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Childe has been in Liyue for approximately five hours, and he’s already bored out of his mind.
He’s unpacked all of his clothes, decorated his room, taken a lap around the building–hell, he even rearranged the layout of his room three times, and now he is unmistakingly, unequivocally, bored.
And, well… What else is expected of a twenty-one year old transfer looking for something to do? Of course he decides to check out the local bar.
Unfortunately, after putting on his tightest jeans and fixing his hair so it looks roguishly disheveled, he discovers that the local bar is sort of a dump. It’s the type of place he’d go to back in Snezhnaya, before he had turned legal, and based on the clientele, it’s the type of place young Liyuens go to with fake IDs in hand. He takes one look inside and turns on his heel.
But he’d put in all this effort into looking good, and he’s still got the Buzz under his skin, so he checks Maps and orders an Uber to a club that seems a little more classy.
When he gets there, he has to wait in line for, like, ten minutes–something he’s definitely not used to–and the bouncer actually checks his ID. Like, does all the tests and everything, because apparently Childe doesn’t look his age and they actually care that everyone inside is over twenty-one. The wait’s worth it, though, because as soon as he gets inside, he knows he’s getting lucky tonight.
There’s a dance floor, packed with bodies moving side-to-side to the thrum of the music playing throughout the club. Multiple bartenders rush behind the bar to fulfill the orders of what seems like at least thirty people. Childe makes his way over, shoulders his way to the front of the line, and orders a Moscow Mule. He finds a corner off to the side and sips his cocktail, watching people pass him by and trying to decide who he’s taking home.
He’s got his eyes on a blonde with a perky-looking ass when someone saddles in right next to him, speaking quietly despite the booming music. “I haven’t seen you around here before,” he says.
Childe startles. He turns to look at the stranger; he’s very handsome, with a dress shirt tucked into black pants and his sleeves rolled up past his elbows. His hair is long but tied back in a low ponytail. “I just moved here,” Childe explains once he’s finished sizing up the stranger.
The stranger runs his eyes down his body in return. “I can tell.” He looks away, takes a long draw from his own glass. “I know most of the people who frequent this club. I’m something of a regular, you see.”
Childe licks his lips. “Is it that obvious that I’m not from here?”
“Your hair gave you away,” the stranger teases. “Zhongli,” he offers.
“Childe,” he returns. Gulping down the rest of his drink, Childe slams down his glass and sends a smirk at Zhongli.
Zhongli watches the way his Adam’s Apple bobs. “What brings you to Liyue?” he asks, finally.
“Ah, you know. Business.” Which, technically, is not wrong. He is here for business–business education, that is.
Zhongli nods knowingly. “We are a hub of trade and commerce, after all,” he says. “I hope you don’t think me too forward, but may I buy you a second drink?”
Childe considers him; while he doesn’t usually go for guys like Zhongli, or guys in general, he can’t see the harm in entertaining him for a while. “Sure,” he says, grinning with his teeth.
Zhongli buys him a second, third, and, eventually, a sixth drink and matches him. Childe’s not entirely sure what, exactly, he’s drinking, but when he steals a sip from Zhongli’s glass under his nose, it burns all the way down in a way he hasn’t felt since he tried alcohol for the first time at fourteen.
Then Zhongli, face slightly flushed but still nowhere near as wasted as Childe, mentions taking an Uber back to his apartment, and Childe agrees wholeheartedly, forgetting for a second that he’s devastatingly straight and Zhongli is one hundred percent a guy.
And then Zhongli puts a hand high up on Childe’s thigh in the backseat of the Uber and Childe kind of stops thinking.
Zhongli’s warm–extremely, terribly warm, and his hand is even warmer. Childe can’t help but lean into his side, whining under his breath when the hand starts to inch higher. He clutches Zhongli’s arm, hiding his face in the nook between Zhongli’s shoulder and neck so he doesn’t make eye contact with the driver through the rearview mirror.
By the time they’ve pulled up to Zhongli’s apartment, his hand is down Childe’s pants.
They separate from each other, awkwardly adjusting themselves as they exit the Uber and enter the elevator to Zhongli’s floor, but once the elevator door closes, Zhongli’s on him like a beast, pressing him against the mirrored walls of the elevator. He licks into Zhongli’s mouth helplessly, chasing away the taste of alcohol and groaning when Zhongli gets a knee in between his thighs.
Of course, that’s when the elevator stops and the doors open.
Zhongli pulls away and Childe traces the flush down his neck. His eyes are wide, pupils dilated, and his lips are bright red from contact with Childe. It’s a good look on him, Childe thinks, as Zhongli drags him down the hall to his apartment.
They tear at each other’s clothes on the way to Zhongli’s room. Childe can’t even make out any of the distinguishing features of his apartment in his rush to get Zhongli naked as soon as possible–all he recognizes is a plush bed and even softer bed sheets under his back as Zhongli kisses down his neck.
Zhongli makes Childe come three times that night.
The first he forces out, switching between his mouth and his hand on Childe’s cock. If he thought Zhongli’s hand was warm, he was completely unprepared for the warmth of his mouth. Nearly the second Zhongli licks down the vein on the side of his dick he’s coming with a sob.
“Sorry,” he breathes out once he’s gathered himself a little. “I couldn’t warn you in time.”
Zhongli smirks at him from where he’s wiping his face off with the corner of the comforter. “No worries. I’m not done with you just yet.”
He leans over Childe, reaching into the nightstand next to his bed to pull out an unopened bottle of lube and a condom. Then he pulls Childe down by his legs so his ass is at the foot of the bed, setting Childe’s legs on his shoulders. With one hand he opens the lube and with the other he spreads Childe.
“W-Wait,” Childe gasps, “I’ve never–that’s–”
Childe’s words hit Zhongli with the force of a semi truck. He closes his eyes for a second and when he opens them again, he’s focused completely on Childe. “We don’t have to,” he says. “I would never force you to–”
“No!” Childe yelps, embarrassing himself with the urgency in his voice. “I want to, just.” He looks to the side. Jesus, he didn’t think this would happen when he started getting ready earlier. “Be gentle?”
If not for the way Zhongli full-body shuddered, Childe would have wanted to take back the words instantly. As it is, Childe only mildly regrets the way he’s turned into a blushing virgin all over again just from a little heavy petting and the promise of something more.
(Listen, in his defense, Childe has read stories, okay? He’s heard that shit is, like, painful. And, up until this very night, he didn’t even know he’d ever consider having someone else’s dick up his ass. So it makes sense that he’s a little nervous.)
Zhongli breathes in deeply, holds it for five seconds, and exhales all at once. “Of course, Childe.”
The second orgasm is coaxed out slowly but surely. Zhongli takes his sweet time stretching him out, making sure he can take one finger comfortably before he tries two, and then doubles the time it took to add another finger. By the time he’s got three of Zhongli’s fingers in his ass, he’s hard again, dripping precome on his stomach.
Childe kicks at Zhongli’s back, utilizing the mortifying position Zhongli still has him in. “Just ‘cause I’m an ass virgin doesn’t mean you have to go so slow,” he complains. “I’m gonna die before I ever come again.”
“I thought you asked me to be gentle,” Zhongli hums, continuing his slow pace.
“Yeah, not treat me like I’m fragile,” Childe grumbles. “Come on!”
Zhongli raises an eyebrow. “Hm, I think I liked it better when you were shy. Now you’re being annoying.”
Childe gasps in fake shock. “I can’t believe you’d say that when you have half your hand up my asshole!”
Childe’s taunting doesn’t work; Zhongli continues his horrible fingering until he’s sure Childe’s completely stretched out, after which he crooks his fingers and presses directly onto his prostate. Childe yelps out at the pressure and scrabbles against the bedsheets for something to hold onto.
It’s still the same, frustratingly slow pace he set earlier, but now that it’s direct stimulation, Childe’s cock twitches tellingly and he comes all over himself after three strokes. Zhongli grins smugly down at him until Childe has enough of his stupid face and pulls him in for a kiss by his chin.
While Zhongli’s distracted, Childe opens the condom and rolls it down Zhongli’s cock. Zhongli nearly keels over at the sudden touch and rests his forehead on Childe’s sternum as Childe slowly guides his tip to where he’s empty and twitching. “Come on,” Childe hisses. “Need it.”
They both groan when Zhongli first enters him. Zhongli continues his gradual press in until he’s completely sheathed in Childe, balls flush against Childe’s asscheeks. He waits patiently like a gentleman until Childe’s adjusted to the intrusion, then draws back all the way and thrusts in, hard .
Childe arches up in pleasure. The way Zhongli’s dick is curved plus the length and girth of his dick equals constant stimulation to his prostate. If he hadn’t just came, he’s sure he would have just from that single thrust.
Zhongli fucks like a man possessed. Childe’s pushed back by the force of his strokes, but Zhongli just follows him up the bed until Childe’s head is supported by the pillows at the head of the bed. At some point, he’d taken to grasping one of Childe’s calves by his head, leaving his other leg dangling helplessly around Zhongli’s waist. “So good,” he mumbles into Childe’s ear. “So tight, so warm.”
“Zhongli,” Childe cries when he feels the telltale swoop in his belly. Zhongli immediately reaches between them to grasp Childe’s dick, matching his strokes to his thrusts, and Childe is gone .
His third orgasm seems to last forever, free leg stretching out as he moans, sobs, screams out Zhongli’s name. His eyes roll back, mouth falling open–he’s never had an orgasm this good, he realizes, and he’s slightly scared of what that says about him.
Zhongli fucks in a few more times, enough to get Childe shivering from overstimulation, until he stills and groans deeply into Childe’s neck. Childe pats his back encouragingly.
They lay next to each other, riding out the high of their orgasms and catching their breath. Childe presses his hand against Zhongli’s, interlocks their fingers. Now that the haze of arousal is gone, he recognizes that Zhongli’s hands are no larger than his, and are, in fact, slightly skinnier. Fog of war, he thinks fondly.
Zhongli bullies him into the shower, but Childe’s exhausted from the three orgasms and leans against Zhongli’s muscular chest while he washes his hair. He lets Zhongli clean him, only hissing slightly when he runs a rag between his cheeks, and tries his hardest to stay awake, but he knows he’s losing time when he finds himself back in bed, pressed completely against Zhongli.
“I should go–” he starts, but Zhongli shushes him and scratches the base of his neck.
“Sleep,” Zhongli insists, and Childe is helpless but to follow his instructions.
When Childe wakes, Zhongli is plastered to his back, snoring softly into his hair. Morning light leaks into the room, painting everything a slight shade of orange. It’s serene, peaceful. Childe thinks he never wants to move.
Which is why he forces himself out of bed as quietly as possible, shoving a pillow into Zhongli’s arms before he can stir.
He makes his way through the apartment, picking up his clothes as he goes. He stops to peek at himself in a mirror by the entryway; his hair is a mess, he has hickeys down his throat, and his eyebags have eyebags. Yeah, sounds about right.
Childe waits til he’s safely in his own apartment before he has a freak-out.
So maybe he’s not as straight as he thought. Okay, fine. He can deal with that. What he can’t deal with is attractive men who seduce him with unlimited drinks and the history of Liyue’s docks. Seriously, what the fuck? Zhongli knew all the right things to say, all the right ways to touch him, and worst of all, he was actually interesting. And Childe had run out of his apartment without leaving his phone number.
Liyue is a big university and an even bigger city. It’s highly unlikely that he’s ever going to see Zhongli again. Well, no use dwelling on it. Now that he knows the wonder of prostate orgasms, he’s ready to explore this new world at his fingertips. Or, someone else’s fingertips. So what if Zhongli was the best lay he’d ever had? He’d find someone else. Surely there was more than one hot guy in Liyue.
Mind made up, Childe checks his schedule. Two classes on Monday and Wednesday, one class on Tuesday and Thursday, and a free day on Friday. God, it pays off to be a transfer. He’d gotten most of his GEs done back in Snezhnaya, save for his history class—his lone class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He’d have to suffer through two whole hours of ‘Merchantry of Liyue Through the Years,’ which seemed like a bore, but his advisor had insisted he would find it interesting as a business major.
As if he found any of this business crap interesting.
A quick check of RateMyProfessor says he’ll likely have an easy semester, save for that stupid history class. ‘Dr. Lapis is easy to follow, and his lectures are inclusive and interactive,’ reads one. ‘Do not take this class if you love yourself,’ says another. ‘lapis is one of the hottest guys ive ever seen but hes a fucking psycho and gives three hours of hw every day.’
The reviews are all varied, but each one says the same thing: for a GE, this class is fucking hard .
Childe sort of wants to brain himself on the required reading for the class, but. Well. He also kind of wants to see if this Dr. Lapis is as hot as everyone seems to think he is.
So on Tuesday morning, he drags himself out of bed at the ungodly hour of 9 a.m. and meanders over to the lecture hall his class is in. A good fifty people are already scattered around the room but Childe heads to the back, where he can fall asleep without it being obvious that he’s asleep. He fucks around on his phone, sending Pantalone a disgusting picture of an ugly cat and tagging it ‘u’, waiting for class to start.
A large group of people come in at once, the door slamming behind them. Childe looks up just as someone in a sleek coat all but floats into the room, setting down their briefcase and setting up—presumably Dr. Lapis, then.
The class, which had been full of tittering underclassmen, quiets as Dr. Lapis opens his laptop, connecting it to the projector and pulling up a slideshow. Even from the back of the classroom, Childe can see the muscles shifting underneath his coat and he wants .
Then Dr. Lapis turns, and Childe’s mouth goes dry.
“Hello, and welcome to History 160,” Dr. Lapis—no, Zhongli , says. “If anyone is in the wrong class, now would be the time to leave.”
Childe gapes. The person sitting next to him sends him a concerned look, but he doesn’t care. Maybe he got it wrong. Maybe Zhongli has a twin brother, one who teaches at Liyue University.
But Dr. Lapis leans against the table behind him, crossing long, long legs in front of him and staring impassively at the crowd of students, and Childe knows that there’s no way he’s not Zhongli.
Scooting down in his chair, Childe brings his hood up to hide his flash of ginger hair. Hopefully, Zhongli won’t take roll.
“Well, if we’re all in the right place, then let’s get started, yes? I’ll begin by taking attendance.”
Fuck .
Childe sinks even further into his chair, ignoring the way the guy next to him blinks rapidly. God, he knows what his professor looks like when he comes. His professor took his anal virginity. He can’t believe this.
“Tartaglia?”
Childe’s head shoots up. Slowly, he raises his hand, hoping against hope that Zhongli’s eyesight is just bad enough that he won’t recognize him without his bright hair. Based on the way Zhongli’s eyes widen, imperceptible to anyone who wasn’t looking for it, he recognizes him.
“Shit,” Childe murmurs under his breath.
“Hey, are you good?” The kid next to him clicks the pen in his hand a few times. “You look kind of faint.”
Childe groans. “Shut up, would you?”
“Seriously, you don’t look okay.”
I just found out I fucked my professor , Childe thinks. Would you feel okay after that?
Zhongli finishes roll-call and claps his hands before he can speak. “Now then. I’d like to briefly go over the history of Liyue as we know it. If I could please have a few volunteers?”
Because he’s sat in the back of the class, Childe is one of the last people out of the lecture hall. And then, because his class is mainly freshmen and freshmen tend to rush to get to their next class on time, Childe ends up the last person in the classroom—beside Zhongli.
Childe decides that it’s now or never and walks, as confidently as he can, to Zhongli’s desk. “Dr. Lapis,” he calls. Zhongli turns slightly, sees who is approaching him, and returns to packing his stuff up.
“Tartaglia,” Zhongli greets. “An uncommon name, here in Liyue.”
“That’s probably because I’m not from Liyue—but you already knew that, didn’t you?” Childe tucks his thumbs into the straps of his backpack. Nonchalant, prepared.
“Now is not the time, nor the place,” Zhongli begins.
“Oh, come on!” Childe cries. “Don’t try to pull that ‘It was a mistake, just a one-time thing,’ crap. I’m tired of that.”
Zhongli faces him, nostrils flaring. “Unless I’m mistaken, you are the one who left early.”
Ah. Childe rubs the back of his neck, admonished. “Guess you got me there.”
Zhongli takes a deep breath and straightens his cuffs. “I’m sure I don’t have to warn you against telling others about our…first impression.”
And second, and third, Childe’s mind provides. He bites back a grin. “Absolutely, Dr. Lapis. I just wanted to let you know that no matter what, my lips are sealed.”
Zhongli’s eyes drop to his mouth. Childe flicks his tongue out to trace his bottom lip. Zhongli swallows.
“Okay!” Childe exclaims, startling Zhongli. “Guess I should get going, then.”
Zhongli hums and picks up his briefcase. He doesn’t respond, and Childe makes it to the doorway of the lecture hall before Zhongli calls his name. “My class is extremely difficult, especially for a general education class,” he says, back still facing Childe. “But with a good work ethic and grit, I’m sure you’ll do well.”
Childe frowns. He doesn’t quite understand what Zhongli’s trying to get at here. “Thanks, Dr. Lapis?”
Zhongli peers over his shoulder, makes eye contact. “Yes, I have a feeling you will be good for me.”
Oh. Oh. Childe’s face flushes, all false confidence immediately gone. “I-Uh, I’m—“
Zhongli smirks. “Goodbye, Childe. Go get started on your homework.”
Childe gets home and jerks off so hard, so fast, he thinks his dick chafes.
Childe tries to lay low for the next few weeks. Zhongli’s class is one of the most content-heavy classes he’s taken in years, but it’s informative, and Childe actually catches himself looking up additional information on occasion.
His hard work pays off; he ends up on top of the curve and even gets asked (read: begged) to join different study groups. He takes one look at their cumulative grades and decides he’s better off on his own.
During the fifth week of classes, he gets an email from a Z. Lapis, inviting him to office hours so they can discuss his most recent quiz results. Childe knows he did well, had gotten a 25/20 possible points. But he shoots off a ‘Of course, sir!’ and finds himself in Zhongli’s office regardless.
“Come in,” Zhongli calls when Childe knocks on the door. He’s sat behind this long oak desk, and there are bookshelves filled with textbooks and antiques around him. It’s obviously the office of a history bluff, and Childe can’t help but feel like he’s out of place.
“You wanted to talk to me?” Childe asks as Zhongli looks up at him. Zhongli smiles, setting down the pen in his hand.
“Please, have a seat. Give me a second to finish my work and then we can speak.”
Childe clambers into one of the two chairs on the other side of Zhongli’s desk. Zhongli smiles at him again, then picks up his pen and continues scratching down notes. His usual coat is off, so he’s left in just a button-up and a vest. Childe unabashedly watches the muscles in his forearm as he works.
Finally, after what feels like hours but is probably less than five minutes, Zhongli closes the book that’s in front of him and stands to place it in one of the bookshelves. He returns to his seat and steeples his hands in front of him. “Now, then,” he starts. “I wanted to take this time to ask you about how you are doing in the class. Is it too fast-paced? Or is it too slow?”
Childe shakes his head. “I think it’s kinda obvious that I’m doing just fine.”
“I know you are, which is why I have a few questions to ask you.” Zhongli inhales. “This isn’t an easy topic to discuss. It has recently come to my attention that there is a cheating ring happening under my very nose. Now, normally, I would just report this to the Academic Integrity Department and that would be that. But you are one of my best students, if not the best, and I’d like to know if you have anything you’d like to say.”
Childe can’t believe this. He tells him this. “I’m sorry, but did you just accuse me of cheating?”
“Absolutely not. I just assumed my star student would have something to add. Perhaps you could enlighten me on why people turn to other sources while you, clearly, have not.”
Childe harrumphs. “I can’t say I’m not confused.”
“What motivates you?” Zhongli breathes out. He leans forward, bracing his arms against the desk until him and Childe are breathing the same air. “Why are you doing so well in my class? Most people struggle, regardless of their major or their age. I want to know what makes you so different.”
“What, you don’t believe I’m just naturally talented?”
“Childe.”
Childe purses his lips. “Well, for starters, the subject interests me. And I’m also a quick learner and need to be the smartest person in every room I’m in. My therapist called it—“
Zhongli cuts him off with the wave of a hand. “Cut to the chase, please.”
“I mean, the only way you’re gonna get everyone’s attention in that room is if you fuck every single one of them.”
Zhongli startles. “W-What?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? You interest me.” Childe looks down at the desk and traces a pattern into the wood. “The reason why I’m doing so well in your class is because I listen to everything you say. Because it’s you.”
Zhongli watches him. Childe tries not to squirm under his gaze. He’s about to snap at Zhongli, tell him off, but Zhongli nods his head and picks up his pen once more. “I see,” he says, pulling a piece of paper from his desk drawer. He jots something down and folds the paper up. “In that case, I believe our conversation is over.”
“What?”
Zhongli slides the paper across the table. He nods down at it, as if to say, ‘Take it and leave.’
Childe scoffs. He can’t believe he laid himself bare like that just to get written off like some kid. Well, it’s not like him to overstay his welcome. Snatching the paper off the desk, he chances one last look at Zhongli, with his blank face and straight eyebrows. Then he’s gone.
First he gets accused of cheating, then he’s forced to admit that he’s still deeply attracted to Zhongli, and now he gets kicked out! This guy—he has absolutely no manners!
Childe wants to tear the paper apart as soon as he hops into a cab back to his apartment, but he holds himself off until he’s sat at his own desk in his dinky studio. He unfolds the paper carelessly, half-expecting to see some restraining order or something.
It’s a blank piece of paper—save for the phone number written neatly in the top left hand corner.
Chile stares down at the paper. He still sort of wants to rip it up, but out of spite instead of out of anger. What does Zhongli even expect him to do?
Well, there’s only one answer to that question.
Childe hems-and-haws his way through the better part of two hours over whether he should text him or not before finally deciding to man up and send a text.
You: hello ?
Immediately, his phone lights up with a new notification.
Unknown: I was wondering when you would message me. -Z
It’s Zhongli. It’s not like he was unsure about it, but now there’s no doubt in his mind.
You: so i texted u. were u waiting around for me like some schoolgirl lol
Zhongli: You could say that. -Z
Childe scoffs. He even texts like an old man.
Zhongli: I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a better response earlier. I needed time to sort out my thoughts. -Z
You: well have u
Zhongli: Have I what? -Z
You: sorted out ur thots
Zhongli: Indeed I have. -Z
Zhongli: I wondered whether or not I should be doing this at all. It goes against my teaching contract, as well as my own morals. But you’re just too irresistible. -Z
You: damn right to the juicy part huh
You: also can u stop signing ur texts. it makes me feel like im texting my gd grandpa or something
Zhongli: Sorry.
Zhongli: I’m attracted to you, Childe. I shouldn’t be. I’m a lot older than you, you know.
You: didnt kno that. sexy
Zhongli: Why must you be so difficult?
You: wait but srs how old r u
Zhongli: The answer is something you may not be ready for.
You: jesus ur weird. it turns me on ngl
You: does that make me weird
Zhongli: Yes. Yes it does.
Zhongli: Are you hard?
Fuck . “Old man fucks,” Childe whispers to himself, reaching a hand down to palm his cock over his jeans.
You: yes
You: wanna see?
Incoming call from: Zhongli
“Shit,” Childe hisses. “Shit, shit, shit,” he mumbles under his breath, clambering to make himself look presentable. Once he’s satisfied, he answers the video call, only slightly mortified by his bright red cheeks. “Hi,” he greets.
Zhongli is as attractive as ever, eyes twinkling like he knows what Childe was doing just thirty seconds ago. “Hello, Childe.”
“Um, whatcha up to?”
“Childe,” Zhongli laughs. “There is no need to feel nervous. I assure you, I have seen all that you have and more. Show me your erection, Childe.”
“Oh, jeez, why’d you gotta say it like that,” Childe mumbles. “Give me a second to switch to my laptop, yeah?”
Zhongli waits patiently and Childe returns to the call a second later. He sets the laptop down in front of him on his bed so Zhongli can see all of his upper body, and then raises his hips so his hard-on is in view.
“Mm, nice,” Zhongli murmurs. “Can I see you touch yourself?”
Childe flushes bright red but traces a hand down his sternum, against his inner thigh, until it reaches where he’s already half-hard in his underwear. He runs a hand against its length through the fly of his jeans and makes the unzip himself, but stops when Zhongli makes a clicking noise.
“Slowly,” Zhongli advises. “Close your eyes and imagine I’m right there with you. Imagine that it’s my hand.”
Childe follows his instructions, leaning back in his bed. He continues to stroke himself through his jeans until he’s fully hard, after which Zhongli tells him to pull himself out and start pumping.
“Remember, Childe,” he says, voice low. “Slowly.”
It’s torture, is what it is. Childe is used to hard and fast, not slow and sensual like what Zhongli likes. Whenever he tries to speed up, Zhongli just clicks his tongue like you do a misbehaving dog.
“Is that lotion on your side table?” Zhongli wonders once Childe’s got a good groove going on. When Childe says yes, Zhongli makes him slick his hand with the lotion and continue jerking off. The slide is tortuously amazing, and Childe finds himself fucking into the grip. Zhongli just watches.
“Hands off. Put lotion on your other hand,” Zhongli says. “Rub it between your fingers, warm it up. Now reach a single finger—just one, Childe—down and rub your hole. Good, just like that.”
Zhongli walks him through fingering himself, telling him how he should angle his fingers to find that spot inside of himself. It’s been nearly a month and a half since they’d fucked, so Childe is slightly surprised to hear Zhongli still remembers exactly how to pleasure him.
As if sensing his thoughts, Zhongli says, “I haven’t slept with anyone else, you know. You got inside my head and decided to take permanent residence. I can’t look at anyone’s body without thinking about how yours is superior.”
“Fuck!” Childe cries out. “Me-me neither.”
“I can tell,” Zhongli rumbles. “Your hole is still as untouched as it was before I was in it. Tell me, have you fingered yourself?”
“No,” Childe pants. “This is my first time.”
That seems to please Zhongli. “I see. So I was the first person in your hole.”
“Zhongli, please, I need another finger!”
By the time Childe has three fingers up his ass, he’s practically crying, shaking against his cheap bedsheets. “Need to come,” he gasps. “Please, lemme touch myself.”
“But you came untouched when I fingered you, no?”
“Please, Zhongli,” he groans. “Not the same.”
“It’s not the same? Why?”
“Not-you—“ Childe sighs. “Need something. Need you , please!”
Zhongli hums. “Go ahead.”
And so Childe comes, one hand wrapped loosely around his cock and the other still three fingers deep in his own ass. It’s such an intense orgasm that he’s left seeing black dots for a while. By the time he comes back to himself, Zhongli is panting, hand moving offscreen.
“Lemme see? Zhongli? Please?” Childe catches himself asking and doesn’t even have time to be embarrassed when Zhongli lowers his screen so his cock is showing. Zhongli’s grip is tight and he beats himself off quickly, unlike the tortoise tempo he encourages with Childe. Childe’s mouth waters as he watches a drip of precome bead at the tip of his cock, and for the first time in his life Childe desperately wants something in his mouth.
He takes the hand that wasn’t in his ass and shoves three of his fingers past his lips. The taste of his own cum erupts onto his tongue and he realizes it’s the hand he had just jerked off with—the hand that he had just come all over. Zhongli hisses, this deep sound that likely came from his stomach, and his cock jerks as he reaches his peak. “Fuck,” he groans out as he orgasms.
Zhongli all but collapses off-screen, but Childe can hear him breathing heavily through his laptop’s speakers. “You good?” He asks.
“You’re too attractive for your own good,” Zhongli replies, voice muffled.
Childe huffs out a laugh.
They stay on the call even after the afterglow, murmuring how their day was and how Zhongli has over six hundred tests to grade and Childe has three essays to write. “One of them is yours, by the way,” he grumbles. “You give way too much work for a GE.”
“I’ve heard that before,” Zhongli says. He turned onto his back fifteen minutes prior and stripped out of his clothes, so all Childe can see is miles of pale skin. “Nobody has ever complained directly to me, though, so until that happens I will continue to assign the same amount.”
“Consider this me complaining to your face.”
About an hour after the call began, Zhongli sits up and says, “I should go soon.”
“Aw, hot old guy has a bedtime?”
“No, I have work to do,” Zhongli corrects. “But you are still a student, and I’m sure you have class tomorrow. In fact, I know you have class tomorrow because it is my class, and as your professor I would advise you to go to sleep now.”
“Well then,” Childe teases. “Whatever Professor Lapis says, hm?”
Zhongli grins, licentious. “Go to sleep, Childe.”
“I’ll try not to dream about you tonight!”
“Now why would you ever try that?”
Midterm season hits Childe hard . He studies his ass off because he’s absolutely, one-hundred percent, gonna fuck up the curve for all of these Liyue assholes.
He finds himself in Zhongli’s office at nearly every hour available, sometimes to ask questions and other times to just sit at his desk and do his own work. It’s easy, in those moments, to forget that he is a student and Zhongli is his professor.
The day after he takes the midterm for Zhongli’s class, he goes back to his apartment and takes a power nap. Then he goes to Zhongli’s office.
“Hello, Childe,” Zhongli smiles. “How do you feel you did on your midterm?”
“Okay, I guess,” Childe responds, closing the door behind him. “I cranked out over three pages on Morax.”
“Ah, the god of trade and contracts.” Zhongli chuckles.
“Actually, I wrote about him being nicknamed the Warrior God.”
“How very befitting,” Zhongli muses.
Childe stares at him for a second before reaching behind him and locking the door. Zhongli straightens up at the click that echoes throughout the room.
“Childe—“
“I got home and took a nap. You'll never guess the dream I had,” Childe starts, sauntering towards Zhongli.
“I’m at work, you know—“
“Yeah, that was part of it,” Childe smirks. He grasps Zhongli’s chin in his hand and presses a kiss to Zhongli’s parted mouth. Then he kisses him again. And again.
He pulls away, tearing his hand from where it had wandered into the base of Zhongli’s ponytail. Zhongli’s pupils are dilated and he chases Childe’s mouth, pulling him in for another kiss by his waist.
“Scoot back for me, yeah?”
Zhongli follows his directions easily and Childe moves to stand between his spread legs. He kisses him one last time for good measure and sinks to his knees.
“ Oh ,” Zhongli sighs out. “This was your dream?”
Childe nods. He brings his hands up to splay across Zhongli’s thighs, feels the muscles tense under his fingers. “You’ll have to forgive me,” he begins, “I’ve never done this before, so I may be terrible.”
Zhongli’s eyes darken and suddenly there’s a hand tangled in Childe’s hair. “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you.”
Childe presses his face into Zhongli’s clothed crotch. The heat of Zhongli’s growing erection, the smell of his most private area, and the steady grip he has on his head; all of it adds to the haze in Childe’s brain, makes him that much more eager to please Zhongli.
He slowly lowers Zhongli’s zipper and pulls him out from his underwear. He runs a hand up and down his cock, stopping to twist at the head like he knows Zhongli likes.
Childe licks at the slit, pumping at the base as he sucks his way down Zhongli’s cock. He looks up at Zhongli from under his eyelashes, smirks against his dick. Childe pops the head fully into his mouth and groans at the way Zhongli’s grasp tightens.
“Just like that, Childe,” Zhongli murmurs.
He starts to take Zhongli in deeper, until his lips meet his hand.
“So good, so good to me,” Zhongli groans. “Yeah, you got it.”
Childe pulls back for air with a gasp. “Fuck,” he whispers, voice hoarse. Why are his pants so tight? He takes a hand off of Zhongli to palm his own hard dick, whimpering when the pressure feels just right, and goes back to sucking Zhongli off.
One thing Childe never realized about blowjobs: they’re messy . Everyone who’s blown him has been a seasoned professional, knowing just how to hold their lips and when to swallow around his cock, but Childe is a newbie here, and drool and precome drip past his mouth, making the slide up and down Zhongli’s dick that much more slick. And the noises. Fuck, the noises! If Childe was just a little less turned on, he’d probably be disgusted, but as it is, it just adds to his erection.
He’s almost got Zhongli down his throat when the sound of keys unlocking the door forces Zhongli to scoot his chair in completely. Childe chokes at the sudden penetration, but Zhongli’s pushed in too far for Childe to back off his dick. He splutters around the thickness in his throat, trying not to choke to his death–or worse, throw up.
Once Childe gets his breathing somewhat under control, reminding himself to keep his teeth tucked back, he recognizes conversation happening above him. Zhongli’s talking about some specific brand of wine he likes, something about the plant they brew it with. Whoever he’s talking to laughs a little, mentions that it’s not their favorite, and says, “Do you want to go get drinks later tonight?”
“You always want to get drinks,” Zhongli replies. Despite the fact that Childe’s currently cockwarming him, his voice is completely steady.
“Hey, the last time we went out for drinks, you took home that hot ginger, remember?”
Zhongli’s hand clenches around said ginger’s hair.
“Maybe you’ll get lucky again, huh?”
“I have no desire to ‘get lucky,’ as you put it. I have midterms to grade.”
Childe grins. He knew that he wasn’t fucking other people, but the reminder that Zhongli has been exclusively hooking up with him sends a hot wave of desire down his spine. As if to thank him, he licks around the base of Zhongli’s cock.
Zhongli grits out the rest of whatever spiel he went on and loosens his tense fingers. Then, slow enough that it isn’t visible to whoever he’s talking to, he shifts his feet apart and starts to fuck up into Childe’s throat.
Childe whines, high and muffled around Zhongli’s cock. Zhongli stills. Childe bats at the meaty part of his calf. Fuck you , Childe thinks, and fuck my mouth!
“What was that?” asks Zhongli’s conversation partner.
“Must have been my stomach,” comments Zhongli. “Perhaps you should leave so I can start eating.”
“Uh, sure. Nice seeing you, I guess,” they say, then, “Hey, whose bag is this?”
Childe stiffens. They’re likely talking about his backpack, which he had carelessly thrown by the doorway in his effort to suck Zhongli’s cock. Zhongli pats his head slightly and says, “A student forgot it in my lecture, earlier, and I’m holding onto it until they can come to pick it up.”
Zhongli’s response must have been satisfactory, because a second later the door closes again and Zhongli’s pushing back in his chair. Childe gasps once his throat is free, panting like he’d just run a marathon. “I’m so sorry,” Zhongli immediately apologizes. “I couldn’t let you be seen like that.”
“It’s okay,” Childe rasps. He can barely recognize his own voice. “A little warning next time would be appreciated.”
Zhongli’s nostrils flare, and then he’s using his grip of Childe’s hair to bring him up to kiss him senseless, chasing his own taste out of Childe’s mouth. He runs a finger across Childe’s lips and says, “Well, then, I think you have a job to finish, hm?”
Things are a little different after that.
Maybe it’s the unspoken agreement that they’re exclusively fooling around with each other. Maybe it’s the way they’d nearly been walked in on, by one of Zhongli’s colleagues, no less. (Zhongli admitted he had given Venti a spare key to his office because Zhongli tended to be forgetful, especially of important things like his keys.)
Either way, Zhongli and Childe spent a lot less time around each other at school and a lot more time around each other’s apartments. Childe loved Zhongli’s plush bed, Zhongli said Childe had the better water heating system–all excuses to hang around each other for longer.
Childe spends all of fall break at Zhongli’s apartment. It may be one of the best weeks of his entire life. Zhongli fucks him against all of the surfaces in his room, in the bathroom, in the kitchen… He’s never had so much sex in his life. Then, the next morning, Zhongli cooks them breakfast while Childe makes them coffee and summarizes the news for Zhongli.
It’s during one of these mornings that Childe sees Zhongli’s tattoo.
Zhongli’s cooking at the stove, making omelets or pancakes or something, and his shirt is off, a product of the morning sex they had earlier. His back faces Childe, showing off the expansive inked dragon spanning his entire back. It curls against his shoulder blades, circles the top of his spine, and comes to rest near the middle of his back. It’s brown and orange and almost seems to glow in the early morning light. Childe reaches a finger out to trace its scales.
Zhongli looks behind his shoulder at Childe. Childe meets his eyes. “When did you get this?” he asks.
“A long, long time ago. Back when I was still young. Around your age, probably.”
Childe hums. “What-What is it?”
Zhongli chuckles. “Childe. Surely you haven’t forgotten the first unit of my class.”
Childe thinks back for a second, connecting the dots as he traces down the lines of the dragon. “Morax,” he mumbles when he reaches the dragon’s gaping maw.
Zhongli turns and gathers Childe’s hand in his. He kisses his fingertips and says against his palm, “Morax was the god of trade, contracts, and the rocks we walk on to this very day. But Morax is what his enemies called him. Do you know what his followers addressed him as?”
Childe raises an eyebrow. “Mr. Morax?”
“They called him Rex Lapis,” Zhongli corrects with a small smile. “My surname is a reminder of my history, and my father’s history, and his father before him. It’s also a reminder of Liyue’s history.”
“How do you think your ancestors would feel about you fucking a Snezhnayan?”
“My dear, why do you think I care about what my ancestors feel? They are dead, and I am very much alive.” Zhongli presses his groin to Childe’s and through both of their pajama pants Childe can feel the heat of Zhongli’s erection. “Can’t you sense it? The way I feel?”
Childe’s gaze flickers across Zhongli’s face. He finds no signs of deception, nor anxiety. Mind made up, Childe says, “We’ve been fucking exclusively for two months, now.”
“Indeed,” Zhongli comments.
“I’ve spent more time with you than I’ve spent with anyone, I think.”
“I find I can’t disagree.”
Childe presses his hand to Zhongli’s chest, right where his heart should be. “‘You got inside my head and decided to take permanent residence.’ You said that to me, the second time we had sex. On the phone.”
“I remember.”
“Zhongli, what have you done to me? Three months ago I didn’t even know I liked guys. Now all I can think about is a future with you,” Childe exclaims.
“You make me question everything I know about myself,” says Zhongli. “I find myself doing things I normally would never even consider.” He presses their foreheads together and they breathe in, surely and solidly, like it’s the only thing that exists at the moment.
“I think I’m in love with you,” Childe whispers, “but I’ve only known you for three months, and that scares me.”
Zhongli inhales sharply. “Childe, what you’re saying–”
“My real name’s Ajax,” Childe interrupts. “Childe, Tartaglia, they’re all just nicknames and fill-ins. People I adopted to be what I needed to be. Please. Call me Ajax?”
Zhongli pulls back slightly, as if he’s realizing they both have their secrets. And maybe they’re not ready to unpack the secrets just yet. And maybe that’s okay, Childe realizes as Zhongli tucks his head under his chin.
“I know I’m in love with you,” Zhongli says eventually. “But I’m your professor, and you’re my student. It’s against my contract to date you.”
“In a month, you won’t be my professor anymore.”
Zhongli pauses. “I–you’re right.”
Childe scoffs. “What, you didn’t consider that? I’m starting to think you’re not as smart as you say you are.”
“I’ve read the Teacher-Student Relationships portion of my contract dozens of times,” Zhongli says, incredulous. “As long as you are no longer a student of mine, the administration will have no reason to terminate me.”
“Yeah, that’s kinda what I just said.”
“Ajax, you’re a genius!” Zhongli shouts, gripping Childe tightly around the waist and picking him up.
Childe yelps as he gets air time. “Woah! Put me down! Man, you’re really strong.”
“I’m going to fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk for the rest of the day,” Zhongli promises. “And then I’m going to rim you so well you’ll come untouched.”
“Oh, fuck .”
The second Childe finishes Zhongli’s stupid final, he heads straight for Zhongli’s apartment–which he has a key for, now–and takes a long, intense shower.
Then he lays down on Zhongli’s bed and waits.
Okay, so the second his head hits the softness of Zhongli’s bed, he maybe falls asleep. But that doesn’t matter, because when he hears Zhongli open the front door, he’s immediately wide awake. Zhongli takes his sweet time meandering over to the bedroom, but Childe stays seated because he knows that Zhongli’s just getting ready in his own way.
When he appears in the doorway, his coat and shoes are off. He’s left only in his button-up, that stupid vest of his, and those tight pants that accentuate his legs. As he makes his way towards the bed, he rolls the sleeves up so his forearms are exposed–just like how they were back when they met for the first time at the club.
“Did you get yourself ready for me?” Zhongli asks, peering at Childe like he’s doing him a favor. Childe ignores the way his dick throbs.
“Uh-huh,” Childe responds. He pulls his legs apart, showing off his hole. “See?”
“Very good,” Zhongli replies. He sets a knee down on the bed next to Childe’s leg and rubs a thumb against his hole. “Nice and wet, just for me, huh?”
God. God . Childe arches into the touch, a moan ripped out of his throat.
“You like that, don’t you? Being reminded of who you belong to,” Zhongli says dispassionately. He presses his thumb into Childe, just enough to send a shiver down Childe’s spine.
“Yeah,” Childe moans. “Just for you.”
That seems to break Zhongli out of whatever funk he was in. He shoves two fingers in without any warning, watching his face to gauge his reaction. And boy, does he get one.
Childe thrashes and whines at the intrusion. “Fuck, Zhongli!” He pants. “I already told you I was ready!”
“I want to see for myself, though. Can’t I do that?”
“Ugh,” he groans. “Just stick your cock in me before I find someone else to do it!”
Zhongli presses even deeper. “You say that, but we both know you’re lying.” He crooks his fingers, stabbing into his prostate. “You’d only have me. Anyone else couldn’t keep up with you.”
“I don’t know, seems like you can’t keep up with me either,” Childe taunts.
Zhongli pulls his fingers out roughly. “Perhaps I have to remind you of the first time we met, then. Remember that I made you come three times before I even orgasmed?”
“Remember taking you a long ass time, just like now,” Childe hisses as he rolls a condom down Zhongli’s cock.
“Mm, but you love me anyways, don’t you?” Zhongli presses a kiss to Childe’s neck, lets the kiss burn into a bruise. He rocks against Childe’s hole once, twice, before pushing in. “Right?”
“Yessss,” Childe wheezes. “So good.”
For the first time in perhaps ever, Zhongli fucks Childe fast. He sighs sweet-nothings into Childe’s ear, praise that has Childe’s fingers going slightly numb. To give himself something to do, Childe chases Zhongli’s mouth, licks into the corners of his teeth and sucks on his tongue.
By the time Childe’s close, they’re just panting into each other. Childe reaches a hand down to jerk himself off, but Zhongli grasps his wrist and brings it above his head. “You don’t get to touch yourself,” he asserts. “That’s for me.” He kisses Childe, punishing. “All mine.”
Childe’s moans start to lean more into shouts.
With one jerking thrust, Zhongli comes inside of Childe, grunting as he chases his pleasure. He collapses on top of Childe, and Childe helplessly tries to thrust up into Zhongli’s stomach for some sort of friction on his cock.
“Please please please please,” he hears, then realizes he’s the one begging. “Need to come, so bad, please, Zhongli.”
“My sweet Ajax,” Zhongli sighs. “All you had to do was ask.”
Then he’s pushing himself off of Childe and slouching down to take Childe’s cock into his mouth.
“ Fuck !” Childe screams, instantly orgasming. Zhongli takes his seed completely and runs a hand against his side comfortingly. “So good for me,” Childe hears as he comes back to myself. “My wonderful, lovely Ajax. All for me.”
Childe blinks. He raises a hand and pets through Zhongli’s hair, still tucked back in a ponytail. “You’re not too bad yourself, mister,” he jests.
Zhongli kisses his way back to his mouth, where he leaves a throbbing smack against his lips. “You are amazing, Ajax,” he wonders aloud, “and I love you.”
Childe uses his last remaining strength to arch up and kiss the corner of Zhongli’s mouth. “I love you, too.”
Zhongli’s grin is blinding as he unleashes a flurry of kisses across Childe’s face. Childe allows it for a second before pushing his face away and asking, “So, we’re boyfriends now, right?”
Zhongli snorts. “My love, we’ve been boyfriends since we met. We just chose to acknowledge it now.”
And, huh. He’s had a boyfriend for four months now. Doesn’t that sound kind of nice.
Zhongli sees what has to be the dopiest smile ever spread across Childe’s face and laughs. He kisses him one more time and says, “Now, come on. I have six hundred finals to grade in a week and I need help.”
“Hey, when did I become your unpaid grader?”