Chapter Text
They’re in another overpriced jewelry store filled with delicately crafted necklaces, rings, and bracelets. Ornate liyuen hair sticks made of jade or gold or any kind of scented wood, carved in elegant designs, are lined up on the glass-paneled display shelves.
It’s not gaudy, rather the store is perfectly tailored to the noble echelon of Liyue’s commercially successful economy.
Ajax is once again forking over a hefty bag of Mora to the store’s snobbish owner, who obviously disdains the Snezhnayan’s presence in his shop. The Harbinger doesn’t bother addressing the Liyuen’s undisguised scorn, even if the Osial Incident has been largely over and dealt with for months now. Still, Ajax’s continued stay in Liyue tends to garner a certain kind of neutral, politely contemptuous treatment from the locals.
Turns out, being notorious for the near destruction of the city you’re living in long-term isn’t great for your wallet, what with the sudden exorbitant rise in prices when a shop owner notices your Fatui allegiance. Thankfully, the Fatui’s coffers are always filled and as a Harbinger, Ajax’s personal finances are never a worry regardless of how much he spends.
And he spends a lot. More than a common man could spend in a year, perhaps. Maybe even more than certain noble families, with an entire fortune amassed over generations, could spend in half a year.
The reason? The golden eyed beauty that receives the purchase of the evening from the surly shopkeep.
The purchased item is a finely wrapped package containing an extravagant burnished gold choker; minimalistic but fashioned with an intricately patterned Glaze Lily in full bloom set in the middle, carved out of a perfectly whole Noctilucous Jade gem. A thin thread of burnished gold dangles delicately beneath the blooming flower like an elaborate vine, ending with a small Cor Lapis jewel that sways in the hollow of the wearer’s throat, teasing gently in between the collarbones and providing an enticing visual feast to the eye.
The subtle glow of the flower-shaped gem was what caused the equally radiant Zhongli to enter the jewellry store earlier, the glint of it attracting the Adeptus mid-stroll after their dinner at the Liuli Pavilion. There was nothing Ajax could do other than follow the beautiful ex-Archon into the store and watch the erudite man be fascinated by every rare cut of jewel or magnificent craftwork displayed within.
Zhongli had tried on this evening’s purchase beforehand, and the auburn haired man had to dig gloved fingers into the uncovered part of his palm to shake himself out of his stupor. The gentle swaying of the choker and the azure glow in the evening light accentuated Zhongli’s natural beauty and caused Ajax’s rebellious heart to accelerate like it was yearning to run towards the lovely smiling vision that was the man he is in love with.
Truly, however had he survived the near daily exposure to Zhongli’s pretty Cor Lapis eyes and that pleased smile on those Silk Flower pink lips? Maybe continued contact with the deep timbre of Zhongli’s mellow voice had helped Ajax build some sort of resistance to the siren song in every word the god says…
Or maybe Ajax is just as helplessly enamored as he was at first glance on their very first meeting as consultant and Harbinger.
Zhongli feels the instinctual urge to rumble into a pleased purr when the package is fully within his hands, but he refrains for the sake of his mortal identity while still amongst his people. Were he alone with the young warrior, the Adeptus would have ignored all propriety and just purred aloud.
“Thank you for the gift, Childe.” Zhongli says shamelessly. He once felt a slight regret for always forgetting his Mora while out shopping, but now, he is used to Childe’s expectant grin when he asks the shopkeep to pack up whatever item Zhongli finds that he must have in his hoard.
Ajax shrugs nonchalantly. “Anytime, Zhongli-xiansheng. As long as you like it.”
The urge to purr grows stronger, and had Zhongli less of a tight reign over his instinctual responses, he really would have made a spectacle in the middle of a bustling shopping street in the main city. However, he likes it when his dearest Childe buys him all sorts of gleaming artifacts and glittering jewelry. He likes it when those blue eyes follow his every move with a covetous gaze.
Lately, in the months after the trade of his Gnosis, Zhongli discovers his millenia old, once dormant instincts frequently rise to the surface of his every thought and translates into aborted movements more often than not. He finds himself loosening his grasp on his discipline whenever it involves his favored mortal. He finds himself luxuriating in Childe’s attention on him whenever they are together. While Zhongli doesn’t understand why being near the Fatui Harbinger provides such calm and contentment, he embraces the feeling regardless.
There is no harm in indulging after all, especially when he is no longer beholden to his past duties as lord of the region and a leader to his people. Retirement has been an enjoyable foray with Childe, his most precious mortal friend by his side.
The pair exit the jewelry store, out into the dusky evening filled with a languidly moving crowd. Ajax walks with Zhongli in the direction of the funeral parlor consultant’s home. Zhongli suddenly unravels the comfortably quiet silence between them as they near his home. “The night is young yet, and I find myself reluctant to part with your company. Would you like to join me in my abode for some tea, Childe?”
Ajax, always one to greedily bask in his beloved’s presence, agrees easily. “Sure, why not?”
They are in a more secluded residential area that leads to his home, which allows for Zhongli’s previously held in purr to escape, a satisfied rumble coming from within his chest.
Ajax is startled into a wide eyed pause in his steps as he stares at the softly purring god. What?
The Liyuen deity is… purring? Like a cat? Since when was this a thing?
Zhongli doesn’t seem to notice, nor does his strides slow. He reaches the dark wooden door to his abode and turns slightly sideways to glance at Ajax with a slight tilt to his head in a silent question.
Ajax rushes forward to catch up while the Adeptus opens the lock to his door. They enter, both exchanging their shoes for a pair of indoor slippers. The auburn haired Snezhnayan isn’t sure if broaching the topic of Zhongli’s newly exhibited purring ability was rude or just another quirk of his closest friend’s that Ajax would be sure to accept without comment—after a short while to digest this new and fascinating fact about the man, of course. It isn’t every day one discovers something so adorable and peculiar. Was this due to Zhongli’s nature as an Adeptus? Do dragons even purr?
Before he can decide if he wants to break the silence with his questioning while Zhongli prepares and steeps some aromatic and doubtlessly expensive tea leaves at the pantry, the other man speaks up first. “Would you like to have a seat first, Childe?”
Ajax blinks. Ah right, he was still standing around like a mesmerized idiot while staring at Zhongli’s graceful hands as they prepared the tea. Those long elegant fingers hold a refined grace in every movement. Tearing his gaze away, he woodenly moves to sit at the table.
The warrior notices the latest package bought for Zhongli still on the table and wonders; what does Zhongli do with all the jewelry he has bought him over the months? While artifacts, scrolls, and other assorted items are also a part of the multitude of things Ajax has bought the golden eyed man thus far, jewelry seems to be the most commonly bought recently. It’s as if Zhongli has grown fonder of those bedazzled trinkets more than his other hobbies as of late, yet Ajax has never actually seen the consultant wear any of them yet once outside the store they bought them in.
“Zhongli-xiansheng, do you want me to move your gift to where you usually store your jewelry?” Ajax inquires, curiosity coloring his tone.
Zhongli hums as he considers the request. For a while now, ever since his retirement, he usually piles his hoard of jewelry on his bed, and sleeps surrounded by the luminous light glinting off his amassed gifts from Childe. It would be a pleasure to have this latest artisanal work of fine craftsmanship join the rest on his bed. “That would be wonderful. Please do. You may enter my bedroom and place it along with the others.”
Ajax smiles and gets up, grabbing the package and unwrapping it as he goes, ready to enter the bedroom he has been privy to a few times throughout their friendship. Mostly, it was to help a forgetful Zhongli retrieve his Mora pouch before they left for a day out together, back before the reveal of his true identity and the whole farce of a funeral with the Traveler’s involvement. Yet, none of his previous visits have ever stunned Ajax into a confused disquiet.
Standing with the door to Zhongli’s usually neat bedroom open, Ajax’s blue eyes widen in shock. Is tonight the night for all sorts of odd revelations? Why is Zhongli’s bed full of jewelry, as if the deity sleeps in a bed full of treasure? Since when was this a thing? It’s like the Adeptus’ room has been turned into a nest full of a dragon’s hoard.
“Erm… Zhongli-xiansheng?” Ajax yells, disconcerted, his voice echoing through the corridor.
Zhongli stops watching the curling steam of the steeping tea leaves and turns towards his room, walking over sedately. “What is the matter, Childe?”
Ajax points at the bed. Zhongli leans around the man’s door blocking figure, sticking somewhat closer than necessary, considering the wide space of the door’s archway. Ajax can smell Zhongli’s enticing scent this close to the raven haired beauty; light floral notes encapsulated by sandalwood tones and blended into an elegant aroma. He isn’t sure if that’s due to perfume or just the natural scent of the man he loves, but either way, having Zhongli stick this close to him is detrimental to his brain cells.
Zhongli makes a puzzled expression, making a soft birdlike chirp in question at the scene before them. His gifts were still cradling his nest perfectly as they were meant to. Nothing is out of order. “What’s wrong?”
Ajax’s ability to think straight is seeped out of him with the body heat he can feel clinging to him from behind, what with Zhongli’s body sticking so close. Fuck, stop being such a lovesick fool, he berates himself, closing his eyes to take a deep breath in hopes for forbearance.
That was a mistake, as all it does is cause him to inhale even more of Zhongli’s enticing scent. Ajax powers through the light-headed feeling anyway, using his experience in fighting battles while low on blood in his head to good use. Who knew being practiced at staying functional while bleeding out would come in handy like this?
“Your bed. It’s full of…” Finding a word to describe the really weird scene before him shouldn’t be this hard. Eventually, Ajax settles on a simple word to define the situation well enough, “... things.”
“Indeed.”
Ajax turns slowly to look the too close Zhongli in the eyes, exasperation in his countenance. “And… why is your bed full of things?”
Zhongli doesn’t understand why Childe is so fixated on his wonderfully full nest. Was the nest not to his liking? That wouldn’t do. Maybe his mortal would prefer for the hoard to be placed elsewhere? A part of Zhongli starts to fret, although he isn’t sure why it bothers him so much should his dear friend dislike the layout of his current nest. “Do you dislike it?”
“What? No, no. I don’t. Dislike it, that is. I don’t dislike it. It’s very… nice.” Ajax scrambles to reassure the Adeptus, who had a rather suspicious wobble to his often tranquil voice. He does not wish to cause Zhongli any sort of distress, and it sounded like he nearly caused the ex-Archon to feel upset.
“Oh, that’s good.” Zhongli smiles brilliantly at Childe in response. They are still standing like two very unwieldy pieces of furniture at the door to Zhongli’s room, when the god starts purring again.
Ajax isn’t sure why it was good that he didn’t dislike the room’s peculiar decor, nor why Zhongli is purring again all of a sudden, but he takes it all in stride. As much as he can, while still less than an inch away from the smiling man nearly clinging to him as if they were in an embrace, anyway.
All this proximity to Zhongli is really bad for his health and sanity.
The Snezhnayan steps back, and raises an eyebrow at Zhongli. “Well, then. Erm. I’ll leave your gift with the pile now then. How about you get the tea ready and we can chat?”
Zhongli acquiesces and leaves to do as Ajax requested. A sigh of relief escapes Ajax’s lips. He looks again at the pile of jewelry set all around Zhongli’s bed like a high-end brothel with a particularly ostentatious theme. Or perhaps like the man in question has somehow squirreled away a small but extortionate part of the Golden House’s wealth like an inordinate thief.
Shaking his head, Ajax leaves the latest piece of jewelry on the bed with the others and exits Zhongli’s room.
The ex-Lord of Liyue’s lands is pouring the fragrant tea out from a dark teapot into a matching set of lovely porcelain cups, with hand-painted designs detailed in gold meticulously on every piece. Zhongli hums in enjoyment at the delicious scent wafting up from the poured tea, closing his red-lined eyes while savoring the aroma.
He hears Childe nearing him and turns his head, opening his eyes to look at the auburn haired man. Zhongli purrs reflexively at the sight of Childe in his domain. He is pleased to see his dear friend inside his personal space, even if such a thing had never struck him as pleasant prior. Perhaps it is because they now no longer have secrets between them, after the reveal of his true identity and their consequent talks.
Ajax is too curious not to ask now, and so he does. "So, is the purring thing new or…?"
He sits back in his seat while Zhongli brings the tea set over to the table with a wooden serving tray. Ajax notices the serving tray was the exact one he'd bought the Adeptus a week ago. In fact, many of the things in Zhongli's house seem to be bought by him.
"Hmm? Oh, this. I am merely indulging my instincts." Zhongli joins him in sitting, pouring the tea into the darkly painted porcelain cups accented in gold designs.
"Your instincts make you want to purr?"
Zhongli pauses from taking a sip of his hot tea, his Cor Lapis eyes gazing at Ajax intently. "Yes."
"Right. Okay." Ajax has no idea what he should be saying in response to such a curt answer, so he doesn't ask more on the topic. Maybe Zhongli doesn't want to divulge more. Maybe he thinks Ajax shouldn't ask unnecessary questions.
They sip on their tea in the soft quiet of Zhongli's well decorated dining room. “Would you like to go out with me tomorrow, Childe? There’s a place I wish to visit.”
Ajax blinks at the sudden question. When has he ever said no to Zhongli in recent months? He doesn’t even have any official business to attend to, as he is still awaiting orders from Her Majesty the Tsaritsa. “Sure. Where to?”
“There’s a new specialty craft store that has opened up on one of the less popular commercial streets near the Pearl Galley. I was informed of this store by one of my cultural discourse associates when I attended a function at the Pearl Galley a few days ago.”
“You mean, that night you were busy, it was for this… function?” On a pleasure boat? The floating brothel and casino that many of his underlings have always been interested in entering? The only place in Liyue Harbor where highly sought after courtesans can be found discreetly without it being entirely illegal?
Ajax knew his beloved Adeptus had always frequented the boat for business discourses but still. He’s irrationally jealous about the fact even though he knows Zhongli has never partaken in any of the pleasure boat’s offerings.
“Yes. Shall we meet up at noon?” Zhongli asks.
Ajax nods. “Yeah, noon sounds good. We can have lunch first and then head to the store you’re interested in.”
Zhongli smiles at him. Ajax is struck once more by how lovely the Liyuen man is. He feels a blush crawl up his pale cheeks but he just mentally shrugs his bashfulness away. Seriously, he needs to stop melting into a puddle of useless goo every time Zhongli smiles at him.
He really needs to get a grip, even if Zhongli is his first ever experience of romantic attraction towards someone. Ajax had always been too busy seeking new battles to improve his strength and fighting prowess to bother with such things. And now he’s often left floundering just by being near the man he’s in love with. How pathetic.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ajax walks towards Zhongli’s home the next day. It’s a good day; the weather is cool even though the sun still shines high up in the sky, the clouds are heavy but not dark with possible rain, and there’s a light breeze in the air.
He’s always full of anxious anticipation when he’s about to meet the man who holds his heart even without knowledge of it. At the same time, Ajax loves the rush of intense feelings just seeing Zhongli gives him; like a wave overtaking his senses and filling it with nothing but softness and the mushy joy of being in love.
It took him a while before the Osial Incident to accept that he had fallen for the Prime Adeptus of Liyue, partly due to his then impending mission to cast destruction over the land, and partly due to his inexperience with anything of the sort. Being in the military since he was fourteen hasn’t helped him in getting any personal experience in romance, and he was way too shy before he fell into the Abyss for that to matter back then either.
As for carnal matters related to lust? Well, Ajax had been too focused on his next battle and improving his skills as a warrior to find any space in his life for exploring such things. Then, he had become a Harbinger, which meant his own subordinates were off limits because he didn’t need experience in such matters to know that abuse of his authority by fraternizing with those below him in rank was not acceptable.
Ajax knocks at the ornate wooden door to Zhongli’s abode, a small smile on his lips denoting his cheerful mood even as he thinks back to his somewhat abnormal early youth and his lack of a typical teenager’s experiences.
Zhongli opens the door after a few moments that feel like eternity to Ajax’s love-blinded mind, and the auburn haired man can’t do anything but blink at the sight before him once the door fully reveals the one person he’d longed to see.
The golden-eyed god has his hair unbound, long gold-tipped strands of black, loose and curling around the white silk robe wrapped around Zhongli’s body. The front of the silk robe is low and so loosely tied that it may as well be undone; were the front any lower, Zhongli’s nipples would be noticeably in full view.
He doesn’t seem to be wearing anything else beneath the short knee-length silk robe. Is he even wearing anything under the robe?! Is that a sliver of thigh he can see peeking out from the robe’s side slit? Gods, Ajax can see that creamy pale thigh nearly all the way. Fuck, Zhongli’s probably not wearing anything underneath.
Ajax has to force his wandering eyes to look back upwards, and pretend he isn’t a disrespectful lecher when confronted with the gorgeous Liyuen beauty smiling at him like there’s nothing wrong about being so disheveled while answering the door.
“Childe, you’re here. Good afternoon.” Zhongli sounds overly casual even while dressed in such scandalous clothing—for the man who normally covers himself from head to toe anyway.
Ajax is fighting his immediate reaction; a heat crawling up his ears and a stirring desire in his pants. His smile is strained, uncertainty tinging his words, “G-Good afternoon, Zhongli-xiansheng.”
“Come in. I’ll finish getting ready and we can go.” Zhongli turns into the house and walks towards his bedroom.
The Harbinger is left standing at the door like a disoriented idiot, staring at the swaying hips and full, plush posterior of the deity moving further from his unwavering gaze.
Zhongli enters the bedroom, leaving the door ajar while Ajax scrambles to close the front door behind him and enter the house properly. Meanwhile, the Adeptus gently shrugs out of the silk robe, the loose cloth sliding off his bare shoulders and-
Ajax averts his gaze, turning to stare in horny despair at the house’s interior instead. Fuck, fuck. Fuck! He needs to calm down. Stop staring at the pretty man disrobing like some creep! He’s better than this.
He looks down, willing the growing bulge in his pants to calm the fuck down and stop making him look like an inexperienced virgin. Even if he is an inexperienced virgin.
Ajax closes his blue eyes, taking deep breaths even as his ears can detect the soft shuffling sounds of cloth sliding over skin and being moved. He can tell Zhongli is nearly done changing into his usual clothes from the sounds of leather gloves being pulled onto doubtlessly elegant hands.
Zhongli puts his gloves and rings on, completing his daily ensemble. The raven haired Adeptus exits his room and is puzzled at the sight of Childe just standing in the middle of his living room like an awkwardly placed statue. He walks closer to the mortal, but the other man seems to be deep in thought.
“Childe?” Zhongli questions from behind the Snezhnayan.
Ajax is startled and nearly jumps at the shock of Zhongli’s deep voice resounding in his ears so closely, like an intimate caress meant for him and him alone. He whirls around, only to stand still at the lack of distance between himself and Zhongli’s fully dressed self.
“I- You’re done?” Ajax asks redundantly.
“Mmn, indeed. Shall we depart?” Zhongli’s lips are curled into a demure smile.
Ajax gulps. He nods, hoping his erection has subsided enough that his unsightly lust for the lovely Liyuen isn’t overt anymore. “Sure, let’s.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After their lunch, the duo walked towards the specialty craft store Zhongli had expressed such interest in visiting. The streets they traverse are becoming shadier and seedier, the signs more discreet the deeper they venture.
Zhongli walks confidently with the gait of a man who knows his own prowess in battle and a familiarity in the land. Ajax is somewhat concerned. Just what kind of shady store did Zhongli’s associate introduce the man to?
The ex-Archon of Liyue stops abruptly at a seemingly empty storefront that is shut tightly. Ajax follows his beloved into the store with no sign, bewildered and wondering if he should start gathering Hydro into his palms in case of a sudden fight. He doesn’t necessarily need to use his Vision for battle, as his hand to hand combat skills aren’t paltry, but in a possible ambush, having a Vision is an advantage in itself.
Once inside, Ajax is amazed by how brightly lit and tastefully colorful the interior is. A serious looking lady in Liyuen’s latest fashion, a long black sleeveless dress with elegant designs on the side sprawling to the bottom edges and a fluffy white shawl over her shoulders, appears to guide them deeper within the store. She is wearing a pair of small dangling jade earrings and her hair is set in an elaborate updo, with a few jewel encrusted hairpins highlighting her hairstyle.
“You are here for the special order, Sir?” She asks curtly, all businesslike and unsmiling.
Zhongli nods. “Yes, Mr. Han mentioned they may be purchased here. I would like to peruse the wares beforehand.”
“Very well. This way please.” The lady gestures to the back and leads them towards the location of the special order’s viewing room.
Ajax is starting to suspect that Zhongli has innocuously brought them to an illegal brothel that is only known to the VIP clientele aboard the Pearl Galley. The Snezhnayan shuffles in tense silence behind Zhongli as they are quietly led to the back, through a corridor and into a door that opens up to a mind-boggling sight that stumps the Harbinger into a frozen, wide-eyed imbecile.
Rows upon rows of indecent, phallic objects are lined out within the display cases inside the room. Other indescribable items related to sex are also set on display. Zhongli is walking languidly, as if he doesn’t perceive the dozens of expensive looking sexual toys laid out for the customers to select.
What is this? He’d thought, at worst, it’d be a brothel, and perhaps Ajax would have to suffer knowing that his dearest Zhongli would be partaking in the services for the first time ever—to his knowledge at least.
But this? This is somehow so much worse. Is Zhongli actually taking him to a sex toy store like it doesn’t mean anything? Ajax can’t even feel aroused at being in a blatantly sexual store like this, because his emotions are overridden by extreme embarrassment and confusion.
Zhongli notices Childe’s footsteps have paused behind him when the lady guiding them left to retrieve the more intricately crafted wares from the staff room, so he turns and raises an eyebrow at the man. “What is the matter, Childe?”
“N-Nothing. I- Yeah.” Ajax scrambles to catch up to the consultant.
They sit in the wooden chairs set by the side, Zhongli sitting as prim and proper as he always does, while Ajax slumps forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He is beset by an incomprehensible feeling; fight and flight warring within him and settling into quiet disconsolation. Why is he here? He doesn’t regret much when it comes to Zhongli, but he really regrets agreeing to this outing today.
“Would you like to select some of the special craft items for yourself, Childe? Mr. Han assured me the quality of items for sale here are exquisite and aren’t found elsewhere in Liyue.” Zhongli inquires suddenly.
Ajax panics. He doesn’t want to buy a jade dildo or a monstrous looking golden phallus with a ribbed shaft. Nor does he need a gleaming silver buttplug with a sparkling gem at the end. He doesn’t want to be here.
“Ah, no. I just- I forgot I had an errand to do for Katya. The bank, I mean.” Ajax shuffles to his feet, his battle-earned coordination a messy spectacle as he all but walks to the exit like there is fire chasing at his heels. “I’m sorry for cutting this short, Zhongli-xiansheng. I’ll make it up to you!”
The Harbinger stops near the exit, as a thought occurs to him. He stalks back aggressively, trying to block out all the special craft items on display, and unlatches his Mora pouch from his belt. Ajax uses his famed arm-strength to throw his wallet at a bemused Zhongli, who catches it easily, and quickly turns back to the exit. “You hold on to that for me first, Zhongli-xiansheng! I’ll see you tomorrow!”
And he runs. Out of the store, onto the desolate street with nary a reputable citizen, and off towards the more populated streets where it feels like a layer of normalcy presides over the atmosphere.
Ajax doesn’t run from battles, but he doesn’t think he can sit there and help his beloved man choose or buy sex toys without going insane with hopeless lust and manic anguish; just being able to look and imagine but know he can never touch would be torture.
It already is torture.
Every day that he lingers around Zhongli and exposes himself to the lovely smiles and soothing voice of Liyue’s most beautiful treasure, Ajax suffers a little more and falls a little more in love. Like a helpless fool, he keeps returning to burn himself in the presence of his beloved’s power over him.
Ajax runs home like a madman through the streets of Liyue, uncaring of the eyes that follow his figure as he weaves through the crowd seamlessly.
Fuck. Time for a very cold shower and a very long moping session to try and block out the intrusive thoughts his brain tries to conjure; of Zhongli using any of the myriad of items displayed in the lurid store he had just run out of desperately.