Chapter Text
Chapter one
The honeymoon phase (Zhongli)
Friday, 10th September
On a rainy day, the same rainy, desolate day every year Zhongli stood, as stiff as stone, over a grave. A bouquet lay nuzzled in his arms – a light blue bundle of flowers unlike the sky today.
He placed the bouquet of glaze lilies atop the grave in front of its owner’s name:
Guizhong.
His late wife, who'd fought in the military till her last, dying breath.
“Why must it always rain on your birthday, lily?” He spoke softly – although there wasn’t a hint of sadness behind it, it was more freeing and cheerful, like a joke.
After a moment, he smiled at the grave and departed.
-
“I assumed you went to see mom again?” A deep and hazy voice greeted Zhongli by the door of his home.
“Haha were you waiting for me, Xiao?” Zhongli answered upon seeing Xiao standing in the archway that led from the front door to the living room, “You’d usually be in your room.”
“I heard someone at the door before you; I thought it would either be you or Ganyu but-,” Xiao pointed in the direction of the dining room.
Zhongli furrowed his eyebrows and walked past Xiao, not before ruffling Xiao’s hair.
Behind the double doors was a mildly grand dining room with pictures going up the walls.
In it sat a ginger-haired, bushy-tailed man in a plain white dress shirt, that, to Zhongli's pleasure, was slightly too small for him as it hugged his chest tightly.
He seemed to be eating some leftover Tea eggs slathered in sauce, barely submerged.
“Ajax!”
Unlike the chilled expression he'd had previously at Guizhong’s grave, he lit up like an innocent child on Christmas.
Ajax smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his head and pushing the plate away slightly, “Xiao is as friendly as ever,” He started.
Zhongli chuckled at the, albeit sarcastic, remark, “What’s the story this time?”
“Well, I just got off work and I was in the area so I thought I’d stop by. I didn’t expect Xiao to answer the door though-,“
“I didn’t expect you, specifically, to be at the door.” A voice, getting close, snarled in irritation.
Zhongli sighed, “You didn’t slam the door on his foot again did you?”
“Tried something new today and just slammed the door shut in front of him,” Xiao leaned over the table to take Ajax’s plate from him.
“Xiao, look at that plate! You can’t waste soy sauce like that!” Zhongli reprimanded.
Xiao rolled his eyes and left the two alone.
Zhongli sat down on the opposite side of Ajax and leaned back in his chair, “Maybe I should’ve asked Xiao to prepare tea.”
“No no, that’s fine – I actually brought food,” Ajax held up a white, plastic bag with containers in it, “It’s cake, cookies and some meat dishes. I know you don’t like fish.”
“What’s the occasion?” Zhongli smirked eyeing the ginger-haired man.
“Occasion? Can’t I bring some homemade food for my one and only?”
“You’d usually take me out, mostly to avoid Xiao.”
“Ok yeah, I was pretty tired today – there’s a guy I work with whose utterly insufferable.”
Ajax unpacked the food, which is still hot, and sets it out on the table, “Insufferable you say, is it the guy from last time?”
“Mei. The Inazuman guy with a horrible haircut and a nasty mouth.”
Ajax had mentioned him before, during pillow talk. Zhongli could have sworn he’d heard the name before but couldn’t put his finger on it.
“Anyways," Ajax ranted, "I think something pissed him off that day because he was in a foul mood for the whole shift. He always complains but this day in particular he kept going on about his unsuccessful love life and how his therapist wasn’t telling him what he wants to hear.”
“Therapist?”
“Yeah, a short lady with white and green hair. If it wasn’t her job, I’m sure she would have sent him to a ward or something.”
Zhongli snapped his fingers at the realisation he'd suddenly come to, “Buer!”
“Who?” Ajax responded in confusion.
“She goes by Nahida on public records. She’s an old friend of mine and we were discussing him for a short while, mostly because he’s Ei’s son.”
Ajax huffed, “Small world I guess.”
Zhongli smiled, “Let’s put that behind us for now, let’s relax and eat this generous feast.”
“Can I…”
“Stay the night? You don’t have to ask.” Zhongli said getting up, possibly to get utensils.
Outside the door stood Xiao, with a passively annoyed expression, “Do I need to go stay with Aunt Yanfei so you two can break the bed?”
“Xiao!”
Zhongli, who jumped at Xiao’s surprise presence, stepped back and frowned, “You have such a way with words, dear son. I’d never do something so uncouth while there are people other than me here, rest assured.”
Xiao smirked in amusement and started to walk to the door, “Don't worry, I offered to help her move her girlfriend into her house, she also offered me some Yaksha merch as an exchange.”
Zhongli sighed as Xiao winked and waved goodbye through the door before it closed with a click.
-
Alone.
With just him and Ajax.
“Xiao left? Isn’t it kinda late?” Ajax waltzed out of the dining room.
“He’s older and more mature now, he’ll be fine. Plus, Yanfei is probably the most trustworthy person I’m acquainted with.” Zhongli recounted.
Ajax’s mouth spun into a smile as he walked towards Zhongli and wrapped his arms around his waist, “So? Do you have any plans?”
“We can...watch a movie? In my room, while we eat the food you brought of course. I just washed the sheets so it should smell celestial,” Zhongli responded while playing with Ajax’s hair.
“If it smells anything like you then I’d consider it clean.” Ajax’s lips grappled Zhongli’s while at the same time strengthening his grip around Zhongli’s waist.
He cusped some of Zhongli’s ass and pressed it gently making Zhongli whimper within the kiss. Ajax used this opportunity to slip his fingers down Zhongli's clothed ass, pressing and swirling them around a very obvious and intentional area. With each movement of Ajax's fingers, Zhongil let his breaths bounce from his mouth to Ajax's.
“I can feel it through your pants,” Ajax said, pulling away and eyeing Zhongli’s bulge.
Zhongli’s eyes sharpened, “And whose fault would that be?” He started, twisting their bodies around and backing Ajax into the wall behind them.
He took the lead now, slithering a finger through Ajax’s shirt buttons to undo them as he slips his other hand down to fondle Ajax’s own bulge.
The hand fiddling with Ajax’s shirt slips into it and caressed his pecks and subsequently his nipples. Ajax melted into Zhongli’s touch and squirmed followed by soft moans, more so now that Zhongli had started sucking at his neck.
“Zhon- wait."
Zhongli, for a moment, looked up at Ajax and promptly nodded, “You’re right.”
In one swift motion, Zhongli hoists Ajax over his shoulder like a potato sack and heads for the stairs.
Although he protested, Ajax let his arms drop and sway lifelessly as he accepted that he was going to bottom tonight.