Work Text:
childe kisses like how he fights, with blood and bruises. aether hates the taste of iron in his mouth but childe is a little shit.
so after an exhausting commission they find themselves lip locking wherever they may end up. behind wanmin restaurant, in the middle of the road to wangshu inn, or even on the second floor of northland bank. but they never go further than this because again, childe's a little shit.
unexpectedly, as much as how childe presents himself to be a confident adult from the perspective of others, he's inexperienced. not that it matters to aether but this predicament hinders their progress because childe avoids him like the plague after their heated kisses. a big contrast towards his visible neediness to cling onto aether whenever he gets the chance.
what kind of maidenless behavior, aether mutters at some point.
so this adds to the endless list of crimes childe has done in his mortal life – which is coincidentally one of the worst, if you ask a certain hero – giving aether blue balls for twenty four days.
obviously, no aether's not keeping count.
commissions aside, childe gets turned on after their weekly spar inside the golden house. aether has already noticed this even before they initiated kissing after every sparring sessions. regardless, the both of them tend to feel pent up because of each other.
it's become routine, nothing new. aether doesn't hold back, swinging his sword with ease and it clashes soundly with the harbinger's choice of weapon. childe, like the battlesexual he is, goes all out to pour his strength and fight back. his laughter rings in the arena, almost drunk on the adrenaline rush roaring in his veins. aether mentally denies the fact he finds childe appealing when he's in battle mode. but it won't take long before aether strikes the decisive blow to end their fight.
unsurprisingly, aether wins in record time. and as expected, so does the next thing that happens after childe gives a reward to aether. he receives one back. dots of prickly blood find its way at the corner of aether's lips.
"ugh, what is wrong with you?"
childe laughs, "you should get used to it by now" with dirt covered gloves, he reaches behind childe's neck.
"i don't think i will"
aether kisses back just as fierce in nature, the mortal harbinger shivers, loving every second the traveler loses control bit by bit. a kiss, a bite, more trickle of red blooms on sensitive skin. aether shoves childe on the ground, igniting the harbinger to make a competition out of it. childe likes clawing his sharp nails across aether's open sides, mapping the skin roughly.
".. you're so needy" aether mutters, and again childe only laughs giddily. he trails a kiss from aether's lips to his neck, biting lightly where his neck and shoulders meet. it's a pretty canvas to paint red on if you ask childe.
"i'll seriously kill you if you leave more hickies"
"yeah, i know. i know" then childe sucks on the patch of skin seconds after. childe then tackles aether so they could switch positions but the blonde relents in his hold until they're roughhousing like kids on dirt. childe grunts loudly as aether's solid body pushes him down further, earning a graze on his left cheek.
"turn this way, asshole" aether tilts childe's head for their lips to meet, exchanging feral kisses. the harbinger wraps his hands behind aether's head, surrendering. and if he were concentrating enough of his surroundings, he would have noticed aether summoning one of the intriguing gadgets from his infinite space of a pocket. the shiny gold teapot appears and the rush of being pulled inside a domain made childe hold onto aether tightly.
and before you accuse, no, aether did not plan this at all. he just happened to place a waypoint in his room. next question.
they both fall on the wooden floor with a thud. childe is sure a bruise would form on his back from the impact. "could've at least told me we're gonna teleport!" but aether shuts him up with another long kiss, tongue meeting tongue, and aether sucks on it languidly, almost draining childe's energy in the process. childe pants, pulling away to breathe.
childe takes in his surrounding and he recognizes it looking like the master bedroom of some sort. this has to be aether's private quarters, he thought.
"cool place" childe comments while still catching his breath and ignoring the minute nausea he felt from being teleported unprepared. aether shuffles back on his knees but still on top of childe. "it's something"
despite the settling tension between them, childe smiles mischievously, meeting aether's blushing face. childe would like to think that he has to face aether for real this time. it's embarrassing but do you blame him for being nervous about intimacy with another person? let alone with someone of godlike powers and position in teyvat?
meanwhile, it was a conscious decision in aether's part but he will have to die before admitting he has been wanting to make a move on childe for days now. "whatever, welcome to my teapot i guess..." childe takes in the lively color of the room, the clash of design, and some trinkets he doesn't recognize that is thrown as decoration all over the room. for a second, glances outside the large windows. the light outside indicates that it's past sunset. childe breaks out of his trance when his eyes land on aether, visibly seeing desire in his gaze.
slightly dishelved from their sparring earlier but still beautiful. hand on either side of his tired body. "oh no, i wonder what teyvat's most sought hero is planning" childe mocks, covering his chest with both hands. no matter what, it's still fun to tease aether.
"undress you, maybe" and this. this caught childe off guard, his mind racing a million per second.
"maybe this time you wouldn't run away" aether adds. childe immediately turns red and breaks eye contact. aether's still on top of him, waiting. the itch to run is there... but hasn't he been doing it unconsciously for quite a while now whenever this happens? childe makes his resolve. the eleventh fatui harbinger does not chicken out.
aether stands up and hoists childe up, easily placing him on the bed near them.
"so... can i?" the eagerness on aether's voice is palpable. childe tries to think but his hands are automatically reaching out to aether, reflecting the same want. whatever, it's still a win for childe to be with aether despite the gnawing insecurities that has been eating him up since the first moment they shared a kiss.
childe is not a saint, a little too far from it. but that will not stop aether to worship his body laid infront of him. full of scars, full of unspoken stories. aether would like to know each one. but tonight isn't the time for said stories to be told.
tonight, childe finally allows himself to give in.
"go easy on me, comrade" aether visibly shudders in excitement. thank archons this week's reward is the best.