the elevator or in the lobby, Diluc would respectfully keep his gaze down on the floor, not
daring to look up at Kaeya. He tried to remain as nonchalant in his manner of speaking as he
always was, never acting out of the ordinary.

He pushed out the bad thoughts from his mind whenever he felt himself getting too lost in
them, the thoughts of interrupting Kaeya's sessions, thoughts of calling him out, coercing him
into sex. All of these things were far from Diluc's intentions, he would never do anything
against Kaeya's will, even if it became increasingly difficult to sit around listening and
watching as Kaeya played with himself.

Now, here he lay in the comfort of his bed, trying his best not to focus on the sounds,
knowing exactly what he was missing out on. He sighed, deciding he was going to get
nowhere if he stayed put like this, waiting to get an erection when his ears refused to block
out the sounds and his mind refused to block out the thoughts. Diluc sat up, glancing at his
bedside table at the pack of cigarettes and a lighter, deciding to snatch them up along with his
phone, still connected to his earbuds, and moving out of his room towards his front door.

He exited his apartment leaving the door slightly ajar to keep it from locking automatically,
feeling Kaeya's quiet moans fade a little, though they rung through Diluc's mind over and
over like wedding bells. Diluc popped out a cigarette, shoving the box back into his pocket
before retrieving his lighter to light up one end of the drug. He took a deep breath, walking
towards the railing that looked down into the apartment park below. He tried to take a
moment to himself to clear his mind, calm himself from the day's affairs, from the sound of
Kaeya's voice ringing in his mind.

It wasn't working, no matter how much he tried to block out the sounds of Kaeya's voice in
his mind, he couldn't. Gods, his fingers itched not only to grab his phone from his pocket and
join the live stream, but to see Kaeya in his element with his own two eyes in person.

He was so close, so damn close, just a door away, he was doing naughty things to himself that
drove Diluc up the wall. The smell of smoke gradually spread in the air around Diluc with
every puff of breath he released, using the drug to try and mediate his mind, but the drug-like
lull of Kaeya's voice still dug into the redhead's mind far stronger than that of the cigarette.

In the stillness of the night, the buzz of Diluc's phone in the pocket of his sweatpants startled
the redhead a bit, leaning off the railing to fish his phone into his pocket. In the notification
bar, he could read, "@CavalryCaptain's live stream is about to end! Make sure not to miss
it!"

Diluc stared at the notification for several long moments, trying to keep his thumb from
clicking on the camboy app, from running off to see what Kaeya was doing right then. Diluc
hated his lack of self-control, always so diligent except for when it came to Kaeya. Life was a
pain in the ass sometimes. Diluc found his finger pressing on the notification, allowing the
device to guide him right to Kaeya's live stream as he stuffed the earbuds hanging off the
wire attached to the phone into his ears.

His hairs stood on end as he saw Kaeya in all his glory, pressing a vibrator against his cock
on the highest setting while another was lodged deep up Kaeya's ass. He could hardly make
out any of Kaeya's words as he moaned, unable to speak right as his back arched perfectly.
Diluc's eyes were wide as he stared at the screen, frozen, entranced by the man who lived
next door. His eyes slowly flitted over his shoulders, glancing at the door next to Diluc's ajar
one. Behind that door, inside that apartment, this was happening. He took a deep breath,
feeling his body getting warmer at the sight, the lewd sounds that traveled to his ears through
the earbuds.

"Ah..! I'm gonna--.. fuck!" Kaeya's free hand wrapped around his cock, beginning to pump it
while pressing his vibrator up to his nipples. His eye couldn't be seen from under the mask,
yet Diluc could imagine it glazing over with lust and pleasure.

Kaeya came hard all over his stomach, moaning loudly as he bit his lip, whimpering into it as
he pumped his cock sloppily, milking his cock for all its cum. Diluc's throat constricted at the
sight, glancing down to see his cock standing proudly in a tent in his sweatpants. Kaeya
breathed heavily in front of the camera for a few moments as he shut off the vibrator that was
inside him. He was seemingly in a daze as his orgasm filtered out of his body, then he smiled
prettily at the camera, seemingly reading the comments that were praising him for the
performance.

"Haha~ Thank you, thank you! I'm glad you all enjoy my content~ So many loyal followers,
it makes my heart swell!" Diluc blew out a puff of smoke with jealousy at that, wishing the
words were aimed at him in particular. At that, Kaeya went silent for a few moments in the
video, smiling dazedly as he thought for a minute, causing Diluc to stare at him for a few
seconds, wishing he could see the emotion in his eye.

When Kaeya read a comment asking what he was thinking so deeply about, Kaeya seemed to
laugh. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just the smell of smoke, and smoke always means one thing,"
Diluc froze a little as he took another drew another whiff from the cigarette. He ended up
holding the smoke too long in his mouth and coughing it out.

Embarrassment at the dumb action was far from his mind as he stared at his phone's screen
fixedly, hanging onto Kaeya's every word at the mention of the smoke Diluc's cigarette was
emitting. Kaeya's smile seemed to brighten a little, "Oh? You want to know what the smoke
means to me? Well, believe it or not, even camboys like me get crushes from time to time,"

Diluc gulped visibly, his adam's apple bobbing a little with the action as he noticed the
direction Kaeya was taking and the soft tone he adopted. "My next-door neighbor's the one
who's smoking outside. He's tall, very serious, with bright red hair, and a stern look in his
eyes. Rich, kinda aloof, but he's always caring and considerate of me. Holds the elevators for
me, lends me cigarettes, doesn't even complain about how noisy I get on Saturdays, in
general, he's nice to me. I... I think I really like him,"

Diluc stood there, nonplussed and frozen, his hand rigid as he held the phone against the
railing. A fleeting thought in his mind worried that his grip might loosen and his phone might
tumble to the park below, but his mind had numbed for a second. Kaeya was talking about
him, tall, red hair, stern, rich, aloof, caring, considerate. It was him, it was Diluc who Kaeya
talked about in front of a camera in front of at least a few thousand people, naked with cum
staining his abs and a soft smile on his face.

Diluc didn't know what to do with himself at that moment out of sheer shock. His crush, the
one he'd been so infatuated with ever since he moved into the apartment, liked him back. He
turned that thought over and over in his mind, unable to believe it, even though his heart
rejoiced. Then, Kaeya's soft laugh cut through the silence of Diluc's surroundings, nothing
more than a quiet chuckling sound, not particularly happy.

"Then again, he'd probably hate me for my line of work," Diluc stared at Kaeya's face,
watching as his little fake smile slowly melted into a frown before he seemed to snap out of
it, remembering he was still in front of the camera with a sheepish look on his face.

"Oh, but don't worry! My heart still belongs to all of you~ Maybe I'll go talk to him." Kaeya
smirked at the camera, beginning to say his goodbyes, but Diluc had tuned them out by then,
leaning against the railing as he turned around, trying to process what had just happened
while staring at Kaeya's door in shock. The feeling slowly wore off as the thought set in.
Kaeya liked him. Kaeya thought Diluc would be disgusted if he found out he was a camboy.

Diluc leaned back, a small puff of laughter escaping his lips, Diluc had thought the other way
around, he'd thought Kaeya would be disgusted if he found out Diluc watched and
masturbated to his videos. In reality, both of them just let overthinking get in the way of their
feelings. Diluc took another sip from the cigarette, his eyes fixed on Kaeya's door as if
waiting for his neighbor to come.

He glanced down at his phone to find a notification displayed on his screen saying "This live
stream has ended, thank you for watching @CavalryCaptain !" Diluc's heart began to thump
out of his chest, hearing sounds of rustling coming from behind the Kaeya's door.
He hadn't the slightest idea on what to say, but for the first time since meeting Kaeya, Diluc
was bursting with confidence. He heard the door opening, his senses heightening as he
watched Kaeya crack the door open, Kaeya peeked outside to make sure Diluc was there
before exiting his apartment. Kaeya left his door ajar as well, the automatic door locks were a
menace for those who didn't wish to leave the vicinity of their apartment.

Diluc only stared at him directly after a long while, having been unable to take a proper look
at Kaeya since he began watching his videos. He said nothing, just lifted the last of his
cigarette to his lips, draining it of its drug. He released the smoke slowly as he and Kaeya had
a staredown. Kaeya could feel that something was different about Diluc, with the way he
stared at him. Diluc never so much as lifted his gaze towards Kaeya normally, but tonight, he
seemed bolder, allowing his eyes to trace Kaeya's curves through his oversized shirt and blue
pajama pants.

Kaeya felt shy around the man for once, feeling the predatory permanent glare of Diluc's eyes
on his body. He tried to push the feelings away, telling himself he had nothing to be afraid of
when he masturbated in front of thousands of people every week. Even still, Kaeya's heart
beat faster than it did on camera, all because the man standing before him was one he liked.
Being on camera was worthless to Kaeya, but having Diluc's gaze fixed so directly on him
for once meant everything to him.

He fixed a smile on his face, hoping he didn't look like he just masturbated roughly in his
room or had his vibrator still up his ass, always attempting to make a good impression on his
next-door neighbor. He walked to Diluc's side, glancing over the railing down at the
apartment park. His peripheral vision followed Diluc's movements as the redhead put out the
tiny flame at the butt of his cigarette against the railing before shooting the remains into a
nearby trashcan.

"Mind if I borrow a cigarette?" Kaeya asked, flashing Diluc his pretty smile that made the
redhead's heart beat faster. For the first time since Diluc moved in, the corners of the man's
mouth tilted up into the tiniest smile Kaeya had ever seen. He stared at Diluc, shocked to see
an expression on his face aside from nonchalance. "You use the word 'borrow' as if you'll
ever return them to me," Diluc said, pulling out his cigarette box and offering it to Kaeya.

Kaeya took it, his fingers brushing gently against Diluc's as he blinked (or winked, Diluc
couldn't tell due to his eyepatch) bashfully at Diluc. "Guilty as charged." Kaeya chuckled,
this time, he seemed to have brought his own lighter, retrieving it from a random pocket from
his pajamas, asking Diluc, "What were you doing?" Kaeya asked, glancing curiously at
Diluc's hand that clutched his phone and the earbuds attached to it.

Diluc's mind whirred, wondering what to say, but the words came to his lips almost
immediately, and he let his conscience take over, "I was watching a video," He said simply,
making Kaeya peer at him curiously, asking, "Oh? About what, if I may so boldly ask?"
Diluc's lip curled, his eyes flashing a little in the dim lights of the hallway, tilting his head at
Kaeya. Diluc lifted his phone and showed Kaeya the end-of-stream notification.

Kaeya's hand froze in midair as it raised the lighter up to his cigarette, his wide eye fixed on
the words on the screen. Kaeya's plump lips parted a little with shock, making the cigarette
drop from between them, falling to the floor silently. Cavalry Captain, Cavalry Captain,
Cavalry Captain, that was Kaeya's camboy name, flashing on Diluc's screen. "Tall, red hair,
stern, rich, aloof, caring, considerate? Sounds familiar."

Diluc repeated Kaeya's words, pushing off the railing and turning to Kaeya, watching as the
man slowly began to shuffle back, chewing nervously on his bottom lip as he recognized his
own words flowing from Diluc's mouth. "You... you watch my--" Kaeya stumbled over his
own words as Diluc snatched his wrist up and dragged him closer, wrapping his other arm
around Kaeya's waist to hold him firmly in place. "Every single one, every single week,"
Diluc whispered, gazing into Kaeya's eye with mirth, feeling his heart beating faster as he felt
Kaeya's body up under his palms. He watched as Kaeya's gaze flitted around, looking for
escape routes. "Don't you have anything to confirm or deny, Kaeya?"

Kaeya's blush was glorious to look at, almost as bright as Diluc's hair as he finally looked up
into Diluc's eyes. "Am I wrong in thinking I fit that description?" Kaeya was silent, still as a
mouse in Diluc's arms, not knowing what to do or say to Diluc when he'd been caught so
blatantly. He was in shock beyond words, Diluc watched his videos, Diluc watched him
whore himself out on camera, Diluc watched him pleasure himself, moan like there was no
one listening, all from next door.

And today, he heard every word Kaeya said about him, there was no denying it, no way
Kaeya could weasel his way out of the sticky situation. Being webbed up in Diluc's arms only
meant he wasn't going to let Kaeya go unless he told the truth.

Kaeya slowly shook his head, making Diluc smirk a little, his hands dropping from Kaeya's
waist down to his hips, lightly digging his fingertips into the plump skin. He pressed Kaeya
against the railing, pushing his face into Kaeya's neck with his lips brushing against the skin,
making him wish to bite into it. "And what does it mean, exactly?" Kaeya felt like screaming,
remembering the way he'd said he really liked Diluc in front of thousands of people with
Diluc watching.

Now, Diluc wanted him to repeat that confession to his face, and it made Kaeya wish to bury
himself underground and never be seen again. His lips trembled a little, clutching Diluc's
arms to try and stabilize himself as he glanced back at the drop below. Surely falling to his
death would be easier than explaining his feelings for Diluc, wouldn't it? He could feel
Diluc's grip tighten with impatience, his hands finally moving back to cup Kaeya's ass. He
heard Kaeya gasp into his ear as he squeezed it between his fingers, prompting him to blurt
out a rushed answer.

"It means that... I like you, Diluc..." Diluc felt the last thread of control snap inside of himself
as he let out a breathy chuckle, moving back to look Kaeya in the eye again, "Music to my
ears." Diluc didn't give Kaeya a single moment to prepare, tipping his face forward to capture
Kaeya's lips in his own, initiating a heated and long-time-coming kiss.

Kaeya didn't immediately kiss back, his eye widening to the size of a saucer at the feeling of
Diluc's soft lips moving against his own, his grabby hands groping at every inch of Kaeya
they could reach. Diluc had been waiting for this day for so damn long, waiting until he
finally got a chance to hold Kaeya tight against himself, to kiss him, touch him, maybe even
fuck him if the opportunity had presented itself, and now, the opportunity finally arrived.
There was no way Diluc would be able to let Kaeya go now.
He wrenched open Kaeya's lips with his teeth, shoving his tongue forcefully into his mouth
and breaking apart every bit of sanity either of them had left. Kaeya was pushed into kissing
back, feeling Diluc's arms tightening possessively around him, slowly driving him to the
point of no return, desire, love, lust. Diluc pressed their crotches together, grinding gently
against Kaeya's cock with high hopes for both of their arousal.

Gods, he'd been wanting this for so long, it felt surreal, finally having Kaeya within his
clutches, pressed up tight against his body. He couldn't help it, couldn't help the animalistic
urge to rip Kaeya's clothes off his body and have him in front of the entire apartment complex
right there. Still, a reasonable voice in his head called out to him, reminding him how he
didn't want anyone seeing Kaeya's body except for himself. He pulled back from the rough
kiss, sucking gently on Kaeya's bottom lip and gazing into his glazed and half-lidded eye.
Diluc's hand raised to Kaeya's face, cupping his cheek and holding his face in the palm of his
hand as he finally let go of Kaeya's lip.

Diluc did nothing but admire him for a long moment, gazing from Kaeya's pretty grey eye
down to his plump lips, to his untouched neck, his chest, his sleek waist, picturing his naked
body in his mind's eye and jittering with delight from the prospect of seeing it with his own
eyes. He didn't know where to start with claiming Kaeya's entire body, just like one wouldn't
know where to start while diving into a hearty meal.

"You are beautiful," Diluc marvelled, knowing what came before devouring Kaeya.
"Knowing someone as beautiful as you likes me back makes me want to claim you whole.
Can I?" Kaeya's stomach felt like it was full of butterflies trying to make their way out of
every crevice of him, making his fingers shake as he clutched Diluc's shirt.

Diluc liked him too. The thought made him smile, "Is that any question to ask a man you
caught red-handed?" Diluc's lip curled into the tiniest smirk Kaeya had ever seen on his face,
watched by his grey eye as Diluc began to tug him back towards their rooms by the wrist. He
gave his house a glance, its door ajar, of course, he couldn't close the door, his keys were
inside, he was too impatient to retrieve them.

He paid it no heed, knowing the security in the apartment complex would suffice, and
dragged Kaeya into his own house. For the first time in months, Diluc stepped inside Kaeya's
home but hardly glanced at it, allowing Kaeya to lead the way to his bedroom. Diluc stepped
inside the room, and finally, he saw where it all began, the desk where a tripod sat along with
a computer, the seat Kaeya always sat on, resilient as ever and still in one piece even after
how much Kaeya abused it.

A mirror sat to one side of the room near the bed as well, one Kaeya sometimes featured in
his videos. Still, Diluc paid little heed to the rest of the room, his attention was solely fixed
on Kaeya and nothing else. Diluc herded Kaeya towards the bed, throwing his phone on the
table with little regard towards its safety, his keen gaze held no desire to see anything,
anyone, but Kaeya. He pushed Kaeya onto the bed, falling over on top of him and pinning the
man's back to the mattress.

Diluc hadn't the self-control to keep himself from devouring Kaeya's lips again as he felt
Kaeya wrap his arms around his neck, pulling their bodies together and pushing up on the
balls of his feet to lift his hips off the bed, moving his crotch against Diluc's to tease their
forming erections together while the redhead's lips went from Kaeya's lips to trail down his
jaw, his fingers running all along Kaeya's body, feeling up every part he could reach.

His hands hooked around the hem of Kaeya's shirt, pushing it up to allow his cold fingers to
graze Kaeya's warm body. He pulled back to admire Kaeya's body, after fantasizing about it
for so fucking long, at last, he could see it, he could look at it as much as he wanted, touch it,
play with it, fuck it.

The thought made even a renowned business tycoon like Diluc giddy with childlike
excitement. He was impatient and needy, placing his hands on Kaeya's waist and pinching the
light muscles around his abdomen with mirth, squeezing every bit of skin his grabby hands
could reach. "Mine." Diluc whispered, pressing his tongue flat against Kaeya's chest, licking
all around the linings of his pecs, down the middle, under, around the side, avoiding the
middle where his cute, brown nipples patiently waited their turn. Diluc preferred to leave the
best part for last.

He moaned a little, flicking the bud of Kaeya's nipples with the tip of his tongue, finding as
much enjoyment in the feeling as Kaeya did, feeling the male twitch under him as he bit
down on his nipple gently. Kaeya wondered, first of all, how Diluc had found him, whether
Diluc had known all along what he did behind their shared bedroom wall. The thought made
Kaeya's body heat up even more, all this time, he'd been watched by Diluc, Diluc had seen
him doing dirty things to his body.

Was that why Diluc had never looked him in the eye, never initiated contact with him when
he conversed normally with other tenants? Why was it that Diluc never brought it up with
him when he could've held it against him, asking for dirty favors, blackmail him?

Honestly, the thought of Diluc doing those things aroused him because Kaeya liked Diluc,
but this... Diluc approaching him only after Kaeya confessed to him with good intentions, it
was better. Diluc only approached him when he knew it would be with Kaeya's consent,
didn't do anything even though he could've ruined Kaeya's life with just a few words. It made
Kaeya wonder how such an honest man was able to make it to the tip-top of the business
world in Mondstadt through hard work and determination alone. Kaeya had done his
homework on Diluc too.

Diluc knowing of his activitiesexplained so many things to Kaeya, it felt like he'd been blown
away. He had many questions to ask Diluc, but for now, he could think of nothing but the
feeling of Diluc's hands on his body, his lips gently brushing over his skin, his tongue trailing
across every part of him it felt like.

Nothing else mattered so long as Diluc liked him back and was doing this out of affection.
Kaeya felt Diluc pull away momentarily, moving back to give Kaeya enough room to take his
pants off. He grabbed the waistband of Kaeya's pants and impatiently began to wrench them
off of his legs. Kaeya realized that if Diluc took his pajamas off now, he would see exactly
what Kaeya didn't want him to see.

"W-Wait, no!" Kaeya cried out, but it was too late, his pants were discarded to the floor
before he could stop Diluc, revealing his crotch to the man. Diluc raised an eyebrow at
Kaeya's reluctance in confusion, not understanding why he'd told him to stop when he was
perfectly good and hard for Diluc.

Diluc didn't seem to notice anything amiss at first, simply licking his lips predatorily at the
familiar sight of Kaeya's cock, standing rigid with arousal as he desperately hid his face with
embarrassment. Diluc wrapped his large, cold hand around the shaft of Kaeya's dick, making
the man twitch, still sensitive from his orgasm only moments prior.

The redhead watched with a satisfied gleam in his eye as Kaeya moaned when Diluc gave a
tight squeeze to the tip of his cock, squishing the organ gently between his fingers to drive
Kaeya insane. Diluc's other hand gently massaged Kaeya's thigh, making the man nervous as
he felt his palm slipping lower and lower to cup his ass. Diluc trailed his fingers between
Kaeya's cheeks, ready to tease his hole with the tips of his fingers, but then, he found that
something was out of the ordinary. Kaeya's hole already seemed to be occupied.

Diluc froze, staring down at Kaeya with perplexion, though he didn't dare to look back into
Diluc's eyes, hiding behind his hands with embarrassment. Diluc grabbed Kaeya's ankles and
hoisted his legs up, his eyes glancing down to see what was getting in his way.

His eyes widened with surprise. Kaeya had not yet taken the vibrator out of his ass since he
finished his stream. A thin smirk made its way on Diluc's face as he realized just how dirty
Kaeya was, walking around, talking to him as normal as could be with a vibrator up his ass.
"You wanted to see me so badly you couldn't take it out? Or were you hoping to have a go
with it again at the thought of me?" Diluc asked, fiddling gently with the hem of the vibrator
and slowly twisting it inside Kaeya, his gaze fixed on Kaeya's quivering lips as they peeked
out from behind his hands.

"No..." Kaeya answered weakly, not sounding at all convincing. Diluc tilted his head
teasingly, "Oh? Is that right? Did you think of me while using your toys?" Diluc's index
finger grazed on the button at the base of the vibrator, and an evil urge to press it came over
Diluc.

He flicked it on, his smirk widening as Kaeya twitched terribly, his eye widening to its full
extent at the feeling as his hands finally left his face to clutch the sheets, his mouth opening
in a loud gasp. "Wait--AH, Diluc..!" Kaeya cried out, his back arching perfectly under Diluc
at the feeling of the vibrator humming to life, hugging snugly against Kaeya's prostate. Diluc
licked his lips and shut it off, but his eyes seemed to have caught onto something by Kaeya's
head, Kaeya's phone, and... another object Diluc didn't make out at first glance in the
darkness of the room.

Kaeya's mouth was open as he heaved from the spurt of pleasure hitting him out of nowhere.
His eye followed the movement of Diluc's hand as it stretched out to the center of Kaeya's
bed, snatching up the item he immediately recognized at Kaeya's mask. Diluc smiled at the
sight of the mask, almost nostalgic from the first he first saw Kaeya with it placed over his
eyes.

Kaeya watched as he examined it with curiosity, trying to decipher the emotion in Diluc's
eyes, but was unable, as per usual. Diluc never gave away any of his thoughts or emotions
through his outward expressions. Diluc set the mask down, saw Kaeya idly watching him,
and smiled a little at the innocent gleam in the man's eye. Diluc leaned forward and planted
his lips over Kaeya's again, claiming his mouth with his own, though it seemed less hungry
this time as compared to before, it was a kiss full of feelings, almost as if Diluc was trying to
share some of his thoughts with him through direct contact.

Still, Diluc never enjoyed giving too much of what goes on his mind away, ending the kiss
after a brief moment, but it was enough to show Kaeya exactly what he felt with just a
concise spark shared between them. Kaeya couldn't help smiling giddily, Diluc liked him just
as much as he liked Diluc. He allowed Diluc to shift him onto his stomach, allowing himself
to be seen by the man's gaze in his full glory, a sacred trust placed between them even though
so many had seen Kaeya's body.

Only Diluc was allowed to feel his warmth, touch him in any way he wanted, fuck him in any
position he liked, and that was more special for Kaeya than anything else. Diluc grabbed the
hilt of the vibrator inside Kaeya's ass and began to tug it out gently, inch by inch as he felt
Kaeya's body tensing at the feeling.

"F-Fuck..." Kaeya moaned as Diluc pulled the vibrator out completely, drenched in the
excessive lube Kaeya used. Kaeya immediately felt empty inside, rubbing his knees together
impatiently as his stomach felt too calm, yet he didn't desire the feeling of the vibrator.
Instead, he wanted Diluc's cock inside him, he wanted something warm, veiny, and throbbing
after so long of using only machines to please himself.

"Put it in," Kaeya murmured into the pillow, slowly lifting his ass on his knees to tempt Diluc
more effectively. He felt Diluc's rough hand press against his inner thigh, giving it a squeeze
tight enough to make Kaeya's legs tremble, "So needy, it's almost as if you weren't just
fucking yourself with a vibrator just half an hour ago." Diluc teased, feeling his own patience
slowly thinning like the grains of sand from an hourglass as Kaeya blushed at his words. His
hand traveled up to Kaeya's ass until he was able to caress his cheek with his thick fingers,
pinching it and watching the skin mold in whichever way Diluc's fingers desired.

He took a shivering breath, knowing he couldn't hold back the urge to be inside Kaeya any
longer, how could he when the one he'd had desired for so long was finally in his clutches?
He grabbed Kaeya's wrist and tugged him back, pulling the male into his lap until he sat with
his back to Diluc's chest, his ass directly on top of Diluc's clothed cock.

Kaeya began to grind needily on it, moaning gently as the tent made in Diluc's pants pressed
between his cheeks. "I never thought you would be this demanding in person," Diluc
chuckled, lifting Kaeya a little so he could lower his own pants and tuck them under his cock.
Diluc grabbed the base of his cock and pressed it gently against Kaeya's ass, slapping against
it gently and watching as Kaeya craned his neck to look down at Diluc's cock.

He pressed his ass back, allowing Diluc to tease it with his cock. "Please..." Kaeya begged,
"I've been good, give it to me," Diluc felt the pleas feeding into his impatience, making him
twist Kaeya to face the full-body mirror, placing him down on the bed on his stomach once
more. Diluc saw Kaeya's gaze fix on him in the mirror and smirked a little, pulling his shirt
off of his body and discarding it to the ground.
Kaeya only got to admire Diluc's body for a moment before Diluc grabbed him by the hips
and hoisted his ass back towards his cock, teasing the tip of his dick against Kaeya's entrance.
Diluc began to push his hips forward, mounting Kaeya and pinning the man beneath himself
as he pressed inside him. Kaeya buried his face into the sheets of the mattress, biting his lip
to stifle a moan of pain as he felt Diluc push inside of him, deeper and deeper he went until
he felt Diluc's pelvis against his ass, buried inside him and filling him up with every inch.
"Good?" Diluc asked, leaning over Kaeya and hugging his strong arms around the man's
body as he breathed into his ear.

Kaeya nodded breathlessly, feeling like the span of his lungs had shortened with the way
Diluc's cock filled him up. Diluc smiled a little and buried his face in the crook of Kaeya's
neck, gazing into the mirror at their intertwined bodies with mirth. Finally, he was one with
Kaeya. He pulled his hips back and bucked them forward, driving his cock inside Kaeya and
clocking his prostate, forcing a cry from Kaeya's mouth that he managed to muffle into the
mattress.

Diluc tutted disapprovingly over Kaeya's attempts to hide his voice, sitting back and up and
deciding to take the efforts as a challenge. He began to slam his cock in and out of Kaeya,
slow and forceful, rocking Kaeya's body closer and closer to the edge of the bed. "Ah-Fuck--
Diluc!" Kaeya cried out, to Diluc's satisfaction. Diluc's hand ran up Kaeya's back, trailing
goosebumps all along the skin it touched as he made his way to Kaeya's head.

He gripped Kaeya's long hair and pulled him back a little to make him look in the mirror
before him, making him meet his gaze. "Do you like it that much?" Diluc asked him, an
amused gleam in his eye as he watched Kaeya's eye watering with tears. Kaeya nodded again
as best he could with Diluc clutching his hair tightly in his fist, his eyes gleaming with
pleasure and happiness.

Happiness, because not only was he fucking his long-time crush, but arguably the richest man
in Mondstadt as well. Kaeya hardly cared for Diluc's money because he made enough on his
own, but the knowledge that Diluc, who held the city of Mondstadt in the palm of his hand,
was claiming him as his lover brought him great pride. "If you like it, then announce it to the
world, hm?"

Diluc stretched his free hand towards Kaeya's pillow-side, snatching the man's phone in his
palm and pushing it into Kaeya's hand, turning the bedside lamp on as he did so to light up
the room. He didn't allow Kaeya to ponder over the meaning behind his words, increasing the
strength and pace of his thrusts as Kaeya desperately tried to process what Diluc had told him
to do. With shaking fingers, he opened his phone and found that the camboy app was still
open.

In the haze Diluc had put his mind in, realization dawned on Kaeya as he understood what
Diluc wanted him to do. "Diluc... p-please.." Kaeya begged, knowing that Diluc's command
would likely lose him followers, especially those who watched his streams only because he
went solo. Still, as Kaeya met Diluc's eyes in the mirror, the steely look in the red orbs gave
Kaeya no room for negotiation. With shaking fingers, Kaeya hit the "Stream Now" button
just as Diluc reached out for Kaeya's mask that lay discarded further up the bed.
Diluc placed the mask over his face, securing it firmly behind his head as Kaeya began to
stream them in the mirror. Kaeya pointed the phone towards the mirror, allowing it the full
view of Diluc fucking ruthlessly into him, muffling his cries of pleasure into the mattress so
the camera wouldn't be able to see his face. Diluc gazed down at the phone's screen as Kaeya
held it up to the mirror with trembling hands and smirked, seeing people joining almost
instantly, given Kaeya's popularity.

Diluc began to go faster and faster, making sure to keep Kaeya's moans frequent, to show
everyone watching that only he could make Kaeya feel this good. There was a hint of
possessiveness in Diluc's actions, as if he was showing to the world that Kaeya now belonged
to him and only him, but Kaeya didn't mind it, not one bit. Being fucked on camera only
turned him on more. Neither of them cared to look at the comments, too caught up in each
other to pay attention to menial matters.

Diluc snatched the phone from Kaeya's grasp and began to film it from his point of view,
showing the camera the sight of Kaeya's perfect ass and his arched back as he caressed it
gently with his large hands. "So many people would want to be in my position right now,
wouldn't they, Captain?" Kaeya said nothing in response, whimpering a little with every
powerful thrust to his prostate as he desperately fisted the sheets to ground himself, feeling
his stomach heating up as sweat began to dot his skin the closer he got to his orgasm.

Diluc grabbed Kaeya's arm and pulled him onto his back, careful not to point the camera at
Kaeya's face, choosing to focus it on his body instead. Diluc began to pump Kaeya's cock,
holding it in his fist tightly, forcing a cry from Kaeya's mouth as his legs curled up,
crumpling the bedsheet in his fist as he felt his orgasm overcoming him within a single thrust
of Diluc's hand.

"Ah-- 'L-Luc..!" Diluc's eyes narrowed at the use of a nickname, knowing Kaeya was likely
too far into it to think it could've been returned back to his name, but as he felt Kaeya tighten
up around him from the feeling of his high rolling over him, he felt like nothing else
mattered. Diluc gave a few last, sloppy and slow thrusts, feeling his nerves tingling intensely
as he came inside Kaeya. Diluc breathed heavily as he came to a slow stop, pointing the
camera down as he pulled out of Kaeya, making his cum leak out of his hole. Diluc licked his
lips and grabbed Kaeya's ass once more. "Mine." He repeated before his thumb flicked over
the button to end the live stream.

***Extra***

Kaeya woke up the next morning, intensely drowsy with his body aching all over, most of the
pain directed right in his lower half. He tried to shift his legs and found no feeling in them,
making him sigh as he curled up. He felt warm all over, more than what his body produced,
more than what his blanket could give him. He slowly blinked his eye open.

The sun shone behind the curtains in his room, signaling that it was morning. He glanced
down and saw a heavy arm draped over his body, forcing his mind awake as he tried to guess
who it belonged to. Memories of the night before dawned on him, making a blush rise to his
cheeks as every detail from last night resurfaced in his mind. Diluc catching him in the act,
Diluc kissing him for the first time, Diluc dragging him inside his apartment, pinning him
 down, and fucking him so good, Kaeya couldn't think straight, all of it came back to him in a
flash.

And then... Diluc had made him stream everything they did, announcing his relationship with
Kaeya to the public. Kaeya buried his face in his palm, trying not to scream with humiliation
at the way so many people had watched him lose his mind more than usual on camera. He
saw his phone lying on his bedside table and reached out for it, taking it in his palms.

He unlocked it and opened the camboy app to find that he had more than a few hundred
comments on last night's second live stream. He laid there, thinking about whether or not he
should open them. Kaeya knew he shouldn't, knowing he would likely get hate and lose a ton
of followers for posting such content last night, but his curiosity got the better of him. He
opened up the comment section despite his better judgement and began to read.

- "Omg is this the redhead captain was talking about earlier?"

- "Woah he's hot"

- "man i wish i was in his place"

- "ngl this is hot, look at what a mess our captain is :3"

- "I wouldn't be opposed to seeing him again."

- "Are they in a relationship? Man too bad, but as long as Captain's happy!"

- "I hope "Luke" shows up on next week's stream too!! Captain looks like he's enjoying
himself"

Kaeya read on, a big blush on his face as he realized most of the comments were supportive
of him. Of course, there were a few bad apples, but the support for Diluc and Kaeya's
relationship outweighed the opposition. Kaeya set his phone down, slowly twisting Diluc's
arms to face the man. He admired Diluc's sleeping face, his long hair now open, falling all
over his face and the pillow, but his lion's mane made him look ten times more endearing in
Kaeya's eyes.

Kaeya wrapped his arms around Diluc as well, hugging their naked bodies close to each
other. He placed a light kiss on Diluc's cheek, even if Kaeya's followers didn't support their
relationship, Kaeya wouldn't let this go even if his life depended on it. His eyes closed as he
relaxed in Diluc's arms. Then they shot open again as he sprang into a sitting position,
wincing as his back ached though alarm bells rang in his head. Diluc startled awake with
Kaeya's sudden movement, "Wha--.." Diluc groaned sleepily, staring at Kaeya as he sat up,
trying to figure out what was wrong. "Diluc, your apartment's still open!" Diluc's eyes
widened. "Oh shit."

Chapter End Notes

We have finally hit the 50th mark! It's been a bit since I updated last, I got caught up
with irl matters and a few broken bones, but no matter! I have come bearing another 10k
word long chap that sincerely took the life out of me hehe~ I hope you enjoyed the
chapter <3
 Phallophilia (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Animal characteristics.

A Snezhnayan bounty hunter by the name of Childe, a fox, decides to take up an S-rank
bounty to capture a wild beast taunting Liyue, a dragon, despite everyone thinking he
was going to fail and get himself killed. Upon meeting the dragon, he finds a way to
bring him to his knees, but not in the way he'd hoped.

Chapter Notes

Ah, another long one for yall, for some reason, there have been fewer updates but quite
lengthy hehe~ I hope they're enough to quench y'all's hornknee thirst for smut!!

To clarify before we begin the chapter, every human is crossed with an animal that suits
em, so you might find the characters mentioned as animals a few times! This is not at all
scientifically accurate.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

* Phallophilia: A kink for big dicks.

"And... he's an S-rank threat, Mr. Childe. I hope you know what that entails. He's highly
dangerous and will kill you on sight, and he's not capable of communication, so there is no
pleading for your life, should you get caught."

Childe refrained from rolling his eyes as he leaned against the wall in the Tianquan's office,
listening to her going on and on about the bounty's details with his tail and ears drooped with
disinterest. He watched as she stared at his expressions with a glare, her lips pursed tightly as
if she could feel that he wasn't taking her words seriously.

Childe's face broke out into a smile, confidence shining in the way his eyes crinkled a little
with amusement. "Ms. Ningguang, I can assure you with full confidence that I have carefully
read through the bounty details on the paper you put up on the notice board. I have a history
of hunting large and seemingly impossible-to-kill monsters, since the Qixing make it their
business to do background checks, you should know this." Childe said, kicking off the wall
and walking towards her to stand in front of her desk.
A smirk played on his lips as he placed his hands on his hips and leaned against his right side.
The tip of his orange tail swayed a little as if daring Ningguang to correct him or lecture him
more on safety measures.

Ningguang regarded him with her lion's ears flapping a little with annoyance as she sighed,
knowing what he was saying was true. Childe was their best bet, their only bet, in tracking
such a high-level monster down. No one else had volunteered after so many soldiers had lost
their lives in attempting to do so.

They had only found Childe after putting up a bounty in the Ministry of Civil Affairs; he was
the only one brave enough to accept the bounty.

Usually, Ms. Yu would handle the accepting of bounties, but, given the rank of this particular
one, she had to direct Childe back to a high-ranking Qixing official to confirm it — in this
case, it was Ningguang. She fixed him with a piercing stare, looking for any signs of
weakness in Childe's eyes that were bursting with self-confidence. She released a breath,
defeat evident in her expression, knowing there was no other option aside from hiring such
an... unimpressive fox to hunt down an S-rank monster who would, inevitably, rip him to
shreds. Childe couldn't say Ningguang didn't warn him.

She took the bounty sheet Childe had set down on her desk when he'd come in and grabbed
her stamp to approve the bounty.

"Okay.. fine, the bounty's yours. Again, I must warn you not to take him lightly. He's
unflinchingly killed dozens of Millelith soldiers — lions, tigers, hawks, and more. You must
excuse my skepticism; it's just that the comparison of a fox against a dragon... it's unrealistic
to think that you would come back alive." She said nonchalantly, her voice cold, wounding
Childe deeply.

Childe's smile dropped, and his eyes narrowed into a glare as he felt his temper heat up at
Ningguang's words. Childe understood where she was coming from — after all, she was a
lioness. But to tell him that he was too weak to capture a dragon?

He puffed out an indignant laugh as his tail jerked with offense, "We'll see about that, Ms.
Tianquan. I never back down on my word," Childe said stiffly, his dislike for her and her
perception of him evident in his expression. He didn't wait for a response, snatching up the
bounty paper as she set it in front of him for him to take. She followed him with her shining
red eyes as Childe turned sharply on his heel, his tail brushing behind him as he stalked out
of the room, determined to prove Ningguang wrong.

It left Ningguang to stare after him, wondering whether he was really brave or really stupid.
A fox would get devoured by a dragon no matter what underhanded and sly tricks it used.
When it came down to strength, there was no argument about who would win.

Childe sighed as he walked down the halls of Qixing headquarters at Yujing Terrace, thinking
and planning how he could bring down a dragon. Earlier that day, Childe had been looking
for work or, rather, it wasn't mainly work that he was looking for because he didn't care about
the mora.
Bounties were something Childe took on for his enjoyment, usually something that involved
killing and testing his limits. In this world, there were two types of animal-crossed humans:
societal and feral. Ferals were those who did not harbor emotional intensity like their human
sides, but the wildness of their animal sides. Usually, these ferals were top predators on the
natural food chain and were a danger to societals. Thus, they were hunted down by bounty
hunters to avoid injuring humans. These kinds of bounties were Childe's specialty; he loved
the feeling he got whenever he killed and he'd been excited to get another bounty earlier that
day.

However, when he got to Ms. Yu down by the harbor, he was disappointed to find the bounty
board utterly void of any requests — all except one. Childe had examined it, as it was his
only option, his eyes skimming over the details of the bounty written on the page.

The bounty entailed an S-rank stealth mission, the objective being the silent capture of a feral
human with draconic characteristics. Childe was not the best at stealth missions, even if that
was what foxes usually did. Unlike other foxes, he preferred to take on his targets head-on
with the intent to fight, to win, to kill. He wouldn't have been skeptical about taking it if it
meant that he needed to kill a dragon, but capturing one was a different story.

Childe remembered the way his fox's tail had begun to wag a little at the thought of fighting a
dragon.

He'd never walked out of a fight without victory, but he had never fought or even faced a
dragon before. A dragon in Liyue meant one thing: the bounty's target was the prime predator
in all of Liyue, who'd brought down armies of Millelith soldiers every time someone tried to
hunt him. That was why the Qixing was giving up on killing him, fixing their sights on the
capture of the man in question instead, for scientists to hold him in captivity for
experimentation.

They hoped that, if he could be caught using stealth, there would be no casualties. If
necessary, they could kill him in captivity after binding him too tight for him to fight back.
This would be no easy feat, knowing that sending one man, a fox, against a dragon who
wiped out armies was nothing to be optimistic about.

As Childe had examined the bounty, Ms. Yu had caught his eye, a worried look in her eyes
that had made him turn to her with a chaste smile. He was wondering what about the bounty
had caused her to cast such a look over him. He and the secretary had become acquainted
after his frequent visits to the bounty board.

Childe was notorious among the Ministry of Civil Affairs; according to Ms. Yu, he had the
most bounty kills than anyone else in Liyue, aside from a woman named Yelan, despite being
Snezhnayan. His name had spread among the bounty hunters in Liyue.

After seeing Ms. Yu give him such a fleeting look, Childe became curious about the bounty
and snatched it off the board, waddling over to her with the sheet clutched in his hand.

It was then that he found out that all the other bounty hunters were too scared to take on the
request, which was why the board was empty save for the one. Childe found out from Ms. Yu
just how dangerous dragons could be. They went back and forth, arguing. She told him that,
although she believed in his strength and prowess, a fox was simply no match for a dragon.
Childe had argued that he could be sneaky when he wanted to be, but Ms. Yu had insisted
that he come back later for other bounties.

This had encouraged Childe, even more, to prove the secretary wrong, and he ended up
taking the request out of spite.

Only then did he find out that all S-rank bounties were meant to be signed off by a member of
the Liyue Qixing, so here Childe was, having met with Ningguang and gotten his bounty
approved.

Feeling more determined than ever after two people had tried to talk him out of it, Childe
decided to head to the weapon store, knowing he didn't have any gun or weapon that would
allow him to bring his bounty back alive.

***

Childe released a soft breath, feeling a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face from
the heat as he treaded through the forest, his footsteps light and airy as he took one cautious
step after another. He grabbed his red sash, pinned to both his shoulders, and wiped the sweat
off his face with the soft fabric, knowing that something like sweat could get him caught.

He'd been on the dragon's tail for an hour now, it wasn't difficult to find tracks. There were
claw marks on trees and even stones and large barefoot human tracks littered the ground
around areas where the dragon had made its attack.

He followed these tracks deeper and deeper into the forest, slowly they became fresher as he
neared the dragon's lair at the heart of the forest.

The forest was empty, void of any creatures, but every now and again, Childe could spot the
decaying corpses of animals of prey. He'd passed at least four different skeletons of deer on
his path, their bones lying scattered and strewn about the forest floor.

It made his blood pump even faster with excitement, there could only be one reason for the
lack of animals in the forest: a primal predator bearing some intelligence inhabited these
woods, tearing their prey to shreds and striking fear into the hearts of every creature in the
forest. The forest animals would have either migrated somewhere safer or hidden. He spotted
more tracks hidden beneath the patchy grass, a foot almost twice as large as Childe's sleek
one had made this track, and it bore claws if the patches of strewn dirt were any indicator.

Childe felt himself shudder with excitement as he leaned down to examine the tracks, holding
his bow to his chest.

Yesterday, he'd bought three tranquilizer darts in order to take the target down from the
weapon store in downtown Liyue. He'd taken tips on catching or killing a dragon from the
local hunters, who'd paled at the thought of going after a primal predator.

Even they had told him that it was a lost cause, as dragons had thick scales that were
impenetrable to arrows or even spears.
This made things a lot more difficult, how was Childe meant to stab a tranquilizer dart into
the dragon if he had scales covering his body? Still, he didn't lose heart, knowing that he
would try no matter the odds. Childe decided that if nothing else, he should carry his twin
swords with him to defend himself if nothing else could get past the dragon's scales.

There was no bounty he couldn't handle, and there were no scenarios where he'd ever give in
without a fight, even if he died trying.

As he ventured deeper, the bones that were strewn across the ground transformed from the
bones of animals to the bones of humans. Rustic bits of Millelith armor were scattered about
the ground, the bones had been wiped clean of flesh, leaving little traces of the soldiers that
had fallen victim to the dragon.

Some bones were solitary as if ripped off a man's body. Childe assumed that these cases of
mismatched bones without the rest of the skeletons meant that the victims had either survived
or their bodies had been taken back to their families by other soldiers, leaving their limbs
scattered.

He smiled at the sight, undeterred and unfazed by the death and destruction around him.

As he walked through the thicket of trees, he could see a small lake nestled into a clearing,
still and silent — but not for long. Childe stopped abruptly as a sound whistled past his ears,
carried by the wind and making him go rigid. In a flash, as quietly as he could, Childe ducked
behind a bush by a tree with thick roots jutting out from the ground, his tailing swishing with
excitement as he felt his blood pumping at the first sound he'd heard since he entered the
noiseless forest.

It was the sound of the gentle trickle of water in the lake in front of him. This couldn't be
possible as the lake was unmoving, it only meant one thing: something else was causing it to
shift — something moving, something alive.

Childe licked his lips with trepidation, his eyes flashing with a glimmer of excitement as all
four of his ears perked up, his fox ears flapping over his head gently before craning as far as
they could to listen for any more sounds. It sounded like something was in the water; was he
mistaken and just thought it was fish that he'd heard swimming? Or was there something in
the water that wasn't meant to be there, a creature bathing itself?

Childe knew there was nothing for it — he needed to look to know what was really in that
lake.

He raised himself into a crouching position, peering out from behind the bush to look out at
the lake, flattening his ears against his head to keep himself as low as possible. Childe knew
his ginger hair, ears, and tail could very well get him caught.

He felt his body going rigid with elation as he saw that there was, in fact, something in the
lake that was far from the ordinary.

Childe's target was right in front of him, a hulking figure of a man, his back facing Childe. He
had long, dark hair, black, scaly skin with gold markings, long golden and black horns
protruding from the top of his head, and a large, thick tail that started at his tailbone, hidden
beneath the water's surface.

Childe felt awed as he stared at the man. That was what a dragon looked like.

His heart was pounding in his chest at the sight of a broad back facing him, the figure of a
man who called himself Zhongli, unbeknownst to Childe, seemed to tower over the water, but
he was not too tall to be completely inhuman. A smile of the deepest form of exhilaration
began to play on Childe's lips as he observed the man standing in the lake. The waters
surrounding Zhongli were dark and murky, an unmistakable shade of blood red mixed with
the transparent water.

It seemed that Zhongli was washing himself clean of blood, seemingly at peace after what
Childe assumed was a fruitful hunt and content with nothing but bathing himself.

Childe knew that dragons were sensitive to smell and prayed that his sweat wasn't enough to
make Zhongli aware of his presence.

He released an inaudible breath to calm his racing heart, the giddy smile still on his lips. As
silently as he could, making sure not to shift a single leaf, Childe raised his bow and snatched
one of three tranquilizer darts from his pocket. He double-checked the breast pocket of his
jacket to find that the other two of the tranquilizer darts were still there, stowed away.

Childe knew that he had only one shot with the tranquilizer; if he failed to shoot Zhongli on
the first try, he would be in some deep trouble. He would not have time to reload the bow
with another dart and knew he should be prepared to use his swords if Zhongli charged at
him.

With another steadying breath, Childe cocked his bow towards Zhongli, one eye closing with
concentration and his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth a little as he tried to find a
weak spot on the man's body as best he could from this distance. Childe felt his ears flapping
a little as he studied the man's body, seeing firm back muscles bulging out, glinting black
scales covering them. He'd never seen a man so... muscular before, unless it was a bull,
though they weren't exactly attractive in terms of looks.

This man, however, a dragon, was broad with muscles littering every part of his body,
including the base of his thick tail that seemed to be moving beneath the water, causing
ripples in the water's surface.

Zhongli seemed to be immersed in his own world, his eyes closed, and he didn't look around
for any signs of life. It was clear to Childe that Zhongli didn't expect any man or animal to
have the guts to approach him. Everything in this forest knew of his suffocating presence, and
everything in this forest feared him, except for Childe. Childe only felt himself getting more
and more excited with every second that passed.

He knew he needed to shoot the dart somewhere, but where could he shoot so that the
tranquilizer would actually hit him?
Childe felt his eye narrowing as he saw Zhongli's human ears protruding from behind the
tufts of black, wet hair. They seemed to be the color of flesh, different from his black scales.

Childe wondered whether hitting Zhongli on the ear was possible, but he decided not to in
case the tranquilizer affected his brain in a bad way. He decided that aiming for the nape of
Zhongli's neck was best. Childe pulled the dart back on the string of his bow, keeping his
hands steady and steadfast and preparing his body to fight if necessary. Just as he applied a
pascal of pressure backward on the string, he stopped in his tracks his eyes widening as he
watched Zhongli stirring.

He pulled his hands off the string, his other eye opening to watch as Zhongli began to move.
Childe heard a heavy, relaxed exhale from the man as he ran a large hand through his wet hair
before turning around in place.

Childe found his lips parting with shock as he stared blatantly at the front of the man's body,
submerged in water up to his waist. Zhongli's face was beautiful and elegant, like each of his
features had been carved delicately by the gods above. His jaw and nose were sharp, his
cheekbones rested high, and his eyes were bright, glittering pools of gold. Childe was
entranced.

Zhongli seemed to be done with his bath, making Childe duck lower as he stared at Zhongli
fixedly, his ears flat against his head but trying desperately to perk back up with interest. He
watched as Zhongli began to step out of the shallow waters, his hair wet and sopping, his
sleek black and golden horns glistening with the sheet of water covering them. His black tail,
stubbed with golden scales, ended with wet golden hairs that Childe imagined would've been
as fluffy as his hair if they weren't soaked. Childe watched as Zhongli completely stepped out
of the water and his jaw slackened, his eyes fixed on Zhongli's body.

His blue orbs seem to run all over the dragon, from his facial features to his broad chest down
to–... Childe gulped. Zhongli's body was covered with black scales that glinted gold in the
sunlight barely filtering in through the canopy of trees. His limbs and back were covered with
the same black scales.

There were, however, some areas of Zhongli's front that weren't covered with scales: his face,
the front of his neck, the center of his chest and abdomen, and... Childe's mouth dried up as
he stared at a particularly large organ of Zhongli's body: his thick, large cock.

Childe lowered his bow, doing nothing but staring, unable to tear his eyes away from
Zhongli's crotch as his tail began to sway from side to side, standing up straight with
excitement. He took in the sight of Zhongli's cock, hanging down to his midthighs, feeling a
shudder wash down his spine. It was the biggest Childe had ever seen in his life. He bit his
lip, feeling his body heating a little as he thought about how big it would be when it was
hard.

He swallowed a large gulp of his own drool, his mind beginning to wander as he watched
Zhongli shifting, his golden eyes dull and calm, having not noticed Childe's presence as of
yet. Zhongli's muscles stretched a little as he reached his hands up to his hair, squeezing
water from his mane to drip to the ground. Every little movement caused it to swing, making
Childe's mouth water again, filling up quickly as he felt a thirst beginning to etch itself into
his heart. He began thinking of how good it would feel to have that large cock belonging to
such an attractive man inside him, rearranging his insides and hitting places deep inside
Childe.

It was a little-known fact to most except those who'd been in bed with Childe that he loved
the male body more than he cared to admit.

Childe had flat-out refused some men he'd liked in the past after finding out that they were
smaller in the bedroom than he'd anticipated. He loved the idea and the very concept of a
large cock, but it was difficult to come by someone with a larger dick than him.

Now, however, a beast, a wild dragon, stood in front of him, bigger than Childe, bigger than
any other Childe had seen. The sight positively delighted him.

His dirty thoughts began to grow wilder and wilder, bordering on a feral desire to rip off his
clothes and submit himself to Zhongli, to hold his legs apart for the man to have easy access,
for him to use Childe in any way he wanted. He wanted to know what it would feel like to be
stretched to the brim with Zhongli's thick cock, making him forget that Zhongli was feral, a
beast who would rip him, a measly fox to shreds if given the slightest chance.

Before Childe could think of stopping these thoughts... he began to get wetter. His ass began
to leak slick with the arousal he felt from gazing at Zhongli's body, making his knees shift
uncomfortably as he felt himself getting hard just from the idea of Zhongli's dick reaching
places inside Childe that were unfathomable.

He didn't realize his arousal until it was too late. Childe snapped out of his daze as Zhongli
tilted his head up to sniff the air.

He realized at the last moment that Zhongli's strong sense of smell was going to pick up on
his presence, his eyes widening. In a split second, Childe ducked behind the bush again,
holding his breath in as Zhongli's head snapped in his direction, catching on to where a
peculiar smell was coming from. Zhongli stared at the place where Childe had been spying
on him with the intensity of burning; his nose seemed to recognize the smell despite having
never smelled it before. It was the scent of a recessive predator in deep arousal, one ranking
lower than Zhongli on the food chain.

Not an animal — Zhongli's nose told him — but half a human, just like him. The smell hadn't
been there before — Zhongli was sure of it. that could only mean that someone else was
present in these woods aside from him.

Why would anything try to approach him when he was the king of these lands, who left
nothing but bones and destruction in his path?

Zhongli licked his lips primally, staring at the bush Childe hid behind with his heart thumping
with excitement, a thrilled smile on the fox's face as the prospect of being caught nestled
itself into his mind.

Zhongli wondered: was there a post-meal snack awaiting him after his successful hunt? Or
perhaps it was dessert behind that bush? Zhongli didn't care to conceal the sound of his
footsteps as he walked towards the bush where Childe hid, he was not a sneaky fox but a
beast who reigned supreme over all others. Childe's mind whirred, what should he do?
Should he make a break for it and run as fast as he could?

He didn't doubt that he could outrun Zhongli's burly stature, but did he want to?

The unwavering smile on his lips told him no — escape was far from his mind. There were
mere seconds left before Zhongli found him, and. if Childe continued to hide, he wouldn't
have enough time to draw his swords and engage in combat before Zhongli pounced.

There was nothing for it; painfully aware of his arousal, Childe unsheathed the twin swords
strapped onto his back and held them ready. Kicking off his leg, Childe hurtled himself into a
standing position, putting as much distance between himself and Zhongli as he could as he
backed up, his eyes fixed on the hulking figure before him. He flinched as his back met the
thick trunk of a tree, but he continued to smile as Zhongli stopped momentarily, staring at
Childe.

Zhongli's amber eyes were calm and calculating, bearing the same intelligence as Childe but
wild and unrefined. They had an unblinking staredown, Zhongli seemed surprised as he
gazed at Childe, both their tails swishing from side to side as they surveyed each other.

Zhongli's gaze flicked up to Childe's ears, down to his tail, taking in the sight. Childe was a
fox.

Zhongli licked his lips hungrily again, sniffing the air once more and smiling ever so slightly
at the scent of Childe's slick in the air. Why was this fox in his forest? Did he come with a
death wish, not only stepping inside his lair but also getting aroused in his presence? Zhongli
couldn't have that. He couldn't let a sly fox get away with such a taunt.

Childe's eyes were fixed upon Zhongli's cock again, unable to look away except when
Zhongli took his first step forward. Childe still mocked him with a smile that grew wider and
wider with every step Zhongli took, watching the gentle shifting of Zhongli's cock and
feeling himself getting hard, causing a bulge to protrude through his pants. He didn't move
from his spot but held his swords ready, his eyes following each step Zhongli took, prepared
for an attack.

Just as Childe was expecting, Zhongli suddenly lunged with a burst of speed, Childe darted
towards the side just as Zhongli's claws met the bark of the tree behind him, tearing the trunk
a little with his sharp talons.

Childe used Zhongli's momentary confusion to try and slice his back with his swords but to
no avail. His swords bounded off the thick layer of scales, making Childe click his tongue as
he jumped back to put distance between himself and Zhongli again. Childe winced in pain,
the shock of the blade traveling up to his arm. Zhongli didn't immediately pounce again,
turning back around slowly, his amber eyes as dull and inhuman as ever, but Childe could
spot a slight twinkle of interest within the man's eyes.

Zhongli paused for a moment, his eyes staring fixedly on Childe, running over his smiling,
gleeful face, to his body — lithe but stronger than the average fox. His eyes fell on Childe's
crotch where he could clearly see Childe's arousal, making his eyes lid a little.

He noted from Childe's skin and features that he wasn't like the other soldiers Zhongli had
killed and eaten. A different race, a different nationality, a different breed of fox that wasn't
native to Liyue. Zhongli wondered if this made Childe taste different... in terms of the slick
that he could still smell in the air, the sweat, and... Childe's flesh. Would it taste different than
the Liyuean soldiers he'd eaten?

This made him want to catch the sly fox even more. Why hadn't Childe run away while
Zhongli observed him with his calculating gaze? Did this fox know what he was up against?

In reality, Childe was also staring back, his eyes on Zhongli's pale skin, just a shade darker
than that of Childe's, Liyuean. It was skin, wasn't it? And wherever there was skin, could be
penetrated.

Childe glanced past Zhongli at the ground where he'd thrown his bow. He regretted it now
that he had such a clear shot of the man. An idea came to him, and his smile grew wider, the
wider upturn of the corners of his lips was followed closely by Zhongli's eyes as they flashed
dangerously. Childe didn't know what compelled his hands to move on their own, but his grip
on one of his swords tightened even more.

He speedily raised it before Zhongli's eyes could follow the movement; using a baseballer's
pitch, Childe threw the sword at Zhongli's chest before the man could think to react.

Zhongli didn't, however, react at all as the sword pierced his shoulder. He didn't even stagger
as the blade lodged itself at the exact point where his scales met his skin near his collarbone.

Childe began to laugh a little with delight, seeing that the skin was penetrable as blood began
to ooze from the new wound. Zhongli seemed completely unbothered by the new wound;
there was no sign of pain or even anger at Childe's actions in his eyes. Instead, he listened to
Childe's manic laughter ringing through the forest with increased interest. He had never heard
another human make that sound before; after all, none of the people he'd killed had any
reason to laugh while in his forest. The smile on Childe's lips confused but intrigued him.

He felt a twinge of agitation curling up in his stomach at Childe laughing so merrily, like he
didn't think Zhongli could ever hurt him.

He clenched and unclenched his fist at the thought of the ginger's overconfidence, wanting to
wipe that smile off his face and make him beg for mercy just as others before him had.
Zhongli reached up and curled his fingers around the hilt of the sword, pulling it out of his
shoulder with a small sigh.

Childe stared as the gash left by the sword began to repair itself, the blood disappearing as
the wound began to close.

"Ah," Childe said with realization, making Zhongli look at him, curious to hear him speak,
"That's the reason they failed to kill you, isn't it?" Childe asked. A plan was coming together
in his mind quickly, and it made his excitement double as he realized that, if everything went
accordingly, he would get to complete his bounty and get what he wanted from Zhongli
personally. His eyes scanned his crotch and muscular figure again at the thought. To
Zhongli's surprise, Childe threw his other sword away as well, allowing it to fall far from
him, out of his reach.

"I'm unarmed," He said, raising his hands to show them empty. He didn't even know if
Zhongli understood him, but he didn't care. As long as Zhongli's eyes never left his form, that
was good enough for Childe. 'I want him to ruin me,' voiced a thought in Childe's brain.

Zhongli also threw away the sword that he still clutched in his hand, his eyes narrowing with
suspicion. This time, it was Childe who took the first step forward. Zhongli watched, amazed,
as Childe began to take confident strides towards him, one after another. A human, a fox no
less, who was severely weaker than him, was walking towards him, entering into his reach.
Did Childe truly have a death wish?

Zhongli didn't move as Childe stopped right in front of him; Zhongli could reach forward and
swipe a claw along Childe's neck and slit his throat in an instant.

Childe's hands shook but not with fear or nerves but with giddy anticipation, excited because
he wanted nothing more than to be razed by the man in front of him. It was important for
Childe to distract Zhongli from killing him instantly; otherwise, everything would be over
before he even got to get started. Childe was getting nearer, both of them could see each other
far more clearly than before. Zhongli could see Childe's tail swinging harder than ever, left
and right.

Childe was truly an attractive sight with his coy smile and orange eyelashes that fluttered
gently as if trying to make himself more appealing to Zhongli. His apparent scent grew
thicker and stronger, the smell of his arousal doubling with how close he was to Zhongli.
Zhongli watched as Childe raised his hand, beginning to reach out to the man with shaking
fingers.

Zhongli's eyes flashed maliciously at the action, thinking that Childe was trying to get the
first hit. His hand snapped up to wrap his fingers around Childe's wrist, holding him firmly in
place with a low growl rumbling past his lips.

Contrary to the fear Zhongli expected from Childe, the ginger chuckled a little, angering
Zhongli deeply.

Zhongli's other hand reached up to Childe's neck and clasped tightly around the feeble and
scrawny neck with a dangerous glint shining in his eyes. He pulled Childe closer by the wrist
and his neck, choking the ginger with his claws and making scratch marks on the skin of his
neck.

Again, Childe didn't offer the reaction Zhongli had hoped for, his smile turned into a grin as
Childe's sleek fangs began to show from behind his upper lip. This was exactly what he'd
wanted: for both of Zhongli's hands to occupy themselves. Childe didn't struggle against
Zhongli's grip, but his free hand began moving as well. Zhongli didn't catch its movements,
his attention on Childe's smile that seemed to make him feel hotter inside, with both anger
and...— was it arousal from the scent of Childe's slick in the air? Childe reached down and
made a sudden grab, wrapping his hand around the base of Zhongli's cock.
Zhongli seemed to freeze up, his golden, beast-like eyes widened while his slanted yellow
pupils seemed to dilate at the feeling.

Childe felt his mouth water a little, feeling the weight of Zhongli's cock in his hand, unable to
wrap his fingers all the way around the girth. He didn't give Zhongli a moment to think about
it, beginning to stroke it, rough and fast, ensuring the dragon would feel the nerves coming to
life so that he wouldn't be able to ignore it as easily as he'd ignored the sword Childe had
thrown at him.

Zhongli's eyes turned wild with fury and pleasure from Childe's actions. His eyes glazed over
as Childe pumped him, feeling his cock beginning to stand erect from the stimulation, but, as
he tried to focus on Childe's face, he found that Childe was enjoying it way more than he
was.

A drop of drool had begun to slide down the corner of Childe's lips as he tried to stare down
at Zhongli's cock in his hands with lidded eyes. Zhongli knew then that he had to put a stop to
Childe's actions, not understanding the ginger's motives for doing such things. Zhongli's hand
dropped from Childe's throat to grab his other wrist as well, wrenching Childe's hand away
from his crotch and stepping forward to pin his back to the thick trunk of a tree, holding his
wrists on either side of his head.

Zhongli noted that the look in Childe's eyes was beginning to match his own; they no longer
harbored the same tame look as societal's eyes usually did, but, instead, they were as feral as
Zhongli's, feral with lust and arousal.

He breathed out, feeling utterly bewildered by the fox's actions, disoriented with the way his
cock shuddered, desiring friction again.

Zhongli didn't know what to do, feeling befuddled regarding Childe's motives, not knowing
whether to kill Childe now that his thoughts were jumbled up and disorderly.

This gave Childe enough time to consider his next move, shifting his weight to one leg and
raising one of his booted feet to Zhongli's crotch, harboring no care for how dirty the sole of
his shoe was and pressing it against the quaking organ again, squishing it between his foot
and Zhongli's stomach while the beast writhed, his mouth falling open with pleasure and
revealing two sets of sharp, girthy fangs. Zhongli stared at him, mystified, making Childe
smirk with triumph at the fact that he'd managed to succeed in throwing Zhongli completely
off the rails.

"You can kill me if you want to, I don't mind, but I can take care of this for you first," Childe
breathed, both of them panting in near unison as he allowed his foot to drop back to the
ground and shifting forward, getting as close to Zhongli as he could.

He parted his legs as he felt the tip of Zhongli's dick against them, before clamping it
between his legs as tight as he could, eliciting a growl from Zhongli as the dragon slumped,
his grip on Childe's wrists loosening considerably enough for Childe to break out of it. Childe
shrugged Zhongli's hands off his wrists and, instead of using the chance to run away, wrapped
his arms around Zhongli's neck, hugging him tightly until their bodies collided snugly.
Childe was able to pin Zhongli's thick cock between his inner thighs more firmly, moaning
into his ear as he rocked his hips a little, rolling his dick between his legs.

He listened to the way Zhongli growled primally, his arms wrapping around Childe as well,
trapping him against himself, though he didn't immediately seem to know what to do. His
arms slid around Childe, one of his large hands gripping the base of his tail and tugging at it.
Zhongli was met with a low, crooning moan. He let Childe tease him, feeling the ginger pull
his hips back to the tip of his cock, a considerable distance from the base, before thrusting his
hips back to the base, rocking the organ between his legs with tiny, needy whimpers that
drove Zhongli insane.

What was this fox doing to him? Why was he begging him like this with his little mewls
when he wasn't even in heat?

His grip around Childe tightened, one hand reaching up to Childe's hair, his long, clawed
fingers swishing through his fluffy locks and grabbing a tight hold of them. With a jerk,
Zhongli pulled Childe back enough to make the fox face him, moaning with pain from the
way Zhongli pulled his hair.

Childe looked up at Zhongli with big, half-lidded blue eyes, chewing his bottom lip between
his teeth as he gazed up at Zhongli, consumed with sexual desire.

Zhongli's fangs bared, making up his mind quickly on what he should do. He neared Childe's
neck, his mouth open, ready to rip his throat, but Childe gave his cock another strong jerk,
making Zhongli grunt with pleasure, his eyes clouding up and making him forget what to do
momentarily.

"Fuck me," Childe whispered in his ear, his warm breath fanning Zhongli's face in repeated
pants. Zhongli froze a little at his words, staring at Childe, who thought that Zhongli didn't
understand. Childe tightened the grip of his thighs around the shaft of Zhongli's dick, another
seductive smile on his lips while his other hand reached out to hold Zhongli's.

"Put this-" Childe squeezed around Zhongli a little, making him draw a sharp breath, his
other hand beginning to guide Zhongli's large one behind Childe, placing it on his ass, "inside
me." Childe felt Zhongli's hand tighten around his ass cheek, squeezing it between his
taloned fingers and catching on quickly. A drop of Zhongli's drool landed on Childe's neck
from the way he frothed at the mouth, feeling dazed and as lustful as Childe because of the
thick scent of Childe's slick surrounding him.

Zhongli's hand reached up to the waistband of Childe's traveler's pants, slowly slipping his
hand down past the fabric to touch Childe's bare skin. Childe trembled desperately with
excitement, making sure not to make any sudden moves lest he hurt himself on Zhongli's
claws.

"Put it in," Childe whined to Zhongli, feeling his large, dangerous hand caressing his skin
tenderly, dipping between his cheeks where the slick coated his fingers, dripping down his
inner thighs. Zhongli pulled his fingers out, covered in Childe's juices. Childe watched as
Zhongli curiously brought his coated fingers up to his own lips, sticking his tongue out and
flicking it over his fingers to lick the slick off.
Childe's face reddened a deep shade, but the action only aroused him more, his tail wagging
behind him.

Zhongli's yellow pupils dilated at the taste; it was sweet, tangy, not what Zhongli had been
expecting, but it was addictive, and the more Zhongli tasted it on his tongue, the more he
wanted to have more.

Zhongli suddenly wrenched Childe away from himself, making the ginger gasp a little at the
sudden action as he was flung onto the ground, tripping over a tree root and falling at the foot
of a tree. The thick roots of the tree were carved into the mossy dirt all around him, lying at
the center of the roots with Zhongli standing over him, his face shadowed without a sliver of
humanity in his eyes.

Zhongli dropped onto his knees with a loud thud, his hands wrapping around Childe's ankles
and wrenching his legs apart. A feral look was cast over his face, making Childe shudder
with excitement, expecting Zhongli to start pounding into him at any given moment.

He didn't complain when Zhongli's claws tore through the fabric of his pants, shredding them
off his legs along with his boots and throwing the pieces behind him with little care. Childe
made sure to spread his legs wide for Zhongli to feast his eyes on his pink cock, erect with
the deepest form of lust, and further past, his twitching hole, ready to have Zhongli inside of
it. Before Zhongli could get the idea of tearing apart Childe's jacket and shirt, Childe undid
his red sash quickly, throwing it aside in fear that Zhongli would rip it off his body as well.

He unclasped his jacket and threw open his shirt, making sure his body was on full display
for Zhongli to keep the plan going as intended.

Zhongli's cold gaze ran all over Childe's body, his hands reaching up to Childe's chest to give
his pecs a little squeeze. He unintentionally scratched the skin with his claws as he went,
ducking down between Childe's legs to do what he'd initially intended.

Zhongli curled his strong arms around the base of Childe's thighs, wrapping around them and
throwing his legs over his broad shoulders as he buried his face in Childe's crotch.

Childe winced as the scales on Zhongli's back nipped at the skin of his legs, stinging it and
causing rough friction that made Childe's skin ache faintly. Childe gasped and shivered
violently as Zhongli's long, warm tongue slid right over his inner thigh, lapping up the
escaped slick and crooning with enjoyment at the taste that made him crave more and more.

If this was the taste of a fox's arousal, Zhongli wanted a lifetime supply.

He began licking all over Childe's legs, anywhere the slimy liquid had dripped, Zhongli
lapped up with enthusiasm, feeling Childe twitch and shudder with every lick near his most
sensitive spot. His tail flicked over Zhongli's face a few times, to his annoyance, but a swift
scratch at Childe's tailbone was enough to make him whimper with pleasure as he settled his
tail down. Zhongli made his way closer to Childe's hole, the smell was a lot thicker than
anywhere else, and being in the thick of it was nothing short of delightful for Zhongli.
Childe's scent was sweet and minty, like flowers you'd find somewhere freezing cold.
"Not t-there.." Childe said in a shaking whisper as Zhongli ran his tongue right over his hole,
dipping into the folds as he licked it free of Childe's slick.

Zhongli seemed to ignore his words and reemerged from between Childe's legs, licking his
lips to get the last bit of it off his lips as he stared down at Childe. Childe used the momentary
distraction to his advantage, "Put it in."

Zhongli ignored him again, his eyes still searching for any drop of slick but feeling
disappointed to find none left. It only meant one thing: he had to milk Childe for more.
Zhongli leaned down again, leveling his face with Childe's cock and pressing his lips to it, his
eyes trailing over a glimmer of a white substance, a drop of precum, slowly beginning to
ooze out of Childe's cock.

Zhongli wasted no time in sticking his tongue out and running it right over the top of Childe's
cock, lapping up the droplet hungrily.

His eyes widened — Childe's cum tasted as good as his slick. Childe whimpered, his smirk
no longer sat upon his face as he felt himself rapidly losing control of the situation now that
Zhongli refused to listen to a word he said. Zhongli's hunger dipped into ferality, realizing
Childe tasted good everywhere, relaxing his tastebuds almost like a drug. He leaned down,
and without warning, wrapped his lips around Childe's cock, his large black hand wrapped
around Childe's thighs, his fingers dipping into the flesh and breaking the skin with his claws.

Childe threw his head back, gasping as it felt like his lungs had shrunk dramatically in size at
the trapped feeling of Zhongli's hot mouth wrapping around his dick, making his hips buck
upward. "F-Fuck!" Childe whined, his back arching as Zhongli swallowed him easily all the
way down to the base without so much as a sliver of discomfort from having Childe lodged
in his throat.

"Stop..." Childe mewled pathetically, his hands reaching down to Zhongli's head to begin
tugging back at his locks, trying to get him to pull away but to no avail. Zhongli sucked on
him without a break for even a gasp of breath, desperate to have another taste of Childe.

Childe tried to clamp his legs shut on Zhongli's head, "No– No, I don't want this..! Just fuck
me," Childe ordered, trying his best to push Zhongli back with his feet, but it only served to
agitate the dragon even more.

Zhongli finally pulled off, his fangs barely missing from scratching Childe's cock as he made
sure to grind his teeth down gently against Childe as he pulled away. He smirked a little at the
helpless moan the ginger released. Zhongli felt aggravated by the way Childe tried to shut
him away by closing his legs, knowing that Childe would continue to hinder him if he let him
lay freely. Zhongli's eyes landed on Childe's red sash, lying by his head as he panted, glaring
back up at Zhongli and trying to deny him something he'd promised him. There was no way
Zhongli would let Childe have his way, not when his way was so restrictive.

Zhongli snatched up the sash between his hands, making Childe look at him with alarm. He
watched as Zhongli tore the cloth in half with his claw as easily as scissors through paper, his
jaw dropping. Zhongli used one of the two halves to tie Childe's ankle to a tree root, binding
him down tight enough to restrict his blood flow as he squirmed and kicked, realizing what
Zhongli was doing.

Zhongli remained patient even as his temper flared up, knowing that, if he killed Childe, he
wouldn't get to have a taste of his sweet insides again.

Zhongli secured his other leg to another tree root, while Childe tried frantically to keep his
leg free, knowing that he would have no way of escape if Zhongli tied him up completely.
"N-No..!" Childe whimpered, successfully wearing Zhongli's patience thin as the man's eyes
flashed threateningly, glaring down at Childe with a cold fury that made him go quiet and
stop struggling.

"Ah!" Childe cried as Zhongli's hand wrapped around Childe's cock, giving it a harsh tug
hard enough to lift his hips off the ground as he wailed with pain and pleasure from the force.

Zhongli momentarily forgot his frustrations when he saw Childe leaking from both ends, his
efforts finally bearing him fruit.

Zhongli immediately swooped down and licked them clean, his eyes lidding halfway as if
inebriated, caught up by how addictive Childe's body was. This was the first time Zhongli
had felt like this; he had never known that foxes could produce such a strong and primitive
effect on others — it was nothing short of obsessive. Slowly, he watched the fight leave
Childe's eyes as he pinned the ginger's wrists down and went down on him harder than
before.

This was the sight he'd been wishing to see ever since he saw Childe flashing him that
infuriating smirk — the sight of fear of what'll happen to him beginning to set in if Zhongli
didn't let him go, having ripped all his clothes save for his jacket to shreds. He wanted to hear
Childe break apart, he wanted to see him beg, to see his beautiful blue eyes shed tears.

It didn't take Childe long to cum, given the harsh tugs and twists Zhongli gave his cock,
rolling his tongue around it with hopes that the delicious, white cum and slick came out.

Zhongli's eyes shone with victory as he listened to Childe wailing and crying, his cries
echoing throughout the forest as he felt his legs going numb from being tied up, unable to
squirm with the lack of feeling. Zhongli didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know that the
dull fingernails clawing at the back of his head and shoulders were signs that Childe was
going to cum.

Desperate for another taste, Zhongli pushed his lips from the tip of Childe's cock down to the
base, listening with delight as Childe thrashed and cried underneath him.

"Aah! F-Fuck..!" Childe cursed as he felt himself tipping over the edge, unable to stop
himself from screaming as he threw his head back and came in Zhongli's mouth, leaking cum
in spurts all over his tongue.

Zhongli didn't stop sucking on it until Childe did nothing but twitch and shake, his grip on
Zhongli's damp hair tight enough to make his knuckles go white with the pleasure.
Zhongli pulled away, keeping Childe's cum in his mouth to taste it a bit longer. He saw
Childe shakily lifting his head to look down at him, and gave the ginger a look of deep
satisfaction, parting his lips so Childe could see his own cum splashed on his tongue before
swallowing his cum. Childe's face was red with the after-effects of the orgasm, but it grew a
shade darker at the smirk on Zhongli's face.

Zhongli didn't stop there, he reached further past to lick his hole clean against as more slick
spurted out from the orgasm as well as Zhongli's lewd actions.

"No more.." Childe whimpered as Zhongli sat up at last, detaching Childe's hands from his
hair.

Zhongli didn't listen, staring down at Childe's body as it trembled with pleasure. Zhongli had
never realized that foxes could be so pretty. Perhaps it was the fact that Childe was a
foreigner that made him look all the more appealing in Zhongli's eyes, one of his ears curled
up downwards while the other stood rigid. His skin was pure, blotched in places with ugly
scars, telling Zhongli that this wasn't Childe's first rodeo going around trying to hunt
monsters much bigger and more ferocious than himself. His eyes cast over Childe's chest,
pale with pink nipples on either side, looking as inviting as Childe's cock. An idea came to
mind.

He bent down and pressed his lips against Childe's chest, seeing his taut nipples standing
rigid and straight with arousal turned him on even more. Zhongli clamped his mouth around
the left bud and began to suck on it, encouraged by the mewls starting to flow from Childe's
mouth.

Childe caught on quickly to Zhongli's schemes, his hands flashing upwards to grip Zhongli's
hair again in a desperate attempt to pull him back, knowing he would not be let go for ages if
he didn't stop him now.

"Nothing's going to come out of there... d-don't..!" Childe whimpered as he tried to sit up,
knowing he needed to get the upper hand one way or the other. He managed to stretch one of
his hands back to Zhongli's crotch and was able to grab the tip easily with how long it
stretched. He could hear Zhongli drawing a sharp breath as Childe squeezed it in the palm of
his hand, making sure to use the pleasure Zhongli got from it as a leash to get Zhongli back
under his control. "This is all I want, give it to me, put it in... I know you want to, I'm nice
and tight for you..."

Zhongli regarded Childe for a moment, his bestial amber eyes glinting a little as he stared
fixedly into Childe's.

Childe couldn't believe he was getting fucked by a feral dragon he'd meant to capture, but it
was all part of the plan; it was what he wanted even more than to capture the dragon and
complete his bounty. It wasn't every day a dragon was willing to be tame for even an hour
just to be able to fuck Childe. It also wasn't every day Childe saw a man with such a huge
cock, pulsing and likely felt wonderful to bury inside of himself. Still, this feeling of
helplessness wasn't what Childe had in mind.
Just when Childe thought things were looking up for him, that he would finally get what he
wanted, Zhongli's large, black hand slipped up to his chest and pushed him to lie back down,
pinning him firmly on his back.

Childe's smile made its way back to his lips as he saw Zhongli's hand wrap around his own
cock, holding it in place. He thought he'd won, but, as quickly as Zhongli considered it, he
thought that his impatience could be quenched so long as he could taste Childe again. His
head ducked down between Childe's tied legs again, making the ginger's eyes widen.

His previous orgasm had made him all the more sensitive; his toes curled and his eyes rolled
to the back of his head as Zhongli prodded his tongue against his hole again, this time
pressing it hard past his rim to stuff his snake-like tongue inside. "No! Fuck, no, not that..!"
Childe wailed as Zhongli gripped Childe's cock again within his tight fist and slammed his
tongue as far as he could, elongating the thin muscle inside him as far as he could go.

"Stop.. stop it," Childe whimpered helplessly, at last, he'd been broken, just like Zhongli
intended from the beginning. Zhongli licked up every bit of slick he could find on the inside
before slowly withdrawing his tongue. He looked down at Childe, who seemed to be a
complete and utter mess, staring back up at him with watery blue eyes.

Zhongli finally found his satisfaction reaching surplus and whispered, "Beg for it."

He relished in the way Childe's eyes widened at the sound of his words, his deep, rumbling
voice breaking the silence save for Childe's rampant breathing. Childe laid there in shock;
had Zhongli spoken or was it just a hazy trick of his mind? Did Zhongli speak the same
language he did? Had Zhongli understood every word of his mewls and screams of pleasure,
his overconfident challenge?

The thought made him feel like he'd been played with harder than his cock and his ass.

Zhongli had listened to all of Childe's ramblings, his haughty demands, as if he felt entitled to
what Zhongli could give him. Not once had he said the word 'please'. That was why he had
yet to give Childe what he wanted most. Zhongli occupied himself with his nipples again as
Childe lay there in shock, ripping him from his trance-like state as he wrapped his unfurled
tongue around the nub of Childe's nipple, coiling around it like a snake and beginning to tug
at it.

It was clear that Zhongli was trying to give a reason to beg.

Childe could feel his mind dipping over the edge at the feeling of his nipples being tugged
upwards, finally forcing the words Zhongli wanted to hear to his lips, "Please.. please, I want
your cock so bad, please put it in, I'm begging you."

Childe couldn't help beginning to feel vulnerable with Zhongli doing unwelcomed things,
things Childe hadn't asked him to do.

He watched the corners of Zhongli's mouth curl upward with satisfaction from driving Childe
to the lowest point he could possibly stoop to. Zhongli finally sat up, pulling away from
Childe to get serious with the fox. Childe's legs were tied and spread apart for him, giving
him easy access to his hole.

Zhongli grabbed the base of his cock, giving the rigid organ a gentle stroke just as Childe had
done. He began to direct it towards Childe's ass, prodding it with the tip of his dick. Childe
produced more slick in response, making Zhongli steel himself to keep from backing out to
lap it up instead. "Put it in... please!" Childe whined haughtily, his impatience flaring up as he
tried to push himself down on Zhongli's cock, but to no avail, with his legs fixed in place by
the ankles.

"I think I am the one who gets to decide that, hm?" Zhongli's voice was hoarse as if it wasn't
used to being used often, but he pronounced every syllable with the fluency of a societal
human being.

His voice was clear and sonorous, almost enchanting — it carried a sense of authority that
would make even Childe weak in the knees if he wasn't already laying down. He figured that
replying would get him nowhere, trying to be patient but wanting Zhongli to ruin him
quickly. Zhongli eventually complied after gazing at his expression with superiority shining
in his golden orbs. He leaned down to nuzzle his face into Childe's chest, his body covered by
Zhongli's vast back as he clutched him tightly.

Zhongli pressed his hips forward and began to push his throbbing cock inside the tight space,
breathing deeply.

Childe felt his eyes widening to their full extent to the point of hurting, but nothing could
compare to the pain he felt as Zhongli stretched him out to the max, pushing his cock inside
steadily with how tight and cramped it was.

"AH! I-It hurts..!" Childe whimpered, hugging his arms tight around Zhongli's head as
searing pain filled him to his core.

This was the one downside of having sex with a man who fit his size standards — no amount
of prep could prepare him for something like this. Zhongli lifted his gaze to look up at
Childe's face and saw, to his enjoyment, tears streaming freely down Childe's face as he bit
his lip hard to choke back a sob.

Zhongli kissed Childe's nipple and dragged his tongue over, staring up at Childe's expression
with utter satisfaction to see his tears. Zhongli didn't give him a second to adjust; he pulled
his hips back and slammed his cock inside again, this time a little easier as Childe produced
more slick at the sudden pain.

He listened intently to Childe's mewl of pain mixed with the rawest form of pleasure
possible, his mouth falling open and causing a hefty amount of drool to drip down his cheek
as he threw his head back.

Zhongli released a soft breath, feeling himself slipping more and more into the same ferality
with which he tore humans limb from limb. He wanted to shred Childe apart with his hands,
harboring enough strength to do it without his claws, but if he did so, he wouldn't be able to
feel Childe tightening around him, twitching with every move he made inside of him and
moaning sweet enough to sound like music to Zhongli's ears. Zhongli moved his face forward
and bit down gently on Childe's soft and fragile fox's ear, smirking.

Zhongli wrapped his arms around Childe's body, holding his hands clasped behind Childe's
back to keep himself treading along a single line, holding back from drifting away from
sanity as he felt his entire being getting consumed by lust.

The more he moved, the more Childe got used to it, finally being able to see past the blur of
his tears and agony to feel Zhongli's long teeth beginning to nip at his neck.

His body grew more sensitive with every thrust Zhongli gave inside of him, making his body
shudder as his large cock struck his prostate without even trying, hitting places Childe didn't
feel were possible to reach.

There was no air to be found in Childe's lungs as his body ceased functioning properly,
feeling nothing but pleasure coursing through his veins, making the minuscule hairs on his
arms arch. All thoughts were pushed out of his brain —everything except the cock hitting his
prostate was meaningless and not even the sting of Zhongli's pairs of fangs puncturing his
neck could distract him.

A smile began to play on his lips, humming with ecstasy and whimpering with delight with
every smack of Zhongli's hips against his ass, making their skins flush. He ran his fingers
through Zhongli's damp hair, sloppily pecking his cheek affectionately as best he could with
Zhongli's teeth buried under his skin. Childe's tail began flicking again with excitement.

This was exactly what he'd wanted, the rough pain of Zhongli's cock stretching his hole wider
than ever before, the feeling of his balls hitting against Childe's skin, the feel of every pit and
bump of his veins throbbing inside of him with how tight he hugged around Zhongli. The
thought that he had something so big inside him drove Childe to madness as he growled
ferally in Zhongli's ear.

Zhongli pulled back to see the lewd expression Childe was making, Childe's blood on his
lips.

His eyes widened as he saw Childe's tearful smile, the red hue coloring his otherwise pale
face, and the sight of stars in Childe's dull blue eyes. This was not the expression Zhongli had
been expecting with his powerful thrusts — he'd assumed it would be painful for Childe. He
couldn't help a small chuckle escaping him, though Childe couldn't hear it nor himself as he
moaned and cried.

Truly, Childe was an interesting little thing.

Childe mewled something between pants for breath, something undecipherable as he couldn't
get the words on his tongue without completely losing his sense of self. What he'd meant to
tell Zhongli was a warning that he was coming, finding it difficult to hold back when
everything was numb save for a burning feeling in his lower abdomen.

The closer it got, the more difficult it was to see Zhongli's face, to make out what was
happening around him. He could feel nothing but the steady pump of Zhongli's warm dick
 inside of him, burying itself up to the base and destroying him inside.

"I-.. I'm 'gunna... " Childe tried to whimper out, but a loud yelp overtook him as Zhongli
wrapped his hand firmly around Childe's cock, holding it tight in a crushing grip and
pumping it.

It was enough to send Childe into a trance — he came into Zhongli's hand with a scream his
deaf ears couldn't hear but was heard loud and clear by the man who had caused his orgasm.
Zhongli's eyes were fixed upon his hand as Childe came all over his fingers. Zhongli was
beginning to feel his own knot in his stomach, tightening threateningly. He had never felt like
this before, so complete, so warm, so thrilled. Zhongli didn't want the feeling to end, the
same as Childe.

For once, he was glad not to have killed a man like Childe upon first sight. Zhongli felt
himself tipping over the edge as he brought his hand up to his lips to lick it free of cum.

The heavenly taste made his orgasm stronger, feeling himself burying his face into Childe's
neck again and slipping into insanity with pleasure as he came with a deep grunt inside
Childe. He filled him up with his seed up to bursting point while Childe encouraged him with
a contented grin on his lips, his eyes rolling back at the warmth that filled him.

Childe's mind was hazy as he felt Zhongli's weight drop on top of him completely, but he
could feel something weighing down on him from his breast pocket, his jacket hanging
loosely over his shoulders.

With shaking fingers, Childe raised his hand up to the pocket while Zhongli tried to catch his
breath, sneaking a tranquilizer dart between his trembling fingers. He reached his hands over
Zhongli's back and popped the cap off the needle of the dart. "You'll be all mine now... won't
you?" Childe whispered to Zhongli, pressing a loving kiss against Zhongli's cheek again as
Zhongli growled a little into his shoulder.

He attempted to pull away from Childe, but the ginger didn't allow it, holding around
Zhongli's neck even tighter.

He tightened his fist around the dart, "I don't think I'll be able to let you go," He whispered in
Zhongli's ear before plunging the needle into his neck. Zhongli's eyes went wide as searing
pain shot through his neck. He thrashed like a wild animal, but Childe held him in his arms
tightly, whispering sweet nothings into his ear as Zhongli's struggling grew weaker and
weaker before he crumpled on top of Childe completely, falling into unconsciousness. "I
promise I won't let anyone else have you."

Chapter End Notes

I've gotten busier since summer ended, so updates are slow but I am putting my 100%
and I don't think I'll ever leave this book unfinished hehe~ 30 chapters to go, men, we're
still going strong even if it takes me more than a year to finish this.
I've been wanting to write double sexes for genshin characters for a while now, i.e
animal crosses so this was a thrill for me.

If you think there's a warning I should add that would be triggering or unpleasant, please
let me know!
 (Multiple Orgasms P2) Pregnant (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Dark thoughts, suicidal ideation, omegaverse.

Four months into their marriage, Aether feels unloved and unwanted by Xiao, feeling as
if he could trust no one in the world. His depression spirals when Xiao leaves him alone
with no explanation for a night, rendering him a crying mess as he feels like he has no
option but to run away.

NOTE: This chapter is Part 2 of Chapter: 37 of this book, the prompt of which is
Multiple Orgasms. Please read it before this one if you haven't already so you aren't
missing out on anything that you might not understand in this smut!

Chapter Notes

Another angst chapter, warning: there is hardly any smut in this chapter~ Oof this is the
longest chapter in the book yet,,,, 11k words. I feel bad for anyone who tries to read this
chapter, but luckily I had the sense to divide the chapter into multiple scenes for easy
reading, please don't feel pressured by the large chapter, take your time if you wish to
read it! XiaoAether is my favorite genship and I usually pour my heart and soul when it
comes to this couple!

I know I said I wouldn't give Ch:37 a second part, but I was hoping to make a full-
fledged story out of the prompt, but unfortunately, laziness struck, so here I am with my
walk of shame!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

It was a cold winter's evening. The sun was setting in the west, sinking slowly behind the
mountains in the distance, making Aether wonder what it would be like to chase the sun
across the horizon.

The wind whistled through the cherry blossom tree the blonde sat under, his legs folded
neatly beneath him as he ran a comb through his hair, decorated with flowers. Aether looked
at nothing in particular; his eyes were slowly blinking as he stared out across the small forest
that had been built on the castle grounds. His long hair was as smooth as could be; the comb
he held in his slim fingers found no retaliation in their path from the roots of his hair down to
the tips.
He glanced down at the grass he was sitting on and sighed, his hands dropping from his hair
to seat themselves on his lap. To anyone who didn't know what went on in his mind, he
would look like nothing more than a peaceful and beautiful man. The color of the blossoms
shining above him paired well with his long blonde hair, pale blue robes, and fairy-like face;
he looked nothing short of captivating.

However, there was always a war raging in his mind, keeping him from reasonable thought
and action. Aether was dazed; his thoughts were disorderly. He didn't feel as beautiful as he
looked, didn't know what to do with himself.

His golden eyes flickered upwards, watching a cherry blossom begin its descent,
disconnecting from its branch and starting its path towards his lap. The flower fell gracefully
on his thigh over his robes, secured to his body with a white sash wrapped around his waist.
Aether smiled, but it wasn't the smile of happiness or bliss. It was a smile filled with
melancholy at the sight of such a beautiful flower falling from its high pedestal.

He picked it up and brought the blossom up to his face, taking in the scent. It smelled sweet
and ambrosial, his craving for something sweet kicked in, and he almost thought of eating the
flower for a second. Aether felt amused by his thoughts as he lowered the flower again. He
knew it would be a waste to eat it; blooms didn't taste as good as they smelled.

He gazed up at the branches full of the pink cherry blossoms above him, creating a beautiful
canopy overhead. These sakura trees had been imported from Inazuma, or so his husband had
told him. Aether's smile fell almost as gracefully as the flower he held in his hands at the
thought of his husband, replaced by a sad frown. He let the flower fall from his cupped hands
and slip onto the grassy ground. His gaze shifted down to his robes, staring at the little bump
that was showing through them. He brought a tentative hand up to his stomach and rubbed
his swollen belly gently.

It was difficult for Aether to believe that it had been four months since that day that haunted
him every night. It had been four months since his wedding day, since the day he had been
impregnated. He gazed down at the bump with mixed emotions, not knowing what to do or
feel. Aether's belly was beginning to show prominent signs of growth, enough to show
through his robes given his slim and frail figure.

His mind decided on an emotion, and a fond smile made its way onto his face with love for
his future child. Those who knew the circumstances behind his pregnancy would consider
him odd for loving a child that had been forced on him. Aether didn't think it was strange to
love the child he was carrying.

He felt no love for the world, no love for the circumstances, but he didn't take his hatred out
on his child. He glanced back at the looming castle peeking through the trees. His frown
deepened, and he bit back his emotions, knowing how fragile he had become thanks to this
pregnancy. A month into his pregnancy, it had become more common for him to cry than
ever before. He had become prone to outbursts, but with steely determination, he made sure
to keep them to himself. Aether would've been damned if he ever let anyone see him in his
weakest state after that day four months ago when Xiao had seen him cry and beg.
He blinked rapidly to avoid the forming of tears in his eyes at the thought of Xiao.
Everything was in disarray as it had always been for Aether. One would've thought that, after
four months, something would've changed between them, that they would've gotten past their
differences and become more comfortable around each other.

Aether and Xiao's relationship hadn't been as lucky. Aether still thought of Xiao as no more
than a stranger, knowing everything he knew about Xiao from snooping around and
observation. Xiao hardly ever spoke to Aether directly, they would ignore each other, but
something had changed between them that made Aether's heart ache even more whenever he
thought of his husband.

Xiao was every bit as cold and ruthless as he was on the day of their wedding; his glare was
always sharp, his soldiers feared him ever since he was made king. Shortly after their
marriage ceremony, Xiao and Aether had their coronation. Xiao was crowned as the king of
Liyue by his older brother Zhongli, while Aether was crowned as the king's husband after
Zhongli and his husband stepped down and retired to live a quiet life in the mountains
together.

Not much had changed for Aether since his coronation day; Xiao had told him not to worry
about being crowned as a king. He wouldn't have any responsibilities other than... being a
good househusband for Xiao and taking care of his child. Aether bit his lip with intense
bitterness that, even now, no one thought he was good for anything except motherhood just
because he was an omega.

It was unfair; Xiao's cold attitude only made it more heartbreaking for Aether. Still, after
being around him for months, Aether slowly started relying on Xiao. He didn't know when it
started, but after the first month into his pregnancy, he had begun to deal with pregnancy
symptoms. He had experienced nausea, unease, restlessness, cravings, and aches all over his
body, but one by one, he found that everything in his path was taken care of by Xiao.

On the first day Aether began showing pregnancy symptoms, he had thrown up in the
bathroom. He remembered feeling like complete and utter garbage as the morning sickness
made him completely helpless. Xiao hadn't said anything to him back then but gave him a
glare that had made Aether feel ashamed at the time. He hadn't realized it until later, but Xiao
wasn't glaring at him out of annoyance, but like he was calculating which ways he could help
Aether through the difficult time. Xiao had helped Aether back into bed before leaving to
tend to his duties.

Aether had cried to himself, thinking Xiao hadn't noticed or didn't care about how sick and
terrible he felt. Aether had spent the whole day feeling more alone than he'd ever felt in the
world. However, shortly after Xiao left, a servant had brought him a mild breakfast and
ginger tea to soothe his nausea. Aether hadn't been down to the dining hall to ask for
breakfast, nor had he asked the servants for ginger tea.

She had continued to bring him ginger tea through the day with every meal to ensure he was
comfortable. Eventually, Aether's nausea had faded considerably. The servant had never
stopped bringing him ginger tea since the first day he showed pregnancy symptoms, even till
today. Aether never stopped to consider who had told her to take care of his nausea until later.
After the first day of his pregnancy, a peppermint plant had mysteriously popped up out of
nowhere by his bedside table. It spread its scent throughout the room and soothed Aether's
anxiety and nausea, making his first few symptoms almost non-existent combined with the
effects of the ginger tea.

Then, his insomnia began, and he started having trouble sleeping. Xiao had given no sign that
he noticed whenever Aether would frequently toss and turn while trying to sleep, making
Aether feel neglected just like he did when his nausea came about. But after the first night
experiencing insomnia, he found that his pillows were scented with lavender, coaxing him to
sleep every night. One by one, all his problems were eliminated, and then came his cravings.

Aether didn't bother Xiao with requests, tried not to let it show how much he wanted
something sweet and juicy to snack on. However, one night, his cravings became too great to
ignore; he had been almost frothing at the mouth, picturing eating something delicious to
fulfill his hunger. Aether had made sure Xiao was dead asleep before he got out of bed and
snuck out of their room to go to the kitchens. He had hoped to find something to appease his
intense cravings, and he had not been disappointed. To Aether's surprise, a servant was
already in the kitchen and seemed to know just what he wanted.

The servant had brought out large bowls of various types of berries, strawberries, raspberries,
blueberries, even valberries that were native to Mondstadt. Any berry you could name, the
servant put before him. Aether had been in heaven then because berries were his favorite
food. He had been digging in when he caught the knowing and warm smile the servant was
giving him.

He asked him, "How did you know I would come looking for something for my craving?"
The servant had hesitated, not knowing whether to tell Aether the truth, but decided to go for
it. He told Aether that Xiao had informed the kitchens to stock up on all sorts of berries, in
case Aether began to have nighttime cravings. He had stationed a servant in the kitchen every
night for this reason.

The servant also told Aether that Xiao had written to Aether's sister, Lumine, to ask for his
favorite food to have it in stock in case Aether ever craved it. After that, everything had
become as clear as night and day to Aether. The daily ginger tea, the peppermint plant, the
lavender-scented pillows, the berries, it all clicked into place. There had always been one
witness to Aether's suffering when it came to his pregnancy symptoms, and it was Xiao.
When Aether thought Xiao hadn't noticed or didn't care about his symptoms, he had taken it
upon himself to find a solution to each of Aether's problems and make pregnancy a little
easier for him.

Since his realization that day, Aether subconsciously began noticing the little acts of kindness
Xiao sent his way. He was cold, but he did many things to make Aether feel comfortable and
peaceful.

He gave him free rein to go anywhere except past curfew at 9:00 pm. Aether chose to keep to
the castle grounds, spending his time reading in the library or sneakily spending time with the
horses in the stables. He adored Xiao's regal stallion the most, the politest, and the most
reserved. The stallion was as black as a starless night, but he had the most beautiful hazel
eyes that always glittered with what he was feeling.
The other horses in the stables were energetic and carefree; one chestnut almost bit his finger
off in her excitement to eat the carrot he offered her, but not Xiao's stallion. He would
carefully pick sugarcubes off of Aether's palm without so much as a single nip at the blonde's
skin.

The stallion reminded Aether of Xiao; his husband was less friendly but still just as kind.
Aether had never experienced the kindness Xiao showed him, not from his grandmother nor
his family except Lumine. The villagers from his hometown loathed him; kids his age would
jeer and mock him for being an omega, while the adults would look at him like he was an
alien creature.

Aether didn't want to admit it, but he latched onto the one source of kindness he had in life,
and it made Aether fall for Xiao. That was where all the trouble began for Aether. He
would've lived on ignoring these feelings, but every time Xiao looked at him, Aether's insides
would be filled with butterflies, even if Xiao was glaring. Every time Xiao was around him,
Aether felt safe. Every time they went to sleep together, Aether would gently squeeze himself
between Xiao's arms and cuddle him for warmth at night when he was certain Xiao was
sleeping.

And whenever he was certain he was alone in their room, he would hug Xiao's pillow and
remember that night. He would touch himself to the thought, trying to recreate the whole
feeling of Xiao's cock inside of him with his fingers.

It never worked as well as it had that night when it was Xiao making him feel good,
eliminating every thought from Aether's mind. Xiao became something more than a stranger
to Aether, and it brought Aether nothing but trouble. He began to expect more from Xiao
because of these feelings; the small acts of kindness made Aether crave more affection from
Xiao. He wanted Xiao to love him back, he wanted Xiao to kiss him, to hug him and show
him what tenderness felt like, to cherish him and make him feel loved.

However, in the past four months, nothing had changed. Even despite Xiao's caring actions,
the man never dared step close to Aether, never touched him, or gave him a loving glance. It
made Aether feel like, in reality, Xiao was disgusted by his presence, by his omega nature.
The thought became a source of immense depression for Aether, the idea that Xiao hated
him. He thought Xiao did everything for him out of obligation because he had sired Aether's
child; in reality, maybe Xiao cared little for him but took care of him in order to get a healthy
child.

Xiao would tend to his king's duties all day without missing a beat; he never once spent time
with Aether or had a proper conversation with him. The lack of attention made Aether crave
warmth and affection. He had never been loved by anyone before, save for his sister, but
couldn't his husband spare just a little bit of time for him? Aether knew that if Xiao even
smiled at him or looked at him with anything other than a glare, it would be enough to make
him feel warm inside.

Aether massaged his belly gently and smiled bitterly. Xiao didn't need him for anything but
this child. Aether considered death better than being used as nothing but livestock, but alas,
Xiao wouldn't kill Aether because Aether would fulfill the role of a mother for the child when
it was born. Aether bit back tears.
He glanced up at the sky; the sun had faded into a plethora of calming shades of twilight. He
could hear the sounds of whinnying horses in the distance to the front of the castle; Xiao
would have inevitably returned by now. Aether didn't get up immediately, gazing down at the
cherry blossom that still lay on the ground in front of him. He didn't want to be as useless and
disregarded as the flower he'd lost interest in so easily. He wanted to be loved; he wanted
attention. He wanted warmth and affection.

His mind ventured to the fantasy books he'd read in the library and imagined what it would
be like to live a perfect life like the couples in the stories. They would always find the
solution to the problem in the end by communicating, loving, and trusting each other. Aether
wondered if he could have that with Xiao. Xiao didn't love him, maybe didn't trust him, but
would communicating work?

Aether made up his mind; tonight, he would finally phrase his desire for Xiao's affections to
the man's face. He wanted Xiao's attention just like everything else in the kingdom; he was
tired of feeling like a burden for feeling this way. Aether got up, but he forgot his comb on
the ground. His in-law, the husband of the previous king, Childe, had gifted it to him. Aether
cherished the comb; it was one of the few gifts he'd ever received. He began trudging back up
to the castle slowly, his pale blue robes caressing the grass behind him. As Aether got closer
to the entryway between the garden and the castle, he stopped when he saw Xiao already
waiting for him.

His heart sank into the pits of his stomach, perhaps in his baby bump. He hadn't expected to
be seeing Xiao so soon; he needed time to mentally prepare before asking Xiao to pay more
attention to him. Aether gulped, seeing Xiao's intense gold eyes fixed directly on him without
wavering as he waited for Aether without a trace of an expression on his handsome face.

Aether chewed his lip nervously, wondering what Xiao had to say to him. A spark of hope
shimmered in his chest; what if Xiao was going to spend time with him today? What if he
took Aether with him to do something together, like taking a stroll through the city or going
horseback riding together.

His heart warmed at the ideas, his hopes rising without his noticing. Aether began to walk
closer to Xiao, keeping his gaze trained on the ground but glancing furtively back up, unable
to meet Xiao's gold eyes that didn't leave his form. As Aether got closer, he saw that Xiao
looked a little pale today. The part of him that loved the man squirmed with concern, but he
said nothing as he stopped in front of his husband.

He wanted to open his mouth to speak, but Xiao beat him to it, speaking in a quiet voice, "I'll
need you to shift to the west wing of the castle for tonight, away from our room. You can ask
the servants to tell you which bedroom you'll be sleeping in." Xiao didn't say anything more,
no words of explanation, no hello, no 'how are you feeling,' just a simple command. His
voice was expressionless as he gazed at Aether in case he raised any objections. Aether
blinked up at Xiao with shock, not taking the words in completely but feeling pressured by
Xiao's gaze on him.

"O-Okay," He stammered without considering what he was agreeing to. Xiao nodded, his
eyes observing Aether's expression and taking in the sight of his long hair hanging loosely
over his shoulder. Xiao's eyes caught onto a strand of hair out of place in Aether's beautiful
blonde locks and began reaching up to stroke it into place, but stopped when Aether flinched,
thinking Xiao might hurt him.

Xiao's hand froze midair before he allowed it to drop to his side, gazing down at Aether with
a depressed sigh at Aether's reaction. Aether still feared him; Aether still thought Xiao would
hurt him. Xiao licked his lips bitterly and said nothing more to Aether before turning around
and stalking back into the castle.

Aether stood there, dazed as he processed Xiao's words, his mind whirring. Horror seeped
into his chest and gnawed at his insides as he realized the hidden meaning behind Xiao's
words. Xiao was making Aether sleep in a separate room from him... what for? Why did Xiao
tell him to sleep on the other side of the castle from their room? He raised his hands to clutch
his head as if trying to stop his mind from voicing the soul-crushing thought. Was it to keep
Aether away while he called someone else to sleep with him?

Aether had never considered the thought that Xiao had someone else before. His legs turned
to jelly; he wanted to collapse right there on the ground as his thoughts reverted to the worst
scenario. Would Xiao really sleep with someone else while he was married to Aether? While
Aether carried his child? Aether choked back tears, wanting to slam his head into the column
next to him for being so stupid to think that Xiao would ever agree to give him his time, love,
and care.

He realized that the lack of affection from Xiao only meant that he was giving it to someone
else. Aether wanted to bawl but managed to hold on by a thread, telling himself not to cry in
front of anyone because of Xiao. Xiao didn't deserve the satisfaction of making him cry so
many times.

He walked inside and looked for a servant to direct him to his new room. The servant who
usually served him tea and breakfast stood at the end of the hallway, and he hurried to her,
asking her where his room was situated; she answered readily. He tried to ask what Xiao
would be doing in their room, but his voice cracked up, and his tears began to overflow. The
servant opened her mouth with shock to comfort him, but he didn't allow her to, beginning to
hurry away from her towards the west wing of the castle. Aether found the bedroom quickly
enough and locked himself inside.

He took a seat on the edge of the bed and began to cry into his hands, sobbing while he was
alone, unable to stop tears from freely dripping down his cheeks. So much for asking for
Xiao's affection. Aether knew now how hopeless it was to find warmth in Xiao, not after
Xiao threw him out of their room to be with someone else... on their bed? He couldn't stop
crying, beginning to choke on his own hiccups as he pushed himself under the blankets to
avoid anyone seeing him even though he was alone.

There was nothing more Aether wanted than to sink into the ground and crumble to dust,
wouldn't that make Xiao happy? He didn't want to be found again; he didn't want to
experience pain like this over and over, first at the hands of his father, then the villagers from
his hometown, and now, his husband. Aether was unable to stop the flow of tears once the
dam was broken from the grief and neglect that had just kept piling on him since he was
born.
Perhaps there was some odd part of Aether that was hoping Xiao would be kinder to him
after all the promises he'd made to him on their wedding night. "You are the father of my
child, I'll take care of you," Xiao had said on their wedding night. Aether couldn't lie and say
Xiao hadn't come through with that promise, but what was the point? Xiao only cared for
Aether because he was carrying his child, didn't he?

***

Hours passed, he missed dinner, and he was sure he'd heard knocking on his bedroom door, a
servant coming to bring him food, but he'd ignored her. There was pure heartbreak in Aether's
tear-stricken face as he surfaced from his crying, his eyes red and puffy, his face red from
hours of shedding his grief. The sun had long since died away over the horizon, the colors of
the twilight gave way to the blackness of the stars above, only the stars illuminating the
world from far above.

Aether stared out the window. He was completely alone in this world; he didn't even have his
sister anymore. His only friend was his in-law, Childe, who could hardly visit after retiring
with his husband. There was no place in the castle or anywhere for Aether. He was
completely alone while Xiao was likely enjoying his night. Then, with a small bout of guilt,
he realized he wasn't alone. Caressing his swollen baby bump had almost become a source of
comfort for Aether, and it calmed him down as he realized he still had his child. Would his
child love him when it was born?

Regardless, Aether would make sure to give his child the love-filled life he'd never had, he
promised himself. Aether felt a deep resentment for Xiao. After all Aether had gone through
for the sake of their marriage, allowing himself to be bred on their first night together, was
this betrayal of trust all Xiao had to give in return? Xiao had looked at him like he was the
most beautiful cherry blossom on the sakura tree on their wedding night, and yet, Xiao never
looked at him like that again.

It made more and more sense for Xiao to have another lover, explained how Xiao never gave
him the time of day or loved him or even looked at him most days. Aether bit his lip to stop
another bout of tears; even now, he wanted Xiao to love him, wanted his assumption to be
incorrect. Aether wanted Xiao to notice him, to pay him attention, to show his husband that
he wouldn't put up with this. What was the point of staying in this cold castle? He massaged
his belly again, feeling thoughts rising in his mind. What if he ran away with the one thing
Xiao cared about? Would Xiao come after him then?

The thought that Aether would have to use his baby as a tactic to receive Xiao's affection
broke his heart even further, but he made up his mind. He wanted Xiao to realize he wasn't
going to be pushed around like this, a sense of determination rose in his chest along with a
resignation to his fate.

He would run away, either Xiao would come after him to save his child, or Aether would die
in the wild. There was nothing for it, he didn't want it to be like this, but every second spent
doing nothing but thinking was nothing short of torture. Aether got out of bed and began to
fix the sheets, making sure they looked untouched and as neat as they had been before he
arrived.
Whoever came looking for him would think he had been gone for hours and never reached
his bedroom. Aether hurried over to the closet, choking back tears again as he felt like there
was nothing he could do to make Xiao notice his presence except to run away. He opened the
closet door and was relieved to find a few clean cloaks hanging in them.

They didn't look strong enough to protect from the cold winter's night outside but were better
than nothing. Aether whisked one out, a black cloak that seemed a bit too long for him but
was the shortest out of all of them; it would have to suffice. Aether threw it around his
shoulders and secured it, pulling the hood up over his face to hide his blonde hair from view.
It was biting cold out in the fields now, but Aether needed to keep his baby warm, free from
harm. He knew it was wrong to run away out of selfishness and heartbreak, knowing the
comfort of the castle would be enough for his child to thrive, but the longer he stayed, the
more he would fall apart in this lonely place.

He took a shaking breath and walked over to the door, cracking it open and peering out at
either side of the hallway to find it empty. With one last glance around the room, Aether put
out the lantern shining on the dresser before hurtling out of the room, shutting the door
quietly behind him and beginning to make his way out of the castle. He made sure to keep to
the left side of the wall away from the moonlight shining from the windows, hiding in the
shadows with his black cloak as he navigated the maze of corridors towards the entrance.

Aether kept his eyes open for any guards or servants, but he was surprised to find that he
crossed paths with no one in the west wing. This was odd because guards patrolled the whole
castle after curfew, and some servants would often be carrying out their nighttime duties; it
was odd for half the castle to be so empty. However, when he came to the link between the
east and west sides of the castle, he found guards stationed all around the east wing.

Aether bit his lip; was it possible that these guards were stationed to protect his and Xiao's
shared room? Was there someone... important who was with Xiao tonight? Aether tried not to
think about it in case he started crying again; he made sure to scurry past the guards swiftly,
his mind fixed on escape before anything else. He was so close; he swished past one guard at
the entrance of the castle and managed to slip between the tiniest crack made between the
grand double doors. He stepped out into the chilly night air and drew the cloak tighter around
him.

Guards lingered around the foyer, but none took notice of Aether as he crept behind bushes,
making his way towards the exit of the castle. Aether sighed with intense relief; the castle
gates were chained, but he managed to slip past the bars thanks to his litheness. Even with a
baby bump, Aether was thin enough to get through the gate.

Aether hadn't realized it while he'd been so focused on running away, but his heart was
pounding in his chest. He expected to feel as free as a bird after stepping outside the castle
grounds alone for the first time in four months, but oddly enough, fear crept into his heart. He
walked from the castle's path down to the city which was a bit farther along the road. Aether
felt shadows jumping at him from every corner with nothing but the moonlight to illuminate
his path.

He drew his cloak tighter around himself, shivering with foreboding as fear rattled his body.
Aether felt unsafe out here alone without the presence of Xiao hanging over him. He tried not
to feel terrified; he didn't want to rely on Xiao for safety anymore. His feet began to ache the
longer he walked, his cloak brushing against the ground in his wake, making the slithering
sound scare him a few times.

'I want to go back,' A voice in his mind chimed, knowing he wouldn't last a minute outside
without someone's help.

'No,' Another, more defiant, voice called, 'I am unwanted back in the castle... I can't stay
there anymore.' Aether finally began to cross the bridge that led into Liyue Harbor, but it was
completely different from the hustle and bustle of the day.

Aether bit his tongue; the city was completely deserted, it was terrifying. He tried to
reminisce the one memory he had of this place when Childe had taken him to see Liyue a few
days after Xiao's coronation. Aether smiled weakly at the thought; it had been a happy day
compared to most. Childe had whisked Aether away from under both their husbands' noses,
taking a bag of mora that he'd spent solely on Aether. Aether was allowed to eat anything he
wanted, buy anything of interest, like the beautiful comb he had forgotten, and spend time in
the company of the one man who understood him.

Being married to the previous king, Childe had had more than a few experiences of getting
wrapped in an arranged marriage. As Aether passed the Liuli Pavillion, he remembered when
Childe told him all about his experiences with Zhongli but told Aether that it had worked out
for him. Zhongli treated him well; he was gentle and affectionate towards Childe, tender with
him even when Childe had gotten out of line many times. Aether smiled bitterly, feeling envy
for Childe as he wished his husband was as gentle and affectionate with him, yet here he was,
running away.

Childe was the only person Aether considered a friend despite their age difference; he was an
omega, just like Aether. He knew what it was like. He wrote to Aether regularly and checked
on his health and the baby's progress, more so than Xiao. Thoughts of Childe quickly faded
from Aether's mind as he stared around at the vague familiar streets of Liyue, not knowing
which way to go. Panic began to sink into Aether's mind; he didn't know what to do.

He'd taken the first step, but where could he go from here? He felt unsafe knowing Xiao
wasn't around to protect him. Any person he stumbled upon could hurt him, take advantage
of him as the king's husband and a pregnant, weak omega. Aether shook terribly but not
because of the cold.

He found a bench in Yujing Terrace and took a seat, feeling worn from the trek. His
pregnancy had rendered him immobile when it came to longer distances. Aether couldn't help
his thoughts taking over again as he stared around shakily for any signs of danger. What if
Xiao didn't come after him? What if Xiao had no will to bring him back? Where would
Aether go? He couldn't help starting to cry again and hated himself for shedding tears so
often, for being a crybaby.

Worse thoughts began to flick through his mind, what if Xiao was angry when he found
Aether? What if Xiao hurt him for disrupting the castle's affairs and tarnishing the king's
name by running away? He began to sob into his hands, not knowing what to do or what to
think. Aether thought that, at that moment, he was better off dead than useless and unwanted.
***

On the other side was Xiao. He paced around his and Aether's shared bedroom, his black
hanfu swishing behind him with every stride he took around the room, waiting. However,
Xiao wasn't waiting for someone to arrive; he wasn't waiting with anticipation or desire, but
dread and unease. He didn't want to be in this room alone right now. Xiao wanted to see
Aether sleeping in the bed like usual.

He wanted Aether within his sights. He wished Aether was in front of him, somewhere he
could take care of him and keep from worrying about his husband all day. Xiao took a shaky
breath, knowing he couldn't see his husband tonight; it was too dangerous. He didn't know
what to do to kill time; why was it taking so long? He didn't have the wrong date, did he?
Xiao took a calming breath, his thoughts continuously striding back and forth just like his
legs.

They kept reverting to Aether. Xiao shut his eyes and sighed softly at the thought of the
blonde; something felt amiss. He wanted to see him, but he figured it was his alpha instincts
kicking in, making him wish to find the man he loved and wrap him in his embrace. Xiao
knew he wouldn't be able to hug Aether even if the circumstances were normal. Aether
wouldn't let him. He remembered earlier today when Aether had flinched like Xiao would hit
him when he'd reached out to brush a strand of hair from his eyes. Aether feared him.

Nothing had changed since their wedding day. Xiao sat down heavily on their bed and
flopped down on Aether's side of the bed. He took in his lover's scent in the sheets, mixed
with lavender that usually helped Aether fall asleep. Xiao growled with annoyance; why
hadn't his rut struck yet?

He'd been locked in his room for the past two hours, doing nothing but thinking about his
husband and pacing the room. Ever since Xiao came of age, his ruts had been a considerable
source of worry, at least before he married Aether. Whenever Xiao went into heat, destruction
would follow. He remembered his first heat five years ago when he'd turned eighteen; he had
pulled a shed apart plank by plank in the haze his rut put him in.

He was a danger to people when it came to his ruts; he had to be alone, completely isolated
from everyone to keep those around him safe. Xiao would continue to face ruts unless he
mated with Aether. He almost laughed at the thought; Aether would never agree to be his.

He remembered that night when he'd first pinned Aether beneath him and bred him. Aether
had begged him not to so many times; his voice and tears still haunted Xiao even four months
later. He never wanted to make Aether cry like that again, but he knew Aether wept whenever
he thought he was alone. Xiao's heart tore apart at the thought of Aether crying even now
when he left him alone.

Xiao had hoped that if he gave Aether space to flourish without feeling anxious in Xiao's
presence, Aether would stop having a reason to cry. And yet, servants still told him that
Aether sobbed to himself when he was alone, but none could tell him why he shed tears. Xiao
wanted to rip anything that made Aether cry apart, but what could Xiao do if it was he who
made Aether cry himself hoarse when he was alone?
Xiao wished he could know what troubled Aether, but the blonde would freeze up and flinch
whenever he tried speaking to him. He didn't know what to do to make Aether feel at ease.
Aether cried when he was alone, and he looked ready to cry when he was around Xiao. There
was nothing Xiao could do without feeling like he was doing something wrong. All he knew
now was that he'd fallen for Aether over the past few months.

Without Aether's knowledge, Xiao would sometimes join him in the library, watching
through gaps in the bookshelves whenever Aether smiled beautifully at a line in the book he
read. Aether looked beautiful no matter what expression he wore.

He looked radiant when he smiled and looked ethereal when he cried. Despite Aether's
attempts to hide what he'd do from the other dwellers in the castle, Xiao knew that Aether
loved to visit the horses at the stables. Aether would occasionally sing to the horses and
sneak them treats; Xiao didn't have to speak horse to know that every horse, including his
own, adored Aether.

His stallion would occasionally sniff around Xiao whenever he got up fresh in the morning;
Xiao imagined that the horse could smell Aether on him and felt comforted by the blonde's
scent.

All these reminders of how perfect Aether was just made Xiao want to see him even more.
He glanced at the clock hammered to the wall above the dresser and saw that it was past
curfew. Aether would likely be asleep by now, and Xiao's rut was not within sight; surely he
could go and see Aether for just a minute, couldn't he? Xiao made up his mind and got up
from the bed, walking over to the door and unlocking it. He startled the guard stationed
outside his doorway to keep Xiao in check in case he went rogue, making Xiao roll his eyes
at the courage his men showed.

"My lord! Is everything alright? Has your rut passed?" The guard asked. Xiao shook his head
in response, refraining from rolling his eyes again. It wouldn't have been so quiet if Xiao had
hit his rut. "No. It hasn't come by yet; I'm growing restless. I want to see my husband." The
guard looked a little alarmed at the idea, and Xiao supposed it was understandable, knowing
how risky it was. "But.. but sir, don't you think it might be dangerous? The whole purpose
was to keep Lord Aether out of harm's way."

Xiao shut his eyes and sighed softly, nodding in agreement. "I... I want to see him, if only for
a few seconds. You can accompany me and hold me back in case I get out of control. I give
you full authority to restrain me using any means necessary if I attempt to hurt Aether." The
guard still looked uncertain, but he nodded, knowing he couldn't retaliate. He saw a hint of
desperation in Xiao's eyes and couldn't refuse.

Xiao trudged off down the hall, crossing over to the west wing of the castle, and passing
other guards stationed to control him if necessary. "Do you know where Aether is staying?"
Xiao asked the guard, who nodded. "Third door on the second corridor, according to the head
servant." Xiao followed his instructions and crossed over to Aether's room, wondering
whether or not he should knock. He decided against it in case Aether was sleeping and gently
pushed the door open to keep as quiet as possible. Xiao squinted at the darkness inside the
room and made his way to the dresser.
He flicked the lantern on with a flick of its button, illuminating the room only to find it empty
and void of life. Xiao's mouth dried up at the lack of presence in the room. The bed was neat,
the curtains were undrawn, and the lantern had been off; there was no sign that Aether had
been there.

Xiao's eyes widened with surprise. He turned his head to gaze at the guard standing behind
him, who looked shocked as well, "Are you sure this is the room Aether was given?" The
guard hesitated, trying to find any fault in his memory, but spoke, "Yes... at least that's what
the servants told me, m'lord." Xiao's eyes narrowed as he glared at the guard, making him
flinch.

"Search every room in the west wing for my husband." The guard didn't even hesitate to take
the excuse to leave the room. He hurried out, leaving Xiao alone in the room. Xiao's
breathing became ragged with worry as his heart began to pound in his chest. He tilted his
nose in the air, and his heart stopped at the scent hanging in the air. Xiao took careful steps
towards the bed where the scent was wafting from and leaned down.

Aether's scent was definitely on the sheets. Xiao pressed his hand over the pillow and
flinched as he felt that the pillow was wet. A terrible realization came to Xiao; Aether had
been crying, and he was no longer in the room. Aether couldn't have gone, could he?

Aether had always abided by Liyue's curfew; there was no way he would just... get out of bed
without reason after crying, right? Xiao felt his thoughts getting messy and disorderly as
panic set in. Just then, the guard hurried back into the room, looking as worried as Xiao felt,
"My lord! He's not in the other rooms either." Xiao's mouth dried up, and his slit pupils
contracted, trying desperately to keep calm.

It couldn't be; Aether had to be in the castle. He couldn't have gone. "Gather all the soldiers
and search every room of the castle, start with the library," Xiao's voice shook with panic as
he tried to keep himself calm.

The guard stared at him for a moment with stricken eyes, and Xiao's mind flared up, raising
his voice and shouting, "What are you standing around for?! Find my husband!" The guard
tripped over himself while trying to run out of the room, leaving Xiao behind. Xiao's insides
squirmed with anxiety as he stared at the tear-stained pillow; Aether had been crying, his
lover wasn't with him, his lover wasn't by his side.

Xiao's breathing grew heavier, and his hands reached up to clutch his hair, tugging at his
locks and trying to cope with the panic searing inside of him. He desperately pulled himself
together, putting thoughts of his rut out of his mind in case he crumbled when Aether needed
him.

He hurried out of the room and began to sprint down the stairs of the west wing until he
reached the ground floor of the castle. Xiao ran towards the back exit of the castle, where the
garden was, hoping that he would find his husband outside. He didn't care if Aether was out
of bed as long as he was safe and within Xiao's reach.

He skidded to stop on the back porch of the castle and stared out at the grounds. He began
walking towards the cherry blossom trees that glowed a pale blue in the moonlight but knew
it was hopeless; Aether wasn't there. Xiao was beside himself with worry as he neared
Aether's favorite tree of the bunch. His eyes caught something lying on the ground, and he
crouched, picking it up.

He bit his lip, trying not to fall apart with worry that his omega husband was nowhere to be
found.

Aether had left his comb behind, decorated with Qingxin flowers, Xiao's favorite flower.
Aether wasn't in the castle. Xiao was certain of Aether's disappearance even before a guard
rushed out of the castle to bring him news of Aether's whereabouts, "My lord! Lord Aether is
missing! He isn't in the castle,"

Xiao's throat constricted as a lump had formed in it. He wanted to tear down the castle
himself in search of his husband, the one he loved, the one he wanted to mate with. His desire
to see Aether increased tenfold, a possessive urge to have his husband in his arms rattled
Xiao's body, causing his hands to begin shaking. He wanted Aether. He should've never let
him out of his sight. Suddenly, Xiao stopped shaking, the fear-stricken look in his eyes
steeled, and he gathered himself.

When he spoke, his voice was startlingly calm, "Find him. Send half your men to search
Qingxu Pool and the other half to search Liyue harbor. Leave no stone unturned. Bring my
husband back to me." Xiao's voice turned venomous at the last sentence, scaring the guard
out of his wits.

He nodded hastily and wasted no time running back to the castle to relay his orders. Xiao
didn't know where to look, which search party to join. He released a deep breath and began to
walk towards the stables, his last hope of finding Aether. When he reached the stables, he
found no one inside but the horses, all of them sleeping either standing still or lying on the
straw-strewn floor.

Only Xiao's stallion was awake like he knew something was wrong. Xiao patted the horse's
snout gently before walking over to the shed to grab a saddle. He began to fasten the saddle
to his steed after throwing on a small blanket over the horse to keep him warm. He seemed to
nicker softly at him as if sensing his anxiety and trying to soothe his mingled feelings of
panic and worry.

Xiao didn't know what he would do if he lost Aether. He didn't know what would become of
him if he never found Aether, Aether could easily die on his own, but Xiao knew suffering
the loss of the one he loved and his unborn child would cast him into a deep pit of depression
as well. Xiao couldn't lose Aether; he couldn't lose him after he'd sworn to protect him. He
wanted to protect Aether's smile, even if his smile wasn't meant for Xiao to see and cherish.
He wanted Aether to be happy, but he didn't know what to do or how to make him happy.
Xiao wished he was as gentle and loving as his brother, Zhongli.

Even though Xiao didn't particularly like Childe or that Childe was befriending Aether, he
wished he could make Aether happy as Zhongli made Childe happy. He just wanted Aether to
love him, wanted Aether in his arms, cradling their child together. Xiao had never even felt
Aether's belly, thinking it would make Aether uncomfortable. Sometimes, he wished he'd
forced himself on Aether; Xiao wished he had hugged and kissed him just like his heart had
been wanting for so long.

If only he had taken the chance when he had it, even though he knew Aether would hate it.
Would Aether eventually have fallen in love with him if he chose that path? Aether would
always be Xiao's biggest what-if. His leniency made Aether run away.

Xiao thought that in the end, even someone like him would fall apart if the one he loved
never came back. He began to lead his horse out of the stables and shut the stable doors
behind him before mounting. Xiao wasted no time flicking the reins, causing his steed to
jump into a sprint headed towards the gates leading out of the castle. They galloped towards
the castle gates, and the two guards standing guard jumped out of the way as they saw Xiao
hurtling towards them, barely pulling the gates open in time for him to pass. Xiao's steed
didn't drop speed for even a second as if feeling Xiao's urgency.

Xiao was losing his mind with worry. To his surprise, a guard, different from the captain from
earlier, crossed his path to the city on horseback, making his way back to the castle. They
stopped their horses at the sight of each other, Xiao was eager to hear any news at all. His
heart hammered in his chest, impatiently waiting for the guard to collect himself.

The guard was panting like he had been running instead of his horse, but he bowed his head
sloppily; saying, "Lord Xiao, we-- we found Lord Aether at Yujing Terrace... he's safe, I left
him with my partner, but he refused to come back with us. Please, let me guide you back to--"

Xiao didn't wait for the guard to finish his sentence before he steered his stallion back on the
path, jumping into a gallop again headed for Yujing Terrace. The ride there took only minutes
of rushing through Liyue harbor, but it felt like Xiao had been riding for eons. Relief flooded
through his body as if he'd been drenched in icy water. Aether was safe.

Xiao felt like he could cry as half the weight on his shoulders was lifted, but he wouldn't be
satisfied until he had Aether wrapped in his arms; until he could promise Aether that he
would never give him a reason to run away again. Xiao skidded his stallion to a halt as they
finally came up over the steps to Yujing Terrace. Xiao's heart dropped as the sound of
sobbing reached his ears; his husband was crying. A guard stood to watch over Aether, who
sat on a bench, trying to hide away in his cloak.

The guard looked intensely relieved to see Xiao as the king dismounted his steed; he opened
his mouth to speak, but Xiao shut him up with a wave of his hand, his eyes never leaving
Aether's weeping form. Xiao didn't spare the guard a glance as he waved a hand of dismissal
at him, wishing to be left alone. Seeing the entranced and weak look on his king's face, the
guard didn't question his order and quickly ran towards another horse in the vicinity to take
his leave. Aether noticed the guard running away and managed to look up. His heart sank as
he saw Xiao slowly coming towards him.

A swarm of emotions fell upon Aether at the sight of Xiao's eyes fixed on him, the man's
gold orbs shining mercurially just as they always did. Relief, happiness, and most of all,
dread dropped in Aether's stomach all at the same time. His first instinct was to cower away
from Xiao as the man stopped in front of him. "Please... p-please don't hurt me," Aether
whimpered, ripping Xiao's heart in half with every shaky word spilled from his lips between
sobs.

Aether heard nothing but the sound of Xiao's knees buckling under his own weight, falling to
the ground on his knees before Aether. Aether didn't peer out from behind his hands, afraid
that Xiao would hurt him. Then, arms snaked their way forward, wrapping around Aether's
waist while a head laid itself gently into his lap, making him flinch and freeze up. Xiao
gently curled himself up to Aether, hugging his legs and kneeling before him with his head
placed in Aether's lap. "H-Hurt you..?" Xiao asked, his voice raspy and trembling almost as
much as Aether's.

"How could I... How could I ever think of laying a hand on you?" Aether's sobbing came to a
slow halt as he took in Xiao's words.

Xiao's hands were shaking as they hugged around Aether; every wall Xiao had ever built
around himself came crashing down in seconds. There was so much relief in his heart that he
was able to hear Aether's voice again, even if he spoke such heartbreaking words. He was
grateful to the gods that he was able to take in Aether's beautiful scent like this again, putting
him at ease, finally driving the fact that Aether was safe and in his arms into his mind.

Aether slowly peered out from behind his hands, his face stained with tears and his eyes
glossy, threatening to shed more. As Xiao gazed up at him, a thought flitted to his mind again
as he saw Aether's face shining in the moonlight. Aether was so beautiful.

A tear began to streak down Xiao's cheek; he had thought for a terrible moment that he would
never see Aether's beautiful face again. Now, seeing Aether in front of him, Xiao wanted
nothing more than to crystallize and stay with Aether like this. Aether was his omega, even if
he wouldn't allow Xiao to claim him.

Xiao was shaken up, Aether had run from him; he thought Xiao would've hit him for running
away. "Aether..." Xiao spoke his name, his voice no more than a shaking wisp that echoed
through the still city, "I will give you anything in this world, jewels, riches, castles, anything
you've ever wanted. Just please.." Xiao's voice cracked, "Stay by my side."

Aether's lips parted as he stared down at Xiao, watching another tear trickle down Xiao's
face, glistening in the moonlight. He took in how fragile Xiao's voice was. He began to cry
again, "You're just saying that because I-I'm carrying your child." Aether desperately wiped
his cheeks with the sleeves of his pale blue robes that he hadn't bothered to change out of.

Xiao reached a tentative hand and took both of Aether's hands in his own. For once, he knew
what to do.

He placed featherweight kisses on each of Aether's knuckles, extending from one hand to the
other. Xiao opened Aether's palms and had them cup his face, making Aether hold him as he
looked back up into Aether's broken gaze. "Tell me, what use do I have for a child if I don't
have its mother to love and cherish?" With that, a dam broke inside Aether, and he began to
sob again. He threw his arms around Xiao and hugged him tight enough to restrict his breath.
Xiao held Aether and wrapped his arms around him, making sure not to place any pressure
on Aether's belly. Xiao kissed Aether's cheek affectionately and held Aether in his warm
embrace for as long as he wanted, his love bursting through his heart. "You... love me?"
Aether sobbed from where he had his face buried in Xiao's shoulder, both of them sitting on
the ground, cradling each other. Xiao thought it would've been difficult to voice his adoration
for Aether out loud, but he found the words spilling out of his mouth with no hesitation, "So
much. I love you, Aether. My husband, my love."

Aether tilted his head back to look at Xiao, trying to find a trace of a lie in his eyes. When he
found nothing but genuineness, a shaky smile made its way onto his lips, his skin glowing
with happiness for the first time.

Xiao's throat dried up as he stared at Aether's smile. It was the first time Aether had ever
smiled at him; it was a smile meant only for Xiao. Xiao couldn't help his self-restraint falling
apart. He smashed his lips against Aether's, and for once, the blonde felt no need to push him
away as he wrapped his arms around Xiao's neck, holding tight.

***

Servants and guards cheered as Xiao carried Aether through the castle doors, echoing through
the castle that felt more lively now that Aether wore a smile. Aether bashfully buried his face
in Xiao's chest to hide from the applause; Xiao's face was back to being stony now that he
wasn't alone with Aether.

Xiao waded through the servants and guards who parted for them, allowing them into the
castle's east wing. Everything seemed so perfect; Xiao couldn't help forgetting the problem
that had created this mess. Once they were out of the sight of everyone else, Xiao placed a
kiss on Aether's forehead, watching the blonde's face light up with happiness. Xiao's heart
melted, wanting to shower his husband with love and affection as soon as they got back to
their bedroom. They both had a sense of deja vu as Xiao carried Aether to their room just like
he'd done on their wedding night.

Aether smiled, cuddling up to Xiao. Four months ago, he had been terrified of Xiao as the
man carried him through the castle, terrified that Xiao would drop him and throw him on the
floor once they were out of sight of anyone else. He was scared of what came after being
carried to their bedroom, afraid that Xiao would hurt him.

Now, so much had changed since that night; Aether felt no fear after an hour of crying and
hugging Xiao as they strolled through the streets of Liyue on Xiao's stallion. He had lost
count of how many times they kissed, and for the first time in four months, Xiao had been
allowed to feel Aether's belly. Xiao had worn such a tender smile as he had felt the healthy
progress of his child and noted that Aether had gained weight aside from their baby. He had
indirectly completed his goal of getting Aether to gain weight.

Aether felt contented in his arms; there was no uncertainty in his heart now after shedding
twenty-three years of pain in Xiao's arms. He was safe; Xiao would make sure of that, no one
would ever be allowed to hurt Aether again.
Xiao opened the door to their bedroom and gently set Aether on his feet. Aether gazed up at
him, his nose still red from crying, but his eyes shone with love as they embraced. The room
was dark; the candles had burnt themselves out, only the moonlight shone from the window,
falling over the couple. Xiao placed an affectionate kiss on Aether's cheek, relishing in the
smile that crossed Aether's face.

Xiao's grip on Aether's hips tightened as he pulled Aether closer to his body, burying his face
in the crook of Aether's neck and crooning at his scent. Xiao didn't want to let go; he wanted
to push Aether down on his stomach and... breed him.

Xiao blinked at his own thoughts, wondering why the thought went through his mind when
Aether was already pregnant. There was a sudden urge to sink his teeth into Aether's neck,
feeling his fangs growing uncomfortable in his mouth, his nails elongating a little into claws.
He wanted to tear them into Aether's skin. He didn't immediately recognize what these
thoughts meant. Aether's smile faltered, and he flinched as he felt Xiao's nails growing
sharper, digging into the skin of his hips.

He let out a low moan of pain, worrying Xiao. "What's wrong, my love?" Aether's expression
softened at the endearment, but as he sniffed the air, he couldn't help chewing his lip
nervously, feeling Xiao's ragged breath on his neck. "You... smell different." Xiao froze. He
became more attuned to the fact that his body was growing hotter by the second, and his eyes
widened as he realized the predatory thoughts that were flicking through his mind.

Xiao had forgotten what day it was in the heat of the moment, after all the worry, anxiety, and
panic Xiao had felt tonight, the thought of his rut seemed so insignificant until now. Now, it
was too late, if he went into a rut, he would hurt Aether. He let go of Aether immediately and
stumbled backwards, almost losing his balance. Aether stared at him, shock and hurt
swimming through his eyes from how suddenly Xiao had pushed him away.

"X-Xiao..?" He asked in a small voice as he watched Xiao's slit pupils dilating in the
moonlight, gritting his teeth and baring his fangs as he eyed Aether in a new light.
Immediately, Aether knew something was wrong, that Xiao was changing.

The tender look in Xiao's eyes faded, replaced by the wildness and ferocity of a wolf. Xiao
reached a hand out to Aether but struck it down on his own before he could lunge at his lover.

His voice was barely restrained as he tried to warn Aether, knowing it was too dangerous to
be around his pregnant omega husband, "Run, Aether!" Aether's eyes widened as he finally
understood the change in Xiao's husky scent, why Xiao had asked him to sleep in another
room for tonight. Xiao was going into a rut. Aether took a step backwards, fearful of Xiao's
gold eyes glinting in the light, wild but also terrified, terrified that he would hurt his husband
after only just winning him back.

Aether observed the terror in Xiao's eyes and, no matter how much his body told him to run,
he stood firm. Xiao didn't want to hurt him; his fear shone clearly in his eyes. A sense of
weariness washed over Aether, was he to run again, spiral into the same act of fearing his
husband when he was trying so desperately to hold back from hurting him?
After all Xiao had done to calm him down today, Aether couldn't start fearing him now. He
didn't want to leave Xiao's side tonight at all, or ever again for that matter.

"No." He said, his calm voice surprising even himself as Xiao clenched his fists, trying to
hold himself back. "I'm... I'm tired of running from you, Xiao. I'm tired of being afraid of you
when all you've shown me is kindness, in your own, cold way."

Xiao's heart thumped faster at his words, but he could hardly take them in, he looked ready to
pounce on Aether, but he saved him the trouble. He walked closer to Xiao, his legs trembling
from the scent of an alpha's rut hanging in the air, his omega senses telling him to submit to
the alpha immediately. Without even realizing what he was doing, Aether gripped the front of
Xiao's robes and flung him towards the bed before pinning the alpha down and surprising
Xiao out of his wits, snapping him out of his daze for a second. Aether smiled down at him
and pressed his hand to Xiao's cheek, caressing it gently and watching as Xiao leaned into the
touch, purring.

"You said you love me, and I believe you. You won't hurt me or our baby even if you can't
control yourself, so show me, show me how much you love me, alpha."

Xiao was too stunned to speak or do anything for a few seconds, staring up at Aether with
wide eyes. Affection burst in Xiao's heart, and then, he couldn't help it anymore. Blinded by
lust and love, he grabbed Aether by the collar and pulled him down, connecting their lips.
Aether readily responded to the kiss, cupping both of Xiao's cheeks and tilting his head to
deepen the kiss. Xiao was rougher, but Aether didn't mind it; he didn't mind so long as he was
doing this with the man he loved.

Xiao's hands drifted back to Aether's ass, just like Aether had said, he held back from digging
his nails and teeth into Aether by a thread of self-control. Aether flinched as Xiao kneaded
his ass through his robes, a wispy moan escaping his lips as Xiao sat him down on his crotch,
where his cock stuck up from the black robes he wore. Aether was bolder than he was on
their wedding night; even though he hardly knew what he was doing, he began to grind down
on Xiao's cock. Aether breathed in the scent of Xiao's rut and felt intoxicated as he found
himself getting hard, his ass beginning to leak slick.

Even in the haze of Xiao's mind, he couldn't help staring at Aether as their lips parted; he
never could've fathomed Aether would do something so obscene. Aether, who looked so
innocent and beautiful, was rubbing down on Xiao's cock with a possessive gleam in his eye
that made Xiao go rigid with shock and amazement. Xiao couldn't handle the foreplay; he
wanted to be inside Aether. Ever since their wedding day, the memory of Aether's lying pliant
under him haunted him.

Xiao thought about that night a lot, he could see Aether begging and moaning for him in his
mind's eye, but he would always wish that he could experience it again with Aether's consent.
Now, with Aether taking charge, he thought he could realize that wish. Xiao flipped them
over, pushing Aether back against the mattress. Aether gasped as Xiao pulled the sash tied
around his robes free and threw it to the side before ripping Aether's robes open.

Xiao froze for a moment, entranced. A bit of drool slipped down Xiao's chin and dripped
onto Aether's chest as he took in the sight of his husband's body. His eyes darted across every
crevice of Aether's body, from his lean neck to his deep collarbone that he wanted to ravage
and litter with marks of his ownership. They traveled down to Aether's chest, Xiao had never
noticed before, but Aether's chest had swollen a little, preparing to produce milk for their
child.

His pink nipples looked puffy, and tiny ducts had begun to show. Xiao licked his lips, unable
to keep himself from swooping down on Aether's body and clamping his mouth around one
of his nipples. Xiao pinched Aether's chest, kneading it gently as if hoping a drop of Aether's
milk would come out as he listened to the mewl Aether let out at the feeling of Xiao's tongue
lapping against the swollen bud. Xiao was unlucky, nothing came out of the bud, but he
promised himself to keep on checking after that day. Xiao pulled away, his gaze flicking
down to Aether's beautiful baby bump.

He trailed kisses over Aether's belly, making his husband blush at the soft action. Xiao's
hands, however, were far from gentle. He hooked his hands around Aether's pale blue
matching silk underwear and pulled it off, almost ripping it with his urgency.

He felt his heart hammering in his ribcage at the sight of his lover's body, as beautiful as the
day he first saw it. Xiao wanted to worship every bit of it. He wasted no time wrapping his
hand around Aether's cock, tugging at it with mirth as he listened to Aether's gentle cries
echoing through the room.

Xiao reached his other hand down to Aether's hole and rubbed the tips of his fingers against it
but stopped when Aether's body flinched, making a noise of complaint as he felt Xiao's claws
almost cutting the skin. Xiao's mouth dried, not knowing how much longer he could wait or
whether he could sit still and let Aether handle his prep. Xiao froze as Aether ruffled his
fingers through his hair to get his attention.

Aether didn't trust his voice to speak clear words anymore; his thoughts were all over the
place, but he adored the feeling of butterflies fluttering under his skin wherever Xiao touched
him. His eyes were a little teary but not out of sadness or dislike; he looked... happy but
embarrassed at the same time, a deep blush on his face.

"You can put it in, I've been.. practicing on my own to the thought of you." Aether looked
bashful, gazing up at Xiao with glittering eyes as he anticipated his reaction. Xiao stared at
him, thrown off his guard for a second. He had heard a lot about Aether's excursions
throughout the castle from the servants, but he hadn't been expecting this.

He released a shaky breath, his voice was just barely restrained, "How could you... say that
with such an innocent look on your face? Do you want me to go insane?"

Aether whimpered but felt his heart thumping with giddiness at the weak edge he brought to
Xiao's voice. His cheeks reddened as Xiao straightened up and placed himself between the
blonde's legs. He wrapped an arm around Aether's leg and threw it over his shoulder before
untying his black robes as well, pulling them open, and leaving them hanging over his
shoulders.

"Are you... sure about this?" Xiao asked, shaking a little with the effort of keeping himself
under control. For the first time, Aether chuckled at him, his melodic laughter swishing
 through the room and bouncing off the walls as he reached up and cupped Xiao's cheek. Xiao
was looking at him like was the eighth wonder of the world, discovering new ordinary things
about Aether that felt life-changing, like his laughter. Everything his lover did made Xiao's
insides quake with love, he was seeing all these different sides of Aether so fast, but he loved
every second spent with his husband.

Aether gazed at him with a soft expression, "Would you be able to stop if I said no?" Xiao
stared down at him, a hint of shame washing over him as his hazy brain recoiled at the
thought. Aether smiled knowingly and sat up, wrapping his arms around Xiao's neck and
hugging him tightly, "It's a good thing my answer is yes, then. I love you, Xiao."

Chapter End Notes

My sincerest apologies to those who might've been looking forward to Beiguang for this
prompt, but this second part has been rotting my brain for the past few months, I
couldn't resist! I was also having trouble incorporating omegaverse for Beiguang (Alpha
Beidou with a possible dong), but I'll mull over it a bit more. I'll give all my genshin
ladies their justice after the Kink Prompt Challenge is complete. Hopefully, I'll create
another one-shots book that won't restrict me to a certain kink or prompt after I'm done
here,,,, in a million years.

I hope you all have a lovely day and a happy early new year! Updates are slow, but I
hope you all enjoy them eitherway. <3 We've seen angsty and fragile XiaoAether but I'm
super excited for the next prompt hehe~ I'll give you all a hint, Incubus Aether.
 Praise Kink (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

A demon vanquisher, Xiao, has been on the trail of an incubus for almost a month. His
search leads him to a town in the northwest of Liyue, where he meets a beautiful baker
who seems to be hiding a lot about himself.

Chapter Notes

Xiaother fans rally, i remember a while ago i made a poll thingie on twt for demon xiao
or incubus aether, a lot of people wanted to see incubus aether but demon xiao ended up
taking the cake, BUT NO MATTER! I come here with this peace offering after the last
two Xiaother chaps being angst.

Have fun reading!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The streets of Liqian bustled as the clocks in the distance chimed three in the afternoon.
Liqian was a small town established in northwest Liyue, it seemed peaceful enough to the
outward eye; women were out shopping with their children in tow to begin preparing dinner
while various street vendors worked, offering their goods to passersby. It seemed like your
average run-of-the-mill town where everyone seemed to know everyone.

Somewhere off in the distance were farm fields where families worked together, talking and
laughing, to harvest goods and prepare for the coming autumn season. One might find such a
town cozy, where hardly any trouble ever stirred, but there was the presence of a man
walking down the streets, the hood of his black cloak covering his face.

His presence stirred unease among the shoppers; his being there meant that the town wasn't
as peaceful and faultless as it seemed. Xiao was there for a reason. His green mask hung on
the sash tied around his waist under the cloak, the mark of his dynasty. Something sinister hid
in this peaceful town, and Xiao was there to catch it.

He was a part of the Five Yaksha of Liyue, demon vanquishers that laid restless souls to ease
and reaped demons who'd come crawling up to the surface to kill and feed on defenseless
mortals like the villagers milling around Xiao. In other words, he was an exorcist of sorts, a
protector of the Liyuean lands.
One might be wondering, what kind of business would bring a Yaksha to such a peaceful
village on the border of Liyue? A demon disguised as a human in the townlet?

That assumption would be correct. Xiao was on the trail of an incubus, a male demon who
would plague the houses of both men and women, engaging them in sexual acts and killing
them afterward. The wind carried whispers of men found dead or declared missing all over
the country, a result of the seduction of an unknown man.

When Xiao first heard of it, there was no question in his mind; an incubus had surfaced in
Liyue. Xiao had been on its trail for four weeks now, and the incubus seemed to know that it
was being followed. Xiao followed it from town to town; everywhere it went, men's deaths
followed. And now, his search led him to the humble town of Liqian, northwest of Liyue
Harbor.

An incubus used every method in its position to break down a person's self-control. It had a
beautiful voice that compelled people to do its bidding, a beautiful face to attract any man or
woman weak enough, and it could sing beautifully like a siren to attract weak-willed people
and lure them into its trap.

To the outward eye, the town seemed just like any other; it was happy and bustling. Xiao
didn't find anything about the town peculiar as of yet, but he knew something was lying
under the veils of happy faces.

Every person he saw seemed to be going about their day like normal, but his sharp eyes
caught onto every change in their body language, different from humans who had nothing to
fear. People kept glancing warily over their shoulders, holding their children close like
someone would snatch them up, and they seemed to stare at Xiao as he walked by as if he
was dangerous.

They weren't wrong about him being dangerous, but there was no need for him to harm
mortals. Xiao didn't particularly care about the stares he got; he was used to them by now. He
wore the cloak to keep others from understanding who he was. He kept his mask and the
markings over his arms, the marks of an adeptus, hidden from view.

Still, Xiao knew the stares weren't a good sign; if everyone was wary of him, it would be
difficult to find clues and ask questions about what was going on around these parts.

He sighed; he was dead tired, having not rested well since he began his hunt for the incubus.
Xiao's stomach was getting angrier with him too. After traveling for a while, it had been
arduous to settle down, Xiao had no use for human activities like eating and sleeping, but he
still needed sustenance. He would even settle for a human meal.

But Xiao knew he couldn't afford to stand around idly; he didn't have time before another
murder took place. He needed to start asking about the incubus before it found out about his
presence and fled as it always did.

Xiao turned onto the downtown street at the heart of the town, the liveliest of them all. As he
passed by a few shops, something compelled his feet to stop moving as his nose tilted up to
the air.
A heavenly smell wafted through the whole block, the smell of freshly baked buttery bread.
Xiao was usually a picky eater; he would turn his nose at even the finest Liyuean delicacies
the other adepti enjoyed, but even he found his mouth watering a bit at the smell. His hunger
kicked in stronger, he tried not to think about it, but even he couldn't resist the aroma. Xiao's
eyes followed where the scent was coming from and located a bakery down the street.

He couldn't see the baker from this far, but he spotted tufts of golden hair shining behind the
open-space bakery's counter. Xiao stood still at the center of the street for a moment,
pondering whether or not he should follow his stomach. He knew he shouldn't, he should try
to uncover the whereabouts of the incubus rather than waste precious time on human food.

There was a small voice of reason chiming in his mind that voiced his desires, 'Why not
both? Ask the baker if they've seen anything unusual and buy something to eat.' The adeptus
couldn't help sighing a little. He got easily swayed by his hunger and began to move towards
the bakery.

The closer he got, the more his ears perked up.

There was the sound of singing from the bakery; the music washed over Xiao like a horde of
butterflies, making his skin tingle. The voice was as smooth as honey; it seemed to brighten
up the street, the sun seemed warmer, or maybe it was just Xiao's mind going fuzzy and his
heartbeat quickening.

The music drew him in; it was like a spell. The voice was a man's, but it was so beautiful, it
entranced Xiao as he forced his feet to a slow stop in front of the bakery. The sign overhead
read 'Aether's Bakery', there were already women flocking to the counter, from young
maidens to even mothers who all seemed to fawn over the baker. Kids were jumping to be
able to see the man behind the counter, pointing at various pastries in the display case and
asking their absentminded mothers if they could have the delicious-looking cakes.

All the women seemed to be entranced as they gazed behind the counter, seemingly
swooning. Xiao followed their gazes and seemed to fall under the same enchantment.

His heart skipped a beat. A blonde man who looked about the same age as Xiao in mortal
years was the one singing; he was dressed in a floral apron and seemed to be taking a freshly
baked pie out of the brick oven, setting it aside on a table labeled 'Special Orders' to cool. The
blonde took off his mittens and set them aside before turning around to tend to his customers.

Xiao felt himself staring but couldn't break his eyes away from the man's face as he smiled.
The man, whose name Xiao assumed was Aether from the bakery's name, smiled radiantly;
even the sun shining overhead didn't seem to shine as bright.

Xiao's heart pumped faster than ever, taking in Aether's otherwordly features. His looks were
second to none with his elfish features; his eyes gleamed with unreadable emotions, his smile
was pure and soft, and his golden hair shone like gold as the afternoon sun shone directly on
him.

The blonde's eyes washed over the crowd of women in front of his bakery and met Xiao's
eyes. For a sliver of a moment that made Xiao think he'd imagined it, he saw a look of panic
in Aether's eyes as their eyes remained locked for a few seconds. Then, it was gone as fast as
it appeared, and his eyes began to shine with benevolence as he flickered his golden
eyelashes at Xiao twice before turning to take care of the women's needs.

He began boxing pastries for the children; some women had come to pick up special orders,
while others asked for recommendations, anything that would allow them a few more
minutes talking to the pretty baker.

Xiao couldn't blame them, he wanted to stand there and watch the blonde all day, but a pang
of jealousy washed over him; he wanted the blonde's attention too. He would normally never
indulge in something like this, but with this beautiful man, Xiao couldn't help it.

The blonde continued to hum an outlandish tune that didn't lose its lull. Xiao observed the
way he handled each of the customers delicately; his eyes were shining and welcoming, his
smile setting everyone who saw it at ease.

Aether was the most beautiful man Xiao had ever seen, and it was clear that everyone else
thought so as well. Women swooned, men from other shops kept glancing furtively back at
the pretty baker, even animals like birds gathered on trees to listen to his voice. The crowd
eventually began to wear thin as Aether smiled serenely at the women and waved them off,
saying goodbye to each of them. The women didn't stop glancing back at him with blushes on
their faces until they were out of sight.

The last one left at the counter was Xiao, and he suddenly became conscious of what he was
doing at last. Finally, Aether turned his golden eyes back to Xiao and smiled at him, fluttering
his eyelashes again and making Xiao's heart thump.

The blonde seemed to eye Xiao up for a moment, his eyes taking in Xiao's appearance, his
black cloak, his hooded face, his messy dark locks hanging around his face, and his cat-like
eyes. Xiao's eyes followed the movement of Aether's hand as it reached up to his own face to
swipe a golden strand out of his face. There was a gleam of interest about Aether that made
Xiao nervous but also excited him, knowing the most beautiful man in the town was
interested in someone like him.

Aether leaned over the counter, placing his hand under his chin and resting his elbows on the
counter to get closer to Xiao. He took in Xiao's billowy scent, like the wild Qingxin flowers
that grew in Minlin, and bit his lip, his eyes lidding halfway. He then spoke in his melodic
and smooth voice, "How may I help you, good sir?"

Xiao's throat seemed to constrict; he couldn't find words to reply.

The adeptus had forgotten what he'd initially come for. He stumbled over his words like an
idiot, glancing down at the assortment of cakes and pies in the display window.

His eyes landed on a pie labeled 'Toffee almond pie' and seemed to decide quickly, managing
to stutter, "I'd like a slice of toffee almond pie," Xiao knew from the way Aether smirked that
he'd made a fool out of himself, but the blonde simply nodded and didn't chide him. He tilted
his head a little; Xiao followed the movement of his shiny golden hair falling over his face
with his heart skipping a beat.
"Right away, sir. Why don't you have a seat? I'll bring it out to you in a second," Aether
gestured at the tables lining the front of the bakery, and Xiao nodded dumbly. He obliged and
sat down at a table, his hands were clammy, and he felt nervous around the blonde, a feeling
he wasn't used to when it came to being an adeptus.

He felt like he wasn't worthy enough to be speaking to such a beautiful man; something about
him felt otherworldly, he seemed like an angel. Normally, Xiao wouldn't even glance twice at
a mortal man or woman, but something about the baker was different.

Xiao tried to calm himself down but sighed, shaking the thoughts out of his head and telling
himself that he was getting ahead of himself with a mortal baker and needed to keep to
himself. All Xiao needed was a little food and some information, nothing to worry about.
Still, his fingertips began to numb as he watched Aether round the counter with a plate of pie
and a steaming cup of coffee for him.

The blonde set them down in front of Xiao, flashing him a smile that made his heart do
backflips.

Xiao stared at the cup of coffee with surprise, thinking Aether must've made a mistake, but
the blonde quickly said, "Don't worry about the coffee; it's on the house. I'm a traveler too; I
know a little kindness can go a long way, you look like you need it." Aether chuckled at the
look on Xiao's face and flicked the adeptus' chin up with his index leaning close enough for
Xiao to breathe in his scent.

Aether gazed into his eyes for a moment, his eyes flicking down to Xiao's lips momentarily
before he smirked and retreated.

Xiao sat there, dazed and miffed about what had just happened. As the blonde was about to
leave, Xiao's voice came out as a shaky and flustered wisp, "Wait!" Aether stopped and
turned around, the smirk never leaving his face as he gazed quizzically at Xiao.

"Can you... sit with me for a moment? I need to ask you something if you have time." The
blonde stared at him, his eyebrows arching with amusement, but he glanced back at the
counter and found no customers.

He made up his mind quickly, "You want to ask me something?" Aether asked, his voice
lowering a little with interest as he took a seat opposite Xiao and smiled prettily at him,
"Alright then, I'm all ears." Xiao took a deep breath, steeling his nerves and trying not to
show the way his heart danced a little at the fact that the pretty blonde was joining him at his
table.

He tried not to stumble over his words like the first time; this time, his voice came out steady
and calm, which seemed to amuse Aether even more. "Have you seen anything strange
around Liqian lately?"

Aether's smile dropped a millimeter, seemingly disappointed by his question. The sparkle of
interest flickered in Aether's eyes as he stared at Xiao for a moment, making the adeptus
worry that he'd said something wrong. Then, the baker began to giggle a little, making Xiao's
ears perk up even more at the sound of his laughter.
Xiao wondered if Aether was making fun of him, but somehow, he didn't care.

"Something strange?" Aether repeated thoughtfully before tapping his chin mockingly at him.
"Well... let's see. There's a very strange man sitting in front of me, wearing a black cloak in
the middle of August and hiding his face while going around asking strangers odd questions."
Xiao stared at him with wide eyes, dumbfounded and speechless as he realized that Aether
was referring to him.

He turned beet red while Aether's laughter filled the air at his expression. Xiao stuttered
something intelligent like "Um... uhh.." while Aether gazed at him with amusement dancing
in his eyes.

Xiao had never been rendered speechless by a human like this. Why did he feel so nervous?
He scared most mortals away with just the narrowing of his eyes; he'd never experienced
attraction or nervousness like this before.

Xiao watched as Aether leaned forward, gazing intently at him before reaching out to swipe a
hand under Xiao's jaw and running a thumb over the adeptus' cheek. Xiao was frozen in his
seat, if it was anyone else doing this, he would've blasted them to smithereens, but he sat
stock-still, allowing Aether to pat his cheek.

"In any case," Aether purred, fluttering his eyelashes at him, "A harmless little baker like me
isn't the best person to ask about strange things, but it makes me happy to spend a little more
time with such a handsome man."

Xiao's cheek heated up against Aether's hand, and the blonde crooned a little, feeling the heat
of Xiao's cheek flushing through him as well.

"If you want information, try the bar down the road; all sorts of oddballs go there, they
should be able to answer your questions if you earn their respect." Aether seemed to take that
as his cue to leave and stood up. He seemed to think for a moment, his eyes lidding halfway
at a thought.

He leaned across the table to whisper in Xiao's ear; his voice was low, seductive, tempting,
"But... if you want something else, like a piece of pie or something different entirely, I'll
always be here."

Xiao sat there, stunned and rigid as Aether pulled back and flashed him an innocent smile,
then nudged the coffee and pie closer to Xiao. He spoke like he hadn't said anything
questionable, "Now eat; I don't need you passing out from hunger in front of my shop; it
ruins the look, you understand?" Aether giggled and winked at Xiao before he retreated
behind the counter again, out of sight.

Aether left Xiao sitting there, dazed, dumbfounded, appalled, and lovestruck. Xiao felt an
itch in his stomach like he wanted to chase after the sultry blonde and make him pay for
messing with his mind like this. Something was amiss about that blonde. He found himself
rising in his seat before he snapped out of his trance and plopped back in his seat.
Xiao's breathing was ragged like he'd just run a mile. His cheeks were stained red, and his
skin tingled where Aether had touched him, making him crave more of the blonde's sweet
touch. Xiao glanced down at the now cold coffee and pie but began to eat. It was the most
delicious thing he'd ever had in his life.

***

Xiao ended up following the pretty blonde's advice; that night, he visited the tavern on the
edge of the town in hopes of uncovering the incubus' trail once more.

He wrapped his cloak tighter around his body as he walked through the still and silent night.
A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of the baker. All day while trying to kill time, he
hadn't been able to stop thinking about Aether. His cheeks burned a little each time he
thought of the suggestive encounter.

Now that the blonde's presence wasn't hanging over his mind, Xiao's thoughts were clearer;
he saw the encounter in a new light, but it unnerved him.

All the while when speaking to Aether, he could hardly muster words or coherent thoughts
about anything logical other than the blonde. It had almost been like a spell cast over Xiao,
trying to lull him into the blonde's trap. Xiao could sense something off about Aether. There
was something otherworldly about him, but Xiao couldn't dwell on it for now, not when he
was on the trail of the incubus he'd been searching for for weeks.

He shook his head, trying to clear it of thoughts of the blonde as he stopped in front of the bar
at the edge of the town. Hopefully, a visit to the tavern would give Xiao the information he
needed to end this chase once and for all. He couldn't focus on the pretty baker right then; he
needed to do his duty and catch the incubus.

There was no time left to waste. The incubus would catch on to his presence soon enough and
flee just like he always did. Xiao slipped inside the bar. The smell of alcohol filled his
nostrils and his face twisted into one of disgust. He didn't lower his hood as some heads
turned towards him to stare.

Xiao glanced around; the bar was relatively full and had a diverse crowd, town workers,
some men who looked like gangsters, and even some non-humans like Xiao. Some of them
stared at Xiao as if sizing him up. Xiao knew their type, the ones who just wanted to pick a
fight, but his glance held the weight of thousands of years; none of them stepped in his path
as he made his way to the bar.

The look in Xiao's eyes was cold and hard, compelling anyone in front of him to step aside
and let him pass. He supposed these were the graces of being an adeptus. Xiao stopped in
front of the bar.

Some of the chatter had died away at the sight of his unfamiliar face. He was aware of the
people's uncertainty about him. A woman worked behind the counter. She mixed drinks for
customers while other bar workers served them to their respective tables.
The woman behind the counter turned to him, seeing that she had another customer. She
stared at him calculatingly but didn't turn him away, raising an eyebrow at him instead, "Can
I help you?"

Xiao didn't particularly enjoy alcohol, but he could still feel stares on his back and decided it
would be best not to draw attention to himself. He ordered a drink and took a seat by the bar.
The chatter in the bar slowly returned to normal as people saw that Xiao wasn't acting like a
threat.

As the barwoman slipped his drink to him, he seized the moment to ask, "Have you seen
anything strange around these parts? Something out of the ordinary?" The woman stared at
him for a moment and didn't refrain from rolling her eyes at him for his blunt question before
she began mixing more drinks. Xiao felt vaguely annoyed, he wasn't the best with words, but
he didn't feel as embarrassed as he had felt when Aether had questioned his choice of words.

The woman said, "I'm a bar worker. I see too much strange stuff, you'll have to be more
specific." Xiao sighed. He remembered Aether's words, 'The people at the bar should be able
to answer your questions if you earn their respect.' Xiao knew all about how to command
respect, his name was known throughout the lands, a demon vanquisher, an adeptus, a
yaksha.

Normally, he didn't like showing his markings to mortals, but he thought the situation called
for it, that was the only way he could think of to earn the barwoman's respect.

He allowed his cloak to slip aside to reveal the green tattoos etched into his skin. He showed
them to the barwoman, who stared at them for a few seconds, comprehension dawning on
her. Her eyes widened with fear, understanding, and then they went back into their passive
state. She looked just as exasperated as she had before, knowing now that she couldn't turn
him away if he was one of the mighty deities of Liyue.

The barwoman sighed, "Well, that probably takes the cake when it comes to strange things.
An adeptus, huh? On the trail of a demon?" Xiao nodded in affirmation, relieved that he
didn't have to elaborate any further. The woman thought for a moment, trying to find
something in her memory that could be linked back to a demon's handiwork.

Something must've clicked, she met Xiao's eyes, "There's been talk of an outsider in the
town," She narrowed her eyes at Xiao and clarified, "Someone other than you." Xiao
managed a dry smile though it hid behind his goblet of alcohol. He scrunched his face with
disgust at the taste but managed to keep it down. Xiao found no interest in the information,
considering that travelers were common for Liyue.

He remembered Aether's words, 'I'm a traveler too; I know a little kindness can go a long
way,' Xiao held back a blush. "What's so special about this outsider?" He asked.

"The maidens that frequent by sometimes talk about him, so too do the farmers. The outsider
appears to be a man, a baker who's opened his shop downtown last week. Seems like the
bakery's blown up," Xiao froze at her words, his head slowly turning to the woman, the
sudden interest showing on his face.
She had a look of understanding, like she knew that Xiao must've already encountered the
baker, and continued, "Supposedly, he has looks that rival no other. Even married men have
talked about him in the bar." Xiao turned his attention back to his goblet, feeling his heart
thumping. A baker who'd come by town only in the last week, who had attracted both women
and men to the point of plaguing their thoughts.

Xiao recalled immediately the feeling he got when he'd been around Aether, the way he'd
frozen up, stammered, and had dirty thoughts about him. Aether had told Xiao that if he
wanted any other kinds of favors, he would always be at the bakery. It was beginning to click
into place.

Was this the clue that could finally end this journey? Xiao felt himself getting closer to the
truth; an odd sensation in his stomach told him that this could make or break his journey. The
pretty baker, an incubus? He knew he couldn't assume unless he knew for certain. His eyes
shot back up to meet the barwoman's. "Have there been any deaths or missing people in the
town since then?"

The woman passed a new tray of drinks to another server. She seemed to pause at his
question and glanced around, she dropped her voice, but the adeptus was able to catch it,
"One. A man who seems to have gone missing since three days ago. The men in the tavern
right now are all looking for him or people who could be related to his disappearance; that is
why they don't trust your presence."

Xiao took a shaky breath, feeling himself reaching the pinnacle of his investigation and
getting to his feet. One week ago, Xiao had momentarily lost the trail of the incubus, and one
week ago, Aether, a baker, had shown up in town. Men and women talked ceaselessly about
Aether, even tempted to destroy their marriages if it meant spending a night with him. And
then, a man went missing just days after Aether showed up. The instances were too similar to
the patterns Xiao had followed throughout the month, the trail of an incubus ended here.

***

Xiao didn't know what to do now that the answer had hit him right between the eyes. He
knew that he needed to confront Aether, that much was certain. He chose to wait until the
morning after, excusing himself with the reason that if the pretty baker turned out to be the
incubus he'd been following, it could end badly and make the townsfolk panic.

In reality, he needed time to think, his mind was still under shock from the truth. He chose to
stay awake throughout the night this time as well, he hadn't taken the initiative to sleep for
days and he couldn't sleep tonight. Even if he'd tried, there was no way he'd be able to sleep
with his prey so close within reach.

Subconsciously, he found himself drifting to the baker's street throughout the night, walking
from roof to roof before settling down on a roof opposite Aether's Bakery with the intent to
scout his only suspect. He wondered each time what that incubus, Aether, felt whenever he
sensed Xiao's presence, loathing? Maybe even fear? The thought pleased Xiao. Aether had
evaded Xiao too many times, he had killed many men on his journey, and now, he'd tried
seducing the adeptus he'd been running from.
He was determined to end the journey here and capture the incubus in Liqian. What would
Xiao do if the incubus turned out to be Aether?

His mouth watered a little, remembering the way the pretty blonde had batted his eyelashes at
Xiao, thinking him to be as easy as other men. Maybe Xiao would torment him, maybe kill
him slowly for all the people he'd killed during their chase, and for trying to make a fool out
of him. Somehow, he knew internally that things would not go the way he wanted them to.

Xiao kept an eye on the bakery throughout the night, his mind kept drifting to the blonde over
and over like he was being plagued. The hours of the peaceful night gave him too much time
to think.

His mind knew that he couldn't dwell much on such instances like yesterday, but the way
Aether had made him feel bothered Xiao to no end.

Thoughts that had never even occurred to him before began to haunt him, like the true
meaning behind Aether's words when he had said ' If you want something else, like a piece of
pie or something different entirely, I'll always be here.' Deep down, Xiao had known what
Aether meant and it made his body heat up just thinking about it.

Had the pretty baker, the incubus he had been chasing for weeks, really tried to seduce him,
or had he just been imagining it?

Xiao did not find himself repulsed by the thought, rather, it tempted him. He tried to snap
himself out of it, telling himself that thinking about the incubus was wrong, but flashes kept
coming through his mind throughout the night. He imagined what Aether's body might look
like, imagined what kind of sounds Aether would make if he had Xiao hovering above him,
he imagined how good it would feel to have the tantalizing blonde writhing beneath him.

All the eyelash flutters, coy smiles, and playful smirks came back to Xiao over and over
again. The thought annoyed the adeptus. An incubus trying to seduce someone like him?
Xiao wanted to make Aether regret it. He wanted to wipe the pretty and conceited look right
off his face.

But in the end, Xiao couldn't indulge in his desires; he would likely kill the blonde and be
done with his hunt after today. He would return to his duties of guarding Guili Plains and
forget about Aether as time ventured on.

For some reason, he loathed the thought of killing Aether, it made a sense of dread settle in
his mind. The thoughts didn't stop following his mind as he watched the sky beginning to
lighten and the sounds of the villagers rising. However, his gaze was captured only by one
person.

Even before the sun began to rise, the first to wake up was Aether.

Xiao was perched on the roof of a building opposite Aether's bakery, sitting with his back to
the chimney of the building. He could see the blonde beginning to rise through the windows
of Aether's home just above the bakery and couldn't help his eyes beginning to follow the
movement.
His bedroom window lit up with candles in the gloom of the early hours of the morning; Xiao
could see Aether's silhouette. He tried not to stare but found himself watching the blonde
begin to prepare for his day. At first, he was dressed in nothing but a black silken robe that
seemed too luxurious for a villager dwelling in a town like this one. Xiao knew the silk came
from all of the riches Aether had taken from men he'd slept with and killed in the past, but the
robes suited him. Silk robes were worthy of Aether's beautiful body; Xiao couldn't imagine
such a regal-looking man wearing anything less.

Xiao knew he should get up and confront Aether, but his eyes remained fixed on Aether's
windows as the blonde undressed and began putting on something more modest and braiding
his hair; the distance was enough to keep Xiao from seeing everything, much to the adeptus'
disappointment.

He wanted to see more, wanted to see the body of the incubus who had tempted tens, maybe
hundreds of men and women. Xiao's face turned beet red, realizing the perverse thoughts he'd
been having. He shook his head free of the buzzing excitement that had filled him from
knowing Aether was naked just a window away. He watched as Aether descended into the
bakery, lighting candles along the way before beginning to prep a variety of goods for the
day.

Aether fascinated Xiao to no end, but he tried not to dwell on it. He was here only to
vanquish Aether, he couldn't indulge in anything more.

The smell of pastries and freshly baked goods filled the air the same as yesterday, but Xiao's
ears perked up at the sound of a song again. Aether was singing again, his voice cut through
the silence of the night like a knife through melted butter, not too loud to be a disturbance,
but it made Xiao's heart begin to race. It felt like the song, the sound of Aether's voice, was
pulling at him, trying to invite him.

It felt like the song was directed at Xiao. Xiao had heard of songs sung by incubi and succubi
to lure their victims just like the song of sirens. Xiao couldn't let it affect him.

The song made him want to jump off the roof and go straight towards the source. Xiao took a
shaky breath, no matter how much he tried to restrain himself, he stood up from his sitting
position on the house's roof.

His golden eyes glittered a little as he gazed down at the homey bakery and wasn't surprised
to see another pair of eyes already looking at him from below. Xiao wondered how long
Aether had been aware of his presence. He could see the smile on Aether's face again as the
blonde sang; his voice grew stronger, trying its best to pull Xiao in. The adeptus found
himself falling into the trap.

He climbed down the building and jumped off the side, crouching from the impact of landing
on the ground. Aether stood waiting for him in front of the bakery; his voice dying away into
a hum as Xiao began to walk towards him, the hood of his cloak sliding off his face.

Xiao felt empty without the sound of Aether's voice, but the sight of his face, the self-
satisfied expression, the arched eyebrows, and the alluring smile was enough to drive Xiao
crazy. Xiao stopped right in front of him; neither of them spoke for a few moments, just
staring into each other's eyes and recalling all the thoughts they'd had of each other
throughout the night.

Xiao could feel a deep, animalistic urge rising through his chest, the urge to throw himself at
the blonde and drag him back inside. He wanted to rip the blonde's clothes off, starting with
that floral apron he wore.

It was as if Aether could read his thoughts and knew the feral desires Xiao tried to hold back.
"Do it," Aether said softly; his voice was a whisper speaking an order Xiao would do
anything to follow. It took Xiao a moment to understand that Aether was telling him to act on
his thoughts. It felt like the words Aether spoke were electrocuting Xiao, making the hairs on
his arms stand. His voice was powerful, coaxing Xiao into doing anything he wanted. Xiao
wanted to do anything Aether said, he wanted to give in to all these urges that made him want
to raze the blonde completely.

"Is this... how you've been dragging people in?" Xiao asked through gritted teeth, his lust
barely restrained. His hands shook with the effort of holding back. Aether smirked a little, not
taking his eyes off the adeptus. He could tell he needed to prod and tempt Xiao just a bit
more to make him submit.

Aether stepped closer to Xiao, eliminating the little space between them and resting his hands
tenderly on Xiao's shoulders. His touch sent sparks through Xiao's skin, the heat of Aether's
body against Xiao's made his mind spin.

"Maybe, or maybe you're just a special case," Xiao took a deep breath, feeling Aether's breath
against his ear as his hands slipped from Xiao's shoulders to chest. Aether's fingers dug into
his skin, groping Xiao with no shame as if trying to challenge him to do something about it.

"I'm tired of running from you," Aether said, his tone was low, his words held a sultry edge to
them as if trying to tempt Xiao into falling into his trap. Xiao could feel it working.

"You're here to conquer me, aren't you? Well, we both know I'm too weak to fight against
you. But won't you fulfill my final wish before killing me?" Aether looked deeply into Xiao's
eyes. Anyone he used this tone with would fall to their knees in front of Aether, ready to do
anything he wanted, but the adeptus tried to fight it. It made the blonde's eyes narrow. Aether
couldn't have that.

He channeled every bit of his power into his words, trying to break down the last barrier
standing between him and Xiao. Aether craned his neck and placed a kiss on Xiao's jaw for
good measure, making sure nothing could keep Xiao from following his orders.

"Let me experience the thrill again, fuck me."

Both of them could feel the last thread of self-control in Xiao snap. Xiao fell under Aether's
spell. The desire to follow his order became too great; in a flash, his arms around were
wrapped tightly around Aether's waist before he picked the blonde off the ground and threw
him over his shoulder. Aether smirked and didn't complain as Xiao hauled him behind the
counter of the bakery.
Aether managed to flip the bakery's sign to closed and just barely reached far enough to
extinguish the flames roaring in the oven.

Xiao took him into a stairwell at the back of the bakery and upstairs to Aether's makeshift
house. Xiao walked over to the bed, shaking with anticipation, ready to pin Aether down and
raze him.

"Stop," Aether ordered, his voice ringing throughout the flat just as Xiao was about to throw
him down onto the bed. To Aether's pleasure, Xiao's mind numbed, and he froze in his tracks,
unable to resist Aether's voice. "Put me down, adeptus Xiao,"

Internally, Xiao writhed; he tried to fight against the orders, he didn't want to be another one
of Aether's pawns, but he set Aether down in front of him. Aether's self-satisfied expression
infuriated Xiao; it made him want to gag Aether to keep the incubus from using his voice, to
take away the one bit of power Aether held over him. His mind and retaliatory thoughts shut
off as Aether caressed his cheek and purred gently, "Good boy, you listen so well,"

Xiao's heart began to pound in his chest; he could feel his body heating up at the praise. It felt
like a buzz was going down his spine; was this how he caught every man in his trap? The
single praise made Xiao want to kneel in front of Aether and do anything to hear more words
of approval from him.

As if reading his thoughts and taking advantage of them, Aether said, "Sit down,"
Immediately, Xiao's knees gave in, and he plopped down on the edge of the bed with Aether
standing between his parted legs. He watched with his mouth slightly agape as Aether began
to strip off his clothes, starting with the apron but leaving his button-up shirt on his body and
beginning to take off his pants.

His eyes never left Xiao's face as the adeptus watched his pants drop, revealing black knee-
high socks and black underwear that did little to hide his body. Aether stepped out of his
shoes and finally turned his full attention to Xiao. He chuckled at the sight of Xiao's hands
shaking in his lap, subconsciously trying not to do anything Aether didn't order him to.

It pleased him immensely to have Xiao sitting so pliant for him, waiting for orders.

"You can touch me," Aether permitted. He smiled as Xiao's gloved hands shot up
immediately to wrap around Aether's thighs. The blonde sighed with pleasure as his hands
squeezed every bare part of his skin, Xiao's fingers rising up to Aether's ass, slipping under
the fabric of his underwear to grope his ass.

Aether lifted the front of his shirt a little, showing Xiao his arousal and the way his cock
stood in his underwear, "Touch here too," Xiao complied eagerly, but not with his hands. He
brought his face closer to Aether's cock and pressed his lips against it through his underwear.
A slight tremor ran through Aether at the action. "Ah..." His voice was a small whimper as
Xiao opened his mouth and began to suck on the imprint of Aether's cock.

The adeptus' face was pink, with embarrassment or pleasure, Aether didn't know. He gazed
up at Aether with his sharp eyes glistening with lust.
Xiao's fingers gripped the waistband of Aether's underwear and promptly pulled it down,
allowing Aether's cock to bounce free right in front of Xiao's face. Aether didn't know if it
was because of the effect he'd put Xiao under, but he seemed to know exactly what Aether
wanted and did it without complaint.

The adeptus wrapped his lips around Aether's cock with no hesitation, causing Aether to
mewl gently, feeling his legs shake at the action. Xiao wondered what he was doing, why he
had his mouth wrapped around the cock of the demon he was supposed to be killing, but he
didn't care. His hands kneaded Aether's ass, his fingers dipping into the curve between his ass
cheeks, making him wish he had taken his gloves off prior. Now, he didn't want to let go of
Aether long enough to take them off.

He pressed Aether's cock deeper into his mouth until his lips met the base. Xiao could feel
Aether quaking under his lips, his hand covering his mouth to keep his noises of pleasure
from spilling out.

The adeptus had never done anything like this before. He had never shared intimate moments
with anyone, but something about the incubus in front of him forged a clear map in his mind.
He knew exactly what to do to make Aether feel good; he knew which way to roll his tongue
to make him buck his hips with delight, knew what kind of things made the blonde weak.

He pulled off of Aether with a pop, replacing his mouth with one of his hands and beginning
to pump Aether's saliva-drenched dick.

Xiao looked up at the blonde, who was still holding his shirt up for Xiao and saw the lewd
expression he wore, with his mouth open and his eyes dazed as he stared down at Xiao's hand
slowly massaging his cock. Xiao bit down on a spot just below Aether's navel, breaking
Aether's concentration and causing his eyes to focus on Xiao's instead.

"Your legs are trembling," Xiao told him, his fingers curling around the tip of Aether's cock
and squeezing it, forcing a moan from between the blonde's lips. "Do you like it that much?"

Aether's face was red, but he nodded with as little hesitation as Xiao. For the first time, Xiao
was compelled to smile. He let go of Aether's hips and pulled his gloves off of his hands.
"What do you want me to do? I'll do anything you ask while I'm still vulnerable like this,"
Xiao whispered, his hand going back to touching Aether's ass in obscene ways, rubbing his
fingers against his hole.

Aether stared at him for a moment as if calculating all the ways he could take advantage of
Xiao's compliance.

Aether pressed his hands against Xiao's shoulders and laid him down on the bed. Xiao's feet
remained firmly planted on the ground as Aether crawled over him until he hovered over
Xiao's chest. The blonde licked his lips, grabbing the base of his own cock and redirecting its
tip back to Xiao's lips.

"More..." He whispered. Xiao could hear the desperate note in his voice and wondered just
how spoiled the incubus was. Clearly, Aether had never been told no in his life, and Xiao
wasn't about to start now if it meant seeing him fall apart in front of him. Xiao opened his
mouth and took Aether's cock in it once more, pulling Aether forward by his hips until his
thighs rested on either side of Xiao's head.

Aether's mouth fell open again, his hands reached down to tangle themselves in Xiao's hair to
keep himself stable. Xiao's grip on his hips tightened, beginning to rock them up and down
until Aether found the rhythm and began to move on his own, pushing down into Xiao's
mouth as far as he could go. "Haah...! Yo-You're more skilled at this than I-I would've
thought."

Xiao didn't try to reply, he continued fulfilling Aether's command without complaint. Aether
was warm on his tongue, his cock occasionally dripped precum in Xiao's mouth; it didn't
taste great, but Xiao lapped it up all the same.

He loved the little noises of pleasure Aether made, he loved the little praises Aether gave him
for making him feel good. The look in Aether's eyes each time he looked down at him drove
Xiao wild. He didn't mind letting his mouth be used as a toy for Aether's pleasure so long as
he got to see that expression.

Within just a few minutes, he could feel Aether's thrusts becoming a little more forceful, his
grip on Xiao's hair tightened to the point of hurting. Xiao didn't have to look far to know that
Aether was close to his high. "F-Fuck-- faster..!" Xiao's mind told him to comply, but a part
of him wanted to frustrate Aether and tease him. He could feel Aether holding back a lot of
his pleasure, he wanted to make it so that Aether couldn't think or do anything to keep his
dignity.

Xiao bided his time until he could feel the muscles of Aether's thighs tightening around his
head. He waited until the last moment when Aether was closest to cumming before he
allowed his hands to travel up to Aether's lithe waist. With a sharp movement, he wrenched
Aether's body upwards until he stood on his knees, allowing the blonde's cock to slip out of
his mouth.

Xiao's mouth was coated in his own saliva, but he could hardly care as he saw the near-
murderous look Aether was giving him.

"Why!? I was s-so..." Aether's voice trailed off as Xiao gripped his hips, detangling Aether's
hands from his hair before turning him around so Aether faced away from him. Xiao licked
his lips at the change of scenery above him, he could see all of Aether from this position,
with his ass hovering just above him. Xiao pressed his hands against Aether's ass and pulled
his cheeks apart to feast his eyes on Aether's hole.

He thumbed the rim of Aether's hole, making the blonde gasp and twitch above him. "W-
Wait.. what are you-- AH!" Aether pressed his hands against XIao's chest and fisted his shirt,
his eyes widening and his mouth falling open from shock, giving way to drool that dripped
from the corner of his mouth.

Xiao pressed his wet and hot tongue flat against Aether's ass and prodded his hole with his
tongue, trying to lube it up with his spit.
Aether's legs trembled dangerously over Xiao's face, he couldn't hold himself up much
longer, feeling weak from the way Xiao teased his hole. Xiao pressed his tongue hard against
Aether's hole, pushing it inside the tight opening with difficulty. He could feel Aether's legs
shaking and couldn't help smirking at the effect it had on the blonde. He pushed his tongue
deeper inside as far as it would go before allowing his hands to slip away from Aether's ass,
taking away the final support that kept Aether aloft.

Aether's legs gave out, and he sat down hard on Xiao's face, his cheeks burning, but unable to
think straight or lift himself again as he felt Xiao's tongue squirming inside him.

Xiao moaned under the weight of Aether sitting on his face but was far from complaining. He
craned his tongue as far as it could go, hoping to find Aether's sweet spot. He did not
disappoint.

"Hnngh! There-- again, f-fuck!" Aether wailed a little as Xiao jabbed the tip of his tongue as
hard as he could into a swollen and tender part inside Aether. Aether hunched over Xiao's
body, his mouth open and panting like a dog in heat. His legs continued to twitch while his
mewls echoed through the room.

Outside, the sun had completely risen, Aether could hear people bustling about, wondering
why the bakery was closed, but Xiao didn't let him dwell on anything other than him for long.
The adeptus wrapped his hand around Aether's cock and began to pump it in time with his
tongue. Aether whimpered and cursed, still sensitive from the denied orgasm moments prior.
The same feeling of ecstasy began to writhe in his stomach, this time stronger with both his
cock and ass being stimulated.

"Aah! Faster, let me come..!" This time, Xiao didn't stop, he felt his breath getting shorter as
he pumped Aether strong enough to make his body bounce gently on his face. Aether came
into his hand with a small yelp of his name that resonated within Xiao's bones.

He felt Aether's body shuddering intensely from the pleasure as Xiao pumped him a few
more times for good measure, milking Aether for his cum.

Aether gasped and panted, barely holding himself up with his palms flat on Xiao's chest and
legs sprawled on either side of Xiao's head. Aether was in shock; he never expected anything
like this from the conquerer of demons who had been on his tail for a month.

He'd expected Xiao to be hesitant and inexperienced; he didn't initially think that the adeptus
would be enough to make him feel good, but his expectations had been exceeded, and he was
feeling more thrilled than ever before.

Aether smiled shakily to himself; every nerve in his body twitched and shook as he lifted
himself off of Xiao and sat by the adeptus' side. Their eyes met, Xiao looked as messy as
Aether, he had escaped drool running all around his mouth, and his clothes were stained with
Aether's cum. He looked like a sight for sore eyes.

Aether leaned down and smashed his lips against Xiao's, hardly caring about the places the
adeptus' lips had been. Their lips clashed forcefully, neither of them cared about how messy
they got as their tongues intertwined in a battle for dominance. Aether's experience led him to
a solid victory, bearing down on Xiao's mouth and exploring every crevice of it.

He allowed his fingers to trail down Xiao's body until he reached Xiao's crotch. He groped it
with little hesitation, pulling back momentarily to look into Xiao's eyes lustfully while the
adeptus licked his lips at the feeling of Aether's lithe fingers cupping his cock.

Aether purred at how hard Xiao was, "So big... you'll be good for me, right?" Aether gave a
gentle squeeze to Xiao's bulge, trying to break down any reluctance in Xiao. Xiao nodded his
head, making Aether smirk before he climbed on top of Xiao again and sat down on top of
his crotch.

He relished in the way Xiao gripped his legs, his fingers curling into the bands of his socks
with pleasure. Aether reached his hands up to Xiao's neck, unclipping the cloak fastened
around his neck and letting it fall on the bed loosely under Xiao. Aether tugged at Xiao's
shirt, asking him silently to take it off. The adeptus complied, raising himself a little to strip
off the simple white shirt he wore.

Aether bit his lip, his eyes washing over Xiao's body lustfully, from his deep collarbone to his
strong torso, down to the v-line created starting from the middle of his waist and disappearing
under his pants. Aether leaned down and kissed Xiao's collarbone gently, his hands rubbing
over Xiao's pecs and feeling him up deliriously.

"You're so handsome and perfect... perhaps someone like you would be enough to satisfy me
for the rest of my life. Do you like that idea?" Aether asked Xiao, his thumbs running over
Xiao's nipples, making the adeptus twitch. Xiao didn't reply, but Aether didn't need him to to
know his answer.

He giggled, feeling Xiao's cock stirring under his ass at the thought of being Aether's puppet
for ages to come.

Xiao responded well to each praise Aether gave him; it seemed to energize him and fill him
with the desire to make Aether feel even better. It satisfied Aether to know that he could drive
even an adeptus, a demon vanquisher, to the point of submission like this. He'd wasted all
that time running from him when he could've had Xiao wrapped around his finger like this
from the get-go.

No matter, as long as he kept Xiao in this dazed and lustful trance, he could keep the
enigmatic adeptus as a pet for decades. He watched as Xiao thumbed the fabric of his socks,
his golden cat-like eyes trained on Aether's shuddering cock, already hard again after his
orgasm just thinking about having Xiao all to himself. Aether's hands slipped from Xiao's
chest to his own thighs, placing his hands over Xiao's and catching his attention again.

Aether smiled prettily down at Xiao again, "Do you like them?" He asked about the socks, "I
put them on just for you, I could feel you watching me undress from outside... I had hoped so
badly that you would break through my window and fuck me right there."

Xiao's face turned a dark shade of red with embarrassment that he'd been caught peeping on
Aether, but the blonde assured him, "I wanted your gaze on me like this ever since you
showed up in front of the bakery yesterday."

Xiao's grip tightened on his thighs, realization dawning on him, "You could've sent me to the
wrong place for information and run away, but you didn't; you guided me to the place where I
would find all the right answers and come find you."

Aether's grin widened, and he kissed Xiao rewardingly as if telling him he'd hit the nail on
the head, "As I said, I'm tired of running from you... but after seeing you in person yesterday,
I knew immediately that I wanted you," He chuckled a little as if thinking of something
amusing, "I wanted you as the grandest trophy to my collection, an adeptus, fallen into my
trap. Now, you can sit back and let me give you a show. You'll know exactly what makes me
so irresistible."

Aether moved away from Xiao, sitting back on his thighs to have easier access to his pants.

He unfurled the sash tied around Xiao's waist, his eyes caught onto Xiao's yaksha mask that
hung from it, and he smirked, taking it between his fingers. This mask had haunted Aether
for the past month, but now, looking at the demonic shape, the gleaming green eyes, and the
long horns protruding from the top, he didn't feel fear.

Instead, he set it aside and turned his attention onto the real face of the yaksha, better than
anything Aether had ever had the pleasure of seeing.

Aether tugged down Xiao's pants very slowly, his jaw slackening a little with every inch he
revealed to himself. His first thought was that Xiao wasn't standard. Aether's mouth began to
water with lust at the sight of an adeptus' dick. He could feel Xiao getting impatient under
him but took his time.

He tucked the waistband of Xiao's pants under his balls and marveled at the sight.

Xiao's cock was different and larger than an average human's. It was studded with smaller
buds that Aether imagined would feel amazing inside and had a deep curve along the middle,
slanted straight towards one's prostate. The tip of Xiao's cock matched the color of his lips;
the whole shaft writhed with the thick veins etched along the girth, pumping with blood.
Aether could hardly hold himself back from shoving it inside himself already.

He cupped Xiao's balls and rolled them gently between his fingers, loving how weighty they
were as they occupied the whole of his palm. The action caused Xiao to breathe out gently
with pleasure, "Fuck.." Aether cursed under his breath, unable to mask his look of pure
desire.

His eyes twinkled with want as he licked his lips. The rim of his hole tightened and
untightened, still wet with Xiao's spit and craving something bigger than just his tongue.

Aether needed to lube up something so large if he was going to take it without prep. Aether
cast his lips above it, holding it in place and dropping a ball of spit on top of it. Xiao's legs
twitched under him, but Aether paid him no mind; his attention was focused only on the thing
that could make him see stars. He wrapped his hand around the girth and pumped it,
spreading the spit all around it to help it slide in better.
He watched Xiao's eyes getting dull with pleasure at the feeling, his cheeks were pink as he
stared longingly up at Aether. Xiao laid still under him, allowing the blonde to have his way
with him. It pleased Aether to have the adeptus being so good for him. He couldn't wait for it
any longer.

He crawled forward and leaned down towards Xiao, pressing an affectionate kiss on his lips.
"You're being so well-behaved for me; I'll reward you soon,"

Aether didn't catch the look in Xiao's eyes as he sat up straight again, standing on his knees
and hovering just above Xiao's cock. Xiao felt himself coming out of the trance a little,
listening to Aether's words. The more Aether dove into his lust, the more the spell wore off.

Xiao saw Aether with a clear vision for the first time since they started; the blonde was so
beautiful it hurt. Aether gazed down at Xiao's cock longingly with his golden locks ruffled in
their braid and his eyes sparkling with yearning; his button-up was crooked, slightly hanging
off his shoulder and exposing his neck. His pretty little cock stood straight against his
stomach, stained with Xiao's saliva and his own cum, while his legs trembled a little, trying
to support his own weight.

Xiao wanted to destroy him, but he would bide his time, let Aether continue as he pleased for
now, and then raze him when he's tired. Xiao's hands found their way back to Aether's thighs,
watching with glistening eyes as the blonde held his cock in place with one hand and lowered
himself over it, directing the tip of Xiao's cock to his hole.

Aether took a shuddering breath, biting his lip as he felt Xiao's cock prodding against his
hole. He looked up and met Xiao's eyes head-on. A buzz went through both of them as their
eyes locked on each other.

In a swift motion, Aether pushed his hips down over Xiao's cock, all while holding his gaze.
Aether gasped a little, feeling his ass getting stretched out as he sank down on the adeptus.
"AH..! Mm-- it hurts.." He whimpered, breaking the eye contact to glance down at Xiao's
cock impaling him. Aether grabbed his own dick, pulling it out of the way so he could look
down at Xiao's cock disappearing inside him.

Despite the pain, Aether smiled wickedly. The feeling of another man's warm dick inside him
gave Aether more satisfaction than anything in the world. Seeing Xiao's tense and pleasured
expression was a close second.

Aether settled down at the base of Xiao's cock, taking a moment to breathe. Xiao stared up at
Aether's smile with awe, amazed by the fact that the blonde could smile with so much joy just
by having something inside him.

Xiao had always thought of incubi as wretched demons who preyed upon weak women and
trapped men by rendering them helpless using all means; for the most part, he wasn't
incorrect. But he'd never imagined an incubus to look so beautiful and happy just because
they were in their element.

At that moment, Xiao felt the same as he had yesterday when he'd first locked eyes with
Aether; his heart skipped a beat, seeing Aether look so contented because of him. It
disappointed him that he might not be able to see this sight again after today. The idea of
killing Aether made the same feeling of dread momentarily cloud his mind but not for long.

Aether clamped tighter around Xiao, a bit of drool slipping down the sides of his mouth as he
felt the buds and bristles of Xiao's cock pressing up snugly against his insides. "F-Fuck..."
Aether stuttered, his voice no more than a trembling wisp from pain, pleasure, and happiness,
"No one has even b-been this deep..."

Aether brought his hand back down to the base of Xiao's cock, he parted his index and
middle finger and felt up how wide his hole had to stretch to accommodate Xiao's dick. He
whimpered a little with delight, brushing his fingers up from his perineum and tracing his
way up to his lower abdomen, feeling up how deep Xiao was. Aether raised his gaze and met
the adeptus' eyes, seeing the look of admiration shining in them, making him even giddier.

Aether didn't wait to adjust any longer, he took Xiao's hands in his own and interlaced their
fingers for support. He pinned Xiao's hands by the sides of his head and prepared himself for
what was to come.

Mustering up all his strength and motivation, Aether lifted his hips, his eyes rolling back at
the feeling of the bristles of Xiao's cock raking over his prostate. He moved up until only the
tip remained inside. His legs trembled with the effort of keeping himself steady on his knees.
His mouth was watering just thinking about the ecstasy that would fill him when he came
down. Xiao did not disappoint.

Aether brought his hips down again, swallowing Xiao's cock again. He had to hold himself
back from crying out with pleasure, feeling his eyes filling with tears and his mouth parting
to give way to more drool spilling from the corners of his lips.

The slant of Xiao's cock allowed it to hit directly into Aether's prostate as he came down,
sending waves of electricity up through his body.

Xiao stared up at him, dazed and entranced, watching each of Aether's lewd expressions of
mingled ecstasy and shock. Aether rose again, his body moving on his own, completely
immobilized save for his trembling legs indulging in his desire to take Xiao's cock again and
again. He bounced on top of Xiao, their hips meeting with enough force to make the bed
groan each time Aether dropped on top of him and bounded back up with the momentum.

Neither of them could think straight, Aether could hardly see Xiao, couldn't even hear his
own voice.

Each time Xiao struck his prostate, his ears filled with the sounds of buzzing, blocking out
his noises of pleasure save for the smack of Aether's ass against Xiao's hips and the
squelching of his hole swallowing Xiao's cock. He bounced on Xiao's cock with enough
speed to make even the adeptus' eyes glaze over with pleasure.

His voice came out as a shaking wisp, "Slowly... I'm not going anywhere." Even in the haze
of Aether's mind, he managed a short but hysterical laugh, trying not to decrease his speed as
if his life depended on it, "Liar..!" He hissed, voice cracking with a flustered moan. His legs
began to numb; he slowed down against his will as strength rapidly flushed out of his body.
"Fuck m-me," Aether told Xiao, his voice was weak, Xiao could easily escape his spell if he
wanted to, but no, escape was far from his mind.

He unfurled his hands from Aether's and the blonde collapsed on top of him, heaving for
breath. Xiao planted his boots firmly against the ground, his hands meeting back to grope
Aether's ass.

He squeezed Aether's cheeks a little, feeling a sense of self-importance, knowing Aether was
giving himself to him. Xiao pulled Aether up by his ass a bit, giving himself more room to
move. Aether was unable to stop his wail of pleasure as Xiao bucked his hips upwards and
clocked his sweet spot.

"AH! I can't- please..! I can't take--" Aether's eyes rolled to the back of his head and every
muscle in his body tensed before he came with all his might all over the two of them, coating
their abdomens in his cum. Aether slumped across Xiao's body, his mouth open but only
emitting chokes and gasps for breath.

The adeptus didn't wait for him to regain his strength, Aether had tightened up around him
strong enough to suffocate Xiao's dick, but he kept moving as best as he could. He was too
caught up in the pleasure, he had never known such ecstasy existed, never knew that he could
feel such warmth, exhilaration, and thrill. For the first time in his life, there was nothing on
his mind, no sense of duty, no will to protect, to hunt, or to kill. All he wanted to do was
continue to destroy Aether like this.

Aether regained enough strength to moan, his voice coming out weakly. He wrapped his arms
around Xiao's head and hugged him tightly, his eyes glassy with tears, his brain trampled and
unable to think.

He could feel Xiao's ragged breath against his neck, he could feel the buds of Xiao's cock
inside of him, throbbing, beginning to expand and swell, cramping the space inside Aether
even more. He knew Xiao was close and moved his face back to meet the adeptus eyes.

They held each other's gaze for a moment before Aether pressed his lips against Xiao in an
affectionate kiss, whispering between breaths, "Cum inside me, you've done so well.."

His kiss was enough to tip the adeptus over the edge. His cock stiffened to the point of
hurting inside Aether before he spurted his seed all up inside the blonde, shooting far back
and staining his insides with his burning hot cum. A shudder of delight ran through Aether's
body, feeling Xiao's vice grip on his ass slowly beginning to loosen as his muscles began to
twitch and relax a bit.

Aether broke the kiss and gazed down at Xiao with a mixture of admiration and longing.
With his whole body groaning in protest, Aether sat up, a shiver flowing through his spine as
he felt Xiao's cum beginning to move downwards inside him, making its way towards the
exit.

"That... that was great," Aether didn't know what to make of the situation now, didn't know
what they would do now. His mind was numbing even more, while Xiao's was becoming
clearer. Xiao sat up as well, seating Aether in his lap.
 There was a malicious glint in Xiao's eyes that made Aether freeze up. "You say that like
we're done," Xiao lifted Aether up, making him gasp as his cock slid out of him. He threw
Aether to the center of the bed against the pillows, kicking his boots off and crawling
between the incubus' legs.

Aether stared up at him with a look of shock and incomprehension. Xiao managed a smile,
"I've been letting you have your way with me, but now you're too weak to fight back. Now,
it's my turn to use you."

Chapter End Notes

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and that life is treating all of you well! Have a lovely
February <3
 Pain (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Fisting, C1 Zhongli.

Driven out of Snezhnaya with his siblings, Childe finds himself seeking the Emperor of
Liyue, Rex Lapis, for help to protect his siblings. Childe would do anything to protect
his siblings, but what would he do if Rex Lapis decides to take advantage of his
vulnerability?

Chapter Notes

*In case it isn't clear, C1 Zhongli means,,,,, he has two dongs.

It might be a cause for confusion when Zhongli's name is used halfway in the story but
it's more like switching to both their POVs than one. Please ignore typos I'm super tired,
will reread in the morning!

Aah, this chapter was so fun to write. This brainrot idea smacked me right between the
eyes the same day I finished writing the last XiaoAether chapter and tugged at my
insides, so I hope ZhongChi lovers enjoy the fast update!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

"There we go!" Baiwen clapped proudly, stepping back from Childe as she finished pinning
the Hanfu to his measurements. Childe stood in front of the mirror, staring at himself,
somewhat awed.

He twirled a little in front of the mirror, examining his own reflection. Baiwen had dressed
him in a black Hanfu—its rims were lined with red lace from the collar down to the waist,
where she'd cinched it with his usual red sash after laundering it, securing the robe in place.
The Hanfu hung down to his ankles, ending with the same red lace lining that billowed
around his feet. Baiwen had given him flat black shoes to wear underneath, made of soft
cotton fabric and lined with a thin rubber base.

Childe didn't know how to feel about his new outfit. On the one hand, he thought he looked
nice, but on the other, he felt on edge, his throat dry as if he'd been walking through a desert.

He didn't want to be here, didn't want to be all dolled up like this just so he could meet with
the emperor of Liyue. Childe felt like shattering the mirror he stood in front of; he wanted to
rip the robes off of himself and run away, but he looked past himself in the mirror's reflection
at the woman staring at him aside from Baiwen.

Childe knew her only by name and face, having met once before. Ningguang stood behind
him, observing each of the emotions swimming in his eyes, trying to get into his mind and
read right through him. She smiled almost condescendingly as their eyes met in the mirror;
her eyes were as sharp as knives, trying to prick under his skin, finding out what he was
feeling under the mask of nonchalance he wore.

Still, he could tell Ningguang knew what he was feeling exactly. She knew how much he
wanted to run away; she could see in his eyes how much it was killing him to do what he was
about to do. And yet, Childe had to keep moving forward—he couldn't back out now.

He'd made it this far, and he needed to protect his siblings no matter what it cost him. Still,
seeing himself in such clothing, well-groomed and clean after so long, Childe felt bitter. He
hated feeling so vulnerable, vulnerable enough to come all this way to Liyue for safety. He
steeled himself; he was doing this to protect Tonia, Anthon, and Teucer. That was reason
enough to proceed.

His eyes met the steely red ones of Ningguang's in the mirror again as she spoke. "You look
much better than when you arrived. Now, his majesty will be able to take you seriously." She
said, her tone unreadable. Childe bit his tongue to keep himself from saying something rude.
Instead, he turned around and gave Baiwen and Ningguang a dry smile. His dull eyes met
Ningguang's gleaming ones and recognized the challenge they posed; Ningguang was trying
to test him, rile him up, or get him to say or do anything that could demean his worth. He
wouldn't let her see him as weak.

"Thank you for lending me these beautiful robes, Lady Ningguang. Your kindness is dearly
appreciated." Her eyes shimmered with interest, giving him one last long look before she
turned away, seemingly unable to point out any glaring flaw in his manners. He inwardly
sighed with relief, feeling as if he'd dodged a bullet. Baiwen gave him a polite smile, but that
didn't allow Childe to rest easy.

Ningguang made her way to the door, looking over her shoulder at him, "Well? Let's go see
how your siblings are doing, shall we?" Childe thought it would be more courteous just to
nod, not trusting his voice to remain steady with the lump in his throat.

Even though he was within the walls of a beautiful mansion, he felt far from safe. Every
guard he passed as he followed Ningguang out of the room stared at him as if he was a
criminal—at this point, Childe might as well have been. Childe could see wariness and
dislike in the eyes of the Millelith soldiers he passed, and he couldn't help a feeling of dry
amusement raking the tiniest of smiles across his lips.

They glared at him as if he wanted to be there, but the feeling was mutual. Just like how they
didn't want him, a former Harbinger, under their emperor's roof, he didn't want to be there
either. Circumstances had led him to flee here in search of some kind of safety, more for his
siblings than himself.
If Childe had been alone, he would manage to survive on his own, but he had three doting
siblings under his wing; he would never be able to forgive himself if they got hurt because of
him. He could spare nothing if it meant they would be out of harm's way.

Almost two weeks ago, Childe had to flee his home country.

Childe still shook a little with anger whenever he saw the cold and shimmering eyes of his
previous mistress in his mind's eye the day he'd betrayed her. He knew it was for the best—
each time Childe thought of what had happened, he got a bitter taste in his mouth that he
couldn't wash out.

How many years had it been since he'd started working under the Tsaritsa? Five, six years?
Childe had always been a loyal servant; he allowed the Tsaritsa to command him in any way,
for he was only a weapon of destruction in battle. He was faithful and aided her in any way
he could. He'd even trekked down these same halls by her side one before, accompanying her
on a visit to Liyue. That was when he first met Ningguang and the first time he'd seen the
Lord of Geo, the emperor of Liyue.

Childe had once thought that the Tsaritsa was more powerful than any other being in Teyvat;
he'd met the rulers of Natlan, Inazuma, Fontaine, and Mondstadt, but none of them, not even
the Tsaritsa, could hold a candle to the God of Contracts.

Childe still got goosebumps whenever he thought of those ages-old amber eyes when they
first locked onto Childe.

The Geo Emperor gave off more power than any other god Childe had even met. It was like
looking into the eye of an earthquake that could shatter the whole world with just a flick. And
yet, despite all the power he held, Rex Lapis seemed like a kinder option than the Tsaritsa.

Two weeks prior, the Tsaritsa had called Childe into her throne room with another mission for
him to take. He remembered being excited; it had been a while since he had gone outside
Snezhnaya, so he'd been at the Tsaritsa's beck and call. The Tsaritsa had told him herself how
important the mission was and that he couldn't back out of it, but the moment she relayed its
details to him, Childe, regrettably, flinched away from such a mission.

The Tsaritsa ordered him to make for Liyue, meet with the Geo Emperor and take from him
the source of his power. She showed Childe what it looked like, a Gnosis, using the Anemo
Lord's gnosis as an example. She relayed every detail of how to retrieve a gnosis from a god,
and the more she spoke, the more Childe grew uncertain. The plan was doomed to fail from
the start.

It was simple: to get close enough to the Geo Emperor, have him let his guard down in front
of a Fatui like Childe, and steal his gnosis right from where his heart should be. The plan
would've made Childe laugh if he weren't in his mistress's presence. Childe knew it could
never work.

The Fatui had a terrible reputation all over Teyvat—to get close enough to a god like Rex
Lapis would be a distant dream for any Harbinger.
Childe still shivered every time he remembered the aura of power around Rex Lapis, his
stone-cold eyes haunted him whenever he remembered the way their eyes had met for no
longer than five seconds. Those five seconds had been enough to show Childe the Geo
Emperor's endless power.

To think such a plan would work on an immortal being six thousand years older than Childe
was laughable. Childe only pictured the Tsaritsa getting her hands on Rex Lapis's gnosis if he
gave it up willingly. He would be too strong to have his gnosis taken by a human using force.
He tried to explain it to the Tsaritsa, but the moment he showed signs of hesitancy or—in the
Tsaritsa's eyes—weakness, the room had turned ten times colder than the snow outside her
majesty's castle. Every nerve in Childe's body screamed to alert him of the danger as he
looked into the Tsaritsa's ice-cold eyes.

After all the years of building trust with the Cryo Empress, Childe learned at that moment
that he held no real significance in his mistress's eyes.

All his faith in the Tsaritsa's power had come crashing down in a single moment when she
had asked him about his siblings' health. Childe wasn't stupid, he knew he was being
threatened, and it made his blood run ice cold.

The moment the Tsaritsa decided to bring his family into the matter was when Childe knew
just how little his life or family mattered to the Empress. Childe had quieted down,
pretending to accept the plan and the mission, but in reality, his insides burned with anger. He
vowed not to do the Tsaritsa's bidding, not to give in to someone who had threatened the
safety of his siblings.

The Fatui made preparations for Childe to leave by sea the next day of the encounter; it gave
him just enough time to make a hasty plan to get his siblings and himself to safety.

That night, he'd rushed home to his siblings and packed their essentials. With the help of the
few loyal contacts he had in the Fatui, Childe was able to cross the borders of Snezhnaya to
Natlan before the sun rose.

Childe remembered the gust of icy wind that had blown over him the moment the Tsaritsa
found out about his betrayal. He took his siblings as far as he could on horseback, crossing
country to country and laid low, resting where they could, but he knew they couldn't run
forever; the Fatui would eventually catch up to them, the other Harbingers would not rest
until they found him and made him pay on the Tsaritsa's behalf.

But then, perhaps Celestia took pity on Childe and his family, for he met a woman in Sumeru.

She was a Liyuean who commanded her own ship and led the Crux crew, whose name was
renowned all over Teyvat—her name was Beidou. He managed to stumble upon her in a pub
after his siblings had gone to sleep in an inn.

They got drunk together, even though she wasn't trusting of him as a (former) Fatui at first. In
all his drunken sorrow, having been driven out of his own country and threatened by the god
he trusted most, he shared his story with Beidou. Emperors know why, but the woman
decided that she believed a conniving Harbinger like him. She found him again the next
morning and offered a helping hand. She told him and his siblings about the grace of Rex
Lapis, that he was a deity that was far more benevolent than the Cryo Empress. She offered
him a choice to go back to Liyue with her crew and ask Rex Lapis for help.

Childe had thought long and hard about it for a night. His siblings seemed keen on the idea,
but they hadn't seen the radial power that surrounded the Geo Emperor.

He wasn't sure he fully believed Beidou when she talked about Rex Lapis' benevolence.
Those thousands-year-old amber eyes and the stony emotion dancing in them still hung
across Childe's mind each time he thought of the man.

In the end, Childe found that he had no better option. At least if he went to Liyue, he would
have a friend in Beidou to look after his siblings if nothing else. If Rex Lapis decided he
wasn't worth his time... Childe could only hope the god didn't dare touch his siblings, for he
would die fighting to his last breath for them.

When they disembarked in Liyue, Beidou did not allow them to stand by idly, telling him that
the Fatui were at large in Liyue as well and that they might try to hunt him down. Not
wanting to take any chances with his innocent siblings watching, Childe followed her haste to
get to the Golden House. She had sent a messenger ahead to let the Millelith and the Qixing
know that she was escorting a Snezhnayan Fatui to meet with Rex Lapis. The governors of
Liyue and Rex Lapis himself were aware of his arrival.

Beidou had told him that everything would be fine as she left them in Ningguang's hands, but
Childe didn't believe her, especially now as he and Ningguang walked through the halls of
the Golden House to find his siblings.

Ningguang had taken one look at him and decided that neither he nor his family were worthy
of meeting Rex Lapis in their state of disorder and disarray.

She'd asked her secretaries to find them a change of clothes and allow them baths before
having an audience with the Geo Emperor. Childe was feeling nervous beyond anything he
could've ever thought of feeling. Each window he passed made him feel like jumping out of
it, but he stopped himself, taking deep breaths to keep himself from worrying.

"Mr. Tartaglia," Ningguang called, making him jump a little out of startlement. She seemed to
smirk a little at his sudden fright.

"Please know that even if Captain Beidou deems you trustworthy, you will have to prove
yourself to us. She has a habit of picking up strays where she finds them, but we in the
Qixing know better than to trust Fatui as easily as her. In the end, it is Rex Lapis's judgement
that matters, but should he choose to accept your proposal, you'll have to stand firm and earn
your keep in this place."

Childe felt his anger rising with every word she spoke; it almost made him lose himself for a
moment. After all he'd been put through, traveling for days on end, suffering the wrath of
storms following in his wake, he just wanted a break. But now, he had the Liyue Qixing to
think about as well. Then, she stopped at the door and looked back at him, a smile that
seemed less condescending than before dancing on her face.
"Do excuse me if I'm being rude, but we governors are what help Liyue keep moving
forward. We are the ones who clean up after the Fatui's messes in Liyue, so try to understand
where I come from."

Childe's anger that flared up began to chip away slowly. His tense shoulders began to slump,
he could feel an unfamiliar pressure building behind his eyes, almost as if he wanted to stop
there and start crying. Childe was so used to words like these: 'prove yourself', 'earn your
keep'. It was as if his life had no value if he couldn't do either of those things. He steeled
himself. He neither had the energy to get angry nor to pity hinself.

In the end, all he could do was move forward while trying to protect his siblings as best as he
could.

With or without his Fatui status, Childe would fight against the whole world to keep his
family safe. He didn't say anything as Ningguang opened the doors to allow the two of them
inside.

"Big brother!" A voice chimed in from inside, the pitter-pattering of small footsteps trotting
towards Childe sounded through the room as Teucer hurried to greet Childe. At the sight of
his youngest brother, Childe felt all his worries and anxiety melt away as he kneeled to
Teucer's level to greet him. Teucer threw his arms around Childe and hugged him, "Don't we
look wonderful in these Liyuean clothes?" Teucer asked Childe, who chuckled.

He gazed up at Anthon and Tonia, accompanied by Baishi, another one of Ningguang's

secretaries. The two of them twirled to show off their new robes to him as well. He couldn't
help smiling fondly as he saw all three of them decked out in miniature Hanfus.

His heart began to calm down a little, knowing that everything he was doing was so that he
could protect their innocence and their smiles. As long as they continued to live happily like
this, Childe didn't care what happened. He wouldn't run away no matter what as long as it
meant a good future for his family.

"Of course, you three would look adorable in anything," Childe told them, his heart warming
up with affection.

He could feel Ningguang's calculating gaze observing his soft expression and relaxed
physique. He glanced up at her and saw that some of the wariness had left her eyes as she
saw how tenderly he treated his siblings.

She sighed. "Rex Lapis should be ready to meet with you now. He doesn't like to be kept
waiting, so let us get going." Ningguang said. Childe watched his siblings' faces light up
while his heart sank to the pits of his stomach again.

Teucer and Anthon, the two youngest, were excited to meet a god in person. Their innocence
led them to believe that all gods were soft and good-natured; they didn't know the truth
behind why they had to leave Snezhnaya. Childe wished that were the case. Only Tonia's
expression remained grim. She met Childe's eyes, allowing him to see the look of worry and
anxiety that mirrored his own emotions. He gave her a reassuring but weak smile, trying to
tell her that everything was going to be okay. He didn't believe himself, and he didn't think
Tonia believed him either, but she followed the group either way with Ningguang leading
them out into the corridor.

As they walked, she explained the etiquettes to follow while conversing with a god. "As soon
as you enter the throne room, make way for the center of the hall in a straight line ranging
from youngest to oldest. Line up facing Rex Lapis and kneel before him—do not speak until
he permits and do not move unless he tells you to."

Childe nodded as he walked, looking around at his siblings to ask whether they'd understood
everything.

The trio nodded in understanding, so Ningguang continued. "When he asks, explain your
reasons for coming here. Tell his majesty that you have the support of Captain Beidou and the
Tianquan behind you. It should count for something as we are two of his most trusted
compatriots."

Ningguang's voice was quiet as she spoke, but Childe's feelings of surprise increased with
every word. Ningguang, the Tianquan, who had been trying to rile him up moments ago, was
saying that she supported him?

Childe felt his cheeks reddening at the thought. He wondered if his compassion towards his
siblings were the thing that changed Ningguang's mind about him. Childe was glad for it; he
needed all the support he could get. He needed trustworthy people by his side who would
look out for his family should anything happen to him.

Ningguang led their group to grand double doors with two guards flanking them in the main
hall of Golden House. Childe remembered passing them earlier when Ningguang had led him
away to clean him up properly. The doors were made of an odd black stone, etched with
golden patterns that stretched out from the floor to the ceiling. Rare gems like Cor Lapis,
Noctilucous Jade, and crystals had been embedded into the door in intricate designs at some
parts. The doors to the throne room alone told Childe just how luxurious the palace was.
These doors alone would likely cost billions of mora.

They emitted power as if they were assessing Childe, looking deep into his soul to find his
truths and his lies. Oddly enough, the doors seemed to calm his squirming insides. He knew
he had nothing to lose anymore—all of his emotions were sincere. All he wanted to do was
protect his family. There was no lie these doors could catch in his feelings.

Ningguang glanced at him once before she tapped the doorknobs once before standing aside.
"I wish you the best of luck." She told Childe as if reading his thoughts. Childe managed a
weak smile as the doors began to swing open, creating an entryway to a gigantic hall.
Childe's eyes widened at the sight. Teucer's jaw dropped at the interior while Anthon nearly
stumbled over himself trying to crane his neck in all directions to look at everything. even
Tonia managed a small 'wow'. Childe couldn't blame them; the hall was gorgeous.

The doors opened into a wide pathway. On either side of the path were mounds of mora.
Separating the path from the mora was a small stream of lava that curled in narrow ducts
around the hall. Golden pillars lined the edges of the hall, holding up the ceiling with gold
tapestries hanging from them.
Childe was truly at a loss for words. Ningguang ushered them forward; there was an air of
pride around her, clearly, this place was dear to every Liyuean.

Childe steered his siblings forward, Teucer first, Anthon, then Tonia, and himself, walking
along the path just as Ningguang had instructed. He was careful to keep them away from the
lava, but it seemed he didn't have to. The lava was covered by a barrier to keep visitors from
harm.

Childe stared around in awe. He had once thought that the throne room back in the Tsaritsa's
palace was the most beautiful place, but now, he didn't think it held a candle to the Golden
House. It contrasted the Snezhnayan throne room in every way, using warm and glinting gold
colors instead of the cold grey and blue in the Tsaritsa's palace. The ring of lava did not emit
any heat, but the mounds of mora seemed to glint from every direction in the light of the
flaming stream. It was just like a dragon's hoard of gold. Childe had thought that the doors
were priceless, but in front of him was a hall worth more than the entire Snezhnayan capital.
Liyue was not the city of wealth for nothing.

Childe led his siblings forward; the pathway opened into a wider platform. The two guards on
either side of the doors followed him inside after bowing to Ningguang. He finally set his
sights ahead of himself, and his awe seemed to trickle away out of his body from every
crevice.

On the other side of the hall, another path stood, leading to an elevated platform where a
single throne sat. Behind the throne was the body of a black dragon that glinted gold in the
colors of the mora. It reached from the floor all the way to the ceiling, curled around a pillar
and held in place by a translucent force field. Sitting in the stone-carved throne was a man
wearing black robes embroidered with patterns woven with gold thread. Everything about the
hall radiated power, but the power of the room didn't do justice to the man on the throne.

He looked just as Childe remembered. Well-built, long scruffy black hair, pale skin, and
shining powerful amber eyes. He didn't look at them immediately, conversing with a soldier
who seemed to be quaking in his boots just speaking to the man.

Childe took the moment to line his siblings up according to the pattern Ningguang had told
him, guiding them to their respective positions with shaking hands.

Childe didn't fear the man on the throne in particular, but he did fear what he was capable of.
He didn't know what would become of him if the god threatened his siblings' lives.

The soldier seemed to notice their presence at last and mentioned it to Rex Lapis. The god
turned his weighty gaze directly on Childe. Immediately, he and his siblings kneeled. Teucer
and Anthon didn't look as excited as earlier. The aura of intimidation, wealth, and might
seemed to humble their childish curiosity.

Childe was used to such acts of respect but kneeling like this to anyone but the Tsaritsa felt
wrong. Rex Lapis said something to the soldier that Childe couldn't catch, and the soldier left
immediately through an exit near the throne. The god stared down at them for a few
moments; his gaze seemed to shine from face to face, first from Childe, then to each of his
siblings, who seemed to tremble. Then, Rex Lapis fixed his gaze on Childe alone.
His voice rang through the hall, reverberating and bouncing off the walls in an echo. "Rise,"
the god's voice sent shivers down Childe's spine. Childe stood up, and his siblings followed
his lead.

They stood still; Childe held his breath in fear that it might anger the god. Rex Lapis's second
command came before he was ready. "The leader among you, step forward."

Childe's feet moved automatically; he took one step forward. He could feel Rex Lapis's eyes
still on him. "Come closer." Childe looked up, and his eyes met Rex Lapis's for the second
time ever. Childe's legs trembled, but he began to walk forward. He could hear Tonia
whimper like she didn't want him to leave, but he had no choice. He walked up the steps
leading to the elevated platform. It almost felt like he was walking to his doom, but he didn't
let that stop him until he stood right before Rex Lapis's throne.

Childe dared to look up again, and this time, his eyes met amber ones much closer than the
first two times. Now, he could make out every detail of Rex Lapis's handsome face. Childe's
heart felt like it would bust out of its ribcage.

Rex Lapis opened his mouth; his voice came out more gracefully, still sounding throughout
the room, but this time, his words were meant only for Childe. "Kneel." Childe's knees
buckled as if they'd been waiting for the command. He dropped to the floor like clockwork.

No matter how humiliating it was, Childe kept his gaze down on the ground and kneeled
obediently, more for the sake of his siblings than himself. Childe wondered if he would've
behaved differently if his siblings weren't being held against him as leverage. Would Childe
have defied the orders of this powerful being? He almost smiled at the idea; of course he
would've.

"Bow your head to me. Or is that beneath one of the Tsaritsa's Harbingers?" Childe's insides
twisted at the order. He stared at Rex Lapis's feet, where his dark robes hung. He gritted his
teeth with concealed anger and humiliation, but he leaned forward, moving down until his
forehead pressed against the pristine floor. He could hear gasps from his siblings behind him,
and he prayed they would be smart enough to keep themselves quiet. He was doing all this
for their sake.

He heard a small grunt from the man sitting before him, almost like a brief puff of
amusement. Childe knew he was being mocked.

This time, Rex Lapis's voice was gentler. His words didn't carry the same power but that
didn't ease Childe. "The Tsaritsa has taught you humility, but I can feel your disdain for me.
Still, it takes a lot of pride for a mighty Harbinger to bow to anyone but their mistress. On
your feet." Rex Lapis told him. Childe didn't waste any time sitting up, relieved to be able to
get out of the demeaning position. His legs didn't feel like they could handle his own weight,
but he forced himself to stand.

Childe met Rex Lapis's gaze head-on this time. His heart thumped as he spotted a smile
gracing the god's lips as he observed Childe.
Then, Rex Lapis rose from his throne; his robes billowed around him like black pools of
water as he stood to full height right in front of Childe. Their eyes remained locked on each
other; Childe didn't dare blink in case he found himself at the point of a knife.

It took all his willpower not to stumble back as Rex Lapis reached a hand out to him, his
fingers shining as black as his robes. They looked like stones, but as they touched Childe's
face, they were as soft and smooth as silk. Zhongli gazed down at Childe, holding his chin
between his index and thumb and looking deep into his eyes as if trying to figure him out.

"I recognize you," He said, watching as Childe flinched at his touch and smiling, "The
Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers, Childe. You accompanied the Tsaritsa on a visit one year
ago, am I correct?" Childe felt himself shiver as Zhongli said his name. He felt like his heart
would beat out of his chest.

He nodded his head in hopes that the god's hand would drop from his face. Childe's cheeks
began to burn; it had never occurred to him that Zhongli would remember him, much less
know his name. Zhongli retracted his hand and broke their staring contest to gaze behind
Childe, where his siblings stood. Childe felt a surge of panic; he didn't want Zhongli to focus
on them, didn't want him to see what an easy target they were when it came to Childe's
weaknesses.

"I... didn't expect you to remember me, your majesty." Childe cursed himself for speaking as
Zhongli's gaze swiftly traveled back to Childe's, bearing down on him with those intense eyes
as if asking who permitted Childe to speak.

Zhongli considered him for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Well, I don't normally
forget a pretty face," Childe's cheeks exploded in a burst of colors as blood rushed to his face,
tinting his pale cheeks red. Zhongli smirked at the sight of his red face and began to walk; he
circled Childe, looking him up and down and taking in his elegant appearance.

He seemed satisfied by Ningguang and Baiwen's handiwork as he didn't say anything about
Childe's outfit. Instead, he asked the question that made Childe's blood curdle, "Why have
you come here, Fatui?"

He stood right behind Childe now. His aura of power made the hairs on the back of Childe's
neck stand on end. Childe could feel Zhongli's eyes following every twitch of his body, his
gaze fixed on the nape of his neck, left bare thanks to his short hair, ideal for one to mark up
and claim. For once, Childe wished he had longer hair so that he could hide his own
vulnerability from Zhongli's intense gaze. His mind whirred, trying to formulate the words.
He couldn't speak in front of Teucer and Anthon; they didn't know what kind of work their
brother did. The truth had been hidden from them—only Tonia knew.

"Forgive me..." Childe's voice dropped into a whisper in hopes his words wouldn't reach his
siblings' ears, "I can't relay the full story to you in front of my siblings. They—" Zhongli cut
him off with a hum of understanding.

He turned, and despite Ningguang's words not to move unless Zhongli ordered, Childe turned
as well to face his siblings. Zhongli gestured to the guards, "See to it that our younger guests
are placed under the care of the Tianquan or the Yuheng. I would like to have a word with our
honored guest alone."

Before anyone could say anything, the first to speak was Teucer. "No!" His voice rang
defiantly throughout the room.

Childe's eyes widened in horror as he saw Zhongli freeze for a moment, caught off guard by
anyone daring to disrespect his orders. Zhongli's eyes turned and fixed on Teucer. Childe
wanted to shout at Teucer to stop, but he continued. "We won't leave big brother alone with a
scary man like you!"

Childe's heart raced with panic and adrenaline. Zhongli's face remained expressionless, but
Childe hurtled in front of him, standing between Zhongli and his siblings. He smiled at
Zhongli, but it came off as more of a grimace, his voice shook a little with the sudden
adrenaline rush, "My sincerest apologies for my youngest brother's rudeness, your highness...
p-please, overlook this matter, do not hurt him." Zhongli's eyes remained fixed on Childe's
face, studying the panic shining in his blue eyes, the way Childe tried to keep calm and save
his younger brother from potential danger.

Behind him, Tonia grabbed Teucer by the shoulders and hurriedly scolded him in a whisper,
quieting him down while the guards looked restless at the interruption. Zhongli observed the
protective stance taken by Childe to keep his siblings out of his sight.

Zhongli tilted his head at Childe's words, "I do not harm children, Fatui," The look Zhongli
gave him spoke a clear meaning: 'Just because I won't harm children does not mean I won't
harm you.'

Childe's lips trembled, and he bowed his head, "Thank you for being merciful, is... is it
alright if I speak to my siblings?" Childe was used to these courtesies, asking for permission
for everything when he was in the Tsaritsa's presence, but his obedience seemed to surprise
Zhongli.

The corners of his mouth turned up the tiniest bit, the movement of his lips followed by
Childe's eyes. "You may."

Childe didn't like turning his back on Zhongli, but he had to; he spun around on his heel and
hurried down the steps to the center of the hall where his siblings stood. Childe sighed with
relief, thinking he should give Teucer a scolding, but as Childe saw the teary look in his
younger brother's eyes, he knew he couldn't be angry, not when they were worried about his
safety just like he was worried about theirs. His gaze softened as he kneeled in front of
Teucer to get closer. Childe lowered his voice, but he supposed that a god would still be able
to pick up on it. He was careful with his wording, "Teucer... you shouldn't have been rude,
he's a god, what if he got angry, hm?"

Teucer began to cry, his lips curling into a pout. Anthon and Tonia hovered over them,
looking just as worried but more solemn. "What if he hurts you?" Childe's heart broke at how
weak his brother's voice was, but he smiled reassuringly.
He knew there wasn't much truth to his words, but he told them, looking at all three of them,
"I'll be okay; Lady Ningguang was nice, right? She'll treat you well. All we're doing is
discussing some adult matters, I will be back with you before you even realize I'm gone, so
don't worry!" Childe's eyes lingered on Tonia's; the look in her eyes was accusing as if she
knew he was lying or unsure.

He broke the gaze and stood up. He looked back at Zhongli, and he got the message. He
waved a hand at the Millelith to escort his siblings out. "I'll be okay, so go have a little fun,
Lady Ningguang will be sure to provide a lot of entertainment for you."

Childe saw the defiant look in Teucer and even Anthon's eyes and gave Tonia a pleading
look. She understood and began to steer her brothers towards the doors, the two Millelith
guards walking behind them.

Childe's fake smile dropped from his face as he watched them out of sight before finally
turning around. He met Zhongli's eyes, and the man gestured with a blackened hand for him
to come back up to him. It felt like Childe's legs were getting heavier with every step he took
towards the god. Zhongli waited for him with his arms folded behind his back; his eyes never
left Childe's face throughout, making Childe all the more nervous.

He didn't immediately say anything as Childe stopped in front of him, seemingly in thought.
He reached out and brushed a strand from Childe's face, an amused look in his eye as Childe
flinched. "You must really care for your family," Zhongli commented. Childe shivered at the
low tone he adopted like he was uncovering his greatest weakness. The thought annoyed
Childe because it was true.

"Yes. Most people do; I daresay you would not understand, your highness," Childe said
snarkily, blinking as the god laughed, his voice low like a rumble. Zhongli took a seat on his
throne again and gazed up at him.

"You're as cheeky as I thought a Harbinger would be," he said softly. "Well then... let's
discuss those 'adult matters', shall we? I promised Beidou that I would hear you out, so tell
me, what has brought you here?"

As Childe stood in front of Zhongli, he didn't know what to do or say for a moment. He tried
looking for his voice but couldn't yet find the words.

He thought about all that happened two weeks ago; the resurgence of the memories fueled the
old flame of anger that had dimmed but not dissipated in all the time that had passed. The
anger made the words rise to his tongue. He told Zhongli everything, from start to finish: the
Tsaritsa's plan to steal the other emperors' gnoses, her mission for Childe to hunt Zhongli's
gnosis, and her threats towards his family. He didn't leave anything hidden nor did he try to
lie his way through, knowing that if he wanted Zhongli's help, he would have to do it through
honesty.

By the time Childe finished, his throat seemed dry. He felt lighter, which was odd,
considering that he had confided everything to a ruthless god.
Childe kept his gaze firmly planted on the ground in front of Zhongli's feet, but he could feel
Zhongli's stare on him. When he finished, Zhongli didn't say anything for several moments.
Then he stood up again. Childe flinched at the action, barely keeping himself from moving
back as the god crossed over to him in three steps.

He stood mere inches away from Childe, stepping into his line of sight. Childe was afraid to
look up in case he saw hatred, anger, or disdain in the god's handsome face. After all, Zhongli
wouldn't like that Childe was the pawn chosen to steal his gnosis. But then, Zhongli's hand
reached up to Childe's chin, taking hold of it between two fingers and making him look up at
him. Childe tried not to shy away from Zhongli as his eyes met blazing and mercurial amber
ones inches away from his own. Zhongli's eyes searched Childe's, trying to discern his
emotions, trying to find a trace of a lie. The tension between them was thick enough to cut
through with a butter knife.

Zhongli broke it with a simple question, "How do I know that you're not trying to play me—
that this isn't all a ploy for me to let my guard down and allow you to steal my gnosis?"

Childe pursed his lips. With Zhongli's body so close to his, he could feel the heat radiating off
of the god's vessel, warmer than the stream of lava that encircled the throne room and
accompanied by the scent of the earth after being pelted with rain.

The warmth was inviting and comforting—it made Childe want to fall into the arms of the
man in front of him, but he steadied himself. He gazed into Zhongli's eyes, his voice firm and
bold. "If I was lying, I would not have given you the key to my weaknesses," he pointed out.
"You've said it yourself: I care deeply for my family. I wouldn't have played them directly
into your hands if I wasn't sincere." Zhongli ran a thumb over Childe's cheek thoughtfully but
still looked unconvinced. "But... if that's not enough, then there is a branch of the Northland
Bank right here in Liyue Harbor, yes?" Childe continued, this time more hesitantly, feeling
unnerved by the god's caress. Zhongli narrowed his eyes scornfully as if he disapproved of a
Fatui organization in his city, but he nodded. "They will have noticed my coming here, and
they will do anything to find and kill me on sight. If... if you want, I can prove it to you; you
can use me as bait and see for yourself."

Zhongli looked at Childe with a calculating gaze, but he didn't seem keen on the idea. He
raised his gaze and looked past Childe at the grand double doors thoughtfully as his hand fell
from Childe's face.

"You come here as my guest. I will not put you in any danger unless I deem it necessary. The
doors to the throne room do not let dishonesty and mistrust pass through them. You are being
sincere," Zhongli said softly. Childe's heart lightened with relief; the worst of it had come to
pass... Zhongli believed him, but now, the most perilous part of Childe's plan was coming
into play. Sure enough, Zhongli continued. "However, now you've told me what brought you
here, but I'm still uncertain what you want from me."

Childe broke their gaze, unable to look Zhongli in the eye. He was about to ask for a god's
help; it was worse for his pride than coming all this way, but he knew he had to suck it up. He
reminded himself that he was here to ensure a safe future for his siblings; he would do
anything if it meant his siblings were safe.
"I... I wanted to ask for your protection over my siblings. I have endangered them enough by
betraying the Tsaritsa's orders, but... I wouldn't be able to live with myself if any of them ever
got hurt because of me. They deserve to lead carefree and happy lives like all children
should... now that I've turned my back on Snezhnaya, the Tsaritsa is free to use all my
weaknesses against me. She will come after my family first. I can't risk their safety... so I've
come here to ask you for help," Childe looked up at Zhongli, his eyes imploring, "please...
protect my siblings."

Childe couldn't hold Zhongli's intense eyes for long. His gaze fell, his cheeks burning with
humiliation for begging.

He waited with bated breath for Zhongli to laugh at him or deny him, but for a few long
moments, the god said nothing. Zhongli began to circle him again like a predator moving in
on its prey, calculating its weaknesses and blocking out all routes of escape. "You want me to
protect your siblings... but not you?" he finally asked, a tone of surprise and even confusion
in his voice.

Childe blinked a little at the ground, confused at the odd edge in Zhongli's voice. He smiled
humorlessly. "I was a Harbinger—I can take care of myself, but when it comes to my
siblings' safety, I can't leave any stone unturned." He said, causing Zhongli to hum softly in
response. He seemed to be thinking, assessing Childe's words carefully.

He stopped behind Childe; his heat was overbearing, Childe wanted nothing more than to
lean back into the man's strong chest.

Zhongli leaned in close to Childe's ear, his warm breath gently brushing against his skin and
making his ears heat up. "And what do I get out of it, Fatui?" he asked, a sharp edge to his
tone as if he was testing Childe's worth. Childe shuddered at the nickname Zhongli had
decided for him; the way he said it in a whisper right by his ear sent shivers crawling down
Childe's spine. His skin littered with goosebumps as Zhongli continued to speak. "Surely a
contract like this must go both ways; what can you offer me in return?" Childe moistened his
lips, having planned his words carefully beforehand.

"I can offer you my skills in combat. I was one of the Tsaritsa's strongest fighters... I can aid
you in the same way," Childe murmured, twitching as Zhongli's large and blackened fingers
closed around his waist. Childe tried to ignore the way his breath caught in his throat and the
way his heart pounded in his chest.

Zhongli's hands were giant, almost able to cup his waist with his fingertips meeting at the
center of Childe's stomach, making his knees weak.

"Your body is strong," Zhongli agreed, feeling Childe up with gentle fingers. He either didn't
notice the way Childe's heart raced or didn't care. His eyes gleamed a little, knowing that
Childe would soon be cornered. "But I have no need for strong fighters. The Liyue Qixing are
all capable, the Millelith is in abundance... and in general, I do not need anyone to fight my
battles for me."

Childe's heart sank with his words, realizing that his initial offer was hopeless. He had
nothing to give to a god.
Childe had mounds of mora, but seeing the room around him, Childe knew money was
worthless. He began to shake a little with nerves, knowing that he was being challenged.
Zhongli was trying to gauge what else Childe could offer him. He reached up to grip
Zhongli's hands, listening as the god chuckled at the way Childe's nervous fingers trembled
on his hands. Zhongli pulled Childe closer until his back pressed against Zhongli's chest,
caging Childe against himself. He noted how nice Childe's body under his touch; he was
slender and yet his body was laced with firm muscles that were neither too bulky to feel odd
nor too thin to be worrisome. He moved his hands out from under Childe's and held Childe's
hands instead, taking over every bit of control of the pretty Harbinger.

"What will you do now, Fatui?" Zhongli whispered, his palms enveloping Childe's hands and
hiding them from view as he pressed his lips against the nape of Childe's neck like he'd been
wanting to do.

Childe couldn't help whimpering; he had a backup offer that he didn't want to use. He looked
up at the large dragon curled up behind Rex Lapis's throne. The feeling of Zhongli's lips
against his neck made each nerve of Childe's body scream, trying to persuade his mind not to
offer what he was about to offer. Once he offered, he would never be able to turn back, but he
had no choice. He would do anything to protect his siblings.

"I can give you my whole body then. You can do anything you want with me..." He
whispered, though he sounded desperate for Zhongli not to accept. Zhongli's chest vibrated
against Childe's back as he crooned at the idea.

"So... you wish to be my concubine?" Zhongli asked, causing Childe to jitter uncomfortably
at his words.

Zhongli noticed his discomfort and smirked a little as Childe spoke, "I do not wish for that,
Rex Lapis. I-I'm just.. willing to grant you my body if that will push you to help me." Childe
said. Zhongli's licked his lips at the thought, feeling Childe's body becoming more apparent
under his hands. His touch was firm as he swirled his hands down to Childe's hips, then back
up until he reached his chest. He didn't move further than that but could feel his mouth
watering a little, imagining what it would feel like to have such a nimble and agile body lying
pliantly beneath him.

"And what if I don't want your body either?" Zhongli asked, but he nuzzled his face into
Childe's neck again, contrary to his words.

Childe let out a small breath that he'd held for too long, feeling panicked but intoxicated by
the god's touch. "You... you said I had a beautiful face earlier. You touch me as if you're keen
on the idea... if I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted my body," he countered, his voice
shaking a little as he spoke, pointing out the hole in Zhongli's words. Zhongli laughed gently
in Childe's ear, making his eardrums vibrate and causing a shiver to ripple through his body.

The god turned him around to face him slowly, connecting their eyes and gazing deep into the
pools of water that were Childe's eyes. His hands continued to hold on to Childe's waist, not
willing to let him go just yet.
"You're right," Zhongli said, smiling down at Childe, not unkindly, but a challenge shone in
his eyes. "However, Harbinger or not, you are still mortal; your body cannot handle mine."

Childe's eyes narrowed into a defiant glare. Was Zhongli telling him he wasn't worthy of
sleeping with a god? Was he underestimating Childe? Being misjudged like this always set
him off, making him willing to do almost anything to prove the other person wrong. He
closed his fists around the front of Zhongli's robes and pulled him closer until only
centimeters separated their lips. Zhongli looked somewhat surprised, not accustomed to
anyone touching him so readily. "Is that what you think?" Childe's lips brushed against
Zhongli's as he spoke, making the god's heart thump, "Are you calling me weak, your
majesty?"

Zhongli's smile widened into something a bit more sinister, clearly amused by his reaction.
"I'm glad you've caught on, Fatui," he taunted, his voice tantalizingly condescending. Childe's
anger flared up; determination and defiance welled up in his chest at the blatant insult.

How hard could it be to have sex with a god? Childe had battled monsters and come out with
victory; he had gone against some of the mightiest forces of the abyss and come out as one of
the strongest men in Teyvat. Giving his body to a god should not be a hefty task. His
determination to prove Zhongli wrong eliminated his hesitation as he pressed his lips against
Zhongli's. A gentle rumble of surprise erupted from Zhongli's chest, but he regained his wits
quickly. He held Childe tighter against himself and bit down on his lip. The sudden twinge of
pain caught Childe off guard, allowing Zhongli to shove his tongue into his mouth. Childe's
closed eyes snapped open with a whimper of shock, feeling Zhongli's odd tongue swirling
around his mouth.

Zhongli's tongue was unusual; it was long and thin, the tip divided into two sections just like
a reptile's.

It reached Childe's throat with ease, causing the ginger to choke, a hefty amount of drool
escaping his lips and dribbling down his chin. His breath grew shorter; it felt like he was
drowning as the only thing he could feel was the god's tongue pushing deeper and deeper
down his throat, claiming every bit of his pharynx. Childe's nails dug into Zhongli's chest
over his robes while his eyes began to tear up from the lack of breath. Only then did Zhongli
release him.

He pulled his lips back, and his tongue retreated from Childe's throat, flicking his uvula as it
went. In the haze of his watery vision, Childe could see Zhongli's long and sleek reptilian
tongue retreating back into his mouth, rolling into place.

Zhongli smiled jeeringly at him, gazing at the escaped drool and the flecks of tears on
Childe's orange eyelashes mirthfully.

He kissed the saliva off of Childe's chin and blinked his eyes innocently at Childe, "Changed
your mind, Fatui?" Zhongli asked in a mocking voice as if he were trying to hold back a
laugh of amusement.

His tone helped clear Childe's mind a bit; he glared into Zhongli's eyes fiercely. "Never,"
Childe said defiantly. His throat burned from the abuse of Zhongli's tongue, still not
recovered from the way he'd gagged. He took a deep breath, looking up at Zhongli as a
compromise came to mind. "I will let you have my body once... in exchange for two days of
rest for my siblings. After that, you can decide whether you want to help me," he told him.
Zhongli tilted his head at Childe's words; his earring and tufts of black hair falling in the
same direction.

"You're offering me a test run?" Childe hesitated, but then he nodded. Zhongli's eyes lidded
halfway, seemingly appreciating the idea. "Alright then. A two-day trial seems like a fair
deal," he said, his eyes twinkling as he purposefully misinterpreted the meaning of Childe's
offer.

Childe's eyes widened with horror, realizing that Zhongli had taken his words the wrong way,
"No, not for two days— ah..!" Zhongli didn't care to listen. He hauled Childe up easily and
hoisted him in his arms, one hand under Childe's knees and the other at the small of Childe's
back. Childe opened his mouth to protest, but Zhongli cut him off with a swift kiss, gentler
than before now that Childe was compliant.

Childe melted into the kiss, melted into Zhongli's warm embrace, and wrapped his arms
around the god's neck. It felt as good to hug Zhongli as Childe had thought.

How long had he embraced someone like this? It felt like he was turning into a pile of mush
under Zhongli's warm lips. The god walked with Childe, moving behind the throne and past
the dragon vessel. He took Childe to a hidden doorway behind the pillar the exuvia was
perched on and kicked it open gently. Behind the door was a stairwell leading up and down,
made only for Zhongli's use or for the servants closest to him. Zhongli began to move up the
flight of stairs, keeping Childe's lips occupied as he walked. He stopped as his ears picked up
on another pair of footsteps coming down the stairs.

He broke the kiss, smiling as he observed Childe panting and breathless from the kiss, staring
up at Zhongli with a cute, dazed look in his eye. He waited for the other person to come
down. It was Baishi, the secretary who'd taken care of Childe's siblings.

She looked positively alarmed at the sight of Rex Lapis holding a Harbinger as he would hold
a lover.

"Y-Your majesty!" She stuttered, "I was coming to see you—Lady Ningguang wanted me to
ask about your orders regarding..." She gave Childe a meaningful glance. Zhongli considered
her for a moment while Childe's insides writhed with embarrassment from the position he'd
been caught in.

He glanced down at Childe, remembering the agreement they'd made moments prior. "For the
next two days, treat our guests lavishly—take them up to the Jade Chamber and keep them
out of harm's way. Give them any luxury they ask for, the finest silks, any meal they desire.
As for this one," Zhongli set his gaze on Childe, watching the way his cheeks tinted pink
from being stared at so intently. "I'll make sure to handle him myself."

Baishi nodded in understanding. Childe hid his face in Zhongli's shoulder with his ears
burning, trying to hide from both Zhongli and Baishi's gazes. His uneasy heart settled a little
at Zhongli's orders to Baishi; his siblings would be safe and well-treated. It made his heart
calm down a little.

Baishi bowed and stepped aside to let Zhongli pass. Zhongli continued his path upstairs
through several flights, keeping Childe steady in his arms until they came up on the top-most
floor of the Golden House. Only one door stood at the far end of the hallway—the double
doors were carved of the same stone used on the throne room's doors. Zhongli walked
straight towards them. Childe assumed it was the god's private chambers.

The doors swung open automatically upon sensing Zhongli's presence, revealing a lavish
bedroom. Childe had only a second to admire it as the doors closed shut behind them.

There was a large floor-to-ceiling window to one side of the room and curtains made of gold
thread that kept the sunlight from streaming in. A matching gold rug covered the ground
around the bed while golden silk wove the hangings around the four-poster.

The sheets on the bed were black as night with several pillows resting on top of it for
comfort.

Childe didn't have any time to take in the rest of the room before he was flopped onto the
center of the bed with his wrists pinned on either side of his head. Childe found himself lost
in those amber eyes for the umpteenth time as they observed his expression of awe at the
room.

"Do you like it?" Zhongli asked, gesturing around at the grand bedroom. Childe's cheeks
tinted again, not knowing whether it was his place to admire Zhongli's bedroom, but he
nodded shyly. Zhongli smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "If you please me tonight,
all this could be yours."

Childe blinked up at him but wasn't allowed to process about his words before Zhongli took
the neat sash tied around Childe's waist between his fingers and unfurled it, loosening his
black robes. He opened them without hesitation, revealing Childe's upper body, his lower half
covered in matching Hanfu pants. Zhongli felt amazed by how pale Childe's skin was,
blemished with a big scar around his side and minor ones all around his body.

He watched Childe's nipples hardening as they met the cold air, watched his knees rubbing
together as he got shy under Zhongli's gaze. Zhongli felt his mouth watering hungrily. He
placed his hands on Childe's pecs and squeezed them gently, his eyes flashing up to Childe's
face as he whimpered from the contact of Zhongli's blackened fingers against his skin.

Zhongli leaned his face down and placed a kiss at the center of Childe's chest, just over his
heart. He extended his snake-like tongue and dragged it across Childe's skin, moving towards
his left nipple.

Childe choked back a gasp as Zhongli flicked the bud of his nipple with the tips of his
tongue, watching as it shuddered from the action before engulfing his mouth around it.
Zhongli sucked on it gently, smirking as he felt Childe writhing under him, trying desperately
to hold back his moans of pleasure.
His hesitance irked Zhongli, making him vow to himself to have Childe screaming before the
hour ended.

He pulled back, leaving the abused nipple covered in his spit. Zhongli moved his warm hands
down to the waistband of Childe's pants. He undid the knot around the elastic of the
waistband, feeling Childe's legs shiver with anticipation. Zhongli began to inch his pants
down, taking away the last shred of modesty left for Childe by lowering them to his knees
and allowing the ginger to kick them off his legs the rest of the way.

Zhongli couldn't help smirking, licking his lips with pleasure as he saw Childe's cock
standing halfway and trembling nearly as much as his legs. "What a cute little thing..."
Zhongli whispered, taking it in one palm and covering it with the vastness of his hand.

Childe spluttered at the touch but managed an indignant glare at Zhongli. "Little...?!" He
snarled, propping himself on his elbows, causing his Hanfu to slip down his shoulders.
Zhongli observed how pretty Childe's collarbone and shoulders were with mirth.

Childe glanced down at his cock, his glare slipping off his face and replaced by a look of
arousal at the sight of Zhongli's palm completely covering his cock. He couldn't help but
whimper as Zhongli tightened his grip a little. "I..I'm not small; your hands are just too big..."
Childe whispered, making Zhongli smile at his weak excuse. In a sharp movement, Zhongli
flipped Childe onto his stomach, relishing in the yelp of surprise Childe released.

Zhongli frowned, seeing the Hanfu still clinging onto Childe's body, covering him from view.
He pressed his large hands on Childe's plump thighs, massaging his way up and causing the
robes to ride up, revealing his ass to Zhongli. Zhongli smirked at the sight, listening to the
way Childe mewled as he cupped his cheeks. Zhongli stripped the robe off of Childe's arms
and threw it off, admiring his sleek back, littered with even more scars than his front.

Zhongli leaned over Childe's body and trailed kisses on each of the spots lining his back,
massaging his ass along the way.

Childe shuddered at the gentle actions, feeling confounded and oddly giddy—he'd expected
Zhongli to be rough, to treat him with no regard. Even though his eyes were as cold as stone,
he still treated Childe worthy of worship.

His lips tickled against Childe's back, his big, warm fingers dug into his skin with an almost
featherweight touch, trying to get him to relax under him. Childe felt like he was melting
under Zhongli's gentleness.

Zhongli sat up between his parted legs again, feeling satisfied after kissing each of Childe's
imperfections. He turned his attention to Childe's ass; he could see Childe glancing shyly
over his shoulder at him, anticipating his next move. Zhongli smiled and kneaded Childe's
cheeks apart, feasting his eyes on the tiny hole between them. Zhongli's smile turned
mocking, poking his thumb against Childe's hole and trying to squeeze it inside but to no
avail.

"How do you expect to please me with this, Fatui? It's so fragile... it might rip," Zhongli
teased, making Childe twitch as he managed to get just the tip of his thumb inside. Childe
hugged a pillow to hide his red cheeks, but his ears gave him away.

Zhongli leaned over his body, making him wince from the weight of the god on top of him.
Zhongli bit down on his ear, purring gently. Childe gasped as Zhongli's front pressed up
snugly against his ass, making him feel an unnaturally large bulge rubbing between his
cheeks. "Tell me... how will this work?" Zhongli whispered in his ear. Childe's eyes were
wide, wondering how Zhongli could have that size.

"Y-You're insane..." Childe breathed out, feeling unnerved as he felt Zhongli rub his bulge
gently against his hole. There was no way something like that would fit.

"Don't tell me you're losing your nerve. Come now, didn't you say you could handle
anything? We still have two long days ahead of us... so let's not get too hasty, shall we?"
Zhongli coaxed, enjoying this too much to let Childe off scot-free. Childe whimpered as
Zhongli sat up, twisting Childe back around to press him flat on the bed on his back.

"I want to see it," Childe said, his lips trembling as he sat up. Zhongli smiled with
amusement, knowing how Childe might regret it. He looked forward to seeing how he would
react to his... intricacies.

"Be my guest." He flipped their places, pulling Childe on top of him. Childe's cheeks burned
at the position, seated directly on top of Zhongli's crotch. With shaking fingers, Childe
unclipped Zhongli's robes, allowing them to loosen around his frame. Childe opened them
and murmured incoherently with awe at the god's body.

Zhongli's body was chiseled and well-built, but Childe's eyes caught onto the pattern carved
on his skin, a symbol of Geo right over his heart. Childe couldn't help reaching out a hand to
stroke it—Zhongli allowed him to do so without complaint, feeling it would be hypocritical if
he complained after blatantly groping Childe all around. Childe's eyes drooped down on
Zhongli's body. He visibly flinched as he saw a tent in Zhongli's pants that made his insides
squirm with nerves and anticipation.

"It can't be that big..." he whispered, cringing at the uncertainty in his own voice. Zhongli
didn't say anything, simply smiling at him to keep going. Childe lowered Zhongli's pants and
a jolt ran through his body. He nearly ran away, but Zhongli held on to his wrists, laughing
gently and pinning him into place on top of him. He observed Childe's expression of
bewilderment, staring down at his cocks—plural.

Zhongli had two dicks that sat side by side, each one thick and heavy, weighed down against
his stomach even though they were hard. They resembled Zhongli's serpent's tongue, the way
they started as one from the balls up and then split the same way as the tip of his tongue.

"They... they won't fit- not even one," Childe said, panic lacing his voice. To his surprise,
Zhongli leaned forward and kissed him, his hand reaching up to caress his cheek gently,
almost comfortingly.

When he pulled back, he gazed gently down at Childe. "I'll take my time opening you up,
you'll be able to take both of them before the sun comes down, don't be afraid." He said
reassuringly. He couldn't have Childe running away after making him like this. Childe wasn't
at all keen on the idea, but puffed up, taking offense at Zhongli's words and glaring at him.

"Who's afraid? I'm not afraid," he said, though both of them knew that was a lie. Zhongli
smirked at the challenge. He reached out towards the bedside table, fishing a small bottle of
oil from the drawer. Zhongli shrugged the hanfu off his shoulders, making Childe's lips part
with admiration as he saw the black and gold markings all over Zhongli's arms. "Is that right?
Then why don't you show me how fearless you are by getting to work?" Zhongli said, taking
Childe's hand in his own and bringing it towards one of his hot and quaking cocks.

Childe stared down at it, his eyes lidding halfway with arousal as he stared at the organs.
Tonight was going to be a long night.

***

"No m-more..." Childe whimpered, his body trembling as he tried desperately to keep himself
going. His jaw ached, the corners of his lips felt like they were ripping, the back of his throat
felt raw and numb. He was tired; his face dripped with drool, precum, and tears from
choking.

Childe's legs trembled like they would give out at any moment, which seemed about right. He
tried not to gag at the taste of cum on his lips, feeling like he would throw up at any given
moment from the awful taste.

Still, he tried to keep working, sticking his tongue out and trying to please Zhongli with
kitten licks on both his cocks. He knew it was all futile; Zhongli probably didn't feel it. They
had been at it for half an hour, and still, Childe had not done his job correctly. Zhongli's cocks
stood firmly in front of his face, still rigid. He hadn't been able to make Zhongli come with
his mouth.

He took a gasping breath, another wave of pleasure rocking through his body, traveling up his
spine and numbing his brain. His body rocked gently with each thrust Zhongli gave inside
him with his fingers.

"No more?" Zhongli asked; Childe couldn't see him as he laid atop the man, facing away
from him, but he could still hear the smirk in his voice. "I've only put three fingers inside of
you," To prove his point, Zhongli curled all three fingers inside of him, striking his prostate
head-on and making him cry out, residual cum dripping from his own cock onto Zhongli's
chest.

Zhongli tutted, "How selfish you are, Fatui. You've come so much but haven't given me the
same courtesy." Childe whimpered incoherently, unable to formulate words as he desperately
tried to pump Zhongli's cocks with both his hands, utterly exhausted.

"Your fingers... too b-big," Childe cried out as Zhongli bit down on his inner thigh, seemingly
enjoying himself thoroughly. Childe was lying on top of Zhongli, his face right next to his
dicks, while Zhongli took care of him from behind, pounding into Childe with his fingers to
stretch him out. "Compare my fingers to 'them'. Do you think they'll be enough? Hm?"
Childe stared hopelessly at the large cocks standing in front of his face, knowing that no
amount of prep could help him take both of them. Nothing was that big.

"I think I've been too lenient with you," Zhongli said softly, prodding his pinky finger against
Childe's ass as well, preparing to push it in. Childe twitched at the feeling, wishing he could
run away, but his legs had turned to mush; the bruising grip of Zhongli's hand on his thighs
was enough to keep him firmly grounded just above Zhongli's face. Zhongli gave a
resonating slap to Childe's ass, making him cry out with pain.

"I expect you to try again, Fatui. Don't quit so easily," Zhongli encouraged. Childe stared at
the two cocks in front of his face. He didn't have a choice; he opened his mouth and wrapped
his lips around one of them, feeling his legs trembling but ignoring the discomfort and
pumping the other one with his hand.

He began to bob his head up and down on Zhongli's cock, feeling relieved as he heard the
god release a short breath. "Good..." Zhongli praised. Childe tried to ignore the way Zhongli
squeezed his fourth finger inside, his nails digging into Zhongli's thighs where he'd already
made several scratch marks. His insides squirmed, feeling Zhongli ease all four fingers
inside, but he tried to keep steady, concentrating his efforts on sucking Zhongli off.

His mind kept reverting to the four thick fingers ramming deep inside of him. His eyes rolled
back, and he lost his sense of self whenever he felt Zhongli's fingers brushing against his
prostate. Before Childe even had time to get used to his fourth finger, Zhongli began to poke
his thumb through as well. Zhongli was getting impatient, especially with how tight Childe
still was despite having four fingers inside him. He wanted to get it over with, and the path
ahead of him was clear. He knew what to do, knew that it would bring Childe much pain, but
he promised himself never to hurt Childe again after this.

Childe's eyes widened, he pulled off of Zhongli with a small 'pop,' sitting up with alarm
flashing in his eyes. "N-No! Rex Lapis please- AH!" Zhongli didn't listen. He blocked out the
sound of Childe's crying as his back arched with pain, his eyes filling up with tears again as
Zhongli pushed his thumb past his rim as well.

Zhongli wrapped his free arm around Childe's waist as Childe sobbed, flipping their positions
over and pinning Childe beneath him. "Fuck!" Childe cursed, hiccuping as Zhongli wrenched
his hand forward, curling his fingers into a fist and pushing it inside Childe up to his wrist.
He held Childe down on his stomach, watching with sardonic amusement as Childe cried and
thrashed, unable to get a full word out.

Zhongli kissed the back of his neck, keeping his hand firmly in place inside Childe and not
moving even though Childe begged unintelligibly to take his hand out.

He didn't move until Childe's hiccups died down, losing the fight in him to stop squirming.
"Shh.." Zhongli crooned, pressing soothing kisses to Childe's back. "You did well; the hard
part is over." Zhongli bit his lip, feeling the warmth and tightness surrounding his entire
hand; it was like wearing a glove.

He loved the feeling of Childe's wet insides, loved the way Childe clenched and unclenched
around his wrist. Zhongli looked down at his cocks, still unsatisfied.
He'd had enough of waiting. He shifted his fingers inside Childe, watching as the silently
crying ginger hugged onto a pillow like it was a lifeline. He felt guilty for putting the ginger
through the pain but knew it would lead to something good for both of them. Zhongli kissed
Childe's shoulder, gentler than before as he listened to Childe crying. His amusement
dissipated, wondering how the pretty Harbinger could cry just from this.

"Baobei, I'm sorry," Zhongli whispered, surprising both himself and Childe. Zhongli cursed
himself mentally; the words had just slipped out before he could realize, but he didn't
backtrack.

Childe moved his face out of his pillow to look up at him with wide teary eyes, thinking he'd
misheard. Zhongli took the moment to kiss Childe on the lips, gently twisting him around
onto his back without moving his hand inside Childe. Zhongli kissed his tears away,
peppering his face affectionately and praising him, "You did well," Childe felt a sense of
bewilderment, not knowing how to react to the softness the emperor showed him.

He had never felt tenderness like this before. It made his heart pump in his chest, filling his
stomach with butterflies.

"I'll take it out, okay?" Zhongli asked, caressing his cheek gently as Childe nodded meekly.
Zhongli tugged at his hand, his knuckles brushing directly over Childe's prostate and making
him gasp, his back arching. Zhongli smiled and pressed a small kiss to Childe's nipple as if
his arched back was an invitation.

Zhongli eased his hand out of Childe, sitting up to watch as the ginger's hole moulded around
his fingers, his legs trembling at the feeling of his large fist making its exit. Zhongli
registered Childe's moan of complaint as he completely removed his hand and examined it,
covered with oil from the large amount he'd used to loosen Childe up.

Blood pumped through his palm from the way Childe had squeezed it inside himself, still
feeling the warmth of Childe's insides gripping his hand like a sleeve. Zhongli turned his
attention to Childe, who watched him intently. Zhongli thought for a second that there was
warmth in Childe's eyes, but the Harbinger quickly averted his gaze, moving it down to
Zhongli's shuddering and impatient cocks and wondering if they would fit now.

Childe's mind felt fuzzy; everything seemed surreal, from Zhongli's dicks to him calling
Childe 'baobei.' Childe knew enough Liyuean to know that Zhongli had called him his
treasure. It made his cheeks redden with embarrassment, but he knew not to get his hopes up.

Zhongli was only trying to appease him; they were no more than strangers. The god would
only ever see Childe as a sex toy if he decided to keep him around.

The thought depressed Childe intensely, but he didn't dwell on it for long as he watched
Zhongli thumb his hole again, pushing it inside experimentally and purring at how easily it
slid in this time. "So good for me," He whispered to Childe, kissing his jaw before retracting
his hands.

Zhongli pushed Childe's legs up to his chest, smirking at the view of his hole on display for
him, the folds twitching with anticipation. "I'll put them in now." He warned, squeezing
Childe's thighs and holding his legs up. Childe didn't protest; he thought he could handle
anything that came his way after having Zhongli's gigantic fist inside him. He bit his lip; in a
way, that was another limit of his that he had surpassed, having his hole stretched that wide to
full capacity. He was ready to have Zhongli inside him now.

Zhongli prodded Childe's hole with one of his cocks, holding it in place to keep it on a direct
course. He licked his lips, pushing one inside at first, stretching Childe's hole to
accommodate it. Childe whimpered with discomfort, wrapping his fingers around Zhongli's
wrists for support as he felt Zhongli pushing it deeper and deeper inside of him.

"F-Fuck..." Zhongli took a deep breath; even after all that prep, it felt like Childe would snap
his cock off inside himself.

Still, the feeling of Childe's warmth enveloping him drove him to insanity. It took all his
power not to thrust inside Childe immediately as he repositioned his other cock against
Childe's thigh. "W-Won't fit..." Childe mewled, one of his hands slipping from Zhongli's wrist
to wrap around his vacant cock. Zhongli's breath hitched at the feeling but managed a small
smirk.

"You're stronger than that, aren't you, baobei?" Childe spasmed as Zhongli thrust the rest of
the way inside him, his cock brushing over the bundle of nerves inside him that drove his
mind to ecstasy.

Even then, Zhongli's dick didn't make Childe's mind swirl more than his words. He had called
him his treasure again. Zhongli had stopped calling him 'Fatui.' Childe hazily wondered what
went through Zhongli's mind when he called him that. He told himself Zhongli didn't mean it
but didn't he?

Zhongli gazed down at Childe's face and admired his colorful expression. He thought he'd
struck gold, marveling at the sight of Childe's eyes rolling back with pleasure as he thrust
inside of him forcefully. He'd fulfilled his silent wish to ruin Childe before the hour ended; it
pleased him to no end. Even gold could not hold a candle to the sight that was Childe.

Zhongli began to thrust into him, his other dick fucking itself into Childe's hand as he pushed
his hips back and forth.

Childe's sweet voice echoed through the room, his face reddening a shade deeper with
pleasure each time he felt Zhongli push into his prostate. It felt like he was burning up each
time Zhongli fucked into him.

There were no thoughts in Childe's mind; all he could think about was the god hovering over
him with both of his cocks using him for their own pleasure. No, Childe felt it was unfair to
say Zhongli worked only for his own pleasure, especially when he could think of nothing but
the way every nerve in his body writhed like his body was charged with electric current each
time Zhongli struck his sweet spot.

He couldn't make out many coherent and legible words, but Zhongli's name came to his lips.
"Ah..! Rex Lapis- Please.. f-faster!" Zhongli licked his lips with delight, hearing Childe
mumbling to himself. He didn't hear his own words, didn't listen to himself blabbering and
barely making sense.

Zhongli obliged, moving his hips faster inside Childe and pushing repeatedly into his
prostate, fueled by Childe's moans of pleasure. Zhongli felt himself getting more impatient,
feeling his second cock writhing in Childe's palm; he yearned to have it share the warmth
inside Childe. He wouldn't be able to cum without proper stimulation for both.

Still, he didn't want to stop even momentarily, afraid that the lewd expression on Childe's
face would dissipate for even a second, and the pretty noises he released would stop.

"Call me Zhongli..." Zhongli whispered to Childe, just barely catching his attention by a
strand. "Rex Lapis is too--.. ah..." He breathed out with pleasure, feeling Childe tightening up
around him, squeezing his cock, "formal..."

Zhongli gazed down at Childe, the ginger looked back at him with a dazed expression. If
Zhongli didn't know any better, he'd think it was a lovestruck expression. He smirked, leaning
down between Childe's legs to glomp him, hugging him tight and nuzzling his face in his
neck. "Zhong-Zhongli.." Childe purred into his ear, wrapping his arms around Zhongli's back.

Zhongli growled with arousal at the sound of his mortal name slipping from Childe's lips.
"Put it in... b-both," Childe pleaded, his voice meek and dazed but not at all hesitant.

His words, the little quiver in his voice, the way he gripped at Zhongli's back all drove
Zhongli to madness. He clawed at Childe's thighs, feeling overwhelmed with intoxication.
Baobei wasn't a strong enough word to describe the treasure that was Childe.

The god sat up between Childe's legs again, breathing out and momentarily stopping his
thrusts. He didn't argue with Childe twice on putting both in, watching a drop of precum
dribble down the side of his vacant cock as it rested itself against Childe's body, right next to
the ginger's cock.

"I won't let you escape from me if you let me put both in," Zhongli said, brushing his large
hand against Childe's ribs. He shifted his gaze to Childe's eyes and flinched as he saw the
look in Childe's eyes. It was the look of a man who had nothing to lose. It took all of Childe's
effort to get up, seating himself on Zhongli's thighs and wrapping his arms around Zhongli's
neck for support.

Childe looked at him straight in the eyes, a drunken expression on his face as if he didn't
know what he was doing.

"Who said anything about escape?" Childe whispered, biting down on the stunned god's lips
and tugging at it gently, "Make me cum with both,"

A wave of adrenaline burst through Zhongli's body at Childe's words, feeling his excitement
build tenfold. In a flash, Childe was pinned down against the bed on his stomach, Zhongli's
cock slipping out of him.
He moaned in discomfort, feeling empty inside, like a piece of him had gone missing.
Zhongli mounted him, pressing his chest to Childe's back and wrapping his arms around the
man's chest to hold him firmly in place. His cocks stood rigid, pressing up against Childe's
hole. Together, it felt impossible for Childe to take them both, but now, he could hardly think
straight enough to care about whether they ripped him apart or not.

"I'll make you cum as many times as you want," Zhongli promised, his voice barely
restraining his lust for Childe as he spoke next to his ear. Childe's tongue lolled out of his
mouth as Zhongli pushed his hips forward, holding both his cocks together with one hand and
pushing them inside Childe in unison.

Childe felt the span of his lungs getting shorter, his ears popped, and his eyes stung with
tears. He felt like he was drowning with the way all his bodily functions ceased for a
millisecond.

Zhongli stretched him wide enough to make black dot Childe's vision, making him black out.
He whimpered like a dog in heat, feeling each of his nerves drawing themselves up, numbing
more and more with each inch Zhongli put inside him. "Breathe, baobei.." Zhongli whispered
soothingly, but his voice sounded so far away as if he was on the other end of a long tunnel.

Zhongli's breathing was as ragged as Childe's, struggling to hold himself together and feeling
his mind clouding up with how tight Childe gripped his most sensitive organs.

Childe felt lightheaded but tried to take a deep rattling breath through his mouth that felt like
he was filling his lung with oil. He couldn't get the words out, couldn't tell Zhongli to pull out
or to move. He laid still under Zhongli, trying desperately to breathe.

Zhongli kissed the back of Childe's ear, feeling the way Childe shuddered under his body.
"I'll move now," His voice couldn't travel through Childe's brain fast enough to prepare him
for what was coming. He screamed as Zhongli moved his hips back and bucked them back
against his ass. It was too much for him. Childe had been trying to hold himself back for too
long.

Zhongli's dicks slammed right into Childe's sweet spot, making the ginger wail, thrashing
under Zhongli like a wild animal as he came all over the black sheets underneath him.
Childe's insides turned to mush, feeling like his organs had melted inside of him, burning
inside him with blistering heat.

He could feel Zhongli's cocks moving inside his lower abdomen, driving him off the rails.
His nerves shriveled as the after-effects of the orgasm took him over, doubling his body's
sensitivity. Still, he couldn't speak; his throat was clogged as if Zhongli's cock was trying to
jump out of it. He didn't have enough air in his lungs to formulate words, only loud mewls
that echoed through the room with the sound of Zhongli's balls smacking against his ass.

After an hour of stimulation without release, Zhongli felt as gooey as Childe; his body moved
on his own, breeding Childe into the pillows like they didn't have a tomorrow.

Zhongli felt himself drawing closer to his orgasm, finally able to find something enough to
make him cum. He buried his face into Childe's neck, growling as he hugged Childe's limp
body possessively. The ecstasy in his lower abdomen branched out to all parts of his vessel
was the answer to Childe's contract.

Zhongli would not be able to deny Childe's request even if he wanted to.

He came inside Childe with both his cocks, grunting loudly and tightening his arms around
him tight enough to make his ribs creak. Childe whimpered, feeling Zhongli release his cum
inside him in spurts. Zhongli didn't pull out, keeping Childe's tight hole plugged to make him
feel his seed inside of him. Both their bodies relaxed, Zhongli nuzzled his face against
Childe's, purring with sweet release.

"You did well and made good on your promise to handle me," Zhongli praised, kissing
Childe's cheek affectionately and making his face flush with embarrassment. Childe felt
stunned as well, wondering how he'd managed to take Zhongli without getting ripped, but it
didn't reduce his pain.

It took Childe several moments to regain his voice, "P-Pull out," He said weakly,
subconsciously clenching his rim around Zhongli. Zhongli hummed gently, pondering
Childe's request though he bit his lip, attuned to the warmth surrounding him. Entering
Childe had felt surreal, but now that Zhongli was more levelheaded, he found himself
appreciating it.

He bit his lip, cursing while Childe's breath caught in his throat. "N-No..." The ginger
whimpered, feeling panic bubbling in his stomach as he felt Zhongli getting hard again inside
him.

Zhongli glanced at the curtains and saw sunlight still streaming from the cracks between
them. Zhongli kissed Childe's nape lovingly and sat up, smirking with delight. "Come now;
we still have fourty-seven hours ahead of us, do we not? No need to be hasty; you are mine
now, after all." Childe gripped the sheets tightly in his palms, his eyes widening as Zhongli
thrust inside him again, ripping a scream from his lips.

***Extra***

Zhongli woke up groggily to the sound of knocking against his door.

He opened his bleary eyes, smiling as the first thing he saw was the face of the beautiful
sleeping Harbinger in front of him. Flashes of the previous night flicked through his mind
from start to finish. Last night, he had ended up making Childe stay up all night, using
Childe's body for pleasure.

Zhongli licked his lips, staring at Childe's sleeping face with his amber eyes flashing with
enjoyment, remembering all the times Childe had passed out last night. He hugged Childe
tight against his chest, his arms snaking around his naked body.

He almost thought he'd dreamed up the sound in his mind, but another knock rapped against
the door, making him grumble.
 Who dared disturb his peace at this hour of the morning? He considered drawing the
hangings around his bed but found himself still attached to Childe, having fallen asleep when
he'd exhausted both of them to the breaking point. He crooned happily at the feeling of still
being inside him but tried not to get hard for both their sakes.

"Come in," He rumbled quietly to keep from disturbing Childe's sleep, his voice deeper in the
morning with grogginess. The door swung open, and Zhongli glared at the sight of Beidou,
Ningguang, and another one of Ningguang's secretaries, Baixiao. He hugged Childe more
protectively, scowling as he envisioned his two most trusted friends stealing Childe away
from him.

Beidou laughed a little at the sight of him, "Wouldja look at that; he looks just like a dragon
hoarding its gold. Took just one day for you to fall head over heels for him, eh Zhongli?"
Zhongli continued to glower, burying his face into Childe's neck.

Ningguang looked mildly amused, while her secretary seemed to be trying not to pass out at
the smell of cum and sweat in the air.

"You have been holding him hostage all night, Zhongli." Ningguang told him, switching off
the formalities as if lecturing a child, "His family is worried, and he hasn't eaten since
yesterday morning."

Zhongli snarled as Beidou walked over to the bed, ignoring that they were naked and still
intertwined. "What's your point?" He grumbled, taking in Childe's warmth with mirth,
unwilling to let go.

Ningguang sighed at him, "I've brought Baixiao to assess the collateral damage, to treat him
if you hurt him, and to feed him so he can regain his strength." Zhongli ignored them by
dipping his face into Childe's chest like a whiny child. He twitched as Beidou's hand clapped
him on the shoulder, making him mumble under his breath, "He's fine. He didn't rip; he can
handle me."

He continued rambling, "I'll accept his contract and make him mine. I'll build a palace for his
siblings and keep him safe with me here."

Zhongli hummed with pleasure at his own plan, momentarily forgetting Beidou and
Ningguang were there. The two women shared a look of understanding; Baixiao gave them a
fleeting look, recognizing that they were about to do something that could make Zhongli very
angry. She quietly hurried out of the room. Beidou reached out to Zhongli, ready to wrench
him away to save Childe from him, but recoiled as her hand met a solid surface, a shield
covering Childe and him to avoid any more disturbances. Both women sighed with
exasperation.

Chapter End Notes

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ZhongChi has always been my experimental ship, I'm
always testing out new things (rimming, omegaverse, mythology, fisting) on this couple
because of their versatility. I hope this chapter wasn't hard to read, I tried to make it the
least graphic it could be.

Lawd the fucking gruesome fisting videos I watched (for science ofc) are going to fuck
with my brain forever. Thank you for reading!

*Please skip if you do not enjoy LucKae*

To those that read my Diluc/Kaeya chapters, what would you prefer, Mafia AU i.e
kidnapped, manipulation, slight violence OR Greek Mythology AU (Similar to CH47 in
this book) i.e enslaved, manipulation, slight violence?

I KNOW, the tags for the next LucKae chapter are gonna be rough either way, but I'd
love to know your thoughts. If I choose to write one instead of the other, I promise I'll
incorporate the other one to a different LucKae prompt!
 Psychrocism (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Mentioned physical abuse, psychological abuse, suicidal thoughts.

After years of facing abuse under his father's roof, Kaeya thinks no one in the world had
good intentions when meeting him. He is proven correct when he gets caught in the
arms of a mafioso in his weakest state, and yet, he finds himself enjoying having kisses
and gentle, cold touches fluttering against his skin.

Chapter Notes

!Disclaimer!: I used the name Nicolas for Kaeya's father but it is completely made up.
None of this is related to Kaeya's canon family, just improvisation for the sake of the
plot.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

* Psychrocism: Sexual arousal from being cold.

Quiet footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as Kaeya tip-toed through it. He walked
rigidly, his form tight as if keeping himself ready to run away at any given moment. His mind
swam in endless thoughts as he made his way through the mansion towards the lounge,
knowing that would be where his father was.

Kaeya took a deep breath to calm his nerves, having seen the giant cars pulling up into the
mansion's driveway just minutes earlier. They worried him because he knew who they
belonged to; someone dangerous was in his house, and he knew he wouldn't be safe. Still, he
tried to make his way to where his father would be to assess the situation, keeping his eye
and ears open in case he heard anyone else in the hallway with him. He remembered to keep
himself well hidden each time the mafia came over.

He shuddered at the thought of the mafia, not particularly because they were dangerous and
went around killing people but instead because each time that man, the current Don of
Mondstadt's mafia, visited, it would spell doom for Kaeya.

Kaeya managed to make his way through the mansion without coming across anyone. The
servants would hide whenever that man came over, while the guards would remain outside to
calm everything down and to make sure the situation went well.
Kaeya knew the Don of Mondstadt only by name; the most influential man in the country
was Diluc Ragnvindr.

Just the name Ragnvindr made Kaeya's blood run cold. Each time it was spoken, it would be
like traveling down memory lane; all the bad memories would come rushing like fruit flies
over a stale bowl of fruit.

Kaeya only partly remembered what Diluc Ragnvindr looked like, but he hadn't seen his face
in almost a decade. He thought it was for the best. He would rather not suffer the
consequences that came with gazing upon a mafioso's face. He stopped as he entered the
hallway to the lounge. Doors lined the hall, but only one was open. Voices came from inside,
discussing matters that usually wouldn't be for Kaeya's ears.

He steeled himself up and scooted closer, making sure not to make a single sound as he
approached the door.

"You can't do this..." Kaeya's father said, his voice hushed and laced with panic. His voice
trembled a little, whether with fear or anger, Kaeya couldn't tell. All he knew was that his
father was not happy.

Kaeya stood behind the doorway out of sight, straining his ears to listen to the discussion
going on inside the room between his father, Nicolas Alberich, and the man he wished would
leave and never come back. He stared at the floor, nibbling nervously on his lower lip. Kaeya
wasn't involved with the discussion and yet he felt more nervous than even his father.

One part of him enjoyed listening to the panic in his father's voice; it was nice not to be the
fearful one for once.

He tried not to utter a peep, pressing a hand over his mouth to quiet himself as another voice
spoke calmly and clearly from inside the room, sending shivers crawling down Kaeya's back.
"You had promised my father that land, Alberich," The voice was much younger, firm, and
mighty.

Kaeya felt a twinge of fear; even though he couldn't see the man, his voice radiated power
just like his father before him. The man spoke eloquently, pronouncing each word, each
syllable with clarity. It made Kaeya shiver, knowing just how much power that man held,
keeping the entire city of Mondstadt in his palm. Kaeya didn't try to understand the situation,
but he knew that Diluc was talking to Nicolas over a land dispute that went way back to the
days Crepus Ragnvindr was still around.

Kaeya felt a nearly irresistible urge to peek from behind the doorway.

Each time he heard his voice, his name being spoken with fear and anger, Kaeya couldn't help
wishing to see what the man looked like. Would he have a scarred and brutal face like most
mafiosi did? Would he still have the same fiery red hair as he did nearly a decade ago?

Kaeya pushed down the curiosity he felt, too afraid to go through with it at the risk of being
caught, fearful that he would come face to face with cold red eyes that he remembered from
an old memory. The thought made him shiver both with distaste and anticipation. He
wondered whether his memory was flawed, but all he knew was that wanted to see the man
for just one moment.

Kaeya snapped himself out of it, scolding himself for getting distracted when he'd come to
see what was going on. He felt no remorse for his father even as Diluc threatened him.

Still, he would prefer if Diluc wasn't here at all. It would save Kaeya a lot of pain and
suffering.

Kaeya only looked out for himself when it came to matters concerning his father, so he kept
himself hidden, not wanting to endanger himself by exposing himself to a potential mafioso
like Diluc. He didn't try to eavesdrop for long, just enough to figure out his father's mood in
order to plan his night accordingly.

Eavesdropping like this had become a regular occurrence for Kaeya by this point. Each time
someone visited, he would listen in for a few minutes to assess the situation, his father's
mood, and whether or not to run away and save himself. This time, the answer was easy as he
listened to the anger and vulnerability in his father's voice; Kaeya would have to run before
the tables turned against him.

Kaeya decided it would be best to leave before things got messy, knowing that in the end, he
would be the one reaping the consequences of his father's anger.

He hurried away from the doorway, passing through the lavish halls of the mansion he lived
in but didn't consider as 'home.' Home was somewhere Kaeya should feel safe, at ease, calm.
This mansion was not one such place. He'd been living here for nine years now, and it
brought nothing but bad memories that he tried to forget every day.

Kaeya had considered running away many times but didn't have the prowess or the bravery to
do so. Nicolas Alberich dabbled in dangerous audiences; running away forever would run the
risk of being captured and hurt by his father's enemies. He wouldn't have anywhere to go
without danger following him, inside or outside the mansion. The thought doubled his
melancholy.

He crossed over to the mansion's doors as he reached the dark entry hall. He prepped himself
to run away, just as he did each time that Diluc Ragnvindr happened to visit.

Whenever he came by, he would throw Kaeya's father into a terrible rage each time over the
dispute. Kaeya didn't concern himself with the details; all he knew was that he wouldn't allow
himself to get abused for someone else's deeds.

Kaeya cracked the doors open; it was past midnight now, the usual time the man visited. The
sky was pitch black outside, with few stars shining thanks to the pollution hanging over
Mondstadt. He prepared to rush past the guards and hopefully escape before his father came
looking for him.

The garden lights from his mansion's foyer flooded into the entry hall as he peered outside,
marking where each guard was stationed and carving a route for his escape. Kaeya pursed his
lips, seeing that there were more guards than usual, likely the mafia's personnel. The
mansion's guards would be the safer option because they knew Kaeya and his antics.

He steeled himself, sneaking outside and leaving the door ajar behind him as it would make
too much noise to close.

He began to move down the porch, sneaking from bush to bush that lined the path leading to
the estate's gates. He passed three luxury cars that he assumed belonged to the Diluc. Kaeya
only had a vague memory of the Ragnvindrs, but he mostly tried to forget the things he'd seen
in the past.

He pursed his lips, knowing he would have to hightail it past the guards standing by the
unlocked gates. He recognized them as his father's guards rather than Diluc's and knew that
they might take pity on him and let him pass. Kaeya took a deep breath, prepping himself for
the possibility of capture. He had faith in his own nimble and agile qualities not to get caught,
but he never dropped his guard, knowing that the consequences of being caught in the act
would be worse than anything else.

Kaeya rushed out from behind the bushes, hurtling straight towards the gates.

Guards yelled as they spotted him, likely thinking he was some kind of spy from his dark
clothing. Some tried to intercept him, but he dodged, kicking out where he knew he wouldn't
be able to escape and sending the guards keeling over in pain. "Who the fuck-..!" One of the
Ragnvindr's guards yelled.

They seemed confused by the reactions of the mansion's guards, who did not find the
situation surprising at all. They didn't try to thwart Kaeya's path to momentary freedom,
already used to it after so long of Kaeya running away like this each time he knew he was in
danger of getting hurt. The two guards at the gates didn't even flinch as Kaeya burst through
the gates and took off down the street.

The shouting of the mafioso guards began to fade behind Kaeya, but not before he could hear
one of the guards tell them, "Let him go, it's none of your concern."

A feeling of gratitude pushed through Kaeya's chest, relieved that the guards didn't try to
pursue him. In his heart, Kaeya knew that they were sympathetic towards him; they would
always eye the bruises around Kaeya's pretty face and neck each time his father flew into a
rage. They allowed him to run away to protect him, knowing that eventually, Kaeya would
return in the early hours of the morning when his father's anger would have subsided
considerably.

He sighed softly, slowing down into a hurried pace. He started aimlessly walking, familiar
with the streets around his house after all the times he'd run away like this to get away from
his life. Kaeya breathed in deeply, trying to calm the burst of adrenaline he'd felt from
running.

A feeling of dread began to settle at the pit of his stomach. Diluc's voice kept coming back to
him, replaying in his mind. It was sonorous, rough, and yet smooth at the same time.
Remembering it gave Kaeya the urge to run as far as possible; Kaeya could hear the danger in
his voice, giving off the impression of a snarling lion.

He could almost picture his face, filling in the gaps in his memory from his childhood when
he had met him just once. His name came to the tip of Kaeya's tongue, unable to help
speaking it out loud. "Diluc Ragnvindr..." He whispered to himself, a chill crawling down his
back. Kaeya didn't like remembering the Ragnvindrs. He shivered a little, still able to recall
that sight he wished he could've forgotten over the years.

Kaeya's father had once been a governor of Khaenri'ah, young and unmarried. For as long as
Kaeya had known, he had been cold and uncaring, never sparing him so much as a glance. He
didn't experience a lot of parental love as a child.

Kaeya had never known his mother; supposedly, she had been a sex worker, his father being
one of her loyal customers. However, she'd gotten pregnant with Kaeya but did not wish to
keep him. Kaeya smiled bitterly, his heart cracking a bit more each time he recalled his
depressing life history. His mother had left him as a newborn on his father's doorstep and
disappeared without a trace.

Kaeya's father had been forced to take him in, but he'd left Kaeya in the care of his servants
to raise, educate, and parent him. For most of his life, Kaeya's father had just been a shadow
to him, not truly a parental figure but a stranger that lived in the same house. And yet, young
Kaeya had wanted to know more about him.

He would sneak outside his room just like he did now, eavesdropping on what his father did
day-to-day because it was the only way he could think of to get to know his only blood
relative.

Then, everything changed when Kaeya was around nine years old.

There was a war on Khaenri'ah that left the whole world shaken. His father had fled the
country (barely remembering to take Kaeya with him) and moved to Mondstadt, trying to
hide his identity as a Khaenri'an. That was when everything Kaeya had once known had
crumbled to shambles. They had only been able to escape from Khaenri'ah and move to
Mondstadt because they had the help of Crepus Ragnvindr, the previous Don of Mondstadt's
mafia.

Kaeya didn't like remembering that man. He visited his father often, though Kaeya didn't
realize why Crepus was so involved with their family until later. Kaeya still remembered his
face clearly; he'd been somewhat kind to Kaeya.

He was one of the few people Nicolas Alberich allowed Kaeya to meet because Crepus
would insist on doing so. Each time he visited, he would bring Kaeya a box of snacks and pat
him on the head with a warm smile. Kaeya had once liked that man because of his kindness
despite being a stranger to him. But then, one day, when Kaeya was ten years old, he became
curious why Crepus visited his father so often.

He'd snuck out of his room to shuffle over to see what Crepus and his father were doing
together but ended up getting a shock worse than being driven out of Khaenri'ah and forced
to live in hiding.

He still shivered at the memory when he'd dared to peek into his father's bedroom only to see
his father getting fucked by Crepus Ragnvindr. He still remembered his father's weak and
shaky voice, telling him to move slower, to go in deeper, before they both realized that Kaeya
stood in the doorway. He'd tried to run away, but that was the first time his father raised a
hand to strike him after Crepus had left.

All Kaeya's life, he'd been told that two men couldn't be together, but yet, he'd seen his father
in bed with a man, not against his will but enjoying himself.

The two men didn't stop even after that incident, but it had caused Kaeya's father to resent
him. Shortly after, Kaeya got yet another shock when Crepus Ragnvindr had visited them
with another boy in tow with the same flaming red hair as his father and cold red eyes. He
was around a year or two older than Kaeya, but he hardly remembered if he had even spoken
to that boy. All he could recall was his name.

"Diluc Ragnvindr..." Kaeya murmured again.

When Kaeya was around fifteen years old, Crepus Ragnvindr had died in a shootout. He still
shivered as he remembered how much his father had cried; it made him realize that he had
been in love with Crepus Ragnvindr.

Kaeya would've felt sympathetic for him, but when he tried to reach out to his father to offer
some comfort, his father had flown into a rage. That was when it had all started when his
father had grown bitter and had seen Kaeya for the easy target he really was to vent his
frustration. Now, Kaeya was eighteen, and still... he was hopelessly unable to fight back. All
he could do was run away like this each time he thought his father was angry enough to take
it out on him.

Kaeya stared at the houses around the neighborhood he walked through, barely noting which
way he was going.

He kept his guard up, keeping track of the shadows he passed, keeping an eye out for any
cars driving by on the road. He walked with no goal in mind but decided to duck inside a
park, feeling that it would be a safer option than walking down a street where anyone with
bad intentions would be able to find him.

He stayed there for almost half an hour, swinging on the creaky swings, drowning in his own
feelings of self-pity and misery, or trying to keep his mind occupied on his phone.

It was all becoming too much for him. He wondered how long it would go on like this, being
nothing more than a punching bag for his father. He knew he couldn't continue to live in fear
like this. He needed a home, needed someone to care for him. All his life, Kaeya had been
homeschooled; he'd never gotten the opportunity to make friends, to go outside and play like
a regular kid.

Instead, the only times he ever left the house was to run from his problems like now.
He leaned against the chain connecting the swing to the bars, wishing he had a support
system he could rely on, someone who could take care of him, give him a home. Kaeya
couldn't handle the overbearing silence of the night. He got up, tucking his phone in the
pocket of his black jeans and making his way out of the park to see if there was anywhere he
could go to kill time until the morning.

He walked along the side of the road, making his way out of the rich part of town to the
middle-class area. Kaeya didn't have any money on him, not knowing where to go.

The streets always gave him the jitters; he hated going outside at this time of night almost as
much as he hated being at the mansion, he had no choice; it was his only escape. He stopped
in his tracks when the sound of laughter cut through the silence of the streets around him.

He looked around for the source and peered into the alleyway he had stopped next to.

Kaeya regretted stopping almost immediately as he saw a group of thugs in the alleyway,
talking among themselves. One of them (Kaeya assumed he was the ringleader) noticed him
watching and called out, "What are you lookin' at, kid?" Kaeya tried not to flinch as the group
of half a dozen men turned their attention to him.

He didn't respond immediately, his first mistake. He didn't think to run while he still could,
his second mistake.

His silence didn't bode well with the gang; the ringleader pushed off the wall he was leaning
against and moved towards him, sizing him up. He seemed to have deemed Kaeya vulnerable
enough because he smirked, gesturing for the rest of his gang to follow.

In no time, Kaeya was surrounded by the group, leaving him nowhere to run. Kaeya bit his
lip, glancing around and assessing each of the men in front of him. He looked for the weakest
link, but all of them were bigger and burlier than he was. He sighed and looked the leader
straight in the eye as the man took in his appearance, the eyepatch over his right eye, his
beautiful features, and his lithe waist.

"Well, this one's a looker. Got any money on 'ya?" The thug asked him. Kaeya's heart rate
began to pick up, nerves settling in his stomach as he watched the way each of the men eyed
him. He tried desperately to think of a method of escape. All he could do was fight his way
out and hope for the best.

"No," Kaeya said, keeping his voice firm and bold even if he didn't feel either of those things.

The leader exchanged amused glances with the other men, making silent agreements."No?
That's a shame; can't just let you go without a toll, can we?"

Kaeya tried for a smirk, but it came off more like a grimace. "Why's that? You're not satisfied
out here sucking each other's dicks in the alley on your own?" His voice was tantalizing,
trying to rile them up and throw them into a rage. He knew that the angrier they got, the less
rationally they'd think.
It seemed to have worked; several from the group snarled with disgust, the leader's smile
dropped into a sneer. "Grab him," Two of the six men lunged at Kaeya at the same time, but
he jumped back just as they closed in on him. They hurtled right into each other, bumping
their heads and groaning. Another man charged, but Kaeya managed to take him down with a
kick to the leg.

The two from before recovered quickly, pressing forward along with the other three while
Kaeya tried to back up desperately. He tried to think of a plan, anything that could get him
out of the situation before the men could gather their bearings.

Then, for a moment, they stopped, staring behind Kaeya with a ripple of agitation shifting
over the group. Kaeya took that as his cue to run, backing away to make a grand escape, but
he gasped as his back met a strong chest, bumping against someone who stood directly
behind Kaeya.

Before he could turn around, an arm closed around him, holding him against the new man's
body. Kaeya's heart raced, not knowing if the man who'd grabbed him was an ally or an
enemy, but he was unable to break free. He couldn't look behind him at the man's face; he
was warm, but the hand that circled his waist was ice cold, sending shivers down Kaeya's
spine. Then, he spoke, his voice sounding right by Kaeya's ear, "What seems to be going on
here?"

Kaeya's blood ran cold at the sound of the voice. He held his breath, recognizing it almost
immediately. Sonorous, rough, and smooth. A lion's growl.

Alarm bells blared in Kaeya's head, staring straight ahead but paralyzed and unable to resist
as the man grasped him more firmly. He prayed it wasn't who he thought it was; surely his
luck couldn't be that bad, right?

The gang of thugs seemed just as surprised and agitated as Kaeya, staring at the man behind
him with dumbfounded distaste. The ringleader seemed to regain his wits the fastest, stepping
forward. He put that same challenging smirk on his face, addressing the man holding Kaeya,
"Nothing's goin' on. We're just having a little chat, right boys?" He glanced around at his
gang, who nodded in agreement.

A small puff of laughter rumbled the chest behind Kaeya, making the hairs on Kaeya's neck
and arms stand on end. "Is that so? I'm not sure I fully believe you. All I see is a failing
attempt at petty thievery. There are six of you and only one of him, don't you think that's
unfair?"

The man was defending Kaeya, but it didn't make him any less edgy and uneasy. If the man
really was Diluc Ragnvindr, there was no way Kaeya would be safe. The ringleader's smirk
dropped into a snarl, "That's none of your business. Leave him to us and go back to whatever
hole you crawled out of."

Diluc hummed thoughtfully. He didn't let Kaeya go, didn't move away despite the threat.

Instead, his free hand tucked into his pocket, reached up to his belt holster. Kaeya didn't
realize until just a second before Diluc aimed his gun at the man what he was about to do. He
covered his ears just as a loud gunshot went off, clenching his eye shut, but it wasn't enough
to stop his ears from ringing, blood rushing to his head as he began to tremble.

Kaeya's knees felt weak as he opened his eye. The ringing in his ears cleared just a tiny bit
for him to hear screaming. The gang in front of him was thrown into disarray as their boss
yelled with agony. His leg bled where Diluc had shot him, kneeling while clutching it.

Diluc calmly holstered his handgun again as if deeming the men to be no more of a threat.
"Leave." The simple command sent a chill down even Kaeya's back, the authoritativeness in
his voice making his legs tremble even though Diluc wasn't addressing him.

It took the men maybe ten seconds to gather up their incapacitated leader and clear out,
running back into the alley they'd come from.

Dread settled in Kaeya's stomach, staring at the blood that had splattered over the pavement.
He didn't realize it, but he was clinging to Diluc's arm, trembling from what had just
happened. Now, it was just him, alone with Diluc.

Kaeya wouldn't put it past the mafioso to turn his gun on Kaeya, but instead, Diluc turned
him around slowly, holding him steady even though his legs trembled. Kaeya met the cold
red eyes he remembered for his childhood, now aged up, full of bloodlust and hardened with
power. For a moment, time seemed to stop as Diluc stared down at him, his eyes running
along his face, from his eye to his button nose down to his plump lips.

He didn't say anything, leaving it up to Kaeya to break the silence. Kaeya felt like breaking
out of the man's strong arms and hightailing it just like the gang members had, but he knew it
would be futile to struggle. "Th-Thank you.." Kaeya said, even though he didn't want to. His
voice was a shaky wisp that seemed to amuse Diluc.

The corner of the redhead's mouth seemed to curl up, his pale skin glistening in the street
lights overhead as he looked down his nose at Kaeya.

He seemed pleased with Kaeya's manners though he didn't let him go. His cold hand
distributed shivers to every corner of Kaeya's body as it rested on his lower back. Kaeya
could feel cold radiating off his hand even through his shirt, the shivers making his nipples
poke through the fabric, his skin littering with goosebumps.

Diluc's eyes followed the shivers, catching on to his chest. Kaeya felt uncomfortable under
his cold gaze, but he tried not to show it. He didn't move in fear that it would agitate Diluc,
but the man let him go of his own accord, his hand snaking over Kaeya's hip as he released
him. Diluc observed him for a bit longer, the smirk still stretching the corner of his lips.

Finally, he spoke, "No need to thank me. It'd be a shame to let a face as pretty as yours get
hurt... wouldn't it?" His eyes twinkled in the light of the streetlamps as he watched Kaeya's
skin tint with a pink blush, his cheeks heating up at the compliment. Diluc continued, "It's
dangerous for you to be out here alone. Do you want me to drive you home?" He gestured
behind him.
Only then did Kaeya realize that one of the cars he'd passed in his mansion's driveway was
standing behind them, waiting.

Kaeya immediately knew he couldn't accept, knew he couldn't get into a mafioso's car. Diluc
was the Don of Mondstadt after all; Kaeya told himself not to fall into the hands of a
Ragnvindr as his father had.

He shook his head, trying to deny Diluc gently, "No... I'm alright, thanks to you. I'll see
myself home safely, you don't need to worry about me." Kaeya didn't know if Diluc
recognized him from all those years ago, but he couldn't risk Diluc knowing that he was
Nicolas Alberich's son. Asking Diluc to take him home would be like asking him to shoot
Kaeya in the foot.

The man studied him for a moment, trying to figure him out. "Alright then," Diluc answered
at last, "Get home safely."

Kaeya blinked with surprise. Somehow, he hadn't expected Diluc to agree so easily. Diluc
smirked at his reaction and inclined his head to Kaeya before he turned around, walking back
to the car and beginning to take his leave. Kaeya quickly hurried away in the opposite
direction of the car, trying not to seem like he was running away when in reality, that was all
he wanted to do after meeting the Don of Mondstadt.

Behind Kaeya, Diluc watched him speed-walk away with a smirk on his face. His eyes glazed
over as he stared at Kaeya's retreating back, remembering that same cute boy he'd met in the
Alberichs' mansion all those years ago. He licked his lips hungrily, knowing just how useful
an asset Kaeya could be. Nicolas Alberich had a lot of nerve hiding Kaeya from Diluc all
these years. He would make sure Kaeya played right into his hands no matter what.

***

Kaeya's footfalls pitter-pattered against the pavement as he ran. He sprinted with no motive,
no destination in mind; all he wanted was to run far enough away to forget his life. Tears
blurred his vision, but he tried not to cry, telling himself he wouldn't cry for someone like his
father.

Nothing got within his path, but he found himself around the same park as last week.

He slowed down, moving his pace to a walk as he tried desperately to blink the tears from his
eye. He winced, feeling bruises forming all over his body, one composing directly on his
cheek as well.

He tried not to dwell on the pains erupting where his father had hit him, but his anger and
resentment were pushing him to breaking point. He ventured inside the park, his lips
trembled from the effort of holding back his emotions almost as much as his legs shook from
holding his weight. He cursed the gods for making him so weak and vulnerable.

Tonight, his father had flown into yet another rage. This time, Kaeya didn't know for what
reason he'd decided to take his anger out on him, but something had agitated his father into a
frenzy. Kaeya had barely managed to escape without any serious injuries. Sweat stained his
shirt, though Kaeya could feel his cuts and bruises oozing droplets of blood, allowing them to
soak into his clothes.

Each time his clothes brushed against his skin, a shiver of pain rolled down his back. Kaeya
gritted his teeth as he collapsed into the same swing he had sat in the week before. He stared
into space, trying not to think about what had just happened in case he began to cry. He began
to rock gently on the swingset, causing a gentle breeze to tickle his skin.

The cold night air against his fresh injuries only seemed to worsen the pain, but Kaeya
couldn't care less.

He closed his eyes, trying to think of anything except what had just happened. Just like the
past week, the first thing his mind drifted to was Diluc. He bit his lip, seeing the handsome
man's image pop up before his mind's eye.

Kaeya didn't know if his imagination did justice to the man's beauty, but his face was
unforgettable. Everything from his sharp jaw to his hooded red eyes had been haunting Kaeya
all throughout the week. Last week, when he'd met Diluc for the second time in his life, he
hadn't been able to think about him clearly until after he'd managed to escape him. He
shuddered each time he remembered the way the mafioso had pulled his gun out and shot that
thug in the leg with no remorse or hesitation.

Still, it wasn't fear Kaeya felt each time Diluc crossed his mind. Kaeya's cheeks reddened,
embarrassed by what he felt whenever he thought of the man's rough and ice-cold hands
brushing against his waist and the way his wolfish red eyes bore down on him like he was
prey. His body grew warm with arousal each time he thought of Diluc.

His mind had revisited that scene when Diluc had caged him in his arms countless times, and
each time, it left Kaeya hot and bothered.

Even though Diluc had shot some petty thug without a second thought, Kaeya felt thrilled
having escaped a dangerous man like Diluc. He wondered how things would've gone if he'd
agreed to go with Diluc in his car. Would Diluc have done anything to him if he knew Kaeya
was Nicolas Alberich's son? Would he have left Kaeya on his doorstep just like that? Was it
weird that Kaeya would've felt disappointed if Diluc didn't do anything to him?

Kaeya didn't know about the answer to the last question, but Diluc likely wouldn't have let
him go with no trouble if he had other plans for Kaeya. Now, Diluc was becoming a distant
memory, just a light smudge in Kaeya's dark memory. The thought made him sad.

And yet, somewhere in his heart, he knew something big was about to happen. But what did
it matter? Kaeya could see himself suffering in all scenarios.

He bit his lip, a sense of melancholy and dread washing over him. Despite his best efforts, his
mind remained fixed on his new bruises, replaying the feeling of his father inflicting them on
him over and over.

The fear he'd felt when he'd seen the rage and hatred in Nicolas Alberich's eyes washed over
Kaeya like a bucket of ice-cold water.
Kaeya told himself not to cry, trying to hold his breath and count to ten to calm himself, but
he couldn't help it. Tears began to pour down his cheeks; it was all Kaeya could do to keep
from sobbing out. He wondered why he, of all people, had to be stuck with an abusive father.
Children would find freedom from their parents after eighteen years of age, and yet, Kaeya
was still stuck with no way forward, with no light shining at the end of the tunnel.

Would he continue to live his life like this? Could it really be considered living if all he'd ever
known was fear and hatred? He gazed up at the sky, black and starless almost as if telling
Kaeya that there was nothing to look forward to. He took a shaky breath, unable to stop
crying.

He shifted his gaze out of the park. Just then, Kaeya's senses sharpened, and three gunshots
echoed through the entire neighborhood. Too close. Too loud.

The sound resonated within Kaeya's bones, sending him shaking, but he didn't move. It
reminded him of Diluc almost instantly, the way he'd shot a petty thug in the leg mercilessly.
He could hear men's voices just beyond the park outside Kaeya's line of sight. Kaeya could've
used the time to run away, but he didn't have the strength in his legs nor the will to fight for
his life. That, and he knew that if it really was Diluc firing these shots, he didn't mind getting
discovered.

Even as danger alarms rang through his mind, he felt that he wouldn't mind if whoever was
causing all those gunshots beyond the park found him and decided to put him out of his
misery.

Just then, he heard the sounds of footsteps through the still and silent night. Another twinge
of fear washed over him as someone walked into sight, standing at the entrance of the park
and turning their head to look in his direction. Kaeya couldn't make out the man's features
from this far, but in the light of the street lamps surrounding the park, he recognized the mop
of messy red hair almost immediately.

"Speak of the devil," Kaeya murmured to himself with mock amusement.

He didn't feel particularly surprised as he saw Diluc there. His desire to run didn't seem to
increase at the sight of him, but he rubbed his cheeks furiously, trying to wipe his tears away.
He whimpered a little, the bruise on his cheek throbbing with pain at the action.

Kaeya could only watch as Diluc approached him, closing the distance until Diluc stopped
before him. Kaeya waited for him to say something, his fingers beginning to tremble. He
wondered if Diluc had found out who he was, whether he'd come to use Kaeya against his
father. The thought would've made him laugh if his cheeks weren't stained with tears, his
eyepatch soaking through with tears from his bad eye.

To Kaeya's surprise, Diluc grabbed the chains of the swing and pulled Kaeya to a halt from
his swinging.

Kaeya's breath hitched as Diluc crouched before him, his red eyes fixed on his teary eye
before examining the bruise on his face. Diluc didn't say anything at first, but he cupped
Kaeya's face, wiping his tears away and running a gentle thumb over his bruise.
His actions caused Kaeya's heart to throb, staring dumbfoundedly at Diluc. Diluc's eyes didn't
give anything away about what he was feeling, not betraying any emotion, no recognition, no
anger, no disdain. Still, his insides burned with agitation that someone had dared to raise their
hand and leave a mark on someone as beautiful as Kaeya. "You still managed to get this
pretty face of yours injured..." Diluc noted, cutting the silence with his gentle voice; it made
Kaeya's heart pound in his ribcage.

Kaeya's insides squirmed happily each time Diluc called him pretty. He wondered if all this
was Diluc's way of trying to break him down completely. He enjoyed Diluc's attention on him
but knew Diluc must only be trying to gain his trust.

The thought made him melancholic, but he didn't turn away from the man's cold touch. Tears
continued to stream down Kaeya's cheeks, unable to stop the flow of tears as he leaned into
Diluc's large ice-cold palm.

"Who did this?" Diluc asked, his voice deathly quiet. He already knew the answer to his own
question after digging up everything he could find on Kaeya, but thinking about it angered
him. For the past week, he'd been unable to think straight without Kaeya plaguing his
thoughts. Each time he blinked, he could see the man's beautiful grey eye staring up at him,
his lewd body pressed against Diluc's.

Diluc had longed to see Kaeya for the whole week, wanting to get him within his clutches as
soon as he could, but now, seeing Kaeya crying like this with a bruise on his face and his
body battered, it all made him want to raze the world. A sense of protectiveness washed over
him, making him long to have Kaeya for himself.

All throughout the week, he would try to conjure up plans to capture Kaeya without making
the man hate him. He started off the planning, telling himself he was doing this as a way to
get back at Kaeya's father, but as his thoughts of Kaeya progressed, he found himself just
wishing to capture the beautiful man for his personal gain more than anything else. He fell in
love with the idea of Kaeya; he longed to see more of him, to kiss him.

And yet, Kaeya's voice was distant, seemingly unconcerned, and aversive. "That's... that's
none of your concern." He said simply, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

Diluc's eyes narrowed. He stood up from his crouched position, holding Kaeya's gaze. Kaeya
stood up as well, trying not to feel small with Diluc looming over him.

He stared defiantly back at Diluc, knowing not to give in, but he felt lightheaded; his body
ached all over. He likely didn't look threatening at all as he cried, too weak to fight back. He
knew he wouldn't be able to run away like he had last week. If it came to that, he wouldn't be
able to defend himself even a little against the Don of the Mondstadt's mafia.

He gasped as Diluc's cold hands enclosed around his waist, pulling him close enough to press
their bodies together. Kaeya shivered with arousal, feeling the cool feeling of Diluc's hands
traveling up his back, sending shivers all over his body.

"None of my concern, hm?" Diluc asked him, his voice speaking right by Kaeya's ear,
making his mind swirl.
Kaeya wrapped his arms around Diluc's neck as his knees gave out, knowing he was walking
right into a lion's clutches. Diluc's scent, his cold hands, his fiery eyes; all of it made Kaeya
feel weak in the knees.

"Who are you to decide what is and isn't my concern?" Diluc whispered, moving his hands to
grip Kaeya's hair gently, pulling his head back to expose his neck. Having all his thoughts
about Kaeya shunted aside so easily felt insulting. He stared at Kaeya's neck, wondering
whether he should try to break Kaeya's walls down. Even if he didn't want to, Diluc was
unable to help himself; he began to trail kisses over Kaeya's neck and collarbone. Diluc didn't
know where the urge to hold and kiss Kaeya as he cried like this came from.

He had met Kaeya only twice before but seeing the broken, defeated look in his teary eye
made Diluc angry. All this, hugging Kaeya, kissing his neck comfortingly, hadn't been part of
the plan Diluc had set out for him. The plan was simply to catch Kaeya in his moment of
weakness, scare him using gunshots, take him by force, use him against Nicolas Alberich and
take what he owed the mafia.

And yet, he found himself damning the plan to hell the moment he caught sight of Kaeya's
tears and that bruise on his face. He wanted to go over to the Alberich estate and shoot
Kaeya's father right then and there, but his foremost concern was the man standing before
him in tears.

"Why are you doing this..." Kaeya whimpered, the sorrow and distrust evident in his voice.
"You don't even know me. I know you're just here to use me as bait for my father to give you
what you want, but it's not going to work. You asked who did this?" Kaeya sobbed a little,
desperately wiping his tears from his cheeks as the stream thickened as his emotions spilled
over, "He did this to me; he has been doing this ever since your father..." Kaeya's voice broke,
unable to handle the anguish from years of pain and misery.

He didn't dare to meet Diluc's eyes. "Using me as a 'ransom' won't work." Kaeya told him
between sobs. Diluc didn't say anything; he allowed Kaeya to cry against him, tiring himself
out and unable to find the will to get away from Diluc.

At the mention of his father, Diluc's eyes glazed over; he knew as much about their parents'
secret as much as Kaeya did.

He had never understood Crepus, why he chose to keep seeing Nicolas over the years when
the man was vulnerable and did nothing for him. However, now he could find some of his
father's feelings flooding into him as he held Kaeya.

He wondered if this had been what Crepus felt towards Kaeya's father, this same protective
urge, the urge to cut down everything in Kaeya's path and pave the way for him. He
wondered if this was the feeling that had led Crepus to chase after Nicolas all those years.
Diluc was almost certain that back then, to Crepus Ragnvindr, Kaeya's father would've
looked the same way Kaeya did now, weak, helpless, hopeless, and most of all, beautiful.

Diluc bit his lip, staring at Kaeya's lips with the intent to devour them. He couldn't help the
urge. He pulled Kaeya as close as he possibly could, pressing his lips over Kaeya's and
kissing him deeply.
Kaeya let out a muffled moan of surprise but didn't push Diluc away. He whimpered, feeling
Diluc's cold lips bearing down on his mouth, biting and sucking on Kaeya's lips to tear down
the barricades and claim Kaeya's mouth for his own.

Kaeya had never kissed anyone like this. It wasn't a love-filled kiss, nor was it tender, but it
still filled his insides with warmth despite Diluc's cold hands.

The flow of Kaeya's tears finally stopped, making Diluc smirk triumphantly, feeling pleased
with himself for getting Kaeya to stop crying with just a kiss. Diluc parted with Kaeya but
kept a strong grip on him. Kaeya was breathless, staring up into Diluc's eyes with confusion
at what Diluc had just done.

"I don't think you know your own worth," Diluc whispered to him. Kaeya blinked up at him,
trying to process his words, how sure Diluc sounded as he spoke. He managed a bitter laugh.
"Trying to coax me into going willingly with you isn't going to work either. Just... stop. Don't
toy with me like this.. I'm of no use to you. Either let me go or end this quickly." He said to
Diluc.

Diluc's eyes narrowed with annoyance at Kaeya's words. He decided not to reply, knowing he
wasn't about to get anywhere by arguing; actions spoke louder than words.

Diluc lifted Kaeya and threw him over his shoulder like a potato sack in a swift motion.
Kaeya yelped, feeling his center of gravity going haywire, his world spinning as Diluc began
to walk with Kaeya swaying on his shoulder like a ragdoll.

Kaeya sighed, admitting defeat, knowing he didn't have the strength, the energy, nor the will
to fight Diluc. He allowed himself to be hauled away without a fight, knowing that wherever
he might be going would be a tiny bit better than going back home. As sad as the thought
was, this was the kindest thing Diluc could do for him. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, being a
mafioso's hostage.

The sight of the world spinning as he stared at the ground behind Diluc made Kaeya's brain
fuzzy. His eyelids began to droop as Diluc opened a car door and placed Kaeya inside before
taking a seat next to him. Immediately, Kaeya found himself cuddling up to Diluc, falling
asleep against his side and, oddly enough, feeling safer than he'd ever felt before.

***

Kaeya woke up to the feeling of ice-cold butterflies against his skin. He squirmed a little,
lying on his stomach with a comfortable weight pressing down on his back, a cold hand
keeping him firmly placed on his back. He whimpered, feeling a pair of lips trailing along his
back, kissing down his body.

He opened his eye, unable to see much except the mattress he lay on, but he felt his sense of
touch coming to life. He shuddered at the feeling of an ice cube brushing over his new
bruises, stinging them at first before Kaeya felt his injuries numbing under the ice. "Ah.. what
are you..--" Kaeya couldn't help moaning as the ice cube slid down to his lower back,
brushing against one of his cuts.
A voice whispered next to his ear, kissing it gently, "Shh... I'm going to take care of you,"
Kaeya recognized the voice immediately, his senses going on high alert as he recognized the
lips on his skin, the cold fingertips holding him down.

Kaeya took a shaky breath, enjoying the way Diluc gently bit down at the edge of his jaw.
Kaeya lay underneath him, barely clothed and left bare save for his undergarments, leaving
him vulnerable to Diluc's touch.

Kaeya didn't try to push him away; instead, he enjoyed the feeling of Diluc's comfortable
weight on top of him, but he laughed without humor, "You're going to take care of me by
stripping me and fondling me while I'm asleep?" He teased. Kaeya felt his mind relaxing
against his better judgement, biting his lip as he felt his body cease up from the ice cube
Diluc rubbed over his back.

Diluc let out a noise of indignation, pressing the cube a little harder against a nasty bruise at
the small of Kaeya's back, ripping a gasp from his lips.

"I didn't start until I knew you were waking up..." Diluc took the ice cube off of Kaeya's
back, making the younger whine, missing the feeling. Kaeya turned around to lie on his back,
gazing up at Diluc with his gaze half-lidded. Diluc was still dressed, although more leisurely
than his usual suit, his pale skin shining brighter in the light of the bedside lamps.

Kaeya didn't care to look around the room, focusing his attention on the man sitting between
his legs. Kaeya took Diluc's hand, still clutching the ice cube, and brought it back down
against his skin, moaning gently as the cold shifted from the ice into Kaeya's body. Diluc's
eyes glittered, gazing down at Kaeya as he directed his hands to where he wanted to be
touched.

Kaeya stared back, whispering, "So? Who told you to stop? You're already a pervert in my
eyes, you have nothing to lose." Diluc bit his lip. Truthfully, he hadn't been meaning to go
this far. All he'd wanted to do with treat Kaeya's bruises and cuts.

Seeing them all over his body angered Diluc, but he couldn't help thinking how beautiful
Kaeya looked as he slept. Now, Kaeya lay wide awake beneath him, yet still just as beautiful.
Diluc's eyes ran over Kaeya's body, taking in the sight of his soft-looking chest, his nipples
perking up from the way his nerves shivered from the ice. He pressed the ice cube against
Kaeya's ribs, burning his hot skin with a cold trail of water, watching Kaeya twitch at the
feeling.

The ice cube began to thin against Kaeya's chest as blood began to pump through his veins,
his body heating up from arousal yet shivering with cold at the same time. Diluc stared down
at him, his eyes glittering with interest as he observed each of the reactions Kaeya produced,
the little quakes in his body as he arched into Diluc's hand, and the cute little whimpers
escaping his lips.

Diluc remembered last week when he'd saved Kaeya from those thugs. He'd held Kaeya close
by the waist. Diluc had only touched Kaeya through the material of his shirt that day, and yet
he'd watched Kaeya's shirt stretch a little, his nipples perking up.
It had taken all his willpower as the most powerful man in Mondstadt to hold himself back
from pouncing on the man right then and there. Now, Kaeya was reacting just as lewdly, his
moans encouraging Diluc to continue, to see how far he could take this teasing. Diluc pushed
the cube up to Kaeya's chest, brushing it over his nipple. He bit his lip mirthfully as a loud
whine escaped Kaeya's lips, cutting through the stillness of the room and making Diluc's
body hair stand on end.

He held the ice against Kaeya's nipple, counting to five and watching the way the younger
thrashed beneath him.

Diluc had expected a lot more retaliation from the younger man, thinking he would have to
use force to haul Kaeya away, and assuming it would take a miracle for Kaeya to willingly let
Diluc touch him. And yet, there they were. Kaeya harbored no will to fight Diluc, allowing
him to play with his body as he saw fit.

The compliance pleased Diluc greatly as a mafioso. Having someone this beautiful
submitting himself to Diluc without complaint brought him much satisfaction. He pulled the
ice cube back, marveling at the way Kaeya's nipple stood firm and solid, shuddering as the
nerves froze over. The sight turned Diluc on more than anything he'd ever witnessed. The last
of the ice cube melted in his hand, leaving his fingertips numb and even colder than usual.

He leaned down over Kaeya's body, flicking his tongue over the abused bud experimentally
and watching the way it quaked. Diluc adored the feeling of Kaeya's nipple on his tongue as
he wrapped his mouth around it while his ice-cold fingers reached up to pinch his other
nipple, offering it the same cold treatment.

He held Kaeya down with his free hand, smirking as Kaeya writhed beneath him, listening to
the way his voice broke a little as Diluc's mouth warmed up his cold nipple almost instantly.

Diluc pulled back, leaving the nipple red and swollen, covered in his slimy spit. He ran his
tongue over his bottom lip, feeling blood rushing to his cock at the sight of the man's chest.
Kaeya stared up at him with tears in his eye, but not the same kind of tears as earlier that
night. This time, his eyes were glazed over with lust, glinting pleasure, his hair sprawling
over the pillows as he kept his eye fixed on Diluc.

Diluc couldn't help the unquenchable urge to kiss Kaeya, swooping down to claim his lips,
keeping his back pinned firmly to the bed.

Kaeya hummed into the kiss, parting his lips almost immediately to let Diluc push his tongue
inside. Kaeya wondered what he was doing, why he was being so pliant under Diluc as he let
him have his way with his body. Kaeya didn't think he had the strength or the will to fight
back.

It was the first time someone had paid such close attention to him, gazing at him so keenly,
showering his body in cold and gentle touches. Kaeya's heart was pounding in his ears,
staring up at the man making a mess out of his body as their lips disconnected. He was
unfamiliar with such a situation, not knowing how to react to Diluc's touch, not knowing
what to do except to let Diluc kiss him like this. Kaeya knew that Diluc was just taking
advantage of him now that he was weak, bruised, and battered.
Diluc was only trying to extinguish Kaeya's energy to fight; Kaeya knew that he wasn't doing
this out of any personal feelings. The thought of being used by Diluc made Kaeya feel
helpless and weak, but he decided to live in the moment. He didn't care what happened next.

Kaeya remembered the day he'd caught his father in the same bed as Diluc's father, unable to
help the sense of irony that he was in bed with the son of his father's past lover.

Still, he didn't push Diluc away. He was tired of running, running from his life, running from
the mansion, running from his father. He decided he didn't care what Diluc did to him as long
as he kept him feeling good this way.

He tried not to let his nerves get in the way of his feelings, wondering if Diluc would try to
go all the way with him. Kaeya was still a virgin; he worried that Diluc would hurt him. He
felt glad that the ice cube had melted, considering what a mess Diluc made of him using it,
but he wasn't lucky enough to get off scot-free. Diluc reached out to the bedside table, where
Kaeya only now noticed that a bucket of ice was perched.

His heart pounded, seeing the challenge in Diluc's eyes as he took another ice cube in his
hand.

Kaeya knew the predatory glint in Diluc's eyes only spelled trouble for him. He had given too
good of a reaction when met with something cold; Diluc didn't want to let it go just yet. He
decided to be a little more adventurous with the second cube, allowing his hand to move to
Kaeya's lower half.

He watched with satisfaction as Kaeya clamped his hand over his mouth, squealing into it
and closing his legs around Diluc's hand as the man pressed the ice against his cock through
the material of his boxers.

Kaeya's mouth fell open in a gasp, his fingers grabbing the sheets and ruffling them,
squeezing them tight in his hands as cold washed through his body.

He took a rattling breath, his eye wide with shock as he mouthed wordlessly, unable to tell
Diluc to stop or continue as the man circled the ice over the outline of his cock. "D-Diluc..!"
Kaeya whimpered, shivering as the ice shook him to the core, pressed up against his most
sensitive part.

Diluc's eyes gleamed possessively, a low growl rumbling from the back of his throat as his
name rolled off Kaeya's tongue gracefully. Diluc took the cube off of Kaeya and gazed down
at the twitching and shuddering mess he'd made of his body. Diluc could get used to this kind
of power. His expression shone with contentment, feeling pleased with himself to have Kaeya
Alberich moaning beneath him.

He wondered if he should move further, take Kaeya's last article of clothing off and have his
body for all it was worth.

He glanced at Kaeya's sinful expression, licking his lips predatorily as he eyed a drop of
drool spilling out of the corner of Kaeya's mouth. Diluc's mind found it conflicting with itself
on whether or not to hold back. Kaeya looked so innocent beneath him with his legs spread
over Diluc's thighs, his body covered with droplets of water and saliva at some spots. Diluc
found the thought of letting Kaeya off without doing anything repulsive while he looked so
pleasing to his eyes. He didn't want to let Kaeya go.

Diluc hooked his fingers around the waistband of Kaeya's boxers, expecting the younger to
push him away or object, but instead, Kaeya lifted his hips readily, allowing Diluc to pull his
underwear off easily. Diluc felt blood pumping through his cock as he stared down at Kaeya's
body, completely naked.

His caramel-colored skin glistened in the dim lighting of the bedside lamps on either side of
Diluc's bed, his cock resting against his stomach, stained with precum and melted water.

A small smirk made its way on Diluc's lips as he ran his index along the tip of Kaeya's cock,
scooping up a droplet of Kaeya's cum. He watched the younger twitch at the feeling, a shiver
racking his body as Diluc's cold finger trailed along his most sensitive organ. Diluc examined
Kaeya's precum with a satisfied expression on his face, saying, "I didn't even do anything to
you yet, but you're already dripping precum. It makes me wonder what kind of reactions
you'd give if I got serious with you."

Kaeya shuddered with anticipation at the low, almost sinister tone Diluc's voice took. He
wanted to challenge Diluc to just do it already, to take him, but Diluc didn't seem to be done
teasing him. He pressed the ice cube hard against the tip of Kaeya's cock, making him cry
out, "AH..! Diluc- that.. n-no--! That burns, p-please!"

Diluc watched with sadistic amusement as Kaeya thrashed wildly, compelling him to press
him down flat against the bed to reduce his struggling. He watched with amusement as
shivers racked Kaeya's body, drool dripping past the corners of his lip. Diluc leaned down
and pressed his lips against Kaeya's neck, enjoying the feeling of the man's naked body
twitching underneath him.

Kaeya wove his limbs tightly around Diluc, holding on to him tightly as he felt like the last of
the ice melting against his quaking and sensitive dick, the cold water dripping all over his
inner thighs and rolling down to his ass. Diluc left love bites and kisses all over Kaeya's neck,
marking him up and crooning as he assumed ownership over Kaeya.

Diluc reached out for another ice cube as he pulled back from Kaeya's neck, making Kaeya
even more nervous.

He loved the feeling of ice against his skin, loved Diluc's cold hands against his body even
more, but he didn't know how much more of the cool torture he could handle. He couldn't
help but beg, "Please.. no more, no more ice..." He pleaded with Diluc but knew it was futile
as he met his blazing red eyes head-on.

He watched as Diluc's eyes swam with lust, desire, satisfaction, and arousal. Diluc enjoyed
listening to Kaeya try to appeal to his sensitivity, loving the weak edge to Kaeya's voice he
stared up at Diluc with his grey eye brimming with tears. Diluc caressed Kaeya's cheek with
a gentle palm, wiping it free of tears, but his eyes were not at all as gentle as he spoke, "Oh,
but then I'll be left wondering how you would react if I moved it elsewhere,"
Diluc slipped his hand between Kaeya's legs again, this time pressing the ice cube against
Kaeya's hole. He held Kaeya down as Kaeya yelped, trying desperately to clamp his thighs
around Diluc's hand, maybe to break his wrist or keep him from pulling away, Diluc didn't
know.

He pinned Kaeya's legs to the bed, listening to his voice getting shriller with every moan and
whimper as he rubbed the ice cube over his hole. He watched the conflict of Kaeya's body,
the way he didn't know whether to retreat away from Diluc's touch or to continue letting
Diluc make a mess out of him. "Shh..." Diluc said soothingly, mocking enjoyment flashing on
his face. An idea forced its way through his mind, making him shudder with anticipation,
realizing that he could have Kaeya screaming with just one small shove.

Diluc waited until the ice cube thinned until it was the size of a quarter of his finger to keep
from hurting Kaeya with what he was about to do. Diluc leaned down and kissed Kaeya's jaw
lovingly, trying to distract him from his schemes. He pressed his lips against Kaeya's,
promptly swallowing the scream the younger let out as Diluc pushed the ice past his rim,
pushing it inside Kaeya forcefully.

"Diluc! Fuck- Please..!" Kaeya couldn't get the words out, his voice shaking as his entire
body ceased up, his eye widening to the point of hurting as he choked on his own gasps for
breath.

He stared up at Diluc, horror-struck and uncomprehending what the man had just done.

Diluc's expression gave away nothing but a wicked glint in his red eyes that made Kaeya see
what a cruel man he was underneath the guise of being gentle. The feeling of the ice melting
inside him was surreal. It burned against his hot insides, melting quickly into droplets of icy
cold water that began to leak from his ass, making him clench and unclench his hole.

It was such an uncomfortable feeling to have his insides warring between hot and cold, and
yet, Kaeya's cock began to writhe, leaking fat droplets of precum that made him feel as if he
was on fire. He laid twitching on the bed at Diluc's mercy, his teeth chattering, his muscles
contracting and relaxing all on their own.

Diluc watched all this with mirth, thinking how pretty Kaeya looked when Diluc messed with
his insides. He moved back, pulling Kaeya's legs up and gazing as the last of the melted ice
leaked from Kaeya's ass, absorbing into the sheets. He bit his lip, feeling his cock quaking in
his pants at the sight, the concept of Kaeya losing his sense of self because of him. Diluc
could do no more to hold back. He pressed one of his cold fingers past the walls of Kaeya's
hole, biting his lip as an odd sensation engulfed his finger.

Kaeya's insides were desperately trying to warm themselves again, but the feeling of Diluc's
finger made him shut down completely, leaving him nothing but a writhing heap, a toy for
Diluc to play with.

No coherent thoughts came to Kaeya's mind, unable to think of anything but the presence of
the man doing all this to him. It felt like Kaeya was drowning with the way he could hardly
breathe. Diluc's scent filled his lungs, his thick finger pushed in and out of Kaeya forcefully,
his presence was overbearing, but Kaeya felt himself getting lost in the other man, submitting
to Diluc completely and falling apart beneath him.

Diluc pushed his finger deeper inside up to his knuckle, his breath hitching with enjoyment as
he felt up Kaeya's insides. It made him wonder what it would feel like to shove his cock deep
inside Kaeya.

He pressed around for Kaeya's prostate, knowing how much further he could drive him off
the edge if he could just touch it.

It didn't take him long to have Kaeya thrashing under him with tears streaming down his face,
repeatedly pressing into a spot in the direction of his urethra where he found a layer of
muscle smoother and more prominent than any other spot. "Stop-- Please, don't tease there.. it
feels weird!" Kaeya begged, his voice trembling as unfamiliar pleasure racked through his
body.

Another burst of precum leaked from his cock, contrary to his words.

Diluc smirked at the sight, hardly listening to his words as he forced a second finger through
his hole, forcing a yelp from Kaeya's lips as he felt himself being stretched apart. "D-Diluc..."
Kaeya moaned weakly, crying out a little, but he didn't hate it, not one bit.

Everything Diluc did gave him more pleasure than pain; his overwhelming presence hanging
over Kaeya made everything feel unreal, making him wish this would never end. Diluc
blatantly admired his pretty face, loving the way Kaeya's body twisted and turned with every
brush of his fingers against his prostate. He looked Kaeya in the eye, wondering how
someone could look so beautiful while crying.

Was this what Diluc's father felt when Nicolas Alberich had pleaded with him for help when
Khaenri'ah felt, unable to deny an Alberich when they looked so beautiful? Diluc would kill
for the man lying pliantly beneath him, begging him with such a pretty voice.

With that thought, he fucked his fingers into Kaeya's prostate just to hear him scream out
with pleasure. "AH! F-Fuck.." Kaeya whimpered.

Diluc didn't think he could wait any longer, not when Kaeya moaned for him so prettily. He
withdrew his fingers, watching Kaeya's body relax a little beneath him, panting heavily as he
clutched the sheets desperately.

Diluc began to strip himself of his black button-up shirt. He undid the belt of his pants and
lowered them and his boxers to his midthighs.

He sighed with intense relief as his cock sprung from its confines, finally finding release. He
saw Kaeya eyeing up his scarred body; some scars bore the mark of stitches, some were thick
cuts on his skin, and others were bullet wounds. Seeing Diluc's scarred and battered body in
contrast to Kaeya's bruised and battered one gave them both a sense of irony.

Diluc swooped down, easing their naked bodies gently together as he wrapped his arms
around the younger man.
Kaeya shuddered, feeling Diluc's bare chest brushing against his own as they shared a kiss.
He felt himself being pulled up like a ragdoll as Diluc switched their positions, placing Kaeya
in his lap before he leaned back against the pillows, gazing at him with red eyes shining
mercurially.

They pulled away; reality set in as they took a moment to breathe, taking in each other's
presence and realizing how deep they'd gotten into their lust. Kaeya's gaze shifted down
Diluc's body until his eyes met the sight of Diluc's cock.

Kaeya bit his lips at the sight. It was his first time ever gazing upon another person's body so
intimately. He could hardly believe what he was doing, that he was in the same bed as Diluc
Ragnvindr, letting him have his way with him. Shockingly, he found no desire to run away as
he gazed down at his thick cock waiting to be inside him. Kaeya found himself wanting it
more and more with every passing moment, his body feeling sore, cold, and hot all at the
same time.

He felt internally destroyed already with his body twitching with the aftereffects of his
pleasure, he didn't think taking Diluc's cock would make a difference. He looked up and
blushed as he saw Diluc observing the variety of emotions swimming through his expression.

Kaeya held his gaze, wondering how long Diluc would continue to use him for his personal
gain before throwing him aside like some toy. The thought made Kaeya sad, remembering the
loving kisses they'd shared in the past hour or so and realizing they meant nothing. He took a
shaky breath, bringing his hands up to cup Diluc's jaw, looking into those fickle red eyes that
sent shivers running down his body.

"Promise me one thing, Diluc Ragnvindr," Kaeya said, his voice hoarse and shaky as he
desperately tried to hide what he was feeling. Diluc gazed at him, a twinkle of curiosity
dancing across his face as he leaned into Kaeya's warm hands, listening keenly.

"I'll let you have my body without a fight, I'll let you attempt to use me against my father to
get what you want… just promise that you won't send me back there. Swear that you won't
play me right back into that mansion.." Kaeya's voice trembled with emotion, wondering
what he was saying. Asking a mafioso for help and compassion seemed like a laughable idea.

He found himself continuing, "I… I don't care what underhanded tricks you use, you can toss
me into the streets after you're done with me, even kill me, but--but.. don't send me back to
that hell…" Kaeya finally dropped his gaze, his eye swimming in tears that clouded his
vision.

Diluc was silent for several moments, making Kaeya nervous, anticipating what he'd respond
with, whether he'd laugh at his pleas. Instead, he was met with the gentlest tone he'd heard
Diluc use, "You would rather be with the Don of the Mondstadt mafia than your family?" He
asked quietly. Kaeya found himself chuckling a little at his words, though the sound was cold
and empty, realizing that he'd struck bedrock.

"Yeah… sad, isn't it? Even a bastard like you is better than my father," Kaeya said bitterly. He
clasped his hands on Diluc's shoulders, knowing what he'd said would inevitably have made
him mad, but he found himself not caring.
To his surprise, Diluc moved forward and kissed Kaeya again even more ferociously, a new
fire of determination lit behind the kiss. Kaeya found himself rendered breathless and
helpless at Diluc's mercy, feeling his lips swelling up as Diluc devoured them. Finally, the
man released him, letting go of Kaeya's mouth with one last tug at his bottom lip. Diluc
forced him to meet his eyes. Kaeya flinched, seeing the fiery look shining in the red orbs,
fiercely determined.

"I promise, but only on one condition," Diluc ran his thumb over Kaeya's swollen bottom lip,
causing it to stick out a little. He met his gaze fiercely, "I get to marry you once everything
settles."

Kaeya stared at him, left dumbfounded and speechless in his lap. His mind whirred into
overtime, trying to process Diluc's words, but the man didn't let him. He glomped Kaeya and
pushed him back into the mattress, holding tight.

"I agreed to your terms, right? Now don't dare try to beg your way out of this," he murmured
in Kaeya's ear, pressing their bodies together while holding Kaeya's legs apart. He brought
his hand up and spat on it before reaching down to his own cock to keep it in place, rubbing
the spit over it to help it go in easier. He directed it to Kaeya's hole and prodded it, feeling the
younger flinch at the feeling, still too stunned to speak as Diluc kept him firmly pinned to the
bed, rendering him helpless.

With a grunt, Diluc pushed his hips forward, pressing deep inside Kaeya with all his strength
and slamming somewhere deep inside him in one go. He felt his ears buzzing, realizing a
second after it happened that Kaeya had screamed out for him.

It didn't stop him from holding Kaeya tight, both of them letting out ragged breaths like wild
animals as they became one. The bed creaked a heavy groan under the force as Diluc moved
his hips back and thrust back inside Kaeya, trying to get both of them used to the feeling. He
vaguely registered Kaeya's tears and kissed them away, lost in the feeling of Kaeya's warmth
on the inside surrounding him despite having had an ice cube pressed up there.

"Diluc- slowly, p-please, not-" Kaeya began to beg, but Diluc swallowed his words, smashing
their lips together with his eyes glinting frenetically. Right now, he didn't want anything
restricting him from claiming Kaeya, from having him in every way.

He thrashed into Kaeya mercilessly, not caring if he was still a virgin. He told himself that
Kaeya would get used to it, that he would mold to Diluc's shape to the point where he
wouldn't be satisfied without it. All he wanted to do was keep Kaeya all for himself.

Kaeya felt himself slipping in a state of equilibrium, where both feeling and numbness were
constant with each other. He felt pleasure beyond anything, barely keeping from cracking
under the pressure as he felt Diluc's cock ramming straight into his sweet spot over and over.
He was left a choking, crying mess, feeling like the earlier teasing he had been subject to was
nothing compared to this hot feeling inside his abdomen.

As easily as Diluc had made him freeze, he warmed him up just as much, fucking places
Kaeya had thought were unreachable. All he could do was lie under Diluc with tears leaking
from his eyes and unfiltered moans slipping from his lips. Diluc kept him pinned down
 throughout, keeping him from moving with one hand balled up in Kaeya's hair and the other
pressed against Kaeya's chest, pressing him into the bed and holding him down with his cold
fingers pressed directly over his nipples.

"D-Diluc, please... I'm going to lose it," Kaeya's voice broke, staring up at him with his eyes
lidded halfway, glazed over with tearful pleasure. Seeing the lewd expression on Kaeya's
face, his beautiful face glinting with pleasure as his insides burned up with seething pleasure.

Diluc managed a small smirk, pecking Kaeya on the lips, "Then lose it," He advised, taking
his revenge for Kaeya's earlier words with a harsh thrust that made the bed rock from the
force, "Give yourself up to a 'bastard' like me. This 'bastard' knows exactly what to do make
you scream."

Chapter End Notes

I hope y'all enjoy reading this! AAAAAAAA Long chapters are such a pain in the ass.
Usually, the word count isn't up to me. Most of the time, I find that the author does not
control the word count, but the word count controls the author, hehe~ I hope you guys
don't mind all the minor details.. it's not really something I can help!

Did you guys prefer shorter, more frequent chapters, or these lengthy, more detailed, and
time-consuming chapters? Thank you for reading!
 Pygophilia (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Mentions of abuse and rape, mpreg, omegaverse.

Aether, a struggling omega with a daughter, is captured by a mafioso because he

witnessed his now ex-husband's murder. He fears for himself and his daughter's safety at
first but finds himself falling for the mafioso who captured him when he finds out just
how tender and caring he can be.

Chapter Notes

Oof so many mafia AUs, I hope they're not getting too boring or repetitive, I just have
so many mafia AU ideas on my mind that I can't help writing them! I'm sorry in advance
if this chapter seems rushed, I wrote it in four days because of my tight schedule but I
hope it doesn't ruin the experience!

This will be the last new chapter for a while, I'll be going on,,, yet another hiatus
because of A-Levels!

Also, I will likely stop posting new chapter updates on Twitter for personal reasons; I'm
sorry for inconvenience

See the end of the chapter for more notes

*Pygophilia: Sexual arousal from butts. 🍑

'Where... am I?' A groggy thought washed up in Aether's mind.

His eyelids felt glued shut, but he could feel himself coming out of a deep slumber. Pains
erupted in his joints; he still felt tired even after sleeping, a struggle he had to bear when it
came to insomnia.

He blinked his eyes open; the first thing he saw was a chandelier hanging on the ceiling
overhead. The chandelier was off, but in the dim light from the setting sun shining through
the drawn curtains over the windows, he could still make out intricate diamonds adorning the
chandelier. Aether blinked; he was sure his home didn't have such an expensive-looking
chandelier nor a bed as soft as the one he lay on.
His head throbbed a little, trying to remember what had happened. All he knew for sure was
he was alone in a lavish room. He had no idea where he was nor where his family was. His
eyes widened, logical thoughts finally coming to him. He sat bolt upright, panic flashing in
his eyes as he twisted his neck in every direction, trying to place where he was, to see if there
was any sign of his daughter in the same room as him.

No one was there; he was alone, dressing in nothing but a black button-up in an unfamiliar
room. Aether moved his hand up to his neck, sighing with some relief as he saw that his
collar was untouched. Then, the most important thought occurred to him.

"Erina... no- where could she be?" He asked himself, his voice shaking with alarm-stricken
and incoherent thoughts. Why couldn't the throbbing in his head go away? His daughter
could be in danger; she needed him.

Why couldn't his throbbing head remember what had happened?

The only things he remembered were a sicky sweet-scented cloth being pressed over his
mouth, knocking him out, and waking up momentarily in a stranger's arms, but he couldn't
remember what had transpired before that.

Aether pushed the soft covers off himself, throwing his legs over the side of the bed only to
realize how heavy one of his ankles was. The sound of chains rattling echoed through the
room, causing him to look down at his feet. A cuff was fastened to his ankle with a chain
linked to it; Aether followed the length of the chain with his eyes and saw it connected to a
foot-post of the bed he lay on. Aether realized he had been kidnapped.

He shuddered, wondering who would want to kidnap and trap him like this.

It couldn't be his husband who'd done this to him; he would never be rich enough to afford
this luxury. Aside from that wretched man, Aether never went outside to make enemies. He
didn't think he had done anything to warrant this, and yet, he was still chained up with no
clue where his beloved daughter was.

Aether stood up on shaky legs, cringing at the sound of the chain clinking with each
movement he made. He stumbled towards the only entrance he could see in the room, grand
double doors made of cedar.

The chain slithered behind him on the plush carpet with every step he took, barely stretching
long enough for him to reach the doors. He tried to twist the doorknobs, but they didn't
budge; he tried tugging at the door with all his strength, but they were locked shut from
outside. Aether bit his lip, fear seeping into every crevice of his body. What if Erina had been
taken somewhere? What if Aether's captors left her behind, or worse, hurt her? What would
Aether do if something happened to the one light in his dark life, his only child?

His eyes stung with tears at the thought of his daughter, alone, scared, or dead with no one by
her side. He banged on the door with his fists, knowing he had to do something; he couldn't
bear to stand around doing nothing for a moment longer.
"Someone open this door!" He yelled, his voice cracking with fear, but he continued to shout
at the top of his lungs, beating his fists against the doors with all his force, causing bits of
wood to splinter his hands. Light streamed in from underneath the doorway, but a shadow
broke through the light when someone stepped right outside his door.

Aether whimpered with panic, stumbling back and staring around for a weapon, but he found
nothing to defend himself with.

He raised his fists, ready to fight for his life as he listened to keys jingling on the other side of
the door, slowly unlocking the doors. The doors swung open, and, out of fear and
desperation, Aether lunged at the man who stood in the doorway, his fists raised to strike. He
moved too far out of the chain's reach, stumbling as the chain tugged him back. He lost his
footing, panic-stricken and vulnerable; he braced himself to fall to the floor at his captor's
feet.

Instead, the man before him caught him quickly, wrapping his arms around Aether and
holding him tight. Aether's face had buried itself into the chest of a man who seemed to be
around his height and smelled like Qingxin flowers. Aether only recognized the scent
because of the flower crowns he used to make with Erina when she was just over a year old.

He managed to pull his face out of the man's chest and looked up to see who'd caught him.

His breath hitched when he saw a pair of piercing golden eyes staring straight back at him.
The man who'd caught him oozed an aura of power, holding Aether against his body to
render him unable to use his limbs and fight. He was handsome; Aether could give him that.
With a structured jaw, soft, pink lips, and green hair hanging over the sides of his face, he
was easily one of the most beautiful men Aether had ever seen. But that didn't change
anything, so what if the stranger was handsome?

All Aether cared about was finding his daughter and getting both of them to safety. He began
to kick and struggle against the man's hold, fighting against him with all his might, "Let go of
me!" He hissed at the man, but he didn't make it easier for Aether to break out of his hold.

The man merely continued to stare down at him nonchalantly, holding Aether firmly. He let
him fight all he wanted, not budging even when Aether bit him on the shoulder hard enough
to break his skin. Aether began to lose his strength after minutes of struggling, panting a little
from all the force he'd exerted trying to uselessly get away from the man. He didn't hurt
Aether, just held him against his body until he lost willpower.

Finally, Aether tired himself out, slumping against the man, broken in and tamed.

He bit his lip, cursing himself for not being able to fight off a man, but it was expected. His
body was malnourished and frail because of neglect. Xiao could easily break him if he
wanted to, but he didn't. He loosened his bruising grip but kept a firm hold of Aether's waist,
pushing him back just enough to meet his eyes.

Xiao studied him, gazing from his big yet lifeless eyes to his parted lips to his deep
collarbone, his neck blocked from view by a thin collar to keep alphas from biting him.
He chose to ignore that the lower half of Aether's body was naked, covered only by the
oversized button-up hanging loosely off his shoulders and his collar. He tried not to let the
omega's soft scent get to him, getting himself together. He tilted his head at Aether, seeing
that all the fight had left his eyes, "Are you finished?" He asked Aether.

The blonde's face contorted with anger, but he didn't continue to waste any more energy on a
one-sided fight, trying to figure out a plan of escape. Aether looked at Xiao dead in the eye
unflinchingly, careless of the fact that he was in the arms of an alpha who could easily harm
him. "Where is my daughter?" Aether asked, his voice barely stable enough to speak through
the lump in his throat.

Xiao stared at him, pondering his words without an expression on his face.

He blatantly admired Aether's beauty; his hands still latched onto his slim waist, feeling him
up. Aether's face started to burn at the feeling of being stared at so intensely, looking into
Xiao's eyes and trying not to flinch away.

Each second that passed in silence made him all the more nervous, causing him to overthink
why Xiao wasn't answering. Aether's fear reflected in his eyes, his eyes brimming with tears
as he slammed his fist weakly into Xiao's chest, "Answer me! Where is Erina?" Aether asked,
unable to keep the fragility out of his voice at the mention of his daughter.

He might've been seeing things through the blur of tears, but he could've sworn Xiao's eyes
got softer at his reaction. "She's alright," Xiao murmured, not knowing if it was his place as
Aether's captor to wipe away the tears threatening to fall from Aether's eyes. "She's in the
other room, asleep but unharmed, I promise you." He tried to assure him.

He watched as Aether laughed humorlessly, breaking out of Xiao's hold as soon as he

realized that Xiao wasn't holding him as firmly as before. "Your promises aren't worth a rat's
ass," Aether told him, moving away from Xiao to put as much distance between himself and
the man. He stared around the room, looking for a suitable weapon, while Xiao couldn't help
staring at his bare legs.

"Where am I?" Aether asked, looking towards the closed window and seeing a table with a
glass vase on it. He could find nothing else in the room fit for use against Xiao.

He began to walk towards the window, trying to seem like he was up to nothing, to show that
he was frail and helpless. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off. Aether didn't know why
but he believed Xiao when he said Erina was alright, despite saying he didn't.

He had no other choice but to believe Xiao, but even still, he felt that he could understand his
worry for his daughter and kept her out of harm's way. He glanced back and saw Xiao leaning
against a bedpost, watching him and choosing his words carefully. Aether wondered how he
must feel, seeing an unmarked, vulnerable omega half-naked in front of him.

Even Aether was beginning to feel a certain way; he could recognize the faint smell of
Qingxin in the air, telling him that the room he had been sleeping in was his captor's.
Strangely, it made him feel hot inside. Aether was hyperaware of each place Xiao's eyes
traveled, each movement he made, but he hadn't yet given Aether a reason to fear him. (Aside
from kidnapping him, but Aether digressed.)

"You're in my home," Xiao answered at last, "Minlin, Liyue." Aether turned and looked at
him, shocked.

"That's... you took me two hours away from where I live," He whispered, finally wondering
where his husband was for the first time since he woke up. Xiao only shrugged in response,
"Next question." He said dismissively, wanting to get the interrogation over with.

Aether pondered over it, wondering which question to ask among the dozens swirling
through his mind. "Why did you bring me here?" Aether asked, his voice getting quieter on
purpose. He tried to get Xiao to come closer, cheering silently in victory as Xiao took a step
forward, straining his ears to listen to his question. Xiao was silent for a moment, thinking
about how to answer the question. He wondered how much Aether remembered.

He remembered how fearful and powerless the blonde had looked when Xiao had seen him at
first. The only fire in his eyes came from his love for his daughter. "Your husband is 20
million Mora in debt," He said simply.

Aether stared at him, dumbfounded at the revelation. He bit his lip, resentment bubbling in
his chest as he realized why he had been brought here, making him dive into bad memories.

All his life, Aether had had a tragic childhood with his sister. They'd spent their lives moving
from foster home to foster home, luckily together, but it didn't make things any easier for
them. They didn't remember anything about their biological parents, but all they'd ever
dreamed of was to be part of a loving family. Then, around age twelve, the pair of twins had
been adopted by a couple, a man and a woman, who seemed nice at first.

Aether didn't consider them parents because he and Lumine had suffered psychological abuse
under their care. Aether shuddered, wondering why he was remembering all this now. He
knew everything about his husband related to his past, and it made it all the more difficult to
relive these memories.

It had been painful enough going through it, but even more so to see his sister go through it.
Their adoptive parents had gone bankrupt when they were around eighteen years old, and
they did the only thing they could think of. Both Aether and Lumine had been forced into
marriage with the sons of wealthy alpha families so they could fund their parents' futures.
Aether was wedded to his husband, but there was no love between them, only animosity.

He'd been used for his husband's sexual pleasure too often against his will; it had even led to
his pregnancy when Aether had gone into heat four years ago.

At age twenty-one, he'd given birth to Erina. Still, it wasn't something he would ever regret.
His daughter was the only thing other than Lumine that Aether had ever loved; she was his
only safe space. On the other hand, Aether hated his husband more than anything in the
world. His husband was not only abusive but also an alcoholic and a gambler. His rich
parents stopped funding his gambling habits, and their family began to go deeper and deeper
into debt because of his gambling addiction. Still, only now Aether was finding out just who
his husband had borrowed money from.

"He has been getting warnings for months, but he's been ignoring us," Xiao continued,
breaking his train of thought, "I had orders to get rid of him, and so I did but then... you were
in the way."

With that, it all came back to Aether.

He recalled what had gotten him into this mess. Aether couldn't help the shiver traveling
down his spine, his blood running cold as he remembered his husband's hand running
forcefully on his body against his will. He remembered why he was bare in front of Xiao like
this at last.

He'd had his clothes ripped off of him by his husband in the living room of the house they
lived... he would've been raped if it hadn't been for the doorbell ringing at the time.

He'd watched his husband get up to answer the door, only to be knocked out by a group of
four men. He remembered Xiao's voice telling his men to take his husband to an abandoned
warehouse outside the city and dispose of him right in front of him before realizing he had a
witness. Xiao had been the only one to see Aether; he'd seen him at his worst; bare,
frightened, shaken.

"I couldn't let you go since you heard everything I said," Xiao muttered, "So I brought you
with me as a... captive; you know too much for me to be able to let you go," Aether gazed at
Xiao with calculating eyes, knowing what Xiao said made sense.

"Then what about Erina?" He asked, remembering he'd sent her to her room to keep her from
seeing her father in his most pitiful state. His heart ached at the thought. Xiao shrugged, "I
had to search through your husband's possessions, and only then did I find out you had a
four-year-old daughter. I brought her with me as well; she wouldn't have survived on her own
if I'd left her," Aether hummed in understanding.

He was grateful to Xiao for not leaving his daughter behind, feeling better knowing that at
least she wasn't alone and that he could still see her. He turned around, facing away from
Xiao. He wondered what to do. His husband was likely dead, but no surprise there.

Aether couldn't care less what happened to his husband, but what would become of him and
his daughter? He asked as much, "Then what do you plan to do with us?"

Xiao pondered his question, licking his dry lips and wondering how to answer such a forward
question. Even he didn't know the answer to that. "I'm waiting on orders," He said. Aether
looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

He noted that Xiao had taken a few paces forward, causing him to fasten his hand around the
vase. If he could land the glass on Xiao's vital points just once, he could find a way to unlock
his shackles and get out with Erina.
"Orders from who? Who are you, even?" He mentally scolded himself for not asking the
question sooner. He didn't yet know the name of his captor or where he was from. Xiao took
one more step closer to him, but he was already aware of Aether's plans to take him down.
His fighting spirit somewhat amused Xiao, knowing it was futile.

"Xiao, the underboss of Liyue's mafia," Xiao said, his eyes glinting with enjoyment as he
watched Aether's expression drop into one of shock. "I work for the Don of Liyue, Zhongli,
Morax, Rex Lapis, whatever you want to call him."

Aether's blood ran cold, realizing just how much danger he and his daughter were in. His hate
for his husband increased tenfold at that moment, wondering why he had to get involved with
the largest mafia in Teyvat. He held the vase behind him, trying to keep it out of sight and
realizing his life depended on it. He knew now that he had to run away more than ever
before. This was no longer a game; his daughter's life could be at stake.

Xiao looked amused at the alarms blaring through Aether's eyes; he enjoyed watching him
begin to shake, trying desperately to hide his makeshift weapon behind him. Xiao was no
stranger to sneak attacks; he could spot it coming a mile away, but he stood right in front of
Aether, calm and collected, knowing Aether couldn't hurt him. He pressed his hands against
the table behind Aether on either side of his body, caging him against the piece of furniture.

He held Aether's fearful gaze, saying, "Now that you know I'm from the mafia, are you sure
you think you can win against me with a tiny vase?" Aether bit his lip, feeling like a trapped
animal cornered at a dead end, realizing that Xiao had known his play all along.

"Put the vase down; I don't have any reason to hurt you right now, but if you retaliate, it won't
end well for you or your daughter," Xiao advised. Aether lowered his hand from the table
slowly, finally defeated. He could smell Xiao's qingxin scent closing around him, making his
cheeks redden from being so close to an alpha. He looked up at Xiao, feeling broken from
knowing how much trouble he was in because of his husband.

"Will my husband's debt be moved onto me...?" Aether asked, beginning to shake with
disgust towards everything. He knew that if it was expected of him to pay off the debt his
husband had accumulated, he could never be able to pay it back. His eyes brimmed with tears
again, not knowing what to do. Everything was going wrong in his life, from his parents to
marriage to now.

Xiao saw the internal breakdown going through Aether's eyes. He couldn't help remembering
how scared he looked yesterday when Xiao had first seen him. He was scared because he'd
almost been raped by his husband, scared because the man who terrified him most was
dragged off with a potato sack over his head, scared because a stranger had come into his
home and had knocked out and kidnapped him.

Xiao sighed, not knowing how to deal with the situation. He didn't like seeing the fear in
Aether's eyes. He cursed Zhongli for giving him custody over the blonde when the man knew
how terrible he was with people.

Xiao took a deep breath and cupped Aether's cheek, making him look at him, "No, the debt is
not yours to pay off. Your husband paid for it with his life," Xiao reassured him, but he could
still feel Aether trembling under his touch. He bit his lip, wondering how best to calm down a
crying person, "I won't do anything bad to you, and I sure as hell won't harm your daughter,
so just-... don't cry, okay?"

Aether stared at him like he'd grown three heads, making Xiao self-conscious, wondering if
he'd said the wrong thing. Aether wiped the tears that had begun to drip down his cheeks, his
hair falling in his eyes as he sniffled. He shrugged off Xiao's hand, turning away from him.

He tried to ignore the way his heart pounded from the sincerity in Xiao's voice, tried not to be
naive enough to believe him, but he did. "Excuse me for not believing the words of a
mafioso..." He lied, "I don't care that my husband is dead, but that won't matter to you, will
it? You won't let me or my daughter go either way," Aether muttered.

Xiao tilted his head at him, leaning against the wall next to them. Gods, he was truly the
worst person to take care of captives, but something about this lifeless omega standing in
front of him tugged at his heartstrings. He promised himself he wouldn't get too involved,
make false promises, or put the blonde or his daughter in danger. He sighed, "You're right; I
won't let you go for at least a while. But rest assured, you won't be treated badly."

Xiao stood up straight, turning to take his leave until he felt fingers tugging at his sleeve.

He looked back and saw that Aether had turned around and was looking up at him with a
begrudging expression on his face, "I want a bath," He said casually, crossing his arms at
Xiao in a challenge, waiting for him to refuse.

Xiao stared at him for a few moments, processing his words and trying to remember the
guidelines he'd been given on handling captives. He sighed, knowing that Aether was trying
to back him into a corner. "You can't," Xiao said tersely, crossing his arms as well to imitate
Aether, trying to stand his ground against a half-naked omega glaring daggers at him. Aether
raised an eyebrow at him, a hint of victory in his eyes that made Xiao nervous.

"Well, if I recall correctly," Aether began, poking Xiao in the chest with his index finger,
"About twenty seconds ago, you said you would not treat me badly. I would say that not
allowing me to have a bath after all that I've been through is terrible treatment."

Xiao ran a hand through his hair with exasperation, wondering how someone could switch
from crying to defiant in under a minute. Still, he could feel the ice shards around his heart
thawing a little; he didn't know why, but it endeared him to be spoken to and challenged like
this by a pretty omega, no less.

He grumbled under his breath, "By strict orders, I'm not allowed to leave you unchained in
any room unless I am with you, so I can't let you take a bath without-," Xiao was cut off
midsentence by Aether placing his index against his lips, that challenging glint still sparkling
in his eyes. "I don't mind," Aether said, "You're free to follow me to the bathroom," A small
smile began to play on his lips, seeing the shock in Xiao's eyes, his eyes following the way
his cheeks tinted pink. "I won't take no for an answer, I feel filthy," Aether told him, walking
past him and taking a seat on the bed, raising his ankle for Xiao to disconnect the chain from
its shackle.
Xiao stared at him with bewilderment for a few moments, realizing that Aether had dealt a
blow to him that he couldn't avoid.

He shook his head with disbelief and defeat, trudging towards Aether and crouching before
him. He tried desperately to keep from looking up Aether's shirt, not that the blonde made
any attempts to hide from him. He just smiled at him, telling him to unchain him.

Xiao gripped Aether's foot, producing a key from his pocket and inserting it into the lock.
Xiao couldn't help thinking how derogatory the position was for him as an alpha, but as he
glanced up to see Aether's expression, he felt his feelings dissipate at the sight of the self-
satisfied smile on his face. He shook his head with amusement, wondering whether he was
the captive between them, unable to refuse that pretty smile.

As soon as the shackles came off, Aether stood up. He wondered what the rest of the
apartment would look like if just this room had been so luxurious. Xiao guided him out the
doors, steering him into a neat hallway with a few more doors lined up.

"So... what if I scream? Wouldn't the other tenants in the apartment come and rescue me?"
Aether asked with a teasing smile, gazing at Xiao.

Xiao shrugged, "The building isn't an apartment. It's owned by the mafia; this whole floor
belongs to me, the others in the complex would also be mafiosi, so escape is futile." Aether's
shoulders slumped with disappointment, but he'd expected such an answer. Xiao saw the look
on his face and bit his lip, quickly adding, "I won't give you a reason to attempt escape; I
won't mistreat you. The mafia does not stand for harming innocents, and... and you didn't do
anything wrong,"

Aether stared at him, seemingly at a loss for words. He didn't think Xiao truly knew how
much it meant to him to hear those words after all these years. Moving from foster home to
foster home, undergoing psychological and then physical abuse from his adoptive parents and
his husband, getting separated from his sister; everything had been so painful.

Aether knew he shouldn't let Xiao's words catch him off guard, knew he shouldn't trust a
mafioso, but those were the first tender words he'd ever heard from anyone but his sister. He
couldn't help it, wrapping his arms around Xiao's neck and placing a brief kiss on his cheek,
"Thank you," He whispered, pulling back and leaving a stunned Xiao.

Aether smiled a little, recognizing Xiao's weakness at that moment; affection. He watched his
cheeks turn bright red, stumbling over his words, but unable to find a suitable reply.

He wordlessly began guiding Aether to a bathroom again, but Aether tugged Xiao to a halt by
the wrist, "Wait... I want to see Erina," He murmured, his face serious now.

He recognized that he wasn't in as much danger as he'd initially thought. His husband's
actions wouldn't affect him; he wouldn't be expected to pay off his debts and wouldn't be
abused under Xiao's roof. The only thing left bothering him was that he hadn't seen his
daughter in at least several hours; she might not know where she was, where he was; she
didn't have any explanation of what happened and was likely afraid.
Xiao raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a once over, "You're a bit underdressed to face a
four-year-old, no?" Aether blushed, realizing Xiao had a point, but his heart felt uneasy. Erina
was the last light of his life; she was likely scared and lonely, not even knowing where her
father was. "Just... just let me see her for a few seconds, please?" He held Xiao's hand
meaningfully, trying to work as much of his charm as possible to push Xiao into saying yes.

Xiao sighed, amazed by how easily he was swayed to Aether's every request when he was
supposed to be his captor. It also surprised him how calm and easy-going Aether was about
the whole situation, from being kidnapped to having his husband taken away by mafiosi.

Even though he knew he was in the presence of a dangerous man, Aether didn't flinch from
him, didn't hesitate to speak, and even seemed hardly distressed by the situation now. Xiao
was somehow glad for it, that Aether didn't fear him as much as he'd feared his husband.

Xiao had received a full background check on Aether, and the things he'd found out had been
dreadful. (Xiao had made sure to inform his men to give his abusive husband the worst death
imaginable after realizing Aether's mistreatment.) Everything about the situation should've
been terrifying for Aether, yet he wasn't afraid, holding Xiao's hand and pleading with him.
How could Xiao find it in his heart to reject him?

"Fine," He muttered, giving in to Aether's pleading look and feeling his heart soften at the
sight of Aether's happy expression in response.

Xiao guided him to a door halfway through the hallway, opening it and gesturing Aether
inside the dark room illuminated by only a small nightlight because Erina had requested it.
Xiao stayed in the doorway to keep from imposing, watching as Aether approached his
sleeping daughter.

Aether caressed Erina's face gently, careful not to wake her up, and kissed her on the
forehead, feeling his heart finally relaxing after the stressful day, realizing everything was
alright for now. He spent a few minutes in silence, kneeling by her bedside and caressing her
blonde hair gently, taking deep breaths, trying to convince himself that everything would be
alright. He finally stood up, placing one last affectionate kiss on her face before he parted
from her, moving back towards Xiao.

He brushed his fingers against Xiao's forearm, "Alright, bathroom now, please," Aether
whispered, feeling lighter after gazing upon Erina's sleeping, peaceful face. Xiao said
nothing, but a trail of goosebumps ran up his arms from the way Aether touched him. He
turned his face away to hide his blush, gesturing Aether forward to another door.

Behind it was a grand bathroom with a large tub fit for a group of people, decorated with
glass vases and porcelain furnishings in a black and white theme. Still, the bathroom looked
like no one ever used it, making Aether wonder.

"Do you ever take a bath?" He giggled a little at the offended look on Xiao's face.

Xiao grumbled, "Of course I do, just not in here. Too much of a hassle," Aether raised an
eyebrow in disbelief but shrugged it off, moving deeper inside the bathroom. Xiao expected
Aether to tell him to turn around, especially considering Xiao was an alpha.
He even expected Aether to fight to kick him out of the bathroom so he could shower in
peace. What he hadn't anticipated was for Aether to turn away, beginning to unbutton the one
shirt he had covering his body and allowing it to droop off his shoulders and fall to the
ground. Aether stripped himself save for the collar around his neck without hesitation,
leaving nothing to Xiao's imagination.

Xiao's jaw dropped, amazed by how blatantly Aether stripped in front of him. His face turned
as bright as a tomato, but his eyes shamelessly followed every curve of Aether's body,
reflecting his hunger from having an omega willingly bare in front of him.

His eyes followed Aether's movement as the blonde brushed his long hair to the front over his
shoulder, revealing his slim back. Xiao's eyes traveled from Aether's shoulders, following the
curve in his back, to his ass. It was plump, befitting his body, and looked soft to the touch,
making Xiao crave him. He felt himself salivating like a hungry dog, trying his best to stay
put, not to let his alpha instincts get the best of him.

He watched Aether turn on the faucet to fill up the tub, shamelessly bending over right before
Xiao's eyes.

Xiao had to bite his lip to ground himself, but he felt himself giving off pheromones at the
sight of Aether's pretty ass. Aether froze up the moment Xiao's scent reached him, making
him stand upright.

A blush crawled its way onto Aether's face, turning around to glare back at Xiao and pressing
a hand over his nose to keep from taking in Xiao's alpha pheromones. "H-Hey... stop that,"
Aether whimpered, trying to hold back the effects of Xiao's scent on his body, knowing they
would only make him weaker.

Xiao kept himself firmly rooted to the spot, telling himself that if he took even one more step
closer to Aether, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from closing the distance completely.

"That... that was too bold of you," Xiao muttered, feeling his heart pounding out of his chest.

Aether felt himself reacting to Xiao's scent, making him step back into the tub quickly and
sink under the water to hide his arousal, glaring at Xiao. "I have better things to worry about
than perverse alphas staring at me while I bathe... you're the bold one for staring so
blatantly!"

Aether threw a shampoo bottle in his direction, making him finally duck out of the bathroom.
Xiao's breathing was ragged as he leaned against the bathroom door; his pants felt tight,
causing him to feel guilty for feeling this way. He shivered, the ghost of Aether's body
flashing across his mind's eye over and over.

He told himself again not to get carried away, not to be the type of alpha Aether likely fears
most. Xiao didn't move until his erection died down on its own, exercising enough restraint to
keep from doing something like this to the thought of a stranger, but he could've sworn he
heard a moan from inside the bathroom.

***
Before Xiao or Aether even realized it, three weeks had passed since the day they met. The
sound of flickering pages shuffled through Aether's room as he lay on the bed, trying to read
a book. He flicked through the book, trying to focus on the words, but they seemed to float
around in his dazed mind. He sighed, setting the book down and shivering, knowing the
reason behind his restlessness.

Aether's body felt hot, agitated, and uneasy as he lay there on the bed, not to mention he had
a certain someone who loved to plague his thoughts these days. Aether had been vacant for
the last three weeks as a mafioso's captive.

Right now, Aether's daughter was out playing with a member of the mafia.

Aether knew how bad that sounded, leaving his daughter alone to play with a mafioso, but
the mafioso in question was the mafia's Consigliere, Ganyu. Aether had befriended her; she
seemed one of the few sane people in the mafia, hardly someone who would be die-hard as
Xiao, peaceful and normal if not overworked.

Aether trusted her in the short time he'd known her; she would be the last person to put Erina
in danger. Erina had adjusted well to her new life. It had been difficult to explain where her
father had gone, but she didn't seem to mind his absence much, considering Aether's husband
had never treated her well. She seemed happy under the mafia's roof, especially after finding
out Aether was safe and well. She befriended all the mafiosi that came by Xiao's apartment;
despite being highly trained criminals, they all seemed to give in to her adorableness, likely
not used to interacting with children. She even seemed to love Xiao and was often content is
spending time with him or the mafiosi.

It gave Aether ample time to mull about and think, and most of the time, Xiao would occupy
his mind. Aether knew the reason behind his heated body, glancing at the calendar he'd hung
up in the room that used to belong to Xiao.

It was the end of August, which only meant one thing: Aether's heat was coming up.

An unmated omega typically goes into heat once a year and lasts one week if spent without
an alpha, and now, Aether's date was already upon him. He bit down on his lip, chewing on it
nervously as he stared off into space.

Usually, Aether would've been much more worried about his oncoming heat; he would've
started preparing for it weeks ago as he had been for the last few years since he turned
eighteen. If it had been any other year, Aether would hide away and lock himself up to keep
anyone from seeing or taking advantage of his heat, for example, his late husband. (Aether
had long since come to terms with the fact that his husband was dead, and he was pleased to
call himself a widower.)

Alphas were scary when they had omegas laid out in front of them, fertile, ready to be bred
like cattle.

Heat pheromones had intense effects on alphas, making it dangerous for any omega to be
around an alpha during that time. A shiver ran down Aether's spine; the one time his husband
had caught him in his heat, he had gotten pregnant with Erina. Aether never regretted it; his
daughter was the last light of his life, one of the few people that kept him going, but it had
been nothing short of a traumatic experience.

Getting caught in his state of fertility was something Aether usually avoided religiously, and
yet, he sat there on Xiao's bed, calm as could be, moments away from his heat. August
would've been the scariest time of the year for Aether, where he would spend his time
worrying about someone discovering him and taking advantage of his vulnerability, but oddly
enough, it was not the case for him this time.

Aether wasn't afraid; he didn't feel the need to hide or run away to keep himself safe.
Perhaps, it was because this time, he didn't have any unruly alphas near him that he wanted to
avoid.

Aether couldn't help smiling to himself... there was only one alpha around him, and he was
one he would never be able to turn away.

In all honesty, the past three weeks had been the best in Aether's life. It seemed sad that his
time as a hostage trapped in a mafioso's lair was better than all his time at his adoptive
parents' home or his husband's home. Promises were a rarity in Aether's life, but Xiao had
lived up to his promise every single day.

He had never once mistreated Aether; he always kept Aether's best interests at heart despite
being a man who killed people for a living. Everything about Xiao was enigmatic; he was
supposed to be cruel, uncaring, and unaccommodating for Aether like a true captor would be,
and yet, he was the opposite.

He was aloof and quiet but kind, often overfeeding Aether (claiming that he didn't want
Aether to pass out under his roof from malnutrition), buying him his favorite foods, and
giving him everything he asked for. Xiao gave him his clothes, his room, his bed, everything.
However, the most entertaining thing about the man was his inability to say no to Aether. He
was a pushover when it came to even the slightest bit of poking and prodding from Aether.

Aether's smile widened; he'd learned that he could get anything he wanted from Xiao with
just a little bit of charm. A little kiss on the cheek or slight touches on his face and arms
would be enough for him to get his way with Xiao over anything. And the best part was, all
of it was of Xiao's own accord.

Aether knew that Xiao wasn't stupid; Xiao knew what tricks Aether would play, knew what
kind of sly methods he'd use to win; he could easily oppose Aether if he wanted to, but he
didn't. Even though Xiao was in his right mind, he listened to Aether's demands, allowing
him to have his way with him willingly.

Aether knew he shouldn't feel so giddy, but his heart did backflips at the thought; Xiao made
him feel special.

He did things for Aether that he didn't even know how to handle; he wasn't all that great with
kids, trying to keep his interactions with Erina to the minimum, but Aether noticed how much
Erina liked him with the way she followed him around. (Xiao didn't chain the little girl for
obvious reasons, such as getting strangled by Aether.)
Even though Xiao was uncomfortable around Aether's daughter, he still put up with her only
because he'd see Aether staring at him with a curious smile, a challenge flashing in his eyes.

Despite everything, he treated both of them well, unlike Aether's late husband, who used to
be uninvolved with his own daughter and treated both of them as if they didn't exist unless he
wanted to use Aether. So far, Xiao never made him feel like a captive, like he was caged or
abused, save for the chain around his ankle. (It was the one thing Xiao would not budge on,
saying that he'd been scolded by Zhongli a dozen times for being too lenient with Aether,
though it didn't change his attitude towards them.)

More than anything, he was the first person aside from Lumine or Erina that Aether
genuinely enjoyed being around. Xiao was far from perfect; he was rough around the edges,
and he had his mean side when it came to the mafia.

Sometimes he'd leave for hours and come back covered from head-to-toe in blood in a foul
mood, but he never let that affect his treatment of Aether. The first thing he'd do was to make
sure Aether had eaten before he even showered after coming home. Aether would sometimes
lie about not eating just to watch Xiao immediately leave the complex to buy him dinner.
Xiao had a great many charms, and Aether couldn't help but fall for him. He wasn't anything
like other alphas Aether had encountered; he was soft and gentle but only towards Aether.

The more Aether spent time around him, the more he began to feel love towards Xiao; he was
everything Aether had imagined an alpha to be like when he was a child. Strong, quiet,
loving, and patient; he was everything Aether had wished his husband was, the fairy tale
prince Aether had always dreamed of.

Aether had never taken his collar off since he turned eighteen, his husband never bothered to
mark him, and now, Aether was grateful for it because he'd met someone he wanted to mate
with.

He raised his hand to his neck, unclipping the collar and putting it aside, panting a little from
how hot his body felt.

Aether massaged his neck gently, brushing his fingers against the nape of his neck and
wondering what it would feel like to have Xiao bite him there. No, Aether was not worried
about his heat as long as it was only Xiao who witnessed it and took care of him. Aether
knew Xiao should've been home today; he should be in the living room just a door down the
hall, close enough for Aether to attract him with his heat pheromones.

Aether stood up from the bed, his breathing turning ragged as his heat began to strike, his
clothes brushing uncomfortably against his skin as he listened to his chains clinking against
each other. Xiao's scent in the room became more apparent to him the more sensitive Aether's
body became, making him trudge over to the closet.

He shed his pants, feeling his body reacting to the heat, his ass beginning to leak with slick
absorbing into his pants. He took his shirt off as well before opening the closet door to see
rows of suits hanging inside, the air in the closet dense with Xiao's scent from his clothes.
With shaking fingers, Aether took one of the suit jackets off its hanger, bringing it closer to
his bare body and sniffing the coat.

His mouth watered at the alpha's scent on the clothes, making him yearn to have Xiao here
with him, but he bided his time until Xiao realized something was going on. He walked back
to the bed and plopped down against the pillows, hugging the coat to his chest and mewling
in discomfort, feeling his insides writhing with neediness.

Aether began to massage his aching body through Xiao's coat, rubbing the fabric against his
nipples and feeling electric shocks shifting through his body. Aether could almost believe it
was Xiao hugging him like this, feeling the scent of Qingxin flowers spreading around him.
Aether moaned out a little as he pushed his hands down his waist, cupping his rapidly
hardening cock through the material of Xiao's coat.

The feeling of the fabric creating friction against his most sensitive organ made Aether
whimper, gently thrusting his hips upward against the coat. "Xiao..." Aether moaned out,
pretending that Xiao was the one touching him through the coat. He could feel himself
getting wetter the deeper he got into his heat, creating aches and spasms all over his body that
made Aether crave release.

He didn't realize how far his voice carried; Xiao heard only an echo of it from down the hall
as he exited the living room to check up on Aether, making him freeze up.

He stood stock-still a ten feet away from Aether's door, wondering if he'd misheard Aether
calling his name. A sinking feeling in his stomach made him think Aether was in pain or hurt
and called for him for help, causing him to rush towards his room to make sure Aether was
alright.

When he reached Aether's door, something made him stop dead in his tracks.

Tiny whimpers were echoing from the room, along with a peculiar scent that made Xiao's
blood run cold. Xiao immediately recognized the scent, Aether's scent, but ten times stronger
as if he was going into heat.

He could feel himself reacting almost immediately, a chill rippling through his spine, his
mouth salivating, and his body pumping with adrenaline. Incoherent thoughts began to flood
Xiao's mind, thoughts of the man behind that door. Aether was going through his heat; Xiao
was certain of that. He knew that he shouldn't approach Aether, not while he was having such
animalistic thoughts about the omega, wishing to see him, to raze him.

It took all his effort to keep himself firmly fixed in place, listening to Aether mewling behind
the doors to his room. It drove Xiao crazy to wonder what Aether would be doing to take care
of himself, to see what position he'd be in to please himself.

Xiao wanted nothing more than to break the door down and pounce on the omega, but he'd
promised Aether never to hurt him. Xiao gritted his teeth, forcing himself to take a step away
from the door and leave the vicinity.
It took all his willpower to take two steps away from the door when he heard another call of
his name from Aether's sweet voice, "Xiao... please,"

The tiny mewl broke the last thread of Xiao's self-control, reversing back his two steps away
from the doors and cracking them open. The doors opened fully, giving Xiao a full view of
Aether lying on the bed facing him, his legs sprawled apart with one of Xiao's coats on top of
him.

Xiao felt Aether's intense scent wash over him ten times more intensely than normal as he
stood in the doorway, his lips parting in awe at the sight of Aether on the bed. Aether noticed
him immediately, his eyes going as wide as saucers but not with surprise or dread. The
moment Aether saw an alpha, Xiao no less, in front of him, he wanted nothing more than to
be pounced on, to have Xiao inside him, but he managed to hold himself back from begging.

Xiao watched with wide eyes as Aether didn't bother to stop what he was doing, staring at
Aether grinding against his coat. His eyes followed the movement of Aether's hands as they
rubbed down his own body, moving from his nipples to his cock, massaging himself through
Xiao's coat as if it belonged to him. Xiao watched with disbelief as Aether smirked at him,
opening his legs wider and pushing his hand past his cock to his hole. Xiao could feel his
heart pounding in his chest, blood flowing to his crotch as he stared at Aether, barely
believing his eyes as he watched Aether defile his coat, rubbing the coat's fabric against his
hole.

Aether dared to moan his name again, feeling Xiao's eyes boring into him as the suit jacket
absorbed his slick, leaving it unusable and marred. Finally, Xiao couldn't take it anymore.

He took a shaking breath, forcing the words past his lips, "You... you really have no shame,"
Xiao muttered, walking towards Aether and closing the distance between them. Aether didn't
seem embarrassed; his heat clouded his mind, making him bolder and needier.

He straightened up, standing on his knees on top of the bed and crawling to the foot of the
bed to meet Xiao halfway, throwing the tainted coat aside.

Aether grabbed Xiao by the collar, pulling him close and staring deep into his eyes with a
loving twinkle shining in them. Aether's voice trembled a little with the effort of holding
himself up on his knees to keep from falling back and pulling Xiao on top of him, "You're
right; I am shameless, but do you know why?" Aether asked him, wrapping his arms around
Xiao's neck and placing an affectionate kiss on the corner of his lips.

Xiao placed his hands on Aether's waist, his hands shaking as he felt his body up while
desperately trying to keep a leash on himself to keep from pouncing on Aether. He blushed at
the kiss, wondering what was going through Aether's mind that allowed him to be so intimate
with him.

"No... I don't know," Xiao whispered, pondering whether it was his place to kiss Aether back
or not. He swooned a little as Aether brushed his fingers against his cheeks, looking into his
eyes with lust and deep want.
"Because," Aether began, a small smirk playing on his lips that made Xiao's mind hum with
desire, "There's nothing I want more right now than you," He whispered, finally closing the
space between his lips and Xiao's, kissing Xiao deeply.

Xiao lost his sense of self in the kiss, his eyes fluttering to a close as he let his instincts take
over at last.

He devoured Aether's lips, forcing them apart to make way for his tongue. He felt his lips
vibrate as Aether moaned needily into the kiss, intertwining his tongue with Xiao's and
removing his hands from his shoulders to relocate them on top of Xiao's. He began to inch
Xiao's hands from his waist to his hips before pulling them back and placing them on his ass.

He pulled back from the kiss, smiling as he spotted the near-feral look in Xiao's eyes as he
panted for breath. Aether kissed him on the jaw, saying, "I want you to fill me up," He
whispered, detaching himself from Xiao and moving back up the bed, laying down and
opening his legs for Xiao to view him fully.

Xiao bit his lip at the blatant demand, feeling his pants growing tight enough to feel
uncomfortable as he gazed at Aether's body on display for only his eyes. He shifted his gaze
from Aether's pert nipples to his cock, twitching gently between his thighs and leaking with
precum.

Aether pulled his legs up to his chest, holding his cheeks apart with his hands for Xiao to
gaze upon his hole to see how wet he was.

The blonde knew he was likely going to regret his bold and shameless actions in the morning,
but for now, all that mattered to him was the lustful look in Xiao's eyes, like he wanted
nothing more than to raze him.

Xiao kicked his shoes off, loosening his tie and pulling it off, throwing it in a random
direction before he climbed on the bed after Aether, staring down at him with his mouth
watering. Xiao didn't know what made Aether trust him so much, but with the little
coherency in his mind, he promised himself that he would treat Aether well. He wrapped his
hands around Aether's thighs, leaning down to kiss him deeply again, finally having enough
courage to take charge now that he knew it was what Aether wanted.

Xiao massaged his thighs with gentle fingers, feeling him up with the span of his hands and
pinching the skin gently as he'd been wanting to do since the first day he'd seen Aether. He
parted his lips from Aether's, kissing down his chin to his neck, only to be surprised when he
saw no collar on his neck, noticing it for the first time.

"Your collar... why did you take it off?" Xiao asked, gazing down at him with puzzlement
shining in his eyes.

Aether smiled coyly at him, tugging him back down by his neck to keep him going, "Well...
that's for you to figure out, isn't it?" He said simply, kissing Xiao on the cheek to encourage
him to continue.
Xiao couldn't think straight enough to ponder over it for long, nibbling gently on Aether's
neck and leaving dull, red bite marks and hickeys along his neck and collarbone. His hands
slipped down, groping Aether's ass and feeling his fingers curling with deep satisfaction,
unable to help himself fondling Aether. Xiao sat up, pleased with leaving marks on Aether's
skin and turning his attention downwards to Aether's ass.

In a sharp movement, he flipped Aether onto his stomach, pinning him down with his ass
hanging in the air for him to play with.

He bit his lip, watching Aether's hole twitching as if he wanted to be filled up, waiting for
him anxiously. Xiao pinched his ass, shivering with delight as he watched the smooth skin
mould into his fingers.

Xiao shifted his fingers to press against Aether's hole, feeling the ring of muscle and coating
his fingers in his sweet-smelling slick. He smirked, feeling Aether's legs tremble from the
action and pressing harder against Aether's hole, finally managing to push one finger past his
rim.

Xiao watched his finger disappear inside Aether with enjoyment, feeling his wet insides
hugging around him tight enough to restrict movement. He listened to Aether moan into the
pillows, his toes curling at the feeling of Xiao's finger writhing inside him, momentarily
soothing his heated body.

"Faster..." Aether murmured, hardly able to wait to have Xiao inside him, breeding him into
the mattress. Xiao tutted at him a little, "Hmm... I think I'll take my time," He said softly,
planting a light smack on Aether's ass and smirking as Aether cried out at the sudden twinge
of pain. Aether whined out as Xiao sank his teeth into his thigh, sucking a red splotch onto
his porcelain skin while shifting his finger in and out of Aether, teasing his hole with circling
motions around his rim.

Xiao allows his lips to travel up to Aether's ass, trailing bites along his skin with satisfaction
from the way Aether twitched at every bite mark left on his body. He stopped to admire his
own handiwork, seeing the back of Aether's thighs and ass covered with hickeys and teeth
marks.

Each whimper Aether let out into the pillows sounded like music to Xiao's ears, knowing that
even an omega in heat could submit to him as such and be patient just for him. Xiao finally
turned his attention to Aether's hole, pulling his finger out and replacing it with his mouth. He
stuck his tongue out, licking a fat stripe over his hole and listening to Aether yelp, pushing
the blonde down as he tried to sit up with shock. Xiao smacked his lips at the sweet taste of
Aether's slick, prodding his tongue against his rim and trying to squeeze it inside the tight
opening but to no avail.

Xiao clicked his tongue with disappointment, bringing his hand back to Aether's hole and
pushing two fingers inside this time. Aether mewled with discomfort, feeling his legs trying
to give out, his hips getting weaker and weaker with every moment Xiao spent teasing him.

"P-Please...!" Aether cried out as Xiao pushed his fingers inside up to his knuckles, forcing
his fingers to move inside the tight space to locate Aether's prostate.
He smirked as he found it almost immediately with how swollen it was from Aether's heat
and arousal, making it an easy target for him to tease. Xiao began to massage his fingers into
Aether's sweet spot, biting his lip as Aether let out a long, unfiltered moan.

"W-Wait! Ah... that feels weird-.." Aether mumbled incoherently, but Xiao didn't let up,
digging his fingers deeper under his skin and grinning as he saw Aether's cock beginning to
leak with precum again from the stimulation. Xiao chuckled, feeling his muscles tightening
with arousal at the sight of Aether's body rendered helpless because of him. Xiao reached his
face down between Aether's thighs and took his cock between his lips, sucking on the tip to
lap up the precum dripping from it.

"Please! No more teasing; I can't take anymore!" Aether cried, his hips quivering from the
pleasure coursing through his veins from Xiao's hot mouth wrapped around his dick and his
fingers pushing deep into his most sensitive spot.

Xiao pulled off of him with a pop, dazedly licking from the head of Aether's cock up to his
balls, licking a long stripe over his perineum until he reached his hole again. Xiao pulled his
fingers out, deciding he'd had enough as well. His pants felt fit to burst with his untamed
arousal, unable to help his last threads of sanity breaking at the sight of Aether's ass painted
in his bites and hickeys.

Xiao pulled his fingers out and opened his shirt carelessly, buttons scattering over the bed as
he discarded it. He gave Aether one small push, watching as Aether came undone like
clockwork, falling onto his side and looking up at him with teary eyes.

Aether took a moment to admire Xiao's body, having always seen Xiao dressed in suits as a
characteristic of a mafioso, but now, he sat bare in front of Aether, making Aether feel proud
to have such a man taking care of him. Xiao leaned down and kissed him on his lips, feeling
himself brimming with affection at Aether's cute and vulnerable face.

He unbuttoned his pants, breathing a sigh of relief from the release, finally able to breathe
properly.

He pulled his pants off along with his boxers, discarding them to the side and taking his place
between Aether's legs. Xiao fixed Aether with a soft gaze, bringing his hand up to caress
Aether's face gently, "Are you sure you want this?" Xiao whispered, knowing the question
was futile because he knew he wouldn't be able to walk away from Aether when he looked
and smelled so delicious.

Aether nuzzled into his palm and nodded with enough confidence to settle Xiao's mind,
compelling him to pull away and position himself against Aether's hole.

He pushed his hips forward, pulling Aether's legs apart by the ankles and prodding his hole
with the head of his cock. Aether mewled as Xiao forced his way inside him, making him
feel as if he was being split apart, and yet, it was one of the best feelings of his life to be
filled up by Xiao.

The intense effects of the heat, his uncomfortable body, his hammering heart, everything
became insignificant, calming down as Xiao pushed inside him completely. Aether stopped
writhing, laying under Xiao and taking ragged gulps of air, finally able to breathe properly
since his heat started. He felt Xiao hugging him, his arms wrapping around Aether's waist as
he nestled his face into Aether's neck. Aether embraced him back, kissing Xiao on the cheek
affectionately and clenching his rim tighter around Xiao, giving him the go-ahead to move.
Xiao pulled his hips back, pulling out halfway before slamming back inside.

His mind buzzed, listening to Aether cry out from the sudden force. Xiao began to thrust in
and out of Aether, pushing deep against his prostate with every push inside.

He buried his face deeper against Aether's neck, feeling like he was in the thick of Aether's
scent, causing his mind to go hazy as he twisted Aether's face to the other side until he could
press his lips against the nape of Aether's neck.

Aether's intense heat pheromones hindered Xiao's rational thinking, he found himself baring
his teeth without even realizing, ready to claim Aether for himself. Then, he didn't know what
managed to stop him, but he froze in his tracks, his canines pressing gently against Aether's
skin. Xiao cursed at himself for almost losing control, trying to pull away and sit up, but
Aether wrapped his limbs tighter around him, keeping him fixed in place.

He breathed heavily against Xiao's shoulder, his skin moist with sweat, but he managed a
shaky whisper, "You can do it if you want to... I took the collar off for a reason, didn't I?" He
told Xiao, wondering vaguely in his hazy mind whether or not Xiao was committed to him
enough to claim him as his mate.

Xiao pulled back enough to look Aether in the eye, gazing at him with a calculating look.
Aether could spot hesitancy in Xiao's eyes but also tenderness and care, making it difficult
for him to figure out what he was feeling. He wrapped his arms around Xiao's neck, kissing
him on his jaw.

"Is it too much responsibility?" He asked, feeling his voice shaking, thinking Xiao didn't have
any feelings for him. "Am... am I not someone you'd want to mate with?" Aether whispered,
trying not to show how much that thought hurt his heart. Xiao stared at him with an
unreadable expression for a few moments, but he could immediately spot the hurt in his eyes.

He didn't say anything, pulling out of Aether, causing the blonde to panic. The discomfort
from the heat immediately returned as Xiao pulled out, but ten times worse as his emotions
went into disarray.

He thought that Xiao would leave him like that just because of his question.

Tears welled in his eyes as he stared at Xiao, who sat up, thinking that Xiao was answering
his question and telling him he was not worth being mated. But instead, Xiao gripped
Aether's waist and flipped him over onto his stomach, causing the chain on Aether's ankle to
clink from the sudden movement. Xiao paid the chain no mind, mounting Aether and pushing
inside him again, relieving his heat symptoms once more.

He gripped Aether's hair and pushed it out of his way to press a kiss on the nape of his neck.
Aether's heart pounded in his ribcage, wondering whether Xiao would really do it. "You
better not regret this in the morning," Xiao murmured into his ear, holding him down as he
bared his fangs again.

He bit down on Aether's nape, sinking his teeth into his skin. An electric shock buzzed
through both their bodies; Aether went rigid, his body numbing at the feeling of an alpha
biting him on his nape, compelling him to submit completely. Xiao didn't let go, his hands
gripping Aether's ass as he prepped himself to begin moving again. He began to pound into
Aether's ass again, leaving the blonde mewling under him, unable to move with Xiao holding
his neck with his teeth.

Each strike of Xiao's cock against his prostate made Aether feel like he was melting, his body
ten times more sensitive with Xiao's fangs digging under his skin.

Xiao's grip on his ass felt bruising, leaving blue finger-shaped dents on his skin as he thrust
into him mercilessly. Xiao could feel the muscles in his abdomen tightening and untightening
with every push, telling him his orgasm was drawing closer.

He finally released Aether's neck, allowing the blonde to slump against the mattress, crying
out into it repeatedly as the pleasure became too much for him to handle. Aether felt like
every bit of him was on fire; the bite wound on his neck tingled, sending electric shocks
down every nerve ending in his body. Each time the tip of Xiao's dick dug into his sweet spot,
he could feel himself tipping over the edge until it became too much for him.

Aether's body spasmed, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he screamed out, his high
taking him over. He spurted cum all over the bed, his hole twitching against Xiao's cock,
feeling it scraping against his insides.

Aether collapsed against the mattress, breathing heavily with tremors rattling his body each
time Xiao's hips smacked against his ass. It took all of Aether's strength to get up, pushing up
on his hands and reaching back to grip Xiao by his hair. He pulled Xiao forward until his
back met his chest, turning his head to kiss Xiao deeply.

"Finish inside me..." He breathed out, looking at Xiao with his golden eyes reflecting with
not even a little hesitation. "I mean it." Aether almost collapsed again, but Xiao wrapped his
arms around him, holding him up and drilling into him with even more force. He couldn't
help himself, couldn't help following such a direct order.

He came inside Aether, losing strength in his body and falling on the mattress on top of
Aether, grinding against his ass to ride out his orgasm, filling Aether to the brim with his
cum. Xiao felt intense heat settle at the plinth of his cock, blood still pumping through his
crotch as he felt himself knotting Aether, the base of his cock swelling up to plug his hole and
ensure no cum escaped Aether.

The two of them relaxed slowly, lying in a messy heap of bodies, catching their breaths with
Xiao embracing Aether from behind. Once their highs passed, Xiao called out in a whisper,
"Aether?"

Aether's ears perked up, his closed eyes cracking open at the sound of his name from his
alpha's lips. He hummed in response to show that he was listening.
Xiao kissed him on his newly made mating bite, "I didn't do this in the spur of the moment."
He said softly, feeling that he should let Aether know if he had any doubts about his
intentions, "I didn't mate with you just because you told me to or because you were an omega
in heat, but because I wanted to. You are mine now, and I am yours; I'll protect and cherish
you no matter what. I'll talk to Zhongli about setting you free and making amends with the
life you left behind, and then, I want you to stay with me, not as a captive, but as my lover."

Aether listened to his sincere words, feeling his eyes brimming with tears at the earnest tone
in Xiao's voice. He smiled wide enough for his cheeks to hurt, propping himself up on his
elbows and turning his head as best as he could to gaze at Xiao.

Aether kissed him on the lips, flecks of tears lining his eyelashes at Xiao's heartfelt words.
"As long as you promise me no more chains, I'll do anything you want me to, deal?" Aether
said, affection dancing in his eyes as he saw Xiao's eyes glinting with amusement.

"Of course, anything for you."

***Extra***

"Papa~... wake up already," A voice called, bringing Aether out of his sleep. He grumbled in
discomfort, opening his sleepy eyes and seeing a hazy outline of a little girl with blonde hair
and golden eyes just like him standing in front of him with her arms crossed.

Aether smiled sleepily at the sight of Erina, "Oh look, it's my little angel..." He said, leaning
forward to kiss her on the cheek, his heart bubbling with affection towards his daughter as
she giggled at the action. He frowned; it almost felt like there was something heavy draped
over him, restricting his movement, but he couldn't be bothered to find out what, shrugging it
off.

"Did you have fun with Miss Ganyu?" Aether asked, patting Erina's head and not realizing
where he was or what he had been doing hours prior yet.

Erina nodded happily, hopping up to sit next to him on the bed with her little legs swinging
off the side. "She took me to see so many fun places! I had lots of fun, but what are you
doing?" She asked, her big eyes gleaming with interest as she peered over his body at
something behind Aether.

Aether looked at her, seemingly puzzled by what she meant.

"Me? I didn't do much all day," He said, watching with increasing confusion as Erina giggled
into her hand. He felt someone moving behind him, cuddling into his back, and his heart
stopped.

"Oh yeah? Then why are you sleeping in the same bed as Mr. Shao?" She asked, hopping off
the bed as Aether whipped around to confirm her words. Sure enough, the sleeping face of
Xiao lay behind him, his heavy arm draped over Aether's body, holding him tight. Erina ran
out of the room, giggling and calling out, "Miss Ganyu! Papa and Mr. Shao are sleeping
together!" Aether fell against the bed, wishing it would swallow him alive.
Chapter End Notes

Happy April and May everyone! I will see you in June, and I hope you will enjoy the
smuts I finish now that I am feeling less lazy and in need of methods of procrastination
on my studies <3
 Punishment (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Severe blood play.

Childe is a man struggling to make ends meet while taking care of his family. He
happens to come across a night job to work as a housekeeper at a mansion with a high
salary, which compels him to take it. However, he finds himself facing more than what
he had bargained for when he meets his charming and mysterious employer.

Chapter Notes

Well, this is awkward. Happy early chapter!!! HOW IS IT THAT I CAN'T STAY AWAY
FROM WRITING? I literally have my next major exam in ten days but I spent three
days writing this because this random brain rot idea popped up in a dream.

This is a SUPER DUPER long chapter, so please be mindful of what you're getting into.
I have divided the chapter into a few parts for easy reading though!

I'm really tired and my brain wasn't functioning right while writing the summary and the
warnings, so if you think I should add more warnings please let me know, sorry for the
trouble!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Childe walked through the empty streets, his feet pitter-pattering against the dirt path, causing
his footsteps to echo in the still and silent night.

He fixed his muffler tighter around his face to protect it from the biting cold wind, his hand
tightening around the paper he held in his hands. He kept his gaze fixed on the path ahead of
him, illuminated by a few street lights.

He stared ahead, watching the outline of a large mansion beginning to appear in the distance
as the clouds shifted overhead, allowing moonlight to guide Childe through the darkness. He
passed the last street light, seeing a large gate looming in the distance. He glanced at the
mansion again, seeing that it was dark and looked void of life save for one window shining
with light on the ground floor, indicating that someone was inside.

He sighed with relief and speed-walked over to the gate, pursing his lips as he saw that the
gate was closed.
There was a big bat-shaped door knocker hanging at the center of the gate, and it was the
only way Childe could think of to catch the attention of whoever was inside. He wrapped his
hands around the knocker and tugged it outwards, cringing as the rusty metal ground against
itself from the movement.

The sound disoriented him, but he banged the door knocker three times, causing the loud
sound to echo through the area.

Childe bit his lip, taking a step back and wiping the grime off his hands. He stood aside for a
moment, waiting, hoping, and praying that someone heard and would come out to fetch him.

Childe sighed, wondering why he was here in front of such a creepy-looking mansion. He
glanced down at the paper in his hands, clicking his tongue because he had accidentally
crumpled it. In the dim light, he read through it. It was his acceptance letter to a job. Childe
shivered in the cold, hearing bats twittering as they flew overhead, making him nervous. He
was beginning to have second thoughts about taking the job now that he knew how remote
the mansion was and how eerie it seemed.

Childe had been looking for a simple and easy enough job for himself to work through the
night. His mother was in the hospital due to poor health, and Childe had to leave his old job
to take care of her. However, money was getting tight, especially now that the responsibility
of raising his three younger siblings fell upon Childe. Childe began to look for a night job to
make ends meet so that by day, he'd be able to spend time and take care of his family, and by
night, he'd be able to make a living to support the roof over their head.

His search had led him here, seeing an ad for housekeeping in the newspaper.

It was for a mansion in the remote part of town; because of its large size, the pay was
handsome, more than enough to help Childe keep things afloat. For this reason, he'd
contacted the person in charge of the ad with a letter, and they'd got back to him yesterday
with this acceptance letter, telling him to come by the mansion at night so they could discuss
matters.

However, now that Childe was here, staring at how scary the mansion and its surroundings
looked, he couldn't help but want to turn back. Something about the mansion made him feel
cold on the inside. It felt dangerous like he knew that something was off about it.

He tried to justify his feelings by blaming it on the fact that no one was coming to open the
gate. Childe considered ripping up the letter and turning back.

He turned around to walk away when a voice called, "Wait! I'm here!" It caused Childe to
freeze, turning back to see light coming from the distance between the metal bars of the gate.
The voice belonged to a girl and sounded young. His heart thumped nervously, seeing them
making their way towards him in a hurry, cursing himself for not running away sooner now
that he found no option but to stay.

Finally, the figure became less shadowed, and Childe was surprised to find that the person
who had come to open the gate for him was a girl about his age, holding a gas lantern. She
stopped in front of him, panting for breath.
"S-Sorry for taking so long," She told him through the gate, her voice stuttering a little, "It's a
long walk between the mansion and the gate, and I don't have the fastest legs."

Childe watched in silence as she opened the gate, unlocking it with a key and gazing at him
with a small smile. "You must be Childe?" She asked, finally snapping Childe out of his daze.
Childe nodded quickly and extended his hand for her to shake, which she did. "Yes, uh... I'm
here for the housekeeping job." Childe said nervously.

The girl seemed normal enough, but the surroundings only seemed to get darker around them.

She smiled at him, "That's great! I've been waiting for you; come in, come in." She stepped
aside, allowing Childe to enter past the gate, unable to help the feeling of being trapped when
the girl closed the gate behind him.

"Let's go up to the mansion, it'll be warmer than here," Childe nodded, following after the girl
as she began to walk up a cobblestone path, carrying the lantern aloft to illuminate their way.
Then, she turned to him, "Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself; my name is Ganyu, I work
in the mansion and I'm in charge of the ad." Childe let out a noise of understanding. Ganyu
had fluffy blue hair hidden under a woolen hat to keep her ears warm. She was a lot shorter
than Childe, around the same height as his younger sister, Tonia.

"I see, what do you do here?" He asked Ganyu, wondering how a normal-looking girl ended
up working in such a creepy mansion. Ganyu offered him a small smile, "I'm a cook here; the
owner of the house calls me here sometimes if he has guests or if he just wants something to
eat, though I'm not here every day."

Childe hummed in response, thinking it was odd that the owner didn't eat every day. Perhaps
he just cooked for himself; Childe decided he didn't care; all he was here for was work.

"How long have you been working here?" He asked, beginning to wonder why the last
housekeeper left.

Ganyu thought for a second, staring down at the cobblestone ground and skipping from one
uplifted stone to another. "I think it has been a little over five years now," She told Childe,
causing his eyes to widen with bafflement. The girl couldn't be older than twenty; did that
mean she'd been working here since she was fifteen? He asked as much, "Wow, that's a long
time! But wouldn't you have been really young when you started out on this job?" He asked.

Ganyu's eyes cast a faraway look in them, confusing Childe. She remained silent for a few
moments, likely realizing that Childe had commented on her age. It seemed like she didn't
want to answer the question, so Childe quickly moved past it, not wanting to look creepy.
"So... how come you've stayed for so long?" He asked.

Ganyu perked up quickly, realizing that Childe had changed the topic. "Oh! Rex Lapis and I
have known each other for a really long time; he treats me just like he would a daughter, so I
can't just leave him." She replied.

Childe's eyebrows furrowed at the drop of the odd name. "Rex Lapis...?" He asked, confused
by the name. It was a name nothing like Childe had heard before.
Ganyu nodded a little, realizing that it was a vital piece of information. A shiver passed over
them as the wind blew across the yard. Childe looked up and saw that they were almost to the
mansion's doorstep; the building loomed over them, eerily illuminated by the moon.

"He's the owner of the house; his real name is Morax, but we call him Rex Lapis out of
respect," Ganyu said. Childe was about to comment that a name like Morax didn't sound any
better, but he froze, his eyes catching on to something out of the ordinary.

Childe's heart began to thump as he stared up at a window on the topmost floor of the
mansion. A shadow loomed over the window, a person looking down at them. They were
gone as soon as Childe blinked. Childe felt a bead of nervous sweat dribbling down his back.
He glanced at Ganyu as she opened the heavy front door for Childe, forgetting what he was
about to say.

"I-I see. Is the owner home right now?" Childe asked, a nervous note in his voice.

The figure in the window made him uneasy, but Childe tried to chalk it off to it being a
figment of his imagination. He and Ganyu stepped inside the house; it wasn't much warmer in
the house, but they were protected from the wind at least.

Ganyu took a moment to think, "Um.. well, you can never tell whether Rex Lapis is home.
He never shows himself most of the time unless he's in the mood, but that's rare for any
servant except me. You won't have to worry much about him coming around while you
work."

Childe didn't know whether the thought of an absent owner relieved him or creeped him out,
but he would honestly prefer to work alone.

He gazed around the entry hall, taking in the high ceiling and grand chandelier hanging at the
hall's center. That chandelier would be a pain in the ass to clean, but Childe didn't mind.
Contrary to his initial feelings of wanting to run away, he was already starting to analyze the
mansion in terms of cleaning.

Childe was rather excited to get some alone time and do nothing but clean to take out his
frustrations with the world. He could look forward to working in a place like this. Childe
sighed, knowing that the odd owner was a problem for his future self as Ganyu guided him
into the dining hall. Both he and Ganyu sighed with relief as they entered, warmth from the
lit fireplace washing over them.

"What's the owner like, then?" Childe asked as Ganyu gestured for him to sit down opposite
her.

The dining hall was grand with velvet seats, a pristine oak table, and another high ceiling
chandelier. (Childe supposed that chandeliers would be ordinary in a mansion with high
ceilings, but that didn't make him dread any less to climb up a thirty-foot ladder to clean
them.) Although the chandelier wasn't on, smaller candles were littered around the area along
with Ganyu's lamp and the fireplace, illuminating the room.
"Rex Lapis is not the social type," Ganyu answered, "He will leave you to your work for the
most part, but oftentimes, he pops up randomly to monitor your work when you don't even
know he's home, so you'll need to be on your guard for the most part."

Childe scrunched his nose at the prospect of fearing the owner randomly popping up out of
nowhere to monitor him, but he supposed that was normal to avoid theft and make sure the
work was up to par. "I see... he seems a little eccentric," Childe commented drily, looking
annoyed that he'd have to keep a lookout for this Rex Lapis.

Ganyu smiled at him, watching Childe's eyes exploring the hall with a look of sympathy. She
looked like she was hiding the biggest eccentricity about Rex Lapis, but Childe didn't seem to
catch her odd behavior, already making plans about where to start cleaning first.

"So... why did the last housekeeper leave? The house seems worse for wear; they must've left
a while ago." Ganyu's cheeks turned red; Childe had indirectly insulted her cleaning because
she had tried to clean the entry hall, dining hall, and kitchen herself.

His question was difficult to answer. She knew she couldn't tell Childe the truth; otherwise,
he would run away and not take the job. "It was just personal matters that caused them to
leave," Ganyu lied, "It's been difficult finding someone else to take care of the mansion
because it's not a welcoming place to work," She said, gesturing around at the eerie room.

Childe cracked a smile of agreement, remembering how he was close to running away if it
hadn't been for Ganyu stopping him.

Ganyu twiddled her thumbs, continuing, "It would be great if you could work here... we
could use your help in maintaining the place. The other rooms aren't too bad because we keep
the windows closed for the most part, and there will be no need to dust the furniture because
they're covered by plastic sheets. I'll make sure to tell Rex Lapis not to give you a hard time,
so please help us out!"

Ganyu stared at Childe with a pleading look in her eyes, not different from the one Childe's
younger siblings would give him when they were asking for ice cream. Childe gave a
dramatic sigh, having already set his mind about wanting to work here. Who would give up
that much pay just for a weird homeowner? Sure the mansion was eerie, but it wasn't
anything Childe couldn't get used to.

"I'll do my best, leave it to me," Childe told her with a small smile. Ganyu's expression
softened with relief, holding her hand out for Childe to shake to finalize their agreement.
"Thank you! You can start tomorrow; please go home and get some rest. All the cleaning
supplies and lanterns will be in the store cupboard opposite the entrance hall, and here are the
keys to gates and doors so you can come in whenever you want." Childe nodded, smiling and
shaking her hand and taking the keys from her before he got up to take his leave.

Ganyu saw him off at mansion doors, telling Childe that she would lock the gate once she
left. Childe felt better about working in the mansion if it meant he could rely on good people
like Ganyu.
As he began to walk down the cobblestone path again, taking a few steps away from the door,
Ganyu gasped behind him, seemingly remembering something important, "Ah, wait, Mr.
Childe!" Childe turned back to look at her, a puzzled expression on his face. Ganyu bit her
lip, a nervous look crossing her eyes, "While working... please make sure not to get hurt,
okay?" She told him.

Childe smiled and nodded, simply thinking that she was just worried about him. Ganyu saw
that he hadn't taken her words to heart and spoke again, "No, seriously! Rex Lapis... if he
smells blood in the air, he might get... well, angry," She told Childe for the lack of a better
word, causing the smile to drop from his face.

The news made Childe extremely uncomfortable, wondering why a man would get mad at
someone for getting hurt.

He tried to brush it off as Rex Lapis simply being a germaphobe, nodding again and waving
Ganyu goodbye before he continued to make his way towards the gate. A chill went down his
back, chewing his bottom lip nervous at the odd character Rex Lapis was making himself out
to be. An odd feeling caused tingles to ride up his neck as if someone was watching him, a
vague smell of smoke carried with the wind.

As he reached halfway down the path, Childe turned and looked back at the manor. His eyes
widened, seeing a man standing on the balcony of the top floor of the mansion. He could
make out none of his features, only seeing the silhouette extinguish the flame of his cigarette
on the balcony before he disappeared back into the mansion.

***

Childe scrunched up his nose, trying not to inhale the dust particles that swirled in the air as
he swept the floor. He was unsuccessful, sneezing into his inner elbow when his nose began
to tickle.

He wiped a drop of sweat dribbling down his face but smiled at his handiwork as he swept
the last of the dust into the dustpan and gazed back at the spotless room he had left behind.

It had been one week since Childe had started working in the lonesome mansion.

Childe had been working his way slowly towards a clean manor, working on cleaning one
room at a time. He was just one person against a house with 25 or so large rooms; he felt
entitled to taking his time working on each room to the fullest. There were three floors of the
mansion, and Childe had managed to clear the first floor within a short week, now working
on cleaning the second. He made sure everything was neat and squeaky clean to ensure that
no flaws could be found in his work. However, it seemed that he didn't need to worry about
the owner of the mansion as much as he'd initially thought.

Since the day he first came by the mansion to meet with Ganyu, he hadn't seen another soul
in the house.

Childe had kept himself aware of every little thing in the mansion, keeping track of any noise
he may have heard and every sign that someone was in the same house as him, and yet, he'd
heard nothing. Despite that, the feeling of being watched persisted at random times
throughout the week.

Childe was not someone who would sit still and do nothing out of fear; each time that feeling
crept up his spine, he would drop everything he was doing and search the floor for any sign
of life to make sure no one else was with him. All he ever turned up with were little critters in
the same vicinity as him, sometimes an owl with bright golden wings sitting on a window
sill, other times a bat with eyes just as bright, or even a black and gold lizard.

Childe would chalk the feeling off to being paranoid about working in a new environment.
Now that he had been working at the manor for a week, he felt more comfortable just being
there, working his magic to clean everything until it was immaculate.

Sometimes, Childe would hum to keep himself company when the silence got overbearing,
but mostly, he kept to his devices, working from midnight to morning to complete as much
work as he could manage.

He found himself singing under his breath as he emptied the dustpan into a garbage bag,
taking his gloves off as he noted the time on his pocket watch.

It was nearing the end of his shift; Childe had completed more work than usual, for which he
decided that he would reward himself by leaving a little early. He walked back into the room
to retrieve his supplies.

As Childe sang to himself, that feeling kept coming back to him, the feeling of being
watched.

Childe chewed his lip nervously, grabbing the garbage bag he'd filled up throughout the night
along with other supplies, deciding that he would mop the areas he'd covered tomorrow.
Childe was getting quite used to the housekeeping job. The lonesome mansion gave him the
creeps at times, but mostly, he found himself adapting to working in it.

It was deathly cold in the mansion, when there was a fireplace in the room he was working
in, Childe would turn it on to keep himself warm and light the room, otherwise, he would
usually work up a sweat while working. Usually, Childe had no lighting except his lanterns or
some candles to light his way, but he found that he did a good enough job cleaning the place
even in the dark, however, he did make mistakes from time to time because of the dark.

He didn't realize that his gas lantern was sitting in his path and cursed when he tripped over
it, knocking it down and causing its glass casing to shatter. Childe set the bag down and
scolded himself, kneeling down to put out the flame quickly and beginning to pick up the
glass shards.

"Stupid, stupid! Ugh... I hope I won't get charged for breaking this..." He muttered to himself.
Then, he hissed with pain as he cut his finger on a thin piece of glass, unable to see clearly,
the only source of light being the moonlight from the window. The sharp pain traveled
through his hand. He whimpered a little but didn't dwell on it, grabbing the dustpan and
sweeping up the rest of the glass, and discarding the broken lantern into the trash bag.
He sighed softly, staring at his bleeding finger with a small pout as he watched a drop of
blood drip down his finger. At the sight of his blood, a random thought occurred to Childe; he
found himself remembering Ganyu's words from a week ago, his pout dropping from his
face, his expression getting more nervous.

"Rex Lapis... if he smells blood in the air, he might get angry."

Childe gulped, feeling himself getting a bit scared, though his mind tried to battle the
thoughts with rational ones.

Surely a regular human wouldn't be able to smell blood... right? Right. It was ridiculous to
think that someone could smell blood when they weren't even in the same room as him, and
they would have no reason to get mad at him for getting hurt, no?

Childe tried to calm the sudden alarm he felt, trying to tell himself that Rex Lapis likely
wasn't home, considering his lack of presence in the whole house. However, Childe noticed
something peculiar. The air draft from the doorway in front of him had stopped.

That was odd; he hadn't closed the door; there was no reason it should've closed on its own.

His head snapped up, his eyes widening with horror to the size of saucers as he saw a man
standing in the doorway, looking at him, and seemingly appearing out of thin air. Childe froze
up, staring at the man who stared right back at him through the dark, both of them unmoving.

The man was tall, about an inch taller than Childe; he wore a simple silk white poet's shirt
along with comfortable black pants. His hair was long and windswept, the straight strands
tied back in a ponytail over his shoulder, black from the top and ending with lighter tips. His
features were clouded in shadows, but what chilled Childe most about him were his
luminescent gold eyes shining in the darkness like small fires burning in a fireplace.

He gazed at Childe intently with his eyes narrowed, stopping for a sliver of a moment to stare
at him just as Childe was doing.

Childe didn't dare move, cradling his hand to his chest protectively as if he feared the man,
who could be none other than Rex Lapis, would cut it off, wishing he would go back where
he'd popped out from, but of course, he luck wasn't up to par.

Childe visibly gulped as Rex Lapis stepped toward him but didn't move back. He didn't sense
any danger or anger emanating from the man, but that didn't make him feel more relaxed.

Rex Lapis knelt in front of him, causing the air around Childe to shift, his glowing eyes
scanning Childe for any sign of injury. His eyes landed on the hand Childe clutched against
his body, likely naming where the wound was. Despite Childe flinching, he reached out and
clasped a cold hand around Childe's wrist, tugged it away from him while Childe could do
nothing but stare incomprehensively at him.

"Hmm..." Rex Lapis hummed gently, gazing at the bleeding cut on Childe's finger
disdainfully but with no trace of anger in his eyes like Ganyu had said. "You're hurt," He said
gently, stating the obvious.
He held Childe's hand with gentle and slender fingers, offering Childe a look of mild
amusement when he saw him still sitting frozen in front of him.

He was the cutest housekeeper Ganyu had brought it for who knows how long, sitting still as
a mouse but openly gazing at his features up close without shame. Rex Lapis shifted his hold
from Childe's wrist to cup his hand, bringing his finger close to his lips.

He placed a featherweight kiss on the cut, staining his own lips with Childe's blood. He
licked the blood off his lips, crooning a little at the rich, fresh taste. He looked Childe in the
eye, watching with slight satisfaction as the ginger's cheeks tinted bright red at his bold
action, not knowing what to do, looking like a little fox that had found its way into a dragon's
den.

Rex Lapis's lips curled at the sight of his endearingly shocked expression, deciding to be
bolder, wanting another taste of Childe's blood.

He wrapped his lips around the tip of Childe's finger, sucking on it gently and humming as a
few droplets made their way onto his tongue. He pulled away quickly before he lost his sense
of self, placing one last kiss on Childe's wound before letting go of his hand.

Immediately, a rocky substance started to bud on Childe's skin where Rex Lapis's saliva had
touched it, covering the wound with a grey substance not different from the solidity of a
statue. Childe stared at it with silent awe and fear, wondering what Rex Lapis had done to
him.

"Don't try to pick it off, hm? It will come off in its own time." Rex Lapis advised, guiding
Childe's attention back towards him. Childe gazed into his eyes, the shock from meeting him
so suddenly and having that done to him finally wearing off. Rex Lapis's eyes were
beautiful, scary, but beautiful. Rex Lapis raised his hand to Childe's face and cupped his jaw,
tugging him closer until they were centimeters from each other.

"Don't get hurt again... who knows what I may do to you if you do," Rex Lapis said to him,
offering Childe a charming smile before he retreated, standing up and walking out of the
room, merging into the shadows as he went and leaving a dazed Childe behind.

***

Another week went by uneventfully after that day. Childe continued to dutifully tend to the
mansion even despite the scare Rex Lapis had given him.

The day after Childe first met Rex Lapis, he'd been reluctant to go to work, worried that he'd
come across him again and he'd do strange things to Childe again. The week's passing gave
Childe ample time to think about what had happened.

Just thinking about it made Childe blush and sent nervous jitters down his spine. Childe
sprayed some lemon and vinegar solution on the mirror he was wiping, a pink blush staining
his cheeks, a pout on his lips as he recalled the events of that night for the hundredth time.
Each time he thought about it, his heart would begin to beat faster, and his fingertip where
Rex Lapis's tongue had touched would start to tingle, able to feel the ghost of Rex Lapis's lips
wrapped around it.

A shiver ran down Childe's spine, remembering the way Rex Lapis had eyed him up as if he
was prey, telling him never to get hurt again.

Childe had taken those words to heart; he was extra careful around sharp objects, making
sure never to let anything slice his skin, though, at times, Childe felt like doing the opposite.

He wondered if he hurt himself, would Rex Lapis come for him again? Would he appear from
thin air like he did that night one week ago and lick the blood off his wounds like last time?
Childe's gaze caught on his finger as he grasped a damp washcloth. He let go of the
washcloth and stared at his hand, finding no trace of that wound from the lamp.

That rocky substance had encased Childe's finger entirely for about three days after the
incident, numbing Childe's pain.

Just as Rex Lapis had promised, the stony layer cast on his wound had begun to crumble on
its own, and as it fell from Childe's skin, it took the wound along with it, leaving no trace of
skin damage.

At first, it had left a mark, but even the scar faded in just a few more days, and now, it looked
like Childe had never hurt himself to begin with.

He still had neither come up with an adequate explanation for Rex Lapis's fast healing nor the
rocky substance that engulfed Childe's finger. He tried not to think about it; it hurt his brain to
try and decipher how such a feat could be possible. Wasn't Rex Lapis human? Healing
wounds by solidifying them was not in a human's criteria of strengths as far as Childe knew.

For now, Childe knew very little about the owner of the mansion save for one fact; he was
gorgeous. He looked nothing like what Childe had expected.

When Ganyu had told him that Rex Lapis treated her like a daughter, Childe had expected
him to be an aged man, perhaps something like a fatherly figure. However, he turned out to
be the polar opposite of what Childe thought. Instead, Rex Lapis was attractive, tall, well-
built, and so damn handsome. When Childe got home that morning, he couldn't stop thinking
about the way Rex Lapis had looked at him; strangely, it turned Childe on. Childe wondered
what Rex Lapis had meant when he said that he didn't know what he would do to Childe if he
got hurt again. It felt like a threat.

Childe knew from that point on that the mansion's owner was dangerous, more so than Childe
had predicted. He wondered whether Ganyu had been lying when she told him the last person
had left for personal reasons. Maybe the previous housekeeper had discovered something
about the owner and never dared to tell the tale; the thought scared Childe, but he still found
himself returning to the mansion each day to diligently clean.

Each day, he expected to be jumped by Rex Lapis, but he never did. In fact, even the feeling
of being watched hadn't persisted until today. He could feel someone's gaze on him now, but
each time he looked back, no one was with him.
Childe was done with the second floor, but he dreaded coming to the third floor.

That was where he'd first seen Rex Lapis; his room was likely up here among the many
doors; this was his domain.

That thought made Childe nervous, but so far, Childe had come across nothing out of the
ordinary. He finished cleaning the mirror, smiling at his handiwork as he could find not a
single speck of dust on it left. He stared at himself in the reflection, seeing nothing behind
him, but he could see something shifting behind him.

Childe continued to stare into the mirror, watching the minimal movement of the plastic on
the table behind him.

He straightened up warily but chalked it off to the wind shifting it. He turned around and
nearly screamed, stumbling back as he saw someone standing by the table where he'd seen
the movement. It was Rex Lapis, standing a safe distance away from the mirror.

Childe stared at Rex Lapis, dumbfounded, feeling his heart pounding in his chest as the man
looked at him with a thick, raised eyebrow, thinking he was overreacting. "Hello," Rex Lapis
said politely, his voice nonchalant, masking his interest in Childe. Childe's breathing was
rampant as Rex Lapis brushed his fingers under the table, checking for any signs of dust. He
could find nothing to complain about as Childe had made sure to dust everything despite
what Ganyu had told him, saying nothing.

Childe snapped his head back towards the mirror, trying to see Rex Lapis's image in the
mirror to see whether he had been imagining it, but he had already moved away from the
mirror's line of reflection. Childe looked back and saw Rex Lapis standing by the window
sill, looking bored but pleased with Childe's work as he examined his cleaning.

"You're quite thorough," Rex Lapis commented, an impressed note to his voice. The past
housekeepers had never lived up to his standards of cleanliness, but so far, he could find
nothing to criticize.

Childe swallowed, trying to regain his wits after seemingly seeing that Rex Lapis had no
reflection.

He chewed his lip nervously, knowing he should likely say something, not wanting to make a
fool of himself twice. "I... I try my best," Childe stammered, causing Rex Lapis's head to
snap in his direction, surprised to hear him speak after getting startled by him twice.

A smile curled itself on Rex Lapis's lips, reveling in the sound of Childe's voice speaking
words directed at him. Childe flinched as Rex Lapis's headlamp-like eyes fixed themselves
on him unblinkingly. "Is that so? What motivates you to try your best?" He asked Childe as
he ventured forward, slowly moving towards him, causing Childe to move back. Childe
found his back pinned to the mirror, surprised when Rex Lapis stopped, frowning at the
mirror. It had a silver back. He could not deal with silver, only gold.

He settled himself by leaning against the table, standing as close as he could to Childe
without the mirror trying to vanquish his existence. He made a mental note to dispose of the
mirror later; what place did something made of silver have in his home?

Rex Lapis saw that Childe wasn't replying and elaborated, feeling disappointed by the one-
sided conversation, "Most people your age would not find it particularly interesting to work
at a lonesome mansion during the night. You do not have adequate lighting, nor a proper
heating system, and yet you still seem to clean thoroughly even though you have the option
to laze off."

Childe stared at Rex Lapis, his eyes narrowing a little. Rex Lapis commented on his age as if
he was much older.

It didn't make sense to Childe; the man couldn't be more than a year or two older than him.
He found his cheeks tinting red at the compliment. Rex Lapis's luminescent eyes caught on to
the change in color, feeling himself smiling victoriously to get a positive reaction from
Childe.

Childe took a deep breath before replying, "Well... I enjoy cleaning. That, and the pay is also
pretty worth it... I need it to pay the bills, so satisfying you is the only way for me to get what
I need," He said, his voice soft, not used to speaking inside the mansion unless it was to sing
to himself.

Rex Lapis's eyes glistened brighter at Childe's wording, his smile widening into a smirk. "So
your motivation is my satisfaction and money, is it?" Rex Lapis asked, causing Childe's
cheeks to turn bright red with embarrassment, seeing how trampy the wording made him
sound. He held Rex Lapis's gaze, trying not to feel intimidated by his beautiful eyes, knowing
there was no way out of Rex Lapis's question.

"Yes, Rex Lapis," Childe said truthfully, cringing at how awkward the name sounded on his
lips, "I do it to satisfy you and make sure you can find nothing to criticize me for."

Rex Lapis gazed at him with a searching expression, feeling himself getting more and more
intrigued by the man in front of him, wondering how he could act so shy and bold at the same
time. "Call me Zhongli," He said suddenly, watching as Childe blinked cutely with confusion
and elaborating, "I don't know why Ganyu tends to call me such an ancient name. These
days, I go by Zhongli."

Childe stared at him, wondering why Rex Lapis referred to the present as if he was a
thousand years old.

Still, he processed the name, finding it rolling off his tongue without realizing it, "Zhongli,"
He murmured thoughtfully, liking the way it felt on his lips. He didn't notice Zhongli's gaze
get just a little more lustful at the sound of Childe speaking his name.

He knew Childe would not be ready to handle him and knew to extricate himself from the
situation before he ended up losing control. Zhongli masked his expression of predatory
longing, offering Childe a small smile, "I'll leave you to your cleaning then; get home safely."
He told Childe, observing the faintest surprise swimming in his eyes, likely not expecting
Zhongli to leave without doing something odd.
Zhongli knew to hold off his thirst, knowing the longer he went without revealing himself to
Childe, the less likely Childe would be to run away. Zhongli left the room, walking off into
the shadows and leaving Childe behind, even more confused and endeared than before.

***

Childe sighed softly, wiping the sweat off his brow and staring proudly at the floor. At last,
he had completed the third floor; it looked glorious; his lantern gleamed and glistened in the
reflection of the wooden floor. Childe felt proud of himself for covering the entire mansion in
just a few weeks.

There wasn't a speck of dust on the ground nor a cobweb in the dozens of chandeliers; now,
all that was left for Childe's job was to maintain this cleanliness and not let anything get dirty.
Three weeks had passed since Childe first took the job of cleaning the mansion. It was in the
middle of January; the nights got colder each day Childe worked, but he usually managed to
sweat the cold off by cleaning diligently.

Childe frowned a little, staring outside a nearby window and seeing just a flurry of white. A
blizzard raged outside.

Snowstorms had begun to roll in a week ago, making the commute to the mansion more and
more difficult for Childe, though he managed. Today, the storm outside was even worse than
the last, making Childe worry that he would suffer frostbite, but it would honestly be better
than staying in the mansion for a prolonged period of time.

Childe shifted his gaze to a particular door standing opposite him.

It was the master bedroom, Zhongli's bedroom. After that day he and Zhongli had officially
met in the mirror room, Zhongli had become more apparent in Childe's work than ever.

At first, he had popped up randomly to tell Childe not to clean his bedroom, which Childe
found odd but didn't question, hoping that Zhongli was clean enough to take care of himself.
He had a vague suspicion that Zhongli was hiding something, but he didn't much feel like
being murdered in a haunted mansion for snooping, so he avoided the bedroom at all costs.

After that, Zhongli began to follow Childe like a lost puppy. Perhaps it was because Childe
was now working on the same floor as his room, but he would come in at random times, give
Childe a heart attack and watch him clean for a bit.

Usually, an action like that would've been creepy or awkward for Childe, but honestly, Childe
didn't mind his presence.

He would always be aware of Zhongli's presence, but Childe liked the quiet company. At
first, the lonesome mansion had been like an escape for Childe. It was someplace he could go
without with the numerous responsibilities he had at home.

In the mansion, he didn't have to worry about looking after his siblings or his mother; he
would get to spend some time to himself without any thoughts aside from cleaning.
However, it became overbearing quickly. The silence, the loneliness, the eerie feeling of
being in the dark for hours at a time, listening for odd sounds got old. He became paranoid,
wondering whether someone's stare was on him, whether someone would jump out of the
shadows and attack him, whether Zhongli would pop up out of fuck knows where.

Childe much preferred it like this, working in Zhongli's presence, knowing where the
enigmatic man was at all times and keeping an eye on him rather than fearing the unknown.
Zhongli was charming beyond belief; he would always observe Childe with the tiniest hint of
a pretty smile.

He would offer Childe a little help when Childe needed it, such as holding the ladder steady
for him so he wouldn't fall (though Childe thought Zhongli did this to have an excuse to stare
up at Childe's ass) or catching him if he were ever to trip and fall. He had a knack for
popping up behind Childe as he worked, observing his cleaning while looking over his
shoulder, dangerously close to Childe's neck. Childe was getting used to Zhongli's presence,
but that didn't mean he let his guard down around the man.

Zhongli was too extraordinary to be a regular person, such as when he'd caught the scent of
Childe's blood the moment he'd cut himself or the way he didn't have a reflection.

Childe had concluded that he had not been imagining things when he saw the lack of
Zhongli's reflection in the mirror. That mirror had mysteriously disappeared the next day.
Something about Zhongli sent alarms rushing through Childe's head, especially when the
man got within three feet of him.

Childe had a feeling that Zhongli was a dangerous man, that each time he looked at Childe,
he was calculating the best way to take him down. He eyed Childe as if he were prey, hunger
shining behind his pupils like he wanted nothing more than to have Childe on a golden
platter.

Childe tried not to spend more time in Zhongli's domain than necessary in fear that the man
wouldn't let him go home one day.

It was always the unbelievably handsome men who were such major red flags. Childe felt an
undeniable attraction to Zhongli, feeling himself blushing whenever he caught Zhongli's eye
or feeling his body grow warmer when Zhongli stepped close to him. Childe tried not to give
in to his effortless charm, knowing that the moment he fell for him would be game over for
him.

He would rather face the blizzard than let himself get captured by Zhongli for this reason.

Childe began to clear away his cleaning supplies, walking down the flights of steps to put
everything away.

As he reached the ground floor, Childe felt his nose tilting up to sniff the air. His stomach
grumbled, catching the scent of cooked food hovering around the lowest floor. Childe usually
didn't eat after he came to the mansion; he was always hungry by the time he left, choosing to
go home to eat and make everyone breakfast instead of eating at the mansion.
This was the first time he'd heard of anyone cooking in the mansion in his presence; the smell
of the food made Childe so damn hungry, wondering if Ganyu had come by to make Zhongli
breakfast.

It didn't quite make sense for Zhongli to have breakfast so early at four in the morning, but
Childe tried not to dwell on it, quickly putting away his supplies, gloves, and apron in the
store cupboard before he ventured into a bathroom to wash his hands clean.

The delicious smell of food persisted, causing Childe's stomach to grumble again.

Childe visibly jumped as he heard a quiet chuckle coming from behind him, turning around
to see Zhongli leaning against the bathroom's doorway, gazing at him with amusement
glittering in his eyes.

"You seem hungry," He commented, causing Childe's cheeks to turn red with embarrassment
at Zhongli hearing him.

Childe glared at him, wiping his wet hands on a laundered towel before crossing his arms, "I
could've been doing something in here, Mr. Zhongli," He scolded, trying not to show his
nervousness. Zhongli had another knack for trapping Childe in rooms or against pieces of
furniture with his hulking stature; it always made Childe nervous, knowing Zhongli was
trying to block his escape routes.

Zhongli raised a thick eyebrow at him, giving Childe a deadpan expression, "I doubt you
would be doing your business with the door wide open, Mr. Childe," He shot back, causing
Childe to huff, pouting defeatedly.

Zhongli gazed at him for a long moment, an odd look of satisfaction glinting in his eyes that
made Childe nervous like Zhongli was planning something. "Would you like to stay for
dinner?" Zhongli asked out of the blue, causing Childe to blink, startled by the sudden
invitation.

Childe stared at him, a bit speechless because he hadn't been expecting such an invitation
from Zhongli. Childe didn't know what to say, didn't know whether or not to accept Zhongli's
offer.

On one hand, his mind blared alarms, telling him not to accept as he saw the dangerous look
in Zhongli's eyes. On the other hand, his stomach did flips at the idea of sharing good food
with Zhongli. He knew the logical option would be to deny politely and make haste to leave,
but Zhongli's eyes shone with a challenge, daring him to say no. Childe desperately tried to
delay his answer, "It's 4:00 am; I doubt you could call it dinner." Childe said, trying to sound
snarky to hide how uncomfortable Zhongli's unwavering gaze made him.

Zhongli chuckled a little at that, "Well, you're not wrong, though I doubt the dishes I made
fall under breakfast food group," Childe's ears perked up at Zhongli's wording, staring at
Zhongli with surprise dancing in his eyes.

"You cooked?" He asked, unable to help his interest. Zhongli smirked with victory, seeing the
sparkle of curiosity in Childe's eyes.
"I did; it's quite early for me to call Ganyu, so I decided to cook. Would you like to join me?"
Zhongli could see Childe's mind battling between wariness and relenting, trying to figure out
whether or not to say no to Zhongli.

"I... I should really get home; my siblings will be worried about me," Childe said meekly,
cursing himself for not hiding the wistfulness in his voice well enough. Zhongli leaned off
the wall, knowing that Childe would give in under even the slightest bit of pressure. He took
Childe by the hand, making his first bold move since the day they'd first met. Childe's arms
littered with goosebumps, feeling Zhongli's cold fingers engulfing his, gently tugging him
outside the dimly lit bathroom.

"Come now," Zhongli said to him, holding Childe too close to his body for comfort, "It
would make me sad to see you off without a meal, especially after I heard how hungry you
are."

Childe's cheeks were bright red, feeling Zhongli's charming smile and thoughtful words
slowly breaking the walls he'd cast to protect himself. He found himself relenting, unable to
fight Zhongli's strong grip or his hunger.

"Okay," Childe said, finally giving in, causing Zhongli to smile giddily, happy that he'd
managed to win him over. He let go of Childe's hand, his eyes lidding themselves halfway
mirthfully, realizing that Childe was finally falling into his trap. Zhongli promised to make
tonight count.

He placed his hand at the small of Childe's back, guiding him back to the entry hall to lead
him to the dining room. He could feel Childe's nervousness as he held him, feeling himself
brimming with satisfaction at the feeling of Childe pliantly walking with him. He knew it
would come eventually; he would have Childe no matter what it cost him.

Zhongli seated Childe in the dining room, leaving to go to the kitchen despite Childe's
protests that he was the servant between them and should serve the food. Zhongli didn't
listen, bringing out a tray of freshly cooked Liyuean delicacies that made Childe's mouth
water. Childe gazed at each dish, inquiring Zhongli about them as Zhongli sat down opposite
him so that he would be able to look at Childe clearly.

"This one is called Bamboo Shoot Soup," Zhongli said, pointing to a dish made of ham, pork,
and bamboo shoots with a rich broth, "I have been slow cooking for quite a few hours now. It
takes a long time to bring out the flavor."

Childe nodded, not knowing whether or not he was allowed to dig in, choosing to point to a
noodle dish, "What about this one?" He asked, causing Zhongli to chuckle a little. "That dish
is called the Dragon's Beard," Zhongli said, causing Childe to laugh a little at the odd name,
"It gets its name from its thin intricately-carved noodles that resemble a dragon's beard."

Zhongli told him about some other dishes, seemingly happy that Childe was taking an
interest in his cultural food. He started to serve the food to both of them, telling Childe to eat
to his heart's content.
Childe began to dig in, trying the various dishes and enjoying each of them thoroughly.
Zhongli watched him eat with a small smile, seeing Childe relishing in the taste of his
cooking and feeling pleased with himself to see that Childe's guard was entirely down
because of the food.

Zhongli let him eat in peace with nothing but wind and snow swishing past the windows
breaking the silence.

Childe ate relatively slowly, aware of Zhongli's stare on him as he ate, making him feel self-
conscious; Zhongli didn't mind the pace, knowing that the longer Childe took to eat, the
better it would be for him.

Zhongli had checked the weather forecast for that morning beforehand. By around the five in
the morning, the storm would be too destructive for anyone to commute through it.

Childe noticed that Zhongli was barely picking at his food, hardly taking a few bites despite
the time he'd spent cooking all these dishes.

"Aren't you going to eat, Mr. Zhongli?" Childe asked, a slightly worried tone to his voice,
afraid that Zhongli wasn't eating because of his presence. Was Childe supposed to refuse
Zhongli's offer after all? Was Zhongli just being polite when he asked Childe to eat with him?
The thought made Childe feel even hastier to leave.

Zhongli stared at him with a slightly dangerous look in his eyes, feeling himself getting
antsier and antsier to have Childe writhing beneath him. He told himself to be patient,
knowing that Childe would need sustenance if he were to go through with his plan.

"Oh, I will," He said softly, "I will enjoy my meal to the fullest; you needn't worry." Childe
looked up to see a tiny smirk on Zhongli's face as he eyed him with that same predatory look
Childe sometimes saw in his eyes. It made Childe nervous to no end, wondering whether
Zhongli was planning anything, a pit of dread settling in his stomach as he pondered if
Zhongli had put something in the food.

The food was excellent; Childe didn't think it was spiked with anything, having seen Zhongli
taking a few bites.

Then just what was Zhongli planning? All Childe knew was that he should hurry to get out of
there before Zhongli did anything dangerous. Childe began to eat a little faster, finishing up
the last of his food and feeling stuffed. Zhongli watched this with a smile. The more Childe
ate, the healthier he would be and the better he would taste. Childe needed all this food if he
wanted his stamina to last long enough to handle Zhongli.

When Childe finished, he looked up, feeling a bead of cold sweat dripping down his back
with nervousness as he saw that Zhongli still hadn't even finished one dish.

Childe stood up, "I... I will go and wash my dishes, Mr. Zhongli," He said softly, wishing to
leave the room, feeling that if he stayed for a second longer, he wouldn't be able to resist
whatever Zhongli did to him next. Zhongli also rose to his feet, malevolence shining through
in his expression, causing Childe to freeze up.
"Oh, don't worry about it, Childe," Zhongli said; Childe immediately noticed the lack of
honorifics, making his fingertips tingle. He felt danger alarms flashing through his body, and
yet, now that he knew he should run away, he found himself hesitant to leave.

"A-Are you sure?" Childe asked, cursing himself for stuttering, "I can do the dishes quickly
before I leave."

Childe flinched as Zhongli began to move, walking towards a window to gaze at the blizzard
raging outside. He clicked his tongue, "The weather seems to be terrible," He commented,
turning to Childe. He fixed Childe with a piercing stare, beginning to cross the room towards
him with slow steps, "Are you sure you will be able to get home safely?" Zhongli asked,
feigning a concerned voice as he stopped directly in front of Childe.

Childe tried to stand his ground, tried not to show how he truly felt, knowing that if Zhongli
knew that he was afraid, he could exploit it as a weakness. He held Zhongli's gaze, "Well...
I'll manage it somehow... my siblings are likely wondering where I am," Childe said, faking a
chuckle to try and throw off Zhongli's suspicion.

Zhongli was moving closer and closer with every second, trapping Childe against the table
just like Childe feared he would.

"It'll be dangerous for you to go out there; why don't you spend the night here?" Zhongli said
softly, his tone making his words sound more like a command than a question. Zhongli
placed his hands on the dining table on either side of Childe, effectively keeping him pinned
against it. He brought one of his hands up and gently caressed Childe's cheek, a smirk on his
lips, "Stay here with me," He told Childe, watching as shivered rattled through the ginger's
body at the feeling of his cold fingers touching his face.

Childe bit his lip, finding himself unable to look away from Zhongli's mesmerizing eyes.

He had never stood this close to the man before. Childe was able to make out every detail of
Zhongli's handsome face, from the curvature of his lips to each long eyelash lining his
eyelids. He was aware that the man standing in front of him was far more dangerous than the
storm raging outside. He knew that he had let himself venture too far into the dragon's den.

"And if I refuse your hospitality...? Will you let me go?" Childe asked, feeling like he already
knew the answer to that question. Zhongli pondered over it for a few seconds, his eyes
dropping from Childe's face to his body, gazing at his neck and collarbone and licking his lips
just a little, knowing he wouldn't be able to let Childe go for even a second.

He looked back into Childe's eyes, "Well..." He began, "You're free to run out the door; you
can go as far as you like, but I will tell you this: no matter how fast you run or how far you
go, you won't be able to escape me." Zhongli told him, his voice nothing more than a quiet
whisper.

Childe's breath hitched at his words. He didn't know why, but the threat aroused him to no
end.
Childe believed Zhongli when he said that he wouldn't be able to run from him; it settled that
fighting him was futile. Childe did the only other thing he could think of, looking deeply in
Zhongli's eyes and letting go of his fear, shutting down the alarms in his head. He wrapped
his arms around Zhongli's neck, pulling him closer until only a centimeter separated their
lips.

"Alright then... if running away can't save me, then would complying with you help?" Childe
asked Zhongli, seeing his eyes widen just a fraction at his words. Zhongli began to smile,
staring at Childe's lips with a deep hunger to devour them. "Very much so, I'd think."

Childe found himself losing his will to fight, knowing there was nothing he could do but give
in to Zhongli's desires. This would only be a one-time thing, he told himself. He leaned
forward, closing the space between their lips until they collided with one another, pulling
Zhongli into a kiss.

Zhongli hummed gently with mirth, wrapping his arms around Childe's waist and deepening
the kiss, pressing his lips tighter against Childe's while his hands began to wander around his
body. Zhongli finally allowed the thirst and lust he felt for Childe that he'd bottled up for
three weeks to take him over, finding his hands wandering straight to Childe's chest, groping
his pecs with his large cold hands.

Childe whimpered softly into Zhongli's lips at the feeling of his hands squeezing him lewdly.

He brought his hands to Zhongli's hair, tangling his fingers in his two-toned locks, keeping
his lips sealed shut despite Zhongli's attempts to shove his tongue between them. As they
kissed, Zhongli unbuttoned the top three buttons of Childe's button-up, pushing the fabric
apart until Childe's chest was on display.

Zhongli pressed his hands against Childe's pecs, his cold fingers causing Childe's nipples to
harden under the rough touch as he felt Zhongli squeezing his chest hungrily.

Zhongli broke the kiss, agitation dancing in his eyes as he gazed at Childe's messy
expression, sulky because Childe hadn't allowed him to kiss him to the fullest. Childe had his
lips parted for breath; a pink blush dusted his pale skin while his watery blue eyes stared up
at Zhongli. Zhongli's eyes ventured down to Childe's chest, licking his lips carnally at the
sight of his button-up hanging slightly off his shoulders, his chest left wide open for Zhongli
to view.

Zhongli squeezed Childe's pecs together, watching with utter satisfaction as the meaty
muscles molded against each other according to his will.

"P-Please," Childe whimpered, watching as Zhongli's cold hands let him go, only for him to
clamp his fingers tightly around both of Childe's nipples, pinching them with an animalistic
gleam of enjoyment dancing in his eyes.

Childe whined with pain, feeling Zhongli's fingers twisting the buds of his nipples, tugging
them outwards to see how much they would stretch, causing them to redden at the rough play
as Zhongli's fingers bruised his pale skin easily.
Zhongli let go, wrapping his arms around Childe's hips to lift him up, sitting him down on top
of the dining table behind him, unable to tear his gaze from Childe's chest.

Zhongli groped them again, leaning forward to wrap his mouth around one of Childe's
nipples and moaning at the feeling of the bud against his tongue. After all the time Zhongli
had waited to do this, he found it finally paying off, unable to help himself littering Childe's
chest with smaller bites and bruises, listening to Childe whine and whimper lustfully in
response.

"How do you live with such a lewd body, hm?" Zhongli asked, kissing Childe's collarbone.

A carnal urge to bite Childe all over his pretty neck, collarbone, and chest came over him,
wanting nothing more than to raze the man in front of him. He wanted to see Childe's body
bleeding with numerous bite wounds over all of his sensitive regions.

Zhongli moved Childe back, slowly pushing him to lay down on the table after moving the
dishes out of the way, pinning him to the freezing wood and watching Childe shudder under
him. Zhongli smiled down at him, moving between Childe's legs and beginning to rub the
bulge in his pants against Childe's ass, watching the ginger moan at the feeling.

He laid completely pliant and submissive beneath Zhongli, allowing the man to do anything
he wanted to do. It gave Zhongli an unbelievable feeling of exhilaration to see Childe giving
himself to him, knowing that he would be able to have a proper meal with Childe. Childe
found his fear of Zhongli beginning to disintegrate, getting caught up in the feeling of
Zhongli's body against his.

How long had it been since someone had touched Childe in such a lewd way? How long had
it been since someone had pinned Childe down and fucked him? Childe felt himself giving in
easily because it had been so long since he experienced the thrill of having someone play
with his body. He didn't want it to be anyone other than Zhongli making a mess out of him
like this.

He watched Zhongli with dazed eyes, twitching as the man leaned down between his legs and
pressed a gentle kiss on the bulge protruding through Childe's pants.

Childe's face was red as Zhongli began to take his pants and boxers off, lifting his hips to
allow Zhongli to dispose of them completely, discarding them to the ground, and causing his
shoes to fall off his feet.

Zhongli's lips parted, gazing at Childe's body to the fullest. Childe was even more beautiful
than Zhongli had imagined. His body was lithe and muscular, his thighs gently twitching in
response to Zhongli's stare before Zhongli shifted his eyes to Childe's pretty cock. It stood
straight for Zhongli, a light drop of precum lining the tip with arousal. "You're so pretty,"
Zhongli commented, causing Childe's face to turn beet red. "I could just eat you up," Zhongli
whispered, watching with satisfaction as Childe's turned his head away bashfully. He didn't
realize that Zhongli was serious.

He was lying bare in front of an arguably dangerous man, but strangely, that thought turned
Childe on more. Zhongli caressed his supple thigh, his cold fingers sending goosebumps
traveling through Childe's body.

Zhongli kissed Childe's body, leaving a trail from Childe's cock up his abdomen to his
collarbone again. Zhongli gripped Childe's wrists, pinning them down on either side of his
head with hunger glinting behind his pupils.

"You asked me whether or not I was going to eat earlier," Zhongli said, holding Childe down
as he brought his face closer to Childe's, pressing a gentle kiss on his lips to catch his
attention. Childe gazed up at him curiously, incomprehensive of Zhongli's intentions. He let
out a small mewl as Zhongli buried his face in his neck, kissing it. "I will make sure to eat
properly, don't worry,"

Childe's eyes widened, feeling Zhongli opening his mouth. Zhongli bared his teeth, his fangs
catching the light from the chandelier above. Childe didn't realize what Zhongli was going to
do until a second before he did it.

Childe let out a small scream, his back arching, his toes curling as Zhongli bit down on a vein
in his neck with full force. His thick fangs sank deep under Childe's skin, causing electric
shocks to swim through Childe's body, rattling through Childe's nerves. Childe felt the air
leaving his lungs as he gasped, writhing against Zhongli's grip on his hands, squirming with
his legs at the feeling of his skin stretching painfully to accommodate Zhongli's teeth.

Zhongli felt his mind going numb, holding Childe tighter with a bruising grip to ensure he
wouldn't be able to run away.

He gave in to his animalistic desires and began to drink Childe's blood through the cavities in
his fangs, allowing Childe's blood to fill his mouth through the tiny holes on the roof of his
mouth.

Zhongli moaned with satisfaction at Childe's skin under his lips, the feeling of his blood
swishing past his fangs inside the veins, and the taste of Childe's blood filling him to the brim
with satisfaction.

Childe's eyes were wide with horror, not comprehending what Zhongli was doing or what he
was. He slowly lost his will to fight, going limp under Zhongli and wrapping his legs around
the man's waist as he felt waves of pain and pleasure rippling through every crevice of his
body.

"W-What..." Childe stuttered, his voice no more than a shaky wisp, "What are you doing to
me?" He asked weakly, feeling his fingertips twitching, his hands going blue with the lack of
blood flow from Zhongli's grip on his wrists. At his words, Zhongli extracted his fangs,
gasping for breath after taking only a few sips of Childe's blood. He pulled back, keeping
Childe pinned down and gazing at the sight of the large girthy holes in the side of his neck,
oozing with rich blood.

Zhongli let go of Childe's hands when he saw he was no longer struggling and brought his
lips back to Childe's neck, lapping up the droplets rolling out with eagerness.
Zhongli pressed his hands to Childe's chest, feeling up which place to target next, trying to
find another vein supple enough to handle his fangs. Childe's eyes were dull and half-lidded
as he stared up at Zhongli, a look of bewilderment shining in them at what had just happened
but not having enough strength to fight Zhongli away.

Zhongli's hands slipped down from Childe's pecs to his ass, cupping it and kneading it gently.

"We need to get you prepped up here, don't we?" He asked Childe, feeling himself smiling
sadistically at the sight of Childe's horrified expression, realizing they were far from done.
Childe whimpered as Zhongli scooped him up over his shoulder, holding his legs tight to
make sure he wouldn't be able to fight against him.

Childe allowed himself to be carried like a ragdoll out the dining hall and up the stairs,
crossing the various levels until they got to the topmost floor of the mansion. Childe's mind
was still numb, trying to process what Zhongli had done to him. He brought his hand up to
his neck, flinching as he felt the two massive holes in his skin, oozing blood relentlessly.

Zhongli took him to his bedroom, opening the door and revealing a dark room lit only by the
white flurry still raging outside. Childe's eyes widened, seeing a rack full of blood bags
standing to one side of the room. He realized immediately why Zhongli had told him not to
clean his room.

The room was eerie but well-maintained; Childe didn't get to take in any more of the room
before Zhongli sat down on the bed, pulling Childe on top of him and guiding his attention
back to him.

Zhongli smiled at the sight of Childe, seeing that his blood had dripped all over his
collarbone, staining his chest. "You look good covered in your own blood," Zhongli said
softly but diligently began to lick each droplet of blood clean, not letting a single drop of
Childe's precious blood go to waste. He made sure not to lick the wound he'd made on
Childe's neck just yet, knowing he wasn't ready to let it heal.

Childe took a shaky breath, sitting on Zhongli's lap with his limbs wrapped around Zhongli as
the man disposed of the rest of Childe's shirt hanging off his shoulders. He looked into
Zhongli's eyes, watching as Zhongli resurfaced from his neck, licking Childe's blood off his
lips and looking pleased with himself.

The sight would've been cute to Childe to see Zhongli enjoying a 'meal' if the meal hadn't
been his blood. "W-What are you...?" Childe asked, realizing that everything inhumane about
Zhongli hadn't been his delusion.

Zhongli had smelled his blood from far away when a normal human could hardly smell it
close up; Zhongli had been able to heal his wound by casting a rocky coating over it; Zhongli
had not shown up in the mirror; Zhongli's skin was so cold, it made Childe shiver. None of it
was something ordinary for a human. And now, as Zhongli smiled at him a little, he saw
thick, large fangs protruding behind his upper lip.

Zhongli brought his hand up and caressed his cheek gently. "I think you already have an
idea," He said softly, keenly watching as Childe leaned into the cold palm of his hand, "You
humans would call me a vampire. I am a hemovore, your parasite."

Zhongli leaned forward and kissed Childe on his bite wound, knowing he would be making
many more to accompany it. Childe's breath hitched at his words, his fingernails digging into
Zhongli's shoulder through his shirt. He found his eyes unfocusing, wondering what he had
gotten himself into.

Vampires should've been a myth, but the man sitting in front of him couldn't be a myth. The
painful pulsating in his neck told Childe that he was too real. He had been bitten by a
vampire.

It made sense with what Childe knew about Zhongli.

He could smell blood; he didn't have a reflection in a mirror made of silver. Zhongli was a
vampire.

Zhongli gave him a few moments to process it, trailing delicate love bites on Childe's neck
and collarbone, his hands resting on Childe's ass, gently squeezing his cheeks between his
slender fingers. Childe stared at the rack of blood bags sitting to one side of the room, biting
his lip and wondering why Zhongli needed his blood when he had enough for himself.

"Why did you target me...?" Childe asked him, catching his attention. Zhongli chuckled a
little, kicking his boots off and moving back on the bed, lying against the pillows and pulling
Childe to lay on top of him. Zhongli pressed an affectionate kiss on Childe's cheek, causing
the ginger to blink with surprise at the sudden action.

"How could I not?" Zhongli asked like it was a dumb question, "For years, I have been living
off of blood from hospitals. That day when you bled in front of me was the first time I tasted
fresh blood in goodness knows how long. I wanted you more than anything..." Zhongli told
him, causing Childe's cheeks to tint, his heart pounding in his chest at Zhongli's words.

Zhongli hugged him tightly, burying his face into Childe's neck again and crooning at
Childe's scent mixed in with the smell of his blood.

"Now, I have you, and I will make sure to enjoy you to the fullest," Zhongli whispered, his
hands tightening around Childe's ass, causing Childe to squeak a little.

He gasped as Zhongli pushed his hips upward, causing his thick bulge to spring from
between Childe's legs, pressing against his ass. Childe felt his eyes dulling with lust; he
wanted that cock inside him, but at the same time, he wanted to run away from the man who
viewed him as nothing but prey.

Zhongli kissed his neck over his bite wound before moving down to Childe's deep
collarbone. He began to pepper his collarbone with kisses, feeling Childe laughing
breathlessly as his lips tickled his skin.

Zhongli reached his hand out and reached for his bedside drawer. He rummaged through it
without looking, pulling out a bottle of lube. He placed it beside them on the bed,
worshipping Childe's body with his hands and lips, unable to get enough of him.
Zhongli didn't like thinking about the future; it was so long and uncertain for his immortal
self, but he thought that if he could have Childe like this forever, he would be able to live
well if he could feel his comfortable weight on top of him, his body beneath his fingers, and
his skin against his lips. Zhongli wanted to bite Childe even more. Knowing how uncertain
their future was made Zhongli want to live in the moment more than ever.

He opened his mouth and bit Childe again without warning, causing the ginger to yelp with
pain. Childe felt the breath leaving his lungs again, the electric shocks flushing through his
body, causing his cock to pulsate even more, his erection pinned between himself and
Zhongli's thigh.

Zhongli singlehandedly uncapped the bottle of lube before he brought it to Childe's ass,
dripping a handsome amount of the cold liquid on it, causing Childe to moan out.

He twitched a little, feeling Zhongli's fingers pressing over his hole, gently rubbing the lube
properly against him. Childe's mouth hung open, feeling Zhongli sucking on his collarbone
gently.

He could feel his fangs under his skin, but strangely, it didn't hurt. The feeling just aroused
him more. Zhongli was all around him; his presence was overbearing; everything from his
scruffy dark hair brushing against Childe's chin to his cold hands massaging his hole made
Childe feel as if he was on fire. The feeling of a vampire's bite was so unique, like nothing
Childe had ever felt before.

Electric shock, pain, pleasure, heat, cold, all at the same time. Childe loved it. It made him
feel so alive even though Zhongli was leeching his blood.

He gasped as Zhongli pressed his finger inside him, the cold finger burning up inside his
warm and wet insides, though he noticed it wasn't as cold as it usually was. "Mmm...
Zhongli.." Childe moaned, his arms automatically wrapping themselves around Zhongli's
head.

He could feel Zhongli taking his blood slowly, only a few droplets at a time to make sure
Childe didn't lose too much blood. Zhongli felt his cock grow a little at the feeling of Childe
speaking his name. He pressed deeper inside Childe, pushing his finger in as far as it would
go. He listened to Childe gasping a little as his finger brushed against a sensitive bump inside
him. Zhongli smirked against Childe's skin, opening his eyes and looking up at Childe's lewd
expression. Childe's eyes went wide as Zhongli slammed his finger inside that spot, pushing
into it, causing an exhilarating feeling to fill Childe's lower abdomen.

The feeling trickled into his stomach as he let out a long moan, drool slipping down the
corners of his lips. Childe clawed at Zhongli's shoulders, gasping for breath as Zhongli began
to massage his finger into that spot, moving his finger in circular motions before adding
another finger and pressing his prostate with twice the pressure.

It was becoming too much for Childe; the feeling of Zhongli's fingers kneading his sweet
spot, the feeling of Zhongli's teeth under his skin, the feeling of his cock rubbing between
their bodies with every twitch of Childe's body, it was too much. He cried out as he felt a
knot in his stomach loosening, causing his cock to spurt cum all over his and Zhongli's
stomachs. He rocked his hips gently to milk the feeling of his first orgasm in months,
humping against Zhongli's body to get as much friction as he could.

Zhongli slowly released Childe's collarbone, watching the pleasured and satisfied look on
Childe's face.

Gods, Childe turned him on. Childe collapsed against Zhongli, gasping for breath. He looked
at Zhongli, his eyes full of lust, matching the look in Zhongli's eyes. Their lips crashed
together before they realized, unable to help but desire as much friction with each other as
possible.

Childe could taste his own blood on Zhongli's tongue as he pried his way into his mouth,
wondering how it tasted good to Zhongli. He could feel Zhongli's third finger beginning to
push against his hole, pressing inside and stretching him out so he could accommodate
Zhongli's thick cock.

Childe was careful with his tongue, making sure not to cut himself on his fangs but instead
swirling around his canines to feel them up, silently marveling that teeth as big as Zhongli's
fangs had been under his skin. Childe pulled away when the lack of breath got too much for
him, whining out as Zhongli parted his fingers inside him, stretching him out properly before
he retreated his fingers.

"If you want to run away, now's your chance," Zhongli told him smoothly, sitting up with
Childe in his lap.

Childe blinked at him with surprise, wondering how Zhongli, who had been so possessive
over him just a little while ago, was allowing him a chance to run.

Then, Zhongli smiled, flipping them around and pressing Childe against the mattress instead,
a small smirk on his face, "Time's up, my offer period has ended," He told Childe, causing
the ginger to glare at him. Childe pulled him down into a kiss, sighing into Zhongli's lips. He
told himself that this would only be for one night. He wouldn't be coming back here to this
dangerous but overly sweet and charming man. He decided that he would enjoy the night to
its fullest.

He pulled away, kissing Zhongli on the cheek, making the man smile a little at the feeling of
Childe reciprocating the affection. "I wasn't planning on leaving anyway," Childe told him,
"Now... are you going to fuck me or will I have to fuck myself on you?"

Zhongli's cheeks tinted red for the first time at Childe's blunt words, showing on his pale
skin. Zhongli sat up and tugged his shirt off, displaying his built body to Childe at last.
Childe marveled at the sight, sitting up on his elbows and gazing at Zhongli's body. Zhongli's
clothes didn't do justice to his broad shoulders and thick biceps.

Childe's eyes traveled from his muscular arms to his muscular chest, unable to help but reach
out and touch Zhongli's thick pecs. He quickly realized why Zhongli had loved touching his
chest earlier, watching the muscles mold against his fingers. Zhongli gazed at him with a
smile, enjoying Childe's warm touch on his body as Childe allowed his hands to slip down
Zhongli's body, touching his abs and tracing each of the girthy muscles.
He felt his eyes going half-lidded, staring down at the V-line starting from Zhongli's hips and
disappearing behind his simple black pants. Childe bit his lip, seeing the protrusion of
Zhongli's cock through the fabric.

It had been so long since he'd gazed upon another man's body. It was just his luck that he
managed to do it with a man as handsome as Zhongli after so long. Childe pressed his hand
against Zhongli's cock, wrapping it around the bulge in his pants and gasping a little at how
hard it was. He massaged his hand against Zhongli's cock, encouraged by the pleasureful sigh
escaping Zhongli's lips.

"It's warm..." Childe said softly, realizing how hot Zhongli's cock was even through the fabric
of his pants. Zhongli blinked with confusion. Then, he stared at his own hand, opening and
closing his fist and realizing that he didn't feel as cold as he always did.

Zhongli gazed down at Childe, smiling, "You're right," He told Childe, "You helped me get
warmer," Zhongli pecked him on the lips. It was the first time Zhongli had felt what it was
like to be warm, feeling the blood pumping through his veins after so long of feeling like a
corpse.

He never wanted to let go of this feeling of being alive. If Childe was his way of achieving it,
then so be it. Zhongli would never let him run away.

Zhongli stood on his knees to take his pants off, throwing them off to the side while Childe
watched. Childe's eyes traced the V-line straight to Zhongli's cock, biting his lip as his eyes
landed on Zhongli's thick cock standing proud against his stomach. Childe reached out,
wrapping his hands around the hot organ. It felt heavy in his hands, lined with veins that
pumped with blood.

The sight caused the tip of Childe's cock to leak with arousal, making Zhongli smirk.

Zhongli decided he'd had enough, pinning Childe to the bed, his impatience getting the best
of him. The wind howled outside, but neither could feel the cold as their bodies tangled
together. Zhongli held Childe tenderly, holding his legs open and kissing his neck over his
lightly bleeding bite mark.

Zhongli slowly pushed inside Childe, his hands latching on to Childe's chest again, holding
him down as he groped him. Childe's eyes widened at the feeling of Zhongli's cock stretching
him open. He placed his hands over Zhongli's, whimpering with pain as Zhongli pushed in
inch by inch, causing Childe's breath to leave his body, digging his nails into Zhongli's hands
from the pain of having Zhongli inside him.

Zhongli smiled down at him, kissing Childe on the cheek, "You're doing so well," He told
him, stopping when he saw that Childe couldn't take anymore. Zhongli had him filled up to
the base of his cock.

It was so warm inside Childe; Zhongli almost thought he was burning up, feeling himself
beginning to fall deeper into the lull of love and lust for Childe. Childe made him feel warm
both on the inside and the outside.
Zhongli sank his teeth into the other side of Childe's neck from the first bite, causing Childe
to tense up with the same feelings, ten times more intensely than before when Zhongli's cock
filled him up. Childe hugged Zhongli tightly, letting the man hold him as he began to thrust
inside Childe, pushing deep inside of him. Childe found himself getting lost in the pleasure.
Zhongli was overbearing; it felt like Childe could see nothing, feel nothing, hear nothing but
Zhongli.

He was inside him with both his cock and his fangs, fucking him into the mattress, making
his toes curl as he moaned at the feeling of Zhongli pressing into his prostate over and over
again.

At that moment, escape was far from Childe's mind as he let himself get lost in the moment.
His irrational mind didn't think of anything but how good Zhongli made him feel, taking all
the thoughts, the worries, the considerations, and fear from his mind.

Childe liked it like this.

***

"P-Please..." Childe whimpered, clawing at the mattress desperately, his face buried in the
pillows as Zhongli took him from behind. Hours had passed; the blizzard had long since died
away, giving room to the slightest bit of sunlight shining in the room through the curtains.

It was lucky for Childe that the sun had come up, feeling Zhongli getting more lethargic as he
laid down on top of him, continuously thrusting his hips against Childe's ass, making his cock
scrape against Childe's prostate for the thousandth time that night. Childe cried out, fisting
the sheets on the bed at the feeling. He could feel cum dripping from his ass each time
Zhongli moved inside him, the droplets rolling down his perineum as he laid flat on his
stomach.

Childe regretted ever saying that he liked being with Zhongli like this.

Childe stopped liking Zhongli after the third round, unable to handle Zhongli's intense
stamina. Each time they came, it would spring back up, and Zhongli would be pounding
away inside him again.

Childe didn't know how much more he could take, feeling like Zhongli was drilling into his
intestines. No thoughts flashed through his mind, simply waiting for it to end, hoping Zhongli
would exhaust himself and finally let him go. And yet, he'd been waiting for Zhongli to stop
for hours; he'd lost count of how many dry orgasms he'd had, but somehow, Zhongli never
seemed to run out of cum, continuously filling Childe up with a new batch of his seed at the
drop of a hat.

Childe's hole was raw from being hammered all morning; his nipples were sore from being
sucked on numerous times and the bites.

Childe shuddered a little. Zhongli had trailed half a dozen bites on Childe's chest and back,
claiming almost every inch of him. Childe's whole body ached with pain. He regretted not
running away last night; he thought he would've had a better chance against the storm than
Zhongli.

"Stop..." Childe cried as Zhongli thrust up into his prostate again, breathing lightly against his
ear as if he was barely tired. "I'm begging you," Childe pleaded, tears rolling down his
cheeks. Zhongli kissed him on the neck, but that meant nothing to Childe now.

No matter how gentle or charming Zhongli made himself out to be, he was anything but that.
The gentle kisses from earlier, the soft touches, the soft words; they were all fake. He had
seen Zhongli's true nature earlier that night, losing himself in his lust and desire for Childe.
He had a wild grin on his face as he used Childe to his heart's content, content with seeing
him cry under him, leaving his numerous bites still bleeding. It made Childe light-headed.

Zhongli hadn't felt this exhilarated in years. He couldn't stop himself from the animalistic
urge to raze Childe, but now, with the sun shining on them lightly through the window, he
thought to stop.

As he felt his high coming on again, he decided that he should end it for today, knowing
Childe would need to conserve stamina for tonight. Zhongli came inside him for the
umpteenth time, his grip tightening around Childe's ribcage to the point of hurting, causing
Childe to whimper with pain. Then, Zhongli relaxed on top of Childe, burying his face in
Childe's neck from behind and taking in his addictive scent.

"Okay, I'll stop," Zhongli said, pleased with himself for listening to Childe for the first time
that day.

He could feel Childe's gentle crying from the pains erupting in his body and quickly sat up
again. Childe panicked, thinking Zhongli would start again, and twisted onto his side, pulling
a pillow over himself to try and hide his body, "N-No! No more!" He whimpered, making
Zhongli feel the tiniest bit bad for fucking him to the point of fright at the prospect of more
sex.

Zhongli kissed Childe on the cheek, returning to his gentle but fake persona. "Relax, my little
dove. I won't do anything, just let me see your bites." He told Childe, keeping his voice soft,
charming Childe into releasing the pillow.

Zhongli didn't understand why Childe seemed so shaken; didn't he like Zhongli's expression
of love? Zhongli pulled the pillow away and set it aside. He smirked, seeing his own
handiwork painted all over Childe's body in the form of scratches, bruises, love bites, and bite
wounds.

Childe's skin was rosy from the blood smeared on it, compelling him to do something to ease
his pain. Zhongli leaned against Childe's body, kissing his bite wounds and feeling Childe
twitch with pain, sniffling. Zhongli stuck his tongue out and ran it over every bite on Childe's
body, leaving a slightly burning trail of saliva that joined each bite. The wounds Zhongli's
tongue touched became encrusted with a rocky substance, relieving Childe's pain.

Zhongli ended his treatment by giving kitten licks to Childe's scratch marks. Childe's crying
had reduced to sniffles when he was done, making Zhongli smile. He kissed Childe on the
lips gently, unable to resist after seeing how cute Childe looked, staring up at him with his
watery eyes.

"What about h-here?" Childe asked, bringing his hand down to brush his fingers against his
dripping hole. Zhongli smiled apologetically, laying down next to Childe and pulling him
closer, hugging his cut-up arms around him. Childe had also dealt damage to Zhongli all over
his back and arms, creating claw marks.

"I'm sorry, dove. My tongue only works for open wounds so I can heal my hosts after
feeding." He said as he pulled the covers over the two of them before holding Childe close,
hugging him possessively. Childe glared at him, "You did more than just feed on me," He
said snarkily, causing Zhongli to chuckle. He brushed a sweaty strand from Childe's eyes,
"I'm sorry," He said sincerely, kissing Childe on the lips, "I'll be more careful next time."

Childe froze up in Zhongli's arms, staring at him. He absentmindedly fiddled with the grey
stony substance that Zhongli had cast over his bites, a faraway look in his eyes. "Next
time...?" He asked Zhongli, a hesitant tone to his voice.

His heart began to pound, reality finally sinking into Childe's mind. Childe had gotten too far
into Zhongli's games but doing so had shown him just how dangerous Zhongli was. The
animalistic glint in Zhongli's eyes during sex flashed through Childe's mind. He looked like
he was inches away from devouring Childe whole and taking all his blood from him. Childe
knew in his heart that Zhongli was not safe. Zhongli would end up endangering him.

"Of course," Zhongli said, smiling cheerfully as if he'd done no wrong, "I can't just let you
run away, can I?" Childe felt a chill rushing through his spine at his words. A cold feeling
settled in his heart, wondering if Zhongli meant it. Would he not let Childe return home to his
family? Surely he wouldn't do that, right?

Childe's mind was exhausted, but fear of Zhongli's actions kept him wide awake. He was
tangled in Zhongli's limbs, hugging him tightly, a hit of possessiveness about him. Childe
thought Zhongli had drifted to sleeping, trying to plan his escape in his mind, when Zhongli
suddenly spoke,

"Childe," He called softly, his eyes closed, rendering Childe unable to read his emotions.

His voice chilled Childe, a knowing tone in his voice, "If you're thinking of running away,
don't. I will let you go back home; you will continue work as normal; I won't disturb you
every day. I would just like for you to be by my side," Zhongli said, causing nervousness to
rattle through his body.

It was as if Zhongli knew what he'd been thinking exactly. Childe felt his heart loosen a little,
knowing Zhongli would allow him to go home. Perhaps he could make his escape then and
never come back here.

As if reading his second thought, Zhongli spoke again, opening his eyes and fixing Childe
with a burning look, "But... if you choose to run away anyway; I will find you no matter how
far you go; I will drag you back here and make sure you don't see the light of day again. You
are mine now, and I will not let anything that is mine get away from me, okay?" Zhongli
 asked, cupping Childe's chin. Childe's heart hammered in his chest, feeling the alarm bells
going off in his mind again. He could do nothing but nod a little to indicate his
understanding, yet his mind was firmly rooted in escape.

Zhongli's expression softened into his usual gentle look, kissing Childe on his forehead.
"Good night, my dove."

Chapter End Notes

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

This chapter will definitely be getting a part two because of the cliffhanger and due to
the fact that I haven't actually brought out the 'Punishment' part of the prompt. Y'all can
probably guess what happens to Childe in the second part huehue~

Not sure when I'll write the part two, but hopefully soon! Happy Eid to all my fellows
who celebrate it!
 Pampering (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

WARNING: Mpreg, sensitive topics relating to pregnancy

Kaeya is suffering from postpartum depression after giving birth. Diluc taps into his
arsenal of affection and helps him get through it.

Chapter Notes

Zamn that description s u c k e d JSNSJ but I hope you like the chapter!

Please note that this chapter has some themes like domestic Luckae, parenthood,
postpartum depression, and insecurities~ in case that's not your thing! ALSO important
thing to note is that this chapter has implied ZhongChi, especially in the extra, so if you
mind the ship please skip this chapter!

Also I literally have zero idea what babies are like, so some of the interactions with their
baby may be unrealistic! I have no idea how they function bc I'm not much of a child
fanatic but I tried to Google as much as I could until my search looked like I was the one
having a baby.

Honestly I didn't pan out this chapter enough; it's not particularly an omegaverse but
simply an mpreg AU where half the male population can carry children.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The door to the Ragnvindr family's house clicked open as Diluc unlocked it. He stepped
inside the threshold, a deep sigh escaping his lips as the comfort of finally getting home
washed over him.

He massaged his aching temples with his free hand, holding his laptop bag in the other,
groaning a little as he pressed a pressure point on the back of his neck to massage a bubble
out of it. He wanted nothing more than to keel over and never get up again. Gods, the day had
been so hectic; Diluc wanted to collapse in his lover's arms and sleep for a millennium, but he
was disappointed to remember that he would have to repeat the day all over again tomorrow.

He glanced at the void living room as he shut the front door behind him, seeing that all the
lights were off. Diluc frowned a little, knowing that this was uncharacteristic for their family.
Usually, this wouldn't have been much of a concern for Diluc, considering it was about
midnight, but lately, his husband had been insistent on keeping at least one light turned on in
the house to keep it from getting too dark and scaring their baby. Diluc had readily agreed;
after all, he didn't want to distress Kaeya or their child and it wasn't like the electricity bill
was a concern for Diluc, given that he held the whole of Mondstadt in the palm of his hand.

Diluc couldn't help but feel worried as he glanced around the house, taking his shoes off at
the door before venturing deeper inside to find his lover.

Sure, it was late, but he didn't think it would be so quiet and eerie when they had a newborn
in the house.

Diluc had heard way too many horror stories of having newborn children screaming up a
storm and not letting their parents sleep at night, but it seemed that Lucio wasn't such a case.
Diluc smiled a little because he knew where his son got that characteristic, proudly taking
credit. After all, Diluc had been a quiet child just like his son, unlike his fussy husband, who
had been a loud child. Still, the fact that Kaeya was quiet was a source of concern for Diluc.

He worried that his lover had overworked himself and burned out. He flicked on the living
room light, sighing a little with relief as he saw a plate on the dining table, indicating that
Kaeya had at least eaten. That was a good sign.

Then, his frown deepened, seeing something amiss as he stared at the dish.

Kaeya was a clean freak; he would never allow anything in his house to stay dirty for longer
than five seconds, much less leave a dirty dish without scrubbing it clean.

Diluc put his laptop bag on the sofa, grabbing the plate to wash it, figuring that it was the
least he could do because of how absent he'd been at home these days. His feelings of
concern increased more and more with each passing minute he spent in the lonesome house.

Diluc and Kaeya had been together for about ten years and married for three years; the house
had never been so quiet since they started living together back when they were kids.

They'd known each other since they were in elementary, way too long for Diluc to count on
his fingers when Kaeya started living with Diluc's family. The Ragnvindrs had acted as a host
family for Kaeya to live with for education when the Khaenri'ahn economy was suffering.

They had been friends since day one, with Diluc taking Kaeya under his wing, doing his best
to make him feel welcomed in their home.

After being together for so long, he knew Kaeya like the back of his hand. He had learned
each of his little quirks, habits, preferences, likes, and dislikes early on in their lives because
he knew that Kaeya was someone he wanted to be with for a long time.

That was why Diluc worried now that he saw that Kaeya hadn't characteristically fussed over
a clean house as he usually did.
It was no matter; Diluc washed the dish quickly along with a few cooking pots in the sink,
knowing that if Kaeya couldn't do it, something was wrong. Diluc got done quickly in the
kitchen, chewing his bottom lip nervously as if afraid that something was up with Kaeya. He
felt like a bad husband because he knew little about what was going on under his own roof.

For the last few months, he had been coming home late due to the stress at work.

It was the beginning of the autumn season, meaning that the grapes at the winery were ripe
and ready to be used to create wine. The wine business got busiest around this time; Diluc
had a lot of responsibilities as the current owner of Dawn Winery to oversee the factories, the
production, the sales, and the marketing to make sure everything was up to par as the year got
closer to its end.

Each day, he would miss Kaeya, longing to be in his arms, craving to shower his lover and
their child with his affection, but he couldn't.

He usually left early in the morning before Kaeya would wake up, quickly feeding their child
and taking care of Lucio in the morning before putting him back to sleep with Kaeya and
leaving for work.

He wouldn't be back until late at night when Kaeya and Lucio had gone to bed already. Diluc
bit his lip with a sad look in his eyes, knowing most of his responsibilities as a father had
been dropped onto Kaeya's shoulders. He truly felt guilty for being so absent in the early days
of his son's life.

Not long ago, Kaeya and Diluc had decided to move a step forward in their relationship.
After long 3-am talks with one another, discussing their future moving forward, the two had
decided to have a child together. Kaeya had gotten pregnant almost a year ago, and Diluc had
been by his side throughout, helping him through his pregnancy. He would shower Kaeya
with love and make sure he was taken care of and had everything he needed for a comfortable
pregnancy.

Heck, he had even invested in one of those pregnancy beds for Kaeya to ensure he slept well
and comfortably. However, in the last few months of Kaeya's pregnancy, Diluc had gotten
slammed with work, unable to find the time to breathe, though he tried his best to be there for
his lover.

He smiled a little, remembering the day he'd gotten a call from Kaeya, telling him that his
water had broken and that he was going into labor. Diluc had panicked so much, showing
everyone at work an uncharacteristic side of him because the one he loved was going to give
birth.

He'd practically run out of Dawn Winery, rushing home to take Kaeya to the hospital, where
he'd gotten an emergency C-Section. That was the norm for male pregnancies since manually
giving birth was risky for both the father and the child.

Kaeya had given birth to their beautiful baby boy, whom they had named Lucio Ragnvindr.
They had been so happy that day; Diluc had taken two weeks off to help Kaeya adjust,
watching their baby's first moments of life together mirthfully. However, everything changed
when Diluc had to go back to work. Diluc overexerted himself to the point where all he did
was work, sleep, and work some more, unable to pay attention to his family. His work was
getting in the way of Diluc spending time with Kaeya and Lucio, and he knew it was
affecting all of them. After all, he and Kaeya had been inseparable since the day they'd met
when they were both in elementary.

Diluc had once been a lonely child, standing above all other children because he came from a
prestigious family. Before Kaeya, he scarcely had friends; the nights spent alone in his
father's mansion when he was just a kid still hung over DIluc's mind. Diluc had latched on to
the one person who had been there to make his life less lonely; Kaeya. He would spend every
chance he got observing Kaeya until he knew him better than he knew himself.

Ever since Diluc and Kaeya were young, everyone around them knew they would always end
up together in the future because of how tight-knit they were. Kaeya was the first to respond
to Diluc's offer of friendship, grateful for the opportunity to get to know someone in a new,
unfamiliar place.

They got so accustomed to one another, growing inseparable over time and learning to rely
only on each other.

Each time someone tried to get them away from each other, they would get homesick for one
another if they were apart for more than a few hours. Diluc remembered one time, Kaeya had
been forced to separate from Diluc because he had had a class in a different building.

They'd spent the whole day missing each other; Diluc's heart was ill at ease all day because
he hadn't had Kaeya by his side.

Diluc couldn't help but smile as he walked into the kitchen, recalling their younger days when
they couldn't be apart without falling apart. It was around that time that his feelings for Kaeya
had begun to bud. Not much had changed since then, even though both of them were well in
their thirties now, considering how much he'd miss Kaeya whenever he went to work.

Their relationship had had its ups and downs, especially when Diluc's father had passed,
forcing Diluc to move away to his aunt's for three years until he was old enough to take over
the wine business.

He had been forced to say goodbye to Kaeya; naturally, it had created animosity in Kaeya's
heart towards Diluc for leaving him behind for years. He had been forced to go to another
host family to live out the remainder of high school.

When Diluc returned to Mondstadt, it had taken him almost a year and a half to win back
Kaeya's heart.

He knew the scars of being abandoned by Diluc ran deep in Kaeya, who didn't have anyone
but Diluc and Crepus. It had destroyed both of them, who had never been apart for years, to
suddenly separate. Diluc had made up for his absence with ten years of love and affection.
Kaeya was Diluc's first love, and Diluc knew that he would be his last. There was no one in
the vastness of Teyvat as special to Diluc as Kaeya was, except maybe Lucio now.

That was why he worried, worried that Kaeya wasn't feeling well because he wasn't acting as
characteristically as he usually did. Diluc ventured upstairs, making his way to his and
Kaeya's shared bedroom (along with Lucio because Kaeya worried about leaving the three-
month-old alone).

As he stepped outside their bedroom door, Diluc paused, freezing up with his ears straining to
listen to a sound coming from inside the room. The sound of quiet weeping emanated from
behind the door, causing his heart to stop.

He stared at the floor, eyes wide as pure concern filled his heart as the sound of Kaeya's voice
sobbing to himself filled his ears.

His body immediately grew restless, a protective urge washing over him as he realized for
sure that something was wrong. Diluc opened the door silently to keep from frightening
Kaeya, worried that something had happened to his husband or child, that either of them were
hurt. The sound of crying didn't seize as the door creaked open, allowing Diluc to step inside.

The room was dark, only illuminated by the moonlight flooding in from the bedroom
window.

Diluc's frown deepened, seeing Kaeya huddled up under the blankets, unable to stop crying
even though he was well aware of Diluc's presence. Diluc looked around for any sign of
Lucio, getting more and more concerned by the minute as he saw his crib empty, causing him
to walk deeper into the room with hurried footsteps, rushing to Kaeya's side. As Diluc
approached, he bit his lip, feeling just slightly relieved as he saw that Kaeya was lying on his
side, clutching Lucio to his chest protectively like he was afraid the baby would disappear.

"Kaeya, my love?" Diluc called softly, though his husband did not respond. Kaeya simply
turned away more to keep Diluc from seeing his face. Diluc sighed, knowing he couldn't
force Kaeya to face him, but he couldn't leave Kaeya so broken like this.

As gently as he could, Diluc brushed his hand against the small of Kaeya's back in a way he
knew Kaeya liked, sitting down at the edge of the bed next to his lover. He pulled the blanket
off of Kaeya and Lucio with little to no retaliation from his husband. He noted that Kaeya
was clutching Lucio secure enough for Diluc to keep from worrying, knowing just what
Kaeya needed at that moment.

Diluc hooked his arms around Kaeya's body, pulling him up off the bed with ease while the
younger whimpered.

His heart ached with worry as he realized that Kaeya had lost weight, pulling the man into his
lap with Lucio in his arms. Kaeya didn't look at Diluc, seemingly wanting nothing more than
to hide so no one would be able to see his tears. He buried his face in Diluc's chest, holding a
sleeping Lucio in his own lap while Diluc cradled him.
Diluc didn't say anything; he knew better than to force Kaeya to tell him why he was crying;
it would only upset Kaeya more if he did so. Instead, all he did was hold Kaeya, allowing
him to cry in his arms while gently rocking back and forth to soothe Kaeya a bit.

"I'm here, love," Diluc murmured to Kaeya, stroking his hair with a light touch. Diluc didn't
hug Kaeya too tightly, fearing that he might hurt Lucio in the process, but he knew every
little thing about Kaeya, even the types of hugs he preferred. Diluc gently grasped Kaeya's
wrist, whispering comforting words in Kaeya's ear as he tried to pry his arms off their son.
Kaeya only sobbed harder, turning the baby away as if afraid that Diluc would take him away
from him forever.

"Shh... I'm not taking him away from you," Diluc said soothingly, kissing Kaeya's temple,
"He will be right by your side," He assured.

Kaeya shook a little in answer but ultimately, he recognized that it was his husband meaning
to take his baby from him and loosened his grip enough for Diluc to retrieve Lucio from his
arms. Diluc held the baby on one arm, careful not to hurt him or drop him.

He kissed Lucio on the forehead, checking for any signs of injury just in case, but he seemed
unharmed.

Diluc rested his chin on Kaeya's head, watching the little mop of red hair belonging to the
baby beginning to stir. Lucio cooed a little, opening his sleepy eyes and raising his head off
Diluc's bicep to look at them.

Diluc bit his lip to fight back a bit of laughter as Lucio looked up at him with what he could
only describe as the most deadpan expression a child could muster, likely inherited from
Diluc as well.

Diluc felt Kaeya peering from his chest to look at their child at the sound of the noise. Lucio
seemed too sleepy to continue glaring at Diluc, resting his head against Diluc's arm again and
falling asleep without so much as a noise. Diluc pressed one last kiss on Lucio's head before
he extended his arm behind him on the bed, laying the baby down at the center and wrapping
the blankets around him securely so he wouldn't be able to flail around in his sleep and fall
off the bed.

Kaeya made a noise of protest at the action, reaching out towards his child as if afraid of
letting him go, but Diluc grasped his wrist, meeting Kaeya's watery grey eye with gentle red
ones.

"He's not going anywhere, he will be right here," Diluc guaranteed him, kissing the underside
of Kaeya's wrist before pulling him against his chest, hugging him with all his might just as
Kaeya liked.

Bit by bit, Kaeya relaxed in his arms, still crying quietly, but less severely than before.

Diluc continued to whisper sweet nothings in Kaeya's ears, kissing him on the cheeks,
forehead, nose, and everywhere his lips could reach until Kaeya's tears reduced to sniffles.
Diluc pressed his forehead against Kaeya's, looking deeply into his eyes before tilting his
face just a few millimeters forward, brushing their lips together lovingly.

"I love you, Kaeya," Diluc told him, a pang of guilt stabbing his chest as he realized it had
been a while since he'd told Kaeya so. He was used to telling Kaeya he loved him hundreds
of times a day, and he knew Kaeya was used to it too because a shaky smile steadily rose on
his lips as a result of hearing it after so long.

They stayed like that for minutes that felt like hours in silence; neither of them felt the need
to speak, allowing their gentle kisses and caresses to do the talking until Kaeya didn't shake
anymore. Diluc looked into Kaeya's red and puffy eye from crying, nuzzling their faces
together affectionately and relishing in the tiny smile it earned him as Kaeya calmed down
completely.

Diluc wrapped his arms more securely around Kaeya, thinking he should get Kaeya to calm
down completely. He stood up with his husband in his arms, listening as Kaeya whimpered a
little, startled by the sudden action.

He didn't protest, tightening his arms around Diluc's neck so he wouldn't fall.

Diluc took him out of the dark bedroom with Kaeya's head resting on his shoulder, looking
past him at his child wrapped up in blankets, a sinking feeling in his chest though he allowed
Diluc to carry him away. Diluc brought Kaeya downstairs until they reached the kitchen,
where Kaeya was promptly sat upon a counter while Diluc bustled around to get him some
water.

Kaeya vaguely thought how unhygienic it was for him to sit on the kitchen counter, but he
couldn't find the strength to hop off.

He watched Diluc with a tender and fragile look in his eye, finally coming back to reality, the
fact that Diluc was in front of him finally setting in. He didn't know where his breakdown had
taken him; he'd felt like he didn't know what was real and what wasn't.

Diluc brought him cool water, stepping between Kaeya's legs and placing his arms on either
side of Kaeya's body, holding him fixed on top of the counter. He wrapped his arms around
Kaeya's waist, burying his face into his shoulder with a stressed, concerned sigh as the
younger drank the water gratefully. When Kaeya finished the water, he set the glass aside,
hugging Diluc back and burying his face into Diluc's bushy red hair. He could feel Diluc
tracing patterns on his hips through the fabric of his shorts, a technique Kaeya recognized
Diluc used to calm him down.

He exhaled contentedly, finally feeling grounded now that his husband was with him.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Diluc asked, his voice slightly muffled with his
face buried in the crook of Kaeya's neck. Kaeya bit his lip, knowing that the question
would've come eventually, but he didn't know how to explain what had caused him to fall
apart like that.
Diluc frowned at Kaeya's silence, moving back just enough for their eyes to meet. He cupped
Kaeya's face, fixing him with a soft, affectionate look, "You don't have to tell me if you don't
want to, but... if it's because of me, I would like to know so I can fix what made you cry,"
Diluc said.

Kaeya nestled his face in Diluc's palm, feeling self-conscious. He knew Diluc wouldn't
shame him for feeling what he felt; it was one of the things Kaeya loved most about him.
Rather than invalidating Kaeya's feelings, Diluc did his best to accommodate him; Kaeya
knew that this time would be no different.

He took a deep breath, "Well..." He began, his voice a bit hoarse from crying, "It's partially
because of you," He cleared up, hoping Diluc didn't think he was overreacting.

Diluc nodded glumly but didn't say anything, encouraging him to continue.

"I... I broke down today because it got too much for me to handle. The last few months... ever
since Lucio was born, I've just been feeling really lonely. I've been having bad thoughts
because I haven't had anything to do while on paternity leave except think... I keep feeling
like Lucio is going to get hurt, that someone might take him from me and that I won't have
my child tomorrow because of my carelessness," Kaeya said, his voice getting choked up
with emotion.

Diluc didn't interrupt him, didn't look disdainful or burdened by Kaeya's words. He simply
hugged Kaeya, rubbing his back soothingly to encourage him to let it all out.

"And... e-every day you work from dawn to midnight, and I don't get to see you most days; it
just... makes me feel like you've been avoiding me after my pregnancy," Kaeya told him,
trying not to start crying.

He didn't know why he was being so sensitive, felt the urge to cry, or felt so fragile these
days. Diluc didn't say anything immediately, sighing softly with disdain, not towards Kaeya
but himself for not noticing earlier. He felt like the worst husband in the world for being the
reason Kaeya cried like this; Kaeya and Lucio were Diluc's top priority. It was poor planning
on Diluc's part not to give Kaeya the help and support he deserved right after his pregnancy.

"I'm sorry," Diluc said, his voice quiet but his words genuine, "I'm so sorry for making you
feel this way," Diluc told him. Kaeya couldn't help but start crying again, not out of anguish
like before, but with gratitude towards Diluc for not judging him, for not telling him that he
was overreacting or in the wrong.

"Don't cry... I promise not to make you feel this way anymore; I should never have left you
alone at home for so long. It won't happen again, so please forgive me," Diluc pleaded,
peppering Kaeya's face with kisses all over his cheeks and neck until it tickled too much for
Kaeya to bear.

Diluc watched with lovestruck eyes as Kaeya began to laugh through his tears, "Okay, okay!
You're forgiven, Ragnvindr," Kaeya said, smiling and pecking Diluc on the cheek, causing
the redhead to wonder how he'd been able to marry someone so perfect.
Diluc kissed Kaeya passionately, allowing the connection between their lips to speak for
them, showing Kaeya how sorry he was with the gentleness of his touch.

They took the moment to enjoy the kiss; they hadn't been intimate in so long, causing both of
them to lose themselves in each other's lips. When Kaeya pulled back, he no longer had tears
in his eyes, much to Diluc's delight.

"Let's get you back to bed," Diluc said, plucking Kaeya off the counter again, this time
having Kaeya wrap his legs around his waist so he could embrace his husband, not wanting
to let go for even a second. Diluc brought them back to their bedroom, where Lucio had
somehow wriggled out of the blankets in his sleep and stretched out across the whole bed.

Kaeya laughed, "I think he got that from his uncle," He told Diluc, whose face soured at the
mention of Kaeya's best friend, Childe.

"That's physically impossible cause you're not related," Diluc muttered grumpily, causing
Kaeya to laugh at what a party pooper Diluc became when the topic of Childe came up. Diluc
placed Kaeya on his side of the bed before kissing him on the cheek and leaving momentarily
into the closet to take off his suit. When he returned a few moments later, he smiled at the
sight of Kaeya beginning to doze off, holding Lucio to his chest as one would cuddle a teddy
bear, though the baby didn't seem to mind, happy to be back in his father's arms.

Diluc carefully climbed into bed on the other side, trying to keep as quiet as possible to keep
from disturbing them as he slid forward. He replaced Kaeya's pillow with his arm, sighing
contentedly as he Kaeya scooted forward as well until they embraced with Lucio happily
snoozing between them.

***

The next day, Kaeya woke up groggily, a soft moan escaping his lips at the pain in his head.

His eyes were slightly swollen and red, his head aching from crying last night. Kaeya sat up,
blinking his bleary eyes and grabbing his eyepatch from the nightstand, putting it on. Finally,
he looked beside him on the bed, feeling his heart sinking into the depths of his stomach to
find Diluc's side of the bed empty as usual.

Kaeya pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging around them and sighing to himself but
trying not to feel hurt or disappointed even though he was.

He had hoped Diluc would stay home today after the promise he'd made last night, but it
didn't yet seem to be the case. Then, Kaeya straightened up, his eyes widening with fear as he
realized that Lucio wasn't there either, causing him to worry.

Diluc usually placed Lucio right by his side to nap before he left for work. Kaeya threw the
covers off himself and hurried to his feet, checking around the bed in case Lucio had fallen
before running out of the room with worry and panic in his eyes. He stopped in his tracks as
he left their bedroom, getting distracted.
The smell of waffles and eggs was wafting through the house, causing Kaeya to furrow his
eyebrows, knowing that that shouldn't be possible. It was nine in the morning, Diluc would've
left hours ago, but the smell of breakfast was there, causing Kaeya to feel hungry. He walked
down the stairs, feeling nervous, but immediately, his worries sated as he saw a mop of fiery
red hair in the open-spaced kitchen, preparing breakfast singlehandedly.

In Diluc's other arm was Lucio, lazily drinking milk from a bottle feeder and looking
contented with life. Kaeya's heart calmed down with relief and intense joy at the sight of the
two of them. Diluc was home; he hadn't left at all. He had kept his promise.

Lucio was the first to notice Kaeya standing there, forgetting about the bottle and reaching
out past Diluc to Kaeya, cooing as if he recognized his father.

"Ugh, stop being fussy or you'll fall," Diluc complained, turning around to see what feat had
managed to distract Lucio from feeding time. Then, his eyes met Kaeya's, and his expression
immediately softened at the sight of his husband.

"Good morning," Diluc said, gesturing Kaeya forward with his free arm.

Kaeya happily obliged walking over to Diluc with a big smile on his face, his insides filling
with butterflies as Diluc hugged him and kissed his temple.

"Good morning, 'Luc," Kaeya wished back, contentment filling him as he realized how long
it had been since he'd bade Diluc a good morning. Diluc cursed as Lucio dropped his bottle to
the floor in an attempt to reach for Kaeya's hair, "You little goblin..--" Diluc muttered,
causing Kaeya to laugh.

Kaeya took Lucio from Diluc, kissing their son on both cheeks, "Good morning to you too,
my prince," Kaeya said, his wording for Lucio vastly different from Diluc's. The baby
immediately curled up to Kaeya, his chubby hands grasping Kaeya's hair before beginning to
nibble on it.

Diluc grumbled a little, picking the bottle off the floor with milk splattering everywhere. He
quickly wiped it up with a few paper towels, reemerging from behind the counter with an
uncharacteristic pout on his face that made Kaeya's heart burst with love. "I spent fifteen
minutes making that bottle for him because he wouldn't stop trying to make me bald," Diluc
complained to Kaeya, trying to hug him from behind as if jealous of his son for hogging
Kaeya's attention.

"Oh, don't be so mean~," Kaeya told Diluc, cradling Lucio in his arms lovingly, "My little
prince will grow out of it eventually; you have enough hair to go around."

Diluc sighed, knowing he had no competition for Kaeya's favor when it came to Lucio.

"Diluc," Kaeya said, kissing him on the cheek to get his attention. Diluc's grumpy frown
immediately melted off his face at Kaeya's action, suddenly looking a lot brighter, "Yes,
love?" He asked.
Kaeya simply smirked at him, "The eggs are burning," He said, laughing as Diluc cursed
again and rushed back to the stove to take them off the heat.

The moment was blissful for Kaeya; it was everything he'd ever imagined when he
envisioned parenthood. Holding his child in his arms with his husband cooking breakfast and
spoiling him with affection was all he'd ever wanted.

Diluc plated waffles, eggs, and toast into two plates for them and guided Kaeya into the
dining room, setting the plates on the dining table. He came around the table to Kaeya,
pulling the chair out for him and kissing the top of his head; Kaeya's cheeks were starting to
hurt from smiling.

"Diluc... aren't you going to go to work?" He asked, trying not to get his hopes up in case
Diluc was going to leave soon.

Diluc sat opposite him, extending his hand out to hold Kaeya's, brushing his thumb against
his knuckles, "No, you don't have to worry about that. I called off work early in the morning.
In a few days, I'll go back to hire some more people to take on my job, and after that, I'm all
yours every day." Diluc told him, smiling just a tiny bit, but it was enough to make Kaeya's
eyes water with happiness.

"Okay," Kaeya said, not trusting his voice not to break. Instead, he began to dig into the
delicious, slightly burnt breakfast Diluc had made for him with Lucio in his lap, continuously
trying to steal from his plate. He and Diluc had breakfast together after almost three months.

After breakfast, Diluc made sure to give Kaeya his full attention, shifting to the living room
after making popcorn, telling Kaeya that they would watch any movie or show they wanted
without interruptions.

The two spent their whole day wrapped up in blankets, watching movies together with Lucio
relaxing on their legs in the living room and observing the screen with intense concentration
as if he understood everything that was going on.

Throughout the day, Diluc force-fed Kaeya all his favorite snacks, frequently pecking him on
the lips and showering him with sweet, gentle touches. Then, around four in the afternoon,
the doorbell rang, and Diluc fetched it.

He returned with multiple bags in his hands, looking as grumpy as usual, causing Kaeya to
ask, "Who was at the door?"

Diluc sighed, plopping down next to Kaeya, and shifted his ponytail away as Lucio began to
reach for it. "Jean and Lisa," He answered, placing the shopping bags on Kaeya's lap,
watching with a small smile as Kaeya eyed them.

"What did they want?" He asked, "You should've invited them inside for tea," He scolded,
causing Diluc to cross his arms, his mouth curling into a scowl again.

"Hmph, before you woke up, I asked those two to buy some things in my place; they came by
to drop them off," He said, gesturing to the bags, "Open them, they're gifts for you," He told
Kaeya, not quite meeting his eyes as if feeling bashful.

Kaeya stared at him incredulously, both of them ignoring the way Lucio beat his arms against
the bags as if trying to open them in Kaeya's place.

"For... me?" Kaeya asked, feeling his cheeks heating up as he shifted his gaze to the bags,
feeling excitement bubbling in his chest even though he tried to suppress it.

"Who else?" Diluc said, sounding slightly exasperated, but Kaeya knew he wasn't one bit
annoyed. He leaned forward and kissed Kaeya on the neck, "I'm sorry I couldn't pick the gifts
for you myself; I didn't want to leave you alone and... you know my fashion sense isn't the
best out there." He told Kaeya, resting his head on his shoulder in hopes that Kaeya wouldn't
call him insensitive for using Jean and Lisa as proxies to buy gifts for him.

Contrarily, Kaeya smiled brighter than he'd smiled in months at the prospect of gifts. He
gripped Diluc's jaw and pulled his face up to kiss him passionately, his free hand covering
Lucio's eyes just in case.

"Thank you, Diluc," Kaeya told him as he pulled away, his eye glinting with happiness as he
turned his attention to the gifts, leaving a dazed Diluc staring at him with a lovestruck look.
Kaeya opened the first bag and gasped as he saw matching outfits for him and Diluc, causing
Diluc to pale a little. "Oh, we'll look so good in this!" Kaeya said, laughing at Diluc's scowl
as he cursed Jean and Lisa for buying matching clothes for them at their age.

Kaeya opened up all the gifts, including jewelry, clothes, toys for Lucio, and more outfits for
Kaeya to wear.

Lucio grabbed a fluffy lion plush from a bag, beginning to eat its hair. Diluc facepalmed at
Jean and Lisa's life choices, wondering why they had to get Lucio a fluffy toy of all things.
"D-Diluc, these are way too many," Kaeya said to him, feeling overwhelmed by the gifts.

He met Kaeya's eyes and smiled, cupping his face and kissing him, "Don't worry, we'll be
able to get many more things for you later," He promised.

Kaeya stared at him, somewhat dumbfounded and confused, "Later?" He asked,

incomprehensive of Diluc's plans. Diluc begrudgingly pressed the matching outfits into
Kaeya's hands with a blush on his face.

"I'm taking you out on a date; you need some time away from home, away from all the
responsibilities," Diluc said, his voice soft, trying not to let Kaeya see his blushing face by
occupying himself with breaking Lucio away from the lion plush's mane, fearing that he
would choke.

Kaeya stared at him, dumbfounded for a few moments because Diluc hadn't taken him out in
ages.

He stared at the clothes; there were two sets of black and white striped button-ups and pants,
horizontal stripes for Diluc and vertical for Kaeya. Kaeya already envisioned them wearing
them out on a date, holding hands with people staring at them weirdly for matching outfits
even in their thirties.

Kaeya couldn't help the wide grin stretching on his face, feeling intense excitement washing
over him.

So many emotions he hadn't felt for months just crashed over him, pulling him out of his
baby blues because the day was passing exactly how Kaeya had envisioned.

He blinked back tears, hiding his face from Diluc to keep from worrying him, but the redhead
worried for Kaeya anyway, frowning at Kaeya while wholeheartedly ignoring Lucio, who
smacked his chest repeatedly with his meaty arms to get his lion plush back.

"Um.. if you don't want to go out, it's completely fine; we can say in and do something
together inside, I can cancel the date-... I thought you would like Jean and Lisa's fashion
choices; I'm sorry if you don't like the gifts, I'll buy you anything you want-" Diluc rambled,
feeling nervous that Kaeya didn't like any of the gifts or the idea of a date after so long, but
he was caught off guard when Kaeya suddenly lunged at him, kissing him deeply on the lips
with a wide grin on his face.

Diluc stared at Kaeya for a few moments, blown out of the water at the sudden affection, then
he began to smile as well, kissing his husband back.

They didn't break the kiss until an agitated Lucio babbled a few complaints, realizing they
were squishing their child between them. Kaeya pulled back, looking into Diluc's eyes with
so many emotions swimming in his eyes that Diluc had trouble deciphering them all. Love,
joy, excitement, anticipation, and hundreds more that Diluc couldn't find the words to
describe.

"Thank you, Diluc," Kaeya told him, his voice barely above a whisper, hardly able to contain
his excitement.

Diluc's eyes crinkled a little as his lips curled into a smile, the smile meant only for Kaeya's
eyes and no one else. No one who knew Diluc in his everyday life would ever be able to
imagine him with a smile as soft as the one he wore when he gazed at his lover and, of
course, his son.

"I will make up for my absence and accompany you every day until you're begging me to
leave you alone, 'kay?" Diluc said, his voice slightly teasing.

He loved the smile that played on Kaeya's lips at his words like there was nothing more he
could want than to have Diluc by his side every day. "Where will you take me?" Kaeya said,
cuddling into Diluc's side and caressing Lucio's hair, causing the baby to loll his head,
enjoying the massage.

"That defeats the purpose of a surprise, doesn't it?" Diluc said, "Why don't you go get ready?
I have a lot planned for us; it'll take a while to get it all done."
Kaeya perked up at the realization that they would be leaving right away, but then, he paused,
"What about Lucio? He's coming with us, right?" Kaeya asked, taking the baby in his arms
and kissing both of his chubby cheeks.

Diluc cleared his throat, unable to help but feel slightly guilty. He knew Kaeya needed some
time away from everything and to lose himself in life for one night with Diluc. If Diluc were
to bring Lucio on the date, he knew they wouldn't be able to enjoy the night and spend it
worrying about their son. He'd arranged for Lucio to spend one night at the home of Kaeya's
most trusted friend (and Diluc's least trusted enemy) so they could have one night away from
being parents.

He'd done a lot of research on how Kaeya was feeling as a new parent and he'd arrived at one
conclusion; Kaeya was going through postpartum depression from the stress of being a
parent.

Diluc learned that the best way for a parent to recover from postpartum depression was to
take a short break from being a parent because continuously trying to move forward without
addressing the depression would do more harm than good for both the parent and the baby.

"Well... I arranged for people to take care of him while we're away-" Diluc cut off as Kaeya's
eye morphed into a fierce glare, hugging Lucio protectively with a 'how-dare-you-try-to-take-
my-baby-away-from-me' expression, causing Diluc to quickly add, "Just for tonight! I
promise, you won't even know you were apart," Diluc said.

Kaeya's lips began to quiver at the idea of being away from Lucio for even a minute, causing
Diluc's eyes to soften.

Diluc scooted forward, hugging his arms around Kaeya soothingly, pulling his lover into his
chest. Lucio looked up at Diluc with that same deadpan look that read, 'Why are you always
making him cry?'

Perhaps having a copy of himself for a son was not the best thing in the world for Diluc.

"Kaeya, I know how you feel; you don't want to let Lucio out of your sight for even a bit,
but... you need a break. If your depression gets any worse, you might lose yourself; you need
this. I will be with you every step of the way; one night won't hurt Lucio, I promise." Diluc
told Kaeya gently.

Kaeya bit his lip, still looking skeptical, but he knew that Diluc was right. Yesterday, Kaeya
had been at his breaking point. He didn't know how he would've gotten through the night if
Diluc hadn't been there to assure him that everything would be alright, that he had his
husband by his side. He feared the breakdown that happened to him last night recurring.

He sighed, knowing that he couldn't push himself and risk hurting his baby. He kissed Lucio
on the forehead, "Okay... if you say so. Who's gonna babysit him?" Kaeya asked Diluc,
watching as the redhead's face twisted into one of disgust.

"Childe," He said, already feeling irritated. He felt himself getting even more annoyed as
Kaeya perked up at the mention of his best friend.
He'd asked Childe for a specific reason; he was the one Kaeya trusted most aside from Diluc.

Diluc rolled his eyes but took Lucio from Kaeya, who looked annoyed being passed around
like a sack of potatoes, "I'll take care of him, you go get ready," Diluc told Kaeya, who
immediately stood up, revitalized as he now knew that Lucio would be in good hands.

***

"Ugh, I have a bad feeling about this," Diluc said for the umpteenth time, causing Kaeya to
roll his eyes with a smile on his face, in high spirits. He kissed Lucio gently on his cheek,
seating the baby on his knee as they sat in the car with Diluc driving.

"Oh, stop it. Childe isn't that bad; he will take good care of our Lucio," Kaeya said, causing
Diluc to grumble as if he wasn't the one who'd asked him to babysit their child. Lucio stared
out the window, his mouth agape as he watched the streets they passed by, gazing at
everything with interest. Diluc sighed, "Okay, but that's easy for you to say; he's your best
friend. I would rather drop him off at Jean's; I don't trust that ginger," Diluc said, making
Kaeya laugh.

Diluc felt his annoyance with the circumstances easing up a bit the moment he heard Kaeya's
laughter.

"Technically, you're a ginger too," Kaeya pointed out, causing Diluc to scoff with indignance,
looking utterly offended.

"First off, how dare you, and second, no," Diluc said flatly, relishing in the laugh it earned
him, "All gingers may be redheads but not all redheads are gingers." Diluc said fiercely,
causing Kaeya to shake his head with exasperation at how childish his husband sounded.

"Oh whatever, I don't get why you're acting like the protective one now," Kaeya said, "You
know Zhongli will be with him; you two seem to get along phenomenally," Kaeya argued
back. Diluc opened his mouth to retaliate but closed it again, pursing his lips as he realized
that Kaeya had a point.

"Fine, you're right. Mr. Zhongli being there is the only reason I'm allowing this; he is a very
respectable man," Diluc said.

Kaeya rolled his eyes again, "If only you knew the kind of stories Childe tells me about him,"
He muttered, smirking.

Diluc shivered, "I'd rather not know. I don't need my faith in humanity to crumble any more
than it already has," Diluc said with an expressionless voice, making Kaeya laugh but unable
to argue. Kaeya couldn't help but smile to himself, feeling good about life for the first time in
a while.

The sun was setting, but the day had only just begun for their family.

Lucio looked up at Kaeya, pointing at a street lamp with great interest and babbling
incoherently. Kaeya humored him with a nurturing smile. The baby stared at Kaeya blankly
for a few moments, trying to decipher why he was making such an expression; then, he did
something that surprised Kaeya.

"Oh my god, Diluc, look!" Kaeya said, slapping Diluc repeatedly on the shoulder even as the
man was driving, trying desperately to get his attention.

"Kaeya, I'm driving, you're gonna cause an accident-!" Diluc said, nearly panicking as he
swerved to avoid a car. Kaeya didn't listen, staring avidly at Lucio's face as the corners of the
baby's lips began to twitch, trying to copy Kaeya's smile.

"But it's his first smile!" Kaeya exclaimed, laughing with delight and affection.

That seemed to get Diluc's attention, "Oh shit, really?" He asked, glancing away from the
road to see Lucio's smile. Kaeya slapped him on the shoulder again, "No swearing! You'll
influence his first words; keep your eyes on the road, you lunatic!" He scolded. Diluc sighed,
knowing there was no winning with Kaeya even though Lucio would probably not going to
remember his cursing by the time he learned to talk.

Before they knew it, the short car ride to Zhongli and Childe's house came to an end.

Diluc rolled to a stop in front of the large house, sighing and wishing he and Kaeya weren't
dressed in tacky (but stylish, courtesy of Lisa) matching outfits. Something so romantic didn't
suit Diluc's age or brooding expression, but he got out of the car to open the passenger's side
door for Kaeya.

Kaeya got out with Lucio in his arms and kissed Diluc on the cheek as thanks before rushing
through the driveway to get to the door. Diluc rolled his eyes but smiled despite himself,
feeling giddy at the prospect of spending a whole night with no interruptions with his lover.
He brought a bag of supplies from the backseat for Zhongli and Childe's ease, beginning to
lug it up to the house where Kaeya was already ringing the doorbell. When Diluc reached the
doorstep, the door swung open to reveal Zhongli, dressed comfortably in pajamas. It was
highly uncharacteristic to see Zhongli in anything but a suit, but the man's smile was as
professional as ever.

"Ah, we were wondering when the two of you would arrive," Zhongli said politely, smiling at
Diluc and Kaeya and bowing his head in greeting, "It is good to see you, please, come in."
Zhongli stepped aside, gesturing for them to step inside the threshold, but Diluc stepped
forward, shaking his head.

"Oh, no need. Thank you for your hospitality and for agreeing to watch Lucio for us, Mr.
Zhongli," Diluc said, shaking the man's hand.

Zhongli opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by a loud voice coming from deeper
inside the house, "Zhongli! Is it them?" Childe's voice called, accompanied by rapid footsteps
coming to the door.

Childe reached the doorway and let out a gasp that nearly shook the house, "Oh, look who it
is!" Childe said, not looking at any of the adults but at the only person in the vicinity that
mattered to him, Lucio. Kaeya laughed a little, already holding the baby forward for Childe
to take before the ginger could snatch him.

Childe cooed at the baby, rubbing his forehead with Lucio's while making noises of
excitement equivalent to a pterodactyl's screech while Diluc watched on in disgust. Then, to
Childe's horror, Lucio began to cry.

"No! Why are you crying? No-no-no...!" Childe cried. Kaeya watched on with amusement,
holding Diluc back, who looked like he was about to blow a fuse that someone, especially
Childe, had made his son cry. Zhongli stepped in to mediate the situation immediately, gently
plucking the baby from Childe's hands before holding the child properly in his arms.

"Shh... I know my husband can be a little scary, but there's no need to cry," Zhongli assured,
causing Childe to squawk with indignance, smacking him on the shoulder.

"Hey! Whose side are you on?!" Childe asked, but then, the two quieted down as they saw
Lucio immediately calm down in Zhongli's arms. Zhongli raised a triumphant eyebrow at
Childe, "I'm on the winning side, Childe," He said.

Childe pouted, then finally noticed the existence of Diluc and Kaeya. He took one look at
them and began to laugh, "Holy shit, what are you wearing?" He asked between breathy
bouts of laughter, causing Diluc to grit his teeth with annoyance while Kaeya smacked his
friend for swearing, "No swearing around the baby!" Kaeya hissed as if afraid Lucio would
hear them.

Then, with a proud pose, he gestured to his outfit, "You like it? Jean and Lisa picked them out
for us," He told Childe, who looked a bit skeptical.

Then, he reached over and whispered loudly in Zhongli's ears, "Zhongli, can we buy
matching outfits too? It's so romantic-" He was cut off quickly by Zhongli, "Absolutely not."

Childe stuck his tongue out at Zhongli huffily, then turned to Kaeya again, wholeheartedly
ignoring Diluc. "Alright alright, as you can see, your beloved son's in good hands AKA any
hands that aren't mine; you two can go enjoy your date now, we can handle it from here," He
told Kaeya, patting him on the shoulder, smiling.

He snatched the baby bag from Diluc, glaring at him, "Take care of Kaeya properly," He
scolded, glaring at Diluc, who glared right back. Diluc was about to say something offensive
but Kaeya intertwined their fingers together to distract him from his anger, smiling at Childe
and Zhongli, "We'll leave Lucio in your capable hands and pick him up in the morning,"
Kaeya said.

Zhongli held Lucio out for them to say goodbye, and Kaeya quickly kissed both of the baby's
cheeks while Diluc patted him on the head.

"Thanks again~!" Kaeya told the couple as Diluc nodded at Zhongli before they went back
down the driveway to their car. Kaeya leaned into Diluc's side as his lover wrapped an arm
around his waist. He couldn't help but feel a bit worried as he glanced back over their
shoulders to see Childe and Zhongli closing the door.
"Hey," Diluc said, catching his attention gently. He pressed his index below Kaeya's chin and
tilted his face up to press a loving kiss on his lips, "Everything will be okay. Just enjoy," He
told Kaeya, causing him to smile a little.

"Okay, I trust you."

***

Diluc smiled as he unlocked the door to his and Kaeya's home, chatting and laughing as they
entered the house. "Next time, when Lucio is old enough, we'll take him on all the fun rides
too!" Kaeya said, talking animatedly with his voice bursting with excitement.

"I don't think taking a baby on X2 is allowed, Kaeya," Diluc told him, locking the door
before turning to his husband.

The night had gone by blissfully for them. First, Diluc had taken Kaeya to an amusement
park, where they'd spent the better part of the evening going on rides they hadn't been able to
go on when they were younger. The adrenaline still pumped likely through Kaeya's body,
making him feel a bit frazzled but overall satisfied with their night. Diluc had gone through
each rollercoaster with what Kaeya called 'his resting bitch face' while Kaeya had whooped
until his throat went sore. After the amusement park, Diluc took Kaeya to one of his favorite
restaurants, ordering as many dishes as Kaeya wanted without sparing any expense.

Kaeya had many shopping bags in his arms full of more gifts for him and Lucio from Diluc,
this time with Diluc's heart and soul put into them instead of Jean and Lisa's.

The night had been magical for Kaeya. He'd never felt so young and lively in years than he
did today, all because he had his husband all to himself with no distractions or disturbances.

Kaeya's eye glittered with affection, staring at his husband with a loving smile, causing Diluc
to freeze up. He all but tackled Diluc in a hug, wrapping his arms around the man's waist and
burying his face into Diluc's shoulder.

Diluc was caught off guard by the sudden tenderness Kaeya showed him, but he was far from
complaining.

He hugged Kaeya back, the purest form of love washing over him as he took in his lover's
scent. One of his hands reached up to stroke Kaeya's hair, slightly messy from all the fun
rollercoasters they'd gone on.

Kaeya kissed Diluc on the lips without moving in to deepen it, but that didn't make it any less
passionate, reflecting every bit of his love for his husband. He could feel Diluc smiling gently
into the kiss, happy that his efforts to make Kaeya happy had paid off. Kaeya was happy, and
it was enough to make Diluc happy.

Kaeya reached his hand up to Diluc's head and gently stroked his fluffy hair, windblown and
messy after the fun day they had had. He pulled away first, pressing his forehead with
Diluc's, his legs slightly trembling with exhaustion from spending almost six hours on his
feet.
He gazed into Diluc's eyes with the gentlest look, "Thank you for tonight, Diluc. I didn't
know how much I needed a break until I got it; I feel ready to conquer the world now," Kaeya
said, causing Diluc to crack a smile.

"Of course, if we weren't there to keep each other sane, we'd have lost our shit long ago,"
Diluc affirmed, noticing Kaeya's exhaustion and the way he struggled to stay on his feet. He
gently scooped Kaeya up in his arms, relishing in the small giggle of surprise his lover let
out. Still, he leaned against Diluc, fully trusting Diluc's ability to carry his weight.

Diluc set him down on the couch, kneeling before him to help take his shoes off. He got up
and neatly placed both their shoes by the doorstep while Kaeya wondered how he'd managed
to strike gold when choosing to marry Diluc.

Diluc had been nothing like that when he was in his angsty teenager phase, but the older he
got, the more he retained all the things Kaeya loved about him. He was as affectionate as he
was when they were children but at the same time as broody and mysterious as he was when
they were teens. He didn't allow anybody to see this soft, caring side of himself to anyone but
Kaeya and Lucio.

Everyone outside their family knew Diluc as the rude, arrogant billionaire, but to Kaeya, he
was a humble, affectionate husband and a loving father to Lucio.

Diluc spoiled the two of them with gifts and affection, doing everything he could to make
sure they were happy. He didn't buy an expensive manor, choosing instead to raise Lucio in a
quaint, cozy home even though he had a choice. He did it just so it wouldn't feel as lonely to
Lucio as Diluc's childhood home did before Kaeya came into his life.

Diluc came back to kiss Kaeya gently on the temple, "Wine?" He asked simply, making
Kaeya smile coyly.

"You know me so well," Kaeya said, pinching Diluc's cheek as the redhead rolled his eyes.

Diluc headed into the kitchen to grab a wine bottle for Kaeya and a bottle of grape juice for
himself, along with two wine glasses for them both. As he got back to his husband, Kaeya's
face soured at the sight of the grape juice bottle tucked under Diluc's arm.

"Seriously? You're having grape juice even though we have perfectly good wine? I wouldn't
even give that to Lucio," Kaeya scolded, but Diluc wholeheartedly ignored him, setting the
grape juice and his own wine glass down on the coffee table before handing the other glass to
Kaeya.

"Have one glass of wine with me," Kaeya demanded, staring daggers threateningly at Diluc,
daring him to refuse.

Diluc plopped beside him, "That's one thing I won't say yes to, Kaeya," Diluc said, popping
off the cork of the wine bottle before pouring skillfully for Kaeya while the man whined.

"You're such a prude for a man who owns the entire wine industry," Kaeya complained,
leaning into Diluc's side and glaring at the grape juice bottle as if offended that it dared exist
in his home. "Have just one glass with me," Kaeya said, looking up at Diluc and kissing the
corner of his lips conspiratorily, knowing where Diluc's weaknesses lay, "Please?" Diluc took
a shaky breath, cursing the world.

Just as Diluc knew Kaeya better than he knew himself, Kaeya knew exactly what to do to
make Diluc's resolve crumble to ashes.

"Fine," Diluc muttered, though he didn't look happy at the prospect of drinking wine when
his favorite drink was right in front of him. Anything for Kaeya. Diluc poured himself no
more than a few sips of red wine, clinking glasses with Kaeya before they began to drink.

Kaeya laughed softly as Diluc made a face at the taste of alcohol, staring longingly at the
grape juice. They enjoyed the silence for a while, resting in each other's presence after a
hectic but fun night.

When they finished their wine, Diluc placed the glasses on the coffee table, wondering
whether or not to make a move.

It had been... goodness even knows how long since they had been intimate. He considered if
that was what Kaeya wanted. Diluc slowly leaned forward, cupping Kaeya's face and kissing
him, sharing the taste of wine between their lips.

Kaeya's eyes drooped to a close, wrapping his arms around Diluc's neck and slowly
beginning to pull him down until they lay on the couch, lips pressed snuggly together. Diluc
tilted his head to deepen the kiss, running his tongue over Kaeya's bottom lip. Kaeya parted
them for him immediately, allowing Diluc to get rougher. Kaeya loved the way Diluc lost
himself in the kiss, bearing down on his mouth and licking every inch of it mirthfully.

"L-Luc," Kaeya whimpered into the kiss, feeling his lips quivering, swelling up with the
intensity Diluc used to claim them. Diluc pulled away at that, both breathing softly as their
eyes met. Diluc brought a hand up and brushed his fingers against Kaeya's cheeks, eyes full
of lust for his husband.

"You know... they say another way to get through postpartum depression.. is to have sex with
the one you love." Diluc whispered, biting Kaeya on the jaw but moving no further before
Kaeya gave his consent.

Kaeya's cheeks tinted slightly red at Diluc's words, but he found no thoughts in his mind
opposing the idea.

"Then help me get through my depression more, Diluc," Kaeya whispered, pulling Diluc into
another kiss. Diluc ran his hands down Kaeya's body, finally appreciating how long he'd gone
without ravishing it. He gave himself a mental pat on the back for being able to hold back for
so long. It was a great feat for the husband of a man so beautiful to keep his hands to himself
for almost a year.

Diluc was grateful for the opportunity not to be kept waiting even longer. He began to
unbutton Kaeya's vertical striped shirt, but Kaeya promptly pressed his hands over Diluc's,
stopping him from further action.
"Bed?" He asked, looking a bit skittish but not because they were on the couch. Diluc smiled
a little and nodded, wrapping his arms around Kaeya's waist and getting to his feet with his
lover in his arms.

Their lips met again as Diluc took him up the stairs and into their bedroom, plopping him
down on the bed and pinning him in place.

He kissed Kaeya's neck, sucking on his adam's apple to try and mark his territory, but pouted
when it didn't show on his caramel-colored skin. He resorted to trailing bite marks on Kaeya's
body, kissing him through the fabric of his shirt while scraping his nails against Kaeya's hips
to take off his pants.

Diluc could hear Kaeya exhale as if contented with his lips on his body. It made Diluc happy,
knowing that Kaeya was enjoying the feeling of their bodies rubbing together as much as he
did.

He stripped off Kaeya's pants, biting his lip with gratification at the sight of his lover's body
after so long.

Diluc couldn't help but press his lips against Kaeya's cock, kissing the part of his lover he'd
missed so dearly.

"Ah... Diluc.." Kaeya whimpered, feeling his husband peppering kisses all over his cock,
pelvis, and thighs, causing Kaeya to feel ticklish. Diluc's hands raised to Kaeya's shirt, ready
to open it up and feast his eyes on his lover's body, but once again, Kaeya stopped Diluc by
placing his hand over his. Kaeya switched their places, sitting on top of Diluc instead,
pinning him against the bed with a somewhat distant look in his eye.

Diluc opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but Kaeya didn't allow him to speak or even
think for a moment longer. He began rocking his hips against Diluc's, rubbing his ass over the
bulge in Diluc's pants.

Diluc moaned softly, feeling himself twitch with arousal at the way Kaeya pressed his hands
against his abs to keep himself steady, his mouth opening into an 'o' as he ground down on
top of Diluc.

Diluc wasn't given enough time to even think about Kaeya's odd behavior as Kaeya began to
unbutton Diluc's shirt.

He licked his lips at the sight of Diluc's body, moistening his lips as Diluc raised his torso
slightly to dispose of the shirt, throwing it in some random corner. Kaeya rustled his fingers
through the hair on Diluc's chest; even after all this time of being together, he couldn't get
over how pigmented and fiery the color of Diluc's hair was. Growing up together, Kaeya had
watched Diluc morph into the man he was today. They'd gone through puberty together;
Kaeya had silently kept track of each of the changes that came with Diluc's body, like his
bulk, strength, and even the rapid hair he grew. Kaeya loved everything about him.

Kaeya massaged his way up to Diluc's shoulders, pressing his fingers against his biceps,
ruffling his body hair until their hands intertwined.
"I love you," Kaeya whispered to Diluc, slowly sliding off of him to lay pressed up against
Diluc's side, his hand making his way down to Diluc's pants. He bit his lip, slipping his hand
past the waistband, passing Diluc's pelvic bone until he cupped his lover's cock in his palm.

Diluc took a sharp breath as Kaeya began to massage his cock, pumping him slowly to ensure
each nerve in Diluc's body woke up to his touch.

Kaeya loved the feeling of Diluc's veins pumping against his skin, feeling the muscle
hardening rapidly under his fingers. It had been too long since he'd had Diluc inside him,
perhaps since about a month into his pregnancy, eleven months ago.

Kaeya wanted nothing more than to fuck himself right on Diluc's cock and impale himself
immediately, but he hadn't been touched back there in so long. Kaeya knew it would hurt
beyond measure, knew that it would be as good as ripping himself in half.

He loved the way Diluc's muscles tensed up each time Kaeya stroked his cock, causing it to
leak with precum.

They shared another kiss before Diluc took his place on top of Kaeya, pulling Kaeya's hand
away. Kaeya stared up at him with confusion, wondering why Diluc had stopped him even
though it felt good.

"Just relax and let me do the work, my love," Diluc said softly, kissing Kaeya's neck before
littering his exposed collarbone with lovebites and kisses.

Kaeya whimpered as Diluc pressed his hands over his chest, massaging it through his shirt
before pulling the button-up apart to expose his chest. With a light touch, he began to tease
both of Kaeya's nipples, knowing that was where he loved being touched the most. He
watched mirthfully as Kaeya tried and failed to hold back his moans, allowing one adorable
noise to slip past his lips at a time until he couldn't control it.

Diluc licked his lips carnally, staring at Kaeya's pleasuresome expression. His husband was
so beautiful that Diluc didn't know what to do with himself. Diluc kissed down Kaeya's chest,
cupping the muscles before sticking his tongue out to tease his nipples.

Diluc played with Kaeya's chest, listening to his lover whimpering his name, his fingers
brushing through Diluc's bushy locks to try and cope with the pleasure.

"I love it when you cry for me like this," Diluc whispered, moving his lips down to Kaeya's
belly, ready to open the buttons for the third time, but Kaeya stopped him with a kiss this
time. Diluc didn't immediately respond to the kiss, staring at Kaeya's face with his eyebrows
creased with confusion and worry, wondering why Kaeya was being so guarded.

He wondered if he'd done something wrong to make Kaeya feel invalidated, but nothing
about the man's actions seemed upset.

He kissed Diluc readily, cupping his jaw and pulling back. He looked into Diluc's eyes,
worried because Diluc hadn't kissed back. Diluc quickly realized Kaeya's worry and kissed
him again to show that all was well.
Diluc pushed Kaeya back against the bed, bringing his hand down to his crotch, where he
saw Kaeya's cock dripping with precum and quaking like it was begging to be touched. Diluc
smirked a little, wiping the droplets of precum off of Kaeya's cock, the touch causing him to
moan out with pleasure from how sensitive he felt.

He hadn't been touched so intimately for months, making every sensation hit him like the
weight of ten bricks.

Diluc scooped up the droplets before bringing them lower, pressing them against Kaeya's
hole. "D-Diluc... wait--.." Kaeya whimpered as Diluc rubbed the cum over his hole, a
thoughtful expression on his face though he didn't press inside Kaeya yet.

"I've always wondered... can you self-fertilize, Kaeya?" Diluc asked, licking his lips. He
knew not to do anything rash, but it brought him enjoyment to entertain the thought, seeing
Kaeya's eyes widen at his words.

Diluc kissed his lover reassuringly. "Don't worry, I don't want you to carry any children that
aren't mine," He said with a hint of possessiveness in his voice, "Even if they are your own;
we'll let science answer that question," Diluc smiled at Kaeya, causing him to chuckle a little
at his words.

Kaeya extended his hand out to the bedside table, grabbing some lube and handing it to
Diluc, the lustful look returning to his eyes.

"Hurry... I want you inside me right now," Kaeya whispered, opening his legs wide for Diluc
and throwing them over the man's thighs. Diluc bit his lip, feeling the tent in his pants grow
even more at the sight. He all but pounced at Kaeya, popping the cap off the lube before
squirting a handsome amount onto Kaeya's hole, making sure to wipe out the precum just in
case.

He pressed his finger inside Kaeya's hole, shoving the thick digit in up to the knuckle.

He relished in the feeling of Kaeya's wet insides, loving how familiar it felt to be inside him.
He loved the way Kaeya clamped tight around him; he loved how warm it was inside him. It
was the same feeling for Kaeya, the familiar feel of Diluc's finger inside him, craving
something bigger, something to make him forget his name just as it always did. Diluc brought
his face down between Kaeya's legs, pecking his quaking cock. He parted his lips, taking
Kaeya's cock between them, causing his lover to arch his back, gasping as the warmth of
Diluc's mouth secured around his cock.

"D-Diluc!" Kaeya called, his voice breaking as Diluc began to shove his finger in and out of
him, taking care of him from both sides. Kaeya felt his whole body quiver as Diluc sucked on
him, stimulating him while his fingers worked on opening him up, adding in another finger
when he felt Kaeya softening up around the first.

He fucked his fingers into Kaeya's ass, bobbing his head up and down his cock at the same
time.
The pleasure was overwhelming for Kaeya, causing him to cry out, clamping his legs around
Diluc's head tightly though that didn't hinder the redhead in the slightest. He wrapped his free
arm around Kaeya's thighs, beginning to suck more roughly until Kaeya was screaming for
him to let go.

Kaeya's body spasmed; he came with a scream of Diluc's name inside his mouth, his hips
gently thrusting upwards, his vision going white at the feeling of cumming after so many
months.

The intense orgasm washed through his body, causing his body to seize up and relax, the grip
of his thighs loosening around Diluc's head.

Diluc slurped down Kaeya's cum without so much as a flinch, making sure Kaeya watched a
drop dripping down the side of his mouth before he licked it away.

"I love you," Diluc said, pressing his third finger inside while Kaeya stared at him, hardly
comprehending his presence. Kaeya knew that Diluc was also at his limit; he could see it in
the way his eyes gleamed with lust and hunger to ravish him, to have him until neither of
them could find the strength to stand.

"You drive me crazy," He whispered, twisting all three of his fingers inside Kaeya and
striking his prostate with a slant of his fingers, "I don't know how I let you run free all this
time," Diluc smiled as Kaeya choked, unable to muster words as he clutched Diluc's back,
clawing into the skin.

He slowly retreated his fingers, kissing Kaeya on the collarbone. He glanced up at his lover's
face, a conspiratory look in his eyes as he saw that Kaeya was too out of it to notice what he
was up to.

Diluc pressed his fingers over Kaeya's stomach, watching as Kaeya's breath hitched.

Before Kaeya could stop him for the fourth time, Diluc quickly snapped open the last few
buttons of Kaeya's shirt. Kaeya gasped as if Diluc hadn't seen his stomach hundreds of times.
Diluc frowned a little at Kaeya's reactions, wondering why Kaeya was being so sensitive over
his body, but he decided not to focus on it in case it upset him.

He grabbed Kaeya's thighs, licking his lips at the sight of Kaeya's body on full display for
him, as beautiful as it had always been. Diluc lowered his pants, causing his cock to spring
out and brush gently between Kaeya's legs. Kaeya watched with a dazed look as Diluc
reached for the bedside drawer to draw out a strip of condoms, dropping it by their side and
ripping one out with his teeth before rolling it onto his dick.

Diluc leaned down and pecked Kaeya lovingly on the corner of his lips, positioning himself
against his hole. He blinked with surprise as Kaeya pressed his hands against his chest, trying
to push him away.

"Wait..." Kaeya said softly, slowly twisting around to lay on his stomach, "Let's do it in this
position." He told Diluc, his voice sounding distant with a weak edge to it.
Diluc sat back on the balls of his feet, looking miffed and worried about why Kaeya was
acting this way.

"Kaeya," Diluc called his name, wrapping his hands around Kaeya's arms and pulling him
back until he sat in Diluc's lap with his back to his chest. Kaeya's lips quivered a little, feeling
like he'd ruined the moment as he listened to the concern in Diluc's voice, but he couldn't
help it.

"What's wrong? You always said you hated doing it facing away from each other." Diluc
whispered in his ear, placing gentle kisses behind his ear and jaw.

Kaeya didn't immediately answer, staring down at his abdomen, exposed through the open
button-up. He gazed at the stretch marks lining his skin from when he had carried Lucio,
along with the scar of the C-section cutting across his lower abdomen.

He hugged his arms over his stomach to cover it from view, feeling immensely insecure,
wishing his body didn't look the way it did. Diluc noticed Kaeya's withdrawal, frowning at
his silence.

He wrapped his arms around Kaeya's waist, holding his hands comfortingly, "Was it
something I did...?" Diluc asked slowly, worried that Kaeya was upset with him. Kaeya
shook his head in response, not trusting his voice to speak. Diluc frowned, wondering what
had made Kaeya feel this way if not for him. "Please tell me; you can talk to me about
anything. If you want to stop here, then we'll stop right away, just say the word and I will do
anything you want me to," Diluc mumbled, burying his face in Kaeya's shoulder, unaware of
the mental battle raging in Kaeya's mind.

Kaeya could hear the trickling sadness in Diluc's voice, feeling guilty for worrying his lover.

He sighed, remembering how Diluc had comforted him last night when he had opened up to
him about his insecurities. He knew in his heart that Diluc would never judge him or degrade
him for feeling the way he felt.

"I.. I just don't want you to be put off by seeing my body," Kaeya said softly, rubbing his
knees together.

Diluc made a noise of surprise, slowly turning Kaeya in his lap until their eyes met.

Diluc's eyes slowly trailed down Kaeya's body, trying to find anything amiss, but he found
nothing to note; Kaeya's body was as beautiful and seductive as it had always been. In fact,
just looking at it made a lump form in Diluc's throat, feeling his cock suffocate a little more
in the condom as he felt his arousal increasing.

"Why would I ever be put off?" Diluc asked, genuine confusion lacing his voice because he
couldn't fathom what Kaeya was feeling.

Kaeya sighed a little, thinking Diluc was just trying to act humble for his sake, but he slowly
removed his arms from over his belly, allowing Diluc to see the stretch marks and the scar.
Diluc still looked incomprehensive; on the contrary, he smiled lovingly at the sight of his
stomach, wanting nothing more than to pin Kaeya to the bed and litter his belly with kisses
until he was breathless with laughter.

"Um... I still don't know what you mean," Diluc said blankly, causing Kaeya to glare at him
with exasperation. Kaeya bit his lip, wishing Diluc would stop playing dumb.

"I'm scared that.. you'll be turned off where you see my stretch marks and the C-section scar.
I.. I know that I don't look the same as I used to... so I don't want you to force yourself to look
at me," Kaeya said, his lips slightly quivering as he wondered if Diluc will drop the act and
push him away, realizing that what he was saying was the truth.

Diluc was silent for several moments, but Kaeya was too afraid to look up, fearing that when
his eyes met Diluc's, he would see disgust and aversion similar to the emotions Kaeya felt
when he looked at himself. Then, he noticed that Diluc was shaking a little, causing Kaeya to
worry. He looked up at Diluc's face at last and his eyes went wide to see Diluc quaking with
suppressed laughter.

Kaeya's face turned beet red with embarrassment, "Are you making fun of me?!" He asked,
smacking Diluc hard on the shoulder as his husband laughed uncharacteristically.

Kaeya moved to get away, fuming as he thought that Diluc was undermining his feelings, but
he was promptly tackled onto the bed, once again pinned down on his back with no room to
move.

Diluc calmed down from his fit of giggles, looking down into Kaeya's eye that shone with
hurt, "I'm sorry, my love. I didn't mean to brush off your feelings or take them lightly but... do
you hear yourself right now?" Diluc chuckled, making Kaeya hide his face in his hands,
feeling humiliated.

Diluc calmed himself in less than a second, seeing that Kaeya was serious. "Kaeya," Diluc
called, his voice utterly calm and serious, startlingly different from a moment ago and
causing Kaeya to peek out from between his fingers.

Diluc gazed down at him with a loving, affectionate stare, hovering over him with one hand
placed by the side of Kaeya's head, while the other slowly ventured down his body until he
reached his stomach.

Diluc traced each mark on Kaeya's belly, feeling the muscles in his abdomen twitching in
response as it tickled lightly.

"I don't think you realize just how beautiful your body is," Diluc said, his voice steely now,
similar to the curt business tone he used when meeting with clients. It was the tone he used to
drive his point deep into the other person's mind and make sure they understood him very
clearly. "You gave birth to our son. You carried him for nine months right here," He
whispered, brushing his finger along the C-section scar, "You lived each day suffering from
nausea, restlessness, headaches, and cravings, all for what? To undermine the wonders your
body went through to give us Lucio?" Diluc asked, raising a thick eyebrow at Kaeya in
challenge as if daring him to say one more bad thing about his body.
Kaeya looked away, his cheeks tinting red at Diluc's words, listening quietly like a child
being scolded. Diluc cupped his jaw and forced him to look back at him, kissing him sweetly
on the forehead.

Kaeya squeaked as Diluc pressed his hips forward, pressing his hard cock between his legs,
"If you think I'm not turned on right now, you'd be sorely mistaken. Your body will always be
beautiful to me, the fact that you gave birth to our son makes it ten times as attractive," Diluc
said, leaving no room for argument.

He glomped Kaeya, feeling somewhat annoyed that someone had dared to insult his lover's
body, even if it was Kaeya himself who'd done so. To think that stretch marks and pregnancy
scars were bad was preposterous to Diluc. Kaeya calmed down bit by bit in his arms,
replaying his words over and over in his mind until it finally settled that Diluc didn't see him
any differently.

Kaeya couldn't help smiling gently at how sweet his lover was. He kissed Diluc on the
temple, "Thank you... I love you, Diluc," He whispered.

Diluc immediately perked up at his words, looking at Kaeya with a needy look in his eyes,
"Do you love me enough to let me put it in now?" He asked innocently. Kaeya couldn't help
but laugh a little, kissing Diluc passionately on the lips.

"Yes," He whispered. Diluc raised himself into a sitting position again, licking his lips when
he was finally able to appreciate Kaeya's body in its entirety without any hindrances. He lined
himself up to Kaeya's hole poking against it gently; with a soft grunt, he pushed into Kaeya.

Diluc let out a shaky breath, watching himself disappear inside Kaeya with great enjoyment.

He glanced at Kaeya's face only to see a drop of drool slowly dripping past his lips, his back
arched flexibly, his body twitching with every move Diluc made inside him. Diluc smirked a
little, his face reddening from how hot he felt being inside Kaeya.

How he'd missed this feeling; the feel of Kaeya's wet insides clamping tight around his cock.
It drove him nuts.

Without warning, Diluc pulled his hips back until his cock was barely in before slamming
back inside him. He savored the small scream his lover let out at the feeling, his whole body
rocking with the immense shock that ripped through his body.

Diluc hunched over on top of Kaeya until their chests collided, placing his face in the crook
of Kaeya's neck as he listened to his lover cry out in his ear over and over as he thrust inside
him. Kaeya hugged his arms around Diluc's back, squeezing him tight enough for Diluc to
exhale from the lack of breath.

Each time he thrust in, Kaeya felt like Diluc was pushing him closer and closer to the edge,
pressing deep into his sweet spot as if trying to jump out of his lower abdomen.

Kaeya bit his lip, teary-eyed with pleasure, his body ten times more sensitive than it would
normally be after being abstinent for so long. Diluc laid down on his side without pulling out
of Kaeya, holding him tight against his own body before fucking from the side. He loved the
way Kaeya's dull nails dug into his skin, loved how he moaned his name and hugged his legs
tight around his waist. Their lips crashed together as Kaeya felt his body heating up, a
familiar, nostalgic feeling rising through the depths of his abdomen again.

Diluc felt him tightening up around him and knew immediately from his expression that he
was close.

"Diluc...!" Kaeya cried out, wishing his lover would go faster. He slowly pushed Diluc back
until he laid on top of him, clinging to him with all his might before taking his pleasure into
his own hands. He thrust his hips up and down on Diluc's cock with enough force to make
even Diluc's legs quake.

He jammed Diluc's cock into his prostate over and over until it was enough to send him over
the edge.

Kaeya came with a yelp, a fiery orgasm numbing every crevice of his body. Diluc admired
Kaeya's colorful expression as his mouth hung open in a silent scream, his ears ringing as
tears rolled down his cheeks, not knowing what to do to cope with the feeling. He spurted
cum all over Diluc's abdomen, staining his red hair as he gasped for breath, holding on tightly
to his husband. Diluc bit his lip, unable to contain himself anymore. What gave Kaeya the
right to be so beautiful?

He switched their positions again, fucking into him until he felt the same feeling bubbling in
his body as well.

Just the sight of Kaeya clutching the bedsheet with his eye tightly shut and his lips parted to
moan for him was enough to drive Diluc crazy. He pounded into Kaeya's ass, his fingers
leaving invisible bruises on Kaeya's hips from his tight grip as he felt his high rolling over
him, cumming into the condom with a loud grunt. Diluc's hips slowly came to a stop as the
momentum wore off.

He sat between Kaeya's legs, both of them breathing heavily to calm themselves down,
feeling pleasure-crazed after so long of restraining their libidos. When Diluc caught his
breath, he pulled out slowly, a look of enjoyment in his eyes as he felt Kaeya's hole scraping
against his cock, enjoying the feeling for as long as he could.

He rolled the condom off, careful not to spill anything as he tied it up and chucked it into the
trashcan in their room. He thought Kaeya was asleep with how quiet he was, but just as Diluc
was about to lay down, he felt Kaeya push him down onto the bed again, the string of
condoms clutched in his hands. Diluc watched with wide, incomprehensive eyes as Kaeya
ripped off four condoms from the strip and placed them on Diluc's chest.

"More," Kaeya said, fixing Diluc with a lustful stare, causing Diluc to recall how big a
stamina his lover had. Diluc bit his lip, knowing Kaeya would suck him dry and enjoy his
night off to the fullest.

***Extra***
"Diluc..." Kaeya called softly, holding Diluc's hand and squeezing it gently to get his lover's
attention. He sat up, smiling down at his husband as the redhead breathed heavily after the
fourth round, utterly exhausted from trying to keep up with Kaeya's sex drive.

Diluc gazed at Kaeya with a pleading looking in his eyes, hugging his arms around his waist
in a begging gesture to try and plead to his sensitivity, "Please, for the love of fuck, have
mercy on me. I don't have a drop left in me," Diluc pleaded.

Kaeya laughed innocently; Diluc likely thought he was going to ask for another round, but
Kaeya decided that he'd made up for all those months they'd spent without sex. Kaeya
brushed his fingers through Diluc's hair, lovingly gazing down at his husband acting like a
child. The man who didn't get exhausted from being on his feet for more than twelve hours a
day was pleading with Kaeya to let him go; it was a nice change to everyday life.

"Don't worry, we're done... for tonight," Kaeya said, causing Diluc to groan with relief.

Kaeya knew Diluc didn't mean it one bit; he'd seen Diluc lose himself in the pleasure
multiple times throughout the night. It gave him goosebumps just thinking of how handsome
his husband was, but that wasn't what was bothering him.

Kaeya absentmindedly played with Diluc's bushy locks, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He wasn't tired, feeling wide awake before he felt like something was missing. He knew
exactly what he was missing, staring at the empty baby crib sitting to one side of the room.

Kaeya felt restless. After all, his beloved baby wasn't with him, wasn't within his reach. He'd
let himself get lost in the night, but that night was slowly coming to an end. Kaeya wanted to
see Lucio again, cradle him in his arms and rock him to sleep. For one night, he wasn't a
parent, but now, he was ready to be a parent again.

Diluc saw that he wasn't sleeping, just sitting still and patting his hair, causing him to sit up.
He yawned widely, making Kaeya crack a smile at how much his yawns resembled a lion's
roar. Diluc wrapped his arms around Kaeya, pulling him closer and kissing him on the cheek,
"Everything alright?" He asked caringly. Kaeya felt his heart flutter with affection at how
well Diluc knew him, catching on immediately whenever he thought Kaeya was sad.

"Yeah... I just.." Kaeya began, staring at the ruffled bedsheets, not knowing how to finish his
sentence.

Diluc smiled, "Miss Lucio?" He finished. Kaeya grinned a little, giving Diluc a rewarding
kiss on his forehead before retching at how sweaty Diluc's forehead was. Diluc laughed
without humiliation, "That was entirely your fault for overexerting me," He told Kaeya,
causing his lover to scrunch his nose with disgust, wiping his lips.

Diluc stared at him with a searching look for a few moments before he got up.

Kaeya couldn't help but smirk at how Diluc's legs quaked a little, likely numb after having
Kaeya bouncing on his cock for the past two hours. Kaeya wondered where Diluc was going,
watching him leave for the bathroom before returning with a wet towel.
Kaeya blushed as Diluc walked towards him, still naked, gently laying him down. "Hey, I
thought you said no more," Kaeya complained as Diluc gripped his thighs.

Diluc rolled his eyes, "I did," He agreed, wiping the wet towel over Kaeya's legs where lube
had dripped along with his sensitive and swollen hole. He cleaned up both their stomachs,
stained with Kaeya's cum, and cleaned them up until they were pristine. Kaeya sighed,
feeling soothed from being taken care of like this. He wondered if Diluc would join him in
bed soon, closing his eye to sleep. Then he jolted as Diluc said promptly, "Alright, get up,"
He said simply, offering no words of explanation.

Kaeya whined, feeling annoyed that Diluc was trying to make him get up just when his own
exhaustion was finally setting in. He was surprised when Diluc shoved a nightshirt over his
head, helping him put it on along with pajama pants before putting on his own pair of
pajamas.

Kaeya pouted at him, "I was looking forward to sleeping naked, 'Luc," He said, feeling salty.

He yelped with surprise as Diluc hauled him up and placed him over his shoulder, promptly
carrying him out of the room.

"Well, you can't sleep naked if we're going to have Lucio in the same room," Diluc said,
climbing down the stairs briskly as if he hadn't been griping about his exhaustion less than
ten minutes ago. Kaeya furrowed his eyebrows with confusion, wondering what Diluc was
talking about as Diluc scooped his keyring from the coffee table. Then, Kaeya perked up,
comprehension catching up to him as he realized where Diluc was taking him.

"We're going to pick up Lucio?" He asked, feeling his happiness increasing.

Diluc just nodded, carrying Kaeya out the door and locking the house before taking him to
their car. Diluc smoothly placed him on the ground, opening the door for Kaeya. Kaeya still
felt surprised that they were going to pick up their kid even though Zhongli and Childe had
agreed to watch him for the night.

He turned to Diluc before getting in the car, kissing him on the cheek lovingly, "Thank you,
Diluc," He whispered, watching as Diluc smiled a little in response, seating Kaeya in the car
before walking around to the driver's side. He pulled out of their driveway, immediately
beginning their journey towards Zhongli and Childe's house.

He glanced at Kaeya, feeling a bout of affection overcoming him as he found Kaeya already
starting to nod off.

Diluc drove silently to keep from disturbing Kaeya. Zhongli and Childe didn't live far from
them; Diluc was able to reach their house easily, parking in front of their house. He glanced
at Kaeya, who sleepily looked back at him.

Diluc kissed him on the temple, "You can stay here, I'll get Lucio," He said. Kaeya didn't
retaliate much, nodding sleepily with a dopey smile that he would be able to see his son after
hours. He wasn't used to being apart from him since he was born.
Diluc promptly left the car to walk up the driveway, trying not to feel awkward walking in his
pajamas in the rich neighborhood. He reached the doorstep and rang the doorbell. It took
about a minute for a response but eventually, the door swung open, revealing a sleepy
Zhongli with eye bags under his eyes.

He seemed like he hadn't slept at all throughout the night, causing Diluc to smile with
familiarity, remembering that he and Kaeya had been the same way in the first few weeks of
Lucio's life. He thought the look of parenthood suited Zhongli, seeing how well he pulled off
the tired-dad-who-hasn't-slept-in-twenty-seven-days look. Zhongli looked surprised at the
sight of Diluc.

"Oh, we weren't expecting you until morning," Zhongli said, not even trying to put up his
gentlemanly and cool exterior as he yawned, "Is everything alright?" He asked, looking
around for Kaeya.

Before Diluc could answer, another voice called from inside the house, "Zhong-ee, who came
by at literally the ass crack of dawn?" Childe asked, walking to Zhongli's side with a wide-
awake Lucio in his arms. Diluc looked surprised to see that his son hadn't yet slept when he
usually knocked out at precisely twelve in the morning; it was now three.

Childe scowled at the sight of Diluc, gasping dramatically and clutching Lucio possessively,
"Don't tell me you're here for my darling nephew, I'll murder you," Childe threatened,
causing Diluc to growl with anger.

Zhongli didn't care to mediate the situation, watching drearily as Lucio reached out and
grabbed his ponytail, promptly beginning to eat it.

"Who are you to tell me not to take my son home?" Diluc argued back, his voice deathly
quiet as if ready to fight. Childe stuck his tongue out at Diluc, holding Lucio tighter, "I'm not
gonna give him back until morning," Childe huffed, turning to leave back into the house, but
Lucio didn't let go of Zhongli's hair, pulling it sharply and causing Zhongli to hiss with pain.

Zhongli steered Childe right back, looking absolutely done with life, "Childe, let's give the
nice man his child back before I go bald, hm?" Zhongli pleaded, also partially because Diluc
was looking about ready to blow a fuse.

Hearing the commotion, Kaeya began to trek to the door, the sound of his car door closing
catching their attention.

"What's going on?" He asked, looking tired. Immediately at the sound of his father's voice,
Lucio cooed, twisting his head to look at Kaeya. He began to fight Childe's hold, holding his
arms out to reach for Kaeya. Childe began to fake cry, "Why don't you love me?" He asked,
but didn't fight to keep him, handing the baby to Kaeya.

Lucio smiled at Kaeya, flashing a toothless grin as his father cradled him to his chest.

Kaeya's heart warmed up immediately at the sight of his son, kissing his cheek lovingly. The
other three watched as Lucio hugged his small arms around Kaeya's neck as best he could,
resting his head on his collarbone and relaxing completely.
 In the blink of an eye, Lucio had fallen asleep on Kaeya's chest. Diluc forgot about his initial
anger towards Childe, lovingly kissing Lucio's head.

Zhongli wrenched the spit out of his hair, looking pleased, "Well, there you have it. He seems
happy in his parents' arms, now why don't we get some rest-... Childe?" Zhongli broke off,
staring at Childe's face.

He caught the attention of the other two as well; Childe was staring at Lucio and Kaeya with
a look of longing on his face.

"Zhongli," Childe said, his voice completely serious, more so than it had ever been as far as
any of them could recall, "We're making a baby right now." In a flash, Childe had a death grip
around Zhongli's collar, closing the door in Diluc and Kaeya's face without so much as a
goodbye. They could hear Zhongli's incoherent pleas for sleep from behind the door.

Kaeya glanced at Diluc, seeing the look of utter disgust on his lover's face, and in the heat of
the moment, he burst out laughing, unable to help it. Kaeya took Diluc by the hand,
beginning to pull him back down the driveway, both of them feeling sorry for Zhongli.

Chapter End Notes

I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it cause it was a mix of
everything I love, tooth-rotting fluff, humor, and of course, angst~!

One of my beloved readers mentioned that my LucKae writing is always a bit cold and
angsty so I went all out with the fluff this chapter~

I love the idea of hairy Diluc so much, I couldn't help but include it in this chapter!

Have a lovely June, everyone!

 Pleasing (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

Warning: Perilous Trail archon quest spoilers.

After nearly losing his life in the fight for freedom beneath the Chasm, Xiao finds
himself waking up, wounded and dazed, on an unfamiliar island named Ogygia. Here,
he meets Aether, who takes care of him and nurses him back to health, and finds himself
falling for the blonde, who seems to be hiding secrets that could change his and Xiao's
futures and turn their lives upside down.

Chapter Notes

Holy fuck it's been two months 😭

This chapter is based on Greek Mythology and inspired by Rick Riordan's book, Percy
Jackson & The Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth and its version of the story of
Calypso. It's heavily merged with our main storyline and the Archon quest.

• Aether as Calypso
• Xiao as Percy

I've been wanting to write this chapter ever since the Archon quest came out and gave
me an opening for Greek Mythology AU XiaoAether, so here it is!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Once upon a time, Xiao had thought he had seen it all, been in every type of crisis situation.

He’d almost lost his life on a great many occasions and in his long life span, he’d even
witnessed his comrade get stuck in the throat of a monster and choke it to death with her
waistline.

However, this was new; he didn’t have an archive entry saved for a situation like this, having
no idea what to do.

He had gotten quite the rude awakening after getting knocked out in the middle of a fight for
survival with his comrades, waking up to find himself free falling from around thirty
thousand feet above the ground.
Xiao was sure he’d screamed the moment he woke up, but he was also sure the sight of the
ocean tens of thousands of feet below while falling at terminal velocity and feeling gravity
pulling you towards impending death would make anybody scream. He cursed like a sailor in
his head; he would’ve been dead had he been a human, feeling unable to catch even the
slightest bit of breath.

He’d been in too many life-or-death situations before to panic and lose his mind in midair,
knowing he couldn’t afford to fear for his life right now even if his internal organs felt like
they were trying to jump out of his throat.

‘Well, this is fine,’ He thought to himself nonchalantly, too disoriented to know what was
going on, but enough to understand that he was in trouble unless he did something to break
his fall.

Xiao took a moment to spread himself out in a skydiver’s fall to slow down his descent,
knowing he needed some time to come up with a plan to save his hindquarters.

The centuries of experience helped Xiao’s mind attain equilibrium, knowing that the first
thing he should do was take in where he was. He glanced down at his surroundings as best as
he could with the wind blowing in his face, squinting his eyes to try and see where he was
falling.

His senses were all over the place, unable to make out his location despite his excellent
tracking skills, forced to rely only on his eyes.

For the most part, all he could see was the blue ocean and the blue sky spread out all around
him, but somewhere far below him, he could spot a tiny green speck; land. It was too small to
make out right away, but Xiao knew there was no mistaking it, perking up a little at the sight
of trees. The good news was that a small island was somewhere below him, which meant he
didn’t have to break every bone in his body trying to land in the ocean.

He sighed as best he could, feeling it getting easier to breathe the lower gravity pulled him.
Xiao knew he couldn’t do much until he got lower, trying to rack his brain to remember
where he was, how he’d got here, and what he had been doing, but the lack of oxygen made
him dizzy, dazed beyond a single thought other than how screwed he was.

He spread out his limbs as far as he could, wishing time would speed up a little as he
descended hundreds of feet per minute, unable to do anything until he was closer to the
surface.

Finally, as a few minutes passed with Xiao’s stomach churning in protest as he fell, the speck
of land began to look more like an island the nearer he got to the ground. He flapped his arms
a little midair, aware that he probably looked like a seagull with its feathers plucked off, but
he tried to aim his body for the trees, knowing that trying to land in the ocean would mean
certain death for him.

He already knew his landing wasn’t going to be pretty no matter where he landed, chewing
his lower lip nervously with his eyes watering, feeling his fall speeding up the closer he got
to the ground, gravity pulling at him with much more force than before.
He took a deep breath, trying not to panic as an idea quickly patched itself up in his head. It
wasn’t going to be the best plan, nor was he going to get out of it unscathed, but he thought
he’d be better off injured with a few broken bones than dead.

The ground was unbearably close now, making him more and more anxious, doubting his
plan and his abilities, finally able to appreciate the fact that he was exhausted the more he got
used to the fall. Still, he tried for the slightest bit of fighting chance he had left.

The moment his senses gave him the go-ahead about three hundred feet above the ground,
Xiao opened his palm wide, summoning the one companion who never failed to aid him in
his time of need. As expected, his beloved spear materialized in his hands; he almost lost his
grip because of the wind whipping around him, but he closed his fist tightly around the shaft
of his primordial spear, silently thanking Celestia that it had answered his call, unlike his
senses.

Summoning all the energy he could get, he shut his eyes, throwing his mind into overdrive to
try and save himself. He pictured a rift, a portal in his mind, a last-ditch effort to save
himself, unsure whether he had the strength to realize the portal.

The tip of his spear began to shine a light green, channeling the wind whipping around him
and guiding it to his will. With a deep breath, Xiao released that energy just below him,
watching as a green rift appeared in midair ten feet below.

In the second it took for him to fall through the rift, Xiao prayed to every damned deity out
there including his beloved archon, Rex Lapis, and the Anemo archon, Barbatos, that he
would be able to make it out alive. Xiao felt himself falling into the portal he’d made,
praying that it would do its job, and closed his eyes for a second before reopening them.

He cursed a little with panic, seeing that the rift had indeed done what it was supposed to and
reduced about 275ft of altitude between himself and the ground, finding that he was only
twenty-five menacing feet above the ground. He braced himself for impact, turning around
midair so his back would face the ground.

It was as painful as he thought it would be, feeling his lungs collapsing as his body met the
sandy ground.

Pure agony rolled over him to the point of numbness as he fell on the sand with the force of a
bomb, causing white specks of sand to fly sky high, leaving him lying at the center of a sandy
crater. Xiao’s vision went black, his eyes closing as he groaned with intense pain, fearing his
back might’ve cracked from how hard he’d landed. He would’ve been dead had he not an
adeptus, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Xiao slipped into a state of half-consciousness,
opening his eyes just a tiny bit but not exactly seeing anything.

He heard a faint sound like hurried footsteps, his sense of sight and hearing weakening by the
moment, but another person’s presence became apparent to Xiao as he heard the rustle of
sand grains as someone hurried to his side.

Xiao blinked his bleary eyes, feeling like he was about to die as a person knelt by his side,
wrapping their arms around Xiao to pull his head into their lap. Xiao tried to sit up, feeling
every part of his body screaming with protest, but a gentle voice cut through the ringing in
his ears, “Stay still,” A voice told him, belonging to a man, “You’re injured… you can’t rise
yet.” He told Xiao, causing the adeptus to focus his last few efforts on clearing his vision,
looking up at his savior.

At the sight of the man holding him, Xiao almost thought he was dead and had ascended to
Celestia.

Before him was a man with blonde hair and golden eyes, gazing down at him with a gentle
stroke of his hand against Xiao’s forehead. He was beautiful. Xiao could find no other words
befitting the man in the haze of his mind.

Seeing Xiao’s pain, the blonde looked saddened by his shaking limbs and pained expression,
understanding that he had to do something to ease Xiao’s injuries.

He began singing, his voice soft and gentle, singing a melody that made Xiao relax almost
immediately. Xiao fought to keep his eyes open, feeling the words the man sang easing into
his mind, the melody sinking into Xiao’s skin. Xiao knew that this was nothing short of
magic.

“Who…?” Xiao managed to utter, unable to help but fall completely in the man’s warm
embrace.

The man smiled gently, momentarily stopping his song. He brushed a hand gently over
Xiao’s cheek, causing his eyes to droop, falling shut, unable to hold on to consciousness for a
moment longer.

“No harm will come to you here, that is my promise.”

***

Days later, Xiao woke up with a gurgle of agony, stirring awake and opening his eyes
groggily. He stared up at the ceiling, which wasn’t quite a ceiling but the top of a cave wall
decorated with glistening gems. It took Xiao a moment to pinpoint which stones they were,
knowing that he, as a follower of the Lord of Geo, was expected to know, though he couldn’t
find the heart to care about them at that moment.

Xiao was amazed, blinking his eyes and feeling little to no eye strain, though his entire body
felt like it was sitting over a lit fire.

He felt… strangely well-rested, which was physically impossible for someone like him
because of his karmic debt, yet how could it be so? He hadn’t suffered from a single
nightmare, hadn’t woken up once. He could never sleep properly without dreams and visions
haunting him every night and day, prompting him to give up on something like rest because it
was unfeasible for him… but now, he felt like he’d slept for a millennium to make up for
almost a century without sleep.

It felt rejuvenating to feel rested, to feel like he’d slept. He was able to ignore the pain in his
body just because of how active his mind felt. Xiao sat up slowly, gazing at his body and
clicking his tongue to find his injuries from before his fall bandaged. His limbs and back
seemed worse for wear, but not broken.

It should’ve been impossible for Xiao to come out of that fall with just these minor injuries,
but he remembered the events just before he passed out very clearly. A blonde man had come
to rescue him, singing to him with his melodic voice and holding him tenderly to reassure
him that he would be okay.

Xiao bit his lip, wondering who he was. He glanced around at the cave and found that it
didn’t look much like the average run-of-the-mill cave that you’d find in Liyue.

The cave was neatly decorated with furniture; he lay on a comfortable mattress no different
from futons you’d see in Inazuma, big enough for two people though he was alone. To one
side of the cave sat a loom and a harp and to the other sat what looked to be a homey kitchen
complete with a stove, a glass cupboard full of ingredients, and cooking utensils. The room
was illuminated by a few scented candles here and there, though sunlight streamed from
behind a bead curtain at the mouth of the cave, separating it from outside.

Xiao tilted his head a little, thinking what an odd but comfortable place he’d landed in.

The more alert his mind became, the more pains began to erupt in his body. He groaned
quietly, feeling like a six-thousand-year-old man because of how much his whole body,
particularly his back, ached.

Xiao bit his lip, remembering the immense risk he’d taken during his plummet, questioning
why he had to stupidly land on his back of all places. He understood that the only thing that
saved him from being completely paralyzed was the fact that he wasn’t human and the quick
help he’d gotten from that blonde.

He racked his brain, trying to remember how he’d ended up in such a predicament. He tried
to recall the events, feeling like something was blocking his memories like a beaver dam.
Xiao smacked his hand against his forehead, hissing with pain, but it did the trick.

Memories from before waking up during his fall began to trickle back into his mind. Xiao’s
eyes widened, hunching over and holding his head in his hands with panic as he finally
remembered where he had been before his fall. He remembered being under the Chasm with
people he called his comrades; Lumine, Paimon, Yelan, and the others. He remembered them
being in crisis, trying to escape from the Chasm’s bed… the last thing Xiao remembered
doing was trying to save his friends using the Fantastic Compass and sending them to the
surface just before it collapsed and he fell back to the Chasm's clutches, ready to embrace
death.

Xiao stared dazedly at the soft linens covering his legs, gazing at the fine threadwork used to
make his blanket. He should’ve been dead, remembering falling into the darkness with the
souls of the damned reaching out to pull him back into the chasm.

Maybe he was dead and this was paradise… but that couldn’t be so. He would likely not get
into Celestia, and if by some mistake he did, he shouldn’t be feeling all this damn pain.
Still… if this wasn’t the afterlife, how could a man so beautiful as the one who’d saved him
exist? Beauty like that did not exist in Teyvat in Xiao’s eyes.

Xiao remembered praying to Rex Lapis just one last time when the Fantastic Compass
shattered, asking for help… he’d seen a golden light just before darkness had swallowed him,
and then he’d woken up, falling in a completely different place from the Chasm.

He sighed, hoping that his friends were safe, trusting his instinct to get them to safety. His
first and foremost worry was to figure out where he was and how to get back to Liyue. He got
up, feeling his legs trembling a little, his body aching all over but not enough for him to give
up and fall back on the comfortable futon, wishing to find his savior. He rubbed his head,
having been sure that he would need top-tier adeptal healing from Moon Carver to right his
spine after that fall, but one song from that man had been enough to save Xiao.

He began to walk out of the homey cave, appreciating the fact that he was half-naked and
questioning who had taken the liberty of changing him out of his tattered clothes from the
fight at the Chasm. He stepped out past the colorful bead curtain at the cave’s entrance.

Sunlight blinded Xiao for a second, causing him to hiss and cover his face with the palm of
his hand to protect his retinas.

He allowed himself a moment to get used to the brightness, and the moment he could see
again, his heart almost stopped.

A gorgeous meadow was built outside the cave; flowers bloomed in all directions with a
grove of trees stretching on one side. Some flowers were familiar, species of flower native to
Liyue, while others were unheard of by Xiao. He stared in awe… never before had he seen a
place so beautiful, gazing ahead and seeing a beautiful fountain made of polished white
marble, a weird naked baby holding a bow and arrow sitting at the center of the fountain,
dancing on its tiptoes.

Aside from the unsettling baby, everything was breathtaking; Xiao didn’t have much of an
eye for beauty, but everything looked like something out of a fictional book.

Continuing from the cave was a dirt path with well-kept silk flower bushes lining the sides of
the path along with fruit plants and vegetables growing in rows, spread out all around the
mouth of the cave. The dirt path led farther off into the distance, where Xiao could see the
ocean.

It was truly the most stunning place Xiao had ever visited.

He forgot all about his aches and pains, feeling revitalized just by the sight and scent of the
beautiful garden. Of course, there must’ve been someone here to take care of this garden; that
person was likely Xiao’s savior, sensing that not many humans inhabited this island.

Xiao began to walk forward, feeling enchanted by the wild and blissful chirping of birds in
the trees, singing to their heart’s content.
The sound of waves splashing against the shore carried over to his ears, making him smile,
having never seen a place so... void yet full of life. It was like an untouched patch of paradise,
just as Xiao had initially thought.

Xiao never had the time or desire to appreciate menial things like beauty or nature and never
gave things like this a second glance. He didn’t stop to admire the flowers, didn’t listen to the
melodic and rhythmic beating of waves or the singing birds enjoying their lives, too busy
fighting off his demons and trying to live up to the duty Rex Lapis had left him with.

This was the first time he’d felt well-rested since becoming a Yaksha, able to hear and see
things he’d never noticed before. He could hear the trees exhale, the wind rustling through
the leaves of flowers, and even the dirt shifting beneath his bare feet as he walked.

It felt like a whole other world as if Xiao was opening his eyes, ears, and heart for the first
time.

Xiao walked forwards and found himself at an intersection with the baby fountain at the
center, one path leading forward to the ocean and two paths going left to the grove, and right,
lined with more pretty plants.

Xiao wondered where his savior could be in the maze of hedges and trees, unsure of what to
do.

As if the world was waiting for that thought, Xiao heard something peculiar, out of the
ordinary. A tune, a soft hum, the sound of a beautiful voice singing, one that didn’t belong to
a bird. Xiao froze for a moment, straining his ears to listen. The hum was neither too far nor
too close, though the wind carried it as clear as daylight to Xiao’s ears. Xiao didn’t move,
staring into nothingness, entranced by the voice that hummed an otherworldly song, a male’s
voice as soft as the gentle trickling of water from the fountain, the same voice that had
soothed him after his fall. Xiao had never heard anyone sing like that.

This was not the kind of singing to signify a celebration, but it was just… calm and tranquil,
used to heal the island and revitalize Xiao’s life force. There was no motive behind such a
song, but that didn’t make it any less beautiful to listen to.

Xiao felt the wind rustle the leaves in time to a slow, rhythmic tune, making it look like the
flowers and the trees were swaying with the melody.

He’d never really thought of plants as… living things, but everything in this place felt alive,
happy, and peaceful. It was almost as if the flowers were getting brighter with the soft
melody of the man’s voice like they were contented with life here. He’d never seen flowers
act so… sentient. Xiao felt just like them.

He felt like strength was returning to his body every moment he listened to that voice. His
aches and pains disappeared just like that, his restless heart’s worry about where he was and
whether his friends were okay simply vanished.

Nothing in this world could go wrong so long as someone was able to sing so serenely…
everything would be okay.
Xiao wanted to find that voice and the person it belonged to, knowing how beautiful a person
with a voice so beautiful would be. Xiao’s savior would be a sight for sore eyes, as beautiful
as his garden, as beautiful as his voice.

Xiao ventured forward, following the sound of the voice and the breeze in the air, allowing
the wind to guide him to the one who sang so beautifully. Xiao passed rows of hedges,
listening keenly; it felt like every other noise complimented the song being hummed by the
mysterious voice.

The waves seemed to beat more harmoniously in time with the melody, the birds took up the
tune as well, singing happily and adding background songs to the music, and the wind
whistled in Xiao’s ears in time with the song. Xiao loved every second of it, feeling like
nothing could’ve made him feel more at ease. Everything was so perfect; Xiao felt no
aversion for the sorcery this was, no aversion for the peace it brought him.

Finally, he found the voice growing louder the closer he got to its source. He followed the
happy flowers until he reached one row of plants, stopping in his tracks as he finally saw
someone, the man who was singing, his savior.

He was hunched over a rose bush, humming gently without words, immersed in his work. A
pair of garden shears was in his hands, cutting away the dead branches of the bush, but that
wasn’t what Xiao was focused on. He couldn’t see the man’s face yet as his back was turned
to Xiao, but… he had the most beautiful golden hair of anyone Xiao had ever seen, pulled
back into a messy braid that swayed behind him in the breeze.

He was small, the same height as Xiao but thinner and lither, though his voice carried
steadily, seemingly not noticing Xiao, absorbed in giving the plant his undivided attention.

Xiao sighed at the sound of his voice; it felt like there were butterflies in his stomach,
fluttering in his belly and making him feel high off of whatever spell the man’s song was
casting over him. He wanted to see more, see what the man with the beautiful hair and voice
looked like again, this time without the haze of pain.

He crept closer, grateful his bare feet made not a single sound to disturb the man. Xiao didn’t
want him to stop singing, wishing he could listen to it for just a little while longer. He walked
behind the blonde, closing his eyes mirthfully at how lovely his voice was to the ears.

The closer he got, the more he began to spot some of the man’s other features, such as his fair
skin, the sweat beading his neck, and… his beautiful scent like strawberries. Before Xiao
knew it, he was standing right behind the blonde, looking over his shoulder, watching him cut
the last of the dead branches as his song came to a slow end. He faded off into a slight
whisper, his voice being carried away by the wind.

Xiao realized a second too late what was about to happen as the man finished up what he was
doing, turning around to leave.

The blonde yelped with fright as he saw Xiao standing millimeters from him, stumbling back
against the rose bush and holding his gardening shears aloft to protect himself. Xiao also
moved back, nearly tripping and falling on his ass but managing to stop himself from making
a fool of himself.

The man regained his composure far quicker than Xiao’s dazed mind, jumping into action
and holding the shears right against Xiao’s throat, glaring at him with a fierce look that
surprised Xiao.

Xiao froze in his tracks, his eyes meeting big gold ones, narrowed with a cold look in h them
before the blonde realized who had snuck up on him.

Xiao had no more than a few seconds to admire how beautiful the blonde was, watching his
pretty eyes glisten like balls of fire under the sunlight, his hair shining like Cor Lapis, his
pink lips slightly parted, jaw clenched with panic. Xiao was stunned at how beautiful the man
was, even more so than when he’d first seen him. Xiao didn’t think humans could be so
gorgeous, especially human males. The beauty of the flowers surrounding them, the beach
and ocean in the distance, and the clear blue sky were nothing compared to the beauty of the
man threatening his life with gardening shears.

In the few seconds he had taken to admire the blonde, the man gasped and quickly retreated
the makeshift weapon, realizing the man whose throat he’d almost slit was the one he’d
rescued a few days ago.

Xiao remained fixed in place, gazing at him with wide eyes, entranced by his attractiveness,
feeling his heart throbbing in his chest. “You’re… awake,” The blonde said hurriedly, his
eyes wide and stricken at the sight of Xiao, “You surprised me… I’m sorry for that,” He told
Xiao, his normal voice as mellow as his singing voice.

The look in his eyes was completely different from a moment ago when he looked like he had
been millimeters from slicing Xiao to bits with just shears. Xiao’s cheeks turned bright red,
realizing he’d been doing nothing but staring at the blonde’s face for more than a minute. He
cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck and awkwardly saying, “Oh… I’m sorry for
startling you. I just… didn’t want to interrupt your singing; it was pretty.” Xiao said with a
sheepish glance.

The blonde stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly surprised that Xiao had been attracted
by the sound of his voice.

Xiao watched with intensely increasing magnetism to the man as his cheeks tinted pink,
hiding his beautiful smile behind his hand. “I’m glad you liked it,” He smiled, his eyes
twinkling as he looked back at the rose bushes shyly, unsure how to handle Xiao’s
compliment.

“You must have a lot of questions… why don’t we get back to the cave?” Aether asked,
hanging his gardening shears on a belt around his waist and taking off his gloves to put them
aside, telling himself he’d come back for them later. Xiao simply nodded, unable to say much
else. He was suddenly very self-conscious of how he looked, thinking he must’ve looked like
a rat compared to the beautiful man in front of him, but he didn’t seem to mind.
He wrapped his hand around Xiao’s, gently guiding him back the way he’d come. Xiao stared
at their hands, particularly gazing at the blonde’s hand holding his. Unlike what he would
expect from someone so beautiful and soft-looking, his hands seemed to be just as calloused
as Xiao’s.

Xiao gazed around the garden; the callouses on the man’s hand were to be expected if he’d
built all this alone. Xiao could see no side of human life on the island save for the blonde
guiding him down the trail, silently taking him back to the cave.

“How do you feel?” The blonde asked him, causing Xiao to blink with surprise, realizing he
was meant to answer. His cheeks tinted pink, knowing that he’d been staring. Xiao said
nothing; his throat suddenly felt dry and a lot smaller than it had been a few moments ago.
He didn’t quite know how to answer, feeling the aches slowly returning now that the blonde’s
song had ended.

“I’m okay, how long have I been asleep?” Xiao asked him, countering his question with a
question.

Aether’s eyes blinked nervously, on his guard in case Xiao meant any harm, but he continued
to gaze at Xiao as they walked side-by-side. “I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to; time is
difficult here. I was waiting for you to wake up… I thought you might not make it because of
how weak you had been and how badly you had landed but… I’m glad you’re awake now,”
He told Xiao.

“How did I get here…? Where am I?” Xiao asked him, making the blonde look back at him
with his golden eyelashes fluttering a little.

He smiled a little at Xiao, causing his cheeks to turn pink, “I didn’t expect you to forget a fall
like that. You fell from the sky and landed on the beach over there,” The blonde told him,
pointing to a section of the beach where Xiao could clearly see a crater in the sand, causing
him to look away sheepishly. “As for where… you are in my home,” He answered, giving
him a little smile as if he knew how specific he was being.

As Xiao continued to gaze at him, staring at his beautiful locks of golden hair, Xiao thought
of how familiar the man looked, reminding him of someone he knew very well. He’d seen his
hair color before as well as his facial structure; he seemed so familiar, but the person the
blonde reminded him of was right on the tip of his tongue.

Xiao’s mind was still a little hazy, racking his brain to remember where he’d seen blonde hair
like that before. Xiao wondered if knowing his name would help jog his memory.

“What’s your name?” Xiao asked, the words flying from his lips before he could think twice
about it, catching Aether’s attention again. He was too entranced by the man to keep himself
from being curious; Xiao would at least like to know his name.

The blonde seemed to be caught off guard by Xiao’s sudden question, gazing back at him
with those pretty eyes that made Xiao weak. Xiao realized with a start that his eyes seemed
unnervingly familiar too. They were honey-colored that shone like gold under the sun, so
beautiful and so familiar. The blonde smiled a little, his eyes crinkling up slightly, “It’s
Aether,” He told him, thinking nothing of the question, not knowing where it would take him.

Xiao’s mind went into overdrive, the name was just as familiar. He hummed in thought,
trying to figure out where he’d heard the name before but his mind was still hazy as pains
erupted in his body again.

Aether was a beautiful name, reminding Xiao of the clear skies above them. He would’ve
smacked his head against the cupid fountain to remember, but suddenly, the block in his
memory lifted when he realized the meaning of the name, recalling a particular moment when
Lumine had told him about her brother.

He stopped in his tracks suddenly, causing Aether to stop too, nearly stumbling back as Xiao
didn’t let go of his hand, rooted to the spot.

Xiao realized with a start exactly why Aether looked so familiar, why his name rang so many
bells. He’d heard it so many times. Aether looked back at Xiao, confused, worrying whether
Xiao was still hurt and looking concerned, “What’s wrong, brave one? Does it hurt
anywhere?” He asked, pressing the back of his hand to Xiao’s forehead to check for a fever.

Xiao almost forgot what had shocked him so much at the sound of Aether calling him ‘brave
one’, making him blush profusely, feeling pleased with himself and wearing the praise
pridefully. Xiao didn’t think falling from the sky and almost crushing your vertebral column
to dust was all that heroic, but he wasn’t complaining.

His mind yelled at him to refocus, remembering why he’d stopped in the first place.

He stared at Aether with newfound curiosity, gazing at his golden locks and golden eyes, the
structure of his beautiful face, and the color of his skin. Xiao couldn’t take his eyes off the
other man. He was just so beautiful and so familiar. He looked like a mirrored image of
Lumine, except he was a male. That was it.

The name of Lumine’s twin was Aether, meaning clear skies.

Everything came together in Xiao’s head from Aether’s name to how similar he looked to
Lumine. Lumine had been looking for him for months, enlisting the help of nearly half of
Teyvat, including Xiao and the other adepti, and here he was, standing before Xiao, holding
his hand with a puzzled expression on his face, looking like he didn’t harbor a care in the
world as if he had no idea that his twin was turning Teyvat upside down looking for him.
Everything made sense to Xiao now.

He stared around at the island, void of other humanoid life save for the two of them. As far as
the eye could see, there was no land surrounding them; they weren’t anywhere near Teyvat.

That was why Xiao had never been able to track Aether down, nor could Lumine. Xiao
suddenly felt dizzy with that thought, stumbling a little.

He would’ve kissed the dirt if Aether hadn’t caught him, gasping a little with surprise, “Ah…
you’re still injured; you shouldn’t have gotten out of bed,” Aether told him, guiding Xiao
towards a cushioned bench by the fountain, helping him sit down and regain his wits.

Aether took a seat next to him, feeling concerned as he held Xiao’s hands, gazing at Xiao
apprehensively as if fearful that he wasn’t okay. Xiao looked at Aether, unable to help but
want to know for sure whether the Lumine’s name meant anything to Aether, “You… you’re
Lumine’s brother, aren’t you?” Xiao asked, unable to hide the apprehension in his voice. He
watched as Aether’s confused expression melted into one of astonishment, his eyes going
wide at the name and his lips parting.

Aether’s grip on Xiao’s hand loosened, but Xiao didn’t let go.

Aether said nothing as Xiao sat straighter, eliminating the space between them. Xiao looked
into his eyes, causing Aether to wonder how such peculiar eyes could exist in who he
assumed was a mortal man.

So many questions flitted through Aether’s mind all at once. How did Xiao know Lumine?
How did he know he was Lumine’s brother? Who was Xiao really? His mind went blank at
his sister’s name, feeling his heart aching with dread, worry, and longing.

His sudden discomfort was noticed immediately by Xiao, who knew instantly just from
Aether’s stunned silence that his assumption was correct. Aether didn’t flinch as Xiao raised
a hand to his face, pressing it against his cheek as if trying to make sure Aether was real.
Xiao was gentle as he gazed down at him, wondering whether Aether had been on this island
in the middle of nowhere all this time while Lumine worried herself sick looking for him.

He had just as many questions for Aether, why didn’t Aether look for Lumine? Why did he
stay on this island while his sister worried sick over him?

“She’s turned half of Teyvat upside down looking for you,” Xiao told him truthfully, brushing
a strand from Aether’s eyes and wondering how someone could be so beautiful. Seeing
Aether looking up at him with his big golden eyes, unable to utter a word, made something
stir in Xiao’s chest.

He watched as Aether’s bottom lip began to quiver, a great many emotions sifting through his
eyes, causing them to water a little. He knew just from that that Aether did not leave Lumine
on purpose, which was enough for Xiao.

The anguish in his eyes reflected his feelings of regret and wistfulness, causing Xiao to feel
remorseful as well, understanding Aether’s sadness.

“Who are you? How do you know Lumine?” Aether asked, his voice no more than a quiet
whisper, unable to help the sudden grief. Xiao frowned a little at how fragile he sounded,
taking Aether’s other hand in his own as well.

He knew he had a lot to talk to Aether about, not knowing where to begin except to answer
Aether’s question, “My name is Xiao; I’m an adeptus from Liyue. She and I fought side by
side during a battle to protect my nation; we have been…” Xiao hesitated, doubting whether
it was an appropriate term for a comrade, “friends for quite some time. She asked me to help
her find you… I have been looking for you as well.” He told Aether.
Aether sat by his side, still with his hands placed comfortably in Xiao’s, but he kept his gaze
fixed on the ground, unable to look at Xiao as he spoke.

Aether’s heart ached unbearably, wondering just how long he’d been on this island and when
Lumine had gained consciousness. He hadn’t been there for Lumine when she came to this
world. His twin was on the other side of this world, searching ceaselessly for him, even
enlisting the help of one of the Geo Archon’s followers.

It was almost ironic that Xiao was an adeptus, a follower of one of the deities that had
imprisoned Aether here. Aether should’ve been bitter, but as he felt Xiao’s hand tighten
around his, he felt a peculiar surge of warmth that made him forget his resentment towards
the Archons.

Aether gazed at their hands, resting on the grey stone bench between them.

Xiao’s hand was steady and just as calloused and scarred as Aether’s, yet he still held
Aether’s hand carefully as if trying not to spook him, as if he knew how fragile Aether really
was underneath layers of reservation.

Aether had years upon years for his anger at this cruel world to slowly dissipate like a flame
with rapidly decreasing air. He felt no aversion towards Xiao for who and what he was and
didn’t blame Lumine for befriending him because neither of them knew what the Archons
had done to him.

Aether didn’t know what to tell Xiao. Xiao became more and more worried with each second
passed in silence, unsure of what to say, how to handle the beautiful brother of one of his
most trusted comrades without the blonde hating him. Xiao could hardly tear his eyes from
Aether, still captivated by his beauty, mesmerized by the way his blonde hair shone like gold
in the sun, his bangs brushing over his beautiful eyes in time with the wind. Just looking at
him made Xiao’s heartbeat quicken, questioning what this feeling was, the feeling of being
attracted to someone, the feeling of an intense magnetic connection between himself and the
man sitting next to him.

Xiao forced himself to shift his gaze from Aether’s face, intimidated by his thoughts about
Aether.

He glanced at the cave entrance ahead of them, staring at the bead curtains that covered it. He
gazed from there to the gardens all around them, knowing for sure that a place as beautiful as
this wasn't made in one night, causing him to question how long Aether had been here.

“You’ve been here this whole time? For how long?” Xiao asked at last, unable to bear the
silence.

He watched as Aether drew patterns on the dirt with his feet, a habit Xiao recognized was
similar to Lumine's when she got antsy or nervous. Slowly, Aether shook his head. “I’ve lost
track of time,” he answered simply, wondering what Xiao would say to that.

The man beside him was a friend of Lumine’s, one who'd aided her in her search for Aether.
Would he be angry that Aether had been on the island, not caring where Lumine was while
she worried for him? It would’ve made Aether laugh because none of this had been his
choice; no one knew how much Aether missed his sister and the outside world except for
himself.

Xiao never removed his hand, causing Aether to feel warm inside, though he knew not to get
attached to Xiao.

Aether knew the drill—the curse he’d been given by the gods. Every hundred years or so, the
gods would cruelly send someone to his island to accompany him. They would need Aether’s
help after a perilous journey, just like Xiao. Aether would heal them as best as he could and
try to send them off on their journey again. He couldn't help falling for them, for they were
always the most tenacious and the bravest. They could never stay with him; never keep him
company in his beautiful prison. They always had some duty to tend to, a duty they could not
relinquish. They would leave Aether behind. Aether was bound to be alone for eternity while
the gods would laugh at him and taunt him with the companionship he could not have.

Xiao was this century’s hero, one who wouldn’t be able to stay.

Aether could not bear to get attached and hurt again, but he felt the walls he’d cast around
himself upon seeing Xiao fall on his island crumbling at the feeling of his warm hands
holding Aether’s.

How long had it been since he’d been with another person? How long had it been since he’d
been able to hold someone’s hand like this? Too long; it felt like it had been millennia since
the last man had washed up on his shores.

When Aether first heard the loud crash on the beach where Xiao had landed, he was startled
out of his mind because that was the first time someone had completely butchered their
landing. This would mark the first time a non-human had been sent to him; it seemed
insulting for the gods to send one of their followers to him, but he was used to the insult. He
didn’t blame Xiao for landing here, he likely didn’t know Aether’s story. Of course, the
Archons would never confess their questionable deeds to their followers.

He was hoping for answers from Xiao too, but for now, he knew Xiao would be incapacitated
with his own questions.

Xiao sighed softly but didn’t say anything to express frustration with Aether. “Where are we
exactly?” He asked, staring off into the horizon peeking from between the trees, past the vast
ocean. There was not a single island in sight; Xiao’s senses were all over the place, unable to
pinpoint where he was.

Aether followed his gaze, releasing a deep breath. “You’re in Ogygia,” He answered
truthfully. Xiao turned his head and stared at Aether, perplexed because he knew neither how
to pronounce such a name nor had he ever heard of it in Teyvat.

Xiao was an impeccable tracker; he knew not only Liyue but the whole of Teyvat like the
back of his hand. He had flawless hearing second to none, able to pick up words hundreds of
miles away, able to find anything so long as the wind reached it. This paradise couldn’t be an
exception. The wind was strong, brushing over him like gentle butterflies fluttering over
Xiao’s body; Xiao should’ve known exactly where he was, but he didn’t. He felt so lost… yet
it didn't bother him. It felt almost blissful to be so unaware of his surroundings. He found it
difficult not to enjoy having no thoughts or worries except for Aether.

Aether saw the confusion in Xiao’s expression and smiled a little, understanding the
questions going through his mind. “Ogygia is everywhere and nowhere at the same time,”
Aether told Xiao, “This place is difficult to track, impossible to find. No one knows of it
because the gods made it that way. And no man finds Ogygia twice.”

He shifted his gaze back to the ground, unable to hold Xiao’s intense gaze for long. The
feeling of Xiao’s hand over his, the feeling of his warmth and just his presence made Aether
happy rather than the loneliness he was used to. He wasn’t used to having someone sit by
him, not used to having someone to talk to after centuries of loneliness and being left behind.
Knowing Xiao could not and would not stay made him ache.

Xiao’s mystification didn’t lessen at Aether’s words. How long had Aether been here in this
lonesome place with no company?

Xiao noticed Aether’s lack of keenness to look at him, making him frown a little. Xiao
sighed, knowing he wasn’t the best person to talk to closed-off people like himself; he’d
changed quite a bit since he’d met Lumine, wondering if her friendship was for him to
prepare for her mysterious twin.

“Why haven’t you left this place?” Xiao asked, brushing up on the subject that was most
sensitive to Aether.

Xiao knew that in normal circumstances, the answer to that question would be clear; the
place was beautiful. However, these were not normal circumstances. Aether had a sister on
the other side, looking for him. Xiao knew for a fact that Aether cared about her and was sad
about not being able to see her just by his reaction. So why? Why hadn’t he left for Lumine?
Why had he stayed here all this time in solitude?

He watched as Aether bit down on his lip, admiring how soft they looked. Aether looked
saddened by his question, causing Xiao to realize that he was pushing too much despite
barely knowing Aether.

Aether wanted to tell Xiao but knew it would be futile. Adepti were loyal to the Geo Archon;
Xiao would never believe that his god was one of the reasons he couldn’t leave.

“I… I can’t tell you,” Aether told him, his voice breaking a little, causing Xiao’s heart to
ache.

Xiao sighed but didn’t push it, nodding a little. “So be it. What matters is that we need to get
you off this island and back to your sister,” he said affirmatively, sounding so confident that
Aether almost believed him. Aether chuckled a little, his voice sounding hollow, making
Xiao blink with confusion, wondering why he sounded so hopeless. Aether finally turned his
gaze to look at Xiao, causing his heart to thump in his chest. “I can’t leave this island, Xiao,”
He said sadly, causing Xiao’s face to drop.
“Why not?” Xiao asked immediately, his face twisting into one of concern. Aether simply
smiled sadly at him and shook his head.

Telling the people who washed up on his shores his story was exactly the thing that got them
to pity him, but they’d still leave him. There was no point in reliving his pain over and over.

“Will I…” Xiao began, trailing off as if wondering whether he was allowed to ask the
question. Aether understood immediately and tried desperately to ignore the sudden ache in
his heart, feeling Xiao unconsciously prove all of Aether's notions about him. He would not
stay.

“Yes, don’t worry, you’ll be able to leave, but not now,” he told Xiao, causing him to blink
with confusion, wondering why he was allowed to leave the island but not Aether. “For now,
you need rest, no matter what kind of perilous journey you were going through. You’re
worried, I can sense that. But you won’t do your companions any good in the shape you’re in
now,” Aether lectured sternly, finality in his voice as if telling Xiao that there would be no
more room to argue or ask any more painful questions.

Xiao pursed his lips but didn’t argue, feeling that his noodly limbs would do him no good in a
fight. He trusted in his power to get Lumine and the others to safety, but he still worried,
having no confirmation of their wellbeing.

Xiao wanted to get out and about and tell Lumine about this place. She would be overjoyed
to know that he'd found her brother, but Xiao's body ached with pain.

He didn't have the strength to teleport, his senses were all over the place, unable to tell where
he was or how to get back to his friends, but he knew he needed to return soon to make sure
Lumine, Paimon, Yelan, and the others were alright, even the small bull. However, his first
and foremost concern was that beautiful blonde, feeling an unquenchable curiosity and
attraction to Aether.

He promised himself he would do whatever he could to know more about Aether. He hoped
that the gold light that saved him and brought him here would be able to save his friends as
well.

“Alright then, have it your way, but I refuse to sit around doing nothing,” Xiao said firmly,
rising to his feet, knowing he couldn’t allow himself to lie around like a damsel in distress.
He ignored the way his vision dotted black but recovered quickly at the sound of Aether’s
laughter at his energy.

Aether watched as Xiao shivered a little, the wind picking up and blowing over them. It was
colder in this place than Liyue, causing Xiao to tighten his hand around Aether’s, looking for
a source of warmth.

Aether giggled. “You must not have seen the shirt I left for you on the loom,” he told Xiao,
who blushed sheepishly. “Alright, alright. If you’re that energetic, I’ll put you to work. Let’s
see how adept an adeptus is at gardening.”
Xiao paled a little but didn’t back out, sighing a little. He was willing to do anything so long
as it helped him get closer to Aether.

***

Just as Aether had warned, days flew by and Xiao lost track of time. He didn't know whether
it had been three days, three weeks, or three months, losing himself in the peaceful life spent
by Aether's side.

Life in Ogygia was otherworldly for Xiao, for he felt just like a normal human.

Xiao had three square meals a day with Aether. He would help Aether around the island,
helping him fix the crater around the beach and plant flowers in the garden. They would go to
sleep in the same futon, talking about the outside world.

Xiao would fall asleep every night with the beautiful blonde by his side on the other side of
the futon and wake up feeling refreshed without a single dream. He had an appetite for only
Aether's cooking despite abstaining from human meals, finally being able to live a normal
life. His duty felt like a distant nightmare; he knew his comrades likely thought him dead. He
shed the name Alatus and the title of Yaksha when he was by Aether's side, feeling free of his
karmic debt for once in his life.

Life with Aether was nothing short of blissful. Aether made Xiao feel human: he felt alive
and worthy of love and affection.

And yet, there was always a sense of foreboding following Xiao. One day, sooner or later,
Xiao would have to return to his life as an adeptus. He couldn't leave behind his duty nor
could he help but worry about his friends' safety in his absence. However, he also couldn't
stand the thought of leaving Aether and this small, peaceful patch of paradise behind.

In the short but simultaneously long time Xiao had spent with Aether, he found himself
getting attached.

More often than not, he would catch himself staring at Aether while he worked, admiring
how beautiful he would look when he'd wipe the sweat off his brow or sweep his braid over
his shoulder, never afraid to get his hands dirty when it came to his garden.

Even when they were resting, he'd find little habits of Aether's worthy of admiration, such as
the way his eyes would gleam when talking about something he loved or his beautiful smile
equivalent to the sun. Xiao liked every little thing about him from his cute mannerisms to his
cooking to the way he'd throw all caution to the wind in his sleep and cuddle up to Xiao like
there was no tomorrow. However, there was one thing that seemed to bother Xiao a lot.

Whenever Aether would get too caught in the moment, finding himself chuckling whenever
Xiao made a silly mistake or got food over his clothes in his haste to eat, he would
immediately stop and withdraw as if afraid to engage with Xiao too much.

It was almost like Aether didn't want to be happy around Xiao, as if he was trying to protect
himself from inevitable pain.
Each time Xiao took a step forward, Aether would take two steps back and reinforce the
invisible line separating them, never allowing Xiao to get too close. Xiao couldn't help but
want to get close to Aether.

Everything about him was delicate and graceful, but he also had a mean side at times such as
when his first instinct was to slice Xiao's throat with garden shears when they'd first met.

Xiao had never felt like this towards anyone before, the strong feeling of attraction that made
him want to have Aether for himself, learn everything about him. Xiao, who would never
glance twice at others and avoided interaction where he could, found himself pursuing
Aether, wanting to know more about the blonde, wanting to get closer despite the line
between them.

On the present night, an unknown time after they met, he lay by Aether's side, awake but
feigning sleep, thinking deeply.

Xiao couldn't help but miss Liyue despite the enjoyable human life he lived on Ogygia with
Aether. He knew he couldn't stay, but at the same time, the thought of leaving Aether here all
by himself was torturous for Xiao, wondering how Aether would fare without any company
at all.

Aether had still yet to tell Xiao the reason he couldn't leave Ogygia. He still refrained from
the subject of leaving the island no matter how many advances Xiao took and hints Xiao
dropped.

Xiao would occasionally ease the idea of showing Aether the sights of Liyue, such as Jueyun
Karst or the Lantern Rite festival as Lumine had shown Xiao. He would slip in some 'what
if's for Aether to try and tempt the blonde into coming with him. What if he took him to
Wangshu Inn? What if Aether went and explored the world with his sister? Still, Aether never
responded to any of these advances and offers.

Whenever Xiao made such a statement, Aether's eyes would cloud up with an emotion Xiao
could only decipher as sadness.

It confused Xiao to no end, who thought that Aether was refusing to come with him by
choice. Ogygia was a beautiful place, it was Aether's home. Xiao could understand not
wanting to leave it, but couldn't he come back after seeing the outside world with Xiao and
his own sister?

In the time Xiao had spent with Aether, did Aether not feel the connection Xiao felt? Didn't
he feel something that would compel him to go back to the mainland with Xiao? They shared
meals together, bathed in the lake together, gardened, cooked, cleaned even slept in the same
bed, holding each other at night like there was no tomorrow. Did all that mean nothing to
Aether? It was all too complicated. Xiao didn't know what to make of it.

To Xiao, all these things they did were what made this relationship with Aether feel special.
He would never do any of these things with anyone else, not even Lumine, nor would he feel
as happy doing so with anyone else. That was it.
Aether made him happy beyond belief. Happiness didn't come easily to Xiao, but each time
he heard Aether's laughter or saw his smile, he could feel all his worries fading away. He felt
normal. That was why he was desperate for Aether to come back with him. Even if Aether
did not like Xiao, shouldn't he go with Xiao for Lumine's sake?

As he lay there in bed by Aether's side, his eyes cracked open as he felt movement on
Aether's side of the bed. He watched with hooded eyes as Aether sat up, sighing softly to
himself, causing Xiao to wonder if something was wrong.

Xiao shut his eyes as the blonde turned to look at him, gazing down at his face. Xiao couldn't
see but Aether gazed at him with a look of longing and desolation, thinking of how he could
never lead a happy life with Xiao. Aether slowly brought his hand to Xiao's face, assuming
he was asleep, and slowly brushed his fingers against Xiao's face, causing Xiao’s heart to
pound in his chest, wondering what Aether was doing. They would normally avoid direct
contact like this save for in their sleep when they'd go to bed on opposite sides of their futon
and wake up cuddling.

This caress was something Xiao wasn't used to but enjoyed very much, however, it didn't last
long, much to his dismay.

Aether retreated quickly and got up from the bed, putting on a pair of slippers before exiting
the cave. When Xiao thought it safe to open his eyes, he stared at the gems glittering on the
ceiling with wonder, wondering what all that was about and smiling giddily to himself,
thinking he was getting closer to Aether and making progress.

He didn't know the meaning behind Aether's gentle, sad touch. Xiao vaguely questioned
where Aether was going in the middle of the night, assuming to the bathroom, and decided to
wait patiently and hopefully hug Aether tight when he got back. However, fifteen minutes
passed and Aether still had yet to return, causing Xiao to become more and more restless and
worried, wondering if Aether was alright.

He sat up slowly, scrunching his nose at how cold it was in the empty cave, seeing no one
outside the bead curtains at the mouth of the cave, no sign of Aether.

Xiao decided to get up, feeling concerned that Aether had not yet returned to bed and that
something was wrong. He left his shirt behind as he slipped on some slippers but soon
regretted it as he stepped outside the cave, still unused to the comfortable but cool
temperature of Ogygia, much different from Liyue's hot and humid climate.

Xiao held back a shiver, thinking he should find Aether quickly, fetch him, and bring him
back to bed as soon as possible.

He didn't feel as worried as he normally would be when a friend or someone close to him
would disappear from his sight, mostly because Aether had assured him that no danger had
come across Ogygia in at least a few centuries.

Xiao scanned the meadow for any sign of Aether, staring at the Cupid fountain to see if
Aether was at his usual seat, but found no one within sight.
Xiao ventured forward, feeling the dirt and gravel crunching under the soft soles of his
slippers, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of night with only the crescent moon lighting his
path.

As he reached the Cupid fountain, he crouched down and scanned the ground for the freshest
set of footprints and easily found Aether's footprints leading to the beach.

Xiao continued straight, sighing gently as the ocean breeze washed over him, the waves
gently lapping against the shore.

Xiao relaxed immediately as Aether came into his line of sight, seeing that Aether was in no
present danger, sitting on a beach towel by the seaside and sitting curled up with his knees to
his chest, resting his head on top of them.

Xiao silently drew nearer but thought better of sneaking up on Aether, remembering the first
time he'd done so had almost got him his throat slit with garden shears. "Aether?" Xiao
called, nearing the blonde, who started at the sound of his voice.

Aether turned his head to look at him, and with a jerk, Xiao realized that tears were streaking
down Aether's cheeks that he wiped away quickly, trying not to let Xiao see.

Xiao sat down next to him, stunned at the sight of tears lining Aether's eyelids though he tried
desperately to pretend like nothing happened, "Ah, is everything okay?" Aether asked, his
voice trembling a little as he failed to hide a little sniffle, causing Xiao's heart to ache,
wondering what had made Aether cry like this.

"Apparently not, you're crying," Xiao pointed out helpfully, causing Aether to bite his lip,
having hoped Xiao wouldn't ask.

On the contrary, Xiao felt a protective urge over Aether, wishing he could take away all of
Aether's worries. Aether didn't try to hide his tears anymore, seeing as Xiao had already
noticed them. He was silent, watching the waves lapping against the shore while a single tear
dripped down his cheek, unable to help it. Xiao watched him, wondering how someone could
so beautiful even in tears.

Xiao had been trained in situations like this when he needed to handle someone going
through human emotion. Of course, the one who'd taught him emotion and empathy was none
other than Lumine; she'd be proud if he was able to calm her brother down using the odd
techniques she'd taught him.

Xiao slowly scooted forward, wrapping his arms around Aether's slim body and gently
pulling him into his lap, hugging him to his chest as he began to cry even more. Aether didn't
fight his hold, burying his face into Xiao's shoulder and weeping for reasons unknown to
Xiao. "Stop this..." Aether said weakly to him, causing Xiao to blink with surprise,
wondering whether Aether meant for him to stop hugging him, but he continued, "Stop
making it so difficult for me to let you go."

The blonde didn't push or pull away from Xiao, contrarily hugging him tighter as if afraid
that Xiao would disappear at any given moment. Xiao's heart thumped at Aether's words,
happy, bewildered, and sad at the same time.

Xiao felt happy because it seemed from Aether's words that he didn't want them to part ways
just as much as Xiao; he felt bewildered because he could see no reason for Aether to have to
let him go. Xiao had already offered multiple times to sweep Aether away from this island
and help him see the entire world and reunite with his twin; it was Aether who didn't seem
keen on the idea, so why cry for it now?

"You don't ever have to let me go," Xiao said, "I'll take you with me, no matter what..." He
promised, holding Aether tight, but to his surprise, the blonde retaliated this time. Aether
pulled back, his eyes swimming in tears that stained his cheeks, though they did little to hide
the intense glare on Aether's beautiful face, catching Xiao off guard.

"Don't you get it?!" Aether asked, his voice getting louder, thickening with emotion as he saw
Xiao's incomprehensive expression, "I can't go with you, okay? I can't leave Ogygia, your
Archons made sure of that!" Aether said forcefully, angry tears pouring down his red cheeks
as he looked fiercely into Xiao's eyes, his resentment for this world and the gods spilling out.
Xiao's eyes widened, sitting in stunned silence as Aether realized what he'd said, sniffling a
little and averting his gaze, unable to help but cry.

"I promised myself I wouldn't tell you this... that I wouldn't try to keep you with me but... you
make it so difficult when you treat me so well," Aether said, his voice weakened with
sadness, speaking just above a whisper.

Xiao didn't let go of him, allowing Aether to rest his head against his collarbone. He rubbed
soothing circles on Aether's hip, unable to help but fiddle with Aether's beautiful body as he
did every night when Aether allowed him to.

Xiao took a shaky breath, feeling his heart constricting at the thought of not being able to
take Aether with him.

He wanted to know why, why he couldn't have Aether like this for the rest of his life. "Tell
me," Xiao urged, unable to help but bury his face into the crook of Aether's neck, mirthfully
sighing into his neck, taking in the blonde's strawberry scent that made him ache with
affection.

Aether took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of Xiao's warm embrace against the cold
night air, feeling Xiao's bare upper body pressing against his own, eliminating the space
between them.

"You won't believe me," Aether said weakly, worrying that Xiao would call him a liar when
he shared his story because he was a follower of the Geo Archon, who played a role in
Aether's imprisonment in Ogygia. Xiao pursed his lips feeling curiosity gnawing deeply at his
insides, making him want to hear Aether's story no matter what. With a promise to himself to
hear Aether out, he fixed the blonde with a determined look, "Try me," Xiao said, his voice
strengthening as he told himself that he had fallen for Aether for a reason. Aether wouldn't lie
to him, not while he cried so sincerely.
Aether stared at him, pursing his lips and pondering whether it was worth it or not to tell
Xiao his story.

What if Xiao didn't believe him? What if he accused Aether of lying about his Archon and
began to hate him? The thought saddened Aether immensely, though a voice in his mind
brought him a silky thread of hope. He came to the same conclusion as Xiao.

He had fallen for Xiao for a reason as well; Xiao wouldn't hate him, not when he was so
gentle and mildly affectionate. He released a soft sigh, coming to terms with his decision.

A ball of anxiety churned in his stomach, but he ignored it, deciding that the one he loved and
the one who supposedly loved him deserved the truth; how Xiao responded to the truth was
his business.

Aether began to speak, "A long time ago... maybe a few hundred years or even a millennia
ago, Lumine and I landed in Teyvat after a goddess intercepted us. The two of us were cast
into a deep sleep... I'm not sure how long I was asleep. I woke up one day in a land, a nation
named Khaenri'ah..." Immediately, Xiao's senses heightened, listening to Aether's story
sharply and reminding himself not to jump to conclusions, but he was slowly beginning to
understand.

Aether continued, "They took me in, they treated me well, helped me get to my feet... I was
treated like family by the locals of that country while my sister wasn't by my side. Everything
seemed peaceful... I was happy, looking forward to introducing Lumine to all the loving
people I'd met on my journey, but then..."

Aether closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling bitter resentment eating away at his
innards.

He didn't look at Xiao, not wanting to see his reaction to what he was about to say, not
wanting to know if Xiao had been involved in that incident.

"The Archons struck. They destroyed Khaenri'ah, killed millions that lived there... they killed
the people I had called family. Of course, I tried to fight against them; I wanted to protect the
land that helped me settle in Teyvat while I waited for word on Lumine. In the end... my
efforts didn't matter. Everyone I had once known had lost their minds to grief and curses
while the rest had perished. The Archons... I'm not sure why, but they spared my life," Aether
said softly, smiling a cold, wry smile as if finding something mildly amusing. He didn't feel
grateful at all to the Archons for letting him live.

"Instead, they cast me away here on this island and imprisoned me here in solitude. You'd
think this is a good punishment; the island is beautiful... it's comfortable living here, but the
Archons took away my freedom for defending the people that treated me kindly. Since then,
I've been living here in isolation, though that isn't my only punishment. From time to time,
the Archons enjoy rubbing salt on my wounds by… sending me a hero," Finally, he managed
to look up at Xiao, seeing the distant, almost pained expression on his face and he stared
back.
Aether smiled gently at him, bringing his hand up and gently caressing his face, "They send
me someone like you, someone who has a duty to fulfill, who cannot stay by my side.
They..." Aether's voice broke, his eyes swimming with tears as his grief broke over, but his
smile did not falter, "They send me someone I can't help but fall in love with. In the end, they
all end up leaving, too noble to let go of their missions for me. That is why we cannot be
together, brave one. So please... don't make this difficult for me. You're almost fully healed...
you'll be able to leave soon." Aether told him gently, extracting himself from Xiao's arms
with difficulty, not wanting to get away from Xiao's warm embrace. Xiao caught him just
before Aether could stand up, pulling him back down.

Xiao fixed him with a soft but disappointed look, his lips pursed as he spoke, "You want me
to go?" He asked quietly, looking imploring into Aether's eyes, seeing the guarded look in his
golden orbs melt away at the sad tone of Xiao's voice.

Aether's lips trembled, "I..." His voice broke, his eyes filling with tears again, "Of course not,
why would I want you to go?" He asked weakly, trying not to break down as he stared up at
Xiao, looking crestfallen and causing Xiao's heart to ache. He was about to say more but
stopped when Xiao pressed a finger to Aether's lips, silencing him.

"Then that's all that matters," Xiao whispered, leaning closer and closer until millimeters
separated them. He was close enough to count the eyelashes lining Aether's eyelids, seeing
his tears sparkle in the moonlight.

Slowly, their eyes drooped shut, their lips meeting gently in a loving kiss.

Xiao held Aether close, refusing to let go, kissing the blonde fiercely as if to drive into
Aether's mind that his feelings for him were real. He could feel the gentle brush of Aether's
eyelashes against his face, making his heart pound, feeling warmth wash over him at the love
swelling in his chest. He pulled away gently, connecting his forehead with Aether's and
looking into his glazed, half-lidded eyes.

"I've been wanting to do that since the day we met," Xiao whispered, watching as Aether
blushed furiously, unable to take his gaze away from Xiao's.

Before either of them knew it, their lips had met again, their kiss more passionate than the
last as Xiao pried his tongue from between Aether's lips, feeling utterly satisfied to have
Aether pliantly letting him do as he wished.

Aether was pinned to the beach towel before long, his limbs wrapped around Xiao as they
kissed ferociously, finally letting go of the self-control they'd desperately tried to hold on to.
Aether knew this was dangerous, knowing that this would hurt him sooner than later, but as
Xiao pulled back and gazed down affectionately at him, he lost himself in a haze of desire.

Xiao soothingly caressed his cheek, "You said no man finds Ogygia twice, didn't you?" Xiao
asked softly, smiling a little, which confused Aether. Aether looked a little sad at the
reminder, but nodded a little in agreement, causing Xiao to look pleased, much to his
bewilderment.
"Then it's a good thing I'm not just any ordinary human man, isn't that right?" Xiao asked
confidently, looking pleased with himself.

He took Aether's hand in his own, hovering over the blonde to keep from crushing him under
his weight as he brought his hand up to his lips, pressing a small kiss to it that wiped the
frown off of Aether's face.

"You're right about me not being able to stay, you're right about me being fully healed and
ready to go..." Xiao said, leaning down and pecking Aether on the neck, trailing gentle kisses
from his jaw to his collarbone. His hands gently trailed up Aether's night robes, brushing
against his waist with a featherweight touch that sent goosebumps down Aether's legs. Aether
bit his lip, enjoying the attention Xiao's hands and lips gave him, though he felt a weight drop
in his stomach at Xiao's words, confirming all his suspicions that Xiao would leave him.

However, before Aether could push Xiao away, the adeptus buried his face in Aether's chest,
inhaling his strawberry scent and sighing with joy as he continued, "I'm not going to let you
go so easily. I will find you again even if it kills me, I will track you down no matter if it
takes me a week or a century. All I ask is that you wait for me."

Xiao waited for a response with bated breath, not looking at Aether though his hands moved
of their own accord, brushing against Aether's hips mirthfully. He felt Aether's hand brush
through his hair gently, his muscles tightening as he suppressed a shudder from the way Xiao
raked his fingernails across his hips.

"You can't.. once you leave, you won't be able to find me again..." Aether whispered
doubtfully, finally compelling Xiao to sit up.

Xiao gazed down at him, an oddly triumphant look in his eye, "You love me, don't you?" He
asked suddenly, watching as Aether's cheeks tinted bright red at the sudden question. He
didn't lie, nodding shyly.

Xiao kissed him on the cheek, just the ghost of a smile on his face, "You don't trust someone
you love?" Xiao challenged, watching as Aether's eyes widened a little before softening,
sighing defeatedly.

"Of course I do," He said with mild exasperation. Xiao smiled fully, just the tiniest curl of the
corners of his lips as he fixed Aether with an affectionate look.

"Then trust me, I will find you no matter what. I believe what you told me... if my Archon is
the reason you're stuck here simply for living up to your loyalty, I won't forgive him if he
won't free you. I'll take you with me, if not now, then later, you have my word," Xiao bowed
his head, solemnly making his contract, almost certain that somewhere out there, Rex Lapis
would've heard his promise to Aether.

He watched as tears shone in Aether's beautiful eyes again, nodding gently, sealing them
together in a bond built on a contract.

Xiao pressed his lips to Aether's again, feeling what could only be the purest form of love
washing over him. He never thought he would ever feel this way, but now, he felt glad that he
could give Aether the love he deserved.

Their kiss got more and more heated as Xiao held Aether close, snaking his arms around his
waist as he devoured Aether's mouth. Their lips were sloppy, spit dribbling down the sides of
their mouths as neither of them had adequate experience doing something like this despite
being ancient beings, but they enjoyed the feeling of each other's soft lips against their own
all the same.

Xiao pulled back only to bury his face in Aether's neck once more, kissing down his Adam's
apple before clamping his lips around a small spot just above his beautiful collarbone. He felt
Aether tense up as he sucked a red bruise on his neck, encouraged by the gentle mewls that
escaped his lips at the tickling feeling he got from Xiao's lips.

When Xiao was satisfied, he moved his hands down Aether's body until they found the neat
knot of Aether's night robes, unfurling it with a furtive glance at Aether, who gazed at him
with no intentions of stopping him.

Xiao opened Aether's robes and bit his lip at the sight of Aether's body, covered only by his
underwear that did little to hide his body.

Aether's cheeks were tinted pink, seeing the lustful look in Xiao's eyes that made him feel shy
about being on display for the other man. Xiao felt his body reacting to the sight of Aether's
deep collarbone, taut nipples, and pretty waist, gazing down at his legs that lay spread across
Xiao's thighs. Aether was easily the most beautiful thing Xiao had seen in his life. Nothing
could hold a candle to Aether's beauty, not the starry sky, not the flower fields behind them,
not even the waves shining before them with bioluminescent plankton. Aether's beauty was
otherworldly, Xiao knew that for certain now.

Before long, he had Aether whimpering under his touch, having his mouth wrapped around
Aether's nipples, drenching them in his spit. He hardly knew what he was doing, having no
experience with sexual acts like this, but he followed his desires, kissing where he wanted to
kiss, touching everywhere his hands could reach, mirthfully taking in Aether's scent as they
lay together on the beach, enjoying the breeze over their bare bodies as they entangled with
lustful desire.

"I don't want to leave you for even a second," Xiao whispered in the heat of the moment,
kissing down Aether's belly to his navel, his hands groping his thighs as if unable to find the
will to let go despite finger-shaped indents etching into the blonde's pale skin.

Aether brushed his fingers lovingly through Xiao's hair, feeling his heart flutter at the words
of comfort. With a slight tug, he pulled Xiao back up, raising his upper body slightly to place
a kiss on Xiao's lips more easily, pecking him gently.

"Then you better keep your promise, Xiao," He said softly, kissing Xiao's cheeks and
wrapping his arms around his neck, pushing down the feelings of hesitancy and skepticism.

He jolted a little as Xiao pressed his hips forward until his cock was pressed against Aether's,
causing him to bite his lip at the feeling of Xiao's erection. Xiao held Aether's thighs,
grinding their cocks together through the materials of their clothes, causing both of them to
moan as pleasure trickled through their bodies.

Xiao released Aether's legs long enough to pull his underwear off of his body, discarding it to
the sand right next to them with Aether's night robes hanging off his shoulders. Xiao licked
his lips with carnal lust, gazing down at Aether's cock, standing upright and twitching gently
with arousal, awaiting an orgasm. Hesitantly, almost as if afraid of hurting Aether, Xiao
brushed his fingers against Aether's cock, watching as his abdomen tightened in response to
the touch, feeling sensitive under Xiao's fingers.

Xiao became more and more confident, letting his intuition guide him into making Aether
feel good by wrapping his hand around his cock, giving a few gentle tugs to it that earned
him whimpers of pleasure from Aether.

Deciding to be bolder, Xiao allowed his other hand to slip past Aether's cock, burying two of
his fingers between the cheeks of Aether's ass, causing a tiny shock to go through Aether's
body.

"W-Wait," Aether called, causing Xiao to freeze in his tracks, listening well and waiting just
as Aether had commanded.

Aether pressed his hand against Xiao's cheek, watching with a small smile as Xiao purred
like an overgrown cat, leaning into the gentle touch.

"I will let you put it in when you come back, okay? Consider it a..." He searched for an
appropriate word to use, "reward for finding me." Aether told him. Xiao looked a little
crestfallen but didn't have the audacity to object, feeling that it was completely fair of Aether
to withhold his body until Xiao proved himself worthy of it.

Seeing the expression on Xiao’s face, thinking he was meant to stop completely, Aether
chuckled a little, pushing his hips down against Xiao's body, gazing up at him with that same
lustful look that shone in Xiao's eyes.

"You can do it between my legs," Aether told him, watching with amusement as Xiao's eyes
lit up at the words of consent.

Xiao moved Aether's thighs onto his shoulders, kissing his knees and trailing his way down
to Aether's cock. He felt Aether twitch as his lips pressed against his cock, seeing the
blonde's eyes glaze over with pleasure as he raised his head off the ground to gaze down at
Xiao.

He sat up slowly, causing Xiao to stop and stare as Aether wrapped his arms around Xiao's
neck, relishing in his warmth as they embraced.

Aether didn't want to let go of this warmth for even a second, feeling his eyes stinging a little
as he realized Xiao would soon leave and may never come back despite his promises.

Every one of the men sent to his island in the past had made promises like these, but they
never kept them. They never returned. Aether didn't know whether to hurt himself by
believing that Xiao would live up to his promise. His budding love for Xiao wanted to
believe that he would come back, but the heartache of centuries held him back.

Xiao frowned, unable to see Aether with his face buried in his neck, but he could feel the
inner turmoil going through Aether at that moment.

Xiao held Aether tight, beginning in a whisper, "I lov-" But Aether cut him off with a gentle
finger to his lips. He pulled back and met Xiao's eyes, smiling sadly with flecks of tears
budding on his eyelashes.

"Tell me when you get back, okay?" Aether told him, knowing it would pain him to no end to
hear Xiao's confession and never see him again.

Xiao looked glum but nodded, causing Aether to peck his lips affectionately, feeling that they
should live in the moment when their future was so uncertain.

"For now, just make me feel good, hm?" Aether told him, leaning back on his hands with his
night robe hanging off his shoulders, displaying his collarbone and the marks Xiao made.
Xiao licked his lips as Aether opened his legs for him, fixing him with a lascivious look,
looking ethereal in the moonlight. "Make me forget a tomorrow exists," Aether said softly,
reaching out with his foot and pressing against the bulge in Xiao's pants.

A gentle gasp escaped his lips as he felt how hard Xiao was, feeling the warmth of his cock
even through the pants Aether had woven for him. Xiao let out a breath of pleasure as Aether
rubbed his foot in circular motions over his cock, wondering where the blonde got his
confidence from.

He slowly lowered his pants until his cock peered out, watched by Aether, who bit his lip
mirthfully at the sight.

Xiao spat on his hand and lathered his cock up with his saliva to keep from hurting Aether.
He gripped Aether's thighs again, holding them together and throwing them over one of his
shoulders. With a loving kiss to the side of Aether's leg, he pushed his cock forward, prying
his way between Aether's legs with a small grunt of pleasure, feeling Aether's slim thighs
clamped tight around his cock. Aether watched the sight of Xiao's dick peering from between
his legs with immense enjoyment, twitching a little as Xiao stacked his cock on top of
Aether's.

Aether let out a gasp of pleasure as Xiao retreated his hips before slamming back between his
legs, his dick rubbing roughly against the skin of his thighs and creating friction between
their cocks.

Aether mewled as Xiao began to thrust between his thighs; his heart rate sped up the more he
felt his cock touching Xiao's, his legs tingling with pain as Xiao fucked the smooth skin raw.

Xiao kept up a fast pace, watching the look on Aether's face under the moonlight with
amazement, seeing the lust in his eyes, the enjoyment of pleasure dancing in his expression.
He loved the sounds that escaped Aether, accompanying the sound of crickets chirping, the
waves lapping at the shore, and the trees humming, breaking the stillness of the night with his
beautiful voice.

He tried to be gentle to keep Aether's thighs from chafing too much. The precum that
dribbled from the tip of his cock in response to the feeling of being squeezed between
Aether's thighs assisted as a lubricant, making it easier for him to move against Aether's cock.

He watched with the smallest smile as a drop of drool dribbled down Aether's chin, observing
the way he grasped at the beach towel, ruffling it up and causing grains of sand to litter it as
he tried to cope with the pleasure.

Xiao was optimistic that this wouldn't be the last time he would see Aether in this state. No
matter what, even if he had to fight against his own Archon, he would get Aether his freedom
back.

This was the first time Xiao experienced the emotion of romantic love. He never wanted to
let it go after today, he didn't want to let go of Aether, who was the first to finally help him
see the benefit of being attracted to someone, being in love with them, caring for them,
cherishing them, and have them by his side for eons. Xiao wouldn't let him go even if the
whole world pitted against them.

Xiao helped them to their orgasms, watching Aether come undone slowly beneath him the
nearer he brought him to his high.

He watched as every muscle in Aether's abdomen and thighs tightened up with every brush of
their cocks against each other, watched his face twist into a dazed, pleasured expression that
made lust lick Xiao's innards even more at the sight.

Aether's back arched a little more the tighter the knot in his stomach grew, causing him to
grip fistfuls of the sandy beach towel to cope as his voice echoed through the night,
accentuated by the sound of waves just meters from them.

"Xiao...!" Aether moaned gently, feeling himself tipping over the edge, his cock twitching a
little as Xiao slammed his cock between his thighs, roughly brushing against Aether's.

With a gasp and a gentle, long moan, Aether came over his bare stomach in spasms, his
mouth gracefully hanging open as his eyes shut, enjoying the waves of pleasure washing over
him as he orgasmed for the first time in a long time. White cum dripped from his cock onto
his abdomen, droplets of the thick substance rolling down Aether's sides as his orgasm
subsided.

As he opened his eyes, he realized with a blush that Xiao had stopped in his movements to
admire his expression.

Their lips crashed together in an affectionate, lustful kiss again as Xiao pulled his cock out
from between Aether's thighs, allowing his legs to drop to either side of his body.

Xiao remained hunched over Aether as their lips parted, their matching golden eyes meeting,
sharing affectionate looks as Xiao wrapped his hand around his own cock, beginning to pump
himself to the beautiful sight that was Aether.

He allowed his free hand to roam, grasping at Aether's chest, abusing his nipples with the tips
of his fingers until Aether was squirming beneath him, making cute whimpers that only
turned Xiao on more. He allowed himself a quick orgasm, letting out a gentle moan as relief
washed over him, coming over Aether's body with his fingers still clamped around his nipple,
tugging at it gently as he spurted cum over Aether's chest and abdomen.

He gazed down at Aether, panting softly as he stared at his own cum mixed with Aether's
staining the blonde's body.

The sight alone was enough to get Xiao up again. Both of them came several more times
through the rest of the night, both of them unable to let go of each other for even a second as
if afraid the other would disappear.

They lay under the stars for the rest of the night, patiently drowning in dread for the sun to
rise and mark the end of their time together.

***

Just like that, the morning came and went with neither of them wishing to part for even a
second.

They spent the day inside the cave, cuddled up under the futon in a comfortable, but at the
same time, heavy silence. Neither of them wished to speak, fearing the words that would
come out of their mouths would be words of goodbye.

Xiao's faith in his own ability to find Aether again didn't protect him from the slightest
possibility of failure, the slightest chance that he would never get to see Aether again. The
thought brought him great dread, the idea of breaking his promise to Aether, who was the
first man who'd shown him what love felt like.

Xiao would never be able to forgive himself if he couldn't bring truth to his words.

Eventually, the silence became too much for them to bear when the sun was already high in
the sky, hanging just overhead and causing light to stream into the cave.

With gentle kisses and reassuring words, Xiao broached the subject, asking how people other
than Aether left the island. Aether looked up at him, a vacant look in his eyes as if trying hard
not to show what he was feeling.

He simply smiled benignly at his question, gently pulling away from his embrace and causing
Xiao's heart to ache, not wanting to let go of Aether.

Aether sat up, "Well… you will see soon enough. I don't know how to explain it, a raft just
shows up when it knows... that you're ready to leave," He told Xiao, not quite meeting his
eyes at the last sentence.

He stood up and stretched as if it was just an ordinary day, as if he was getting ready to work
in his flower fields like usual.
Instead of leaving the cave, he walked over to the loom sitting to one side of the cave, fishing
in a neat little basket beside it. A while ago, he'd made durable clothes for Xiao's departure to
make sure his heart knew that Xiao would leave eventually and hopefully hurt less.

He gazed down at the clothes, identical to the ones Xiao had arrived in. His original clothes
had been tattered to shreds, but Aether thought that maybe if Xiao left in the same state he
arrived in, it would be like nothing ever happened. None of Aether's pre-planned procedures
helped soothe the numbness of his heart, not even a little bit, but he couldn't find the strength
to cry, determined to send Xiao off with a smile.

He fixed the collar of his shirt, aware of Xiao's stare never leaving his body but didn't dare to
meet the man's eyes as if afraid of getting lost in them as he had the day they'd met.

Aether placed the clothes in a neatly folded pile by Xiao's feet, saying nothing throughout
before walking over to the makeshift kitchen.

He fished inside a basket of fruit, picking out the finest apples, berries, mangoes, and more
for Xiao's journey. He was too lost in the empty pit in his stomach to realize that Xiao had
risen from the bed and was nearing him with slow, silent steps.

He started a little when a pair of brandished, tattooed arms wrapped around his waist, a face
pressing into his neck, breathing in the scent of his hair deeply. Aether's heart thumped,
feeling his lips trembling. Everything was so uncertain. Aether had no clue what would
happen after Xiao left and he hated it. This may well be one of the last embraces he got from
Xiao or anyone for another few centuries. He swiftly buried his emotions, turning his face to
look back at Xiao with a gentle smile.

He raised a few grapes to Xiao's lips, whispering softly, "Eat, you have a long journey ahead
of you," He watched as Xiao glumly picked the grapes from between his fingers but didn't
ask for more, nor did he let go.

Aether didn't know what to say. Feelings of bitterness were creeping up his esophagus, not
towards Xiao, but the Archons, the ones who were cruel enough to put him through this, the
torture of saying goodbye to the one he loved, the torture of never knowing when this hell
would end, whether he would be able to see Xiao again.

He couldn't help it, couldn't help but ask despite his better judgement, despite his promises to
himself not to put the offer in front of Xiao, knowing it would only hurt him more, "Are
you... are you sure you don't want to stay?" He whispered, feeling his grip loosening on a few
mangoes and causing them to fall from his trembling hands. He watched as Xiao's warm and
calloused hands wrapped around his own, preventing them from shaking as he took a deep
breath.

Aether already knew the answer just from this gentle act of comfort.

Xiao turned him around slowly, pressing him back against the counter and resting his head
against Aether's collarbone.
"I'm sorry," Xiao murmured, causing the hollow pit in Aether's stomach to widen, "I have a
duty to tend to, lands to protect. I have made promises in Liyue just as I have made with
you... but I intend to keep all of them," Xiao raised his head and met his eyes, a determined
and fierce look in them that took Aether by surprise. "You are my duty now too... the one in
whose palms my heart rests. The promise I made to you will not be left unfulfilled. I will find
you and bring you with me even if it's the last thing I do." Xiao told him, his voice full of
affirmation and resoluteness that made even Aether feel a small twinge of hope.

Xiao brought his hands up to his lips and kissed both of them, causing Aether's eyes to sting
with tears that he desperately held back. Aether's face broke into a soft smile, wrapping his
arms around Xiao's waist and kissing his cheek, a look of resignation in his eyes.

"Okay. Let's send you on your way then, my brave one," Aether said gently, hiding the tears
swimming in his eyes behind his smile, "Meet me at the beach whenever you're ready after
putting on the clothes I made for you."

Aether said nothing more, turning back around and piling up the fruits he’d collected into a
small sack before taking it with him, exiting the cave, and leaving Xiao behind

They met again in ten minutes under the warm sun. The island of Ogygia seemed as blissful
as ever before, but the perfect weather and the peaceful splash of waves only felt like more of
a slap to the face for both Xiao and Aether.

Xiao found Aether at the beach as promised, accompanied by a raft. He glanced down at his
attire, realizing how close to his original clothes it looked.

It made him feel almost melancholic, knowing that he would be returning to the same
mundane life full of sleepless nights and tortured dreams, but he knew he couldn't afford to
have second thoughts. He had made promises to Rex Lapis long ago that he needed to
fulfill... and he needed to find a way to get Aether back to Lumine.

Neither of them could stay here, not forever. Aether was tightening the ropes on the raft that
seemed rickety but well-made.

Xiao knew the only reason the blonde was pretending to be immersed in the raft was so he
could delay looking at him. "Aether," Xiao called, gazing at the beautiful, glistening blonde
hair of the one he loved as he stood shin-deep in the water, pants rolled up to his knees.

Aether finally looked at him, a forced neutral expression on his face. Xiao reached out a hand
and took Aether's, pulling him into a tight embrace.

The warmth and comfort he got from hugging Aether were second to none; it was a sign of
how deep he'd fallen for Aether, doing something he'd never felt comfortable doing and
finding so much peace in it.

"Give me three days," Xiao said in his ear over the loud choruses over the wind and waves
swishing past their ears, "I will find out how to take you away from Ogygia but... how I'll get
back to you will be up to you," Xiao told him.
Aether gazed up at him, his eyes glittering with confusion as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Xiao took a deep breath, cupping Aether's face and holding his gaze unflinchingly, praying
that this wouldn't be the last time he saw Aether's beautiful eyes. "Listen carefully. In three
days, right here on the beach, I want you to call out my name as loudly as you can. No matter
where I am, I will hear you and I will find you no matter what, even if it takes me an hour, a
day, a month, or a year to track you down, I will come for you. Do you understand?" Xiao
asked, his voice firm as if trying desperately to make Aether look less empty and hopeless.

Aether gazed at him, processing his words. He didn't know whether it was possible for Xiao
to hear him from miles away but... he was an adeptus after all. Aether slowly nodded, but
Xiao could tell that Aether didn't understand the weight of his responsibility.

"Call my name. That's all you need to do and I will come running. If you don't..." Xiao's
expression twisted into one of pain, his lips pressing into a thin line as he collapsed against
Aether's shoulder, taking in his beautiful scent one more time, "I won't ever be able to see
you again," He whispered.

Aether bit his lip, holding back an onslaught of tears. He tried not to feel like this was the last
time he would see Xiao, the one who'd left the deepest impression on him, the one he'd fallen
for the hardest.

"I will," He said, barely keeping his voice from breaking. He pulled Xiao back by the locks
of his dark hair before smashing their lips together in a passionate kiss.

They remained with their lips locked for what felt like an eternity until neither of them could
breathe, milking the moment for as long as they could. When they finally parted, Aether
pressed his forehead against Xiao's looking deeply into his eyes, sharing with each other the
crippling anxiety they felt.

"I will wait for you... so come back to me, okay?" Aether asked, his voice weakening with
every word.

Xiao nodded with that same determined look in his eyes, "I promise." Aether gave him one
long kiss on the cheek.

"Then have a safe journey, the raft will take you wherever you wish," He said to Xiao, who
sighed gently, knowing that it was his cue to pull away before both of them chickened out of
it. With a pained look in his eyes, he released Aether, taking a step back from him before
clambering onto the raft. He stood on it, facing Aether, unable to find the will to tear his eyes
off of the one who'd managed to capture his heart.

"Goodb-" Aether began, but with a glare, Xiao cut him off, "This isn't a goodbye. I will see
you in three days, okay?" Xiao told him firmly, his eyebrows furrowed and bottom lip
sticking out just a little in an uncharacteristic pout.

Aether stared at him for a few moments, dumbfounded at the expression on Xiao's face,
before laughing softly. Xiao watched, feeling the melodic sound soothing his squirming
insides just a bit as his frown melted off of his face at the sound of Aether's laughter. "Okay, I
 will see you in three days, Xiao," Aether told him, smiling. Xiao felt the raft beginning to
move.

The sight of Aether's smile had made him ready to depart. He would see that smile again no
matter what.

As the raft moved further and further from shore, Aether's smile slipped from his face as he
waved, wishing he was on that raft with Xiao.

They remained with their eyes fixed upon each other until both of them were just specks on
the horizon. When Aether couldn't see Xiao anymore, he felt his knees giving way, unable to
keep up the calm and resigned facade any longer.

He fell to the sandy ground, the tears he'd been holding back falling from his eyes rapidly. All
the pain he'd been trying to bottle up since he found himself falling for Xiao spilled over the
edge. He watched the empty horizon through the blur of tears, seeing no sign of Xiao left. He
had kept his promise to himself to send Xiao off with a smile, but the last thing he felt like
doing was smiling now. He didn't want Xiao to go, he wanted Xiao back within his sights
again.

He closed his eyes, sobbing into his hands, murmuring gently, "Please don't go..." He
whispered, feeling himself breaking down completely.

Chapter End Notes

This chapter.... god it took me more than a month to write, my laptop committed
seppuku and I had to write more than half of this shit on phone. Lemme tell 'ya, writing
on phone lit made me die inside, -10/10, would not recommend. But anyways,,,, despite
the odds, I managed to get the chapter out before Sumeru hits in a few hours. The
writing may be crappy because of me writing on the phone but... I hope this helps y'all
kill time before Sumeru drops.

Lowkey chose violence for this chapter at the end. Ugh,,,, the worst part about writing
Greek Mythology AUs is that they're really extensive like this chapter.... I was tempted
not to make a part two to this chapter and simply leave it up to y'all's imagination but

💀
one of my friends called me evil for that and the other threatened to feed my in-game
weapons to debate club if I didn't write a happy ending for them

For now, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I imagine we'll all be busy with Sumeru in a
few hours and I hope y'all enjoy 3.0! I'll repair my laptop or get a new one soon so
hopefully updates will be back to being regular starting next month! Have a lovely week
everyone!
 Possession PART 2 (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Warning: Blood and injury.

Due to his miserable past, Childe was cast down on Earth by the other gods, having been
stripped of his godhood. He finds himself in Liyue, a place he'd renounced for eons
because of how much pain it brought him, but he finds someone who finally lays his
past to rest after millennia.

NOTE: This chapter is Part 2 of Chapter: 47 of this book, the prompt of which is
Possession. Please read it before this one if you haven't already so you aren't missing out
on anything that you might not understand in this smut!

Chapter Notes

Hello hello to all the ZC readers who came back from the dead for this chapter!
HEHEHE I finally got around to writing a Part 2 for Greek mythology AU ZhongChi
after a whole year, so here it is!

I'm sorry if it's a bit disappointing when compared to the previous chapter, but I hope
y'all enjoy the closure of what happens after! I hope it's a good pastime for waiting for
3.1!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

They say the forest is most beautiful in the summer, when the leaves are green and the trees
are vibrant, living their best lives and thriving in their perches. To an extent, Childe agreed
with this notion.

The sounds of bugs and the creaking trunks of the trees surrounding him accompanied the
crackle of branches as Childe stepped on them, walking through the forest with a rushed but
wary pace. He had neither the time nor the peace to admire the summer forest, but to his
outward eye, the green colors swirling across his vision seemed almost redundant.

Childe preferred the forest in the winter, when the trees would shed their leaves and frost
would cover the dirt. This livelier form of the ecosystem brought him a great deal of
problems.
He was on his guard, straining his ears to listen for sounds of an approaching enemy, his bow
held ready in his hands as he walked, a quiver full of arrows strapped onto his back. He could
hardly hear anything past the ambiance of the woods and the crunch of leaves beneath his
feet.

He was worried that he wouldn't be able to hear the sound of danger in time to protect
himself.

Normally, being in danger wouldn't particularly be a cause for concern for Childe. He was a
god after all, immortal with powers beyond the realm of human understanding... or at least,
he used to be.

So much had happened in the last few millennia, but for the first time in a while, Childe felt
worried for his own safety. He was in a place, a land, he’d promised never to step foot into.

Childe was frightened. He didn’t have the protection that came with being a god because he
was now no better than a human, a mortal.

He tried not to think about these woods, knowing how closely they related him to his past.

Only gods knew how much Childe suffered at the hands of the dark memories in his mind,
causing shivers to crawl down his spine and tears of sorrow to fill his eyes each time any
memories of his life in these lands resurfaced.

He didn't want to be in the woods of Jueyun Karst right now. He didn't wish to step into
Liyue, having refrained from doing so because this country was the place everything fell
apart for him.

Being in these woods brought back so many memories, good and bad, to haunt Childe.

It wasn't the same Jueyun Karst Childe remembered, but that was to be expected, given that
he had known Jueyun Karst several millennia ago.

Still, he could feel the energy rippling beneath his feet, the familiar air of the woods where
he'd first met the love of his life.

Childe bit back a lump in his throat, keeping his steady pace and trying not to drown in the
thoughts flitting through his mind, attempting to fight to remain in the present even though
nostalgia and memories were overcoming him.

Millennia had passed since the day Childe had lost everything in this very country.

In these very woods, eons ago, he had first come across a young man napping on the bank of
a lake. Childe still recalled when he'd first laid eyes on that handsome man, entranced by how
beautiful he was.

He remembered how his godly features had changed upon seeing the man, trying to resemble
him in age, heritage, and culture. He had admired him for a long while, battling his mind on
whether or not to pursue the peacefully sleeping young man.
As a god, it was common for Childe to seduce his way into the hearts of those he fancied, but
he didn't yet know who the man was at the time.

Only when he had reached out to touch his face did he realize who he was up against.

Childe witnessed the memory in his mind's eye as clear as day the sight of himself being
overturned by a mortal man, pinned to the bank with the handsome stranger on top of him.

At that time, Childe could never have imagined how important a person the mortal would
become to him. He remembered being questioned by the young man, who'd called him a
pervert for touching a sleeping person but didn't seem at all aversive towards Childe, gazing
down at him with a triumphant and beautiful smile.

Childe had learned that that man's name was Zhongli, the son of the then Liyuean emperor,
next in line to rule the empire.

Evidently, the Fates had wound up their lives in a tight knot, because they ended up finding
each other at that same bank every day after that.

Childe, despite being a god, had been so naive back then, never able to fathom that he'd see
Zhongli as anything but a temporary lover.

Oh, how wrong he'd been.

Before Childe had known it, he fell for Zhongli harder than he'd ever fallen for a human
before. He'd spent years of his life with Zhongli. To gods, years were like the blink of an eye,
but not those years. They brought so much happiness and misery to Childe to remember.

All the perfect memories of Zhongli's affectionate caress, his gentle kisses, his sonorous
voice, and how loved he made Childe feel brought tears to Childe's eyes.

Why, one might ask, did such happy memories of the man he'd loved most in his timeless
existence bring him so much sorrow?

It was because he himself was the reason he no longer had Zhongli by his side.

Multiple millennia had passed since he'd laid Zhongli to rest with his own two hands, but the
pain never dulled, the scars never healed no matter how much time he gave them, no matter
how much he tried to forget what he'd done.

He glanced down as he walked, seeing his knuckles turning white against the handle of his
bow as he began to shake just from recalling those memories.

He'd killed Zhongli with these hands. He still remembered the feeling of the skin of Zhongli's
neck under his fingers, could still feel the pulse of Zhongli's beating heart in the veins of his
neck.

Zhongli's death haunted him even today. Not a single god-damned day had passed where
Childe didn't think of what he'd done to the man he'd loved.
He could vividly remember the way Zhongli's body had gone limp under his fingers, the beat
of his heart dying away, his beautiful golden gaze fixed on Childe with disappointment and
sorrow, his lips mouthing the words 'You blessed me'.

Childe felt his feet coming to a slow stop as he stared at the ground.

Thinking of those words never failed to break Childe's heart, but it hurt even more back in a
familiar land.

He felt like his emotions were amplified now that he was in the country where he'd met and
lost his greatest love. It felt like the trees were watching him, like the ground beneath his feet
was aware of exactly who he was.

To this day, his feat of killing Zhongli was still celebrated among historians.

Zhongli had been a cruel man to all except Childe, having committed mass genocide against
his own people as well as his foes.

Historians and Ancient Liyueans had thought of him, Childe, to be no more than a human,
the trainer of the dark emperor, Morax. No one knew the truth, that "Childe" was just... an
alias.

Only one man knew who Childe in this human form really was, but he was now dead because
of Childe.

Childe felt that nothing could ever make him forget or stop loving Zhongli. Even millennia
later, Childe could not find love in any man other than Zhongli, nor could he offer love to
mortal women that he'd seen through the ages because his heart was already occupied.

One might wonder why Childe recalled all this, after all, it seemingly had nothing to do with
his present situation.

That assumption was incorrect. Childe's past had everything to do with the present, but he
wished that wasn't the case.

You see, Childe was in something of a predicament, the understatement of the century. Childe
was a part of the Gods of Celestia, you would consider him the God of Battle, though he was
not an Archon, nor did he rule over a country.

Over the years, Childe had built a bad reputation for himself, he was what you would
consider a "trouble child". He had once been a demigod, a follower of the Cryo Empress,
turned into a real god far before he'd even met Zhongli.

This meant that he often went against Celestial rules he didn't even know of.

One of the major rules he'd broken was to get involved with mortals in positions of power
because they could alter the course of human history.

Naturally, he had gotten into trouble for falling in love with Zhongli and then putting him to
rest.
These breached rules built up over the centuries until the other gods were calling for him to
be punished, telling the Tsaritsa, the Cryo Empress, that Childe was not worthy of the title of
‘God’.

Childe had half a mind to agree with them. So far, being a god had been nothing short of
torture for Childe, able to do nothing but watch as those he’d once loved, such as his family,
succumbed to death.

Childe admitted he was not the most responsible or the best follower. After Zhongli's death,
he'd become colder, wreaking havoc more often, whether with other gods or causing war and
hatred among mortal civilizations for his own pleasure.

He became a shell after the death of the one he loved most. He'd break down often, calling
for Zhongli, missing his touch, his voice, his beautiful golden eyes, and his tufts of messy
black hair.

That was why he was somewhat accepting of his punishment. He could feel blood, human
blood rather than Ichor, coursing through his veins as he stood still in the middle of the forest,
thinking and trying not to cry or show weakness.

The Tsaritsa had banished him from Celestia because of his increasing acts of mutiny. She
knew all about Childe's love for the Liyuean Emperor who'd lived thousands of years ago,
but could not understand why his death affected him to this day. Childe was almost inclined
to laugh; the Tsaritsa would be the last person to understand what true love felt like.

For this reason, Childe had been cast down on Earth as a mortal, instructed by The Tsaritsa to
go back to the roots of his pain and make peace with his past.

That was why Childe returned to Liyue after many years.

When compared to other punishments, this seemed like a walk in the park. However, none of
this was easy. He’d gotten used to the easy life of being a god.

Now, he was helpless with nothing left. No companions, no powers, only memories.

Memories of Zhongli were stronger here. He couldn't help but feel like he was in danger, like
something was off. Each pebble under his feet seemed to writhe, as if trying to warn him of
danger, and each mountain seemed to shift as if trying to look at him.

Childe didn't know what to do, didn't know how to come to terms with his past, his love for
Zhongli, when he'd killed the man and could never see him again.

Although the world had forgotten of the existence of Morax, one of the cruelest Liyuean
emperors to have existed in the early ages, the soil, the trees, the mountains, and the rocks
would remember.

Childe had lost everything that day. He'd lost the one he loved, he'd lost the trust of his
Empress after he'd fallen for a mortal emperor and altered the course of Liyuean history, and
he'd lost his chance at blissful happiness, instead being followed around by his haunted past
no matter how many centuries passed. And now, for the events that had happened millennia
ago, he lost his immortality thanks to the Tsaritsa’s lack of empathy.

The Cryo Empress likely thought he was deserving of this pain. After all, he'd bent Celestial
rules too many times in the name of love.

Childe remembered that one of the worst things he'd done after assassinating Zhongli was
trying to find him in the Underworld.

Those few weeks he'd spent searching for his dead lover, riddled with regret, emptiness, and
remorse, were one of the most difficult moments of Childe's life.

He couldn't find Zhongli anywhere among the countless souls that wandered through the
Fields of Asphodel, nor did he find his lost lover in the Fields of Punishment. He had been
tempted to go to Tartarus just to find the man he loved, wondering if the lords of the
Underworld deemed him a big enough monster to cast him into the pit, but he was stopped
from doing so by the Archons.

After that, life had been no more than an empty blur for Childe, constantly getting into
trouble, constantly trying to find his place in a world where the one he loved was dead until,
at last, none of the Archons and Gods could look the other way at his behavior any longer.

Being turned into a mortal and cast on Earth was his punishment.

Childe didn't know whether he had a chance of becoming a god again, but he found himself
no longer caring. He had no idea what to do, where to go, or what would happen to him.

Only one thing remained certain now, death would come for Childe eventually.

As he stood there in the middle of the forest, he couldn't help the tears beginning to drip
down his cheeks.

He held back sobs, only for them to burst out like a volcanic eruption until he was no more
than a sobbing mess. He sank to the forest floor, his grip on his bow slackening, causing it to
fall to his side. He cried into his hands, wondering whether this pain was repayment for
murdering his lover.

After Zhongli's death, his life as a god wasn't worth living at all.

Maybe it was a good thing that he was mortal now... perhaps Childe would have the chance
to look for Zhongli when he reached the gates of the Underworld, this time as a deceased
human named Childe, rather than a god named Ajax.

His lips quivered with poorly-concealed emotion, trying to wipe his tears and get himself
together.

Childe felt ready to welcome death as he stood up on trembling legs, gazing down at his bow
and wondering whether to pick it up. His feelings of bitter resentment at the worthless life
he'd lived made him purse his lips, slinging his quiver off his shoulder and throwing it to the
ground alongside his bow. He didn't want anything that could be used to keep him from death
at that moment.

He felt himself crying more as he walked away, leaving his weapons behind, unable to stop
his weeping once he'd started, shedding millennia of grief.

If only he'd known this was the pathetic life he'd lead after falling for Zhongli, he would
never have allowed himself to become so smitten with the Liyuean Emperor.

A bitter thought erased that ideation from his mind, causing him to smile wryly, knowing that
it was simply wishful thinking clouding his judgement.

The fates had wound up his life with Zhongli's tightly, ensuring that he would never be able
to escape from Zhongli.

Childe wished he could take it all back, wished he could start over and walk through this
forest again, come across the beautiful man sleeping by the lake, and turn away, never to
meet him. Then, a pang went through his chest as he realized how much the thought of never
knowing Zhongli pained him.

Despite living through millennia of sadness after Zhongli's death, Childe had made such
wonderful memories in the short but blissful time he'd spent in the Emperor's presence.

Had Childe not met Zhongli that day, he would never have known humans as beautiful as
Zhongli existed. Had Childe not met Zhongli, he would never have seen his gentle smile, felt
his loving embrace, or heard his deep voice. He felt that a life without Zhongli wasn't a life
worth living at all.

Sometimes, Childe would find himself reminiscing all the wonderful memories he'd made
with Zhongli.

He remembered the beginning of their relationship, when both of them would meet at the
edge of the lake not too far from where Childe was now.

They would spend hours in each other's company, talking about anything and everything,
flirting in manners that would make the Goddess of Love proud. They would occasionally
spar playfully and end up tangled in compromising positions, breathless with laughter and
sharing loving words and kisses. He missed the thrill, the sheer affection that would begin to
bubble in his chest whenever he saw Zhongli.

At that time, both Childe and Zhongli would keep secrets from one another, it was natural
back in the days when nobody could be trusted.

At first, Zhongli presented himself as a kind and loving man to Childe, hiding under wraps
the bloodthirst he had within, showing Childe only the best of him.

It was only when Zhongli had taken up the throne after his father's death that Childe realized
what a cruel man he'd fallen for.
Childe would watch in horror as Zhongli would behead any man, woman, or child, that dared
to step in his path or do something he deemed wrong.

He would become a completely different person when engaging with others, a cruel, heartless
Emperor. Then, after committing heinous acts of petty murder, he would trot up to Childe
with an almost puppy-like expression, demanding affection and kisses, forcing Childe to
forget what Zhongli had done or turn his head the other way.

Just like Zhongli, Childe had his secrets too. He hid his true identity as a god from Zhongli
with much difficulty.

It was difficult to hide from a man who knew him almost as much as he knew himself. In the
first few years of their relationship, Childe had to remain extra vigilant to make sure he
wasn't discovered. However, the more he fell in love with Zhongli and began to trust him, the
more he forgot to be careful.

Eventually, the truth came out when Zhongli had once cut Childe in the middle of a spar, only
to find out that he didn't have regular blood coursing through his veins, but Ichor, the blood
of gods.

He had forced the truth from Childe's lips with hours of unrelenting sex, not allowing Childe
a single moment to breathe until the magic words finally slipped past his lips.

Childe still remembered how awed Zhongli had looked at the revelation, staring at the cut
that had almost healed by the time Zhongli was through with him. Then, he'd done something
to completely blow Childe out of the water. He had licked the wound he'd inflicted on
Childe's body even though Ichor was poison to humans. He had apologized numerous times,
kissing the scar over and over as if in worship, asking for Childe's forgiveness for hurting a
body as beautiful as Childe's.

It was at that time that Childe realized he wanted nothing more than to marry Zhongli and be
with him forever.

He hadn't died or even suffered from drinking Childe's Ichor, which helped Childe realize
that the man had great potential to be one of the strongest men of the age.

At times like these, when all the good memories of life with Zhongli surfaced, Childe had to
forcibly remind himself why he had had to put an end to Zhongli's life.

He was unbelievably sweet, showing Childe the most loving side of himself even before he
found out that Childe was a god.

He adored Childe, treated him like no other, like the apple of his eye. He gave Childe
everything he asked for, he protected Childe when his authority was questioned, and he made
him feel loved and humane after centuries of his life as a god. Childe had even given Zhongli
his blessing.

However, Childe couldn't turn a blind eye to the way Zhongli treated anyone other than
Childe, like the dirt beneath his shoes. He endangered his own people and had the blood of
millions on his hands.

It had been Childe's weakness that he couldn't ignore the pleas of innocents asking for his
help, but now he wished he had ignored them. He wanted his lover back. Had he known that
all the years lying ahead of him would be spent in misery after killing Zhongli, Childe would
never have done so. He lived in hell now because he had chosen to liberate other people of
hellish lives.

Now, Childe had been left to rot in a familiar forest in ragged white robes, weaponless and
awaiting death.

How different would life be now if he hadn't killed Zhongli? He would always be Childe's
biggest 'what if'. Childe would've had the chance to grant his lover immortality and lead their
whole lives in peace.

Childe sobbed a little into his hands, he walked with his dirty robes trailing behind him,
barefoot, cutting his feet on pebbles and dead branches. The Tsaritsa couldn't even give
Childe the liberty of having shoes, but Childe couldn't care less about her at that moment.

Emptiness filled his insides, two conflicting feelings of pain and numbness flowed through
his being, causing him to cry harder.

He wanted to see Zhongli so badly, he wished he wasn't in this forest alone, wished he had
Zhongli by his side just like when they were adolescents in their honeymoon phase.

Childe found himself in a familiar area. He didn't know how it still felt familiar even after
millennia, but his senses told him that he wasn't wrong.

Through the thicket of trees, Childe could see the lake where it all started. Seeing the smooth
surface of the lake as it reflected the blue sky brought him so many memories and so much
pain. So much Deja Vu fell over him.

His physical features were the same as they had been the day he met Zhongli.

Just like that day, he wore white and the sun was setting. It felt like time was on repeat,
causing something to draw Childe in even more.

Childe subconsciously began moving towards the lake, a part of him feeling the familiar pull
of the lake, his heart beginning to pump in his ribcage as it used to when he expected to see
Zhongli waiting for him by the bank. This time, he tried to convince himself that no one
would be there, that Zhongli wouldn't be waiting for him because Childe had made it that
way. He stepped into the clearing, wiping his eyes that were still blurred with tears.

When his vision cleared, he moved his gaze to the part of the bank where Zhongli would wait
for him. His heart stopped for a second that felt like ten years.

He blinked his eyes rapidly, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him. Yet, each time
he blinked, he saw the figure of a man standing a few meters away from him with his back to
Childe, gazing at the lake.
Childe stood frozen, disbelief shining in his eyes as he stared at the man's back with his lips
slightly parted, not knowing whether to believe his eyes.

In front of him stood a man with scruffy black hair, extending into a ponytail at the back of
his head. He was tall, just as tall as Childe or maybe an inch more, he was well-built with
broad shoulders, his hands clasped primly behind his back. Childe didn't dare make a sound,
his mind going numb.

Was he dreaming? Did he perhaps come across some mushrooms in the forest and eat them?
Childe didn't believe his eyes.

The man's black hair faded into an amber color at the tips. It wasn't like Zhongli's fully black
hair. Then, his eyes dropped to the man's hands which were blackened with golden veins
etched into them, standing out against his black robes.

Before Childe could even make heads or tails of the situation, the man turned on the spot
halfway as if sensing his presence. Piercing golden eyes met Childe's teary blue ones.

Childe's knees went weak. He felt like he would topple onto the ground at any moment as he
looked into the face of Zhongli.

"It can't be..." Childe whispered inaudibly to himself, but as if reading his lips, Zhongli
smiled a little. Zhongli gazed at him for a few seconds, so familiar, looking exactly like he
looked millennia ago. His expression was one of polite surprise, Childe could see a hundred
emotions running through Zhongli's eyes.

It felt like a million years had gone by in just a single moment.

Childe could find no words to utter, could do nothing but stare at the man who should not be
standing in front of him, gazing at him with the same love that Childe had almost forgotten in
millennia.

A lump formed in his throat at the familiar face of Zhongli, with sharp golden eyes, high
cheekbones, and a sharp jawline. Everything that had made Childe fall for him was present.

This couldn't be real. It had to be a dream. Maybe Childe had passed out amid his journey
through the forest. It couldn't be real.

Childe watched in astonishment as Zhongli turned around to fully face him, his neatly
clasped hands unfurling as he spread his arms wide, "My love..." He called in that same
sonorous voice that had told Childe 'I love you' years ago, "I've been waiting for you."

He smiled the same gentle smile that Childe had missed to the point of tears. It was a smile
that reached his eyes, genuine love shining in them.

Childe didn't need words to know what Zhongli was asking of him.

He couldn't stop himself, couldn't care less if it was a trap or just a figment of his
imagination, he had to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
He ignored the bleeding cuts on his feet, breaking out into a run. He ran and closed the
distance between himself and Zhongli, praying that he was real and not a delusion created by
his weakened state of mind. His feet burned with every step, causing him to stumble but
never lose sight of his goal.

He launched himself into Zhongli's open arms, and to his delight, they wrapped around him
immediately, causing warmth to seep into every crevice of Childe's body as he realized that
he was real.

Just the familiarity of Zhongli's muscular arms wrapped around him, his beautiful petrichor-
like scent, and the gentle beat of his heart, was enough to make Childe start crying again.

"Zhongli..." Childe sobbed, his arms wrapped around Zhongli in a tight embrace as if afraid
that the man would disappear.

A gentle rumble vibrated through Zhongli's chest as his strong arms wrapped around Childe's
waist tightly, hugging him with all his might. Zhongli stared at the ground, breathing deeply
as he held Childe in his arms after millennia. He could feel Childe sobbing into his shoulder
and held himself back from doing the same.

"How... how can this be..?" Childe whispered, tugging himself back from Zhongli's shoulder
to look Zhongli in the eye, still not believing that this was real.

Had this been what the Tsaritsa had meant when she told Childe to go back to where all his
misery started? Had she known that he would find Zhongli here?

Zhongli's eyes were a shade of startling golden, but they were different.

Childe wondered if he was seeing things, that his memory was flawed, but it couldn't be. This
wasn't the same Zhongli he knew. He had golden pupils instead of black ones like he used to.
Childe tried to step back, but Zhongli's grip around him was too tight, rendering him unable
to move away. Zhongli was smiling, the smile that Childe had missed so much.

"Zhongli..." He whispered again, his lips trembling, "How are you here?"

Zhongli just continued to smile. He placed his face in the crook of Childe's neck, crooning a
little at his familiar scent.

"We meet after so many centuries and that is all you ask?" Zhongli murmured, kissing Childe
on the neck, "I missed you, my love."

Childe sobbed, feeling the deep voice he loved so much surge through his body, the words it
spoke reminding him so much of the man he loved. He wanted to believe that this was his
Zhongli, but how could it be so? How could Zhongli be here right now, standing before him
and embracing him?

"I watched you die... h-how is this possible? This is a dream... it has to be a dream," Childe
cried. Zhongli pulled back from Childe, gazing down at him with his loving golden eyes.
Zhongli’s expression was unreadable as he looked at him, processing Childe’s painful words.
Childe didn’t know what to do, couldn’t make heads or tails of what was happening.

Zhongli joined his forehead with Childe’s, a reassuring smile on his face. He caressed
Childe’s cheek with the gentleness of a feather, though there was much pain and sorrow in his
eyes too, assuring Childe just a little more that this was the Zhongli he loved.

Childe didn’t realize why Zhongli looked pained.

"This isn't a dream, love. I can prove it to you," He told Childe, kissing him on the cheeks,
nose, forehead, and chin, closing the space between them. Childe’s heart swelled with delight
as Zhongli finally pressed his lips against Childe's, pulling him into a loving kiss that only
made Childe cry more. Childe welcomed the kiss, feeling the same sparks that he'd felt each
time he kissed Zhongli all those years ago.

Childe allowed himself to be swept away by Zhongli, having craved this feeling of Zhongli's
lips against his own for so many years.

Childe never wanted the moment to end, but he knew nothing lasted forever. Nothing could
have prepared him for what Zhongli was about to do.

Something happened that made Childe's closed eyes shoot open, causing him to loosen his
grip on Zhongli's shoulders. He let out a small gasp, not understanding what had happened at
first. His adrenaline kept Childe from realizing what Zhongli had done.

He broke the kiss, lips parted, eyes wide with shock and horror as he glanced down to see a
small knife embedded into his lower abdomen.

Childe's lips began to tremble, watching as his white robes dampened with his own blood.

He looked back up at Zhongli only to see a sad smile playing on the lips he'd just kissed.
Zhongli had him fixed with a grimly satisfied expression, gazing at Childe mirthfully as
whimpers of pain began to emanate past the ginger's lips.

"W-Why..." Childe whispered, feeling his knees going weak as pain surged through his body.
His tears of emotional pain turned to those of agony as he choked on his own spit from the
pain.

Zhongli cupped his jaw, staring into Childe's eyes with a look of gentleness that didn't quite
reflect what his hands were doing.

"I've waited a long time for you, my love. I need to make sure you can't run from me again,"
Zhongli whispered, giving Childe no warning before he dragged his blade across Childe's
abdomen, making a giant cut across his lower abdomen as Childe sobbed with pain. Then, he
pulled the knife out, gazing at the red, mortal blood staining it, before he discarded it,
wrapping his arms tighter around Childe as the ginger's knees wobbled dangerously with the
threat of giving out under his weight.
Childe could hardly think past the pain, feeling Zhongli cradling him to his chest as if he had
caused him no harm.

Zhongli shushed him, holding him carefully as he allowed Childe to bleed, whispering sweet
nothings into his ear just as he had the day they first had sex, "Shh.. it's okay, my love,
everything will be just fine," He said as Childe cried with pain.

Childe felt his vision blurring not just with tears but with blood loss.

He felt black dotting the world, feeling himself slipping into consciousness in the arms of the
one he'd been craving and in love with for years.

"Zhongli please..." He croaked one last time, wondering if this was Zhongli's payback, his
revenge for killing him all those years ago. In that case, Childe felt he deserved this.

His only regret was that he hadn't been able to gaze upon Zhongli's face long enough before
his death, wishing he could've kissed Zhongli a little longer. The last thing he remembered
seeing was his world spinning as Zhongli picked him up before his world went completely
dark.

***

"Mmh..." Childe moaned as he stirred awake hours later. He felt light-headed as he opened
his eyes to his dimly-lit surroundings, feeling the world swirling in and out of focus, making
him dizzy even as he was lying down on his side.

He shut his eyes again, feeling himself trembling from the cold. It wasn't too cold in the
room, but Childe's body felt weak and clammy as if he was feverish.

He tried to move but found himself unable to do so. His hands were bound in front of him by
a cold substance that felt similar to stone. His ankles were bound by another pair of stone
cuffs. Childe tried to break free of them, but he felt too weak. Each joint of his body felt like
it had been solidified. Childe's eyes hurt from crying, likely red and swollen, his nose feeling
sore.

He forced himself to open his eyes again even though they felt glued shut, finding himself in
an unfamiliar place, barely able to see anything past the lack of lighting.

He didn't know where he was, didn't remember what had happened before he ended up here
as if his mind was keeping it blocked behind the haze of sleep. He felt frightened, bound up
inside a room he didn't recognize, unable to see past the thick veil of darkness. Childe felt his
lips trembling, wishing he could at least drape the sheets sprawled across his thighs further up
his body to protect him from the cold.

As his eyes got used to the darkness, he was able to place that he was in a bedroom, lying
atop a grand king-sized bed, seeing that he was placed in the center of it.

He couldn't help but struggle against his bonds, whimpering as the stone cuffs only chafed his
wrists and ankles even more the more he struggled. He tried to sit up and gasped with pain as
an indescribable sensation crept up through his lower abdomen. Childe sat upright as best he
could, gazing down at his hands, bound and showing no sign of release.

He bit his lip at the immense pain in his lower abdomen, pressing his hands over it only to
find that it was bandaged. Childe's lower abdomen felt unbelievably strange.

He winced a little, feeling how hard the area felt under the bandages and bathrobe he wore.

He tried to recall why he felt so worn and battered, why he was in this dark room, cuffed, and
dressed in clothing that did not belong to him.

Childe tried not to feel scared, but he couldn't help it. The moment he'd been turned into a
mortal, he had been handcuffed and brought into an unfamiliar place. He didn't have any of
his godly powers to help him break out of these bonds, nor did he have a single weapon on
him.

Childe cursed himself for leaving his bow and quiver behind, not that they would do him any
good while he was tied up like this.

He was trembling like a leaf from both the cold and fear of the unknown.

He had nothing except his wits and years of hand-to-hand combat to protect himself, but he
knew he couldn't get far with these cuffs.

He tried to recall what had happened to him, finding that the last thing he remembered was
passing out in someone's arms and being carried through the forest by them. He retraced his
thoughts back to what he remembered doing in the forest, finding that everything beyond
leaving his bow and quiver on the forest floor was blurry and incoherent.

Why had Childe passed out? Why did his abdomen feel so strange? He remembered recalling
his years of misery and sadness over the years with Zhongli and then... Childe followed that
train of thought until he finally remembered.

The memories, the lake, the figure of Zhongli, and his haunting golden eyes, all of it came
crashing down on Childe at once, causing him to whimper, holding his aching head as if
fearing that someone would strike him. He sat there for a few moments, dazed and
unbelieving of his memories. He tried to find any flaws in what he remembered, knowing in
his heart that Zhongli couldn't have been there in front of him.

Childe didn't know what to think or what to believe, finding that the memory of meeting
Zhongli gave him both hope and dread, remembering how he'd been stabbed and gutted,
finally making sense of the strange feeling in his abdomen.

That voice, that body, those eyes, and scent... all of these things were characteristics of
Zhongli, yet he knew it couldn't have been Zhongli.

Zhongli was a mortal, there was no way for him to be alive. Perhaps it was someone else,
taking the form of the one Childe loved with no motive other than to lure and trap him like a
helpless finch.
It didn't make sense though. If it wasn't Zhongli, why did every instinct in Childe scream of
familiarity?

Everything from his touch to his voice down to his presence felt familiar to Childe. If it
wasn't Zhongli, how did he know about their special spot?

Childe didn't know what to do or think, not knowing reality from imagination, wondering if a
flaw in his memory had caused him to hallucinate Zhongli in the place of another man.

Childe's mortal body could not contemplate what was going on. He was starting to feel
hungry and thirsty.

The feeling of needing food and sustenance to survive after so many years of living as a god
was unpleasant. He didn't particularly enjoy being mortal, riddled with pain in his lower
abdomen where he'd been stabbed, unable to heal himself. His feet seemed to be bandaged as
well, causing Childe to realize that his feet were also aching faintly.

Childe didn't think his abdomen was up to the task of processing food. He felt scared and
lonely, feeling completely lost, not knowing what to expect or what not to expect.

He wanted to stand up, to run, to hide, anything that could help him get one step closer to his
goal of running away. He tried breaking his bonds again, but he was too weak. He didn't have
the power of godhood by his side anymore.

He didn't understand how these stone shackles worked. They were clasped perfectly to his
wrists but there didn't seem to be a lock.

He sighed, giving up the losing battle against his restraints, and glanced around the room,
looking for an escape route. There was a large window to one side of the room, but there
would be no way for him to jump down from there. Only one grand pair of double doors
stood opposite Childe.

Childe contemplated getting up and hobbling out of the room but decided against it, feeling
that even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to get far before being discovered.

Childe didn't know what to make of his situation, unable to do anything except curl up into a
ball and hug his knees to his chest for comfort. He wanted to cry but felt like his eyes would
pop out of their sockets if he did so, knowing that once he started crying, he wouldn't be able
to stop.

Childe started when he heard something on the other side of the door.

Footsteps were drawing closer and closer to Childe's room, making him sit bolt upright, not
knowing what to expect. He felt his lips quivering as he heard the sound of keys jingling in
the doors' lock, afraid of the unknown.

Part of him hoped it was Zhongli, but another part chided him for believing so. However,
when the door finally swung open, Childe felt his heart stop a little.
His eyes met those of the man he had never stopped loving over the centuries. Childe sat still,
his lips parted, unsure of what was going on.

At the sight of Childe sitting up, Zhongli's lips curled into the gentle smile Childe had missed
to death.

"My love," Zhongli said softly, causing a flurry of nostalgia to overcome Childe from how
Zhongli used to call him that so long ago, "I'm glad you're awake," He told Childe, walking
closer to the bed.

At his words, his sweet and deep voice, Childe didn't know what came over him. If he were
to describe the bundle of emotions welling in his guts, it was love, sadness, disbelief, and
relief.

He crawled the length of the bed as fast as he could, wanting to hug Zhongli, to make sure he
was really there. Finding his hands locked by the handcuffs, Childe was unable to throw his
arms around Zhongli, instead choosing to hurl his arms over Zhongli's head until his wrists
sat on Zhongli's shoulders, locking him into a deep embrace as Childe threw all his weight
against Zhongli.

After so many years, he heard the sound he'd missed the most, the quiet chuckle of the one he
loved. Strong arms coiled around his waist as a head gently placed itself against his shoulder.

"What a warm greeting," Zhongli commented, holding Childe against his body, "It's almost as
if nothing changed."

Childe could feel his smile against his neck, feeling his own lips trembling with uncertainty.

"Zhongli..." He whispered, his voice croaky from the lack of use, "It's really you..." Childe
felt Zhongli gently grip his arms, pulling himself out of Childe's grasp even though Childe
wanted nothing more than to keep embracing Zhongli. Their eyes met, causing Childe to
notice how different they were again, but they held the same warmth, looking at him as if he
was a sight for sore eyes.

"It's really me," Zhongli agreed. His voice was steady, almost rough. He seemed to have
noticed how loving his stare had been, hardening his stare until all his emotions were
masked.

"How is this possible?" Childe whispered, dropping to sit on the balls of his feet, gazing up at
Zhongli for answers. Zhongli simply smiled wryly.

"Are you disappointed to see that I'm alive after your attempt to assassinate me?" Zhongli
asked gently, but his words caused Childe to flinch, horror seeping into his eyes, much to
Zhongli's satisfaction.

Childe realized with a start why he was here, why Zhongli had shackled him.

His lips parted, hoping his assumption was wrong. He saw the danger in Zhongli's eyes,
feeling his heart beginning to race.
Zhongli had brought him here without good intentions. He had brought Childe here and
stabbed him for revenge.

Childe began to back away on the bed slowly, but Zhongli simply smiled and caught him by
his cuffs, dragging Childe back in front of him. "Zh-Zhongli... that's not it.." Childe
whimpered helplessly. He didn't know what was going on, how Zhongli stood in front of him
right now, but he was certain that Zhongli knew that he was a mortal now.

Zhongli gazed at him with a look of grim satisfaction. Then he threw Childe back forcefully,
earning a yelp from the ginger as he was flung onto the mattress.

Childe raised his hands to his face to protect himself, causing Zhongli to freeze. Childe was
shaking like a leaf from head to toe, an unpleasant display of fear. Zhongli couldn't mask the
disappointment and sadness in his expression. " I thought I would be ready to see you again,
to take back what's rightfully mine... but seeing you cower like this, afraid that I'll hurt you...
that is my biggest regret." Zhongli said, his voice wispy with sorrow.

Childe didn't remove his face from his hands, trying to hide his tears. He found himself
crying again, choking back sobs.

He flinched as a gentle hand brushed against his lower abdomen, pressing it gently. "Does it
still hurt?" Zhongli whispered, massaging Childe's belly with soothing caresses. Childe
slightly shook his head, feeling his trembling ease a little at Zhongli's gentle touch.

"How I've longed to touch you like this again, my love," Zhongli said, brushing his fingers
tenderly against Childe's hip bone.

Childe didn't reply, feeling like only unanswered questions would spew from his lips. He
allowed himself to get lost in the moment, eased his hands against his face, his eyes drooping
a little with enjoyment, realizing that this was the touch he'd been craving for millennia.

"My love, do you know my biggest weakness?" Zhongli asked, gazing down at Childe with a
frown on his face and a guarded expression.

Childe could do nothing but stutter a gentle 'no', not knowing what to say or how to handle
Zhongli's affection after so long of living without it. It felt like a breath of fresh air to be
under Zhongli like this, feeling his fingertips brushing against his skin in a loving manner.
Zhongli smiled a little at his answer, a wry, humorless smile that caused chills to ride up
Childe's back.

"Take a guess," Zhongli prompted, feeling anger bubbling in his gut again, but this time, he
made no moves to hurt Childe.

Childe tried to think for a moment, desperately trying to ignore Zhongli's hands picking at his
robe, fumbling with the knot tied around them. Childe couldn't think of any of Zhongli's
weaknesses, remembering him only as a force to be reckoned with.

Mortality had once been Zhongli's only drawback, but now... he seemed to have overcome
that as well.
Childe shook his head slightly, "I can't think of anything..." He whispered, causing Zhongli to
release a puff of dry amusement. He couldn't believe that Childe could be so oblivious.

"My one weakness... has always been you, Ajax," Zhongli said softly, causing Childe's eyes
to widen, disbelief etched across his face.

Zhongli suddenly twisted Childe to lay flat on his back, forcing him to switch positions.
Childe whimpered a little as Zhongli mounted him, laying on top of him with full knowledge
that Childe could handle his weight, placing his face in the crook of Childe's neck. Childe
recognized that this was Zhongli's way of making sure Childe was completely and utterly
helpless.

"Did you know one of my last thoughts was about what I would do if you left me?" Zhongli
whispered.

Childe's hands were shaking as Zhongli took them out from underneath him, pinning them
over his head, still bound and shackled by the stone.

"It pained me to no end to think that, one day, you would not be by my side. Had I known
what you were planning, offering me your loving smiles and holding my hand so tightly, I
would've gone mad," Zhongli said, his emotions held back from showing in his voice with
difficulty. Childe released a soft sob by his ear as he continued, "It was pain like I'd never felt
before, the feeling of being killed by the one man I trusted. The one man I had fallen head
over heels for had murdered me."

Tears dripped down Childe's cheeks, feeling pain beyond words as he heard Zhongli's voice
telling him such heartbreaking truths.

Zhongli continued, releasing a humorless puff of laughter, "One of my last thoughts when
you were leading me to my death was.. what if I refused to let you go? I had pushed down my
impulses to chop up your limbs, tie you up, and keep you with me for as long as I lived..."
Zhongli trailed off, smiling bitterly to himself.

He wondered whether his life would be any different if he'd acted on that impulse.

Childe found his voice, unable to help the frustration he felt, "What stopped you?" He asked,
surprising both himself and Zhongli with how steady his voice was despite his fingers
trembling in Zhongli's, pinned above his head.

Zhongli raised himself off of Childe, sitting up over Childe's legs and running his fingers
through his hair. He glared down at Childe with an expressionless face, trying to mask what
he was feeling, "Is it not obvious, Ajax? My love for you was what stopped me from doing
something so cruel. You are my weakness." He told Childe, his golden pupils flickering with
unintentional malice.

"Then what's stopping you from doing it now?" Childe snarled, his temper flaring up.

It angered him that Zhongli thought that he was the only one who suffered from their
abruptly-ended romance, that he was the only one who'd been pained when forced to part
with his lover.

It was insulting to Childe that Zhongli thought that he was the only one who was hurting.

Zhongli looked taken aback by his question, his eyebrows creasing as he processed Childe's
words. Childe sat up, his bound hands rising to Zhongli's neck, grabbing his collar and
holding it tightly as he gazed fiercely into Zhongli's eyes.

"Cut my limbs off, isolate me from the rest of the world, keep me as your pet if you have to!"
Childe told him, raising his voice a little as tears streaked down his cheeks, "Just... just make
sure I can never hurt myself again by losing you," He said, his anger deflating like a loosely-
tied balloon, his head drooping until he had his forehead against Zhongli's collarbone.

Zhongli sat still, seemingly stunned by Childe's words. His silence urged Childe to spill out
his millennia of sorrow and heartbreak, unable to barricade the dam that had broken inside of
him.

"You think you were the only one who got hurt after what happened?" Childe asked in a
weak, tremulous voice, "Do you think I wanted to put an end to the life of the one man I
loved more than anything in this world?" Zhongli stared into space with a dumbfounded look
on his face as he saw Childe's tears dripping down his collar. Childe continued, shaking with
sobs, "After your death, I was nothing. I remembered wishing I wasn't immortal so I could
die with you... I have never been able to recover, I have never been able to stop loving you. I
even lost my godhood because I couldn't let you go..." Childe said, his voice barely above a
whisper.

Zhongli held him tenderly, not knowing what to make of Childe's words. He had thought that
Childe had gone on and lived his life, forgotten about Zhongli. He had thought that Childe
had killed him for his own selfishness. He didn't know what to do now that his assumptions
had been knocked down.

"Why did you do it?" Zhongli asked, his voice barely kept from trembling as Childe looked
up at him with those blue eyes he adored so much.

Childe smiled without humor, looking away as he placed his head on Zhongli's shoulder,
staring at the wall opposite them. "It's cruel that you would ask me that," Childe whispered,
his voice croaky from crying, "I had no choice. You would've wiped out Liyue if I didn't step
in..."

Zhongli pursed his lips, feeling the emptiness in Childe's voice stab him in the chest,
knowing that Childe was right.

"I've changed," Zhongli said with a hint of desperation in his voice. He didn't want to give
Childe a reason to run from him again. This time, he couldn't be killed but... he wanted
Childe by his side, no matter what. He was willing to use force if it came down to that, but he
hoped, prayed, that Childe still wanted him.

Childe gazed up at him, curiosity in his watery eyes, causing Zhongli's heart to swell with
affection. He'd missed Childe so much.
"I have had... a lot of time. I wandered in the Fields of Asphodel for centuries, asking
questions, wondering why things had gone the way they had. I have changed... I have
renounced what I used to do. That was why... I was given another chance," Zhongli said.

Childe remained silent in Zhongli's embrace, knowing now that he would finally be getting
the answers he yearned for about Zhongli's reappearance.

"I was reborn some millennia ago, this time as a god," Zhongli told him, causing Childe's
eyes to snap up, looking at Zhongli with bewilderment. He looked into those golden pupils,
finally understanding why his eyes looked so different. "I am the God of Contracts and I have
taken up life as the Geo Archon of Liyue."

Zhongli smiled at Childe's expression, unable to stop himself from kissing Childe on his
cheek, watching mirthfully as Childe's cheeks tinted pink. "Every day for so long, I have
waited for you by that lake's bank... but you never came, until now. Word spread that my
beloved had fallen from his pedestal as a god, and I was hopeful you would finally come. I
can't help but feel happy that I was right."

Childe's bottom lip quivered with emotion, wanting nothing more than to kiss Zhongli over
and over again, make up for the millennia they had been apart.

"You still love me?" Childe asked, feeling tears dripping down his already tear-stained face,
"Even after what I did?" Zhongli smiled sadly at his words.

He joined his forehead with Childe's, sighing softly as peace washed over him now that he
held Childe in his arms, "I will always love you no matter what, Ajax. Forgiving you is
another thing," He said, his smile turning a little playful as it used to when he would tease
Childe, "I will keep you locked up in here until I am good and ready to forgive you."

Childe's face broke out into a tearful smile, bringing his shackled hands up to cup Zhongli's
face in them, "I wouldn't have it any other way," He said quietly.

Their lips met in a loving kiss after gods know how long, much different than the kiss they'd
shared the day before.

Childe felt peace and tranquility wash over him, unable to help but cry more, this time with
happiness that he could kiss Zhongli like this again. He allowed himself to get lost in
Zhongli's lips, wondering how he'd been able to survive without kissing Zhongli millennia
after his death. Childe still had yet to wrap his mind around what Zhongli had told him, but
he knew all of that could wait. All he wanted right now was to live in the moment with
Zhongli.

Zhongli pushed him back gently without breaking apart their lips, pinning Childe to the
mattress again, holding his lover as gently as he always did.

They pulled back from their heated kiss, meeting each other's eyes. Childe couldn't help but
marvel at how beautifully Zhongli's golden pupils went with his amber eyes, finally able to
appreciate them now that he knew that this was the Zhongli he knew and loved.
"I missed you so much," Childe whispered, hugging Zhongli tightly as if afraid he would
leave again.

Zhongli smiled gently, pressing his full weight on top of Childe's body, kissing his cheeks.
"Don't let anything get between us again, my love," Zhongli said softly.

Childe grinned back at him, showing Zhongli the beautiful smile he'd missed to no end,
"Never again." He promised, joining his forehead with Zhongli's in a loving fashion. Zhongli
kissed his forehead and moved his lips to both of his cheeks before planting his lips on
Childe's again, tugging him into a deep kiss.

Childe parted his lips to grant access to Zhongli, allowing him to push his tongue into
Childe's mouth, pulling Childe into a passionate battle for dominance between their tongues.

Nothing had changed in the millennia since they were together, Childe still succumbed to
Zhongli easily despite having been the God of War for a long time, moaning a little as
Zhongli easily devoured his mouth.

Zhongli had Childe breathless and gasping for air within minutes, his hands feeling up all the
places of Childe's body he'd missed most.

Zhongli pulled away, gazing down at Childe with an expression of great affection, making
Childe feel nostalgic. He couldn't believe Zhongli was looking at him like this again, couldn't
believe that he was in Zhongli's arms again after living multiple millennia in hopelessness,
thinking he would never feel Zhongli’s touch or his gentleness again.

Childe couldn’t stop his affection from overflowing past his heart’s capacity, raising his head
as best as he could to try and capture Zhongli’s lips again.

Childe threw his shackled arms around Zhongli’s neck as they shared another kiss, feeling the
whole world fade into nothingness around him.

Childe couldn’t help a few tears dripping down his cheeks, unable to fathom that this was
reality.

The tables had turned now, with Zhongli being the god between them and Childe the human,
but it felt like nothing differed from how they used to be.

They let their lips and hands do the talking for them as Zhongli let his hands roam over
Childe’s body.

Both of them were the happiest they’d been for millennia since they were torn apart. They
were reunited in the best way, finally able to say what they weren’t able to in their last
moments together.

“I love you, Zhongli. I was never able to stop loving you,” Childe said, tears freely dripping
from his eyes as he pulled back from Zhongli’s lips. He retreated his restrained arms and
caressed Zhongli’s cheek, watching mirthfully as the man gently nuzzled his face into the
palm of his head, purring slightly with tranquility and closing his eyes with enjoyment.
Childe couldn’t help but feel awed as Zhongli opened his brilliant eyes, gazing at him with
deep love.

“I love you too, my love, even after the suffering you put us through,” Zhongli whispered,
butting his forehead with Childe’s lovingly.

Zhongli buried his face into Childe’s neck for the umpteenth time, this time to mark his lover
up just as he used to before. Zhongli trailed gentle love bites and hickeys on Childe’s skin,
easily painting his territory as Childe’s skin bruised easily.

Childe let out a moan as he felt Zhongli’s large hands slip down his waist to his hips before
cupping his ass tightly.

He could hear Zhongli growl a little, “I missed that sound more than anything,” He told
Childe.

Childe’s cheeks tinted pink as Zhongli raised himself up to hover over Childe, careful not to
hurt his abdomen.

He felt shy under the man’s intense gaze as if trying to decide whether or not to raze Childe.

Childe was in a very compromising position under Zhongli, the grey bathrobe he’d been
dressed in was hanging loosely over his shoulders, his wrists and ankles were bound together,
and his cheeks were stained with tears; he was completely at Zhongli’s mercy. The thought
aroused Zhongli more than anything. The idea that he was now the god between them pleased
Zhongli more than he cared to admit.

Now, no matter what Childe did, Zhongli was glad to know that he could never run from him
again, he couldn’t escape with his legs, nor could he escape through the parallels of mortality
and immortality.

Zhongli crooned a little with happiness at the idea that Childe would always be by his side
now.

He fingered the knot tying the bathrobe around Childe’s frame, latching his lips onto a spot
on Childe’s collarbone, listening to his lover whimpering as it tickled his skin.

Childe’s robes came loose within seconds. Zhongli wasn’t able to find the self-control to keep
from bursting the robes open, unable to help the anticipation he felt to see Childe’s body
again after so many years.

Zhongli sat up, gazing at Childe’s body and feeling a deep sense of satisfaction for being able
to feast his eyes on Childe’s beauty again.

He could see Childe squirming against his bonds, likely feeling shy from being stared at in
such a way.

Zhongli couldn’t stop himself from biting his lower lip with deep enjoyment, gazing from
Childe’s taut nipples down his belly, half-covered by bandages and decorated with the
number-eleven abdominals, to his beautiful lower half, gazing from Childe’s cock to his
milky white legs.

“You never lost an ounce of your beauty, my love,” Zhongli said softly, allowing his hand to
rake over Childe’s ribs.

He suddenly felt remorseful, looking at Childe’s lower abdomen covered with bandages. He
had dared to taint a body as pure as the one belonging to his lover. It was unforgivable of
Zhongli.

He leaned down, kissing over the bandages and causing Childe’s abdomen to tighten slightly
as it ached faintly, “I’m sorry,” Zhongli said, watching as Childe raised his head to gaze down
at him, smiling sadly. Childe felt that, if anything, he should be the one apologizing for being
the reason they’d been torn apart.

“I’m sorry too,” Childe whispered, seeing a smile curl Zhongli’s lips, turning almost playful.

Zhongli’s hand reached further down Childe’s body, caressing his inner thigh with his warm
fingers, relishing in the moan he earned from Childe’s lips.

“How sorry are you for killing me, Ajax?” Zhongli asked, a teasing note in his voice. He felt
a lot lighter about his past death now that he had gotten Childe back, feeling almost as if
nothing had changed, that he was still the human emperor of Liyue, deeply in love with his
‘trainer’.

He watched with a slight smirk as Childe stumbled over his words, his ears turning pink,
unable to think clearly with Zhongli’s hand brushing dangerously close to his cock.

Zhongli kissed Childe’s pelvis, his fingers rubbing against Childe’s perineum, pushing into it
and listening mirthfully as Childe gasped with pleasure at the feeling of Zhongli pushing into
his prostate externally.

He yelped as Zhongli suddenly flipped him around to lie on his stomach, trapping his bound
hands beneath him. For a second, Childe’s handcuffs disconnected from each other, allowing
his arms to move freely so Zhongli could strip the robe off of his shoulders, but in no time,
Childe felt his wrists moving on their own as if the stone cuffs around them were being
pulled together to bind his hands again.

Childe knew that the stone cuffs bent to Zhongli’s will now, and Zhongli definitely willed
Childe to be as helpless as possible.

Zhongli threw his robe aside and took a moment to admire the sight of Childe.

Childe was bound and naked, lying unprotected on his stomach, looking over his shoulder at
Zhongli with a vulnerable look in his puffy blue eyes. He was completely at Zhongli’s mercy.
The thought pleased Zhongli more than he cared to admit.

He felt a surge of possessive affection overwhelm him as he leaned down to bite Childe on
his unmarked shoulder to claim his territory and make sure no one saw this sight save for
himself.

Zhongli would be damned if he ever allowed anyone to see this helpless side of Childe.
Childe was his, only his.

He left red love bites all over Childe’s shoulders, his hands massaging their way down until
he reached Childe’s ass again. He sat up, gazing down at Childe with intense enjoyment as he
spread Childe’s cheeks apart, gazing down at the small pink-rimmed hole that awaited him.

Zhongli felt himself getting even more aroused at the sight, having missed every inch of
Childe.

“How many other bastards have you allowed to touch here, Ajax?” Zhongli asked, pressing
his thumb against Childe’s hole and rubbing against it gently, knowing full well that there
was a chance that he might not like the answer.

Childe twitched a little at the feeling of Zhongli’s touch, his words ringing in Childe’s head.

“No one… no one has touched me there after you,” Childe whispered, which was perfectly
true, but he chose to leave out the fact that he’d been with a few women long after Zhongli’s
passing.

Zhongli couldn’t help but smile, his shoulders sagging with relief, knowing that he wouldn’t
have to punish Childe for infidelity. He made sure Childe couldn’t see what he was doing,
leaning down until his face was level with Childe’s ass.

He stuck his tongue out and licked a fat stripe over Childe’s hole, listening as Childe gasped,
squirming beneath him as he kept Childe firmly pinned to the bed by his hips.

“Zh-Zhongli..!” Childe moaned, feeling his nerves cease up as Zhongli pushed his tongue
against his hole, trying to pry his way inside.

Zhongli smirked to himself, feeling prideful that no one had had the pleasure of listening to
Childe moaning helplessly like this. He pushed his tongue inside Childe, feeling the ginger
trying to sit up, but unable to do so without the use of his arms.

Zhongli loved how helpless Childe was to stop him, feeling like all his fantasies of trapping
his lover were finally coming true.

He loved the feeling of Childe’s wet insides, the way his rim clamped tightly around his hole
as if to snap it out of Zhongli's mouth. He licked up as far as his tongue could reach, keeping
Childe’s ass cheeks spread apart with his large hands for easy access.

Childe’s legs curled under Zhongli, feeling breathless like he’d run a mile at the feeling of
Zhongli’s familiar tongue pressing into him, reaching futilely for his prostate even though it
was too short.

Just when Childe thought Zhongli would give it up as a bad job, he yelped and thrashed as
Zhongli’s tongue suddenly elongated inside him, stretching far past his prostate and filling
Childe up to the brim. “Zhongli, please…! Aah..” Childe whimpered helplessly, feeling drool
dripping down the sides of his mouth at the feeling of Zhongli’s tongue pressing deep into
him, almost reaching his lower abdomen.

Then, Zhongli began to retreat his tongue. It felt even more intense as Childe cried under him
at the feeling of his tongue scraping against his walls, flicking his prostate as it left him.

Zhongli twisted Childe back onto his back, chuckling a little as his tongue rolled inward,
returning to its normal size.

Childe's eyes were blurry with tears, drool dripping down his mouth as he gazed up dazedly
at Zhongli.

Zhongli smiled lovingly at him, kissing him on the cheek affectionately as if he hadn’t just
plowed into Childe’s ass with an inhuman tongue.

“I always seem to forget that I’m a god who can change his appearance,” Zhongli said, a
somewhat smug note to his voice, knowing full well that Childe was shivering with pleasure
beneath him, his mortal body unable to handle Zhongli as well as his godly vessel used to.

“I missed seeing you like this,” Zhongli said softly, admiring the colorful expression on
Childe’s face.

All those years spent wandering the fields of Asphodel, contemplating the life he lived,
marinating in his own bitterness and anger towards Childe, felt like a distant nightmare.

He had planned to punish Childe quite a bit for what he’d done to him, but now, seeing him
look so helpless and pretty made Zhongli reconsider his decision. He brushed his hand
thoughtfully against Childe’s wounded lower abdomen, feeling that it was enough
punishment for Childe along with being shackled and vulnerable like this.

Zhongli wrapped his arms around Childe, loving how familiar it felt.

He’d waited for this day with much anticipation; he’d waited too long to be able to fall into
Childe’s arms, be able to kiss, hug, and have sex with him as such. The wait had been worth
it.

It was Zhongli’s luck that things ended up this way with their roles being reversed, Childe
being the mortal and Zhongli being the god between them. That was reward enough for
Zhongli’s suffering. This time, he would not allow nor give Childe a reason to run away.

“My love, I want to put it in,” Zhongli whispered, pushing Childe up the bed to lie against the
pillows comfortably.

Childe's cheeks turned pink. He felt violated after having Zhongli fuck him with his tongue,
but he was not at all against finally having Zhongli to himself after so many millennia.

“Then do it,” He said softly, “Put it in, you know exactly how I like it, I trust you,” Zhongli
froze up at his words, remembering some peculiar. Childe had spoken these exact words on
their last day together. He smiled a little. This time, he was confident that Childe was telling
the truth, helpless and vulnerable as he was.
Zhongli knelt between Childe’s legs, loosening his robes around his frame and shedding them
off his shoulder. Only then did Childe finally realize that Zhongli’s body was different than
he remembered.

Childe’s lips parted with awe as he stared at Zhongli, gazing at his chest where a brilliant
golden symbol was carved, the symbol of Geo. The symbol branched out like golden tendrils,
reaching up to Zhongli’s shoulders, where his skin turned black as if tattooed, the markings
forming beautiful patterns down to his wrists.

This was the final piece of proof Childe needed to know that Zhongli was now a god. He
couldn’t help but touch it, brushing his fingers gently against the mark at the center of
Zhongli’s chest.

“You’re beautiful,” Childe whispered, looking up at his lover with an affectionate glance.

Zhongli smiled, stripping off his pants, showing Childe the part of Zhongli he had missed
most. Childe raised his hands, feeling his wrists aching from being bound together, but
reached out to wrap them around Zhongli’s cock.

Childe’s eyes glazed over with a hungry look of longing at the familiar weight of Zhongli’s
cock in his hands.

Childe gave Zhongli’s cock a few tugs, listening to his lover’s gentle breath of pleasure
before his hands moved on their own. He yelped as his shackles tugged his wrists sharply
away from Zhongli, his hands being pinned above his head without his volition.

Childe knew from Zhongli’s small smirk that he had been the one to make that happen.

Then, Childe’s legs separated as the shackles came loose, but before Childe could regain
control of his legs, Zhongli’s hands were gripped around both of them, holding them apart as
he moved between Childe’s legs. With a snap, his shackles joined again, trapping Zhongli
between his legs and leaving Childe with no mobility over his legs once more.

Childe pouted huffily, but it didn’t last long as Zhongli dropped his heavy cock right on top
of his own, distracting him from his petty annoyance at the lack of movement Zhongli
allowed him.

Childe licked his lips, letting out a small moan of pleasure as Zhongli thrust his cock against
his own a few times, causing precum to drip down the sides of Childe’s cock.

Zhongli collected the droplets on his fingertips, stringing the white substance between two
fingers and watching as Childe turned pink at the sight.

“We don’t have a lubricant at the moment, but this should do, right?” Zhongli asked, but
before Childe could even make it known that he found it icky, Zhongli pressed the precum
right over Childe’s hole, mixing the saliva already coating the hole with Childe’s own cum.

Zhongli had Childe prepped up with two fingers in no time, having him gasping and whining
under his touch as he massaged his prostate with his fingers, squishing it with powerful
thrusts inside Childe and rocking the ginger’s entire body.

By the time he was satisfied with Childe’s looseness, Childe lay twitching and gasping
beneath him, even more precum dribbling down the shaft of his cock in response to Zhongli’s
touch.

“P-Please, Zhongli… put it in,” Childe whimpered, opening his legs as far as they would
stretch with his ankles bound together. His hands remained firmly placed above his head,
unable to pull themselves free to tempt Zhongli with his hands.

Zhongli smirked down at him, but Childe didn’t need to tell him twice. Zhongli’s patience
was wearing thin. He gripped Childe’s thighs, his fingertips digging into the fragile skin as he
pressed his cock against Childe’s hole.

Childe gazed up at him with a misty, loving glow in his beautiful eyes. Zhongli had missed
the sight.

With a heavy grunt, Zhongli pushed his hips forward, his cock slipping into Childe’s hole,
eliciting a loud moan from the one he loved. Both of them felt the same peace washing over
them. Both had been craving this feeling of unity for eons.

Childe felt himself tearing up again, not with pain, but with happiness that he could
experience this again.

He had missed this feeling of wholeness, like a piece of him had been placed right into its
slot, finally able to be one with the man he loved.

Zhongli began to pound into Childe, gentler than he would like to be because of Childe’s
injury. One of his hands placed itself from Childe’s thighs to his wrists, holding them over his
head while hooking his legs under Childe’s ass to ensure he was as close to Childe as
possible. Childe’s moans mixed with Zhongli’s filled the room, and both of them sighed in
unison at the feeling of bliss they never failed to give each other.

Zhongli let out a low purr against Childe’s ear, causing goosebumps to swivel through
Childe’s hair follicles, loving how into it Zhongli was, adoring the feeling of Zhongli’s hips
colliding with his ass over and over.

Childe wished this moment would never end. He didn’t want Zhongli to ever pull out, unable
to help but fall into his loving embrace no matter what kind of man Zhongli was.

This time, Childe knew he would never be able to hurt him, and that brought him peace of
mind.

He couldn’t run from Zhongli anymore, couldn’t tear them apart again, and that was enough
for Childe. He feared for a second that this was all a dream, but as if sensing his thoughts,
Zhongli kissed his cheek.

“My love, you’ll always be mine, won’t you?” Zhongli asked quietly, his voice dangerously
low, dropping multiple octaves and making Childe’s head spin with affection. Childe didn’t
 notice the bait and nodded as best as he could, sweat lacing his skin as he held back his
moans, unable to help the pleasure he felt as Zhongli pounded into him over and over.

“Yes… always yours,” Childe murmured almost incoherently, causing Zhongli to smile that
he’d tricked Childe into making an unwritten contract with him.

Zhongli pressed his lips against Childe’s, pulling him into a senseless and sloppy kiss as if
sealing their contract together. Childe would always be Zhongli’s, whether in different
universes or different times, Zhongli promised himself that he would never let Childe go.

Chapter End Notes

Life's definitely busy and tough these days, so I hope this chapter can bring a smile to
your face!

Writing is one of the last joys in life left for me, so even though my next batch of exams
are coming to rail my ass, I will probably keep on schedule for next month's chapter.

I hope all of you have a lovely October, good luck for your 3.1 pulls!
 Pet Play (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

WARNING: Graphic depictions of death, blood.

Kaeya, the God of Erotic Love, is forced to attend a knight's battle on the demands of
his dear friend, Venti. He finds himself getting more and more intrigued by the stone-
faced knight, Diluc Ragnvindr, unable to help but want him for himself.

Chapter Notes

This chapter is based on Roman mythology and is a mix of our canon world and Roman
mythology, e.g. Gladiator fights!

Kaeya as Cupid, the God of Erotic Love

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“Come on, Kaeya! Pick up your feet,” Venti whined, dragging Kaeya up the steps with great
difficulty.

Kaeya grumbled under his breath but complied with Venti’s demands, allowing himself to be
taken up to the topmost set of seats with velvety cushions that were more luxurious than the
rest. Kaeya plopped down on the right side of Venti, who took a seat next to him in the
centermost seat that resembled a throne.

The sight of his friend sitting on the gold throne with his short legs dangling off the edge was
nothing short of comical to Kaeya, but he managed to hold back his laughter to save face.

Venti turned to him with a grin, “I’m so glad I managed to capture you to witness this battle,
Kae,” He told Kaeya. Kaeya gave a dry smile but it hid behind the veil he wore over half of
his face. He was lucky it hid the distaste on his face.

He visibly perked up when a servant bustled over to him with a tray that sat two glasses of
dandelion wine. Kaeya took one of the glasses, gracefully holding it by the stem as Venti
scarfed down his glass and didn’t hesitate to demand another. Kaeya sipped the wine and
sighed blissfully, remembering that this wine was the only reason he was humoring Venti.
Kaeya took the moment to admire his surroundings. He gazed down his nose at the
amphitheater, watching the commoners, servants, and guards bustle about.
Some important clans, the Gunnhildrs, the Lawrences, and others, were chattering animatedly
in the set of seats below Kaeya and Venti, though Kaeya did not find their subject of
conversation to be all that intriguing. Everywhere around him was a buzz of excitement.

Kaeya didn’t share the sentiment, mostly because he would rather be having his afternoon
siesta up in Celestia than sitting in the hot and humid colosseum of Mondstadt.

Kaeya was attending a knight’s battle at the request (more like demands) of Venti, who was
one of his oldest friends. Usually, a fight to the death would be revolting to most, but this was
customary for Mondstadtians. Weird people, Kaeya thought.

It wasn’t particularly that the sight of bloodshed displeased Kaeya, rather, it bored him. He’d
seen hundreds of men, women, and children perish in the long life he’d lived; he’d seen so
much death that it failed to amuse him now.

However, he’d made a promise to Venti to attend one of these barbaric battles in his
company. Venti had been on his ass about it for quite some time, pushing Kaeya into
accepting when he demanded Kaeya attend a knight’s battle as his honorary guest. Now, he
regretted it, wishing he could drown out the loud chatter of the public as they waited for the
match to begin.

Kaeya felt that he had better things to do, given that he was the God of Erotic Love — or as
Mondstadtians would call him— Cupid. He was one of the sons of Venus, the Mondstadtian
goddess of love.

Kaeya did not find something like brutish knight battles intriguing when compared to the
interesting and juicy love lives of humans. He amused himself by gazing around at the people
crowding the gigantic amphitheater, watching their interactions and silently pairing them up
in his mind.

Unnoticed by him, he subconsciously flicked his fingers, releasing a bit of his magic to flutter
from the palms of his hands like butterflies. It met his targets and caused their moods to shift
from excitement to infatuation.

Kaeya could not care less about battles. He felt like he needed something more entertaining
to keep him occupied on a beautiful summer’s day like this one.

However, he reminded himself that he’d promised Venti but threw a snarky glare at the
shorter man, who seemed content with getting himself drunk before the match even began.
Oh, the weather was just perfect for blossoming love.

A warm breeze swept over Kaeya. It was hot but not overly so. It put him in the mood for a
nap, causing him to yawn a little.

The sun’s rays made him sleepy, but he forced himself to stay awake as Venti excitedly
blabbered about wanting to show Kaeya the fighting style of a particular knight, though
Kaeya barely listened.
Then, a servant rushed up to them and whispered something to Venti, who nodded. Venti
hopped to his feet, flashing Kaeya a cheery grin as Kaeya’s low mood went unnoticed.

Kaeya watched Venti as he cleared his throat. Despite the man’s short and pretty stature, he
was the ruler of Mondstadt, the city of wind. He was also a god, the God of Anemo, though
he did not look the part of a god, but a teenager instead. Even though Venti wasn’t the most
formidable god, the sight of him standing at the pinnacle of the colosseum was impressive in
Kaeya’s eyes.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Venti called, his voice at a volume unfathomable for a human.
Immediately, a wave of silence fell over the entire colosseum.

The ripple of quiet sent a chill down Kaeya’s spine. He was unable to help but feel amazed at
how nearly fifty-thousand Mondstadtians fell silent with just one command. Despite not
looking like a god, Venti was loved by his people.

He went about opening the battle officially, giving his blessings to the people of Mondstadt
and honoring Kaeya with a curtsy bow to welcome him to his kingdom.

He explained the rules of the ‘game’, informing the crowd of the two knights that would
battle to the death today. He introduced the first knight: a giant man stomping into the arena
from one of the entrances, who, in Kaeya’s opinion, didn’t seem to be anyone to be impressed
by.

The crowds met the entrance of the knight with a mixture of cheers and boos. Kaeya knew a
lot of these people; commoners, royals, and senators alike had a lot of money riding on the
victory of one of the two champions. Kaeya had chosen not to indulge in petty mortal
hobbies such as betting, mostly because he didn’t know who the knights were and who was
the stronger of the two and partly because he cared little about the match.

“And now, for our second knight, we welcome back to the ring our undefeated champion, the
Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, Diluc Ragnvindr!” Venti said at the top of his
voice, echoing throughout the grounds.

His words were followed by cheers as the second of the two gates around the amphitheater
opened up to allow entry to a second man. This man seemed more intriguing than the first.
For one, he had bright red hair. He was dressed in ivory-colored armor with the Knights of
Favonius crest carved at the center. He wore matching armored boots and black clothes
underneath.

Kaeya’s disinterested gaze seemed to flicker with newfound curiosity. The man wasn’t as
large as the first but was still muscular and wielded a red greatsword about as large as
Kaeya’s vessel.

The most intriguing part of the man were his dispassionate red eyes. In all of Kaeya’s life,
he’d never seen a man with such a strong gaze that was hardened with years of battle.

He supposed that this man was the one Venti had told him about: Diluc Ragnvindr. Venti had
predicted that Kaeya would find the man interesting. He’d been proven right. Kaeya was not
interested in the man because of his prowess, but instead because of his hardened glare and
lack of care for the battle he was about to fight.

Kaeya didn’t think the odds were in Diluc’s favor while comparing the heights of the two
men standing across from each other.

The other knight was much larger, holding a polearm in his hand. But something told Kaeya
that Diluc Ragnvindr was a lot stronger than he seemed in comparison to the other knight.

Despite initially regretting being there, Kaeya finally started to feel some of the crowd’s
excitement as his interest in Diluc increased. Finally, Venti shouted, “Let the games begin!”

With a roar, the first knight charged at Diluc, taking a running leap toward the man. Kaeya
tipped closer to the edge of his seat to see whether Diluc would be deterred by the size of the
other knight. He got his answer quickly as the first knight attempted to strike a blow down on
Diluc. The redheaded man held his greatsword in his hand, blocking the strike with a
resonating clanking sound of metal against metal.

The crowds cheered as the two men began to battle.

Kaeya noted that Diluc wielded his claymore as easily as one would hold a knife. It was
almost as if the greatsword had become an extension of his arms.

Despite having only one eye, Kaeya had excellent vision. He was able to catch every aspect
of the battle with clarity. He focused on Diluc’s face, feeling his heartbeat quickening as he
gazed at his handsome face which was still passive as if the fight didn’t bother him one bit.

Kaeya could hear Venti roaring to his heart’s content beside him, but he felt everything else
fading around him as he focused on the man who fought with the sharpness of an owl.

In just a mere few minutes of the battle, Kaeya could tell that the other knight was no match
for Diluc. If Diluc wanted to, he could easily slice the knight to pieces, but Kaeya predicted
that he was dragging it out to please the crowds. Something about the man tugged at Kaeya’s
heartstrings.

He was a god of love. He knew this feeling better than possibly anyone.

Kaeya felt an attraction to the man. He wanted Diluc Ragnvindr for himself. Then, the crowd
gasped in unison as the other knight’s spike made contact with Diluc’s face. Kaeya gritted his
teeth as he spotted a gash on Diluc’s perfect face. This was why he hated these battles. How
dare someone taint a face as beautiful as Diluc’s? It was outrageous.

The crowd seemed to match Kaeya’s thoughts, booing angrily that their champion had gotten
hurt. However, Diluc still remained unfazed. He turned the match around in a matter of
seconds, causing everyone to cheer.

Kaeya felt satisfaction rattling in his bones as Diluc slashed the other knight with the force of
ten horses which caused him to fall back.
For a second, Kaeya thought that Diluc looked in his direction. Just the thought made
Kaeya’s body heat up, suddenly feeling the urge to shout praises for Diluc just like everyone
else was doing.

Still, he managed to protect his integrity and continued to keep his gaze trained on Diluc.

He watched Diluc’s arms and the way his thick biceps pulsated with energy, effortlessly
swinging his greatsword as if it weighed nothing.

Kaeya felt the urge to shoot Diluc with an arrow. It was not to kill but to make him fall in
love with Kaeya.

Kaeya’s life as a god caused him to be whimsical; he wanted to go after mortals like Diluc for
his own satisfaction and pleasure. The thought of having Diluc all to himself like a pet was
nothing short of exhilarating for Kaeya.

He contemplated drawing his bow. He wasn’t what you could call a sharpshooter, but if he
was motivated enough, he could hit a target from miles away. Suffice it to say that he was
definitely motivated by the desire to have Diluc in his clutches. Luckily for Kaeya, he likely
didn’t need any help attracting DIluc.

Even as Kaeya sat by the great ruler of Mondstadt, people still snuck glances at him,
whispering about how beautiful he was even though the real spectacle was down in the
amphitheater.

One of Kaeya’s best and worst qualities was his beauty. Best because it allowed him to make
anyone fall for him with just a brief glimpse of his face, and worst because, more often than
not, people fell for him even if he didn’t want them to.

That was why he took to covering most of his face with a veil. Still, a mere veil wouldn’t be
enough to hide his beauty.

Just the sight of his twinkling grey eye and his navy blue tresses were enough to make people
feel intrigued by him. His good looks were both a blessing and a curse; a blessing for those
he desired, and a curse for those he did not desire.

Kaeya watched as Diluc struck down the knight, driving his greatsword deep into the man’s
leg, causing him to roar with agony as the claymore sliced through half of his leg.

The sight was gruesome, but Kaeya continued to stare. He gazed at Diluc’s perfectly
composed expression, which was akin to a warrior hardened from bloodlust.

Kaeya wanted him. He wanted a man who looked so domineering to kneel before him. He
licked his lips at the thought, his ears numb from the cheering of the crowd. He watched
absently as Diluc picked the knight’s limbs apart until the man was no more than a choking,
bloody mess.

Kaeya rolled his eyes as he glanced at Venti. He saw the god watching with a contented smile
on his face, clearly enjoying it.
Then, Diluc grabbed the knight by the hair and lifted him up to face Kaeya and Venti. The
question was clear: to kill or not to kill.

Venti’s grin grew into a cheshire smile. He raised his thumb along with thousands of his
subjects. Then, with a swift tilt, Venti pointed his thumb down along with everyone else as
the crowd booed, anxiously anticipating the murder of the knight. Diluc Ragnvindr remained
victorious and undefeated.

For a second that felt like an eternity to Kaeya, Diluc’s red eyes caught his own, a slight
eyebrow raised as if asking why Kaeya had not raised his hand, the cut on his cheek bleeding.
Kaeya, too, raised his hand and put his thumb down (mostly because Venti was also glaring at
him).

At that, Diluc raised his great sword with one hand and sliced clean through the crying
knight’s neck, detaching his head from his body. Diluc raised the severed head high. He
didn’t yell, but there was an undeniable air of triumph about him with the way he displayed
his trophy. With a sickening splat, Diluc dropped the head which rolled next to its body. The
crowd cheered deafeningly while exchanging money depending on their bets.

Venti rose to his feet but Kaeya remained sitting, for he had once again caught Diluc
Ragnvindr’s eye.

***

“Good work, Diluc,” said Venti while patting Diluc on the shoulder as he exited the arena
through the way he’d come. Diluc bowed his head in response to the praise.

He didn’t speak, but his eyes shifted over Venti’s shoulder, trying to locate the man who’d sat
next to Venti with a veil covering half of his face. He couldn’t see him anywhere so he turned
away, slightly disappointed.

Diluc was covered in blood that didn’t belong to him. It disgusted him. He bowed his head to
Venti again, gesturing that he was going for a bath.

“Got it! You did well,” Venti told him, and Diluc took his leave. His mind was somewhat
preoccupied with the man he’d seen with Venti. He walked into the waiting room of the
colosseum and moved toward the bathroom.

The arena was more or less empty now after he’d emerged as the victor. Diluc didn’t seem
bothered by the battle he’d just won. He was used to taking the lives of others. Being a knight
serving Venti, the God of the Wind, he did a lot of dirty work.

What concerned him more was the man he’d seen with Venti. Who was he? Why did he
occupy Diluc’s mind like this, despite having never properly met him? He didn’t understand
why, but those few seconds of eye contact they had made Diluc feel like he was on fire.

Even though most of the man’s face was covered, Diluc could tell he was beautiful.
He walked into the bathroom where a large bucket of water awaited him. Diluc unclipped the
armor he wore, allowing it to drop to the ground with a clanking noise before he removed his
undershirt and the pants he wore and stepped out of his boots. Diluc approached the basin of
water and grabbed a clean washcloth from the edge of the bucket. He doused it in the water
and began to clean himself.

His mind was hazily occupied with the man he’d seen next to Venti.

It bothered him how easily he had captured Diluc’s mind, infiltrating his thoughts. Something
about that man was special.

Diluc hadn’t been able to see him properly but his hair was beautiful, with navy blue locks
falling perfectly over his shoulders and his caramel-colored skin highlighting his aesthetic.
Diluc shook his head and told himself to forget about that man, knowing that obsession
should be the last thing on his mind.

But then, he suddenly felt another presence in the bathroom.

Slowly, Diluc turned sideways to the door, glaring at whoever entered the bathroom. To his
surprise, his eyes met the stormy grey eyes belonging to the beautiful man who had occupied
his mind.

Diluc gazed at him, saying nothing. He was startled, having never thought he’d see the man
the moment he thought of him. The lower half of the man’s face was covered with a black
veil and an eyepatch was placed over one of his eyes. Despite this, Diluc felt an irresistible
surge of attraction to the man.

He knew that even though his face was covered, he’d be the most beautiful man he’d ever
seen. The thought confused him, but he didn’t question it.

The man’s cheeks creased as if he was smiling. Diluc wished he could see his smile.

“You put on quite the spectacle for us, Diluc,” said the man. Diluc didn’t speak, his gaze
transfixed on the man. He was even more beautiful up close. Diluc ignored the fact that he
was naked. The man did not give off the vibe that he was just an ordinary human.

He was, after all, a friend of the God of Mondstadt. Still, Diluc didn’t know what he wanted
with him.

Slowly, Diluc nodded in agreement, acknowledging the fact that the man was complimenting
his fighting. He was unbearably attractive, making Diluc wish he could see what the man
looked like.

Kaeya stared at him with an intrigued look with a gentle smirk hidden behind his veil.

Slowly, he took steps towards Diluc, stepping over his fallen clothes. Diluc stared at him;
unspeaking, watching him approach despite being naked.

Within seconds, Kaeya stood in front of him. His fingers reached out to grasp the washcloth
from between Diluc’s fingers. Diluc let go of the washcloth easily and did nothing except
watch as Kaeya raised his fingers to his face, gently brushing the damp washcloth across the
gash on Diluc’s cheek.

Diluc felt the hairs on his arm stand on end at Kaeya’s gentle touch.

He had questions about who this man was, why he was so charmed by him, and what made
him approach Diluc, but he couldn’t voice any of these questions.

Kaeya looked into his eyes while placing the washcloth down into the basin before moving
his hands up to grip Diluc’s shoulders. Diluc allowed him to move closer until Kaeya’s
clothed body pressed against his damp, naked frame.

Kaeya was so beautiful. Diluc felt tempted to rip the veil off of his face but he decided
against it. He watched Kaeya with keen interest to see what he would do while wondering
why he was approaching Diluc in such an intimate fashion.

“You’ve piqued my curiosity, Diluc Ragnvindr,” Kaeya whispered, looking from Diluc’s eyes
to his lips while massaging his shoulders with his fingers. Diluc raised his eyebrow in
question, unsure of the reason behind Kaeya’s actions.

Slowly, Kaeya reached up to cup Diluc’s face. He grasped his jaw with his soft hands that
were much more refined than Diluc’s calloused ones.

Kaeya pressed his thumb against Diluc’s lips, watching as the redhead’s gaze shifted from
nonchalance to polite surprise. Something about Kaeya’s actions caused Diluc to part his lips,
allowing Kaeya to press his finger between them. Diluc did nothing but bite down gently on
Kaeya’s thumb as he pressed it into his mouth.

Kaeya’s eyes crinkled with a smile, “You have no tongue,” he noted.

Diluc didn’t reply, but his eyes flickered with something close to remorse. Kaeya smiled and
retracted his hand, brushing it along Diluc’s pale cheek as he went. “You had your tongue
taken out when you were just an adolescent, a punishment for trying to oppose the Knights of
Favonius, is that right?” Kaeya asked, causing Diluc to blink with surprise.

Diluc stared down at Kaeya, perplexed that he knew of the most vulnerable memory Diluc
had.

Slowly, Diluc began to piece things together. Kaeya was a friend of the God of Mondstadt; he
must be an ascended being as well. Diluc gently nodded in agreement to Kaeya’s words,
watching as Kaeya’s eyes flickered with satisfaction.

“I have a proposition for you,” Kaeya said as he gently grazed Diluc’s bare shoulder with one
hand while his other hand gently brushed down Diluc’s body. Diluc felt goosebumps littering
his skin as he felt Kaeya’s fingers raking down his chest to his abdomen until he reached
Diluc’s cock.

Diluc sucked in a sharp breath as Kaeya wrapped his lithe fingers around his most sensitive
organ. He gazed into Kaeya’s eye with perplexity, wondering why he was touching him so
intimately. He hummed quietly in response to Kaeya’s words, telling him to proceed.

He could feel his cock hardening in response to Kaeya’s touch, feeling himself getting
slightly breathless at the feeling of Kaeya slowly pumping him.

“Tonight, come to my room in the East Wing of Venti’s castle… I believe I can make you a
deal that will benefit both of us, hm?” Kaeya whispered while stroking Diluc’s cock with
much enjoyment. He bit his lower lip at the feeling of Diluc’s cock lengthening under his
touch.

Diluc had difficulty processing his words, releasing a short breath as Kaeya continued to
massage him with infuriatingly slow strokes. Still, as Kaeya watched his expression, he was
disappointed that Diluc had not yet lost his strength or the steely look in his eyes. Kaeya
licked his lips, looking forward to making Diluc crumble if he came up to his room tonight.
Slowly, Diluc nodded, much to Kaeya’s satisfaction.

Kaeya kissed him on the cheek through his veil, beginning to pump Diluc more strongly. and
pressed him back against the wall as he played with his cock.

Diluc continued to watch him with that grounded look in his eye that made Kaeya’s knees
weak. Kaeya enjoyed the attention the knight gave him. He loved the feeling of Diluc’s warm
breath against his neck, loved how his biceps bulged with the effort of holding himself back
from touching Kaeya.

Diluc knew full well that Kaeya was not an ordinary human. The thought strangely excited
him.

Kaeya helped Diluc to his orgasm, their breathing almost synced with each other. Kaeya
loved the veins that throbbed in Diluc’s cock and loved the heavy sack that accompanied his
cock that made him ache to have him inside of him.

He told himself silently to be patient; that he would have Diluc all to himself tonight.

He listened to Diluc’s panting as it became more and more frenzied the closer he got to his
orgasm. The feeling of Diluc’s body against his with his cock hefty in his palm aroused
Kaeya to no end.

With a quiet grunt, Diluc came into Kaeya’s palm. His hips gently twitched against Kaeya as
if to milk his orgasm.

Kaeya gazed down at the sticky substance covering his palm. Without an ounce of hesitation,
he brought it up to his lips, moving hand beneath veil and licking it off right in front of Diluc,
allowing nothing to go to waste. He gave Diluc a coy smile, pride welling within his chest for
making the stone-faced knight just a bit breathless. He promised himself then that he would
have Diluc as his servant before the day ended.

Kaeya brought his hand up to Diluc’s cheek and brushed against the scar on his face before
standing on his tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on it.
“Don’t make me wait,” Kaeya teased salaciously, giving Diluc one more meaningful glance
before he stepped back and strolled leisurely out of the bathroom.

Diluc stared after him, completely bewildered by what had just happened. He brought his
hand up to his cheek where Kaeya had kissed him and was surprised to find that his scar had
healed by itself.

***

Later that night, Kaeya could be found in his room, donning a satin robe that he left open
from the front. He checked himself in the reflection of a mirror. He wasn’t wearing his veil,
deciding that he would show Diluc his face so he could seal the deal without hesitation.

He swept aside a navy blue bang from his face. Kaeya had to admit to himself that he was
beautiful. Each of his features was carved to perfection. He wasn’t the son of Venus for no
reason.

He kept his eye covered because it was the one piece of him that was imperfect.

Kaeya had been cursed as the God of Erotic Love by a man who had gotten his heart broken
by a woman who did not want him.

For that reason, his eye had deteriorated. He looked just as dashing with or without the
eyepatch covering his eye, but it felt like something was missing.

No matter. Kaeya was confident that his face and body would be enough to win Diluc over.
He glanced at the wall clock hanging above the dresser in his room. Diluc should’ve been
arriving at any second. Kaeya felt himself thrumming with anticipation.

He felt his body getting warmer at the thought of being serviced by a man like Diluc. He’d
always wanted a pet lion.

Kaeya was confident that he would win his bargain with Diluc. No man, woman, or anyone
in between, could say no to him. He was graceful, beautiful, and had a sweet body no one
could get enough of. Diluc would be no exception. He wanted to see a man as composed as
Diluc serve him.

Kaeya perked up when he heard a knock on his door. His heart jumped with excitement, but
he kept himself in front of the mirror, examining his perfect reflection.

“Come in~,” he called out, not bothering to tie his satin robe. It would be coming off
eventually anyway.

He watched in the mirror as the door opened with footsteps following right after. He watched
as Diluc took one look at his back and sucked in a sharp breath. Kaeya couldn’t help but
smirk to himself at the sight of Diluc’s Adam’s apple bobbing toward his voluptuous body.

Slowly, Kaeya turned around and leaned against the dresser, gaze trained on Diluc still with
that amused look in his eye.
“You look a little pale,” Kaeya said. His eye glittered with desire at the sight of Diluc dressed
fully in his knightly attire. His torso was adorned with a gold-crested breastplate along with
shoulder blades that were accentuated with shoulder pads. Long armored boots complimented
his armor. He wore his hair in a high ponytail, bangs endearingly falling over his eyes.

He looked perfect in Kaeya’s eyes, just as perfect as himself. He watched as Diluc’s harsh
eyes fell on his bare body, gazing from his beautiful face to trailing down his body. He took
in the sight of his chest, then his lithe waist, his pretty cock, and finally, his beautiful legs.

Kaeya watched amusedly as Diluc’s face turned pink at the sight of him. He gave himself a
mental pat on the back since he managed to make Diluc feel shy at the sight of him.

Diluc’s gaze was softer than usual while taking in his features with profound interest. Kaeya
knew immediately that Diluc was attracted to him via his fond stare. Kaeya pushed himself
off of the dresser and started towards Diluc at a leisurely pace, effectively startling the man.
However, he stood his ground as Kaeya stopped in front of him. This was expected of Diluc
considering that his prowess was what drew Kaeya to him.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Kaeya asked softly while boldly wrapping his arms around
Diluc’s neck and pressing his front against Diluc. He felt a small shiver go down his spine at
the feeling of Diluc’s pristine metal armor against his bare skin, feeling his body reacting to
the cold.

Diluc nodded silently, causing Kaeya to smile a little. His compliance built up more and more
confidence in his bargain for Diluc.

Diluc didn’t attempt to pull away from him, but he didn’t touch Kaeya without his permission
either. That made Diluc even more endearing to Kaeya. Even though a man as beautiful as
Kaeya was standing vulnerable in front of him, he didn’t take advantage of Kaeya.

“You are so diligent. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have you all to myself,” Kaeya whispered,
his lips brushing against Diluc’s ear.

Diluc’s expression remained guarded. He could not speak, so Kaeya took it upon himself to
bring them straight to the point. He slowly slid his arms from around Diluc’s neck, turned
around, and moved away.

Diluc kept his gaze trained on Kaeya, watching as he took a seat on the bed. Kaeya held his
gaze, “I had a proposal for you, Diluc Ragnvindr. I know not whether you know this, but I am
the God of Love.” He watched as Diluc’s eyes flickered with curiosity, betraying his neutral
expression. He remained silent to allow Kaeya to continue.

It made sense to him that Kaeya was a god; a God of Love, no less. He was so beautiful, so
how could he not be an ascended being?

“I know true beauty when I see it, and I would like for you to serve me. Become mine and
make me yours. Take care of me as you would a master… In return, I can get you your
tongue back,” Kaeya said with a passive voice, but he could feel charmspeak* trickling into
his voice. (Charmspeak: a type of hypnotism that allows the speaker to convince someone
else to do or get whatever they want.)

The offer left Diluc slightly taken aback. He stared at Kaeya, wondering why a god so
beautiful would desire him as a servant.

Diluc thought for a moment, considering Kaeya’s words carefully. The idea of having his
tongue and voice back was tempting for Diluc. He disliked being mute, as he was unable to
voice his thoughts as well as he used to unlike when he still had his tongue. His sharp tongue
had been his downfall, but he missed being able to communicate freely. There was also the
offer of serving Kaeya in ways only a God of Love could be serviced; it was even more
tempting for Diluc.

But then, he thought of what would become of his career as a Knight of Favonius. As if
reading his mind, Kaeya said, “If you’re worried about the Knights of Favonius, you don’t
need to. I’m sure I can convince Venti to hand you over to me.” Diluc pondered over this for
a moment.

Venti wasn’t a cruel god. He would allow Diluc to walk away with a new master if he so
wished. Mondstadt was the city of freedom after all.

Kaeya watched the contemplation in Diluc’s expression. His intuition tells him he would
emerge victorious.

“If you agree to my bargain, come and kneel before me. If you refuse, you may leave,” Kaeya
told him, giving Diluc an ultimatum. He gazed at Diluc, leaning back on the palms of his
hands on the bed, causing his chest to stick out.

Kaeya wondered if Diluc could be the first man to reject him.

The thought strangely irked him more than it normally would. He must like Diluc more than
he thought.

However, he worried for nothing as Diluc stepped towards him. He had made up his mind,
walking closer to Kaeya until he stood right before him.

Then he kneeled down on one knee before him and grasped Kaeya’s hand, placing a gentle
kiss on his knuckles. Despite having seen and performed numerous kinds of affections,
Kaeya found his face getting warmer at Diluc’s intimacy, unable to help the genuine smile
stretching across his face.

He silently thanked his mother, Venus, for blessing him with such good looks and
charmspeak as powerful as hers.

The fact that Diluc kneeled before him without a sliver of hesitation, indicating that he chose
Kaeya, made him inexplicably happy. He had an undeniably powerful mortal kneeling before
him. Kaeya gazed into Diluc’s eyes as the man nodded slowly, conceding to his request.
Kaeya smiled at him, causing Diluc to freeze for a second. He allowed himself to admire
Kaeya’s beauty, feeling more sure of his agreement with him now that he knew he would be
able to see that smile for a long time.

“Well, let’s consider this our contract. You serve me in return for your voice,” Kaeya told
him. Diluc nodded quietly in agreement.

Slowly, Kaeya leaned down towards Diluc, gazing into his brilliant red eyes. He noted that
they looked more gentle than earlier that day. Diluc was an enigma; Kaeya couldn’t read his
thoughts but he felt that it mattered not. That was what excited Kaeya most about Diluc.

Slowly, their eyes drooped shut as their lips met. Kaeya wrapped his arms around Diluc’s
neck, finally feeling Diluc gaining confidence. Diluc his arms around Kaeya’s waist, still
kneeling before him.

Kaeya moaned quietly, not noticing that Diluc had opened his eyes and was gazing at how
beautiful he was.

Only a god of love could kiss so passionately. Diluc’s mouth felt strangely hot as if he was
having a fever. He felt Kaeya’s nails digging into his back as they kissed ferociously. Diluc
was almost to the point of wishing that he had his tongue so he could kiss Kaeya to the fullest
until he realized that he did have his tongue.

Diluc’s eyes widened, pulling away from Kaeya in shock. Kaeya simply smiled down at him,
retreating his arms from Diluc’s neck to watch him.

Diluc felt strange in his mouth. He could feel something growing inside and quickly
identified it as his own tongue. He sat before Kaeya on his knees, stupefaction ever so
evident in his usually calm and collected eyes.

Diluc licked his own teeth, hardly able to believe it as he gazed up at Kaeya with
bewilderment. Kaeya merely looked back in amusement.

“Master…” Diluc whispered. His voice sounded like nails against a chalkboard, hoarse and
rough from not being used in years, but Kaeya still seemed surprised that that would be his
first word.

Kaeya chuckled quietly at his reaction, watching as Diluc licked his lips, having not had the
liberty of doing so in years.

“Are you grateful, Diluc?” Kaeya asked, smiling. Diluc slowly nodded, still seeming
starstruck that just a simple kiss was enough to help him regrow his tongue. Kaeya continued,
“Then don’t you think your master deserves some form of reward, hm?” He whispered,
gently running his fingers along Diluc’s jaw affectionately.

Diluc nodded again, breaking away from Kaeya’s eyes to trail his red orbs down Kaeya’s
chest to his beautiful cock lying limp against his thigh.
“Thank you, master,” Diluc croaked, leaning forward until his head was between Kaeya’s
thighs. He placed a soft kiss on Kaeya’s cock, feeling the god twitching beneath his touch.

Diluc gripped Kaeya’s hips, opening his mouth wider to take Kaeya’s cock between his lips.

He felt Kaeya’s hands rake through his hair, his ears perking up at the sound of Kaeya’s quiet
moan of pleasure. He sucked on Kaeya’s dick, bobbing his head up and down as his fingers
massaged Kaeya’s hips.

Diluc could feel Kaeya’s cock hardening in his mouth, feeling him rest his legs on his
shoulders. His grip on his roots tightened to the bliss. He felt Kaeya’s upper strength slowly
fading as Kaeya lay with his back on the bed, holding Diluc’s head between his legs, giving
him access to suck on his cock thoroughly. Diluc familiarized himself with his tongue, having
forgotten how to use it.

He swirled it against the underside of Kaeya’s cock, feeling inebriated as he sucked on

Kaeya’s tip. He dipped the tip of his tongue into his urethra. His hands slid down Kaeya’s
thigh, thumb brushing over his hole and gently prodding it.

He could feel Kaeya clawing at the back of his head, coming undone underneath his pet’s
fingers.

Diluc pushed his finger inside, deliberately allowing spit to drip down Kaeya’s cock. It
leaked over his balls until it dripped down to his hole, adding lubrication to Diluc’s finger.

Diluc fucked his finger inside Kaeya, sucking on his cock at the same time. He adored the
sound of the gentle moans spilling from Kaeya’s lips and the tightening of his thighs around
his head as if he were trying to cope with the pleasure.

Diluc flicked Kaeya’s prostate with the scrape of his fingernail, feeling Kaeya twitch in
response.

He began to massage into that spot over and over again, his eyes flashing up to gaze at
Kaeya’s colorful expression. His cheeks darkened with the flow of blood, his eye glazed over
with moisture, and his mouth opened in a daze.

Kaeya was the most beautiful being Diluc had ever seen, especially at that moment. He loved
the way Kaeya looked down at him, unable to help but feel aroused that a god like Kaeya was
allowing him to have his way with him. Diluc pressed a second finger inside Kaeya to stretch
him out, grunting slightly at how tight he felt around his fingers.

He pumped his fingers inside Kaeya, sucking on his cock all the while. He could feel Kaeya
writhing beneath him, sensing that his orgasm was close.

“Ah… Diluc..” Kaeya whimpered, his thighs tightening around Diluc’s head and his toes
curling as he felt his abs tightening. With a jolt, he came into Diluc’s mouth, letting out a
long breathy moan as he did so.
Diluc released his cock, allowing it to fall limply against his stomach. He licked the residual
cum off his lips, gazing at Kaeya’s breathless face with keen interest. His fingers continued to
tease Kaeya, pushing into his prostate each time he thrust them inside Kaeya. Kaeya whined a
little, squirming as Diluc added a third finger. He pumped them inside him with enough force
to rock his body.

Then, he abruptly stopped, allowing Kaeya to breathe as he relaxed slightly, a twitching mess
as his cock leaked with cum in response to his prostate being stimulated.

Diluc had never witnessed a man being milked as such. He enjoyed it more than he thought
he would. Diluc threw his ponytail over his shoulder to keep it from getting in his way, rising
to his feet and towering over Kaeya.

Then, to his surprise, Kaeya wrapped his legs around his waist, hurling him onto the bed until
Diluc lay flat on his back with Kaeya sitting on top of him.

Diluc stared up at him, admiring Kaeya’s beauty, his navy tresses falling over his body like a
waterfall and his stormy grey eye half-lidded with lust.

His robes hung at his elbows. Kaeya shrugged them off completely, throwing them on the
ground.

Kaeya took in Diluc’s fully dressed, fully armored appearance. He clicked his tongue, “You
ought to have changed into something more appropriate, Diluc Ragnvindr. I don’t have the
patience for this,” Kaeya told him, his fingers fiddling with the pants Diluc wore and
lowering them just enough for his cock to bounce out.

Kaeya bit his lip with desire, wanting Diluc inside of him at that instant. Kaeya spat on his
hand and lathered Diluc's cock with it.

“You’re my pet now, aren't you, Diluc Ragnvindr?” Kaeya told Diluc, pumping his cock
slowly and rubbing his thumb against the tip. Diluc slowly nodded, then he remembered that
he could speak again.

“Yes, master,” He said, his voice hoarse from not being used in years. Kaeya smiled at him.
“Then fuck me like you’re a dog in heat.” Kaeya commanded, his voice low, almost
dangerous.

Diluc’s hair was sprawled on the bed like a lion’s mane, his red eyes trained on Kaeya as he
placed his hands unsurely on his hips. He seemed surprised by Kaeya’s bold words but gave a
nod of his head to show that he understood.

He slowly lifted Kaeya above his cock, holding it in place with one of his hands. With a small
grunt, he sank Kaeya onto his cock, their eyes meeting, their lips crashing together.

Kaeya whimpered as Diluc slowly entered him, filling him up to the base. Their tongues
danced sloppily in unison due to Diluc’s lack of experience.
“Aah…” Kaeya moaned, finally settling with his hips against Diluc’s. He pulled back from
their kiss, looking down at their intertwined bodies, eyes glazed over with lust. Kaeya leaned
back, placing his hands on Diluc’s clothed thighs for balance. He began to bounce up and
down on Diluc’s cock, biting his lip as pleasure surged through their bodies at the feeling of
their unified bodies.

Kaeya gazed into Diluc’s eyes. They looked a lot different from when he fought. This time
they were full of desire, reflecting the sight of the beautiful celestial being pleasuring himself
on him.

The thought of being the one to fuck a god as pretty as Kaeya was a source of great pride for
Diluc.

He would never have been able to predict that he would be submitting himself to a god like
this just earlier that day when he’d been prepping for his battle. He didn’t know why or how,
but the fates seemed to have tied them together. Now, they were bound by a contract of
equivalent exchange. Diluc looked forward to pleasing his master like this for the rest of his
life.

He pounded into Kaeya’s prostate, watching Kaeya’s body. The way his thick pecs bounced
each time he came down on Diluc’s cock was almost hypnotizing.

Kaeya’s nails dug into Diluc’s thighs, causing streaks of red nail marks to litter his pale skin
under the pants he wore. Kaeya moaned every time Diluc pushed up into his lower abdomen,
feeling like his skin had been set on fire from how hot Diluc’s cock was inside of him.

Kaeya loved the feeling he got in his stomach whenever Diluc pushed into his prostate. He
was glad to have gotten Diluc under his control. He looked forward to having Diluc please
him like this for the rest of Diluc’s life.

Slowly, he felt that tingly feeling building up in his abdomen again. Each time Diluc pounded
into him, he was brought an inch closer to the edge of an orgasm.

“Diluc…” Kaeya moaned, bouncing on Diluc’s cock harder than before, milking it of all the
pleasure it could give him.

A loud moan escaped his lips as he came over Diluc’s abdomen, his eye rolling back in its
socket as pure ecstasy filled him down to his core. His fingertips shook against Diluc’s
thighs, body twitching as he overcame his high. “T-Take over…” Kaeya whispered,
collapsing against Diluc’s body, the cool metal of Diluc’s armor pressing against his hot skin.

Diluc obliged readily, wrapping his arms around Kaeya’s waist and thrusting his hips upward,
clocking Kaeya’s prostate. Kaeya yelped, feeling his body rocking with the force of Diluc’s
thrust, feeling his skin scraping harshly against Diluc’s armor.

Diluc switched their positions, pinning Kaeya beneath him. He lost all sense of respect as he
fucked Kaeya in the exact way he’d commanded: like a dog in heat.
He listened to Kaeya’s moans of pleasure, enjoying how his voice was music to the ears and
the fact that he was the reason Kaeya was crying. Kaeya gazed into his eyes, seeing that he
had succeeded in getting under Diluc’s calm and collected facade.

Diluc looked nothing short of animalistic as he fucked Kaeya; his eyes burned red in the dim
light of the candles and his teeth were gritted as a drop of drool ran down the side of his
mouth. Kaeya loved the sight of him.

The closer Diluc got to his orgasm, the tighter his grip got on Kaeya’s waist, leaving finger-
shaped dents on his caramel skin.

Kaeya wrapped his arms around Diluc’s neck, his navy blue locks sprawled on the bed
beneath him. He looked nothing short of ethereal under Diluc, tempting him to go even faster.

Kaeya lifted himself until his lips were right by Diluc's ear, whispering, “Come inside me.”
At that, Diluc lost his sense of rationality, coming inside Kaeya with a grunt of pleasure as his
orgasm overtook him.

Kaeya shivered a little, feeling Diluc’s red-hot seed burning inside him. He felt so full, so
complete, for the first time in the long life he’d lived.

Perhaps it was possible for even the God of Love to fall in love.

They lay there, panting for breath, their eyes interlocked. As Diluc’s orgasm wore off, his
eyes returned to normal, the lust decreasing but not entirely dissipating. Kaeya crunched up
to kiss Diluc on the cheek. The look in his eye said all that Diluc needed to hear, both of them
getting aroused once more. Diluc prepared himself for a long night of making love to the God
of Love.

***Extra***

“What?!” Venti shrieked, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. He had an enormous pout on
his face as he slammed his palms against the coffee table, sitting opposite Kaeya and Diluc in
his drawing room.

Kaeya and Diluc looked away feeling guilty. They had just broken the news to Venti that
Diluc would be resigning from the Knights of Favonius.

Venti placed his face in his hands, looking completely crestfallen. “B-But… my strongest
knight… how will I win my bets now?” Venti cried, kicking his legs out as if he was a child.

He knew he couldn’t stop Diluc from leaving the Knights of Favonius because Diluc was as
free as a bird, but it was emotionally damaging.

Then, his face suddenly grew redder as he glared at Kaeya, pointing an accusatory finger at
him, “And you! How could you?! I thought we were friends. I brought you here to help you
enjoy the art of bloodshed, but instead, you slept with my knight and stole him!” Venti
whined, picking up a pillow and getting ready to whack Kaeya with it.
 Diluc made no moves to protect his new master as Kaeya jumped to his feet, laughing and
agilely dodging Venti’s attack. He ran off with Venti running after him, screaming
obscenities.

Chapter End Notes

Hehe, I'm glad I was able to write this chapter in time! Sorry for the long wait,
unfortunately, I lost my cat to cancer in the midst of my exams, so this month has been
pretty rough. Luckily, I was able to distract myself by writing this, I really hope y'all
enjoyed it! It would mean a lot to me to know your thoughts on this chapter!
 Plug (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

Xiao goes to a nightclub for his brother, Zhongli's, bachelor party. There, he meets a
seductive blonde named Aether, who tempts him with his body. They share a night, but
Xiao is distraught that he only had Aether for one night. Somehow, the stars align when
he meets a nerdy blonde who seems so damn familiar in his brother's workplace.

Chapter Notes

Hello! It's finally December, I'm glad I was able to get this chapter out. I had a lot of fun
writing this chapter because there are not one but two smut scenes! This is purely pwp to
make up for all the heavy Greek/Roman Mythology chapters I've been writing.

This chapter also has two Jojo references hidden in it, if you can spot the second one, I
will love you forever!

I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Xiao’s day was going just awful. He groaned a little, massaging his aching head. For one, he
had an immense migraine that had everything to do with his surroundings.

Xiao was in a place that those who knew him would never expect him to be. He was in a
nightclub, standing on an elevated platform above the bar, looking out over the dancefloor.
The dark ambiance of the nightclub along with the blood-curdling party music and the
crowds of people stuffed into one room was nothing short of nightmarish for someone like
Xiao, who was not someone who enjoyed being in crowded places.

Xiao didn’t even want to be here, but he was here strictly for business, said business being his
brother’s bachelor party.

Zhongli was getting married and, despite not being much of a club person either, his fiance,
Childe, had forced him to come to the club with him. The two had decided to hold their
bachelor party together, mostly because they were inseparable, a package deal. Xiao made a
face, feeling disgusted by the thought. Along with Xiao, Zhongli and Childe had invited their
friends, a few of whom Xiao didn’t even know the names of. Xiao was invited simply
because he was Zhongli’s best man. Although Zhongli had Childe to keep him company, he
had nearly begged Xiao to come because he needed someone to rein them in just in case their
party got too rowdy.

Zhongli wasn’t the type to beg easily, so when he’d pleaded with Xiao to come, it didn’t take
much persuasion for Xiao to give in as he had a soft spot for his adoptive older brother.

However, now he regretted accepting. The smell of sweat in the air, the music blasting in his
eardrums, and the sight of the flashing neon lights in the club made him so damn dizzy.

Much to his disgust, he could spot Zhongli and his fiancé dirty dancing on the dancefloor,
along with two of their bridesmaids Beidou and Ningguang full-on making out in the middle
of the room. A few others from Zhongli and Childe’s circles were scattered around, either
frolicking with each other or trying to woo someone else. Xiao shuddered, the last thing he
ever wanted to see was his brother humping his worst nemesis.

He and Childe didn’t quite get along, given that they were polar opposites. Xiao was
overprotective of his brother. The two were constantly at each other’s throats because Childe
loved to rub his relationship with Zhongli in Xiao’s face.

Xiao hated it here. The nightclub was not a place for Xiao. He didn’t know what people saw
in coming to a place like this, just being there made him nauseous.

Headache aside, Xiao had been forced to take a few shots of vodka by Childe, and, being a
lightweight, he ended up getting tipsy quite easily. The worst thing that could happen to Xiao
in a place like this was getting drunk. He’d gotten approached many times by strangers
wanting to dance with him, and slowly, after many rejections, his resolve to keep to himself
was breaking.

He was starting to become more curious about this lifestyle, wondering what it would be like
to be one of the people on the dancefloor grinding against each other before leaving to fuck in
some alleyway.

Xiao saw some vaguely attractive people, but none of them compelled him to let loose.

The thought of kicking loose terrified Xiao to no end. He was what one would consider a
prude. Xiao was in the police force. His line of work caused him to abstain from sex and
alcohol for the most part. This, to Childe, was absolutely hilarious. He took to poking and
insulting Xiao to no end for his abstinence, claiming that it was because of his lousy
personality that he didn’t frolic much with other people.

The only thing keeping Xiao from throttling that insolent ginger was Zhongli’s love for him.
He would constantly try to mediate the tension between them with apologetic looks aimed at
Xiao, silently begging him not to act on his impulses. Xiao sighed, gazing out at the
dancefloor with a dazed look in his eye. Just a few shots had caused his vision to blur,
swirling in and out of focus.

But then, he saw something, or rather, someone, who caught his eye.
A mop of bright golden hair caught the dim lighting, causing his attention to drift towards the
pretty hair. Xiao blatantly goggled, blinking his eyes several times to make sure he was
seeing clearly. Down on the dancefloor, pushing between hoards of people, was a pretty
blonde man making his way to the bar.

Xiao couldn’t help but stare. The blonde was the most beautiful person as far as Xiao’s eyes
could see.

He had a perfect heart-shaped face, pretty pink lips, and pale golden eyes that matched his
hair, reflecting with lenses. He wore a black cropped shirt with a leather jacket slung over his
shoulders along with black pants and a leather choker. His long hair was beautifully slung
over his shoulder in a ponytail, his bangs falling perfectly on his face. Xiao coughed,
realizing that the blonde had taken his breath away quite literally. He was, by far, the most
attractive person Xiao had yet seen in this place.

Xiao was unfamiliar with the feelings that surged through him at the sight of the blonde.

It was attraction such that he’d never experienced before, feeling every neuron in his brain
activating and swooning over the blonde.

Xiao stared as the blonde sat at the bar just below his perch, throwing his sleek blonde hair
over his shoulder. Then, suddenly, the blonde looked up, and for the tiniest moment, their
eyes met. Xiao didn’t look away, feeling truly captivated by how beautiful he was, with his
carefully styled curls and light makeup.

Then, the blonde looked away, tucking a strand of his hair behind his ear as if feeling shy as
he ordered a drink. Xiao felt compelled to keep watching, but he realized what he was doing
too soon, snapping back to reality.

His cheeks turned beet red at the fact that he’d allowed himself to become so taken with the
beautiful man.

He ran his hand through his hair, wondering what had gotten into him. He would normally
never indulge in admiring someone else like this. He thought that this must’ve been the work
(of an enemy stand) of the alcohol, cursing Childe for making him drink those shots of
vodka. However, some part of him knew that it wasn’t just the alcohol making him feel this
way. He knew that he was genuinely attracted to the blonde. He found his eyes continuously
wandering down back to Aether even though he desperately tried not to stare.

Still, his eyes met the blonde’s again a few short minutes later, both of them turning pink as
they caught each other’s eye for another moment. This time, Aether didn’t look away
immediately.

He made a show of checking Xiao out, dragging his pretty gaze down from Xiao’s eyes to his
lips before traveling down his body, pointedly staring at Xiao’s crotch, before he met his eyes
again. Then, like a tease, he smiled to himself, taking a sip of his drink and turning his gaze
away. This action caused butterflies to flutter through Xiao’s body, making him feel strangely
heated, blood pounding through his body.
This was the first time Xiao had ever even slightly flirted with someone. He was not used to
such a feeling, like he wanted nothing more than to take the blonde home and fuck him.

Xiao knew a thing or two about sex (he had gotten the birds and the bees talk from Zhongli
when he was younger, which had caused his little mind to get just a teensy bit curious), but
what scared him was that he was comfortable with the thought of having sex with a stranger
like Aether.

Suddenly, his attention was drawn sharply back to Aether when he spotted someone else
eyeing up the blonde.

Xiao bit back a small growl of annoyance, an unfamiliar, possessive urge washing over him.
He held himself back from trying to race down the steps to catch the blonde before the third
party made his move, though he was too late. Xiao glared as Aether was approached by a
man, unable to hear the words they exchanged past the blaring music.

He watched their interaction, a ball of anxiety bouncing around in his stomach, not wanting
to see the blonde leave with another man.

Then, as if sensing his stare, Aether glanced back up at him, his eyelashes prettily flickering
twice as their eyes met for the third time. He must’ve spotted the possessive look in Xiao’s
eyes because he smirked to himself before turning back to the other man. To Xiao’s utmost
relief, he could see the third party deflating a little as Aether waved him away, watching as
the other man left, clearly rejected.

Something in Xiao, perhaps the alcohol or his newfound infatuation with the blonde, made
him want to rush down to the bar and try his shot at wooing Aether too, but his reputation as
a prude held him back.

He cursed himself in his mind, almost as if an angel and a demon on both of his shoulders
were arguing back and forth about whether or not Xiao should pursue the pretty blonde. The
demonic side of Xiao argued that if he did not sweep Aether away, someone else would. But
on the other side, Xiao’s angelic side argued that he was not comfortable with a one-night
stand, which wasn’t far from the truth. Xiao, a prude, would never even consider dabbling in
the same hormonal feelings of attraction others his age would indulge in. But then, his
demonic side squabbled back that Xiao was allowed to kick back and let loose at his
brother’s bachelor party at least. He found the thoughts to be too tempting, feeling that
Aether was too beautiful a man to let slip between his fingers.

He knew that, if anything, Zhongli would be proud of him for indulging in his feelings for
once. As Xiao glanced back at the blonde, he was startled to find that Aether was gone.

Xiao looked around and spotted the blonde walking up the steps to the platform he was
perched on.

Xiao looked nothing short of alarmed, not ready for interaction with Aether just yet, but he
ran a hand through his hair, preparing himself for the worst. Xiao turned around and leaned
with his back to the railing. As he expected, Aether was approaching him, instead of running
away, he was coming right to Xiao. Xiao watched him, crossing his arms while keeping his
best impression of a nonchalant expression.

Aether reached his side, leaning against the railing as well.

The blonde flashed him a hint of a pretty smile, brushing his hair out of his eyes, “Hey,” He
said, his voice quiet and melodic. Xiao simply nodded back, saying, “Hey,” before continuing
to gaze at the blonde now that he was closer. He was even prettier up close, making Xiao
yearn for him even more.

Aether held Xiao’s gaze. The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a butter
knife. “I’ll just cut to the chase,” Aether said, straightening up, “Will you come with me?” He
asked Xiao, nodding his head in the direction of the washroom.

Xiao stared at him, uncomprehending for a few seconds before he realized what Aether
meant. His cheeks tinted pink, wondering where the blonde got his confidence from.

Xiao remembered the internal argument he’d had with himself before Aether had approached
him, wondering whether to agree or not. The answer was clear and simple. He nodded,
unable to help the desire he felt for the blonde. Aether’s smile widened a little in response.

He fluttered his eyelashes seductively, gesturing for Xiao to follow him as he began to walk
away, a slight, alluring sway in his hips.

Xiao, completely entranced by the blonde, found his feet moving on their own, following
Aether to the stairs leading down to the dancefloor. He exited the platform he’d perched
himself on, feeling like a lovestruck fool getting lulled into an angel’s trap.

He followed Aether towards the washrooms, swerving to avoid people and not even noticing
when his brother called out to him, wondering where he was going.

As Xiao entered the washroom, he saw a leg disappearing behind the corner of the last stall.
It was quieter here than out in the club, causing Xiao to think more clearly. However, even
the peace did not help change his mind about what he wanted to do to Aether. He walked
towards the end stall, expecting to see the door closed, but, to his surprise, the moment he got
in the vicinity, a hand rushed out to grab him by the collar.

Xiao was dragged inside the stall, stumbling into the pretty blonde, pressing up tightly
against him. Aether closed the door lightly behind Xiao, gazing at him with a lascivious
expression. “Are we on the same page?” Aether asked, confusing Xiao for a moment.

Xiao quickly realized what he meant, finding himself blushing as he understood that Aether
was making sure he knew what they were about to do.

Xiao nodded, unable to help the intense desire to have Aether. He surprised himself by being
bold enough to wrap his hands around Aether’s waist, pulling him closer until their lips were
centimeters apart. Then, Aether closed the space between them, wrapping his arms around
Xiao’s neck tightly as their lips pressed together.
The unfamiliar feel of Aether’s soft and squishy lips against his own caught Xiao off guard
for a moment, feeling Aether gently moving his lips against Xiao’s. Xiao, having limited
experience with such acts, decided to copy what Aether was doing, falling into rhythm with
Aether’s lips and kissing him deeply.

He gave himself a mental pat on the back for keeping up with Aether, using his limited
knowledge about such acts to his advantage.

The blonde was beautiful and petite; his dainty waist was soft and squishy to the touch,
allowing Xiao’s fingers to occupy themselves in digging their nails into the soft flesh. They
kissed furiously, unable to help but let their desire for one another take control of their
actions.

Xiao was out of his element, but he was a fast learner. This was nothing compared to the
hours he’d spent training for the police force. He kept up with Aether without a moment’s
hesitation. When they finally pulled away for breath, he buried his face in Aether’s neck,
ravishing his pale skin and littering it when red spots around his choker. He enjoyed the
sound of Aether moaning next to his ear, digging his nails into Xiao’s back as Xiao forced
him on his tiptoes to get better access to his neck.

If you were to tell Xiao that he would end up losing his virginity in the bathroom of a
nightclub, he would’ve laughed in your face, but now, here he was, desperately groping the
beautiful blonde with the ferocity of an animal.

Their eyes met for a moment, and Aether couldn’t help but admire how beautiful Xiao’s
wolfish eyes were.

Aether waited for Xiao to ravish him, unsure of what had compelled them to move so fast,
not even exchanging names or greetings, simply letting their lips and hands do the talking for
them. Xiao’s hands slipped from Aether’s bare waist to his ass, enjoying the feeling of
squishing his cheeks together, groping him freely to his heart’s content. “Aah...”Aether
whimpered, feeling Xiao slip his hands under the waistband of his pants and boxers,
caressing his hips as he went.

Xiao’s touch was soft but firm, almost hesitant but enjoyable for Aether nonetheless. He was
gentle, much more so than others Aether had been with, almost as if he was afraid of hurting
Aether.

Aether enjoyed the feeling of Xiao’s hands on his body; they were rough and calloused,
creating friction with his smooth skin in a way that made Aether yearn for more. Xiao sucked
on a spot just above Aether’s collarbone, pushing his fingers between Aether’s cheeks to
touch his most sensitive place, only to find his path restricted. With a pop, Xiao pulled off of
Aether’s skin, feeling the blonde jolting a little as he felt Xiao’s fingers prodding at his hole,
feeling a barrier.

Xiao quickly realized what it was that was blocking his path. He gazed down at Aether, the
tiniest of smirks playing on his lips as he realized that Aether was wearing a butt plug. “You
couldn’t wait to have something inside you, hm?” Xiao asked Aether, watching with
enjoyment as the blonde’s cheeks flushed bright red at his words.
Xiao’s words and actions were surprising to even himself, wondering what had gotten into
him that not only was he engaging in sexual acts with a man, but he was also talking dirty.

Xiao gripped the plug’s rim inside Aether, twisting it a little and listening eagerly as Aether
let out a lewd gasp, arching against his body. "P-Please..” Aether whimpered, his original
calm and collected persona slowly breaking down the needier he got. Xiao tugged the plug
gently, not with enough force to eject it from inside Aether, but enjoying the way the blonde
latched onto him, moaning into his ear. "Please what?” Xiao asked, brushing the fingers of
his other hand against Aether’s lower back, pinching his tailbone.

Aether met his eyes with teary golden ones, his parted lips trembling, and his nose twitching
cutely like a bunny’s. Aether was truly the most beautiful person Xiao had ever seen. He
didn’t regret choosing to have Aether so helpless like this in front of him.

“Put.. put in yours,” Aether whispered, leaning forward and closing the distance between
their lips, kissing him again in an adorable attempt to tempt Xiao.

Xiao gazed at Aether through their kiss, admiring each long, golden eyelash lining his eyelid.
Instead of heeding Aether’s plea, Xiao rubbed the plug deeper inside him until Aether could
feel it pushing into a special spot. Aether barely stifled a yelp as the plug hit his prostate, his
knees going weak with his body held up only thanks to Xiao’s support. Xiao admired the
pleasured look on Aether’s face, wondering how someone as pretty as the man before him
had chosen to have sex with him.

Xiao felt that any person would bend backwards to see this sight, making him all the more
pleased that he could see this pretty stranger fall apart like this. Xiao pulled back from their
kiss, both of them becoming alert at the sound of the washroom door opening.

They froze, still and silent as mice, neither of them wanting to get caught doing something
like this in a public washroom.

Then, Xiao heard the last voice he wanted to hear while tangled up with a pretty stranger,
“Where did that little dweeb Xiao go? He was supposed to be our ride home!” Childe spoke,
causing Xiao’s face to sour. Aether gazed at Xiao’s expression and smiled with amusement,
putting two and two together and realizing that the man outside their stall was looking for the
man he was furiously making out with.

Childe left with a huffy curse directed at Xiao, causing Aether to stifle a laugh as Xiao’s
nostrils flared with annoyance.

When Childe was gone, Xiao turned his full attention back to Aether, his gaze softening as
their eyes met. Aether observed the gentle look, feeling confounded that a man who looked
so gruff and rugged would be so gentle.

Without missing a beat, their lips were pressed together again, unsure of what made them
desire each other to this extent. Xiao didn’t like how much he was enjoying having someone
in his arms like this, their lips pressed together in a steamy kiss, their bodies intertwined in
the cramped space. When they finally pulled away for breath, panting, Xiao held Aether’s
gaze and whispered, “It’s risky to do this in here. Let’s go to my car, hm?” He asked.
Aether looked reluctant at the idea of waiting to be fucked for even a second longer, but, with
a slight pout, he nodded, sighing a little. Xiao gave him a look of mild amusement and
quickly fixed up his appearance before taking Aether’s hand in his own and guiding him
outside the stall.

They walked out of the washrooms into the din of the nightclub. Xiao wished he could hide
his face in case Childe or Zhongli spotted him leaving the club with someone.

They held hands to keep themselves from losing each other in the crowds. Xiao scrunched up
his nose with disgust as the smell of sweat caught his nostrils again. Xiao managed to avoid
being spotted by anyone he knew, maneuvering the crowds skillfully and guiding Aether to
the exit. When they finally made it out of the stuffy club, their eyes met. Aether’s eyes lidded
halfway, biting his lip as he felt himself throbbing with desire. Xiao was everything he looked
for in a man, just his type.

He stopped himself from lunging at the man again, instead leaning closer, brushing his hand
against Xiao’s chest and looking up at him with burning lust.

Xiao was bewitched by Aether’s beauty, swooning a little as Aether caressed his cheek
lightly, speaking in a whisper, “Hurry, won’t you?” Aether observed with a small smirk as
Xiao’s cheeks exploded into a bright red color. Xiao nodded, turning his gaze away to keep
himself from losing control and taking Aether right in the middle of the street. He all but
dragged Aether into the parking lot with him, pulling his keys out of his pants pocket and
locating his car.

He unlocked it swiftly, crossing the parking lot over to it with Aether. Then, Aether did
something that surprised Xiao. He opened the back door of Xiao’s car and pushed him down
to sit inside, pressing his hands on his shoulders to force him to lay down on the backseat
before crawling on top of him, closing the door clumsily behind him.

Xiao watched with slight awe as Aether placed himself right on top of his cock, a
dangerously lustful look in his eye as he gazed down at Xiao, licking his lips.

They moaned in unison as Aether rocked his hips, rubbing his ass against Xiao’s cock with a
sinful expression on his face. Xiao placed his hands on Aether’s thighs, massaging into them
and making his way back to Aether’s ass. He hooked his fingertips in the waistband of
Aether’s pants, tugging them down to his knees along with his underwear. Xiao admired the
cute sight of Aether’s little cock, standing rigid with precum dribbling down the sides. Xiao
wrapped his hand around the plinth of Aether’s cock, listening mirthfully as Aether let out a
quiet moan, jerking up into Xiao’s palm at the touch.

Xiao allowed his other hand to slip between Aether’s legs until he reached his hole again,
wrapping his fingers around the base of the plug pressed deep inside him.

With a strong jerk, Xiao pulled the plug out, causing Aether to yelp, losing feeling in his
upper body as he collapsed on top of Xiao.

Aether heaved next to Xiao’s ear, whimpering at the feeling of his hole clenching and
unclenching around thin air. Xiao scooped up some of the precum dripping down Aether’s
cock, bringing it back to lube up his hole. Aether moaned at the feeling of Xiao’s fingers
rubbing against his skin, his nails raking against his most sensitive area as he rubbed the
precum over it.

Aether sat up and busied himself with trying to unbuckle the belt on Xiao’s pants, biting his
bottom lip with anticipation to see Xiao’s cock, wanting to have him for all he was worth.

He lowered Xiao’s pants, revealing the black boxers underneath, and clicked his tongue with
annoyance. He swiftly pulled down Xiao’s boxers, a look of gratification crossing over his
face at the sight of Xiao’s cock as it bounced up between his legs. Aether wasted no time in
wrapping his hands around Xiao’s cock, releasing a shaky breath at the feeling of the warm,
erect organ pulsating under his fingers. Aether drew a pink-colored condom out of his pants
pocket, pushing it slowly on Xiao’s cock while he watched. He lifted himself above Xiao’s
cock, ready to plunge it inside himself and ease the lust burning inside him, but he stopped
abruptly as Xiao did something surprising. Right as Aether was about to drop down on his
cock, he pushed a hand under Aether, stopping him from doing anything rash.

“Easy,” Xiao said, his voice calm as he gazed up at Aether, who looked confused why Xiao
had stopped him, “I don’t know much about this side of life, but I do know you’ll hurt
yourself if you do it so suddenly.”
Aether blinked, gazing down at Xiao with surprise. It was the first time a stranger had cared
about whether or not he would get hurt. Most others Aether did things like this with usually
cared nothing about his pleasure, having their way with his body in whichever way they
pleased. This was the first time someone looked out for his pleasure.

“O-Okay,” Aether said, his voice meeker than before as his outward persona crumbled. He
was blushing, not quite meeting Xiao’s gaze.

He looked like no one had ever taken his pleasure into consideration, causing Xiao to frown.
Xiao sat up, causing Aether to slip down into his lap, looking up at him with his beautiful
golden eyes and his parted lips. "Let’s take this slow, hm?” Xiao whispered, wrapping his
arms around Aether’s waist, holding him tenderly. Aether was seemingly caught off guard by
Xiao’s gentleness, wondering why a stranger like him was holding him with such care and
consideration. Aether was unfamiliar with this. It almost felt like it was not a stranger holding
him but a lover instead.

Xiao slowly raised him above his cock, hooking his hands on Aether’s inner thighs to support
his weight, lowering him steadily on his cock.

Aether bit down on his lip, whimpering a little as Xiao’s cock stretched him out, pushing into
him inch by inch as Aether sank down onto it. When Aether finally settled at the base of his
cock, he took a gasping breath, meeting Xiao’s eyes and unable to help but connect their lips
for the umpteenth time.

***

Three days later, Xiao found himself dozing off in his brother’s office, sitting on the couch
with a dazed expression on his face. "Xiao,” Zhongli called from across the room, looking
amused as Xiao suddenly became alert at the sound of his name being called. Xiao rubbed the
sleep out of his eyes and glared across the room at his brother. "I’ll be leaving for a meeting,
would you like to join me?” Zhongli asked.

Xiao sighed, “No, what’s the point of me being here if you’re going to leave?” He grumbled.

Zhongli gave him an apologetic smile, rising to his feet and grabbing his suit jacket from the
backrest of his chair. "I’m sorry, I am aware that we’re supposed to leave for our trip tonight,
but duty calls,” Zhongli said, swinging the jacket over his shoulders and buttoning it at the
center. Xiao rolled his eyes at Zhongli, watching as he prepped to leave. “Why don’t you go
explore a little? It’ll help keep you occupied. I won’t be long, an hour or two at the max, and
then we’ll head out,” Zhongli suggested.

Xiao sighed and nodded, watching as Zhongli left the room. He slumped in his seat, a bored
expression on his face.

Xiao felt like he was dreaming. He had a certain someone on his mind. Three days ago, he’d
had a one-night stand with the most beautiful man he’d ever met. The memory of that night
still haunted him.

He’d had many firsts that night. His first kiss, his first time, the first time he’d ever
experienced desire to such a degree. He could never have fathomed that he would be able to
share his firsts with such a beautiful man. Everything about Aether followed Xiao in his
thoughts, causing him to recall all the alluring ways the blonde reeled him in. The ghost of
his beautiful golden eyes, his blonde hair, and his body haunted Xiao. He kept replaying the
night’s events in his mind. That night, he and Aether had found themselves tangled up in his
car, having slow and sensual sex in the backseat.

They had finished almost in unison, lying in a huddled-up heap with their arms around each
other. Then, to Xiao’s dismay, Aether had seemingly come back to his senses faster than he
did. Without even bothering to exchange names or accept Xiao’s offer to drive him home,
he’d left the car right after, running off into the night, likely to find a taxi home.

Somehow, he’d left his plug in Xiao’s car, which he had scooped up before someone else
could see.

It wasn’t until Zhongli and Childe returned to the car that Xiao truly contemplated what had
happened. It had all felt so surreal. Recalling the sight of Aether’s beautiful face as he came,
the feeling of his tight hole clamped around Xiao’s cock, his fingers tangled in his hair, drove
Xiao insane, annoyed that it had only been for one night. One night spent with someone as
attractive as Aether would not be enough to satisfy anyone. It saddened Xiao that he would
never get to see the sight again. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Perhaps it was
because it was Xiao’s first time that he couldn’t forget that night.

He wanted to turn back time and experience it all again. Aether had been so lewd, hugging
onto him so tightly, reeling him in with his flirtatious glances and ferocious kisses.

Everything, from Aether's lewd moans to his seductive body, drove Xiao insane. Xiao
snapped back to reality, his cheeks turning bright red as he realized he was almost getting
aroused in his brother’s office. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
He’d gotten hell from Zhongli and Childe when they’d found Xiao looking frazzled in the
backseat of the car. They, being experienced, were easily able to tell that Xiao had just had
sex. The taunts he’d had to suffer from Childe were easily enough to irk Xiao. Zhongli had
simply congratulated him and tried to reel in his drunk lover, and, thanks to his efforts,
Childe had not been able to pry into the details Xiao’s one-night stand. Xiao sighed, he was
tired of constantly thinking about that beautiful blonde.

He decided to get up and take Zhongli’s advice to explore.

Zhongli was the director of a large corporate office, which kept him busy. They were
supposed to leave for a trip to Qingce Village with just the two brothers so that Zhongli could
plan the wedding. Usually, it wouldn’t be the groom’s job to plan the wedding, but, being a
traditional man, Zhongli wanted to plan everything to perfection.

Xiao scrunched up his nose, Zhongli and Childe were polar opposites but they were,
undeniably, in love.

Xiao sometimes wondered what it would be like to be with someone. Oddly enough, an
image of Aether appeared in Xiao’s mind again. With an irritated grunt, Xiao got up from his
seat on Zhongli’s couch, telling himself that he would explore to keep his mind off of Aether.
Xiao left Zhongli’s office, deciding to take the stairs down to wander aimlessly. He began
climbing down the stairs, a dazed gleam in his eyes, not giving adequate attention to where
he was going.

Xiao came out onto the floor below Zhongli’s, seeing an empty corridor. As he passed by the
doors lining the hallway, he couldn’t see anyone. He figured this was where the executive
offices were.

Aether continued to plague his mind, causing Xiao to run a hand through his hair with
frustration.

He sighed, wishing he’d at least gotten the blonde’s name, but he didn’t. He knew nothing
about him, but he would continue to haunt Xiao’s thoughts like this.

Xiao headed down another floor, and this time, he saw people, not that he was too thrilled to
see them. He headed to the cafeteria a few floors down, where he got himself something to
drink. He got curious looks from office workers as he walked through them. He wasn’t
exactly dressed in conventional business attire, wearing a black long-sleeve t-shirt rolled up
to his elbows and black pants, so he understood he seemed out of place.

He could find nothing of interest in the building. Tired-looking workers were everywhere,
along with rows of cubicles equipped with computers, nothing too interesting.

Xiao sighed, sipping from the carton of almond milk he’d gotten for himself. He was
severely out of place in the office. He worked as a police officer, but, given that his brother’s
wedding was coming up, he got some time off. Being an officer was much more fun than
working in a corporate office, Xiao had some free time to himself and a wide variety of tasks
to do.
He felt sympathetic towards these exhausted corporate workers, his heart went out to them.

Without anything else to keep him distracted, he grumbled under his breath, deciding he
would return to Zhongli’s office before someone tried to talk to him. He didn’t much like
being spoken to or approached, for that matter. Unless… he was being approached by Aether.
Damn it, he had been so close to forgetting about him, but of course, his mind couldn’t rest
when he had Aether on it. The one time Xiao didn’t mind being approached was by Aether.

He began his trek back upstairs, drinking his milk along the way, absently staring into space.
He couldn’t help but admire the blonde for his courage. He had so boldly walked up to Xiao
without a sliver of hesitation, asking him to follow him.

Aether had also looked so damn beautiful, wearing a cropped shirt and ripped jeans to tempt
others with his beautiful body, highlighting his eyes with makeup and lenses, and brushing
his long hair over his body.

He was truly the most beautiful person Xiao had ever seen.

As Xiao reached the floor below Zhongli’s with Aether on his mind, he absentmindedly
threw a glance at the other side of the corridor.

He stopped in his tracks as he saw someone on the other end of the hallway this time. They
were quite far, but they carried a few books in their arms, wearing thick black-rimmed
glasses with their long blonde hair slung over their shoulder in a braid.

Xiao froze, staring at the person, for they looked quite similar to the man he’d just been
thinking about.

The man opposite Xiao looked up, and their eyes met. Xiao was too far to make out the color
of his eyes, but there was no mistaking it. The blonde he’d had sex with just three days ago
was standing on the other end of the corridor, dressed completely differently. It was Aether, it
had to be. Aether was wearing an oversized blue sweater and blue jeans, dressing
comfortably like a cuddly koala. Xiao almost didn't recognize him by his clothing and
demeanor alone.

Xiao stared, unbelieving that he was looking at the same man who had tempted him into sex
a few days ago.

As Aether took in just who he was dealing with, he dropped the books he was holding with a
jolt. Then, with a startled glance thrown in Xiao’s direction, he ran back down the corridor,
turning a corner where Xiao couldn’t see him anymore.

Xiao didn’t know what compelled him, but he dropped his carton of milk on the ground and
began to run after Aether, unable to help it. First, he needed to make sure it actually was
Aether before he did anything rash, but his heart still leaped with excitement that he was able
to see Aether again. What were the odds that he would see Aether just when he was thinking
about him? What were the odds that he would find Aether directly in his brother’s
workplace?
Xiao felt the hum of adrenaline kicking in as he turned the corner, only to see a braid trailing
into a room.

Xiao followed, slowing down to a stop in front of the room, finding that it was a washroom.
The irony of it caused Xiao to let out a puff of amusement as he slowly opened the door.
There, he saw the blonde standing by the washing basins, looking alarmed at the sight of him.

“We should stop meeting in washrooms,” Xiao said, stepping inside and shutting the door
behind him. Aether stood stock-still, one hand on the counter, looking terrified.

This caused Xiao to reevaluate what he was doing. He couldn’t help but question why Aether
was fearful of him. An embarrassing thought flitted through his mind as he wondered
whether he had been that bad the night they’d had sex.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about, who are you?” asked Aether, turning his gaze
away from Xiao and staring into the mirror, hiding behind his thick-framed glasses. Xiao
stared at him. Surely he couldn’t have the wrong person, right? He observed Aether for a
moment. He certainly looked different from the seductive man he’d met at the nightclub.

For one, he was wearing glasses rather than contacts and dressed much more modestly than
he was three days ago.

Xiao tilted his head to the side, watching Aether with a small smirk. He noted the way Aether
avoided his eyes and knew for a fact that a stranger would not look so meek while denying
knowing someone.

“Are you sure you don’t remember me?” Xiao asked, closing the space between himself and
Aether.

He stood in front of Aether, gazing down at him. Up close, he had no doubt about it. He was
the very same blonde he’d fallen head over heels for three days ago. Xiao glanced at a small
employee card hanging around Aether’s neck, reading his name for the first time.

Aether… so that was his name. It was just as beautiful as he was.

“I remember you very well. You’ve been plaguing my thoughts non-stop for three days,”
Xiao whispered, cautiously reaching his hand forward until he could lightly grasp Aether’s.
Aether didn’t pull back, looking up until his eyes met Xiao’s once more. Then, he turned beet
red and looked away again.

Xiao stifled a chuckle at the reaction, “You were a lot bolder three days ago,” Xiao told him,
a tiny smirk on his face, “You look completely different now, but I’ve seen your face in my
mind’s eye enough times to recognize you,” Xiao told Aether. He didn’t make any moves on
Aether, but just seeing him made Xiao’s restless heart ease a bit. After three days of non-stop
fantasizing to see him again, he had not been expecting to do so so quickly.

As an officer of the law, Xiao could not and would not do anything without Aether’s consent,
he decided that he would leave if Aether told him to. But then, Aether finally found the
courage to speak, “P-Please… don’t tell anyone about that night,” He whispered, his voice
slightly shaky.

Xiao blinked at him, looking like he caught off guard by his words. His eyebrows furrowed,
his eyes narrowing into a glare.

Did Aether fear that Xiao had any ulterior motives to blackmail him? Did he think Xiao was
purposefully tailing him? The thought almost scared Xiao. He would never deliberately try to
find Aether.

Sure, he’d been craving to see the blonde again since that night, but surely he would never go
to such lengths.

Xiao pursed his lips, wondering what to do to diminish these concerns. He decided to pull his
wallet out, where his police badge was clipped. He pushed it into Aether’s hand, “I wouldn’t
do that to you,” Xiao said simply. He watched as Aether stared at the badge before looking up
at him, newfound curiosity in his eyes. "Then… why? How are you here?” Aether asked.
Xiao simply shrugged, looking nonchalant as he took his wallet back from Aether, pocketing
it, “My brother’s the director of this company,” He told him.

A look of dawning realization crossed Aether’s face. He turned red once again. He had fooled
himself by thinking Xiao had stalked him with bad intentions.

Xiao stifled a small smile, he was glad that the misunderstanding was cleared up, but
Aether’s reaction to his arrival still bothered him. It was as if he was afraid that those in his
workplace would find out how different his daytime identity was from his night-time
persona. Xiao had to admit, Aether did an excellent job of hiding how seductive he truly was,
given his big glasses and ‘nerdy’ appearance, much different from the lascivious man he
presented at nightclubs.

“Do you act innocent when you’re working?” Xiao asked, taking a step closer to Aether,
watching as his cheeks turned pink, though he didn’t step back.

Xiao was starting to understand Aether’s body language quickly. He didn’t seem to mind the
teasing, nor did he try to oppose Xiao, encouraging him to believe that Aether was enjoying
this. He was definitely not as bold as he had been three days ago, but he was still the same
needy blonde he knew him as. The thought made him smirk, encouraging him to tease Aether
a little and try his luck at enticing Aether back into his clutches.

“Do others in your workplace not know how slutty you really are underneath?” Xiao
whispered into Aether’s ear, letting out a puff of amusement as he felt the heat radiating off
of Aether’s face.

Slowly, he placed his hands on Aether’s waist, feeling the submissive blonde twitching a
little in response, though he showed no signs of fighting back. Xiao placed his chin on
Aether’s shoulder, now dangerously close, his hands swishing down his waist to his hips,
“Are they aware that you wear plugs just to fulfill the lust you have inside you?” He teased,
finally slipping his hands back to grope Aether’s plump ass, listening to the meek whimper
he released. "Maybe you’re wearing one right now… why don’t I check?” Xiao whispered,
his breath warm against Aether’s neck, causing the hairs on his arm to stand on end. He
waited for five seconds for Aether to push him back and run, but he did no such thing.

Aether held onto Xiao’s shoulders, yelping with surprise as Xiao slipped his hand down his
pants and boxers in an attempt to find what he was looking for. Before Aether could stop
him, Xiao’s fingers latched onto the base of a glass butt plug, letting out a quiet chuckle of
amusement, proving himself correct.

“See, I was right. What do you think your coworkers would do to you if they knew just how
dirty you are, hm?” Xiao said, an uncharacteristically sinister gleam in his eyes.

He forced Aether to look up, tilting his chin up with his index finger until their eyes met.
Xiao realized with mirth that Aether had tears of embarrassment in his eyes, but he could also
see the enjoyment in his expression. It was clear to Xiao that Aether loved being tormented
like this.

“Turn around and take off your pants for me,” Xiao told Aether, slipping his hand out of
Aether’s pants and taking a step back, leaning against the edge of the sink basins.

Aether looked up at him with his teary golden eyes through his spectacles, his lips trembling
as he tried to contemplate his words. Then, to Xiao’s utter enjoyment, he obeyed his words,
slowly turning around until his body was pressed up against a stall door, his ass sticking out
for Xiao. Slowly, Aether raised his hands to the waistband of his jeans, beginning to pull
them down along with his underwear.

Xiao bit down on his lower lip, savoring the sight of Aether’s ass coming into view as he
pushed down his pants until they pooled at his feet. The golden hilt of a glass plug shone on
his rim.

Xiao was unable to stop himself from reaching forward until he pressed his hand against
Aether’s ass, giving his cheek a tight squeeze that elicited a whimper from the blonde.
Despite looking completely different, Aether was still just as naughty and needy as he had
been three days ago, pushing back against Xiao’s hand as if enjoying the touch.

Xiao circled the rim of the plug, gazing at the gemstone embedded into its hilt, glinting gold,
“It’s just as beautiful as you are,” He whispered.

Xiao surprised both himself and Aether with his words. Xiao’s face turned just as pink as
Aether’s, having not expected himself to be so charismatic when it came to his lust for
Aether. Slowly, Xiao wrapped his fingers around the base of the plug, giving it a slow tug,
not strong enough to pull it out of Aether just yet but enough to make him moan. Xiao
twisted the plug inside the blonde, causing Aether to bite his lip, enjoying the feeling of the
plug brushing against his insides.

Xiao listened as Aether moaned, his voice interrupted by a shudder of pleasure as he felt the
plug poke into his prostate.

With a sudden and powerful tug just like last time, Xiao pulled the plug completely out of
Aether, watching as his hole molded around the edges of the plug. Aether let out a shrill
squeak as he felt the plug exiting his body, his knees going weak and quaking dangerously
under him.

Xiao studied the plug, it was made of glass and shone pearly white, while the golden
gemstone sparkled under the light.

Xiao could easily tell that the plug hadn’t come cheap, wondering whether or not Aether had
a collection. He had carelessly forgotten his plug in Xiao’s car, but it seemed he had
replacements. It was clear to Xiao that Aether enjoyed the feeling of having something stuck
up inside him with the way he kept his plug pressed into him even at work. If anyone were to
look at Aether as he was now, they would think he was nothing but a nerdy, cute office
worker. No one would ever realize what dirty things Aether did to satisfy his desires.

Xiao placed the plug on the counter of the sinks behind them, gripping Aether’s hips and
pulling him back until his hips smacked against his ass, his bulge protruding between
Aether’s cheeks.

The action caused Aether’s pink ears to turn red, but he bit his lip with enjoyment, staring
into space as he focused on the feeling of Xiao’s bulge against his ass. "Do you want me to
put it in?” Xiao asked, kneading Aether’s ass with a gentle squeeze of his fingers. Aether
blinked his teary eyes, looking over his shoulder at Xiao through his glasses, looking as
innocent and endearing as ever. Just the sight of his pleading look sent shivers up Xiao’s
arms, his desire for Aether increasing tenfold.

Then, slowly, Aether nodded. The corner of Xiao’s lips tilted upward in a slightly mocking
smirk, pleased that Aether had acted in the way he had predicted.

“Beg for it,” Xiao whispered, causing Aether’s eyes to widen, looking stunned, “You left me
in such a hurry last time, running away like some princess, forgetting your plug with me,”
Xiao said, smiling just a little. Aether’s face burst into color, humiliation evident in his eyes.
Xiao was certainly rougher and cruder than he had been three days ago, calling him out
without hesitation. He contemplated Xiao’s words, weighing the benefits he could get from
begging Xiao like a slut. His eyes glazed over as he stared at the wall, remembering just how
well Xiao’s cock had pleased him three days ago.

The familiar feel of Xiao’s fingers on his hips, the way he’d pressed him down on his thick
cock, and the feeling of it filling him up to the brim, made him want to do anything to feel it
again.

Aether turned around slowly, Xiao’s hands disconnecting easily from his hips. Aether felt
ashamed that he was going to do what he was about to do. He was too desperate to simply
refuse Xiao’s command. He wanted Xiao more than he cared to admit. Aether dropped gently
to his knees in front of Xiao, surprising him. Then, looking up at Xiao with his big golden
eyes, he fiddled with the zipper on his pants, pulling it down to open them up, revealing
Xiao’s black boxers. Xiao watched him with an apprehensive expression, enjoying the view
of Aether kneeling before him.

Aether pulled Xiao’s boxers down just enough for his cock to poke out, causing him to bite
his lip needily, wanting it inside of him.
Aether’s eyes flashed up to Xiao’s, making sure he was watching as he kissed his cock, his
tongue teasing the head. He loved the feeling of Xiao’s warm cock against his lips and
tongue, wanting nothing more than to have it inside himself. “Please… put it inside me,”
Aether whispered, looking up at Xiao with a virginal expression that drove Xiao crazy.

In a flash, Aether was pulled back onto his feet with his back pressed against the stall door,
his hands pinned over his head.

Their lips were pressed snugly together within seconds, kissing furiously as they let their lust
get the better of them. Xiao licked Aether’s lower lip, their kiss getting messier the more they
got into it, breaking apart only for seconds to take breaths before diving back in.

Finally, Xiao managed to pull himself away, his forehead pressing against Aether’s, both of
them panting while looking into each other’s eyes.

Xiao couldn’t help but admire how beautiful Aether was. Even though his eyes were mirrored
behind his large spectacles, he was still a beautiful sight, his cheeks tinted pink, his eyes
clouded with lust.

“Do you have protection?” Xiao asked quietly, aware that if anyone were to walk in on them
on the deserted floor, they would have no way of hiding in time, but that made things all the
more exciting for both of them.

Predictably, Aether said, “My back pocket.” Xiao gave him a look that caused Aether to bite
his lip with embarrassment.

Feeling that he’d teased Aether enough for one day, Xiao decided not to comment on how
prepared Aether was, holding both his wrists against the stall door with one hand, his other
reaching behind Aether into his pocket, drawing out a pink condom wrapper.

Xiao let go of Aether’s hands, pushing the condom into them. Aether gazed at Xiao, looking
confused.

“Put it on me,” Xiao told him, watching as Aether’s eyes lidded halfway, enjoying the idea.
Aether ripped open the wrapping of the condom, bringing one of his hands down to press
against Xiao’s cock.

He loved the warm feeling of it in his palm, caressing the various veins running along the
underside of his cock.

Then, with a furtive glance into Xiao’s eyes, he began to roll the condom onto his cock,
listening as Xiao let out a short breath, enjoying the feeling of Aether’s fingers brushing
down his length.

Finally, when he was finished, Aether turned around, looking back at Xiao with that same
innocent look, “Please…” He said, not quite finishing his plea, but he didn’t have to. Xiao
understood him very clearly to be begging for him to put it in. Xiao couldn’t help it, feeling
like the last of his self-control had shut off. He gripped Aether’s hips, pulling him back until
his ass bounced against his cock before shoving him further up the wall.
Xiao enjoyed the sight of his cock pressing between Aether’s cheeks, rubbing it against his
hole to tease him.

Aether bit his lip, whispering pleas to put it in, but Xiao took his time, pressing the head of
his cock against Aether’s hole but not pushing it in past the tip. He could feel Aether’s
growing impatience, smirking at the low whine he let out as his cock slipped out again.

Xiao felt Aether pushing back against it needily, chuckling under his breath at how desperate
he was despite looking so innocent.

Xiao finally decided he had had enough, licking his lips as he gazed down at Aether’s pretty
hole, pressing his cock inside it and watching as his rim stretched to accommodate him,
enjoying the sudden warmth that engulfed his cock.

Aether’s mouth hung open in a silent scream, his eyes getting misty as his whole body felt
full. He loved the feeling, clamping tight around Xiao, squeezing him tight as he enjoyed
how complete he felt. Xiao was one of the few men he allowed to have him twice, but he
didn’t regret it. Just the feeling of his perfectly-sized length pushed deep inside him was
enough to make Aether feel whole.

Xiao slowly retreated his hips, both he and Aether taking sharp breaths in unison as his cock
scraped against Aether’s insides, pulling back until only the head of his cock was pressed
inside Aether.

Then, without warning, Xiao smacked back inside of him, listening mirthfully as Aether let
out a loud moan.

Both of them worried that someone outside could hear them, but they were too far into it to
care too much about being interrupted. This was the last place one could think to have sex
like this, but neither of them could help the desire they felt for one another, enjoying their
compatibility when it came to sex.

“Ah..nngh! There…” Aether whimpered as Xiao thrust his hips into his prostate, causing
Aether’s eyes to roll back, his knees growing weaker at the feeling. God, he loved the feeling
of Xiao inside him, the feeling of his warm organ pushing into his most sensitive place
repeatedly, pushing him closer and closer to the edge. Xiao clenched his jaw, his eyebrows
furrowing as the pleasure got to him, causing him to grip Aether’s hips tighter, causing
finger-shaped bruises to litter his skin.

Then, they froze in their tracks as they heard something outside, “Xiao?” The familiar of
Zhongli called from just beyond the bathroom door. Xiao cursed under his breath, how come
the two times he got to have Aether to himself, someone he knew had to interrupt them?

Had an hour passed already? Xiao had been so caught up with Aether that he had completely
forgotten that he was supposed to be returning to Zhongli’s office so they could leave.

With a quick click of the stall door behind them, Xiao opened it and hurried inside with
Aether, closing it just in time as the door to the washrooms opened up.
Xiao kept as quiet as possible, breathing by Aether’s ear as the blonde pressed his back to
Xiao’s chest, wishing he would continue. They both heard Zhongli pause, studying the
bathroom as if he knew Xiao was somewhere close by. Aether bit down on his lower lip,
feeling Xiao’s cock just slightly teasing his prostate, so close that he could almost feel the
pleasure it would give him if it just pressed in a little harder.

Instinctively, he pushed back on Xiao’s cock until the head pressed deep into his prostate.
Aether’s eyes widened, a moan just seconds from escaping his lips, but miraculously, Xiao’s
hand fastened over his mouth, muffling the noise with just a millisecond to spare.

Both of them breathed hard, hoping that Zhongli hadn’t heard Aether and would lose interest
and just leave.

Finally, they heard Zhongli mutter something vague like ‘Where is that brat?’ before he left,
swinging the bathroom door shut behind him. Xiao and Aether sighed in relief before Xiao’s
eyes narrowed.

He pulled out of Aether, eliciting a quiet whine from the blonde from how empty he felt.
Xiao twisted Aether around to face him, pinning him against the stall wall.

“You couldn’t wait another second, huh?” Xiao asked, gazing deeply into Aether’s eyes with
a look that only made Aether more lustful. Aether couldn’t find the heart to apologize,
smirking a little at Xiao and showing him that lascivious side of him just like that night three
days ago.

Xiao pushed Aether’s legs open, holding one of his legs aloft with his hand, unable to take it
anymore.

With a grunt, he pushed inside Aether once more, causing him to cry out, hugging his arms
tightly around Xiao’s neck as his body tensed up, enjoying the feeling of Xiao pushing inside
him again.

“P-Please…!” Aether moaned as Xiao clocked his prostate, causing his back to smack against
the stall wall. Xiao continued to thrust inside him, savoring the noises Aether let out by his
ear.

Gods, it almost pained him to think that this would be the last time he would get to have
Aether like this.

They felt themselves getting closer and closer to their orgasm, causing Xiao to speed up.
Their eyes met, and Xiao couldn’t stop himself from kissing Aether once more.

He figured he may as well enjoy his time with Aether to the fullest. Sure, he knew where
Aether worked now so he was accessible, but there was no telling whether Aether even
wanted to see him again, seeing as how he had run away immediately last time.

Right now, he couldn’t find the time to overthink, desiring to share an orgasm with Aether
once more.
“I’m coming… Xiao, I’m co-..aah!” Aether whimpered as Xiao wrapped his hand around his
cock, pumping him in time with his thrusts. Aether’s nails dug into his back as his eyes rolled
back, coming into Xiao’s hand with a loud moan.

Aether slumped against Xiao’s body, falling into his arms even as Xiao continued thrusting
inside him, chasing his own orgasm.

“H-Hurry…” Aether begged, biting his bottom lip at the feeling of Xiao thrusting into his
prostate over and over even after his orgasm. Xiao let go of Aether’s leg, allowing him to
drop to the floor, causing Aether’s legs to quake. Then, Xiao came into the condom with a
grunt, his cock slipping out of Aether’s hole between his legs.

He thrust between Aether’s thighs, riding out the orgasm with a soft moan escaping his lips.

They stood together, panting to catch their breaths. Aether slowly lifted his pants back up to
his waist, he glanced furtively at Xiao, fixing his glasses and sweeping up his messy
appearance.

Xiao did the same, and while he was distracted, Aether attempted to dart past him out the
stall door, but Xiao was too quick for him.

He pulled Aether back by the arm until his back met his chest, causing Aether to squeak.
“Going somewhere?” Xiao asked, placing his head in the crook of Aether’s neck. He could
feel a shiver going down Aether’s back, causing him to smirk.

“I… I need to get back to work,” Aether whispered, fidgeting his thumbs. Xiao quickly
noticed that he was slipping back into his innocent persona, making him scoff.

“Alright then,” Xiao said, surprising Aether as Xiao let go of him. Aether blinked, having not
expected it to be so easy, but then, just as he expected, when he reached out to grasp the door
knob on the stall door, Xiao placed his hand over his, stopping him.

Aether turned his head to face Xiao, tilting his head curiously as he saw a pink hue on Xiao’s
face.

Xiao decided that he would just go for it. He wanted to see Aether again, to experience the
thrill of sharing a bed with him. Aether was Xiao’s first time for many things, so he might as
well be his first date as well.

“Do you want to go on a date with me?” Xiao asked, blushing.

Aether's cheeks also burned, both of them feeling shy as if they hadn’t been fucking in the
washroom just moments prior.

Aether considered it. He hadn’t been on a serious date with someone like this before. He
contemplated his answer, recalling how well Xiao had satisfied his needs despite being a
stranger.

“Okay,” Aether said, causing Xiao to look up, surprised. He had not been hopeful, but his
spirits lifted. They ended up exchanging numbers and leaving the bathroom together with
 Aether scooping up his plug, planning to meet the next day.

Xiao walked up the steps to the floor of Zhongli’s office, looking giddier than he would on a
normal basis. Then, Xiao remembered his brother at last.

He smacked his hand against his forehead, remembering that they were supposed to leave for
Qingce Village.

Well, it seemed Zhongli would just have to go alone, after all, Xiao had a very pretty date.

Chapter End Notes

Life's been really busy and I've been depressed, I haven't been able to respond to all of
your comments, but I assure you, I read and appreciate each and every comment I get.
Thank you for the support, I'll see y'all next month!
 Pheromone Shower (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

Warning: This chapter has very graphic content pertaining to pregnancy. If you know
you might be sensitive towards things like this, please skip to the end notes for
warnings. I put them at the end to avoid spoiling others!

On their wedding night, Childe finds himself pinned underneath his new husband,
Zhongli, who was nothing more than a stranger to Childe. However, his husband shows
him many different sides of him, successfully thawing his heart long enough for them to
consummate. Childe successfully bears Zhongli's child, but they find their worlds
turning upside down on a day five months later, when they're forced to rely on each
other, ultimately bringing them closer.

Chapter Notes

Oof, heavy angst warning! I really chose violence with this, I'm sorry~

This is a prequel to chapters 37 and 52, which are XiaoAether chapters, but you don't
have to read them to read this chapter! I'm sorry if my writing is a lil shaky, but I hope
you like this emotionally charged New Year chapter!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“Put me down,” Childe said, crossing his arms as Zhongli carried him down the hall.

Zhongli glanced at him briefly, their eyes meeting, gold against blue. His expression was
stony and passive, betraying no emotion on his handsome face as he walked with Childe in
his arms.

“No,” Zhongli said shortly. Instead, he carried Childe higher so that his beautiful white Hanfu
did not trail against the floor. He was aware of Childe’s glare on his face, feeling like the man
was stabbing him repeatedly in his mind’s eye. Childe huffily turned his head away, unsure
why the man insisted on being so stubborn.

He stared at the hallways blankly as they walked, feeling each step Zhongli took bringing
him closer and closer to impending doom. Childe tried not to show it, but he was terrified,
not particularly because of Zhongli but of what they were about to do. He felt cornered,
helpless in Zhongli’s arms. He didn’t want to be there, walking down a hallway in the arms of
a man he didn’t love.
He could feel himself sighing with dismay, wishing he was anywhere but here.

Normally, one would question why Childe would feel that way; after all, it was his wedding
day. Childe should’ve been elated, but he wasn’t.

He was nothing but a victim of an arranged marriage. The man carrying him, whose name
was supposedly Morax or Zhongli, was his… husband. Childe hated the thought, the idea that
he had a husband whom he did not love.

Childe glanced at Zhongli’s face, taking in his features. He was handsome, more so than any
other man Childe had ever laid his eyes on, but that didn’t make him feel much better. He
was an alpha and looked the part, standing tall with that stone-faced expression one would
associate with a king. He would be Childe’s alpha from today onwards. They would have
beautiful children together and lead their lives side by side as king and consort. Zhongli was
the king of Liyue and Childe was his consort.

The idea of being a consort almost made Childe laugh. He was nothing more than a trophy
husband.

The two of them had met no more than a few weeks ago when they’d been delivered the
news of their wedding. Childe remembered the day he got the news that he would be sold to
an alpha named Zhongli. He’d had so many meltdowns that he could’ve set a record.

He remembered the day he’d met Zhongli just two weeks prior to today when Zhongli had
bent down to kiss the back of his palm.

He remembered holding back tears when Zhongli had taken a seat next to him at the dining
table and introduced himself with a passive expression on his face.

Childe wanted to loathe him; it would make him feel so much better to fight this fate rather
than be helplessly carried by his new husband. Childe knew what came after this, he’d been
told what he would have to do on his wedding day. Just the thought of it made him tremble.

Childe was an omega; in the sights of most people, omegas were nothing more than livestock
to be bred and mated. Of course, Zhongli likely didn’t think any differently.

Childe had been given to him on a silver platter because he would be made to bear his
children. There was no love between them, no feelings of affection or even friendship. They
were no more than acquaintances, yet they would be having children together tonight.

Childe bit his lip, feeling completely helpless. He had now come to terms with what was
going to happen to him, more or less. He had had enough time to pity himself and the
worthless life he was leading. He wished there was another way, but he was betrothed to this
man now. Nothing would be able to save him.

He had been planning to fight, to kick and pummel, to run, when he foresaw this moment.
But right now, he couldn’t find the strength in his arms to do so.
He felt like a meek, helpless little animal in the jaws of a primal predator. He had a backup
plan if he were to fail in overpowering Zhongli, but he hated his backup plan. It would go
against his very existence, but seeing as running away wasn’t an option, Childe could find no
choice except to go for his second option: giving in.

As much as he hated it, he knew that the only way he could survive was to not fight it.

He was resigned to his fate, to just let Zhongli have his way with him and hope that it would
be over quickly. He took a deep breath in Zhongli’s arms, holding back tears.

Childe gathered himself up, telling himself that someone like Zhongli didn’t deserve the
satisfaction of making him cry.

Zhongli remained as passive as ever — his eyes flickered down to Childe’s face, meeting his
eyes. To Childe’s surprise, Zhongli didn’t look away upon being caught, holding his gaze
even as they walked. Childe felt his ears burning, feeling shy as he turned away.

He failed to see the mildly amused expression that crossed Zhongli’s face. Zhongli carried
Childe to a door at the end of the hallway — a luxurious double-door room that belonged to
him (and now, Childe).

Zhongli balanced Childe steadier on one arm, opening the doors singlehandedly, revealing a
grand bedroom.

The room was themed in black and gold colors, with black bed linens and a gold curtain
hanging over the four-poster bed. The gold rug complemented the bed and the black hangings
over the window gave the room a serious glow.

Childe glanced back at Zhongli, thinking that the room suited him. However, the room did
not suit Childe.

It likely would never suit him, because today, he would be making a painful memory in here.

Zhongli stepped inside the room, the doors shutting themselves behind him. He walked closer
to the bed. Childe flinched, expecting to be launched onto the mattress and have his beautiful
wedding Hanfu torn off of him, but to his surprise, Zhongli did no such thing.

He gently placed Childe on the ground, finally meeting his eyes. Childe ought to feel
intimidated by how startlingly golden his eyes were, but they were more beautiful than
anything.

Zhongli’s hands were still on Childe’s waist, making Childe’s cheeks heat up at the feeling.

His hands were large and warm, almost comforting to Childe. He said nothing, but Childe
was grateful for it. He pulled himself out of Zhongli’s arms swiftly, turning around with his
back to Zhongli. Even as Childe’s heart hammered in his chest, he kept his expression
neutral, holding back the tears that welled in his eyes.

He didn’t see the way Zhongli frowned at his cold actions. But then, Zhongli’s eyes widened
as he watched Childe begin to strip himself. Childe ignored how empty he felt as he began to
loosen the neat red sash tied around his waist.

He knew the only thing he could do to protect himself was to give himself to Zhongli and
prevent the possibility of injury.

Childe pulled off his Hanfu, allowing it to fall to the ground around his ankles, leaving him
bare.

Zhongli simply watched him with shock evident in his expression. He’d expected Childe to
beg, to plead with him to let him go — he might even have obliged. But he hadn’t been
anticipating for Childe to strip himself.

Childe never looked back at him; he couldn’t bear to do so. He crawled onto the bed,
completely naked, bare for the alpha to feast his eyes on. He was beautiful — more beautiful
than any man Zhongli had ever seen. He had pale skin with brown freckles littered across his
hips, his skin was rosy pink as he blushed, likely humiliated at the feeling of Zhongli’s eyes
boring into his body.

He laid down on his stomach, his body trembling just a little, enough for Zhongli’s eyes to
catch on to how scared he was even as he did such bold things.

Zhongli simply stared at him, not understanding what he was doing. He stood still for a
moment, gazing at Childe’s lithe body, at the scars raked across his back. His eyes trailed
down to Childe’s plump ass and full thighs, feeling an overwhelming feeling to touch his
body.

“Why are you just standing th-there?” Childe asked, his voice stuttering. He didn’t look at
Zhongli, burying his face between his folded-up arms, “Do what you need to do.”

Zhongli raised an eyebrow at him, gazing at the red blush creeping down his neck.

He understood what Childe was trying to do. He was giving himself to Zhongli, living up to
his end of the bargain.

Childe would allow Zhongli to breed him, to get him pregnant, trying to act courageous by
feigning boldness. But Zhongli wasn’t an unintelligent man. He could see how terribly Childe
was trembling; he could understand the thoughts going through Childe’s mind.

Slowly, he sat down next to Childe, still dressed in his own Hanfu.

He was an alpha, unable to help the attraction he felt to Childe. With how brave he was
feigning to be, Zhongli didn’t have the self-control to ignore the feeling of lust.

No man could resist an omega when they lay spread out for them. Zhongli didn’t like it, but
he found his hand reaching out to touch Childe, brushing against his lithe back. He felt
Childe flinch at the feeling of his warm fingers against his back, goosebumps littering his
arms up to his neck.

“D-Don’t,” Childe whispered, cursing himself for how much fear showed in his voice.
Zhongli gazed down at him, perplexed. He didn’t understand why Childe had told him to do
what he needed to do if he was going to flinch away the moment Zhongli touched him.

Then, Childe seemingly found the need to explain himself, “Don’t touch me more than you
need to. Just put it in… get it over with,” He said, burying his face further in his arms.
Zhongli understood what Childe was asking him to do. He was telling him not to do any
foreplay. Zhongli straightened up — he didn’t enjoy the thought of fucking Childe without
proper prep.

He didn’t like the position Childe was in either, almost as if he was resigned to being a
fucktoy for Zhongli. That simply wasn’t true, but Childe didn’t seem open to discussion.

Zhongli’s gaze wasn’t cold, rather, he felt sympathetic towards Childe for the lengths he had
to go through to come to terms with their fate.

He sighed softly, deciding that he wouldn’t argue with Childe, but there was a gleam in his
eye, one that didn’t seem keen on playing the game by Childe’s terms. He rose to his feet
once more, beginning to strip himself of the Hanfu that had been passed down to him by the
previous king.

Zhongli allowed the Hanfu to fall away, leaving him in nothing but the pants that
accompanied them.

He climbed on the bed over Childe, careful not to put too much pressure on the trembling
man.

“I would like for you to face me,” Zhongli said, his voice steady, masking any emotion he
might’ve felt. He watched as Childe twitched at the sound of his voice, but he felt annoyed
that he couldn’t see the face of his husband.

“I refuse,” Childe said, feigning the same calm tone as Zhongli. Zhongli suspected he would
answer as such, a look of triumph in his eyes.

“Alright then,” Zhongli told him simply, surprising Childe, who’d expected Zhongli to fight
to bend him to his will. Zhongli didn’t like it, but he decided that he wouldn’t force Childe to
face him; he would let him enjoy the illusion of safety he received from not facing him. In
turn, he would not accept Childe’s request not to touch him.

He placed his hand on Childe’s back, using a gentle touch as he swiveled his hands around
Childe’s waist, lifting his belly off the bed.

“S-Stop..! You agreed not to touch me more than necessary,” Childe said, his voice high, his
face red at the feeling of an alpha’s hands on his body.

Zhongli didn’t heed his words, continuing to touch Childe, reaching his hands up to his chest.

“I agreed to no such thing,” Zhongli said, which was perfectly true. He was next in line to be
the king of the city of contracts — he found no obligation to accept Childe’s words unless
they’d made a contract, which they hadn’t. He continued, “This level of touch is absolutely
necessary for me. And besides… if you do not accept my request, I am not obliged to follow
yours.”

Childe gritted his teeth, holding back a whimper as he felt Zhongli’s large hands groping his
chest.

“Why.. why are you doing this?” Childe whispered as Zhongli’s fingers rubbed over the bud
of his nipples. Zhongli felt amused by the perplexity in Childe’s voice. He decided to answer
honestly, “I have no wish to hurt you; for me to do that, I must ensure you enjoy yourself.”

Zhongli buried his face in Childe’s neck, inhaling the beautiful minty scent that belonged to
the omega. He smelled so enticing, causing Zhongli’s mouth to water.

“I’m not enjoying this,” Childe said, feeling his heart pounding as he felt the alpha’s canines
come close to his neck. He thought Zhongli would bite him at any given moment and claim
him as his omega, but he didn’t. He kept massaging Childe’s chest, rubbing over his nipples,
causing electric shocks to run down Childe’s body.

Childe bit his lip; the feeling of Zhongli’s fingers rubbing against his nipples felt weird.

It wasn’t unpleasant, but it made the hairs on Childe’s arms stand on end and caused blood to
rush down to his crotch. That alone was reason enough for Childe to not like it. He was
responding to Zhongli’s touch too well, and he hated it.

“I’ll have to try harder then, won’t I?” Zhongli said, his voice sounding right by Childe’s ear,
causing his eardrums to vibrate.

Zhongli’s voice was so smooth and deep, it resonated inside Childe. It made his stomach feel
funny.

Zhongli made sure Childe could feel his touch fully as he slid one of his hands down his
body, continually rubbing his nipple with the other. His hand trailed down to Childe’s crotch,
where Zhongli was pleased to find that Childe’s cock was beginning to stand erect. Even
despite Childe’s unwillingness to do this, his body responded to Zhongli’s. Childe hated it to
no end.

Zhongli didn’t tease Childe for his arousal, simply grateful that Childe was being compliant.

He began slowly moving his hand through his body to get Childe to relax underneath his
touch. It was no easy feat, seeing as Childe remained tight-lipped, his eyes closed to keep
from being able to see Zhongli’s hands working on his body. He seemed unwilling to enjoy it.

Zhongli couldn’t blame him. Having to give yourself to a man you hardly knew would not be
an easy task.

He wished he could treat Childe better, that he could stop and tell him that he would not do
this until he had Childe’s consent, but he couldn’t.

He was bound by law and contract to do this to Childe, as disgusting an excuse as it was.
Zhongli was next in line to be the king of Liyue. He was marrying Childe, an omega, for no
reason but to continue the lineage. He would impregnate Childe tonight, and he would give
birth to a healthy alpha to be the next generation’s monarch.

For the next twenty-three years after their child took its first breath, Zhongli and Childe
would rule over Liyue — Zhongli would lead the kingdom, while Childe raised their
beautiful child.

Then, when the baby’s twenty-third birthday came to pass, it would take over as the ruler of
Liyue.

This was set in stone by law. It was not something Zhongli could change or overcome: it was
something they’d both agreed to when making their vows to one another just hours before
now.

Then why? Why had Childe agreed to this even though he hated Zhongli’s touch so much?

Unbeknownst to Zhongli, he’d had no choice in the matter. Childe was the adoptive son of
the Tsaritsa, the ruler of Snezhnaya. When Zhongli had asked for Childe’s hand in marriage
only a few weeks ago, Childe had had no hand in making the decision. The Tsaritsa had made
the decision for him, and he’d had no choice but to follow it.

He had been promised to Zhongli to keep the relations between Snezhnaya and Liyue strong.

That was why Childe still cowered before him, while Zhongli was under the illusion that he’d
consented to any of this.

“Mmf..” Childe whimpered as Zhongli gripped his cock. He cursed himself for the noise he’d
let slip, but Zhongli’s hand was just so warm, he couldn’t help but react to it. Zhongli smiled
a little, glad that Childe had liked the way he’d been touched.

“Stop this..” Childe pleaded, gripping his hands on the sheets as he hid his face in the
pillows, his ears burning, “Why are you doing this?”

Zhongli slowly let go of his body, allowing him to drop to the mattress and leaving him
trembling.

Zhongli sighed softly, “Would you prefer if I was rough and careless with you? Would you
rather I forced you into submission and had my way with you? To use you as I please?”
Zhongli asked, his voice cold, making Childe flinch and bury his face deeper into the pillow
as if afraid. He didn’t reply, causing Zhongli to sigh, knowing that threatening Childe would
do them no good.

Childe twitched a little as Zhongli pressed a hand to his ass, pushing his cheeks apart to lay
his eyes on Childe’s hole. It was only slightly wet in response to Zhongli’s touch. Zhongli
knew that if he attempted to enter him, Childe could very well get hurt.

“My wish isn’t to hurt you, Childe,” Zhongli repeated. This time, Childe understood what he
meant. He was going to get hurt if Zhongli forced himself inside him.
He trembled a little, not knowing what to do. He cursed the Tsaritsa for making him do this.

“Just… do whatever you want,” Childe said, his voice defeated and muffled by the pillow.
Zhongli frowned at him, but he looked unsurprised.

“I would like for you to face me, then,” Zhongli said, gazing down at Childe’s back, noticing
all the scars that littered them. Childe pursed his lips. That was one thing he couldn’t handle,
looking at Zhongli while he took him for all he was worth.

“Anything but that,” Childe said. Zhongli gritted his teeth, hating this position.

It made him feel like he was taking advantage of a weak and helpless man, but he knew better
than to force Childe to face him.

Then, Childe yelped as Zhongli wrapped his hands around his arms, pulling him up until he
fell into Zhongli’s lap with his back to Zhongli’s chest. Zhongli’s arms wrapped around his
body, hugging him from behind. It was the most intimate position he could work with when
Childe refused to face him.

“This doesn’t count, does it?” Zhongli asked rhetorically, a cold tone to his voice.

Childe said nothing, knowing that there would be no arguing with Zhongli. He whimpered as
Zhongli’s face buried itself into his neck, his lips brushing against Childe’s skin.

Zhongli’s smell was closing in around Childe, the thing Childe had most feared. His alpha
pheromones surrounded Childe, making it difficult for Childe to resist falling into the lulling
trap of giving himself to an alpha. Childe could hardly think straight as Zhongli sucked on a
spot on his neck, dangerously close to his nape.

Childe gripped Zhongli’s hands as they swirled down his body, feeling him up.

Zhongli pulled away with a loud pop, leaving the area he’d been sucking red and throbbing,
with blood pumping through his body.

Zhongli smelled so damned good, just like petrichor and flowers. Childe felt himself getting
high on it, breaking down the feelings of panic and revulsion rushing through his body. The
fear he felt slowly, bit by bit, began trickling out of his system, his body responding to the
pheromones of an alpha.

His cock stood rigid now, but the one part of Childe that didn’t want to submit to Zhongli
made him want to hide his arousal.

He tried to cover his body, only for his hands to get captured by Zhongli’s large ones.

Unbeknownst to him, Zhongli had found a loophole. He was watching Childe through the
reflective oak bedframe that stood tall before them. He had grown up in this room — he
knew how to get around such restrictive measures, such as not being able to see his own
husband’s face.
Each twitch of Childe’s body was taken in by Zhongli mirthfully. The way his cock stood
rigid and his eyes glazed over, enjoying Zhongli’s scent, drove Zhongli to madness.

His husband was a beautiful man indeed. Zhongli tried to wrap his mind around that fact.
This man in his arms was now his husband, his life partner. He would be the one who bore
his children, the one who would, as he had promised in his vows, take care of him in sickness
and in health.

Zhongli should’ve hated the idea of marrying someone he didn’t love, but he knew he could
learn to love Childe. On the other hand, after today, after what Zhongli was doing to Childe,
he doubted Childe would ever love him back.

Zhongli had been given choices, photographs of omegas and women his age. He had been
asked: who do you want to marry out of all these people?

The answer had come naturally to Zhongli. He had chosen the prettiest, the most interesting
of the bunch: the man with beautiful, soft-looking ginger hair.

Now, that same man was in his arms, vulnerable and pliant. It took Zhongli every bit of self-
control he had not to pounce at Childe. Instead, he buried his face in Childe’s neck once
more, taking in his sweet scent, like mint.

“P-Please…” Childe whimpered, flinching as Zhongli pressed his hand between his legs,
touching his most sensitive parts.

Zhongli said nothing, afraid that all that would come out would be a guttural growl of desire.

He buried his fingers below Childe’s cock into the depression between the cheeks of his ass,
and he was surprised to find a wet, slippery substance coating his fingers.

“Don’t touch th-there…” Childe mewled, which made Zhongli want to do the exact opposite.

Zhongli felt his spirits lifting a little, feeling how wet Childe was. His scent was causing the
omega — his omega — to respond to him.

Zhongli did not enjoy using such underhanded tricks to get Childe to bend to his will —
rather, he wanted Childe to come undone under his touch of his own volition. But, for now,
he would take any win he could get; he would rather Childe enjoy himself even if he had to
be tricked into doing so.

He wanted nothing more than to push Childe down and breed him, but he was supposed to be
more level-headed than the pretty omega in his arms. Zhongli was now the husband of said
pretty omega; it was his duty to be good to Childe.

He knew he couldn’t hurt Childe, for he would be going against all his vows to be a good
husband to him if he did so.

Zhongli ought to first prep Childe. Despite it being both their first times, he knew he
wouldn’t be the easiest man to work with when it came to the bedroom. Zhongli would soon
have the entire empire of Liyue under his palm, but that did not mean he was rash.
Zhongli could feel Childe clutching his arms tightly, his nails scraping against Zhongli’s skin
as he rubbed his fingers over his hole.

He was truly helpless because of his pheromones — at Zhongli’s mercy.

Zhongli would never admit it out loud for his self-respect would deteriorate, but he liked it.
He liked having Childe like this. He didn’t know if it was the effect of the omega’s
pheromones making him feel this way, but he wanted nothing more at that moment than to
claim this man for himself.

He was showering Childe in his scent, releasing pheromones to keep Childe intoxicated,
hanging on to his every move — he could easily do it: he could make Childe his with no
retaliation.

His nape was wide open, nothing covered it; it was smooth as could be, with only a trickle of
ginger hairs falling over it. Zhongli could claim him. It shouldn’t make a difference; he
belonged to Zhongli one way or another, as a husband if not as a mate.

But no — it felt wrong for Zhongli to claim Childe while he was defenseless like this.

He pushed down all the feeling surging up inside him to bite Childe. This was why he had not
wanted to take Childe in a position that made the omega look so vulnerable.

Zhongli spun Childe around and pinned him to the bed so he would not be tempted by
Childe’s bare neck any longer.

The sudden action caused Childe to shutter out of his daze, his eyes coming back into focus.
He saw Zhongli looming over him, a dark — almost ravenous expression on his face.

He hated how weak he felt, pinned down underneath another man, under his mercy.

Childe’s eyes widened in fear, covering his face with his arms as he shouted, “I told you not
to do this — not to face me! You don’t listen…!”

Zhongli took a deep breath to calm himself down, wiping the predatory look from his
expression. His eyes softened as he gazed down at Childe, cowering once more now that he
wasn’t drowning in Zhongli’s scent. Childe should’ve felt angry that Zhongli had taken
advantage of his pheromones, but he couldn’t find the heart to be angry when he just felt so
embarrassed.

He’d lost himself in the lust Zhongli felt for him, and now, he was spread bare for Zhongli to
take. He hated it, feeling his eyes brimming with tears.

But then, Zhongli did something that surprised Childe. He laid his head down on Childe’s
chest and released a heaving sigh as if to take in Childe’s scent. Then, he spoke, “I’m
sorry…” He said to Childe.

Childe froze, his arms slowly faltering from covering his face as he gazed down at the mop of
black hair belonging to his new husband. He thought he had misheard, but Zhongli repeated
it, this time in a stronger voice, “I’m sorry. I wish to heed your words… I want to treat you
well, but… I’m losing control. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt because of me,”
Zhongli told him.

He sat up, meeting Childe’s eyes for the first time since they began. Childe didn’t flinch this
time as he met Zhongli’s gaze, which seemed full of remorse.

“I.. I almost bit you,” Zhongli admitted, looking crestfallen — not because he had missed the
opportunity, but because he felt ashamed of himself for mistreating the man he was supposed
to treat like the apple of his eye.

Childe looked stunned. He stared at Zhongli’s face, an expression of weakness crossing the
alpha’s expression.

Childe had never seen anyone look like that. He had never heard of an alpha forcibly
stopping himself from taking advantage of an omega.

Childe didn’t know what compelled him to, but he sat up, looking at Zhongli with a new light
in his eyes — it was one of gleaming interest.

Omegas were regularly treated like nothing but filth one would step over. Had Childe not
been the adoptive son of the Tsaritsa, he would’ve been treated the same way. People
whispered about him behind his back and objectified him in lewd ways according to their
fantasies. He had never been given the same respect as alphas or even betas.

So why? How come this alpha, who looked so severe, who was the exact definition of a cruel
and heartless man, looked so ashamed of himself for almost treating Childe badly?

It was unheard of, but… it made Childe’s heart flutter.

Even though he was in the weaker position, Childe felt compelled to soothe him. Zhongli
looked precious at that moment — like he’d failed at life

He reached up and placed a hand on Zhongli’s cheek, feeling his fear slowly dissipating like a
loosening knot.

Zhongli looked startled, his eyes flitting up to look at Childe in shock. Their eyes met, and
some kind of understanding passed between them. Zhongli looked hesitant, but slowly, he
leaned into the palm of Childe’s hand. Childe almost smiled at the sight.

“It’s… it’s okay,” Childe said, his voice quiet as if unbelieving he was speaking these words.

Zhongli blinked at him, just as surprised as Childe was at his words, but something about
Zhongli’s confession that he’d almost bitten him, the way he sounded so remorseful that he
didn’t want to hurt Childe, made his heart thaw.

“I forgive you… so don’t be sad, okay?” Childe whispered, his words reassuring.

Even though his feelings of not wanting to go through with this night hadn’t changed, Childe
was resigned to his fate. He slowly parted his hands from Zhongli’s face and laid back on the
bed.
A tremor still went down his body at the sight of Zhongli gazing down at him, but Childe
didn’t feel as aversive towards him. Perhaps being showered with Zhongli’s scent had made
him desire the man just a little as well. “Do what you need to do,” Childe said again,
covering his blushing face as he spread his legs for Zhongli.

Zhongli sat still, frozen for a few seconds, gaping at him as if unbelieving of what he was
seeing.

Then, he pounced at Childe, pressing his hands on either side of Childe’s body, burying his
face in Childe’s neck where his scent was strongest.

He extended one hand down between Childe’s legs again, thinking he ought to finish what
they had started. Gods, Childe smelled so good, it drove Zhongli to madness. His cheeks
were red, his body was warm — he was just so perfect.

He was Zhongli’s, even if he didn’t claim him; that much was certain to Zhongli now, no
matter if Childe disagreed.

Childe twitched as Zhongli prodded a finger against his hole again. He bit his lip, his back
arching as Zhongli pressed his finger inside him, sliding in easily because of how wet he was.

Childe was beginning to lose himself in Zhongli’s pheromones again. With Zhongli hovering
directly over him like this, Childe felt like Zhongli’s scent was falling over him in waves. He
smelled so damn good — masculine and mature. The feeling of Zhongli’s finger inside him
was uncomfortable but not unwelcome. Childe’s prostate was swollen, squeezing around
Zhongli’s finger and making every movement of it feel like heaven.

“Nngh.. Zhong-Zhongli…” Childe whimpered, his eyes closing with pleasure as Zhongli
pressed his finger deeper inside him.

Zhongli was panting with the effort of holding back, his breath fanning Childe’s face as
gazed down at Childe’s colorful expression. The sound of Childe saying his name while
moaning so sweetly pleased Zhongli more than he cared to admit.

Zhongli could feel his patience thinning bit by bit, pressing his second finger to Childe’s
entrance.

He could feel Childe’s back arching until their chests collided as he pushed inside his second
finger. Childe was so warm on the inside — Zhongli felt like he was burning up.

He longed to press something else inside Childe’s warm, tight ass, but he’d promised he
would be a good husband to Childe. He squeezed his fingers against Childe’s prostate, feeling
Childe’s limbs twitching, wrapping around Zhongli slowly like vines, making sure they
couldn’t part.

Zhongli massaged his sweet spot over and over, eliciting quiet moans from Childe that
sounded like music to Zhongli’s ears.
Finally, he decided he couldn’t take it anymore. Childe was tall for an omega; he had a strong
build just as Zhongli did. He would be able to handle Zhongli after only two fingers as prep.

Zhongli retreated his fingers, causing Childe to whine with discomfort, missing the pleasure
he got from Zhongli’s fingers.

Zhongli sat upright, gasping for breath, unable to get a single coherent thought in his mind as
Childe’s scent stuck to him like glue. He wanted so badly to just mark Childe, to own him by
all definitions of the word. He removed his pants, nearly ripping them in the process in his
haste. He felt like a dog in heat, unable to think of anything but fucking the pretty omega
beneath him.

He grabbed Childe’s legs, putting them over his shoulders. Childe did not complain; he
seemed finally able to relax in Zhongli’s grasp, too into it to care that they had been strangers
just twelve hours prior.

He poked his cock against Childe’s hole as the man gripped the sheets, prepping himself for
what was to come.

Then, he pushed inside Childe, both of them grunting in unison. Childe’s thighs squeezed on
Zhongli’s shoulders, gritting his teeth as his eyes clouded up at the feeling of Zhongli’s thick
cock entering him slowly.

“P-Please… gently– don’t hurt me,” Childe whispered, his toes curling as Zhongli buried
himself deeper and deeper inside him.

“I won’t,” Zhongli promised, though he could barely think straight. He found himself not
being entirely truthful, unable to help but want to ram his cock inside Childe, to make him
scream beneath him.

He tried to keep his hips still as he settled his cock inside Childe up to the base.

Zhongli knew he couldn’t be easy to take in like this with only two fingers of prep, but
Childe was wrapped so tight around his cock, it made thinking difficult.

Still, he forced himself to wait until Childe’s rampant breathing slowed down and his body
relaxed the tiniest bit as he got used to it.

Zhongli gazed down at his face, admiring his expression as he looked back up at him, with
his lips parted for breath and his beautiful blue eyes shimmering with lust. A light pink blush
dusted his cheeks and collarbone, his orange eyelashes fluttering against his face. Before
Zhongli could stop himself, he whispered, “You’re so beautiful.”

His words caused Childe’s eyes to refocus, his face redder. “You’re just s-saying that to
appease me, aren’t you…? Are you making fun of me?” Childe said, biting his lip.

Zhongli’s gaze on his body felt weighty; his eyes were intense, beautiful, but intense.

Zhongli calmed himself down from the calamity raging within his body, battling down the
rage of lust he felt for Childe.
He knew the last thing Childe would want him to do was ravage him while he felt insecure.
He took a deep breath, his eyes getting calmer and more serious. “You’re wrong,” Zhongli
told him, his voice surprisingly steady, “You couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

Zhongli sighed and laid down on top of Childe without disconnecting their link. He held
Childe’s body close, both of them hugging intimately. Their eyes connected, and after the kiss
they’d shared on the altar just hours prior, Zhongli felt like kissing Childe. Zhongli leaned
forward, watching as Childe closed his eyes, anticipating a kiss on the lips. However, Zhongli
surprised him by kissing him on the cheek.

Childe blinked cutely, his blush spreading down to his chest. Zhongli felt his affection for
Childe increase just the slightest bit at the sight.

Calming down the thoughts of bucking his hips up and thrusting inside Childe, Zhongli
decided to sate Childe’s curiosity about his truthfulness. “I was given a choice between
different men and women on who to propose to. There were people from all walks of life, of
all ethnicities, but the one who caught my eye the most was a certain ginger-haired
Snezhnayan,” He told Childe.

Childe’s eyes widened, shock evident on his face. “Yes. I wanted to marry you from the
moment I laid eyes upon your photograph,” Zhongli confirmed.

Zhongli’s arms tightened around Childe’s body, placing his face in the crook of Childe’s neck
and sighing because his omega’s scent was the most wonderful thing he had smelled, “Please
refrain from questioning my integrity. I have no intentions except to treat you the best I can,”
Zhongli said to him.

Childe blinked, and when he reopened his eyes, they were full of tears, though Zhongli
couldn’t see.

Very slowly, Childe snaked his arms around Zhongli’s body, hugging him back.

This act gave Zhongli all the encouragement he needed to begin thrusting. Childe’s grip on
his back tightened as Zhongli pulled his cock back and pounded it back inside Childe.

It slid in as easily as a warm knife through butter with how wet Childe was, making it easier
for Zhongli to move.

As Zhongli got used to thrusting inside Childe, he found it easier to focus on finding his
prostate. His breath was getting rampant and disorderly, his fingers tightening on Childe’s
hips as he dug his cock deep into Childe’s prostate.

Childe let out a shriek as pleasure overcame him, making his vision go white, a drop of drool
dribbling down his chin.

Zhongli raised his body from on top of Childe’s to better control his movements, thrusting
inside Childe and letting instinct take over. Childe found it difficult to stifle his moans and
yelps of pleasure as Zhongli rammed into him with the force of a truck. He’d lied — he’d
told Childe that he would be gentle, but he’d lied. Still, Childe couldn’t find the heart to tell
him to stop when it felt so good.

Zhongli’s smell washed over him in waves, making it difficult for Childe to think of anything
but the man who was taking his virginity.

He dug his nails into Zhongli’s back, his legs curling up on either side of Zhongli as they
twitched in the air with every thrust. “Zhongli…!” Childe whimpered, already feeling a ball
of pleasure beginning to build up in his lower abdomen.

Although neither of them were experienced in the bedroom, both of them knew the feeling of
an orgasm closely approaching.

Then, Zhongli did something to make Childe almost scream out loud.

He pressed one hand to Childe’s nipple, playing with the bud, while his other hand reached
down and gripped his cock tightly in his palm.

Childe couldn’t help himself, even though it had only been two minutes since Zhongli started
thrusting, he came all over their bellies in ribbons, a loud moan escaping his lips as his eyes
rolled back.

Childe arched his back, his legs hanging in the air behind Zhongli as he let out tiny
whimpers, thrusting his hips up into Zhongli’s hands to ride out his orgasm.

Zhongli looked slightly surprised that Childe had come so quickly. He’d heard of the wonders
of the prostate gland for male omegas, but he hadn’t the slightest idea that it would end up
like this. Childe’s scent was clinging to Zhongli, making him all the more ravenous. He was
tight around Zhongli’s cock, his hole twitching as he convulsed through the powerful orgasm.

Then, Childe snapped out of his daze when Zhongli began to thrust harder, pounding into him
with the force of a rabid animal.

“Ah! Zh-Zhongli…” Childe yelped, clutching the bedsheets for dear life.

Zhongli was so deep inside of him — it made it difficult for Childe to latch on to reality.
Zhongli watched him through hooded eyes, thoroughly enjoying the sight of Childe writhing
beneath him.

They entangled their bodies, enjoying their scents mixing around them, almost feeling like a
warm hug. Childe didn’t want to admit it, but he liked the feeling of having Zhongli inside
him. He felt whole, complete, like a missing piece had slid into the right slot.

Zhongli pounded inside him, but it felt good even though Childe’s sensitivity was at its peak.
Even though Zhongli wasn’t gentle, he made sure to keep Childe’s pleasure within his sights.

Zhongli gazed down at Childe, enjoying the expression on Childe’s face.

Childe was truly the most beautiful thing Zhongli had ever seen. His eyes were misty with
tears of pleasure, looking back at Zhongli with pretty moans spilling from his mouth. It drove
Zhongli mad.

He felt himself getting closer to his orgasm as well, the feeling building up in his lower
abdomen like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

Zhongli wrapped his arms around Childe’s body, pulling him up into his arms and bouncing
him on his cock. Childe’s arms wrapped around his upper back, his fingernails digging into
Zhongli’s back, creating crescent-shaped dents in his skin.

“I’m close,” Zhongli whispered in a warning. Childe couldn’t muster the words to reply, high
on the feeling of Zhongli’s cock digging into his prostate repeatedly.

With a grunt, Zhongli came inside Childe, spurting cum all over his insides. Childe’s grip on
his back tightened and the moan he let out was wispy at the feeling of being filled up with
Zhongli’s cum. Zhongli breathed heavily through his nose, his head drooping in the crook of
Childe’s neck, his grip loosening on Childe’s hips as he allowed the ginger to settle at the
plinth of his cock.

Childe felt the base of Zhongli’s dick beginning to swell. It was an odd feeling like he was
being plugged up to ensure he got pregnant. Childe didn’t hate it.

Slowly, Zhongli placed Childe on the bed, laying down with both of them on their sides,
facing each other.

He didn’t try to exit Childe with his cock knotting him like this. Zhongli embraced Childe,
causing Childe to squeak as he felt Zhongli’s scent and warmth wash over him.

Childe looked up at him, their eyes meeting. Another moment of understanding passed
between them; Zhongli wouldn’t hurt him and Childe was safe in his arms for tonight. Childe
sighed a little, truly exhausted. Their wedding night had passed without inflicting scars too
deep on him; Childe could ask for nothing more.

***

Just like that, Childe and Zhongli's first night together passed by in a flash.

Each day after, Childe would wake up in the arms of his husband or when Zhongli would
have something important to attend to and didn't wish to leave Childe alone without warning.
He would wake up to Zhongli gently calling for him and the sight of his husband’s handsome
face hovering over him, which would make his heart pound.

The first few weeks of their life together were difficult, with Childe constantly on edge
whenever his husband was in the same room.

Zhongli viewed him as a scared little kitten — he would frown at the way he would always
follow Zhongli's every movement with wary eyes, as if afraid he would be attacked at any
given moment. Each time they crossed paths, he felt on edge, afraid that Zhongli would hit
him. He would find himself flinching if Zhongli gazed at him too long or made too sudden a
movement.
But over time, Childe found himself calming down. Each time he found himself afraid of
Zhongli, the man would simply approach him with a calm expression on his face and hold his
hands to calm his nerves.

Slowly, Childe found himself warming up to Zhongli. He didn’t like it, but after much
thinking, after all the reassurances he got from Zhongli on their wedding night, he found it
difficult to hate Zhongli.

The man had seemed so genuine about treating him right, about not wanting to hurt him.

Childe had overheard Zhongli talking to all the servants and guards stationed around their
mansion, telling them strictly to treat Childe with respect and not to upset him. The thought
of his husband being willing to protect him even though he was an omega made Childe
happier than he would care to admit.

So, Childe began to be nicer to Zhongli. Zhongli would leave all day to attend to his king’s
duties, so Childe took to finding his own place in Zhongli’s home.

During the day, he would explore a bit of the mansion they lived in, finding something to
keep him occupied until Zhongli got home. He’d had a lot of time to think, allowing it to
finally set in that he was now bearing Zhongli’s child.

He got more comfortable with the thought that, although he couldn’t be sure of his pregnancy
until months later when his baby bump would begin to show, he was pregnant.

Childe had always adored children, so he didn’t abhor the idea of having a child; on the
contrary, it became a source of great comfort for Childe.

The thought of having his own little chubby, warm baby to hug whenever he wanted, to
pepper with kisses, and to parent in a better way than the Tsaritsa had parented him, made
Childe happy.

The more he got attached to the thought of having his own child, the more he felt compelled
to keep a journal to document all the important thoughts that flitted through his mind in the
midst of his pregnancy. He kept this diary hidden from Zhongli, thinking that it was
something meant to be between him and his future baby.

When their child was born and came of age, Childe would show it this journal of all the
thoughts that worked through his pregnant father’s mind.

It became a source of comfort for Childe, a new hobby he could indulge in while alone.

Aside from Zhongli, Childe learned quickly that Zhongli had a little brother named Xiao,
who spent most of his time with his aunts and uncles, the four generals of the Liyuean army,
the Yaksha.

He’d met Xiao on a few occasions, and although he was the cutest three-year-old Childe had
ever seen, he didn’t seem to like Childe — rather, he would borderline hiss at Childe if he
ever saw him. He was attached to Zhongli; the interactions between them would be cute and
make Childe smile each time.

He could tell Zhongli loved his little brother, who would likely become a part of the Yaksha
when he came of age to serve his country.

Zhongli would be gone for most days, but whenever he returned home, the first thing he
would do was come and find Childe to greet him.

Oddly enough, the act of Zhongli seeking him out was heartwarming for Childe.

Zhongli didn’t seem to be like other alphas; he wouldn’t just leave Childe to his devices but
actively try to communicate with him until Childe felt more comfortable around him.

He would take baby steps to get Childe to warm up to him. He started by just trying to get
Childe used to his presence.

He used the little free time he had and spent it in Childe’s company, often choosing to read a
book with Childe in the same room as him while Childe learned how to draw. Gradually, he
began to make stronger advances towards Childe, engaging him in conversation and trying to
learn more about him. Childe responded to these advances warily but he complied with
Zhongli, recognizing his effort to get Childe to recognize him as someone more than an
acquaintance.

Then, Zhongli moved on to the next big step — engaging Childe in physical contact.

One night, when he returned home to Childe resting in their bed, he had had his arms behind
his back, seemingly hiding something from Childe’s view.

When Childe got suspicious, the man had taken a seat beside Childe and inhaled deeply as if
prepping himself for the worst. He’d given Childe the most beautiful pink flowers Childe had
ever seen. They were gorgeous and felt as smooth as silk.

That had been the first time Childe had ever received flowers, but it had made him
considerably more receptive to Zhongli’s advances.

Zhongli kept taking his time with Childe, breaking down every wall Childe had put over his
heart.

He was truly a good husband to Childe, living up to his promise of wanting to give Childe a
good life and not allowing Childe to be disrespected by anyone who walked through their
mansion.

A few of Zhongli’s contacts, such as the Liyue Qixing would drop by from time to time.

The Liyue Qixing were the council of Liyue, the ones who made decisions with their king,
Zhongli. They made sure that Zhongli or any other king of Liyue did not rule a tyranny.

They came by to ‘check’ on Childe. By checking, Childe meant they came to inspect whether
or not Childe was being a dutiful husband to Zhongli.
He was treated as an object by them — they would come simply to see if Childe was doing
his job as an omega. Some of them were kind to Childe, such as the Tianquan, Ningguang,
and her assistant, Ganyu, and the Sea Warden, Beidou, but mostly, they treated Childe
indifferently, even coldly. Although they didn’t outright insult Childe in front of Zhongli,
there was still animosity. If any of them were to find out that Childe was failing as an
omega… they may well kill him.

Childe knew that if he so much as stepped a toe out of line, the Liyue Qixing would not
hesitate to dispose of him. He didn’t know how Zhongli would feel about that, nor did he
have the guts to ask.

Zhongli was kind to him, but the possibility of being killed still scared Childe. His baby
needed him.

As the months ticked by, Childe’s belly began to grow, which Zhongli seemed to love. With
Childe’s consent, he would gently press his ear to his belly and listen to the sound of their
baby slowly growing.

They would do this for hours at a time; it made both of them feel like they had become a true
family, awaiting the birth of their child.

The more comfortable they got with one another, the more they began to appreciate the idea
of having a baby together. Childe would hold his belly for comfort whenever Zhongli wasn’t
by his side, feeling his love increase for his unborn child each day.

And maybe having Zhongli as the father of his child wouldn’t be so bad; the man was caring,
mature, and dutiful. He would be a loving father to their baby.

However, every patch of peace came with an era of darkness.

Now, in the fifth month of Childe’s pregnancy, he began to experience sharp pains in his
belly. Shortly after, the discharge began; brown discharge began to leak from Childe’s butt.

This was a source of great concern for Childe because he worried that something was wrong
with their baby.

At first, Childe attempted to tough it out, not wanting to bother his husband with his
problems. He kept quiet about his pains except for when he was alone.

However, once, on Zhongli’s rare days off, Childe had been laying in his husband’s arms,
sketching his hands. Childe had taken to learning how to draw in his free time and Zhongli,
wanting any excuse to spend time with his husband, allowed Childe to use him for reference.
However, he’d dropped the pencil in shock as he felt the worst pain ripple through one side of
his belly.

From his grunt of pain and his suddenly immobile limbs, Zhongli had quickly placed that
something was wrong. He had turned Childe around and held him while he heaved from the
pain.
When the pain eventually subsided, Zhongli asked him what was wrong.

Childe remembered being hesitant about telling Zhongli, not wanting Zhongli to worry, but
the truth had been derived from his lips by his persistent and anxious husband.

Zhongli had immediately tried to leave and schedule an appointment with his doctor, Baizhu,
but Childe had pleaded with him not to. Not much was known about male omega pregnancies
at that point in time, and so Childe felt compelled to believe that it was just a symptom of his
pregnancy.

The last thing he wanted was for Zhongli to think that something was wrong with their child.

Childe shuddered even to think about it, imagining how outraged Zhongli and the Liyue
Qixing would be if Childe was found to be responsible for the death of their child, so he
continued to ignore this problem.

No matter how gentle and caring Zhongli pretended to be, Childe knew that even Zhongli
would not protect him if something happened to their baby.

So he continued on, ignoring these pains and the signs that something was wrong.

Following his confession that his belly had been hurting him, Childe found that Zhongli was
far more tender than he normally was towards Childe.

He began to show Childe more affection, giving him gentle kisses on the cheek and holding
Childe’s hands. He had also fallen into a habit of calling Childe by a cute pet name, one that
he’d derived directly from the Snezhnayan language.

He had taken to calling Childe “котенок”, the Snezhnayan word for ‘kitten’.

The first time Childe had heard Zhongli call him that, he’d nearly spewed water from his
nostrils. They’d been having dinner, and Zhongli had casually asked Childe, “Can you pass
me the shuǐjiǎo, котенок?”

Childe had nearly died from coughing so much, his eyes had burned as he’d choked on his
water, staring at Zhongli with a look of utter bewilderment while the man simply gazed at
him with a small, pleased smirk on his face, clearly enjoying his reaction.

“What– What did you say?” Childe had asked. Zhongli looked at him with a raised eyebrow,
still with that infuriatingly handsome smirk on his face.

“The shuǐjiǎo Childe — dumplings,” Zhongli elaborated, looking smug.

Childe spluttered, “No, the other part,” He asked, glaring at Zhongli, who seemed to find his
glass of water very interesting at that moment.

Then, he had set his glass down and reached out for Childe’s hand. Childe froze up as
Zhongli kissed the back of his palm, smiling, “My котенок?” He said sweetly.

Childe's heart had nearly exploded that day.

From then on, he’d insisted on calling Childe his kitten every day first thing in the morning to
make his heart flutter.

Despite Childe’s better judgement, he began falling for Zhongli. He was still cautious, but he
felt more receptive to his advances, appreciating his gentle touch, his soft lips on his face,
and how tender his gaze was.

On a day five months after their wedding night, Childe felt someone stirring him awake.

"Wake up, котенок," Childe heard a voice say in his haze of sleep. Childe mumbled
incoherently, opening his eyes sleepily to the sight of his husband gazing down at him with a
caring expression.

Childe found himself smiling sleepily at the sight, "Good morning..." He said, his voice
drowsy but affectionate. He closed his eyes again as Zhongli ran a gentle palm over his
cheek, causing his head to lull with enjoyment at his husband's warm touch. When he opened
his eyes again, he found Zhongli leaning closer, pressing the ghost of a kiss on his cheek.

Blood rushed to Childe's cheeks at the loving act as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He
was still not used to his husband's affection even after five months had passed.

"I'll be going to meet with the ambassador from Fontaine today, котенок," said Zhongli,
smiling as he saw Childe hide shyly under the covers at the use of the endearment again.
Childe remembered Zhongli mentioning that, so he just nodded. "Do you need anything
before I go? Do you want me to draw you a bath, tea, maybe a hug?" Zhongli asked.

Childe peered out from behind the covers with just his eyes, meeting his husband's intense
gaze that seemed gentler than usual.

Childe considered his offer for a moment, entertaining the thought of Zhongli bringing him
tea or giving him a warm hug; Zhongli always gave the best hugs. The thought of receiving a
hug first thing in the morning was too tempting for Childe.

"A hug would be nice..." Childe said, still hiding his red face behind the covers as Zhongli
smiled lovingly down at him.

Zhongli leaned down and wrapped his arms around Childe's body, pulling him into a sweet
hug that made Childe's heart melt. "You're not hurting anywhere, are you?" Zhongli asked,
his voice hinting with worry.

Childe thought about it for a moment, focusing his attention on his belly.

To his dismay, there was a stinging pain in his lower abdomen, just as there had been for the
last week or so. Childe pursed his lips, wondering whether to tell Zhongli or not. He thought
about what Zhongli had said, that he was leaving to meet with the ambassador from Fontaine.

He decided not to mention his pain to Zhongli. He didn't want to worry him before a
potentially important meeting.
He smiled at Zhongli, successfully masking his troubled expression, "No, there's no pain," He
lied, but it was all worth it when he saw Zhongli's shoulders relax as he smiled back at
Childe. Childe felt better knowing his husband had been reassured.

"Okay, make sure to send for me if the pain returns, I will hurry back in an instant, okay?"
Zhongli asked, causing Childe to nod in reply.

Then, his husband rose from the bed, allowing Childe to see that he was fully dressed in a
regal, gold Hanfu. Childe made an effort not to blush, but his husband looked handsome,
dressed prim and proper without a hair out of place.

"Have a good day," Childe said, making Zhongli smile. Then, he began to leave, knowing he
could not delay the meeting any longer.

Before he exited through the door of their bedroom, he looked back at Childe, eyebrows
slightly creased with worry. It was almost as if Zhongli could tell his husband wasn’t fully
truthful, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Just like that, he disappeared past the door, leaving Childe alone.

Childe lay back on the bed, his hands over his belly with a thoughtful expression. He
wondered how life had come to be like this in the last five months. Just months ago, he
wouldn’t have been able to imagine that his husband would wake him up every morning to
say goodbye before leaving for his king's duties.

On their wedding night, he could never have expected that Zhongli would live up to his
words — that he would take care of Childe as best as he could.

Alphas liked to tell lies to appease their omegas, to get them to let their guard down. But this
was the first time he’d seen an alpha be a genuinely caring person. He couldn’t help but feel
lucky that he’d gotten Zhongli for a husband. The thought made him shy. Each day that
passed, with Zhongli treating him with tenderness and respect, Childe found himself falling
for Zhongli.

He knew these feelings were likely out of desperation — he wanted someone he could rely
on.

But if his feelings were that simple, his heart wouldn’t flutter each time his eyes met with
Zhongli’s or his nerves wouldn’t light up whenever Zhongli touched him. He wouldn’t be
having dreams of Zhongli biting him, marking him as his.

He enjoyed remembering their wedding night, when Zhongli had confessed that he’d been
tempted to bite him. He wished that Zhongli had acted on his impulses.

Now that he knew what kind of man Zhongli was, Childe couldn’t help wanting to be his.

Childe sighed and sat up, gazing down at the little bulge protruding from his belly. He
touched the place where his baby was resting, a tender expression on his face, “Your father is
a good man,” He told his child.
Deciding that this thought was good enough to write about in his journal, Childe glanced
around to make sure no one was hiding inconspicuously in the corners of the room. Then, he
reached under his mattress, tugging out the diary he kept, recording his life for his future
baby to one day read.

He scribbled down a new note, telling his baby how well Zhongli treated him and how
handsome he was. He told his future child that he was happy that it could have a father as
nice as him.

He confessed that he was excited for his baby to be born because he would have one more
person to love. Childe smiled to himself, feeling his eyes getting misty. But then, an ache
went through his belly, causing him to drop his pen. He groaned, pursing his lips.

Childe decided to write about his pains as well, expressing to his journal how scared he was
that something was happening to his baby and that he was afraid to tell Zhongli in case
something was wrong.

He sighed, reading over his entry with a solemn expression.

Childe seemed satisfied with his work and was about to return his diary under the mattress,
but there was a knock on the door.

Childe hurriedly shoved his journal under his pillow, calling, “Come in!” A servant entered
with a tray of a delicious-looking breakfast.

“Sorry to bother you, Lord. King Zhongli requested for us to bring you your breakfast in bed
because you looked a little pale,” The servant told him, approaching the bed. He bowed to
Childe, which Childe returned, looking confused but also more cheerful.

Zhongli had thought of him. He had worried for him.

“Thank you,” Childe told the servant absently, a smile on his face as he gazed down at his
breakfast, feeling much happier now that Zhongli had displayed yet another reason for him to
love him.

Later that day, he decided to take a walk through the gardens in front of the mansion, thinking
that some fresh air could do him and his baby some good.

He admired the koi swimming in the pools of water lining the walkway to the mansion,
smiling as he dipped a hand into the water and an orange koi swam up to him, brushing its
tail against Childe’s hand. Childe chuckled — this particular koi was the same color as
Childe. His husband had told him that the koi swimming through the waters of the mansion
were a gift from the queen of Inazuma.

Childe felt a little lightheaded; the pain in his belly was still there, getting more and more
intense with every hour that passed by.

His husband had yet to return from his meeting with the ambassador of Fontaine but just
thinking about him brought Childe some comfort. Childe had learned to rely on the thought
of his husband whenever he felt distressed or pained.

But this time, the pain didn’t lessen, much less go away.

Childe felt something warm between his legs, causing him to fall back onto the grass,
retreating his hand sharply from the water and causing the koi swimming around it to
disperse.

The pain was getting too much for Childe, making him tremble as he clutched his belly.

Childe lifted his robes slightly, gazing down at the pants he wore underneath them. His eyes
widened, seeing a red liquid seeping into the light material of his pants.

Childe panicked at the sight, realizing that it was blood, leaking from between his legs. “N-
No…” Childe begged, alarm shining in his expression as blood rapidly spread across his legs,
leaving him unable to do anything because of the pain rattling through his body.

A guttural cry escaped Childe’s lips as pain worse than any other shot through his abdomen.

This caught the attention of a nearby guard, who rushed towards Childe. Childe let out a
piercing scream as he felt pain rip through his belly.

Several guards and servants started at the sound, rushing towards him.

“Call for help!” One guard yelled, her eyes widening with fear at the sight of blood all over
his legs and pants. She helped another guard pick him up, rushing inside while word spread
among the servants, who panicked trying to figure out what to do.

Childe was brought to his room, screaming and writhing, while a guard sent for Zhongli’s
doctor, Baizhu.

Childe lay down on the bed, tears streaming down his cheeks as he felt pain washing over
him in waves — it was the worst pain Childe had ever experienced. It felt like he was being
ripped apart from the inside, as if something was trying to crawl out of him and tearing up his
insides in the process.

“Forgive me, my lord,” A servant said to Childe, though he could barely hear her. She
removed his pants, her eyes widening with horror at the sight of so much blood all over his
legs, she whipped her head around to look at the men and women in the doorway, panic
evident in their expressions, “Someone send for King Morax! It’s bad..!” The servant told
them.

At her words, a guard departed immediately, knowing that their king should be the first to
know that something was wrong.

***

Terror coursed through Zhongli’s veins as he steered his horse to run faster, a truly horror-
struck expression on his face. He rushed home to where Childe was.
The past few days, Zhongli had been praying to every deity out there, begging the gods above
that he would never be told by someone that his omega was in danger. But of course, things
didn’t go as Zhongli had hoped.

The moment a sweaty-faced, terrified-looking guard had hurtled into the room at the Jade
Palace where Zhongli had been entertaining the ambassador of Fontaine, he knew something
was wrong.

His men knew that unless something was wrong, he was not to be disturbed during his
meetings with those officials outside of Liyue.

The moment he’d been given the news that Childe was in danger, that his omega was
bleeding, he had hurtled out of the Jade Palace, not even bothering to say goodbye to the
Fontainish ambassador. He remembered being tempted to jump off the side of the Palace, but
he would be no good to his husband if he was a decompositional stain on the ground.

He’d been forced to take the very slow elevator down to where his horse had been tethered,
he had been shaking in his boots, waiting for the ground to get close enough to jump off on.

Panic coursed through his veins; he was terrified, so damn terrified that something had
happened to his husband.

This morning, Childe had assured him that he was okay, but he’d looked pale… and now, he
was bleeding — hell, he might even be dead right then. The thought scared Zhongli.

He cursed himself for ever thinking of leaving Childe alone after the day he’d told him about
the pains in his belly. Childe had played it off like it was no big deal, giving Zhongli a false
sense of security — of course, he was not blaming Childe, he would never. It was entirely
Zhongli’s fault for not taking him to Baizhu.

Now, if something had happened to Childe… it would be all his fault.

Zhongli sighed with relief as he rode his horse into the premises of the Golden House. A
guard greeted him, horror on her expression.

Without a word to her, Zhongli dismounted his steed, leaving him to the guard as he sprinted
up the steps to the Golden House, hurrying inside. The first thing he noticed was that there
was blood on the ground trailing towards the west wing of the mansion, where his and
Childe’s room was located.

Zhongli ran, following the trail, his heart hammering in his chest, pure fear in his heart.

He passed dozens of servants who parted for him, whispering among themselves, some of
them in tears as if distressed.

He passed one woman walking down the hall opposite his direction, holding a basket in her
hands as she wept. Zhongli didn’t stop to see what was wrong — right then, he only had
Childe’s well-being in mind, wanting to see Childe. Something was terribly wrong, he knew
that much.
As he approached their room, he saw a familiar green-haired man exiting their room. He
recognized the man immediately, shouting, “Baizhu!”

His voice was full of anxiety, but it was powerful nonetheless, startling Baizhu.

The doctor turned to face him; he had a melancholic expression on his face, alarming Zhongli
even more. Zhongli tried to push past Baizhu to enter their room, but Baizhu stopped him.

“Let me go..!” Zhongli said, straining to get past Baizhu as the man tried to hold him back.
His voice felt so far away, disembodied. It dripped with fear, making Baizhu seem only
grimmer.

“I need to warn you first, Morax, please…” Baizhu said to him, a begging note in his voice.

Zhongli’s lips trembled as he looked at Baizhu, having never heard Baizhu use such a somber
tone before.

“He-he’s not gone… right? Please, tell me he’s not gone, Baizhu…” Zhongli said, his legs
going weak as he leaned on Baizhu, who tried his best to support his weight. Baizhu quickly
assured him, “Childe is still alive, don’t worry,” He said. Zhongli’s head snapped to look at
Baizhu, the terror in his expression lessening just a little.

“Then… what..?” He asked, almost not wanting to know the truth. Then, both of them started
as a scream erupted from the room behind them.

Zhongli’s eyes widened with dread, recognizing the scream as Childe’s. It was not one of
physical pain. His voice was filled with anguish, so much emotional pain. It tore Zhongli’s
heart apart to listen to it.

Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he pushed Baizhu out of the way.

Nothing could stop him from getting to his omega’s side while he sounded so… heartbroken.
He burst into the room.

His legs almost gave out at the sight of his husband on the bed, sobbing, scratching at his face
with his hands, which were bound by rope. He was in hysterics, a crying mess with blood
smeared on his face.

“Childe…” Zhongli whispered, his voice hardly audible. Childe didn’t respond to his
presence, retching from how hard he sobbed, though nothing came out, continuing to scratch
at his face.

At the sight of his husband harming himself, Zhongli finally remembered he had legs, nearly
tripping over his own feet in his haste to get to Childe’s side. He sat down by Childe’s side,
grabbing Childe’s wrists as firmly as he could without hurting Childe. “Котенок, look at
me,” Zhongli begged. The sound of his voice seemed to stir Childe from his breakdown.

He looked up at Zhongli, scratches all over his face, tears streaming down his face. His eyes
were wild with anguish, unable to focus on Zhongli.
Zhongli took the moment to pull Childe forward until he was in Zhongli’s lap. Zhongli
grasped the ropes wrapped around his wrists, clearly meant to keep Childe from hurting
himself; they were slightly damp, indicating that Childe had been given a bath.

Zhongli unfurled the knot tying Childe’s hands together. Immediately, Childe began to claw
at his legs, still sobbing in his mania, but Zhongli quickly stopped him.

“Don’t hurt yourself, котенок, hurt me instead,” Zhongli begged, holding Childe’s wrists and
tugging his face up to make Childe look at him.

Childe seemed to freeze, staring at Zhongli as if recognizing him for the first time.

“Zhong–li…” Childe whispered, his voice cracking with emotion as he realized the man
holding him was his husband. Childe hugged his arms around Zhongli’s neck, holding him
tight enough to restrict his breath, but Zhongli didn’t care, hugging Childe back with the
same ferocity.

Childe sobbed into his shoulder, making Zhongli want to rip apart the whole world for
making his omega cry.

Zhongli began to release his pheromones, knowing the exact way to get Childe to relax even
a little. Childe inhaled his scent, his breath hitching as he buried his face in Zhongli’s neck as
Zhongli showered him with his smell.

“I’ll do anything you want me to Childe, just– please don’t cry,” Zhongli pleaded.

Childe shivered with another blood-curdling sob, digging his nails into Zhongli’s shoulders.
“Zhongli… I lost it..” He said, his voice just a decibel loud enough for Zhongli to hear.

Zhongli’s eyebrows furrowed with confusion, wondering what Childe was talking about.
What could Childe have lost that was so important that he cried and hurt himself like this?
Surely, nothing could be so terrible that it turned the whole mansion upside down…?

He gently pulled Childe back just enough for their eyes to meet. Zhongli reached his hand up
to brush his palm against his cheek, brushing tears from his eyes, though more fell.

“What did you lose, котенок?” He asked, hiding a tremble in his voice.

He watched as Childe sobbed into his hand, his trembling hands clutching his palm as he
averted his eyes, looking down at the space between them.

Slowly, he pressed a hand over his own belly, “The baby, Zhongli… I lost our baby,” Childe
said in the weakest, most tremulous voice.

For a second, Zhongli’s world stopped spinning. Time froze as he processed Childe’s words.

Suddenly, everything came together. The pains Childe had been experiencing for the last
week, the blood he’d lost today, the basket he’d seen being carried past him, Baizhu’s attempt
to warn him. Zhongli’s eyes were wide, feeling like his world was falling apart.
He could hardly believe his ears but seeing the way Childe cried, he knew it couldn’t be a lie.

All those hopes, those dreams of starting a family with Childe, came crashing down around
Zhongli. He was in shock, horror-stricken.

He gazed down at Childe’s belly as well, expecting, praying, to see a baby bump still there…
but there was nothing. Childe had miscarried. Zhongli felt tears lacing the corners of his eyes
as he brushed his hand across Childe’s belly as well.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” Childe sobbed, unable to meet Zhongli’s eyes.

Realizing what Childe was saying, that Childe was blaming himself, Zhongli snapped out of
his daze.

Childe flinched as Zhongli retracted his hand, afraid that Zhongli would throw him to the
floor now that he realized who was responsible for their baby’s death.

But then, Zhongli did something that surprised Childe. He hugged him even tighter, holding
Childe to his chest, unleashing more of his pheromones to calm Childe down. It felt like
Childe was being bathed in his lover’s scent, causing more tears to overflow from his eyes, so
grateful that Zhongli didn’t hurt him.

“It’s not your fault, котенок,” Zhongli whispered, rocking back and forth with Childe in his
arms in an attempt to soothe him, “Nothing is your fault, don’t apologize.”

Childe cried in Zhongli’s arms, finally realizing that he was safe and that Zhongli wouldn’t
hurt him.

Slowly, as he relaxed in Zhongli’s arms, inhaling his scent, he realized how exhausted he
was. He had been through so much today. He had been through so much pain and anguish,
watching his baby leave his body in pieces. Now, being in Zhongli’s arms was the first breath
of fresh air he’d gotten since that morning.

He found his eyelids drooping as he calmed down in Zhongli’s embrace. Slowly, he slipped
into a peaceful slumber, feeling safe in his husband’s arms.

But Zhongli… he was wide awake. He looked pale as he stared into space, still trying to
process everything. His baby was gone.

All those times he’d pictured leading a peaceful life with Childe by his side, daydreaming
about what it would be like to raise a child with the omega of his dreams. He had had so
many plans — teaching his child to walk, sharing the experience of listening to its first words
with Childe, watching it grow into a fine person that could one day lead his empire.

All those dreams had left with his child. But… as he gazed down at the sleeping omega in his
arms, he felt his heart ache, realizing how close he had been to losing Childe completely.

One could call Zhongli selfish, but he was grateful that he still had his husband by his side.
Zhongli placed a kiss on the top of Childe’s head before turning back and placing Childe on
the fresh bedsheets as gently as he could to keep him from waking up.

He smoothed out the pillow under Childe’s head, only to realize that there was something
hard under Childe’s pillow.

With slow and careful movements, Zhongli reached under the pillow, fishing out what
seemed to be a book. He frowned at the book, a journal, wondering what it was for. He
glanced at Childe’s sleeping face, questioning if it was his.

He opened the journal, flipping to the freshest page, where he found the last entry, the most
recent one Childe had written from just earlier that day.

My dear future baby,

I swear, your father will give me a heart attack one of these days. Every day, he wakes me up
by calling me ‘kitten’ in that sweet voice of his — it makes my heart pound. He looked as
handsome as ever today, dressed in beautiful gold robes. At times like this, I realize that he
truly is a king… and I am his queen. He makes me feel special.

He is good to me, just as he will be good to you when you are born. It makes me so happy
that my baby can have a father as kind as him. I think… I’m beginning to fall in love with
him. He’s finally managed to capture my heart.

I can’t help but be excited for you to be born. You will be so beautiful, just as regal as your
father and just as free-spirited as me. I can’t wait to have one more person to love.

These days, you’re worrying me. All the pains you’ve been giving me… I don’t like lying to
your father, you know. Go easy on me, my sweet child, don’t worry me like this. If something
ever happened to you… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I wouldn’t be able to face your
father again.

Please don’t leave me. You are all I have, aside from your father. I’m just so scared of losing
you. One day, when you’re born, you’ll read this and realize how much you worry me, but it’s
okay because I am your parent and I love you more than anything.

Come to me soon, my love.

Zhongli finished reading the letter, feeling tears dripping down his cheeks. He closed the
journal and placed it beside himself, burying his face in his hands as he wept quietly.

The pain he felt was equal to none he’d felt in his adolescence. The void in his heart was
more painful than anything. He wished he’d never left today so that his husband wouldn’t
have had to live through this pain alone.

Zhongli turned around, tears streaming down his face with anguish.

He smiled sadly at the sight of his husband sleeping peacefully, bruised and battered, but
alive. Zhongli lowered his face and placed a kiss on Childe’s cheek, grateful that the gods had
spared the one he loved.
Chapter End Notes

WARNINGS: Miscarriage, blood, and graphic depictions of angst.

Whew... I think this one was the saddest ZhongChi I've ever written. Even I got misty-
eyed when I read Childe's letter to his baby. I'm really sensitive to the deaths of animals
and babies, so that shit definitely hurted.

I hope despite the angst, you enjoyed this chapter! I may re-edit it in the morning to
smooth some things out.

Happy new year to you all!

 Pheromone Shower PART 2 (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Graphic depictions of murder and blood.

A few days after Childe's miscarriage, he and Zhongli leave for Sumeru to uncover what
it is that caused them such a tragedy, but what they learn leaves their relationship as
broken as ever before. Zhongli takes on the might of the Liyue Qixing to defend Childe's
honor, but will he succeed in helping them get their happy ending?

NOTE: This chapter is Part 2 of Chapter: 63 of this book, the prompt of which is
Pheromone Shower. Please read it before this one if you haven't already so you aren't
missing out on anything that you might not understand in this smut!

Chapter Notes

DISCLAIMER: This chapter contains hinted CynoNari, BeiGuang, and XiaoAether. If

they are not your cup of tea, please skip this chapter. Since this chapter is really huge
with one scene being astronomical, I have divided it using three tildes (~~~) for easy
reading so you won't have to worry about forgetting where you are if you choose to read
in multiple sittings. Please note that the tildes do NOT indicate a timeskip, unlike
asterisks (***).

Another thing I forgot to add is that the four unknown members of the Liyue Qixing are
included in this story. I have used they/them pronouns for all of them to keep their
genders a mystery without assuming! This is written during 3.4, so if in the future the
characters and their personalities are revealed, please know that their roles in this story
may not be accurate to their character!

Weeeee~ we can finally put this world of misery and tragedy to an end! I decided to
write this second part right away since I'm tired of constantly having to relive certain
ideas to make a part two for them months after their release, so I'm happy to say: this
four-chapter-long story has found its way to completion! Enjoy~!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Childe stood at the bank of the pool lining the walkway of the Golden House.

He listened to the fish gurgling a little, breaching the calm surface of the water to nibble at
the food he’d thrown out for them. The koi slapped each other with their tails in their haste to
get to the food first, greedily wiggling and weaving between each other to try and hoard as
much food for themselves as they could.

He gazed at them with a look of emptiness; usually, he’d find them cute as they fought one
another for the food, but, this time, he couldn’t manage to find the tenderness in his heart.

Six days had passed since that horrible day. Childe still felt his heart trembling whenever he
recalled it. Each time it came to mind, his hand would automatically reach up to touch his
own belly. His heart would ache tremendously and tears would line his eyelids when he could
no longer feel a baby bump. Right here on this bank, Childe had lost his baby. It felt painful
just standing here. The pain in his lower abdomen was enough to be a constant reminder that
he was the reason his baby had died.

Tears laced the corners of Childe’s eyes, but he tried not to let them spill.

All he’d been doing for the last few days was crying and sleeping. His eyes didn’t know
whether they could handle the pain of shedding tears for the umpteenth time that week.

He didn’t realize a man approaching him, calling his name gently. His ears were full of a
buzzing sound he didn’t quite know how to describe, preventing him from hearing his
husband until he stepped right beside him, lacing his hand with Childe’s.

Childe flinched, finally coming to as Zhongli materialized beside him, looking at him with
that gentle expression he often wore.

Despite the delicate look on Zhongli’s face, Childe couldn’t help the fear bubbling inside him
at the sight of his husband. Zhongli didn’t seem to notice, “Are you ready to leave, котенок?”
He asked, his voice soothing to Childe’s ears. Childe felt a twinge of panic. He was so out of
it that it took a moment for him to understand Zhongli’s words.

Leave? Leave for where? Was Zhongli sending him away? These thoughts flooded through
Childe’s mind.

But then, to his relief, he remembered the real meaning behind Zhongli’s words. They were
meant to leave for Sumeru to see a doctor recommended to them by Dr. Baizhu. Childe’s
shoulders relaxed just a bit. He pushed down the feelings of fear, panic, and worry, offering
Zhongli a weak smile, which Zhongli returned.

It calmed him down to be called ‘котенок’ by Zhongli even now. It gave him the illusion that
everything was okay just as it had been six days ago.

“Yes, I am,” Childe answered softly, his voice wispy and dry from how he’d torn his throat
from his screams of anguish. He shifted his gaze down to the grassy bank they were standing
on. He tried not to remember, but he couldn’t help it.

He remembered these very blades of grass stained with blood. His blood.

It had been cleaned now, but Childe’s mind was far from forgetting that sight. He wished his
mind could be cleansed in the same way as the grass beneath his feet — that way, he’d be
able to forget this pain.

He absently picked at a bandage on his face, a way for him to fidget in an attempt to control
his thoughts, but, before he could peel the bandage off completely, a hand gently caught his
fingers to prevent him from doing so. Zhongli had stepped in front of him, hugging him
gently with the gentleness of a feather. Childe found his face buried in Zhongli's shoulder,
inhaling his calming scent; both his hands were in Zhongli's, preventing him from doing
anything rash.

Had Childe the energy, he would've teared up and started crying. Zhongli was good to him —
so damned loving, so affectionate. These kind actions from Zhongli only scared Childe more.

His overthinking got the best of him: what if Zhongli suddenly stopped these acts of
kindness? What would become of Childe if he didn’t have his support?

As of now, Childe didn’t know what would happen to him. He was afraid that, after treating
Childe so kindly and gently, Zhongli would turn his back on Childe and kill him for being the
reason their child was no longer a part of this world.

Childe felt that that would be worse pain than even losing his baby.

As if knowing that Childe was lost in worrisome thoughts, Zhongli pulled back just enough
to look him in the eye, still holding him tenderly. Their eyes met and, without words, Childe
understood what Zhongli was trying to tell him: ‘Focus on nothing but me.’

Zhongli pressed a kiss to Childe’s cheek under one of his bandages, his gaze softening at the
way the fog cleared in Childe’s eyes at the action. “Let’s go, my love. The carriage is
waiting.” Zhongli said, placing a large hand on the small of Childe’s back, guiding him away
from the water’s edge.

Zhongli guided him outside the Golden House where, sure enough, a coach stood, armed
with two sturdy mares and a coachman, who were waiting for them to board.

“Ready to leave, my kings?” The coachman asked, bowing at the sight of them.

The mares behind them tapped their hooves against the ground as if raring to go. Zhongli
didn’t answer, choosing instead to let Childe do so as if to iterate that his opinion mattered
more.

“Yes,” Childe said, his voice weaker than usual, but his heart was swelling with affection
towards Zhongli. Instead of answering for him and trying to control the situation, Zhongli
made sure to give Childe his say. Childe had never before met a man so thoughtful and detail-
oriented, making him feel loved and heard in the most unprecedented of ways.

Childe didn’t know what would’ve become of him in the last few days had Zhongli not been
by his side.

The coachman bowed his head again in response, saying nothing else and opening the
carriage door for them. Childe grimaced at the sight of the steep step up to the carriage,
knowing that it would hurt trying to climb inside.

The pain in his lower abdomen was still sharp, rendering him unable to reach too far or take
too long a stride. But, again, he found himself worrying for naught. Zhongli clasped his
hands around his waist, lifting him up to the carriage doorway and saying, “Mind your head,
котенок.”

Childe managed the smallest smile as he entered the carriage with little to no pain.

He’d been expecting it, but the carriage was just as luxurious and comfortable as their room
back in the Golden House, with soft bedding on the ground and colorful pillows neatly placed
in every corner of the coach. To one side was a slightly elevated platform, where baskets of
fruit sat in case Childe got the munchies. Sharing a comfortable space like this with Zhongli
for the next few hours put Childe’s heart at ease for the moment.

He knew enough Liyuean etiquette to take his cotton shoes off before stepping on the
bedding, allowing Zhongli to climb into the coach as well. Zhongli didn’t admire the carriage
the same way Childe did — his attention was fixed solely on Childe.

He helped Childe sit down on the coach floor as the coachman told him, “We will leave for
Sumeru immediately, your majesty.” Zhongli nodded to him, allowing the coachman to close
the door after bowing to both of them.

Within the minute, the carriage embarked on its journey, the wheels beginning to turn as the
mares began to walk.

Zhongli sat by Childe, fluffing up the pillows and placing them all around Childe to make
sure he wouldn’t get hurt and roll around if a bump crossed their path. “Zhongli, no,” Childe
said suddenly, confusing Zhongli and causing him to freeze, wondering if he’d done
something wrong to upset Childe. He watched as Childe removed the pillows from his left
side, then shyly patted the spot next to him, looking expectantly at Zhongli and saying in a
sweetly weak voice, “Please?”

Zhongli felt like he would combust with how much love washed over him at the simple plea.

He would have to be unbearably daft not to understand what Childe was asking of him. With
the warmest smile, he inserted himself into the space beside Childe, wrapping an arm around
Childe and pulling him closer until their bodies collided gently.

Childe laid his head on Zhongli’s chest, feeling peaceful as if his worries were melting away.

Still, he couldn’t shake off the anxiety he felt completely. In the few days that had passed
since that incident, Childe had been bedridden with Zhongli by his side every step of the way.
Zhongli hadn’t left him alone even once, not even when Childe would take a bath because he
was afraid Childe would do something to harm himself again.

It warmed Childe’s heart to see the care and affection in Zhongli’s eyes, but his insides ate
away at him.
He had lost their baby. Zhongli had never outwardly blamed it on Childe… but Childe still
feared the possibility. Now, they were on their way to Gandharva Ville in Sumeru to meet a
doctor named Tighnari to uncover why Childe had lost their baby. They had been referred to
them by Baizhu, who felt that, as an omega himself, Tighnari would be able to help them
understand what really happened that day — why Childe had miscarried.

The initial pain of losing his unborn child was forced to take a backseat, giving way to fear
and anxiety for what was to come in his uncertain future.

Childe feared what Tighnari would tell them.

If something turned out to be wrong with Childe… what would Zhongli do? What would the
people of Liyue, especially the Liyue Qixing, do to him? If Childe couldn’t bear Zhongli a
healthy alpha child, did he have any other purpose? After all, the only thing omegas were
good for, in the sights of many, was breeding. If Childe couldn’t even do that, could he
continue to stand by Zhongli’s side, lying in his arms like this? The thought that Zhongli
would throw him away or kill him and marry someone else terrified Childe.

No one would let him live. If not for Zhongli, there wasn’t a single person out there who
could save him.

So what would he do if Zhongli chose to let him die?

Childe felt himself quivering at the thought. At times like this, he wished Zhongli wasn’t as
perceptive and shrewd as he was, because he caught on to Childe’s trembling almost
instantly. He sat bolt upright, holding Childe steady in his arms and pulling him into his lap.

His penetrating golden eyes met Childe’s, keenly picking apart every emotion he could find
in Childe’s expression. Childe did his best to hide his fear, but he knew it would never be
enough to fool Zhongli.

“Are you afraid, котенок?” Zhongli asked, keeping his voice low to avoid spooking Childe.

Childe still felt goosebumps budding at the nape of his neck at the sound of Zhongli’s voice
so near to his ear, making his heart beat faster.

Childe considered his words, wondering whether to tell him the truth or a lie. The last time
Childe had lied to Zhongli, he had lost his baby. The thought of something going wrong again
and his lie coming back to shoot him in the foot scared Childe, but what scared him, even
more, was the idea of expressing all of these thoughts to Zhongli.

He would never be able to live with himself if Zhongli told him that he would kill him if he
couldn’t bear his children.

“No, I’m not afraid,” Childe said, lying straight through his teeth.

Immediately, from Zhongli’s expression, Childe knew his husband didn’t believe him.
Zhongli scrutinized him for a few moments, but there was no unkind look in his eyes. The
only thing he felt was sadness that Childe still couldn’t trust him even after five months of
companionship.

Zhongli knew better than to force the truth from the lips of a mentally fragile man.

He chose to nod, biting his tongue bitterly to keep himself from saying something to upset
Childe even further in his fragile state. He relaxed back against the pillows, allowing Childe
to make himself comfortable on his lap, laying down on top of him with his face buried in
Zhongli’s neck. Neither of them could help but want to enjoy the moment of tranquility, both
wondering if their future held the same calamity as their near past.

The road trip went by in near silence, with Zhongli only speaking up to make sure Childe was
comfortable or to assure him that everything would be alright. Zhongli knew Childe didn’t
believe him, but it didn’t deter him from telling Childe the absolute truth. Everything would
be alright — Zhongli would make sure of it.

***

Hours later, Childe found himself sitting in a beautiful treehouse with Zhongli standing by his
side, both of them waiting with bated breaths.

Childe’s eyes were puffy and swollen from crying once more despite his efforts not to.

After reaching Gandharva Ville and meeting Tighnari, a short man who made up for his lack
of height with fox ears who had immediately placed that something was very wrong given
the battered state Childe was in, the couple had taken turns explaining everything, even as it
got difficult to bear for Childe. He had had to recount every minute detail of that horrible
moment when he’d miscarried to Zhongli and Tighnari. Through the blur of tears, he could
see just how pale Zhongli looked as he listened to details Childe hadn’t told him. The pain
was evident in Zhongli’s eyes — it scared Childe even more, wondering if Zhongli was
starting to blame him for causing them this suffering.

Tighnari had remained more or less professional, listening to Childe’s story with a grave
expression.

From there, Tighnari had run some tests, taking a blood, urine, and stool sample from both of
them. He then interviewed both of them separately on their medical histories. Zhongli hadn’t
been keen to leave Childe, but Childe felt no hostility from Tighnari, feeling safe in the
presence of another omega man who seemed to have a better grip on life than Childe did.

Now, the pair were just waiting for Tighnari to give them his verdict.

Zhongli had a pensive expression on his face, shifting restlessly from foot to foot as he stood
by Childe’s side. Childe stared at the wooden floor of the treehouse, a dazed expression on
his face. He didn’t know what to expect or what to think. Whatever Tighnari said would
change Childe’s life for the worst.

Unbeknownst to him, Zhongli watched him with an agonized expression on his face.
He could see the hopelessness in Childe’s eyes. He hated it. He hated that his husband was
feeling this way and that he could do nothing to convince him that there was hope for their
future — that, no matter the outcome, nothing would change for them. Zhongli knew that he
should say something to appease Childe, to make sure he understood that their future together
wasn’t as gloomy as Childe thought it to be.

“Childe,” Zhongli called, startling Childe out of his daze. Childe looked up at him with those
beautiful blue eyes of his, causing Zhongli’s heart to kick out with affection. “I will protect
you, котенок. Everything will be okay, no matter what verdict Mr. Tighnari gives us,” he said
to Childe.

He stepped closer, placing a gentle kiss on the top of Childe’s head.

Childe said nothing in response. As Zhongli pulled back, his eyes searched Childe’s for what
he was feeling but, to his dismay, Childe didn’t give anything away. He wasn’t easy to read
and had more or less gotten back control over his emotions, but Zhongli didn’t know if this
was a good thing or a bad thing.

Even if Childe wasn’t a good communicator, Zhongli found solace in reading his emotions
through his eyes, but, now, he couldn’t even do that.

He released a depressed sigh, taking a seat by Childe’s side.

Childe watched as Zhongli laced their fingers together on the bench between them. He didn’t
pull away, but he was stiff with anxiety. Zhongli’s words kept resonating within his mind,
bouncing from one neuron to another, trying to believe them but, no matter how hard he tried,
he couldn’t.

He couldn’t push down the burning feeling that Zhongli was lying.

He started when Tighnari entered the hut once more, carrying in his hands a brown paper bag.
Both of them straightened up, still holding hands, their eyes glued to Tighnari’s face. Tighnari
was excellent at keeping a passive expression. His unique two-colored eyes betrayed no
emotion, but he fixed Childe with one silent message of warning.

Childe felt his throat constricting. The way Tighnari’s eyes first sought out Childe’s, trying to
help him prepare for the news he was about to give, sent a wave of panic through Childe’s
body. His heart rate picked up, knowing that nothing Tighnari was about to say would be
good for him.

“Well… after some investigation and, admittedly, guesswork, I’ve come to a conclusion,”
Tighnari said.

He seemed hesitant, giving Zhongli nervous glances as if afraid of what mood he was in.
Tighnari was conflicted — his findings and diagnosis for the reason Childe had lost his child
would only spell trouble for the couple. On the one hand, as a doctor, he knew telling the
truth was his moral obligation to help Zhongli and Childe avoid future suffering, such as
trying for another baby and losing it as well. But on the other, as a male omega, Tighnari
understood better than anyone the fear in Childe’s eyes.
If he were to tell them the truth, Childe’s very life could be in danger.

Being the royals of Liyue, they were obligated to have children to continue the lineage… but
if Childe couldn’t give Zhongli a healthy alpha child, he would be discarded, and Zhongli
would move on to another marriage to have another child. Tighnari realized he was being too
quiet, stalling too much. It was such a difficult decision. Depending on what answer he gave,
he would be putting a fellow omega in danger.

Tighnari glanced at Zhongli, who was staring out of the hut with a pensive but determined
expression on his face.

He was the mighty king of Liyue, the few rumors that had reached Tighnari in quaint little
Gandharva Ville said that he had the strength of fifty soldiers, but he was also a benevolent
king. In the five months since his coronation, not a single conflict had broken out in Liyue,
not a single man, woman, or child went hungry under his rule.

Could this man be capable of hurting the omega whose hand he was gripping so tightly?

Tighnari didn’t know, and he wouldn’t know until the deed was done. Tighnari sighed,
making his decision. If anyone were ever to find out he’d lied to the king of Liyue, his head
would also be on the chopping block. With a silent apology to Childe, he finally spoke,
choosing his words carefully, “I’m sorry to say but either one of you could be infertile,”
Childe and Zhongli’s eyes snapped to his face at his words. Tighnari took a deep breath,
feeling pained to say what he was about to say, “but… it’s likely it is King Childe who cannot
conceive.”

The emotion in Childe’s eyes completely vanished, though he didn’t look shocked — it was
as if he’d been preparing to hear this news the whole time.

He slowly let his hand slip away from Zhongli’s, crippling fear taking over him. Zhongli
looked startled, just as shocked as Childe. He didn’t notice right away the sudden act of
Childe closing himself off. His eyes were fixed on Tighnari, tension on his expression.

“How do you know?” Zhongli asked in a quiet voice.

There wasn’t a trace of anger or blame in his voice, but he knew he needed to be certain of
Childe’s infertility before he did anything rash.

Tighnari met his gaze head-on. He observed the lack of hostility in Zhongli’s expression. All
he could tell from Zhongli’s eyes was the resignation in them and the sheer determination to
fight their fate. He was in stark contrast to Childe, who looked a lot smaller than before,
staring at the ground in fear.

“I don’t know for certain,” Tighnari said truthfully, causing Zhongli’s eyes to narrow. He felt
insulted that Tighnari would make such a deduction without conclusive evidence.

Then, Tighnari continued, “That’s unfortunately the problem with these Alpha-Beta-Omega
dynamics. We don’t have the technology to accurately understand such discrepancies in the
human body. The reason I think it’s King Childe and not you is that male omegas are more
likely to suffer hardships like this than any other gender. Had it been a problem with your
sperm, he wouldn’t have gotten pregnant at all. The fact that he had a mid-term miscarriage
can only be attributed to incompetence in his reproductive system.”

Zhongli opened his mouth but bit his tongue with subdued anger that Tighnari had called the
inability to have children ‘a discrepancy’ and ‘incompetence’. Nothing about Childe was
even close to a discrepancy.

Tighnari seemed to read Zhongli’s doubtful expression as if he was unsatisfied with his
reasoning.

He sighed, understanding that Zhongli needed more reason than just Tighnari’s personal
experience. “I’m sorry — I know it’s not sufficient reason to believe this might be the case.
But… I believe there is only one way to know for sure whether it’s you, King Zhongli, who is
sterile or King Childe.” At this, both Zhongli and Childe looked interested, gazing at Tighnari
with slight hope.

“The two of you have yet to mate, which may yet be a good thing. The only way for you to
find out if King Childe’s body is fit to bear children is if you allow someone else to
impregnate him–...” Tighnari cut off, flinching as Zhongli stood up abruptly.

Tighnari’s ears flattened behind his head, his eyes widening as if sensing danger at the look
of sheer fury that suddenly erupted in Zhongli’s eyes.

Zhongli’s previously pensive expression had been replaced by something much uglier. His
face was dangerously stony, his jaw clenched strong enough for his teeth to creak under the
pressure. He had a look of pure loathing at the idea Tighnari suggested, releasing his
pheromones due to the sheer disgust he felt at the thought of allowing anyone else to touch
Childe.

“Mr. Tighnari,” Zhongli said in a stiff, dangerously calm voice, causing both Childe and
Tighnari to recoil, “Don’t cross the line.”

Tighnari looked deeply uncomfortable at Zhongli’s expression and the words he spoke.
Tighnari already had a mate — he was safe from Zhongli’s pheromones, for which he was
deeply grateful. “Right, sorry,” He muttered, feeling it would be safer for him not to test the
patience of the king of Liyue. Childe stared at Zhongli, feeling his heart trembling as
Zhongli’s words bounded around in his head, covering his nose at his husband’s scent
hanging in the air.

Normally, Zhongli’s scent would calm Childe down and soothe him but, this time, it did no
such thing. In contrast, inhaling it was more difficult for Childe than ever. These pheromones
hadn’t been released for Zhongli to break down Childe’s fear or panic — rather, they had
been released to induce fear and panic.

He hadn’t even been the subject of Zhongli’s rage, and yet, he still felt his fear double.

He was afraid that he would be the next target of this side of Zhongli. He was sure the
moment they got home, things wouldn’t end well for Childe. He tightened his grip on his
robes; his feelings were getting too much to bear. All this time, Tighnari and Zhongli talked
about him as if he wasn’t there — as if he was just an object. Tighnari addressed only
Zhongli when speaking of Childe, knowing full well that Childe was no more than Zhongli’s
property, not his own person. Childe’s previous ease at being around Tighnari, a fellow
omega, filtered out of him as easily as his trust in Zhongli.

Childe knew that the only reason Zhongli was aggravated by Tighnari’s suggestion was that
Childe belonged only to him.

Since the time he’d first laid eyes on Childe’s photograph, Childe had been Zhongli’s
property; his anger towards the prospect of sharing Childe was proof that that was all he saw
Childe as.

Childe blinked the tears out of his eyes, promising himself he wouldn’t cry. He knew all too
well what his future would hold the moment he stepped back inside the Golden house, and
there was nothing he could do to save himself.

“Is there anything you can do for us in the meantime?” Zhongli asked Tighnari, his tone full
of spite and poorly-restrained irritation.

Tighnari pursed his lips at Zhongli’s sudden hostility but sighed. He raised the brown paper
bag he was carrying, “I’ve prepared some medicine for King Childe using medicinal herbs
from Sumeru and Liyue. One of these is a painkiller, another is a suppressant, and the last is
birth control.” He told Zhongli.

Zhongli’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, “Why birth control?”

Tighnari carefully neared him, handing him the bag of medicine. He knew he should bite his
tongue; after all, he was faced with a king and an alpha, but Tighnari was feeling his own
brand of hostility for Zhongli. He contemplated what to tell Zhongli, then glimpsed behind
him at something, or rather someone, Zhongli hadn’t yet noticed. Whomever he saw seemed
to strengthen Tighnari and reduce his fear.

“I included it so Lord Childe wouldn’t have to suffer another miscarriage from… anything
you may do to him out of anger,” Tighnari said, his voice much colder than before.

Zhongli’s eyes flashed dangerously at the implication behind Tighnari’s words, his fingers
curling into fists. He understood all too well that Tighnari was suspecting him of forcing
himself on Childe due to the anger he felt towards Tighnari.

He wondered where Tighnari had gotten the sudden confidence to say something so
accusatory and brutal to a king. Then, he glanced behind Tighnari and saw a figure standing
on the roof of the closest hut to theirs. A white-haired man with a severe face was watching
them. Zhongli understood immediately why Tighnari felt strong enough to speak his mind: he
was under his alpha’s protection.

Zhongli pursed his lips, looking resentful, but he pushed down his feelings.
“Alright then,” Zhongli said, his voice considerably calmer than before. It wasn’t that he
feared conflict with that man outside, but he placed himself in his shoes. If someone tried to
bully Zhongli’s omega right in front of him, he knew it wouldn’t end well.

Zhongli was a man of honor; he would not put that white-haired man in the same position.

He turned around sharply and stiffly, moving towards Childe, who still sat in the same spot,
gazing at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing ever. Zhongli forcibly softened his
gaze and relaxed his shoulders. The last thing he wanted was to worry Childe even more.
Tighnari’s words had wounded him — the implication that he would do something to hurt
Childe in a fit of rage disgusted Zhongli.

He extended his hand to Childe, who stared at it expressionlessly, “Let’s go, котенок,” he
told Childe.

Childe didn’t move or respond right away, but, when he did, he didn’t take Zhongli’s hand,
choosing to rise on his own. Zhongli’s nickname for him made him ache unpleasantly.
Without looking at Zhongli, Childe began to make his way out of the hut, leaving Zhongli
looking more pained than ever.

As Childe walked out of the hut, he gave Tighnari a small nod, which he returned.

Wordlessly, Childe left Gandharva Ville to where their coach was parked and sat in the
carriage with Zhongli following after him like a lost puppy and Tighnari walking after them
to see them off.

Before Zhongli entered the coach, he finally remembered something. He tapped his pockets
and pursed his lips. He called for the coachman, who came running, “Yes, my king?” Zhongli
gestured back to Tighnari, who was standing by the hut, with a tilt of his head, “Give him all
the mora we brought for the journey in return for the medicine and his consultancy,” he said.

The coachman looked startled, “A-All of it?”

Zhongli shrugged, there was not a semblance of care in his defeated expression. He followed
Childe into the carriage. He found Childe sitting in the farthest corner of the carriage, looking
more fragile than Zhongli had seen him.

Zhongli began to approach him, but Childe threw out an arm to stop him, “No, leave me
alone,” Childe said firmly, refusing to look at him.

Zhongli’s fingertips trembled at the rejection, “Childe… please,” He said, his voice almost as
weak as it had been the last time he’d used Childe’s name — when he’d seen him hurting
himself.

Childe said nothing else, knowing that if Zhongli didn’t listen to his words the first time, he
wouldn’t listen the second time. He pushed himself further into his corner as if trying to get
as far from Zhongli as possible.

With his heart aching, Zhongli knew Childe had successfully trapped him.
He couldn’t continue to approach Childe without being hated by the man he loved. With his
feet feeling heavy, Zhongli plopped down heavily on the other side of the carriage.

The coachman briefly checked in with them before they departed, the atmosphere completely
different from when they’d been on the way to Sumeru.

Throughout the journey back, Zhongli tried to speak to Childe, offering him fruit and water,
his arm in case he got cold, and comfort when they went over a particularly strong bump in
the road, but Childe never responded to any of these attempts.

They left Sumeru with their hearts heavier than before.

***

The moment the carriage stopped in front of the Golden House hours later as the sun set,
Childe got up, holding his shoes. Zhongli also stood, grabbing the bag of medicine Tighnari
had given him and knowing what Childe was about to do, “Котенок, wait!” He called, but it
was too late.

Childe hurtled out of the carriage with no help even as he wasn’t supposed to make any sharp
movements. The pain could be shown on his face as he landed on the ground, his feet bare.
He didn’t care to wait for Zhongli, running up the steps to the courtyard of the Golden House
at full speed no matter how much pain each step brought him. Zhongli hopped out of the
carriage, his expression full of agony.

He was about to run after Childe, confident that he could catch him and set all the
misunderstandings straight, but a soldier immediately intercepted him, “Wait, King Morax!”

Zhongli gritted his teeth, glaring at the guard, who flinched. Childe had already disappeared
over the steps, causing Zhongli to sigh, knowing there would be no point — he would just
have to look for Childe later. Zhongli rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “What is
it?” He asked, resignation in his voice.

“The Liyue Qixing has asked for you to come to the councilors’ room the moment you return
from your journey,” The guard told Zhongli, her face slightly fearful of his reaction.

Zhongli’s eyes grew colder with every word. He gritted his teeth; why did they have to grace
him with their presence now? All the Golden House’s personnel knew how much Zhongli
loathed the council. Zhongli knew exactly why they called for him. They wanted to know the
verdict, whether Childe could give them what they wanted: an heir to the throne. Zhongli
knew the answer already, and he could predict what they would say. It infuriated him more
than anything.

“I’ll be there right after I use the restroom,” Zhongli told the soldier, who looked even more
nervous.

Anyone with half a brain cell could tell that Zhongli was lying just by his expression, that he
wasn’t planning to go to the restroom at all. There was a murderous look in his eye.
The guard could do nothing but nod. Zhongli handed her the bag of medicine, not wanting to
be burdened by it while doing what he was about to do, "Keep this safe and return it to me
later," He commanded. The soldier looked confusedly down at the bag, and then saluted to
show she understood.

Zhongli was about to leave to enter the Golden House, but then, he stopped, remembering the
way Childe had purposefully run into the Golden House. He pursed his lips, knowing he
couldn’t stop Childe from doing anything rash right away. He turned back to the soldier,
“One more thing,” He said to her, causing her to stand to attention, “Warn the other guards to
be on the lookout. If Childe tries to leave, don’t let him. If he manages to escape, I will let not
a single one of you live,” He said callously, causing a shiver to run down the soldier’s spine
along with the eavesdropping coachman’s.

Zhongli left without another word, crossing the courtyard and into the mansion.

Instead of heading to the councilors’ room within the Golden House, he went up to his office.
His heart ached to go to his room and see Childe, but he knew he couldn’t. It took the entirety
of Zhongli’s strength not to run off to find Childe, knowing that if he caught even a glimpse
of his husband, he would never be able to leave his side. If he was tardy about going to the
council, he knew it would affect only Childe.

He passed their room to go to his office, where he kept his beloved companion.

It stood on its own pedestal, shining and gleaming in the colors of the setting sun streaming
through the window. Vortex Vanquisher, the one thing that had never failed him, was his most
prized possession. He wasted no time in snatching it up and strapped it to his back before
leaving the office.

Zhongli went down to the room where the Liyue Qixing made their decisions alongside him.
He hated that room more than any other in the mansion. He knew exactly what to expect
from the trash that sat in the chairs of the council.

Today had been a day as difficult as the one six days ago. Even after five months, Childe had
little faith in him, if at all, and it frustrated Zhongli to no end.

And now, his day was just about to get worse.

~~~

He opened the councilors’ room with a flourish, successfully startling some of the men sitting
in their high-backed chairs.

“My apologies for being late,” Zhongli said courteously, stepping to the center of the room.
The Liyue Qixing’s seats were placed in a semicircle at the center of the room, a rounded
table sitting in front of them, encompassing all their seats.

The subject of their discussions would stand in the midst of the semicircle to await their
verdict. Behind the Qixing was another seat that resembled a throne, not as grand as the one
in the throne room, but more luxurious than all the others — it was Zhongli’s rightful place
when he oversaw these discussions. Today, Zhongli was the subject of their discussion,
leaving him no choice but to remain standing in front of the Qixing.

“Oh, no problem, no problem at all, King Morax!” The Tianxuan said, clearly trying to make
light of the situation.

Among the Liyue Qixing were the Yuheng, Lady Keqing, and the Tianquan, Lady
Ningguang, the only two Qixing Zhongli respected, aside from the Tianshu, Uncle Tian, who
was an impartial part of the Qixing. The other four were no better than the dirt under
Zhongli’s shoes.

Behind Ningguang stood the Queen of the Crux Fleet, Beidou, leaning leisurely against
Ningguang’s seat.

Six soldiers lined the walls of the room, dutifully keeping their gazes straight ahead to melt
into the background.

The Qixing eyed Vortex Vanquisher strapped to Zhongli’s back with distaste and
nervousness. Keqing and Ningguang shared a look as if they already knew what was going to
happen. Zhongli forced a calm and polite smile, “I was told you’d summoned me, is that
right?” He questioned despite knowing the answer.

“Yes, the last few days have been awfully heavy on your shoulders, haven’t they, King
Morax? We feel remorseful that we couldn’t be there to support you through your hardship.”
Uncle Tian asked.

Zhongli knew what he was referring to: Childe’s miscarriage.

“Yes — yes, it has been difficult,” He replied, his voice getting much colder as he realized no
one would beat around the bush, already jumping to the topic of Childe.

Keqing spoke up, “On behalf of the Liyue Qixing, allow me to express my sincerest
condolences for your loss, your highness,” she told him. Zhongli’s expression didn’t soften,
but he bowed his head to her in gratitude, knowing that she would be one of the few to mean
her words.

“Thank you, Lady Keqing,” Zhongli said simply.

It was silent for a moment as the Liyue Qixing tried to gather up the courage to ask about the
results of Tighnari’s inspection of Childe, having been told of the couple’s plans to see a
doctor about what had happened. Instead of waiting in agonizing silence for someone to ask
the painful question, Zhongli spoke first, “My husband has turned out to be infertile.” A chill
washed over the room at the emotionless tone Zhongli adopted, succeeding even in making
the well-trained guards shudder.

Beidou tensed up, her expression getting tighter with remorse. She opened her mouth to
speak, but Ningguang promptly pinched her hand that rested on her armrest to shut her up as
she was only a guest.
The first to speak was the Yaoguang, “We suspected as much. Well, I think it’s safe to discard
him now, isn’t it?” They said, their voice as casual as if they were discussing what to eat for
dinner. Only the most observant in the room could notice the way Zhongli’s shoulders grew
tenser, his eyes getting narrower.

Few in the room knew what Zhongli felt at the Yaoguang’s words: utter disgust.

“We’ll be doing no such thing,” Zhongli said calmly. This seemed to confuse everyone who
didn’t know the real Zhongli under his mask of being the king of Liyue, Morax.

“Oh, surely you can’t be serious, Morax~,” the Tianji guffawed, chortling to themselves,
guiding Zhongli’s sharp gaze to them, “He is of no use to us now. He’s an omega — the only
thing they’re good for is breeding and breeding only. If he can’t even do that, what good is
he? Wouldn’t he just be a lump of flesh? He brings nothing to the table.”

Ningguang, Keqing, and Beidou seemed to take in a sharp breath in unison.

All three of them had their gazes fixed on Zhongli and, with each word the Tianji spoke, they
watched the cold fury building up in Zhongli’s eyes. They may well be the only three in the
room to know just how much Zhongli loved Childe. To hear a member of the Liyue Qixing
say this was equivalent to them signing their own death sentence.

Zhongli’s face grew stonier and stonier the more the Tianji’s words rang through his mind.

He had his arms primly tucked behind his back, seemingly as a way of showcasing his
eminent manners but, in reality, he had his fingers gripped around the shaft of Vortex
Vanquisher. His fist got tighter as he tried to hold himself back from using his beloved
weapon.

Zhongli was sure that he would’ve been able to restrain his anger if it had just ended there.
But no, the Tianji foolishly decided to continue, “No, I don’t think the people of Liyue will
stand for having a useless lump of flesh as your consort, your highness.” Even through the
dark atmosphere in the room, Beidou began to smile. She knew that with each word they
spoke, the Tianji were digging their own grave. “We can void your marriage to that omega
and wed you to someone strong, illustrious, and reliable, my king. Or, even better, we can kill
him and throw his body to the wolves, no one need ever know–”

In a second, the Tianji stopped talking.

Lodged in their chest was the blade of Vortex Vanquisher. All was silent for almost five
seconds. The Tianji mouthed wordlessly, seemingly incomprehensive about what had just
happened.

“You talk too much,” Zhongli said quietly. Beidou held back a snort of laughter, the first to
react and come to terms with what had happened in a split second. Within a second, hell
broke loose in the councilors’ room. The Kaiyang, the Yaoguang, and the Tianxuan began
shouting, while Ningguang, Keqing, and Tian chose to avert their eyes. “Morax! What is this
madness?!” The Kaiyang shouted, rising to their feet. They threw an arm out to the soldiers,
“Restrain him!”
The guards, albeit hesitant, stepped forward, their spears drawn.

Zhongli hadn’t moved an inch from his spot, remaining in the same stance, only, this time,
one of his arms, the one he’d used to launch Vortex Vanquisher, hung loosely by his side.

With just one glance, Zhongli stopped the Millelith in their tracks. His gaze alone held so
much might, telling everyone in the room that no one would be able to overpower him,
especially when the three strongest in the room were all his allies.

Zhongli addressed the soldiers, “If you value your lives, don’t point your weapons at the man
you call your king.”

The guards looked conflicted, glancing between Zhongli and the three livid members of the
Qixing. Zhongli credited them for how swiftly and easily they collectively made their
decisions, watching as they lowered their weapons and remained standing at their posts.

He turned back to the Liyue Qixing, “Please take a seat, all of you,” he said, his tone
dangerously low.

The Kaiyang, Yaoguang, and Tianxuan looked shocked. Standing in the Golden House,
where each and every soldier had pledged complete and utter loyalty to the king, they knew
that the whole of the Liyue Qixing was at Zhongli’s mercy. They plopped down in their seats,
flinching as Zhongli began to walk towards the still-spluttering body of the Tianji.

Zhongli gazed upon their face, pure disgust shining in his expression.

“You won’t ever get a chance to speak about my beloved that way again,” He told them,
gripping the hilt of Vortex Vanquisher and sharply pulling it out of the Tianji’s body, causing
blood to splatter him.

They were left gasping, falling against the table in a bloody heap, bleeding out. Zhongli’s
expression switched to one of passiveness as he turned back to the other Liyue Qixing.

“My lords and ladies,” he addressed them, his voice calm, commanding respect, “I think you
forget who you serve. Well, worry not; while I still breathe, I am here to remind you. You, as
the Qixing, live to serve the king of Liyue, and that — to your dismay — is currently me.”

A collective shiver ran down the spines of those who feared to be the next to face Zhongli’s
wrath.

“But one thing you may not know is who I live to serve,” Zhongli said calmly, slowly pacing
in front of the Qixing. He could tell every person in the room was hanging on to his every
word. “As the king of Liyue, I serve my country. But, as a person, the one I serve” He came
to a stop at the center of the room once more, “is my husband.”

The silence that followed his words could allow even the dropping of a pin to be heard.

Keqing, Beidou, and Ningguang didn’t look even remotely shocked, while Tian had a look of
begrudging respect on his face at his display of loyalty.
“My omega is neither livestock nor a lump of flesh. He is a living human being and worthy
of every bit of my love, even if he can’t give me a child. Anyone who disagrees can simply
choose to speak up — I have no problem ending your lives as well,” Zhongli said with no
trace of a joke.

The Yaoguang spoke, “You can’t do this, Morax! It is not up to you who lives or dies, you
need us to help run Liyue–” Zhongli cut them off, pointing his blood-stained spear straight at
Yaoguang’s heart. His face was a blank slate, revealing not a single thought going through his
head. Keqing thought that if Zhongli’s face had been painted with rage, he would’ve looked
less sinister than he did at that moment.

“I need you?” He asked, cracking a dry smile as if amused by the thought, “No, Yaoguang. I
have no qualms about leading Liyue into tyranny if it means getting rid of those who oppose
the one I love. There is no one in this room — or perhaps, in this world — I truly need except
Childe. I value Childe’s life more than I do all of yours combined.”

Beidou sniggered at the offended looks on Keqing and Ningguang’s faces.

“I’ll repeat one more time: if anyone in this room has a problem with Childe, now is your
time to speak up,” Zhongli told them, a challenge in his voice. His eyes narrowed on each
face sitting at the semicircle, daring any of them to speak.

To his surprise, the one to speak was Ningguang, “I have no problem with your husband,
King Morax. However, there are other problems to be addressed.” She held Zhongli’s gaze
without so much as a flinch. Zhongli knew that Ningguang was always the voice of reason,
her confidence and her ability to think even under pressure were what made him respect her.

“Alright then, proceed.” He said.

“Should your marriage to Childe continue along with your reign over Liyue, how will the
next monarch be chosen?” Ningguang asked, “If your husband cannot give us the next king
or queen of Liyue, who will? It is very clear in our laws that each royal of Liyue is set to
marry and procreate at least one alpha child to lead the next generation and replace those who
pass. It is set in stone. It may well be a good thing that you haven’t mated with him. Even if
you can find a surrogate to give us an heir, that’ll be enough so long as royal blood runs
through its veins.”

Zhongli considered her for a moment. Keqing, Beidou, and Tian watched him, interested to
hear his response to her argument.

Zhongli smiled once more, “Lady Ningguang, you should know better than to make that
argument,” he said, causing Ningguang's eyebrows to furrow with confusion, “Do you think
you would be able to stand to watch the one you loved have a child with someone else if you
were in Childe’s place?”

Ningguang’s passive expression flickered. Almost immediately, her hand found Beidou’s,
who looked almost disgusted by Zhongli's words. Ningguang could find no response to give
Zhongli.
Zhongli seemed satisfied by her lack of a rebuttal. “I am the king of Liyue — and while I still
remain so, my word is law. My younger brother, Xiao, will take over as the next monarch
upon reaching age twenty-three, exactly twenty years from now. He has the same royal blood
as I do and he will make a fine leader some day. If that is not good enough, then it’ll be up to
you to find a monarch to replace me right this instant, because I have no interest in running a
country where the one I love is not by my side,” Zhongli stated. There were grunts of shock
from the room at his words.

“Yes,” Zhongli said, looking unphased, “that is how far I am willing to go for my love for
Childe. If you dare, elect someone to replace me — but let it be known, my people will not
accept anyone who doesn’t have the same blood as I do.”

Silence rang through the room once more as the Liyue Qixing contemplated his words. As
moments passed by, Zhongli realized they had no argument to refute his words.

He continued, his voice stronger than ever as he addressed Ningguang, the only one who'd
questioned his plans for the future, “My people love me, Tianquan. I may not be as kind and
benevolent as they see me as,” He said, gesturing to the body of the Tianji and the thought of
Tighnari, “but they will not stand to see me replaced before my time by someone less worthy
than I am.”

Zhongli gazed at the Tianji’s corpse, distaste written in his expression. A thought came to his
mind, causing him to smile coldly, effectively creeping Beidou out.

“See to it that the former Tianji’s son is told why his parent had to die. I’m sure he and his
omega wife will be interested in hearing what they said to deserve this fate. If they so choose,
permit them to report as the next Tianji, effective immediately.”

Zhongli strapped the sullied Vortex Vanquisher behind his back nonchalantly, “You have until
tomorrow morning to decide the fate of Liyue’s throne. But I will give you one word of
warning before I take my leave: if anyone dares to touch Childe, I will see to it that each and
every one of you is beheaded.”

With that, Zhongli turned around and strode out of the room.

~~~

As he left the councilors’ room, he felt an unruly sort of weariness wash over him. All he
wanted to do was simply collapse, but he knew his work was not yet finished. He finally
allowed his mind to focus on the most important thing: Childe.

Zhongli walked at a hurried pace. He trusted the Millelith not to have let Childe leave, but he
still couldn’t help the anxiety churning in his stomach.

What he had felt while talking to — or rather, threatening — the Liyue Qixing held not a
candle to how he felt now. He felt truly weak, broken beyond repair. If Childe didn’t accept
him, he may as well lay down and die. Zhongli was risking the life he’d been building for
himself over the last few years just to be able to have Childe — no matter what Childe said to
him, whether he rejected or accepted him, he would not regret putting everything on the line
for him.

He was protecting the one he loved, and that was worth more to him than his own life.

As Zhongli neared his and Childe’s room in the west wing of the mansion, he saw the same
Millelith guard from before keeping watch at the end of the corridor. She started at the sight
of Zhongli but the man paid her fear no heed. “I trust he hasn’t left?” He asked.

She shook her head frantically, “No, my king. I have lookouts on all sides of the castle,
including right outside your window, King Childe has yet to make his escape. But… I believe
he is planning to do so, but the reason he has yet to act is that he is aware of being watched.”

Zhongli nodded, satisfied, “Good work. Leave the rest to me, you may return to your posts.”

The soldier saluted, about to leave, before she remembered something. She let out a noise of
remembrance and, from her armor, she withdrew the bag of medicine, bowing and handing it
to Zhongli, "You asked me to hold on to this, your highness," she told him. Zhongli nodded,
taking it from her and dismissing her with a wave of his hand. The guard ran off right after.
Zhongli rubbed the nape of his neck, staring down at the paper bag with exhaustion in his
eyes, ready to face possibly the most difficult battle of today.

He entered their room, and the first thing he saw was Childe packing a small traveler’s bag
with dried tears streaking his cheeks, his nose red, and his eyes puffy from crying. Zhongli’s
heart broke at the sight of him, “Котенок, what are you doing?” He asked.

Childe started at the sound of his voice, spinning around as if he was unprepared that Zhongli
would return so soon.

His eyes widened at the sight of Zhongli’s bloody face and the blood-stained weapon
strapped to his back. Childe backed away slowly, glaring at Zhongli. “Don’t call me that,”
Childe said sharply, his voice dripping with venom. Zhongli rubbed his face, misery in his
expression, “Childe… why are you doing this? Have I ever given you a reason to fear me?”
He asked, his usually strong voice strained with emotion.

Childe found himself laughing at the question; it was truly scary for him to hear his own
mouth make such a dry, emotionless sound.

“You’re giving me a reason right now, Zhongli. You’re holding that spear while covered in
blood and expect me to think you’re not going to use it on me next? Especially after what you
learned today?” Childe asked, disbelief in his eyes.

Zhongli sighed, truly worn out. He unstrapped the weapon from his back, causing alarm to
shine in Childe’s eyes, thinking he was going to act on his words. Zhongli stared at the
bloody blade of his beloved weapon. Then, without a second thought, tossed it to one side of
the room far out of his reach.

Childe flinched, clutching his ears as a deafening clanging sound filled the room as Vortex
Vanquisher met the ground harshly. Then, he watched as Zhongli raised his sleeve up to his
own face and wiped the blood off of it. “There, now I neither am bloody nor am I holding my
spear. Do you still have a reason?” Zhongli asked, his voice calm. Childe stared at him
silently, his eyes still glossy.

He flinched as Zhongli began to move towards him, throwing the bag of medicine and
contraception on their bed and causing Childe to move back with every step, frightened. His
breath hitched as his back hit the wall, leaving Zhongli to waste no time in caging him
completely.

“I asked you a question, Childe,” Zhongli challenged, “Why are you still afraid of me?”

Childe’s eyes brimmed with tears again. Zhongli didn’t lay a finger on him — in fact, he
couldn’t recall Zhongli ever doing so without Childe’s consent.

All the memories of the last five months flooded Childe’s mind. All the kind things Zhongli
did for him poked and prodded at Childe’s conscience. Why? Why was he still afraid of
Zhongli? — he asked himself.

The answer came to his lips easily, “Because you’re an alpha. You have both the physical
strength and the influence to make it so that I never existed the moment I become of no use to
you.”

Zhongli bit the inside of his own cheek with distaste at the fact that this was how Childe
thought of him — as nothing but a cold-blooded killer, warm one second and ice-cold the
next. He brought one of his hands to Childe’s chin, tilting his head up so their eyes could
meet. “You’re right. I have all of that… so then why? Why have I yet to lay my hands on
you, котенок? Why didn’t I use this strength and influence you speak of to kill you the
moment our child was lost? Why would I spend my time grieving our loss together, holding
you in my arms for nearly six days straight if I was just going to kill you anyway?”

Childe’s lips trembled as he looked into Zhongli’s eyes. In them, he could see only sincerity.

“Help me understand, my love. How can you be so blind to my feelings for you? Do you hate
me that much?” Zhongli asked, cupping Childe’s cheeks, rubbing over his bandages where
Childe's scars of self-harm were still healing. He sounded so heartbroken as he uttered the
last question. The idea pained him so intensely that he felt he could cry the same way Childe
did.

Childe looked panicked at his words, his mind screaming denial. His feelings spilled out in a
single moment, “No! No… Zhongli, I’m afraid that– that I’m not worthy enough to be by
your side!” Childe said hysterically, tears leaking from his eyes. He broke down into sobs,
finding himself near the root of all his worries.

“Zh-Zhongli, you’re the first to ever be so kind to me… it–it terrifies me to give you a reason
to discard me. Even if you don’t want to, I know the Liyue Qixing will never spare me or
allow me to stand by you after today… and you’re their king. You can’t go against Liyue for
me,” Childe told him, his voice getting quieter and quieter. That was the first time he’d ever
spoken his true feelings, the first time he had ever voiced his inner turmoil, the conflicting
feelings of wanting to be by Zhongli’s side and knowing that he couldn’t.
He was afraid that Zhongli would agree, that he wouldn’t choose Childe over Liyue.

But then, Zhongli began to chuckle softly. Childe’s heart filled with fear at the sight of
Zhongli’s unreadable smile as if he was making fun of Childe for speaking his heart.

Childe was tempted to push Zhongli away, to run and never look back for seemingly being
judged for sharing what he was going through, but Zhongli wrapped his arms around his
waist, pulling him into an embrace.

“My sweet kitten… would you believe me if I told you I have done just that?” Zhongli asked,
amusement in his voice.

Childe looked shocked at his words, trying to make sense of them. What was Zhongli saying?
It couldn’t be true… could it? “No, I wouldn’t,” Childe whispered truthfully. Zhongli smiled,
having predicted what Childe would say. He glanced out of the window right beside them,
facing the courtyard of the Golden House.

Zhongli silently cheered with victory as all his ducks lined up in a row, “Then I’m afraid I’ll
simply have to prove it to you.”

He pulled Childe forward and turned him around until he could look out the window. Childe
stared incomprehensively down into the gloom of dusk, seeing a group of people walking
towards the Golden House’s exit. Childe's eyes widened, recognizing them as the Liyue
Qixing. “You’ve met all seven of the Liyue Qixing and the Queen of the Crux Fleet, haven’t
you?” Zhongli asked him. He slowly nodded.

“With the exception of Beidou, how many people do you see?” Zhongli pointed out, placing
his head on Childe’s shoulder from behind, still keeping him locked in his arms. Childe
counted, “Six…” He whispered, still confused by what Zhongli was trying to point out.

Then, he realized that the Liyue Qixing was missing a person. Childe looked at Zhongli,
mystified, disbelieving.

Zhongli gave him an innocent smile, “The role of the Tianji is now vacant,” He said simply,
choosing not to elaborate anymore. Childe glanced at the spear lying on the other side of the
room, stained with blood.

He put two and two together, his eyes widening, “No… you didn’t,” Childe said, looking
appalled at how calmly Zhongli was talking after just murdering someone.

“I did, my love… it’s just as you said: the Liyue Qixing did not want to spare you. And so,
they forced my hand; I jeopardized my life and title to protect you by risking civil war. But I
won’t lie and say I did it only for you, my love,” Zhongli said, spinning Childe back around
to face him. He neared Childe’s face, the ghost of his lips brushing against his ear, “I did it
for myself. I did it because I selfishly desire you and your love more than I desire peace in
my country.”

Childe blinked, and when he reopened them, an overwhelming number of emotions were
shining in his eyes.
"B-But… after you step down, who will take over?" He asked Zhongli, worry still in his
voice along with an inexplicable sort of happiness at Zhongli's revelation.

Zhongli just smiled, "That is yet to be determined, but I'm sure Xiao will grow up to be a fine
king, perhaps, even better than me," He told Childe. Childe thought about it, chewing the
inside of his cheeks nervously.

Zhongli's words made sense, but Childe still felt as if it was unrealistic to expect a country,
whose monarchy was passed from generation to generation, to accept a leader just like that.
Zhongli seemed to read his thoughts and pressed his forehead against Childe's, directing his
attention back to him.

“My love, the future is out of our hands. But… what is in my hands is whether or not you
believe in my love for you and trust me to make it work," Zhongli whispered. Childe looked
at him with an almost expectant look in his eyes. "Do you still need more proof, котенок?”
Zhongli asked softly, but he seemed to think better of it, answering the question by himself
with a knowing smirk, “Yes, I’d say you do.” He whispered. Placing one hand on the nape of
Childe’s neck, Zhongli closed the distance between their lips.

For the first time since their wedding day, Zhongli kissed Childe.

Childe stared at him, dazed for a few seconds, wondering what Zhongli was doing to him. He
felt tears finally beginning to overflow past his eyelids as he realized that this was Zhongli’s
final expression of love. Zhongli’s desperation showed in the way he moved his lips against
Childe’s; it was the last ditch effort to convince Childe of his love.

Childe melted into the kiss, his arms wrapping themselves around Zhongli’s neck as he
responded to Zhongli’s lips.

Neither of them could find the heart to pause the kiss even for a breath, afraid that the
moment they finally let their love for each other speak volumes would end a little too quickly.
Childe’s lips trembled against Zhongli’s but he seemed unwilling to let him go, not wanting
to break their link for a second.

Their tongues intertwined, a bit of spit dribbling down the corners of their mouths from their
lack of experience. To Zhongli’s surprise, Childe was the one to take initiative, cornering
Zhongli towards the bed until the back of his knees hit the bed, causing him to topple over on
the bed. Childe climbed over him, breathing through his nose, all the feelings of desire and
want he felt for Zhongli spilling out after five months of being together.

Finally, they pulled back, panting for breath, looking into each other’s eyes.

Childe still had tears running down his cheeks even as he hovered over Zhongli, causing
Zhongli to raise his hand to wipe them away. “You look beautiful even in tears, my love,”
Zhongli whispered. He smiled as Childe’s cheeks tinted pink, unable to help but tease him,
“You’re not going to question my sincerity like last time, are you?” He asked.

Childe buried his face in Zhongli’s neck with embarrassment, remembering the first time
Zhongli had complimented him on their wedding night. He shook his head, causing Zhongli’s
smile to stretch into a grin.

Zhongli finally felt at peace. He had done everything in his ability to make Childe believe in
him and, at last, it had worked.

He promised himself that if Childe ever found himself distrusting him again, he would not
hesitate to just kiss him no matter where they were. This kiss will be a reminder for Childe to
never doubt his husband ever again.

As Zhongli let his hand rest on the nape of Childe’s neck, he felt his eyes narrowing,
remembering what Ningguang and even Tighnari had said about what a relief it was that
Zhongli hadn’t mated with Childe. It angered him again. He recalled their wedding night
when he had been millimeters from biting Childe and sealing their fates. Had it been the right
choice for Zhongli to stop himself? Had he done so, would Childe have doubted his sincerity
for the last five months? Would anyone have dared to question his relationship and love for
Childe?

The smile he wore at the feeling of having the one he loved back in his arms didn’t last long.

“Childe,” Zhongli called, his voice back to being as strong and defiant as a king’s should be,
effectively startling Childe out of his daze. Childe raised his head over Zhongli’s, looking
down at him with a slightly nervous look at how serious Zhongli sounded. Zhongli always
used his name whenever he felt the situation was dire.

“I want to mate with you,” Zhongli told him, sitting up with Childe slipping into his lap.
Childe blinked at him, looking surprised at the sudden statement.

Zhongli prepared himself to create an entire presentation to convince Childe why they should
become one with each other, thinking that Childe would refuse and be skeptical immediately.
Instead, Childe shrugged, “I think you should go for it,” He said, his voice surprisingly calm
though his insides fluttered — he’d been waiting for Zhongli to suggest it ever since his
feelings started budding for Zhongli.

Zhongli opened his mouth, ready to list a dozen reasons why he was worthy of being Childe’s
alpha, but he stopped in his tracks as his brain processed that Childe had agreed.

“Wait… really?” Zhongli said, his usually composed voice laced with a surprised-happy tone.

Childe laughed a little. Maybe, just maybe, this era of suffering for Childe was over now that
he was able to laugh a little easier. One tragedy after another had broken him down, mind and
soul, but he had come out of it stronger.

“Yeah. Mate with me and make sure I can never feel as torn as I did today, Zhongli,” Childe
whispered, allowing his lips to brush over Zhongli’s jaw.

Zhongli felt his heart thumping, feeling Childe break each thread of his self-control with
every word he spoke. This was an invitation. The way Childe said it, with his breath fanning
Zhongli’s face and his voice dangerously low, told Zhongli that he was free to do anything he
wanted tonight.
~~~

Within the second, Zhongli had Childe pinned to the bed, their lips pressed together again.

Zhongli felt so warm in his chest at how far they’d come since their wedding night. That day,
he neither could kiss Childe nor mark him. Today, he could do both with Childe’s full
consent. These last five months of building love had meant everything to Zhongli; it
overjoyed him to see how their relationship had progressed.

Within minutes, Childe’s robes had been stripped off and discarded to the side.

Just the sight of the body of the man he loved was enough for Zhongli’s breathing to quicken,
a blush rising to his cheeks while the rest of his blood rushed south to his crotch. Childe was
pale from the lack of sun with freckles sprinkled across his hips and chest and a few moles
dotted here and there to accentuate his skin. Zhongli’s eyes searched all the places he hadn’t
gotten to admire the first time he’d seen the whole of Childe’s body.

Childe felt shy as if he was being inspected thoroughly under a microscope, with Zhongli
marveling at every little detail of his body, licking his lips at all the features of Childe’s body
that he found attractive and releasing his pheromones the more aroused he got.

Childe didn’t try to hide, feeling like Zhongli was one of the few worthy of gazing at his
body like this. After all, Childe couldn’t shy away from the man he would call his alpha,
could he?

The scent of Zhongli’s pheromones in the air made Childe weak, causing his brain to feel
buzzed and high off of lust.

He slapped Zhongli’s shoulder twice to get his attention, tugging at the front of his robes with
a meaningful glint in his eye, “You too,” he said, confusing Zhongli for a second. Then,
Zhongli understood what he meant and smiled, realizing what Childe was asking. He sat up
on his knees, beginning to strip himself of his clothing as well. Zhongli knew very well that
Childe, too, had not been able to admire Zhongli’s body as much as he would’ve liked to on
their wedding night. It was only fair that he got to do so as well.

As Zhongli undressed, Childe permitted himself to ogle his husband’s body for the first time.
He rubbed his knees together, feeling his cock respond to the sight that was Zhongli.

He wasn’t overly muscular as some alphas were; Childe knew that Zhongli chose not to build
his body more than it already was, choosing to remain slender in physique to accentuate how
tall he was. His muscles did not bulge, but Childe understood better than perhaps anyone that
this did not mean he wasn’t strong.

Childe preferred Zhongli to keep this figure, feeling how his body heated up in response to
Zhongli’s and the way he got wetter as if his body already knew what was coming.

As Zhongli stripped off his pants, Childe bit his lip, looking slightly alarmed at the sight of
his cock. He couldn’t help but wonder how Zhongli had managed to fit it inside Childe the
last time, feeling himself getting a bit more nervous at the sight of it. Childe didn’t know if he
could handle going all the way with Zhongli, especially with something as considerable as
his cock.

His body was still so tender and fragile after the trauma it had gone through only a few days
ago.

As if reading his mind, Zhongli cupped his cheeks over his bandages, smiling tenderly at
him, “I won’t be putting it in. I wouldn’t do that to you, котенок,” He said assuringly.

In Zhongli’s mind, Tighnari’s words rang: “I included it so Lord Childe wouldn’t have to
suffer another miscarriage from… anything you may do to him out of anger.” It hurt Zhongli
to think about. He never wanted Childe to think that he was doing this for his own gain — for
his own pleasure.

Childe managed a weak, loving smile. He twisted his head and placed a kiss on the palm of
Zhongli’s hand. Zhongli felt himself blushing at the action.

Slowly, careful not to hurt Childe, Zhongli lifted him up by the waist and twisted him onto
his stomach, pushing him into the mattress on his elbows and knees and gently lowering his
weight on top of Childe.

Their bare skins pressed flush together as Zhongli mounted Childe, his chest against Childe’s
back, his cock dangling between Childe’s legs.

Childe felt embarrassed, remembering having been in a similar position before.

He had been so adamant about not wanting to see Zhongli’s face the last time they’d been
like this, going as far as yelling at him for not respecting the wish, but now, he wanted
nothing more than to gaze upon Zhongli’s face. He knew this was necessary to give Zhongli
access to Childe’s neck, but the irony made him want to hide away. Childe bit his lip,
breathing in the pheromones raining down on him from Zhongli as the alpha trailed kisses
along his neck and jaw while his cock rubbed between his cheeks, coating itself in Childe’s
slick.

Zhongli pressed it between Childe’s legs, giving two thrusts to lube his inner thighs for easy
movement.

Once again, they were on this bed, in a room that was no secret to Zhongli, and once again,
he found himself admiring Childe in the wooden reflection of the headboard.

He wrapped one hand around Childe’s cock, the other placed by Childe’s head to keep
balance, before he began to thrust between Childe’s thighs, pumping him at the same time to
share the same pleasure between them.

Their moans cut through the silence of the room as pleasure filled their bodies. The sound of
Zhongli’s hips smacking against the back of Childe’s thighs accompanied the sounds of their
grunts and gasps for breath. Zhongli’s eyes narrowed as he watched Childe in the reflection,
his thick eyebrows furrowing as he felt himself getting lost in the warmth of Childe’s legs. It
was incomparable to being inside Childe, but just sharing this moment with Childe was
enough.

Childe felt drool dribbling down his chin, his mouth hanging open with the pleasure of
Zhongli’s large hand wrapped tight around his cock, stroking it strongly in time with his
thrusts.

He looked up and noticed, for the first time, how reflective their headboard was. His eyes met
Zhongli’s and he realized all too well how Zhongli had coped with not being able to properly
see him the first time they’d been together.

“Y-You pervert,” Childe whimpered fisting the bedsheets but keeping his gaze fixed on their
reflection, feeling himself getting more aroused at the sight of them making love.

Zhongli managed a chuckle into Childe’s ear. Wrapping his free hand around Childe’s neck,
he pulled both of them up to stand on their knees, allowing Childe to see the sight he’d seen
on their wedding day. Zhongli smiled at him in the reflection, “You call me a pervert but
you’re twitching so much at the sight of us, котенок,” he whispered, kissing Childe’s cheek
and sniffing the nape of his neck where his scent was strongest.

He felt his cock grow a little between Childe’s thighs, his canines itching to dig themselves
into Childe’s skin without missing a beat while so near to Childe’s neck.

Zhongli hesitated, wondering for the last time if this was what Childe wanted.

As if reading his thoughts — as if knowing what was going through Zhongli’s head, Childe
lifted his hand and reached behind him, running it through Zhongli’s hair and grabbing it in
his fist. He turned his head to meet Zhongli’s hazy eyes, a defiant expression on his face. For
the first time, Childe knew what he wanted — what both of them wanted — and he wasn’t
afraid to speak up about it.

“Mark me, Zhongli,” he said softly, panting for breath as Zhongli relentlessly pumped him,
“mark me and make me yours… if you don’t do it, I will never forgive you.”

Something snapped in Zhongli at his words. Zhongli realized from how tired Childe sounded
just how weary he was of constantly second-guessing himself, of constantly stopping himself
from doing what he desired.

He opened his mouth and clamped down on Childe’s nape with his teeth.

For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, a slow electric shock passed through both of
them. Childe didn’t realize it, but he had shouted Zhongli’s name from the sudden adrenaline
that burst through him. Zhongli’s grip tightened painfully around Childe’s cock and neck,
neither of them able to think straight.

Childe’s eyes glossed over. Zhongli watched through the headboard as a beautiful, trembling
smile made its way onto Childe’s face.

For the first time, Childe felt happier than he’d ever felt before.
All the pain he’d gone through in the last few days alone had left him battered and broken,
first from losing the baby he had wanted so badly, and second from being faced with the
possibility of separating from the man he loved.

He was one with Zhongli. Even though they could not conceive, they had become a family.

***

“Zhongli, I’m nervous,” Childe said, pacing the length of their living room, unable to keep
still. His voice trembled, his legs felt like jelly, and his ears burst with the sound of his own
heartbeat.

Zhongli sat on their couch, looking paler than usual, but much more composed than Childe.

He stood up, walking towards Childe with his arms outstretched. He promptly wrapped
Childe in his embrace, stopping his husband in his tracks and holding him tightly.
“Everything will be okay, котенок,” Zhongli promised, feeling Childe quivering his arms as
he buried his face in Zhongli’s shoulder. Even still, Childe’s heart fluttered as it always did at
the endearment Zhongli had been using for him since the start of their marriage.

“Zhongli, what if she doesn’t like me?” Childe murmured, his voice muffled into Zhongli’s
shoulder. The genuine, childish worry showed in his voice, causing Zhongli to smile softly.

Zhongli swayed with Childe in his arms to help soothe him, “She will love you, my love,” he
said gently.

Even though Childe was afraid, Zhongli couldn’t help the gentle, happy expression on his
face. One might question how he found the heart to feel happy when his lover was near to
tears, but Zhongli knew that Childe was just as happy and excited as he was.

Zhongli’s face was decorated with fine lines on his forehead and deep bags under his eyes,
and so was Childe’s, only he had smile lines and the slightest hints of crow’s feet.

Even still, as Childe looked up at Zhongli with his shimmering blue eyes, Zhongli couldn’t
help but think of how beautiful he was.

Neither of them could believe how long it had been since they’d first met: twenty years.

Both of them had entered into their early forties with their clumps of greying hair on full
display along with their wisdom.

Zhongli and Childe had reigned over Liyue all throughout the years since their wedding day
until, just earlier that year, they had taken an early retirement. Zhongli stepped down from
being king after a good long run of leading Liyue to prosperity.

Three months ago, Xiao had turned twenty-three and took his place as the king of Liyue
along with his husband, Aether, relieving Zhongli and Childe of their duties.

They were finally free to do whatever they so wished.

The couple left Liyue Harbor behind, choosing to move to the mountains of Jueyun Karst
into a small, homey cabin at the peak of Mt. Hulao, where no one was to disrupt their well-
deserved peace, made sure by Zhongli’s long-time friend, Mountain Shaper. After living as
the king and king consort of Liyue for twenty years, they were finally able to live life as
normal human beings with no responsibilities except to dedicate their hearts to one another.

Now, they were doing just that: living for themselves and for each other.

With all the freedom they could ask for, the two were finally expanding their family. In all
twenty years, they hadn’t been able to do so, given that Childe could not bear children and
Zhongli seldom had enough time, but now, they could finally fulfill their dream of being
parents.

That was why Childe was so nervous. Today was the fateful day they would be meeting their
daughter for the very first time.

For the last three months, they’d been planning on adopting a child to finally have what they
couldn’t twenty years ago — a baby. The Teyvat adoption agency had gotten them in touch
with a pregnant Fontainish omega who couldn’t keep his baby. Zhongli and Childe
immediately felt sympathetic to the man, who had been in the opposite situation as them.
They agreed to adopt his baby when it was born.

Even though they could not meet him in person, throughout the three months, they kept in
touch through letters.

Only a week ago, the omega had given birth to a healthy baby girl, and, soon after, the
adoption agency departed with Zhongli and Childe’s daughter.

Yesterday, they’d gotten a letter telling them that their agent would arrive at Liyue with their
daughter, and she would be delivered to them via Ganyu. For this reason, they’d hardly
gotten any sleep last night and spent most of the day restlessly, contemplating what their
daughter would look like and what they’d name her (they hadn’t reached an agreement even
after months of planning because Childe had a horrible taste in names).

Zhongli patted his husband assuringly on the back, a broad smile on his face with anticipation
for what was to come.

Childe had changed a lot in the last twenty years; using the time he had while Zhongli would
tend to his king’s duties, he mastered almost every type of weapon to defend himself, to make
sure no one would be able to walk over him again.

Zhongli still couldn’t help but feel prideful each time he held Childe, who was much stronger
and more muscular than he had been in their first year of marriage, because the love of his
life had come so far. In the countless times they’d sparred, Childe had walked away with
victory almost as many times as Zhongli despite being an omega.

Zhongli couldn’t be happier to call himself Childe’s husband rather than the other way
around.
Childe had worked on his confidence until he flinched not even in the face of some of the
most terrifying people — namely Ningguang, who could make anyone nervous — holding
himself gracefully in the face of the public and becoming the lovable king of Liyue by
Zhongli’s side. His character was in stark contrast with the timid man Zhongli had married;
he was able to laugh much more easily and walked with an air of positivity, spreading
happiness to those around him with just his infectious smile.

Zhongli loved every aspect of Childe. His feelings had not faltered even the slightest bit over
the years.

Even despite how far they’d come, occasionally, this nervous and skittish side of Childe
would make its way to the surface at random times, and Zhongli loved to see it. He loved
having a reason to hold Childe in his arms — a reason to feel needed while Childe hid
himself into his chest.

“She’ll be so beautiful, won’t she, Childe?” Zhongli asked, a dazed, loving smile on his face.

Childe paused his nervous jitters momentarily, thinking about Zhongli’s words. The same soft
smile rose to his lips as well. His eyes burned a little with the threat of tears of joy.

“Of course… she is our daughter, after all,” Childe said, his voice matter-of-fact. They shared
a quiet laugh, still swaying from side to side in each other’s arms. Childe realized he was no
longer shaking in Zhongli’s arms. He gazed warmly at his husband, wondering where he’d be
now if he didn’t have this loving man there to support him through every path they walked.

“Let’s just hope Mountain Shaper didn’t forget that we’re expecting Ganyu today,” Zhongli
quipped, cracking a smile.

He chuckled as Childe hit him on the shoulder, looking mildly upset, “Don’t joke around like
that!” He said, feeling nervous. Childe shook his head with exasperation, knowing just how
possible it was for Mountain Shaper to accidentally engulf Zhongli and Childe’s daughter in
amber (along with Ganyu, of course).

But just then, a knock sounded on the door.

Childe jumped half a foot into the air with alarm — he wasn’t ready. His eyes sought
Zhongli’s in his moment of panic, “She’s here! Zhongli, she’s here, I’m not ready!” Childe
yelped.

Zhongli’s heart leaped as well. Even through the anticipation of seeing his daughter for the
first time, Zhongli knew he was the one who had to get them together. He joined his forehead
with Childe’s, smiling lovingly, “Everything will be okay, my котенок.” Zhongli said, “Deep
breaths.”

Together, they took three deep breaths in unison until both of them felt calmer.

Zhongli kissed Childe’s temple, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and guiding him
towards the front door, “Let’s go meet our daughter.”
Zhongli opened the door with Childe by his side, allowing them to see a frazzled-looking
Ganyu, who looked like she’d been through hell and back. “Ah, s-sorry I’m late, Lord Morax,
Lord Childe! I almost got trapped in amber on the way, and then she started crying and I
didn’t what to do! So Mountain shaper helped me calm her down,” She said, looking
harrowed. Her blue hair was stuck in all directions and there were bags under her eyes.

“It’s quite alright, Ganyu, come in,” Zhongli said. Childe would’ve offered his hospitality as
well, but his eyes were fixed on the little basket in Ganyu’s hands.

Ganyu shook her head, “I’m really sorry, I would love to, but I need to get back. And besides,
you’ll need some time to get acquainted with this angel,” Ganyu managed a warm smile at
the basket she was holding and then at Zhongli and Childe, “she’s really beautiful.”

Childe smiled back at her though it was weak. Ganyu extended the basket to Childe, who,
with trembling fingers, took it from her.

“Thank you, Ganyu,” He managed to say. Zhongli nodded kindly to her as well.

She bowed to both of them, “On behalf of the Liyue Qixing and, of course, me,
congratulations on the new addition, my lords! We all look forward to meeting your daughter
officially when you are ready! Goodbye now!” She said to them, waving and trotting off back
down their front lawn. Zhongli closed the door, a glint of nervousness in his eyes matching
that of his husband’s.

Childe was staring into the basket, where, among a bundle of blankets, a sleeping baby
peered out at them.

Zhongli stood by his side, both of them standing in silence, simply watching as their newborn
daughter stirred. As if sensing their gazes, she opened her eyes, allowing them to see her
sparkling silver orbs. She was a little cross-eyed with chubby cheeks and only a few hairs on
her head, but, just as Ganyu had said, she was beautiful.

Tears began to stream down Childe’s cheeks at the sight of her. He’d always wanted to gaze
upon the face of a baby he could call his own. Finally, he fulfilled that dream.

“She’s so cute,” Childe said, starting to sob with affection. Zhongli hugged him into his side,
misty-eyed as well with a gentle smile on his face. “She is,” He agreed. Slowly, he steered
Childe forward towards the living room, where Childe placed her basket on the table.

Childe tried his best to steady his hands as he dug through the blankets, taking the baby in his
arms.

He picked her up very carefully, holding her in his arms, barely able to see past his own tears.
He was terrified that she wouldn’t like being near him, but, on the contrary, she curled up to
him, reaching a chubby hand and placing it on his chest. She couldn’t see him, but her little
body relaxed completely as if feeling safe.

“I’d hate to say I told you so, Childe,” Zhongli said fondly, “she loves you.”
 Seeing Childe holding their daughter, looking delicate and as beautiful as the day they’d met,
brought Zhongli inexplicable joy.

“Do you want to hold her? I’m scared I’ll drop her,” Childe said, smiling wide enough for his
cheeks to hurt. Zhongli did not object one bit, holding out his hands for Childe to place her in
them.

As their daughter was passed to him, Zhongli knew immediately that something was very
wrong.

She began to cry the moment he held her. Zhongli’s face lined with worry, looking terrified
that he’d done something wrong. “N-No, don’t cry,” Zhongli said quietly, looking crestfallen.

All the doubts he’d been trying to avoid about him failing as a father came rushing back in at
the sight of his daughter’s crying face. It had been Childe who’d been worrying that their
daughter wouldn’t like him, but now it was Zhongli’s turn to face those worries. Childe
observed his alarmed expression with so much affection in his eyes; the man who single-
handedly ran an entire country, the man who was such an excellent, loving husband to
Childe, was doubting himself as a father. Childe couldn’t have that.

“Zhongli, it’s okay,” he told his husband, taking their daughter back from him. Zhongli
looked even more upset when she stopped crying almost immediately in Childe's arms.

He was interrupted in his own self-pity as Childe gave him a loud smooch on the cheek,
causing him to look surprised, “She’ll love you, just give her some time. She’ll love both of
us,” Childe promised, smiling down at his daughter. Zhongli’s hurt expression softened a
little; he believed Childe.

When their daughter grew up, she’d realize what amazing fathers she had. Childe felt the last
of his tears spilling out at the sight of her, not just out of happiness, but also sadness.

Twenty years ago, if they hadn’t lost their first child, they would’ve been standing by their
side now, gazing at their little sibling with a smile. But it was no matter — if a heaven
existed, both Childe and Zhongli knew that the child they couldn’t have would be smiling
down upon them.

They were ready to give their daughter the love they hadn’t been able to give their first child.

Chapter End Notes

This AU has been a wild ass ride, and it nearly killed my braincells in the process frfr...
but I hope it is to your liking! The last scene made me smile like a gosh-diddly-darned
dumbass. Y'all know my ass loves a happily ever after, but... who knows, maybe it's just
to let your guard down for any future emotionally-damaging chapters, mihihihi~

I hope everyone is living their best lives, happy spring everyone!

 Predator/Prey (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: R*pe/non-consensual sex, omegaverse, animal characteristics, mpreg,

blood.

Kaeya is a lonely man living a life he is displeased with. Outcasted by his peers, he finds
himself yearning for something meaningful, a relationship with an alpha who truly loved
him. In the most unexpected of ways, Kaeya gets his wish, but everything changes for
the worst on one fateful full-moon night.

Chapter Notes

DISCLAIMER: This chapter is meant for fictional purposes only; I am, in no way,
condoning the themes set in this chapter and none of this should be applied to real life.
Please beware that this might contain distressing content.

Whew, this chapter took forever to write, you'll probably see why! I must admit the idea
was way worse in my head, but I couldn't bring myself to write so much suffering for

😭😭
my bb Kaeya so I had to rewrite everything from scratch twice to tone it down a lil. 😭
I know there have been a lot of omegaverse chapters for the last few months, but this
might be the last one for a long ass time! I look forward to the chapters to come.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Kaeya swung the door open as he entered his home, a wide yawn stretching his mouth as he
blinked blearily.

The door creaked shut behind him as he began to take off his shoes, putting on a pair of
slippers and throwing his keys on a little table by the doorway. Kaeya was relieved to be
home after his hectic day at work. It was the end of the year, meaning that he’d gotten
swamped as the head of his department, making preparations to start the new year off on the
right foot.

He walked into the living room, wanting nothing more than to collapse on the couch and
never get up again, but he had a very important duty to tend to.
“Lola~!” He called out in the seemingly deserted house. He waited wearily for a few
moments for his beloved cat to show up as she always did at the sound of his voice. He gazed
out the window, looking out onto the back of the house.

Behind Kaeya’s house was a lush, dense forest, which shone very dimly in the twilight.

His expression twitched into one of foreboding as he looked out at the dim woods behind his
house. He brushed a hand over the nape of his neck almost as a way to soothe the sudden
anxiety bubbling in his stomach.

Kaeya didn’t particularly like the forest. It was huge and stretched on for kilometers, almost
as if it was never-ending. In the daytime, the forest was beautiful; birds could be heard
singing, while the trees would calmly sway with the breeze; the sun would keep the woods
from looking so gloomy. But at nighttime, it was completely different.

It was like looking into a dark abyss that could swallow just about any source of light and
smother it. Kaeya had also, on occasion, heard wolves howling in these woods.

The idea that there could be wolves roaming about this forest made Kaeya nervous, so he
took to avoiding it at all costs. He would seldom go out to his back patio after dark, choosing
to keep to himself in his room with Lola.

Kaeya’s lips pursed in annoyance as he glared back into the house, wondering if Lola hadn’t
heard him. “Lola, come on, I don’t have all day!” He said, raising his voice a little in hopes
he would hear the cat trotting over to join him in the living room from wherever she was
hiding.

Sometimes, Kaeya felt that having a cat was ironic.

Kaeya was an omega, a man with wolfish characteristics and the ability to bear children. He
had made a reasonable life for himself, working his way up the corporate ladder until he
assumed a role with some power. This was rare for omegas.

In Teyvat, there were two types of humans: societal and feral.

Societals were those who were able to balance both their regular genders as well as their
secondary genders, while ferals were those who weren’t able to conform to human life.

As their name suggested, ferals were brutish in nature, often with unkempt appearances;
unlike societals, they had sharp teeth and claws made to hunt and rip into flesh.

Ferals hunted in packs and ate raw meat. Sometimes, they would even prey on societals if
they entered areas inhabited by ferals. For this reason, societals usually kept away from their
feral counterparts. In some cases, the problematic ferals, who were a danger to human
society, were euthanized to keep societals safe. Attacks weren’t too common, considering that
the governments of each country in Teyvat had strict laws preventing people from entering
areas infested by ferals.
That was why Kaeya worried. He often heard howling in the woods, and sometimes found
humanoid foot tracks at the lining of the woods.

Kaeya knew for certain that there were no registered ferals or wolves in this forest — most of
the packs in Mondstadt lived in Wolvendom, but he kept away from the woods as much as
possible to avoid ever coming across danger.

Of the three secondary genders, alphas and omegas could grow ears and tails. Societals were
able to hide these unless they were feeling an intense emotion, but ferals had no control over
it; they would constantly have their ears and tails showing almost as if they were mood rings.

All alphas and omegas, no matter their heritage, would go into heat once a month on the full
moon unless they were mated to someone. Societals usually took suppressants to deal with
their heats and remain in their right minds, while ferals succumbed to nature.

Kaeya was quite the rarity. Societal omegas were not uncommon, but they were usually
homemakers, helping their alphas start new packs by taking care of their young while they
would go out to work and support the family. Kaeya didn’t have that kind of support system.
He was mostly alone, and he had no intention of marrying just anyone. Kaeya had always
dreamed of meeting 'the one', someone who would sweep him off his feet. He hadn't yet
found that person, so he turned his attention to his career.

He rejected all the jobs traditionally meant for omegas, such as being a teacher or a nanny,
instead choosing to go into one of the most prestigious areas of work.

His hard work and competence throughout the years were recognized by his kind boss, Varka,
who saw past his second gender and promoted him to the head of his department.

To others, this was nothing short of deviant. An omega was in a position of power, and they
didn’t know how to feel about it.

Even though Kaeya was successful in his career, there was a peculiar distance between him
and his subordinates. Although he wasn’t outright ridiculed for being an omega in an alpha-
and-beta-dominated career, the fact that he could bear children did not make his subordinates
keen to befriend him. To them, he was not as worthy of being their boss as an alpha or even a
beta would be.

For this reason, Kaeya was forced out of his element. He didn’t particularly have a societal
pack he could merge into, and without an alpha, he could not start his own pack.

People talked about him behind his back, gossiping about how he didn't have many friends or
a lover; his second gender didn’t help that, considering it was a common misconception that
omegas needed an alpha in order to survive. They created rumors that it was because he was
undesirable. Kaeya was secure enough to know this wasn't true, holding out hope that, one
day, someone will love him for who he was, but it didn't make the words hurt less. It was a
depressing life he lived, being a lone wolf. That was why he took to keeping a little cat with
him; though she wasn’t human, Lola helped him feel less alone.

He sighed, deciding to stop being lazy and beginning to look for his beloved friend.
However, as he went from room to room calling her name, he couldn’t find her anywhere.
Kaeya was starting to get worried, having never been ignored by her. He liked to think Lola
loved him just as much as he adored her.

“Where are you, you little rascal?” He murmured, a ball of anxiety churning in his stomach.

Lola meant everything to him; for her to not be there was a great source of worry for Kaeya.
Finally, he entered the kitchen, where he thought she would be least likely to hide. Kaeya felt
his heart drop into the pits of his stomach at the sight of the patio door standing ajar.

“Fuck, no,” Kaeya whispered, panic settling into his heart as he realized that there could only
be one reason why she hadn’t been responding: she was gone.

Kaeya rushed outside, flicking his patio light, hoping he wasn’t too late and that she hadn’t
left too long ago. He called her name over and over, searching the back of the house just as
dusk completely settled in.

He couldn’t find her anywhere, making him even more fearful.

He stood on his deck, staring out into the trees. His heart hammered at the sight of them; as
much as he didn’t want to believe it, he knew in his heart that she had gone into the forest.
Kaeya cursed, not knowing what to do. He knew that danger lurked in that forest, that wolves
or ferals inhabited it. It would be suicide to go in there, especially alone.

But Kaeya knew that the possibility of danger could not stop him from finding his beloved
companion. He ran back inside and grabbed his phone from the coffee table.

He knew he wasn’t dressed for nature, but the worry he felt didn’t allow him to care about
changing out of his dress clothes as he dashed back outside, disappearing into the trees.

He switched on his flashlight, gulping a little as the light illuminated his eerie surroundings.
Kaeya cursed as he looked at his phone, realizing that his battery was only at 10%. He knew
he didn’t have long before it went out, but there was nothing for it; it wasn’t like he could
leave his friend to die. He pointed the light to the ground and felt a jolt of relief wash over
him at the sight of tiny paw prints leading into the forest.

“This idiot…” Kaeya muttered, trying to make himself feel better by telling himself that he
was white-knighting for Lola even though he didn’t like the woods.

Kaeya could only hope that Lola hadn’t gone too deep into the forest and that he would be
able to find her and return home as quickly as possible. He feared the prospect of something
else being in the woods with them.

He began to follow the footprints at a steady pace. His breathing was slightly ragged from
alarm, afraid that, at any moment, something would jump out at him. He took to keeping his
eyes fixed on the trail of paw prints, afraid that he would see something staring at him from
the darkness if he were to look up.
Kaeya got antsier and antsier the deeper he went into the forest. The paw prints got messier,
disorienting him, sometimes going in circles or leading in several directions at once as if she
got curious about something in the forest.

He was worried that he wouldn’t be able to find Lola at all.

The thought of losing his friend was scary for Kaeya, who loved her with his whole being.
His battery was slowly deteriorating, causing reality to set in that, even if he found her, he
would somehow have to find his way back in the dark of night.

Kaeya stopped suddenly, staring at the ground with an uneasy expression on his face, his
breath hitching.

He gasped as he felt his head and tailbone grow warmer. He raised his hand to his head and,
to his dismay, found a pair of fluffy ears standing amid his navy-blue tresses. Kaeya cursed;
he must’ve been truly afraid if his wolfish characteristics decided to make an appearance.

Lola’s tracks didn’t end but there was another set of prints joining the same path as hers from
another direction. It was a pair of humanoid feet, likely one with claws if the ripped-up dirt
was any indicator.

“Fuck…” Kaeya cursed, finally looking up as if afraid that the thing that made these tracks
was watching him. No one was in sight, but it didn’t ease his nerves. The idea of Lola being
stuck in a forest with a feral man was nothing short of rattling for Kaeya. The idea of himself
being stuck in a forest with a feral was even worse because he was more susceptible to
danger as a societal if he had just entered a pack’s territory. Kaeya wanted to turn tail and run,
knowing he had no chance of making it through the night if whoever made these tracks found
out a societal was in their territory.

He knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t run because the sight of something following Lola scared
him even more.

Kaeya began to walk faster, following the trail almost at a jog because his battery was
depleting faster than ever running the flashlight. He stopped at a clearing, where the grass got
too tall for him to make out the tracks.

He heard the swishing of leaves along the treeline, making danger alarms ring in his head,
afraid that he was being followed.

Kaeya’s heart hammered, his tail swishing behind him anxiously. He felt severely out of
place in such a wild part of the forest, adorning a tie, dress shirt, and pants along with a pair
of thin slippers that caused grass to brush against his ankles. His pants felt uncomfortable,
pressing down on his tail. His first and foremost worry was finding Lola and getting out of
there.

He walked further into the clearing. Even though it was stupid of him to make his presence
known, he suddenly felt compelled to call out her name as if sensing her scent in the air.
“Lola?” He said, just an octave above a whisper. He almost didn’t expect anything, but a little
‘meow’ caught his attention.

He turned swiftly in the direction it came from, pointing his flashlight.

Kaeya’s heart swelled with relief as he found, behind a boulder, a familiar cat waltzing
casually into view at the sound of his voice. “You little..!” He said, ease washing over him as
Lola trotted up to him happily as he crouched to her level, rubbing affectionately against his
legs. “You had me so scared, you know that?” He told her quietly, though his solace at the
knowledge that she was okay showed in his voice and expression.

He even felt his hair shuffling and his pants returning to their normal, unruffled state as his
ease made his ears and tail disappear.

However, in the light of his phone, Kaeya saw that she was walking only on three legs,
keeping one of her paws aloft.

“Did you get hurt? This is why I don’t let you outside,” He grumbled, checking her paw and
relaxing that it wasn’t broken but had a small thorn embedded into the bottom of her foot. He
decided not to take it out right away, worried that creating an open wound in the middle of
the forest would do her no good.

He took her in his arms and carried her, just happy that his beloved friend was okay and that
he could make his way back to safety.

“Let’s go back…–” He began to say, but, just then, he heard the rustling of leaves behind the
trees right in front of him. Just as he was about to point his flashlight in the direction of the
noise, his phone buzzed loudly before shutting off completely, taking away his one source of
light.

Just as quickly as Kaeya’s relief came, it had gone. His wolfish characteristics returned in an
instant as panic coursed through his veins, his eye being plunged into darkness.

Lola dug her claws into his shoulder apprehensively as more rustling came from in front of
them.

Kaeya backed away slowly, hardly able to see on a moonless night. The dimmest of lighting
came from the sky due to the light pollution of the city of Mondstadt about fifteen minutes
away, but it wasn’t enough to allow Kaeya to see who or what was stalking him.

Kaeya felt his eye widen with alarm as a silhouette appeared from behind a tree at the edge of
the clearing. It was humanoid, though he could make out nothing else.

A pair of red eyes caught the tiniest bit of light, glowing almost sinisterly in front of Kaeya.
Kaeya felt his ears flatten down on his head, his tail tucking itself between his legs as he
caught the scent of a feral man standing before him — he was an alpha, releasing his
pheromones to intimidate Kaeya, to protect his territory from an unknown man.
Kaeya’s heart hammered, his legs itching to run as far as possible back in the direction he
came from, but his mind was more rational.

Kaeya knew that he had no chance of outrunning a feral, especially in the darkness and while
wearing slippers. There was only one thing he could do to guarantee his survival. Kaeya
wrapped his arms protectively around Lola, hoping that, if the feral charged, he would go for
him rather than her.

He slowly lowered himself to the ground, his back pressed against a tree trunk, making
himself look as small as possible, a sign of showing that he was vulnerable.

He made sure the feral man could see that his tail was pressed down out of fear, his ears flat
against his head. He looked away, no longer making eye contact as if to ensure the man saw
him as no threat.

Not looking at the alpha or being able to tell what he was doing in the dark of night was
nothing short of terrifying. He didn’t know what was going to happen, whether the feral had
any intentions to hurt Kaeya. What scared Kaeya, even more, was if he howled and called for
the rest of his pack.

Only his sensitive ears and a twitch of Lola’s body could help Kaeya catch the sound of the
man moving. He was unbelievably quiet, with only the rustle of a few blades of grass telling
Kaeya that he was on the move.

He knew that he was being cornered, that the alpha was moving in on him.

Kaeya tried to lower his breathing, clutching Lola defensively. As if she knew that they were
in danger, she didn’t move, trusting Kaeya to keep her safe.

The man stopped in front of Kaeya, only his feet appearing in Kaeya’s vision; Kaeya could
feel his gaze on him, refusing to meet his eyes in case he saw that as a challenge. Kaeya
wasn’t used to the darkness, but he’d heard that ferals had better night vision, leading him to
believe he was on full display for the man. He flinched as the man crouched in front of him,
entering fully into Kaeya’s line of sight.

Kaeya couldn’t help it. He looked up until his eye met those narrowed red ones once more.
Once their eyes connected, Kaeya found it difficult to look away.

His eyes were rapidly adjusting to the darkness, making it easier for him to just slightly make
out the man’s features. He had flaming red hair that carried down to his body, which was also
covered in thick hair. Although Kaeya couldn’t make out his physical features, he could tell
that the man was built just as an alpha would be: tall with muscular arms and legs and a
strong chest.

The fact that he wasn’t attacking Kaeya upon meeting his gaze was a good sign, but it didn’t
cause him to relax one bit.

Kaeya’s breath hitched as he realized the man was getting closer. He hid Lola from view,
afraid that the feral would try to snatch her away, but he quickly realized that he wasn’t
interested in the cat. He reached his hand out and, with a clawed finger, brushed it against
Kaeya’s eyepatch.

He was looking at the one glaringly obvious sign of Kaeya’s weakness, aside from knowing
that he was an omega. Kaeya understood that this was the feral’s way of checking if Kaeya
had any blind spots.

Kaeya’s toes curled fearfully as he felt the man nearing his neck. He sniffed the nape of
Kaeya’s neck slightly, likely able to hear his hammering heart.

Then, just as suddenly, he moved away, standing up. He took a few steps back, still looking at
Kaeya. Then, Kaeya could make out the slightest movement as the man nodded his head
away, a clear sign of telling Kaeya that he could go. Kaeya sat frozen for a few moments, but
he realized quickly that this was his one and only chance to escape safely with his scaredy-
cat.

Slowly, Kaeya rose to his feet, still with his back against the trunk, keeping his eye fixed on
the feral.

Kaeya felt uneasy turning his back on a wolf, but he slowly turned around, careful not to
make any sharp movements, before walking in the direction he’d come from, barely able to
see.

As he looked back, he saw the silhouette of the man disappearing into the trees.

Kaeya knew that he was being followed, but he kept his eyes trained forward, trying not to
focus on his sense of danger. He knew that his chance of surviving was much higher now that
the man had let him go, but it didn’t serve to make him feel at ease. Kaeya was scared that he
was going the wrong way, unable to find the right path while being blind and barely able to
avoid bumping into trees.

However, at times, he would see the man blocking his path, causing him to turn in another
direction.

This surprised Kaeya as he realized that the alpha was inadvertently guiding him back home.
Kaeya felt an immense amount of relief wash over him as the light from his patio broke
through the trees.

He nearly started running back to what he considered his territory, a place he associated with
safety.

As Kaeya reached his back porch, still with Lola in his arms, he looked back at the forest. In
the patio light, he saw a mane of flaming red hair disappearing into the woods, leaving Kaeya
standing there alone, looking dazed at what had just happened.

***

Ever since the incident where Kaeya had found himself at the mercy of a feral, he found that
his life seemed to get just a little more chaotic.
For reasons Kaeya didn’t understand, his mind hardly left the man in that forest.

Each time he found himself idle for more than two minutes, his mind ventured back to that
night. Kaeya didn’t know how to feel about it. The incident should’ve left him feeling shaken
up or even more scared of the forest, but, for whatever reason, that wasn’t the case.

The most peculiar thing for Kaeya was that the experience with that feral man had had the
opposite effect on him.

Sometimes, he would find himself zoning out, staring out of his window as if waiting to see
something. At times, it felt like something stared back at him from the treeline, but Kaeya
never knew for certain whether or not it was his imagination.

Maybe he was hoping to see someone out there now. Despite being scared of the forest,
knowing who inhabited it somehow gave him confidence.

The thought embarrassed Kaeya. Each time he would think of how close that alpha had been
to him, the way his narrowed red eyes had bore into him, the memory had a strange effect on
him. He would find himself blushing, feeling almost giddy; this was strange even to himself,
for he did not understand why he felt that way. It was almost as if his mind was romanticizing
what could’ve been a horribly dangerous situation.

He couldn’t help but dwell on the why. Why had that man spared someone who crossed his
territory? Why had he leaned in so close just to catch a whiff of Kaeya’s scent before quickly
letting him retreat?

Kaeya admitted that his lack of experience with any kind of relationship other than one-night
stands had left him feeling perplexed because of that incident.

One thing Kaeya knew for certain was that the experience with that feral man had humbled
Lola’s venturesomeness; for a few days after that night, the cat had chosen to hide under
Kaeya’s covers, too scared to even poke her head out. Kaeya shook his head with amusement
each time he remembered how much the experience had frightened her — he believed that,
no matter what, a cat like her would always be a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

Kaeya, although somewhat disappointed, had come to terms with the fact that, maybe, he
would never come across that alpha again.

However, this did not mean he wasn’t keenly aware of the signs of a presence in the forest,
hearing the rustling of leaves on a breezeless night or smelling that familiar scent of the alpha
in the air.

On one rare night, he found the time to cook and decided to treat himself to some steak.

He hummed to himself as he prepared one of the two steaks he’d bought, seasoning it
generously to his preferences. He left the door to the patio open for ventilation under his own
supervision– not that he thought Lola would be escaping any time soon. However, once he
started cooking, he heard sounds coming past the screendoor leading to the patio. It was the
sound of rustling leaves, but there was nothing to blame it on.
Kaeya raised his head and stared outside, trying to spot something in the darkness, but his eye
was too weak.

Yet, there was a presence in the forest, and Kaeya had almost no doubts about it. He tilted his
head up to sniff the air, causing a shiver of thrill to run along his spine. Very faintly could he
smell the same scent as that man hanging in the air.

Kaeya felt his heartbeat starting to quicken at the prospect of the alpha being out there just
beyond his line of sight. He knew that the smell of his cooking had likely attracted the feral
man.

Kaeya stared at the extra steak sitting in the package, a contemplative expression on his face.
He knew it was stupid, but he considered what he should do. A sane man would have an easy
answer to that: nothing. But some (albeit inherently idiotic) part of Kaeya felt excited at the
chance of interacting with a seemingly harmless feral. He felt like giving him a peace
offering, to maybe get closer to the man and understand why he made Kaeya feel this way.
On a whim, Kaeya seared the second steak just a little until it was brown on the outside and
red on the inside. He plated it, wondering what the hell he was about to do but not caring
enough to stop himself.

Slowly, Kaeya ventured outside, slightly raised on his tiptoes as if he was nervous, trying to
make as little noise as possible.

He felt eyes watching him as he neared the treeline with the lightly cooked steak, squinting to
look into the darkness. It felt like the feral man was hiding just beyond the light of his back
patio.

As Kaeya stood at the edge of the forest, he finally spotted something: a pair of bright red
eyes watching him. He gulped a little, a slight jolt going through his body, feeling his ears
popping up. He felt intimidated by how he couldn’t see anything of the feral man save for
those powerful, glaring red eyes. Kaeya extended his hand with the plate in it, watching as
the feral man moved his gaze from Kaeya’s face to the food he’d brought for him.

“I have something for you,” Kaeya whispered, not even knowing if they spoke or understood
the same language. The feral didn’t respond, looking between Kaeya and the plate he was
being offered.

Kaeya flinched as the man suddenly moved forward, rustling the bushes and cutting past the
trees near Kaeya. He finally entered the light, fearlessly moving closer until he stood just
about an arm’s length away from Kaeya. A smarter person would’ve turned tail and run, but
Kaeya felt very little fear of the man after he had been spared by him once and how much his
mind had romanticized that incident. Instead, he allowed his eye to feast itself on the sight of
the feral man.

He was strong, built like a truck with bulking arms and a broad chest. His body was covered
in the same flaming red hair as his head, running along his limbs and torso almost as a shield
from the cold.
Through his bushy mane sat up two red-colored ears, a matching tail swishing behind him.
But the most peculiar thing about the man was his handsome but, at the same time, cute baby
face. This didn’t exactly make him any less intimidating, but Kaeya couldn’t help but feel
attracted to him. Kaeya humbly refused to look any further than his abdomen, for he knew
that ferals seldom found the need to cover themselves.

The feral eyed the steak in Kaeya’s hands, his expression permanently nonchalant. Slowly,
Kaeya extended the plate further to encourage him to take it.

Kaeya found it working as he slowly raised his arm, reaching out and taking the steak from
the plate. Kaeya noticed how long and sharp his nails were, watching as the man raised the
steak to his mouth, revealing rows of sharp fangs as he tore a large chunk of the meat.

Kaeya blinked with surprise, watching him devour the steak in three bites until there was not
a single trace that it had ever existed.

The alpha looked expectantly at Kaeya for more, suddenly taking a step closer and sniffing
around him. Kaeya felt his heart hammering in his chest, his ears flicking as he felt the alpha
close in around him as if eager for more food. His pheromones attacked Kaeya’s nostrils, and,
although he wasn’t fearful, he still felt his knees quake a little. He smelled pleasant, much
more than what would be expected of a feral man. He reminded Kaeya of wild lamp grass.

“I-I don’t have anymore, I’m sorry,” Kaeya stammered, trying not to move back even though
he was inches from him.

He watched as the feral’s ears drooped a little even as his expression didn’t change. He was
inexplicably cute to Kaeya at that moment, causing him to smile a little. “I’ll bring you more
tomorrow,” Kaeya said softly.

He gave no signs of understanding as he looked into Kaeya’s eye. Kaeya resisted the urge to
look away, knowing that the alpha was testing his strength, looking for weakness in Kaeya.
Just as suddenly as he’d stepped forward, he moved back. He gave Kaeya one last unreadable
look before he turned and sauntered off into the darkness, disappearing into the darkness just
beyond Kaeya’s line of sight.

He left Kaeya standing there with an empty plate, dumbfounded, unfamiliar feelings swirling
around his heart. Kaeya stared at the plate. Why did his heart feel so warm?

Without his understanding, a gentle smile made its way onto his face.

Kaeya felt an attraction to that man; he couldn’t adequately explain it. It almost felt like he
was Kaeya’s fated pair; maybe that was why he had been on his mind so often since that day.
He wondered if the feral man felt it too. He knew neither his name nor his intentions, but all
he knew was that his interest in the man, who seemed to travel without a pack just like him,
was increasing very steadily.

Kaeya turned around to walk back inside, feeling embarrassed because his ears and tail didn’t
disappear. Instead, his tail flicked around behind him, reflecting the odd giddy feeling in his
chest.
When he entered his kitchen again, Kaeya felt a stab of his own hunger. He looked forward to
devouring his own steak, but as he looked at the counter where he’d set it, Kaeya felt his
heart drop. The steak he’d prepared for himself was nowhere to be found; all that was left
was an empty plate.

Kaeya heard peculiar sounds of rapid chewing, his eyes snapping to the dining table in the
kitchen, a near-murderous expression on his face.

“Lola…” He said menacingly, watching the orange cat gnawing on his carefully-prepared
steak, looking guilty but not enough to stop her chewing, “I might just cook you for dinner
tonight.”

In the end, Kaeya ended up having ramen despite the fancy dinner he’d planned for himself.

***

For the next few months, a lot changed for Kaeya. Since the day he first gave Diluc that
peace offering, he found himself seeing Diluc a lot more often.

It became a common occurrence for Diluc to wait for him at the edge of the forest. Kaeya
would always be able to tell when he was near because of his strong scent. This, to Kaeya,
was a pleasant surprise. Kaeya hadn’t known that his peace offering would lead them to
interact more and more until they saw each other almost every day, but he was far from
complaining. For whatever reason, this made Kaeya’s heart flutter.

Feeding Diluc occasionally also became their standard, but that wasn’t all that happened
whenever Diluc visited.

Diluc refused to come during the day nor did he easily enter Kaeya’s property. Kaeya thought
this was likely Diluc’s way of respecting his territory. Kaeya found that it was mostly he who
did all the speaking between them. Diluc more or less seemed to understand him if he used
the right hand gestures and tone, but Kaeya was never quite sure if they spoke the same
language.

The only word Diluc had ever spoken to him was his name, but he still responded to Kaeya in
his own ways.

The odd relationship between a societal omega and a feral alpha was uncommon, but it gave
Kaeya something to look forward to every morning when he woke up: seeing Diluc.

He’d lived most of his life as a drone, enslaved to capitalism, with only Lola to keep him
motivated so that he could give her the lavish life she deserved by working hard. But
something about meeting this feral man added some flair to his mundane, friendless life. It
made each day a little more interesting, interactions with Diluc deviated from the uniformity
of his professional life. Diluc was an enigma to Kaeya. He still couldn’t figure him out, nor
could he understand what it was that Diluc made him feel.

The way Diluc looked at him with his wolf-like eyes left him hot and bothered; the way he
smelled was attractive to Kaeya, woodsy and masculine; the way he would tilt his head each
time he focused on Kaeya made him think of nothing but how handsome Diluc was.

Maybe it was because they were an alpha and omega, but there was some irresistible pull
between them, one that kept Diluc coming back and one that tempted Kaeya to keep Diluc
coming back.

A few incidents often happened where Kaeya would attempt to (gently) humanize Diluc. One
such attempt was trying to get Diluc to wear something to cover his lower half. Ferals did not
have a concept for clothing, but that didn’t make it any easier for Kaeya not to feel shy each
time he caught a glimpse of Diluc’s ‘assets.’

Operation ‘Get Diluc to wear pants’ was a massive failure.

Diluc wore them one night, and the next, he came back with the pants looking like a
loincloth. Somehow, the sight of the loincloth was far more embarrassing than Diluc being
completely naked.

Their only compromise when it came to clothing was that Diluc would only wear shorts
when in Kaeya’s territory.

Kaeya felt odd about Diluc. It had been three months since the day they’d met, and he liked
to think that he knew Diluc. Even though he didn’t speak, he had this distinct way of showing
his personality, similar to how animals did. His facial expressions were, at times, legendary.
Kaeya remembered how disgusted Diluc had looked when Kaeya had accidentally cooked his
steak too much. He’d tried eating it anyway but soon regretted it. That day had ended with
Diluc glaring at Kaeya with his mouth wide open as Kaeya sheepishly flossed all the well-
done meat stuck in his gums.

The nonchalant ‘Are you kidding me?’ look Diluc would give Kaeya each time he did
something displeasing never failed to make Kaeya laugh.

Diluc reminded Kaeya a lot of a gentle, giant dog. Similar to a true canine, he enjoyed
scratches on his head and under his chin. Lola absolutely loathed him for stealing Kaeya’s
scritches.

The differences between Kaeya, a societal omega, and Diluc, a feral alpha, were also of
interest. Societals prided themselves on being everything ferals were not and vice versa. Due
to social stigmas, Kaeya groomed himself a lot to fit the modern ‘ideal’ of how societal
humans should be.

While Kaeya spent an hour or two shaving every few days, Diluc had thick hair on his limbs
and torso, and he prided himself on it as it made him look fiercer; while Kaeya carefully
clipped his nails once a week, Diluc kept them long, likely to tear into his kills; while Kaeya
had undergone surgery to file his sharp teeth as a child to keep them straight and dull, Diluc
had thick, large canines that could likely rip through Kaeya as easily as scissors through
paper.

However, all these differences meant nothing to Kaeya, because in all his thirty years of
living, Diluc was the first man in whose presence he felt comfortable, safe, and content.
To Kaeya, this meant more than things as menial as physical differences — but that wasn’t to
say he found all these bestial traits in Diluc unattractive. He grew to love running his fingers
through the thick hair on Diluc’s chest and grew to immensely enjoy touching Diluc’s fluffy
ears. It didn’t help that each time Diluc laid his hands on Kaeya for even a second, he would
feel himself getting heated.

They hadn’t yet gotten on a deeper, more romantic level in their strange relationship, but
Kaeya knew that they could both feel the connection that kept drawing them back to each
other.

Diluc was, very clearly, tempted to court Kaeya, but he didn’t seem to understand how to do
so because Kaeya, as a societal, was from a different world than him.

Kaeya hoped that, eventually, they would end up together because this was the first time he
felt something akin to love. Feral and societal relationships were rare but not unheard of; it
would definitely get people talking if they discovered that Kaeya was mated with a feral
alpha, but Kaeya thought that he could live with it, especially when Diluc was one of the few
people he truly wanted to be around, the only one Kaeya had ever considered as something
more than a friend.

At times, Kaeya would lay in bed with Lola snoozing at his side; he would hear leaves
rustling outside, and he would just smile to himself, wondering if it was Diluc outside.

He dreamed of being taken somewhere by Diluc and asked to mate with the man. Perhaps
Kaeya was thinking too far into the future, but he had never felt more alive than he did since
meeting Diluc.

Maybe, just maybe, it would be okay for Kaeya to dream that this innocent little friendship
between a feral and a societal would lead somewhere. Maybe it would be okay for his heart
to flutter, imagining that, one day, Diluc could be sharing his bed, embracing him in his sleep,
and eliminating all the loneliness that had been building up in his chest over the years.

He went to sleep each night thinking of Diluc, waking up each morning wondering if Diluc
would visit.

It was comforting to have someone he truly looked forward to seeing every day.

Kaeya hoped that nothing would get in the way of this friendship blossoming into something
more, that nothing would ruin the bubbly happiness he felt each time Diluc crossed his mind
or came to visit him.

He didn’t know how wishful his thinking was. No era of peace was possible without
disruption.

***

“Not again…” Kaeya whispered, frustration bubbling in his chest, a deep frown on his face
as he searched his house. “Lola, you little–!” He grumbled under his breath, running back out
to the living room from his bedroom after yet another futile attempt to find his missing cat.
Kaeya’s exhaustion could be seen on his face, his irritation with Lola shining through.

Tonight may well be the worst night for her to have gone missing.

Kaeya had been at work all day, sleepy from all the suppressants he’d taken. He’d left work
early because of the half-day everyone got due to the full moon. Kaeya had come home that
afternoon and promptly passed out on the couch, not realizing that, once again, his furry
friend was missing.

When he woke up fifteen minutes ago, near midnight, he realized that she hadn’t woken him
up for food.

Kaeya’s hormones were all over the place, he felt like tearing the house apart out of
frustration, but, at the same time, all he wanted to was to curl up and cry out of worry, which
was not like him.

These irregular mood swings, exhaustion, and indecisiveness were natural. His ears and tail
had also been out ever since he woke up, and no matter how much he willed them away, he
couldn’t — this wasn’t unexpected either. Due to the full moon, today would mark the day of
his heat… that was if he didn’t take suppressants. He had done so, so he didn’t have to worry
about being bedridden with an unquenchable thirst for someone else’s touch– an alpha’s
touch. This didn’t mean he was spared from all the symptoms of his heat, he still felt heated
and it felt like his composure would crumble if he were to let his mind wander to something
too dirty.

Full moons were nights for alphas and omegas to hole up in their homes, either alone or with
their partners, anything to keep them out of the streets to avoid accidents related to heats and
ruts.

Kaeya vaguely remembered that he wasn’t supposed to go out, but his dazed, confused mind
couldn’t remember why, nor could he care because his cat was out in the wild — she needed
him and Kaeya couldn’t sit around waiting for daybreak to go and search for her. He felt that
he was stable enough to hurry and find her.

As Kaeya stared at the patio door, he found himself feeling calmer than he had the first time
Lola had escaped.

He felt little to no fear of going out and looking for her because the biggest threat in the
forest was now someone he called a friend and someone he was in love with. Kaeya felt a
little warmer at the thought of Diluc due to both affection and desire.

Kaeya grabbed his phone, this time carefully charged, and jogged out of his house to look for
Lola, hoping that, if he found Diluc, he would be able to help him find her.

Kaeya felt like he was forgetting something major, but he chalked it up to the unease that his
friend was missing. He launched into the forest with his flashlight on, deciding to make his
way to the clearing where he’d first found Lola (and Diluc). “Lola?” He called; his voice,
although quiet, carried out in the silent forest across several acres, causing goosebumps to
bud against his skin.

He wove through the trees, letting his instinct guide him. A familiar scent was in the air;
Kaeya’s felt himself heating up a little more — it was Diluc’s scent.

He subconsciously followed the scent, hoping that wherever Diluc was, Lola was too.

Something in Kaeya raged for him to turn back, like his fight or flight instinct was going off
at Diluc’s scent in the air. Kaeya’s senses were all over the place due to his medication,
unable to tell why he felt this way — why he felt like he was in danger. His mind was at war
with itself, one part telling him to run, the other telling him that everything was as well as it
could be because the danger in the forest had been neutralized. Still, he could not prevent his
ears from flapping over his head every few seconds nor the tense swish of the tip of his tail

He racked his brain, searching for an explanation of why he felt this way, but haziness
clouded up his judgement, leaving him with no good reason to abandon his mission and run
back home.

Through the trees, Kaeya saw that clearing beginning to show, where the moonlight was
strongest. He was able to see so clearly that he didn’t even need his flashlight anymore.
Despite some part of him protesting, he closed the flashlight, beginning to look around with
the moonlight easily allowing him to see the clearing.

The clearing was much bigger than he remembered, having not had the time to look around
the last time he had come.

He walked deeper into it, roaming around looking for any sign of Lola.

Diluc’s scent was strong in the air, almost as if he was right around here. Kaeya expected the
man to pop up over his shoulder as he usually did, so he constantly checked over his shoulder
to make sure Diluc couldn’t sneak up on him.

Diluc was a lone wolf with this part of the forest being his territory, so Kaeya didn’t feel the
need to fear any other feral sneaking up on him.

However, after a few seconds of walking, calling quietly for Lola, he felt even more
concerned at how quiet the woods were with not even the buzz of cicadas cutting through the
silence. This only served to deepen Kaeya’s unease and his sense of danger. It got to the point
where he almost hoped he would find Diluc so he could feel less on edge around the man he
was in love with. And find Diluc he did.

Kaeya started as a quiet, guttural groan echoed through the clearing, his ears lying flat against
his head at the sound.

However, his mind quickly identified the sonorous pitch of Diluc’s voice in that brief noise.
Kaeya’s affection for the man immediately led him to feel worried; the idea that Diluc was in
danger, that he was hurt, captivated his mind. Without him realizing it, his focus had
completely switched from finding Lola to making sure Diluc was okay.
“Diluc?” He called out, trotting in the direction of the sound.

Kaeya breathed a sigh of relief as he saw a shadowy figure lying on the forest floor just on
the edge of the clearing, recognizing the mop of red hair within a second.

As he stepped closer to Diluc, Kaeya stopped, realizing that something was amiss. Diluc’s
body trembled a little, he was in a heap on the ground, conscious, but in distress. “Diluc…?”
Kaeya whispered once more, feeling his fear for Diluc doubling.

He jolted as Diluc immediately stopped trembling at the sound of his voice.

Slowly, Diluc raised himself on the palms of his hands, looking up at Kaeya standing five
feet from him, allowing the moonlight to illuminate his face. Kaeya felt his heart drop into
the pits of his stomach. In the few moments his eyes met Diluc’s, Kaeya’s senses finally
caught up to him. He finally understood what his body had been trying to tell him since the
moment he stepped out of his house.

Diluc’s eyes held no humanity in them. His pupils were dilated almost worryingly, the reds of
his irises almost glowing in the moonlight. Diluc was frothing at the mouth, his rows of sharp
teeth bared as he stared at Kaeya for what felt like an eternity, but was no more than three
seconds.

That was enough time for Kaeya to realize his fatal mistake.

Kaeya had forgotten that Diluc didn’t have access to the same medicine that societals did–
that he didn’t have the luxury of taking suppressants.

All this time, his body had been telling him that he was walking into the face of danger — the
territory of a feral alpha in a rut. His unease all throughout the last ten minutes finally made
sense, it was his subconscious trying to tell him that Diluc’s scent wasn’t normal. Kaeya’s
sense of smell was flipped upside down, his hormones were in disarray because of the
suppressants; he couldn’t tell that he’d just willingly walked into a deathtrap until he looked
in the face of a wild alpha in a rut. His initial fear for Diluc’s safety turned into a fear of
Diluc himself, causing Kaeya to drop his phone out of fright.

Kaeya’s mind was fully engulfed in fight or flight mode now. He knew that there was no
reasoning with Diluc — he knew well what was going to happen to him if Diluc leaped out
and caught him.

“D-Diluc…” He whispered again, his voice weak as if pleading with Diluc as the man panted
and heaved like a wild animal, his eyes trained on Kaeya. He was an unmarked omega who
had waltzed into his territory on a full moon. Kaeya knew there was nothing he could do to
stop himself.

Kaeya turned around and began to run for it, his heart hammering in his ears as the adrenaline
kicked in.

Immediately, he heard the sound of dirt being kicked up, telling Kaeya that Diluc had gotten
up and was charging after him. For the first time since the day Diluc and Kaeya had met all
those months ago in this very clearing, Kaeya felt riddled with the same panic that he would
be caught and killed.

Had it not been for his suppressants keeping his mind somewhat clear, Kaeya knew that his
omega nature would’ve led him to drop down and accept whatever Diluc was going to do to
him. But right now, he was more or less in his right mind; all he could feel was fear. Even
though he knew it was a losing battle just like the first time, Kaeya ran with all his might,
knowing that if he got caught this time, the night would not end well for him.

Kaeya’s love for Diluc was what caused his body to rattle with dread like this. Why would
Kaeya run at the prospect of being held by a man he loved?

The answer was simple: Kaeya did not want his first time with Diluc to be like this. He
wanted them both to be in their right minds; he wanted them to go on dates; he wanted them
to share their first kiss under the stars; he wanted them to truly love each other before they
did anything like this. But it was too late, Kaeya’s error was too great for him to escape.

Within only a few steps, a weight slammed into him from the back with the force of a truck,
tackling him to the forest floor.

Kaeya’s breath hitched as he fell onto the grass, a pair of unbelievably strong arms wrapping
themselves around his chest from behind as Diluc landed on top of him, holding him down.
Kaeya’s mind was all over the place with hysteria; he felt like a small, helpless animal as a
man much stronger than him pinned him to the ground.

“Diluc– please, don’t do this..!” Kaeya begged, praying that his voice would knock some
semblance of sense into Diluc, to remind him that the man he was about to ruin was someone
he called a friend– even something of a lover. The only response he got from Diluc was a
deep, reverberating croon resembling nothing humane. The gentle purr of Diluc’s throat
showed how pleased he was that he’d caught an omega who could relieve his body of the
burning rut it was going through. There was no recognition in his wild eyes, nothing that
indicated his humanity.

Even as Kaeya struggled, reaching out to grasp the dirt and pull himself out from under
Diluc, it was futile. Diluc had his hands in a tight grip within seconds, keeping his wrists
pinned to the ground and ruining what little fighting chance he had left.

Kaeya shook violently from his ears down to his feet as Diluc leaned over him, pressing his
chest against Kaeya’s back and burying his face into the nape of Kaeya’s neck.

The fight was leaving Kaeya’s body rapidly. He couldn’t move any part of his body, not his
hands, his legs, or his torso. He was completely at Diluc’s mercy. “D-Diluc… it’s me,
Kaeya…” Kaeya whispered with all the strength he could muster, his voice trembling, his
last-ditch effort to get Diluc to recognize him even know he knew that it was hopeless.

Diluc never responded, beginning to rip off Kaeya’s clothes with his free hand, his claws
tearing them to shreds.
Kaeya could do nothing but lay on his stomach, his heart hammering, a massive lump in his
throat as he tried to hide his despair at what was about to happen to him. It should’ve been
some comfort that the one who was doing this was someone Kaeya loved… but that wasn’t
the case. It only hurt more to know that it was Diluc who was about to fuck him without his
consent.

Kaeya loved Diluc, and, eventually, he would’ve shared his body with the man he loved, but
right now, it was against his will.

The feeling of fear and panic made this fact even more difficult for Kaeya to come to terms
with. As Diluc saw that Kaeya no longer had the strength to struggle, another deep crooning
noise erupted from his chest, causing vibrations to travel through Kaeya’s back. Kaeya’s
clothes were in tatters; he was completely bare for Diluc to take, only his tail desperately
trying to cover his body.

Diluc didn’t hesitate to mount Kaeya, his cock pressing against his ass, causing Kaeya to
whimper, trembling violently.

Diluc grabbed him by the base of his tail, tugging out of the way so he could feel Kaeya
better. Kaeya could feel Diluc’s arousal, his animalistic scent raining down over him. He tried
to tell himself that Diluc wasn’t acting out of his own free will, that Diluc would never do
this to him without his consent had it not been for the full moon. But no amount of
rationalization could keep tears from streaming down Kaeya’s cheeks as he clenched fistfuls
of grass.

Without any heed given to Kaeya’s comfort, without even attempting to loosen him up, Diluc
pushed his hips forward until his cock plunged inside Kaeya.

A yelp of pain erupted from Kaeya, echoing throughout the forest. His body ceased up as he
thrashed violently with pain, clawing at the ground in a desperate attempt to get away.
“Diluc..! Diluc– no, please, take it out… it hurts!” Kaeya cried, trying to get out from
underneath Diluc. This only served to irk Diluc.

Diluc’s mind had not a single rational thought in it. All he could think of was the man lying
beneath him; Diluc didn’t recognize him, but looking at Kaeya caused affection to wash over
him for reasons he didn’t know. His mind was high on the scent Kaeya emitted, irresistibly
urging Diluc to make him his, to be one with him, to claim the man and ensure he got to
experience the ecstasy of being inside him over and over again.

The full moon was high in the sky; in Diluc’s mind, mating with Kaeya seemed only natural.
After all, the bubbling affection he felt deep in his chest for Kaeya was enough to ensure that
this was the right decision — he would’ve eventually mated with Kaeya even if he was in his
right mind. But then why?

Why was this beautiful omega trying to run from him when they were both in heat? Why was
he so tight when he should’ve been ready for Diluc?

Kaeya should’ve been enjoying this as much as Diluc… and yet, he was trying to run away.
Diluc felt an uncontrollable urge to put Kaeya in his place, thinking he was just resisting for
the sake of it. He needed a way to restrain Kaeya and make sure he could not fight him. The
solution came easily to Diluc.

He had his face already buried in Kaeya’s neck, where Kaeya’s scent was strongest. All he
needed to do was bare his teeth and bite the nape of Kaeya’s neck; that would be enough to
ensure his obedience. Diluc opened his mouth, warningly licking the nape of Kaeya’s neck,
hardly caring that his skin was caked in sweat. Kaeya’s breath hitched at the feeling of
Diluc’s tongue against his skin. He knew immediately what Diluc was contemplating doing.
He could feel the fur on his tail standing on end as pure, unfiltered panic gnawed at his mind,
body, and soul.

“N-No… Diluc, don’t do this…” Kaeya whispered, feeling like his world was going to come
crashing down. He couldn’t be marked by Diluc– not like this. He couldn’t be tied to a man
who was not in his right mind.

If Diluc bit down on his nape, there would be nothing else that Kaeya could do. His fate
would always be intertwined with Diluc’s. He would never be his own person — he would
only be Diluc’s omega. All the plans he had for the progress of their relationship, their first
time, when they mated, when they would consider having children… it was fluttering out of
Kaeya’s reach.

He thought he had been in control, that he’d had the reins to take their relationship wherever
he wanted on his terms as the societal between them. It had all just been an illusion, he let
himself forget that he was only an omega.

If Diluc so chose, as he had now, he could have Kaeya on a silver platter, and there was
nothing Kaeya could do to stop him.

Kaeya had foolishly told himself that Diluc was kind– that he would respect his wishes. He
thought that Diluc, being the kind feral man Kaeya had all but fallen for, would let him work
at his own pace. He found himself forgetting that Diluc was no longer himself under the full
moon. All rationality was lost between them, neither being in control of their thoughts,
neither thinking coherently. Kaeya was no more than prey, not an equal.

Despite the adrenaline rushing through Kaeya, he knew there was no fighting what was going
to happen. He could feel Diluc’s lips parting against his skin, knowing he was going to be
marked by a man by force.

Diluc hesitated for not a single moment. This inexplicable love he felt towards Kaeya and the
urge to bite, to thrash into him was enough to convince Diluc that what he was doing was
right. He let his canines sink deep into Kaeya’s skin without a second thought.

Kaeya’s eye went wide, his mouth open in a silent scream. Against his will, he felt his body
faltering, reacting to Diluc’s bite, restraining him.

His body slowly went limp under Diluc, much to the man’s pleasure. He lay face down in the
grass as he continued to tremble and cry, his tears merging with the dew drops on each blade
of grass. Nothing in the life Kaeya had planned would ever come to fruition, and he shed
tears for that distant dream.
Diluc was satisfied with Kaeya’s obedience, finally allowing himself to focus on the tight
hole quivering around his cock.

He pulled his hips back and began to thrust into Kaeya with the ferocity of a wild animal,
rocking his body with the force, keeping Kaeya's tail balled up in his fist to make sure it
stayed out of the way. Kaeya felt noises beginning to slip from his lips involuntarily as Diluc
gripped his hips, pulling his ass up so he could fuck it better while keeping Kaeya’s neck
locked between his teeth. Each time Diluc drove his cock into Kaeya, it scraped against a
swollen spot inside Kaeya that made currents of pleasure pulse in his body.

It was getting easier and easier for Diluc to move into him as Kaeya’s body reacted to his
touch, recognizing him as his alpha. He got wetter, loosening up around Diluc as the fight left
his body.

Diluc intimately wrapped his arms around Kaeya’s waist, hugging him as if he would hug a
lover, purring into Kaeya’s skin with the pleasure that racked his body each time he thrust
into him. Kaeya could do nothing but stare at the ground inches away from his face, watching
as his own tears slowly fell from the bridge of his nose.

Diluc’s embrace was that of a lover, and yet, Kaeya could not feel any love emitting from
him as he did this to him.

Kaeya had lost the fight the moment he’d foolishly entered the forest– the moment he’d
entered Diluc’s territory. Thoughts of Lola or work or anything could not be further from his
mind.

All Kaeya had left now was to wait for it all to be over.

He regretted ever taking his suppressant, for if he had known this would happen, he would’ve
opted not to have a sane mind. Even still, his mind and body were raging against one another,
his body trembling with pleasure each time Diluc pounded into him, and his mind feeling
helpless to stop it.

He felt Diluc’s thrusts getting more and more rampant as he grew nearer to his orgasm and
felt despair, knowing that he couldn’t beg Diluc not to release inside him. His suppressants
only went as far as pushing down his heat, but it didn’t make him any less fertile at the full
moon. It was set in stone that he would get pregnant.

In one night, Kaeya would have been marked, mated with, and impregnated, and none of it
would be on his own terms.

All he could do was wait and see what his future held in store for him because, right then, he
only felt hopeless about what would become of his life after this. He did not have the time to
fathom where things would go from here, with Diluc being an alpha and possibly the father
of his child. He could feel Diluc spurt his seed inside him, his grip around his waist
tightening painfully, and, finally, the base of his cock beginning to swell as he plugged up
Kaeya’s hole.
Kaeya hoped and prayed that this would be the end of it, that Diluc would loosen his grip so
that he could run away, but Diluc never did.

As soon as his knot wore off within a few minutes, he continued as if he had never stopped,
fucking Kaeya relentlessly. He did this over and over all throughout the night, never once
letting his grip on Kaeya’s neck loosen.

Kaeya would never willingly admit it, but he had orgasmed more times that night than he
could’ve imagined.

At some point, he lost his grip on reality, the flow of his tears stopping as he could no longer
resist what was and would continue to happen to him all night until Diluc regained his senses
at daybreak.

As the sun finally began to rise after countless hours of being mercilessly fucked, Diluc’s
eyes began to return to normal, though Kaeya could not have seen. He could barely recognize
that the sky was lightening up, hardly able to raise his head and look up past the blades of
grass. Throughout the night, Kaeya had painfully been in his right mind, though he had not a
single drop of energy to spare. Even if Diluc let him go, there was no way for him to get back
home.

At one point, Diluc’s thrusts stopped and Kaeya vaguely registered this. His body ached with
pain and sensitivity, able to feel each joint in his body creaking from lying in the same
position for hours on end.

All Kaeya wanted to do was crawl his way back to the safety of his home and forget this ever
happened.

Diluc rested on top of Kaeya, still inside him, his eyes closed as he slowly released Kaeya’s
neck, letting him fall completely into the grass before he buried his face into the crook of his
neck, nuzzling him. Normally, Kaeya would feel affection wash over him at a sweet action
like this, but this was far from a normal occasion.

He hated this feeling– the feeling of being so deeply in love with Diluc that he could muster
not one drop of hatred for the man who had done all this to him.

They rested like this until the sun rose over the horizon, nullifying the effects of the moon
until it disappeared completely as the sky lightened. Kaeya felt Diluc stirring almost as if
from a deep sleep. He blearily blinked and loosened his grip around Kaeya’s bare body, rising
to sit up. He felt confused beyond anything, wondering what had happened. He looked down
and finally noticed a limp Kaeya lying beneath him.

It took several moments for Diluc to process who he was seeing and what he had done.

His eyes traveled from Kaeya’s disheveled hair to the deep, bleeding bite wound on the nape
of his neck. He frowned at the sight of it, not fully understanding what it was, feeling deeply
worried that Kaeya was hurt. His eyes continued to traverse down Kaeya’s body, taking in the
sight of his naked back, his dark skin having arm-shaped bruises lining his torso as if he had
been in someone’s death grip. Finally, he caught his eyes on Kaeya’s ass, looking
disbelieving as he saw himself buried inside Kaeya.

In a second that felt like an eternity to Diluc, he felt his eyes widening with a mixture of
terror and horror as he realized what had happened to Kaeya — it was he, Diluc, who had left
Kaeya in this state, bruised and bloody.

Diluc immediately pulled out of Kaeya, nearly throwing himself off of him. With no
hesitation, he wrapped his arms gently around the man he loved, pulling him up off the
ground and pulling him into his embrace. Words could not describe the panic coursing
through Diluc as he held Kaeya, checking to see if he was alive and breathing.

Kaeya was conscious but he could not find the strength to open his eyes and look at Diluc,
sitting still with his head resting on Diluc’s chest, trying not to start crying again now that he
realized it was finally over.

So many thoughts were going through Diluc’s mind that he couldn’t keep up with any of
them.

He understood what had happened, and he wished he didn’t.

He had lost control on the full moon and let his rut take over all semblance of his humanity,
and the one who had paid the price was none other than Kaeya.

Diluc felt so many emotions: regret, guilt, disbelief, fear, and horror. He knew what he had
done, and he could not do anything to come to terms with how much damage he had caused.

All he could do was rise to his feet, holding Kaeya in his arms, staring at his tear-stained face
in shock. His legs, although feeling weak from the strain of last night, began to move in the
direction of Kaeya’s house. His mind and body felt separate from one another, not
understanding what he would do.

He had mated with Kaeya– he had bred him all night and marked him as his omega. From
Kaeya’s battered state, he knew it had been unrequited. Diluc felt that he could cry as he saw
Kaeya’s drooped ears and limp tail, unable to live with the weight of what he had done to
him. Before long, Kaeya’s house loomed over them, and, as if sensing that he was on his
home turf, his eye opened.

His face was nestled into the hair on Diluc’s chest. He didn’t want to look up to confirm that
it really had been Diluc who had broken his body beyond repair.

Of course, Kaeya could identify him by scent alone… but it felt like he would be sealing his
fate if he looked into Diluc’s eyes. A part of him still hoped that it had not been Diluc, still
clinging to the love he felt for him, wanting to believe in only the best of him; he knew his
mind was deluded.

As they stood on his patio right in front of the still-ajar door, Diluc recognized that Kaeya
was awake and conscious and slowly lowered his feet to the floor. Kaeya stumbled from the
lack of feeling in his legs, held up only with Diluc’s support.
He wanted to rush inside, to never confirm Diluc’s identity, but he could take it no longer. He
looked up and felt tears blurring his vision as he met Diluc’s red eyes, full of remorse and
regret. There was no mistaking it. There was no way for Kaeya to delude himself into
thinking that Diluc was innocent, that it had been another wolf who had razed Kaeya’s body
and mind.

Without a second thought, Kaeya raised his hand and slapped Diluc across the face, unable to
help the fury and sorrow he felt.

Diluc’s face was twisted in the other direction, his skin reddening.

Kaeya was breathing heavily, whispering between sobs, “Diluc… leave, and never show your
face here again.” For a second, it was as if Diluc hadn’t heard him, as if he didn’t want to
leave without at least trying… to do what, Diluc didn’t know. Even as Diluc was a feral man,
he had the cognition to recognize that no form of apology would ever be enough to sate the
man he had marked and mated with without consent.

Kaeya couldn’t bear to see him any longer, rushing through the open door and slamming it
shut behind him, leaving Diluc frozen, standing there. Kaeya’s legs gave out beneath him and
he came crashing to the floor against the door, his body shaking with sobs as he curled into a
ball, wrapping his tail around himself for some semblance of comfort.

Kaeya didn’t know a thing about what his future held. Right now, only one thing was certain:
his life would never be the same again.

***

Days ticked by, turning into weeks, and then into months. Time waited for no one, dragging
Kaeya along with it and forcing him to keep up with his daily life.

For the days that passed since then, Kaeya was constantly on edge. He was forced to go to
work despite the trauma he had endured, having no one sympathetic enough in his life to
listen to the fact that he was but a broken man now. He was forced to endure it all alone. It
didn’t help that, at first, not even Lola had been with him.

He had been too weak, too frightened to go back into Diluc’s territory to search for her and
retrieve his phone. Each time he thought of her and how he had abandoned her, his heart tore
up, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t bring himself even to open the patio door, much
less go out and search for his only friend. The feelings of guilt and remorse did nothing to
serve his already broken state.

For the most part, Kaeya tried to keep himself busy, to keep from thinking about that night–
about Diluc. But it wasn’t so easy.

The employees at his workplace caught on immediately that something had happened to
Kaeya. They would talk about him in whispers, aware that he had suddenly mated with
someone on the full moon.
Kaeya had no way to hide it. He opted to hide Diluc’s mark with his hair, but his scent would
fool no one. He smelled exactly like Diluc now; it was apparent to everyone. Kaeya tried to
act as usual, but he must not have done a good job, for his supervisor, a kind alpha named
Jean, had pulled him aside to ask if everything was alright. She was one of the few genuine,
compassionate people in the workplace, and Kaeya could tell her worry was sincere.

But what could he do but lie? How could he bear to tell her that he had been mated with and
marked against his will by a feral alpha… especially one that he loved?

He had forced a smile and told her that everything was fine, but as soon as she had left, he
couldn’t help but break down completely. Those first few days with no support system had
been some of the worst of Kaeya’s life until he got the slightest glimmer of hope.

Kaeya heard meowing from his patio one night almost two weeks after the incident. For the
first time since that night, he had managed a smile because he could recognize that voice
anywhere.

He had forgotten his fear of his back patio just long enough to find Lola sitting in front of the
door, waiting for him. Kaeya had nearly cried with joy to see his beloved friend safe and
alive, but a prickling feeling on the nape of his neck told him that Lola could never have
returned to him without help. He had looked up only to see the slightest glimmer of a red tail
disappearing into the trees.

From then on, with Lola by his side once more, life felt a little less hopeless.

Kaeya didn’t know what to make of his feelings– what he felt towards Diluc now. Despite
having told Diluc never to come back, despite all the things he had done to him that night,
Kaeya knew he still didn’t hate Diluc.

At night, his bed would feel unbearably cold, the feelings intensifying after being claimed by
an alpha.

Despite his better judgement, the mark on the nape of his neck made him yearn for Diluc, but
he would be lying if he said that was the only reason. Deep down, Kaeya knew he still loved
Diluc, and he hated it. He hated that he couldn’t hate the man who had broken him, but he
knew what Diluc had done had not been in his control. The thought still didn’t soothe Kaeya.

Diluc never stepped back on Kaeya’s territory again, but Kaeya could tell that he never
strayed too far from Kaeya.

Omegas would die a slow, painful death if they were away from their alphas for a long while.
The fact that Kaeya was still alive meant that Diluc had not abandoned him. This brought
him the slightest bit of comfort.

Kaeya never checked for he was scared to find out for sure, but as the weeks ticked by, he
knew he was pregnant. He had experienced symptom after symptom for months until, finally,
his belly began to grow. Kaeya didn’t know what to make of the child growing inside him.
Should he have terminated a child he wasn’t at all ready for– a child that was forced upon
him?
Kaeya seriously considered it the moment he started experiencing the symptoms. Each time,
he drove to the clinic, but he was never able to go inside.

What stopped him from terminating this unwanted pregnancy? He didn’t quite know. Perhaps
it was the idea that the baby belonged to the one he loved. The thought felt humiliating to
even have, but he gave up on trying to convince himself otherwise.

Months passed, and Diluc never appeared before Kaeya throughout them all. At first, Kaeya
welcomed this, but, with the passage of time, his wounds from that night began to heal,
causing him to reminisce about the life he had wanted with Diluc.

Would it still be possible? Maybe. Their life together had not gone as Kaeya wanted it to, but
he could build a life with the one he was mated to.

He didn’t have the bravery to seek Diluc out, but when he was forced to take maternity leave
when his pregnancy entered the later stages, it set in that he couldn’t raise their child alone.
He couldn’t deprive his child of a second father. And so, one night, Kaeya decided to do what
he hadn’t done in six months.

He stepped out onto the back patio, gazing at the tree line. He could sense that Diluc was near
and gathered the courage to call his name.

“Diluc,” His voice called, the name sounding foreign on his tongue.

At first, he thought that Diluc wouldn’t come, that he wouldn’t be able to face Kaeya after
what he had done. Kaeya still remembered the look on Diluc’s face when they had stood on
this very deck, the look of horror in his eyes. He knew Diluc regretted every moment of that
night just from that look alone.

He admitted that he was frightened of seeing Diluc again after six long months. He tried to
promise himself that he would not cry upon seeing his handsome face.

He felt his heart tremble as he heard something in the forest before.

Instinctively, he clutched his swollen belly, staring into the darkness and waiting for
something to break it. He wasn’t disappointed. He flinched as a figure appeared in the trees.
Diluc didn’t move into the light, nor did he try to enter Kaeya’s property. He remained fixed
where he was, staring at Kaeya with a look of longing.

Kaeya almost managed a smile. Diluc was likely still trying to respect Kaeya’s words from
that night — to never show his face there again.

Slowly, he mustered up all his strength, moving forward towards the treeline.

He hadn’t walked this path in months, making him feel nostalgic. He stopped just a few
meters away from the trees. “Diluc, come to me…” he whispered again, letting the wind
carry it to Diluc’s ears.

At this, Diluc emerged from the trees at last. He began walking closer and closer to Kaeya,
taking careful, quiet steps to avoid spooking him.
As he stopped in front of Kaeya, Kaeya felt a small pang in his chest as he gazed upon the
face of the man he still loved, his alpha. Diluc had bags under his eyes, he looked wearier,
almost older, and much different from the carefree man he used to be. Kaeya ought to have
felt relieved that he wasn’t the only one haunted by that night, but it just pained him to see
Diluc like this, just as it pained Diluc to see him like this. Diluc was still just as handsome as
the day they’d met, causing a peculiar warmth to spread through Kaeya’s chest.

He watched as Diluc’s eyes traveled from his face down to his swollen belly. There was an
unreadable expression on his face as he processed that it was his child Kaeya was carrying.
He didn’t want to seem as happy as he was that Kaeya was pregnant, given the circumstances
that had led them here.

Slowly, Diluc reached out, waiting for Kaeya to slap his hands away, but he never did.

His rough and calloused hand met Kaeya’s belly, holding it with the gentleness of a feather.
Kaeya watched his hands as they cradled him, feeling goosebumps littering his skin at the
feeling of his alpha’s touch.

He could feel himself getting emotional. This delicate touch was so damned different from
Diluc’s touch that night. It reminded him that this gentleness was the reason he had fallen for
Diluc more than a year ago. Kaeya finally looked up at Diluc’s face and started at the sight he
was met with.

Tears were dripping down Diluc’s cheeks though he didn’t meet Kaeya’s eyes. He was staring
at his belly, remorse shining on his face.

“I’m sorry,” Diluc whispered. Kaeya watched him in shock, hardly able to believe his eyes.
Tears welled up in Kaeya’s eyes as well. He hadn’t heard Diluc speak in a long time, since
the day he had told him his name; he had never seen an alpha cry like this either. Despite
Kaeya’s promise not to cry, he found himself unable to help it. He began to sob, throwing his
arms around Diluc and hugging him tight.

Diluc didn’t hesitate to embrace him back, careful not to hurt him. They cried in one
another’s arms, finally reunited after being apart for what felt like an eternity to the bonded
pair.

“I can’t pretend that night didn’t happen… but I also can’t pretend it made me hate you. I-I
forgive you, okay?” Kaeya whispered, resting his head on Diluc’s shoulder and taking in the
man’s scent, feeling tingles rushing down his spine as he realized how much he had missed
Diluc’s scent. “Just… be a good father to it, and a good alpha to me,” he said, his voice
trembling.

Diluc sniffled a little, but he nodded as if to show Kaeya that he understood.

In the months that followed, Kaeya and Diluc came to an agreement: Diluc would try to fit in
with society so that he could support Kaeya and their child through life as a family of
societals.
He, albeit hesitantly at first, began living with Kaeya. Lola wasn't particularly pleased about
this as she had more competition for Kaeya's attention but she eventually caved and gave up
on fighting Diluc's existence.

It took some time for Kaeya to teach him the workings of the societal home and their way of
life. Kaeya was pleased that Diluc was an extremely quick learner.

The only obstacle to tackle was Diluc’s reluctance to do certain things, such as wearing
clothes and learning language.

Diluc had never been taught language as a child; he understood the central meanings of what
Kaeya said to him but had difficulty speaking, reading, and writing. This was no matter for
Kaeya as long as Diluc understood him. He trained Diluc sedulously, from cutting his nails to
teaching him dinner etiquette, Kaeya made sure he was equipped with the knowledge. Within
three months, Kaeya called in a social worker, who assessed his intelligence and whether or
not he was a danger to Kaeya or other societals.

Diluc wasn’t a perfect societal, but the social worker and Kaeya both understood that. No
feral would ever be able to fully incorporate themselves into society, just as societals would
never be able to fully incorporate themselves into the wild. After a thorough assessment, the
social worker registered them as a proper pack in the eyes of the law, much to their joy.

At first, Diluc and Kaeya were still distant, but this was to be expected. They were only just
starting out their journey as lovers, and both of them were still healing from that night —
Kaeya from the trauma, and Diluc from the guilt.

However, with time, they grew closer, starting their relationship over and making memories
as lovers this time.

In the end, Kaeya got to have what he had dreamed of: romantic dates where Diluc told him
(as best as he could) how he felt, their first kiss under the stars, and, eventually after their
baby was born, they would be able to have their real first time too.

Kaeya’s bed was no longer as cold as he remembered it to be, especially during those months
he was apart from Diluc. Now, he would have Diluc’s arms sprawled out all over him,
protectively hugging him in his sleep. Diluc would do these little things to reinvigorate
Kaeya’s love for him. He was able to put their turbulent past behind them as Diluc proved to
him time and time again that he was a gentle, loving man. The man he had been that night
wasn’t really Diluc, but it didn’t change how deeply it had scarred Kaeya. Still, he was
healing, and, to him, that was all that mattered.

Three months after their reconciliation, just days after they became an official pack, an
addition to the pack came as well. They welcomed a baby boy, whom they named Lucio.

Diluc was over the moon about it; Kaeya smiled each time he remembered how he wasn’t
able to stop smiling for hours after the birth of their baby. It was clear from the smile on
Diluc’s face and the big bear hug he’d given Kaeya when they got home from the hospital
that everything from their life moving forward would be just fine.
 Kaeya could rest assured that, no matter what had happened, Diluc had and would continue
to live up to his promise to be a good father to Lucio and a good alpha to Kaeya.

Kaeya’s future with Diluc and Lucio by his side was looking brighter each day.

Chapter End Notes

Ahhh I had to squeeze in that ending to the best of my abilities 'cause I knew I couldn't
leave a heart-wrenching otherwise-fluffy chapter like this one without a happy ending,
so I hope y'all enjoy that!

fighting to finish this godforsaken book even if my life depends on it!! 😭😭

I know the updates are getting fewer and farther in between, but I promise I will die
I am still
as in love with these three ships in particular as I was the day I decided to take on this
challenge, but I'm gonna try and diversify it with more special chaps with different
ships, so I hope y'all will enjoy it!

Thank you for reading, and to those who celebrate it, happy early Eid!
 Pleasing PART 2 (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

With a heavy heart, Xiao leaves Ogygia and finds himself washed up on the shores of
Guili Plains. In his search for answers for the cruelty inflicted upon him and Aether, he
confronts the man he calls his deity, Zhongli. Even still, answers could not sate his
worry-filled heart and it took no burden off his shoulders. With a muddled and confused
heart, Xiao was certain of only one thing: to unite with the one he loved or die trying.

NOTE: This chapter is Part 2 of Chapter: 59 of this book, the prompt of which is
Pleasing. Please read it before this one if you haven't already so you aren't missing out
on anything that you might not understand in this smut!

Chapter Notes

Yippeeeeeeeeeeee~ we see an end to this AU at last! ugh I'm too tired, ill just add more
to the notes tomorrow :'(

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Hours after his departure, Xiao found himself sitting on the raft with his back to the
unimpressive mast, staring out into the open ocean with a dazed look on his face. The sun
beat down on him, his skin protected from being roasted only by the tiny sail that hung from
the mast overhead.

Xiao felt unbearably depressed, more so than he'd ever been even after the treacherous life
he'd lived. He'd lost countless people close to him; the fight at the Chasm had been a
reminder of that. The names were countless in his mind, Bosacius, Pervases, Skybracer... and
tens, maybe hundreds more. And yet, it felt like another name had been added to the list.
Xiao stood up abruptly, his eyes full of pain. He slapped his hands on either side of his face,
trying to get himself to snap out of those depressing thoughts.

Xiao hadn't lost Aether, no, he wouldn't stand for it. He would get him back, no matter the
cost. It had been only hours since he'd parted from Aether, and yet, his absence weighed
down on him like he'd been missing Aether for millennia.

He paced around the raft as much as he could without unbalancing it, but the raft didn't seem
to mind. It was doing just as Aether had said it would do: going wherever Xiao commanded it
to go. It was sturdy for something held together with thin rope and seemed to handle Xiao
and the weight of the fruit Aether had packed for him with no issues. Xiao stared down at the
basket brimming with fresh mangoes, apples, grapes, and strawberries. He picked up a
strawberry and sniffed it. Then, he threw it back into the basket as if it made him nauseous.

Xiao had had no desire for food ever since he left the waters surrounding Ogygia. He'd tried
taking a nap but the emptiness he felt didn't allow him even to close his eyes because Aether's
beautiful smile would pop into his mind's eye.

He'd promised Aether that he would come back; he'd sounded so sure that he'd even tricked
himself into believing it. But now that Aether wasn't there in front of him anymore, he felt a
pit of dread and panic opening up inside him. All his confidence was seeping out of him with
every passing hour.

Again, Xiao was no stranger to loss but the thought of never seeing Aether made him feel
like he was hyperventilating.

He had promised himself—and more importantly, Aether—that he would see him again.
Even if he had to go to war against his god, he would fight to his dying breath just to get back
to Ogygia and sweep Aether away.

However, even the thought of dying at the hands of Rex Lapis was much too painful.

He couldn’t believe that a man he respected so much, a man who had freed him from slavery,
practically raised him to be the adeptus he was today, had been keeping such a dire secret for
the last five hundred years. It was unforgivable to Xiao for he had seen firsthand the pain that
secret had caused in the two people he had come to care about most: Lumine and Aether.

Xiao didn’t know what to do with himself, feeling every single side of him conflicting with
itself.

Things had changed so drastically for Xiao since the day he’d first met Lumine. He hardly
remembered what he’d been like before he’d met her. He had never experienced friendship
since the day he had been thrown into disarray too long ago. The pain he’d felt when he lost
the Yaksha, the only family he'd ever known, had been too great for Xiao to bear; he chose to
live each day on his own, tightening the mask of his rank more and more and hardening his
gaze until no one dared approach him. It was better that way. If he’d just lived like that
forever, he wouldn’t be feeling pain like this. He wouldn’t feel so conflicted.

It felt like fate had been set in stone for him for a long time to break down the walls he’d put
around himself.

First, he’d met Lumine. She had been kind enough to see past all his misgivings. She saw
him for who he really was: a broken being who hardly had anything to live for anymore. She
approached him with an extended hand of friendship despite his unruly nature, despite all the
hostility she got from him, and despite Xiao’s karmic debt. Thinking about her made Xiao’s
heart ache.

They’d fought so many battles side by side. It pained him to see her suffering. It pained him
even more now that he found out who was behind her suffering, who had been keeping her
from finding her brother for long.
Then, he’d met Aether under circumstances he still could not understand. The man he’d spent
so much and yet so little time with was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. He could
make flowers bloom with just his voice, birds would land on his arms if he stretched them
out, and he was the only one who could ever have made Xiao feel something as… humane as
love. He was so beautiful and so kind, and yet the life he lived was just as sad as Xiao’s.
Equally lonely, equally disgraced. He had built a whole new world for himself in his own
prison. He had been tormented by the gods, sent heroes he couldn’t help but fall in love with.
The thought scared Xiao.

Had he just been another tool to haunt Aether? To give him hope for a love or freedom he
could never have?

It angered Xiao so deeply he could barely breathe normally. He regretted ever leaving. He
should’ve stayed behind on Ogygia with the rest of his life spent by the side of the first
person to capture his heart. He could’ve lived like a mortal: he could’ve eaten, slept, and
made merry by Aether’s side.

Xiao had to leave Aether behind because of his duty to Rex Lapis: to pay back a debt so great
that he could only repay it with his life.

It all came back to Rex Lapis. He was the only Archon Xiao had believed in. He knew
Lumine, he cared for her. How could he do something like that to her? To Aether, who only
wished for a companion by his side?

The thought made resentment well up in his chest.

His respect and love for the former Geo Archon had once been the deepest form of emotion
Xiao had ever felt. That was… until he met Aether, who had made him feel happy for the
first time. Now, due to Xiao’s indecision, it had been ripped away from him. It felt like he
had been toyed with. Xiao wouldn’t have minded being used like this if it hadn’t been Aether
reaping the consequences. The thought of Aether, alone once more, made Xiao want to
drown himself. He should never have left. Xiao had a great many choice words for Rex
Lapis–no, Zhongli. If need be, if there was even the slightest hope that Zhongli could bring
him back to Ogygia, he would raise his weapon against the man who had made it for him.

Losing that fight wasn’t an option for Xiao. He could not die at Rex Lapis’s hands because he
had a promise to fulfill to the man who mattered most to Xiao after so many years of life. No
matter what, he would see Aether again. He would hold him in his arms and tell him he loved
him no matter the cost.

***

In a few hours, the raft had docked itself along the coast of Guili Plains just by the Yaoguang
Shoals.

Xiao regained his senses one by one and stepped off the raft. Guili Plains had always been his
home… and yet, it felt cold and desolate, almost dreadful.
Xiao realized now how flawed his thinking had been before. He had considered Guili Plains
his home but it had only been his delusion. All his life, he had been looking for safety,
somewhere he could truly call home, somewhere he could live without fear. Guili Plains had
never been that place. For as long as he remembered, this had been the place where he
struggled most with his karmic debt as many of the olden gods had fallen here. The only
reason Xiao had once found solace in this place was that he’d gotten used to the torment of
living so brutally.

For the first time in his life, he had experienced peace on Ogygia. He had slept without
nightmares, he had eaten without feeling disgusted, and he had found the time and energy to
fall in love with someone.

Now, looking at Guili Plains brought him pain, knowing that this was the side of the ocean
that Aether wasn’t on.

He watched the raft, the last physical thing that tied him to Aether, leave until it disappeared
into the horizon, having fed the fruit to hungry fish he’d met along the way for he knew it
would be useless to him now that he was back in Teyvat.

The pain in his chest was unbearable, but he turned away with a heavy heart.

Xiao faced Liyue, taking a deep breath to breathe in the familiar air. Liyue felt almost strange
to Xiao now. It felt like he had spent an eternity by Aether’s side, falling in love with him
over what felt like months, so long that he’d forgotten what it meant to be a Yaksha, riddled
with karmic debt. He was afraid to find out how long it had been. He worried for Lumine,
Paimon, and everyone else. He wanted to see them again—that was the only silver lining he
had when coming back to Liyue: to make sure his friends were safe.

But before he could check on them, he needed to find Rex Lapis. He needed answers, to
know for sure if he could ever see Aether again.

Xiao crouched down and touched the earth. Almost immediately, he knew where to look. The
earth was calling him to Wangshu Inn… he was being summoned. He rose slowly off the
ground, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Wangshu Inn in the distance. He knew he would
find who he was looking for there because he was being called upon on purpose.

Xiao disappeared in the flash of a green void, leaving Guili Plains empty, no sign that he’d
been there.

Xiao’s world went dark for a moment, but when he rematerialized, he stood on the topmost
roof of Wangshu Inn. He took a deep breath, feeling the hairs on his body stand on end as he
breathed in the familiar scent of the tree Wangshu Inn was built on. He felt nostalgic as if he
hadn’t seen this place in ages. At the Chasm, just before he found himself landing on Ogygia,
Xiao had thought about this place and how he might never get to return. At the time, he had
been okay with that so long as his friends got away safely. Now, he couldn’t help but feel
relieved that he got to see this place one more time.

He looked down from his perch, already knowing who he would find waiting for him at the
spot he felt most peaceful: the top balcony of Wangshu Inn. A tall man with dark, two-
colored hair and a sturdy build stood down below. It was still difficult for Xiao to perceive
this man as Rex Lapis, but he could see the resemblance to the Archon he used to be.

He felt no need to call out for his attention: Zhongli had been waiting for him.

Slowly, he turned, holding a cup of tea in his hands; it was still warm and steaming,
indicating to Xiao that he hadn’t been waiting for too long.

Zhongli’s brilliant eyes met Xiao’s, gold against gold. To any ordinary human, Zhongli
would’ve looked like a learned gentleman, a man you would listen to only because of the
grace with which he carried himself. Xiao knew better; he was an adeptus. He could sense the
power radiating from Zhongli even after losing his status as an Archon. Xiao felt the urge to
kneel, but he forcibly stopped himself from doing so.

He reminded himself that no amount of respect for the man standing before him would be
enough to justify the cruelty he had shown Aether.

Zhongli smiled gently to himself, looking down at his cup and blowing the steam over his
tea.

“You’re as punctual as you’ve always been, Xiao,” he said, the wind carrying his voice
elegantly to Xiao’s ears. Xiao said nothing, feeling his gaze getting icier and icier. He
couldn’t see Zhongli the same way after what he’d learned. Zhongli gave no sign of noticing
Xiao’s contempt for him at that moment. He calmly began to walk along the fence on the
balcony. He took a sip of his drink, then sighed gently, enjoying the taste.

“I enjoy coming here for a cup of tea every once in a while,” he told Xiao, “Lumine tells me
you enjoy the Almond Tofu they serve here. I’m glad you’ve found something that suits what
you crave most.”

Zhongli didn’t look at him, but Xiao didn’t need him to to know the double meaning behind
his word. Zhongli wasn’t only talking about the food. He had a knowing note to his voice as
if he knew firsthand Xiao’s deepest desires, those that he had never shared even with Lumine.
Xiao felt a deep sense of resentment, wondering how Zhongli could stand to speak Lumine's
name when he had such a huge part in keeping her away from her brother. Seeing the look in
Zhongli's eyes, understanding rapidly dawned on him. “You were the one who sent me there,
weren’t you?” He asked, his voice deathly quiet, but he was sure that Zhongli had no trouble
hearing his words. Zhongli paused for a second, looking back up at Xiao.

His expression was completely passive, not betraying any emotion, “Naturally.” Zhongli said
calmly, looking unbothered by the question as if he believed he had done nothing wrong.

Xiao's eyes flashed; he was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to adequately express
what he was feeling towards Zhongli at that moment. "Did you send me there just to… just to
punish me?" Xiao muttered, feeling his fingers trembling. He couldn't look at Zhongli
anymore. All throughout his journey back, he had thought of what he would say to Zhongli.

He had pictured himself standing tall in front of him, conveying all these jumbled-up feelings
inside him as eloquently as Zhongli did with his own feelings. Trembling with anger and
being unable to raise his voice above a whisper had not been part of Xiao's plan. Zhongli
looked at him blankly, his head tilted slightly to the side as if seeing Xiao for the first time.

"Was your time spent on Ogygia a punishment to you, Adeptus Xiao?" He asked, "Did you
not feel the happiest you've been in millennia while sharing meals with Aether, sleeping
dreamlessly by his side, tending the fields? Did it not bring you peace?"

"The punishment was when that peace was stripped away from me," Xiao snarled, his voice
rising as his temper flared. He knew everything Zhongli was saying was correct. That time
spent with Aether had been full of happiness. But departing from Aether had also been his
biggest sorrow. The pain he felt, not being by Aether's side, was something Xiao couldn't
forgive. "You knew I wouldn't be able to stay," Xiao whispered, his voice carried off by the
wind.

His words had no effect on Zhongli. Instead, the ex-Archon just shrugged like it was no big
deal, "I was counting on it." He confirmed. He saw the seething rage in Xiao's eyes flare up at
his words and couldn't help but hide a smile behind his cup of tea.

"How could you do that to me?" Xiao said, "No… to hell with that, how could you do that to
Aether, to Lumine? How could you call her your friend when you're the reason she can't find
true happiness in our world? How can you partake in her suffering and just… stand there and
smile?!" Zhongli said nothing as Xiao yelled at him, asking him all these painful questions.

He knew he couldn't do much to appease Xiao's anger at the moment; all his reasons would
fall on deaf ears. All he could do was listen and let Xiao get it out of his system.

"You… do you know how much pain you're causing? Lumine would never be able to look at
you again if she knew. She would always remember you as a liar, someone she called a friend
who had the answers to all her questions and yet… refused to give them to her. And Aether…
you– you trapped him in solitude for five centuries for… protecting those he loved?" Xiao's
voice trembled as much as his hands. He had so much to say to Zhongli, and yet, his voice
was failing him. But still, he pushed on, wanting that calm expression on Zhongli's face to
break, "I thought you could do no wrong, that you would always have everyone's best
interests at heart just like you had mine. I thought you were benevolent, kind," he said softly,
his anger being replaced by feelings of sorrow and betrayal, "you even gave me the name I
use so proudly. I trusted you more than anyone else– I believed in you. Was I mistaken?"

He watched as Zhongli slowly lowered his cup, staring down at it as if it didn't taste so good
anymore. Zhongli's chest heaved with a sigh. Xiao should've felt satisfied to know that his
words had cut deep into Zhongli, but he felt nothing. All he wanted at that moment was to
run away, run as far as possible until he could find Aether again and fall into his arms. He
was afraid to hear Zhongli's answer.

Zhongli couldn't find the appetite to finish his tea, placing his cup on the square fence of the
balcony. It balanced perfectly, but he knew that even the slightest touch would send it
tumbling. The irony struck Zhongli: it felt like Xiao's trust had been the same way.

He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at how easily Xiao's faith in him had wavered,
but he couldn't find the heart to blame him. Love was a painfully beautiful thing.
He finally looked up, "I don't think I can answer your question. It is for you to decide
whether or not I am to be trusted. All I can do is explain my reasoning for the things I did. I
am still bound by contract not to reveal too much but… I believe you are entitled to as much
truth as I am permitted to share with you. Are you willing to hear me out?" Xiao stared at
him, a pained expression on his face.

He did want answers. He needed to know why he and Aether had to go through that, why
they had to suffer for Zhongli’s so-called plan to succeed. “Yes,” He said.

Zhongli inclined his head, turning around and staring at the vast plains of Guili stretched out
before them. He could see why Xiao liked it here. It was quiet; there were no eavesdroppers
save for the birds that had made their homes in the Wangshu Tree.

“Five hundred years ago, Khaenri’ah fell. I still cannot disclose the circumstances in which it
was destroyed,” Zhongli began, “but it’s as Aether told you: we, the Archons, were the
driving forces of that disaster.” He could hear Xiao draw in a sharp, pained breath, but it
wasn’t like the information was new to him. Zhongli supposed this fact must hurt Xiao even
more now that he knew and loved someone who was caught in that disaster.

He continued, “Everything Aether told you about that incident is as he says. We were the
ones who imprisoned him on Ogygia. It was a vote between myself and the six other
Archons. Aether was a formidable enemy, we’d razed the place he called home. We couldn’t
let him roam free, plotting against us, but we also couldn’t put an end to his life for he had a
big role to play in our world, just as Lumine does.”

Zhongli couldn’t see Xiao as he had his back to the adeptus, but he could almost feel the way
Xiao’s heart twisted with agony at the thought of Aether being killed. Zhongli smiled to
himself, knowing that Xiao wouldn’t have batted an eye if he hadn’t been talking about the
one he loved.

Love truly was such an odd but beautiful thing. It could make even the heart of someone like
Xiao, who was hardened to the notions of death, break at the thought.

“And so… we opted to exile him on an island that is both everywhere and nowhere. There,
he had access to everything he needed to lead a fulfilling life. This was only after he’d dealt a
considerable blow to us as well,” Zhongli told Xiao, his voice getting quieter with shame, “it
wasn’t fair, but some of us wanted to punish him a little more for what had happened, for the
losses we had sustained thanks to his prowess. He was put under the curse,” Zhongli finally
looked back at Xiao, weariness in his expression, “he was sent a hero every few decades. He
would be taunted with the idea of companionship but… the heroes would always have some
duty to attend to. They would never be able to stay with him and they would never be able to
find him again. He would get his heart broken over and over again.”

Xiao felt his legs getting wobbly. He felt sick to his stomach at the ideas playing in his head.
He crouched down, placing his head in his hands with guilt and regret. He should never have
left. He should never have broken Aether’s heart just like the rest.

“Was I just a pawn for you to punish Aether?” Xiao asked though he didn’t want to know the
answer.
Zhongli’s eyes crinkled with a smile, “You’re incorrect, Adeptus Xiao,” he said, causing
Xiao’s head to snap up with surprise, having been expecting the opposite answer, “in fact,
you may well be the only being in this world who can break Aether’s curse.”

“But… how?” Xiao asked hopelessly, “How can I break Aether’s curse if I can't even be
certain that I can find him?”

“There is one clause in Aether’s curse that is open for interpretation. It wouldn’t be far-
fetched for me to say that even the other gods have not paid this loophole much attention. No
man finds Ogygia twice… but you're no ordinary man, Xiao. You don't have to find Ogygia,
you just have to find Aether.” Zhongli said, an amused smile on his face. He watched as
realization dawned on Xiao.

Xiao remembered what he’d told Aether: “It's a good thing I'm not just any ordinary human
man.”

Truth be told, Xiao had only been trying to cope with their fate when he had said that. He
didn’t think that his words had held as much truth or hope as they did. He stared at Zhongli’s
face blankly, contemplating his words. He was starting to piece together the real truth of why
he had been sent to Ogygia.

He was an excellent tracker, having impeccable hearing that allowed him to aid comrades
like Lumine and find her anywhere in Teyvat.

But Ogygia was outside of Teyvat. It was everywhere and nowhere at once. Could it really
work?

Zhongli recognized the doubts in Xiao's mind and smiled, “Even among the non-human
creatures that reside in Teyvat, there is only one that has the skill to find Aether again. Only
he has the strength, the capability, and the loyalty to do everything in his power to break the
shackles that keep Aether on Ogygia,” he looked expectantly at Xiao, observing as Xiao
pieced it all in his head.

“I am the only one who can find Ogygia again?” Xiao asked, his voice getting slightly more
confident, a spark of hope burning in his chest.

Zhongli promptly crushed that hope as he shook his head. Xiao’s shoulders slumped, thinking
Zhongli meant that he was not the one who could break Aether’s curse.

Zhongli couldn’t help chuckling a little at the annoyed and crestfallen expression on Xiao’s
face, “No, Xiao. It is not Ogygia you’re looking for: it’s Aether. The curse says that no man
finds Ogygia twice, but it is not Ogygia you're looking for. It is not Ogygia that will call out
to you in three days' time. Finding Aether is your goal; getting back to Ogygia is just one step
in achieving it.”

Xiao contemplated this; he was relieved that Zhongli hadn’t had antagonistic reasons for
sending Xiao to Aether. His words made sense—that was a giant loophole in Aether's curse:
to look for Aether, not Ogygia. That was Xiao's specialty. He felt a knot unfurling in his
chest, finding relief as the truth set in. In his heart, he’d been looking for someone to blame
for the anxiety churning in his stomach, the pain weighing down on his heart. Zhongli...
unfortunately, he had been the convenient target. He had said that he had been counting on
Xiao’s return. At first, Xiao thought that it was because he wanted Xiao to break Aether’s
heart, but now, he understood why Zhongli had felt that way. It was because only Xiao had a
snowball’s chance of breaking the curse Aether had been put under.

“How do I break his curse and get back to him?” Xiao asked.

Zhongli simply shrugged in response, “You already know what to do. Keep your promise to
Aether. Trust him to call for you and trust yourself to find him when you hear his voice.
When you get back to Aether, the curse will break. After that… you’ll be left with a choice:
will you stay with Aether in Ogygia, where your past means nothing? Or will you bring him
back and reunite him with Lumine?” He pondered.

A misty expression crossed Xiao’s face at the idea. He already knew what the right thing to
do was: to bring Aether back to Teyvat, to reunite him with his sister, and to help him
experience freedom again. But some scary part of him didn’t want to do any of that.

The time he’d spent on Ogygia with Aether, talking with him, sharing meals with him,
bathing, cuddling, sleeping: it was the best he’d ever felt in his life.

He could be selfish and keep Aether all to himself, spending the rest of his life showering
him with his love. He could keep Aether’s broken curse a secret. Aether need never know
that he’d be able to leave Ogygia. It wouldn’t matter because he would have Xiao by his side;
he would finally have the one thing he had been yearning for: companionship. Xiao shook his
head physically, bringing himself back to Teyvat. He pursed his lips, feeling disgusted with
himself that he’d had such possessive, dishonest thoughts.

He would be no better than Zhongli or any of the other Archons if he were to deprive Aether
of the choice to leave Ogygia.

Zhongli offered him that same kind smile he had when they’d first met: the one that had told
Xiao that he was safe, “I won’t judge you for the choices you make, Xiao. Love can make
you desperate and even cruel at times. But I have faith that you will do what is right in the
end. You might find that making a life by Aether’s side on both sides of the sea has its
merits.”

Xiao’s eyes were stormy as he stood up from his crouching position. He looked down at his
clothes; they were the same as when he had been fighting by everyone’s side down in the
Chasm.

Xiao’s eyes widened, remembering that he had forgotten to ask a vital question, “Everyone..!
Is everyone–” He began, panic in his voice, laced with guilt that he'd forgotten.

Zhongli shook his head with amusement, “Of course. It has been three long weeks since
you've been missing. You saved them; I wouldn't expect any less. However, they perceive
you to be dead and they grieve the loss of you. I haven’t told them anything,” he said,
shrugging, “quite cruel of me. But that decision is yours to make. You are better off labelled
dead if you choose never to return to Liyue… but if you come back alive, I suspect they will
have a great many questions. The rest is up to you, Adeptus Xiao.”

Xiao felt a slight lump in his throat. Zhongli spoke to him kindly, his voice full of
understanding.

Xiao regretted ever dishonoring his name and doubting his intentions. He had sent Xiao to
Ogygia for a reason: so that both Xiao and Aether could have a chance to find happiness in
each other. Even though Xiao’s heart ached at Aether’s absence, he felt grateful for the
opportunity.

“Rex Lapis– Zhongli… I’m sorry,” Xiao said.

Zhongli’s expression remained the same, shining with warmth towards the adeptus. He could
feel Xiao’s guilt and it soothed the disappointment he had felt.

“It’s alright, I understand. This is the first time you’ve been allowed to feel love towards
someone, so make sure not to let it slip. Believe in your capabilities and allow yourself to be
selfish just this once. You’re no longer the Yaksha—Alatus. You’ve been freed from your
contract to protect Liyue just as Rex Lapis was. Make a good life for yourself.” Zhongli gave
him one last smile, gracefully taking his cup off the fence, the tea completely cold now. He
strolled off inside Wangshu Inn, a thoughtful expression on his face as he pondered how else
to kill his time, leaving Xiao standing on the roof, a dazed expression on his face as he
replayed Zhongli’s words in his mind over and over.

He had his Archon’s blessing to pursue his own happiness for the first time in his life. Xiao’s
legs felt weak again. He crashed down on the roof again, lying flat on his back as he closed
his eyes, feeling a peculiar pressure behind them.

He was finally free. When Zhongli said his contract no longer mattered, Xiao could feel a
tight rope around his heart being loosened. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders,
making his entire body feel awkward and disoriented. For once, he didn’t have Liyue’s safety
in mind.

His only duty now was to Aether. He needed to keep that promise even if it cost him his life.

Three days. That was how long he had to wait to see Aether. He wasn’t out of the woods just
yet, a part of his heart still weighed down with anxiety, but just the thought of seeing Aether’s
smile again brought him immense joy. Xiao smiled a full, happy smile that stretched the
corners of his mouth. He opened his eyes, ignoring the way the sun burned them, and reached
out to the sky, wondering if Aether was seeing the same sun he did. That likely wasn’t true…
for the only sunshine in Xiao’s life that mattered was Aether.

Soon, he would be by Aether’s side again and Xiao couldn’t wait.

***

Two days later, Aether found himself sitting by the beach where he had seen Xiao off. He had
laid down a towel and sat atop it, his legs crossed as he gazed out at the sea in the dark of
night with only the moon to illuminate his world.

His eyes couldn’t focus or take in anything in front of him. He’d been like this for the last
two days, just constantly off in his thoughts, unable to live in the moment. His heart was
riddled with anxiety.

He couldn’t work properly, not having any energy to work his fields even though a distraction
would’ve been more than welcome for him.

Since the day Xiao left, he was afraid to go to bed each night because he knew how cold the
sheets would be. He’d stay up like this, sitting on his towel by the seaside, staring at the
horizon but not really seeing it.

Aether didn’t know what he was looking for as he sat on the beach for almost two days
straight.

Was he hoping to see the raft coming back with Xiao standing on top of it? Was he hoping
that Xiao would drop from the sky again as he had the first time and would leave a crater on
the beach again? The thoughts depressed Aether deeply. He knew it wasn’t possible. Xiao
would not come back to him so easily… if at all. Aether had done nothing but think since
Xiao had left. Oftentimes, his thoughts were so grim and miserable that he would cry for
hours on end. He had been riddled with so many emotions: loneliness, sadness, anger,
resentment, and longing.

Feeling all of them together was nothing short of torture. He lamented in his own grief for he
knew that Xiao would never come back.

All heroes made promises they couldn’t keep. Even though Aether was certain that Xiao had
fallen for him, he knew it likely wasn’t anything more than infatuation. Aether had been
through it loads of times: heroes, always men, were sent to Ogygia always in the direst of
circumstances. They would need Aether’s help, his care to get them back on their feet so that
they could do whatever life-changing duties they had… or to return to their true loved ones.

The worst of it was that they all had exactly what Aether liked most in people. They had the
same sense of purpose, the same recklessness, the same selflessness, and, most of all, they all
needed him. They gave him a sense of purpose.

But they always ended up breaking his heart.

In all the times he’d been through this, the men ended up falling for his beauty and caring
nature. But their love meant nothing to Aether.

The first dozen times, he’d believed them. He would think he meant something to them but,
in the end, they always ended up leaving and never coming back despite all the promises that
they would one day return.

He would spend years waiting for them, only to be disappointed. Now… he was sick of it. He
had been so determined not to care for the next man to wash up or fall on his shores,
determined not to fall for them, not to have any expectations so that he wouldn’t end up
broken and disappointed all over again. But then, the gods insulted him by giving him a non-
human for the first time, one who had ties to his other half: his sister. He had everything
Aether loved in a man. He was handsome, brave, and selfless. He had come to Aether in
tattered clothes, in desperate need of saving. Aether couldn’t help but save him, couldn’t help
but want to give Xiao his love.

And though he tried to pull away from Xiao whenever he found himself getting too close, he
knew it could never work.

He saw the intricacies in Xiao that made him different from all the others—his battle-worn
body, his cold, tumultuous eyes that held thousands of years of misery, and all the things he’d
neglected about himself. He would’ve been Aether’s biggest challenge: a man who needed to
be taken care of after looking after others all his life. Aether had been happy to give him his
time and care, but he’d been afraid of giving him his love, afraid that it would result in
another heartbreak.

However, he just couldn’t help it. He watched as Xiao got stronger each day they spent
together. His skin began to glow like moonlight, his careworn hair grew softer each day
because Aether would mix different herbs for him to wash with.

He would spend an hour each night massaging Xiao’s scalp and his shoulders as they bathed
in a lake at the center of the island. Xiao would sit in the water while Aether would be
perched on a boulder, both with towels on because Aether felt shy otherwise. He would find
happiness in the way Xiao sighed happily and relaxed under his touch, occasionally looking
up at Aether with a gentle expression on his face. The dangerous look that had been there in
Xiao’s eyes the day they’d officially met had slowly melted, giving way to something much
warmer. Aether enjoyed seeing this change in Xiao.

Hearing about Xiao’s life and his adventures with Lumine only made Aether fall for him on a
more personal level. His sister was one of the most no-nonsense people he’d ever known to
this day; if she could trust Xiao as such… then Aether couldn’t help doing so as well.

He admitted that he had been a little jealous whenever he heard those stories—of who? Both
Xiao and Lumine.

Xiao had the freedom to support those he cared about; he could go anywhere in Teyvat and
befriend anyone he deemed trustworthy. And, most of all, he could see Lumine and help her
through her battles whenever she needed him.

He was jealous of Lumine because… well, she had an upstanding friend like Xiao in her life.

Aether couldn’t help but feel sad each time he thought of Xiao’s life, knowing that he had no
room for Aether in it. He had known since day one that Xiao was noble, that he had a
plethora of duties as an adeptus. He would never have been able to rest completely at ease if
he had stayed with Aether. That only filled Aether’s heart with more resentment towards the
gods. It felt like he was being punished by being sent a man who was so damned beautiful
and so damned selfless.
He had fallen for Xiao harder than he had for any other man that had washed up on his island.
That was why his heart felt like it had been carved from lead.

The thing Aether hated most about his fate was that he couldn’t help but love those who
needed him most. Xiao had been that person. He had come to Aether in a broken body and a
broken state of mind.

He told Aether of his troubles sleeping, about his karmic debt. Aether had done everything in
his power to soothe him. It made him so happy to see his efforts bearing fruit, seeing Xiao get
livelier, brighter, and more talkative. To Aether, it felt like he was giving Xiao a chance to
live life for what it was, rather than for what it had been. But then, it felt like Xiao was
getting off his high. His expression would get mistier, pensive, like he was thinking of
leaving.

It felt like Xiao was getting ready to leave the moment he didn’t need him anymore, the
moment he got stronger, the moment he got a taste of what a normal life was like so that he
could check it off his bucket list. Aether wished he had stopped loving Xiao when he didn’t
need him anymore.

But that just wasn’t how his feelings worked. Aether prided himself in caring for those who
needed him but, in reality, wasn’t it he who needed them?

They always left him broken, just as Xiao had done.

This time, it felt like he would never recover from the loss. Tomorrow was the day he’d
promised to call for Xiao… but Aether didn’t believe him. He couldn’t—not without
sacrificing what little shred of sanity he had left. If he put too much faith in Xiao’s promise
and it didn’t lead to fruition… it would kill him on the inside.

As Aether sat there on the beach, he hugged his arms around himself, feeling cold and weary.
His heart felt like it had been used as a punching bag.

He wanted sleep but it couldn’t come to him easily after spending an indefinite time sleeping
in Xiao’s warm arms. Xiao thought that Aether was simply just a sleep wiggler, that they
would somehow end up tangled together in their sleep, but that had never been an accident
even if Aether pretended it was. At night, he would gently squeeze himself in Xiao’s embrace
because it would help him sleep better… and because Xiao smelled nice.

Aether sighed heftily, gazing at the grains of white sand surrounding his beach towel. They
were just as plentiful as the stars above.

He looked up at the night sky, gazing at the moon with gentleness in his eyes. He didn’t know
why, but it made him long for Xiao even more. Xiao contrasted him in every way. Aether
held so much warmth in his heart and he had used it to warm up Xiao’s too. Xiao was the
cool, gentle rays of moonlight that would put Aether at ease. Even though the feeling calmed
him down, he felt tears welling in his eyes. They rolled down his cheeks as he fell back on
his towel, his vision of the moon blurring though it didn’t serve to make the night sky any
less beautiful.
Looking at the sky like this, with the moon acting as a substitute, he could almost feel Xiao’s
arms wrap around him.

He didn’t want to hope but he did so anyway… he hoped Xiao would come back to him. He
hoped with all his heart even though his mind sang a different, melancholic song. Aether
wanted him more than anything.

***

Aether opened his eyes the next morning to a drop of rain pattering against his cheek. He lay
in a fetal position, having passed out from exhaustion on the beach sometime during the night
without even realizing it.

He sat up, feeling groggy and fatigued from depression, staring up at the sky, overcast with
clouds. It was abnormal for Ogygia to have robust weather. The sky was usually clear or
patched with white clouds, the seasons never changed, and the temperature was always
perfect—never too hot and never too cold. Rain was rare but never unwelcome for Aether.
The sunshine was nice and all, but it got repetitive. But he’d noticed that it only rained in
Ogygia when Aether experienced a loss. The thought saddened him.

He hadn’t the energy to get up and out of the rain. He faced the sky and closed his eyes the
rain picked up.

Today was the day. It was raining the day he was supposed to call for Xiao. Rain was always
a bad omen on Ogygia, making Aether’s heart ache. Was this the gods’ way of telling him not
to get his hopes up? His breath hitched, feeling an overwhelming sense of doom and dread
washing over him.

He was destined to be alone for the rest of eternity. Why did he have to hurt himself by
falling for Xiao so deeply? Every muscle, joint, and bone in his body was screaming. He was
so sick of crying for a lost cause but he couldn’t help but voice the anguish he felt. He began
to cry again, feeling hopeless. He wished he had never met Xiao. He wished he and Lumine
had never come to Teyvat… if they hadn’t, he would still be by her side. He would never
have had to face this anguish over and over and over again. His tears mixed with the drops of
rain on his face and the sound of thunder veiled his sobs.

He stood up shakily on his feet, feeling weak because he hadn’t taken care of himself since
Xiao left, barely eating. He was getting soaked by the minute, his beautiful, fluffy blonde
locks plastering themselves against his forehead, his robes dampening with each second as he
walked towards the beach.

Each drop of rain rippled the surf, making it seem like the ocean was glittering. It would’ve
been a beautiful sight… but Aether couldn’t appreciate it. It felt like his whole world had
fallen apart.

The waves ripped against his ankles. He had half a mind to continue into the sea up to his
knees, his waist, his neck, and more until he didn’t feel anything anymore. But he had a
promise to fulfill. He stared at the horizon where Xiao had left, tears and rain casting blurry
blotches over his vision.
He had no hope that this would work. It felt silly that he was even going through with this.
Just trying and failing to get Xiao back would be pain worse than any other, but he didn’t
want to break his promise. He opened his mouth, trying to prepare his lungs to shout Xiao’s
name, but he couldn’t muster the energy. All that came out of his lips was a meek whisper of
his name, swallowed by the pitter-patter of the rain against the ocean’s surface. It was a
pathetic attempt, even Aether knew that.

He closed his eyes, mustering all the strength in his body, shouting as loud as he could,
“Xiao!” His own voice rang in his ears.

He opened his eyes, looking around, pleading with every deity that something had changed.
Even though he had no high hopes, he couldn’t help but beg the Archons that it would work.

He breathed heavily, looking out at the rippling ocean, up at the clouds, the beach, and the
gardens, looking for any sign of the man he loved. There was nothing. Ogygia was still grey
and stormy, just as still and lifeless as it had always been. Aether’s eyes dulled with misery.
He had been expecting this but it didn’t make it hurt any less.

He slowly lost his footing in the shifting sand; he didn’t put up a fight as he fell to his knees
in the water. He felt empty. The umpteenth heartache, the umpteenth broken promise.

But suddenly, the wind shifted. It blew straight from the horizon in front of him, strong
enough to blow back the hair stuck to his forehead and momentarily clear the tears and rain
from his vision. Aether stared ahead, his gaze still muddled, unable to focus. Then, another
gust of wind flew from behind him, causing him to place an arm over his face as his hair
blew forward. He looked behind him incomprehensively, dazedly wondering why the weather
patterns were so tumultuous. Through the grey gloom of the storm, he saw something out of
the ordinary: a flash of green light just down the beach from where he was.

He stared at it, seeing what looked to be a rippling void open up. Aether’s hair was whipping
around him, staring with wide eyes as a man stepped through that void.

He thought he was dreaming, that the anguish had finally made him lose it. Maybe he was
catching a fever from being out in the rain—but he knew his eyes weren’t deceiving him. A
green-haired man had stepped out into the rain down the beach and was looking right at him.

Aether got to his feet in a flash, hardly able to believe his eyes. His shock and disbelief
cleared as sheer happiness broke through his chest at the sight of Xiao standing there,
shielding his eyes from the rain so he could better see Aether. Aether beamed a smile that
brightened up the island, making it easy to forget the torrents of rain pouring down on him.
He thrust himself into a run, fighting against the water as he sprinted toward Xiao. He could
see Xiao smiling his calm smile as he opened his arms, bracing himself for impact. Xiao was
all but tackled into the soggy sand with Aether's arms wrapped tight around him as he sobbed
into Xiao's chest with happiness.

"You're late," Aether said; it was all he could manage between chokes for breath, holding on
to Xiao tightly as if afraid that he was an illusion, "I-I thought..."
"You thought I'd break my promise," Xiao finished, though he had no accusatory note in his
voice. Xiao’s heart felt like it was being smothered in butterflies, having thought he would
never get to have Aether in his arms again.

He sat up and held Aether as he cried, digging his fingers into Xiao’s ragged shirt like it was
a lifeline. “I missed you—I missed you so much,” Aether sobbed through the pattering of the
rain. He looked up at Xiao, a trembling smile on his lips. Just looking at it made Xiao feel as
warm as if the sun was shining down on him. Xiao had missed him just as much. He had
longed to see this smile, having glimpsed it each time he’d blinked in the last three days.
He’d spent the day in uncertainty, riddled with anxiety because he had feared that Aether
wouldn’t call him or that, even if Aether had called for him, he wouldn’t have heard it. He
would never have known had that been the case. Zhongli had told him to trust in his abilities
but it was easy to doubt himself when so much was riding on his shoulders—failure hadn’t
been an option.

He couldn’t describe the relief he felt, likely greater than even Aether’s. He had come back;
he had kept his promise, and now, he was holding Aether again, gazing upon his beautiful
smile. He had broken Aether's curse. He could ask for nothing more.

Xiao could find no adequate words to express himself; instead, he wrapped Aether tightly in
his embrace to shield him from the rain as it soaked them both and eliminated the space
between their lips. Aether melted into it almost immediately. They were both drenched and
shivering with cold but neither of them felt it. As their chests collided and their tongues
intertwined, nothing else mattered to them except for each other.

The kiss was brief, and yet they both heaved as they parted, neither wanting it to end. Xiao
joined his forehead with Aether’s and smiled warmly at him, “I’m home,” he said softly.

Aether choked back a sob at Xiao’s words, staring into his ages-old eyes that expressed every
bit of his love. He knew what Xiao meant: it wasn’t Ogygia that was his home—it was
Aether.

Xiao scooped Aether up in his arms, “Let’s get you out of the rain,” he said, carrying Aether
inland along the path to the cave. They passed the cupid fountain, the smell of petrichor all
around them as the rocks were pelted with rain. This scent reminded Xiao of Zhongli. It made
him wonder if this rain was Zhongli's way of blessing them both. He met Aether's eyes as he
looked at him with love, unable to help but lean in for another kiss, pecking him briefly. The
sound of the rain lessened as he carried Aether into the cave.

Xiao gazed at Aether's bed and frowned a little. It was in the same state as when Xiao left
three days ago. He glared at Aether without malice, "You haven't slept?" He asked sharply.
Aether's cheeks felt warm as he curled his arms around Xiao's neck, trying to soften up the
sternness in his voice and appeal to his sensitivity.

"I-It… didn't feel right" Aether murmured bashfully, shivering from the rain "without you."
His emotional vulnerability surprised Xiao. Xiao's gaze softened almost immediately because
he hadn't been able to sleep for the last three days either.
He placed Aether gently on the ground, looking at his damp robes that made Aether cold,
"We need to get you some sleep," he told Aether. Aether considered his words. It repulsed
him to think of sleeping right now when he wanted Xiao more than anything else. So much
relief had washed through him and it presented itself through the love swelling his heart. He
didn't reply immediately but he stepped back, unfurling his wet clothes until they hung
loosely off his shoulders. He shrugged his robes off, his face turning beet red from both the
cold and embarrassment as he was left bare in front of Xiao in nothing but his underwear. He
met Xiao's eyes, "It's not sleep that I need, Xiao," he whispered slowly, seeing the
dumbstruck look on Xiao's face and smiling as he caressed Xiao's cheek, "it's you."

Xiao tried holding himself back but he couldn't help but stare at Aether, wondering to himself
how such a beautiful being had been fashioned. He reached out a hand, his warm fingers
planting themselves against Aether's cold waist, causing a shiver to ripple through him.

Xiao knew he didn't have the self-control to resist this. He had been wanting this for so
long… Aether had stopped him the first time, but now, Xiao had fulfilled his promise. He had
earned his place by Aether's side as his lover. He couldn't stop himself from reaping the
reward.

He met Aether's eyes and a silent agreement passed through them. They had earned this after
three days of nothing but emotional turmoil and anxiety. They could finally be one.

Xiao wrapped his arms around Aether, connecting their lips and pressing his clothed, wet
body against Aether's, pushing him back until they lost their balance and fell onto the
cushiony mattress behind them. Xiao's hands intertwined with Aether's as he pinned them on
either side of his head, immobilizing him as he ravaged Aether's lips, taking his breath away
until he had Aether writhing beneath him. When he pulled back, he admired the way Aether's
lips reddened from the abuse, his misty gaze teary for all the right reasons now. "You're so
beautiful," Xiao found himself saying, letting go of Aether's wrists to cup his petite chest in
his hands, licking his lips as he let lust take over.

Aether would've felt embarrassed if his heart didn't do backflips at Xiao's compliment. Even
the lustful look in Xiao's eyes and the way he ogled him only served to arouse Aether more.

He leaned down over Aether's body, sticking his tongue out at licking a fat stripe over his left
nipple, smirking just a little at the way Aether squirmed his legs in response. "You liked it
here," Xiao recalled easily, having had nothing but time for the last three days to dwell on the
time he'd spent with Aether. Aether didn't deny it. His whole body felt sensitive to Xiao's
touch—only his. His love for Xiao amplified his desire, making his body react to the adeptus
in peculiar ways.

He felt his mouth filling up with water at the feeling of Xiao wrapping his lips around the bud
of his nipple, giving it the due attention it hadn't received the first time. He left it shuddering
and covered in his slimy spit, a purr erupting from his throat at the lewd sight.

Aether loved the look in Xiao's eyes, full of love, reflecting every bit of his greed at the
prospect of receiving the reward Aether had promised him before leaving.
He didn't get to admire Xiao for long, feeling a noise of surprise escaping him as he was
flipped onto his elbows and knees. His mouth fell open, a shudder rolling down his spine as
Xiao pressed his hips forward, shoving the bulge in his damp pants between Aether's ass
cheeks right through his underwear. The feeling was liberating for Aether. All that went
through his mind was that he was in the arms of the man he loved and they were making
love. A drop of drool dribbled down the side of his lip at the idea.

He could hear Xiao’s ragged breathing as he rubbed his cock against his hole, his thumb
teasing the waistband of his underwear.

He pulled it down, gazing down at the sight that was Aether, staring at his lithe back, the
curve of his spine, and his ass on display for him, admiring the way his beautiful hair fell in
waves along his body. He pressed a hand to Aether’s neck, brushing his damp hair to one side
and feeling his body heating up even more as the nape of his neck came into view.
Everything about Aether was beautiful and worthy of worship.

He leaned down, pushing Aether's underwear down his legs as he touched his chest to
Aether’s back, their hips pressed flush together as he left gentle love bites along his skin.

One of Xiao’s hands found itself hooked to Aether’s inner thigh, moving it between his legs
and cupping his balls in his fist, relishing in the way Aether twitched and moaned at his
touch. He made his way down Aether’s body, leaving kisses and marks down his back until
he reached his tailbone.

Without any hesitation, Xiao wrapped his arms around Aether’s thighs from the inside out
and rested them on his shoulders, lifting his legs off the bed as Aether yelped.

He stuck his tongue out and pressed it against his hole, keeping Aether in place as the blonde
cried his name. “Xiao, p-please, not there…!” He whimpered futilely, falling off of his
elbows as he clutched a pillow for support, feeling humiliated as Xiao ate him out. Xiao said
nothing as he pressed his tongue inside Aether, his eyes cracked open to admire the way
Aether’s back curved in the lewd position they were in. Xiao liked the way the muscles
around Aether’s rim tightened around his tongue, trying to clamp it out of his mouth. He
liked the way Aether’s thighs found a grip around his neck, holding his head in their grasp
and preventing him from moving away.

He wouldn’t exchange having Aether like this for anything in the world. He had been a fool
to let go of Aether even for three days.

Slowly, he let go of Aether, letting him fall to the mattress in a trembling heap. Xiao turned
Aether onto his back, watching with a small smirk as Aether tried to hide his blushing, messy
face. Xiao pressed his hand between Aether’s legs once more, feeling him shiver as he
pressed his fingers to his hole experimentally, coating his fingertips in the saliva he’d left
behind.

He expected Aether to stop him just like last time but Aether said nothing, peering at him
through the cracks between his fingers. He looked so cute at that moment that Xiao didn’t
know what to do with himself. “You’re beautiful,” Xiao said again, not allowing Aether to
register the compliment as he shoved a finger inside Aether. Aether’s eyes went wide, his
body tensing at the sudden, uncomfortable feeling of Xiao’s finger. He didn’t hate it; it
brought him comfort to know that it was Xiao who was doing this to him. He wouldn’t have
it any other way.

Xiao thrust his finger in and out of Aether, marveling as he watched all of Aether’s
abdominal muscles clench, his toes curling as he raised his legs in the air to give Xiao better
access. It was Xiao’s first time seeing someone in such a vulnerable position—the first time
he was committing such acts. He could easily get addicted to the sight of Aether. He would
never be able to forego this sheerly blissful feeling, like butterflies fluttering in his chest.

Xiao noticed a special spot inside Aether, a softer and more tender piece of flesh that was
swollen inside him. Each time his fingers scraped against that spot, Aether’s eyes would
glaze over and he would cry for Xiao louder than ever. He had never seen someone react so
lewdly, but it drove him to madness to see Aether like this.

He took his time opening Aether up, adding one finger after another. All the while, he didn’t
take his eyes off of the blonde. He didn’t want the sight to be over too quickly.

Aether was keenly aware of Xiao’s intense eyes watching him with rapt attention; it
embarrassed him but, more than that, made him giddy. It made him happy that Xiao found
him attractive, that he was enjoying this just as much as Aether was. It made him feel sexy to
have Xiao wrapped around his finger like this, even if it was he who was at Xiao’s mercy.

Xiao had three fingers inside him before he felt satisfied, feeling the last of his patience
disintegrate.

He allowed his fingers to slip out of Aether, feeling his mouth water as Aether clenched
around him as if to keep his fingers from leaving. He couldn’t wait to be inside him now.

Xiao took off his shirt and the sleeve on his arm, stripping himself bare to prevent his clothes
from getting in the way. Aether watched him with glazed eyes as he panted under Xiao.
Xiao’s body was no secret to Aether, but he couldn’t help but lose a bit more of his sanity as
Xiao took off his pants, causing his cock to spring out, solidified with arousal. Their eyes met
and Xiao easily noticed the way Aether admired him. His sharp eyes seemed to soften a little,
knowing how much and how lewdly he had touched Aether both times they’d done this but
never the other way around.

He wrapped an arm around Aether’s waist, pulling him off the bed and into his lap until
Aether’s bare chest collided with Xiao’s, their faces inches apart.

Xiao took Aether’s hand in his own, first bringing it up to his lips to kiss his knuckles as
Aether watched, then pressing his palm against his chest, encouraging him to feel him up.
Aether’s face was beet red, staring down at Xiao’s body.

Drool gathered under his tongue as he groped Xiao’s chest, feeling up the muscles on his
abdomen and caressing the scars on his body. Xiao made Aether’s heart do backflips in every
way. He loved every aspect of Xiao from his body to his personality to his sharp eyes and all
in between. Xiao was perfect.
“I love you, Xiao,” Aether said, causing Xiao to freeze. Xiao stared at him, dumbfounded.
Then, he cursed, confusing Aether immensely. “I was supposed to say it first,” Xiao
grumbled, remembering how he had been stopped the last time. The perplexion melted off of
Aether’s face and he laughed gently, kissing Xiao deeply. Xiao’s eyes were full of warmth
and love for Aether, holding him tight as they kissed. He never would’ve thought he’d hear
that from someone, especially someone as beautiful as Aether. All of this was foreign to
Xiao, but he couldn’t help but love every bit of it, for he was sharing these moments with the
one he loved.

Slowly, he lifted Aether to stand on his knees over Xiao, holding him steady right over his
cock. He parted his lips with Aether’s, looking at him expectantly to do the honors. Aether
realized Xiao was waiting for him to fuck himself on his dick, feeling his embarrassment
double.

He gazed down at Xiao’s cock, feeling desperate for it. All his hesitance eliminated itself at
the sight of it.

He reached down, holding it in his hand and gulping at how hot it was. He lined Xiao’s cock
up with his hole and sank his hips, pressing it inside himself. His mouth fell open as a gasp
escaped his lips, watching as Xiao’s cock disappeared inside him, filling him up to the core.
His back arched, his chest colliding with Xiao’s as he gripped his shoulders, feeling like
something was trying to jump out of his throat. He was relieved it didn’t hurt; rather, he felt
whole like something he’d been yearning for had finally been given to him.

He looked at Xiao through his misty gaze, watching Xiao’s tense expression, marveling at
how handsome Xiao looked with his eyebrows slightly creased, his cheeks warm with a pink
blush, and his lips parted to breathe.

Aether readied himself, holding tightly onto Xiao’s shoulders as he began to bounce on his
cock, closing his eyes as he focused on the way Xiao’s cock brushed against his insides. He
squeezed his rim around Xiao, holding his gaze with parted lips curled into a slight smirk as
Xiao clenched his jaw, feeling like he was going to drown in Aether’s warmth. It felt better
inside Aether than Xiao could have imagined. Aether pushed him down until he lay on the
mattress, placing a hand on Xiao’s chest to keep him pinned as he thrust his hips down over
and over.

Aether captivated Xiao in every way with his gentle smile and loving gaze, his eyes rolling
each time Xiao’s cock hit that special spot inside him.

He was ensnared by the mesmerizing allure of Aether’s breathtaking features.

Xiao felt like he was going mad. Each time Aether swallowed his cock, his abdomen burned
with pleasure, an unfamiliar feeling rising from the base of his dick. Aether wrapped his free
hand around his own cock, pumping it strongly in time with his thrusts as he got more and
more tired, feeling his thighs turning to jelly as the constant abuse to his prostate drove him
nearer to the edge.

His determination to reach his orgasm was the only thing keeping him going, pushing himself
up each time his ass met Xiao’s hips.
Drool dribbled down his mouth as he felt his orgasm fast approaching. His dick throbbed in
his hand as he came with a loud moan, his vision dotted with white and his hips losing their
strength, causing him to slide all the way to the base of Xiao’s cock. His back arched, his
mouth open in an ‘o’ shape as Xiao dug into his prostate.

His cum leaked out all over his hand, his hips twitching forward over and over to milk his
own orgasm, his hole tightening around Xiao’s cock, causing the adeptus to lurch a little.

As his vision cleared, he saw Xiao looking at him with a doting expression, having watched
every second of it, ogling Aether’s muscles as they clenched and the sinful expression on his
face. Xiao was looking at him with such love that Aether felt like his heart would burst. Xiao
reached up with a hand and caressed Aether’s sweaty face, “I love you, Aether,” he said
softly. Aether’s eyes widened, his eyes getting misty with emotion, but Xiao didn’t allow him
to process it. He bucked his hips up into Aether’s ass and threw Aether off balance, causing
him to yelp and topple over on top of Xiao. Both of Xiao’s hands reached back and gripped
his ass, thrusting his hips upward and fucking into Aether over and over.

Aether whimpered in the crook of Xiao’s neck, feeling his sensitivity doubling, but he smiled
blissfully, happier than he had ever been before.

Xiao came inside him, filling him with his seed with a moan of pleasure, his eyes closing as
he experienced his high enveloped in Aether’s warmth. He gazed up at the bejeweled ceiling
of the cave, both lying in each other’s arms, heaving.

They were dead tired and wet with sweat rather than rain this time, but they felt exhilarated.

Aether looked up at Xiao and they shared a warm smile and a kiss, knowing that whatever
happened from then on didn’t matter because they would never part again.

***

“Does it… feel weird?” Aether asked nervously. Xiao shook his head, giving Aether a warm,
comforting look. “It just gets cold for a second,” he told him, describing how his teleportation
worked.

Aether smiled, trying to look brave, but both he and Xiao knew how nervous he was. His
hands trembled a little but Xiao held them, offering support. Today was the day: they were
leaving Ogygia. For the first time in five hundred years, Aether was leaving his island.
Aether was dressed for travel, donning a travel bag in which he kept his essentials. He had
stitched these clothes himself, making them so they resembled the attire he used to wear
when he explored Teyvat: a black and gold cropped shirt, a white sash that extended at the
back, and loose black pants with a pair of durable boots. His old traveling attire made him a
little more confident but not by much.

He was terrified, so damned scared of the unknown. He was afraid of leaving this place
behind, all the birds, the trees, and the flowers. He’d forgotten what life had been like before
all this, but he knew had to leave. His sister waited for him on the other side.
Xiao had attempted to send a message through the winds to Lumine, trying to give her a
heads-up that she would be meeting someone special. They didn't know for sure if she had
gotten it.

Aether was nervous as he tried to wrap his mind around leaving Ogygia. Xiao had told
Aether everything he learned from Rex Lapis when he came back, from the gods’ reasoning
for trapping him to how Aether’s curse could break to why Xiao, a non-human, was sent to
Ogygia.

Aether had trouble accepting that the ex-Geo Archon had had good intentions, but Xiao
trusted him with his life, and Aether trusted Xiao with his life after he’d kept his promise.
Some gods did visit Aether from time to time, such as the Anemo Archon, Barbatos, and the
Dendro Archon, Buer. They did try to comfort Aether as he lived with his fate, sending
whispers through the wind and trees. They were something like acquaintances, in between
the lines of allies and enemies. Now, it seemed like the Geo Archon was acting as an ally to
him too. He didn’t know how to feel about it.

The idea of his curse ever being broken had always been a distant dream to Aether. He hadn’t
known it was possible that a man could come to Ogygia twice and break the shackles that
kept him on the island.

He had taken his time saying goodbye to Ogygia in the last two weeks since Xiao came back.
But he still wasn’t ready to see the outside world again.

He had been waiting for an opportunity like this all his life but he never thought he would get
it. Now that he had… he found himself conflicted. He stared at his hands, intertwined with
Xiao's. Xiao’s warmth made Aether happy. For the first time, it felt like he had a source of
happiness that was his to keep. From Xiao’s story, he knew how much he had risked for
Aether, how ready he had been to turn against his Archon if it meant getting Aether back.

Aether wanted nothing more than to stay with Xiao here forever. Was it odd for Aether to feel
disappointed that his curse was broken?

Of course it was; he’d been waiting for this day for so long. He’d wanted to leave Ogygia and
reunite with his sister, but his helplessness had saved him from his responsibilities. The time
he’d spent with Xiao here, the last two weeks, had been the best of his life. He could’ve lived
like that forever had the curse not been broken.

But now, he didn’t have any choice but to say goodbye to this safe haven forever. What he
was feeling was bittersweet.

It was clear that Xiao, out of care for Lumine, wanted Aether to come with him. Lumine had
been searching sedulously for Aether. He owed it to her to come back. But even Xiao seemed
hesitant. He seemed like he would miss this place and the happy memories he shared with
Aether here, free from his karmic debt.

Both their hearts were torn two ways—between Lumine and Ogygia.
He met Xiao’s eyes and gave him a soft smile, “Can you wait here for me? I just–..” he didn’t
have to finish. Xiao nodded, leaning in for a kiss as he squeezed Aether’s hand soothingly.
Aether slowly let go and began to walk down the beach to his cave, feeling like something
was drawing him there. He walked to the fountain that branched paths off from north to south
and east to west. He sat on the cushioned seat by the fountain, staring dazedly at his home.

“I don’t want to leave,” he said, sighing softly. Then, he felt guilty, knowing how selfish it
was of him to think this way.

Suddenly, he felt the hairs on his body stand on end, feeling like he wasn’t alone. A
disembodied voice, one belonging to a young man, spoke in his ear, “You don’t have to leave,
not permanently.” Aether didn’t panic, for he recognized that voice. It belonged to the Anemo
Archon.

His expression didn’t change, “Why do you say that?” Aether asked passively, “Are you
unhappy that I’m able to leave?”

A playful laugh echoed in his mind. “No, no, you misunderstand me! You know I’ve never
seen you as an enemy,” Venti said.

“Could’ve fooled me. Isn’t it ironic that I had my freedom taken away by the God of
Freedom in the first place?” He was met with a guilty silence and rolled his eyes, “Thought
so.”

“Let me make it up to you. You don’t have to leave this place behind forever! Y’know, that
adeptus of yours has an Anemo vision for a reason. Now that the curse is gone… Ogygia
won't just disappear into nothingness. It'll be just like the Golden Apple Archipelago. I made
it so that as long as the wind flows here, you and your lover can find it and live your lives in
peace. That’s my apology gift to you, ehe~!” Venti told him. Aether’s eyes widened, Venti's
words striking a nerve. He had heard about the archipelago from the stories Lumine had told
Xiao. Aether didn’t think it wise to believe the Archon but hearing these words from
someone who had visited Aether here before and was neutral with him wasn’t unwelcome.
He felt his heart lightening even as he tried not to get his hopes up.

“Y-You’re sure?” He couldn’t help but asked, his spirits lifting.

“Mhm~, you’ve got my word. You can make peace with your sister and this world; you'll
have the chance to say goodbye. Then, you can come back and live out eternity here, free
from responsibility. The adeptus's karmic debt will never bother him again. You can live
peacefully."

The more Venti talked, telling him about a life he could have, the more Aether's heart filled
with a greedy desire to achieve that perfect life. His heart thrummed with happiness at the
possibility of living like normal humans with Xiao on Ogygia after seeing Lumine again and
making sure she knew he loved her. "You're not... trying to trick me?" He asked Venti out
loud.

Venti giggled, "Nah~, ever since that Lumine rose in our world and showed us what
outlanders are like first-hand, all the Archons she's befriended have been looking out for you,
 y'know? Even those old bats, Morax and Baal. Cut us some slack."

Aether considered his words, trying to make sense of them. Then he realized it: Morax had
sent Xiao to free him, Baal comforted him with rain after every heartbreak, Barbatos had
given him clear skies and perfect weather, and Buer had helped him grow his gardens. He
cast his gaze down on the ground. He hardly had much to thank the Archons for but he
supposed all these things had been gifts to ask forgiveness as Lumine had changed their
minds about him. "Thank you," he managed softly.

He could almost feel the smile in Venti's voice, "The curse is over. I'll look forward to
meeting you in my turf some day. Ahh… that traveler’s gonna rip me a new one once your
story comes out. Tell her to have mercy on me, tata~!”

A gust of wind blew through the island, causing Aether’s hair to whip around his face. He
enjoyed the breeze, feeling the wind carrying away all his troubles as he found himself
believing Venti’s words. He felt lighter, finally able to experience the excitement he had
already dreamed of when picturing leaving Ogygia and finding Lumine. The five-century-
long imprisonment had finally come to an end. Aether got up and began to run towards the
beach, his braid trailing behind him.

He beamed with happiness at the sight of the one he loved as Xiao came into view, standing
with his arms crossed as he waited for Aether.

He turned and saw Aether’s gorgeous smile and couldn’t help the bout of affection for Aether
overwhelming him. He opened his arms and Aether flew into them, hugging him tightly.

“I’m ready to go,” Aether said, meeting Xiao’s gaze with determined eyes.

Xiao nodded, intertwining his hand with Aether’s once more. They both took one long look
at Ogygia, and Aether promised himself he would come back to his home. A gust of wind
blew over them, and, just like that, they were gone in a wisp of black and green.

Chapter End Notes

dang this took forever BUT WE DID IT we saw our boyos to the end! ok not really IM
SORRY THE ENDING IS SO UNSATISFYING I wanted to do a lumine reunion but
imma be honest I conked out long before that and I am so over these part 2s blueballing
me from writing the 98753874 new ideas :sob: I LOVED THIS AU, IT WAS A LOT
OF FUN AND I HOPE YALL DID TOO

BUT I hope yall enjoy the rest of the chapter, see ya next time homos- I mean homies!
Happy Pride Month! <3
 Punishment PART 2 (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: R*pe/non-consensual sex, blood, kidnapping, urination, Stockholm

Syndrome.

After that harrowing night, Childe's desperate escape from Zhongli's clutches leads him
back to his family, knowing in his heart that he couldn't escape the inevitability of
Zhongli coming after him. Reluctantly, he is taken back, bound and tormented under
Zhongli's control until his sanity nearly shatters.

Zhongli offers Childe a contract, tempting him with promises of safety and prosperity
for his family. With no alternative, Childe reluctantly accepts, only to be surprised when
Zhongli lives up to his contract. Showered with intoxicating affection and hopes for a
better life, an unthinkable possibility arises for Childe in his state of vulnerability and
desperation: to embrace Zhongli's dark, toxic love and lead a life by his side of his own
volition.

NOTE: This chapter is Part 2 of Chapter: 57 of this book, the prompt of which is
Punishment. Please read it before this one if you haven't already so you aren't missing
out on anything that you might not understand in this smut!

Chapter Notes

DISCLAIMER: This chapter is meant for fictional purposes only; I do not condone any
of the behaviors depicted in this chapter and none of this should be applied to real life.
This chapter may contain distressing content and there are numerous other warnings that
I could add, but the worst of them are mentioned above. Please proceed with caution.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee~ after ten chapters and a full year has gone by, we can finally put an
end to this AU. While this chapter is not Killing Stalking level, I think it went pretty
well~! This is for sure the most morally-fucked chapter I've written thus far, so if it is
not to your taste, I completely understand and hope you will enjoy the ZhongChi
chapters to come! Happy Mental Health Awareness July, I'm gonna book a session with
my therapist after writing this shit.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“Big brother, the dishes are done!” Teucer called from the kitchen as he and Anthon stuck
their heads out from around the doorway with Tonia behind them, all three peering into the
living room where Childe sat.

Childe was seated on the couch in their cozy home, almost a dozen papers spread out onto the
coffee table before him, most of them bills. He had shadows under his eyes, a fragile look in
them as he studied the pages with a heavy heart. However, as he looked up at the kitchen
where all three of his siblings, Tonia, Anthon, and Teucer, now stood, he swiftly wiped the
weariness from his face, giving them a gentle, loving smile.

“Thank you, you three. Why don’t you get ready for bed? I’ll come in a few minutes to read
you a story,” he suggested to them.

His eyes softened with affection as he watched Teucer and Anthon’s faces brighten at the
prospect of being read a bedtime story. “Yay! Okay, big brother,” they said, excitedly racing
each other out of the kitchen to their room.

Childe watched them leave, smiling. “Make sure to brush your teeth!” he called after them.
Then, his smile dropped as heavily as all the burden on his shoulders. His body visibly
slumped, his shoulders tense with stress, his throat feeling constricted with emotion. He
froze, realizing that someone was still in the room with him. For a second, fear rattled him,
thinking he was in the same house as Childe, but as he looked up, he saw Tonia, his little
sister, watching him with a pensive expression. Childe felt his sudden fear unfurl but it left
him shaken. He clasped his hands, trying not to reveal how badly they shook.

Still, he managed a warm, genuine smile, feeling embarrassed that he had been caught in a
moment of weakness. “Not going to bed?” he asked her.

Tonia was the second oldest in their family. She was in her mid-teens and was one of the
smartest people Childe knew. He could see the shrewdness in her eyes as she scoured every
emotion he didn’t adequately hide in his expression. Childe knew from experience that it was
a fool’s errand to try and hide things from his younger sister. But it wasn’t like he had a
choice.

“Why do you look so… weary and on edge, big brother?” she asked. In her eyes, she posed a
challenge, trying to bait Childe into denying it.

Childe couldn’t be upset at her for this. After all, she had taken after him.

He sighed softly, then beckoned her forward, patting the space next to him on the couch. She
walked over and took a seat beside him, clearly anticipating answers. She wanted to know
what was going through her brother’s head so that she could help in whichever way she
could.

“Tonia, you have a good heart,” Childe told her, looking into her eyes, identical to his own,
“but… I can’t put any of this on you. You’re young, you shouldn’t have to shoulder my
worries.”

He watched as her expression tightened, her eyebrows creasing with frustration. She glared
down at her feet. “You always say that. I just… want to help,” Tonia told him, her voice
bitter. “I want to know what’s going on with my brother.” Childe smiled sadly at her, aware
of her pain. She thought that he wasn’t confiding in her simply because she was a kid. That
was, of course, a major reason why. But she could never find out what it was that was
weighing down on his heart.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her gently, “I know that, you’re a strong
little lady and I don’t doubt it one bit. The best way you can help me is by studying hard,
having fun with your friends, and playing with your brothers. I don’t want you to grow up too
fast like I did. I want you to have a childhood. That’s the best thing you can do for me.” He
told her, and he meant it fully.

Childe’s heart was withered with pain, fear, and worry, but there was nothing more painful
than imagining his little siblings experiencing the same things.

Anthon and Teucer were more or less unaware that anything was wrong, that their family was
going through a tough time, but Tonia took after him. She was trying to forego her own
childhood if it meant helping her family. Childe was proud of her for this, but he couldn’t
allow it to happen.

All Childe had ever known was worry and responsibility. Their father died when he was
young while their mother was terminally ill with cancer, constantly in need of medical help.
This left him to raise his siblings, to make sure they had some kind of support system. He
took on the burden so that his siblings could live life with as few worries as possible. In a
way, this was suicide for him, having had no childhood to live for, working odd jobs from a
young age to make ends meet, keeping his siblings well-fed, providing them with a fair
education, and paying for his mother’s treatment in hopes that she would one day take back
her role as their parent—not that he blamed her in any way for how hard life had been.

Just when things had been starting to look up when he landed a fair job, his mother’s
condition had gotten worse, leaving him no choice but to let go of that job. And then, his life
had taken the worst turn when he’d gotten involved with him.

Childe felt a cold tingling in his spine as he felt his thoughts drifting from his control.

He closed his eyes and counted to three, trying to eliminate the sudden fight-or-flight that
racked through him, forcing himself to remember that he was safe right now with his beloved
sibling in his arms. Tonia looked upset at his words, but she didn’t force Childe to confide in
her. She could recognize that all Childe was doing was to protect her and her brothers.

“Okay,” she said in a small voice. Childe smiled lovingly and pressed a paternal kiss on the
top of her head. At this point, Childe might as well have been their parent. As long as they
were happy, he was happy.

He could hear the boys scuffling in the three siblings' shared room, likely fighting over
toothpaste. He managed an amused grin as Tonia rolled her eyes.

“Go get ready for bed, hm? You can use my bathroom, I know those kids probably leave your
bathroom looking like a hurricane had come through it,” he said light-heartedly. She laughed,
“You don’t know the half of it!” Childe felt love for his family bubbling in his chest, hoping
that their home never went quiet and void of laughter. Tonia gave him one last hug before
running into the hallway in their little bungalow and disappearing into Childe's bedroom to
raid his bathroom. Childe watched her leave with a smile, but it didn’t last long as he realized
he was now alone in the living room, or at least... he hoped he was.

His heart felt like it was wrapped in a fist, making him shake. When alone, it was difficult to
ignore the feeling of being watched.

He felt vulnerable, naked, as if something was stalking him. That may well have been true.
All the thoughts he would force aside when in the company of his siblings came flooding
back, making him feel like a trapped animal.

He stared out of every window as if afraid that he would see someone staring back.

Six days had passed since he’d run away from that mansion. Six days since he’d been razed
by the vampire named Zhongli. Thinking of the name alone caused Childe’s blood to drain
from his face. He smiled dryly to himself as he placed his head in his hands, his heart
hammering in its cage as he was almost certain that something was watching his every move.

This was the real reason Childe could never confide in Tonia about his worries—not all of
them.

The constant state of paranoia, fear, and anxiety was not just because of the pressure of
upholding the family. It wasn’t only because of the bills stacked in front of him or his poor
sick mother withering in the hospital down the street.

If it had been just that, Childe would’ve been able to live with this feeling. But it wasn’t so
simple.

Now, accompanying all his worries was a constant sense of danger. Childe couldn’t believe it
had been almost a week since the day he’d lain underneath that vampire and allowed him to
have his way with him. His body had taken four days to recover, and even now, every bit of
him ached at the memory.

After letting go of his day job a month ago, Childe had felt hopeless to find another well-
paying job that could keep his family afloat. That was until he found a job at that forsaken
mansion where everything had fallen apart for him. At first, he’d been afraid, but the weekly
pay helped keep his spirits up. His siblings ate well and he didn’t have to worry too much
about paying for his mother’s hospital bills. He also enjoyed cleaning and was able to
maintain a relatively healthy work-life balance. But he hated how badly things had gone
south.

The regal face of an unbelievably handsome man with shimmering golden eyes flashed in his
mind. The ghost of a pair of cold hands could be felt brushing against his body. Childe
hugged his arms around himself, feeling a cold bead of sweat trickling down the nape of his
warm neck.

How bad could Childe’s luck be? How was it possible that after all the suffering he’d gone
through since he was thirteen, the universe still made him its target?
He was parentless, taking care of three children and a dying mother, already with the weight
of the world on his shoulders at a ripe age. Had all that not been punishment enough? He
could feel the universe laughing at him.

Of course it hadn’t been enough. He had been thrown into the clutches of a monster.

The job he found himself warming up to had, of course, worn him down eventually in the
form of an inhuman employer. Childe’s lips quivered, replaying every one of his interactions
with Zhongli in his mind’s eye. That man hadn’t turned out to be human at all. Each time he
looked at Childe, he viewed him as a meal—as prey. Since the day he'd met Zhongli, he knew
there was something perilous about that man and his ethereal looks.

He’d seemed so unreal, so charming, so dangerous. Childe should’ve run the moment he’d
started feeling that way. He had been so stupid to stay, blinded by greed and Zhongli’s
devilishly good looks.

For a while, Zhongli’s attention made him feel good. He felt attractive, hopeful that someone
was giving him a chance to love and be loved.

He’d been so wrong. He thought that Zhongli’s interest had been only lust, which he could’ve
worked with. Lust always had a chance to morph into something more beautiful. But that
hadn’t been what happened. That day when Zhongli had invited him to have ‘dinner’ with
him, Childe had gotten a rude awakening. There wasn’t only lust in Zhongli’s eyes, but also
hunger, obsession, infatuation, and mania. Zhongli wanted him as a meal he could eat one
bite at a time, one that he would kill to have. He’d claimed Childe as if he was property,
threatened him to keep him from leaving.

Childe had known at that point that he’d gotten tangled with something much worse than
things as simple as illness or misery.

He’d done the rational thing: he’d run away despite every warning Zhongli had given him. At
the time, with his body bruised and battered, it had seemed the only sensible option—to run
from Zhongli and hope he never lived up to his promise of making sure Childe could never
run away again.

He vowed never to step foot into that mansion again, but each day after was spent riddled
with fear. So much anxiety had welled up in his stomach as he waited with dread, knowing
full well that Zhongli would come for him. He hoped Zhongli couldn’t track him, hoped that
he would never find where he lived. But that was all wishful thinking.

For a man who could drink from Childe, fuck him for hours, and heal his cuts and wounds,
nothing was impossible.

Childe lived with the guilt that he had put his siblings and mother in danger by ever getting
involved with Zhongli in the first place. He considered going back to work each day because
of the dread that Zhongli would find him and come after his family. But both options were
terrifying.
Childe could go to work every night as usual and be pinned and mercilessly fucked and
leeched from by a volatile monster, anxiously anticipating the day Zhongli drank too much
and killed him, leaving his siblings and mother without a support system. Or Childe could
stay at home, riddled with panic at every given second, too afraid even to go outside, waiting
for Zhongli to come and take him by force, never to see the light of day again, leaving his
siblings and mother without a support system too. Both options were horrible, but it was too
late to go back now; he’d made his choice.

Childe reached out and grabbed the stack of bills from the table, shuffling through them: his
mother's hospital fees, utilities, groceries, his siblings’ school tuition, and more.

He felt afraid because he was once again jobless, unable to pay any of these.

He hardly had the strength to take the kids to school and drop in to keep his mother company,
much less to go out and actively hunt for a job. He was afraid of everything, especially now
that he knew non-humans existed. Everything in Childe’s life was falling apart. He blamed
Zhongli. But what could he do to change his fate? It wasn't like anyone would believe him if
he spread the word that a vampire existed among them. He had no proof after Zhongli’s bite
marks had faded completely. No one was there to support him, to protect him.

“I wish I never met him,” Childe whispered to himself. At the last word, he felt cold like the
temperature had dropped several degrees.

He looked up just in time to see all the lanterns and candles go out, plunging him into
darkness. “Is that how you feel? I’m hurt,” a sonorous voice said from just a few meters away
from him. Childe’s blood ran as cold as ice, but he couldn’t say he was surprised as he heard
that familiar voice, having been waiting for it to come for six days.

He shot up and hurried in the direction of his siblings’ room, panic coursing through his veins
as he rushed to protect them. He stopped in his tracks as a figure came out of the darkness,
standing between Childe and the hallway that led to all the rooms. Childe’s body quivered all
over as a pair of piercing golden eyes, like fires burning in a fireplace, shone in the darkness,
looking directly at him.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, my love,” Zhongli advised.

Childe choked back a sob, wondering if Zhongli had already gotten to them, but then he
heard the sounds of Anthon and Teucer giggling in the other room as if they hadn’t heard
anything.

In the illumination of his own eyes, Zhongli smiled. “They seem happy. I supposed that’s no
surprise—who wouldn’t be if they had someone like you to look after them? They have that
which I want most.” He said to Childe, his voice low and intimidating. Childe took a shaky
breath, “P-Please… don’t hurt them.”

Zhongli was looking at him with such malevolence that Childe took a step back with fear.

“It’s not them you should be worried about, Childe,” he said softly. “Though I suppose they,
along with your ill mother, will make for fine tools to get you to bend to my will.” Childe felt
his throat constricting. He wanted to shout for his siblings to run, to get to safety away from
the monster he, Childe, had brought upon them. He opened his mouth, ready to call for Tonia,
but what came out was a strangled noise of fright as Zhongli suddenly moved towards him as
fast as a shadow, capturing Childe and wrapping a hand around his throat to prevent him from
speaking.

Childe was caught in Zhongli’s arms, trying to fight him, making a desperate attempt to push
him back, but he was given no openings as Zhongli restricted his breathing.

He choked and clawed at Zhongli’s hands, feeling his breath shortening, his windpipe being
crushed while Zhongli only watched him suffer with mild satisfaction. When Childe was on
the verge of passing out, Zhongli finally let him go, catching him in his embrace as he lost
strength in his legs.

“You can’t win against me,” Zhongli whispered to him. Childe heaved against his chest,
feeling his lungs burning. He knew Zhongli was right, but he would be damned if he went
down without a fight.

He was about to start fighting again, but a sound made him stop in his tracks.

The door to Childe’s bedroom creaked open just a crack and Tonia squinted into the darkness,
trying to find Childe. “Big brother…?” she called, her voice wary. “Is everything okay?”
Childe felt his heart tremble at the sound of concern in her voice. Zhongli fastened his hands
around Childe’s wrists pulling their bodies close together as he buried his face in his neck,
smothering his own luminescent eyes.

“Well?” Zhongli whispered to him, audible only to Childe’s ears, “Is everything okay,
Childe?”

Childe’s voice caught in his throat, hearing the quietest tone of threat in Zhongli’s voice.
“She adores you, doesn’t she? They would never want to see you hurt, just as you don’t want
to see them hurt. It’s not your siblings I want—it’s you, Childe. Come with me quietly and
they need never be involved, they won’t be harmed.”

Childe’s entire body was racked in tremors as Tonia called again, this time more worried at
his lack of response.

“And—and if I don’t come quietly?” he asked, though he didn’t want to know the answer. In
the darkness, he could see Zhongli’s soft, dangerous smile and felt his heart running cold.

“Don’t worry,” Zhongli told him, his voice unbelievably gentle, “I won’t kill them. But I will
ruin you right in front of all your doting siblings. I will make them watch as I break you
completely, helpless to aid their own brother, the rock that keeps the family together. They
will never recover from the image of their strong brother falling apart in the hands of a
monster.”

Childe felt his eyes stinging with tears. He was beyond feeling fear at that point. He felt so
weak. He wouldn’t be able to save his siblings and himself no matter what happened.
He took a rattling breath. “Tonia, I’m okay, I just stumbled a little after blowing out all the
candles. Can you… read to your brothers for me tonight? I–” Childe’s voice broke with
emotion, “I don’t think I’ll be able to tonight.” He looked into Zhongli’s eyes as the vampire
smiled with satisfaction, gently stroking his hair as if to commend him for making the right
decision. In the hallway, past Zhongli, Tonia stepped out of the bedroom, breathing a sigh of
relief. “Of course, big brother. Get some rest, good night!” she said caringly. She walked to
her shared room with Teucer and Anthon, not realizing that she was damning her own
brother, leaving him alone with a monster as she disappeared inside.

Childe tried not to break down as Zhongli kissed his cheek, feeling an overwhelming sense of
dread. He may never get to see his siblings again after tonight. He hadn’t even been able to
say goodbye.

Zhongli was a terrifying man, breaking down every sense of Childe’s safety.

The way his eyes gleamed with satisfaction made Childe want to hide. He truly wished he’d
never met him.

“Let’s get you home, my little dove. I’ll make sure to cage you properly this time so you can
never spread your wings again,” Zhongli promised. He pressed his lips against Childe’s,
kissing him gently as he sucked the breath from his lungs and smothered him. Childe’s vision
blurred as the fight left his body, groping helplessly at Zhongli’s back, feeling hopeless,
almost praying that he would just die from asphyxiation and never wake up again, for he
knew that whatever reality awaited him would be no better than death.

***

The next time Childe reopened his eyes, he found his vision blocked by a piece of cloth, his
entire body feeling ragged and worn down. It took his hazy and frazzled mind a few long,
terrifying moments to understand what was going on.

He let out a cry though he barely heard himself, his toes curling as he felt his body rock as
something forcefully rammed itself inside him. His eyes went wide, his senses slowly but
surely returning to him, though he wished they hadn’t. His back arched as a wave of pleasure
and pain coursed through his body, both his hands pinned beneath it, tied together with rope.
A scent he recognized all too well surrounded him, making his blood curdle.

He tried to wriggle his way out of his bonds, trying to pull his feet towards himself but
finding himself unable to. Both his legs were bound to the posts of a bed with rope the same
as the one that kept his arms pinned behind him.

Childe was completely vulnerable with no control over himself, a man hovering over him, his
cock embedded deep inside him as he took advantage of his sleeping body.

His neck burned with searing pain, aware of the constant pulsating thrum of his jugular, his
breath coming in shallow wheezes as he bled lightly. Droplets of warm blood rolled down his
neck but a soft tongue lapped them up, making his skin tingle. A deep sense of danger ruffled
Childe's mind, feeling his whole body throbbing, the darkness he saw swirling with shadows.
He tried sitting up, desperate for a chance to run away, to fight, to free himself, but a large
hand placed itself on his chest, pressing him down against the mattress with enough force to
make his ribs groan and prevent him from rising.

“Ah, you’re finally awake. I was starting to get worried,” a voice said from just above Childe,
one he recognized all too well. Childe felt all the dreariness and confusion clear from his
mind, giving way to panic. He wrapped his mind around the situation, finding himself
blindfolded with his legs tied wide open and his arms bound behind his back. Childe
clenched his hole, squirming as he felt Zhongli’s familiar cock plunging inside him up to the
base, his other hand wrapped around Childe’s thigh, keeping his legs spread for him.

“Zh-Zhongli…” Childe whimpered, a strangled yelp ripping from his throat as Zhongli thrust
inside him, pressing into his prostate.

Childe tried to gather his bearings, but each time his befuddled mind attempted to regroup,
Zhongli pounded into him harder as if to keep him in this loopy state. “That’s right,” Zhongli
said, his voice gentle, trying to soothe Childe though it only terrified him more, "it's me."

Childe’s blindfold was already damp as if he had been crying in his sleep. His whole body
ached as if Zhongli had used it as a punching bag, his hole throbbing and his cock standing
rigid, an angry shade of red.

He couldn’t see anything, making him feel on edge, most of his senses overtaken by
Zhongli’s overbearing presence.

“Let me go—Zhongli, please…” Childe begged, a quiet moan escaping his lips as Zhongli
brushed his hand to cup his pec, pressing his thumb against the bud of his nipple and rolling
it under his touch. He could feel the warmth of an affectionate smile stretching Zhongli’s lips
as he relished the vulnerable sight of Childe. “Let go?” Zhongli asked, amusement in his
voice as if taunting Childe for his pathetic words. “You’re fortunate, Childe. Few would be as
lenient with you after all you did. This isn’t half the cruelty I could extend to you while
you’re all tied up like this. Can't you appreciate the kindness I’m showing you?” Zhongli
asked.

Childe thought from his tone that he was merely jesting, trying to rub salt in his wounds after
being captured. But no, Zhongli was serious.

In his eyes, he was doing Childe a service by being so lenient, for he was capable of horrors
much worse than this. Childe felt bile rising in his throat. He felt violated all tied up like this,
deprived of his sight.

Zhongli hadn’t been able to wait for Childe to even wake up before he started on him. Could
a man like this be as kind as he claimed?

Childe could hardly think straight, ripples of pleasure making his body tremble, but he
managed a humorless laugh of disgust. “You call this leniency? You’re not kind… you’re
delusional if you think I’d be grateful to you for this, Zhongli—” Childe’s voice broke as
Zhongli squeezed his leg with impossible strength, a warning for Childe to shut up, but
Childe felt white-hot anger, unable to restrain himself. “F-Fuck your ‘kindness’. If you were
kind, you wouldn’t be doing this to me. You’re nothing more than a monster…!”

He knew it wasn’t smart, that he shouldn’t anger a man who held every bit of control over his
body, but he couldn’t help it. Life was cruel to Childe, placing him in the palms of a bastard
like Zhongli as if each day hadn’t been torture already.

Zhongli’s eyes narrowed malevolently, his thrusts coming to a screeching halt as he buried
his cock inside Childe. It was clear to Zhongli that he wasn’t nearly hard enough on Childe if
he could still speak like this. “My love, if I were you, I would be very careful about what
comes out of my lips,” he said, a warning tone in his voice as he pressed his thumb to
Childe’s lips, trying to coax him into silence. The muscles in Childe’s face tightened, feeling
heated that he was being shushed simply for speaking the truth. He parted his lips and bit
down hard on Zhongli’s thumb, ripping through his skin.

Zhongli didn’t react immediately save for a flinch of his arm, looking down at Childe with an
expressionless face, though something snapped inside of him at Childe's disrespect.

Childe felt a momentary gleam of satisfaction burn in his chest as Zhongli slowly withdrew
his thumb, thinking he had earned himself a small, insignificant victory. But the pride didn’t
last long. Searing pain erupted from one side of his face, his neck contorting so suddenly that
a joint popped.

His ears rang as a force knocked into his cheek, his face twisted to the side with his left cheek
throbbing so bitterly that he began to cry from the pain. It took him a few moments to register
that Zhongli had slapped him.

Zhongli was gazing down at him apathetically, his hand burning a little with the force he’d
used to slap Childe.

He’d made sure not to close his fist or injure Childe, but his white skin turned from red to a
rapidly-darkening shade of purple. He listened as Childe sobbed from pain and fear, trying to
curl up into a ball to protect his face from more abuse. Droplets of blood leaked from the bite
wound on Childe's neck as he sobbed.

Zhongli felt no guilt as he smiled humorlessly. “You tightened up when I did that. Do you
enjoy being slapped that much, my little dove?” Childe couldn’t muster the words to defend
himself, his jaw tight with pain. Zhongli turned his face towards him, admiring the sight of
tears absorbing into his blindfold and dripping down his bruised face. “You don’t perceive
this as leniency?” he asked softly. The calm tone he used sent shivers down Childe’s spine as
he lay in shock, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened. “I would’ve ended it
at this, my little dove—you wouldn’t have had to suffer anything more than a slap on the
wrist for your treachery. But now, you've disrespected me; I can't turn the other cheek for
this.”

Childe’s heart pounded, the regret for his words already sinking in, but it was too late. He
wasn’t so humble to ask forgiveness, but he would regret not begging for mercy sooner.
Zhongli pulled out of Childe wordlessly, the action causing a jolt to zap the ginger's
abdomen. The bed creaked as he stood up, his gentle footsteps echoing as he walked away.
Childe lay trembling on the bed, frozen with rattling dread. He knew he should try to do
something to aid his escape but all he felt was bone-chilling fear. The slap had left him
shaken, unable to think straight. Just the echo of Zhongli’s words in his ears kept him rooted
to the bed.

He hated not being able to see, not being able to tell what was going to happen next.

Zhongli approached the bed again, a box in his hands that he had secretly hoped he got an
excuse to use. He loomed over Childe with a callous, remorseless expression on his face.
Even though Childe couldn’t see, he felt himself shrinking away, feeling Zhongli’s cold gaze
on his body as if milking the sight of him. Zhongli placed a hand on Childe’s throat to keep
him pinned against the mattress, making him gasp and flail, though he could do little to fight
it. With his other hand, Zhongli brought forward two clothespins from the box and clamped
one on each of Childe’s nipples. Childe let out a yelp of pain, his back arching as he
squirmed, trying to find any way to get them off as they pinched two of his most sensitive
areas, but Zhongli kept him firmly in place.

“Painful, aren’t they?” Zhongli murmured. “I will be replacing them with my teeth soon
enough, don’t you worry.”

Childe felt tears seeping into his blindfold from the waves of pain rolling through his chest,
hopelessly aware that worse torture was coming. Zhongli kept him pressed to the bed, his
hand fishing out a tiny elastic ring.

Between two fingers, he strained and stretched the tight ring like a rubberband, carefully
securing it just under the head of Childe’s cock. It condensed as close to its normal size as
possible, pinching Childe’s dick with a force that made him choke from the pain. The bed
creaked as Childe kicked his legs out, his voice dying in his throat as he felt the ring
restricting all the blood flow, making him feel like he was on fire.

“These should keep you quiet for a little while,” Zhongli whispered thoughtfully, admiring
how beautiful Childe looked like this.

He looked in the box, contemplating whether to use the other sex toys that could have Childe
screaming, but he decided against it. His own hands and cock would be torture enough for
Childe.

“N-No..! No, take them off—Zhongli, please! It hurts…” Childe sobbed, tears freely leaking
from his eyes, absorbing into his blindfold though it could only contain so much. Zhongli
looked down at him, feeling both satisfied and annoyed with Childe’s begging. He took his
place between Childe’s legs, plucking them off the mattress and throwing them over his
thighs.

“Take them off? Now, why would I do that, Childe? Wouldn’t that be too kind of me?”
Zhongli asked. Childe trembled at the severe tone he adopted, one that told him that he was
in no position to argue.
“I haven’t even begun to hurt you, my little dove. I gave you a chance at peace,” Zhongli told
him, “you refused it. You ran away despite the freedom I promised you. I would never have
had to do this had you not made that choice.” He lost himself in caressing a special spot on
Childe’s body he’d had his eyes on: his lower abdomen, right at the center of his hipbones,
just below his navel. Just looking at that spot made Zhongli’s body grow warmer, his cock
growing between Childe’s legs at the sight, making him feel alive and hopelessly addicted to
Childe. He wanted to make sure Childe remembered the choice he made.

It pleased him to see Childe acting all docile, droplets of tears slipping through the cloth of
his blindfold as his body lay twitching with pain with his arms bound behind his back,
helpless to put an end to it.

“I’m not done with you yet—not by a long shot. You’ve denied my kindness, so I’ll show
you what my cruelty is like.” Zhongli said to Childe. He reached out towards his nightstand,
fishing in the drawer and easily finding what he was looking for. He withdrew a sheathed
dagger with a gold-plated blade, something he hadn’t used in a long time. He stared at it
fondly, wishing Childe could marvel at its beauty as well, but it was best if he didn’t watch
what would happen next. He drew it; the sound of the sheath scraping against the metal blade
rang in the silent room.

He watched with a smile as Childe squeaked at the sudden unnerving sound.

“Zhongli… what are you about to do?” Childe asked, trying to wriggle away from Zhongli
again, though his efforts bore no fruit with his legs tying him in place.

Zhongli didn’t answer immediately, admiring how the golden blade went with Childe’s skin.
“I will make sure you never forget how the universe punished and blessed you by sending
you to me. You will never forget that you no longer own your own body or your freedom
once I place my mark on you.” He told Childe.

Naturally, his words caused panic to course through Childe, but he could feel himself wearing
down, his body getting used to the constant state of fear, adrenaline, and alarm.

He couldn’t struggle as valiantly, finding himself immobilized with just a hand placed on his
ribcage, threatening to crack it. Childe was beyond feeling fear anymore. He didn’t know
what to expect, what to prepare himself for. When the first clean slice was made right over
his pelvis, he couldn’t help the shriek that escaped him, every muscle in his body tensing but
unable to move or defend himself. The blade ripped cleanly through his skin like it was made
of butter. Childe’s eyes went lifeless under the blindfold as he lay sobbing.

He twitched and yelped with every clean cut Zhongli made on his skin, feeling himself
numbing to it slowly. Zhongli had made and joined exactly ten cuts on his body. When he
pulled back, the tip of the dagger was stained with a beautiful shade of red.

Zhongli licked the blood off the blade, sheathing it and allowing it to clatter to the floor as he
watched Childe’s miserable form, his abdomen bleeding, the blood pooling in the depression
between his hipbones that hid the mark he’d made. Zhongli didn't feel bad, but he caressed
Childe’s face gently. “It’s okay, my love. I’ll make it better,” he promised. Childe was so lost,
so broken, that he found himself leaning into Zhongli’s touch, desperate for even an ounce of
warmth as his nerves ached with searing pain.

Zhongli leaned down, leveling his face with Childe’s body. He licked a stripe right over
Childe’s new marking, cleaning off the blood and smacking his lips at how flavorful and
fresh it was; it stung for a second and Childe’s body tensed, then the pain dulled and died
away as a rocky substance budded on his skin, covering the mark.

Zhongli kissed it lovingly, knowing that it would transform beautifully when it healed.

He sat up, any trace of the momentary tenderness fading from his person. Childe felt it, trying
to hide his face in the pillows, attempting to make himself look as little a target as possible,
not knowing if he could handle one more second of his punishment. He cried out as Zhongli
pushed back inside him again, pulling his body closer by the thighs until their hips pressed
together.

Zhongli thrust into Childe harder than before, making the bed rock with force as he placed
his hands on either side of Childe’s body for balance.

His animalistic pace as he rammed into Childe over and over removed all thoughts from
Childe’s mind. He couldn’t help the moans of pleasure and pain escaping his parted lips,
feeling Zhongli’s cock effortlessly scraping against his sweet spot over and over. He bled all
over the sheets from his neck, but Zhongli kept the blood flow to a minimum. He didn't allow
it to heal, wanting it to brand Childe's skin.

Zhongli's thick cock filled Childe up to the brim, making him feel full and whole, but with
each thrust came pain.

The abuse to his prostate brought Childe closer and closer to his orgasm even if he didn’t
want it, but the ring Zhongli had put around his cock blocked him from release. He could feel
the pressure building up to the head of his dick, making him gasp and writhe at how painful it
felt not to be able to come.

“Zhongli—please, let go!” he begged, bucking his hips as if desperate for release. It felt like
he was about to combust, the darkness he saw behind his blindfold fading into white as he let
out a scream of pain and raw pleasure, his body overcome by a dry orgasm. He threw his
head back, his mouth hanging wide open as the orgasm rolled through him in waves. His hips
lifted off the bed as he raised himself on the tips of his toes before he fell back heavily on the
mattress, finding it difficult to breathe as a negligible amount of cum dotted the tip of his
cock. Even as he orgasmed, he felt an aching twinge of dissatisfaction, feeling more pent up
than before.

Zhongli was watching him with a mixture of awe and enjoyment, a mad look in his eye like
that of an intoxicated man. He’d thought Childe couldn’t wind him any tighter around his
finger than he already was, but he was once again captivated by the sight of him. Seeing how
beautiful Childe looked like this only reinforced the idea that he had done the right thing,
holding him captive like this.
He couldn’t help but lean down and capture Childe’s lips against his own, kissing him
ferociously as his thrusts became more and more frenzied.

Childe’s mind had numbed; he was so out of it that he found himself kissing Zhongli back.
He wished he could wrap his arms around Zhongli, that he could see something, anything.
All he could do was feel. He could feel Zhongli’s tongue intertwining with his own, his
rampant thrusts clouded up Childe’s mind along with the constant slap of his skin against
Childe’s. He felt like he was drowning in Zhongli’s presence, hopelessly deprived of his two
greatest senses but unable to resist reality.

Childe felt Zhongli bite gently on his lip as he came inside him, his last few thrusts rocking
his body forcefully before he lowered himself on top of him, their bare torsos colliding as
Zhongli placed his face against his collarbone to rest for a moment.

He whimpered in pain as the clothespins pinching his nipples twisted between their tangled
bodies before snapping off, making him choke back a cry of pain.

Zhongli kissed his neck and collarbone, sucking on his skin and marking it up. Childe
trembled as he felt Zhongli hardening effortlessly again inside him as he made his way down
to his chest. He ran his tongue over one of his nipples, his saliva feeling cool against his
pulsating body, relieving him of the pain for a few seconds. As promised, Zhongli began to
bite and nibble on the bud, humming with enjoyment at the way Childe squirmed. Zhongli’s
lips were soft, much more pleasurable than a pinchy wooden clip, but that was as far as his
enjoyment went.

As Zhongli began to move inside him again, Childe felt a wave of panic, remembering how
Zhongli had fucked him for hours the last time. That time, Childe had had the luxury of being
able to come. Now, he would have to suffer the same dysphoric orgasm over and over.

“No—please, not again…” he whispered, his voice piteously weak and dry from all the times
a cry or scream had been ripped from his throat.

Against his skin, he could feel an apathetic smile curling Zhongli’s lips at his words.

“We’ve only just started, my love. I don’t want to hear another ‘no’ from you until I’m good
and ready to let you go.” Zhongli straightened, placing his hands on Childe’s chest and giving
it a loving squeeze as he picked up the pace, fucking Childe into the mattress with an adoring
and an almost psychotic grin on his face. Perhaps it was lucky that Childe couldn’t see it, for
he would never be able to look at Zhongli the same way again had he seen that terrifying
expression on his face.

Zhongli continued for hours, often wrapping a hand around Childe’s cock and helping him
along to more and more unsatisfying orgasms. He loved listening to Childe moan and cry for
him with a mix of pain and pleasure.

He left Childe a sloppy, sobbing mess with a mixture of tears, snot, and drool trailing his
face, his skin rosey and bruised with all the marks Zhongli made with his lips and fingertips.
A purplish bruise had formed on his cheek where he’d been slapped while his ropes left burns
around his wrists and ankles. He felt so alive and yet so dead at the same time, sensitive and
numb all at once, his mind full of thoughts yet unable to grasp any of them.

His throat had gone hoarse from begging; he didn’t know when this pleasuresome form of
torture would end, not knowing how much more he could take.

He could feel Zhongli’s grip tighten on his hips for the umpteenth time as he pounded inside
Childe. Each time he thrust, his own cum spilled out from inside Childe in fat, sticky
droplets, dripping down his ass and absorbing into the sheets.

Childe was so exhausted yet unable to pass out. He could do nothing more than wait for
Zhongli to be through with him. He couldn’t see but rays of sunlight had started shining past
Zhongli’s window through his curtains. Childe felt alone, scared, and powerless. He was
lying beneath a volatile man, still as a mouse as if afraid that any movement would lead to
Zhongli getting angry again.

He wanted to save what little shreds of dignity he still had and just take it without complaint,
refusing Zhongli the satisfaction of breaking him down more than he already had.

But his entire body hurt like he was being ripped in half, his hole feeling raw, his skin
burning with aches from all the scratches and bruises he’d received. It screamed to be
released and begged for rest. “Zhongli… I’m begging you, please…!” he wailed, but just as
all the other times, Zhongli drowned him out. He hadn’t the slightest bit of humanity in his
eyes, completely content with tormenting Childe like this until he had his fill. He ignored
him, his eyes glazed over as if entranced, drool running down the corners of his own mouth
as beads of sweat trickled down his body.

Then, an unfamiliar sound cut through the room, breaking that trance for the first time in a
few hours.

In his daze, Zhongli’s head snapped to the bedroom door, naming the sound as a knock. He
gathered himself, the usual gleam of intelligence returning to his eyes as he came to a slow
stop inside Childe, leaving him panting and twitching. He gazed down at the limp body
breathing heavily beneath him, some of his sardonic enjoyment glinting in his expression. He
sighed, knowing that there was only one person who could come into this mansion.

He slipped out of Childe, watching as the ginger’s muscles flinched and relaxed as he did so.

“Rest for a few moments,” Zhongli told him gently, pecking him lovingly on the cheek. He
stood up, wiping his face and grabbing a robe from the nearby chair, wrapping it around
himself before he left the room to see what Ganyu wanted.

He left Childe lying there on the bed, dazed and unfeeling. He wanted to scream and shout
for help, but he couldn’t find the energy. He felt so insignificant and helpless, unable to save
himself. Words couldn’t describe how he felt. All the rage and anguish that had been
bubbling in his chest since he woke up had been defused. He felt lifeless yet able to feel
every bit of pain inflicted on him, his veins and arteries pulsating in his neck and cock
bitterly. He could hear muffled voices speaking outside, but he couldn’t care or muster the
energy to eavesdrop. He just hoped that, whatever happened, Zhongli would stop after this,
feeling that death was preferable to continuing.

Outside, Zhongli found himself facing Ganyu, a short girl with blue hair, wearing a wool hat
over her head. She looked like a normal young adult, but Zhongli knew better.

Under her hat, she hid a pair of horns, similar to that of a goat. She was a timid, tiny girl
compared to Zhongli, but she mustered an upset glare at him that caused him to raise an
eyebrow. He smiled easily, playing dumb even though he knew exactly what gripe she had
with him.

“Is everything okay, Ganyu? Why do you look so upset?” he asked, watching with
amusement as her anger flared.

“Rex Lapis… y-you said you wouldn’t do this again,” she said, stumbling over her words,
“you said you would be kinder to this one!” Zhongli allowed his smile to fade, a more
thoughtful expression on his face as he contemplated his promise to Ganyu.

He searched his memories and found that Ganyu was correct: he had said such things and
made such contracts.

“I did,” he agreed, “and I have kept my promise. I have been kinder to this one, haven’t I?”
He gestured inside, beckoning for Ganyu to see the state he’d left Childe in but she
adamantly stayed put, not wanting to see what horrors the man before him had put the ginger
through, remembering how nice he had been when she first met him. “He still has all four of
his limbs, working use of his eyes, tongue, and internal organs. I have only bitten him once so
far. He’s much more docile and kinder than the last housekeeper you brought; I’ve no reason
to hurt him.”

Ganyu felt bile rising in her throat, listening to the man she’d known since she was a baby
reciting such gruesome acts as if reading off a cookbook.

“Rex Lapis, you know that’s not how this works—I… I know that Mr. Childe suits your
fancy, but you can’t treat him like this! He’s a human, there’s only so much his mortal body
can take,” she lectured.

Zhongli’s expression hardened as if Ganyu’s words weren’t pleasing to his ears.

She sighed, realizing that everything she was saying was a language that Zhongli didn’t
understand. “You’ve ranted and raved about how much you want him, about how you want to
keep him—to have him by your side. Treating him like this won’t help you keep him by your
side, he will only want to run more. If you keep doing this, taking him against his will,
threatening him and his family, he won’t love you. He will only fear you.”

Zhongli’s eyebrows creased with agitation. “I don’t need his love to keep him by my side.”
He muttered.

Ganyu gave him a dry, piteous smile, “You’re right, you don’t need it. But you want it, don’t
you? You want him to love you, to smile at you, to give you his attention. You like it when he
doesn’t fight you, when he listens to you and enjoys himself,” she said softly. With every
word, Zhongli’s eyes got cloudier and cloudier, an almost dreamy expression on his face as if
he wanted nothing more than all Ganyu was saying. “But you can’t have any of that if you
don’t treat him with the respect and kindness he needs in order to love you. After today, he
may never fall for you. He may stay out of fear, but he will never smile at you, he will never
want to be around you or see you more than he has to.”

Zhongli’s eyes cleared up, snapping out of his daydream at Ganyu’s reality check. His gaze
became stonier. Ganyu’s words stung, there was no doubt about that. It was a hard pill to
swallow for Zhongli, one that he wasn’t yet ready to accept.

Anger and bitterness blazed in his eyes though Ganyu looked at him unflinchingly, knowing
that Zhongli knew in his heart that she was right.

“I think you should leave,” Zhongli said curtly. He didn’t look at her as he turned around,
strolling back into the room and allowing his door to slam shut. The noise caused Childe to
jolt out of his subconsciousness, his body tensing again, trying to listen for any more sounds.
Zhongli looked down, seeing the blade he’d discarded earlier. He picked it up, loosening his
robe until it hung off his shoulders as he neared Childe.

Childe lay twitching and sprawled in front of him, still bound with his legs wide open.

The anger that burned in Zhongli's chest made his mind irrational, causing gruesome pictures
of using this dagger on Childe to erupt in his mind. It made him angry to think that Childe
would never love him.

Then, the temptation broke as a meek voice, riddled with anxiety and uncertainty, whispered,
“Zhongli?”

The anger in Zhongli’s expression diffused almost instantly. The gleam of love and
infatuation returned to his eyes at the sound of Childe saying his name so cutely. He raised
the dagger and cut off the ropes binding Childe’s legs to the bed. “I’m here, my love,” he
said, wrapping his cold hand around Childe’s ankle and dragging him to the edge of the bed
in front of Zhongli, causing the ginger to whimper with surprise. Zhongli stepped between his
floating legs and leaned over Childe, still standing, and kissed him on the lips, feeling hungry
for something he couldn’t yet have: Childe’s love.

He kissed down Childe’s chin, licking away the few droplets of blood that had dripped from
Childe's neck in his absence as his hands massaged all the sore places on his body with the
same vigor and desperation he’d started with. His actions caused fear to bubble in Childe’s
chest, knowing that Zhongli wasn’t yet done with him.

He tried one more time, a last-ditch effort to save himself. “Let me go… please, Zhongli. I’ll
be good, I won’t fight,” he promised. For a second, Zhongli stopped, gazing down at him
with his eyes gleaming just as lustfully as ever, processing what he was saying. He couldn’t
help the sheer amusement that filled him. His cold, soft laughter rang in the room, trembling
a little as a fit of giggles overcame him at Childe’s words as he hunched over him, his hands
placed on either side of Childe’s chest.
His laughter caused every muscle in Childe’s body to tense, every danger alarm ringing in his
mind.

Zhongli sounded so amused—so crazy—that it made Childe’s blood run cold. As he calmed
down, he looked at Childe with a loving smile, like that of an owner when their pet does
something silly. “That’s not a good bargain, my little dove. What do you think would happen
if you kept fighting me, hm? I will lose nothing, but you…” he trailed off, feeling like he
didn’t need to elaborate.

Childe’s body was racked with shivers again, trying to wrap his mind around Zhongli’s
words, wondering how cruel a man could be.

“If you stop fighting, you won’t get hurt. I’ll make this as enjoyable for you as it is for me.
But if you fight—well, I am not a merciful person. If you don’t fight, you’ll benefit only
yourself, but it won’t save you from anything.”

With a sudden twist of his hand, Zhongli flipped Childe onto his stomach, his legs dangling
off the side of the bed, bent over ninety degrees in front of Zhongli. The change of scenery
caused Zhongli to lick his lips, feeling himself hardening again at the sight of Childe’s pretty
ass displaying itself for him, his hole leaking with leftovers of Zhongli’s cum. His arms were
still bound by red rope behind his back, squirming and fiddling, trying for any fighting
chance to get out of their binds. His back was lithe, a pair of dimples on either side of his
tailbone as if his hips were made to be held on to.

Zhongli fitted his thumbs in the depressions and wrapped his hands around Childe’s hips,
keeping him fixed in place as he thrust his hips forward, easily entering him again. He
resumed the pace he’d been keeping for hours without tiring, enjoying the way Childe’s rim
tightened around his cock.

Childe let out a helpless whimper, still unable to see, a hollow pit of dread opened up in his
belly from Zhongli’s words echoing in his mind.

His eyes filled with tears, a never-ending supply that just kept on giving even as Childe wore
out from his suffering. He let out helpless mewls and cries of pleasure, emptiness in his
expression as he prepped himself for yet another painful orgasm.

But this time, Zhongli reached between his legs where his cock dangled, swollen and an ugly
shade of purple, unbelievably hot to the touch with all the blood flow being restricted by the
ring around the tip. With a snap, Zhongli pulled off the ring, causing Childe to gasp and kick
out his legs. The feeling of blood pumping through his dick normally after he’d gotten used
to the ring’s restriction felt alien, almost dangerous.

Zhongli replaced the ring with his fingers, wrapping them around his cock and confining it
once more in his grasp.

Each blow delivered to Childe’s prostate and each stroke of Zhongli’s hand made him scream
and yelp, muffled by the sheets his face was buried in, as he grew nearer to his high. For a
second, he allowed himself to hope, to pray that he would have a fulfilling orgasm. He was
foolish.
“I’m coming… Zhongli—...!” He murmured, almost thrusting his hips into Zhongli’s hand.
He was just one stroke away before Zhongli tightened his grip tenfold to the point of hurting,
restricting it just as the ring had done. Childe let out a wail of pain, feeling his orgasm just at
the point of bursting as his back arched, his eyes going wide under his wet blindfold. “No!
No, let go—Zhongli!” he sobbed, his legs flailing as they dangled helplessly off the bed.

Zhongli had a scathing smile on his face as he watched Childe struggle and beg. “Is that what
you want?” he asked quietly. Childe’s eyes widened as he realized that something much more
than just cum was building up inside him, ready to come bursting out.

“N-No…” he whispered, wild panic thrumming through his body as he realized that Zhongli
had trapped him.

Zhongli leaned over his body, pressing his back to Childe’s chest, his callous smile brushing
against his ear. “I’m afraid it’s too late for you.” He said softly. He loosened his grip and
pumped Childe one last time, thrusting into his prostate.

Childe let out a guttural cry, his toes curling as his nerves clenched and released, overcome
with a high he couldn’t turn away. He came all over the side of the bed, but what came out
wasn’t just cum—he lost control of his bladder and leaked all over his own legs. He couldn’t
breathe for a moment at how painful it was. He buried his face in the sheets and sobbed with
a mixture of embarrassment and misery. Zhongli raised himself off of Childe, gazing down at
the pool of urine around his feet. He smirked, not a single ounce of disgust on his face, only
enjoyment that he’d made Childe stoop to such lows.

He continued to make his way to his own orgasm, watching as Childe sobbed uncontrollably
into the sheets. He seemed to be murmuring something under his breath, his words lost and
muffled by the mattress.

Zhongli leaned in to listen, expecting Childe to beg some more, but he found himself
stopping as he listened to what he was saying.

“I’m scared…” Childe whispered to himself, “I’m scared, p-please… I can’t see. Everything
is dark—I’m scared..” He sounded so pathetic, so broken, so anguished that it made
something tug even at Zhongli’s heartstrings. Zhongli straightened up and sighed, his
expression getting more serious as he stared down at Childe’s pitiful form quaking with
hiccups.

He thought about Ganyu’s words, telling him point-blank that this was not what he wanted;
Childe’s tears were not what he yearned to see.

Sure, he enjoyed tormenting Childe like this, watching him break apart, but only as a
punishment for crossing him. As he gazed down at Childe, taking in his broken body, his
bruises, his cuts, and his pain, he asked himself if he preferred this terrified, cowering man or
the confident one who’d kissed him first a week ago. The answer came easily to him. It was
hard to believe that both of these were the same man. Ganyu was right: Childe would never
find a reason to smile at him if he only remembered Zhongli for making him cry like this.
He released a breath, running a hand through his own hair. He finally managed to accept that
what Ganyu had said was true.

He pulled out of Childe and reached out for the blade he’d set on the edge of the bed. With it,
he sliced off Childe’s remaining bonds, freeing his wrists. He wrapped both his arms around
his waist and hoisted him up, turning him around to face him and seating him on the bed.

He stepped within Childe’s range, and almost immediately, Childe’s arms wound themselves
tightly around Zhongli’s neck, hugging him as if desperate for any source of warmth and
love. Zhongli hugged him back, an unreadable expression on his face as he reached up and
untied the blindfold from Childe’s eyes. Childe had his face buried in Zhongli’s shoulder as
he cried. Zhongli realized quickly that Childe had gone into a state of psychosis,
overstimulated and losing his grip on reality as Zhongli had finally pushed a little too far. All
four of his limbs wrapped around Zhongli tightly, forcing him to pick him up in his arms to
hug him properly.

“It’s okay,” Zhongli whispered soothingly, “you’re okay. I’m here, love.”

He held Childe, rocking him in his arms until his sobs died away into sniffles. He wiped
away the remnants of his former madness from his expression, his face softening.

Childe brought his face out of his shoulder and looked up at him. Zhongli manipulated his
own eyes to show what Childe most wanted to see: regret and remorse for all the horrors he’d
inflicted on Childe.

His beautiful blue eyes were swollen and red from crying, tears still swimming in them; his
nose was puffy, streaks of drool staining his chin and dried blood on his neck with two
gruesome holes burned into his skin. The look in his eyes was that of a broken man who’d
lost all the fight in him. He looked so messy, so imperfect, and yet, he was the most beautiful
man in Zhongli’s eyes.

Zhongli didn’t have to fake the love that burned in his eyes at the sight of him.

He closed the space between their lips, kissing Childe gently, telling him that everything was
over, that he wouldn’t suffer any longer that morning.

Childe still trembled with pain and the remnants of his fear, but he’d given up fighting it. He
needed to look for what he needed most at that moment in Zhongli’s embrace: warmth,
comfort, and affection. Even though his mind told him that Zhongli was his abuser, his body,
heart, and soul had given up. Zhongli was a terrifying man, but at that moment, Childe chose
to see only what he wanted to see. He slumped against his shoulder again, the last bit of
strength leaving his body, his eyes fluttering to a close as he blacked out.

When he reopened his eyes, the scenery had changed. He found himself in a large tub of
soapy water, a pair of hands brushing against his body.

He let out a pained whimper, feeling the hand brushing over his bruises, but the touch wasn’t
sexual. He was being washed and cleaned of all the fluids he’d been bathed in. Childe felt a
shiver ripple through his body despite the warmth of the water. He didn’t have to look behind
him at the man in whose lap he was seated to know who the hands belonged to. He closed his
eyes and leaned back against Zhongli’s warm chest, a numb, hollow feeling in his chest. He’d
hoped that everything had been a dream, that it wasn’t real just because he couldn’t see
anything.

But now, he lay helpless in the arms of his captor, being washed by his gentle hands.
Zhongli’s chin rested on his shoulder, his warm breath fanning against Childe’s neck, his lips
dangerously close to the wound in his neck.

Childe looked down at his bruised and battered body, hardly recognizing it as his own.

Rope marks singed his wrists and ankles, finger-shaped bruises dotting all over his neck,
waist, and legs just beneath the water’s surface. His nipples were splotched an ugly shade of
blue, and his crotch was unsightly. His eyes landed on his lower abdomen, his hand trembling
with a lack of strength as he reached out to touch it. It was covered with the same rocky
substance that Zhongli used to heal him, however, the bite wound on Childe's neck had been
left completely exposed. Childe suspected that Zhongli would never let it heal. He wanted it
to remind him that what he was dealing with was not a human. Childe felt his breath catch in
his throat as he felt the wound on his abdomen, remembering what Zhongli had done.

With a blade, he’d carved ten lines in his abdomen—a mark, Zhongli had said.

He didn’t have the strength to pity himself more than he already had. He stirred as a hand
clasped over his own, holding it gently. Childe gazed at it, wondering if it was the same hand
Zhongli had used to slap him across the face.

“Why me?” he asked softly, his voice croaky and almost inaudible. He didn’t sound angry or
bitter or even sorrowful. It was just a simple question he’d already asked before but had no
good answer for. Zhongli was silent for a few moments, trying to find a good reason. He felt
that it would be shallow to tell Childe that he had done all this because he was infatuated with
his muscular body, attractive face, and the taste of his blood.

He couldn’t explain it himself. He couldn’t put into words why he desired Childe so much to
the point of torture.

Was it because of the way Childe had looked at him when they first met: with a mix of fear,
panic, and even something akin to amazement? Or was it because Childe was an efficient
worker, strong and responsible, mysterious but awkward? Maybe it was Childe’s fake
confidence and politeness that made Zhongli want to break him down and see what he would
look like as a mess. He had fulfilled his wish, having reduced Childe to a crying mess both
times he’d captured him. “Because I’m in love with you.” Zhongli said softly, a truthful but
unsatisfactory answer. Childe managed a humorless laugh at his words. With what little
energy he had, he turned his body to face the vampire, his bare legs and ass rubbing
intimately against Zhongli’s thighs.

As he gazed upon Zhongli’s face, Childe felt a shiver going down his spine at how beautiful
he looked with his glowing skin and beautiful golden eyes.
It pained him. It was unfair that Zhongli got to look this beautiful, this breathtaking, after the
horrors he’d put Childe through. It was hard to believe a man with such gentle, love-filled
eyes could do such things. It had been for the best that Childe was blindfolded throughout the
night. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself knowing what kind of mad
expressions crossed this stunning, gentle face.

He took Zhongli’s hand gingerly in his fingers, lifting it to his face. He pressed Zhongli’s
hand against his cheek, wincing with pain at the ugly bruise that had formed on his cheek. He
held Zhongli's gaze, and Zhongli realized that Childe’s eyes no longer had their sparkle.

For the first time, he felt the tiniest sense of regret; he had hit Childe, mercilessly fucked him
for hours, and cut his skin with a blade. He had overestimated how much Childe could take.

“Is this what you do to someone you love?” Childe asked quietly, gesturing to the broken
body Zhongli had left him with.

Zhongli looked at him, his eyes unreadable. He had accounted for this; he had wanted Childe
to accept the punishment for going against his words and return to being the cute, awkward
young man Zhongli had fallen for.

“I didn’t want to do any of this to you, Childe. Had things gone my way, I would’ve been
satisfied to have you by my side the same way as before. I wanted you to keep visiting me at
night, to hold your hand and make love to you every once in a while, to be a lover to you.
You would’ve kept your freedom, your family would’ve been taken care of. But you refused
all of that; you ran away. I waited for three days, wondering if you were feeling sick from the
blood I took, but I let six days pass, hoping that you would return so I wouldn’t have to do
this,” he whispered, his voice laced with bitterness.

Childe stared at him, his heart hollowing more and more at each word he spoke.

He looked down at his bruised body, wondering if he could’ve avoided all this had fear not
ruled his mind. He tried to push down the self-blame, swallowing a lump in his throat.

“Does what I want not matter anymore? Was ‘no’ never an option?” he asked. Zhongli’s eyes
darkened at his words—at the idea that he was undesirable to the one who’d captured his
heart. His expression tightened, the gentleness in his eyes that he was feigning disappearing.

“No, it wasn’t,” He said, a finality in his voice that almost scared Childe. “I had my eyes on
you the moment you stepped into my home. You forfeited your freedom the day you met my
eyes for the first time and let me taste your blood. I wanted to be good to you, to treat you as
well and as gently as I could. I warned you that this would happen, but you made your
choice. I am simply following through on my promise, my love. I could’ve done so much
worse—I wanted to do much worse. But it was my love for you that stopped me.”

Childe had his face cast down, hiding his face, but he had started to tremble again. He hated
it, hated what his life was amounting to. He didn’t want to believe Zhongli, but he was
starting to blame himself.
He had done this to himself: he had foolishly thought that he could run away from a monster
and protect himself and those he loved. Now, it wasn’t just he who suffered.

His siblings, too young to take care of themselves, would never see him again. If he had just
sucked it up and become this man’s lover, he wouldn’t have been ripped away from them.
They would think he abandoned them. He thought he didn’t have it in him to cry, but the idea
of his siblings’ looks of worry and betrayal made him tear up. He had no choice but to latch
on to the man in whose arms he lay, wrapping his arms around his own captor’s neck and
weeping into his shoulder. He wanted to beg forgiveness, to plead with Zhongli to give him
one more chance to do things right.

He had little dignity left after tonight, nothing more to lose, but he knew Zhongli would never
agree. He would never trust Childe to come back to him of his own volition again.

Zhongli cradled him, taking a deep breath to regulate his own emotions.

He left gentle kisses on Childe’s neck, rubbing soothing circles on his lower back. He had
contemplated what he would say to Childe in the time the ginger had passed out, an offer he
could make to keep Childe with him, to give himself the slightest chance at being loved back.

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Childe. Stay with me here and build a life by my side,” he
said softly.

Childe moved back, looking into Zhongli’s eyes with his teary blue ones. Zhongli’s heart
ached with affection at the sight of him looking so beautiful even in tears. Childe’s eyes were
cloudy as he contemplated Zhongli’s words. His soft tone, his gentle kisses, and the soothing
patterns he drew on Childe’s back made it difficult for him to think.

“My siblings… my family, they need me,” he croaked, “I can’t abandon them. My mother—
she’s dying. I need to be there for them.”

Zhongli looked away in thought, having known already that this was Childe’s biggest
concern. A twinge of annoyance rippled through his chest though he didn’t let it show:
Childe’s siblings were the reason he left in the first place. He wished so badly that they were
out of the picture, but Ganyu’s warning rang in his mind. Zhongli couldn’t lay a finger on
Childe’s family without ruining the little prospect he had of a future with Childe.

He released a soft breath, already knowing that he had a far more favorable solution.

Zhongli steadied his voice, keeping his voice calm and assured. “I can take care of your
family. Your siblings will be taken care of. Ganyu can look after them: they will be put in the
best schools, dressed in the best clothes, and eat the finest foods. They will live good lives
without having to worry about their next meals if you allow me to take over. Your mother… I
agree, she won’t live long with human medication, but I am willing to get in touch with a few
contacts who can save her and heal her completely of her cancer.” Childe’s eyes widened as
Zhongli looked into them. He wondered how Zhongli knew what his mother suffered, but he
couldn’t be surprised.
His eyes grew misty as he processed Zhongli’s words. He searched his eyes for a trace of a
lie, but Zhongli’s gaze was as firm as ever, confident that he could help.

“How is that possible…? How can something like cancer be healed?” he asked.

Zhongli managed a small, amused smile. He reached out and grabbed a bar of soap from the
edge of the tub, ignoring the way Childe flinched at the sudden action. Without focusing on
what he was doing, he resumed cleaning Childe’s body. Once again, Childe admired how
seamlessly he worked, his touch non-sexual. It was a welcomed change after being touched
and groped sexually all over for hours on end.

“Hemovores aren’t the only mythical beings that live here in Teyvat. There are demons who
can feast on your soul and keep you as a slave in hell; angels who scout the purest of souls
and grant them paradise; fairies, ghosts, eidolons, and more. What your mother needs is a
healer, a doctor who can cure one of any disease with just a flick of their wrist. I know many
of them.”

Childe looked away from his luminescent eyes, pondering his words deeply. Something like
greed began to burn in his heart.

Assuming Zhongli kept his word, he could give a good life to Childe's family. Zhongli could
heal his mother and provide her and his siblings with a lavish life. His heart ached, realizing
that his family would live on without him… but if Zhongli could really do all that, maybe it
would be worth knowing his siblings never had to worry again.

“All you have to do is become mine, Childe,” Zhongli whispered. “Stay by my side, and I
will make you king of everything you see, I will cherish you with all my heart, and I will
never raise a hand against you again. Your family can keep touch through letters, keep you up
to date on all the changes I will make in their lives so you know I will live up to my end of
the bargain. Your companionship, your love, and your body are all I ask for in return for all of
that.”

Childe’s shoulders tensed at his words. He couldn’t meet Zhongli’s eyes, afraid that he would
see something malevolent in them.

His whole body ached from the aftermath of Zhongli’s wrath. His legs felt like they could
never hold his weight again, his arms like jelly, and worst of all, fear wound tight around his
mind. It was all because of Zhongli.

He knew what Zhongli was doing: he was giving him the illusion of choice, sweetening a
deal that would keep Childe trapped forever. And yet, the other option—rejecting Zhongli’s
bargain—was even more terrible. Childe’s siblings would be left to fend for themselves, his
mother would die, and his reality would become as nightmarish as last night. He knew he
didn’t have a choice—in neither option could Childe save himself along with his family.
Childe was the casualty that could not be avoided. He closed his eyes as a lump formed in his
throat. It was finally beginning to set in: he had to sacrifice himself to keep this man happy
and help his family. The life Zhongli promised without a trace of a joke or a lie was the best
chance Childe had.
“Do you… promise that my family will be taken care of?” he asked, his voice trembling.

Zhongli’s gaze softened, though a gleam of satisfaction burned in them as he felt Childe
giving in to the idea. “I swear it on my life. If I break that promise to you, I will gift you a
silver dagger so you can slay me with your own hands.”

Childe looked into his eyes, and once again, Zhongli's golden eyes were completely serious.

“Y-You won’t hurt me ever again if I agree? If I comply with you?” he whispered, his eyes
brimming with tears. Zhongli gently pulled him nearer, placing a kiss on Childe’s cheek that
sent a fresh wave of tears streaming down Childe’s cheek at the tenderness of his lips. “Never
again.” He promised.

Childe carefully settled himself in Zhongli’s embrace, weeping a little as he tried to believe
Zhongli, trying to hope for a better future as his lover.

“Okay,” he said, his voice pathetically meek, but it was all Zhongli needed to hear. As
Zhongli buried his face into Childe’s tufts of orange hair, he couldn’t help the smile
stretching his lips. For a second, his true insidious nature showed in his eyes as they burned
as he wrapped his arms possessively around Childe, knowing that he had finally won. Childe
would be his, no matter what.

***

In the following days, Childe was bedridden with all the blows he’d sustained that night, but
he was well taken care of by Zhongli. Zhongli’s hands were cold, which he used to soothe
Childe’s bruises; he cooked Childe the meals he thought he would like, but he liked that he
wasn’t picky about what he ate.

He would massage Childe’s body, bathe him to the point of squeaky cleanliness, and shower
him with his affection. He allowed Childe complete and utter rest.

The day after that incident, Zhongli gave him a stack of parchment to write letters to his
siblings in. He promised that he wouldn’t monitor what Childe did or did not tell them, even
though there was a risk of Childe calling for help. But both of them knew better. Who would
Childe call to rescue him? Who would believe him and three little children that he’d been
abducted by a vampire? And besides, Childe had no intention of hiding anything from
Zhongli, nor of telling his family the truth. They didn’t need the added stress of knowing
their brother was locked away with a monster.

He wanted to paint a more optimistic picture to show his siblings as any fabricated lie would
sound better than his reality.

He told them that he’d left that night to commute to another town for a job opportunity, one
that could completely turn things around for their family. He conveyed all of Zhongli’s
promises to them in the form of the benefits of a well-paying, high-standard job: significantly
better healthcare for their mother, a better lifestyle, better schools, and maybe even a better
home. He apologized to them for leaving without saying goodbye, but he would need to stay
in that city for a few more days to see the interview process through.
Childe felt horrible for lying to them. He would never be able to come back to see them in a
few days as they would expect. But maybe, it would be okay. If Zhongli lived up to his
promise, at least they would have their mother to raise them. It wouldn’t hurt as much
knowing they weren’t alone.

After he’d finished writing, he wondered how Zhongli would deliver it, but he didn’t have to
look far. He handed Zhongli the letter and found that an owl with golden eyes had landed on
the windowsill in Zhongli’s bedroom.

Childe’s eyes had gone wide, for he recognized that owl: he’d seen it a lot when he first
started working at the mansion, along with a lizard and a bat.

“Are they your pets?” he asked Zhongli. Zhongli smiled gently at him and shook his head.
“Proxies,” he answered, “an extension of my own existence as a hemovore.” After that, it all
made sense to Childe. All those times he’d seen animals watching him, it had really been
Zhongli. That was how Zhongli knew so much about him. The thought should’ve disgusted
Childe, but worse things had been done to him. He enjoyed patting the owl and watching
Zhongli tilt his head with enjoyment as if he could feel it. The owl left promptly with his
letter, and he received one back from Tonia later that night.

She told him how a blue-haired woman had been by to see them, telling them that she would
take care of them while Childe was away. Childe had felt some comfort knowing that Ganyu,
a good person, was looking out for his family.

It gave him hope that Zhongli would really live up to his promise and had already begun to
carry it out.

Since that day, Childe seldom smiled, but he never refused Zhongli’s embrace, his cooking,
or anything kind that Zhongli did for him.

He kissed Zhongli back and encased himself in Zhongli’s warmth in the cold, desolate
mansion, trying to seek warmth from the one he would be spending his mortality with. He'd
thought that the days that followed his contract with Zhongli would be full of more sex, that
he would have his blood ripped from him over and over, but to his surprise, he had been
wrong. Zhongli hadn't touched him sexually until he had recovered fully. He would touch
Childe's body, caress him, kiss him, but it always felt more loving and romantic than lustful.
Childe didn't hate it.

The wound on his neck closed up over time. Zhongli kept it bandaged until it had healed
completely. The scar was unbearably ugly, but Childe couldn't find the heart to be surprised.
The mark Zhongli had made on his abdomen had chipped away as well—Childe expected it
to have healed, but he was surprised when he saw that it had transformed into something else:
a diamond shape. It shone gold like the color of Zhongli's eyes. Childe could admit it was
pretty.

These two brands on his body kept Childe in line—they reminded him of the decision he'd
made.
Zhongli didn’t talk much, for he knew that Childe was not yet ready to take that step in their
relationship. He would bide his time until Childe’s fear of him wore down. He would
continue these acts of kindness until Childe had no choice but to fall in love with him.

Eventually, Childe finished healing physically and he was able to get up and about on his
own.

He didn’t like sitting still like a damsel; he had never been so void of duties and
responsibilities since his childhood. He didn’t know how to act now that he had nothing to
do.

And so, he asked Zhongli if he could resume his work as a housekeeper as it could keep him
occupied. He fully expected Zhongli to refuse to let him wander outside his bedroom, but
Childe had given up caring; if Zhongli refused, he would listen. He had made up his mind
about one thing: he would never let the thought of running away or upsetting Zhongli tempt
him again. He couldn’t go through what happened that night again. His body and mind
wouldn’t be able to handle it—not with an angry, malevolent vampire. The idea of that
happening again opened a pit of doom in Childe’s abdomen.

It pained him, but he still found himself flinching if Zhongli moved too suddenly or caressed
his cheek where he had slapped Childe. He still reacted to Zhongli with fear. He didn't know
how to feel whenever that happened, for when he flinched away from Zhongli, the vampire
didn't get upset—he would just look pensive and even regretful. It would've been easier to
hate Zhongli had he forced himself on Childe.

To Childe’s surprise, Zhongli agreed to his request. He had pressed a loving kiss to his
temple, saying, “If you enjoy it, then I don’t see why not. But you aren’t obligated to, my
love. You are no longer someone who needs to work hard to feed his family, so be sure to
explore what you can do with your time.”

His gentle words seemed alien to Childe, who still couldn’t accept that he’d passed the torch
to Zhongli.

It was foreign for someone to take care of him rather than the other way around. He would be
lying if he said he hated it. It took time for him to adjust, working during the day but giving
himself the luxury of having naps in Zhongli's arms.

Zhongli made sure Childe never went hungry. Without fail, even though Zhongli was
sluggish during the day, every morning, afternoon, and evening, he would pop into whichever
room Childe was working in and offer food. Childe liked eating what he made and he got
used to the pampering over time. Whenever they had sex and Zhongli drank from him, he
would be gentler and go easy on him and he left Childe ample time to recover after each time.
Just as Zhongli had said, he was satisfied with making love to Childe every once in a while;
he did end up going for hours but Childe admitted it wasn't so bad. Zhongli made sure he felt
good and not a spark of pain. He never raised his hand against Childe again, never denied
him another orgasm, and never restrained him.

Childe attempted to avoid denying Zhongli as little as possible, but he found that when
Zhongli was given the freedom, he noticed any discomfort Childe felt and fixed it
immediately. If Childe looked to be on the verge of passing out, Zhongli would stop and give
him after-care and tuck him in.

Zhongli was no longer cruel to him. A part of Childe was relieved by this. Zhongli had
promised he would treat him right, and Childe had thought he was just lying to appease him.
But he really was living up to his promise. If Zhongli continued to act this kindly, Childe
could foresee himself starting to heal from the scars he had given him that night. He didn't
know how to feel about that either. He wanted to hate Zhongli, but he knew that was
unsustainable. He would be spending the rest of his life by this man's side.

It was better for him to embrace recovery. It was better for him to accept Zhongli's kindness
and fall in love with him just as he wanted.

He allowed himself to forget all that had happened, letting go of his fear and desire for
freedom as the days turned into weeks. He received and sent letters to and fro from his
family, which kept his spirits up. Just as Zhongli had said, his siblings kept him up to date
with every little change in their lives.

They had been placed in better schools and were making good friends. They dressed more
lavishly and Ganyu made sure to keep them all well-fed, happy, and healthy, taking them out
on field trips on their days off just to explore what their city had to offer. Most importantly,
they told him about how their mother's doctor had been replaced and that she was receiving
new medicine. She was getting livelier by the day and would even partake in writing to
Childe, thanking him adoringly for all the gifts 'he' was sending their way.

Whenever he received a letter in his mother's handwriting, Childe would find himself
emotional with tears of relief, knowing that she was going to survive.

This was the best gift Childe could have gotten. It made the things he'd sacrificed worth it.
He felt a shred of happiness, and to Zhongli's surprise, he was rewarded with Childe's smile
for the first time since that night. He had done unprecedented things, feeling livelier and even
affectionate after hearing of his family's good fortune. Zhongli had lived up to every bit of his
bargain, and Childe couldn't help but respect him for it. He had taken the reins that night,
initiating sex for the first time, riding Zhongli and making him feel good instead of the other
way around. The look of astonishment on Zhongli's face throughout had been amusing and
even enjoyable to Childe. Both of them knew that this was a big step for him. Zhongli
could've combusted with happiness at the sight of Childe's smile.

He was willing to push down all the evil and possessiveness that enveloped his heart if it
meant Childe was happy. In his mind, he told himself that if Childe continued to fall for him,
he would one day give him back his freedom. The thought was daunting, but the day he'd
gotten Childe's first real smile, he'd gotten addicted to it. He would do anything to see it
again. Ganyu had been right, this was far better than seeing Childe cry and flinch at the sight
of him.

Even if Zhongli felt that same desperate desire to have Childe all to himself, even if he was
still every bit as terrible as he had been that day, even if he was the same man who had
scarred Childe both physically and mentally, he was beginning to accept it.
 Maybe, just maybe, it would be okay for him to love Zhongli back once his scars faded.

Chapter End Notes

Although the smut was rough, I did attempt to soften the chapter with the ending! I
probably would've have given this AU the grace of having a happy ending but I lowkey
could not find another more sinister ending... y'all are safe from angst for another day~!

This yandere shit has got me f u c k e d up, but I think the next chapters will be more
fun! There's a special AyaThoma chapter I have planned for September if all goes to
plan and HaiKaveh a few chapters after that, so if you enjoy those ships, I hope you will
enjoy those chapters. Happy birthday to Childe, he gets railed and abused for his special
day! Have a good month y'all, I'll see you in Fontaine, hehehehehehe~!
 Penile Beading (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Summary

WARNING: Body modification, r*pe/non-consensual themes.

Kaeya, an immigrant trying to make a living in modern-day Mondstadt, turns to selling

his body in the underground for work. He struggles to provide for his young son, but
fate introduces him to Diluc, a charming yet sinister man who takes a keen interest in
him. Desperate to escape the underground, Kaeya recognizes the kind of man Diluc is
but can't help being lured into a dangerous game of contracts and secrets with the
promise of a better life for himself and his son. Only later is he forced to stop and
consider how great of a price his own freedom is.

Chapter Notes

DISCLAIMER: Due to the tone of the story, a lot of the wording might paint sex work
in a negative light, but this is only for the sake of the story. This does not reflect on my
views towards sex work in any way. Sex work is work and is as valid as any other job!

yuhhh new luckae! ahh i actually finished writing this a while ago but uni admissions
kept getting in the way of me proofreading and publishing it :'( the warning added to this
chapter is exactly as the prompt of this chapter's name suggests, so please read
cautiously!! it's been a while since i wrote a chapter of this size, but honestly could not
be helped... the worldbuilding had to be strong with this one :pensive:

i hope yall enjoy the late chapter, hehehe it's juicy imo

See the end of the chapter for more notes

In a dimly lit hotel room, Kaeya found himself sitting in the tub of the bathroom, lost in
thought. He sat with his legs curled upwards, his knees breaking the surface of the water as
he rested with his back against the edge of the bathtub.

He stared into his own reflection, looking at a man he didn’t recognize. The colors of the city
lights outside washed in through the small window, casting a luminous shadow over him,
highlighting his beauty. His navy tresses, tied back into a bun to keep from getting wet, fell
around his pretty face, his dark skin shining almost golden in the yellow lighting of the fancy
bathroom. Yet, the oddest thing he saw about himself was his eye, not because of how
peculiar it was but because of how lifeless it looked in his reflection.
One was covered with a patch, hiding his glass eye, while the other was a beautiful silver
color, though it didn’t shine brightly.

In his silver eye, he saw the toll his choices had taken on him. He saw a man left emotionally,
mentally, and physically scarred from the battles thrown his way by the universe. The life he
lived, full of desperation and hardship, had turned him into someone so… empty and fragile.
He had never imagined such a life for himself, one where he had to do heinous things just to
keep himself and his only loved one afloat.

He shut his eye and sighed, leaning away from the water’s surface as if tired of the man he
saw in its reflection.

How Kaeya wished things were different. He led a depressing life as a sex worker, an
undocumented immigrant in modern-day Mondstadt with limited options. He had neither a
viable education nor a body strong enough for manual labor. Nowhere in Mondstadt was
willing to present him an opportunity to build an honest life for himself. The only place that
had been willing to take him in was the underground, where there was nothing more he could
do except sell his only asset, his body, to make ends meet. He found himself tangled in a
world he never wished to be in, unable to find an escape. He made fair money doing filthy
acts for others’ satisfaction, but he didn’t enjoy it. He didn’t enjoy this dirty money he made.

Since the day he started selling his body five years ago, there hadn’t been a time when he felt
truly clean.

His body felt tainted, used, and abused, but long ago had he lost hope to move on from this
ugly chapter of his life. He did what he could to make a good life for himself and his only
family.

Kaeya’s thoughts inevitably turned to the one light in his life—his four-year-old son, Lucio.
His heart eased a little at the thought of him, feeling some of his lifelessness dissipating. His
son was a welcomed reminder that he needed to pull through this dark era. Still, he felt guilty
thinking about Lucio. The circumstances under which his son had been born were
heartbreaking to Kaeya.

At first, when he came to Mondstadt and dabbled in this lifestyle, he served only women, for
they were far less terrifying than the alternative.

He didn’t like thinking about it much, but Lucio had been the outcome of a past encounter—a
mistake. The memory weighed heavily on Kaeya’s heart: a vanished client who had left him
with a child he had no means to care for, a product of failed contraception.

Naturally, Kaeya had taken the baby in, but for days, he cried because he didn’t know what to
do or how to parent a child he had never wanted or even expected. Of course, Kaeya never
made his feelings known to his son once he started growing—he would never. Over time, he
learned to step up and take care of the baby he’d named Lucio. Lucio was a beautiful boy
with dark skin and navy-blue hair like Kaeya’s. Kaeya raised him with love, something he
himself hadn’t much experienced when he was little. In return, he got Lucio’s love as well,
which grew precious to him.
He grew to live for Lucio, teaching himself how to be a parent from scratch. His love for his
son now knew no bounds. And yet, he couldn’t shake the shame he felt.

Kaeya didn’t lead a life worth living, but his oversight led to a child being brought into the
world. The nature of his work was nothing he was proud of. Hell, Lucio didn’t even have a
mother because of how broken the underground world was. Kaeya was ashamed that he
didn’t even know who his mother was. He was raising a child despite being a sex worker…
he was a father no one would feel proud of. The thought saddened him immensely.

After having Lucio, he vowed never to let something like this happen again.

He switched from serving women to serving men, a choice that brought him great suffering
to this day. Men were much crueler than women even to other men.

Each night, Kaeya would find himself pinned beneath a man, being used, pummelled, and
pounded by them without a care as if he was nothing more than a sex toy or a warm
fleshlight. The only way Kaeya could protect himself was by playing pretend. He pretended
to be someone he wasn’t: a confident, charming man who liked to take the lead. It exhausted
him to put up this kind of mask. In reality, Kaeya was much more subdued—he was docile
and submissive but only when he felt safe. The nature of his job was far from safe, however.

He could never present himself as someone weak or vulnerable, for many people were
waiting to tear him apart should he show himself as anything less than a man who knew his
own worth.

For three years after he first received Lucio, Kaeya left the underground, living on what little
savings he had in order to properly take care of a newborn. He wanted to know his son, to be
there for him in the most vital years of his life, but that hadn’t lasted for long.

Kaeya was forced to return to his pitiful life when Lucio turned three. It had been a hard time
then, for Kaeya would barely manage to be a present parent and leave to work while Lucio
slept. He felt like a horrible father for leaving a three-year-old alone at night, but there was
nothing he could do. At the time, he had no resources or trustworthy people to look after his
son while he was away. That phase had been the worst of his life. He would return home each
night to Lucio crying, scared, and alone. He would find himself often in tears as well,
troubled by how horribly he was treated by his clients as well as the weight of having a child
relying on him for love and support.

But eventually, Kaeya was able to move to a better neighborhood to give Lucio a better life
after a few months of work. He intended never to expose Lucio to the broken world he
dabbled in, starting with a good home.

In the new neighborhood, he met two kind women named Jean and Lisa, a couple, who were
sympathetic to Kaeya’s situation. Lucio liked them well enough, and shortly after meeting
them, Kaeya decided they were good people. They were the first he felt compelled to confide
in about the nature of his work. To his surprise, they didn’t look down on him but instead
offered a helping hand. They volunteered to look after Lucio at night while Kaeya was away,
for which he couldn’t thank them enough.
It took a lot of stress from both his and Lucio’s shoulders. Knowing that his son was no
longer alone at night brought Kaeya peace.

He kept up his work, earning enough to put Lucio into a fair kindergarten, hoping to provide
a good education so Lucio would never have to face the struggles Kaeya had. Work was as
difficult as ever for Kaeya. He hated being pinned down and fucked ceaselessly by the greasy
men others in society did not want.

Tonight would be no different, but perhaps not as bad as every other night. Recently, amidst
the darkness that shrouded Kaeya’s life, he’d met a man named Diluc, whom he would be
seeing tonight. He was someone mysterious who had entered Kaeya’s life like a shadow
when their paths crossed only a month ago. It was hard to believe it had been that short a
time. He had become a regular client for Kaeya, choosing to hire him twice a week to satisfy
his needs and paying handsomely for his time. However, there was something different about
Diluc.

For one, he was blessed with good looks, a healthy-sized cock, a strong physique, and good
stamina, which was rare among Kaeya’s regular clientele. He had it all: a pretty face, an
attractive body, and money. He even had one little intricacy about him that had made Kaeya’s
mind swirl when they first met.

Kaeya felt that, if he so chose, Diluc could have anyone he wanted.

He was physically perfect; most women or even men, whether they were sex workers or not,
would love to be with someone like Diluc for his good looks and wealth. But rather than be
with any of them, he’d chosen to pay for Kaeya’s services. He was generous, choosing to
spend his money on a lowly whore like him rather than someone else, someone he could
build a future with. He was an enigma that Kaeya couldn’t understand, alluring but full of
mystery. There must’ve been some reason he paid for sex. Was he undesirable in other ways
—perhaps abusive in relationships? Or was he dangerous?

For this reason, he unnerved Kaeya. When Kaeya first met him, he didn’t seem as outwardly
dangerous as some of the other men who hired him. However, Diluc’s startlingly cold eyes,
devoid of warmth or emotion, set him apart from the rest. He had pale skin, fiery red hair, and
matching eyes—Kaeya thought that man with such warm colors should’ve been passionate
and full of life, but the air of danger followed him like a shadow.

Each time Kaeya met Diluc’s calculating eyes, it felt like the man could demolish all the
walls he had built around himself—like he knew all his darkest secrets.

It was as if Diluc could see through every little thing Kaeya did, keenly aware of how fake
and fragile his confidence was. Kaeya tried to avoid Diluc’s eyes whenever he could, for he
knew that he was scouring him for weaknesses every chance he got.

He was never rude or rough with Kaeya, rather, he treated him better than most of his other
clients, and yet, he was the one Kaeya feared most.

Kaeya couldn’t shake the feeling that Diluc was from a world much more sinister than his.
Each time they met in a hotel room like this one, he would be dressed in a suit, his dress shirt
rolled up to his elbows, his hands adorning a pair of gloves, and a long coat hanging off his
shoulders. When he was dressed lavishly from his neck to his feet, he looked far beyond a
regular businessman. He looked dangerous, exuding a perilous aura. He even had the scars on
his body to prove it—thick jagged cuts that he would hide under tattoos.

Kaeya was used to seeing dangerous men, having slept with a few mobsters, but they had all
been foolhardy, rough, and tried too desperately to appear intimidating.

But Diluc… he wasn’t a lowly criminal. He didn’t have to try to act intimidating or terrifying.
It came to him effortlessly despite how gentle he seemed with Kaeya, despite how little he
hurt him. And yet, Kaeya felt something magnetic towards Diluc. He wanted to know more
about him.

Even though Diluc was far more intimidating than Kaeya’s other clients, sleeping with him
was a lot less daunting than with other men.

He made it enjoyable for Kaeya and focused on his body more, trying to please him more
than he pleased himself. No one usually cared if Kaeya felt good or if he came, but Diluc
paid attention to him more intimately. He was well-versed in what he did, for Kaeya would
have no need to fake his moans or reactions. Diluc knew how best to please him, how he
liked a little pain when having sex. It worked well with that little intricacy he had.

Kaeya blushed to himself each time he remembered it. He was used to seeing clients with big
piercings, tattoos, and other bodily modifications. When he met Diluc, he looked rather plain
for he had only a few tattoos, the biggest being on his chest—a lion. However, he had been
wrong about how plain Diluc was. It was when they’d gotten into bed together that Kaeya
realized Diluc had something he had never seen or experienced before. A little bead, only
one, had been implanted just under the head of Diluc's cock—a product of modification. It
was attractive and suited him, but it also made Kaeya incredibly nervous the first time he’d
seen it. He knew it would hurt, however, it was the first interesting thing he’d seen in a man
since he started out serving them.

It wasn’t every day he came across a man with a sizeable dick and the prowess to use it
properly. He’d given it a go only for both of them to realize it was something Kaeya enjoyed
immensely.

He had been reduced to a writhing, moaning mess under Diluc that night. Each time the bead
caught on his prostate, his legs would kick out and he would cry. It had been humiliating but
exhilarating for him. Diluc, too, seemed to enjoy his reactions and the way he would fall
apart under him. Since then, they’d been seeing each other, and Kaeya would have to prep
himself for all the embarrassing noises and words that would escape his lips. Whenever they
met, Diluc held him for one or two rounds before dismissing him, allowing him to return
home to Lucio rather than force him to act as a body pillow as he usually did for lonely men.

Tonight, he prepared himself to spend another night with Diluc.

Kaeya felt a mixture of dread and anticipation as he had been conditioned to each time he
saw Diluc. He knew he was dangerous, calculating, and cold under the surface, but… he
couldn’t refuse Diluc.
Guilt settled in Kaeya’s heart, knowing that he was endangering himself and, in turn, Lucio
by continuing to see Diluc, who may well have been the most dangerous client he’d ever
served. He kept Lucio away from the eyes of the underground, for there would be many
people waiting to take advantage of this weakness. Something told Kaeya that Diluc would
be the most likely to do this. He wanted to stop seeing Diluc for the sake of his safety, but he
paid well and treated Kaeya right. It made Kaeya greedy, not wanting to let go of the one man
who looked after him, even if he was terrifying.

He emerged from the bath, putting on his undergarments and wrapping a robe around his
body before he left the bathroom. He took a seat on the bed, loosening his hair from its
tousled bun and combing it as he waited for Diluc to arrive.

As the minutes ticked by, anxiety began welling in Kaeya’s stomach as it always did before a
client arrived.

The hotel room Diluc had paid for, despite being beautifully furnished and well taken care of,
seemed suffocating to him. His eyes flitted across the room where a couple of loveseats sat
with a coffee table between them. He eyed the bottle of wine, accompanied by two wine
glasses, that sat on the table invitingly. He shook his head, knowing that getting drunk was
the last thing he ought to do before meeting a man like Diluc—it would make him more
vulnerable than he was already forced to be. He hated waiting because it left him too much
time to ponder, which was never good for his heart. He knew he had to keep up the
appearances he put into place, to keep Diluc happy for his own good as well as Lucio’s. He
was lucky that he didn’t have to wait too long.

His breath hitched as the beep of the room’s door alerted him to a presence.

Kaeya steeled himself, preparing for another night spent moaning and crying pathetically
under Diluc’s pleasurable touch. As the door swung open, he watched Diluc step inside, clad
in a fitted black suit, a blazer hanging gracefully off his shoulders. He held a brown folder
under his arm, but he threw it like a frisbee towards the cluster of couches, where it landed
nearly.

As his eyes met Kaeya’s, he looked as expressionless as always, giving no thoughts away.
Rising to his feet, Kaeya adorned an enticing smile, his practiced persona effortlessly slipping
on his face.

“Well, well, Diluc, looks like you've finally graced me with your presence,” he purred, his
voice dripping with playful insinuation as he closed the distance between himself and the
man before him. He slung his arms around Diluc’s neck, raising himself on his tiptoes to kiss
his cheek. "I was beginning to think you'd completely forgotten about me. My heart was
starting to break~." Kaeya smoothly avoided Diluc's gaze but could feel the way he was
being surveyed, making his fingertips tingle with nerves. Diluc’s hands clasped around
Kaeya’s waist, holding him steady.

“I apologize for being late,” he said, his voice quiet and monotonous, though it sent
goosebumps along Kaeya’s neck. His words caused Kaeya to smirk teasingly as he trailed
kisses down Diluc’s jawline, massaging his tense shoulders.
“Hmm~, you say that, but actions speak louder, don't they? Make it up to me, Diluc. Don't
keep me waiting any longer, not more than you already have. You'll make me feel good as
you always do, won't you?” Kaeya murmured, his voice no higher than a gentle croon, laced
with lustful frustration. His audacious words flowed smoothly, and yet, he had to hide the
shame they brought him, feeling a bead of sweat drip down his neck as his nerves tingled. He
dared to look into Diluc’s cold gaze, trying not to flinch away or break character at the way
he was being watched. Diluc’s eyes were narrowed, searching Kaeya’s for any signs of
imperfection, any flaw in his false confidence. It took Kaeya all his willpower not to let
anything slip, even though he wanted nothing more than to fall apart under Diluc’s
intimidating eyes.

Why did he have to be so handsome? Why did Kaeya’s heart have to do backflips whenever
their eyes met? It made it so much harder for him to keep up this facade.

A soft hum flowed from Diluc's lips, his eyes dancing with skillfully concealed amusement at
Kaeya's words, but he said nothing. Instead, he allowed his lips to collide with Kaeya’s,
letting his kiss do the talking.

Kaeya didn’t often allow clients to kiss him, but he made exceptions for Diluc. Diluc was too
tempting a man to refuse. Each of his kisses broke him apart, skillfully causing Kaeya to melt
under his touch. He held back a whimper at the feeling of Diluc’s lips on his. Diluc’s lips
were as soft and smooth as they always were, but the intensity with which they bore down on
Kaeya’s made him weak in the knees.

His gloved hands fumbled with the knot on Kaeya’s robes, unfurling it to display his body
and leaving him bare save for a pair of boxers. He pulled away from Kaeya, looking down at
his bare torso, his tongue running over his lips at the sight. Kaeya was beautifully built with
thick pecs, a soft belly, and slender thighs, his nipples dark and supple, standing rigid as if
begging to be sucked on. His chest was Diluc’s favorite thing about him. His nipples would
always be sore each time he saw Diluc, but Kaeya couldn’t lie, he loved the attention he was
given.

Their bodies entangled as Diluc pushed him down onto the bed, his lips kissing and suckling
as far as they could reach, his gloved hands lewdly groping Kaeya everywhere.

His touch was firm and gentle but full of underlying strength. He could very well be one of
Kaeya’s roughest clients, but he chose not to be. He focused on Kaeya’s body unlike any
other man Kaeya had been with, paying every part of it due attention to make him feel good.

It excited Kaeya to know that Diluc was gentle only by choice—that Diluc was someone who
could make him weak like this without even using the strength he had at his disposal. He
hardly chased his own orgasm throughout their session. It was almost as if Diluc hired him
just so he could listen to his slutty moans and watch him come undone underneath him.

As he fucked Kaeya, his red eyes gleamed, fixed on his face as it twisted into lewd
expressions. That little bead embedded into his dick drove Kaeya insane. He could hardly
think or breathe with how good it felt and how good sex with Diluc hurt. Some part of him
disliked this effect Diluc had on him. He couldn’t adequately control himself when he was
feeling good as compared to when he was forcing himself to please other men who had no
concern for him or his pleasure. Still, he found himself unable to forego this feeling—Diluc
came close to making Kaeya as submissive and docile as he was underneath all the protective
layers he’d built around himself.

When he was finally done with him two hours later, Kaeya was a panting, ragged mess,
watching teary-eyed as Diluc tied his condom and chucked it into a trashcan.

Diluc’s cold eyes landed on him, and instead of satisfaction shining in them, he seemed
pensive. Kaeya felt anxiety bubble in his stomach at the expression. “Was I not good?” he
asked, his character breaking for a second as a feeling of inadequacy set in. His hips were
heavy from all the times he’d bounced on top of Diluc and his hole ached from the abuse it
had received. He thought he’d done as well as he always did—it should’ve been what kept
Diluc coming back, right?

Diluc surveyed him for a few moments as if pondering his answer. He noted the subtle weak
tone in Kaeya’s voice, his eyes narrowing.

“That isn’t it,” he said simply, his sonorous voice causing the hairs on Kaeya’s nape to stand
on end. Diluc was a man of few words, which was something Kaeya liked about him. He
wasn’t a chatterbox in bed, nor did he often humiliate Kaeya, but he had his own way of
guiding attention to all the times Kaeya’s character broke. If Kaeya’s eye watered, he would
brush the tears from it with a tiny smirk on his face. If he begged, Diluc’s shoulders would
square and his eyes would gleam with satisfaction.

He truly was an enigma, sometimes looking pleased, other times looking unsatisfied as if he
hadn’t gotten what he was looking for from him.

Diluc cleaned Kaeya up in silence, making him nervous though he tried to enjoy the aftercare
he rarely received. Usually, after Diluc was done with him, he dismissed Kaeya, allowing
him to have a shower on his own before he left. However, this time he wasn’t immediately
letting him go. It felt like Diluc had something more he wanted to do.

Kaeya hated not being in the know. Still, he enjoyed how gentle Diluc’s hands were on his
body, soothing him.

He retrieved Kaeya’s robe and put it around his shoulders in silence, getting up to grab one
for himself from the closet as well. Finally, Kaeya couldn’t take it anymore, unable to help
but roll his eyes. “Well, aren't you being helpful today? If you've got something to say to me,
say it. I'm all ears.” he said, his voice dripping with a playful undertone as he sat up,
wrapping his arms around his knees. He feared that Diluc would get upset, considering the
odd, pensive mood he was already in. Kaeya knew that this was his usual expression, but
Diluc’s eyes seemed more calculating today, as if gauging whether or not to say something to
him.

Diluc raised an eyebrow at him, looking mildly impressed. “You’re shrewder than I thought,”
he said, tying the robe around his own body. He managed a small smirk at Kaeya’s offended
look.
Kaeya scoffed. “What, do you think I’m dumb just ‘cause I know how to moan prettily for
you?” he asked, faking a teasing pout. "And here I thought you were different."

He watched as an amused smile curled Diluc's lips at his words, feeling his heartbeat
quicken. His eyes followed Diluc as he crossed the room to sit on the couch where he’d
placed that brown folder. Diluc sat with an air of confidence, his legs crossing as he placed an
arm on the backrest of the sofa.

“That isn’t it either,” he said vaguely, choosing not to elaborate. He pointed his chin at the
loveseat opposite him, gesturing for Kaeya to come and sit across from him. Kaeya
scrutinized Diluc, his heart doing backflips at how attractive he looked. He searched Diluc’s
expression for any signs of trouble, something he had grown accustomed to doing since he
started meeting men. He sighed in defeat; as usual, Diluc’s expression was a mask of
nonchalance, void of any particular emotion.

Kaeya got up, feeling his legs tremble for a second before regaining balance and walking to
sit where Diluc had instructed. He didn’t miss the gleam in Diluc’s eyes as he watched
Kaeya’s clumsy trek to the loveseat as he tied the robe tighter around his body, making him
feel embarrassed.

“Do you have to act so mysterious all the time?” Kaeya mused out loud, unable to mask his
sarcasm and curiosity as he eyed the bottle of wine sitting invitingly between them. "You
have a bad habit of giving me only these tantalizing crumbs of what you're thinking and
never the full story." Diluc followed Kaeya’s gaze and reached out for the bottle. “I don’t feel
the need to.” He said, pouring Kaeya a glass and sliding it across the table for him to drink.
His words only annoyed Kaeya, his brevity causing him to grumble under his breath.

Kaeya picked up the glass Diluc had offered him, then eyed the way Diluc corked the bottle
again, not having any for himself.

“Why aren’t you drinking?” he asked warily, examining the red liquid sloshing in his glass as
if afraid that Diluc had put something in it. Diluc looked at the bottle of wine with distaste. “I
don’t like alcohol,” he replied simply. Something about his no-nonsense tone made Kaeya
chuckle. A grown, terrifying man like Diluc disliked something as harmless as wine? It was
hard for Kaeya to believe. It went against the tough macho image he had of Diluc in his
mind, but he decided not to underestimate the man just because of his disdain for alcohol.
Kaeya sipped the drink, feeling his shoulders relax at the comforting taste of the wine. It was
from his favorite brand: Dawn Winery.

Diluc watched his reaction with a mixture of curiosity and amusement, though he masked it
well.

“You meet with a lot of clients, don’t you?” Diluc asked out of the blue. Kaeya’s shoulders
flinched a little, caught off guard. He stared at Diluc, processing the sudden question.

He tried to gauge the answer Diluc was looking for, feeling frustrated when he couldn’t tell.
He sighed; if there was one thing he knew about Diluc, it was that he didn’t like when people
lied. He had told him so on the day they met that he didn’t like men who faked or
exaggerated their reactions. “Yes, I do. I am quite in demand, after all,” he said, his shoulders
tensing as he did so as if preparing for Diluc to burst out yelling. His eyebrows arched as he
saw that Diluc didn’t seem angry. It seemed as if he was watching Kaeya’s expression, trying
to figure out how he felt about his answer.

“Do they treat you well?” Diluc asked, his voice thoughtful with no underlying contention
under it. Kaeya narrowed his eye, suspicion dancing in it as he grew more and more uncertain
of Diluc’s intentions. Diluc’s lips curled up a little at his reaction, breaking his concentration
as his heart fluttered. “Humor me."

It unnerved Kaeya how emotionless his smile was, how it displayed neither hostility nor
friendliness. It did not reach his eyes.

Kaeya considered his question. The answer came easily to his lips. “No,” he said. He
suppressed a shudder, knowing how horribly he was treated by the lot of them. Diluc doing
the bare minimum of treating him like a human felt rewarding, that was how bad they were.
“None of them treat me as well as you do,” Kaeya murmured. This time, he wasn’t trying to
flirt with Diluc or please him—it was just the truth. The thought saddened him, that he was
clinging to the first man to show him kindness and attention. The hardest part for Kaeya to
grasp was how Diluc seemed to be the least humane of all his clients. He rarely showed
emotion and had the silent air of a killer. And yet, he was still the kindest of them. The irony
struck Kaeya, though he tried to hold back his emotions at how sad his fate was.

Diluc keenly observed the look in his eye. He didn’t say anything immediately, seemingly
contemplating what he would say.

“Are you unhappy with what you do?” he asked. There was no accusatory tone in his voice,
no blame, no superiority. He didn’t look down on Kaeya for what he did. No one had ever
asked him such a question before. He didn’t have anyone to look after him and ask him
something so… meaningful. Kaeya felt naked and much more uncomfortable than he had
been when he was lying underneath Diluc only minutes prior. It was as if Diluc could sense
his lifelessness.

Kaeya gulped down a lump in his throat. “Yes,” he wanted to say more but caught himself.
He wasn’t supposed to show weakness, especially not to a man like Diluc, who was always
looking for a weakness to exploit.

“Why are you asking me all this…?” Kaeya asked, trying to cloak the edginess in his tone
with a mischievous smile. “If you have something to say, then just say it... or do you enjoy
watching me squirm?”

Diluc smiled, seeing that Kaeya wasn’t one to beat around the bush. His red eyes locked on to
Kaeya’s, glinting like fireplaces in the dim glow of the hotel room. “How could I not?" he
said softly, causing Kaeya's cheeks to heat up. After a pause, Diluc continued, "I have an
offer for you—one that I believe you’ll find quite beneficial.” He took the brown folder
sitting near him on the couch and passed it to Kaeya over the table, gesturing for him to take
it.

Kaeya studied the folder, a glint of curiosity shining in his eyes. He tried to maintain his
composure, but his heart raced at the sight of the folder, wondering what offer Diluc could
have for him. He put down his wine glass and took it. He opened it carefully and withdrew a
single sheet of paper: a document.

He studied the title and looked at Diluc, confusion in his eyes. “What is this?” he asked, his
voice hardly above a whisper.

“A contract, a proposition for exclusivity,” Diluc specified. “An agreement where we can
both get something more out of the arrangement we have now.”

Kaeya’s eyebrows furrowed with uncertainty. He listened attentively as Diluc outlined the
conditions of his offer, his fingers trembling a little as he held the sheet, his mask beginning
to slip from the sudden anxiety welling in his stomach. “I’m asking you to let go of all your
other clients and see only me, should you agree to the contract. In return, you’ll find that I am
quite capable of providing you with enough money to sustain you.” Diluc said, effortlessly
keeping his neutral expression.

Kaeya read the contents. His eyes widened as he read the amount Diluc was offering him. His
heart dropped into the pits of his stomach—it was more money than Kaeya made in a month
with all his clients combined. He looked up, staring dumbfounded at Diluc. “You… you’re
not serious. You’ve got to be kidding, right?” Kaeya asked. He couldn’t believe that anyone
would be willing to pay this much to have unbridled access to him. Diluc raised his eyebrows
at him, lowering his crossed legs and crossing his arms. He had an air of challenge about him.

“Do I look like someone who knows how to kid?” he asked. Kaeya’s lips pursed, feeling it
was a fair question. Still, he couldn’t believe it. “If the money isn’t enough then continue
reading,” Diluc said, waving his hand at Kaeya to get a move on. Kaeya obliged, reading the
other benefit Diluc was offering. His hands began to shake with a mixture of horror and
amazement as his character finally broke. He looked at Diluc, a twinge of fear in his eyes.

“How did you know?” Kaeya asked. Diluc had the gall to look amused.

“It was no struggle. People who work underground usually don’t have the necessary
documents in order to get legal work. It didn’t take much digging to uncover that you’re
undocumented,” he said as if it was nothing while Kaeya tried desperately to control his own
trembling. “I have quite a few contacts here and there that might prove useful to you. I can
get you citizenship in Mondstadt, Kaeya. You’ll the able to live a normal life if you allow me
to give you one—I can sponsor you with a flick of my wrist if you're willing to be mine.”

Kaeya lowered his gaze, feeling the initial shock subsiding, for he immediately caught on to
what Diluc was doing. He had been looking for any of Kaeya’s weaknesses to sweeten this
deal for him.

But… did that mean Diluc knew about Lucio? Kaeya’s heart dropped in his stomach. Surely
that couldn’t be—he was careful never to give any of his private information away. If Diluc
knew… if he was cold and cruel enough to use Kaeya’s illegal immigration to coax him into
accepting this offer, then there was no telling what he might do with knowing Kaeya had a
son. Diluc may well have been the last person he would want to know about Lucio. He was
the only one who seemed powerful and driven enough to cause Kaeya and his little family
harm.
However, as Kaeya read through the contract a third time, he couldn’t see anything pertaining
to Lucio. Diluc’s eyes were expressionless, but they gave no sign of knowing more of
Kaeya’s weaknesses.

He took a shaky breath, trying to gather himself. If he didn’t mask his own feelings, he may
well end up giving away Lucio’s existence on his own.

“Why would you want this? Why would you be so willing to do these things just to have
me?” Kaeya asked. He searched Diluc’s face, desperate to see any emotion, be it sincerity or
malevolence—perhaps anything would’ve been preferable to the listlessness Diluc had
always shown him.

Diluc tilted his head at him, something close to pleasure shining in his eyes that caused
danger alarms to ring through Kaeya’s body.

“I thought my reasoning would be obvious,” he said, a hint of a smirk curling his lips. He
leaned closer, his voice dropping into a low murmur. “I want you all to myself. I tire of
knowing that I am sharing you with men less worthy than I.” His reasoning seemed normal,
but a darkness lurked under his words, a hint of hunger in his voice. He expertly hid it behind
his nonchalance, instead showing Kaeya what he wanted to see: a sense of longing and
warmth. The sense of longing was real enough, but the warmth was difficult for Diluc to
fabricate. His heart was icy, filled with ill intent. All he felt was a keen sense of enjoyment at
the idea of toying with Kaeya without the restrictions of sharing him with others.

“B-But…” Kaeya stammered, hiding his alarm at the way Diluc’s eyebrow raised at the
weakness in his voice. He took a breath to gather himself, his hands getting clammier. “What
do you expect from me in return?”

Diluc pondered this. “It's just as I said, nothing more than we already have,” he decided. “I’ll
ensure your safety and give you a life worth living, and in return, all I ask for is exclusivity
and a bit more intimacy.” This time, Kaeya picked up on Diluc’s underlying intentions. He
couldn’t place his finger on it but he could sense his ulterior motives. Still, his voice was
velvety smooth, gentle, and persuasive. “It’s a win-win situation, isn’t it?” Diluc coaxed
gently.

Kaeya read through the contract again—the terms were for both of them to get tested for
diseases and become exclusive for two years. They wouldn’t be dating or romantically
involved—the relationship would be purely physical; they would see each other two or three
times a week whenever Diluc wanted his desires fulfilled. Otherwise, Kaeya would have the
freedom to do anything he wanted outside of selling his body to other men, not that he would
ever want to. The contract was a little too tempting for Kaeya’s liking. It brought him a sense
of dread as his mind reminded him of who was making such an offer.

He couldn’t fathom anyone spending so much money and getting him what he needed most,
citizenship, for exclusivity and sex… unless it was someone with deeper intentions.

The amount written on the contract was a reminder of how he and Diluc were worlds apart,
for he could afford to blow away this much money a week without batting an eye. As he met
Diluc’s eyes again, seeing his expressionless face, he remembered all the conflicting feelings
he had about Diluc.

Diluc’s scarily neutral expressions, the air of danger about him, and the sheer power rippling
behind his hands were all the reasons Kaeya feared him more than anyone else. He had every
bit of the makings of a ruthless crime syndicate or even a sociopath. And yet, despite this, he
never laid a hand to hurt Kaeya as others had. It was ironic to Kaeya that the people one
would expect to be respectful, like businessmen and corporate workers, were the opposite of
that, while the riskiest man he'd ever met was the only one who treated him fairly.

Kaeya’s clashing emotions were overwhelming. He struggled to find the right words to say
what was on his mind. He thought about his son and how much this contract could benefit
him. He could have the financial freedom to put Lucio in a private school when he was old
enough and have enough time to spend with his son who meant so much to him. But deep
down, the fear of something more sinister behind Diluc’s intentions held him back.

“I… I don’t know,” Kaeya said, unable to help the uncertainty in his voice as he bit his lip.
“Something about this—no, about you… feels dangerous.”

Diluc’s eyes narrowed at his words but not with alarm that his schemes were being followed.
On the contrary, he had to hold back a satisfied smile. He didn’t feel dread or disappointment
that Kaeya was smart enough to catch on to his motives, rather, it made the game Diluc was
playing all the more entertaining.

A feeling of exhilaration filled him, for there was nothing he loved more than the thrill of a
chase.

"Do you believe I am a more dangerous alternative to the life you live now, where you place
your safety in the hands of short-tempered men who treat you like dirt?” Diluc asked. Kaeya
felt a jolt rack his body, realizing that this was why Diluc had asked his prior questions. He
had practically baited him into agreeing that Diluc treated him better than anyone else. He
hated that he didn’t even have to ponder Diluc’s words. He really was the lesser of two evils.
Whether he had ulterior motives or not, it was a valid question.

Diluc watched Kaeya’s expression and held back a puff of amusement, knowing Kaeya’s
answer. “Think about it,” he said, coaxing gentleness into his voice. “No more cruel clients,
no more struggling to make ends meet. Just us, for the next two years or longer if we
continue what we have now.”

Kaeya’s thoughts were racing too quickly for him to grasp. He knew the dangers that lurked
behind Diluc’s facade. He didn’t know what would become of him if he did put his signature
on this contract or how uncertain a life with this enigmatic man could be. He hated even more
how alluring a better life for his son and himself sounded.

A hungry look of greed shone in his eyes. If he signed this contract, he wouldn’t have ties to
the underground anymore. If he left this lifestyle behind before Lucio officially joined school,
he wouldn’t have to worry about his son being regarded as the son of a whore. He wouldn’t
have to worry about being called out on the streets or recognized as a prostitute someone had
hired. In reality, he knew he didn’t condemn this lifestyle only for his son’s sake. Each day he
worked like this, selling his body, felt torturous and ate away at him. He hated lying
underneath greasy men and allowing them to have their way with him. He hated constantly
feeling unclean and tainted. He hated always worrying about not spending adequate time with
his son. He hated having to worry about money.

He had wanted to leave the underground since the day he joined, but he was never able to get
anywhere without a viable education or citizenship of Mondstadt. He could never dig himself
out of the hole he’d been placed in since the day he moved here.

If he became Diluc’s by signing this contract, how much worse could his life get?

At least he would be dedicating his body only to one man who seemed to do a good job of
hiding his true nature. At least he would be able to afford a better life for Lucio, put him
through private school, and spend time with him when Diluc didn’t call him. And perhaps…
most of all, Kaeya would be able to pursue an education himself if Diluc lived up to his
promise to get him a permanent resident card. He could study and get a job he was proud of.
He would have enough money to fund both himself and Lucio and stay in Mondstadt without
fear of persecuted.

Diluc didn’t strike him as a deceptive man. He would live up to every word of that contract if
it meant getting what he wanted.

Deep down, Kaeya knew what game Diluc was playing. He was trying to break down all his
routes—to give Kaeya all that he dreamed of so he could trap him. It was risky. He would be
playing right into the hands of the man who scared him most for the next two years at least.
And if Diluc ever found out about Lucio, the pressure on him would double.

Kaeya flinched as Diluc stood up. His expression remained neutral but he stepped around the
table closer to Kaeya, placing his soft hand against his cheek.

“I won’t rush you, so take your time to consider it,” Diluc said, his voice low and sonorous.
He caressed Kaeya’s face gently; the palm of his hand was warm, causing goosebumps to bud
on Kaeya’s body. He smiled down at him, his eyes still cold but shining ethereally. “Just
remember, the offer won’t be on the table forever, hm?” he whispered. He left for the
washroom to clean up, picking his scattered clothes up off the floor as he went, leaving
Kaeya sitting there, dazed and lost in thought.

A sense of urgency enveloped Kaeya despite Diluc’s promise not to rush him. He knew that if
he agreed, there would be no turning back for two years.

When Diluc came back, he was dressed dapper as ever in the clothes he’d arrived in, his hair
damp. He found Kaeya still sitting where he’d left him, causing his eyes to twinkle. As
Kaeya turned to look at him, a wary but defeated look in his eyes, an understanding passed
through them.

“I’ll do it,” Kaeya said softly, his voice void of its usual false confidence.

Diluc’s eyes lit up with satisfaction. A hint of malevolent triumph danced in them, but he
composed himself. He offered Kaeya a gentle, encouraging nod, leaving him with a false
sense of security.

Diluc fished in the pocket of his blazer and withdrew a pen. He set it down on the contract
that lay on the coffee table in front of Kaeya. “Whenever you’re ready then,” he told him,
taking his seat opposite Kaeya once more. In his suit, he looked every bit the perilous man
he’d always been, but Kaeya’s decision had been made. He took the pen in his hands and
scribbled his signature onto the contract with a silent prayer to the gods above that he would
not regret this.

In that moment, he failed to see the way the sinister man sitting across from him reveled in
the knowledge that he’d successfully bound Kaeya to him, setting the stage for the games he
had planned for them.

***

On another night, Kaeya stood in front of a door with a keypad—a penthouse apartment. He
entered the code he’d been given, his eyebrows raising as the door clicked open like
clockwork.

He felt odd about entering as he always did when coming over to Diluc’s place, but today, he
felt weirdly giddy. He entered the threshold, trying not to marvel at the grand lounge that
stretched out before him for the umpteenth time. The size of Diluc’s apartment caught him
off guard every time. It was breathtakingly beautiful with its large floor-to-ceiling windows
and dark theme, but something was amiss—this place didn’t feel like someone’s home.

Despite being full of furniture, it was desolate and void of life. The penthouse never got the
love of its owner; it didn’t have the homey feel that one might get in a place of comfort. It
was as cold as Diluc was.

Kaeya sighed, having had that thought each time he came here. Today, the place was even
emptier as not even Diluc had come home yet, which was why Kaeya felt even more out of
place than usual. It was a place vastly different from his little home where he lived with
Lucio. Kaeya managed a smile at the thought of his son. He wasn’t downplaying the luxury
of this apartment… but he much preferred a place full of laughter, life, and warmth. This
place had none of that. He brushed away his thoughts, shifting his attention to the shopping
bag he held in his hands. He found himself blushing as he remembered the contents of the
bag.

Taking a deep breath, he took off his shoes and ventured deeper into the apartment. He was
wary with every step, as if afraid that Diluc would pop up from behind a couch to spook him
with his nonchalant face. The thought of Diluc doing something so silly made him chuckle to
himself.

He walked into the master bedroom, staring at the made bed with his heart thumping a little.

He’d been fucked on that bed multiple times throughout the last month since the day he made
a contract with Diluc. He looked at the time on his phone before placing it on a dresser by the
door and moving towards the bathroom to prep himself as Diluc had instructed. Diluc asked
him to come today for one of their weekly ‘meetings’, but he informed Kaeya that he would
be late and to just let himself in. Kaeya was surprised by Diluc’s trust in him, but he supposed
he couldn’t be surprised. It wasn’t like Kaeya could steal anything from Diluc, for the pay he
received was much better.

He relaxed in the bath, cleaning himself well for Diluc’s arrival. He didn’t like the soap Diluc
kept—it made Kaeya smell like him.

The last month had been… interesting for him. Things had gone more or less according to
Kaeya’s expectations and hopes since he signed that contract. He met Diluc like this two or
three times a week, always at night. A chauffeur would be sent to collect him whenever Diluc
needed him, dropping him off here instead of at a hotel like before. Kaeya had left behind all
his clients, changed his number, and erased his existence from the underground as much as he
could in hopes that he would never have to come across someone who knew his face.

Sex with Diluc was enjoyable and emotionless as always, which Kaeya preferred over his old
life. Until today, he made no effort to change this dynamic, for Diluc seemed satisfied with it.
Just as Kaeya had thought, Diluc lived up to every bit of his end of the bargain.

Within the first week of signing that contract, he had whisked him away to start the
immigration process. Somehow, upon being seen at the City Hall, Diluc was able to cut
through every line and was treated with respect wherever he went. High-ranking officials
would greet him, and they took it upon themselves to do as Diluc asked without question.
Kaeya was amazed by his influence. It only made him more curious as to who he was. He
was afraid of finding out, having not even the courage to google his first name in fear of what
he would find. They did this weekly and Kaeya got closer to gaining citizenship with every
step.

The first few stages of the process had gone smoothly, but even with Diluc’s influence, it
would take some time, which Kaeya had no qualms about.

The prospect of being a legal citizen of Mondstadt was Kaeya’s biggest reward for serving
Diluc, but it wasn’t the only thing. Diluc paid him handsomely by the week and occasionally
showered him with gifts—clothes, shoes, and sometimes even innocent little toys like
plushies.

Kaeya always had a difficult time accepting gifts. He knew they couldn’t be cheap, but Diluc
hardly ever let him leave empty-handed.

Eventually, Kaeya got used to wearing expensive clothes, giving all the plushes to Lucio.
Diluc bought him whatever he thought he would look good in—he was never wrong. Kaeya
enjoyed the clothes he received, remembering how he’d been keenly interested in fashion as a
child.

Since coming to Mondstadt, he never focused much on the clothes on his back, knowing that
they would be coming off of him either way. After Lucio came into his life, that hadn’t
changed—all of Kaeya’s monetary attention went towards making sure his son wore clean
clothes and had a comfortable bed to sleep in. Now that he got a chance to enjoy fashion for
the first time, he couldn’t help feeling happier.
Of course, this did not mean Lucio was neglected or given fewer luxuries. Now that Kaeya
made enough to live comfortably, his and Lucio’s lifestyles had gotten significantly better.

Lucio was spoiled with gifts from Kaeya’s hard-earned money and ate well. Kaeya was
furnishing their empty but cozy home. Slowly but surely, their home was starting to feel like
one. He had enough time to properly bond with his son and even spend time with Jean and
Lisa, often treating them and buying gifts for them as they had helped him so much in his
darkest time. Kaeya would save the money that he had left each week for a fund for Lucio,
wanting to put him into a good elementary school. He made sure not to be too carefree with
his spending or let the riches and gifts Diluc spoiled him with rot his mind. This lifestyle—
selling his body to someone like Diluc—was volatile.

Even though Diluc was doing all these things for him, Kaeya didn’t have much security in
what he did. Diluc was every bit as dangerous as the day they’d met; Kaeya had seen fear in
the eyes of anyone who spoke to him.

But over time, with all the promises Diluc had fulfilled, he’d grown to accept this part of him.
It was what it was—Kaeya would be involved with a dangerous man until his contract period
was up. Still, he was grateful. He was grateful not to be treated horribly, allowing him to let
his guard down like he was doing today. He was grateful that Diluc didn’t go back on his
word. Thanks to him, Kaeya had a chance at a good life not only for himself but for his son
as well. Of course, he never trusted Diluc with the knowledge of Lucio’s existence, but
Kaeya felt more at ease each time he saw Diluc and came out unscathed.

He was beginning to trust Diluc—a dumb thing to do but it was out of his hands. His
gratitude towards the man made him keener to know who Diluc was underneath the mask he
put up.

That was why he had something planned today. He was finally taking the first step to change
the dynamic he shared with Diluc. It made him nervous to go through with it, but he hated the
feeling of being indebted. Even though Kaeya's body was sacred to him, he couldn’t help but
question if it truly warranted all Diluc was offering in return. He felt inadequate, for each
time Diluc ended one of their meetings, his eyes seemed cloudier and more pensive. Kaeya
feared that he wasn’t satisfying him satisfactorily.

If that was the case, he wondered why Diluc was still doing so much and going to such
lengths to have him.

Kaeya never shook the feeling that there was some ulterior motive, and it terrified him. This
feeling of gratitude and inadequacy had led him here, desperately trying to take matters into
his own hands. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror after carefully combing his hair,
eyeing the shopping bag he’d set on the bathroom counter.

He withdrew an item from it: a bunch of white lace—or at least, that’s what it looked like at
first.

His cheeks felt hot as he held the item in front of him, wondering how he would look in
something so lewd. He gulped down his nerves and slipped it on his legs. He looked in the
mirror and saw his own embarrassment in his eye. He couldn’t take himself seriously in the
garment.

He had put on a pair of white, lace panties. The garment was skimpy and did very little to
hide his body—an imprint of his cock bunched up towards the front, covered only with a
very thin sheet of white fabric. The fabric faded into a scratchy white lace that wrapped
around his hips, revealing his chocolatey skin. Kaeya was afraid to turn around, not feeling
ready to see what it looked like from the back. He allowed himself to feel all the humiliation
in the world in that bathroom, knowing he was alone and didn’t have to put up an act.

He turned around and peered back at the mirror. “Fuck,” he cursed, his face and neck feeling
like they were melting.

The lace did nothing to hide his ass as it showed through the sheer material. Two stretchable
holes had been left in the patchwork, one at the top where his tailbone was and the other right
where Diluc would soon fuck—Kaeya assumed to give the other party easy access. It was
mortifying to stare at himself dressed in such a garment, even more so to come to terms that
he would be sharing this sight with Diluc. The thought made him want to bury himself. He
considered backing out, but the underwear had been expensive. He wanted to do something
nice for Diluc, almost as if to prove his worth in his life.

He sighed and turned away. It would be hard to put up his usual air of whorish confidence
when wearing something like this, but he would have to make do.

He fished for something else in the bag, withdrawing a pair of white straps: garters. He
clipped them on his thighs and attached them to the underwear, all the while blushing and
cursing himself for doing all this.

Kaeya stared at how well the garters accentuated his thighs and decided he could no longer
look at the sight of himself. He felt that being naked would be a more pious choice than
wearing those. He slipped on one of Diluc’s bathrobes, snuggling into the soft material with a
slight purr, then left the bathroom.

He went to the lounge, feeling awkward and out of place, wincing at how scratchy and
scathing the lace was, but he endured, glancing at the clock and seeing that it was nearing the
time for Diluc to come home. Kaeya played out his plan in his head numerous times as he sat
on the couch, twiddling his thumbs nervously as he waited for Diluc. A few minutes passed
as he got lost in his thoughts, when suddenly the beeping of the keypad outside started him.
Kaeya flinched and hopped to his feet. He took a deep breath, feeling his mask slipping on as
he prepped himself to see the one he served.

As the door swung open and Diluc stepped inside, Kaeya walked barefoot towards him.
Diluc’s red eyes met Kaeya’s inquisitively.

“Welcome home, Diluc,” Kaeya said softly as he stopped in front of him, wrapping his arms
around the redhead’s neck and raising himself on the tips of his toes to press a kiss to his
cheek. His chest ached a little as he realized how close they were to seeming like a couple.
Kaeya entertained that thought for a second—what would Diluc be like as a lover? He
imagined him to be caring, protective, possessive, and generous. For some reason, Kaeya
liked the idea, though he eliminated it immediately.

Diluc’s eyes raised at his actions as if to say Playing house now, are we? but he didn’t pull
away from Kaeya. Instead, he put down the briefcase in his ungloved hands and placed them
on his waist, leaning forward and pecking Kaeya on the jaw.

For a moment, Kaeya’s breath caught in his throat, the touch of Diluc’s lips on his skin
sending a shiver running down his spine. The way they lingered on his jaw made him
nervous. The touch was familiar yet tantalizingly tender. It contrasted the image Kaeya had of
Diluc. It was moments like this that left him confused and wary of Diluc’s intentions. He was
such an enigma, but Kaeya could feel himself melting in his embrace. He didn’t feel safe, but
somehow, it was exciting.

Kaeya mustered a smile, unable to deny the pang of yearning he felt. Diluc finally pulled
back, looking into his eyes with that same leonine intensity as if trying to gauge what Kaeya
was up to. Kaeya met his gaze, desperately attempting to hide the storm of emotions swirling
inside him.

“Did you miss me that much, Kaeya?” Diluc whispered, his voice low with a hint of teasing.

He admired the way Kaeya’s cheeks burned at his shameless question, watching with a
twinkle in his eye as his smile wavered, trying to shield his own vulnerability. Truly, Kaeya
was an amusing man.

“Miss you? Well... I suppose that's a possibility,” Kaeya said, smiling as he tried to regain
some of the composure he’d lost. Diluc only smirked in response.

Kaeya noted that Diluc’s hair was damp from a shower, tied back into a loose bun, though he
looked as regal as always. He deduced that Diluc had been coming home to him from the
gym—after all, he didn’t get his physique from nowhere. He couldn’t help but marvel at the
effortless grace Diluc had at times, reaching up and tucking a red strand of his hair behind his
ear. His expression was usually cold and condescending, but at times, underneath the
hardened layers of his harsh features, Kaeya could spot his baby face. It made him smile a
little, trying to imagine what Diluc would’ve been like in his younger days. He couldn’t have
come out of the womb with that brooding look.

Diluc raised an eyebrow at Kaeya’s actions and odd behavior. “Lost in thought, are we?” he
asked, startling him out of his daze.

Kaeya cursed at himself in his mind, for he had almost thrown the plan to hell just to admire
how beautiful Diluc was. His cheeks seared but he collected himself. “Oh, just pondering all
the ways I could make your day a touch more thrilling,” he whispered, his lips curling into a
confident smile, his gaze meeting Diluc's with an unapologetic glint. He wondered if Diluc
would stop him. He had never taken matters into his own hands when pleasing a client,
choosing to do what they wanted while trying to protect his dignity to the best of his ability.
His words carried a hint of an unspoken challenge, daring Diluc to deny him.
The corners of Diluc's lips twitched into a half-smile, his crimson eyes gleaming with
interest. “Is that right? And how do you plan to do that?” Diluc asked.

Kaeya just smiled prettily at him, his fingers grazing the vein running through Diluc's neck,
causing a jolt to spark him. “That would defeat the purpose of the surprise, silly,” he said, his
voice tantalizing and playful.

He took Diluc’s hand and began to tug him deeper into the penthouse. Diluc followed his
lead, looking amused as he stared at their intertwined fingers. Kaeya led him to the couch
where he was promptly plopped down. He crawled onto Diluc's lap, seating himself on his
thighs with his legs on either side of him.

Their eyes met as well as their lips as Kaeya ground down on top of Diluc, placing his hands
on his shoulders and massaging them. He relished in the brief puff of relief Diluc released,
feeling pleased with himself as some of the tension left Diluc’s shoulders. Kaeya worked his
way down, kissing and sucking on Diluc’s neck as he unbuttoned his white shirt down to his
waist. He enjoyed how easily Diluc’s skin bruised, red splotches dotting his skin before long.

Kaeya slid down his legs and dropped onto the floor between Diluc’s legs, staring up at him
with a needy look in his eyes. His eyes lidded halfway as he followed the trail of Diluc’s
tongue licking his lips at the sight of him kneeling before him. Kaeya raised himself to his
knees and connected his lips with Diluc’s chest, his fingers groping at his thick pecs.

He experimentally wrapped his mouth around one of Diluc’s nipples, wondering if he would
like it. He stared up at him, suckling on his chest. Diluc was excellent at maintaining his
poker face, but his cheeks had a light pink tinge to them and his breathing was more labored.
Kaeya couldn’t tell if Diluc enjoyed it—it was new to him to leave marks on another man's
body, much less to give them the same attention they showered him with. He hadn't truly
taken the lead since he used to service women. He gave Diluc’s other nipple the same
treatment, enjoying how the bud felt on his tongue. He left them bruised and spit-covered,
admiring the sight for a second before moving on. His fingers fumbled on the belt of Diluc’s
pants, unbuttoning them and pushing his boxers out of the way.

Kaeya’s eyes twinkled as he pulled out Diluc’s cock from his boxers. It stood proud, a dot of
precum budding the head, letting him know that Diluc was enjoying himself. He hid an
innocently proud smile that his efforts were bearing fruit. He enjoyed the slightest semblance
of control that he received from doing all this. Things were going to plan—it was a good
sign. It made it easier to cope with the knowledge that he was wearing such a slutty garment
under his robe.

He eyed Diluc’s cock, his mouth watering a little. Diluc was pretty everywhere, his cock
donned a pink head and thick veins. He felt more excited than ever to have it buried inside
himself. He studied the bead that had been embedded on the underside of the dick, causing
his knees to rub together.

The day he met Diluc, he had been warned about this—that Diluc’s cock had been modified.
Kaeya remembered being revolted, imagining an ugly dick with beads embedded all over, but
he had been very pleasantly surprised at how attractive just one bead looked. Feeling it inside
himself had had Kaeya hooked the moment it dug into his prostate. He remembered the way
Diluc had put him on all fours, digging into him gently. Even in spite of how tender he’d
been the first time, the moment his bead caught on Kaeya’s prostate had him screaming. The
memory made Kaeya weak in the knees. He had been so unprepared to lose his composure
like that—it had been humiliating. Diluc’s bead left him like that every single time, making
him loathe how easily he could reduce him to a submissive, moaning mess.

Kaeya had never felt what it would be like on his tongue. He used to give men blowjobs but
only if they had a condom on. This time, he felt no need for a condom, wanting to feel
Diluc’s hot, pulsating cock between his lips.

Just as the contract asked, both he and Diluc got tested… they would be safe to have
unprotected sex once in a while, but Kaeya had yet to try it. He didn’t know what it would
feel like to have a cock inside him raw, to be bred and filled with another man’s hot seed. It
made him shiver with anticipation to picture it. This was the first time he was initiating sex
on his own terms—he couldn’t help but feel excited. Today would be the day he tried it out.

Kaeya surprised Diluc by wrapping his lips around the head of his dick with little hesitation.
He brushed a strand of his own hair away to prevent it from getting in the way as a gentle
hum escaped his throat at the feeling of Diluc’s cock between his lips. The taste of his
precum was awful, but he enjoyed how heavy the head was in his mouth.

He pulled away, slathering it with his spit, and pumped it, a dazed look in his eyes. He
pressed his lips against Diluc’s bead, feeling Diluc's muscles tighten at the feeling. He bit
down gently on it and looked up. The sight he saw made him want to hide. It was the first
time Kaeya had seen anything close to emotion in Diluc's eyes other than mild amusement
and sardonicism. Diluc’s eyes were misty, void of bits of his intelligence and replaced with
carnality and deep lust. Diluc hadn’t been prepared for any of this. He couldn’t have
fathomed that Kaeya would be so bold as to suck him off without prompting. It made Diluc
want to throw him to the floor and fuck him until he was screaming and mewling.

Kaeya enjoyed teasing the bead, giving it loving kitten licks, and flicking it with the tip of his
tongue. He took Diluc’s cock in his mouth, wrapping his lips as far down the shaft as he
could reach before it hit the back of his throat.

His eyes watered, a strangled gag escaping him, but he kept his eyes fixed on Diluc’s face,
unable to help but admire that sight even though his vision blurred.

For once, Diluc’s intense eyes didn’t scare Kaeya. They made him feel more whorish and
lustful than ever. He wanted so badly to cut this short. He felt submissive, but Kaeya loved it
too much. He wasn’t supposed to be submissive today—he was supposed to take charge and
dominate Diluc, take the reins for once, but he just couldn’t help it. Diluc was so hot against
his tongue, making Kaeya wonder what it would be like to be barebacked by a cock this
warm and heavy. He was more into it than he had ever been, more aroused than he thought
possible.

He had never felt desire like this. Had he been in his right mind, it would’ve been a source of
panic and worry for the last thing he should’ve done was display his vulnerability, but right
then, he couldn’t focus on anything but the organ weighing down his mouth.
Kaeya sucked Diluc off, unused to having something sizeable jamming down his throat as he
stroked the places he couldn’t reach with his hands. Diluc’s dick burned against his tongue,
leaking precum and growing steadily in his mouth. He enjoyed the feeling. There was a
certain lull that came with the full feeling he got in his mouth. His lips were wrapped snugly
around the cock, able to feel every thick vein against them. His jaw ached from how wide he
was forced to stretch it, but the labor was rewarding. The corners of his mouth felt ready to
rip, but he didn’t care, focusing only on how warm Diluc was and the way his bead pressed
down on his throat.

He pulled away, panting heavily and wrapping his hands around Diluc’s dick, pumping it
vigorously, tracing the thickest vein on the underside of the cock, and flicking the bead with
his thumb.

Diluc was staring at him with a mixture of bewilderment and something akin to respect, as if
he had never pegged Kaeya to be so bold. It was all he could do to hold himself back from
razing him completely. It amused him so deeply to witness Kaeya’s pathetic power struggle,
failing so miserably. He looked far from dominant, kneeling before Diluc like this and giving
him head.

He wondered if a flip had been switched in Kaeya. He had never seen him enjoy acts so
whorish with such vigor. He admitted it was a nice change… just one more step and Diluc
would succeed in his goal to watch Kaeya be every bit the submissive slut he was.

He smirked to himself as he leaned back against the backrest of the sofa, running his tender
hands through Kaeya’s hair, preventing it from getting in his way. Kaeya didn’t realize how
big a mistake he was making, allowing Diluc to take this step forward. He was opening
himself up to him, beginning to trust him, taking initiative… it may well be his biggest regret
one day, for Diluc did not know if he could ever forego Kaeya after this. He wanted so badly
to kick loose and show Kaeya that he was not someone to be trusted with his body or safe to
be submissive around, but who was he to refuse?

He closed his eyes, breathing out with enjoyment as Kaeya teased his balls with his tongue.

Kaeya continued to suck and pump Diluc, bringing him closer and closer to his orgasm.
Diluc, too, was more aroused than he’d ever been, not because of the dominance Kaeya was
trying to feign, but because of all the opportunities he had to destroy the thread of control he
was trying to obtain. His abdomen felt warm and mushy, his muscles convulsing and gentle
moans filtering through his lips like music to Kaeya’s ears.

It was so rare for him to hear Diluc’s voice during sex unless he was whispering sweet
nothings in his ear. It was rare for him to see Diluc enjoying himself to such an extent. He
thought what Diluc liked was relinquishing control, but in reality, Diluc fantasized about
pushing Kaeya’s head down on his cock until he gagged, choked, and vomited.

He waited until Diluc’s cock was throbbing and twitching, ready to come, and pulled away
just as he was about to reach his high.

Kaeya couldn’t help but smirk at the way Diluc groaned in protest, his toes curling as he was
mere seconds away from coming. Diluc stared at him with a mixture of irritation and
surprise. “Why so vindictive?” he murmured, clearly frustrated as Kaeya flashed him his
pretty smile.

Kaeya stood up and kissed Diluc on the jaw, plopping back down on his thighs and
whispering, “I’m not ready to let you come yet. Do you have a problem with that?”

He tried to sound confident, like he knew what he was doing, but there was underlying
trepidation as if prepping himself for Diluc’s rebuttal. It didn’t suit him to act so dominant,
but he enjoyed the look on Diluc’s face, left at sea that Kaeya was standing up to him and
telling him that wasn’t allowed to come. It was absurd, for Diluc could see right through him.
Kaeya was doing all this for him. Diluc could see in his eyes how embarrassed Kaeya was
and how, deep down, he wanted this pressure to be lifted off him, to be thrown aside and
made to be the pliant man he was.

A chuckle escaped his lips, making the hairs on Kaeya’s nape prickle at the menacing tone
behind the laugh. Diluc decided that he would play his game; he would allow Kaeya to play
his hand at dominance and see how he liked it.

“So you want to be the master for tonight, hm?” he said, his voice dangerously low and
lustful.

Kaeya blushed down to his neck. He didn’t like being called ‘master’, but he had made his
bed and would have to sleep in it. He had thought that Diluc was enjoying Kaeya taking
charge as a reward for all he’d done, but now, he could see the challenge Diluc posed. He
could see the amusement in his eyes, telling him: “What’s your next move, master?”

He feigned a pretty smile, brushing his hand through Diluc’s hair, freeing it of its bun. Diluc’s
red locks majestically fell over his shoulders, making Kaeya ache at how pretty he looked.

He stood back up, taking one step away. His insides churned with nerves, knowing that he
was about to reveal what he wore on this occasion to Diluc. Perhaps it would convince Diluc
to raze him once and for all. That thought scared him, for Diluc had a malevolent air about
him. If he really went rogue on him… there was no telling what lows he would be forced to
stoop to. Kaeya turned his back to Diluc, fumbling with the knot of his robe. He opened it
and allowed it to slide off his shoulders and fall to his feet, leaving him bare save for those
frisky white panties and garters.

For a second, all was quiet and still as Diluc stared blatantly at Kaeya.

Kaeya felt his insides wither with embarrassment but he forced himself to look back at Diluc
over his shoulder. The look in the man’s eyes was terrifyingly attractive. Diluc couldn’t
believe what he was seeing.

“Fuck…” he cursed, his voice breathy, barely above a whisper. Kaeya's body tingled with the
weight of Diluc’s gaze.

Diluc couldn’t have fathomed that this was Kaeya’s surprise. He stared at the intricate lace of
the lingerie, built specifically for men to seduce other men. A hole in the underwear tempted
Diluc, existing simply for him to fuck Kaeya more easily. The sight of his dark skin showing
through the white lace nearly drove him mad with lust. It took all his strength to hold back
from lunging for Kaeya and plunging him down on his dick.

“What’s gotten into you today?” he asked softly. His breath caught in his throat as Kaeya
turned around, showing the front.

His cock was fully hard, leaving a harsh imprint in his underwear, the fabric sopping wet with
the precum he had leaked. That was the last straw for Diluc. He reached out, hooking his
fingers on the strap of Kaeya’s thigh garter and harshly pulling him forward until he fell on
top of him with a whimper of surprise.

As Kaeya’s cheek pressed against Diluc’s neck, he could feel how humiliated he really was.
He smirked, knowing that Kaeya was trying to act natural.

Diluc couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t let Kaeya do this—he couldn’t let him act like he
had the reins. His rough hands pressed against Kaeya’s ass, giving it a tight squeeze that had
him clutching his shoulders for support. Diluc moved his hand away and slapped it against
his cheek, causing him to let out a strangled yelp as he was groped lewdly. “Answer me,
master,” he said, his voice silky and irresistible. Kaeya took a shaky breath, trying his best to
keep himself together, but it was difficult as he felt Diluc’s warm cock against his thigh and
his smooth hands on his ass like this.

“I-I just wanted to do something nice for you… in return for all the things you’re doing for
me.” He said, still desperately holding on to what little composure he still had. It pissed Diluc
off.

“Trying to give me my money’s worth, hm?” Diluc asked softly. Kaeya’s nails dug into his
skin as he tried his best to hide. Diluc was fingering the hole in Kaeya’s panties, brushing his
skin with a featherweight touch, causing goosebumps to litter his skin.

Kaeya couldn’t refute his question. He really was trying to give Diluc a reason to keep him
around—to be pleased with his services. He thought that by taking dominance for tonight, he
would be able to do that, but it wasn’t going according to plan at all. That blowjob had
sucked all the vigor out of him, the danger in Diluc’s eyes making him feel meek. He felt
more helpless than ever. A part of him loved it while another screamed with danger alarms
that he was being too vulnerable. He had gotten too far tangled in Diluc’s web.

“You think this will work?” Diluc asked softly, thumbing the lace. “Do you think you’ll be
able to protect yourself if you fake all the confidence you’re showing me?”

Kaeya’s insides went cold. Diluc had seen right through him.

He tried to say something, but a nervous yelp betrayed him as Diluc began to poke his cock
through the hole in the panties. Kaeya’s heart hammered, wondering if he would shove it in
raw. Diluc’s lips met his roughly, his dick slipping through the hole until it pressed between
his cheeks. Kaeya held onto him tightly, trying his best to battle his tongue, but the feeling of
Diluc’s cock pressed snugly between his ass cheeks and the panties made his mind swirl.
Diluc pulled him forward until he fell right into his arms, caging him properly as he looked
over Kaeya’s shoulder at his ass where he could see his own cock lodged against it. He
watched with a look of carnal desire as he began to lift and drop Kaeya on it, rubbing his
cock against his hole over and over.

Each time Kaeya’s hips dropped, Diluc could see the head of his dick peering from the other
hole in the underwear over his tailbone.

The sight would’ve been enough to drive any man mad. Diluc was no exception. He flopped
Kaeya onto the sofa, pressing him into the cushions as he fucked between his cheeks, his eyes
clouding up with pleasure as his previously denied orgasm burned in his abdomen again. He
thrust like a wild animal, holding Kaeya down, as he chased his own pleasure. Kaeya lay
pliant under him, a few strangled moans escaping him. Diluc’s cock was so warm against his
skin. His body rattled with fear as he replayed Diluc’s words in his mind over and over again.
Diluc knew. He felt a mixture of panic and excitement at the prospect of what would happen.

He squeezed his eyes shut, his nails digging into Diluc’s back as his thrusts grew sloppier. A
breath left him as Diluc moaned into his ear, coming all over his ass and tailbone.

Kaeya shivered, feeling the slimy cum dripping down his hips, absorbing into his panties. He
opened his eyes as Diluc got off him, straightening up and pulling his cock out of the panties.
Kaeya’s misty eyes only caught a glimpse of him before he was flipped onto his stomach, his
ass hanging in the air. His cheeks burned madly as Diluc stared down at him, humming
gently. Diluc smirked, having soiled Kaeya’s panties beyond repair.

“Oh, dear… I ruined your gift for me,” he said, his voice mockingly ashamed, “but it’s
alright. I can buy you ten more just so you can act out all your whorish fantasies with me.”

Kaeya let out a strangled cry as he was pulled up by the neck and plopped once more into
Diluc’s lap with his back against his chest.

Diluc's fingers found his nipples, playing roughly with them, rubbing over the sensitive
nerves with his nails while Kaeya moaned and squirmed in his lap. His lips met Kaeya’s
neck, sucking and biting on the skin until dim dark spots popped up on his chocolatey skin.
This did nothing to deter Diluc, who just smiled.

“You may not bruise as easily as I do,” he told Kaeya, listening as Kaeya whimpered under
the abuse of his fingers, “but I revel in the fact that you won’t be able to leave this house on
your own two legs tonight.”

Every alarm in Kaeya’s body was blaring at how dangerous Diluc’s tone was. He didn’t like
this. He didn’t like how helplessly pathetic he felt. He had fallen apart under Diluc so easily
and hated himself for it. He knew there was no way he could regain control of his body that
night. His foolhardy attempt at dominance had snapped something in Diluc. Diluc no longer
cared about treating him gently and giving him the illusion of control as he had before. He
would break Kaeya down completely tonight and make him regret ever trying to push the
boundary he had set to protect him.
Diluc grabbed Kaeya by the waist and hoisted him in his arms, half dragging him up to the
upper level of the penthouse. It amused him how hard Kaeya’s heart was hammering.

Kaeya was unceremoniously pressed into the bed of the master bedroom, pinned beneath
Diluc without a snowball’s chance of escape. He saw the look in Diluc’s eyes, a squeak of
fright escaping him. He knew nothing was holding Diluc back anymore. That thought
terrified him, fearing that all the theories he had about the dangers Diluc presented would
become reality.

A chill racked his body as Diluc laughed at his expression.

For once, no emotion was restrained in Diluc’s eyes as they shone with malevolent
amusement.

“You’re trembling like an alley cat, master,” he said, kissing Kaeya’s neck gently. “I’m not
scaring you too much, am I?” Kaeya wanted to kick Diluc away and run. He was almost
certain that Diluc would let him go without giving chase, but two things held him back: fear
that Diluc would use the contract to keep him tethered to himself… and morbid curiosity.
Kaeya knew he would regret not running away, but even through his fear, that same feeling of
keen interest that had led him to Diluc in the first place kept him rooted beneath him now. An
answer to one of his biggest questions about Diluc floated tantalizingly within his reach: who
was Diluc and what were his true motives?

“Pl-Please, be gentle,” Kaeya whispered, cursing himself in his mind for how pitifully
vulnerable he sounded. It only seemed to feed more into the crazed look in Diluc’s eyes.

He looked delighted at his pathetic plea, as if that was the biggest gift Kaeya could’ve given
him. Finally, Diluc would get what he most wanted. There was nothing Kaeya could do to
stop it because he was the one to instigate it.

“I’ve been so gentle with you for the last two months, Kaeya,” he murmured, caressing his
cheek, teasing him with the gentleness of his touch. “Do you think I’ve been gentle with you
all this time because that’s my nature? You know full well why you decided to test me
tonight… you’re insecure and afraid that you’re not satisfying me. You want to satisfy me,
don’t you?”

Kaeya shivered at the idea. Of course, that was why he had done all this—he had thought that
by giving Diluc this gift, a tempting night where he didn’t have to pay attention to Kaeya’s
pleasure, he would be able to satisfy him. After all, that was all any man could ask for. They
wanted physical pleasure, someone to service them all night long, to let loose and allow
themselves to be taken care of. And yet, that seemed to be the last thing Diluc was interested
in. Kaeya hated how he couldn’t tell Diluc’s intentions and what could satisfy him. Still, he
nodded meekly.

Diluc’s smile was sympathetic as if Kaeya had fallen right into his trap. He kissed him on the
jaw just as he had in greeting only half an hour earlier. “Then cry for me, beg, submit. Give
yourself to me, no playing pretend, no trying to be someone you’re not. Be as pathetic and
helpless as you feel on the inside.”
Kaeya’s eye glistened with the threat of tears. Diluc’s words were both frightening and
tempting. Not once had he let his guard down since he came to Mondstadt. It was so tiring
pretending to be a confident man who knew his own worth. For a second, he found himself
forgetting why he had ever felt the need to play pretend. He was relieved when his reasoning
came back to him. “You’ll just take advantage of my vulnerability,” he whispered.

Diluc just smiled. He neither confirmed nor denied it. “Is that such a bad thing?” he asked
Kaeya. He eyed the way Kaeya’s knees rubbed together. Despite the fear clearly rattling
through him, Kaeya was still painfully aroused. He was still staying. It made Diluc smirk,
knowing that he was too weak to refute him when he was like this. “What’s the worst I could
do to you? You’re a shrewd man, Kaeya. You’ve known how I’ve been since the day you met
me… and yet, you still signed that contract. You've known since day one that I am dangerous,
but that excites you. I excite you, don’t I?" Diluc said, his voice dropping an octave, more
sultry. His words cut deep into Kaeya, who knew he was right. "I spice up your life—you’re
interested in me and what I can give you. If you so ask, I can pay you more. I can buy you
mansions, give you all the riches in the earth. If you need someone dead, I can get rid of
them, too. Just say the word… I’ll do anything you want just so I can see you fall apart under
my fingers.”

Kaeya was looking at him with astonishment. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around all the
questions swirling through his mind.

“Why? Why are you doing all this?” he croaked, remembering a time when he’d asked a
similar question. Diluc had told him then that he didn’t want to share him with anyone else.
Then why was he asking for more now and willing to give so much in return?

Diluc didn’t answer him. His patience had run out. He kissed Kaeya’s collarbone, working
his way down as he placed his hand on Kaeya’s cock, giving it his attention for the first time
that night. Kaeya’s body jerked and stiffened. “D-Diluc…” he whispered, flinching as bites
and kisses trailed his lower abdomen. Diluc didn’t care to lower the panties or move them
aside. He pressed his tongue flat against the imprint of Kaeya’s cock. Kaeya kicked out his
legs, his mouth following open as a loud moan escaped it. Diluc messily slathered his spit all
over Kaeya’s cock, leaving his underwear wet and soggy.

His eyes glazed over with enjoyment as the white fabric turned translucent, easily showing
Kaeya’s dark skin under it. His hand reached deeper between Kaeya’s legs, pushing past the
hole in his panties until his fingers touched his puckering hole.

Diluc smiled. “You wanted to be barebacked tonight, didn’t you?” he asked, imagining what
it would feel like to be inside Kaeya raw.

Kaeya’s face burned with embarrassment, knowing that this was where his boldness had led
him. He should never have tried to do all that he had today. He wouldn’t have been in this
predicament if he had just slept with Diluc as normal. Somehow, he knew in his mind that
that wasn’t right. Diluc would’ve snapped sooner or later, whether with Kaeya fanning the
flames or not.

He hid his face behind his hands and nodded shyly, remembering how much he had
fantasized about having Diluc’s hot cock buried inside him—how it would feel to have Diluc
come inside him.

A shiver of pleasure rolled through Diluc, enjoying the way Kaeya told him what he wanted.
He reached out on his nightstand where a bottle of lube sat. He flipped Kaeya over with one
hand until his back faced him. He licked his lips, enjoying the sight immensely. He loved
Kaeya’s face, his chest, and his torso, but his back was a sight to behold.

Diluc was glad he’d gotten the underside of his cock beaded. It gave him an excuse to see
Kaeya’s back more often.

He poured lube over his hole, careless of how messy it was as the last of his patience
disintegrated. He pressed two fingers inside Kaeya to make sure he had prepped himself
properly, smirking as they slid in easily. He licked his lips, a quiet moan escaping him as he
enjoyed the raw feeling of Kaeya’s warm rim tightening around his knuckles. He had tried
with all his might to refrain from barebacking Kaeya all this time—not because of all the
safety hazards, but because he knew he would get even more addicted to his body than he
was now. Now, Kaeya was giving himself to him. He didn’t have the self-control to refuse.

He fucked his fingers twice inside Kaeya, pressing into his sweet spot with his eyes gleaming
with pleasure as he watched Kaeya’s muscles tense.

Kaeya was willfully trying not to make any noises, causing Diluc to tilt his head with
amusement, wondering if this was another one of Kaeya’s attempts to hold on to his dignity.
Diluc didn’t feel one bit threatened, knowing full well that Kaeya could never help but fall
apart under him at one point or another.

Diluc kissed down his back as he withdrew his fingers, pushing his hips forward until they
met Kaeya’s. With a grunt, he pushed his cock through the hole in the underwear, plunging it
inside Kaeya.

Diluc’s bead caught directly on Kaeya’s prostate, causing him to thrash and clap a hand to his
mouth in a valiant attempt to stop a shriek of pleasure from escaping his lips. Kaeya’s eyes
went wide, his mouth hanging open as if begging for a breath of air—he was left quaking at
the feeling of Diluc’s cock inside him without a condom intercepting them. It was so hot that
Kaeya felt like his insides were melting. He could feel every vein of Diluc’s cock inside him
and the bead—oh, it drove him to madness. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as Diluc
thrust inside him, the bead flicking his prostate as he went, making him gasp and shiver. Even
if Kaeya wanted to, he couldn’t find his voice long enough to moan as Diluc pounded into
him.

The crude sounds of Diluc's balls slapping against his ass echoed through the room as the bed
creaked beneath them. He held on to Kaeya’s hips with a bruising grip, his bare chest
pressing flush against his back as his mind clouded too much to hold his upper body aloft.

Diluc was lucky that Kaeya’s back was turned to him because for once, he had no control
over his own expression. His eyes were tightly shut, a blush dusted his face from his cheeks
to his ears, and his mouth hung open with a drop of drool sliding down the corner as gentle
moans and whimpers escaped his parted lips next to Kaeya’s ear. Diluc had never thought
much of condoms or how different it would be to go without them. He didn’t think there
would be so large a difference. Every bit of his body burned from being inside Kaeya, his
skin bare against his. He could feel every bit of the friction between his cock and Kaeya’s
insides, the way his bead would curl each time it rubbed over Kaeya’s prostate.

He felt like he was on fire, but it felt so damned good. The feeling was intimate, addictive.
This was what he feared. He knew that once he got a taste of having Kaeya with no barrier,
there would be no going back. He thrust into Kaeya wildly, sucking on a spot on his shoulder.
He had completely lost himself in that moment along with Kaeya.

Kaeya tried his best to hold back his noises, but it got more and more difficult with every slap
of Diluc’s hips against his ass cheeks.

The sounds of his pretty moans were beautiful to Diluc’s ears. He was rough, sloppy, and
careless with his thrusts, but Kaeya couldn’t deny how good it felt. He allowed himself to
scream Diluc’s name over and over, his hands desperately clutching the sheets to the point
where they ripped under his nails. His cock leaked precum all over his soggy panties, but he
couldn’t find the heart to care, unable to think past all the lewd squelching noises his hole
made each time Diluc slammed into him.

“I-I’m coming,” Kaeya breathed out, his words barely coherent, barely registering in Diluc’s
mind. Diluc reached between his legs and grabbed the bulge in Kaeya’s panties through the
fabric. Kaeya yelped as his cock was squeezed in Diluc’s fist and rubbed vigorously, every bit
of his body pulsating from his head down to the tips of his toes.

He came into Diluc’s hand with a cry of pleasure, his hips automatically thrusting, trying to
get as much friction from his fingers as possible.

His vision went white, his body seizing up as torrents of pleasure rattled it. When it was over,
his muscles slumped and he fell heavily on the mattress, feeling Diluc still pumping inside
him. Diluc wrapped his free hand around Kaeya’s throat and twisted his face back toward
him to kiss him. Their lips met sloppily, a mixture of their saliva dripping down their chins as
he chased his own orgasm. Kaeya breathed heavily, taking in the smell of Diluc’s sweat
hanging in the air between them. He never thought another man’s musk could be so attractive
to him, but he felt like falling apart even more than he already had under Diluc. He couldn’t
wait to have him bust inside him and fill him up.

Kaeya could tell by the way Diluc’s grip on his neck and cock tightened and his lips got more
overbearing that he was close to his orgasm too.

His hole already felt raw and slimy but he pushed back on Diluc’s dick, desperate to feel him
come inside him. The feeling didn’t disappoint. Diluc pulled away from the kiss and groaned
loudly, his abdomen tightening as his high rolled over him for the second time that night,
more intensely than the first. He came inside Kaeya in spurts, loading his hot cum into him
with every last powerful thrust.

Diluc came a healthy amount, filling Kaeya up to the brim before his muscles and grip
relaxed. He let out a deep breath, opened his eyes, and looked down at Kaeya’s shaking form,
his mind clearer.
He straightened up, pulling out of Kaeya and sitting back on the balls of his feet to admire the
sight of him. Kaeya lay trembling, his head pressed down against the mattress, his beautiful
white underwear in ruins, a few holes poked into the lace from the grip Diluc had had on his
hips moments prior. Most intriguingly, Kaeya’s hole showed from the panties, twitching as
white droplets of Diluc’s cum dripped from inside him.

The sight was enough to get Diluc worked up again, but this time, he was determined not to
lose his mind. He forcibly hid the crazed look in his eyes, grabbing Kaeya by one of his thigh
garters and flipping him over to lie on his back.

His eyes met Kaeya’s, gleaming with amusement at the sight of him looking so frazzled and
shaken.

Diluc shifted his gaze to one of his own hands, smirking at the sight of Kaeya’s cum staining
it. He brought his fingers to his lips and licked it off right before Kaeya's eyes. The taste was
far from desirable, but the look on Kaeya’s face was priceless for Diluc.

Kaeya blushed madly at Diluc’s actions, wondering how he could do something so heinous
without even batting an eye. His skin laced was with sweat and his hole kept clenching and
unclenching, unnecessarily reminding him that he was carrying Diluc’s load. His eyes lidded
halfway, his head spinning at the idea that someone had come inside him. Droplets kept
escaping him, but for some reason, Kaeya didn’t want them to. He couldn’t describe the
feeling, but he enjoyed it immensely. Still, he was glad that it was finally over. Tonight had
been a rollercoaster of emotions and pleasure. The reality of all that had happened tonight
was beginning to set in. All Kaeya wanted to do was hide away in his room at home with
Lucio, never to process all that Diluc had said tonight.

He tried to sit up, then made a noise of surprise as a hand pushed him back down. His eyes
met Diluc’s, who watched him with a small smile. “No one said you could leave, Kaeya,” he
whispered. Kaeya felt his stomach drop, feeling flustered and afraid that Diluc wasn’t yet
done with him.

His eyes drooped to a close as Diluc kissed him again, lifting him off the bed and pulling him
into his arms until he sat snugly in his lap.

Kaeya pushed the shirt off Diluc’s shoulders, his hand brushing against a scar on Diluc's
bicep, covered by the tattoo of an owl, as the dress shirt fell on the bed. He wrapped his legs
around Diluc's waist, resigned to his fate. It wasn’t too rare for Diluc to ask him for another
round, but Kaeya’s body was beginning to tap out, aching with pain from how hard he had
been pummeled. He parted from Diluc, allowing him to kiss his jaw as his fingers brushed
down his back intimately. Kaeya allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of Diluc’s lips on his
skin once more.

He looked at Kaeya as he fell back against the pillows on the bed, keeping him fixed on his
thighs. “You're on top this round,” he said, no semblance of a request in his voice.

Kaeya blushed, but it wasn’t anything he hadn't done before. Still, as gravity caused all of
Diluc’s cum to spill out of him, he felt nervous about having him come inside again while he
was sitting.
He obliged with Diluc’s order, holding his half-hard cock by the base and gently sitting down
on it, feeling the breath leave his lungs again. He rode Diluc, granting him another round
with a promise to himself that he would be able to get back home soon if he just satisfied
Diluc a little more.

He tried not to think about Diluc’s words from earlier, how he had asked Kaeya to submit to
him, to let go of any pretense of his fake confidence. It unnerved him how easily Diluc had
known what he was doing. It wasn’t hard—not thinking. Having Diluc buried inside him was
enough to erase all thoughts from his mind, but the sense of foreboding never left his body.
He was exhausted by the end of the second round and was flopped back on the bed by Diluc
when his legs got too tired. Diluc filled him up with another batch of his piping-hot cum,
leaving him trembling and weak yet full of enjoyment at the feeling.

Kaeya thought for sure that Diluc would let him go now, feeling dead tired from the mental
and physical strain being piled on him, but Diluc never went soft. Just when his body relaxed
and his eyes closed to rest, a squeak of surprise left his lips as Diluc continued as if he had
never come.

Kaeya gripped his shoulders helplessly, gasping for breath, his body going numb with pain
and pleasure.

He moaned helplessly, scratching at Diluc’s back, simply grateful that his bead was no longer
abusing his prostate in this position. “D-Diluc… can’t we stop?” he asked, his voice weak
and shaking with every thrust. Diluc never responded. He continued to fuck Kaeya over and
over throughout the night, keeping him helplessly pinned in his arms as he bent him into
lewd positions to fit his own desires.

Kaeya could hardly think, but he tried not to refuse Diluc, his energy draining with every
orgasm Diluc gave him. At one point, his white panties were ripped off of him, his entire
body littered with invisible bruises and lovebites as Diluc got his fill.

It was two in the morning before Kaeya finally found the courage to fight back, losing
patience. He was on his stomach again, his face buried into the pillow, his body flat against
the bed with Diluc on top of him. He had no strength left in his legs to rise, his throat sore
from all the times he’d cried out helplessly for Diluc to let go.

“Stop…” he whispered, tears leaking from his eyes and staining his face and the pillows
beneath him. He was beyond feeling pleasure anymore, feeling overstimulated and pained.
All he could think about was how desperate he was to get home, even to just get out from
underneath this dangerous man. He missed Lucio, wanting to run off to see his son, afraid
that he might think he was abandoned if he didn’t come home tonight. When Diluc still
refused to respond, Kaeya gritted his teeth, anger bubbling in his gut. “Diluc, stop.” He said
louder, trying to keep his voice steady.

Diluc brushed the sweat off his brow, staring down at Kaeya’s helpless form with a look of
satisfaction. “I don’t want to,” he said simply.

Kaeya’s stomach twisted, his exhaustion causing him to forget all the ways in which he
feared Diluc. “Th-that's not for you to decide,” he said, cursing his stuttering voice. “Let go
of me, you've have enough for today.”

He attempted to rise off the bed, ignoring how difficult it was with the lack of feeling in his
arms and the way Diluc never stopped thrusting in him. He held back a yelp as Diluc
knocked him back down, twisting him on his dick until he lay on his back again. Kaeya's
back arched as Diluc clocked his prostate, a strangled scream escaping him. However, this
time, it didn't feel good. It hurt immensely, causing frustration to blind him. Instinctively,
Kaeya went into fight or flight mode, his eardrums thrumming with adrenaline as his anger
and exhaustion took over, refusing to be used like a sex toy by Diluc. He lifted his hand and
slapped Diluc across the face.

“I told you to let go!” he snarled, raising his voice. For a second, he didn't realize what he had
done. His palm burned with pain from hitting Diluc. Then, with a chill, his eye cleared.

The truth set in like a swarm of bees. Panic seared through him as he came to terms with
what he had done. He had hit his own sponsor, the most volatile and unpredictable man he
knew, in the heat of the moment. He stuttered, stumbling over his words as sirens blared in
his mind. He couldn’t read Diluc’s expression as their eyes met. He didn't know what Diluc
would do in response. Would he retaliate, return the violence Kaeya had shown in full? Or
would he rescind the contract, the one thing that kept Kaeya afloat? The terror of not
knowing what was to come left him paralyzed.

But then, Diluc did something unprecedented. He smiled so joyfully that his eyes crinkled.
Kaeya froze up, holding his arms protectively against his body as he stared dumbfounded at
Diluc’s expression. That smile did nothing to ease his heart.

“Oh, Kaeya,” Diluc said softly, his voice mockingly sympathetic, his tone full of sweet
concern. “You don't get it, do you? Do you think you are still the master of your own body—
that you’re the architect of our twisted arrangement?” Kaeya lay stiff and motionless, staring
up at Diluc, eyes wide and stricken.

There was no more pretense, no mask to veil the malevolence in Diluc’s expression. He
smiled so gently, and yet, it didn’t reach his eyes.

“You willingly surrendered your body the moment you signed that contract. The reins are no
longer yours to hold, not until you fulfill the contract you made with me,” he whispered, his
voice coated with sugary venom. “Understand this, Kaeya. You’re no longer a free agent. So
long as I have that contract with your signature on it, there’s nothing you can do to stop me
from having you in any way I see fit. You’re no more than a mere plaything at my disposal.
Don’t let yourself forget that.”

He watched with sardonic amusement as Kaeya’s body began to tremble. A low chuckle
escaped his lips at Kaeya’s sightful expression. He could see Kaeya’s thoughts racing, trying
to grasp his words. The look of fear suited him so much. “There’s no need to look so afraid,
master,” Diluc drawled, his crimson eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity. “You never
truly believed that I was a good-natured soul in disguise. You’ve always feared me,
anticipating the day I unveiled my true intentions. You knew, didn’t you? Knew that I would
one day give you a reason to tremble like this beneath my gaze. I vowed never to lay a hand
on you, but that doesn’t restrict me from tormenting you in other ways.”
He let his fingertips graze Kaeya’s cheek in an affectionate caress, the twisted curve of his
smile deepening as he flinched, thinking Diluc would start up again and refute him in every
way. Instead, he pulled out of Kaeya, saying, “Rest now and don’t even think about leaving…
you’re in no position to get up.”

He rose from the bed and vanished into the bathroom, leaving Kaeya lying there, still stricken
with fear. He stared at the ceiling with a dazed look in his eye as tears welled up in it. He
began to cry softly, and yet, he didn’t know why. Diluc was right, he had always known that
this day would come—so why cry about it now? It made no sense to him. His heart was
heavy with fear as he cupped his face with his hands, his body still rattling as his tears
dripped silently down his face.

He tried with all his might to stand up with only one thought on his mind: to get home to
Lucio. But in the end, he couldn’t. His legs didn’t have the strength, too stiff and bruised to
carry his weight farther than the bedroom door before he would inevitably collapse.

He felt filthy with every drop of cum that dripped from his hole. He wished he could leave,
run, and never come back. He knew it was impossible. He needed Diluc more than the other
way around. He had signed that contract so foolishly despite knowing this day would come.
He wouldn’t be able to get home tonight and hated himself for it. He knew one thing with full
certainty though: he could never let Diluc know about Lucio’s existence. The thought of his
son was painful, knowing that he would still be at Jean and Lisa’s house, all three waiting for
him to get home so they could rest.

His eye caught on the dressing table sitting by the bedroom door where his phone lay. With
all the strength he could muster, Kaeya got up and limped to it, holding any furniture in his
path for support. He still trembled with every step, but he managed to reach his phone. He
dialed Jean’s number, his trembling fingers betraying his anxiety. Then, she picked up on the
third ring, causing Kaeya to sigh with relief.

“Kaeya?” Jean's voice flowed from the other end of the line, gentle but tinged with
dreariness. Hearing a friendly voice only caused Kaeya’s reality to sink in more painfully.

“Hey, Jean…” he whispered, Diluc's looming presence making him fear that he was being too
loud. He attempted to strengthen his voice, but the strain still showed. “I-I’m so sorry, but I
don’t think I’ll be able to come home tonight. I know Lucio will be afraid but... I just can't let
him see me like this. Can you—”

“Of course, Kaeya. We put him to sleep a few hours ago… we figured you wouldn’t be able
to make it. We’re happy to look after him ‘till morning until you're good and ready, okay?”
Jean said kindly. A weak hiccup of guilt and sorrow left his lips, knowing he didn’t deserve
her kindness.

“Thank you, Jean. I’ll be there first thing tomorrow. Tell Lucio I love him, if you can.” He
said, his voice shaking, but Jean seemed too tired to notice. She agreed to carry his message
and bade him farewell before they hung up. Kaeya felt like he could’ve keeled over and
passed out right there, but then he realized that the door to the bathroom was open behind
him, startling him out of his trance. He looked back and saw Diluc leaning against the
doorway, donning a robe similar to the one Kaeya had worn at the start of the evening. Kaeya
 gulped down the lump in his throat, a jolt of panic flowing through him as he wondered if
Diluc had overheard his conversation.

Diluc's eyes seemed to pierce through him, digging into his secrets, and his heart raced,
making him feel trapped and lonelier than ever.

The sight of him made Kaeya's belly twist with anxiety, but he couldn’t help feeling relieved
that Diluc was expressionless again. He had once hated how he couldn’t tell what was on
Diluc’s mind, but now that he had gotten a taste of what it was like he showed emotion, he
preferred it.

Diluc's eyes twinkled with curiosity as he observed the phone in Kaeya’s hand and the way
his legs shook with the threat of giving out under him. He deduced that whoever Kaeya had
called must’ve been very important for him to force himself out of bed. Diluc took two steps
forward and caught Kaeya just as his legs gave out beneath him. Kaeya fought the urge to
bolt and kick Diluc away, but his body didn't have the strength nor did he have any courage
left. He was picked up off the ground, feeling Diluc's lips press against his cheek
affectionately, making his heart twist. Just earlier that night, he had wondered what it would
be like if he and Diluc were lovers. That ideal had been shattered.

Just when he was starting to trust Diluc, he shattered it completely. Tonight, he had felt far
from safe, and yet, he'd been forced to be every bit as submissive and docile as he was
underneath his act. It scared him. He had been too vulnerable.

He could see in Diluc's eyes that he felt no remorse for the state he’d put him in. He walked
with Kaeya into the washroom, where he had drawn him a bath. He gently lowered him into
the water.

“Clean yourself well and call for me when you’re done, hm?” he said to Kaeya. Kaeya
fidgeted nervously, his phone still clutched in his hand tightly like a lifeline, kept carefully
out of the water's reach. His body quaked with nerves just being near Diluc after all that had
happened tonight, but he nodded meekly.

Diluc stood up, giving Kaeya one last searching look, before he left the bathroom. He smiled
to himself, thinking about how fruitful a night it had been.

He had finally revealed to Kaeya his true intentions: to watch him fall apart and become the
pathetic man he really was. He had succeeded tonight. He had seen Kaeya at his worst. The
thought made him so happy he could've skipped. Now, a new challenge presented itself to
Diluc. A small smirk rose to his face. He hummed a little, thinking that he should do a little
digging on who this ‘Lucio’ was.

Chapter End Notes

man i wrote this right before playing Kaeya's hangout (IT WAS SO CUTE) and oof was
the chapter OOC but I could not help it :'( I'm a slut for pretend-confident Kaeya and
eviluc

i genuinely think the nihilism that comes with summer has made me wanna write red
flags 10x more than usual, and voila, ultimate red flag Diluc (as if his hair wasn't red
enough)! I REALIZED ONLY AFTER WRITING THIS CHAPTER THAT THE
THEME WAS VERY SIMILAR TO THE LAST ZC CHAPTER but honestly I do not
care and I hope yall don't either <3

unfortunately I shot myself in the foot writing this chapter because now I need to write a
part 2 >:( I HATE WRITING PARTS 2s!! but god damn is the second part gonna be
JUICY so it's okay! WE ARE FINALLY DRAWING NEARER TO A CLOSE FOR
THESE GODFORSAKEN P-LETTER PROMPTS BUT ONLY FOUR LEFT! then
hopefully it's gonna be smoothsailing I've been writing on these P-Prompts since chapter
47 which was *dies* two years ago. BUT YAAAAAA EVERY MONTH WE TAKE A
STEP FORWARD <3 have a good august my homos, keep cool!
 Public Sex (Ayato/Thoma)
Chapter Summary

Warning: Top! Ayato x Bottom! Thoma

After two long months away from home, Ayato returns to the Kamisato estate, greeted
lovingly by all the servants, though he had eyes only for his secret lover of six months,
Thoma.

However, Ayato's homecoming disappoints both of them as circumstances get in the way
of their happy reunion, unable to give each other all the affection they'd kept under
wraps. And yet, Ayato never fails to achieve what he wants: to make sure Thoma feels
every bit of his love in the most perverse ways possible.

Chapter Notes

YAY finally I got to write AyaThoma! I added them in the tags just for the next two
months in hopes it'll reach the target audience, but I hope anyone who reads it enjoys it
to the fullest!

I haven't had time to proofread it very thoroughly as I just started a whole new life in a
different city for uni, but I really hope it is to y'all's liking! I might come back tomorrow
morning to fix my errors and add some minor things. Have fun reading!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

It was a hot afternoon at the Kamisato estate when Thoma found himself raking leaves off the
estate's front lawn. The sun cast its warm rays over his face, causing a gentle noise of
contentment to escape his parted lips.

He wiped a bead of perspiration off his brow, grateful to his headband for keeping the sweat
out of his eyes. He smiled to himself as he looked deeper into the house where the other
servants were bustling, preparing for Ayato’s arrival. The air hummed with excitement
around the Kamisato household, the servants’ steps quickening as they rushed to prep the
comfortable home for their master to come to. Thoma swept up the last of the leaves and
discarded them. By the gate stood two armored guards, one burly man named Hirotatsu, who
was the head guard of the Kamisato household, while the other was a new recruit, Yukio,
who had barely been there for two weeks.
Unable to help but overhear their conversation, Thoma smiled to himself, realizing the new
recruit was getting lectured to be on his best behavior on the boss’s homecoming. Thoma had
been there when Yukio was recruited, and he had spent some time training and delegating
tasks to him.

Yukio’s meek expression and rather skinny frame compelled Thoma to take him under his
wing and try to help him settle in, for which the recruit was grateful. Now, witnessing the
way Yukio looked ready to cry at Hirotatsu’s stern voice, Thoma felt obligated to help him
out. He approached them with a friendly smile. Hirotatsu looked mildly annoyed to be
interrupted, but he nodded at Thoma. “Thoma, something you need?” he asked.

“Oh no, I just wanted to check in on how our newest guard’s training is going,” Thoma
replied.

Hirotatsu glared disapprovingly down at Yukio, who flinched. “Well… it’s going. I’m just
giving him the rundown on how to act around Commissioner Kamisato since it’ll be his first
time meeting him. You know how strict Master can be, he hasn’t given Yukio here his
personal approval. It's vital he knows how serious this is.”

Thoma knew Hirotatsu was correct. Ayato did not trust just anyone to work for him—it was
almost guaranteed that he would assess Yukio personally to ensure he was worthy enough to
protect the Kamisato Household.

“Oh, of course. I’m glad you’re educating our new friend here, but don’t be so hard on him,
alright? We don’t want him getting scared off,” Thoma said reasonably. He met Yukio’s eyes
as the recruit gave him a grateful look for standing up to Hirotatsu for him. However, Thoma
noticed the way he blushed when he met his eyes, Yukio’s body language changing from
scared to bashful. Thoma chalked it off to nerves, knowing that it must be terrifying to have
to eventually meet and be assessed by the cunning Yashiro Commissioner himself.

Hirotatsu grumbled under his breath at his words, saying, “Alright, alright. I trust you since
you're Master's most trusted servant. But you should check in with Furuta and the others.
They can probably make better use of your expertise.”

Thoma nodded, knowing that he still had much to do. “Will do, there's much to do after all.
Good luck!” he said, bowing his head respectfully to Hirotatsu and flashing Yukio a friendly
smile before entering the estate, hoping to help the other servants. Thoma moved gracefully
through the halls, putting the thoughts of Hirotatsu and Yukio aside to make room for what
mattered most: Ayato’s arrival. With a warm smile on his face, he offered a helping hand to
anyone who seemed to need it. Of course, he was starting to get tired, having spent his entire
day cleaning and organizing everything for Ayato’s comfort, but it was fulfilling to be
immersed in his work.

The Yashiro Commissioner had been gone for almost two months on official business. Most
of the clan could feel his absence weighing down on it like a rock in shallow waters.

Thoma missed Ayato, his heart longing to see him, to lay his eyes on the man he served. Of
course, he wasn’t unique to the feeling for Ayato was beloved by each of his servants and
guards as well as his sister. But Thoma's love and devotion to him was different. A dreamy
sigh escaped his lips, his heart singing at the thought of his lover, but he forced himself to
keep his serenity, hiding the look of longing and excitement under his friendly smile. His role
as the head housekeeper of the Kamisato clan demanded composure, even though he wanted
nothing more than to prance around and enjoy this feeling of wholesome longing in his chest.

Thoma still had a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that he and Ayato were lovers
now, having been so for only a few months. The thought made him bashful and giddy. He
slapped his hands to his cheeks lightly, telling himself to snap out of it as he blushed madly.

Most people, whether they knew Ayato well or not, knew that he was crazy for Thoma. Even
in the most unrelated of conversations, Thoma’s name never failed to grace Ayato’s lips even
long before they became lovers.

Whenever he was feeling sad or lonely without Ayato, he would recall the day Ayato first
confessed to him. It made Thoma’s heart throb in his chest as if swelling with love. Yes, it
had been Ayato who pined for him, which was also something Thoma couldn’t fathom. He
didn’t know how exactly it had happened—how he had come to be someone so directly
important to the likes of the cunning Kamisato Ayato, who had risen to power from the ashes
of his late father. Of course, he hadn’t gone through that alone. He had Thoma looking after
him, making sure he was eating right and helping him through his journey to prove himself as
the clan’s rightful heir. He took pride in the fact that he had been there for Ayato and Ayaka.
He had been Ayato’s greatest supporter and had taken much weight off his master’s
shoulders.

It made Thoma smile, knowing how hard he had worked to prove his loyalty to the
Kamisatos when they had nearly fallen and how difficult it had been to rise to a position like
this.

He prided himself on his lack of regrets, having always stood by Ayato, watching his back,
honing his own skills as a friendly informant to aid and protect his master during his work as
the Yashiro Commissioner. If given the chance to go back in time, there was nothing he
would do differently. Still, it was difficult to believe how happy a life he lived. He clutched
his long-standing duster with a small smile, for it was Ayato’s first gift to him when he joined
the Kamisato clan as a housekeeper.

Ayato had been so young back then, perhaps seventeen or eighteen years old, while Thoma
was a young adult, three years older. He’d always sensed something different about the
young master, but it had been difficult even for Thoma to gauge his moods and thoughts.
Thoma was grateful to Ayato’s father, who had given him a chance at life in Inazuma. He had
been taken in by them and treated as a son, so he had been focused only on working to repay
the Kamisatos’ favor to him. In his youth, he had been busy trying to train himself to be the
perfect housekeeper to make the Kamisatos’ lives a little easier. Young Ayaka had demanded
most of Thoma’s attention, having been almost raised by him like a little sister.

He never got to pay much attention to the young master, due to which he had been blind to
the blatant love Ayato was steadily developing for him over the years. He had never thought
much of the way the young master’s eyes would linger on him, how he took every chance he
could to spend time within Thoma’s vicinity, or the way he would do his best to show off for
him whenever he practiced sword-fighting. He couldn’t tell the way Ayato undressed him
with his eyes or daydreamed of having him as his perfect husband.

It never failed to make him laugh now that he looked back on those times. To him, all of
Ayato’s desperate attempts to impress him had been chalked up to teenage hormones. He
thought Ayato would get over it once he grew older, and for a while, that seemed to be the
case.

He watched Ayato grow into his father’s shoes as the mature, cunning head of the Kamisato
clan, but his child-like obsession with Thoma never seemed to fade. Thoma was rather
disappointed in himself, for he had been ignoring Ayato’s advances for years now, blissfully
oblivious to them and writing them off as an oddity until the Commissioner finally lost
patience and drilled his love into mind and body six months prior. It still made him blush to
think about it. It was all so surreal and embarrassing; he had been the only one ignorant of the
fact that Ayato’s eyes were always full of love and longing whenever he looked at him.

Even now, in the last few months since they’d become official lovers, they tried their best to
keep their relationship a secret, but Thoma was wiser than to believe it was working.

It wasn’t like their secret relationship was all that private in any case. He was sure most of the
servants had guessed that he was a little too special to not only the Shirasagi Himegimi but
also the head of the Kamisato household, Ayato.

It deeply embarrassed Thoma, but he was aware that other people noted the change in his
reactions to Ayato’s advances, how he had grown to accept his feelings and reflect them,
strongly becoming the anchor that kept Ayato going.

Most humiliating was how Ayaka, the ever-polite and gentle girl Thoma had watched grow
up, never seemed to miss the way his eyes twinkled at the sight of her brother. It felt odd to
be in love with the older brother of the girl he’d practically raised, but he could tell she
supported them even if they were too stubborn to come clean about their relationship. Still,
he grew to enjoy his role as not only the Kamisato clan’s housekeeper but also as the Yashiro
Commissioner’s secret lover.

For the last six months since they’d been in a relationship, Ayato would always tell Thoma
how he had intended to marry him since the day his feelings began to bud. Ayato would often
call him his future husband or his perfect wife, smiling smugly whenever it made Thoma
blush. He had already started to work on legalizing same-sex marriage in Inazuma just for
them. The idea was romantic to Thoma.

They were only secret because same-sex marriage was illegal in Inazuma. Thoma could be
used as leverage against Ayato in case the other commissions declared war on him. But Ayato
was making great strides to live up to his promise and eliminate these hurdles.

Of course, it wasn’t too difficult, considering many influential people in Inazuma were
romantically involved with those of the same sex.

Nothing could fool Ayato’s eyes. He would observe the way Kujou Sara’s eyes would linger
on the Divine Priestess, Sangonomiya Kokomi, each time she visited Narukami Island. Then,
there was the odd relationship between Arataki Itto and the Watatsumi Island General, Gorou.
Then, his own sister, Ayaka, was blatantly in love with the traveler. Hell, even the Raiden
Shogun, the Electro Archon herself, was romantically involved with the Guuji Yae, one of the
most influential people across Inazuma. The facts and the people were on Ayato’s side. Even
the Raiden Shogun seemed perceptive to Ayato’s efforts. It was not at all out of the realm of
possibility for Ayato to marry Thoma one day. Of course, many conservative government
officials stood in Ayato’s way, but one by one, they would be knocked down like chess
pieces.

However, that day was still yet to come, but Thoma looked forward to it. For now, he was
content with being Ayato’s not-so-secret lover. It saddened Thoma that Ayato was often away
from home; usually, he could be seen going to work early in the morning and coming home
late at night. Now, he had gone on a work trip for two months. Thoma wished he could spend
some more time with him.

He knew it was selfish of him to want that. Ayato wasn’t only his to have. He was the Yashiro
Commissioner first and foremost and Ayaka’s brother second. Thoma would be further down
the list than that. It saddened him but he knew he couldn’t have any qualms about it—it had
been his choice to agree to Ayato’s confession after all. Still, he looked on the bright side.
Ayato was coming home today. He longed to be in his arms, showered in his kisses and
words of affection. His mind, despite his best efforts, kept coming up with tall ideas of Ayato
breaking from the crowd upon coming home just to hug and greet him. The thoughts made
him grin to himself, his hopes rising without him noticing.

When Thoma was finally done with his work and couldn’t see anyone who needed help, he
hummed thoughtfully. He quickly began to set off for his own room in the house; he was one
of the lucky few who got his own room at the estate aside from the butler. His work was not
yet done, but he smiled cheerfully.

Inside his room, he saw all his little projects. In one neat pile sat a host of sweaters he’d
knitted for little animals, but he placed them carefully to the side, making a mental note to
distribute them on his next walk.

Instead, he focused his attention on the unfinished scarf sitting on his bed. Happily, he
walked over and plopped down on the futon, taking up the knitting needles and the yarn
before continuing his work. His eyebrows furrowed with concentration as he made a perfect
scarf for Ayato to keep him warm in the coming winter. He was still shrewd despite how
focused he was, hearing someone enter his room. He looked up and smiled when he saw
Ayaka standing before him. Around her neck was a scarf similar to the one he was making.

“Oh, Lady Ayaka, is everything okay? Do you need anything?” he asked kindly. Ayaka
watched his fingers as they effortlessly worked on the scarf.

She walked deeper into the room, gazing at his creation with a sweet smile. “Everything is
going smoothly and splendidly, as expected of our wonderful helpers. I just wanted to take a
look at what you’re working on for brother Ayato,” she said, gesturing to the scarf with a
slightly mischievous twinkle in her eye. “It’s coming in beautifully and seems very special.”
Thoma’s cheeks reddened as he caught quickly onto the playful tone of Ayaka’s words. He
knew what she was suggesting: that he was giving extra attention to the scarf he was
finishing up for Ayato.

He was too prideful and ashamed to admit that she was right.

“Th-Thank you, Lady Ayaka. I just… wanted to make something nice for Master Ayato’s
homecoming… winter is approaching after all.” He said, trying to keep his voice as casual as
could be. Ayaka studied his blush with a certainty in her eyes that made Thoma feel even
edgier than when he was around Ayato. He felt like she could see all his darkest secrets,
making him nervous. He was relieved when she looked away, sitting down on the futon as
she fixed her dress, leaning closer to admire how intricately each knot wove into pace under
Thoma’s fingers.

“It’s a wonderful gift. I’m sure my brother will be privy to all the effort you’re putting into
it,” she told him, her kind voice soothing his nerves.

Her words momentarily caused Thoma to forget his unease. His heart warmed. Ayaka always
had a way of making him feel appreciated. For a second, he forgot that he was supposed to
hide his love for Ayato. He smiled so warmly that even Ayaka seemed taken aback. “I hope
so… I want him to know that I’m always thinking about him even if he’s not here with me.”

Then, with a start, he realized what he’d said. His blush spread to his ears as even someone as
polite as Ayaka managed a teasing smile.

“Your dedication to brother Ayato is truly touching, Thoma. It’s clear to anyone who watches
the two of you, you light up when you’re together.” She said, watching Thoma with that
challenging yet kind smile, almost daring him either to confess his love for Ayato or combust
from the embarrassment of it all. Ayaka was too perceptive a lady when it came to anyone’s
love life but her own. Thoma almost felt compelled to try and turn the tables on her. After all,
she never could seem to admit her love for the traveler, Lumine, any more than Thoma could
for Ayato. But he felt that would be counterproductive, sighing softly. He knew there was no
hiding it, but Shogun be damned, he would take the secret to the grave until he and Ayato
were ready.

“Thank you for the kind words, Lady Ayaka. I-I hope you know that I am just as dedicated to
you!” he stammered, a hint of desperation in his voice. Ayaka just smiled. She got up off his
futon, deciding not to press the flustered man any longer.

“That means a lot to me, Thoma. I consider you just like an older brother… so just remember
you can tell me anything,” she said, a knowing look in her eyes.

Thoma blushed but he nodded. A bit of his heart settled in its cage, feeling reassured by
Ayaka’s words. Just as Ayaka was about to leave, she paused, realizing she was forgetting
something important. “Ah! Right, the other reason I came was to remind you to make that
special Calla Lily soup from Mondstadt. Brother Ayato always says that he can’t start his
dinner without eating something you made.” Ayaka chuckled a little to herself, realizing that
this was yet another bit of proof that Thoma and Ayato were something more than just master
and servant.
Thoma’s cheeks tinted, but he nodded, remembering that he’d left the soup to stew in the
kitchen so it’d be ready by sundown for Ayato’s arrival. “Will do, Lady Ayaka!” he told her
cheerfully.

Ayaka bowed a little before exiting the room. Thoma sighed, his shoulders relaxing with
relief as he buried his face into the scarf he’d made for Ayato. “Hiding secrets from Ayaka
will be the death of me,” he groaned. Shortly after wallowing in his own humiliation, Thoma
finished the scarf in record time before leaving for the kitchen.

As the hour grew late and the sun began to dip beneath the horizon, a guard warned that
Ayato’s carriage was coming.

As it had been what felt like eons since they’d seen Ayato, all the servants, Thoma included,
gathered around the front gate with Ayaka to warmly welcome him home. Thoma smiled,
standing among the crowd. He could tell from the buzz that the servants were genuinely
happy to have Ayato back, just as he was. It was proof of the Kamisatos’ benevolence and
how well they treated their staff.

The carriage rolled to a halt in front of the estate; Thoma stood at the back among the staff,
his eyes fixed on the entrance, waiting for the sight that never failed to make his heartbeat
quicken. His mind replayed countless scenarios of reuniting with Ayato after months. He was
so happy that he would get to see the one he loved. He hoped, more than anything, that Ayato
would detach himself from the rest of the crowd and make a beeline for him to shower him
with love. Just the thought made him so giddy. He wanted to feel special.

At last, Ayato stepped through the arched gateway. The tiredness in his eyes and the shadows
under them did little to hide the genuine relief and happiness that radiated from him at the
prospect of finally being home.

Thoma’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. Waves of affection washed through him, but
he maintained his gentle, loving smile, his eyes full of warmth and longing.

Ayato’s eyes crinkled as he scanned all the familiar faces, the beauty mark under his lip
stretching as he smiled beautifully. And then, his eyes met Thoma’s. Thoma could’ve
swooned. He wanted nothing more than to push through the small crowd and leap into his
lover’s arms, but all he had was those few moments of blissful eye contact as Ayato jubilantly
opened his mouth to call his name. Before he could even take a step towards Thoma, Ayato
was swept away like a rock in a strong current by the servants who rushed to greet him.

Ayaka hugged her brother, while Furuta, an elderly servant who once tended to Yae Miko,
fussed over how weak he looked.

Ayato’s eyes were forcibly ripped from Thoma’s as the procession led Ayato towards the
house, leaving Thoma standing there. A void rapidly opened up in his chest as his warm
smile faded. His heart ached so painfully he could’ve keeled over.

A pit of disappointment swallowed him, for he had hoped so much to have Ayato to himself
if only for a few moments upon his return. All Thoma had wanted was to greet his lover after
a long journey with a kiss. He hadn’t even been able to have that. Still, Thoma forced himself
to maintain his composure even though all the life, love, and excitement was filtering out of
him. He still had duties to tend to. His shoulders sagged as he fought off the feelings of
hopelessness and longing.

He knew his place, knew that Ayato was not only his to have. It was selfish of him to have
expected Ayato to come leaping into his arms. Thoma had set himself up for disappointment.
It was his fault for getting his hopes up, or so he told himself.

He followed after the crowd and joined the others in helping set the dinner table, making a
conscious effort to hide his dejection behind his pretty smile. He avoided Ayaka’s
sympathetic gaze, the only one who could see how subdued he was that he didn’t get even a
greeting from Ayato, let alone a moment alone.

Every dish prepared by him and the other servants was full of love, reflecting their dedication
to Ayato and Ayaka.

As dusk closed in, Thoma found himself sitting opposite Ayato at the dining table, set upon
the floor with cushions for seating. It was customary for the servants to join the Kamisatos
for dinner, and tonight was no exception. Dinner was served, and as they ate, a barrage of
questions about Ayato’s trip directed itself at him. Thoma kept his gaze cast down, but he
listened intently to all of Ayato’s answers, wanting to be sure of his lover’s wellbeing. He
made no attempts to speak or ask his own questions, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to feign
cheerfulness with the disappointment that had been unleashed inside him. Still, he was
determined not to let his own self-proclaimed selfishness overshadow the joy surrounding
Ayato’s homecoming.

He focused completely on his plate, not noticing the way Ayato’s eyes lingered on him for
minutes at a time, staring at the one man who mattered most to him at that dining table. He
didn’t see the way Ayato wolfed down the soup Thoma had made with much vigor or the way
he looked at him.

There was so much love, longing, and sadness in his eyes that he couldn’t lean over the table
and pull Thoma into his embrace. He detested the way Thoma avoided his gaze.

Every so often, he’d open his mouth to speak to him, only for a servant to interrupt him with
a question.

Towards the end of dinner, to Ayato’s disappointment, Thoma gathered all the dishes in his
vicinity and left for the kitchen without attempting to engage him in conversation. Within
minutes, Ayato scarfed down the last of his food and excused himself to run after Thoma,
only to stop beyond the kitchen, hearing Thoma’s voice. Thoma conversed cheerfully with a
young-looking guard as normal as could be. Ayato stood just beyond the line of sight of the
doorway, looking into the kitchen and staring at the way Thoma’s smile made it back onto his
lips seamlessly now that he wasn’t in Ayato’s vicinity

A frown tugged at Ayato’s lips; a flicker of anger, confusion, and jealousy bubbled in his gut.
‘Is Thoma upset with me? Is it because I have been gone for so long? Or that I wasn’t able to
greet him?’ he asked himself. The thoughts saddened him.
Then, his heart settled. He smiled to himself, knowing that he would get a chance to win
Thoma back very soon. All he needed to do was be patient for that night.

He returned to the dining table to continue conversing with Ayaka, while Thoma retired to
bed early for the night after completing the last of his chores. He left Ayato’s care to the
butler, feeling drained and sad. His facade fell as he entered his room. A frown tugged the
corners of his lips as he gazed at the newly-made scarf still sitting neatly on his futon. He
took it in his hands and placed it on a table off to the side. He changed into a comfortable
yukata and went to bed, feeling lonely, and yet still with flickering hope burning in his chest
that Ayato would soon come to see him in his room.

However, as the night wore on, his perfect routine and sleep caught up to him. For as long as
he was awake, his insides churned with anxiety. He was a smart, rational man, but love was
anything but rational. Overthinking caught up to him. He worried that Ayato hadn’t greeted
him on purpose—that he was no longer interested in him. Surely, that wasn’t the case. It was
Ayato who had pined for him for the last ten years.

He tried to sleep feeling afraid and desolate, ceaselessly worrying but firmly reminding
himself that he had to trust Ayato, the man he had known for a decade. He couldn’t let
faithlessness rule him.

He’d stood at Ayato’s side for so long now. He couldn’t start letting doubts and negativity
cloud his judgement of the man he knew Ayato was. The relationship was still new to him,
something he’d never before experienced. But he knew one thing for certain: the flame of
love hadn’t died for Ayato for ten years and it wouldn’t flicker now either.

The thought comforted him as his mixed feelings subsided and sleep took over.

Only shortly after he fell asleep, the screen door to his room slid open. Ayato stood there,
gazing into the room at Thoma’s sleeping figure. Disappointment clouded his expression,
realizing he was too late. Ayato entered the room and neared Thoma. He sat carefully on the
futon by his lover’s side and wrapped his arms around him, breathing in his scent with a sigh
of relief. How he’d missed Thoma. Words could not describe how much he wanted to wake
him by peppering him with kisses, but a sleep-deprived Thoma was not something the world
was prepared to handle. It might be too hefty a challenge even for the Traveler.

The thought made him smile as he lay half on top of Thoma’s chest, listening to the beating
of his heart. So much love filled him. He hadn’t hugged Thoma like this in nearly two
months. It was blissful.

He wanted to enjoy the feeling for as long as his aching body allowed him to, smiling
whenever Thoma murmured in his sleep. “I love you, Thoma,” Ayato told him quietly.

Then, as if hearing his voice in his slumber, Thoma whispered back, “I love you too...”

Ayato’s heart did somersaults. He felt eighteen again, when he used to daydream the day
Thoma would say it back to him. He could’ve kicked his feet out like a happy kid and
giggled at the way butterflies filled his stomach. He settled for a warm smile as he gazed at
Thoma’s sleeping face.
He kissed Thoma on the lips, wishing he could stay and fall asleep by his lover’s side.
However, he was still in his outside clothes. Ayato didn’t think a clean freak like Thoma
would appreciate wearing outside clothes to bed no matter how much he loved him. With one
last long look, soaking in the sight of his lover, Ayato got up and quietly exited the room,
excited for tomorrow. He was prepared to get rid of any disruptions that dared to threaten the
time he had reserved for the man who held his heart.

***

The next morning, Thoma awoke with traces of last night’s dejection lingering in his heart.
He felt unusually fatigued, wanting to lay in bed for a little longer, but he was a servant with
a duty. Punctuality was ingrained into him.

He roused himself, trying to be optimistic for the new day, hoping he would now have Ayato
for a little longer than a few seconds of eye contact. As he brushed his teeth, something
peculiar from last night echoed in his mind. The ghost of an ‘I love you’ from Ayato’s voice
eased his heart. He thought it had been a dream depicting what he wanted to hear most before
going to bed, but it had him in good spirits this morning.

As he freshened up, Thoma noticed something out of the ordinary. He frowned, straining his
ears, and yet, he couldn’t hear anything beyond his room.

Usually, the estate would be bustling, especially on days when Ayato was home.

Distracted, he slid open his door and peered outside, still in his sleepwear. There was not a
soul in sight. Frowning, Thoma stepped outside and gazed into the foyer, noticing how
everything had been freshly cleaned, so he knew that the others were there. The sight of the
immaculate corridor made him uneasy. If things had been cleaned, where was everyone?
Why hadn’t they awoken him? He stepped out of his room, his feet leading him out of the
building and into the pathway to the courtyard’s pavilion, which lay as still as death. He
wondered if he was in a bad dream—the Kamisato estate never went quiet. A hollow feeling
crept up inside him, the solitude pressing down on him like a weight.

His determined spirit from earlier wavered as he wondered if he was the butt of some cruel
joke. The thought made him want to curl up and hide.

He would’ve been okay with it on any other day if that were the case but… not today. Not
when he was already emotionally fragile at the knowledge that he hadn’t said a word to Ayato
since he’d come home. Loneliness clawed at his chest, threatening to consume him.

The whispers of the wind did nothing to soothe him as they usually did. The sight of the
estate looking so void of life was something he never wanted to witness. It was the nightmare
of every member of the Kamisato household. Just as despair was about to consume him, a
pair of footsteps exited the house behind him, but his mind hardly registered it. He didn’t
realize that he was being crept up on until a pair of pale arms suddenly enveloped his body in
an embrace. Startled, a yelp escaped his lips, but almost instantly, he recognized who it was
that had hugged him. Thoma had felt this embrace numerous times, a familiar chest pressing
against his back, a pretty face nestling into the crook of his neck, and a set of warm hands
clasping together around his lower abdomen.
Ayato’s voice, full of affection and satisfaction, whispered into his ear, “Good morning, my
love.”

Thoma’s heart lurched, butterflies filling his belly at the sound of that voice. Overcome with
a mixture of emotions, he turned around slowly to face Ayato. Upon meeting his eyes and
being the only worthy target for his gaze, Thoma felt his heart melting. There Ayato stood,
his arms wrapped around Thoma, wearing only a pair of pajama pants. His body was warm
against Thoma’s, his bare chest pressing against his. The earlier feelings of despair and
loneliness fled his body in an instant at the sight of Ayato’s lovestruck eyes fixed only on
him. No one else was there to steal Ayato’s affectionate gaze from him. No one was there to
call out and sweep him away. He had eyes only for Thoma at that moment.

The thought almost made Thoma tear up. “You’re here…” he said softly, so much relief in his
voice that he wasn’t being pranked or abandoned—that he wasn’t as alone as he’d thought
he’d been just moments earlier.

Ayato took his hand and raised it to his lips, kissing his knuckles while looking sweetly into
Thoma’s eyes. Thoma noticed how tired Ayato looked, likely from coming home from a long
journey and waking up so early just to be with him. His exhaustion only made him more
endearing in Thoma’s eyes.

For years, he’d been conditioned to take good care of the Kamisatos. Now, he was being
given a reason to fuss over his lover, and it made his heart thump with excitement.

Ayato, although with that pretty smile on his lips, looked more serious than usual. He fixed
Thoma with his loving eyes, full of genuine remorse. “I’m so sorry for last night, Thoma,” he
murmured, his voice dripping with sincerity. Thoma’s heartbeat quickened at his words.
Ayato held him close to his chest with a firm grip as if afraid of letting Thoma go. “I missed
you so terribly… all I wanted was to jump into your embrace and bask in the presence of my
lover. I wanted time alone just for the two of us but… fate had other plans for us, it seems.”
he sighed, looking imploringly at Thoma for forgiveness.

Thoma couldn’t help but reciprocate Ayato’s embrace. Warmth and comfort spread through
him as he swooned in his arms, his tense heart finally settling. Trust Ayato to read his feelings
in an instant.

“I missed you too…” Thoma whispered, nuzzling into Ayato’s neck with a sigh of pleasure,
happy to be in Ayato’s arms after two months. “I… I thought I was here all alone… that this
was some kind of cruel joke especially after I couldn’t even be with you last night.” His voice
broke with emotion as waves of relief washed over him.

Ayato kissed the top of his head, lovingly rubbing his back. He moved back to look Thoma in
the eyes, leaning forward and pecking him lovingly on the jaw. His confident smile began
tugging at his lips again as he held Thoma’s gaze. “I’m here, Thoma. I made sure no one but
the guards are here so we won’t be interrupted. Today will be all about us,” he assured. Ayato
cupped his face with one hand under his jaw, his eyes drooping as he eliminated the distance
between their lips, pulling Thoma in for a sweet kiss. The kiss held promises and reassurance.
It spoke volumes of his love and devotion to Thoma, the desperation in his actions showing
how much he’d missed his lover.
Thoma felt his heart swell with happiness. The knots of anxiety and overthinking unfurled
inside him; he was so glad to have remained steadfast and trusted Ayato. He would never let
him down.

When they pulled back, Thoma had regained most of his optimism and vigor. “Thank you,
Ayato. I’m just happy you got home okay and that you’re in my arms now,” he said truthfully.
Ayato’s smile was radiant as it always had been since he discovered he was in love with
Thoma. But Thoma noticed something in his eyes, something all too familiar. It made him
nervous.

“I’m starving, Thoma. I’d love to eat something,” Ayato said softly. His eyes still gleamed
with that look.

Thoma’s heart thumped. He rapidly put two and two together, looking back at the empty
courtyard and the still house behind them and taking in Ayato’s less-than-formal attire. He
blushed, realizing what it all meant. That look only spelled trouble for him. It was the look
that would shine in Ayato’s eyes each time he fed Thoma something hideous. It was the look
that would shine whenever he triumphed over corrupt government officials. And… it was the
look that would shine brightest in Ayato’s eyes when he made a mess out of Thoma. It was
dangerous. It told Thoma that he was in for a rough day. No one was there to witness them
save for a few guards beyond the gate. Ayato had no reason to hold back after two months
without Thoma.

Thoma took a trembling breath, though his insides churned with excitement. He knew it
wouldn’t be a peaceful day, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t want to be held by
Ayato.

“O-Okay, master Ayato,” he said, feeling self-conscious as he saw Ayato’s eyes glitter with
pleasure at his weak stammer as well as the honorific. “I’ll make you breakfast right after I
change.” Ayato’s gaze slowly lowered to Thoma’s body. He had been so caught up in
ensuring Thoma knew his love for him that he hadn’t noticed how tempting an attire Thoma
was wearing. He wore a light cotton yukata that exposed his collarbone and hung down to his
ankles, wearing only an undergarment beneath.

Standing in front of the rising sun like this, the yukata turned translucent before Ayato’s eyes.
He felt his mouth water a little. He had his hands on Thoma’s waist. It took all his effort not
to bend him over the nearby railing and take him right there.

“That won’t do, Thoma,” he whispered, “you wouldn’t keep your master waiting when he is
starving, would you?” All his earlier warmth had dissipated. He now looked as cold and
calculating as he did during work. Thoma could feel his own body heating up. He reacted to
that domineering air like clockwork. He had been conditioned to be Ayato’s perfect husband,
submissive, at his beck and call. He felt the urge to lay down and spread his legs, for he knew
that they would be forced apart soon enough.

“No, of course not, I would never keep you waiting,” he said nervously. Every nerve in his
body tingled with anticipation as he led Ayato to the kitchen. Ayato was unpredictable.
Thoma could never let his guard down because that was exactly what Ayato waited for. He
would strike like a viper the moment he saw an opportunity.
If Thoma was careless, he could be walking with Ayato one second and be moaning
helplessly on the nearest surface within the blink of an eye. He loved his lover’s fickleness.
He was always kept on his toes.

When they reached the kitchen, Thoma held his breath as Ayato took a seat on a stool nearby
to watch him cook. Thoma began preparing some eggs and miso soup, keenly aware of
Ayato’s lustful stare never leaving his body. It was deathly quiet save for the sound of
Thoma’s cooking. He couldn’t handle not knowing what awaited him. He couldn’t handle
working like this and waiting for Ayato to do something. He would rather just kneel before
him and let him have his way. But he did as he was told. He cooked silently and efficiently
for Ayato.

But only five minutes into his preparations, a warm hand gripped his inner thigh through his
yukata. Thoma let out an embarrassing noise of surprise as he was all but dragged towards
Ayato by that hand. Ayato sat leisurely on the stool, pulling Thoma to stand between his legs
with his back to him.

“M-Master…?” Thoma whimpered helplessly. At his cooking station, still within reach, the
eggs he was beating with a pair of chopsticks now lay still.

“This is taking too long,” Ayato said. The impatience in his tone made danger alarms go off
inside Thoma’s body. It was the tone he used to talk to businessmen who were doing their
jobs inadequately. “This won’t do, Thoma. I need something to sustain me.”

His voice, sultry and soft, made Thoma’s knees quake. His breath hitched as he felt a pair of
smooth, pretty hands caressing his ass through the yukata. He held the counter in front of him
for support as Ayato’s hands lowered down to his ankles, gripping the hem of the garment
before pulling it up slowly. Ayato murmured with pleasure as Thoma’s ass, covered only by a
plain pair of underwear, came into view. Thoma’s face was flushed. He knew what was
coming and was powerless to stop it. His underwear was pulled down, revealing his ass to
Ayato. Ayato felt drool gathering under his tongue at the sight.

“So beautiful…” he whispered. With his thumbs, he parted Thoma’s cheeks, reveling in the
way his legs trembled at the action.

He’d missed the sight of his body, and the cute little noises of submission that’d escape his
lips. “Ayato, please…” Thoma’s weak voice whimpered. Then a yelp of pain was ripped from
his lips as a harsh slap echoed through the room. He keeled over against the counter, gasping
as his ass cheek seared with pain.

“Mind your manners, my love. You’re still my servant, know your place,” Ayato told him, his
voice airy but cold. Thoma knew that this was just his way of toying with him, but he was
left gasping as he recovered from the pain. Ayato had a habit of slapping him with the flat of
his palm, often leaving him bruised and in pain, but the pain exhilarated Thoma. His eyes,
although teary, were full of lust for his master, deeply aroused by the roughness of his hands
and tone.

“I’m sorry, M-Master… it won’t happen again,” Thoma said, his voice breathy and uneven.
Ayato’s eyes flickered with enjoyment.
“Good boy, Thoma. Always so obedient, just like a little puppy… you submit so well to a
man younger than you,” he said, a hint of teasing in his voice as he knew that this was one of
Thoma’s weaknesses. He watched mirthfully as the nape of Thoma’s neck grew redder and
redder with every word. He didn’t have to look at Thoma’s face to know what kind of lewd
expression he was making.

Thoma had often struggled with the fact that he was older than Ayato and yet found himself
falling apart under his touch and getting fucked mercilessly for hours on end for the young
master’s pleasure. It was humiliating for him, but both of them knew he wouldn’t have it any
other way.

A whimper of surprise left his lips as he felt the familiar touch of Ayato’s wet tongue against
his hole. “Master, please… not now, I haven’t bathed yet…” he said weakly, feeling his legs
trembling. The nerves around his rim buzzed as Ayato’s tongue tried to pry its way inside
him. He clenched his hole instinctively, his mind swirling as it always did at the feeling of
Ayato eating him out.

“Oh, my dear Thoma…” Ayato murmured, his voice almost delirious with the desire aching
through him, “nothing in this world is clean if you aren’t.”

His words embarrassed Thoma immensely. He could hardly think straight as he closed his
eyes, his lips parting as he enjoyed the feeling of Ayato’s tongue pressing into him. The
feeling was intimate and arousing. Thoma looked down with his bleary eyes, seeing his
yukata all messed up, pulled up to his tailbone in Ayato’s fist. Through it, he saw the tent
steadily rising between his legs, feeling blood rushing through his crotch and legs. His
underwear fell around his ankles and he stepped out of it, knowing that whatever got in the
way would either be thrown in the trash or shredded. He gasped as Ayato pinched his ass
cheek to get his attention, saying, “Continue cooking, love. You’re only my appetizer.”

Thoma’s heart hammered as he hid his face in his arms with shame. Why did Ayato have to
say such humiliating things?

Doing anything while having to cope with the feeling of Ayato’s mouth on his hole seemed
too hefty a task, but Thoma was wiser than to disobey. Whimpering and mumbling pleas, he
did his best to continue whisking the eggs as the miso soup boiled in the pot.

It was hard to think past the gentle squelch of Ayato’s tongue penetrating him and tracing
patterns on his rim.

A soft moan would escape his lips whenever Ayato’s tongue strayed to his taint, teasing just
under the balls of his cock. He continued making valiant attempts to make egg rolls, but they
were messy and inconsistent. His working station, limited because he was held in place, was
uncharacteristically messy as his shaky hands spilled soup on the counter. He couldn’t find
the focus or concentration to clean it up. When he finally plated both dishes and set them on a
tray, a gentle moan of relief escaped his lips as Ayato pulled away.

His yukata fell seamlessly around his ankles again as Ayato stood up. He hugged Thoma
from behind, kissing his exposed shoulder. “You’re so perfect for me, Thoma,” he whispered.
Thoma blushed madly but couldn’t help his heart swelling pridefully. He could hear every bit
the sincerity in Ayato’s voice, even when he was being so cruel.

He picked up the tray and was led outside to the front patio, where he noticed the tea table
was set up differently. Usually, Ayaka had her morning tea there on a neat little cushion. But
this time, it had been decorated for leisure; numerous pillows and cushions of varying sizes
were set up for comfort. Pillows large enough to be backrests, clearly meant for one to lounge
on, resting on the ground, while cushions lay flat against the wooden floor for comfortable
seating. Thoma, his legs trembling, instantly knew why the pavilion had been set up as such.
It made him all the more nervous, knowing that Ayato couldn’t have had this done for
innocent reasons. He kneeled down and set Ayato’s breakfast on the table, while the
Commissioner sat with his back against a pillow for rest.

When Thoma met his eyes for instructions, Ayato smiled beautifully, his beauty mark
stretching, making his heart flutter. “Clothes off,” Ayato said primly.

Thoma’s cheeks blushed a mad shade of red. “But we’re outside…” he said. Then he flinched
as Ayato’s smile slowly faded. He raised his eyebrows at Thoma, clicking his tongue with
disapproval.

“Are you refusing an order, Thoma?” he asked softly, silently daring him to answer yes.
Thoma, who knew how severe Ayato could be in response to disobedience, instantly felt on
edge. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, knowing he would have to swallow his
embarrassment and pride if he didn’t want to be subject to unspeakable things. Ayato had a
way of asserting control over Thoma and reinforcing their relationship as master and servant
at the most convenient of times.

He knew Ayato was usually toying with him and that his persona during sex did not define
how much he loved and respected Thoma outside of the bedroom.

And so, fingers trembling with embarrassment, he undid his yukata with a careful glance at
their surroundings to ensure their privacy, blushing as his robe unfurled right before Ayato’s
eyes. The way Ayato smirked at the sight of his body made Thoma want to run and hide, but
he forced the yukata to fall off his shoulders.

“Good boy,” Ayato purred, his voice dropping an octave as he patted his own thighs for
Thoma to take a seat.

Thoma crawled into Ayato’s lap, his eyes lidding halfway as they met Ayato’s lust-filled
ones. Their lips pressed together as Thoma, completely bare, sat on Ayato’s crotch. He
pressed a hand on Ayato’s chest, listening to his heart pounding in his ribcage. He was
relieved that Ayato was just as worked up as he was. When their lips parted, Ayato leaned
forward and reached past Thoma for a messily made egg roll. He pressed it against Thoma’s
lips, smiling as he bit down on the egg roll halfway, allowing Ayato to lean forward and bite
the other half, sharing it.

The action had Thoma blushing but he chewed the egg roll, relieved to have some form of
sustenance for the day that awaited him.
“On your hands and knees, love, I’m not done with you yet,” Ayato ordered, lying back
against the pillows and getting comfortable. Thoma complied, turning around on top of Ayato
before pushing himself onto his hands and knees. One might think Thoma would get used to
being vulnerable like this each time Ayato got his hands on him, but no. He could never
refrain from feeling ashamed. Ayato wrapped his arms around Thoma’s thighs and, with an
effortless tug, pulled him up until his pretty ass and cock were level with his face. Thoma was
left looking down at the tent in Ayato’s pajama pants.

He felt his mouth watering a little. Ayato didn’t have to give him orders for Thoma to know
what he needed to do.

With a little struggle, Thoma managed to pull down Ayato’s pants, watching as his cock
sprang from its confines. He felt weak and almost desperate for it. It had been two months
since he’d had Ayato inside him—it had been too long.

Thoma felt so needy at that moment that he almost forgot the embarrassment of the position
he was in. The pavilion was open from all four sides. Anyone beyond the gate could look in
and see them in such a lewd position. Anyone going down to Chinju Forest or the ocean to
fish would be able to look over their fence and see Thoma hovering over the Yashiro
Commissioner, getting eaten out while sucking his master’s dick.

Still, he opened his mouth and diligently wrapped his lips around the head of Ayato’s cock, a
gentle moan escaping his lips at the familiar feeling. The noise caused vibrations to run down
Ayato’s body, making a gentle grunt of surprise roll off his tongue. Ayato watched with an
almost carnal look in his eyes as Thoma’s hole clenched and unclenched as he sucked his
dick, almost as if longing to have Ayato’s cock buried there instead of in his mouth. Ayato
had to release a shaking breath to try and regulate how much the sight aroused him. “The
gods must’ve been smiling down on me when they decided to give me a man as lewd as you,
Thoma,” he whispered. His words managed to snap Thoma back into the real world. He
blushed, forced to remember what his situation was.

Ayato began eating him out again, unable to get enough of him. The squelch of their spit as
they went down on one another filled the air along with the quiet gags of Thoma’s throat.
Ayato’s eyes rolled up each time Thoma teased his cock or sloppily kissed the head.

Thoma squeaked as Ayato pulled back, his finger beginning to probe his wet hole with
remnants of Ayato’s spit still running down his legs.

“Let’s get you prepped up, shall we? Or have you been touching yourself in my absence?”
Ayato asked. Thoma seized up at the question. His insides felt like they were melting from
how humiliating the answer to Ayato’s question really was. Of course he had touched
himself. It had been two months after all. But admitting that he fingered himself to the
thought of his lover, who was younger than him, made Thoma want to drown. Despite his
better judgement, he remained silent for too long.

A loud cry of pain was ripped from his lips as Ayato delivered another slap to his ass. “It
seems your manners have gotten rusty in my absence. Answer my question, Thoma,” Ayato
ordered, his voice dangerously low. He watched with so much joy and amusement as
Thoma’s skin tightened and reddened from how hard he’d been slapped. He clamped his lips
on a spot on Thoma’s inner thigh, sucking on it and enjoying the pressure it put on his cute
little servant.

“Y-Yes! I-I have been touching myself…” Thoma said weakly. He watched with his eyes
wide as Ayato’s cock grew larger right before his eyes at his confession.

Ayato pulled off of his thigh with a quiet pop, watching as a supple bruise formed. He
laughed delightedly at Thoma’s shameful words. Thoma flinched as Ayato’s wet tongue
touched his hole again, feeling the nerves tingle. “Is that so? How many fingers did you use?”
Ayato asked him.

Thoma could hardly focus on his words past the way Ayato’s tongue teased him, brushing
down his perineum and messily coating him in his spit.

“Three… I used three,” Thoma murmured, panting a little as he felt Ayato’s lips brush against
his balls. His breath hitched as he felt him wrap his mouth around them, sucking them so
tantalizingly and slowly that Thoma had difficulty thinking. He couldn’t keep himself aloft
on his hands anymore, dropping to his elbows. His lips met Ayato’s cock as he began
replicating the movements of Ayato’s tongue on his dick, sucking gently on it while cute
whimpers began flowing past his lips. Ayato’s every touch was so controlled and powerful
yet covered with a sheet of gentleness. He was lying under Thoma, licking him in his most
sensitive spots, worshipping him, and taking care of him, and yet, he held the reins.

One could see his power in the way he smiled as he released Thoma’s balls, full of enjoyment
as he watched a drop of his own saliva drip onto his chest.

“Three? How adventurous of you, I didn’t know you’d become so bold and needy without
me,” he said teasingly. His eyes lidded halfway at the idea of watching Thoma fingering
himself. “Show me.”

Thoma had to pause and look back at Ayato, trying to make sure he heard correctly. “Wh-
What?” he asked.

His breath hitched as he was pushed off of Ayato, seated opposite him with his back against
the tea table and Ayato’s arms caging him on either side of his body. He met Ayato’s beautiful
blue eyes as they shone with mirth and challenge. “Show me how you touch yourself. Let me
see how whorish you look fucking yourself with your own fingers.” Ayato told him. His
orders were clear and simple, but they had Thoma shivering. Thoma glanced nervously
around at their surroundings, still afraid that someone might see them.

It mortified him to do what Ayato ordered. It mortified him to be called whorish. But his
body betrayed him. Ayato watched as a fat drop of precum rolled down the head of Thoma’s
cock, clearly aroused by his words.

“O-Okay, Master,” Thoma whispered. He watched as Ayato grabbed the bowl of miso soup
from the table behind him. Ayato sat back to enjoy the show with the bowl in hand, still with
that devilishly pretty smile on his face, making Thoma nervous. Thoma opened his legs wider
and stuck two fingers in his own mouth, coating them in his saliva before bringing them
down between his legs. He mixed his spit with Ayato’s, rubbing his fingers against his hole.
His lips parted a little as he stared down at his own naked body, feeling blood pulsing through
his veins.

He could feel the way he was being watched, imagining he was put on display, being watched
by spectators as he did such heinous acts. That was how dirty, lustful, and powerful Ayato’s
gaze was, making Thoma feel weak and helpless. He had come to love that feeling.

He pressed two of his fingers inside, watching as they disappeared inside up to the first tier of
his knuckles.

He dared to look up, feeling bewildered as he watched Ayato so casually drinking the soup
he’d made for him, all with his eyes trained on Thoma’s body. Thoma had to take a deep
breath to prevent himself from running away with his tail between his legs. Unfortunately, he
knew that Ayato was too quick and shrewd not to be able to catch and punish him in time. It
made Thoma shiver, knowing he’d be made to do acts much worse than this.

A moan escaped his lips as he tried to press deeper inside, attempting to find his own
prostate, but the position wasn’t fruitful enough. It was just beyond Thoma’s reach. He
pushed in his third finger just as Ayato had wanted, closing his eyes as his back arched, trying
to get used to the feeling of being stretched out.

How he missed having Ayato inside him. He would never fail him like his fingers did. All
Thoma’s fingers did was fill the vacancy of Ayato’s cock when he was gone.

Thoma, blinded by greed to feel his prostate stimulated, felt driven enough to forget his own
mortification. He turned around to face away from Ayato, bending himself over the table with
his ass sticking out, his fingers still valiantly trying to find his own prostate. Ayato kept his
eyes trained on Thoma, setting aside the now-empty bowl of miso soup. It amused him so
deeply to see Thoma’s desperation, how hard he was trying to please himself. He praised the
Archons in his mind for the thousandth time to have a man like Thoma under his service. The
sight of him so diligently trying to follow Ayato’s orders, stretching his little hole with three
of his fingers, and arching his back right before Ayato’s eyes was enough to snap the last of
his self-control.

He decided he would help his lover find pleasure. He would do him a favor and watch him
fall apart. With no warning, he reached out and shoved two of his fingers inside Thoma
alongside his own. They drove themselves deep into him, far deeper than Thoma could reach
inside himself, and pressed against that swollen bit of flesh that never failed to make Thoma
scream. It didn’t disappoint.

A powerful cry escaped Thoma, a jolt of electricity running up his spine as Ayato thrust his
fingers into his prostate.

The way his hole stretched, trying to accommodate five fingers, had drool running down the
corners of Thoma’s lips. It was an exhilarating feeling. Ayato’s hand placed itself on the table
by Thoma’s head as he hovered over his lover, fingering him forcefully. “This is what you
wanted, isn’t it? You’re not enough to satisfy yourself,” Ayato whispered in his ear. “I love
that you can’t live without me, Thoma… no one else can make you feel pleasure like I do.
Not even your own fingers can please you without my help.” For a second, a look of crazed
satisfaction began to shine in his eyes. Every time he was reminded that the older man he had
pined so strongly for in his youth was now a moaning mess beneath him was nothing short of
euphoric. “You’re all mine, and you will never be anything but.”

Thoma’s helpless moans only served to fuel the love and lust swelling rapidly in Ayato’s
chest. Slowly, he withdrew his fingers, satisfied with the prep. He laughed as Thoma whined
at the loss of touch, clearly too dazed to think clearly. Ayato turned him around and kissed
him, his hand reaching down to cup his own cock. He used the droplets of precum that had
dripped from the head at the sight of Thoma touching himself to lube it up, ready to plunge it
inside his lover.

When he pulled away from Thoma’s lips, he watched with a small smirk as his lover
struggled to breathe from the after-effects of having his prostate so thoroughly abused.

Thoma looked up at Ayato, his eyes pleading for mercy. “Please… Ayato, can’t we go
inside?” he begged. He knew he was being loud, whining with pleasure each time Ayato
touched him. He was so afraid of being seen—it wasn’t his reputation on the line, but
Ayato’s. He feared what being caught having sex in the open would do to the Kamisatos’
reputation.

But Ayato just gave one of his eerily calm smiles. “You ceaselessly worry, Thoma. But
alright,” he said, holding back a sardonic laugh as Thoma’s shoulders relaxed with relief,
thinking Ayato was agreeing to take him inside. “Let’s see if anyone is bold enough to watch
the Yashiro Commissioner fuck his pretty future husband, hm?” Thoma’s eyes widened,
realizing what Ayato was going to do. An embarrassing noise left him as he was pulled
forcibly to his feet by Ayato and dragged mercilessly off the pavilion and onto the grass lawn
of the courtyard.

Thoma begged and pleaded to be let go, but he was pushed over the railing running along the
edge of the estate, overlooking the Narukami Island sound. At that time of day, they had a
perfect view of Inazuma City in the distance, while anyone coming up from Chinju Forest
would have a perfect view of them.

“There, see? Not a soul in sight, Thoma. Be as loud as you want, make sure they can hear
you all the way to Inazuma City,” Ayato said, his voice full of teasing.

Thoma had foolishly thought that he was beyond feeling shame anymore, but being bent over
the fence naked in full view of anyone outside the estate humiliated him more than anything
else that day.

But then, his breath hitched as he felt something brushing against his bare ass.

“Attention on me, my love. If anyone passes by or dares to watch us, let’s give them the show
of their lives.” Ayato whispered in his ear. Then, he straightened up and, with a pleasurable
sigh of relief, allowed his self-control to disintegrate. He pushed his cock inside Thoma,
placing his hand on his hips as he stared down at his lover’s beautiful back.

Thoma’s eyes went wide, a hand rushing up to his own mouth to clamp over it, attempting to
smother a loud moan of pleasure as he felt Ayato’s sleek cock plunging deep into him.
Thoma’s eyes lidded halfway. His vision rapidly tunneled until all he could think of was the
fact that Ayato was inside him after two months. He had missed this feeling so damned much
—to be filled up with his lover’s cock and be reduced to a writhing mess. Them being in
public was still very much on his mind, but for that second, he allowed himself the
gratification of being intimate with his master and lover. As Ayato began to thrust, Thoma
couldn’t restrain his own cries of helplessness as he was railed against the fence over and
over. Each time Ayato’s hips forcefully met his ass, his body lurched forward, his bare feet
leaving the ground.

Even more than that, Thoma could not get over the feeling of pure ecstasy that filled him.
Ayato’s cock never failed to abuse his sweet spot. The way his veins scraped against Thoma’s
insides drove him to madness. Ayato was right. No one else could make him feel pleasure
like this. No one else was as worthy of reducing him to such a pitiful state as Ayato. Thoma
couldn’t live without this feeling. It was unfathomable that he had gone without it for two
months.

Ayato took much pleasure in watching Thoma fall apart like this despite all the qualms he had
about doing this out in the open. Of course, he knew the repercussions if they were caught by
someone. But anyone who knew Ayato knew that he was not afraid of taking risks.

He remembered last night, when he was forced to give Thoma less importance than he
wanted to because they weren’t openly in a relationship. He hated it. He wanted the whole
world to know whose lover Thoma was.

This desire made Ayato much more foolhardy than he usually was. Maybe he would regret it
once it was all over, but seeing his lover in this state made it all worth it.

But then, Ayato noticed something peculiar. His shrewd mind and body, even though
submerged in the haze of pleasure and lust, caught on to the fact that there was a new
presence in their vicinity. But instead of panicking, Ayato had the gall to smile as he looked
from his peripheral vision and saw a figure trying to remain hidden out of sight in the
gateway to the Kamisato estate, watching them. It was the same man Thoma had been
conversing with so cheerfully in the kitchen last night. It was the newest recruit of the
Yashiro Commission’s guards—the man named Yukio. Ayato had never seen him before, but
he knew of his existence. At that moment, he couldn’t help but respect the sheer bravery it
must have taken to watch the Yashiro Commissioner rail his lover. It amused him so deeply.

“It seems you were right, Thoma,” Ayato said softly, his voice kept carefully low to prevent
being overheard. “We’re being watched.”

Even in his most weakened state, his words managed to snap Thoma’s mind to attention.
Thoma, panting and holding on to the fence for dear life, felt his blood run cold at Ayato’s
words. He began to tremble with fear and panic, expecting Ayato to stop and confront
whoever was watching them, but he never stopped fucking him.

“Ayato… st-stop,” he whimpered. A gentle, soft hand curled itself around Thoma’s neck,
pulling him to stand up as another arm embraced him from behind. Ayato’s speed only
increased, making thinking difficult for Thoma. Slowly, Ayato twisted Thoma’s face in the
direction of the gates. With a jolt, Thoma, too, saw that guard trying to willfully stay hidden,
watching them. Thoma recognized him, for he had defended him and talked so sweetly to
him just last night. Thoma couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t have fathomed that Yukio would
so keenly watch them despite all the warnings he had received from Hirotatsu not to do
anything rash.

“Stop?” Ayato purred into his ear, snapping him from his muddled thoughts. “Now, why
would we do that when he seems to be enjoying himself so much?”

His words caused a ball of anxiety to drop in Thoma’s chest. He wished he could think
straight but his eyes kept drooping, his belly burning with pleasure each time Ayato’s balls
smacked against his skin.

“He’s watching you so closely… do you think he envies me?” Ayato asked with amusement.
“He’s likely picturing himself in my position, making a mess of you like this. After all, most
of Inazuma wants you as their perfect husband. So many men would kill to fuck you like this.
Maybe I should invite that guard to join in, let him have a taste of you.”

Tears began to streak Thoma’s cheeks. He couldn’t handle this kind of torment. “Stop…
please,” he cried. The thought of being passed around like some kind of toy was mortifying.

At the sound of his voice, both of them watched as the guard wisely decided to flee.

Ayato, pleased that they were alone again, focused his attention once more on his crying
lover. He smiled sadistically, pulling out of Thoma momentarily to turn him around before
seating him on the fence and slamming back inside him. He relished in the wail of pleasure it
earned him. Thoma’s arms desperately wrapped around Ayato’s neck, his legs curling around
his waist, afraid that he would fall. His mind was at war with itself, one part of him melting
under Ayato’s touch the nearer he got to his orgasm, while the other wallowed in shame that
someone other than Ayato had seen his body—seen him fall apart so thoroughly. He cried
helplessly into his lover’s shoulder for comfort, his breath hitching as Ayato wrapped a hand
around his cock, helping him along to his orgasm.

At the feeling of Ayato’s smooth hand pumping him, Thoma managed to lose himself in the
pleasure, feeling the knot in his abdomen tightening to the point of aching before, finally, it
released. A loud moan of ecstasy left Thoma’s lips, a tremor running down his whole body,
making his limbs convulse as droplets of his cum shot up to Ayato’s stomach, staining it.

Ayato smiled with satisfaction, happy to see his lover feeling good. He lifted Thoma off the
fence and into his arm completely and began bouncing him on his cock. A pink blush
splattered across his pale cheeks at the feeling of Thoma’s tight rim clamping on his cock.

He sucked a spot on Thoma’s neck, smothering a moan in his skin as his high washed over
him as well. He released inside Thoma, his eyes closing with pleasure as he dropped Thoma
completely on his dick, relishing in his warmth as his orgasm made his body tingle. How
he’d missed this feeling. He never wanted to leave home—leave his beautiful lover—ever
again if it meant foregoing all the feelings that had gone through him today, the love, the
pleasure, the desire.
As he got over his high, he felt Thoma still crying into his shoulder. He forced himself out of
the sadism that had overcome him and the desire to torment his lover with ideas he would
never put him through.

“Inside… take me inside,” Thoma whispered. This time, there was no trace of a request in his
voice. He was commanding Ayato. The Commissioner smiled, feeling the tables were
turning. He knew better than to push his own luck and refuse. Thoma was at his limit and he
wouldn’t allow anyone, not even Ayato, to push him when he was like this. “Of course, my
love,” Ayato said. He did as Thoma asked and brought him back inside the house and into
Thoma’s room. Gently, he laid his lover down on his futon. Ayato met Thoma’s teary eyes
and had to hold back a shiver of pleasure at how much he loved the sight.

He retrieved a clean cloth from a neat pile of laundry inside Thoma’s dresser, eyeing the
bunch of sweaters Thoma had made for animals and smiling softly at how characteristic it
was was him to do so. He also noticed a new scarf sitting by Thoma’s bed but his first
priority was his lover.

Diligently, he cleaned Thoma up well, clearing away the cum spilling out of him as well as
the sweat on his body. He stared down at his lover with an affectionate look in his eyes, still
with a few stray tears dripping down Thoma’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Thoma,” Ayato said, “did I scare you?”

“Of course you did,” Thoma grumbled, his cheeks flushing as he pulled himself up against
the pillow, his body tired though he felt relieved. He had missed this exhaustion and
fulfillment after sex with Ayato. Immediately, Ayato swooped down on him like a crow,
resting his head on Thoma’s chest and wrapped his arms tight around his waist. This was
always customary for them after getting intimate. Ayato would always allow himself a
moment of vulnerability when he rested in Thoma’s arms. Thoma gave him a feeling of
warmth and security. He didn’t have to be the Yashiro Commissioner or the head of the
Kamisato household when he snuggled up to Thoma like this.

It always amused Thoma how fast Ayato switched moods and personalities. The man lying
on top of him with his face buried in his chest had been the same man shamelessly
tormenting him for sport just minutes earlier.

“I’m sorry, my love,” Ayato began, his lips tickling Thoma as he spoke. “You know I would
never let another person lay a finger on you, much less willingly share you with them. I
intend to marry you one day and keep you all to myself.” Thoma smiled warmly. He had
heard that promise a great many times before, but his faith that Ayato would one day make it
come true never faltered.

Thoma looked forward to that day, but right now, he knew what he needed to do. A boundary
needed to be set in place. Slowly, he rose, causing Ayato to sit up as well. Their eyes met and
Thoma held Ayato’s gaze as he caressed his cheek gently with his hand.

“That’s not what bothers me, Ayato,” Thoma said, causing a jolt to run through Ayato at how
firm his tone was, “if you want or don’t people to know about our relationship, I’m okay with
either of those. If you… want to have me in the courtyard when we’re alone, okay. If you
want to humiliate me with your words, that’s okay too. But my body is only for your eyes, no
one else’s. You will never let someone else see me in that kind of position if you can help it
ever again.”

Ayato’s eyes were wide by the end of Thoma’s words. He had never been talked to so
assertively by his cute servant of a lover.

Being reminded that his lover was a partner with his own boundaries and limits was
humbling for Ayato. He had never quite anticipated to be put in his place like this. The words
washed over Ayato like a cool breeze, the single command at the end causing goosebumps to
bud on his skin.

He began to smile, not mockingly, but lovingly. His shock gave way to admiration and even
pride for his lover to have asserted himself as such. He loved that Thoma was not insecure
enough in their relationship not to stand up to him. It was a welcomed change to be knocked
off his horse like that. He had to hold himself back from getting aroused by Thoma’s words—
the way he said with such confidence that his body was only Ayato’s to see and have. He felt
so prideful but also regretted ever putting Thoma in such a position. Still, he was glad to have
been communicated with. It was a sign of Thoma’s love and trust in Ayato. The fact that he
felt safe enough to place his boundaries was a source of honor for him.

“Times like these make me wonder who the true master is between us,” Ayato said, a hint of
playfulness in his voice. Then he pressed a loving kiss on Thoma’s cheek, “Of course,
Thoma. I’ll never let it happen again. I’m so sorry to have made you uncomfortable, I’ll fix
it, don’t you worry.”

He relished in the way Thoma smiled so trustingly, fully believing that he meant his words.
Of course, Ayato would always put Thoma’s comfort first.

“I forgive you… but don’t do anything rash,” Thoma said. He had to refrain from thinking
about the new recruit. He was not in the right headspace to process that mortification, but he
knew that it couldn’t be put past Ayato to make an attempt on Yukio’s life to wipe that
memory from him. Still, he was grateful that Ayato had listened. He had always trusted in
Ayato’s desire to treat him well, even if he seemed to forget it during sex.

Ayato smiled mischievously, but he didn’t make any promises he couldn’t keep. “How can I
make it up to you, love?” he asked.

Thoma, surprised by the sudden offer, stared into Ayato’s eyes. He searched his heart for
what he wanted most. The answer came like clockwork to his lips, all the love and longing
he’d felt since Ayato’s absence came to a head.

He knew what he craved most, slowing lying back down against his pillows, his bare body
shining with the marks made by Ayato earlier. “I want you to embrace me again… this time
in private, slow and full of love. Do it my way this time,” he told Ayato, looking up at him
with beautiful green eyes shining with trust. Ayato’s eyes sparkled as he sat between Thoma’s
parted legs. He raised himself on his knees and discarded his pants, his eyes trained on
Thoma’s cock as it began to twitch again.
“Of course, dear. Anything for my future husband.”

***Extra***

The next day, Thoma had arranged a delightful afternoon for himself and the Kamisatos. Of
course, no delightful afternoon could be complete without cute animals.

To give both Kamisatos a break from their roles in Inazuma, Thoma was taking them on a
humble trip to distribute sweaters to animals in Inazuma City. Ayato, who was just a regular
man today after leaving his title as the Yashiro Commissioner at home, was made to hold all
the sweaters Thoma had sown for the strays, while Ayaka happily traipsed along beside him
with Thoma leading the charge. Both Kamisatos had hand-knitted scarves around their necks,
Ayaka’s with the pattern of a fan on it to signify her grace, while Ayato’s was adorned with a
beautiful white camellia, the symbol of their mother.

The rest of their day yesterday had gone splendidly, with Thoma being showered with every
bit of Ayato’s love and attention. Today, Yukio had mysteriously disappeared without a trace.
Thoma had tried to get the truth from Ayato’s lips on what he had done, but the man always
answered his questions with a small smile and told him not to worry.

Thoma was worried, but he decided not to let it bug him for today. He was excited that all his
crafts were coming to use. He would take any chance he could get to see Ayato interacting
with cute animals with his sister.

They chattered and conversed on the way to Inazuma City, heading for the square by
Naganohara Fireworks where all the strays usually waited for Thoma.

“The townspeople will be so surprised,” Ayaka was saying, “it’s quite rare to see Brother
Ayato in public, but to see him actually holding things and feeding strays? Doing real work?
Out of the question!”

Ayato glared at her, clearly offended. “I do real work all the time,” he grumbled defensively.
“I may be used to being catered to by servants but I have a great many talents. You're not the
one with milk tea up your sleeve at any given time of the day.” Thoma listened to them with a
small smile. It was so interesting to see that even in a family as sophisticated as the Kamisato
household, sibling banter was not something they were immune to. Ayaka scoffed gracefully,
though no one could deny that hiding a whole cup of milk tea under one’s arm was a talent to
behold. But then, her eyes began to glitter, an idea coming to mind.

“Hmm, brother, isn’t it unfair that your scarf is so much more special than mine?” Ayaka
asked. Her voice was as calm and polite as she had trained it to be but her eyes danced with
mischief.

Thoma’s shoulders tensed as the new topic strayed into dangerous territory.

Ayato perked up, realizing that their conversation was heading in a direction that suited him.
With his eyes shining with smugness, he grinned vaingloriously. “Well, of course. What do
you expect, dear sister of mine? I am far more special to Thoma. It is only natural for him to
 give my scarf more attention.” It took Thoma every muscle in his body not to turn around and
glare daggers at Ayato as they walked along the trail to Inazuma City.

Ayaka leaned closer, her smile eerily polite. “Is that right? And what makes you say that?”

Thoma heard the trap in her words far before Ayato even registered it. He wanted to turn
around and tackle him to shut him up before he gave them away, but Ayato, in all his smug
glory, said matter-of-factly, “Because that’s what lovers do for each other.”

In an instant, Thoma came to a halt, causing both Kamisatos to bump into him. It was silent
for a solid ten seconds with only the chirping birds interrupting the silence. Thoma slowly
turned to Ayato, his cheeks reddening so rapidly he looked like a tomato. Ayato looked as
mortified as one would after farting in public. He realized he had just inadvertently come out
about their relationship after both of them had tried so hard never to admit it.

Then, all hell broke loose. Ayaka’s laughter rang through the whole of Narukami Island. All
her lady-like manners came undone in an instant as she couldn’t help but make fun of her
brother’s proud announcement of their biggest ‘secret’.

“You fell for it!” she said between fits of laughter. “Oh, the great Yashiro Commissioner, the
brains of the Kamisato clan, fell for it! Guuji Yae will love this!”

Thoma felt more embarrassed than ever. They hadn’t planned on admitting it so suddenly. He
glared at Ayato, who had a mixture of embarrassment and irritation on his face, clearly
having not expected the clear trap that had been laid to catch him. “Ayaka, if you tell Lady
Yae, I swear to the Archons…!” Ayato said, a hint of panic in his voice so rare that even
Thoma couldn’t compose himself.

He began to crack up and joined in on Ayaka’s contagious laughter. He couldn’t help himself,
for he had never seen the great Kamisato Ayato look so scared. And of all reasons, it was
because the fear of Yae Miko ran deep in the veins of every Inazuman out there.

“Thoma, why are you laughing?! You’re supposed to be on my side!” Ayato whined.

Then, Ayato realized something. For a moment, it felt like they were all young, foolhardy
kids again. The tone of Ayato’s voice and the way he had childishly bickered with his little
sister on who Thoma liked more just as they would when they were kids made him realize
the hilarity of the situation. Even he couldn’t help but smile. At that moment, all of them felt
happier than they had in ages. For Ayato, it was good to be home and even better to be a
brother to Ayaka and a lover to Thoma.

Chapter End Notes

A chapter 69 could never be complete with 69ing hehehehe~ this may well be my
kinkiest chapter, not that Ayato deserves any less... sadistic bastard /lh

updates might get slow again now that summer's over but I'll do my best to keep on top
of my work, as writing is very important to me! and honestly whatever, C's get degrees!
Have a lovely September!
 Piercings (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

Xiao, a grumpy tattoo artist, and Aether, a charming florist, meet under less-than-ideal
circumstances; they bicker like petty children as their personalities and egos clash like
fire against ice, but neither of them could adequately conceal the way they made each
other feel. A simmering attraction laced their rivalry, but both were too stubborn to ever
admit it, often finding themselves lying awake at night thinking of each other.

Finally, annoyed and defeated, Aether takes a gamble, risking a whole tattoo just to get
what he wants, and reaps the rewards as all their desires unfold. A night together reveals
their true feelings for each other, and they emerge as a couple, finally favoring each
other rather than their petty rivalry. A broken pot or two was all it took.

Chapter Notes

happy halloween! it's spooky month but i didn't really feel like writing anything spooky,
so i hope you guys enjoy this smutty chapter! i missed xiaother <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“Stupid geezer,” Xiao muttered under his breath, storming out of the tattoo parlor for his
break. His day was going absolutely horribly, which was bad considering it was barely noon.
He murmured a few other curse words under his breath, crossing the street to the other side as
he made his way towards the nearby cafe to grab a bite to eat, hoping some food could make
his terrible day a little better.

He passed a few shops, but his eyes lingered on one directly opposite the parlor where he
worked. It was a flower shop with pretty flowers lining the front and a window looking into
it, where plants of all kinds grew in neat little rows.

It was new, having opened up just a month or two ago, but Xiao could tell it was doing well.
The shop livened up the street a little, its pastel theme in stark contrast with its tattoo parlor
counterpart on the opposite side. Xiao had never visited it since its inception. It didn’t suit a
man like him—he was covered in tattoos with his eyebrows and ears pierced, dressed in a
black tank top with combat boots. He wasn’t really the kind of guy you’d assume went
skipping in flower fields. But as Xiao walked by, his eyes caught on the florist—the owner—
of the quaint flower shop as he worked on a bouquet for a customer inside the shop. He was
dressed in pastels and looked lively and energetic, yet with a regal grace about him. Now he
was a man you could imagine being in tune with nature—Xiao's polar opposite.
Xiao had caught only brief glimpses of him since the shop opened, but the florist was as
beautiful as the flowers he grew.

Seeing his shiny blonde hair and elvish face as he carefully made his beautiful bouquet
almost made Xiao forget his initial anger. The brief bliss of seeing the florist’s cute face
didn’t last long. Xiao’s expression soured as he walked past the shop, narrowly avoiding a
large decorative vase that had been placed on the sidewalk. He cursed at it and glared as he
passed.

He went to the cafe and got some food; he nibbled on a scone with a scowl on his face, likely
dampening the cozy atmosphere of the shop, but he didn’t care.

Xiao was a tattoo artist who worked in Liyue; he quite excelled at and loved his job, but at
times, rude customers got in the way of his job satisfaction. Today, a middle-aged man had
strolled into his appointment, making demands left and right—he had been rude and
indecisive from the start, snapping at Xiao if he dared offer suggestions. When he finally did
settle on one design, he waited until Xiao was done only to throw a fit about how it was not
what he wanted, even though Xiao had finished perfectly and in record time. It had added a
bad start to his day, making him welcome this break with open arms.

As he glanced at his wristwatch, his frown deepened as he realized time was running short
before his next appointment. He sighed and finished up the last of his food before making his
way out of the cafe and back down the street. His mood was still worse for wear, but at least
it couldn’t be attributed to being hangry—the only viable reasons were stupid clients now.

As he neared that same flower shop, he noticed that the pretty florist was now working on
one of the displays he had set up outside the shop. The sun shone beautifully on him, making
his golden hair sparkle like strands of fire. He was so different from Xiao, wearing a cute
baby blue apron over a white long-sleeved shirt, adorning a pair of harsh working gloves on
his hands as he worked. Xiao imagined him to be soft-spoken and full of smiles like a true
goody-two-shoes florist should be, completely different from a brooding tattoo artist like
him, but he couldn’t help but feel attracted to him.

Xiao had been so caught up in admiring that pretty florist that he didn’t see where he was
going. With a loud crash, he tripped over something large and heavy set in his path. Xiao
barely managed to catch his balance, cursing loudly. He turned to see what had caused him to
nearly break his face and was met with the sight of that same large vase he had narrowly
dodged earlier. Xiao’s prior irritation flared.

“Are you kidding me?!” he muttered angrily, not realizing that the crash had caught the
attention of the vase’s owner.

He was startled as a gasp reached his ears and a flurry of gold swooped down towards him
like a crow, the angry blonde owner of the flower shop rushing to check on the vase. “Hey!”
a voice said sharply. “What the hell are you doing?” A strong, addictive flowery scent
engulfed Xiao, attacking his nostrils.

The blonde florist Xiao had been admiring when he tripped over the vase now stood in front
of him, his arms crossed over his chest and a furious glare on his pretty face. Xiao almost got
distracted from his own irritation for it was the first time he was seeing him up close. His
eyes strayed to a nametag on the florist’s apron, which read Aether. That flowery scent almost
made his mind swirl; it was so sweet that he almost felt like he was melting. Xiao needed a
second to regain his wits, registering the rude, annoyed tone of the florist. It caused his own
anger at the world to bubble back into action. His day was already bad, he didn’t need this
pretty boy making it worse. He scowled, not in the mood for an argument.

“Your damn junk was in the way and I tripped on it,” he said, matching Aether’s rude tone.

The blonde’s eyes flashed, “Junk?! That vase was a masterpiece. It wasn’t in the way, you
could’ve walked around it if you were using your eyes!”

“People shouldn’t have to dodge around your stupid decorations,” Xiao retorted, “it’s a public
street, not some garden you can frolic in. It’s your fault for leaving it in the way.” They went
back and forth, arguing over whose fault it was while passersby rolled their eyes at their silly
blame game and walked past them.

“Well!” Aether said loudly, his voice sharp and demanding. “It was an important vase, so
since you broke it, you’ll be the one paying for it.”

Xiao scoffed, unable to believe his audacity. “Are you serious? If it was so damn important,
why would you keep it on the street? You should be more careful where you’re putting your
stuff.”

The two men glared daggers at one another, neither of them willing to back down. They may
have glared at each other with malice, but both of them could feel an undeniable sense of
attraction, though they would never admit it. Xiao couldn’t help but admire how different the
blonde was from his appearance. He had assumed a florist with such pretty golden hair and a
gentle face would be more graceful, but it was interesting to see how different he really was
from his perceptions. He enjoyed seeing the blonde’s defiant glare and snarky attitude even if
his feelings were veiled under annoyance. He was much different from the bright, soft-
spoken man Xiao had envisioned him to be—he would've enjoyed seeing it had he not been
the subject of Aether's attitude.

“I don’t care what you say,” he said, poking Xiao in the chest, “you’re paying for the vase. In
fact, I’ll be so nice as to make a compromise—you pay for the vase and I’ll try to keep my
things within your line of sight. Deal?”

Xiao stared at Aether, dumbfounded at his idea of a compromise. His frustration neared its
peak, but instead of arguing, he groaned defeatedly. He knew from the unwavering
determination in the florist’s eyes that this conflict would not be resolved in his favor. Sure,
he could’ve picked a fight, but… just from the look in Aether’s eyes, Xiao knew he wouldn’t
back down or lose in a fight. He sighed, muttering under his breath, “Fine, whatever.”

He rolled his eyes at the way Aether’s chest puffed up triumphantly, but as he begrudgingly
reached for his wallet, he couldn’t help but think, ‘He's insufferable but… he’s cute when he’s
angry.’ Of course, Xiao would never voice the thought.
He would never admit the way his heart hammered or the way a high came over his mind
each time he caught a whiff of Aether's scent. They settled their dispute and parted ways with
glowering looks, but neither of them could help but feel a sense of attraction.

Perhaps this encounter would be the start of a strong, tension-ridden rivalry between them.

***

A month passed since that heated encounter between Xiao and Aether. Each time either of
them remembered their meeting, they would shudder and glower and try to hide the way the
thought of each other made them feel.

Neither of them had been able to shake off that feeling of tension that had stricken them.
They tried their best to avoid admitting their clear attraction for one another, but they were
far from perfect at hiding it. It would show clearly in the ways their eyes would linger on one
another each time they spotted each other from across the street.

Xiao would take any chance he could to cross the flower shop on his way to lunch every day
just to be able to catch a glimpse of that blonde, but he would never address why he did so.
Meanwhile, Aether couldn’t help but follow Xiao with his eyes, memorizing his working
hours just so he could be able to see him. He hated how he couldn’t resist the sight of the
green tattoos on Xiao’s chiseled arms and the piercings on his face. They made his heart
thump a little too loudly for his liking. The tension between them had only strengthened in
the time that had passed.

Neither of them was mature enough to call a truce on their newfound rivalry. They weren’t
above exchanging scathing comments or challenging glares whenever their paths crossed.
Xiao had formed an irritating habit of calling Aether ‘flower boy’, which never failed to
leave him blushing.

But at last, the tension was finally coming to a boil. Aether was getting tired of his own
heart’s pounding. He wished he could say what he felt for Xiao was only an attraction—he
would’ve been easier to ignore had it just been that. But Xiao fit his type to a T. Aether liked
men with tattoos, piercings, and a bad attitude. He liked men with harsh stares like they could
pierce into your heart. Xiao left him unbearably heated, often haunting him at night when he
craved someone else’s touch most. He fantasized about Xiao’s rough hands on his body,
playing with it. He fantasized being made into a mess by that infuriating bastard—he craved
to be put in his place. Xiao would love to do just that.

Aether wanted to make a move… but it mortified him to even think about asking his sworn
nemesis to spend a night with him. But he was a crafty man, quickly coming to a solution on
how best to tempt Xiao into making the first move.

And so, on one sunny afternoon, Xiao found himself sitting behind the small reception desk
in the tattoo parlor. The place was deserted for there had only been two appointments in the
morning, so no one else had been scheduled that day save for him. Now, he had nothing to do
except to kill time.
He scrolled idly on his phone, wishing he could close the shop. Not many people get tattoos
on a Tuesday afternoon.

He wished something interesting would happen… but he wasn’t expecting his wish to be
granted so quickly. He sighed softly as the tinkling of a bell signified an approaching
customer. He prepped himself to face another client, trying his best to put up a customer-
friendly expression, but as he looked up, his face dropped. He glared at the sight of Aether
waltzing in through the door with an infuriating smirk on his face.

Just as always, he never failed to take Xiao’s breath away. He wore a light green turtleneck
and black pants, his hair pulled back into a messy bun.

Xiao liked the color on him, but as usual, he pushed away the thirsty thoughts that infiltrated
his mind, instead choosing to focus on the annoyance he’d been conditioned to feel at the
sight of his pretty smirk.

“What do you want?” Xiao asked, his tone arrogant as always. His nose perked up as it
always did when in Aether's proximity, craving his scent.

Aether scoffed at him, but it seemed even Xiao’s rudeness did not deter his good mood. “Is
that any way to speak to a customer?”

Xiao raised an eyebrow at him, “Customer? You? At a tattoo parlor? Don’t make me laugh.
Aren’t you supposed to be skipping in flower fields or whatever like a goody-two-shoes
should do? Pretty flower boys like you have no business in a tattoo shop. You don’t have the
guts.” He said simply. Aether scowled at his words, feeling the tips of his ears redden at the
way Xiao called him pretty. He wanted so badly to jump over the counter and knock the
daylights out of Xiao (and himself too for ever liking someone so insufferable.)

“Oh, I have guts. More than you can imagine,” Aether said, and he was honest. After all, it
was he who had gathered the courage to come here despite knowing how irritating Xiao
could be.

Xiao smirked, deciding to take the bait. “You think so? Well then, what brings you to my oh-
so-intimidating tattoo parlor today?” He asked. Aether had to forcibly stop the truth to come
spilling out of his lips: You. Instead, he rolled his eyes at Xiao’s words. “Oh, I don’t know. I
imagine the only reason anyone would come into a tattoo parlor would be, I don’t know, to
get a tattoo? I could be wrong though.”

Xiao shrugged, “Touché. What design do you want? Let me guess, is it a flower? You seem
to have a knack for those.”

“That’s exactly right, I want a Qingxin on my torso,” Aether agreed, causing a mystified look
to cross Xiao’s face at his lack of originality. “Are you gonna do it or not?” he asked. Xiao
assessed him for a moment, contemplating it. A flower would be no challenge at all, but that
would require doing something nice for Aether—he couldn’t have that.

“I’m busy,” Xiao said, knowing damned well that it was a lie. Aether raised an eyebrow,
looking from Xiao to the phone in his hands. He didn’t have to say anything as the empty
tattoo parlor already spoke volumes. After a few seconds of a staring contest, Xiao sighed.
“Fine, follow me,” he muttered, giving in easily as he stood up and began to trudge towards
one of the tattoo booths in the back. He grumbled under his breath, realizing it was the
second time he’d given in so easily to Aether’s demands. He grabbed a tablet on his way with
Aether following him, trying to hide a smug smile that things were going his way.

“Sit there,” Xiao gestured to a tattoo recliner chair, taking a seat on a stool. Aether obliged,
taking in his surroundings. Xiao swerved his seat towards him, tapping his stylus on the
tablet’s surface. “What design are you looking for?” he asked.

Aether described the design he had in mind with an air of confidence.

Xiao couldn’t help but be impressed by his composure—most people were nervous before
getting a tattoo. Then again, Aether had a habit of running Xiao's perceptions of him into the
ground.

As Aether told him about his design, Xiao’s fingers began to work effortlessly on the tablet,
sketching up what Aether wanted as best as he could based on his descriptions. However,
when Xiao presented the first draft to him, Aether blatantly refused. Annoyed, Xiao crafted
up another one and then another, but over and over, Aether kept shooting down his drafts. He
had that same tantalizing smirk on his face as he rejected each one.

By the fourth time, Xiao was seething. “You barely even looked at that last one, you just
automatically refused!” he snarled.

“It’s not my fault your artistic vision doesn’t capture the beauty of Qingxin!” Aether shot
back. Xiao buried his face in his hands and sighed, begging the gods above to give him
patience.

“Don’t tick me off too much, flower boy. One little slip of the hand and I can ruin that pretty
skin of yours” Xiao told him calmly, irritated by Aether’s smug expression. Aether’s eyes
widened nervously, causing Xiao to enjoy the way the smugness left his face. “You
wouldn’t!” Aether said emphatically. Xiao just raised an eyebrow at him, asking a silent
question: Wouldn’t I?

Aether gulped, then looked away from Xiao’s intense eyes, “F-Fine… I suppose the first one
wasn’t half bad.” He murmured. His words caused Xiao’s frustration to double. “If you liked
that one, then why did you make me draw another three designs?!” he demanded.

Aether began to grin slyly with satisfaction. “It’s fun seeing you get mad.”

Xiao wanted to kick Aether out of the parlor right then and there, but he couldn’t help but get
distracted by how pretty his smile was. He groaned but gave in easily. He got up and began
prepping the tools, putting on a pair of black disposable gloves that made the tattoos on his
arms pop even more. Whenever Xiao wasn’t looking, Aether would stare at his arms and bite
his lower lip, imagining his hands working on his body, massaging him. Xiao looked over at
Aether as he prepped the tattoo machine, thinking he might be afraid as most were during
their first tattoo appointment, but he raised an eyebrow, seeing that Aether was undeterred,
too occupied with admiring him.
Once everything was ready, Xiao walked back over to Aether. Without warning, he reclined
the tattoo chair, causing Aether to yelp and flail as he was laid down abruptly. Xiao couldn’t
help but smirk as Aether glared at him.

“Alright, where do you want it?” he asked. Aether’s confident smile made its way back up to
his lips.

He pulled up his shirt up to his collarbone, revealing his sleek body to Xiao without the
slightest bit of embarrassment. “Here,” Aether said, tapping the area just beneath his left pec
over his ribs. Xiao had to catch his breath, having been unprepared. He found himself staring
at Aether’s chest, his eyes catching onto something very peculiar. He felt his eyes going wide
with shock. On both of Aether’s nipples were two bits of metal. Xiao had to do a double take
because what they were hadn’t registered the first time. He felt the tips of his ears go red as
his body temperature skyrocketed.

“Your nipples are pierced,” he said intelligently, dumbfounded that Aether, the cutesy frou-
frou man he had perceived as a prude, would be so bold.

Aether raised an eyebrow at him, smiling, “Does that surprise you?”

Xiao was feeling something far dirtier than surprise; he felt a deep sense of arousal just
looking at Aether’s chest. His small, pink nipples stood taut, pinched between two metal
piercings. Xiao had to inhale sharply just to control himself and the reaction his body was
trying to give in response to the sight that was Aether, but even then, Aether's scent made his
mind swirl. Even he, Xiao, had not been so bold as to get bodily piercings. And yet, this cute
flower boy had gotten such a lewd procedure done. All his misconceptions about Aether were
being knocked down one by one: his attitude, his innocence, and his confidence. Xiao
couldn’t help liking the person Aether was turning out to be.

It took him all his willpower to prevent his sudden attraction from showing. “Whatever,”
Xiao said, deciding not to answer his question for fear that he would say the wrong thing and
give his feelings away.

He sterilized the area Aether had indicated as he took a seat on the stool, his body crossing
over Aether’s to effectively reach his chest. He tried his best not to stare as Aether shuddered
at the cool feel of the alcohol wipe against his skin. However, the blonde determinedly
showed no signs of fear as the tattoo gun in Xiao’s hand hummed to life. It drew nearer to his
skin, but Aether gave Xiao a confident smile, clearly undeterred. Xiao blushed and began to
tattoo him, his body still pulsating.

Aether flinched as the needle pierced his skin, injecting ink into it. But quickly, he got over
the pain as Xiao placed a gloved hand on his chest, holding him down.

Aether’s face exploded into a dark shade of pink, knowing full well that Xiao could hear his
heart pounding under his fingers. Amused, Xiao glanced up at him, his eyes lidding halfway
as he saw Aether’s expression.

He was leaning across Aether, his hand placing itself over his pec as he tugged the skin
gently to even out the tattoo. He had to make sure Aether's attention was on his face and
hands, for a bulge was growing in his pants.

The plastic of the glove brushing against Aether's skin made his hair stand on end. The action
made his mind swirl. He would feel Xiao’s palm brushing against his nipple and his
fingertips gently digging themselves into his skin to tighten it. Xiao was also flustered, sitting
in such a lewd position with his sworn enemy, but he enjoyed it deeply as he listened to
Aether’s heart beating nervously. He twisted his gloved fingers over Aether’s chest over and
over, slyly brushing against his pierced nipples whenever he got the chance just because
Aether would jolt in response. The room was dead silent save for the whirring of the tattoo
gun. Then, as they got nearer to the end of the tattoo, Xiao realized that he wasn't the only
one left heated.

Aether was red down to his neck and his legs squirmed and fidgeted as if uncomfortable.
Xiao shifted his gaze to look at them, his eyes widening as he saw a tent in Aether’s pants.
“D-Don’t look,” Aether mumbled, curling his legs to keep Xiao from seeing, but it was too
late. Xiao looked down at him, a lustful glint in his eye as he realized Aether was no better
than him. He was just as worked up as Xiao was.

“How can I not look when you’re being so lewd?” Xiao whispered. The whirring of the tattoo
gun came to a slow stop as Xiao set it aside.

Aether whimpered, his knees rubbing together as Xiao allowed his hand to wander from his
chest to his body. “It’s not my fault,” Aether mumbled, watching with satisfaction as Xiao’s
hand brushed downwards, closing in on his erection, “you keep touching me in weird ways…
I couldn’t help it.” His answer only seemed to strengthen Xiao’s amusement. He noted the
way Aether never attempted to push away his wandering hand as it fumbled with the
waistband of his pants. All of Aether’s intentions were slowly unfurling and coming to the
surface. He did this on purpose—everything was part of his plan.

He had come for a tattoo simply for a reason to feel Xiao’s touch, and now that he did, he
was acting all innocent and shifting the blame. Xiao couldn’t help chuckling. “You are every
bit as dirty as you pretend not to be,” he said. His hand wrapped itself around the imprint of
Aether’s cock, causing an embarrassing noise to escape the blonde.

Something snapped between them as Xiao made this bold move. All the feelings they'd been
holding back came bubbling to the surface as their self-control broke. Before either of them
knew it, their lips were pressed together while Xiao’s hand worked on kneading the bulge in
his pants. Aether’s eyes closed, his arms reaching out and winding themselves around Xiao’s
neck, pulling him forward until he hovered over him, careful to avoid brushing against his
tender tattoo. Their tongues brushed against one another as Aether furiously tried to take
control of the kiss. Neither of them could win, both too stubborn to back down and give the
other a chance at victory just like always. When they pulled back, they were breathing
heavily, looking into each other’s eyes and sharing a dazed, lustful look.

Xiao’s lips connected with Aether’s neck where his scent was strongest. He moaned with
pleasure as he sucked on Aether's neck, wishing he could have that scent with him at all
times. He listened as the blonde moaned under his touch, enjoying the way his hand worked
on his bulge.
Xiao trailed love bites on Aether’s neck before moving down to his chest after being tempted
by it for the last half hour.

Aether gasped and arched his back as Xiao wrapped his mouth around one of his pierced
nipples. His warm tongue brushed over the bud, making Aether’s nerves tingle. The piercing
caused a metallic taste in Xiao’s mouth, but he didn’t care. He loved the way Aether’s nipples
felt against his tongue. His lips caused Aether to feel even more sensitive wherever he
touched him, his eyes closing with enjoyment as he allowed Xiao to service him.

The bliss of finally having Xiao’s hands on his body after fantasizing about it for the last
month was second to none. He wanted more—he was greedy to have all of Xiao.

“More… give me more,” Aether whispered, his fingers brushing through Xiao’s hair as
nibbled gently on his piercings, giving both his nipples the same harsh treatment, leaving
them covered with his slimy spit and a large red splotch marking Xiao’s presence.

He could feel Xiao’s smirk against his skin, his cheeks burning as he realized he’d been too
needy. “So demanding… just how long has it been since anybody’s made a mess of you?”
Xiao asked, but he complied with Aether’s command, pulling his hand back and pushing
Aether’s pants and boxers down his legs. He gazed at Aether’s cock as it came into view,
making him lick his lips as he saw how pretty it was. It was no surprise to Xiao that Aether
would so sedulously take care of himself; being well-groomed was nothing short of Xiao’s
uppity impression of him.

Xiao spun his stool down, moving the footrest of the recliner down so he could sit between
Aether’s legs.

He looked up, his eyes twinkling at how lewd Aether looked from this angle. Aether’s shirt
was pulled up to his collarbone, showing off his bruised, spit-covered nipples. His pants were
pulled down his thighs, his cock lying over his abdomen, oozing precum. The red tattoo Xiao
had made on his body shone beautifully on his pale skin, causing Xiao to lick his lips.

He moved his face closer to Aether, burying it between his legs and wrapping his mouth
around his cock. Aether jolted violently, his toes curling as a loud moan left his lips. Xiao’s
warm tongue teased Aether, his gloved hand gripping his balls as his mouth swallowed him
whole. Aether slid in his seat, unable to help his moans of pleasure as he buried his fingers in
Xiao’s hair, keeping it from getting in his way. He loved feeling like this. He loved having a
man stronger than him put him in his place and make a mess of him. He wouldn’t trade what
Xiao made him feel for anything in the world at that moment.

Xiao kept his eyes trained on Aether’s face, watching it contort into beautiful expressions
while his chest glistened with Xiao’s spit and the raw tattoo of a beautiful flower under his
ribs. His mind fell under a haze of lust and desire.

He pumped Aether with his mouth sloppily, his spit dripping down Aether’s balls as he
stroked them gently with his fingers. “Xiao... nnngh-don’t stop,” Aether whispered, his eyes
closing with pleasure as his toes curled in his shoes. A shiver rolled over Xiao, his mind
reacting to the way Aether breathed out his name. It occurred to him that it was the first time
he had heard his own name on Aether’s sly tongue. It brought him great pleasure.
Naturally, Xiao did the right thing—he went against Aether’s order and pulled away from his
cock. He smirked to himself as he watched Aether’s legs kick out in protest. Aether whined
like a spoiled brat, glaring at Xiao maliciously.

“So haughty,” Xiao murmured, his voice laced with amusement. Then, as sudden as a bullet,
Aether’s hand closed around his collar, pulling him forth with all his strength as Xiao reeled.
When Xiao regathered his bearings, he was sitting on the recliner, Aether on top of him, his
scent washing over him like waves.

“I haven't shown you even half of how needy I can be,” Aether whispered in his ear.
Goosebumps littered Xiao’s skin as he stared, dumbfounded, as Aether clawed at the
waistband of his jeans, desperate to get them off of him. He helped Aether unbutton and
unzip them, with Aether keenly pulling his boxers down so he could see it. He nearly drooled
at the sight of Xiao’s cock, an ache of desire burning through him. “I want it… I want you to
make me feel good,” Aether pleaded, having half a mind to sit on it without prep.

Xiao was amazed by the new colors Aether was showing him. For him to beg so
wholeheartedly for sex, ready to throw all his pride and ego to hell, was not in line with the
man Xiao knew him as. Of course, Xiao didn’t know him at all… but he was glad to be given
the opportunity to witness the lows Aether could stoop to.

“And if I refuse?” he asked, testing the waters. Aether looked at him with an illegally
innocent look like a bunny, straining Xiao’s resolve.

“That’ll make me sad… you don’t want to make me sad, do you?” Aether asked. His voice
was so painfully sweet that Xiao found it hard not to agree with him. But he knew Aether
was toying with him the same as Xiao.

“That’s compelling and all but… I’m not gonna fuck you on this chair,” Xiao said simply,
then added quickly as Aether opened his mouth to speak, “or while I’m at work.” Aether’s
pout amused Xiao. Then, he gasped with surprise as Xiao wrapped a hand around his cock,
joining it with his own and cupping them together in one hand as he whispered, “But I don’t
have to fuck you to make you feel good.” His moans filled the air as Xiao pulsed his hand
around both of them, tightening and loosening his grip. The action drove Aether to madness
as he looked into Xiao’s eyes, his mouth open to gasp and moan prettily for him to show
Xiao how much he liked his touch.

Xiao began to stroke their cocks together, the black plastic of his glove scraping against
Aether’s skin, being coated with his cum. Xiao admired the tattoo on Aether’s ribs, a product
of his craft. The Qingxin was beautiful on Aether’s pale skin and only served to arouse Xiao
more to look at.

As Xiao pumped them, he watched Aether turn into a mess under his touch. Aether made him
feel unprecedented things, things Xiao had never felt as strongly as he did when with Aether:
anger, attraction, and desire beyond anything one could imagine. He wanted this pretty florist
for himself. He wanted no one but himself to be able to smell his scent, hear his melodic
voice, or see the sight of the tattoo Xiao had branded on his skin. Perhaps… there was room
for negotiation with this irritating blonde.
Xiao helped them to their orgasms; he knew from the way Aether purposefully tightened his
grip on his forearms, cutting his nails into his skin, that he was close.

It pleased him to be the reason Aether gasped and writhed like this. It pleased him to feel the
blood pumping through his cock as he squeezed it against his own just to listen to Aether cry
with pleasure.

Xiao tried his best to keep his own pleasure under control, but his blush gave him away,
causing Aether’s lip to curl into a messy smirk. Aether reached up a hand and tantalizingly
brushed it against his cheek, causing Xiao to swoon and lean into his touch. Their synergy
was second to no other. It was as if their bodies were made to fit together.

Aether cried out as his orgasm took hold of him, causing him to slump into Xiao’s arms as his
cock leaked cum all over Xiao’s. Xiao’s face twisted and a moan of pleasure betrayed him as
he came at the same time, making thinking difficult. Both of them were rendered a pile of
sweaty, entangled bodies. Xiao reached over in his toolbox and pulled out a few antiseptic
wipes. He used one to wipe them clean off their mixed cum while he used the other to
sterilize Aether’s tattoo wounds. Aether winced; he looked satisfied and yet still found
himself wanting more from Xiao.

Xiao froze as Aether placed his arms around his neck, interlacing his fingers at his nape and
twirling his hair in them. Aether fixed him with a lascivious look, leaning into his ear, “After
your shift… come up to the second floor of my shop. I’ll leave the backdoor open. I’ll be
waiting for you…~”

The hairs on Xiao’s arms rose at his words, his cheeks tinting a bright pink as Aether smiled
as bright as his sunflowers, pulling down his turtleneck and fixing up his jeans before
hopping off of Xiao and walking merrily out of the tattoo parlor. He left a frazzled Xiao
behind, taking his scent with him. Xiao stared after him, his heart hammering. There was
nothing more he wanted than to take Aether up on his offer.

***

A soft tune carried itself through Aether’s home, sung by him. He bathed himself, washing
his body in rose petals as he waited for the one he desired to arrive.

He lifted a leg out of the rose water bath he’d drawn himself, his eyes shimmering with
longing, picturing Xiao between his legs. It wasn’t unlike him to be so painfully aroused by a
man, but it irritated him that the one he wanted so badly was so damned infuriating. But he
couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help waiting for Xiao, riddled with anticipation for his arrival
while his body ached with lust, begging to have him.

He got out of the bath, wiping himself dry and releasing his beautiful blonde hair from its
bun. He checked his phone for the time and clicked his tongue. Five minutes had passed since
the end of Xiao’s shift. And yet, he still hadn’t come for him.

Aether couldn’t help but feel anxious. What if he’d received all the wrong messages from
Xiao? What if the man didn’t want to come after all?
It would be humiliating to so brazenly invite someone to bed and not be taken up on his offer.
He had let his body do the talking. He wanted to believe he hadn’t been in his right mind
when he said all those things, made that offer, but that wouldn’t be the truth. His mind, heart,
and body all agreed on one thing: he wanted Xiao. Sexually, emotionally, romantically, in all
sense of the word—he wanted him. It infuriated Aether. Of all people for him to obsess over,
it just had to be the most vexing man in existence. But Aether couldn’t help liking him and
his bad attitude—he was a pretty sight too, with the piercings on his face and the tattoos on
his strong arms. He just had to be his type.

Now, he stood naked before the bathroom mirror, waiting for the one he wanted to be with to
join him in bed. He looked at his ribs, where Xiao had carved a beautiful Qingxin with his
tattoo gun. It was a beautiful sight along with his pierced nipples, stained with bruises from
just earlier than day when they’d been abused by Xiao. Aether liked knowing who made such
a beautiful thing on his body.

It must’ve pleased Xiao too to have his work on his rival’s body. Xiao was an enigma to him.
He had no trouble touching him. He had no trouble leaving his spit on his chest or pressing
his dick against Aether’s. Aether hoped he was wanted by Xiao as much as he wanted him.

He waited with bated breath, sitting in his living room in a robe with his phone in his lap, his
leg bouncing with anticipation.

Then, he finally heard it: the sound he most wanted to hear—a knock on his door.

Aether nearly tripped on a potted plant by the couch in his haste to bound toward the door
that led down to the flower shop. The Deja Vu from his first meeting with Xiao almost made
him laugh, for it had been a trip over a pot that had helped them meet. He beamed with
excitement. He was about fuck the man who broke his favorite potted plant.

He opened the door and nearly pounced on Xiao, wrapping his arms around him and
dragging him into his house. Xiao didn’t bother to fight him. Their lips met forcefully enough
for their teeth to clash, Aether’s arms wrapped tight around Xiao’s waist with his face cupped
in Xiao’s palms. Aether tugged Xiao deeper into the room, making their way to the couch. A
loud crash startled them both as Xiao's foot connected with something, causing them to pull
away. They looked down and cursed in unison, seeing another one of Aether's pots lying
broken on the floor. "I'm not paying for that one," Xiao breathed defensively.

"You're a menace to pots everywhere. Pot mothers would tell their children nightmarish tales
about what a usurper you are before bed every night," Aether said dramatically. They
managed to share a laugh. Aether threw Xiao towards the sofa where he collapsed, before
jumping to sit atop him. Their lips connected in a fiery kiss again, hardly able to get enough
of one another. They managed to pull away, breathing heavily as they looked into each
other’s eyes, sharing each other’s lust.

“Eager, are we?” Xiao asked. “Didn’t even let me breathe before you had me wrapped in
your coils.”

Aether just smirked. He could feel Xiao’s arousal as he sat on his hips. “You’re not trying to
pretend you weren’t as desperate as me for this, are you? You can’t pretend… not while
you’re this hard under me,” he whispered.

Xiao had no rebuttal. He watched as Aether’s robe tantalizingly slipped down his shoulders,
revealing his pretty collarbone. Gods, why did he have to be so beautiful? Why didn’t he
have the strength to resist his charms? His scent was a tantalizing reminder of how much he
wanted Aether. He had embarrassingly rushed as fast as he could to take Aether up on his
command the moment his shift ended. It was humiliating to be wound so tightly around the
blonde’s finger that he’d tripped over himself in his haste to get a taste of him.

He wished he regretted it, but as he watched Aether unfurl his robe and show him his bruised
nipples and that beautiful tattoo under them, he couldn’t help falling apart.

His hands gripped Aether’s hips, grinding him down on top of him. He watched as Aether’s
mouth fell open in a silent moan, feeling Xiao’s cock rubbing between his ass cheeks. He
threw the robe onto the coffee table, leaving him completely bare. But Xiao’s clothes soon
came off to join Aether’s as their bodies intertwined. Slipping and tripping, they managed to
find themselves in Aether’s bedroom, Xiao’s skin littered with Aether’s marks while spit
stains cast themselves on Aether’s pierced chest again.

Xiao purred as Aether took his place on top of him, enjoying the way his scent fell on him in
waves. He could’ve gotten high off that scent. It was so beautiful—but now, the lines
between subjectivity and objectivity were starting to blur.

It wasn’t the flowers that gave Aether his scent that were beautiful, rather, it was everything
about him. That scent was beautiful only because it belonged to Aether.

Aether held his gaze as he sat on Xiao’s bare chest, staring down at his tattooed arms and
body with a lustful look in his eyes so strong that Xiao ought to have felt intimidated.
Instead, all he could feel was the same ache as Aether to entangle their bodies and finally let
go of his self-control. He shuddered as Aether ran his hands over his tattoos, touching the
rippling muscles he’d been craving to feel since the day he’d first opened up his shop and
seen Xiao.

From day one, Aether had been smitten with this man, but he’d tried so hard not to give in to
the lull of lust. He knew Xiao would be every bit as rude as he had been the day they’d met,
but deep down, he’d been hoping for that. Xiao matched what Aether looked for in a man
down to a T.

In the end, he couldn’t help himself. He gave in to his feelings and now, they’d ended up
here, in his bed, laying everything bare for one another.

Aether leaned over to the nightstand where he'd placed a box of condoms. He pulled out a
few and threw them on the bed, hoping to use as many as he could tonight. Connecting his
eyes with Xiao's, he stood on his knees over him, his eyes gleaming with enjoyment as Xiao
admired his naked body on full display for him. He remembered how much Xiao had stared
at his nipple piercings when he’d first seen them, surprised that a florist like him could
modify his body so boldly. Now, Aether wanted to see Xiao with that same dazed expression
on his face. He craved that look of shock and admiration Xiao had had when his assumptions
of his character were proven wrong. He wanted to destroy all the perceptions Xiao had of him
being a sweet, innocent flower boy.

He turned around on top of Xiao, sitting himself on his chest again, this time with his back to
him. A shudder rippled through Aether as he stared down at Xiao’s cock as it grew at the
sight of his ass on display for him. He restrained a gasp as Xiao’s hands pressed themselves
against his ass, squeezing his cheeks gently.

Xiao knew what Aether wanted him to do. Who was he to refuse a direct order from the man
he wanted so badly?

He parted Aether’s cheeks and a soft curse escaped his lips. Aether was beautiful
everywhere… but the thing that caught Xiao’s eye the most was a tiny flicker of steel under
Aether’s hole.

Aether looked over his shoulder at Xiao, smirking prettily at the awestruck look on Xiao’s
face. He loved that expression on Xiao; Aether could see the way Xiao’s perception of him
changed again, broken by all the ways he surprised him. Aether’s nipples weren’t the only
things he’d pierced, but on his perineum just beneath his hole, he’d gotten another piercing.
The captive-bead ring glinted almost hypnotically as it caught the light, transfixing Xiao’s
gaze on it. Xiao had to force himself to regain composure. He had underestimated Aether far
too many times, his eyes full of admiration.

He slowly brought his own fingers to his mouth, coating them in his spit before bringing
them to Aether’s hole. He enjoyed the way Aether’s grip on his bare legs tightened as he
rubbed his wet fingers over his hole, teasing it gently. With his free hand, Xiao kept Aether’s
cheeks apart so he didn’t have to tear his eyes from that piercing. He brushed his fingers over
it, listening intently as Aether whined in response as he felt the ring shift under his skin.

“You’re full of surprises, flower boy,” Xiao said after a heartbeat, barely keeping himself
calm.

Visions of Aether bending in lewd positions to get this piercing kept flashing in Xiao’s mind.
It was all he could do to contain himself. Aether opened his mouth to respond, but something
snapped inside Xiao. He couldn’t hold himself back from shoving his fingers inside him
without so much as a warning. Aether cried out in pain, his hole stretching suddenly to
accommodate Xiao's fingers, but Xiao didn’t pay him any heed.

He was overcome by seething lust and jealousy. That piercing was an unwelcome reminder
that someone else had seen Aether like Xiao was seeing him right now. He loved this sight
but hated that he wasn’t the only one who had witnessed it. He didn’t want anyone else to see
that piercing after him. He would have to make sure that didn’t happen.

He fingered Aether, his gaze relaxing as Aether’s warmth distracted him. His eyes gleamed
with pleasure, watching Aether’s hole mold around his fingers, his spit making lewd
squelching sounds with each thrust of his fingers.

Aether was a breathless mess, feeling the wrinkles of Xiao’s knuckles brushing against his
insides, his body heating up as Xiao broke him apart. Each time he buried his fingers inside
him up to the knuckle, he flicked that piercing with his thumb, enjoying the way Aether’s
moans would catch in his throat in response.

Dazed and struggling for clarity, Aether managed to slip a condom on Xiao, wishing to just
thrust himself on it as soon as he could. He craved it so much.

When Xiao was satisfied with Aether’s looseness, he sat up, causing Aether to fall over on
his hands and knees in front of him, his eyes teary from being put in his place. Xiao took his
place behind Aether, rising to his knees as he grabbed the blonde by his hips, pulling him
back until he could bury his cock between his cheeks. He and Aether shared a moan, the hairs
on their bodies raising as Xiao’s warm cock pressed against that cold ring.

“Do you like it? My piercings, my body?” Aether whispered. Xiao hated the way he didn’t
even have to think about it. His answer flowed from his lips before he could stop it, “Yeah. I
can’t get enough of you.”

Aether’s lips curled into a smile at Xiao’s honesty. He loved seeing him like this, reduced to
every bit the horny man Aether made him to be. He enjoyed the way Xiao’s usual arrogance
had no room to shine with the lust that occupied him. He was no longer capable of lying just
to spite Aether. Xiao’s hand wrapped around Aether’s hair, pushing it to one shoulder so he
could trail love bites on the nape of his neck.

His free hand teased his cock against Aether's hole, brushing over his taint and shuddering at
the feeling of Aether’s piercing brushing against his cock.

“Be mine,” Xiao said in his ear. He pulled away from Aether’s bruised neck, covered with
hickeys made by him. Seeing his own marks on Aether’s body made him all the keener to
have him.

Aether’s mind swirled at Xiao’s demand. He was pushed onto his back, looking up at Xiao
with a startled expression as he processed his words. Then, his face twisted into a look of
pain and pleasure; he wasn’t allowed to think about Xiao’s words, a loud moan escaping him
as he pushed his cock inside him at last. His vision danced with dark spots, his legs thrown
over Xiao’s shoulders so that his taint was on full display with that piercing glinting on it.

Xiao admired Aether’s face, his spine tingling with pleasure as he buried himself inside him.
His gaze slowly trailed down his body from the marks he’d left on his neck and collar to his
pierced nipples to the tattoo he’d carved on Aether’s ribs, and finally, to his pretty cock and
the ring on his perineum.

The sight of his own cock disappearing inside the man he desired so badly was a welcomed
one.

“Be mine.” Xiao repeated, this time more strongly, breathless but full of resoluteness. He
fucked Aether, thrusting into him as one of his hands teased the piercing on his nipples and
the other teased the one on his taint. Aether moaned helplessly under him, his eyes on Xiao’s
hands, watching the way they played with his body as if they owned him. He was made to
look up at Xiao as he wrapped a hand around his jaw, forcing him to meet his eyes. “You
know you want to,” Xiao said.
Aether gently bit down on his finger, his whorish moans depicting every bit of his enjoyment
to be laying under Xiao like this.

Aether managed a scoff, though his body trembled with pleasure, loving how warm Xiao's
cock was inside him. “What reason do I have to be with you other than your dick?” He asked,
his eyes dancing with amusement. He anticipated Xiao’s answer. Xiao was right, of course.
Aether wanted to be his; he wanted Xiao as his boyfriend. But who would he be if he didn’t
put up a fight? It wouldn’t be like him not to give Xiao what he wanted too easily. Xiao’s
eyes gleamed, undeterred by the challenge Aether posed. His determined gaze showed his
affection for Aether; his eyes lingered on Aether’s new tattoo.

Even if the piercings on Aether’s body were not a product of his hands, that tattoo was. He
wanted no one else to see it—and if they did, he wanted them to know who had made it on
Aether’s body.

His cock dug into Aether’s squishy prostate, a jolt of pleasure rushing through both of them.

Xiao held Aether’s gaze, their grunts and moans of pleasure mixing with the sounds of
Aether’s squelching hole and the creaking of the bed. “Because…” Xiao whispered, gasping
for air, “I am everything you love in a man. You’ll come to love me the same way you love
my tattoos, arms, and body.”

Aether’s belly burned with pleasure as Xiao forced him nearer to his orgasm. He gave Xiao a
dry smile, though his heart fluttered at his words. “I want so badly to tell you you’re wrong…
but I can’t,” he said. Xiao was the one making him feel this orgasm in his belly. Xiao was the
one who had branded his body just earlier that day. He was the one who made Aether so
damned needy for his touch and affection. It was more than easy enough for him to learn to
love all these infuriating aspects of his personality. He and Xiao were perfect for each other.
Only a fool would say otherwise.

Xiao pumped his cock in time with his thrusts, smirking at his words. “You’re insufferable,”
Aether gasped, hating the self-satisfied look on Xiao’s face and wishing he could wipe it off.

“Bold words for someone who’s at my mercy,” Xiao murmured, giving his cock a tight
squeeze. A strangled cry escaped Aether, his hips lifting off the bed as a wave of pain and
pleasure washed through him.

He glared at Xiao menacingly, but all Xiao could think of was how pretty he looked when
made a mess of. “Bold actions for someone begging me to be his boyfriend,” Aether
grumbled. He pulled himself up by Xiao’s arms, sitting himself on his thighs and bouncing
on his dick. Their lips met, their eyes cracked open to watch each other as their tongues
entwined. When Xiao pulled away, a wispy moan escaped his lips as he hugged his arms
around Aether. His energy grew fainter as the orgasm bubbling in his belly threatened to
consume him.

He came first, coming into the condom with a grunt of pleasure. Aether's scent surrounded
him, only intensifying the pleasure his orgasm gave him. His grip on Aether’s dick tightened,
but he never stopped pumping it. Aether's moans as he was helped to his orgasm were like
 music to Xiao’s ears. He watched with enjoyment as Aether came into his palm, wincing as
his nails dug into his arms.

Aether heaved and gasped, his head against Xiao’s shoulder as he tried to find his breath, his
body tingling.

As his mind cleared, he appreciated how comfortable and warm it was in Xiao’s arms with
his chest bare against Aether’s own. He thought about Xiao’s words from earlier—how he
wanted to be with him. He smiled giddily to himself, grateful that he had taken the risk to
approach Xiao first today. He had been waiting for these words. He'd gotten a whole tattoo
done just so he could tempt Xiao into making his move; it had worked.

He leaned back, meeting Xiao’s gaze with his smile shining as bright as his sunflowers,
making Xiao’s heart hammer. “I’ll be yours, Xiao,” he conceded, causing Xiao’s eyes to
widen with a surprised, happy look, “as long as you promise not to break any more of my
vases.”

Xiao managed to crack an amused smile. “Tall order,” he said, smirking when it earned him a
glare. “Deal.”

Chapter End Notes

i've been busy with life and uni, but writing is still one of my few joys <3 i love these
homos and i'm glad i was able to write this chapter; i know the plot wasn't really as
robust or memorable as some of my other chapters, but i hope the smut was enjoyable
for yall! have a lovely autumn <3333
 Priest/Demon (Zhongli/Childe)
Chapter Summary

WARNING: Kidnapping.

In a world where gods and demons walk among humans, a humble priest named
Zhongli, revered by those around him, lives a life of suppression, hiding his true self. He
often craves an escape, to unleash all the undesirable qualities that made him the
imperfect man he is, but forces himself to uphold his image.

However, all that changes when he meets a man named Childe, a naive incubus who
seeks easy prey. Zhongli finds himself with an opportunity to unfurl his true self and
swiftly takes it. He shows his true malevolent nature as he torments Childe, promising
him only death. But perhaps the years of pretending to be a benevolent man have
softened him, for he can't bring himself to watch Childe die. In just six days, he betrays
his life's work with a broken contract, all so he can have Childe all to himself.

Chapter Notes

💀 BUT YUH IM ONLY FIVE DAYS LATE 💅

AAAAAAAAA I'm so tired, uni's been busting my nutsack and I just finished midterms
I hope y'all enjoy the chappie! it
certainly isn't my best but hehe I hope it makes y'all fail no nut November!

In the serene, sunlit chamber of the Church of Liyue, the chants of religious church-goers
echoed off the walls. A group of thirty people aged from as old as 70 to as young as 20 stood
in a circle around a rotunda inside the church, their arms linked and their eyes closed as they
prayed to The Seven for peace and prosperity.

Standing at the head of the circle on an elevated platform was a youthful but mature-looking
man who stood tall as he led the prayer. At first glance, no one would’ve guessed that he was
the priest who presided over each prayer for how young and handsome he was. The only
indication of his exalted status was the necklace resting on his collarbone. He was dressed in
a long white robe that fell gracefully to his ankles, cinched around his waist with a gold sash,
and a necklace with the symbol of Liyue's element—the Mark of Geo—lay gracefully around
his neck, representing the seven gods they worshipped.

With his graceful demeanor and flowing black hair tied neatly back, he looked nothing short
of godly himself. It was easy for everyone in the room to believe that he was the gods’
chosen one—the one who was sent to help them evade hellfire and repent for their worldly
sins.

Just the way he carried himself with confidence and compassion made people want to trust
him.

He was learned, polite, and gentle. He understood the deepest desires and motivators of his
followers and helped them onto the path of faith. He was well-loved by everyone in the room.

As he led the prayer to an end, he opened his brilliant gold eyes and unfurled his arms,
causing everyone else to follow suit. He smiled kindly at them as he gave his sermon,
thanking them for allowing him to guide them towards the light—for giving him a chance to
save them. They shared his smile and one by one went up to bid him a good day before the
members of the church dispersed. Zhongli’s eyes glinted as he stepped off of his own
elevated platform. He wanted to leave immediately, excited to get home.

He disappeared into the back to change out of his vestments; he didn’t quite like what a
fashion statement these types of clothes were. They drew too much attention towards him. He
changed into his usual clothes—a crisp dress shirt, slacks, and a blazer.

He kept that necklace around his collar and slung the blazer over his arm as he left the
changing room and began packing up his few items. Zhongli's hand casually slipped into his
slacks' pocket, smiling as his fingers closed around a little plastic object. Feeling it brought
him some form of peace, making him all the more anxious to leave. However, as he made
preparations to depart, a woman from the service timidly walked up to him as if she’d been
waiting for him. Zhongli didn’t look surprised—it wasn’t uncommon for people to stop to
chat after service. He recognized the woman, whom he knew as Mrs. Fa.

Zhongli made a point to learn the names of those he interacted with as well as thoughtfully
memorize details about them so they’d feel seen and heard. Mrs. Fa had a rather turbulent
home life, due to which she sought out religious help. Now, it seemed she was adjusting quite
nicely.

He fixed a polite smile on his face as she approached him, though internally, he sighed with
disappointment. He was looking quite forward to getting home, but he knew it was his duty
to help her if he wanted to keep up his life's work.

“Mrs. Fa, how can I assist you?” he asked. “It was good to see you so enthusiastic during the
hymn, I’m glad you are taking to the church.”

Mrs. Fa looked bashful at his praise, nodding earnestly. “Yes, th-that’s what I wanted to
discuss with you, Mr. Zhongli,” she said, “I wanted to thank you. I’ve never been in touch
with the gods—I didn’t pray regularly nor was I motivated to give them offerings; my whole
life was one trainwreck after another after my husband left. But since joining the church, your
kindness in the way you treat us all has inspired me greatly. Since then, my prayers have been
answered; my husband has come back to me. It’s all thanks to you that I was able to get my
life together.”
Her solemnity and gratitude were genuine, causing Zhongli to smile, though his eyes
twinkled with an emotion that he didn’t feel keen to reflect.

Instead, he nodded sincerely. “I am happy to hear that, Mrs. Fa. The gods must be smiling
down upon you now that they see how far you’re coming along. The gods’ love knows no
bounds; each step you take towards them will be rewarded. It is through your effort that you
were able to come so far. Be proud of yourself.”

Mrs. Fa looked far more cheerful at his words, wiping wisps of tears from the corners of her
eyes. She thanked him profusely for his empathy and kindness. He still had that twinkle in his
eye as he offered her a parting blessing before she left for the exit.

A few meters away, two middle-aged ladies stood conversing, observing Zhongli with keen
interest. They admired him for his politeness, empathy, and sincere religious devotion. To
them, Zhongli was a man unlike any they had seen in their lives. “He’s such a catch,” one of
the ladies said wistfully, sighing dreamily. “They didn’t make men like that back in our day—
so young and handsome and so devoted to the gods. Having him as a son-in-law would be
such a pleasure.”

The other woman agreed enthusiastically, “And so smart too! He knows his way around a
lady; he’ll make a lovely husband someday.”

Unbeknownst to them, Zhongli could hear every word they said and fought back a smile. He
didn’t feel bashful, nor did he agree with them. He was relieved to wrap things up and go
back home. As he exited the church, he noted the way others’ eyes would dart toward him,
hoping to catch a glimpse of the handsome religious man. He was confident and purposeful
in his strides as he walked to his car. He left the church shortly after, humming a religious
hymn under his breath with a smile on his face.

He was in a good mood, for he had a treat waiting for him at home. He’d been looking
forward to having it all day. Being a dutiful man was difficult at times for he had expectations
to live up to. But he felt good about today—he was putting himself first for the first time in a
long time.

He pulled into his driveway after a short fifteen-minute drive, pulling the car out of ignition
and grabbing his coat from the passenger seat. He stepped out and made his way up the steps
of his quaint little home.

He smiled fondly as memories of building this home by hand many years ago flooded his
mind. Zhongli was quite proud of how far he’d come. He had built a life for himself from
scratch and it had taken him numerous years to get to where he was now. He had remained
strict and ascetic to ensure himself a good life in which he grew stronger and stronger by the
day. But now, for the first time in a while, Zhongli had decided to treat himself and deviate
from his own pious lifestyle. He had an easy, amused smile on his face as he stepped into his
house, carefully taking off his shoes and hanging his coat on the rack.

He rolled up the sleeves of his button-up and loosened the first button, stepping out of the
persona of the godly man others perceived him to be. Home was where he didn’t have to
pretend. He no longer had that empathetic, benevolent look in his eyes as he allowed his real
self to take over. His eyes grew colder and more calculating, but the purposefulness in his
stride had not faded.

He shifted his gaze to a door by the kitchen and smiled to himself. He made his way towards
it, pulling a key from his pants pocket and unlocking it, revealing a set of stairs leading down
into the dark basement.

Zhongli confidently strode down, his eyes adjusting instantly to the darkness. He flicked on a
switch along the wall, providing minimal light in the basement. A whimpering sound caught
his ears and a shiver of pleasure rippled through him. Still with that easy smile on his face, he
reached the basement and looked towards the adjacent wall, where a figure sat with his arms
bound behind his back, squirming and writhing. He was the source of the whimpering, his
noises accompanied by a gentle whirring sound as he gasped and cried. Zhongli neared the
pathetic figure as he lay curled up, trying to make himself seem as little a target as possible.

“How is my captive doing?” Zhongli asked with amusement. In the quiet basement, his voice
seemed to echo, startling the man. His lips were parted to pant heavily, his hair plastered over
his face, and his eyes squeezed shut as he tried his best to cope with what he was feeling.

He opened his pretty blue eyes and looked up at Zhongli with tears in them, causing a ripple
of pleasure to go through the priest.

“Beautiful,” Zhongli whispered, crouching down before him. He reached out a hand and ran
it through Childe’s fluffy locks, causing him to flinch. Zhongli’s hand raked over the orange
ears that sat atop his head, causing him to moan out and twitch. Childe looked at him with a
misty, fearful expression as if he could hardly see him. It was only natural, for Zhongli had
been consistently torturing him for the last three days. Don’t get him wrong—he hadn’t laid a
hand on this pretty ginger; there were no signs of physical distress on his body. It wasn’t
Zhongli’s style to abuse his victims, but that didn’t mean he was merciful.

He felt no regret as he saw the ginger’s broken form; he was a low-ranking demon after all.
Zhongli would never have captured, restrained, or tortured him like this had he not been
boldly approached first.

“Are you scared?” Zhongli asked gently, caressing Childe’s tear-stained face. He watched
with satisfaction as the cute little demon’s ears flapped as he nodded meekly. The mechanical
whirring still echoed in the room, causing Zhongli to look down at Childe’s legs. They were
closed tightly together, hiding his naked body, while an orange tail wrapped around them,
trying desperately to keep himself warm. “Legs open,” Zhongli commanded, his voice
dropping an octave as he admired Childe’s beautiful unblemished skin.

It got tempting sometimes to abuse him in other, more violent ways. He wanted to see this
pretty white skin painted with bruises, but Zhongli kept contact with Childe’s body to a
minimum. Still, an ache of temptation teased him.

Childe shrunk deeper into the corner, knowing he would only be tormented more. “Pl-
Please… I can’t take it anymore, can’t you fuck me and be done with it?” he whispered, his
voice far weaker than it had been when Zhongli first captured him. Zhongli smiled—it was
only natural. The demon’s life force ebbed away with every hour.
“Why would I do something you so desperately desire? You made a grave mistake targeting
me, little fox—you underestimated me. And now, you have to pay for it.” Zhongli said
simply, making Childe’s lips tremble.

Then, he wrapped his hand around Childe’s ankle and yanked his legs apart, causing him to
yelp.

Zhongli’s eyes crinkled with pleasure at the sight of the demon’s naked body. His cute little
cock stood rigid, covered with his own slimy cum, and just underneath, his pretty hole ached
and twitched, stretched apart by a vibrator that Zhongli had inserted in him before leaving
that morning. The whirring came from the vibrator constantly brushing against the ginger’s
prostate, making his whole body tingle. Zhongli smiled, reaching into the pocket of his pants
and finding that little plastic object quickly. He tapped a button on it, and the whirring
stopped.

Childe's convulsing abdomen relaxed as he released a breath he'd been holding. He looked at
Zhongli with a lustful look of pure longing. The bushy orange tail kept swishing between his
legs, but it made no moves to hide his body. Either Childe knew it would only be shoved out
of the way or… he enjoyed Zhongli’s weighty gaze on his body.

The thought made Zhongli smirk because of how plausible it was. You see, Childe wasn’t just
any demon. He was an incubus—a demon who fed on sexual acts and fell apart at the
prospect of sex.

He took the form of a pretty, pale Snezhnayan man with a pair of orange ears on his head and
a fox’s tail coming from his tailbone that he revealed only after capturing his prey. He was
designed to seduce anyone who suited his tastes—he was tall, muscular, and handsome to
attract beautiful women and pretty, lithe, and lewd to appeal to men like Zhongli. Zhongli
admitted he would’ve fallen for Childe’s charms had he been a normal man—who could
resist a beauty like this one?

But the fact was that Zhongli was no regular man. He wasn’t the kind, perfect man the older
ladies at the church saw him as nor the handsome, empathetic priest others knew him to be.
He was no man at all.

He had everyone fooled—even a demon like Childe hadn’t been able to recognize him for
what he was. It was all positively amusing for Zhongli, but it made him want to punish
Childe for his cluelessness even more. He didn’t hurt Childe—no, he did much worse than
that. He made sure to withhold what Childe needed to survive.

Three days ago, Childe had approached Zhongli after church as a seductive human man. He
had tried to hide his own exotically demonic features, looking into Zhongli's golden eyes
with a handsome smirk, his pretty lips speaking tantalizingly tempting words. He did his best
to appeal to Zhongli, attempting to seduce him into sex. He thought of him as nothing more
than an abstinent priest he could force to do his bidding. He would take what he needed from
Zhongli and discard him. But almost instantly, Zhongli had known what he was, for he was
something far worse. To have a low-ranking demon think he could outsmart him like this was
nothing short of insulting for someone like Zhongli.
That was why he wasn’t lenient. For three days, Childe had had nothing to consume. He
wasn’t touched sexually nor penetrated even though Zhongli wanted to have his beautiful
body for himself. His pride was too great for him to give Childe what he wanted.

But that didn’t mean Zhongli didn’t torment him in other ways. He was teased relentlessly
with toys that couldn’t sustain him. Childe would cum and cum and cum, but he would still
be able to feel his own life force draining. Zhongli had watched him grow weaker and frailer.
Soon, if he wasn’t given what he needed, Childe would slowly starve to death in a matter of
days. Zhongli looked forward to watching that happen. Still, he allowed himself to enjoy the
sight of his body; even he didn’t have the self-restraint not to feel aroused by the incubus.

Zhongli stood up and unzipped his pants, popping the button open and lowering it just a little
along with his boxers.

Childe’s eyes followed his hands with great enthusiasm as Zhongli brought out his cock,
watching as it hardened rapidly. He was brimming with hope that Zhongli would give him
what he wanted at last. Just the sight of it made Childe weak and needy as he fought his
restraints to get closer to it, but it was just beyond the reach of his lips. It was as beautiful as
Zhongli was—it had been what got Childe into such a pathetic position in the first place.

“P-Please…” he whimpered, his eyes full of a pleading look.

Zhongli observed this with satisfaction. It felt good to have someone at his mercy. He hadn’t
allowed himself to enjoy something like this in ages. He had forgotten what it meant to be
himself.

He gently tapped the head of his cock against Childe’s lips, letting out a breath of pleasure at
the friction, but he pulled away without allowing Childe to get a taste of it. Childe whined
and begged for it as Zhongli began to pump himself to the sight of his pleading face and
eager body. He enjoyed the way Childe’s cock leaked rapidly with arousal, pushing down
gently on the vibrator inside him and moaning as if pretending it was Zhongli’s cock inside
him instead.

He was so desperate for it that he felt like throwing himself at Zhongli’s feet, but he couldn’t
with his arms bound to the pipe behind him.

Zhongli held up his shirt with his teeth to prevent it from getting in his way as he stroked
himself. He hated the effect Childe had on him and how hard his cock was as he watched him
squirm miserably in yearning for it. It only irked him more and strengthened his resolve not
to give Childe what he wanted. He breathed out with pleasure as he grew closer to his
orgasm, feeling his lower abdomen squirm.

The sight of Childe sitting obediently and begging to have it inside him made it all the easier
for him to finish.

He moaned as he came over Childe’s face as the ginger opened his mouth to catch the
droplets. His cum splattered across Childe’s face, coating it in sticky ribbons as he basked in
the pleasure that racked through his body.
Zhongli amusedly looked down at Childe as he lapped up the few droplets that had fallen into
his mouth. Childe would’ve made a good pet. Zhongli entertained the thought for a few
moments, but in the end, his resolve reminded him that he couldn’t do it. He would have to
save Childe from death if he were to keep him alive as his pet. He couldn’t let Childe have
the satisfaction of being fucked by him—not while Zhongli’s mind was still clear.

“N-No,” Childe whimpered as Zhongli began to tuck his cock back into his boxers. He
sounded so sincere and heartbroken that Zhongli almost caved in.

Instead, he smiled, fixing up his own appearance and gently caressing Childe’s face, “Don’t
get your hopes up, pretty fox. As of today, I have no intention of letting you leave this
basement alive,” he said apathetically, enjoying the fear in Childe’s eyes.

Zhongli moved away from him, heading back to the mouth of the basement, deciding to get
some of his work done. He had had his fun for the day. But he stopped as he was about to
climb the stairs as Childe’s meek voice whispered, “Why? Why are you doing this? Y-You
know I don’t have the power to kill humans… my intention wasn't to kill you. You could’ve
had your fun with me and left me on my way. You’re not a godly man in any case… so
why?” Zhongli turned halfway to look at the demon, a blank expression on his face. He heard
the genuine confusion in Childe’s voice, who had never before experienced the humiliation of
being tormented with no sex.

“You mean you still haven’t figured it out... you are a clueless little thing—far less wise than
I gave you credit for,” Zhongli murmured thoughtfully, sounding disappointed. The clink of
Childe’s handcuffs as he shifted uncomfortably at the expectation in Zhongli’s voice echoed
through the room.

Then, with a casual grace, Zhongli's form flickered. Childe's eyes burned suddenly, causing
him to wince and blink his eyes. In that moment, Zhongli began to change—he turned into
something far less human, far more ethereal. Horns of black and gold rose from his cranium,
curled backward through the wisps of black hair. Where the sleeves of his dress shirt had
been pulled up, Zhongli’s arms, once veiled with humanity, had been tainted jet-black,
embellished with golden veins that glistened in the basement’s dim lighting. His hair grew
wilder and shaggier, bursting from his ponytail, while a thick black tail ridged with gold
spikes unfurled behind him, tufts of fluffy golden hairs decorating the tip. He looked nothing
short of majestic, and yet, there wasn't a trace of benevolence in his eyes as one would
expect.

In the millisecond Childe’s eyes had been closed, Zhongli revealed his true form. As he
reopened his eyes, they widened with shock, horror, and fear as he gazed at Zhongli. Childe’s
heart rapidly dropped into the pits of his stomach where a vortex of anxiety churned. He was
now fully beginning to appreciate just how he’d messed up.

He recognized Zhongli instantly, for behind his white dress shirt, a golden mark glowed on
his chest. It matched perfectly with the pendant around Zhongli's neck. It was the diamond-
shaped mark of Geo that showed through his shirt. Zhongli was no ordinary human priest. No
—he wasn’t a human at all. Everything he did in his day-to-day life, fooling people into
believing he was a godly man, helping them get closer to divinity, and showering them with
his wisdom, was built on an elaborate lie.
Zhongli was neither a human nor a demon, but something much more powerful. He was the
God of Contracts, an integral part of the Seven he so wholeheartedly claimed to worship in
the life he led as Zhongli.

“M-Morax…” Childe whispered fearfully. Zhongli responded to his pathetic whimper with a
sarcastic incline of his head, smirking.

He resembled Childe and his demonic traits in the animalistic features that decorated his
body, but he was something far more primordial. His divinity could be seen in his eyes that
shone like pools of gold. His pupils were no longer black, nor did the tips of his hair remain
the same color. Instead, they were gold, showing anyone who gazed upon his face that he
wasn't only a godly man—he was a god.

Childe didn’t know how badly he’d screwed himself over up until this point. He had
convinced himself that he would be able to tempt the priest into letting him go eventually.
But now that he knew what he was dealing with… he felt truly stricken as hopelessness
washed over him. He had walked right into a god and tried to swindle sex from him. There
was no greater insult.

“Please… have mercy,” Childe said weakly. All the hope he still had left was filtering out of
him like clockwork.

Zhongli simply smiled as if 'mercy' was a foreign concept. “Mercy is a fragile concept only
humans believe in, pretty fox. You are no human; let go of such hopeful delusions.” He held
up a tiny plastic object for Childe to see, causing his breath to hitch. He had no time to think
before a scream escaped his lips. The vibrator still shoved deep inside him came back to life.
Zhongli watched him writhe with a small chuckle before he turned away and began striding
upstairs, his tail swishing in his wake, leaving a trembling Childe behind as all hope for
coming out of this alive left him.

***

Zhongli’s routine continued for three more days, where he counseled the members of his
church and guided them onto the ‘path of the gods’. Of course, that wasn't far from what he
was actually doing. He listened to their solemn vows and confessions and would smile to
himself, trying his best to keep himself together even through the hilarity of it all. The
amusement of knowing the way he was duping the poor mortals of Liyue never got old or
insignificant. They prayed to the god, Morax, in his presence, begging for his help, when
Morax stood right in front of them.

Each time someone sang his praises, he would have to hold back a fit of laughter—if only
they knew. Each time an elderly lady wished he would marry their daughter, all that would go
through his mind was how amusing it would be if they found out who he really was. They
would never dare to make such comments if they knew he was the god they worshipped.

In their eyes, he was spreading the word of the gods, helping them onto the path of light.
Only a fool would believe that was the extent of what he was doing. He was a god, not nearly
as gentle and benevolent as he led people to believe. His motives for doing all this—
descending as a human—were not so simple or selfless as wanting to help his people get
through their lives with ease.

Five hundred years ago, Teyvat had been in shambles due to strife among the gods as well as
the humans in Khaenri'ah. The mortals were subject to famine and unbearable living
conditions—many perished by the thousands daily.

Zhongli had watched all this unfold for a long time even after their massacre had ended, but
he saw all the ways he could benefit from such a disastrous era.

If there was one thing he’d learned early on, it was that few gods cared for the mortals out of
the kindness of their hearts. He had much to gain from exploiting such a weakness, for it was
the humans’ worship that exalted the gods to their Archonhood in the first place. And so,
Zhongli took the opportunity.

He descended to Earth as a human five hundred years ago amidst the chaos, when mortals
needed something to help them cope with their terrible lives.

He began to spread the word of the gods, archaisms that only gullible humans would believe,
garnering followers who needed some form of hope for a better tomorrow. He taught the
people rituals to obtain the gods' favor, even though they were tedious and unnecessary; it
was all just fake rules, for humans rarely believed something could be as simple as dreaming
or hoping for a better life. Before long, in that dark era, more and more people began to join
him in “worshipping the gods”. To solidify the mortals' faith, Zhongli instilled his own power
into the Earth, lessening their burden with riches from the stones. With the help of his allies,
he gave the humans gifts in the name of the gods so they would believe in him.

He received the credit for the mortals’ improved lives and basked in it, for each day, their
worship of him only made him stronger. The strength of his influence increased with each
passing year. He grew to enjoy his role in human society as well, finding himself becoming
gentler after so long of benevolently dealing with the mortals. Perhaps that was why he'd
been so keen to unleash some of the cruelty he'd been suppressing. Maybe that was why he
found himself so keenly interested in Childe.

In the last five hundred years, he'd abstained from self-interest and didn’t often get to indulge
in fun little pastimes like torturing pretty little incubi for his own twisted pleasure.

Eventually, as the generations began to pass, Zhongli would take the form of a new priest
each century. He would be “reborn” over and over to spread his own teachings to the humans
of each generation that came into being.

In this era, he was a kind, empathetic, and handsome priest named Zhong Li. With each
century, he veiled himself better and better, to the point where even demons like Childe fell
into his trap. The idea of a lowly incubus thinking he could have his way with someone like
him was insulting. He supposed he couldn’t fully blame the poor soul for not knowing who
he was while he was in the body of Zhongli—not even the other gods knew what he was
doing. But still, the opportunity to have a little fun had presented itself to Zhongli, and after a
long time, he indulged in it.
The thought of Childe never ceased to make him smile. Today, he found himself returning to
the basement with a bounce in his step, having been paying the cute fox visits every day for
the three days that had passed. He grew weaker and weaker by the day. He looked forward to
seeing what was left of him now; today would mark his final day alive.

A part of him hoped Childe was alive—it would be disappointing if he died so soon.

Perhaps he’d grown used to the idea of having company in his quaint little home. Perhaps
he’d grown accustomed to the idea of playing with his little captive. He wasn’t quite sure
what made him glad to see Childe.

As he descended into the basement, he flicked on the light, his eyes shifting to where Childe
was. He found the little demon sitting curled up into a tiny ball, still alive but only a mere
shell of the robust man he’d been when Zhongli first captured him. His muscle mass had
dropped significantly, his usually bouncy hair lay flat on his head, and he seemed to have
little energy to even raise his head. Zhongli could sense that death was imminent for the little
demon if he continued on this path with no sustenance. Surprisingly, this thought didn’t sit
well with Zhongli despite his determination not to give the lowly incubus what he needed
from him.

He neared Childe’s curled-up body, hovering over him with a mixture of enjoyment and pity
swirling in his eyes at how small he looked.

He cupped Childe’s jaw and forced him to look up at him. His pretty blue eyes were duller
and less lively, but his desperation to survive still shone in them. He looked up at Zhongli
with a truly broken and battered look, causing satisfaction to bubble in his chest. This
defeated look suited Childe.

“Please…” Childe whispered weakly, unable to regulate his thoughts long enough to force a
coherent sentence from his lips.

Zhongli promptly ignored him, crouching down to Childe’s level. He kept his gaze on
Childe’s thin body, gripping his ankle and tugging his legs apart. That whirring was no longer
in the room, causing Zhongli to click his tongue gently as he realized the batteries had likely
run out.

He gazed at Childe’s cock, which now hung limp, his abdomen coated with dried cum, his
ass wet with slick as it held on to that pink vibrator tightly. Childe’s skin was cold to the
touch, making Zhongli sigh gently. He grasped the vibrator by its hilt, careful not to touch
Childe in any way he could feed off of. “N-No…” Childe murmured, squirming as he
realized what Zhongli was about to do. Zhongli looked at Childe’s face and watched as it
contorted as he forcefully thrust the vibrator out of him, a cry erupting from the ginger’s
throat as he did so.

Zhongli stared at this lewd and pretty expression, wondering if Childe would make the same
face if he had Zhongli’s dick buried inside him. His eyes lidded halfway at the thought—no,
Childe’s expression would be even prettier when being fucked.
Realizing his thoughts were headed into dangerous territory, Zhongli forcibly reined in his
mind, but his eyes couldn’t help but wander back down between Childe’s legs. He watched as
Childe’s hole clenched and unclenched around thin air as if not used to being so empty after a
week with that vibrator lodged inside him. He licked his own lips—the desires he’d forcibly
shoved back to make way for his own pride were slowly cropping up.

Had he not been a god, he may well have taken this pretty incubus for himself. But his pride
kept jutting into the way.

But now, something had changed—the defeated look in Childe’s eyes made him feel a certain
way. He’d grown attached to the excitement he felt coming home for the last six days,
knowing entertainment awaited him in his monotonous boring life in the form of torturing
this cute incubus.

Perhaps this attachment was what almost compelled Zhongli to save him out of gratitude for
making him feel something after all these years of focusing on his one mission.

All of Childe’s hopes had not yet died but were so close to non-existence. If he couldn’t
convince Zhongli today, he knew he wouldn’t make it through the night. It was torturous to
go through this—feeling his body slowly withering, his ears drooped, his tail laying flat
against the ground, and each joint creaking. He didn’t believe in himself enough to convince
Zhongli. He could see the apathy in his expression—his death would make no difference to
the god. The thought frightened him unbearably. He didn’t want to die.

All he had wanted was a chance to be with such a beautiful human man. He could never have
predicted he would face his capture and painful demise at his hands.

“I’m begging you,” Childe croaked, his voice unbelievably frail, hardly reaching Zhongli’s
ears. Zhongli raised his eyebrows at him, sardonicism in his expression. To have a demon
sound so defeated—so utterly helpless—was a treat unlike any other.

He couldn’t help but milk the moment, leaning in closer, “What was that?” However, Zhongli
didn’t realize the mistake he was making, getting so close. With the sharpness of a viper, the
desperation Childe felt filled him with enough strength to stretch his legs out and wrap them
around Zhongli’s waist, forcibly pulling him closer until he sat on Zhongli’s thighs, holding
him as close to his own body as he could.

“Fuck me,” Childe whispered in his ear, his lips brushing against Zhongli’s cheek, coaxing
him into temptation as he kissed along his jaw.

His actions were truly a mark of how pathetic he’d been rendered, for all he had left was the
little salacious charm he used to tempt humans. They reflected every bit of his fear—the last
ditch effort for survival. He kissed Zhongli on the lips, trying to lean as close to him as he
could with his arms bound to the pipe, desperately trying to break down his walls. However,
Zhongli’s face remained expressionless; he watched through lidded eyes as Childe kissed him
with such longing and vigor, yet he didn't return his kiss.

But something had snapped inside of him. He knew he had lost the fight. He couldn’t resist
this pretty demon no matter how much he’d tried. Not after how adorable he was acting in his
fight for survival. It was truly amusing. He couldn’t let someone so cute die just like that. He
promised himself never to be tempted by Childe but he just couldn't help it. Still, his desire
for entertainment hadn’t waned. He had given in, but he would be damned if he let Childe
think he’d won him over so easily. He fastened a hand around Childe’s throat and yanked him
back, causing a choking sound to escape the ginger as he was slammed back against the pipe.

Zhongli stared at him with such malevolent joy as he squeezed his throat, truly frightening
Childe.

“You really are a bold little fox,” Zhongli murmured, “your sly tricks failed, so now you
revert to weak, pathetic attempts to save your life. How degrading for you.” His voice was so
callous that Childe felt his heart drop in his stomach.

Zhongli released his throat, throwing him back and forcing a weak whimper from his lips. He
rose to his feet, staring down at Childe mirthfully, seeing the last of his spirit break, thinking
Zhongli truly would let him die just like that. Seeing this free-spirited incubus lose hope was
what he had most wanted to see. And yet, he felt bitter that he, as the God of Contracts, could
not live up to his promise to watch Childe die.

He turned on his heel and walked back up the steps to make an effort to regroup his mind. He
needed to make sure he was in his right mind before he started razing that fox one bit at a
time. But as Childe watched him leave, he felt a hollow pit open up in his chest.

He really was going to die in this cold basement. The idea of being so close to death terrified
him.

Despite his own optimism, Childe felt more lost and alone than ever. He hadn’t expected his
demise would come at the hands of a god. He had been a fool not to know what Zhongli was.
It was his fault that he’d gotten into such a mess—one that he couldn’t get out of alive. He
had truly lost all hope. Tears welled in his eyes as he curled his legs up to his chest, resting
his head on his knees. He began to cry gently, his fox’s ears drooping with hopelessness for
his own fate. He truly was a pathetic sight.

He’d been confident in his own abilities to win Zhongli over—he’d remained optimistic ‘till
the end. But having watched Zhongli disappear up those steps for what he assumed would be
the last time before he died, Childe thought for certain there was no fighting his fate.

But then, the sounds of footsteps caught his ears again, yet he couldn’t find the strength nor
the will to look up. He cried into his knees and didn’t look up as Zhongli returned to the
basement.

Zhongli had stripped himself of his shirt, leaving him bare-chested. He’d stopped veiling his
own draconic characteristics, his thick black tail extending behind him, a pair of two-colored
horns growing from his wild and unkempt hair, which fell around his chest. Over his heart, a
bright golden diamond glistened, carved into his skin. His ivory-colored skin faded into a jet
black from his shoulders down to his hands, ridged with golden veins that glistened as if
pulsating. He truly was a beautifully terrifying sight—he looked so far from the human man
the people of his church thought him to be.
His golden eyes shimmered mirthfully as he watched Childe’s weak body tremble with sobs,
the corners of his mouth curling upwards at the idea that he’d rendered Childe a crying mess.
It pleased him that he could see him broken down like this despite his own resolve having
faltered.

Childe seemed too afraid to look up at him, hiding his crying face in his knees as if ashamed
of the state he was in. Zhongli reached behind him, grabbing the chain binding Childe to the
pipe. His hands began to glow a shade of gold as his fingers came into contact with the metal.
With a clink, the metal chain snapped off, freeing Childe.

Childe froze, feeling his tense, aching shoulders relax as his hands were no longer bound to
the pipe. Then, Zhongli’s cold hand closed around his jaw, cupping his face and forcing him
to look up again. His cold smile as he saw Childe’s tear-stained face and puffy red eyes spoke
volumes of his cruelty and all the things he wanted to do to the ginger. Then, Childe reached
his hands up and wrapped them weakly around Zhongli’s wrists, pushing against his grip. He
leaned close enough to press his face to Zhongli’s cock through his pants, still holding his
gaze.

“Please…” he whispered, kissing the bulge that rapidly grew under his lips. He whimpered as
Zhongli’s grip on his throat tightened dangerously as his eyes flashed.

“You don’t know when to give up, do you?” Zhongli asked him. In response, Childe only
crawled closer, his tail flicking behind him as he hugged Zhongli’s leg. As degrading as it
was, Childe ground against Zhongli’s leg, desperate for any form of sexual friction with a
living man.

Zhongli watched him do such whorish, animalistic acts with a look of admiration. The way
Childe’s mouth fell open as he rubbed his cock against Zhongli’s shins made him look
beautiful. His fluffy orange ears paired so well with his blue eyes and pale skin, making him
look almost ethereal. With a harsh tug, Zhongli pulled Childe to his feet by the throat, making
a strangled gasp escape the incubus. His legs trembled beneath him, held up only with the
support of Zhongli’s inhuman grip on his neck. Zhongli picked him up and threw his naked
body over his shoulder, feeling the last of his patience snapping.

He made his way upstairs with the dazed ginger in his arms. Childe’s hazy mind saw the floor
passing across his vision, wondering where Zhongli was taking him. He seldom had any hope
left for himself—he’d seen the malevolence in Zhongli’s eyes far too many times to believe
anything good was going to happen to him.

And yet, when his vision refocused, he had been pressed down into a mattress, having his lips
devoured by the man he desired most. Childe’s limbs wrapped around Zhongli, his wrists
heavy with the cuffs still hanging off them, but he made sure to hold on tight to Zhongli to
ensure the man wouldn’t be able to push him away. A blissful moan escaped him as his eyes
drooped to a close. He kissed Zhongli back, hardly able to fight his overbearing tongue,
though he hardly wanted to. Zhongli’s tongue was abnormal, thin and sleek like a reptile’s,
divided into two at the tip. It shoved itself deep into Childe’s throat, extending far longer than
a human’s, but Childe was undeterred. The feeling of Zhongli’s lips on his caused another
spark of hope in his chest.
Lying on the warm, soft mattress instead of the cold floor made his body relax slowly. He
kicked out his legs in complaint as Zhongli pulled away from his lips, a string of saliva
connecting their mouths as he looked down at Childe with a look of pure desire. Goosebumps
littered Childe’s skin at the way Zhongli stared at him.

Had he finally won him over? Was Zhongli giving in to him? Would he… would he be able
to come out of tonight alive? Childe knew better than to hope too much. The last time he’d
been confident in his abilities to win Zhongli over, he’d been broken down so strongly that
his spirit had shattered. But now, it seemed like the pieces were starting to mold back
together one shard at a time.

Zhongli’s cold hands began to feel up his body as he’d been wanting to for the last few days
since holding him captive. He felt disappointed in himself for not being able to resist this cute
demon, but as he nibbled on his fox’s ears, feeling them flap against his cheeks, and felt up
his thin and bony body, he could feel it paying off. Perhaps it might’ve been better had he lost
his resolve a few days ago, when Childe’s body was fuller and more muscular. But it was no
matter, in one night, Zhongli could restore the man he had captured six days ago.

Zhongli kissed his ears, trailing his lips down Childe’s face to his neck. He felt little
hesitation as he bit down forcefully on Childe’s skin. The crunch of the skin breaking and the
cry of pain Childe released were like music to Zhongli’s ears. He couldn’t get enough of this
pretty man.

His hands groped Childe’s chest, squeezing it roughly and scratching at it with his nails.
Childe let out a wispy moan as his nipples were clamped between Zhongli’s fingers, tugged
and pulled with vigor.

He fell apart under Zhongli’s hands and lips, his hands reaching up to grip Zhongli’s horns as
he felt his mind almost slip into the abyss of insanity at the bursts of energy his touch was
giving him. The sexual desire behind Zhongli’s fingers only served to leave Childe even
more helpless and at his mercy. After six long days of no sustenance, the sudden pleasure he
was feeling left his fingertips buzzing, his mind swirling like a vortex. All he could feel was
the cool touch of Zhongli’s fingers abusing his body and his warm lips leaving his neck more
bruised and cut-up than ever. But alongside it all, the hope that filled him, the renewed flame
of wanting to survive, to be devoured by a man he wanted so badly, was second to none.

“Inside… put it in,” Childe said dreamily, his speech slurred, feeling drunk off of Zhongli’s
attention. Zhongli’s golden eyes fixed on his face with an amused glint shining in them.

“You’re recovering that bratty entitlement that got you into this position in the first place,” he
said, a hint of warning in his tone, telling Childe not to be too demanding. But instead of
heeding Zhongli’s words and fearing them, Childe only smiled with pleasure, his fingers
stroking the bony material of Zhongli’s two-colored horns. “If it’s my bratty entitlement that
got me under the God of Contracts like this, then I don’t see any reason for me to let it go,”
he murmured.

Zhongli stared at him, seemingly at a loss for words for a few seconds. Then, he cracked a
smile, feeling his affection for Childe’s infuriating confidence increase just a little.
His words or arrogance didn’t make Zhongli want to rescind his touch. He was too far into it
to let go of Childe now. He flipped Childe around onto his stomach, letting out a breath of
pleasure as he stared down his lithe, scarred back until his eyes caught onto his cute bushy
tail. Zhongli’s fingers scratched at Childe’s tailbone, listening as the fox gasped and pushed
back against his touch, enjoying the way his nerves prickled at Zhongli’s touch.

“Sensitive little thing, aren’t you?” Zhongli said with admiration. He stroked Childe’s tail,
loving how soft it was to the touch. He shifted his gaze downwards, wanting to see the hole
he would soon be buried in, but he clicked his tongue as the tail kept flicking, blocking his
view of Childe’s pretty ass.

He gripped the tail by the base in his tight fist and pulled Childe by it, forcing his hips off the
bed until his ass stuck up. The roughness of his hands caused Childe to mewl with pain, his
back arching as Zhongli pulled his tail out of the way to give him an unobstructed view of
what he most wanted to see.

A smile made its way onto Zhongli’s lips at the sight of Childe’s hole, twitching, still covered
in dried lube. He reached out to his nightstand and grabbed a few tissues from the box, using
them to clean Childe up well.

He enjoyed the way Childe’s legs quaked at being touched on his most sensitive areas, being
cleaned in every nook and cranny. Zhongli wanted a clean slate to make a mess of. All the
dried cum on Childe’s stomach was wiped off, his abdomen clenching as if waiting for a
fresh batch of cum to be covered by. Childe’s heart trembled with anticipation—he wanted to
be covered in Zhongli’s body fluids, covered in marks made by his lips, teeth, and hands. He
wanted to feel his big dick pound into his abdomen until he could no longer feel his own
aching joints.

Childe was so desperate for it. Subtly, he lifted his own foot off the bed, still with his back to
Zhongli, and brushed it against the bulge in Zhongli’s pants. He felt Zhongli pause his
endeavor with his body, his eyes following the trek of Childe’s foot as he rubbed it against his
dick.

Zhongli released a breath of pleasure, looking down between Childe’s legs and watching as
droplet after droplet of precum dripped from Childe’s dick onto the bedsheet.

He managed a quiet laugh, running his fingers through his own hair with exasperation,
realizing Childe was loving this friction more than he was. “You really are something else,”
he murmured, wrapping his arms around Childe’s thighs and hoisting his lower body up to
bring it level with his face. He placed Childe's thighs on his shoulders, holding the lower half
of his body aloft. Childe let out a startled noise, feeling his center of gravity tilt, making him
dizzy.

As Zhongli stuck his tongue out and licked it over his hole, he felt himself tremble even
more, his mind swirling.

His demonic body was fashioned to appreciate all manners of sexual touch, making every
little thing Zhongli did feel like volts of electricity shocking his nerves. Zhongli’s thin tongue
was hot as it slathered spit all over his hole, making Childe gasp and claw at the sheets,
waiting for him to shove it in. His feet were suspended in the air, his toes curling as he felt
the muscle begin to penetrate inside him, causing him to tighten his grip on the pillow he
clutched. Zhongli entered him with his tongue, but instead of remaining at his rim, it grew
longer and longer inside him, flicking his prostate with exceptional control until Childe was
screaming.

He felt so full inside that he couldn’t breathe. He had forgotten what it felt like to feel so
good. He felt like the dragon was eating him bit by bit, savoring every taste of his body, ready
to devour him whole. Childe felt that would be a good way to die.

He cried and screamed Zhongli’s name, ripping the sheets, his airborne legs trying to kick
their way from Zhongli’s inhuman grip. He was completely at the god’s mercy, and yet he
smiled so blissfully. A lowly incubus like him was being made a mess of by a god strong
enough to level Teyvat. It pleased him to have gotten what he wanted, even if he had to go
through so much suffering to obtain it. It was all worth it now that he found himself falling
apart like this, being fucked with a dragon’s tongue.

His cock kept dripping, his hole clenching around Zhongli’s tongue, desperate for something
more, something harder and warmer, but he couldn’t find the breath to beg for it.

Zhongli slowly released his thighs, pulling his tongue out from inside Childe, making him cry
out in pleasure as he felt the warm muscle retract, harshly brushing against his sweet spot as
it went. Childe slumped down against the mattress, trying to catch his breath, though the tip
of his tail kept flicking more and more with excitement for what was to come.

One of Zhongli’s rough hands threw him onto his back, causing him to meet his eyes.

Childe felt his breath catch in his throat at how perfect and handsome Zhongli looked. His
mind was clearer as some of his life force was breathed back into him, causing him to admire
Zhongli’s body for the first time.

His shaky hands reached forward, groping at Zhongli’s chest with a dazed look in his eyes,
his thumbs feeling up the diamond-shaped mark over his heart. His hands slid down his body,
feeling the muscles on Zhongli’s abdomen tighten and feel his own cock twitch with arousal
at the sight. Then, his fingers met the waistband on Zhongli’s pants, and with a tentative
glance at his face, he tugged them down. He looked almost reverently at Zhongli’s cock as it
burst from its confines. It was big enough to split Childe’s frail body in half with its thick
wire-like veins running around the girth, and yet, it was the thing Childe had almost given his
life to have.

A drop of drool managed its way down the side of his mouth as he reached out and touched it
with both his hands for the first time. It was burning hot to the touch, causing Childe to
flinch, but he wrapped his hands around it with a hungry look, stroking it gently.

Zhongli watched him do this with his golden eyes gleaming with satisfaction. It was almost
as if Childe was worshipping him. Zhongli had quite grown accustomed to being worshipped
in a sanctimonious church, but all of it was under the guise that they were worshipping a
faraway god, not the man who stood before them. This was the first time someone
worshipped him for who he was. It pleased him more than he cared to admit, but the
trembling of the bed gave him away. Behind him, his thick, heavy tail swished from side to
side.

Zhongli reached one hand around and captured both of Childe’s wrists before pinning them to
the bed, causing the ginger to whine out, his eyes never leaving Zhongli’s thick cock.

Zhongli loved the effect it had on the ginger, the way his cock twitched and trembled, leaking
copious amounts of precum just from being able to touch Zhongli’s dick. He kept Childe’s
pinned down, grabbing his ankle with his free hand and pulling his legs up. He pressed his
hips forward until his cock met with Childe’s ass, pressing between his cheeks. An
embarrassingly whorish noise of surprise left Childe as he stared between his legs, feeling his
hole clench as Zhongli pushed his dick against it.

He looked up and squeaked as he met Zhongli’s lust-filled eyes that never left his face,
admiring each expression that crossed it.

“Zhongli… Zhongli, please, put it in, fuck me, put me in my place,” Childe pleaded weakly,
trying his best to fight against the grip Zhongli had on his wrists. Zhongli caressed his thigh
thoughtfully, causing goosebumps to litter his skin.

“Your words are so tempting,” Zhongli murmured, “but where’s the fun in giving you what
you want, hm?” His fingers traveled up to Childe’s bruised neck; he gripped it again, feeling
Childe’s Adam’s apple tremble under his touch again. “My desire to watch you die hasn’t yet
waned. I could crush this pretty throat of yours and watch you turn to ash right before me.”

Childe gulped, not knowing what to do. He didn’t know how to convince Zhongli to give him
what he wanted.

“You can kill me in the morning,” he murmured, “but as one of the rulers of Teyvat… can’t
you grant me just one last wish?” He looked up imploringly at Zhongli, putting all his effort
into appealing to Zhongli’s sensitivity. Zhongli cursed under his breath, hating the way his
heart longed to give in.

“With a face like that, you make me want to rearrange the stars for you,” he muttered, hardly
audible to Childe. He gave Childe little time to process his words before he shoved his dick
inside him. A scream was ripped from Childe’s lips, his back arching and his legs kicking out
with surprise as Zhongli buried his big dick inside him. Childe’s vision grew watery, the view
of the ceiling blurring as his lungs shriveled, making it difficult to breathe.

Zhongli was buried in him up to the base of his cock, his face reddening but glowing with a
smile of pleasure. It was warm inside Childe, making him feel feverish. He let go of Childe’s
wrists, straightening up as he placed his hands on his hips, gripping him with the maniacal
possessiveness of a dragon.

Childe gripped Zhongli’s hands for support as he pulled his cock out of him inch by inch at a
snail’s pace, causing him to gasp and writhe.

Zhongli watched his cute little reactions with that cold smile, “So you enjoy it more when I
pull it out, is that right?” he asked, knowing full well the effect he had on Childe. Childe
could feel those thick veins as they pulsated inside him.

His mind swirled, the breath getting sucked from his lungs despite how much he gasped.
Zhongli left only the head inside him, causing Childe to clench as if afraid he would pull out
completely. A shriek was ripped from his lips as Zhongli slammed his fat cock back inside
him with the force of a battering ram, causing his whole body to ride up on the bed. Zhongli’s
smile was cold and cruel as he watched Childe, leaning over him with his long, messy hair
falling in waves all around him, tickling Childe’s chest. Behind him, his tail swished from
side to side rapidly, his enjoyment just as imminent as Childe’s.

He enjoyed watching the way Childe’s pecs bounced, the way his legs trembled, and his ears
flapped. He enjoyed how Childe’s mouth fell into a perfect ‘O’, making lewd, unfiltered
noises as he got what he had wanted most.

Zhongli could feel the pretty incubus livening up, being fucked like this. Life and energy
were being breathed into him—and it was Zhongli’s energy he was feeding off of. But oddly
enough, he didn’t mind as much as he had six days ago when he realized what Childe wanted
from him. He enjoyed watching Childe like this, feeling his body getting fuller and warmer
under his touch.

He watched as a dazed smile made its way only Childe’s lips as Zhongli pounded into him—
it was as if he had never wanted anything more.

It irritated Zhongli how pretty a sight Childe was. Why had he been so reluctant to see this
side of Childe sooner? He enjoyed watching Childe fall apart in all aspects of the word—this
was just as good as watching all the hope leave his eyes, just as good as watching him grow
nearer and nearer to death.

But this would be the last night he spent with Childe. That meant he should make it count.
His powerful thrusts left Childe mewling, drool dribbling down the corners of his mouth. His
hand slowly ventured to his own crotch, ready to help himself to a much-needed orgasm, but
it was promptly gripped and pinned down by Zhongli. Zhongli fixed him with his cold eyes, a
warning shining in them. “Try to touch yourself again and I’ll chop off these pretty hands of
yours.”

Childe let out a quiet whine of displeasure, looking up at Zhongli with a pleading look that
would’ve worked had he been a human.

But Childe wasn’t allowed to think about it for too long. Zhongli’s harsh pace and destructive
grip on his body demanded his attention, causing him to grit his teeth and close his eyes as he
felt himself fall apart. Each time Zhongli’s dick pressed into his prostate, a cry was forced
from Childe’s lips, pushing him closer and closer to the edge.

Thoughts were difficult to grasp as they were fucked out of his mind. And yet, he loved this
feeling more than anything. Currents of electricity continually rifled through his body,
leaving him a sobbing, smiling mess.

His belly began to burn with an orgasm, making him tighten around Zhongli, holding onto
the sheets with a vice-like grip. Zhongli watched him grow nearer and nearer to his high with
that cold, possessive smile on his face. He was giving Childe what he wanted, but that didn’t
mean he would hand it over to him easily. Just as Childe found himself about to come,
Zhongli pulled out abruptly, causing him to gasp and whine as he was left high and dry.

Childe looked up at Zhongli with his teary eyes, seeing the challenge Zhongli was posing,
daring him to complain. He whimpered as Zhongli grabbed him by the throat, pulling him up
into the sitting position until he was level with Zhongli’s dick.

“Suck on it,” Zhongli commanded, causing a shiver to travel down Childe’s lips. His own
cock trembled with anticipation for an orgasm, but he found himself distracted from his own
disappointment as he stared at Zhongli’s thick cock standing proud before his face. Childe
pressed his lips to it, feeling his body calming down, his eyes lidding halfway as he enjoyed
the feeling of Zhongli’s warm cock against his lips.

He didn’t know how to go about sucking it, it was big enough to rip the corners of his lips.
But with each second he wasted, Zhongli grew more and more impatient. “I don’t believe I
asked you to gawk at it,” he said.

Childe managed a glare up at him. “You didn’t ask me to do anything,” he grumbled. Zhongli
raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t considered that Childe would still be able to give him attitude
after everything that had happened to him. Perhaps he really was regaining his strength.

Instead of paying Childe’s words heed, Zhongli curled his fingers in Childe’s fluffy hair,
pressing his thumb between his lips and forcing his mouth open before shoving his cock into
it. Childe let out a gurgle of surprise at how wide his mouth had to stretch, gripping Zhongli’s
hips to balance himself. His mouth was full to the brim, making breathing difficult, but the
weight of Zhongli’s dick on his tongue made Childe feel like he was floating. His eyes closed
as he began to suckle on it, wrapping his hand around the base and stroking it, trying to
appease Zhongli before he shoved him even further down on it.

Zhongli breathed out with pleasure, admiring the sight of Childe as he sucked on his dick.
"One would think an incubus who is used to doing such acts would have a wider mouth," he
murmured, causing Childe to blush even as his ears buzzed.

Zhongli felt his abdomen tighten, feeling breathless. He was also close to his own orgasm,
but unlike Childe, nothing restricted him from coming.

He smirked as he gripped Childe’s hair, rising onto his knees and holding his head in place.
He began to thrust his hips into Childe’s open mouth, fucking into it while the ginger gasped
and cried, his teary eyes leaking with tears as his throat was used as a fleshlight for Zhongli’s
pleasure. His throat squeezed around Zhongli's dick, the warmth palpable. Childe could feel
Zhongli’s cock twitch in his mouth, his warm veins throbbing with the threat of an orgasm.

He pettily wished he could pull away and deny Zhongli an orgasm just like he did to him, but
he had to remind himself that he was the weaker one between them—he was at Zhongli’s
mercy.

The thought should’ve irritated Childe as he got his throat abused, but oddly enough, it only
made him hornier to be put in his place like this by a man stronger than him.
Zhongli pinched Childe’s soft fox’s ears with his fingers, clutching them in his fist as Childe
moaned helplessly, hardly able to breathe. His cock went rigid and his neck craned back as he
came in Childe's throat, loading his seed into his mouth. Zhongli’s cum burned his sense
receptors, causing him to claw at his legs, begging for release. Fat droplet after droplet
dripped into his mouth as Zhongli milked it for the last of his orgasm before he finally
released Childe and threw him back onto the bed. Childe gasped, coughing as he swallowed
the load Zhongli had given him.

Zhongli pressed his hands into the mattress on either side of Childe’s head, thrusting his cock
back inside Childe, causing him to whimper. Immediately, Childe’s limbs locked around
Zhongli just as they had earlier as if afraid Zhongli would leave or deny him another orgasm.

As Zhongli fucked him, Childe looked up at him, his cheeks stained with tears, and yet, he
looked more lustful and seductive than ever. His legs wrapped around Zhongli’s waist, his
calves brushing against the tough scales on Zhongli’s tail. He crunched upwards and captured
Zhongli’s lips in his own, desperate for more intimacy to give his cock enough friction to get
there. He could feel that burning orgasm bubbling in his abdomen again, exciting him. He
was no fool, knowing not to trust Zhongli to give it to him twice.

He did his best to make his place in Zhongli’s arms, ensuring he couldn’t pull out. He
distracted Zhongli with his lips and sneakily moved his hands closer to his own crotch,
wanting to help himself. But Zhongli was far too shrewd not to know his play. Childe gasped
as his hands were captured again. He bit Childe on the lip, feeling the younger thrash as he
drew blood.

“How sly of you, little fox,” Zhongli murmured. “You must really hate having hands.”

Childe whimpered, feeling Zhongl’s thrusts slowing down to an infuriating pace, one that
would never be able to help him to his orgasm—it would only keep him yearning for more.

“Please… I just—I just wanna come,” Childe begged. Zhongli’s sardonic smile was creepily
calm.

“I hate giving you what you want,” he murmured, kissing Childe all over his bruised neck,
his hand swishing behind Childe until it grabbed his tail and teased it with a few strokes.
Childe’s breath caught in his throat, feeling his lower body tingle at the action, making him
light-headed. Zhongli’s every touch was so intimate yet tantalizing. He didn’t loathe Childe,
but watching him suffer brought him satisfaction. Childe wanted to hate this man for what he
was doing to him, but even the slow movement of his thick cock inside him had Childe’s
mild swirling. It penetrated him so deeply, the leisurely pace making him feel every bit of
friction it had with his prostate.

Childe would’ve screamed in frustration, but all he could do was lie pliantly with his arms
pinned, unable to do anything but yearn for more and more and more, knowing he would
never get it easily.

He had gone right to the brink of death just to be able to have this, but it felt like he was
being tortured all the same. How did he fall into the hands of such a callous bastard?—he
asked himself. It was his own fault for not knowing, but Zhongli didn’t make it any easier for
him. He had no mercy on an oblivious man.

Zhongli would continue this slow torture on Childe, at times picking up speed to ensure he
heard Childe cry and choke as that orgasmic feeling would bubble, teasing him with what he
could not have but then slowing down again and listening with pleasure as Childe whined
and moaned helplessly as the feeling died away again. He continued edging him throughout
the hour, even taking the time to come inside Childe, filling him up with his hot cum while
droplets of drool dribbled down the incubus's lips at the feeling. Childe had given up
begging, knowing nothing could get him out of this, that Zhongli’s mercy could not be
pleaded for.

But alas, Zhongli was not an incubus who could keep going for hours without tiring. His
thrusts got slower and wearier, his grip tightening on Childe. His eyes were cloudy with
pride, not wanting to give Childe an easy victory, but as he looked into his teary blue eyes, he
saw all the longing he had for that orgasm—to feel something so strong after more than an
hour of being edged.

Zhongli cursed under his breath. He hated how that face got him worked up so damned
easily. He took Childe in his arms and flopped back down in his place, switching their
positions so Childe was on top of him.

Childe looked dazed and confused, his eyes misty as he looked down at Zhongli as if not
recognizing the sight.

He watched uncomprehendingly as Zhongli placed his legs so his knees faced the ceiling,
planting his feet firmly on the bed behind Childe, who kneeled still with Zhongli’s cock deep
inside him. Then, with two steadying hands on Childe’s hips, Zhongli’s legs tensed, causing
Childe’s eyes to widen. “F-Fuck… you’re not—” he couldn’t finish his sentence before
Zhongli thrust upward into Childe, clocking his prostate. A wail of pleasure left Childe, his
eyes rolling back, his hands pressing onto Zhongli’s chest to keep himself upright as Zhongli
bucked his hips up into him over and over.

“W-Wait—it’s too strong..!” Childe whimpered, gritting his teeth as drool dripped down the
corners of his mouth. He didn’t believe Zhongli would let him have his orgasm, thinking he
would have to suffer with his own bubbling guts until Zhongli had his fill. He waited for
Zhongli to stop, but his breath hitched with as he didn’t.

Instead, something began to tickle Childe’s waist—with his gaze trembling, he looked down,
his eyes widening as he saw the fluffy golden hairs at the end of Zhongli’s tail caressing his
belly, dangerously close to his dick. Childe felt frightened, knowing he was going to lose his
mind at whatever happened next. He was overstimulated and ready to burst. If Zhongli so
suddenly gave him everything he’d been asking for… Childe shuddered to think what would
happen, watching the flexible tail twirl around him. Zhongli watched him, his eyes gleaming
as he saw Childe’s tail swishing behind him apprehensively, his ears standing straight up on
high alert. But as their eyes met, Childe’s heart dropped as an understanding passed between
them.
Like a viper, the solid tip of Zhongli’s tail wrapped around Childe’s cock, coiling around it
and holding it in a tight grip. Childe choked as a jolt went through him at the sudden
stimulation after hours of being ignored. He threw his head back and mewled as Zhongli
drove his cock into him, his tail teasing his cock at the same time.

In one scream, Childe felt himself combust. White clouded his vision as he came strongly—
white ribbons of cum shot out of him, coating Zhongli’s taut chest and going as far as his
chin.

Zhongli gritted his teeth at how tightly Childe squeezed him, his eyes closing and his back
arching as he came inside Childe at the same time. Childe could feel himself falling apart as
he felt another warm load being released into him. His entire brain felt buzzed as if injected
with an energy shot. His every vein tingled and trembled, causing his body to convulse. He
looked down at Zhongli with his misty blue eyes, admiring the sight of him covered in his
cum, especially on that diamond-shaped mark on his chest.

Zhongli caught his eye and smirked a little. Then, he parted his lips, his long, serpentine
tongue rolling out of his mouth, lapping up the cum that had landed on his face. Childe
couldn’t help blushing. The sight of Zhongli only got him worked up again as he brimmed
with energy.

All his vigor had been breathed back into him through that orgasm. His muscles were full, his
eyes shining with life.

“One more time, please?” Childe asked, his eyes reflecting every bit of his desire.

Zhongli’s eyes twinkled with amusement at his innocently sweet question. Then, he toppled
Childe off of him, his cock slipping out as Childe was unceremoniously thrown onto the bed
next to him. A low whine escaped Childe as he lay on his stomach by Zhongli’s side. Zhongli
twisted to face him as he raised himself on his elbow, leaning against his hand. He stared at
Childe with that same odd look shining in his eyes.

“You’ve had enough,” he said softly, extending his hand out and caressing Childe’s ears,
causing him to croon, blushing.

Childe blinked slowly at him, almost as if testing his resolve. He leaned in closer to Zhongli,
forgetting for a second just who he was dealing with. He pecked Zhongli on the lips, pulling
back and fixing him with his pretty eyes. “Then tomorrow?” he asked hopefully, his mind
thrown into a haze of desire for Zhongli, preventing him from rational thought. Then he
flinched as something much more dangerous began to glint in Zhongli’s eyes. He leaned in
and kissed Childe affectionately on his warm cheek, placing his hand on the small of Childe’s
back, tracing his finger down until he caressed his legs. Childe moaned gently, feeling
himself getting excited again at Zhongli’s teasing touch.

He closed his eyes as Zhongli leaned in closer to his human ear, kissing it gently as he
whispered, “If I still find you here when I wake up tomorrow morning, I’ll rip you apart limb
from limb.”
Childe’s eyes snapped open as he froze at Zhongli’s words. Zhongli offered him no trace of a
joke—no more than a sadistic smile, before he placed his head against the pillow, his long
eyelashes fluttering to a close as he fell asleep almost instantly. Childe lay awake, Zhongli’s
serious words echoing in his mind, causing well-deserved fear to begin bubbling in his gut
again. But as he stared at Zhongli’s pretty, sleeping face, he felt a new kind of desire he
hadn’t felt before.

He began to blush a shade of pink. He wanted Zhongli for himself—not just sexually. He
wanted to be his. He didn’t want to give up so soon on having this enigmatic God of
Contracts all to himself. A wiser man would’ve turned tail and run, but wisdom had been
chasing Childe for a long time—it still had yet to catch up.

He curled up to Zhongli, hugging him with a smile on his face as he fell asleep as well.

***Extra***

The next morning, Zhongli woke up to the sounds of birds chirping, the sunlight streaming in
through the window. He lay on his back, the sheets draped over his naked body as he opened
his eyes blearily.

He sat up with a relieved sigh, massaging his aching neck. He looked to his side where that
pretty incubus had lain last night. He found half of the bed empty, showing no signs of the
fox save for a few cum stains, fox hairs, and ripped sheets. With a satisfied grunt, he deduced
Childe must’ve left. But accompanying that satisfaction, he felt a sense of disappointment.
His fun was finally over. But it was for the best, wasn’t it? Amidst these thoughts, he
registered something peculiar. His nose tilted up towards the air, inhaling deeply. His stomach
grumbled at the scent of eggs and pancakes in the air. But then, his expression soured,
knowing that should not be.

He rose to his feet, stretching leisurely, already cooking up numerous ways to torture Childe
for not heeding his warning. He walked downstairs, nearing the kitchen until he heard the
sound of cute humming coming from it.

He scowled at how pleased Childe sounded with himself. He was ready to tear him apart, but
as he stepped into the kitchen, he stopped in his tracks as he saw Childe. He stared with wide
eyes as Childe, dressed in nothing but one of his aprons, hummed happily, flipping a pancake
perfectly. He wore nothing to cover himself under the apron, his orange fox’s tail swishing
about, allowing Zhongli to see his pretty ass. The most peculiar thing were the dried-up stains
on Childe’s legs as if he hadn’t even bothered to wash himself before skipping off to make
breakfast.

Childe turned around and spotted Zhongli. Instead of expressing fear as he should’ve after
Zhongli’s threat last night, he smiled jubilantly at the sight of him.

“Zhongli!” he called happily, walking over to him with strides so confident that Zhongli
couldn’t have reacted in time. He wrapped his arms around Zhongli’s bare waist, hugging
him with a nuzzle into his cheek. The action was so seamless that Zhongli found himself at a
loss for words. It was as if they were a married couple. Zhongli almost found himself being
gaslit into rethinking everything that had happened the night before.
“Childe…” he hissed, his teeth gritted as he glared menacingly down at the cutesy fox, ready
to rain down his wrath and live up to last night's promise. But then, Childe distracted him
from his anger with a chaste kiss on the lips.

“I made you breakfast,” he said innocently, smiling up at Zhongli with a hopeful look.

His smile was so radiant that Zhongli had to blink to regroup his thoughts. Childe was
stronger than ever, working his charm on him with a maddeningly sweet look in his eyes. At
the sight of his valiant attempts to charm him, Zhongli stared down at him with an odd look
in his eyes, seemingly caught off guard by his own feelings as the sudden anger dissipated.
That earlier pang of disappointment had faded as well, forcing him to realize why it had been
there in the first place. He hadn't wanted Childe to leave. Seeing him acting all cute and
happy like this... it brought him more relief than he would ever admit.

Zhongli didn't know what to make of this. Would he, the God of Contracts, really break two
promises in one week just because a demon had won his affections? He sighed softly, but his
eyes had begun to twinkle. He wrapped his arms around Childe’s waist as well, gripping his
ass and giving it a tight squeeze.

“You really are a sly little thing,” he muttered, defeat evident in his voice.

Childe laughed a little, knowing that today would not be the day he died. He turned his head
to kiss him on the cheek, whispered, “You’ll grow to love that part of me more than any
other.”
 Penile Beading PART 2 (Diluc/Kaeya)
Chapter Notes

im so tired, so i'll just add notes and description tomorrow :'( HAPPY NEW YEAR
EVERYONE I've brought y'all a JUICY one!

"Can you spell 'cat' for me, Lucio?" Kaeya asked his son, holding the four-year-old in his lap
as they sat in front of the coffee table with a children's worksheet laid out in front of them.

"Cat..." Lucio repeated thoughtfully, trying to make sense of the word phonetically just as his
father had taught him. "C-A-T!"

Kaeya laughed and clapped happily, "Well done, kiddo! You're even better at spellings than I
am," he told his son, watching with the warmest smile on his face as Lucio's face lit up at
being complimented by his dad. Lucio laughed too, clearly pleased with himself as he
cuddled up to Kaeya's chest. They continued with their study session, slowly filling out the
worksheet Lucio’s teacher had assigned him.

Kaeya didn’t try to do everything for Lucio, wanting him to learn on his own. What mattered
most to him was that his son knew his father was there to help and guide him if he needed
him.

“I did it, Papa!” Lucio said, taking the filled-out worksheet in his hands and presenting it
proudly to his father. Kaeya smiled beautifully, ruffling Lucio’s blue hair and kissing him
lovingly on the forehead. “You’re doing great, Lucio! Why don’t we have some ice cream to
celebrate tonight?” he said warmly, watching as Lucio’s face brightened, nodding happily.

Kaeya held Lucio in his arms, feeling blissful to be doing things a normal father and son
would. Truly, his son was the light of his life.

Luxuries like helping his kid with his homework had been a distant dream for Kaeya once. It
had never been within the realm of possibility two months ago. Now, they spent time like this
every day, either making some quality memories or doing something productive together.
There was never a dull moment in their house, making it feel cozy. Kaeya felt that as long as
his son could smile so cheerfully, nothing could go wrong, even if his whole life was one
trainwreck after another, even if he was riddled with anxiety at every waking moment of the
day.

Kaeya enjoyed spending time with his son not only because he loved him but because Lucio
made sure his mind was never idle. Whenever Kaeya found himself with too little to do, he
found his mind being attacked by thoughts of Diluc.
Diluc’s existence, his touch, his every word to Kaeya hung over him like a shadow, fluttering
against his skin like bats. It had been a month since Diluc had first shown him his true colors,
and every day after had been full of haunting for Kaeya as he feared for his own safety as
well as his son’s.

He remembered the day Diluc had called him over after that night. He had been trembling
from head to toe on the car ride to Diluc’s place. He hadn’t been able to put up his usual airy
confidence, unable to find it in himself to play pretend when Diluc had broken down his
facade so effortlessly. He didn’t want to feel that level of vulnerability again. However, when
he actually met Diluc and had lain with him, he didn’t seem to act out of the ordinary. He
didn’t have that same dangerous look in his eyes—he seemed to act just as he always did:
aloof and unperturbed. It scared Kaeya, knowing the kind of man he was under this facade,
but he supposed he should’ve considered himself lucky.

He didn’t try to act out or draw attention to himself as he had done that night four weeks ago.
He would never make a mistake like that again. He allowed himself to lie pliantly under
Diluc, trying to act as natural as always, but his stiff shoulders and terrified glances gave him
away.

He still remembered Diluc’s smile as he observed this change in Kaeya’s attitude, though
he’d said nothing.

Kaeya had gotten through that night relatively unscathed yet more on edge than ever before.
He wished he could see a prominent change in Diluc’s attitude, so that he wouldn’t be stuck
fearing the unknown, but just like always, Diluc toyed with him like a puppeteer working
from the shadows. It felt like each time he and Diluc met after that night, Diluc would be
observing him and his reactions very closely. It didn’t help that this feeling of being watched
and surveyed persisted even when he left Diluc’s presence.

It felt like someone was tailing him each time he went outside, keeping an eye out for his
daily routine.

Kaeya had thought for sure that Diluc had something to do with this, but just a week prior to
this, he’d received a text from Diluc telling him he was leaving for a business trip. He was
still gone, and yet, that feeling had persisted for Kaeya. Just to be safe, he’d made sure not to
let anyone in the neighborhood see him with Lucio, always having a private car pick him up
from Jean and Lisa’s instead of from his house.

It was tricky trying to pretend his son wasn’t really his son, but Lucio’s safety was what
mattered most to Kaeya. He made sure no one could affiliate them together, even if the blue
hair and dark skin were a dead giveaway.

Kaeya tried to put that sudden anxiety out of his mind, deciding to focus on the moment. He
should enjoy the time he had away from Diluc, not spend it worrying about his intentions—
he couldn’t touch him if he was in another country. The thought didn’t ease him one bit,
knowing Diluc was too powerful a man not to have eyes everywhere.

He and Lucio went about their weekend peacefully, celebrating Lucio’s finished homework
with a movie and popcorn. Kaeya allowed his worries to fade away, not wanting to worry his
son when it was their time together. However, his calm facade was short-lived as he felt his
phone buzz. The familiar shine of Diluc’s name in his notification panel caused electricity to
buzz inside Kaeya’s fingertips.

Diluc: I'll be returning from my trip today. I think it's best if I swing by your place directly
instead of taking you to mine.

Kaeya stared at the text incomprehensibly, feeling his body getting hotter as panic seared
inside him. Diluc was… coming over to his place? Today? Kaeya looked down in his lap,
where Lucio lay curled up with a smile as he watched his favorite cartoon, clearly content
with life. ‘No… this can’t happen, this cannot be happening…’ Kaeya thought, feeling a cold
sweat bud on his skin. Diluc was not allowed to taint this sanctuary—his one safe space away
from his tumultuous life.

Not only that, he couldn’t let Diluc find out about Lucio, nor could he send Lucio away,
because Jean and Lisa had gone on a small vacation. He scrambled to refuse, trying to make
his texting tone sound as neutral as possible.

Kaeya: no i'll come over to yours, it's no biggie

He twiddled his thumbs under his phone nervously, waiting for Diluc’s response. He nearly
dropped his phone on poor Lucio’s head in fright when it buzzed with a response too quickly
for his liking.

Diluc: It'll be inconvenient and take too long. I've been curious to see what you've been doing
with the money you get from me, maybe you could cook me a warm meal before we get
down to it. You don't need to go out of your way, so just relax.

Kaeya bit his lip with worry, but for a second, he found himself distracted by the idea Diluc
planted in his mind of coming to his house and having a meal together before sex. It was
almost like he was trying to pretend to be lovers. He didn’t let the ache of longing in his heart
cloud his judgement, insisting on having his way.

Kaeya: diluc i really think it'll be better if we meet at your place

There was a pause before Diluc’s next response, making Kaeya nervous. He felt his heart stop
as it finally came.

Diluc: Are you hiding something from me, Kaeya?

Kaeya: no...

Kaeya scrambled for a response, knowing he’d sounded too insistent. He didn’t know how to
get out of this, feeling his heart hammering. What would he do if he couldn’t convince Diluc?
How could he weasel his way out of this and protect the light of his life if Diluc put him in
such a difficult spot?

Diluc: Then do we have a problem?

Kaeya didn’t know what else to say to him. He couldn’t let Diluc figure out anything was out
of place—he couldn’t make it seem like his house was an interesting place to be. He had no
choice.

Kaeya: no, come by whenever

Diluc’s reply came like clockwork with a crisp tone of satisfaction.

Diluc: Good, I'll be there at 8. I look forward to having you all to myself tonight, so be sure
not to disappoint me.

Kaeya hadn’t realized he’d been trembling until Lucio sat up and looked inquisitively at him,
an expression of childish concern for his father. “Papa, you’re shaking, are you okay?” he
asked quietly, clearly upset that something had upset his father. Kaeya wanted nothing more
than to curl up and hide, but listening to the worry in his son’s voice made his heart ache. His
son, so young yet forced to grow up so early, was looking after him when it should’ve been
the other way around. Kaeya released a shaking breath, getting himself together for the sake
of his son even though the idea of meeting Diluc here in his home unnerved him.

He managed a smile, cupping Lucio’s face and placing a kiss on his forehead. “Papa’s okay,
don’t worry,” he said softly, causing Lucio to relax, naively feeling reassured by his father’s
smile. Kaeya gathered himself, continuing, “Buddy, I need you to do me a favor,” he said.

Lucio looked up at him, smiling that smile that resembled Kaeya’s own so much. “Anything,
Papa,” he murmured, causing Kaeya’s heart to ache that he couldn’t give a child as beautiful
as the one before him the kind of worriless life he deserved.

“I’ll be having a guest over for dinner soon… he’s a very nice man, but he’s rather shy, so can
I ask you to eat in your room for tonight and let us adults talk among ourselves?” he asked,
phrasing his words very carefully to keep from making Lucio curious, or worse, feel like a
burden.

To his relief and gratitude, Lucio smiled happily, nodding easily. “Yes, Papa. I hope Mister
won’t feel scared of me after visiting,” he said.

Kaeya’s heart swelled with a mixture of affection and guilt. He laughed gently, “I’m sure he
won’t, buddy. Once he sees how kind you are, he won’t be scared anymore. Just for tonight,
you mustn’t make any sound or come out of your room; Mister gets spooked easily. We need
to make our guests feel at ease, isn’t that right?” Lucio nodded in agreement, causing Kaeya
to smile, “You’re the bestest, Lucio,” he said quietly, meaning his words with all his heart.

Lucio hugged him affectionately, “Papa is always looking out for me, so it’s my turn to look
out for Papa’s friend,” he said affirmatively.

Kaeya’s gaze softened, but he felt a dry pang of amusement at the idea of being friends with
Diluc. His gaze hardened as he hugged Lucio back, rocking him gently in his arms. He
vowed to protect his baby boy with his life if he had to. He would be willing to go against the
man who most terrified him—no, better yet, the whole world—if it meant keeping his baby
safe.
“Thank you, Lucio,” he whispered, his voice fragile.

He just hoped that everything would go smoothly tonight. He hoped Lucio would live up to
his promise; all of this manipulation was for his son’s safety. But Kaeya knew that, in the
end, it was his responsibility to bear. He was the one who had brought upon a monster like
Diluc upon them. It would be his job to keep that monster at bay so he could never blow out
the one light in his life.

***

A few hours later, Kaeya found himself finishing up with dinner; he frowned at the pot,
worried if he had put too much seasoning or if the sauce was too watery. He couldn’t quite
get the measurements right while making a bigger pot—he had made sure to cook extra for
Diluc’s arrival.

He didn’t know what kind of food Diluc preferred—did he like it spicy? Was he picky about
vegetables? Did he have any kind of allergies?

When trying to prod into his preferences, Kaeya found his texts to Diluc left on read, irking
him immensely. Diluc refused to answer his questions, and spitefully, Kaeya tried to make
something he thought Diluc would dislike. And yet, he still found himself worrying whether
or not it would live up to Diluc’s palate. He was a rich man with chefs catering to his every
need—of course he’d be picky. The anxiety he was forced to feel about Diluc’s arrival also
annoyed Kaeya. He shouldn’t have to worry about impressing a man who was paying him for
sex and nothing else, and yet, here he was, playing housewife for him.

He found himself blushing at the thought, making his mood even worse. He hated the effect
Diluc had on him. He hated that he still couldn’t hate Diluc after that day—that he still
fantasized about being something more than sex partners with Diluc.

He wasn’t an idiot—he didn’t try to delude himself by ignoring these random thoughts about
playing house with Diluc or wanting to cuddle up to him after a night of sex. Diluc was the
only man in his life right now, the only thing close to a romantic figure. Naturally, he would
begin to see him in that light. But to go as far as to… fall in love with someone like him?
That was out of the question. That couldn’t happen.

That was why Kaeya reminded himself why he was going to hide his son upon Diluc’s
arrival. It was because something evil resided in him, something that came out only when
Kaeya was involved.

His insides churned, feeling like something would go terribly wrong tonight, and that
everything he was trying to do to protect his little family would fall apart. Still, he looked
into the living room from the kitchen doorway, saw his son drawing up a neat little sketch,
and smiled to himself. He trusted in his own abilities to protect Lucio no matter what, even
against a man like Diluc.

Kaeya finished up his dishes, which consisted of a fresh batch of Mondstadtian goulash and a
fresh set of mushroom skewers. He set aside a plate for Lucio, wiping his hands on a towel
and taking off his apron as he looked at the time. He felt his heart leap into his throat as he
realized it was eight o’clock. He never knew Diluc to be late by more than a few minutes.
“Lucio, are you ready for dinner?” Kaeya called, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice
as he brought his son’s plate out for him.

Lucio looked up and nodded vigorously as if he’d been starving for the last hour. “Yes,
Papa!” he said, hopping to his feet and abandoning his drawing.

Kaeya smiled, “How do you feel about goulash and a pair of mushroom skewers today, bub?”
he asked, guiding Lucio to his room instead of the dining table as normal.

“I’ll love anything Papa cooks for me,” Lucio said firmly, plopping down on his study table
as Kaeya set the dishes before him. Kaeya laughed gently, affection swimming in his gaze,
“I’ll be sure to remember that next time I make some veggies, hm?” he teased, grinning as
Lucio’s nose scrunched. He ruffled his hair, “Don’t worry, I have my ways of getting some
vegetables in your diet without you having to taste them.”

Lucio did not seem pleased to hear this, but just then, the sound of a car pulling up into their
driveway caught both their attention. Kaeya felt his heart drop into the pits of his stomach,
turning green with nausea. However, he forced a smile on his lips as he looked down at
Lucio, “That’ll be our guest. You remember our agreement, right, love?” he asked. Lucio
nodded in understanding, murmuring, “Yes, Papa.” He sounded more subdued as if he was
starting to get more and more curious about his father’s friend, for he had never met anyone
with connections to Kaeya save for Jean and Lisa.

The doorbell rang and Kaeya kissed Lucio on the forehead lovingly, taking that as his cue to
leave and deal with the man he least wanted to see. “I love you, Lucio. I’ll try to come and
read you your bedtime story as soon as he leaves. See you later, baby.” He said, getting up
and giving Lucio a brave smile.

He closed the door behind him as he left, feeling anxiety churn in his stomach, hoping Diluc
would never think to dwell on this room.

He walked over to the front door, peering through the peephole and finding the familiar,
handsome face of Diluc on the other side, making his heartbeat quicken. He opened the door,
fixing his usual smile on his face.

“You’re finally here~,” he said, his voice quieter than usual to keep Lucio from hearing. He
put his arms around Diluc’s neck in an intimate hug, feeling Diluc’s piercing gaze on him.
Just as always, he tried to avoid looking Diluc in the eye. Diluc placed what he was holding
on the ground and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him back, though he had that
amused and dissatisfied glint in his eyes as they parted. “I thought we talked about not
playing pretend anymore?” he said, referring to Kaeya’s fake enthusiasm to see him. His
words and gaze caused Kaeya’s nape to tingle nervously.

He managed a coy smile at Diluc even if it felt like the last thing he wanted to do. “Oh, be
lenient with me, Diluc. I need this facade of mine to keep me on my toes when faced with a
man like you,” he said truthfully.
Diluc’s eyebrow arched, gazing at Kaeya with a scrutinizing expression as he tugged him
inside the threshold, afraid his neighbors would see him being intimate with another man. He
didn’t care what they thought, but he didn’t want his own endeavors to affect their treatment
of Lucio.

Then, Kaeya gasped as an arm snaked its way around his waist, tugging him against Diluc’s
body. His eyes helplessly met Diluc’s despite trying to avoid them, feeling his breath hitch
under his piercing gaze. “Darling,” Diluc said, causing Kaeya’s eye to widen and blood to
rush to his face, “you look frazzled, what’s bothering you?” Diluc had a sly smile playing on
his lips, amusement glinting in his eyes at the shock shining through Kaeya’s expression.
Diluc had never called him by an endearment before. Kaeya’s forced facade broke as his
heart hammered in his chest. He cast his gaze down with his cheeks burning, his shyness
coming to the surface.

“N-Nothing…” Kaeya said in a small voice, “I’ve just been a bit tired, that’s all.” He cursed
himself as Diluc tilted his head with a questioning look on his face, knowing he had messed
up.

Diluc surveyed the tidy home behind Kaeya, clearly wondering what had made him tired
since he didn’t yet have a job or other places to be. He couldn’t blame his exhaustion on
Diluc either, for he had been away on a business trip. “Is housework difficult for you? Do you
want me to hire a cleaning service to come by?” Diluc asked, though his question had the hint
of a challenge in them as if laying a trap to catch a lie or the real truth behind Kaeya’s
supposed exhaustion.

He didn’t yet know the real reason behind Kaeya’s edginess, but he was too shrewd not to
catch a lie in his words.

Kaeya shook his head rapidly, his gaze still downcast, knowing it would just be another trap
in case the cleaners were spies for Diluc. “No, that’s not necessary… I’ll be fine if I just
spend the night with you,” he said, trying to grasp at the facade rapidly slipping from his
fingers.

He felt a whimper of shock catch in his throat as Diluc eliminated what little space they had
between them, their chests pressing together as he forced himself into Kaeya’s line of sight,
placing his chin on Kaeya’s collarbone, picking Kaeya up to his tiptoes to hold him
comfortably. His red eyes were so beautiful that Kaeya couldn’t find his breath for a second,
holding on to him tightly.

“What are you hiding…” Diluc murmured thoughtfully, causing a bead of sweat to dot
Kaeya’s face. Diluc was being far more affectionate than normal. He never called Kaeya by
endearments, nor did he ever get so close as to practically squeeze Kaeya against himself like
this. Something was up—it was almost as if… Diluc was displaying this affection to someone
other than Kaeya, trying to show someone else what kind of relationship they were in so
there would be no mistaking them as anything other than lovers.

Kaeya panicked and did the only thing that seemed natural: he kissed Diluc. He caught Diluc
by surprise, but the moment he regained his wits, Kaeya found himself pressed against the
wall by the door, Diluc’s tongue shoved up his throat. His feet lifted off the floor as Diluc
raised him above his own height, his jaw tilted up towards Kaeya to kiss him.

The kiss had Kaeya’s toes curling in his slippers, his nails digging into Diluc’s skin. His
breath wore short, his muscles going limp as any autonomy in his body disintegrated just as it
always did when faced with a man stronger than him.

He couldn’t even pretend to hide his true submissiveness as Diluc devoured his mouth,
knowing there was no contest against someone like him. When Diluc finally pulled back, he
had Kaeya’s lower lip between his teeth, tugging at it gently with a lustful look in his eyes. It
occurred to him that he’d never seen Kaeya from an angle like this. Seeing him pressed up
against the wall was nothing short of magical. “You’ve found an effective way to distract me,
haven’t you?” he whispered, letting go of Kaeya’s lip as he lowered him to the floor.

Kaeya swallowed a lump of Diluc’s spit, breathless, his lips plumped up from the abuse of
Diluc’s teeth. He finally found his own resolve, having taken a break from thinking after
losing himself in that kiss. He glared at Diluc, slapping his chest gently, “I didn’t want to go
that far yet, I just meant to peck you,” then, his eyes began to gleam with seduction, “I guess
you find me that irresistible, hm?”

Diluc was leaning closer and closer with every second, eyeing Kaeya’s lips as if they looked
even more inviting than before. “I do,” he murmured, not bothering to hide it.

Kaeya blushed at his words but covered Diluc’s mouth with his hand, preventing him from
capturing his lips again. “Don’t seduce me so soon, I cooked for you, wouldn’t you like to
taste it?” he asked quietly, almost hopefully, for he wanted Diluc’s opinion on his cooking.
He had never before expressed affinity nor distaste for anything except alcohol. Kaeya
wanted to understand Diluc on a more personal level for once. He wanted to know Diluc on a
more humane level, to find out about his favorites and his least favorites. Maybe it could help
him see him as more of an equal if he found out Diluc had something so simple as a favorite
food.

To his surprise, the lust in Diluc’s eyes almost instantly subsided at the idea of Kaeya cooking
for him. He hadn’t really been serious when he’d suggested for Kaeya to cook for him, but
when presented with the opportunity, how dare he refuse?

“I would, yes,” he said, reluctantly backing off. Kaeya smiled, craning his neck to kiss him
on the cheek, whispering, “Good boy. Give me your coat and make yourself at home, I’ll set
the dining table.” Diluc’s eyes displayed every bit of his amusement as he played Kaeya’s
game, shrugging off his long coat and handing it to Kaeya to hang up. Then, he leaned down,
grabbing the bag he'd placed on the floor and handing it to Kaeya.

"Oh, you shouldn't have," Kaeya said, smiling. He looked at the bag's contents, his eyes
lighting up at the sight of Dawn Winery's wine in it. He looked back up at Diluc, leaning in to
kiss him on the cheek, "Thank you, Diluc."

Diluc felt himself blushing, shrugging it off as if not knowing what to say. He ventured
deeper into the house with Kaeya hot on his heels as if afraid of where he would go.
Diluc studied the cozy living room, eyeing the matching curtains and rug as if appreciating
the theme. His gaze shifted into the hallway leading to the rooms, his eye catching on the
closed two doors. “Is this a two-bedroom house? I suppose the other one is a guestroom, isn’t
it?” he asked. Kaeya fought to maintain a nonchalant expression as he did his best not to
show his own discomfort at how quickly Diluc had caught onto the extra room.

“Yeah. It’s mostly empty except if one of the neighbors wants to sleep over. She comes here
if she needs space from her wife sometimes. They’re happy together but they work together
too, so they need some time away from each other sometimes,” he lied, casually explaining
Jean’s frequent visits in case Diluc had been keeping tabs. Diluc stared at him for a few
seconds, wondering why Kaeya had felt the need to explain himself so thoroughly. He
glanced back at the room, surveying it as if listening for any sounds behind it. When he came
up with nothing, he hummed softly, moving on as if finding nothing amiss.

Internally, he was relatively pleased that Kaeya’s only known friends were a pair of wives—
there was no competition there.

Kaeya breathed an inward sigh of relief, feeling sweat trickling down his neck at the near
miss. In a panic, he decided to do something with his hands, feeling on edge with Diluc
surveying his house like this.

He moved into the kitchen to serve the food he’d made, having left the skewers to steam and
goulash on the lowest heat so they’d stay warm. He poured the stew into a dish for them, his
insides still churning nervously at how close Diluc had been to paying Lucio’s room a tad too
much attention.

A gasp escaped his lips as a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, a face burying
itself into his neck.

“You’re nervous,” Diluc noted, eyeing the beads of perspiration on Kaeya’s neck. Kaeya felt
himself blush, feeling Diluc’s hands brush against his inner thighs, picking at the threads
connecting his pants. “Anyone would be nervous playing housewife for someone like you,”
he mumbled, finishing pouring the goulash into the dish. Diluc’s soft, low chuckle next to his
ear caused the hairs on Kaeya’s body to stand on end, making him weak in the knees.

“No, this is different,” Diluc said thoughtfully, “you’re hiding something, and you’re afraid
I’ll discover it.”

Kaeya cursed the world for making Diluc as smart and perceptive as he was. He couldn’t find
the delusion to be surprised. He turned to Diluc with the dish in his hands and a brave attempt
at a smile on his lips. “Good! I’m glad you noticed. Now help me distract you from whatever
it is I’m hiding,” he said, a hint of a joke in his voice, though he was completely serious.

Diluc smiled, looking down at the goulash Kaeya was holding, his eyes dancing with
curiosity. “I suppose that’s a reasonable request when you went out of your way to cook this
for me,” he said, taking the dish from Kaeya and bringing it over to the dining table in the
kitchen.
He helped Kaeya set up the table, his eyes continually seeking him out. He observed Kaeya
in his element, in the comfort of his own home.

His body was more graceful and he seemed far less out of place than he did at Diluc’s place.
For all the times they’d met up after that night four weeks ago, when Diluc had confessed all
his malevolent fantasies to Kaeya, Kaeya had been afraid, flinching if Diluc so much as
caressed his cheek. It satisfied Diluc, knowing Kaeya was being true to himself, unable to
help but express his fear, unable to put up that facade. Now, being in Kaeya’s home, where
his comfort level was higher, he found that facade attempting to return. The only thing that
stopped it from returning was whatever it was that Kaeya was trying to hide. It irked Diluc.

His mind whirred, coming up with twisted ways he could taint Kaeya’s home with his
presence so he would forever be reminded of who he belonged to.

But for now, he found himself distracted by his greed as the smell of Kaeya’s cooking teased
his nostrils. He figured he could dwell more on tormenting his pretty sugar baby after his
stomach was full.

Kaeya reached for the wine bottles Diluc had brought for him, placing one on the table along
with two wine glasses. He found himself chuckling at the look on Diluc’s face, thinking he’d
have to drink water with his dinner. He walked over to the fridge, saying, “I was planning to
serve wine with dinner either way, but since you’re a baby, I didn’t know what else to get
you,” he pulled a bottle of grape juice from the fridge, placing it next to the bottle of wine. “I
figured we might as well enjoy something with a similar taste.”

He looked at Diluc, who stared at the grape juice with profound surprise. “You don’t like
grape juice either?” Kaeya grumbled, worrying he’d bought the bottle for nothing—Lucio
didn’t like grape juice either.

Then, Diluc surprised him with a gentler smile than usual, “It’s my favorite, actually,” he
said, looking as innocently happy as Kaeya had ever seen him. He felt his heart skip a beat.
He looked away, blushing madly.

It was times like these when he was forced to come to terms with how much of an effect
Diluc had on him. It wasn’t the fear or the uneasiness that Diluc brought Kaeya that scared
him. No, it was when he found himself yearning for something more with a volatile man like
Diluc. It was when he was forced to recognize the underlying feelings he had for him that
unnerved him. He knew full well how this affection for this side of Diluc could be used
against him. But he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help liking Diluc when he wasn’t being a
villain in Kaeya’s life.

They sat down at the dinner table together as Kaeya served the goulash in two bowls for
them. “Are you as picky an eater as you are picky with your drinks?” Kaeya asked, grabbing
the tongs and putting two skewers on Diluc’s plate as well.

Diluc’s lips curled into a smile, “Not particularly,” he said. There it was again—his
infuriating brevity. It was almost endearing to Kaeya now. He could almost, just almost,
delude himself into thinking this was a date. He could pretend he was having dinner with a
man he would marry one day. But his mind sang a different, more rational song. He was just
Diluc’s plaything, nothing more.

He pushed down the mixed feelings tearing him apart as they began to dig in. He watched
Diluc for his reaction as he tried the goulash. His expression didn’t change as he studied the
contents of the stew.

“W-Well…?” Kaeya asked, feeling nervous.

“I like it,” Diluc said simply. Then, it was like a flip had been switched. He ate like a starved
lion, frantically and hungrily yet with a grace that only he could manage.

He ate the skewers and shoveled goulash into his mouth between sips of grape juice while
Kaeya stared, dumbfounded. It seemed Diluc wasn’t being fully truthful—he didn’t like
Kaeya’s cooking, he loved it. It seemed like he liked meat. Kaeya couldn’t help his warm
smile as he watched Diluc eat, his cheeks puffing up whenever he ate a bite. He wistfully
wished they could stay like this forever. He gave Diluc seconds and even thirds, feeling
relieved that he’d set aside food for Lucio already.

The evening was going far better than Kaeya could’ve hoped. Diluc also found himself
enjoying their time spent together. It was the first time he’d done anything with Kaeya other
than take him to City Hall and make a mess of him in bed.

And yet, Diluc felt something peculiar—the feeling of being watched.

He couldn’t place where it was coming from, but he didn’t let it show. At the back of his
mind, something told him that it was related to what, or rather who, Kaeya was hiding. He
smiled into his third bowl of goulash, feeling pleased that all this time spent with Kaeya and
all the time he would spend fucking him later would be witnessed by this ‘Lucio’.

When they’d finished dinner, it was like their bodies were ready for what came after. Kaeya
found himself in Diluc’s lap at the dining table, getting his lips devoured as if Diluc was still
hungry. Kaeya was nervous, knowing they shouldn’t do things like this in the open. He was
afraid Lucio would see. The night was still young and there was still plenty of time for things
to go south. It scared Kaeya, but he found his mind going blissfully blank as Diluc’s scent
filled his nostrils, his arms caging him.

As Diluc bit and suckled on his neck, Kaeya let out a low whine, whispering breathlessly,
“Diluc, we should take this to bed…”

Diluc groped his chest, burying his face into it as he kissed Kaeya’s chest. “Why? We’re
alone, aren’t we? I want to take you over this table,” he murmured. Kaeya buried his fingers
in Diluc’s hair, a dazed look in his eye as the image flashed into his mind of being bent over
the table, getting railed from behind. A look of greed crossed his expression, almost winning
him over, but the thought of his young son seeing something like that terrified him.

Again, from the intensity with which Diluc kissed and bit him, it almost felt like he was
displaying these acts to someone. It was almost as if he knew they weren’t alone and wanted
whoever was in the house to see them doing this.
“I’m not getting my furniture dirty for your fantasies, Diluc,” Kaeya said, “Take me to bed.
It’s my house, my rules, isn’t it?” He gave Diluc a smug smirk, meeting his glare with his
eyes shining with a challenge.

They had a small staring contest, before Diluc conceded, grumbling under his breath. “I’ll
buy this house for you so you can never say that again,” he said.

Kaeya’s eyebrows raised at Diluc, pinching his cheek with an amused smile on his face at his
petty comment even if he knew how probable that promise was. “You’re so childish, getting
all upset when you can’t control every single aspect of me,” he teased. He was kidding but
was taken aback as he watched Diluc’s eyes get colder at his words. Diluc didn’t respond,
gathering Kaeya in his arms and connecting his lips with his again more strongly. Kaeya let
out a whimper, feeling the drastic change in Diluc’s intensity, wondering if he had said
something wrong.

He didn’t understand what he was feeling, but Diluc knew perfectly well the effect Kaeya’s
words had had on him, for they hit too close to home.

Kaeya was so close to hitting the nail on the head and uncovering Diluc’s biggest motive.

Diluc carried Kaeya into the hallway, kissing him furiously. Then, past the slurp of his lips
against Kaeya’s, he heard something behind the door to Kaeya’s supposed guestroom. He
broke their kiss but didn’t exhibit any reaction to indicate he’d heard. Instead, he pressed
Kaeya against the wall in full view of that room, teasing his bulge against Kaeya’s ass for just
enough time before he entered Kaeya’s bedroom with him. Kaeya expected to be flopped
onto the bed, but instead, Diluc took him into the attached washroom.

Kaeya looked dazed and confused, staring around at the bathroom in confusion as he was set
down, “Why…?” he began, then gasped as the shirt was torn off of him, his trousers shoved
down his legs until he was bare.

“In the shower, chest against the wall,” Diluc ordered. He sounded so authoritative that
Kaeya found himself obeying without question. He started up the shower, setting it to a cool
temperature before complying with Diluc’s demand, pushing himself against the wall with
his ass sticking out, ready for Diluc as he stripped off his own clothing. He hadn’t had time to
prep himself and prayed Diluc would be lenient.

He felt him step into the shower area behind him and twitched as a pair of hands grasped his
hips. Then, Diluc made a noise of discomfort, and the water suddenly became warmer and
warmer.

“Are you trying to boil me?” Kaeya complained, but his eye still twinkled as he realized this
was the third preference he’d learned about Diluc: he preferred hot showers.

Then, Kaeya gasped as Diluc pulled his ass cheeks apart and something hot and soft touched
his hole. He craned his head to look back and his eyes widened to see Diluc on his knees
behind him, eating him out.
“W-Wait… you can’t,” he whimpered, having not been ready. But Diluc had a knack for
ignoring him.

He had Kaeya holding on to the wall for dear life as he fucked him with his tongue, making
his mind swirl as he cried and gasped. Diluc’s hands grabbed Kaeya’s balls, bringing them
nearer to his lips until he wrapped his lips around them, sucking them with a vigor that had
Kaeya begging and crying.

“You’re too rough…!” Kaeya breathed, feeling his whole body tingle as Diluc scraped his
teeth against them. The hot water pouring over them made it difficult to think, clouding up
his mind and making it hard to breathe.

Diluc let him go with a rough tug with his lips, a look of satisfaction shining on his face. He
rose to his feet as Kaeya leaned heavily against the wall, trying to catch his breath. He
wrapped his arms around Kaeya’s body, pulling his back against his chest. His erection stood
firm as he pressed it between his cheeks. Kaeya felt his eyes roll back with pleasure at the
feeling of Diluc’s bead scraping against his hole. Diluc pressed his dick between his legs, his
breath fanning Kaeya’s ear as he thrust twice between his warm, supple thighs. Then, he
grabbed his own cock by the base and redirected it to Kaeya’s hole, causing him to panic.

“Wait…! Wait, I haven’t prepped—AH!” Kaeya couldn’t help his scream as Diluc shoved his
dick inside him, plunging it in up to the base.

He slapped a hand over his own mouth as tears welled up in his eye, his mind swirling as he
realized he’d been too loud. He prayed Lucio hadn’t heard it, for the bathroom was right
between his and Lucio’s room.

Diluc was not an easy man to take without prep. It was the first time they were doing it
standing. Kaeya’s knees felt weak, unable to take his own weight as he was impaled on
Diluc’s cock. That bead settled somewhere deep inside Kaeya, pressing harshly into his
insides and making it difficult to think. It had been a week since he’d felt it, for Diluc had
been away on a business trip.

“I missed you, Kaeya,” Diluc murmured, “only your body can take me so well.”

Kaeya cried into his own hand as Diluc began to pound inside him. The feeling of his raw
dick inside him while hot water rained down on them was second to no other. He grew more
and more used to Diluc being inside him, allowing him to feel the pleasure he brought him.

He kept his mouth covered as more and more noises of ecstasy left his throat. His cute
whimpers were like music to Diluc’s ears.

Diluc tilted his head as he stared at Kaeya’s pretty back, his eyes cold at the way Kaeya tried
to keep quiet. “Let me hear your pretty voice, Kaeya,” he said into his ear, “we’re alone,
who’s gonna hear you?”

“Th-The neighbors might hear,” Kaeya murmured, lying through his teeth.
Diluc felt a spark of irritation. Kaeya let out a strangled yelp as Diluc planted a rough slap on
his ass, whispering, “Liar.”

Kaeya gasped as Diluc grabbed him by the waist and tugged him out of the shower, closing
the tap as he dragged Kaeya out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. The door to the
bedroom was ajar, and Kaeya begged, “The door, Diluc, please!” But Diluc didn’t listen. “No
one’s there, Kaeya,” he said, his voice forceful, forcing Kaeya into submission as he realized
he couldn’t win—he couldn’t insist on closing the door without giving Lucio away. He threw
Kaeya onto his hands and knees, their wet bodies dripping water all over the sheets.

He railed Kaeya, fucked into him with such ferocity that he couldn’t help crying. He tried
burying his face into the mattress to muffle his mewls and whimpers, but Diluc grabbed him
by the hair, pulling it and tugging his face from the mattress so he couldn’t hide his own
strangled moans and gasps.

And then, it happened.

“Let go!” a new voice screamed, one that was dreadfully familiar. Both Kaeya’s and Diluc’s
heads snapped toward the doorway. Kaeya’s eyes went wide with panic and utter horror as he
saw Lucio standing in the doorway, tears streaming down his face. “L-Lucio…” Kaeya
whispered, unable to comprehend what was happening. Diluc was staring at Lucio as well,
his eyes wide, unable to hide his own expression of shock. Then, Lucio rushed into the room,
“I said let go of my Papa! You’re hurting him!” he wailed, hitting Diluc back and grabbing
Kaeya’s hands, trying to pull him out from under him.

Kaeya finally snapped out of it, and he pushed Diluc away, nearly ripping the sheets off the
bed to cover himself, “L-Lucio, it’s not what you think! I’m okay, everything is okay, baby,”
he said frantically, wrapping his son in his embrace, hardly able to hear his own voice past
the pounding in his ears. He felt sheer terror rattling in his bones as he realized his sweet boy
had seen him like that, that he’d come in to protect him. He wanted to sob with despair, for he
had wanted to protect Lucio from this more than anything in the world.

“You’re okay?” Lucio asked tearfully, looking up at him, showing Kaeya the worries in his
big eyes. Kaeya wanted nothing more than to die for worrying Lucio like this. But
desperately, he tried to collect himself, knowing he needed to regulate himself and the
situation.

“Yes, baby, I’m okay. Why don’t you wait in the living room for me? I’ll explain everything
to you,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm.

Lucio looked at Diluc as if afraid to leave Kaeya alone with him, but Kaeya gently forced his
attention back to himself, not wanting him to see Diluc’s bare body. “Everything is alright,
Lucio. Wait for me outside, okay?” he said. Lucio nodded obediently, sniffling as he trudged
back outside the bedroom, leaving Kaeya alone. Kaeya buried his face in his hands, the
humiliation casting a pit in his belly as he wondered what to do. And then, he remembered
his biggest worry.

A soft, cold laughter echoed through the room, causing Kaeya’s body to cease functioning.
He slowly twisted his face to look at Diluc, finding him sitting there with Kaeya’s sheet
sprawled over his lap, laughing behind the palm of his hand.

Kaeya’s body began to tremble with fear at the twinkle of joy glinting in Diluc’s eyes. “So
that’s what you were hiding,” he said softly.

Kaeya could do nothing but stare helplessly as Diluc callously laughed even harder. Diluc
had been foolish. He had tried to dig into who ‘Lucio’ was in Kaeya’s life, expecting to find a
secret lover. He had deliberately arranged to force his way into Kaeya’s home and investigate
for himself, almost disappointed that the house had been empty. But the feeling of being
watched, the sound behind the door… it was finally coming together.

“It makes so much sense,” Diluc laughed, breathless from his fit of giggles. He looked at
Kaeya with so much love and reverence that Kaeya found himself stunned. “You really are
perfect for me—you know me so well, Kaeya. You were intelligent enough to hide him from
me, because you knew I’d take full advantage of his existence. You knew I should be the last
person to ever find out about him.”

Kaeya wished he was angry. He wished he could rage at Diluc and threaten him never to
come near his son. But he just couldn’t. He felt small and helpless.

Wordlessly, he stood up, grabbing the nearest pair of clothes he could find and throwing them
on. His mind was numb, but his first and foremost worry was setting things right with Lucio.
He felt tears well in his eyes, hating himself for letting Lucio get involved with all this.

But there was nothing he could do. He didn’t know what Diluc would do with this
knowledge. All he could do was try and comfort his son and help him forget what he saw to
the best of his abilities.

He left the room without looking at Diluc, finding Lucio sitting on the couch in the living
room.

Kaeya came and sat down next to him, “Are you okay, buddy?” he asked quietly, not
knowing what to say or where to begin. His mind was all over the place, frazzled and fried.
Lucio nodded, his eyes still teary. “I was scared…” he confessed quietly. “I… I was scared
that man was hurting you. I was so scared Papa would be taken from me. I’m sorry I broke
my promise to you, Papa…” Kaeya felt his eye watering a little. He hugged Lucio to his
chest, comforting him as he cried it out.

“It’s okay, baby. You were just worried about me. That man wasn’t doing anything, he’s our
guest. He would never hurt me,” he whispered, knowing damned well he was feeding his kid
nothing but lies. If that protected his innocence, so be it.

Lucio nodded. “It’s the first time I’ve seen you with anyone but Aunty Jean and Aunty Lisa, I
didn’t know why he was there or what he was doing to you,” he said.

Kaeya offered Lucio a brave smile, “Thank you for worrying, Lucio. Everything is okay. He’s
a good man, I promise. If I ever get hurt, I’ll call on you to swoop in and save me, okay?”
Lucio’s eyes lit up at the prospect. He nodded happily, feeling uplifted that his father trusted
him to save him.
“I love you, Papa,” he said. Kaeya kissed him on both cheeks, whispering it back.

Just then, Lucio looked into the hallway behind Kaeya, watching as Diluc emerged from his
bedroom. His expression became more guarded and pensive as Diluc walked into the living
room, his eyes on them. He was fully dressed in the clothes he’d arrived in, his hair still
damp, looking intimidating as usual.

Kaeya avoided his gaze, unable to look him in the eye, so instead, Diluc looked at Lucio,
studying the young boy with a gleam of interest, having so many questions.

Lucio stared back, surprisingly bold for a four-year-old. Then, to both Diluc’s and Kaeya’s
surprise, he spoke first, “I’m sorry for hitting you, mister.” He mumbled. Diluc’s eyebrows
arched, having not been accepting an apology for fucking his father right in front of him.

He seized the opportunity, summoning a polite, welcoming smile on his face. “No, it’s me
who should apologize. Can I talk to you, kiddo?” he said, gesturing for him to come closer.

Lucio looked at Kaeya for guidance, but Kaeya was staring at the rug in silence, unable to
think or speak. But with the slightest nod of his head, he gestured for Lucio to go to him. He
knew he was helpless to stop whatever Diluc would do with the knowledge of Lucio. With
Kaeya’s quiet encouragement, Lucio hopped to his feet and walked over to Diluc, who
crouched before him, still with that feigned gentle smile on his face.

“It’s Lucio, isn’t it?” he asked, causing Lucio to nod. “I owe you an apology, Lucio. I
understand you must’ve thought I was hurting your father, but I would never do that to him. I
care about Kaeya a lot.” His voice was full of sincerity and reassurance, trying to wear down
Lucio’s suspicion.

Lucio nodded, “Papa said you wouldn’t do that to him, so I believe you…” he said quietly,
fiddling with his hands, still wisely wary of Diluc.

Diluc smiled, knowing that skepticism was a trait he shared with his father. “Can I tell you a
secret, Lucio?” he asked, lowering his voice and leaning in to give Lucio the illusion of
confidence, but he made sure it was fully audible to Kaeya. Lucio’s eyes began to shine
curiously as he nodded, intrigued.

“I’m in love with your dad, Lucio,” Diluc said, resisting the urge to smirk as Kaeya’s head
snapped towards him, “believe it or not, he is as important to me as he is to you. I wanted to
do something special to show him, and I wanted to make sure he accepted me before I
introduced myself to you. But… I messed up, I’m really sorry I scared you. Can you forgive
me?” he asked gravely, as if he’d done an unforgivable crime.

Lucio’s eyes widened at the news. He glanced at Kaeya, who still sat silently, wearing a
pained expression on his face, hardly able to live with the knowledge that he couldn’t prevent
Diluc’s gentle manipulation.

Lucio turned back to Diluc, feeling his skepticism slowly melting away, falling for the
genuinity in Diluc’s voice. “I forgive you, mister,” he said.
Diluc smiled, gently ruffling Lucio’s hair, “Thank you, Lucio.” He said, coming as close to
sincerity as he’d ever, knowing Lucio’s forgiveness was all he needed. Then, as if coming up
with an idea, Diluc fished in his own pockets, “I have something for you,” he said, causing
Lucio’s eyes to widen with excitement. Diluc silently cheered as he felt a few packets inside
his pocket and pulled out a few expensive candies he’d kept for the flight back from his trip.
He held them out for Lucio to take, saying, “It’s not much. I wasn’t ready to meet you today,
otherwise I’d have brought many gifts for you.”

Lucio’s eyes glittered happily as he took the candies. “Thank you, mister!” he said,
significantly more cheerful.

Diluc smiled, “Call me Uncle Diluc, hm? I want us to be friends. We’ll be seeing each other
more often; I’ll treat you and your father well if you let me,” he said. Lucio nodded and
opened one candy, popping it into his mouth and beaming at the sweet flavor.

“We can be friends if you bring me more candy,” Lucio said cheekily. This caused Diluc to
chuckle as he rose to his full height. “That’s a promise,” he said.

Kaeya watched their exchange, a knot of dread in his stomach. He wanted nothing more than
to sink into the floor and never be found again. There was nothing more painful for him than
watching his son be manipulated by the most malevolent man he knew and being able to do
nothing about it. He was no true father. He couldn’t even find the strength to save his son
from Diluc’s enchantment. He was doing to Lucio what he had done to Kaeya: treating him
well and offering him promises of a livelier future, winding him deeper and deeper into the
web of his making. He intended to keep Lucio eating out of the palm of his hand, and Kaeya
couldn’t prevent it.

Diluc looked at Kaeya’s stricken form and smiled, walking closer to him. Kaeya hardly
flinched as Diluc bent down and kissed his cheek, “I’ll text you, okay, darling?” he said.
Kaeya did nothing except nod his head slightly to indicate his understanding.

Diluc turned, giving Lucio a little wave, “I’ll see you later, kiddo. Get some rest,” he said,
seeing himself out after taking his coat from the rack.

***

In the weeks to come, Kaeya’s life changed even more drastically for the worse. Ever since
Diluc found out about Lucio, he never seemed to stop conspiring against Kaeya. He would
forcefully visit Kaeya’s home even if it wasn’t for sex, bringing gifts for both him and Lucio.

It sickened Kaeya to see how kind and gentle Diluc acted around Lucio, affectionately
pecking Kaeya and deliberately treating him well in front of his son so he would think he was
a good person. Only Kaeya knew what Diluc was really like.

Whenever Kaeya met his gaze, Diluc’s eyes would crinkle with amusement, as if to say You
can’t do anything about this.

Lucio loved Diluc far more than Kaeya would have liked. He felt disappointed that his son’s
love could be bought with candy, snacks, and plushies, but it seemed he loved Diluc for the
man he perceived him to be as well: someone who was deeply in love with his father and
wanted nothing more than to be a husband to him and a second father to Lucio.

The idea terrified Kaeya, but his feelings were as conflicted as always. Whenever he
observed Diluc’s interactions with Lucio, he didn’t always get the feeling that Diluc was
insincere. He seemed interested in Lucio outside of using his love to torment Kaeya. His
smile never seemed hostile or manipulative when Lucio thanked him for a gift. His head pats
to Lucio also seemed genuine, almost fatherly. If he was acting, he was damned good at it.

If that had been the extent of Diluc’s torment, Kaeya wouldn’t have minded as much. But
Diluc was taking even larger strides toward rooting himself in Kaeya’s life.

He’d received a call from his landlord, telling him that he was selling the house, though he
didn’t have to move out. Kaeya’s heart had dropped into his stomach as if the situation
sounded familiar. When he asked who his new landlord would be, his old landlord had
forwarded a number that was already in Kaeya’s contacts: Diluc’s. Diluc had lived up to his
promise and bought a whole house just to exert a stronger influence in Kaeya’s life. He didn’t
take rent no matter how much Kaeya begged—he would only smile and tell Kaeya not to
worry about it. Kaeya wasn’t an idiot. He knew what living for free in this house meant—he
would lose all his rights as a tenant. Diluc wanted to make sure Kaeya could no longer turn
him away without turning away the owner of his house.

It didn’t end there. A few weeks after Diluc’s first visit, Jean and Lisa had swung by, telling
him that they’d seen a red-haired man visiting him and asking about his relationship with
Kaeya. They told him that they’d met Diluc before and professed how polite he’d been with
them and how much he seemed to care about Kaeya and Lucio. Kaeya’s blood had run cold.

He wondered if Diluc had sought out Jean and Lisa, meeting them on purpose so he could
make a good impression on the few people in Kaeya’s life who cared about him. He had
remained as silent as he could, vaguely answering their questions. They’d left telling him
how happy they were that he’d found a good man to settle with.

Kaeya wanted to cry. He didn’t know what to do. Diluc was winning over everyone in
Kaeya’s life. He would make sure no one would believe him if he tried to tell them of Diluc’s
torment of him. Kaeya didn’t know what to do. He was slowly reaching his breaking point.
He didn’t know what Diluc wanted, what his motives were for going to such lengths. He
spent each day scared and confused, listening to Lucio’s praises for Diluc as he happily
professed to Kaeya how much he wanted them to be together. He was stuck with no way out.

Today, he found himself in the accounting office of Lucio’s school, frustrated because of his
circumstances and because the online payment for Lucio’s school fees wasn’t working. He’d
come to pay for it in person, sitting across from the accountant as she looked up Lucio’s dues.
He watched with an annoyed expression on his face as the accountant tilted her head with
confusion at the screen, double-checking what she was seeing. “Sir, your son’s school fees
have been paid in advance for a year, that’s the maximum advance payment plan we have,
which is why the system wasn’t letting you pay,” she told Kaeya.

Kaeya’s annoyed expression dropped into one of bewilderment. “That… that’s impossible, I
haven’t been by to pay for his tuition. This has to be a mistake, please check again,” he said,
his voice growing more and more concerned.

Another accountant in the cubicle next to theirs piped up, “Are you talking about Lucio
Alberich’s file? I was the one who processed the advance payment. A man with red hair came
in hand-in-hand with Lucio. They seemed happy together, so we assumed he was his parent
and we let him pay for his school year in advance,” he told them. Kaeya’s expression grew
colder and colder with his every word. Blood began pounding in his ears, making rational
thoughts difficult to come by.

He wasn’t proud of it, but he’d yelled at the accountants for letting anyone other than himself
become involved with Lucio's education. All his anger and fear came to a boil, and he
erupted at them.

He’d left the office in a rage, ordering a ride before dialing Diluc’s number.

He waited for Diluc to pick up, feeling near to tears. When Diluc picked up, his calm voice
made Kaeya’s heart jump. “Hello?” he answered.

At the sound of Diluc’s voice, Kaeya felt his words dying in his throat. He wanted to scream,
to yell at Diluc for trying to ruin his life, but he couldn’t bring himself to. “Where are you?”
he managed, his voice barely kept from trembling. There was a pause before Diluc
responded, as if he was studying Kaeya’s tone for what he was feeling and what to expect
next. “It’s my day off, so I’m at my apartment. Why?” Diluc asked. Kaeya didn’t respond. He
hung up on him and waited for his ride before setting out to Diluc’s house.

He tried to practice what he would say, but his mind was blank. He felt truly defeated—he
hated this feeling of helplessness. It had been what tormented him back when he sold his
body to other men, and it still tormented him now.

He wondered if true happiness would ever be his to have—a life where he didn’t have to
worry about being taken advantage of.

He thought about all his fantasies of being with Diluc as a lover. He wanted so badly to feel
his affection and have it be pure, with no underlying motives. He could truly be happy if the
illusion Lucio saw between Kaeya and Diluc was real. He could marry Diluc one day and be
truly happy being parents to Lucio with him. But Diluc didn’t allow that possibility to exist—
not with the mind games he loved to play, not with the malevolence he always showed
Kaeya. A few tears dripped from his eyes, mourning the death of his fantasy to love Diluc
and be able to show it without fear of being taken advantage of. Life was cruel at times.

His ride dropped him off at Diluc’s apartment complex, and he made his way up to Diluc’s
apartment, expressionless.

Kaeya entered Diluc’s pin on the keypad outside his door, opening it without bothering to
knock. He entered the apartment and was unsurprised to find Diluc leaning on the backrest of
the nearest sofa to the door, waiting for him. Kaeya’s expression didn’t flicker at the sight of
him.
“You’re here,” Diluc noted. “What brought you here on such short notice? I know better than
to think you’ve come here to offer your body.”

“What do you want from me, Diluc?” Kaeya asked softly. “Just… just answer this question
for me. No running away, no manipulation, no mind games. Just tell me why you’re doing
this to me, that’s all I want to know.” Diluc surveyed him. Kaeya’s voice was steady, and yet,
it was laced with a peculiar fragility, as if one word from Diluc could send him into a fit of
sobs. Diluc pushed off the couch, walking toward Kaeya until he stood in front of him,
holding his gaze.

“I did answer that question of yours,” Diluc said, “the thing I wanted most was to see you fall
apart, to see you submit to me.”

Kaeya’s skin prickled at how callously Diluc said that. “You got what you wanted. You’ve
seen me at my worst every night I’ve laid beneath you,” Kaeya said, his voice starting to
tremble, “You’ve seen me cry, scream, and beg. You’ve seen me fall apart. But now, your
motives have changed.”

Diluc’s lips curled into a rewarding smile. Kaeya strangled the urge to flinch as Diluc leaned
in and kissed his cheek. “As sharp as ever, darling,” he said, his endearment only making
Kaeya’s mind swirl even more. “It must eat away at you, knowing everything I'm doing to
you and being powerless to stop it.” Kaeya’s bottom lip trembled with the threat of tears. It
did kill him inside. There was nothing more painful than being toyed with like a puppet with
no freedom.

Everywhere he went, Diluc was there. There wasn’t a single aspect of his life untouched by
him.

“You’re right," Diluc continued, "I’ve gotten greedier and greedier and the horizons for my
motivations have expanded. At first, all I wanted was to take the reins of your body, but
somewhere along the way, I started wanting more. There was nothing I enjoyed more than
watching you come to terms with the fact that your body wasn’t yours anymore. I wanted to
feel that way again. I want complete control over every aspect of your life, Kaeya. I want you
completely dependent on me so there’s no way for you to escape. Your friends love me, your
son adores me, I own the house you live in, and I’m giving you citizenship of Mondstadt just
so you can stay with me. Everything you have will be mine—everything you have will
remind you of me. And in the end, you’ll be mine too.”

Kaeya was left in stunned silence. He hadn’t expected Diluc to lay everything bare so
seamlessly. He stared at Diluc as if seeing him for the first time. Diluc was not a normal man.
Kaeya had always known it in his heart.

“Just who are you, Diluc?” he whispered.

The corners of Diluc’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “You mean to say you haven’t
investigated the man you fear most even a little?” he asked, causing a pang of shame to sting
Kaeya’s conscience. Diluc reached forward and dug into Kaeya’s pocket, pulling out his
phone and placing it in his hands.
“Search my name. You have the resources at your disposal,” Diluc urged gently. Kaeya’s
hands were trembling. He didn’t want to know what he would find.

But he forced himself to unlock his phone and type Diluc’s first name into the search bar.
Instantly, hundreds of results came up—there was a page on a man named Diluc Ragnvindr
and hundreds of pictures of the man before him. Kaeya’s eyes widened. Diluc was the owner
of Dawn Winery, the wine company he loved so much. From Diluc’s influence over
everyone, even governors, to his wealth to the gifts of rare wine he brought Kaeya, it
explained everything. He was... the richest man in Mondstadt.

Kaeya felt bile rising up his esophagus. He should've known. He should've looked into Diluc
the moment he made that contract. He should've known never to get involved with a man like
Diluc, someone who was worlds apart from him. But he knew that wasn't all—this wasn't the
extent of his own naivety.

Kaeya scrolled down the page, and among the top results was an article titled ”Diluc
Ragnvindr: The Only Diagnosed Psychopathic Billionaire in Mondstadt.”

Diluc had been diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder and it had never been a secret
to anyone but Kaeya, all because of his foolish fear of finding out Diluc was some kind of
serial killer or a mafia boss.

Tears began to drip down Kaeya’s cheeks. He couldn’t help it. Diluc smiled at the sight of
him. He wrapped his arms around him, tugging him into his embrace, shushing him gently.
“You should never have gotten involved with me, Kaeya,” he said soothingly. “But it’s okay.
It’ll get easier over time. I’ll make you fall for me one day.”

Then, something snapped inside Kaeya. All the fear, anger, and shame he'd been bottling up
since meeting Diluc came to a boiling point. He pulled away roughly, sending Diluc
stumbling back, his teary eyes full of rage. He pulled his fist back and punched Diluc in the
face, causing him to fall to the ground in front of him.

Diluc rubbed his cheek, mildly surprised that it had taken Kaeya this long to do this. He
looked up at Kaeya, who trembled with a mix of fury, shame, and sorrow.

"Make me fall for you?" Kaeya whispered, his anger seething in his voice. "Do you think this
is some kind of sick game? Is that all my life is to you? You've tormented me for nothing. I've
given you everything you wanted—I've fallen apart, I've let you have every bit of me! And
all for what? To be your puppet—your plaything?!"

Diluc's stoic expression wavered as Kaeya's voice grew louder and louder. He had been
expecting this for a long time, waiting for the day Kaeya would finally erupt and confess his
hatred for him. It was okay. This was okay. The sooner Kaeya got this hatred out of his
system, he would make room for love for Diluc. Just from Diluc's expression, Kaeya could
guess what he was thinking. It enraged him.

"You really walk around thinking you're such an intelligent man, that you know everything
there is to know about me," Kaeya whispered, "and yet, you're fucking blind to the fact that
you already have the one thing you've been after since we met. Your pride never let you think
there was any way to get what you want except your way."

Diluc's expression tightened, morphing into one of confusion. "And what's that?"

Kaeya almost laughed. His expression was humorless, full of numbness even as tears dripped
from his eyes. "You've never considered that I've already been in love with you." He said
softly. For a second, Diluc froze. He stared at Kaeya as if left at sea, trying to comprehend his
words. "Your mind deluded itself into thinking that being a villain in my life, scaring me at
every turn, taking control of me in every single way is the only way to get me to love you.
But all I wanted since falling for you..." Kaeya said softly, his voice drained and weary, "was
for you to be a decent person to me. All I want now is for you to love Lucio as your own
instead of loving him as a means to an end. You never had the empathy to understand how
easy it would've been for you to get what you want if you'd just considered what I wanted."

Diluc’s expression was a sight unlike any other. For once, he was at a loss for words. He
couldn’t believe what Kaeya was telling him. It was just as Kaeya said, Diluc didn’t know
empathy as others did, but even he couldn’t help but question how Kaeya could love a man
who tormented him any chance he got. That was why the thought had never occurred to him.
He wanted Kaeya to understand his cruelty so that he could later love his kindness. But
Kaeya was already in love with him. Diluc turned the thought over and over in his mind:
Kaeya was in love with him.

Kaeya’s legs felt weak and he sat down hard in front of Diluc. He kept his head down, wiping
his tears, waiting for him to make some sarcastic quip or to hurt him even more. But Diluc
said nothing.

“That day when we ate together… it was the happiest I’d ever been. It was the first time I
truly craved for you to make love to me, not for the sake of our contract, but because my
heart was full of affection for you,” Kaeya whispered, unable to help but spill all the things
his heart had been keeping to itself. “And yet, your first thought was not about me, rather, it
was to find something to hurt me. I wish you weren’t a psychotic idiot. I wish you could feel
even a fraction of the pain you caused me. You don’t love me—you just love the games you
play with me.”

Diluc sat in front of him, his mind grasping for straws. He didn’t know what to say. It was as
if his mind had gone blank. Had everything been for nothing? Had he only hurt his chances
of being with Kaeya while trying to eliminate all hurdles to have him?

He didn’t regret what he did—the journey of watching Kaeya’s expressions twist from fear to
lust to helplessness had been a fruitful one. But he regretted how easy it could’ve been had he
known this before.

He felt elated. Kaeya was in love with him.

Slowly, he neared Kaeya, wrapping his hands around his arms and tugging him into his
embrace. “You’re wrong. If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t be feeling so happy right now,” he
said. Kaeya managed a dry laugh through his tears. Again, it was about Diluc and not the
sorrow he'd put Kaeya through.
“Fuck your happiness… you’ll just throw me away when th-that high wears off,” Kaeya
replied between sobs, but he buried his face in Diluc’s chest, craving his warmth. Diluc
mustered a smile, encasing Kaeya in his arms. “That makes me even more determined to
prove you wrong.” He said. He traced patterns on Kaeya’s hip as he held him, fascinated by
how things were turning out. It took Kaeya time to calm down, but eventually, Diluc’s
patience wore off. He took Kaeya by the chin and gently forced him to look up at him. He
met Kaeya’s teary gaze, feeling baffled by how a man so beautiful could exist. He eliminated
the space between their lips. It wasn’t a sexual kiss, but one full of romanticism.

Kaeya found himself melting into it easily. The kiss was sweeter than ever before,
mesmerizing Kaeya as if he had never thought Diluc could be so gentle. When he pulled
away, he pressed his forehead against Kaeya’s, looking deeply into his eyes.

“I’m not going to feed you false promises—I won’t promise to be good to you always. I can’t
say for certain that I won’t be cruel to you, and that I won’t take pleasure in that cruelty, but I
can confidently say I will never hurt you or Lucio, and I will love you for as long as your
mine, even if that’s forever.” Diluc said.

Kaeya wondered how he'd been foolish enough not to figure out Diluc was a known
psychopath. “I should’ve known you were a psycho—you promise me the bare minimum of
staying by your side and think you're doing me a favor,” he grumbled, causing Diluc to laugh
softly.

“And yet, you’ll accept it anyway, not because you’re afraid of me or because of our contract,
but because you love me,” Diluc said, his eyes twinkling with certainty. Then, Kaeya
withdrew his fist, attempting to punch Diluc, but he was wiser than before and dodged
nimbly, causing Kaeya to scowl.

“Don’t get a big head,” Kaeya warned, getting off of Diluc. “If you love me, you won’t
bother me or my kid until the end of this week, understand?” Much to his surprise, Diluc, still
absorbing the emotional storm he had ignited, nodded easily. Diluc understood that Kaeya
needed time to think. He knew Kaeya was at his breaking point, it would be wiser not to push
him. “Consider it done. But Kaeya, this is just the beginning. I intend to prove my love to you
in ways that words can't capture.”

Kaeya shot him a skeptical look, but there was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. He didn't
delude himself into believing him just yet. Perhaps Diluc's actions would indeed speak louder
than his words in the days to come, but Kaeya would have to see them with his own eyes to
believe them.
 Quirophilia (Alhaitham/Kaveh)
Chapter Summary

Warning: Top! Alhaitham x Bottom! Kaveh

Kaveh, an idealistic architect facing financial ruin, reluctantly turns to his pragmatic
frenemy, Alhaitham, for help. Harboring a long-standing yet denied love for Alhaitham,
Kaveh finds himself living under his roof practically for free. With a wounded pride,
Kaveh attempts to earn his keep through chores, initiating a subtle dance of domesticity,
looking after Alhaitham despite his own self-proclaimed loathing for him.

Much to Kaveh's giddy befuddlement and consternation, Alhaitham begins acting in

unprecedented ways that leave him uncertain of their relationship until it all boils over
and they find themselves tangled after a drunken dinner. But only in the aftermath is
Kaveh forced to confront an unsettling yet surprisingly pleasing realization.

Chapter Notes

EEEE HAIKAVEH finally got around to write these icky gays (we ignore that i
disappeared for nearly 3 fuckin months)

for both ayathoma and haikaveh, i couldn't help but write something domestic and cute,
so i hope this will be enjoyable! i had a pleasantly surprising inspiration for this from
one of the chans or sumn, and i will attempt to attach it at the end, so i hope it shows up!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

*Quirophilia: Sexual arousal from hands.

It was seven o’clock in the evening when Kaveh found himself hurrying around in the
kitchen, his metal spatula rattling in the pot as he stirred the bubbling contents in it in a flash.

His muttered curses paired perfectly with the harmonious chopping of his knife against the
cutting board as he cut up some vegetables to throw into the stew he was making. He wiped
the sweat off his brow with the sleeve of his button-up, having had little time to change out of
his clothes as soon as he’d come home.

The cause of his frustration was that Kaveh’s entire schedule had been shifted one hour
forward due to his own carelessness. He’d woken up late, barely getting dressed in his hurry
to meet with his clients, only to be shouted at for his tardiness. Kaveh understood their
frustration, but it only served to further his bad mood. Then, he’d gotten off on the wrong
foot with the builders of his projects, for they seemed to think his structures defied the laws
of physics when Kaveh knew perfectly well they didn’t. Trying to convince them took the
better part of his day, but eventually, they compromised, and he had to tweak his design a
little either way.

Now, his teeth clashed in his agitation to get dinner ready. Naturally, Kaveh came home late,
and now, he was stressed about not finishing dinner before he came along and made
everything worse. His whole day had gone horribly, and it was about to get all the worse if he
didn’t finish dinner in time.

What was he in such a hurry for, one might ask. All his efforts to speed things up served one
purpose: to avoid any interaction with the one man capable of making his day worse.

All Kaveh wanted to do was to finish dinner and get out of sight before Alhaitham came
home to worsen his mood with his snooty attitude. Gods, just thinking about that smug
bastard always got Kaveh riled up. It showed in the aggressiveness with which he tossed the
vegetables into his stew, along with the deep frown on his face.

Kaveh’s relationship with his housemate, Alhaitham, had always been strained—full of snide
remarks and barely concealed contempt. Once upon a time, their relationship had started out
neutrally enough in their Akademiya days, when they knew too little about one another to
judge each other. But as they wised up to the vast differences in their personalities, their
relationship fostered a mutual disdain. Alhaitham never had a nice thing to say about Kaveh,
and if he did, it was so heavily veiled with sarcasm that no one could perceive it as a
compliment.

Alhaitham’s biting comments and blunt personality were a volatile mix with Kaveh’s fiery
pride. That was why he hated the idea of being around when he came home. He knew that the
only thing that could make his day worse was a snide comment from him.

One thought led to another, and with a sigh, he found himself ruminating on his past with
Alhaitham as he cooked aggressively. How had they ended up here? How was it that despite
all his anger and loathing for Alhaitham, he was cooking dinner for two rather than one? It
was clear that he was thinking about him, even in the routineness of his actions. Kaveh
wasn’t so delusional as to excuse himself for being reminded of this fact. It only served to
irritate him more, a blush dusting his face.

Kaveh’s guilty conscience never failed to remind him how great a debt he owed Alhaitham.

He’d once hoped so keenly that his path never crossed Alhaitham’s again after they
graduated. The reason? Alhaitham always fed Kaveh harsh truths that agonizingly countered
the worldview he had constructed for himself. He was always like an unhealthy dose of
reality and rationality—Kaveh hated him for it back then, and he still hated him for it now.
He had thought that escaping Alhaitham would mean escaping reality.

Life seemed to have his best interests at heart at first. He completed project after project,
getting recognized for his ingenious designs and constructs and making a name for himself in
the industry.
He had been so happy. He’d thought he was proving Alhaitham wrong. He'd thought that just
like his naive mind had believed, reality was kinder to those who deserved it.

But then, Kaveh’s once-bright future spiraled down the drain when that dreaded Palace of
Alcazarzaray project happened. The tenacity he had once prided himself so strongly on had
become his downfall, just as Alhaitham loved to predict back in their Akademiya days. Fate
had cruel ways of crushing people’s hopes and dreams, for when Kaveh had been at his
lowest, neck-deep in debt, homeless, and desperate, he found himself at the mercy of
Alhaitham, the last person he ever wanted to see again.

When he drank away his woes, Alhaitham had appeared before him like some twisted
guardian angel. Seeing him had just been a reminder of how cruel reality was—and that was
all Alhaitham was to Kaveh, the bitter reality that refuted his ideals in every way.

He had fallen apart in front of Alhaitham that day. He’d expected many ‘I told you so’s from
him, scathing comments to make him feel worse, but Alhaitham had said nothing. He’d
stayed by Kaveh’s side that night, watching the tears trickle down his cheeks. Kaveh
would’ve slept on the streets that night had it not been for Alhaitham. He’d woken up the
following day in a comfortable bed in Alhaitham’s home.

Despite his wounded pride, Kaveh found himself accepting the offer Alhaitham extended to
him that morning: to live with him until his debt settled.

Kaveh regretted that decision almost every day. He wondered why Alhaitham had decided to
make such an offer. He took little to nothing for rent, paid for all the groceries and utilities,
and took care of any problems that arose in the house. Kaveh found himself a freeloader, and
it ate away at him every day. A feeling of inadequacy cast a gaping pit in his heart, and
pathetically, cooking like this was his way of trying to repair that pit.

That was why he couldn’t sit still doing nothing. He always felt like he owed Alhaitham
something, and he strove to find ways to bridge the gap between them.

Kaveh’s sharp eye for detail caught very quickly onto the best ways to do so. Alhaitham’s
house, although large, was neglected—dust lay thick on the books that were strewn about,
while empty food boxes and scrolls lay sprawled on every surface. The house was revolting
to live in, especially for a perfectionist like Kaveh. It amazed him how Alhaitham still
managed to look put together when his living space seldom did.

A simple solution to Kaveh’s feelings of inadequacy presented itself to him, and he swooped
down on it like a crow: he could earn his keep by cleaning.

That thought took Kaveh back to his first week of living with Alhaitham as he cooked. It had
been nothing short of mortifying. The house had been in a deplorable state, and Kaveh
resolved to cover it in just a single day. With much begging and groveling, he’d managed to
convince their mutual friends, Cyno and Tighnari, to occupy Alhaitham elsewhere and get
him out of the house till nighttime so he could tackle that impossible task. He put on a pair of
cleaning mitts and a face mask, arming himself with a spray bottle and a battalion of
washcloths before setting to work.
Kaveh admitted he shed a great many tears that day, his sneeze count going into the tens
when he got to the dusting. Picking up all of Alhaitham’s trash like some housemaid made
Kaveh want to shove the broom he was cleaning with right up Alhaitham’s snarky ass. How
was it that a man with such a strong sense of realism could live in a real-life pigsty? It was
revolting.

And yet, he wiped down every counter sedulously, sweeping and polishing the floors and
unhousing many spiders that had sought refuge on their ceiling. He took on one room at a
time and reveled with satisfaction each time he left a room spotless. But at the same time, he
felt a sense of hopeless dread, for he was saving the worst for last: Alhaitham’s study.

The study was the room Alhaitham used the most—it was bound to be the worst of them all.
There were dried coffee spills on every surface, ceiling-high stacks of books, and piles of
parchment strewn all over the floor. The bookshelves were caked in centimeters of dust, and
the ceiling lamp was hazy from all the dirt on it. Kaveh knew he wouldn’t be coming out of
there a sane man, which was why he got the rest of the house over with beforehand. It was of
slight concern that he was raiding someone else’s study, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to
rest unless he cleaned it for how nauseating it was.

When he started, he equipped himself with another face mask to prevent the dust from
ruining his entire day, week, and month. It was just as horrible as he imagined.

He went through washcloths like they were tissues, having to go and wash them every five
minutes for how dirty they got, caked in inches of dust each time he swept them over a
surface. Scrubbing the coffee stains on Alhaitham’s desk left Kaveh’s muscles sore, though
he sated himself with the thought that his biceps would grow bigger and better like
Alhaitham’s. The thought irked him.

How was it fair that Alhaitham was blessed with both brains and brawn? They say the gods
didn’t play favorites, but here Alhaitham was, strutting about with his handsome face and
sultry eyes.

His only downfall was his lack of empathy, which almost instantly made him unattractive in
Kaveh’s eyes. Or so he thought.

“How can someone live in such filth?!” he exclaimed angrily to himself, suppressing a gag as
the smell of rotting canned food graced his nostrils even through the barricade of two face
masks. Although Kaveh’s eye for detail didn’t allow for imperfection in his cleaning, he did
his best to hurry so that he wouldn’t be caught at it. Cyno and Tighnari wouldn’t be able to
keep someone like Alhaitham occupied for long. For this reason, Kaveh rushed to finish
cleaning, knowing how mortifying it would be to be caught in Alhaitham’s study.

When he finally finished, he looked at the room with a proud smile on his face, seeing the
difference just from the way the wooden furniture sparkled. He had made sure not to move
Alhaitham’s things around too much—he’d put away the books that had been dustier than
others, for that was their sign of being unwanted, while leaving the important stuff where it
was and cleaning around or under it.
With a frown, Kaveh realized he’d missed a spot on the window, glancing at the clock with a
nervous nibble on his lower lip, worried that Alhaitham would be home any second now.

But his heart couldn’t settle unless he got rid of that stain. He threw caution to the wind and
began hacking away at the stain with a washcloth, and in his stupor, he failed to notice the
sound of the front door opening and closing. Kaveh let out a noise of relief as he polished the
window pane to perfection, looking pleased with himself. And then, he felt his heart drop.

“What are you doing, Kaveh?” Alhaitham’s calm voice broke the silence. Kaveh felt the hairs
on the back of his neck stand on end as he whirled around, finding Alhaitham standing in the
doorway with his arms crossed, staring unblinkingly at him.

Kaveh felt nerves and embarrassment churn in his stomach at the sight of him. Alhaitham’s
unwavering gaze never failed to make his legs feel wobbly.

“Nothing!” he said defensively, though his red face screamed I’m guilty! “I’m leaving, so get
off my case…!” His voice was emphatic as he gathered his supplies and rags messily, his
mortification just barely hidden under the masks he wore. Nothing embarrassed Kaveh more
than to be caught doing something nice for Alhaitham—the accusatory glare on Alhaitham’s
face as if he thought Kaveh was snooping was a close second.

Kaveh pushed past Alhaitham, squeezing through the tiniest opening between him and the
doorway, wanting to hurry out before Alhaitham could say something smarmy to ruin his
sense of accomplishment.

Alhaitham surprisingly let him go easily—he didn’t try to trap Kaveh between himself and
the doorway, allowing him to run back to his room with his tail between his legs. But then,
just as Kaveh was about to slam his own door shut, he heard Alhaitham murmur something
he’d never heard him say before. “Thanks.”

Then, he disappeared into his pristine study while Kaveh stood in his open doorway,
processing it. He put his supplies on the ground, pressing his hand over his heart with a look
of wonder on his face. His heart was hammering in his ribcage so intensely he feared his ribs
would crack. He was blushing furiously, his insides churning giddily.

He didn’t allow himself to feel happy for too long because only the next day, Alhaitham’s air
of smugness and sarcastic drawl had returned.

Kaveh kept their space tidy after that, never allowing it to get to that point again, and just a
little, it had improved Alhaitham’s attitude. Alhaitham didn’t go out of his way to make
messes for Kaveh, and he didn’t point out Kaveh’s efforts much either, which was
appreciated, for it would only embarrass Kaveh more. He didn’t want to make it seem like he
was doing any of this for Alhaitham, though, of course, he was only kidding himself.

While cleaning their space, all the canned food and takeout boxes had told Kaveh much about
Alhaitham’s awful lifestyle. His diet was horrible—if you asked Kaveh, it was a remarkable,
research-worthy phenomenon how Alhaitham managed to maintain his physique, surviving
on canned beans and rice.
That was the second thing Kaveh had begun doing to earn his keep in Alhaitham’s home, and
it led Kaveh here, angrily cooking in the kitchen as he panicked at the prospect of being
caught again. He’d taken to cooking for himself and Alhaitham every evening before
Alhaitham came home. He started leaving a plate of food in Alhaitham’s study every day
almost a month ago, and to his relief, Alhaitham hadn’t yet said anything about it. He
preferred it that way—he didn’t want to give him an opening to degrade his cooking. He
wasn’t doing this for thanks.

That was why he was in a hurry—he couldn’t let Alhaitham catch him in the act. Doing
something nice for Alhaitham had always been a touchy subject.

He’d been lucky to walk away with his sanity the day he was caught cleaning his office—it
still left him miffed that Alhaitham hadn’t made an astute comment about that. Alhaitham
could never help but turn every positive thing Kaveh did into something negative. It annoyed
him, making him wonder how he had once liked such a man. He blushed. That was right—
he’d had a crush on Alhaitham back when they were in the Akademiya.

Of course, he hadn't been the only one. Alhaitham had been popular for his looks, serving as
eye candy for most of the other careworn students. Kaveh was no exception. Even he couldn't
claim that Alhaitham hadn't been attractive with his cool disposition, piercing eyes, and
beautiful hands. That had been what drew Kaveh to him in the first place—he'd thought that
Alhaitham was from Kshahrewar, an architect like him, for how pretty his hands were. He'd
been disappointed to learn that he was from Haravatat, though they still found themselves
working in close proximity from that point on.

Kaveh's crush on Alhaitham had been all but short-lived, for he'd learned quickly how
powerfully their personalities clashed.

Alhaitham loved rubbing how different they were in Kaveh’s face. Getting to know him had
left Kaveh relieved that he was from another Darshan, because having to deal with the likes
of him every day would've driven him mad.

His crush had died the day they graduated from the Akademiya. He’d been determined to get
away from Alhaitham entirely so that he’d never have to face those feelings.

However, that night when he’d been homeless, seeing Alhaitham at the pub had brought back
a great many confusing feelings. Blacking out and waking up at Alhaitham’s place the next
day had also been an experience of a lifetime, because his heart had raced as if still infatuated
with him.

But so far, he’d done a good job convincing himself that wasn’t the case. His heart surely
raced only because of his dislike for Alhaitham and his bad attitude. After all, it was no secret
that Alhaitham never failed to raise his blood pressure. He was determined not to plant any
wrong ideas in Alhaitham’s head by doing something nice for him. He couldn’t let Alhaitham
think he was anything special to him—because surely, he wasn’t, right…?

Kaveh found his lower lip curling into a pout, hating the thought. Alhaitham was doing
something nice for him, and Kaveh was simply returning the favor. Nothing more, nothing
less. His feelings for him had long since died.
How could he like a man who opposed him in every way? It was preposterous. And yet, his
every act of kindness was laced with love and veiled with disdain.

He looked at the clock and let out a moan of despair. Dinner was far from done, and
Alhaitham would be home any second. He knew it was hopeless. He would be caught. It
mortified him. The devil answered his calls, and he heard the front door opening. Within just
a second, Alhaitham stood in the doorway of the kitchen, his arms crossed, fixing Kaveh with
his piercing stare with one of his eyebrows arched as if to say Well?

The Deja Vu he got from Alhaitham catching him cleaning would’ve amused Kaveh had he
not been the object of Alhaitham’s questioning stare.

Kaveh was caught off guard, slamming his spatula into the pot and cursing under his breath.
He turned abruptly, glaring reproachfully at Alhaitham. “Why are you home?” he barked,
forcing hostility into his tone and ensuring he knew what a burden he was being.

Alhaitham rolled his eyes at him. “Am I not allowed to be in the house I own?” he asked,
voice dripping with sarcasm. “I wanted to grace your miserable existence with mine. Is that
such a crime?” His expression was effortlessly neutral, but an enigmatic glint of amusement
danced in his eyes, annoying Kaveh immensely. Gods, Kaveh hated when Alhaitham made
sense. He huffed and turned away, not wanting his food to burn. “Yeah, well, there’s no need
for you to be here. My miserable existence feels very graced, so feel free to leave now,” he
grumbled. He didn’t receive a reply.

It was quiet for a minute, causing Kaveh to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking Alhaitham had
lost interest and left. It meant he wouldn’t have to worry about being terrorized by the man’s
sarcasm towards his cooking.

He twisted his neck slightly to make sure Alhaitham had left and had to strangle a scream in
his throat as he found Alhaitham’s face inches from his own. He stood right behind Kaveh,
having snuck up on him as silent as an owl, looking down over his shoulder at the food
simmering in the pot. He leaned too close to Kaveh, his arms folded behind his back.

He glanced smugly at Kaveh’s startled expression but seemed more interested in Kaveh’s
cooking. “What are you making?” he asked.

His voice buzzed right next to Kaveh’s ear, making his hair stand on end. He now understood
why Alhaitham chose to wear headphones. He kept his gaze fixed downwards, a pink blush
rising to his face. Alhaitham had never stood so close before. His voice had never spoken just
mere inches from his ears like this. It made his mind swirl. His scent, woodsy yet masculine,
closed in around Kaveh, making him weak in the knees.

“I-It’s just some stew,” Kaveh mumbled, “don’t stand so close to me…” He cursed how
fragile his own voice was, making him sound less assertive.

Alhaitham’s two-colored eyes turned from the stew simmering in the pot to the blush
spreading from Kaveh’s cheeks to his ears—the tiniest of smirks played on his lips at the
sight. “It smells good,” he said softly. “I like the things you cook.” His words were
straightforward yet sincere. He felt no need to lie.
Kaveh’s spatula almost slipped from his hand. He twisted his neck to look at Alhaitham,
expecting to see his sarcastic sneer, but he was straight-faced. “Really…?” Kaveh asked, his
tone full of wariness as if anticipating a sneaky insult. Then, his expression soured, knowing
that Alhaitham couldn’t be serious. Either his ears were playing tricks on him, or Alhaitham
was just trying to dupe him. His mind rationalized Alhaitham’s words as it always did,
unwilling to accept that he could genuinely say something nice. “No, I know what you’re
trying to do—you’re trying to make me look like a fool for believing you,” he grumbled,
though the sinking of his heart spoke volumes of his disappointment.

Alhaitham straightened up, shifting away from Kaveh, still with that amused glint in his eye.
“Believe whatever you want,” he said characteristically, turning on his heel and walking out
of the kitchen without another word.

Kaveh stared after him, dumbfounded that Alhaitham had left without ensuring Kaveh knew
his disdain for him.

Slowly, he turned back to his cooking, his mind whirring. He turned Alhaitham’s words over
and over in his mind, trying to figure out from his tone and wording whether he was being
truthful. Alhaitham hadn’t done anything to refute his words. He always ate whatever Kaveh
left for him in his office, doing his part by cleaning whatever dishes remained. But for him to
compliment him without some ulterior motive? It was unheard of.

And yet, the reaction of Kaveh’s heart was the same as when he’d gotten his first thanks from
Alhaitham. It was pounding in his chest, the pumping of his blood casting a deep blush on his
face, though not from the heat of the kitchen. He was blushing because he found himself
believing Alhaitham when he said he liked his cooking.

‘He… he likes it,’ he thought. Why did that make him so happy?

Words of affirmation were something Kaveh had never heard from Alhaitham’s mouth—not
unless they were veiled with sarcasm or made into something derogatory, anyway.

So for Alhaitham to have said that… a smile began to curl on Kaveh’s lips, the blush refusing
to leave his cheeks. He hated how much happiness Alhaitham’s appreciation brought him, but
he just couldn’t help it. He justified the happiness, telling himself that it was because he put a
lot of effort into his dishes. It surely wasn’t because he felt something more for Alhaitham.
And yet, the bounce in his step and the smile on his face said otherwise.

He finished dinner shortly after, and he left a bowl of stew outside the door to Alhaitham’s
office, knocking and running away promptly, not giving Alhaitham a chance to dampen his
happiness.

He ate and went to bed happy, unable to stop thinking about it. When he woke up the
following day, he was drowsy, his hair a scruffy mess, and his sleeping suit hanging off his
shoulder. It was early—he took comfort in the fact that Alhaitham would’ve already left. He
walked out of his room and entered the kitchen to fix himself something to eat. His eyes
caught onto a clean bowl sitting on the kitchen counter. Inquisitively, he neared it, for he
knew Alhaitham usually put his dishes away. The bowl was empty, but next to it, a sticky
note had been stuck. It read: Make the stew again, I liked it.
Kaveh’s cheeks exploded into a red shade. He took the note in his hands, feeling as airy as
last night. He began to smile. “Look at this jerk making requests as if I’m doing all this
specifically for him,” he grumbled under his breath, but contrarily, he made a mental note to
make it again next week, continuing with his day with a bounce in his step.

***

The ritual continued for the next two months, with Kaveh cooking for them every evening.
Not much had changed—they didn’t eat dinner together or get along any better, and yet, the
vibe surrounding Kaveh’s cooking had been altered.

He no longer felt the need to cook in secret. The highlight of his day was waking up in the
morning and bounding into the kitchen to find a clean dish and a sticky note next to it that
informed Kaveh that his meal from the night before had been enjoyed. He didn’t know why
his heart did backflips each time he read a simple, deadpan note in Alhaitham’s ugly
handwriting. As embarrassing as it was, Kaveh never threw these little notes away. He would
collect them and keep them in a small box, hiding them in his drawer so Alhaitham would
never know the effect these little notes had on him.

They made his day and made him want to strive to do even better. Each day, when leaving for
work, he would be in a good mood, making working with clients easier. Throughout the day,
he would think about dinner, what to make, whether Alhaitham would like it, and more.

It was small, but it always got Kaveh fired up. Alhaitham’s praise meant a lot to him—it
made him want to work hard, even if he would never admit it.

He found his suspicion of Alhaitham’s authenticity slowly fading with every sticky note he
received. Of course, not every note was positive—sometimes, Alhaitham would, as politely
as someone like him ever could, request him not to use some ingredients he disliked, such as
peas. According to him, the texture of peas was mushy and made him want to gag, comparing
them to Kaveh’s unrealistic ideals about life.

Of course, that had set Kaveh off, and he’d fumed for a whole day, wondering how
Alhaitham had the balls to complain and insult the man who cooked for him out of the
goodness of his heart. (He conveniently ignored that he cooked for Alhaitham not only out of
guilt but also because he enjoyed his praise.)

But he understood Alhaitham, for he’d once been his friend. Alhaitham had certain textures
he couldn’t stand, similar to his sensitivity to noise.

Kaveh wasn’t spiteful—he didn’t put peas in Alhaitham’s food after that.

If their paths crossed inside their home, Alhaitham would sometimes make requests for
dinner, asking him to try something new, like a recipe he used to enjoy as a child. Naturally,
Kaveh would give him a hard time about it, but in the end, he would always follow through
with Alhaitham’s requests, an unconscious part of him anticipating more praise and
appreciation for it. It also helped him see Alhaitham in a more innocent light. It was odd, but
Kaveh admitted he’d never thought Alhaitham had a favorite food or disliked certain foods
for such mundane and straightforward reasons.
He knew it was silly of him not ever to have thought of that—Alhaitham was a person after
all. Perhaps it was because of his old crush on Alhaitham, but he always thought he was on
another level, as if placed on a pedestal. That might’ve been why Alhaitham’s attitude
annoyed him so much. He acted like his lane was far superior to Kaveh’s. Maybe that had led
him to think Alhaitham was different from him in ways that exceeded ideals—that he was
something other than human. It was a silly idea.

That was why he was happy to be reminded that he and Alhaitham were similar in certain
ways.

Today, Kaveh found himself already done with dinner, sitting in his room with a few charts
stretched on the floor before him, showcasing various architectural designs. He sat on the
floor in front of them, a pencil tucked behind his ear as he studied his own designs. A look of
dissatisfaction etched a frown on his face.

“No… no, this won’t do,” he murmured. They weren’t enough, nor did they live up to the
artistic vision that drove Kaveh’s every project. He didn’t think they quite suited what the
client had asked him for. Art block was one of the things Kaveh loathed most in this world—
aside from Alhaitham. Kaveh grumbled under his breath. He was already annoyed—the
thought of Alhaitham didn’t help. He snatched his pencil and tweaked one corner of the
design, but it barely did anything to improve it.

Speaking of the devil, Kaveh’s door was ajar as he worked—his grumbles and groans of
disgust at his art block were noticed by a passing Alhaitham.

His lean frame cast a shadow across Kaveh’s charts, causing him to snap his head to look at
the doorway, his expression souring as he saw the expression on Alhaitham’s face as he
studied the messy array of charts sprawled in front of Kaveh. “What are you doing here?
Come to gloat about all the rainbows you’ve strangled today?” Kaveh asked grumpily.

A light puff from Alhaitham’s nostrils indicated his amusement. “I’m watching a supposed
architectural genius struggle with his doodles. It’s quite a show, really.”

Kaveh shot him a venomous glare. “Says the man who couldn’t draw a straight line if his life
depended on it,” he fired back. It annoyed him how undeterred Alhaitham seemed at his little
jab.

“What good is a talent like that if it’s wasted on that drunken spider of a scribble you call a
building?” Alhaitham said, causing a vein to throb in Kaveh’s forehead.

“Mind your own business, Alhaitham!” Kaveh yelled, shooting his pencil at him. He thought
nothing else could’ve annoyed him, but seeing Alhaitham dodge his pencil with just the
slightest tilt of his head could’ve made him scream into a pillow. “At least work on your aim.
You’re as terrible a marksman as you are a realist,” Alhaitham told him, twisting on his heel
and walking away, leaving a fuming Kaveh behind.

Scowling and practically steaming, Kaveh listened as the front door opened and closed before
shamefully crawling to retrieve his pencil, this time closing his room door so he wouldn’t
have to see Alhaitham’s smug face when he came back.
Returning to his chart, he attempted to shake off his disorientation, but his mind seemed like
a whirlwind of messy ideas.

An hour passed like minutes, and Kaveh’s initial frustration changed into worry and panic,
knowing he had to present this to a client the next day. None of the ideas in his head were the
breakthrough he needed. The art block felt like a heavy chain anchoring a bird, preventing it
from flight. He found himself curled into a ball in front of his designs, his chin resting on his
knees as his thoughts raced when the sound of the door opening again caught his attention.

He sighed, grateful to his past self for having the sense to close the door, allowing himself a
sense of safety from Alhaitham’s sarcastic remarks. Of course, his ideals never came to
fruition.

A second later, he spooked with a yelp as Alhaitham barged into his room without knocking,
sending the pencil he was holding flying into the air in the door’s direction. Alhaitham
promptly dodged it again, giving Kaveh a look that read Seriously?

Kaveh gathered his bearings, flaring up again, “Ever heard of knocking? Get out of my room,
Alhaitham!” he said, tempted to throw a scroll at him this time.

“Technically, this is my house. Scoot over,” Alhaitham told him tersely, and Kaveh barely
shuffled to the side as he dumped what he was holding in the spot Kaveh had been sitting in.
Kaveh found himself submerged in a cloud of dust, regretting his life choices as he inhaled
sharply only to sneeze powerfully. “What are you playing at?” he snapped, rubbing his nose
as he took a look at what Alhaitham had dumped in front of him.

He saw a pile of withered old books, and judging by the vivid shapes on the covers, he saw
that they were related to architecture.

“What are these?” he asked, his voice softer with interest.

Alhaitham rolled his eyes, “Books, genius. I thought you might need some help—I wouldn’t
be able to live with the secondhand embarrassment if you presented that—” he gestured to
Kaveh’s design, “—to your client tomorrow. Your design’s about as inspiring as cardboard.”

Kaveh, who would generally be quick to anger by insults like that, found himself distracted,
staring at Alhaitham with a blank, disbelieving expression.

“You… you’re trying to help? Did you get hit in the head? Do I need to call Tighnari?” he
asked, his voice sincere and severe. Alhaitham pursed his lips, a vein popping in his neck
with annoyance at the utter bewilderment in Kaveh’s tone. Kaveh was, of course, justified in
being skeptical. Alhaitham rarely did things out of the goodness of his heart, and if he did, it
usually came with many repercussions.

“You’re acting like you’re not sitting here because of the kindness of my heart,” Alhaitham
grumbled. “I brought them with the idea that they might give your brain something more
interesting to chew on than its usual cud, but if you don’t need them–”
Kaveh hurriedly intercepted Alhaitham’s outstretched hand, pushing it away and ignoring the
jolt of enjoyment at the brief contact with Alhaitham. He clutched the pile of books
protectively, crying out, “No! No, I… I could use them.”

Alhaitham gave another roll of his eyes, and instead of leaving, he insultingly pushed Kaveh
with the pointy toe of his shoes before plopping down beside him. He opened a book and
flipped through it carefully, peeling apart some of the pages while Kaveh watched, his eyes
fixed on Alhaitham’s pretty hands. Only Alhaitham’s thumb, index, and middle fingers were
visible, the other two hiding behind his glove. His nails had been cut into neat crescents, and
his fingers were long and slender, his knuckles beautifully boney. The way they moved so
gracefully as he flipped the pages made Kaveh feel all hot and bothered. Kaveh had always
had a thing for large, slender hands, having expected to see quite a few when he began
studying in the Kshahrewar Darshan. He hadn't expected that the prettiest hands he would
find would belong to a man from Haravatat.

“Are you listening?” Alhaitham said, snapping two of his beautiful fingers right in Kaveh’s
face, making his heart hammer. He realized with an embarrassed blush that Alhaitham had
been talking all the while he’d been admiring his hands.

He was annoyed with himself—of all people whose hands to be smitten over, it just had to be
Alhaitham. He couldn’t help it; those old feelings Kaveh had buried always made him feel
antsy and nervous when Alhaitham got too close, as if he still liked him. “No, it’s a habit I
built. You usually don’t say anything worth listening to,” Kaveh retorted, barely maintaining
his composure.

He watched, befuddled, as Alhaitham released a puff of laughter. “Good one,” he said,

surprising Kaveh, who had braced himself for Alhaitham’s smarmy retort. “But I suggest
listening for once—no one else cares enough to keep you from making a fool out of yourself
in front of your client tomorrow.”

Kaveh’s eyebrows furrowed. “And why, pray tell, would you want to do that? Why would
you care about my designs and my client? What do you want, credits?”

Alhaitham gave a derisive snort of disgust at the prospect. “Please, as if I’d want to be
associated with this mess,” he said, gesturing a dismissive hand at Kaveh’s chart. “I’m
helping because, as I said before, I wouldn’t be able to live with the secondhand
embarrassment.”

Kaveh rolled his eyes. “Fine, let’s hear your expertise. You’re always looking to stick your
nose where it doesn’t belong, whether you’re allowed to or not,” he grumbled.

Alhaitham brought his slender fingers to Kaveh’s face, causing him to go cross-eyed, and
flicked him on the nose, saying, “You’re trying too hard to impress the client. You might as
well spraypaint the word desperation across the whole thing with how many unnecessary
embellishments you’ve made. Simplicity can be striking. A structure doesn’t need a fancy
everything to appeal to an individual’s sense of aestheticism.”

Kaveh’s scrunched up his face, pushing Alhaitham’s hand away and glaring at his design.
Alhaitham’s words, pragmatic and apathetic as they were, held some truth to them.
Alhaitham was a man whose shoes were challenging to step into, even for an empathetic soul
like Kaveh's. Yet, he still tried to look at the design through Alhaitham’s lens and was able to
find the so-called unnecessary embellishments. “Fine,” he said curtly, swallowing his pride,
“what changes would you suggest?”

Alhaitham seemed almost impressed at Kaveh’s receptiveness to his criticism. He placed the
dusty book he was holding in Kaveh’s lap, leaning closer to him as he pointed at the design
with a slender finger. “This design resembles what I think you were going for. You need to
lose the pretentiousness—most clients, if they’ve got any brains, would want functionality,
not an art exhibition. If you let the structure breathe, it'd look something like this.” Kaveh
tensed, his eyes on Alhaitham’s hand, a blush rising to his face at how close he was. He could
smell Alhaitham’s woodsy scent, making his heart race. He barely heard half of what
Alhaitham said.

“O-Okay, I get it, so shove off a bit; you’re in my space,” he grumbled, twisting his body
away slightly. Alhaitham eyed his reaction, an enigmatic glint in his eyes.

“Am I making you nervous, Kaveh?” he asked softly next to his ear. His hand trailed slowly
from the book in Kaveh’s lap to his hand, clasping it in his own. Kaveh’s face burst into
color, pursing his lips and trying not to enjoy how soft Alhaitham’s thumb and forefingers
were against his skin. He felt something shift between his legs.

Softly, he said, “If you don’t get out of my space right now, I’m gonna rip your headphones
off your stupid head and scream into your ears.”

The tension was palpable as the corner of Alhaitham’s lips twitched up with amusement.
Nevertheless, he moved away, muttering, “Say less.” He knew that Kaveh had no trouble
living up to his words. To Alhaitham, Kaveh always seemed like a feisty yet helpless bunny,
but at times like these, he remembered how much nerve he had. He could stand up for
himself just fine when it came to bullies like Alhaitham. This was what kept Alhaitham
addicted to someone as infuriating as him, no matter how many differences there were
between them.

“If you know what’s good for you and your client, be sure to take my advice. As amusing as
it would be to watch, I’m sure you don’t want to be yelled at,” he told Kaveh, rising to his
feet. He was gone as swiftly and suddenly as he came, leaving Kaveh sitting there, all hot and
bothered, with many a mixed feeling swirling in his body and a begrudging gratefulness in
his heart.

***

On another night, Kaveh found himself finishing up his domestic chores. He went about
wiping down the countertop in the kitchen, where he’d spilled some oil.

When he finished, he washed his hands and transferred the food he’d made—his favorite,
fatteh—into two plates for himself and Alhaitham. Just then, he heard Alhaitham come home,
but unlike the last time he’d been caught cooking, Kaveh no longer felt the need to hide.
“Oh good, you’re here,” he said as Alhaitham stopped in the doorway, determinedly avoiding
looking at him. “Take your plate while you’re on your way to your room.”

Kaveh had been acting oddly around Alhaitham ever since the day Alhaitham helped him out
with his project. He wasn’t quite as irritable; instead, he was shy and aversive whilst
desperately attempting to appear normal. His heart wasn’t in it when it came to squabbling
with Alhaitham, for he would find himself unable to look him in the eye or flinch away when
he got too close. Alhaitham said nothing, but Kaveh felt his shoulders tense up as he heard
him approach. Alhaitham always moved like a shadow, but Kaveh was on high alert, his skin
prickling as he felt him stand behind him, close enough to feel his warmth, pinning him
between himself and the counter.

“What do you want, Alhaitham?” Kaveh said, trying to feign his usual annoyed, curt tone. He
turned around, strangling a squeak in his throat as he saw Alhaitham’s intense two-colored
eyes staring straight into his.

“You’ve been weirder than usual lately,” Alhaitham said, getting straight to the point.

Kaveh felt his cheeks redden. Alhaitham was quite right, of course. He’d had been weird ever
since that night.

Thinking about that night always mortified Kaveh. He’d ended up finishing his project at the
crack of dawn, successfully coming up with a new design. He had only two hours before he’d
have to get up again to meet the client, so he decided to stay up and rest after all was said and
done. However, his mind had been left too idle, waiting for the hours to pass.

It had wandered back to Alhaitham and his odd behavior. Alhaitham had done something
kind for him. He’d helped him, even if it was cloaked in his usual sarcasm. And then,
Kaveh’s thoughts wandered into even more dangerous territory: Alhaitham’s close proximity,
the way his fingers had pried apart those pages, the way he’d clasped Kaveh’s hand and
rubbed his thumb against his knuckles. Kaveh's minor weakness for hands may have
contributed to his attraction to Alhaitham's. But the effect they had on him was far from
minor and far too downplayed, for Kaveh’s body had heated up so much that he found a tent
erected in his pants.

It mortified him that Alhaitham’s hands had had that kind of effect on him. Liking hands was
one thing, but knowing who the owner of the hands he fantasized about was had made Kaveh
want to scream into oblivion.

And yet, he couldn’t help himself. He had indulged in the thought of Alhaitham’s hands on
his body far too much for comfort. He’d touched himself. He was utterly mortified with
himself. He wanted to scream and kick Alhaitham away, for he found his eyes wandering
down his broad, muscular arms, and—Kaveh almost slapped himself.

He did his best to restore his usual air of impatience. “Never you mind about my weirdness.
Take your plate and move along; you’re too close,” he said briskly.

Alhaitham’s eyebrows raised into his fringe, but he said no more about Kaveh’s odd behavior
because he already had a plan in mind. “I brought drinks,” he said quietly, almost astonished
with himself. Clearly, he wasn’t the only one startled by his own behavior because Kaveh
almost dropped his plate of fatteh. He looked at Alhaitham, then to his hands where, sure
enough, he held a paper bag with a few bottles of beer.

He looked between Alhaitham and the bottles, looking bewildered. “You have the gall to say
I’m acting weird while you’re– while you’re…” he couldn’t finish his sentence. He clearly
meant to say while you’re being friendly.

Alhaitham shrugged, “I like seeing you get shitfaced. It makes for good dinnertime
entertainment,” he said sardonically. He took the plate of fatteh from Kaveh and
unceremoniously handed him the bag of bottles before taking his own plate and striding out
of the kitchen without a backward glance.

Kaveh, staring at the bag in his hands, had no choice but to follow, for Alhaitham held his
food hostage.

They sat on the floor in the living room with their food on the low coffee table, sitting side by
side. It was eerily quiet as Alhaitham pulled out two beer bottles and expertly uncorked them
by sharply tapping them on the table before placing one in front of Kaveh and taking a swig
of the other. Kaveh, still looking mystified, couldn’t resist. Beer and fatteh went hand in
hand. He drunk as well, and when he resurfaced, he found Alhaitham’s eyes on his again.

Startled, he asked, “What?”

“Did you submit that disaster of a structure to your client and get chewed out or something?”
Alhaitham asked bluntly. Kaveh bristled at the accusatory tone in his voice. “That’s none of
your business, Alhaitham,” he said.

“It is since I made my best effort to steer you in the right direction,” Alhaitham retorted
reasonably.

Kaveh glowered at him. “Why did you help if you were gonna hold it over my head? And for
your information, it went well!” he told him defiantly. The corner of Alhaitham’s mouth
turned up just the slightest bit, causing Kaveh’s heart to skip a beat.

“Good, that means those ears of yours do work from time to time. You’ve been acting skittish
lately,” Alhaitham lifted his hand to Kaveh’s chin and cupped it gently, “you keep avoiding
my eyes and shifting nervously.”

Kaveh, his cheeks searing, slapped Alhaitham’s hand away. “Have you considered that it’s
because you keep getting in my space?” he asked testily. Alhaitham just smiled with
amusement. In an attempt to calm down his body, as well as the wild thoughts Alhaitham’s
brief touch had planted in his mind, Kaveh began drinking heavily. Alhaitham watched him
do this with a sense of satisfaction, following suit. To no one’s surprise, Kaveh found himself
drunk after just a bottle.

He hiccuped slightly, his cheeks tinting a shade of pink as he drank happily, clearly pleased to
have a bottle of beer and his favorite food. Then, as he finished up and sat back against the
couch, he found himself looking at Alhaitham as he ate. He watched the way he held his
spoon, and with a shudder, his mind reverted to that night.

Alhaitham tilted his head toward him as if sensing his gaze, causing Kaveh to panic and look
away, drawing his knees to his chest so Alhaitham would not see the effect he had on him.
But it was too good to hope that he wouldn’t notice.

“There you go again,” he said softly, causing Kaveh to flinch. He had put down his spoon and
was carefully drawing close, placing his hand instead on Kaveh’s leg, causing him to jolt.
“What’s making you so nervous, hm?”

Kaveh was blushing madly, furiously staring at his own knees, watching Alhaitham’s hand
slide up them, leaving the hairs on Kaveh’s legs standing on end under his pants and the
nerves prickling.

“You’re too close,” Kaveh mumbled, but his drunken mind was far weaker to Alhaitham than
it was sober.

“I don’t see you pushing my hand away,” Alhaitham said in a whisper. He was shoulder to
shoulder with Kaveh now, his fingers teasing the cleavage between his knees as if pondering
doing something drastic. Alhaitham’s lips were right next to his ear, and he could smell the
alcohol on his hot breath. Kaveh murmured an incoherent excuse, unable to think clearly as
he stared at Alhaitham’s hand, feeling his body heating up. “Why are you doing this…?”
Kaveh asked, his voice trembling, yet he still made no attempt to push him away.

“Why indeed,” Alhaitham mused. He gazed at Kaveh with something unfamiliar in his eyes.
“It’s because you always know just how to press my buttons and drive me insane. You keep
provoking me with every little thing you do,” he said.

“Pr-Provoking?” Kaveh asked. Then, a weak noise erupted in his throat as Alhaitham’s other
arm slung itself around his waist, pulling him tighter against his body.

“Yeah. Provoking,” Alhaitham said. “You used to do it in our Akademiya days, and you do it
now. Do you think I never noticed the way you used to stare at my hands back in those days?
Do you think I never catch that glazed look that crosses your expression when you picture my
hands touching you, the one that’s shining in your eyes right now? You don’t know how
small and helpless you look when I get too close, the way you fall apart, unwilling to fight
back when I push a little too far.”

Kaveh trembled, his intoxicated brain trying to process what Alhaitham was saying. He could
hardly focus, for Alhaitham’s other hand, encircling his waist, was teasing just under his
chest, dangerously close to his nipples.

“You’re wr-wrong…” Kaveh told him, trying desperately to hold on to what little dignity he
had left.

“Am I? Isn’t that why you became an architect in the first place? You always had a pension
for hands. But you never seemed to be able to keep your eyes off mine. You always tried to
ignore and deny that you were drawn to me, but you wouldn’t have forcibly run away from
me if you’d been able to do so, right?”

Kaveh said nothing. He could hardly utter a word. It was so warm and uncomfortable
between his legs. The brutally honest words Alhaitham spoke were turning him on to the
point where he felt his underwear getting wet.

“All you have to do is ask,” Alhaitham said with an air of simplicity. His hands, though
touching his body, were unbearably close to Kaveh’s most sensitive spots. He was so close to
touching all the places Kaveh imagined him touching in his fantasies. Kaveh felt mortified.
And yet, he knew Alhaitham’s play. He’d brought him something to drink before he started
just to give him some liquid courage to be as shameless as he wanted. He couldn’t help
taking the chance he would never have taken while sober. He had been doing so much around
the house, cooking, cleaning, and looking after Alhaitham.

Surely… surely, indulging in something he had been craving since the day he befriended
Alhaitham would be okay?

“Touch me,” Kaveh whispered. Alhaitham did nothing, causing Kaveh to look up at him with
his big, red eyes gleaming with lust. He knew what Alhaitham was waiting for. In the softest
of tones, with his hands grasping Alhaitham’s big biceps, he said, “Please?”

It was the magic word Alhaitham had been waiting for.

Kaveh let out a strangled cry as Alhaitham’s self-control snapped. He shoved Kaveh’s legs
apart, his hand falling from his knees and sliding tantalizingly down his thighs, his well-
manicured nails scraping gently against his nerves. With a shuddering gasp, Kaveh felt his
back arch as Alhaitham’s long, smooth fingers wrapped around the bulge in his pants,
cupping it in his fist. He couldn’t tear his eyes off the sight. He started as Alhaitham plucked
him off the floor, pulling him into his lap with his back to Alhaitham’s muscular chest. He
made sure Kaveh had a full view of his hands as one massaged his cock torturously slowly
while the other began to tease the low cut of Kaveh’s shirt, fingering the tiny cleavage of
Kaveh’s skinny chest.

Kaveh was rendered helpless, watching as Alhaitham pushed the shirt off of his shoulders
until it pooled around his waist, leaving his upper body bare, ripe for the taking.

Kaveh couldn’t take his eyes off of Alhaitham’s fingers, feeling drool gather under his tongue
as Alhaitham clamped one of his nipples between two of his fingers, rolling the bud between
his fingers. The sight of the long fingers Kaveh had always craved rubbing his nipples so
provocatively and twisting them in such lewd ways made Kaveh want to hide. And yet, his
eyes remained transfixed, watching Alhaitham’s hands groping him in obscene ways,
touching him in ways he’d never been touched before. His bare skin against Kaveh’s felt
better than he could’ve done justice to in his imagination.

Kaveh, so focused on watching the way Alhaitham's pretty hands were playing with his body,
found a sharp gasp being ripped from him as he felt something stir in his lower abdomen. It
was tingling so intensely that he almost had difficulty recognizing what it was.
The slow rubbing of Alhaitham’s hand over the bulge in Kaveh’s pants, coupled with the
gentle abuse of his nipples and the lewdness of the idea that he was being made a mess of by
the man he most hated, was pushing Kaveh closer and closer to an orgasm of an intensity that
he’d never before experienced. “H-Haitham…” Kaveh moaned softly, his hips rolling on
their own into Alhaitham’s touch.

Alhaitham was glad Kaveh was facing away from him. His usually stoic demeanor had
cracked; whether because of the alcohol or his desire for Kaveh, it didn’t matter.

Alhaitham, known for his level-headedness and soundness of mind, was unrecognizable. His
calm, neutral eyes, always so cold and unforgiving, were burning with lust. He had wanted
this for a long time, having the realism not to deny his feelings for Kaveh when they churned
so powerfully in his chest each time he saw him.

He commended himself for how long it had taken him to crack. He should’ve received
honors for his patience.

Kaveh made it difficult for him to conceal this desire to see Kaveh writhing and twitching
under his touch like this—what with looking so cute in his little apron and gloves as he
cooked and cleaned for Alhaitham as if he loved him.

Everything about him was infuriatingly endearing, from his fiery temper to the moments of
weakness that sometimes broke through his collected facade, such as the surprise and giddy
smiles he would try desperately to hide when Alhaitham did unprecedented things.
Alhaitham himself had battled these feelings for a long time, since their days in the
Akademiya. After all, how could he love someone who wore his heart on his sleeve so unlike
him? How could he love someone so naive, so good-natured, and yet so stubborn?

It was appalling for Alhaitham, who thought he would never love. And yet, he still had a
heart that fell in love, and it was wound so tightly around Kaveh’s finger that he had felt
empty in his absence after they graduated.

He attempted to wait these feelings out. When they left the Akademiya, he was relieved to be
rid of Kaveh, but he was not as naively idealistic as to think his feelings would vanish so
quickly. He came to terms with the possibility that these feelings may never disappear and
that he would simply have to live with them forever. He had always been ready for the
crumbling of his resolve to stay away from Kaveh and to let these feelings mellow out. And
just like he thought, that was precisely what had happened.

Kaveh had appeared before him in that tavern that night, looking so beautiful in tears that
Alhaitham found himself coming up with ways to make him cry more often.

Of course, he knew he would never be able to make Kaveh cry like that—not because he was
too kind for that or anything, but because Kaveh would never let a bully like Alhaitham tear
him down. And that was what kept Alhaitham so infatuated with him. He still hadn’t given
up his wish to make Kaveh cry, but he knew he wouldn’t be doing it with words.

Tonight marked the night Alhaitham’s patience dissolved.

Seeing Kaveh glance furtively at him and his hands, trying desperately to pretend nothing
was up while wearing his heart on his sleeve, drove Alhaitham up the wall.

Kaveh’s ideals never suited Alhaitham. It was maddening to someone so pragmatic like
Alhaitham that Kaveh would never just ask him to touch him when he so desperately wanted
to be. And so, he’d finally decided to take matters into his own hands, and now, his hands
were touching Kaveh as lewdly as they’d always wanted to.

Alhaitham’s ears, ever so sensitive, could pick up on every whimper that escaped Kaveh’s
pretty lips, and for the first time since he started wearing them, he felt annoyed that his
headphones muffled the sounds. The sound of Kaveh saying his name so sweetly without a
trace of his usual snark and disdain was music to his ears. Without realizing what he was
doing, Alhaitham found his grip tightening on Kaveh’s cock, rubbing it more forcefully and
getting rougher with his body. He didn’t realize how close Kaveh was to falling apart until he
saw Kaveh’s toes curl in front of him and his back arch into his hands, a loud moan escaping
his lips.

It was suddenly wet under Alhaitham’s hand, and he pulled it back only to see something
slimy staining through Kaveh’s pants, smeared onto the palm of his half-gloved hand. He
realized with a gleam of enjoyment that Kaveh had come just from having his body fiddled
with.

“I didn’t know you were so easily pleased,” Alhaitham murmured.

Kaveh’s face flushed red. “It’s because no one has… I haven’t…” he blabbered, trailing off,
unable to find an excuse.

Alhaitham manhandled Kaveh as easily as if he weighed nothing, laying him down on the
floor on his back and meeting his eyes. Kaveh tensed up, unable to tear his eyes from the lust
shining in Alhaitham’s expression. He’d never seen Alhaitham look like that before. Hell,
he’d never seen Alhaitham with anything other than a look of disinterest or a sneer on his
handsome face. It made him feel shy. It made him doubt if this was really the Alhaitham he
knew, as he took such enjoyment in playing with Kaveh like this.

Then, he watched as Alhaitham lifted his hands to his headphones and removed them, placing
them on the coffee table. Kaveh stared in stunned silence, having never seen Alhaitham
without his headphones. “Why…?” he breathed, his voice quieter as if afraid of hurting
Alhaitham’s ears.

Alhaitham’s eyes never wavered from Kaveh’s. Then, the corner of his mouth tilted slightly
up into an amused smirk. “Because I want to hear the kind of noises you’re capable of
making,” he said with an air of a man sharing something obvious.

Kaveh was left at sea, watching Alhaitham with his lips parted with shock. The slow
processing of Alhaitham’s words showed so perfectly in the way Kaveh’s eyebrows furrowed
downwards and his cheeks burned, and for once, Alhaitham felt compelled to laugh at how
flustered he looked. Kaveh attempted to look away, but Alhaitham caught his jaw with his
clean hand, forcing him to hold his gaze. He made Kaveh watch as he licked the cum off his
palm, his sleek tongue running between the webs of his knuckles.
Kaveh’s face flushed, but his eyes glazed over, and his mouth filled with drool, wishing
Alhaitham’s fingers were in his mouth instead.

As if reading his thoughts, Alhaitham extended his spit-stained fingers to Kaveh’s lips and
pressed into them, telling him with only his eyes to take them into his mouth. Kaveh,
uncharacteristically obedient, did so with a whimper of pleasure.

The feeling of Alhaitham’s fingers as he suckled on them made his mind swirl. His
fingernails scraped gently on Kaveh’s wet tongue, pressing deeper and deeper into his mouth
until a choked gurgle escaped him. Alhaitham’s other hand hooked around the waistband of
Kaveh’s pants, pulling them down along with his underwear until his eyes landed on Kaveh’s
tiny cock. He smirked, seeing it stained with his cum, listening to the sounds of Kaveh’s
chokes and whimpers as he fucked his mouth with his fingers.

Alhaitham stripped him of his pants completely, lifting one of Kaveh’s legs until he could see
his small hole, twitching with anticipation as if craving his fingers as well.

He withdrew his fingers from Kaveh’s mouth, soaked with his saliva, and made sure he
watched as he brought them between his legs. Kaveh jolted as he felt the tips of Alhaitham’s
fingers pressing against his hole, coating it with his own saliva.

Kaveh instinctively tightened up, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as his toes
curled at the way Alhaitham prodded at his hole. “Loosen up,” Alhaitham whispered, his own
voice sounding so loud to him without his headphones, “you should serve me properly if
you’re gonna play house with me.”

Kaveh could hardly register his words. An embarrassing noise of surprise and protest escaped
him as Alhaitham forced two of his fingers inside him. His eyes opened wide as he moaned
out. Slowly, he rose onto his elbows, looking past his cock and staring at where Alhaitham’s
disappeared inside him. Kaveh felt a shudder ripple through his body. Alhaitham’s fingers
were long and slender, reaching deep inside him until his knuckles hit the rim of his hole.

Right before Alhaitham’s eyes, Kaveh’s limp cock began to stand again, leaking copious
amounts of precum while Kaveh moaned at the full feeling inside him.

Enjoyment was evident in Alhaitham’s expression; he hadn’t even tried to look for Kaveh’s
sweet spot, meaning that just the idea of being fingered by him had turned Kaveh on to this
extent.

“Why didn’t I do this to you sooner?” Alhaitham asked softly.

Kaveh was blushing, but it was evident that he had sobered up long ago. He could feel the
embarrassment again, the sheer humiliation of coming undone so easily under the man he so
loathed. Alhaitham noticed this, and he began slamming his fingers inside Kaveh. The first
tier of his knuckles curled inside him, digging into his prostate each time Alhaitham drove
them into him. Kaveh was writhing, trying not to scream at how good Alhaitham was with
his fingers, at how satisfying it felt knowing his beautiful hands were fingering him.
“You’re getting embarrassed again,” Alhaitham murmured into his ear. “Just a little while
ago, you were pleading with me to touch you. Remember that?”

Kaveh couldn’t string a complete sentence. His legs kicked out behind Alhaitham, nearly
hurting himself on the coffee table, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t think straight, but he tried
holding in his noises of pleasure and satisfaction, hoping to maintain even a shred of his
former dignity.

“You’re so tight inside,” Alhaitham told him, “are you trying to break my fingers?”

Kaveh mustered a glare at him through the haze in his vision, his chest expanding as he
struggled to breathe. “Why the hell are you so talkative today? Shut up already,” he hissed.

Then, he couldn’t stifle the yelp of pain as, with a snap of his wrist, Alhaitham spanked him
with his free hand with the sharpness of a viper. Kaveh’s skin stung, his lungs heaving as he
gasped for breath. “Careful now,” said Alhaitham’s voice, soft and sultry, his long fingers
teasing the twitching nerves as Kaveh’s ass cheek turned a violent shade of red. “You’re not
the one in control here. You’re a slave to my touch right now; don’t let yourself forget that.”

Kaveh shuddered, staring at Alhaitham with a look of indignation and tremulous

submissiveness, causing a ripple of pleasure to run down Alhaitham’s spine.

Kaveh was a beauty. He was perfect for Alhaitham, even as his polar opposite—idealistic,
stubborn, and fiery of temper. He was one man who would be difficult to push into
submission, and Alhaitham had finally done it.

Kaveh cooked for him, he cleaned for him, and he now submitted to him. The idea caused
Alhaitham’s arm to buck on its own, thrusting his fingers deep into Kaveh’s prostate without
warning. Kaveh’s cry of pleasure rang in Alhaitham’s sensitive ears, but he didn’t care if it
hurt. He loved the sound of his weak whimpers too much.

Kaveh was panting as Alhaitham withdrew his fingers, causing him to feel empty inside.

Why did Alhaitham’s hands have such an effect on him? Why had he been rendered such a
writhing mess just from his touch? It was unheard of. It was degrading. Alhaitham was the
last man he would’ve wanted to get his hands on his weakness, but it had been his own
mistake—he had been too obvious with all his furtive glances and his timid disposition. And
yet, he still made no move to push him away. He couldn’t push him away, not while the
desire to feel Alhaitham’s hands on his body more, to have his cock pressed inside him
instead, burned in his chest.

He watched with dazed eyes as Alhaitham took his gloves off, then unzipped his skintight top
from the side, showing his body to Kaveh. An involuntary noise of awe escaped Kaveh, and
he clamped a hand over his mouth. He hated how well-built Alhaitham was, with his thick
pecs, muscular arms, and deep collarbone, his chocolate abs tightening as he lifted himself to
pull down his pants.

Kaveh always made quips about how Alhaitham dressed like a peacock, but it occurred to
him that he’d never seen him bare. He was indeed a sight to behold.
He’d gotten healthier since Kaveh started taking care of him, and it showed in his lustrous
skin and healthy muscles. Faintly, the part of Kaveh that cared about Alhaitham, though
suppressed and thoroughly beaten up, felt a twinge of pride that he’d had a hand in making
Alhaitham so beautiful.

Then, realizing his own thoughts, Kaveh felt his face flush, and he attempted to look away.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Alhaitham asked. “You don’t want to watch this tiny
hole of yours get filled up by the man you hate the most?” His voice had a jeering note, and
Kaveh realized what he was about to do.

His eyes snapped back between his legs, his heart lurching to his throat as he saw
Alhaitham’s cock standing between them. It was sleek, smooth, and long, just like his fingers,
standing rigid and oozing precum, which Alhaitham used to lube it up to enter Kaveh easily.
Kaveh swallowed a fat ball of his own spit, having forgotten to breathe at the sight of him.
Alhaitham was thinking of putting that inside him? Had Kaveh not feared how much it’d hurt
to have Alhaitham in him, he would’ve screamed at the universe for making Alhaitham
perfect in every regard.

“You’re not putting that in me,” Kaveh said, his voice trembling, no longer misty with
drunkenness.

Alhaitham’s lips curled into a smile as he raised his eyebrows at Kaveh. “Sure I will. Don’t
you think I deserve to have you like this?” he asked, his eyes gleaming. Kaveh stared at him,
a look of perplexion in his eyes.

“Wh-Why would you deserve that?” he mumbled.

Alhaitham pulled Kaveh off the ground and into his arms, forcing him to look him directly in
the eyes. He kissed Kaveh at the corner of his lips, his eyes gleaming. “I know why you
started cooking and cleaning around here. I know it’s because you feel like you’re taking
advantage of me. And frankly,” Alhaitham said, his voice full of a playful smugness that told
Kaveh he was teasing him, “you are. I am giving you a warm bed to sleep in; I am helping
you get back on your feet, and I am the one pleasuring you. Don’t you think I should get a
little more out of our arrangement?”

Kaveh bristled indignantly, but seeing the smile on Alhaitham’s face, he knew he wasn’t
being serious. He knew he would heed Kaveh's words if he said no.

Kaveh was blushing; never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that one day,
Alhaitham would be coaxing him to have sex with him. And never in his wildest dreams
would he have imagined that he would say yes.

“F-Fine,” he said, his voice terse, trying to make it seem like he was doing it for only
Alhaitham’s sake and knowing damned well that was a lie. “Just…” his voice softened a
little, and some of his fear showed, “just be gentle with me.” Alhaitham stared at him,
transfixed. He moistened his lips, having never thought words like that could turn him on so
much, and yet, he felt his cock give a twitch as it grew a little.
“There you go again with your idealism,” Alhaitham said, placing Kaveh on the ground again
and groping his chest with his large hands, “be realistic now; do you think I can be gentle
while you look like this?”

Kaveh glared furiously at him, knowing Alhaitham was referring to his swollen nipples and
cum-stained cock and the way his hole twitched with anticipation as if missing Alhaitham’s
fingers. He was distracted, however, as he stared at Alhaitham’s hands on his pecs, squeezing
them gently while rolling his nipples with the flat of his thumbs, teasing his cock against
Kaveh’s.

Kaveh felt drool welling up under his tongue. He loved the sight, though he would never dare
admit it.

He watched as Alhaitham pressed his cock against his hole, assisting it with one of his hands
as it strained to push past Kaveh’s tight hole. Kaveh gasped, gritting his teeth, his eyes rolling
back as Alhaitham forced his way inside him. It hurt so much, the way Alhaitham stretched
him out, filling him inch by inch with his long cock, plugging him until he couldn’t anymore.

Kaveh’s eyes brimmed with tears, one of his nipples still between Alhaitham’s fingers, being
fiddled with. He hated how good Alhaitham was at maintaining his stoic expression, making
Kaveh seem like he was the only one suffering. Alhaitham saw him crying and brushed a tear
gently from his cheek. Kaveh shuddered from his touch, loving how cold Alhaitham’s fingers
were against his hot cheeks.

“Crying like this,” Alhaitham said, “it makes it seem like I’m bullying you. You’re better
than that; you won’t let yourself be intimidated so easily, isn’t that right?”

But instead of giving Kaveh time to stem the flow of his tears, Alhaitham pulled his hips
back and thrust his cock into him as if magnetized. Kaveh let out a scream of pleasure, his
hands rushing up to hide his face as his back arched. Alhaitham took his wrists and pulled
them away, holding Kaveh’s hands and using them to pull Kaveh further onto his cock.
Kaveh was rendered a crying mess, his insides burning with pleasure each time Alhaitham’s
cock pressed against his swollen prostate. “Hai-Haitham…!” he moaned, stuttering, unable to
muster a single thought.

Alhaitham watched him, commending himself for his patience not to have forced Kaveh to
make such an expression long, long before. Kaveh was beautiful like this. He cooked for
Alhaitham, he cleaned for Alhaitham, and now, he was being fucked by Alhaitham. Surely
that made him Alhaitham’s, didn’t it?

Alhaitham, despite the haze of lust, almost laughed at the thought. He was too sensible to
consider such possessive thoughts reality. Kaveh may not be something to be owned, but
Alhaitham would make sure he could never get out of this house now that he’d made a place
inside it with Alhaitham.

Kaveh was babbling incoherently, murmuring something about an orgasm. Alhaitham

ignored him. He would give Kaveh as many orgasms as he wanted if it meant making him
addicted to him. He watched with his eyes gleaming as Kaveh came all over his chest just
from the back, unable to cope. Kaveh clawed at Alhaitham’s hands, whimpering, his body
convulsing as his nerves were set alight. Alhaitham winced, moving his hold so his fingers
were intertwined with Kaveh’s, pinning them on the ground on either side of them. “Don’t
maul the hands you like so much. I wouldn’t be able to make you feel good with them
anymore otherwise.”

Kaveh’s tear-filled eyes looked up at Alhaitham, glaring at him as he sobbed, “You bastard, f-
finish quickly!”

Alhaitham smirked, “Finish quickly? Why would you want me to do that? Won’t it be better
if I could make you cry like this all night?” Kaveh couldn’t come up with a response, drops
of drool dribbling down the corners of his mouth as he hiccuped with tears of pleasure.

Kaveh came again after that, finding himself in different positions on the floor, getting fucked
by Alhaitham from all angles.

He was on top of Alhaitham, who rested with his back on the couch as he put Kaveh to work
instead. His legs creaked from exhaustion as he attempted to ride him, his nipples being
tugged and pulled by Alhaitham's hands as he watched his desperate attempt to keep his hips
moving. His legs gave out as he collapsed on top of Alhaitham, panting and whimpering with
his exhaustion, Alhaitham deep inside him.

“So weak,” Alhaitham murmured in his ear as Kaveh rested his head against his chest. He felt
Alhaitham place his hands on his ass, prying his cheeks apart. A scream was ripped from his
lips as Alhaitham thrust his hips upwards, digging into his prostate with a satisfied smirk.

He did so again and again, causing Kaveh to drool all over his chest, having not had a
coherent thought in the hours since they had begun.

Alhaitham’s chest was soft against his face as he groped it, trying to cling to reality by doing
something, trying to find some semblance of control. His lips found Alhaitham’s nipple, and
absentmindedly, he began to suckle on it, staining it with his spit. It was pushed into Kaveh’s
mouth each time Alhaitham thrust up into him. With his misty eyes, he managed to look up at
Alhaitham, his chest in his mouth. Alhaitham was already looking at him, watching him suck
on his chest. He loved seeing Kaveh like this; the sight turned him on to the point where the
orgasm he’d been suppressing gave a jolt in his lower abdomen.

He reached his hand between himself and Kaveh, wrapping his hand around his cock to help
along with his orgasm, wanting him to finish together with him.

Kaveh helplessly moaned against his skin, causing vibrations to buffer through Alhaitham’s
nerves, eliciting a breath from his lungs. Kaveh’s fingers dug into the pale skin of his chest as
he bucked his hips into Alhaitham’s cupped palm, fucking into his hand while Alhaitham
fucked him from behind.

Kaveh’s eyes rolled back, the grip of his mouth slackening on Alhaitham’s chest, leaving a
bruise around his nipple as he fell apart, coming into Alhaitham’s hand with a powerful cry
for the third time. His cum was much clearer and thinner than his first orgasm, and it was
clear that Alhaitham had exhausted him thoroughly. Alhaitham used him as a sleeve for just a
minute longer before, and with a soft moan, he loaded him with his cum. Kaveh felt his
abdomen burn a little, feeling full inside with Alhaitham’s warm seed. He breathed heavily
into Alhaitham’s soft chest, realizing Alhaitham’s heart was racing.

He listened to it, his eyelids getting heavier, his heartbeat slowing down. He felt Alhaitham’s
arms tighten around him as if cradling him, and he fell into the abyss of blissful sleep, more
satisfied than he had been in ages.

***Extra***

The next day, the morning sun hit a sleeping Kaveh’s face as he lay on his side, causing him
to shuffle awake. Around him, a pair of arms were sprawled, belonging to Alhaitham, who
slept with his chest to Kaveh’s back, hugging him in his sleep.

Disturbed and grumbling under his breath, Kaveh cursed whoever had forgotten to close the
curtains, opening his eyes as he woke up completely. There was a headache pounding in his
head, causing him to sigh, reprimanding himself for drinking last night. Then, he saw the
arms wrapped around him, and a look of perplexion crossed his face. He looked back and, to
his horror, found Alhaitham’s sleeping face inches from his own. They were in Alhaitham's
room, in his bed, cuddling. It was all he could do not to scream.

Everything came back to Kaveh in an instant, and pure shame washed over him.

He had been too vulnerable. Alhaitham knew his weakness, and he exploited it to the fullest.
And the truly shameful thing? Kaveh couldn’t find the heart to be angry with him. He
couldn’t pretend he had not begged for it. He couldn’t blame his actions on being drunk
either, for he had sobered up shortly after they started.

He buried his face into his hands and groaned. Then, slowly, he came to terms with the fact
that he could not take back what he said and did last night.

He twisted himself in Alhaitham’s arms and looked at his sleeping face, realizing that it was
the first time he had seen Alhaitham look so… peaceful and—dare he say—even innocent.

Kaveh had seen this face twisted into expressions he’d never seen before. He’d heard these
lips speak such dirty words to him that he still felt shy now. It was almost mesmerizing; he
had thought Alhaitham would never be able to express sexuality like others could, and yet, he
had turned out to be more libidinous than even Kaveh could do justice to. He blushed.

He didn’t regret last night. He didn’t know where things would go from here. He didn’t dare
hope Alhaitham would become any more bearable just because they’d gotten intimate.

Kaveh allowed himself to cuddle up to Alhaitham’s warm chest, enjoying the last few
minutes in the presence of a sleeping, not-annoying Alhaitham.

And then, just as he was about to relax, a sinister voice in his head voiced a thought that had
been burning at the back of his mind since he started living with Alhaitham.

Alhaitham’s words, too, rang in Kaveh’s mind from last night. Alhaitham had said something
about playing house with him. Kaveh cooked for Alhaitham, looking after his health. Kaveh
 cleaned up after Alhaitham, ensuring he came home to a livable house. Over time, he’d really
grown to enjoy looking after Alhaitham. He got praised for it, and it made him strive to do
more. He had almost dedicated himself to making sure their home life was comfortable for
them both. And last night… he’d given his body to Alhaitham. Slowly, bit by bit, it was all
piecing together.

Circumstances had conditioned Kaveh to be Alhaitham’s perfect wife.

The revelation hit him like a sack of bricks, and the humiliation that followed was not slow.
Kaveh’s face burned. He had gotten his wish. He’d earned his keep in Alhaitham’s home—
and yet, it was in the worst way possible. He contemplated kicking Alhaitham off the bed to
vent out the embarrassment he felt, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

The most infuriating thing? He didn’t hate the idea of being Alhaitham’s wife.

***

Chapter End Notes

I REALLY LIKE HOW THIS CHAPTER TURNED OUT, i know hthm was ooc af
cause bro could actually use his facial features in the story instead of being like
P
|
P
throughout like he is in-game, but i hope i captured them correctly in terms of snark in
their dialogue! thank you for reading, i make no promises when I'll return with the next
chapter, but i hope it is soon! happy march!
 ____ (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Blood, death, NO SMUT. The warnings for this chapter are numerous but
offer heavy spoilers. To those who are sensitive to such topics, please SKIP TO END
NOTES FOR OTHER WARNINGS.

In a village nestled in Jueyun Karst, Aether, a young man with no memories, cherished
by all for his innocence and purity, finds himself navigating life and learning the ropes.
The villagers, although outwardly loving, seem to be hiding things detrimental to
Aether's naive peace of mind. He finds solace in the arms of Xiao, a secretive yet loving
man burdened by a dark past, whose affection and protection offer Aether glimpses of a
world beyond the village's shadowy traditions. Xiao swears to protect him and never to
let a soul harm a hair on his head, but would he get to live up to his promises?

Chapter Notes

omg im gonna be crucified for this. all I can say is that a part 2 is imminent.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Aether wiped a bead of sweat off his brow, heaving a full bucket of barley and bringing it
over to the horses’ feeding trough. With an effort, he poured it evenly into the tray, causing
the curious horses scattered around the paddock to nicker with interest, trotting over for food.

Smiling, Aether patted one of them on the nose but didn’t stick around to accompany the
hungry animals, for he was in a hurry.

It was late afternoon now, and the clear blue skies were beginning to tinge with orange as the
sun sank lower. He hurried through the last of his chores, but his smile never faltered. His
blonde hair danced behind him in a braid as a breeze blew over him, his golden eyes
sparkling with anticipation. Aether was in a hurry because he would meet someone important
to him by the creek near his little town.

When all the animals were fed and watered, and the stables and coops were clean, he trotted
back to the place he called home.

“Mama, I finished the chores,” he said, peering into the kitchen from the backdoor, where his
adoptive mother stood. Her name was Yujin; she was a middle-aged lady with no spouse or
children of her own. She was finishing cleaning the house, though she appeared lost in
thought, for she started as if Aether had snuck up on her. She turned her gaze to him, and
Aether noticed how pale she looked. She swept her auburn-colored hair behind her ear, a
habit Aether knew meant she was feeling restless, causing him to tilt his head with wonder.

“Oh, that’s good, dear,” Yujin told him, though her voice seemed distant. The smile she gave
him appeared strained, though Aether was too preoccupied, looking at the sun now in an
attempt to calculate the time. “Will you be going off to see your friend today?” his mother
asked.

Aether turned back to her and smiled happily. “Yes, if that’s okay with you! I told him we’d
meet by the creek,” he said, shifting his feet guiltily for hiding that Xiao wasn’t only a friend
from his mother. “Yes… yes, of course,” she replied, hiding the unease in her expression as
she finished sweeping the kitchen. “I... I'm glad you're making friends. I was so worried for
you a few months ago since we don't have people your age in the village. I wish you brought
him around to dinner; I would’ve loved to meet him.”

Aether laughed a little. His smile could’ve lit up the sky better than the sun, telling his
mother all she needed to know about how important a person Aether’s friend was to him. “I
know, mama. He’s just a little shy; it took me a while to befriend him, too. I’ll bring him
around some other time,” he told her. Yujin just kept her head down, nodding. She no longer
had that forced smile on her face. She was usually warm and hospitable, but Aether just
chalked up her odd behavior to motherly concern. Later, he would wish he’d realized
something was wrong sooner. He hugged her, “I’ll be back in time for dinner!” he said.

As he left, his mother called, “Aether, do remember that tomorrow’s the day, won’t you?”

He nodded, “I will, bye!” He ran off, trotting down the front garden of their hut and onto the
streets of their little village. Aether lived in a tiny town at the heart of Jueyun Karst. He
hadn’t been here long at all, maybe six months.

He had a kind soul, cherished by the villagers, all of whom had helped him back to his feet as
if he were their own. He had few memories from before he came into the village—the village
elder had found him crying and lost on the outskirts of Jueyun Karst, and Yujin, whom he had
come to view as a mother, had taken him in. Since then, he’d been learning his way around
the area where history was rich and nature ran wild.

The villagers were all aged, and young people were hard to come by in the area. They had all
adopted Aether, treating him as they would a son. He was only nineteen, an impressionable
youth with few memories before his time in the village. With a heart as warm as the sun, he
was the epitome of kindness, destined to be loved by all.

Six months ago, he remembered a sense of listlessness and emptiness, given his lack of
memories. He had to learn almost everything all over again. He was kind to everything
around him, from the villagers to the animals to even the plants Yujin grew in her garden. But
he didn't have much to look forward to each day. That was... until he met the man who'd
come to mean so much to him.

As he walked through town, he smiled and greeted everyone in his path, causing the villagers
to smile back, though there was something off about their demeanors.
They didn’t seem to greet him as enthusiastically, with the same faraway look in their eyes as
his mother. Some of the villagers avoided his gaze, shifting their eyes furtively as if to hide
their looks of resignation.

However, Aether was too consumed with the anticipation of seeing Xiao. The image of his
warm eyes and the ghost of his touch kept Aether from noticing the town’s strange behavior.
He assumed that the odd air among the elders just resulted from tomorrow’s festival.

When Aether first came to the village, he found that the village folk had many strange rituals.

He had come to learn that Jueyun Karst was home to mystical beings with special powers
called the adepti. However, the villagers held one specific adeptus in reverence: Alatus, the
Conqueror of Demons, a Yaksha of Liyue.

Aether heard tales of his greatness, how he was the reason the old, bitter gods stood at bay.
The elders often painted him in their illustrations, drawing him with a green aura and a black
and gold mask on his face. It was said that the Conqueror of Demons chose to remain hidden
from the rest of Liyue because of his duties' toll on him. Centuries of hunting down the bitter
remnants of old gods had tainted his heart. He never showed himself to humans, afraid that
the darkness in his heart would come spilling out. The villagers truly admired the Conqueror
of Demons for this selflessness, and Aether came to do the same.

He thought the Conqueror of Demons had a gentle heart, which pushed him to protect
humans to this day. The stories inspired Aether to do more good in the world, and for this
reason, he was beloved by everyone who knew him.

He helped out where he could, doing the heavy lifting the elders could not. He looked after
the animals, who adored him just as much as the humans in his life, for they could sense how
pure of heart he was, while flowers leaned towards him as if he were the sun when he walked
among them. After living here for six months, Aether learned to adopt the villagers’ beliefs
so that he could make a home with them, but he still had much to learn. He found that it was
easiest to learn the ways of the townsfolk through firsthand experience, which was why he
was excited for tomorrow as well. The festival was held every year to honor the Conqueror of
Demons. Aether figured everyone's odd behavior was related to the festival and that they
would return to normal after—he knew how seriously they took them.

As he left the village behind, he traversed through the valley's wilderness, making his way
across Jueyun Karst towards Nantianmen, where he’d meet the man he’d come to love.

Aether smiled at the thought of Xiao. Three months ago, Aether had been unfamiliar with the
landscape of Minlin. He’d gone out exploring, wanting to know more about the unfamiliar
yet beautiful place he’d come to call home. He was a clumsy adventurer, getting bruised and
scraped up in the process, yet adventuring felt like second nature to him, as if that was what
he used to do in the past. His senses were sharp: he could almost feel like something was
watching him, keeping tabs on his trek through the valley. The presence didn’t feel dangerous
or hostile, so Aether hadn’t worried. Whoever was watching him harbored no ill will toward
him.
In fact, that very presence saved his life all that time ago. He had been scaling a small hill,
the humidity of the area causing sweat to lace his palms. As he tried to use a stone to propel
himself up the mountain, Aether gasped as his sweaty palms began to slide on the slippery
rock.

He looked down to see a sheer twenty-foot drop. It may not be enough to kill him, but Aether
knew he would not come out of it unhurt.

He didn’t scream as he fell, but there was fear in his eyes as he closed them, bracing himself
for impact. But the impact never came. He landed on something far softer than the stony dirt
below. When he opened his eyes, it was to see a pair of sharp, cat-like golden eyes staring
down at him with a look of mingled anger, exasperation, and concern. He was in a man’s
arms, perfectly unharmed, crouched close to the ground.

“Are you insane? What the hell are you doing climbing without gloves?!” the man asked
angrily, his deep eyes narrowing into a glare. Aether had trouble looking away from his
beautiful face.

When he’d first found himself in Jueyun Karst, he had no memories, no experience with the
world. The first faces he saw belonged to the village elders, and since then, he had never seen
someone his age, just as Yujin said. But the man holding him then, questioning his sanity and
looking down at him with concern, was just his age and handsome beyond anyone Aether had
seen before.

“I-I… I’m sorry,” Aether stammered, looking up at the man with his golden eyes full of
wonder and sheepishness. The man’s eyes softened as they looked down his nose at him. He
was so handsome that Aether felt his heart hammer in his ribcage.

He’d learned that day that the man’s name was Xiao. At first, Aether found the man a bit
intimidating, and he knew that this was precisely what Xiao wanted: he wasn’t the type to let
people get close too quickly.

Xiao was rude to Aether at first, trying to keep him at arm’s length so that Aether would be
put off in his attempt to be Xiao’s friend.

But something about him caused Aether to ignore his hostile acts because he knew that was
all they were: an act. He wanted to know Xiao because he was the only man his age. He was
secretive about where he was from; Aether assumed he must be from a village beyond
Nantianmen. Xiao did nothing to refute this assumption. Something dark stirred inside him;
Aether could feel it. He could see in his eyes that he may not have been a regular human man.
But that didn’t matter to him. He could read things in Xiao’s character that he couldn’t
explain: he could see loneliness, exhaustion, and dark energy as if he’d never stood in the sun
before.

But he also had a kind heart, for he looked after Aether despite only being a stranger.

Aether didn’t know why, but he knew someone like himself was what Xiao needed. It made
him hold fast and continue to pursue a friendship with Xiao. Under the layers of Xiao’s heart,
Aether could tell that Xiao wanted him around, that he enjoyed his attention. He tried hiding
it under his biting comments and hostility, and yet, he would always show up when Aether
wanted to see him. Aether could tell that despite Xiao’s rough exterior, he was a gentle soul,
curious about Aether just as he was about him.

Over time, as Xiao became comfortable around him, Aether saw new parts of his real self. He
grew to realize that he liked many things about the real Xiao, such as the gentle look in his
eyes as he told Aether about the constellations or the rasping hum of the tunes he’d sing to
Aether under his breath. He listened to Aether and answered as many of his questions about
Liyue as he had answers to, but Aether knew that a friendship like this was new to Xiao too.

Xiao would often tell him stories about the supernatural, like the adepti and the old gods. He
offered a different perspective to Aether than what he heard from the village elders.

“They’re no different from humans,” Xiao had told him in the past by the same creek he now
ventured to. “They have their own share of suffering—they’re powerful, yes, but even a
human with a vision could be as powerful as an illuminated beast.” Aether stared into the
water, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Xiao spoke as if he knew them personally. It made Aether wonder who Xiao really was. But
he didn’t pressure him to tell him.

“The elders say that the adepti led painful lives… but in the end, they’re there to protect us,
aren’t they?” he asked tentatively. Xiao stared in the distance for a long time after his
question. Aether didn’t push him for an answer.

“There’s a little girl I know,” Xiao said at last, “the tiniest girl you’ll ever meet—but you
can’t underestimate her. She’s small but mighty,” he had a gentle smile on his face as he
talked about her, looking pained, causing Aether’s eyes to soften. “But… she’s dead,”
Aether’s eyes widened with horror, causing Xiao to clarify quickly, “I mean that she… she
lives her life as… a zombie of sorts.”

Aether still looked troubled but he asked, “What… what turned her into a zombie?”

Xiao’s gaze was sad as he looked at Aether. “She was an innocent bystander who was caught
in a battle between adepti and demons,” he said softly. “She died because of u—... them. But
in her final moments, each of them imparted a portion of their own power in her so that she
may live… but it didn’t work out. She went into a state of mania, a danger to both herself and
others. They had no choice but to seal her away. To answer your question, no. The adepti
don’t always protect humans the way they should.” He had a distant look in his eyes after
that.

Aether let the story marinate in his mind for a few long moments. “But… but that was an
accident, wasn’t it?” he asked. Xiao looked at him and smiled a little. Even hearing a story
like that, Aether’s heart remained pure, seeking the best in everyone.

“An accident that still tore life from a human girl,” Xiao corrected.

“But you said she lives now, right? As a zombie? What’s she like?” Aether insisted. Xiao
thought for a moment.
“Her memory has eroded. But… that’s probably what protects her now. She speaks
monotonously, but she’s active. She has a little friend she frolics with and goes herb-picking
often. Sometimes, she comes here for herb-gathering, which is how I met her. I saw her
mincing a couple of treasure hoarders once,” he answered with a hint of amusement. “But
mostly, she enjoys healing others in the big city. She likes protecting those she cares about.
Despite the odds, she has made a decent life for herself.”

Aether leaned against his shoulder, smiling at the water. “There you go. The adepti may have
done wrong letting a human get caught in their battles, but… they preserved some part of her.
That part of her gets to live on and heal others—she gets to enjoy the sunlight, the stars, the
moon, and gets to engage with those who love her, like you.”

He turned his smile to Xiao, who looked perplexed. “I don’t—” but Xiao stopped himself. It
wouldn’t be right to say the girl didn’t mean something to him.

He met Aether’s eyes, whispering, “You really are a difficult being to comprehend. I don’t
know how you remain so pure of heart—so optimistic.” Aether placed a hand over Xiao’s
looking up at the clear skies above them. Aether had no memories, but he knew one thing: his
name meant 'clear skies.' Each time he looked at the blue sky, he'd smile, because it was a gift
even to view what he was named after. “I have a lot to be thankful for. I may not have any
memories but… I’m making new ones with you, am I not?” he said. Xiao could only stare at
him with wonder, contemplating his words as if he’d said something alien.

Over the last three months, Aether found himself falling for Xiao as they had little adventures
through the valley, exploring every nook and cranny together.

Xiao was protective over him: he made sure never to let him get hurt under his watch,
expressing his worry by scolding him in quiet hisses and flicking him painlessly on the
forehead. Aether liked the way Xiao treated him like a delicate piece of fine china. He never
allowed even the slightest cut or bruise to litter Aether’s smooth skin. It was no wonder
Aether fell for him so easily. Xiao made it difficult not to when he treated him as if he were
something precious.

Subtly, their relationship surpassed friendship over the last few weeks. It showed in the way
they held hands and shared shy kisses.

Aether was even more excited to meet Xiao today than usual because he’d spent all night
wondering how best to confess his feelings for him. He’d practiced over and over in front of
the mirror, unable to contain his laughter at his own silliness whenever he stumbled over his
words.

His purity and free spirit were evident in modest ways, such as his keenness to make those
around him and himself happy.

He tried to figure out how best to approach Xiao in a way that made him feel safe. He knew
that safety was not a feeling Xiao was used to. In his own way, Aether tried to protect Xiao,
be there for him, and give him company when he seemed like he needed it. It always seemed
like Xiao needed company. Aether could sense it. He could sense it in the way Xiao always
seemed to be near whenever Aether trekked through Jueyun Karst and called his name. He
could sense it in the way Xiao looked at him as if he were too good to be around someone
like him. Aether didn’t believe that.

He grew to love Xiao for his gentle heart and his warmth towards Aether. He grew to love the
darkness inside Xiao, even if it pained him to see the misery it brought him. He would grow
to love the way Xiao showed his vulnerability, the way he would sometimes curl into his
arms with tears trickling down his cheeks.

Aether never asked why he cried. He knew Xiao wouldn’t answer him. He didn’t want to put
Xiao in a spot where he’d have to relive whatever tortures he’d been through.

Xiao appreciated this; Aether could feel him falling in love with him too. He could feel the
affection of Xiao’s touch, the way his lips had trembled a little when they first kissed. It had
been only a kiss on the cheek—a kiss full of gratitude and fierce love for Aether. Aether
wanted something more.

He wanted Xiao as his lover. He wanted to marry him. He wanted Yujin to approve of him,
and the village chief, a kind elderly man named Jifeng, to give them his blessing when Aether
left the village to be with Xiao.

Now, he set out to ensure Xiao knew how he felt about him.

The walk through the mountainous terrain of Jueyun Karst was one of Aether’s favorite
things about the place. The smell of moss and the quiet hum of cicadas calmed Aether’s
nerves. His surroundings seemed alight with life; the grass crunched a little under his feet as
he briskly crossed the landscape, climbing where he needed to and taking care not to injure
himself. Xiao would worry if Aether got hurt, encouraging him to be careful, though
sometimes, Aether felt tempted to get hurt just to have Xiao’s attention solely on him.

The thought made him smile—he wanted to see Xiao fuss over him.

Nevertheless, he made sure to always deliver himself to that creek without even a misplaced
hair on his head.

As Aether approached the creek, he smiled beautifully, seeing a familiar, handsome man
crouching by the riverbed, soaking his hand in the cool water. As if sensing Aether’s
presence, Xiao lifted his intense eyes and rested them on the blonde he’d come to care about
so much. His gaze softened, seeing Aether smile brightly at him, his walk turning into a run
as he crossed the river. Xiao watched with mild concern, afraid Aether would trip, but he
waited for him, opening his arms and allowing Aether to jump into them.

The blonde was mightier than his diminutive stature let on, nearly knocking Xiao over with
an enthusiastic greeting.

“You’re here,” Xiao said, the ghost of a smile on his lips as he hugged his arms around
Aether, holding him close. Aether looked at him, pecking him on the cheek, “Of course, I
wouldn’t miss seeing you for anything in the world,” he said, the surety in his voice causing
Xiao’s face to heat up.
Xiao gazed at Aether with such love-filled eyes that Aether felt shy. Aether knew how rare an
expression this must be on Xiao’s face, which was always stoic and expressionless. It made
him feel special—as if he was close to Xiao’s heart. Even Xiao knew as much. Neither could
explain why they felt so at home in each other’s arms. Xiao had never met a being so… pure
of heart. Never could he spot the trace of falsities in Aether’s expression, never a lie in his
words. Aether loved with all his heart and he showed kindness with all his heart. He was
Xiao’s perfect opposite. He couldn’t help loving Aether. It scared Xiao, who had never
experienced something like this.

They exchanged quiet words of comfort, sitting by the creek’s bank, inhaling the scent of
wildflowers and watching the birds build their nests.

This would mark Aether’s first spring. The colorful season suited him so much that Xiao
thought it must’ve been made in his image. His golden eyes reflected the sky as he hugged
into Xiao’s side, his hair brighter in the sun's red hues, which dipped lower and lower with
every passing minute.

“You’re quieter than usual,” Xiao said, causing Aether to look up at him. Aether’s smile was
genuine, but his eyes had a contemplative look.

“It’s just that… there’s a festival tomorrow in the village,” Aether said, “and I’m confused
what it’s about. Mother hasn’t told me anything yet, but… admittedly, I forgot to ask.” Aether
laughed sheepishly at his own carelessness. He chalked it up to his preoccupation with Xiao
and wanting to confess to him. Xiao was silent for a few moments, and as Aether studied his
expression, he thought he could see distaste in them. “You know what the festival’s about?”
Aether guessed. Xiao nodded unhappily. “Do you disapprove?”

“Yes,” Xiao agreed. “It feels unnecessary to me.” He didn’t elaborate, but Aether thought it
was just Xiao’s dislike for larger gatherings in general.

“Aw, I was hoping you’d come with me,” he pouted. “Mother’s been very curious about you.
She keeps asking me to invite you over, but…” Aether’s voice trailed off. For the first time
since he left the village, he ruminated on his interaction with Yujin and the other villagers.
“The elders have been acting strange,” he said softly.

Xiao gazed down at him, a look of foreboding on his face. “Strange how?”

“Well… I guess they just haven’t been as… easy-going as they were before,” Aether
pondered the last few weeks since the talks of the ritual drew nearer, causing his eyebrows to
crease with concern. “It’s been happening for a few days. It might have something to do with
the ritual.” Xiao shifted his gaze to the crystal blue water stretching before him. Aether’s
account of the villagers’ behavior unnerved him.

“Maybe I will come tomorrow,” he murmured, feeling he’d rather be safe than sorry.

Aether perked up at Xiao’s words, clearly happy with the idea. “I’d love that!” he said, but
then, he faltered a little, seeing the lack of enthusiasm on Xiao’s face. He smiled
understandingly, knowing Xiao well enough to see that attending a gathering like tomorrow’s
would require a great effort. He loved Xiao too much to force him to attend. “But… maybe
that’s a bad idea. I know how much you dislike crowds. I think it’ll be fine; besides, if the
villagers are already on edge like this, I doubt they will be as welcoming of an outsider
attending the festival as they would be on regular days. You can meet Mother some other
time; I’m sure she’d love to meet you when she has more time on her hands and isn’t
preoccupied with the festival.”

Xiao considered Aether’s words, looking unsure. Aether’s words made sense: Xiao knew
someone like him would not be welcome. He harbored no love for the village, no desire to
partake in their… incomprehensible acts. He knew what went on during the ritual, and it left
him perplexed each time.

If it was the same as all the previous years, it ought to be harmless, though Xiao could
understand why the villagers seemed on edge for how crude the festival was.

He sighed, nodding. “I suppose you’re right. I’d rather meet with those important to you in a
calmer environment anyway,” he said, wondering if he should warn Aether of what would
come in the ritual.

He decided he didn’t want to mar their meeting by speaking of such distasteful acts.

They rested in comfortable silence for a while, watching the sun set past the horizon,
admiring the wide range of colors the sky exploded into. Aether had Xiao’s arms slung
around him, keenly aware of his hand on his thigh. He had few memories before beginning
his life in the village, but he knew intimate embraces like this were only shared between
lovers. It made him happy to be encased in Xiao’s arms like this.

It was time to initiate his plan to confess to Xiao.

To its credit, the water seemed as inviting as ever, giving Aether the courage to speak. “You
know… it’s a hot day,” he ventured, catching Xiao’s attention, “why don’t we take a dip in
the creek?” He met Xiao’s eyes, a shy blush on his face.

Xiao’s eyebrows rose, a look of amusement painting across his face. “You’re bad at giving
excuses,” he said, causing Aether to grin sheepishly.

Both were inexperienced in relationships. They shyly shed their clothes to bathe together.
Aether was completely bare, letting his long blonde locks loose from their braid.

Xiao couldn’t help admiring how beautiful Aether looked with his hair down. Aether had
been beautiful to him since the day he first saw him. He had never seen someone so…
ethereal in Jueyun Karst before. He had watched Aether, sometimes overcome with anxiety
whenever he saw the blonde hurt himself accidentally.

He didn’t know why seeing Aether hurt pained him so much. He wanted not a single blemish
to dot his beautiful skin. He wanted to ensure that Aether’s blindingly bright smile never saw
reason to fade. Xiao was exasperated with himself. He had fallen in love at first sight with a
man so pure and unlike himself. He wondered many times if he deserved him. He wondered
if a being so flawed as himself dared seek a reward as gratifying as Aether’s embrace. These
thoughts pained him. He found himself afraid that he would one day put Aether in danger
despite his efforts to protect him. He knew he shouldn’t stay around him, but greed kept him
coming back to this creek every day, seeking the solace of Aether’s arms.

Seeing Aether’s bare body only reinforced Xiao’s greed to have a being so pure for himself.

Aether stepped into the deeper part of the creek, submerging his waist into the water. Then,
he turned and smiled at Xiao, holding his hand out to invite him in. Xiao felt his heart skip a
beat. He wished Aether’s smile was only his to see.

He pushed down the greed, taking Aether’s hand until they both stood in the creek, twilight
breaking over them.

Aether’s eyes glittered with reverence at Xiao, reflecting the light of the stars cropping onto
the darkening sky. They embraced as the water lapped gently against their skin, soothing and
invigorating at the same time. Aether initiated a gentle kiss, kissing Xiao on the lips to
express his affection just as he’d seen the older couples do in the village. It was silent, save
for the humming of insects and the breeze caressing the blades of grass around the creek.

Xiao’s lips were soft against Aether’s, and his hands wrapped around his waist, pulling him
closer until their bodies pressed against each other.

Aether pulled away, his cheeks feeling warm at how Xiao’s skin felt against his own.

“Xiao,” Aether said softly, letting his heart do the talking, “these past few months with you
have been a dream to me. I was once so terrified of the world because I had no memories of
it. But being with you has helped me learn so much about myself and what it means to… to
love someone.”

Aether's head rested against Xiao’s collarbone, unable to meet his eyes. Xiao squeezed him
tighter against himself, a faraway, giddy look in his eyes as he realized what Aether was
trying to say. He kissed Aether’s shoulder gently, pushing him to continue.

“I… I didn’t want to keep this to myself any longer. I love you, Xiao. I want to be with you
for the rest of my life,” he said, his voice unbelievably gentle.

There was a pause, during which Aether caught his breath. He felt Xiao cup his chin and tilt
his face up to meet his eyes. Xiao’s eyes said everything Aether needed to hear. Xiao was just
as happy to hear his confession as Aether was to give it. But then, a new emotion begin
glinting in it. Fear. “Aether… I… I don’t know if this is a good idea,” he said softly. Aether’s
eyebrows creased, looking hurt. “Why?” he asked. “Don’t you want to be with me?”

Xiao’s eyes widened, realizing he was being misunderstood. He was used to that, but he
couldn’t let any misunderstandings stand between himself and the one he loved. Xiao had
never been good with words, so he let his actions speak for him. He kissed Aether again,
pouring all his affection and passion for Aether into it.

His lips moved against Aether’s, his tongue gently swiping across his lower lip, asking to
deepen the kiss. Aether allowed him, a gentle moan escaping him as Xiao pressed his tongue
in. Their inexperience showed in the drool that dribbled down their chins and their ragged
breaths, and yet, their eyes were full of affection as they pulled away, their foreheads pressed
together.

Xiao’s eyes twinkled, seeing Aether’s blush and knowing he was clearly embarrassed to have
their bare bodies pressed together. “I don’t feel worthy enough to stand by your side even as a
companion. A lover is too great a title for someone like me,” Xiao told him softly. “I want to
be a better man before I act on my feelings for you. Do you understand me?”

“No, I don’t understand,” Aether said, his eyes glinting with defiance. He cupped Xiao’s face,
making sure he couldn’t pull away. “You’ve been kind to me since the day we met. You take
care of me to the best of your abilities. You show me love I otherwise can’t be shown by
anyone else. You are a good person, Xiao. I can make you the better man you want to be; you
know that. We’re good for each other,” Aether told him, an underlying plea deepening his
words. “Be with me. Protect me; help me find out who I was before I came to the village.”

There were tears in Aether’s eyes now from the weight of his words. He had never wanted
anything more than to be with Xiao—to be Xiao’s.

Xiao’s heart lurched at the sight of his tears. He couldn’t explain the sheer agony that filled
him from seeing Aether cry. It was one sight he couldn’t bear to see. It would’ve made him
raze the world if the cause of Aether’s tears hadn’t been himself.

“Okay,” Xiao said, giving in easily. The gentle kisses he left on Aether’s shoulder soothed the
blonde. He could never help but do what Aether wanted, because nothing pleased him more
than to see Aether happy. The smile his agreement earned him was nothing short of radiant.
Aether glomped Xiao, but this time, Xiao was unprepared.

He ended up knocking Xiao into the water, dunking them both.

When they resurfaced, Aether gasped at how cold the water was. He looked at Xiao with a
mixture of worry and poorly concealed humor at the sight of Xiao’s hair plastered over his
eyes, looking like a drenched cat.

“S-Sorry, I got too excited,” Aether said, swiping Xiao’s hair behind his ear, looking
concerned at his silence. Then, relief broke over him as he saw Xiao give one of his rare
smiles. “You don’t need to be sorry. It just means you’re sincere about your love for me,”
Xiao whispered.

Aether smiled giddily, this time hugging him calmly. His eyes closed with enjoyment as Xiao
kissed further down his neck, leaving no mark in fear of tainting his porcelain skin. “We need
to get you home in time for dinner, don’t we?” Xiao asked, his eyes reflecting his love.

Aether’s face was red up to his ears as Xiao kissed his jaw, enjoying how he manhandled
him. “Y-Yes,” he whispered, causing Xiao to release a soft breath of understanding. He ran
his fingers soothingly through Aether’s hair, watching as his eyes closed with enjoyment,
leaving into Xiao’s palm as he cupped his cheek.

“I’m not good with words. I wish I had more time to show you my love,” Xiao said into his
ear, the gentleness of his voice causing Aether’s hair to stand on end. “I’ll take my time with
you when I whisk you away from here.” Aether wanted to respond, to hold Xiao to his
promise, but he wasn’t allowed to think about it, feeling Xiao’s face bury itself in his neck.
His eyes glazed over, letting himself appreciate the idea that he and Xiao were lovers now.
Their bare bodies intertwined as Xiao rocked them gently in the water, causing ripples on the
water’s surface.

They didn’t speak, but there were so many unspoken words between them. Inexperienced as
they were, their relationship would not develop in one night.

But wouldn’t that be an adventure in and of itself? To navigate life and love with someone
dear to your heart, someone whose soul was so deeply intertwined with your own that it may
well have been fashioned to fit into yours?

Aether tugged Xiao from his neck, pulling him deeper into his arms and kissing him intently
on the lips again as if he couldn't get enough. The kiss was sweet, full of Aether's affection
for Xiao. It spoke volumes of his excitement to have someone to call ‘lover.’ From now on,
every day, he would feel happy running out of the village, ready to see their relationship
develop one day at a time. His lips were soft against Xiao’s making him fear they would tear.
But when Aether pulled back, he smiled beautifully at him, his eyes dancing with happiness.

Aether realized he was no longer the lost soul Yujin and the other elders had found wandering
through Jueyun Karst. He was no longer as listless and purposeless as the day Yujin took him
in. He had a purpose now: to love and be loved by the man standing before him, whose gentle
heart beat in unison with his.

He knew in his heart that this love he felt for Xiao would bring him much happiness, but he
also knew happiness wasn’t complete in the absence of sadness, just as night wouldn’t exist
without day.

The thought scared him, making him wish they could crystallize in that creek so no sadness
would befall them.

“I wish… we could stay in this moment forever,” Aether said softly, caressing his hand
against Xiao’s cheek and watching how he nuzzled into it. “I wish we could never be apart.”
Xiao stared at him, a gentle look in his eyes. Aether had managed to capture his heart so
thoroughly. He appreciated the idea of never parting with Aether more than he could find
reason for. Perhaps this love he felt in his heart was what Xiao needed to purify himself.
Maybe a soul as pure as Aether's would be enough to cleanse Xiao’s of all the things that
marred it. They were like yin and yang.

But just as much, he worried that the opposite may happen instead. He would never be able
to forgive himself if the filthiness of his heart tainted Aether's pure one. Still, his greed still
overpowered this fear. The happiness he felt in Aether's arms only made him push down
these fearful feelings.

He turned his face to press his lips to Aether's palm, kissing it, wishing he could worship him
the way he deserved. “I'll always be there when you need me, Aether. We… we’re lovers
now, aren’t we?” he asked quietly, causing Aether to smile beautifully. It was with pleasure
that Aether nodded his head.
Xiao’s eyes crinkled a little, pressing a kiss on Aether’s cheek, “Then this won’t be the last
time we share moments like this,” he promised, his voice lower than a whisper. “Wherever
you are, whenever you need me, call my name. I will stop at nothing to find you, even if it’s
for the smallest reason. Whether you’re hurt, sick, happy, or sad, I’ll come running to share
that moment with you and protect you.”

Aether's eyes sparkled with tears at his words. He didn't question the integrity of Xiao’s
words. He believed him wholeheartedly. Xiao would always be there to look out for him.

They couldn't help sharing a few more kisses, ecstatic to call each other their lover, but
eventually, Xiao found the strength to let Aether go. He walked Aether halfway to the village
until it was in view, allowing him to keep watch over Aether as he made his way back. As
Aether disappeared through the trees, waving over his shoulder at Xiao with promises to
return after the festival, Xiao turned his gaze to the town's silhouette, a pensive expression on
his face.

He hated the town’s traditions. Anxiety was churning in his stomach, though he didn’t know
why. He assumed it was because of the distasteful acts the villagers committed in his name,
but… something was different.

He lifted his hand in front of him, watching as a black and gold mask materialized into it. A
sigh escaped him, knowing that this mask was the central reason behind his anxiety. If not for
being the Conqueror of Demons, Xiao wouldn’t have to deal with those humans’ reverence.
If not for being Alatus, his heart would be purer for Aether. He would feel worthier of being
his lover. But Xiao couldn’t change who he was or forego his relationship with Aether.

Happiness was difficult to come by for the Conqueror of Demons, but that only served to
unnerve Xiao more. It was so easy for happiness to be stripped away from him. That was
why he was so protective of Aether.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Aether ever got hurt because of him.

As Aether trotted back to town, he couldn’t stop grinning. He had done it. He had finally
confessed to Xiao. Now, they were together. It felt as if he were dreaming, but the lingering
warmth of Xiao’s kisses assured Aether that everything had been real. As he neared the
village, Aether found something cutting through his happy high. He glanced at the moon; it
couldn’t be later than eight o’clock. And yet, the village seemed deserted.

Aether’s eyebrows knit with concern. There was that sense of foreboding again; the one he’d
felt before leaving.

However, the sight of his home, with a light flickering in the living room, jarred him back to
reality. At least Yujin would be awake for him. He stepped lightly onto the porch, smiling to
himself as he anticipated telling his mother the news of his relationship with Xiao. But as he
approached, he paused, hearing raised voices inside. His expression turned into one of
confusion and worry, clutching his hand to his chest as he leaned toward the keyhole, looking
in.
He found the village leader, Jifeng, standing in his line of sight, seemingly arguing with his
mother.

“You knew what needed to be done the day you took him in,” Jifeng said loudly. “You know
the weight of what needs to be done, that is why I brought him in in the first place.” Aether’s
eyebrows creased, listening in on their conversation.

“N-No…” Yujin’s teary voice said, causing Aether’s heart to lurch with pain from hearing her
cry. “I… I told him I’d protect him. I know what the festival needs and I know this is the
means to honor one of our most sacred deities, but is this right? It’s not just some animal
we’re involving,” she told Jifeng, the plea in her voice causing Aether’s heart to clench.

Aether pursed his lips. Were they talking about him? His role in the festival? Yujin had told
him he would play a big part, but…

The ghost of Xiao’s distasteful expression as he mentioned the festival pricked his insides. Of
course… if it was anything too bad, Xiao would never let him partake in it, right? Aether
didn’t know what to think.

Jifeng’s voice softened at the heartbreak in Yujin’s voice. He sighed gently, “Yujin, I
understand you’ve grown fond of him. But we’ve been through this. It’s for the greater good.
That’s why his memories…” Jifeng paused as if thinking better of his words, “Alatus’s heart
grows darker by the year. We would be dishonoring our ancestors by possessing the means to
renew the light in the heart of the Conqueror of Demons and not utilizing it. The Conqueror
of Demons will live for thousands of years more, protecting our descendants as he has for
centuries. Isn’t that what you want? Isn’t that what we agreed to?”

Aether took a shaky breath. His head felt like a spinning top, for he couldn’t make heads nor
tails of what they were saying. All he knew was that it concerned his role in the purification
of Alatus’s heart.

He could no longer bear the uncertainty of what they were saying and purposely stepped on a
creaky floorboard on the porch to signify his arrival.

He stood in the doorway looking at Jifeng sitting sheepishly at the kitchen table opposite his
crying mother. “Aether, my boy!” Jifeng greeted, his voice effortlessly slipping back into its
fatherly tone. Aether steeled himself, staring Jifeng straight in the eye and saying, “Elder, is
there something you need to tell me?” he asked, feigning calmness even though his heart
ached to comfort Yujin.

Jifeng’s smile was convincingly genuine as he met Aether’s eyes. “Of course I do,” he said,
causing Aether to flinch as if he hadn’t been expecting it. Jifeng pointed his chin at the third
dining chair, saying, “Have a seat.”

Aether cautiously approached, sitting down next to his mother. He took her hand and asked,
“Is everything okay, mother? What upset you?”

Yujin couldn’t quite meet his eyes. Jifeng instead answered for her. “It’s nothing for you to be
concerned over, Aether. Just old friends with old concerns. We were discussing the festival
and… your role in the ritual.” Aether settled his gaze on Jifeng, looking confused and
apprehensive.

"Mother already informed me that I will have to play a strong role but… but why would this
be so significant as to drive Mother to tears?” he asked.

“You see, Aether, the role you play requires a lot of motivation. It requires you to take an
active part in the ritual because, in the end, it’s only you who can truly make or break the
ritual. It’s a great honor, but it’s also a hefty duty,” Jifeng told him solemnly.

Aether’s eyebrows furrowed. “But why? I’ve… I’ve only been here six months. I still have a
lot to learn about the village. Wouldn’t it be better for one of the more experienced elders of
the village to play the role if it’s so important? I don’t know if I can be entrusted with… with
such a duty,” he said. This time, Yujin raised her head. She smiled weakly at Aether. “No,
dear boy. It’s better if it’s you,” she said softly, causing Jifeng to give her an approving nod.

“But why?” Aether insisted.

Yujin gently pressed a hand to Aether’s heart, “It’s because you have this. Jifeng saw it in you
the day we found you. Your heart is as white as snow. You help those who need it; you’re
kind to everything that crosses your path, be it an animal, a person, or even an enemy. You
love with all your heart and you give with all your heart. Only a being so pure can play this
role.” She told him.

Aether still looked upset and doubtful at her words. These words had been said to him many
times by many people in the village. Even Xiao loved him for his purity, but he always took it
lightly. Now, he was being told that he would need to take part in the ritual, for what, being
kind?

“What is the role?” he asked quietly.

“To cleanse the heart of the Conqueror of Demons so that he may protect us and our future
generations for the centuries to come,” Jifeng repeated. His manipulations were subtle. He
spoke exactly the words he’d spoken behind Aether’s back in order to give him the illusion of
transparency. Aether sighed softly, clearly looking troubled and uncomfortable at the
prospect. He had thought he would just take a bystander’s role for how new was. But now, he
was being told he had such a role to play. It confused him.

Jifeng placed his wrinkled hand over Aether’s, saying kindly, “We won’t pressure you, dear
boy. But… but just remember how important the Conqueror of Demons is to this very valley.
You could make him stronger by participating. Do it for us, who took you in, if not for him.”

Aether felt his skin prickle. Guilt churned inside him. He wanted to please them, to pay them
back for looking after him all these months. “It… isn’t dangerous, is it?” he asked, thinking
of Xiao, who never wanted to see him in peril.

Jifeng shook his head, subtly giving Yujin a look. Aether pursed his lips, nodding his head in
agreement.
Jifeng’s smile broke over his face. He squeezed Aether’s hand before letting go. “The gods
will favor you. Alatus will be so pleased,” he said. “Thank you, Aether. I’m sure your mother
will guide you through it all tomorrow. Get some rest today.” He showed himself out of their
hut after Aether bade him farewell, leaving him at the dining table with Yujin.

Yujin seemed to come back to herself, rising from her seat, “Dear, it almost slipped my mind!
You haven’t eaten,” she said, hurrying to the kitchen, leaving a pensive Aether behind.

As she served him dinner, Aether looked at her imploringly. “Mother, what’s tomorrow?” he
asked. “Elder Jifeng never answered. What am I to do to purify the heart of the Conqueror of
Demons?” Yujin sat down in the seat Jifeng had been sitting in, looking at him with her
weary brown eyes.

“There will be a sacrifice,” Yujin said softly, causing Aether’s heart to leap. “A sacrifice?” he
echoed.

Yujin nodded. “The Conqueror of Demons has a tainted heart. We must help purify it, Aether.
We owe it to him for protecting us all these millennia. We do this every year to give him the
strength to keep the old gods at bay. He needs something pure as a sacrifice so that it may
wash away the impurities in his heart,” she told him.

Aether’s heart felt heavy, unease churning in his stomach. He didn’t feel like eating anymore.
“What could be pure enough to cleanse an adeptus’s heart?” he asked softly, trying to ignore
the rock weighing down in his stomach.

“A white lamb usually,” Yujin answered softly to Aether’s relief. For a second, he’d thought
that maybe…

Then, a pang of guilt went through him at the idea of a tiny little lamb being ripped from its
mother to revitalize a being with an impure heart. He felt distasteful towards it, but he tried to
move past it, knowing that not all aspects of the village that had saved him would be to his
liking. “Then… what’s my role? What does Elder Jifeng want me to do?” he asked.

“You’ll… you’ll just have to wear white, dear, and allow a prayer to be said over you and…
that will be that,” she told him, though her voice appeared strained. She appeared not to be
telling Aether the whole truth.

“Then why? Why do you look so… heartbroken? Why is everyone talking about the ritual as
if… as if something’s going to go wrong?” he asked.

Yujin’s eyes were still watery and red-rimmed, but she smiled sadly at him. “It’s just that…
each time we do the ritual, the Conqueror of Demons doesn’t appear to accept our aid in
revitalizing his heart,” Aether stared at the rice in his bowl, instantly putting two and two
together that the Conqueror of Demons wouldn't accept their aid because he did not want
lambs sacrificed in his name. But it appeared Yujin didn’t share this enlightenment as she
continued, “But this time, Jifeng and I believe that having you there might make a
difference.”
Aether raised his gaze to Yujin’s, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. “Why would you
believe that?”

Yujin didn’t answer for a few moments, looking thoughtful as if calculating how much to tell
him. Then she said, “Elder Jifeng believes the Conqueror of Demons has been getting
better… especially in the last few months. He believes you might be linked to that.”

Aether looked even more perplexed at this. He pondered this, wondering how that could be.
He thought of Xiao and the love that was budding between them. Perhaps… that was
pleasing to the Conqueror of Demons. “Okay…” he said at last, taking a deep breath. “I’ll
partake in the festival as Elder Jifeng wants. I… I think I’m done eating, I’ll just head to
bed.”

Yujin nodded, though she didn’t bid him a good night as he disappeared into his room. But as
he left, he could’ve sworn he heard her sob into her hand.

As Aether lay in his bed, the anxiety churning in his stomach was palpable. He tried to calm
himself down, and immediately, the image of Xiao’s smile popped up in his mind, soothing
his nervousness instantly.

He smiled to himself, allowing his mind to feel the happiness it had earlier at the prospect of
his relationship with Xiao.

He tried to comfort himself with the thought of seeing Xiao after the festival. He tried
comforting himself with the thought that even if they were killing a defenseless animal in
vain, it would've been killed eventually either way for meat. The townsfolk loved him;
perhaps he could convince them not to do the sacrifice next year. His own optimism allowed
his heart to rest at ease. He would get them to listen.

He fell asleep thinking of Xiao, planning to put more kindness into the world in the name of
the Conqueror of Demons.

***

When Aether awoke the next day, it was due to his mother’s gentle calls of his name. He
opened his eyes and saw Yujin staring down at him. “Good morning,” he said, making a
brave attempt at his usual optimistic smile. Yujin tried to return his smile, but it came out as
more of a grimace. “Good morning, Aether. The ritual’s about to begin; we should get ready,”
she said, causing Aether to nod, his stomach churning a little.

“Yes, mama. Give me a few minutes,” he said. Yujin left the room, leaving Aether to sleepily
freshen up, washing his face and combing his hair.

Aether stared at himself in the reflection of his mirror, seeing his own curiosity in his eyes.
He could still feel the sense of foreboding. Everything from the night before kept replaying in
his mind. It left him curious and bothered, but he told himself to liven up. Today was a
celebration. He should act the part of a happy villager.
Again, Aether noticed that his mother was acting strangely as she darted in and out of the
house. She seemed full of a melancholy that Aether had no explanation for. He was worried
about her, but again, he decided to wait until after the ritual to see if the odd behavior among
the villagers persisted. As he stepped out of the washroom, Yujin came back, holding pure
white robes in her hands. “Here you go, dear. Put these on,” Yujin said distractedly, handing
Aether the robes.

Aether stared at them for a few seconds, remembering her words from the night before. It felt
a bit off to wear pure white at a festival; he had an inkling that festivals were meant to be
vibrant and colorful. Nonetheless, he put them on.

After he was done, his mother began dabbing at his face with makeup, accentuating some of
his best features. “Is this necessary?” Aether grumbled.

Yujin nodded with no trace of a smile. “Yes, dear. It’s important for you to look your best,”
she said simply. Aether contemplated her words, looking confused at the way she said you as
if the same rules didn’t apply to her. “Here, finish up while I go make sure everything is in
order. We… we’ll have breakfast afterwards. Come to the town square when you’re ready,”
Yujin said, handing him the eyeliner pencil before she walked out of his room again. Aether
was miffed by her sudden behavior, but he shrugged it off, diligently putting on the eyeliner.

When he finished and seemed satisfied with his appearance, he exited the house and walked
to the town square as Yujin instructed.

He smiled to himself, wondering if he’d have time to see Xiao after. He was curious to see if
Xiao would say anything about his makeup and white robes. He gazed around at the festival
awnings and found that everything was a mixture of black, gold, and green—no white. The
image of Alatus’s green and gold mask flashed in his mind’s eye, and he felt the unease he’d
shoved down creep back up in his throat. There was a regal beauty in the green ribbons that
hung from house to house and the golden lanterns hanging from the lamps. He tried to enjoy
them, but the stillness of the town made him worry.

He met some others along the way, but oddly enough, they avoided his eye. Some of the
older women had puffy eyes, while the men just stared at the ground shamefully. Aether was
starting to feel nervous. He noticed that everyone seemed to be wearing black robes, while he
was the only one wearing white. He took a deep breath, approaching the center of the town.
He was sure his mother would explain everything once prompted.

At the town square, there appeared to be a procession of all the elders, including Yujin. They
were all wearing black, reminding Aether of crows.

They appeared to be discussing something, but upon seeing him approaching, they
immediately hushed up. Jifeng, who was among the crowd of gatherers, smiled kindly at
Aether.

“You look marvelous, dear boy,” he said. “The adepti will be pleased!”

Aether smiled uncertainly back at him. “Thank you, elder. But… are we prepping to leave?
Where are we going?” he asked, noting how the others were beginning to march in
succession out of the village. Yujin found him in the crowd and placed a hand on his
shoulder, steering him towards the village exit.

“It’ll all be clear soon, don’t worry,” Jifeng said, though he didn’t meet Aether’s eyes, leading
the procession out of town.

Aether turned to Yujin, “Mama, what are we doing? Why am I the only one wearing white?”
he asked imploringly.

Yujin’s eyes met his, and he noticed how red they were as if she’d been crying. Her eyes
reflected a mixture of remorse and resolve, startling Aether. “I told you, dear. You have a role
to play today; white is the purest color. We honor the Conqueror of Demons,” she explained.

Aether nodded, absorbing her words with increasing wariness. “I… I know that, but… why
does everything feel so… somber? Isn’t this meant to be a celebration?”

Yujin was silent for a moment. When she answered, her pace was steady and her tone was
full of weariness, “It is a celebration, dear. We will celebrate and rejoice after the sacrifice,”
Aether fidgeted nervously at her words; again, there was that guilt that they would be
sacrificing a lamb to a being that did not want it. It made his stomach turn how easily Yujin
used the word sacrifice as if the life of the sacrifice wouldn’t mean anything in comparison
with the revitalization of Alatus.

“But why does a ritual involve me wearing white while everyone else is in black? What is the
purpose of sacrificing the lamb? How will it help?” Aether asked, unable to hide the edginess
in his voice as his questions spilled out.

“The white you wear symbolizes purity, Aether. It's essential for today's ceremony,” Yujin
explained her voice barely above a whisper as they continued walking. “The blood of the
pure will help cleanse him. When the sacrifice’s blood bathes the stones, the Geo Archon will
send our blessings to the Conqueror of Demons,” she said. “Your heart is pure, Aether. It will
aid Alatus tremendously in his recovery.”

Aether's breath caught in his throat. He noticed that Yujin never once mentioned a lamb—the
only word she used was sacrifice. Yujin and Jifeng kept talking about his pure heart… and
yet, they also talked about the blood of the pure.

He suddenly noticed the way the others had formed a ring around him, leading him up a hill
where he knew a shrine to Alatus had been built. His heart was dropping lower and lower in
his stomach; the reality of his situation was beginning to dawn on him, but he tried to retain
his optimism. Surely, nothing bad was going to happen. These people had practically raised
him in the last six months. He knew them; he was loved by them.

“It is a lamb that we’re sacrificing, aren’t we?” he asked, his voice cracking slightly. There
was almost a plea in his voice, begging Yujin to say something to ease the terrifying thoughts
cropping in his mind.

Yujin’s silence only made him more fearful. Aether looked around, seeing the stillness of the
trees, no breeze ruffling his hair as usual. He looked imploringly at the others, but they
refused to meet his eyes, silent as the grave. He still clung to his last shred of denial, hoping
someone would reassure him and dispel all his worries.

“Traditionally, it is,” Yujin said softly at last, causing relief to wash over Aether momentarily.
“But not this time. This time, it is different. We have the means to purify the Conqueror of
Demons completely. We have someone pure enough to vanquish all the darkness in Alatus’s
heart.” Yujin looked at him, and through the tears of melancholy in her eyes, she smiled at
him.

Aether’s heart clenched. The final piece fell into its slot.

No one would speak up to reassure him. It settled in that no one would deny the silent
question he had asked. He was the sacrifice. He was the white lamb, the bearer of the purest
heart, whose blood would water the stones. Panic clawed at his throat.

“M-Mother, I think I forgot something back home,” he said, his voice quavering, his hands
clammy with fear.

Yunjin’s smile was sympathetic, full of resigned remorse. She could see the truth dawning on
the naive boy she’d come to love as a son. And yet, all she had been doing these last six
months was grooming him as a lamb for slaughter. “It’s okay, dear. You already have
everything you need,” she said, trying to soothe him. She pressed a hand over her own heart
to gesture to Aether’s, “You carry it with you wherever you go. The Conqueror of Demons
will love you… he would be so pleased to have your pure heart.”

Aether’s panic erupted, and he gave up all pretense. He dug his heels into the ground,
wrenching his arm from Yujin’s grasp. He tried to break through the ring of people around
him, but hands grabbed his arms forcefully, dragging him forward up the hill.

“Let go! I-I don’t understand…!” he cried, his voice rising with panic as he struggled against
the villagers’ hold.

“We’re almost there,” Jifeng promised from up ahead, his voice rising in a resigned
crescendo to combat Aether's pleas for help. And sure enough, the shrine to Alatus came into
view. Aether began to hyperventilate, looking at a tall, wooden cross that had been erected in
front of it. Stones had been placed under the cross, dyed red with the blood of sacrificed
lambs.

“N-No… don’t do this!” he cried out, feeling tears brimming the corners of his eyes. He was
forced onto the stones, his hands stretched apart as the villagers tied his wrists to the arms of
the cross. He tried to meet their eyes, but none dared look into his face. “Mother!” Aether
screamed, his eyes searching the crowd for her though his vision blurred at the edges with the
pain of the villagers’ betrayal. He found Yujin standing at the back, tears streaming down her
face, watching him. “Mama, don’t let them do this! It’s not what he would want!” he shouted,
starting to cry as well.

No one would believe him. He would be no different than all the lambs sacrificed in vain to
the Conqueror of Demons: an unwanted sacrifice. Tears of fear rolled down his cheeks as he
was suspended by his arms on the sacrificial cross.
“You… You all helped me,” he said, looking imploringly at each face. “You saved me and
took me in... Was everything a lie?!”

“Yes, sweet boy,” Jifeng whispered, stepping in front of him. His voice was no longer
fatherly and soothing. He looked up at Aether mounted on the cross, a proud gleam in his
eyes as if admiring a work of his making. “We have been waiting for this for a long time. We
are honoring your kind soul by giving you to the last of the illuminated beasts. The
Conqueror of Demons will be so grateful for you.”

Aether stared at him, hysterical sobs escaping him. “Please, don’t do this,” he cried.

“It’s okay, Aether. I saw your kind heart the day I first brought you here. I knew you were
just the kind of being Alatus would love,” Jifeng said, smiling at him. “It was as if you were
made in his image, so powerful and of so pure a heart that you could cleanse his as well. I
knew I had to take you. You were what the ancestors made this ritual for. It was so difficult to
strip you of your memories—even more so to bring you up and nurture a soul as free as
yours.”

Aether couldn’t speak, his eyes widening with horror. “You… you took my memories?” he
asked, looking thunderstruck at how easily Jifeng admitted it after all the encouraging things
he’d said to him.

All this time, the people he’d come to trust had been raising him as their prize lamb.

Jifeng smiled, “Yes. I stripped you of your memories so you would be a clean slate for the
Conqueror of Demons. You would have no other commitments, no other purpose left save to
be sacrificed. We wanted nothing to tie you to the world anymore, so this goodbye wouldn’t
be difficult. Yujin manifested and nurtured your kindness, and at last, you’re ready, my dear
boy.” Aether hiccuped, disbelieving of Jifeng and Yujin’s betrayal.

No commitments, no purpose. In his blurry vision, he saw Xiao. His breath caught in his
throat and a cry of sheer grief escaped him. He did have a commitment. He had committed
himself to Xiao, the mysterious man he’d come to love so much. He would never get to see
him again.

“You will meet your parted memories in a life much better than this one. Your kind heart will
purify the life of the Conqueror of Demons,” Jifeng said, a finality in his voice that made
Aether flinch. Aether didn’t understand. Everything that happened, these last six months of
listlessness and vacantness with his lack of memories, was his punishment for being kind. As
if reading his thoughts, Jifeng said, “This isn’t a punishment, Aether. You’re a gift. It is a
great honor. The gods are good: they will ensure nothing is painful for you. All you have to
do is accept Alatus into your heart.”

Aether begged and pleaded under his breath, wishing to see Xiao for one last time, but it fell
on deaf ears. His ears rang, unable to make out the words Jifeng spoke as he said a few words
over Aether, praying to the gods and presenting Aether as a sacrifice to the Conqueror of
Demons.
Jifeng had lied. The gods didn’t make his pain any more bearable as his throat was slit by the
man he’d viewed as a father figure.

Aether was a sacrifice unwanted by the Conqueror of Demons. The Conqueror of Demons
had too gentle a heart to desire a sacrifice. Aether’s blood watered the stones as the villagers
watched. It was eerily silent as the wind rustled past the hill.

They watched as Aether’s sobs carried away with the wind and his eyes closed. They gazed
upon his broken body, some in tears, for they’d truly come to love Aether. Jifeng’s plan to
have a seamless goodbye had failed. With resignation on their faces, they began making their
way back down the hill, dragging a silently crying Yujin with them.

Somewhere far away, Xiao’s neck prickled. He stood at the pinnacle of Qingyun Peak, staring
off into the distance with a nauseated expression.

He could feel it. Something had been sacrificed in his name—likely another lamb. His
breathing grew shallower with guilt. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to the wind. He hated that
ritual. He hated knowing that somewhere in the valley, the body of something pure lay
motionless in his name. Each year, he was forced to live through this murderous shame. But
whether he interfered or not didn’t matter. It was only a lamb. It would’ve been slaughtered
either way to feed the villagers. But that didn’t make it any less painful.

Bile crept up his throat. There was still that foreboding in his heart; something was wrong.
Something kept gnawing at his insides, causing him immense despair. The mask on his face
felt so heavy. Something wasn’t right. The valley seemed so dark, void of the sounds of
chirping birds or even the rustling of leaves.

It seemed as if the very ground was still, waiting for his reaction.

He thought of Aether and his excitement for the festival. He remembered his recall of the
villagers’ odd behavior, and it suddenly dawned on him how terrifying a thought that was for
a ritual like this one.

Something was wrong. Xiao’s heart was pounding painfully in his chest. He needed to make
sure Aether was safe.

He disappeared in a cloud of green light, rematerializing far below in the vale of Jueyun
Karst, where he’d said goodbye to Aether just the previous night. He looked down through
the green eyes of his mask, staring at the town below him. It was completely silent. Dark
figures darted among the houses like shadows. And yet, none of them had the blonde hair he
loved so much. He ignored the jolt of panic that rattled his body as he was unable to spot
Aether. He shifted his gaze to the hill on the other side of the village, where a shrine had been
built for him. He swallowed a lump in his throat.

There, the mangled body of a lamb would be hanging with its white fur bathed in its own
blood. His heart twisted at the thought of seeing it, but he was fueled with a desperate need to
ensure Aether’s safety.
He disappeared in another flash of green light. When he rematerialized this time, it was in
front of the shrine.

The sight that greeted the Conqueror of Demons was beyond his comprehension. He stared
before him, his golden eyes wide under his mask. Sheer horror filled every fiber of his being
as he witnessed the sight of the man he’d come to love so much, hanging lifeless on a
wooden cross.

Aether’s face was as pale as the moon that had shone on him last night when he stood bare
before Xiao, a beautiful smile on his face. Now, that smile was nowhere to be found. His
throat had been slit, his stark white robes stained crimson with his own blood. Xiao fell to his
knees, his mask clattering off his face as he stared transfixed at the sight of his lover’s lifeless
body. The scene unfolded before him like a nightmare turned reality. Each detail etched itself
into his mind with haunting clarity.

They had killed him. The one light of Xiao’s life stood crucified before him. The man he had
vowed to protect, the man Xiao was so scared of seeing hurt hung like a twisted mannequin
in front of him.

Tears ran down Xiao’s cheeks. Grief rifled through his body as his own failure stared at him
straight in the face. He hadn’t been able to protect Aether.

All these last few months, since the day he first saved Aether from that fall, he had vowed
never to see him hurt. He promised to do everything in his power to protect him and ensure
he never lost his smile. He had spent so much of the last three months lending Aether a
sympathetic ear as he spoke of his listlessness from losing his memories. He listened to the
reverence that always laced Aether’s voice as he talked of his mother, whom he trusted with
all his heart.

Xiao’s worst mistake was allowing himself to trust the villagers too. He should never have
trusted such sycophants. He had thought Aether would be safe with them, even if they did
horrible things at times. Now, Aether paid the price of Xiao’s carelessness.

A sickening self-hatred filled him to his core. He had known what kind of acts the villagers
committed, and he still let Aether go to the ritual. He had allowed Aether to be sacrificed…
to him. He was the reason Aether’s body hung so lifeless in front of him. It was the existence
of him and his tainted heart that made the villagers sacrifice Aether. If only Xiao didn’t exist.
Aether might still be alive. Xiao should’ve been the one to die, not Aether.

He sobbed into his hand, hunching over his own knees as his grief and all the raging
emotions inside him attempted to swallow him whole.

And then, the spell of Xiao’s anguish broke. “Xiao…” Aether’s voice whispered through the
slightest trembling of his lips, his eyes cracking open and his face streaking with fresh tears.
He saw Xiao kneeling before him in tears through the haze of his own vision. A croak of pain
rumbled in Aether’s sliced throat as he tried to comfort him, to ask why he cried. But he
couldn’t manage another word. Xiao was on his feet in a second, running to Aether as if his
life depended on it. A spear absently materialized in his hand, slicing through the ropes
binding Aether to the cross before Xiao threw it to the ground, wrapping his arms around the
man he loved.

He fell to the ground, cradling Aether’s broken form, his hands smearing with his blood. His
tears dripped onto Aether’s face, his eyes closed once more. He was ragdoll in Xiao’s arms,
making him doubt what he’d heard. He closed his eyes and pressed his ear to Aether’s chest,
and he heard it. Xiao sobbed with relief. There was a heartbeat.

He knew where to take him, the faintest figure of a tiny girl flashing in his mind as they
slipped into green shadows.

When he opened his eyes, the same girl stood before him, her large, pink eyes wide with
worry. He couldn’t hear what she was saying past the ringing in his ears, but he laid Aether
on the floor, kneeling protectively by his side covered in his lover’s blood, numbly staring at
his face. A green-haired man, Baizhu, appeared by his side, setting to work to stop Aether’s
bleeding.

The next hour was a blur for Xiao. He let the healers work on Aether, his mind a whirlwind
of emotions.

He wanted to slice them to bits for laying their hands on Aether, but he suppressed his
aggression, reminding himself that they were there to help. He knew he would never be able
to trust another human again.

Qiqi and Baizhu did everything in their power to stabilize Aether’s condition, shifting him to
a bed at the back of Bubu Pharmacy. Every so often, Qiqi would look at Xiao and shy away,
because the look on Xiao’s face was chilling. His eyes held no sparkle. They were so dark
that they may well have been black. For the first time in a long time, Xiao truly looked the
part of an adeptus with a tainted heart. Both Baizhu and Qiqi knew that there was nothing
they could do to prevent the carnage that would follow the heartbreak in Xiao’s eyes.

It was to their relief that all Xiao could feel at that moment was anguish and regret, seeing
Aether’s lifeless face and chapped lips.

There were so many things he should’ve done so this never happened. He should’ve leveled
that village with the first lamb. He should’ve known that people who could slit the throat of
an animal so pure as a lamb in his name wouldn’t stop there. He should never have gotten
involved with Aether, never allowed his tainted soul to affect Aether’s. He should never have
felt so greedy for Aether’s heart.

The most painful thought was that the villagers knew him. They knew that someone like
Aether was perfect for him.

They knew that had his heart been a little darker, had he been so callous as to accept a human
sacrifice, he would’ve reveled in having Aether’s soul for himself. It would be enough to
level his karmic debt. But he wasn’t so cruel. Never would he have wanted a man so beautiful
to be laid to rest for his sake.
And all this time, Aether had been unknowingly cleansing Xiao’s heart just by showing him
love. A sacrifice… would never have been needed.

Xiao’s hands trembled with suppressed rage. Tears still streamed down his face as he sobbed
into his palm. Life was cruel. It was because of him that Aether lay so motionless without a
trace of his loving, sky-brightening smile. Xiao shouldn’t have existed. He should’ve died
with the other Yaksha. He should’ve died before letting his karmic debt endanger the life of
such a pure man.

Then, tentatively a hand tapped Xiao on the leg. Xiao blinked the blurriness of his tears from
his eyes, looking down to see Qiqi looking up at him timidly.

“He will be okay,” she said in her gentle voice. “He will recover if he stays here for a few
weeks.” A wave of relief washed over Xiao as he stood by Aether’s side. His legs almost
gave out, ready to collapse by Aether’s side and never leave him.

But his mind was more rational. He remained standing, looking down at Aether. His neck lay
covered in a long bandage. Some of his color was returning. He would live. He would live
and continue putting out love into the world. Xiao was a danger to him. He was the reason
others had hurt him. He would ensure that would never happen again. He would ensure his
tainted heart never put Aether’s pure one in jeopardy again.

He looked down at Qiqi, placing a gentle, gloved hand on her capped head. “Take care of him
for me. Help him adjust to life in the city, okay? He… he might try to come looking for me,
but don’t let him. Make sure no one hurts him again,” he told her.

Qiqi nodded, but she looked pensive. “What will you do?” she asked in her lifeless voice.

Xiao’s eyes had cleared of their tears. A fire burned in them, one that would only go out
when all those who had harmed Aether existed no longer. “I will seek retribution for him,” he
said softly. “He’s like this because of me. That is my concern alone. My battles are for no one
to fight but me. I will make sure those who hurt him won’t see tomorrow’s sunrise.”

Qiqi looked at him with wonder in her eyes. She didn’t understand human emotions as most
people did, but she admired the ferocity in Xiao’s eyes.

“But your karmic debt… it’ll only get worse. It was getting better while he… he was by your
side,” she told him, looking concerned. But it was clear even to her that Xiao couldn’t care
less. His karmic debt would never be anyone else’s problem again.

He had no intention of returning here, no intention of letting anyone near his heart after
Aether. He would make sure greed never tempted him ever again. Xiao leaned down,
pressing the ghost of a kiss on Aether’s lips. “Goodbye,” he said to him. His heart weighed
down in his chest as he gave Qiqi one last imploring look, asking silently if he was leaving
the one he loved in good hands. She was the only one he trusted. She knew what it was like
to be a victim of the adepti. She nodded with as much determination as she could muster,
holding her fist to her heart.
 With a nod, Xiao disappeared in a flash of green with the gut-wrenching promise never to see
Aether again.

Chapter End Notes

WARNINGS: Heavy angst, blood sacrifice, betrayal, and mentions of animal cruelty.

soooo I hope y'all don't hate me after this, idk i was ruminating on ruu's story from
Tsurumi island and being In My Feels and randomly the idea came to me to give it an
emotionally romantic twist instead of a parent-child twist as was with Ruu and the
Thunderbird. first i thought maybe i should give this to zhongchi because i literally
HATE the idea of Aether getting hurt/killed but.................... :'( the story was literally
made for XiaoAether atp bc of Xiao's karmic debt and whatnot. in the next chapter, i
will fill in the gaps and hopefully everything will come together beautifully.

some aspects of the chapter were also emotionally charged, i.e. xiao's reactions to things
being sacrificed, bc of certain customs i grew up around so I might have given a bit of
my personal touch as well

i didn't include smut in this story because, ofc, the themes are too dark and smut would
ruin the chapter IMO. i might see to a smut in the second part, but i have my doubts for
this AU. after I finish it, it is likely I'll publish these separately because there is nothing
kinky about this :sob:

thank you for reading, I'm sorry, AND HAVE A GOOD MAY
 ____ PART 2 (Xiao/Aether)
Chapter Summary

WARNINGS: Murder.

After that devastating ritual in Jueyun Karst, Aether wakes in an unfamiliar place,
haunted by fragmented memories and an aching longing for Xiao, who seems to no
longer want to be by his side. Despite the warmth and beauty of his new surroundings,
Aether's heart is burdened with the need to reunite with Xiao, struggling with the
feelings of abandonment and listlessness, grappling with his own identity. Grief after
grief is thrown at him as he learns the fate of those who'd sacrificed him.

A harsh truth awaits him at Jueyun Karst, where he knows he must return, for Xiao if
not to find what is left of the village he'd once called home. Would Aether be able to live
with it or would he succumb to the horrors of that day at long last?

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

Aether blinked open his eyes, a gentle breath leaving him. A blur of warm colors swirled in
his bleary eyes, accompanied by the gentle sounds of chirping birds. He lay on a soft cot, a
cool cloth on his forehead.

The cold sweats of a fever budded on his skin, developing especially on his neck, where an
insurmountable pain originated. Each breath he took rattled a little in his lungs. Each gulp of
air he took hurt his throat worse than ever as his larynx expanded. He forced his eyes to clear,
looking outside the window, where a blue sky shone. The buzzing in his ears cleared, and the
sound of the birds chirping soothed him. It felt like a calm, beautiful morning. If only he
could breathe.

He sat up with an effort, feeling his head spin from the effort as he threw the cloth aside. A
tube was injected into his arm and hooked up to a bag of fluids.

Aether’s mind felt tortured. He felt his neck instinctively, feeling it covered by a long
bandage. The briefest flash of a knife running over his throat made him heave with fear. His
memories were hazy, but from the bits he remembered, he thought that might’ve been a
blessing.

And yet, he still looked around, expecting to be in one of the cabins in the town. But no, this
place was unfamiliar. It was full of medical supplies and herbal ointments, leading him to
realize he was in a hospital of sorts. He began to tremble a little, feeling unsafe as he realized
he was in an unfamiliar place. Maybe it couldn’t be a bad place if the birds could chirp so
happily, but he still needed to leave—he needed to go back to the village. He needed to find
Xiao. His breath hitched at the thought of his lover.

He felt so… broken. His heart was full of so much dread and sorrow. He had been betrayed
by the villagers. He thought he had died. He thought he would never get to see Xiao again.

His eyes filled with tears, and with trembling fingers, he removed the IV from his arm as
gently as he could to keep it from breaking, not wanting to burden his caretakers. He got up,
swaying a little. A sudden wave of nausea hit him, and he sat back down on the bed, holding
his head in his hands. Then, he heard a pair of footsteps enter the room and looked up to find
a little girl entering the room.

She was small, wearing a theme of blue and purple with a little nurse’s cap on her head. She
had pale skin and cold pink eyes. Had Aether been normal, he would’ve gushed over how
cute she was, but he couldn’t find it in his heart.

She came nearer, “You tried getting up…” she murmured, seeing the fallen IV dripping
steadily on the floor. Her tone was flat and monotonous with little inflection. She touched his
face gently to take his temperature, and her hand was cool against his forehead—too cool for
a human. Then, realization dawned on Aether instantly.

“You’re Qiqi?” he asked, his voice a weak croak. She looked surprised that he knew her
name.

“How did you know that? Have we… met before?” she asked, pulling out a notebook from
one of her pockets and rifling through the pages. “If we did, I would’ve written it in my
notebook…” she said.

Aether remembered what Xiao had said about her: her memory had eroded.

Thinking about Xiao made Aether’s heart twist brutally. He remembered why he had tried to
get up in the first place, but the little girl stood too close on purpose to prevent him from
doing anything rash. He released a shaky breath. “Xiao told me about you,” he answered,
clutching his throat and wincing. With every vibration of his trachea, the cut on his throat
seared with pain.

“Xiao…” Qiqi murmured, sifting through the pages. Her eyes widened with realization and
remembrance once she read an excerpt she’d written on him. “Oh… yes. I make for
interesting conversation,” she mumbled.

“Have you seen him?” Aether rasped. “I want to see him…”

Qiqi pursed her tiny lips, clearly troubled as she read one specific line over and over about
her last encounter with the Conqueror of Demons: Don’t let him look for Xiao.

“I haven’t seen him,” she said quietly. If she knew how to, she would’ve cursed at herself,
seeing the doubt in Aether’s eyes. She had always been a lousy liar—she only happened to
remember that after the deed was already done.
But instead of getting upset at her for lying, she watched as Aether’s eyes filled with tears,
causing her eyes to widen. “Please…” he begged. “I need to see him. He’s the only one I
have left.” His voice was no more than a wisp. Each sob hurt, and all he could do to soothe
himself was hug his arms around his frail body and imagine that they were Xiao’s instead. He
needed him so badly right then. Xiao was the only one he could trust anymore. Even this tiny
girl standing before him couldn’t be trusted. If the people who had raised him for the last six
months could lie and make attempts on his life like that… then there was no one he could
truly trust.

“He was the one who brought you here,” Qiqi said, deciding on the truth. “He asked me to
take care of you and help you recover. He wants you to live here with me and Dr. Baizhu.”

Aether only seemed to cry more at her words. “He… he can’t abandon me,” he said weakly.
“Anyone but him, please...”

All Qiqi could do was stare sadly at him and gently pat him on the knee. She didn’t have the
empathy to know what he was feeling. All she could do was live up to the promise she’d
made to Xiao. “He hasn’t abandoned you,” she said. “He just wants you to recover. Please let
me heal you before you do anything… I promised him I would protect you.”

Aether wiped the tears from his eyes and focused on her. He knew he couldn’t do anything,
even with all the restlessness in his heart. He wouldn’t be able to make it five steps out of this
room before collapsing.

“Promises…” he murmured as if that was a foreign concept. “Everyone makes promises they
can’t keep.”

His own words were hollow and alien to him. He’d always remained optimistic, believing in
the best of people. Where had that optimism gotten him? He could see his own reflection in
Qiqi’s big eyes and saw how gaunt and lifeless he looked. If Xiao saw him, he would be
beside himself with worry. And yet, he wasn’t here. He had dropped him off here to be healed
by Qiqi… but he had left Aether behind all the same. He might’ve cried a little more, but it
hurt too much.

“I intend to keep my promise,” Qiqi said, a quiet determination in her voice. “So please let
me treat you.” She didn’t seem like she would budge. Aether sighed softly and obliged,
sitting back on the bed.

Qiqi went back outside and returned with a bowl of soup. “It’s hot, so be careful,” she said,
putting the tray on his lap. He stared at it. It looked and smelled good, but he had no appetite.
He just wanted to leave. There was so much inner turmoil he was pushing down. He kept
focusing on Xiao because focusing on the other things that had happened to him would only
leave him a broken mess.

“Where are we?” he asked Qiqi, swirling his spoon absently in the soup.

“Liyue Harbor. This is Bubu Pharmacy, where I work. Dr. Baizhu is the one who runs it,”
Qiqi answered, reading through her notebook again.
He stared sympathetically at her, knowing how difficult and frustrating it was not to
remember anything. But it seemed Qiqi was not frustrated. She had made a decent life for
herself even after all that happened to her.

Aether had tried to do the same… until it was ripped from him. To think he had only just
gotten to know what real happiness was like before it was taken away again.

He had once looked forward to seeing Liyue Harbor. He didn’t remember what life outside
the village was like. He wondered how much he had been lied to by the people he’d thought
of as family. He wondered what the memories he had been stripped of were about. They were
all liars. They had been the ones to take his memory. But Xiao… he wouldn’t lie. He had said
Liyue was beautiful and that the saltish air was pleasant and cool compared to the humidity
of Jueyun Karst. He wanted to see the truth in his words, though he felt little happiness at the
prospect. “Can I go outside?” he asked Qiqi. “I won’t run away.”

“If you finish the soup,” she replied reasonably.

Aether sighed, nodding. He ate it, the warmth of the soup soothing his throat, but his
tastebuds didn’t appear to have woken up with him.

Three days had passed since… he was sacrificed. He wondered what Yujin and the others
would be doing. It hurt just to think about. Would they have gone about their lives just as
normal after attempting to murder him? Or would they mourn him? Had they even realized
that his body no longer hung at that temple?

He had so many questions and so few answers. His memories were hazy, but he remembered
the tears that had streaked down Yujin’s face. They had been the only thing about her that
hadn't been faked. He had grown on her in the end, even though she knew he would have to
die.

He shuddered despite the warmth of the soup, his lips trembling.

She had still given the order. She had still led him to his death. She was no longer his mother
—she had never been his mother. He had to get that through his head, but he couldn’t. Each
thought of her made him sick to his stomach. He could still hear the intonation of Jifeng's
words over him as he presented him as a sacrificial lamb. He couldn’t remember the words—
they were no more than wisps in his memory. He had been too far gone at that point with fear
and despair to notice the hollow words that man spoke. The soup turned bitter in his mouth,
and his eyes stung again. He hated it—he hated not being able to think of anything save for
what happened to him.

He watched birds frolic outside the window. Two doves sat side by side in his line of vision,
one dark and the other light. They reminded him of Xiao and himself. He watched how they
snuggled closer together as if deeply in love… as if they never wanted to part again.

Aether felt the same way to Xiao… and he thought Xiao wanted the same for him. He had
talked so many times of whisking Aether away from the village. Aether always just laughed
gently and asked him to wait and marry him before doing that. He regretted saying no so
much. If he had just left with Xiao, would all of this have happened? His heart hurt. Xiao had
been the only good thing in his life… and yet, unlike these little inseparable doves, he wasn’t
by Aether’s side.

It scared Aether. It made him wonder if everything he’d lived through was just one long
nightmare. He had nothing to show for the last six months save for the scar on his neck.

He wanted to see Xiao so badly… but something told him he wouldn’t return for him. Just
the thought made him tremble with grief and made his legs itch to run, to hurry back to
Jueyun Karst even though so many bad memories awaited him there. He would do anything
for Xiao.

But one part of his mind, where an everlasting scar of doubt and mistrust had been carved,
sang a sadder song.

Perhaps Xiao, too, had lied. “I’ll always be there when you need me, Aether,” he had said. It
felt like those words had been spoken to him so long ago. He had nothing to show for hearing
those words, either. Aether needed Xiao now more than ever. He promised to make more
memories with him—to share more loving moments with him. But he wasn’t there. He had
deceived Aether just as the villagers did. The thought made Aether’s insides twist with pain.

He watched as the darker dove affectionately nuzzled its beak into the lighter one’s feathers.
Across Aether’s mind’s eye, he saw Xiao drag his lips gently across his neck, whispering
sweet nothings in his ear.

It made his heart fill with longing. He didn’t want to lose the prospect of feeling Xiao’s in his
arms again. It sparked the tiniest flame of determination in his chest as he took a large swig
of the now-cold soup. Eventually, he managed to finish it, and Qiqi patted him proudly on the
back. She helped him to his feet and held his hand to steady him as he limped to the door.
Walking was a chore, but the pain at least drove his mind away from his tangled emotions.
They exited onto the main lobby of the pharmacy. A clerk behind the counter gave them a
concerned look, but Qiqi appeared to know what she was doing. She took Aether outside,
causing him to squint as the sun shone on him.

As his eyes adjusted, he saw they were on a hill near the pinnacle of Liyue Harbor. The view
would’ve been breathtaking for anyone who still had the heart to appreciate it.

The ocean glittered beautifully in the distance, stretching beyond the scope of his eyes and
meeting the sky far off into the horizon. Nearer, he saw the pier of Liyue Harbor and the
ships scattered around it, either docked and being unloaded or standing anchored in the
waters a ways away from shore. Aether could make out the vibrant silhouette of a market,
seeing people walk through it. Still nearer, he saw a breathtaking garden of clear pools and a
walkway just below the steps of Bubu Pharmacy.

It was truly a beautiful sight, but Aether’s eyes were dull, not quite taking in what they saw.

His gold hair glinted in the sunlight as he stared at the clear skies. It felt like an insult for the
day to be so beautiful when he couldn’t appreciate it. He wished his surroundings resembled
his emotions, but they didn’t. Nothing changed in the world, only his mind. His worldview
was so less optimistic than before, but it didn’t dim the sun’s brightness or make the sea any
less calm. The world kept on spinning with or without him.

He’d never felt so… insignificant before. No one was affected by what happened at that
shrine—no one but him. He longed for Xiao as he took a shaking breath.

Qiqi squeezed his hand, reminding him of what they had been doing.

He walked with her down the steps of Bubu Pharmacy. Liyue Harbor was as beautiful as
Xiao had described, which made Aether feel a little better because it reinforced the idea that
Xiao would never lie to him—not of his own volition.

“I wish he were here right now,” he told Qiqi as she sat him down on a bench in the pooled
garden. He stared at the ground in despair, trying desperately to hold it together. “I mean no
offense to you, but… I had always hoped he’d be the one to whisk me away and show me the
beauties of Liyue. Each time I envisioned leaving Jueyun Karst, he’d be by my side, holding
my hand every step of the way. It hurts so much…” he whispered, unable to help the sobs
that escaped him. “It hurts so much that my dreams stayed dreams and didn’t bloom into
reality.”

Qiqi could only gaze sadly at him. She held both his hands, kneading them like they were
dough. She let him cry it out, knowing that although she could heal whatever blows his body
was dealt, she couldn’t heal the hole in his heart left by betrayal and abandonment.

“Liyue is a place of dreams…” Qiqi began tentatively, seeing that Aether had started to calm
down again. “Everyone has them… even a zombie like me. I’ve seen people achieve theirs
here in even the oddest ways. I achieved some of my own—like making a friend and
becoming human in some ways…” she murmured, trying gently to take Aether’s mind off
Xiao’s absence. “Even if some of your dreams don’t work out, Liyue can help you build new
ones. Life here… is fun and free. You’re able to do almost anything, be almost anyone. If I
could be a human, then… you can build a new life. You can stay here with me… Dr. Baizhu
and Changsheng look a little scary at first, but they’re kind. He looks after people. We have
many friends who would love to meet you.”

Aether listened quietly to her words. He could see the strain she had to put into stringing
along a sentence as if just putting her thoughts in order was a great effort. And yet, she did so
anyway because she hoped her words would help him.

Gentle affection for the girl began to bud in Aether’s heart. Although sharp, the shards of his
trust were trying to piece back together.

But still, doubtfulness kept trying to overwhelm Aether. He didn’t believe her, but he
appreciated her. He appreciated her for trying to reignite the old flame of optimism in his
heart, but right now, the wounds were too fresh, and they would only heal if Xiao were the
one cleaning them. Xiao was the first to captivate him—his heart, so dark yet so loving, drew
in Aether’s pure one. While Xiao’s had become just a little purer, Aether’s had become
darker with the villagers’ betrayal.
They truly were yin and yang, but they were not as balanced as they had been four days ago.
Aether needed to find Xiao and make things right with him. He needed to hold him to all his
promises. That was the only way to heal his wounds and balance the purity in his heart.

He saw the purity of Qiqi’s heart despite all the things she’d faced, and he hoped nothing ever
destroyed the tiny liveliness in her eyes that manifested through this optimism.

He smiled sadly at Qiqi, lifting a hand to her face and gently caressing her cold cheek. “I’m
sorry. The idea sounds so… perfect, but… I don’t think I’ll ever truly be happy again—not
without Xiao. I will never be able to heal unless he’s by my side. I’ll never be able to trust
again unless…” his voice broke, and his shoulders sagged as he trembled with the effort of
holding back his tears. “Unless he keeps the promises he’s made to me.”

Qiqi nodded quietly. They sat in silence for a long while as Aether tried to gather his bearings
and calm himself down.

He turned over many things in his head and eventually murmured, “Why did he ask you to
protect me instead of doing so himself? Why did he throw the promises he made onto
someone else’s shoulders? I can’t quite figure it out.”

Qiqi swung her legs gently, reminding Aether of how small she was. He found it hard to
believe that Qiqi could protect him if Xiao couldn’t.

“He didn’t trust in his own ability to protect you,” she told him after a long silence, saying
the words as if she had to piece them many times in her mind. “I don’t trust myself either
because I think you won’t let me.” Aether didn’t deny it. He thought that if even Xiao
couldn’t protect him… no one could.

He should never have placed his safety in someone else’s hands, but… he had truly trusted
Xiao. He still did. He had never been given a reason to think he couldn’t live up to all his
promises. He always knew Xiao hid secrets, but he would never have used those secrets to
harm him. So why wasn’t he here? Why was he hiding like a coward instead of being there
for him like he promised?

It upset Aether and made him all the more dysphoric to leave.

But as if sensing his thoughts, Qiqi said, “I’ll come with you when you go looking for him. I
promised him that I would protect you. But there’s no use making plans yet; you won’t be
able to make the journey. We will go when you’re stronger and once you’ve had more time to
recover.” Aether stared at the horizon, looking unhappy about waiting. Yet he knew she was
right. His vision was still blurred at the edges from the blood he’d lost. His throat ached
painfully from crying and speaking so much. All he could do was nod and be glad that he
wouldn’t be held back when the time came.

***

Three more days had passed since he woke. Each day Aether spent doing nothing ate away at
him. He had nothing to do with his time except think, but his mind was far from a safe place
to be.
His wound seemed to heal exceptionally well each day Qiqi treated him. She had shown him
her vision and how she used it to mix the ointment she dressed his wounds with. Now, it had
just about closed up, but the deep scar left was still tender. Aether hadn’t yet worked up the
courage to look at it. He was scared it would make all his blurred memories of that day
clearer. He was worried he would still be able to feel the way that knife had run through his
skin, slicing it like butter. And so, he kept to himself, trying to recover and desperately trying
to keep his mind off his own misery.

He had taken to exploring Liyue Harbor, sometimes with Qiqi and sometimes without. Qiqi
had given him a bit of Mora, letting him spend it on whatever his heart desired. So far, he
hadn’t found much to spend his Mora on.

It was as if he had lost all his passion for the world and its many intricacies. Nothing sparked
joy anymore quite like it used to. His curiosity for the world was a flame that had burned out.
Now, all he felt was fear and loneliness. Other people noticed as well, for whenever he’d
walk through town with that bandage over his neck, they would look at him with looks of
fear and pity—looks he wasn’t used to. But he found that he didn’t care about the emotions
people looked at him with. All his heart craved was Xiao. He never stopped thinking about
him.

His eyes always felt raw from crying, though he refused to do so in company anymore. He
didn’t want anyone to take advantage of his weaknesses again.

But it seems Qiqi was right. No one was out to hurt him. The few people he interacted with
were all kind to him. His heart still didn’t belong to Liyue, for all the scenarios he’d play in
his head over and over were slowly killing his mind.

He was ready to leave any day now that he didn’t need support to walk anymore. He was
waiting for Qiqi’s go-ahead because he respected the promises she’d made, hoping that Xiao,
too, would have the chance to keep his promises. Today, he found himself strolling through
the pier. He enjoyed how the cool water felt against his hands as he crouched by the edge of
the dock, dipping his hand into the water.

He had been allowed to take his bandage off, but he ensured he didn’t see his own reflection
in the water for fear of seeing the scar on his neck.

Others saw, and some whispered behind their hands, wondering about his story.

He tried not to focus on their voices as he rose and walked away from the water’s edge,
missing the creek where he’d bathed with Xiao before he confessed his love for him. He
hoped that memory never faded from his mind.

Aether couldn’t quite block out the voices, but he found that he was no longer the subject of
their discussion. His ears perked up as he heard a pair of men hidden behind a newspaper
discussing something in hisses. “Look… it’s that village in Jueyun Karst,” one of them said,
causing Aether’s eyes to snap in their direction, his senses heightening. He stared at the back
of their newspaper with wide eyes, not quite able to make out what was written on the first
page. It had been six days since his sacrifice. He hadn’t heard a single word about Xiao or the
village until now.
It seemed those two men weren’t the only ones discussing the village. Each person he saw
holding the newspaper had a look of shock on their face. He heard a couple of women gasp,
muttering words that made Aether’s blood run cold.

“A massacre…” they muttered with looks of horror.

Aether didn’t know what came over him. He tore off running up the slope to Chihu Rock
despite how unstable his condition was. He knew a newspaper vendor who stood near the toy
stall.

He appeared before that stall out of breath and ladened with sweat from the exertion,
hurriedly thrusting a couple of Mora into the clerk’s hand before he scooped up a newspaper.
He held it in his trembling hands as he read the cover, which told of exactly the thing the
Liyueans had been discussing. There it was, in bold print: “Massacre in Jueyun Karst—
Fanatic Town Wiped Out.”

Aether’s breath caught in his throat, staring at the words, though he couldn’t quite come to
terms with what he’d just read.

There was a ringing in his ears that seemed only to get louder. His legs felt quivery and frail
all of a sudden, but he forced himself to keep standing upright. He managed to stumble to a
secluded area behind a building, where no one was there to judge him should what he read
break him.

The newspaper told him haunting things that made his eyes burn with tears. The details were
vague, but one thing was certain: everyone was gone. Every single person in the village was
killed, their bodies days old yet pristine. And each one of them had their throats slit. He
clutched his own throat, feeling the jagged, bulging scar across his own throat. He felt a sob
quake in his Adam’s apple as he sank to the ground, his back against a wall.

He saw Yujin’s smiling face in his mind’s eye as he felt tears rapidly blurring his vision.
She… was gone? Truly gone?

She had brought him up for the last six months like a lamb for slaughter, but he’d truly loved
her. Other faces popped up in his mind, all the villagers who’d been kind to him, even if it
was all a facade.

He could hardly read the words that had been written as his tears left blotches on the
newspaper, but there was a disturbing tone in the article that suggested the villagers deserved
such a fate for their “backward and fanatical traditions.” It hurt—it hurt to read such words,
even if he was the product of those backward and fanatical traditions. He heard people behind
his hiding place murmuring about it through the ringing in his ears, watering the seeds of
doubt Aether held towards that village.

“It’s better off this way,” a man said. “With their dangerous rituals, it was bound to end
badly.”

And yet, Aether still cried. He knew they were right. They had it coming. But why did it hurt
so much? Why did his heart clench at the thought of never seeing them again? He had never
gotten any answers. He had never gotten to look at Yujin and Jifeng in the face again and take
his memories back.

And then, a new thought chilled him to the bone. He hurriedly wiped his eyes clear and
scoured the article for the culprit. But all he found was a single line: The culprit remains
unknown, but the matter will not be investigated by the Millelith as Jueyun Karst is home to
the adepti. Any deaths in the sacred land is considered an act of divine intervention.

Aether felt himself beginning to hyperventilate. He got to his feet, looking down at his
sandals and the robes he was in. He would have to make do.

He walked hurriedly through Liyue Harbor; it was all he could do not to run, but he tried to
remain calm. He passed through Yujing Terrace towards the intersection between Bubu
Pharmacy and Yuehai Pavilion.

Instead of moving towards the steps to Bubu Pharmacy, he went straight ahead, up the
mountainous slopes that led to a road to the Guizhong Ballista. His experience with
navigating through lands so treacherous as Jueyun Karst allowed him to traverse with
practiced ease. But this time, he didn’t care what bruises or scrapes littered his skin. He no
longer felt the need to protect himself now that Xiao wasn’t there. When he reached the road,
he broke into a run.

It was a long and perilous journey through Dunyu Ruins and Tianqiu Valley. He ran through
terrain unfamiliar to him.

He blacked out many times, often dry heaving from the lack of oxygen in his lungs, yet he
refused to give up. He needed to know. He needed to know what happened in Jueyun Karst.
He needed to find Xiao more than anything, and he didn’t care how badly he got hurt in the
process. No physical injury could hurt as much as his heart did.

Xiao… who was so loving and caring towards him. Xiao, who always treated him as if he
were made of porcelain. Xiao, who had a heart so kind yet so marred. He killed them. He was
the one who killed the villagers of Jueyun Karst. He did it for Aether.

The thought terrified him. He didn’t want to believe it; he didn’t want to think Xiao capable
of such things. He didn’t want to think Xiao would do such things for him. But he had always
known Xiao to be secretive and full of a darkness Aether couldn’t explain. He could neither
feel grateful nor angry for the murders. If Xiao had killed them for him, Aether wouldn't have
supported him. But now, all he felt was worry, not for the people who’d sacrificed him, but
for Xiao, the man who’d saved him. He feared what that massacre could do to his already-
tainted heart.

He struggled through the vales and valleys between Tianqiu Valley and Cuijue Slope, using
just his desperation and intuition to guide him until, at last, he reached a road that seemed
familiar.

His face was streaked with scratches from brambles, his legs aching as if they’d give out
underneath him at any moment. But he forced himself onward, his heart hammering in his
chest as he saw the silhouette of the village in the distance. It was eerily silent even though
the sun was bright.

He shouldn’t go back. It wasn’t like anyone would be there to greet him. But a morbid
curiosity budded in his heart—a thirst to see for his own eyes if Yujin and all the others he
cared about were no longer in this world.

Aether’s legs burned from the journey, but he stood at the mouth of the village, the lack of
sound causing the hairs on his arm to stand on end.

Slowly, he began his trek through the village. It wasn't bathed in blood as the newspaper had
said, but in the one house he dared to look inside… he was met with a horrible scene. Bodies
lay in every house, some out onto the cobbled street—each villager lay with their throat cut
open. Their bodies were old, at least five days, but they were untouched. No birds of prey
swirled overhead; no worms had crawled out to feast on their bodies. They simply lay there,
bloating in the heat. The smell was awful, making Aether’s throat constrict with disgust. But
there was no sign of a struggle. It was as if each villager had just dropped dead with whatever
they were doing with a slash across their throats.

Aether couldn’t bear to look at their horrifying bodies or their deformed expressions, feeling
himself trembling slightly. He identified so many faces, so many people he’d thought of as
friends or even parents.

Glossy with tears, his golden eyes fell upon the home he shared with Yujin. He had never
seen it so void of life.

Shaking all over, Aether walked up the porch of the house, trying to find some trace of death.
But as he stepped inside the familiar threshold, the house was cold and untouched for days.
Dust was already caking every surface. Aether couldn’t find Yujin in any of the rooms. In the
pastures, he saw all the animals unharmed yet eerily silent and on edge, as if they could smell
the death in the air.

Some part of him, the part that didn’t yet hate Yujin, felt relieved. Perhaps she had gotten out
alive.

But that didn’t seem likely if Xiao really was the one who’d killed them. Just the idea made
him tremble. He couldn’t imagine how Xiao could’ve murdered so many people on such a
scale. He didn’t want to. Slowly, he made his way back out the door. He tried to keep it
together, tried not to cry.

These people didn’t deserve to be cried over. They’d willingly sacrificed him. Not a single
one of them had tried to help him or object to his murder. But he couldn’t help the pain in his
chest. It felt like his lungs were flooding with oil. He couldn’t breathe. Seeing their slit
throats made him clutch his own with a pained whimper. Did they deserve it? Aether knew in
his heart they did. Each of them got to experience the fear and anguish he had felt in what
he’d thought would be his dying moments. He took a shivering breath, deciding to continue
through the town.
The sun was setting now. His body ached as if it had been pummeled. He thought he was
finally coming to terms with the fact that no one he once considered family was alive. But
nothing could have prepared him for the sight that awaited him at the town square.

He stared transfixed at a new monument that had been erected at the heart of the village.

Aether couldn’t draw breath anymore. His eyes widened as he stared transfixed at it. Two
people were mounted on crucifixes, their hands tied to their post, their necks dangling at an
angle. Dried blood dyed their clothes, the wood they had been stuck to, and the ground
around them. Aether almost didn’t recognize them, but when he did, his body lost its
strength. He fell to his knees, staring unblinkingly at the bodies of Yujin and Jifeng, the two
who had played the biggest roles in sacrificing him. Everything came back to him at that
instant. Each memory played through his mind with such precision as if he were living
through it right then and there.

His eyes filled with tears, and he began to sob, his arms dangling limply by his sides. He
remembered the look on Yujin’s face as Jifeng sliced his throat. He remembered each bit of
the agony he’d felt, the anguish that he would never get to see Xiao again despite only just
becoming one with him.

He stared at Yujin’s lifeless face, her skin almost translucent. He couldn’t come to terms with
what he saw. He couldn’t tear his eyes off of her broken form. And for a second, he saw
himself dangling there.

The image of his own body hanging there brought him just one final memory. He saw Xiao
kneeling before him, his face streaked with tears, a look of sheer horror. He remembered
opening his eyes and calling weakly for him. He remembered wanting to ask why he was
crying. His mind recreated that moment so impeccably. Each grain of sand in his memory
was placed exactly as it was in reality. And then his eyes grazed just for a second over that
mask on the ground—the mask, black, green, and gold. And then, it all came to him. He
finally understood the final missing piece.

Aether sobbed with such grief as he realized the full story.

He remembered Xiao's look of disgust as he mentioned the sacrifice to him. He remembered

thinking that the Conqueror of Demons, whose heart was kind, wouldn't appreciate such
sacrifices. He had been right.

He had been so right... because he knew the Conqueror of Demons better than anyone,
though he hadn't yet known it. He had always seen Xiao when he envisioned the Conqueror
of Demons' heart. Because the man he had come to love so deeply... was the Conqueror of
Demons, and he had been sacrificed to him. He had been sacrificed to his own lover.

“Why, Yujin?” he whispered to her lifeless body, trembling with grief. “I… I was already
healing his heart… if only you let me.”

He hiccupped, wondering how he could’ve been so foolish. How could he have been so
blind, so naive to the reality of the man he loved? He never saw Xiao for who he was. He
never asked questions because he knew they would only burden him. All those times he
would appear at just the right moment when Aether wanted to see him, all that darkness in his
heart… was because he was the Conqueror of Demons, with a heart so tainted that he was
feared by everyone. The only one who didn’t fear him was Aether. The only one who saw
Xiao’s kindness was Aether, the possessor of a bright soul that purified Xiao’s one day at a
time. He would’ve healed Xiao completely, had he…

Each memory, each moment they had shared, now felt like a piece of a puzzle, forming a
picture he wished he had seen before.

Aether’s mind felt like a whirlwind. He saw the utter hatred in the murders Xiao had
committed, and he knew now more than ever that Xiao needed him before he was consumed
by his own darkness.

He rose from the ground, shaky but resolute, driven by the unshakable belief that their love
was the only thing that could save them both. He began running down the same path he had
taken seven days ago, when his biggest worry was simply confessing to Xiao. He would give
anything to return to that time. He would give anything to have let Xiao whisk him away
right then. “Xiao!” he shouted, calling for him just as Xiao had told him to, finally
understanding that he had been told to do so for a reason. The forest seemed to close in on
him, darker and shadowier than he remembered. His voice echoed through the valley, raw
and full of a desperation he had never felt before. Then, he let out a yelp of fright as his foot
slipped in his haste. He managed to catch himself in time, but his sandal broke with a snap.

Aether knew how treacherous the landscape of Jueyun Karst could be, but at that moment, he
didn’t care. He threw off his other shoe and sprinted again, his vision blurry. “Xiao, I know
you can hear me! Please, I want to see you!”

He ignored the burning of his feet as roots and stones broke through his skin, scraping his
soles, though his steps faltered with every injury. He pushed on, driven by the need to find
the one person who could anchor him in the darkness that shrouded his mind.

The clearing was within sight now; Aether hoped in his heart he would see Xiao’s figure
standing by the creek. But he was disappointed.

He stopped by the water’s edge, seeing it void of life, void of the man he’d built a
relationship with right by this creek. It broke him to see it so. It broke him to see his pleas go
ignored or unheard. Xiao was the one man he still trusted. He didn’t want to face the bitter
reality that he, too, might break his trust. Just like Yujin. Just like Jifeng and all the rest. “Was
everything a lie?” he whispered to the silent valley, his voice trembling as he sobbed. “Every
single thing? My family, the life I’ve lived the last six months… and even you?”

The silence that answered his questions only made him cry harder. He hated being like this.
He hated feeling so insignificant, unable to control his own fate.

He hated that Xiao had never even said goodbye. Aether would rather he have just let him
bleed out to death than make him face this despair. “Xiao… you promised. You promised
you’d come when I called!” His voice cracked with desperation. He fell to his knees by the
water, tears streaming down his cheeks.
The quiet call of the gentle waves that budded over the water’s surface, a noise he’d once
loved hearing, just felt like cruel mockery to his pain.

For the first time, he dared to look at his own reflection. He saw that ugly scar and the
lifelessness in his eyes. Each tear that dripped from his chin caused ripples in his reflection,
creating circular waves that guided his eyes to the opposite bank. And there, instead of blue
skies, was reflected a figure. Aether’s eyes widened, his head snapping up.

There stood a man with a mask over his face, like the one the elders would draw in their
illustrations of the Conqueror of Demons. And just like those illustrations, shadowed tendrils
encircled his frame—the mark of a tainted heart.

“Nothing was a lie, Aether,” Xiao said softly, though his words sounded clearly in the
silence. "I have done many things. But lying to you wasn't one of them."

Aether’s breath caught in his throat. The sight of his lover, whom he had been craving to see
for what felt like centuries, made Aether’s heart ache even more. He scrambled to his feet
and waded into the creek without a second thought. The cool water soaked his dirt-stricken
robes, but Aether didn’t care. His only thought at that moment was to get to Xiao before he
could disappear again. But Xiao didn’t disappear as Aether threw his arms around him,
clutching at him desperately as he sobbed into his shoulder. “Xiao…”

Xiao remained still, his arms still hanging at his sides, not returning the embrace.

He didn’t remove the mask from his face; he made no moves to soothe the hurt in Aether’s
heart. “I thought… I thought I lost you,” Aether whispered. “I wanted to believe you were the
only thing in my life that remained true.”

Aether’s legs shook from the strain of all his injuries and the journey he’d waded to get here.
Even with all his determination not to give in, Xiao couldn’t bear to see it. He took Aether in
his arms, picking him up off the ground before seating him on a nearby boulder. He knelt
before him, wrapping his gloved hand around his ankle to assess how much damage Aether
had done to his own body.

“How could you be so careless?” he hissed, unable to help himself.

Aether couldn’t help crying. This time, it was with relief that Xiao could still scold him like
this. “I don’t care,” he said. “My legs brought me to you, and that’s all I needed from them.”
Xiao fixed him with the green eyes of his mask, causing Aether to ache, wanting to see his
face.

“Aether… we can’t–” Xiao whispered, staring transfixed at the scar across Aether's neck.

“Don’t say that,” Aether interrupted, his voice breaking. He looked into those piercing green
eyes and saw the weight of thousands of years of suffering fall on Xiao’s shoulders at his
plea. “Please, don’t tell me we can’t be together. You’re all I have left. You’re all I ever
wanted, truly from my heart.” Aether’s eyes were red from crying, pleading with Xiao with
just his eyes not to disappoint him with his words.
Xiao only met his words with a long silence, watching with pain in his eyes as the shadows
surrounding him began wrapping around Aether’s body, too.

“You know the truth about me now,” Xiao said, his voice full of bitterness as he rested his
forehead against Aether’s knees, unable to look at the scar on Aether’s neck. “Those… those
bastards hurt you because—... because I am the Conqueror of Demons. I bring nothing but
destruction. And because of me, you were…” Xiao couldn’t bring himself to say it, his voice
growing weaker. He truly hated himself for what had happened. He rued the day he was first
brought into his world when all he had to show for his existence was this darkness that
marred every good thing in his life. He hated knowing that Aether sat so broken in front of
him, with his once-pure soul shattered to pieces because of him.

Aether’s eyes calmed a little the longer he sat there with Xiao. His heart was much calmer
now that he was by his side again.

Six tortured days had passed since he’d felt Xiao’s warm, solid body against his own. And for
the first time in all those days, he truly felt safe. Gently, he raised his fingers to Xiao’s head
and lifted his face to him. With the tips of his fingers trembling lightly, he took the mask
carefully off his face and let it fall to the ground. And then, he smiled that beautiful, sky-
brightening smile for the first time in days. Xiao was a sight for sore eyes. If only he had no
reason to cry like this.

Aether wiped the tears from his cheeks with his thumbs as he cupped his face, looking into
those golden eyes he loved so much. “So what?” he asked softly.

Xiao’s teary eyes widened with incredulity. “So what? H-How could you ask that? I promised
to protect you… and I broke that promise. If it weren’t for me, those bastards would never
have had reason to lay a land on you.”

“And your solution was to leave me behind in an unfamiliar place when I needed you most,”
Aether whispered.

Xiao cupped Aether’s hands in his own, his eyes dropping to the ground in shame. “Qiqi
would’ve given you a better life than I could. You’re safer without me. I will only hold you
back. I will only taint your heart the longer you try to purify mine. I’m not deserving of your
love.”

“That isn’t for you to decide,” Aether said, his voice quivering now. “I can’t trust anyone in
this world. No one but you. Do you know why? Because your heart has always been open to
me. You’re the only one who’s never lied to me. You’re the only one who was kind to me
without ulterior motives. And… and you want to take all of that away from me?”

Xiao couldn’t find words to respond to him. All he could do was lay his head in Aether’s lap
and cry.

Aether let him cry it out, brushing his fingers soothingly through his hair. He leaned down
and kissed the top of Xiao’s head. “I forgive you, Xiao. I know you never wanted me to be
sacrificed. I know you never wanted any of this. They didn’t know you as I do. They didn’t
know how kind your heart was like I do. Let me help you, and be with me in return. I need
you just as much as you need me.”

Xiao could only sob into his embrace. He knew he would never be able to forgive himself.
But hearing Aether’s words of forgiveness made some of the shadows around him grow
lighter. Slowly, he lifted his head, looking up at Aether with his tear-stained face. He raised
his hand and touched the scar on Aether’s neck with shaking hands.

“How can you forgive me when… when I am the reason this happened?”

Aether just smiled at him, making Xiao's heart ache, for he’d missed that smile more than
anything in all these days he'd spent in the darkness.

“Cuts like these heal on their own with time. But what’s been done to my heart won’t heal.
Not without you,” Aether said softly. With those words, Xiao’s resolve finally crumbled to
ashes. He wrapped his arms around Aether, pulling him off the rock and into his tight
embrace. “Okay,” he whispered into Aether’s neck, causing him to smile, tears spilling anew.
Xiao held Aether, not as he usually did, like glass that would break at the slightest touch, but
as a lifeline. Because that was what Aether was—a lifeline for Xiao, for without him, he was
nothing more than a cursed adeptus destined for hell.

For Xiao, Aether was the flower that bloomed in the gardens of Persephone even in the
darkness of the Underworld. Without him, Xiao would not have known beauty. Without him,
Xiao would not have known love.

“I’ll never leave your side again.”

***Extra***

A few months passed since Xiao’s final promise to Aether. Their lives became a struggle to
find happiness with each other, and they worked hard to make a peaceful life possible for
themselves.

They started by leaving the place where they had once fallen apart—Jueyun Karst. Plank by
plank, they built a hut for themselves in Guili Plains overlooking the Yaoguang Shoal. They
were a ways away from the land they once called home, but they ensured it didn’t fully
become a bad memory for them.

From time to time, they would still go back to the creek where they shared their first kiss. It
became easier to return to Jueyun Karst after the village was excavated. Xiao knew other
adepti who called Jueyun Karst home, who were disgusted by that village’s existence. Those
who had contact with the humans of the Liyue Qixing gave them the go-ahead to tear it down
once the bodies withered to bones.

Aether had only returned to the village with Xiao by his side once. It still pained him to see
the remnants. It still made him shiver to know the man who loved him with all his heart and
treated him so gently was capable of such things. But it didn’t make him fear Xiao.
All he felt was worry for how much it had affected Xiao’s soul, which he’d done so much to
purify. But it was okay. He could do it again. He did do it again.

The only reason they returned to the village was so that Aether could free the animals he once
cared for and take some minor keepsakes from his home that didn’t have bad memories
attached to them. Some of the animals, who had loved him then and still loved him now,
followed them all the way to Guili Plains.

Today, they could be seen grazing the fields around the couple’s hut, living peaceful, happy
lives.

It brought Aether some semblance of joy. Healing from that day was a slow and grueling
process, where he would flinch at the slightest noise or hide if he saw travelers stray too close
to their hut. Luckily, he had Xiao by his side to help him through every little thing. He was
always nearby, his presence a grounding force for Aether each time he fell back into the
darkness of his past.

The nights were the hardest. Aether’s dreams were plagued by his memories of that day. His
subconscious could recreate each moment with haunting clarity.

Only when those dreams began did he understand why Xiao never slept. He understood now
that his own soul was marred by that trauma that the darkness that clung to him would make
reliving those memories unbearable. But it was okay. Xiao would hold him through the worst
of it.

He would whisper in Aether’s ears as he thrashed in his sleep, and his voice would reach him
even in his dreams, calming him.

He would kiss him and bathe him with his affection when Aether woke up in a cold sweat,
clutching at his throat and shivering with fear. “I’m here,” he’d murmur in his soothing voice,
his arms encircling Aether's trembling body protectively. “I'll never let anyone touch you
again.”

Of course, Aether wasn’t the only one affected by that night. The shadows that tainted Xiao’s
body burned him at times.

His thoughts would grow wild and unregulated at times, screaming at him for all the murders
he was responsible for, for all the ways he’d made the world worse than when he first found
it. He would try to hide his struggles from Aether, but it was hopeless.

Aether knew him better than anyone in living memory. He would know just from the slightest
twitch of Xiao’s eye that his mind was warring against him. He would cradle Xiao to his
chest, where he was free to hide his own tears. He would whisper sweet things in his ear,
battling his thoughts of self-hatred with the thought of how much he, Aether, loved him, how
much he was grateful for him, and how happy he was that they could be together. They took
care of each other in the only ways they knew how, and over time, their efforts began bearing
fruit.
Once, Xiao decided to bring Aether a blade—a simple steel sword, rather dull-looking but
good for practice.

"I thought it'd be good to teach you to fend for yourself," Xiao said, causing Aether to look
concerned. An underlying understanding passed through them, causing Aether to stare down
at the blade he'd been handed, a slightly hurt look in his eyes. He understood why he needed
to be taught. It was in case Xiao wasn't by his side to protect him.

He tried to shift his mind off of it by focusing on the sword. Oddly, it felt comfortable in his
worn hands. He knew how best to hold it in a way that felt most comfortable. He faced Xiao
with it. "Alright then. Let's practice; come at me," Aether said, surprising both himself and
Xiao by his own confident tone. Xiao stared at him uncertainly. He hadn't been anticipating
sparring with someone he assumed was a beginner. He thought he would first be teaching
Aether the basics, but the way Aether looked at him expectantly made him concede. He
summoned his spear in his hand and broadened his stance, giving Aether a nod.

Xiao hadn't expected the speed with which Aether charged at him, suddenly appearing before
him with his sword aimed at his heart. It was all Xiao could do to block him. Quickly
enough, he stopped viewing Aether as a novice as he slashed repeatedly at Xiao in a flurry of
offensive attacks. Xiao knew then that he would have to meet him on an equal footing or get
hurt in the process.

They fought like demons, their weapons a blur. Aether knew every trick of fighting a man
with a longer blade, getting inside Xiao's guard but never aiming to harm.

Their strengths were evenly matched, leading Xiao to realize that something much larger was
at play here. For Aether to stand on an equal footing with Xiao meant that he was as strong as
an adeptus. He knew that their battle would know no victor without spilling blood.

The only thing he could do to break the flow of their spar was throw down his blade and
tackle Aether to the ground. He pinned him down, both breathing heavily with stunned looks
on their faces.

It took them a while to process what had just happened. It was all so sudden—to learn Aether
had such capabilities in a single day.

Later, Aether found himself sitting on their bed in the hut, watching Xiao pace in front of him
with a dazed look in his eye. Aether had never realized his own deftness with a sword. He
had never found reason to pick one up since he came to the village. He had never known
something so crucial to his own character, having always viewed himself as someone docile,
someone who needed protection. "I didn't realize..." he said softly, causing Xiao to pause.
Aether's expression was pained. "I didn't realize I could defend myself. That day... I never
even thought of fighting them. All I tried to do was run. If I had been able to..." Aether's
voice broke.

Instantly, he was wrapped in Xiao's embrace. He cried gently in his arms. "There's so much I
don't know about myself, Xiao. I hate it. I hate not knowing why I know so much about
combat. I hate not knowing where I come from—if I even have a real family."
Xiao had a remorseful expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Aether. I'm so sorry. If only I
hadn't..." he whispered.

He was once again the reason for Aether's pain. He had stripped him of the chance to get his
memories back from Jifeng. He had been too hasty with the massacre. He had just been so...
angry. He couldn't live with his own failure to protect Aether. He kept looking for people to
blame; he had hoped that killing those who'd made an attempt on Aether's life would quell
his own self-hatred. But it did nothing to ease his pain or alleviate him from blame. He had
killed them for nothing. He regretted it more than anything.

Aether calmed down eventually in his embrace. "It's okay," he whispered. "You didn't know. I
forgive you."

Xiao gritted his teeth, his self-loathing evident in his expression. He couldn't help staring at
the scar across Aether's neck as he wondered why Aether kept forgiving him for his grave
mistakes. Why did he give him so many chances when he didn't deserve them? Aether
deserved so much better.

As if sensing his thoughts, Aether cupped Xiao's face gently, his teary eyes looking in Xiao's
pained cat-like ones. He interrupted the flow of his thoughts by kissing him on the lips.
"There's only one thing I won't forgive, Xiao," he said. "I won't forgive you for letting your
own doubts consume you. I won't let you hurt yourself again. I've worked too hard all these
months making a life with you. It's okay if I don't have my memories. I told you before and
I'm telling you again now that all I want is to keep making new memories with you. That's
enough for me, so just trust me on this, okay? You are just as worthy of me just as I am of
you."

Xiao's eyes were glossy as he looked into Aether's. He nodded quietly, kissing Aether again
to quell the lump in his throat.

Over time, moments of happiness started becoming more common than those of sadness and
regret. Aether's scar became no more than a thin line across his neck, making it less painful to
look at. They learned to find joy in the mundanity of the new life they were building, which
was a welcomed change from the tortured lives they once lived.

They cooked meals side by side, often having play fights in the kitchen. Xiao wasn't very
enthusiastic about eating as much as Aether was, but he found that Xiao loved Almond Tofu,
the only food he ever requested with his heart. Their dinners were simple, but with the help
of their most trusted friend, Qiqi, they could make the most of each day.

With Qiqi’s help, they started a garden, planting medicinal herbs and food for the animals.
Aether learned, to much amusement, that Xiao wasn’t adept at gardening.

“Xiao, Qiqi! Lunch is ready!” he called one afternoon, setting three sandwiches on the table.
He nearly jumped out of his skin as Xiao materialized behind him out of nowhere. “Hey! I
told you not to do that so suddenly,” Aether scolded, aiming a playful slap at him with his
towel. He grumbled with annoyance as Xiao dodged by phasing into the shadows, spawning
safely out of reach on the other side of the table.
A minute later, Qiqi jogged inside, looking out of breath. She fixed her deadpan stare
balefully at Xiao, muttering, “Don’t disappear like that; I almost forgot what I was doing.”

“Sorry,” Xiao said, helping her sit. They both thanked Aether quietly before digging in.

Aether just chuckled at them, proud of them for working hard. “How’s the garden come
along?” he asked them, sitting next to Xiao. “Poorly,” Xiao said tersely, clearly annoyed. “I
can’t get a hang of that shovel thing yet.”

“A hoe!” Qiqi said, causing Aether to snort. “Xiao tried to plow the field with his green spear
instead. It didn’t go well.”

Aether began to laugh at the mental image that cropped up from Qiqi’s deadpan description.
Xiao glared at the girl for tattling, though he smiled a little into his food for hearing Aether’s
laughter. “Alright, alright, I’ll help out after we’re done.”

The three of them worked together to create a bustling garden with honeybees and butterflies
humming around, which became Aether’s source of pride. It became their own little patch of
paradise, listening at night to the waters of the Shoal and the hum of cicadas in their garden.
After that, Aether decided to teach Xiao how to interact and care for the animals. Just a while
ago, one of the sheep had given birth to a little lamb. Aether had helped her through labor,
with Xiao watching with masked fear and nausea. Lambs had become a difficult subject for
them after what happened to Aether and after what had been happening to lambs in that
village for centuries in Xiao’s name.

But Aether showed him that life got better with time. Old traumas did not have to live
through to other generations if efforts were made not to transfer them. The little lamb born to
them was healthy and lively. They would ensure she lived a long, happy life without knowing
what it meant to be sacrificed and made to bleed out.

He taught Xiao that new, happier memories could replace old, sad ones. And that was what
Xiao decided to do for Aether.

One morning, they sat by the beach, staring out into the waters between themselves and the
ruins of Mingyun Village. "It's such a beautiful day," Aether said, breathing in the breeze as
the spray of water caused tiny droplets to bud on his skin. Xiao seemed agitated, but he
nodded. He kept cupping sand in his palm before letting it slip between his fingers over and
over, creating a mound in front of him.

Aether placed a gentle hand over his. "I thought creating mountains was the Geo Archon's
domain," he teased. "What's on your mind?"

Xiao looked at him with wonder in his eyes. "Sometimes it feels like you can read my mind."
He murmured, causing Aether to laugh. "No, I can just read your emotions."

"Same difference," Xiao grumbled. Aether just smiled at him expectantly, causing him to
sigh. "There's something Qiqi told me. About... about your visit to Liyue Harbor." Aether
looked a little startled at this. He stared off into the distance, his smile fading slowly as he
recalled those days he'd spent restlessly in Xiao's absence, feeling lost and abandoned. "What
about it?" he asked, trying for a casual tone though he was clearly on edge.

"She told me you had been expecting me to be there with you when you went to Liyue
Harbor. Well... I wanted to show it to you," he said. "Properly this time. With me by your
side."

Aether stared at him, his lips parting with shock. He had been expecting Xiao to say many
things, but this offer wasn't one of them. The corners of his lips curled slowly into a smile.
He leaned against Xiao's shoulder and stared at the clear skies above, thankful for a great
many things.

"It really is a beautiful day," he murmured. "I didn't know I had been wanting you to take me
to Liyue Harbor until you mentioned it just now. I'd love to go."

Xiao smiled, kissing his temple. He was relieved that Aether had agreed. He had a great
many regrets about that week when they had gone through so much. He was slowly working
his way through making it up to Aether—to heal not only himself but both of them.

They departed for Liyue Harbor later that afternoon by road rather than through Xiao's
adeptal powers. Aether insisted on walking, for he was excited for the adventure that came
with going somewhere with Xiao. It had been oh so long since they'd gone exploring. They'd
spent the last six months simply healing and building something peaceful. But this promise of
an adventure made Aether happy. He wanted it to last—to give their journey enough time to
make beautiful memories to replace the old ones. Aether stopped to smell the flowers and
take in every scenic view along their path.

He pointed out some of the animals they'd see in the wilderness, like boars, goats, and deer.
Xiao just smiled as he followed Aether, happy to see him in his element.

As they reached the cliff face that led to the bridge connecting to Liyue Harbor, Aether took a
moment to appreciate the city's beauty. Aether's last memories of Liyue Harbor had been dull
and painful. It was so much more vibrant and lively than he remembered. But Aether knew
that was just his own imagination. Liyue Harbor was the same as it was six months ago. The
only thing that had changed was Aether.

The last time he'd been here, his eyes had been covered by a grey lens. He had known Liyue
Harbor was beautiful, but he couldn't appreciate it. He had been upset that the world still
looked beautiful when he didn't have the heart to appreciate it. He'd spent his days in misery,
longing for his lover.

But now, his lover was by his side, engulfing Aether's hand in his own. The world seemed so
much brighter now.

They reached Liyue Harbor and began exploring the city. "This place changes every time I
visit," Xiao grumbled, wishing he felt nostalgic for the old Liyue. But he supposed it wasn't
too bad. The smell of spices and the salty sea air hadn't changed, and that was good enough
for Xiao.
 They explored various stalls, eating the foods that looked most appetizing and taking a stroll
by the pier.

They even managed to visit Qiqi at Bubu Pharmacy, who gasped monotonously upon seeing
them, for she hadn't been forewarned of their visit. They spent some time with her, going to
see the Guizhong Ballista, where Aether remembered passing through to make the long
journey to Jueyun Karst. It seemed like only yesterday, but his circumstances were so much
better now. Eventually, they parted ways with Qiqi to scale Mt. Tianheng. Xiao promised
Aether a breathtaking view, watching with pride as Aether became more and more confident
in his climbing. When they reached the top, the sun had long since set.

Both collapsed on the ground with their legs dangling off the steep edge overlooking Liyue
Harbor, happy to give rest to their aching legs after a long adventure.

"It's so beautiful," Aether said, awed as he gazed at the city lights. The moon and the stars
were bright in the sky, glittering like silver and reflecting in the ocean. They could see Guyun
Stone Forest, shadowed by its own mist. And far off into the distance, they could see a small
burning light across the ocean—the Grand Narukami Shrine.

Aether couldn't help but gaze at it with a look of longing.

"It feels like I've been there before," he said. Xiao looked at him with an expression of
sadness and regret on his face. He turned his gaze to the ground. He knew he was to blame
for Aether's lack of memory. "But it's okay. We can go together. The best part about having
no memories is that I get to witness everything with a new set of eyes." Aether said kindly,
again reading Xiao's thoughts.

Xiao gave him a weak smile. "Do you know how I know all is right with the world?" he
asked Aether.

Aether gave him a curious smile, asking, "How?" Xiao tucked a strand of his beautiful blonde
hair behind his ear, whispering, "When you're optimism shines through, it means that nothing
can go wrong." Aether laughed a little, glomping Xiao into the ground. They embraced as
they lay against the grass, holding each other.

"I love you, Xiao," Aether said. "Thank you for everything."

Xiao kissed him on the forehead. "Don't thank me. Just stay by my side." Aether smiled. "I
wouldn't have it any other way."

Chapter End Notes

yay part 2! i hope this brings a satisfactory close to this AU. hmm i felt like i should
clarify that the elements of this story, namely Aether, is probably not Aether as the
Traveler, but Abyss Aether, who woke up before Lumine and ended up seeing the world
before her. that's why there's no real mention of the Traveler or Lumine here!

im a sucker for a happy ending, so I hope this sufficed and that there are no other
plotholes left. i would've gotten this chapter out faster but i fuckin wrote like 4000
words on it and then ended up losing my save and it took me days to rewrite everything
bc i was depressed over losing it! but yes, i hope you all have a lovely summer! I'll
probably take my time with the next update as my finals are coming up <3 HAVE A
GOOD JUNE
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