Chapter Text
Zhongli made up his mind. He’d been sitting on these feelings for a while now, and he’d finally made sure that they wouldn’t be disappearing any time soon. More than that, he’d never been the type of person who could just sit back and let everything happen.
He thought that with Childe’s disappearance from Liyue, the feelings that had been budding inside him would disappear just like the Fatui member.
Yet, instead of disappearing, they’d instead grown, taking him by surprise.
It didn’t help that Childe kept coming around every couple of weeks to see him either despite pretending otherwise.
While Childe had presented his reasoning to him by saying that he was just dropping by, Zhongli was rather certain that he did not mistake the hints of interest in the other man’s eyes.
So, Zhongli had finally given in.
All he had to do was catch Childe’s attention and made sure that he wouldn’t be able to look away ever again.
At this thought, Zhongli’s eyes moved to a door that he entered every day. Perhaps…
Zhongli’s lips curved into a pleased smile. No one ever said that a god didn’t have a few tricks up their sleeves.
-
Childe felt the heavy weight of the box that he brought back from the Tsaritsa. For such a tiny thing, it contained massive amounts of power, and he knew that if Zhongli-sensei took this back, his fighting prowess would soar like never before.
He licked his lips thinking about it, feeling the adrenaline coursing through his veins at the mere thought. His eyes shone as he thought about engaging in a battle with a god.
The trip to Wangsheng Funeral Parlour proved to be for naught. Zhongli-sensei was not there, as it was apparently his rest day.
Childe frowned before it eased back into his normal smile as he thanked Hu Tao for her information.
This wasn’t like Zhongli-sensei at all. In fact, he’d never seen the man so much as tire and take a break – it made sense if you thought about it from the perspective of the oldest god. He’d been around in Liyue for 3000 years.
Still, he found it rather strange.
Childe had sent a message beforehand to let Zhongli-sensei know that he’d be visiting him this time.
The boss of the funeral parlour pointed him in Zhongli-sensei’s house.
The new information sunk into his brain, causing a bit of a scramble before he firmly put it down for later. He was, after all, on official duty like it or not.
The entrance to Zhongli-sensei’s house was more ordinary than he imagined, but there was a lowkey luxury about it that told him it was extremely expensive.
Childe knocked on the door, and with his keen hearing, heard what appeared to be Zhongli-sensei taking a breath, before answering, “Enter.”
Childe’s eyebrows raised, but he pushed on the door obligingly, eyeing it when it opened without any sound. Did Zhongli-sensei really just leave the door unlocked like this without any security?
Then again… the man was a god.
“Zhongli-sensei?”
There was another intake of breath, before the sound of a long exhalation. “In here.”
It wasn’t like Zhongli-sensei’s normal behaviour at all, but Childe headed in the direction of the god’s voice like a moth to a flame. There was a certain relaxation to the man’s tone that he seldom heard, and he was intrigued.
What greeted him caused him to drop the box that he was holding in his hands. The loud clatter would have broken a normal person out of their stupor, but instead, Childe’s eyes were unable to move a single inch.
“Z-Zhongli-sensei?” Childe’s voice was choked, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about it now. His eyes were wide open, drinking in the sensual image that appeared in front of him.
The view was hazy, filled with thin smoke that dispersed quickly in the air, but it didn’t stop him from viewing that which was in front of his eyes at all.
There seemed to be the sound of his brain crashing as his eyes widened.
Zhongli was lounging on what seemed like an opium bed. It was carved out of wood and maintained a luxurious and glossy appearance. But that wasn’t what made Childe drop the box out of shock.
Instead of the man’s normal formal attire that covered every inch of his skin, he was wearing something else. It was a qipao, which was traditionally Liyue’s female attire much like the one that Ningguang wore.
Unlike the male version of the qipao that included pants, Childe was graced with the sight of Zhongli’s long, pale, and toned legs that were shown with the long slits up the sides. The god lazily propped his head up with his arm, the other holding onto a long and thin pipe that gave off a faintly smoky smell.
Instead of greeting him, Childe’s body moved without his knowledge, and he found himself on his knees before Zhongli’s lowered position on the opium bed, dazed. It almost felt as if he belonged here, prostrated before Zhongli. Despite the lack of a gnosis that made up a god’s power, the hold that Zhongli-sensei had over Childe was even greater than that.
Childe felt as if he was an ant worshipping a god high above. It was unthinkable for Childe, who never backed down in the face of great power. In fact, the more powerful an opponent was, the greater the enjoyment he felt.
But now, Childe could only bring himself to gaze at Zhongli in a daze.
“What brings you here today, Childe?” Zhongli asked in a laidback tone. It lacked the normal sharpness that he usually carried while outside.
Childe snapped out of his dazed stupor and wanted to answer, but before he could do so, Zhongli’s lips wrapped around the end of the pipe as he sucked in a breath, his eyes lidded and sensual. Childe’s eyes couldn’t be moved even if the Tsaritsa were in front of him right now.
Zhongli’s lips raised faintly, breathing out. The curl of smoke hit Childe in the face directly.
…!
Childe’s mind blanked. His newly regained senses dissipated like it was a lie.
A low chuckle reverberated in the room, and Zhongli finally sat up leisurely. Tapping lightly on the pipe, Zhongli crossed his legs, causing Childe’s flushed face to deepen to a blush. Zhongli caressing Childe’s face with his free hand, causing another series of breakdowns.
“Z-Zhongli-sensei,” Childe finally stammered out, “what are you wearing?”
What was Childe doing, that he was behaving this way? He’d never been so unseemly in front of Zhongli-sensei before. But why couldn’t he control his body? This wasn’t like him at all.
He had… feelings for the man, yes, and he already acknowledged it, but why was he acting like this? Otherwise, with how the other man had used him in his plans, would he still come around looking for the god? Had it been anyone else but Zhongli, Childe would have already gutted them and left them spilling their intestines.
Zhongli didn’t answer but instead chuckled again. The god’s laugh was low and deep. It seemed to bounce around in Childe’s head, causing him to feel dizzy along with the onset of smoke.
Childe seemed to have lost his soul to Zhongli’s seduction. He looked thoroughly enchanted. Whenever Zhongli made the smallest movements, his eyes followed.
Zhongli continued to caress Childe’s face. Childe didn’t even bother to move away or looked bothered by it at all. He blew out another ring of smoke, which caused Childe to close his eyes.
Childe’s face burned under Zhongli’s caress, and at the back of his mind, there was a faint voice that whispered into his ears that Zhongli seemed to be seducing him, but for the life of him, he really could not bring himself to care.
This situation seemed like something out of his wet dreams, and he wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t dreaming.
Then, adding on to his confusion, Zhongli lightly tilted Childe’s chin up, pressing a kiss onto his lips.
Zhongli’s kiss was slow but firm against his lips, and it caused Childe’s eyelashes to flutter like the flutter of butterfly wings. Childe lost himself in the sensation that he never thought he’d be able to experience with Zhongli-sensei. Even if this was a dream, he very much wanted more.
Time seemed to go on forever, and the pace of their kiss was entirely decided by Zhongli. Whenever Childe tried to go faster or be even the slightest bit more aggressive, Zhongli’s hand that was now in his hair tugged, causing him to gasp and surrender to the god’s experienced lips.
Their breaths intermingled, until Zhongli’s tongue finally entered Childe’s mouth, licking him and caressing him in a way that was reminiscent of the way that he had caressed Childe’s face earlier.
It was entirely overwhelming, and Childe felt like his face was about to implode. He had flings and other relationships before, but not a single one had made him feel the way that Zhongli-sensei was making him feel right now.
Childe opened his eyes that had slid shut of their own volition, wanting to see the expression on Zhongli-sensei’s face, only to find that the man was already looking at him with half-lidded but intense eyes. It made his breath hitch.
Zhongli tugged Childe’s hair again, causing him to let out a low whine at the back of his throat, surprising the Fatui agent and making Zhongli’s eyes darken. He felt a dark pleasure at being able to draw out sides of Childe that the man himself had never experienced before.
The possessiveness that Zhongli felt was something that he kept tempered down with lock and key, never allowing it out. But Childe seemed to bring out the darker sides in him that he kept out of public sight.
Zhongli finally parted from Childe, licking his lips. He smirked as Childe’s eyes followed the action with the dazed look on his red face.
Zhongli’s eyes darkened as he looked at the tantalizing sight that Childe made. His hair was lightly dishevelled, and his lips were swollen and red. The expression on his face made Zhongli want to wreck him further. He already looked so wrecked even though all they had done was kiss. His pupils were blown wide, and he seemed to want more.
The god pressed a kiss at the corner of Childe’s eyes, speaking to him in a low voice. “Be mine.”
Childe never nodded so fast in his entire life. He hadn’t even agreed this quickly to be the Tsaritsa’s Harbinger.
Childe had already cottoned on to the fact that this wasn’t a dream, but instead reality due to the faint pain that came from Zhongli-sensei tugging his hair. Yet, it felt like all his dreams were coming true at once.
Did Zhongli-sensei return his feelings, or was this a one-night stand? Were they going to become friends with benefits?
Childe felt conflicted at the thought.
Zhongli smiled, sensing Childe’s confusion. He cleared it up for him. “It has come to my attention that the affection I hold for you will not be taking its leave anytime soon, thus I’ve made my move.”
Childe took a breath, feeling more clarity returning to him. The happiness that bubbled up couldn’t be contained. “I like you as well – no, I’ve been in love with you for a long time.”
Zhongli chuckled. “I am aware.”
Childe frowned. “You already knew? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Zhongli picked up the forgotten pipe at the side, taking a breath of smoke. “I had thought that after I tricked you, your affections for myself would be forgotten in due time. However, it seems like even your persistent actions can wear down stone itself.”
The words that Zhongli said finally registered itself after a few moments and Childe growled with satisfaction, surging up and meeting Zhongli’s lips in a fierce kiss that the god allowed him to dominate for a short amount of time before taking over control again.
The breath of smoke that Zhongli took previously was shared between them, and Childe would have choked had he not forced down his reaction.
They parted again, Childe coughing lightly. “What is that?” he said, eyeing the pipe.
Zhongli smiled. “It’s an extract from Violetgrass and Glaze Lily, mixed in a specific ratio to balance the spice and sweetness. They serve as a replacement for smoking and provide mildly relaxing properties that many in Liyue are fond of.”
Childe raised his brows but was distracted by Zhongli uncrossing his legs. His earlier flush returned.
Zhongli used the end of the pipe to raise Childe’s chin. “You haven’t answered my previous question.”
Childe raised his brows. “Question? It sounded more like a statement to me. But… yes. I agree.”
Zhongli’s eyes darkened, causing Childe’s breath to catch. “Very good. In return, I will treasure you as you treasure myself, perhaps even more.”
Childe suppressed the feelings within his chest. He felt as if he were about to cry with happiness and laugh at the same time. It was a strange feeling. But… it was nice.
“Allow me to take you apart thoroughly,” Zhongli said, his eyes dark with promise.
Childe’s heart suddenly started pounding harder than before, and he barely managed to nod before he was swept off his feet and into Zhongli’s embrace.