Archive of Our Own

Three hours. He had been at this for three hours, and yet somehow, he still wasn’t done.

Zhongli took a step back from the pile of wood and screws to take another look at the frustratingly wordless instruction manual. As he flipped through the pages, a hand on his forehead as he examined them, he lamented once again that he had listened to Venti’s glowing review of Ikea and its furniture. The prices, indeed, were not horrible when compared against furniture from other stores; however, Zhongli wondered if the pain of assembling it himself was worth the cheaper price.

He had recently moved to a small bachelor’s apartment in Snezhnaya for work purposes. Thankfully, the building was not too far from the university where he would teach the language, culture, and history of Liyue, considering how ridiculous the roads would be in the wintertime. The move had gone quite well, and Zhongli found himself impressed by the efficiency with which the Snezhnayan moving company operated. As per Snezhnayan tradition, Zhongli left them a tip for their excellent service. They had looked slightly confused—at which point he remembered that tipping was usually reserved for when one was finishing a meal at a restaurant—but had accepted the money anyway after he insisted. For the first night, he had made do with his comfortable mattress lying on the hard floor since he had no energy to assemble the bed at that point.

That had been a good judgment call on his part, Zhongli realized, when he couldn’t make heads or tails of the instructions the next afternoon. While he supposed that the images in the instruction manual (dare he even call it that?) could be helpful for some people, he was not one of them. Instead, he had spent the first hour dutifully organizing every single screw and piece by size and where he supposed they were meant to go. Unfortunately, he could not simply look at them and understand how to piece them together so that they made a safe and functioning bed.

“Why is it that all of the pieces are labelled with a number in the manual, and yet there are no numbers to be found on the actual ones?” he groaned to himself as he glanced back and forth between the flimsy, paper book and the organized chaos in front of him.

To make matters worse, he needed screwdrivers to move past the second step! Under normal circumstances, Zhongli was always the most prepared he could be for any situation that he could possibly find himself in. He had always been the one who carried extra snacks, a first aid kit, and anything else that he could justify bringing whenever he went anywhere—something that Venti teased him for. He was not motherly, regardless of how often the younger man had called him the “mom friend.” He was simply responsible, that was all. He did, however, have an inconvenient habit of forgetting his wallet in his rush to ensure he had everything else he needed. His wallet, and now, screwdrivers apparently.

Flipping ahead in the book, he found a completely separate piece that he could build without needing the rest to be finished, for the time being. It would be a much better use of his time if he could get anything at all done instead of worrying about what he could not. Thankfully, the piece went together quite easily to make the hollow metal frame that would support his mattress. The problem, though, was that the frame was the only part of the entire build that did not require the rest to have already been completed. Of course, that was just his luck.

With a sigh, Zhongli set the infuriating instructions and pulled out his old cell phone to call Venti. Putting it to his ear, he waited for the musician’s high voice to come through from the other end of the line.

“Zhongli! I figured that you were too tired last night to tell me that you made it safely to Snezhnaya, so it’s great to hear from you,” Venti exclaimed the second he picked up, not even letting Zhongli have the opportunity to say hello. “I debated about calling you a few hours ago just to make sure you didn’t get murdered or something, but I figured that it would be safer for me if I didn’t.”

“Thank you for the consideration,” Zhongli replied, choosing to ignore the last part of his friend’s rushed greeting.

Venti laughed. “I know, right? I’m so considerate.”

He very much hoped that Venti could pick up on his sarcasm over the phone, but if he hadn’t, then so be it. In all likeliness, he had probably heard it but had simply chosen to ignore it. 

“So, what has you so worried that you’re actually calling me, for real this time?”

Zhongli pursed his lips, shooting another glance at the mess on his floor. His pride said to pretend that everything was just fine, but logically he knew that asking for help would be the best course of action in this situation.

“I seem to have found myself in somewhat of a pinch,” he muttered. “I am attempting to assemble a bed from Ikea, and it did not come with the appropriate screwdriver. Perhaps I hoped that you would be able to assist me.”

When he finished talking, Venti let out a wheeze. “It says you need to have the screwdrivers yourself right there in the instruction manual!”

At that, he frowned. “The instruction manual did not say that. I cannot find any words in it.”

“Through pictures, Zhongli,” Venti teased. “That sort of thing should be on the first page.”

“I see, please wait a moment.” Zhongli walked back over to the so-called manual and opened it to the page Venti specified. Ah—so it did, in fact, mention that he needed a set of screwdrivers. How awfully inconvenient.

Noticing the second image down, Zhongli narrowed his eyes at it. “It appears that I will need assistance in assembling it.”

“Oh yeah, the small stuff is easy to do alone, but a bed? You need a partner for that,” Venti replied and for a moment the awkward silence was filled by some odd noises.

“What are you doing?” Zhongli asked when Venti didn’t say anything else.

There was a bit of background noise as well, to which Venti chuckled. “Oh, I’m out on a date with Xiao right now. He’s looking a bit annoyed that I’m distracted—just wait a moment, okay? I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek to make up for it and I’m sure you can call Zhongli later to chat with him properly—but I can probably stay for one or two more questions.”

Well, Zhongli had apparently interrupted their date with his inane questions. He did feel slightly bad about it but decided that they would be fine.

“I do not have a ‘partner’ to assist me.” The realization for that was quick and gave him pause. Unlike Venti who had Xiao, who somehow seemed to know the second that Venti even said his name, Zhongli had no one. Whether Venti had meant partner in the romantic sense or not, it was inconvenient that there wasn’t anyone whom he could call and who would drop anything unimportant to assist him with such arduous tasks.

Venti sighed. “Then ask a neighbour, I don’t know. Bake them some cookies or something as a thank-you present.”

Zhongli frowned even more at that. “Venti, you are well aware that I cannot bake. I could, however, prepare my slow-cooked bamboo shoot soup, or my sobering tea. Do you suppose that those would be appreciated?”

“In my honest opinion, I think those might be a bit overboard, but it’s not like I can stop you so whatever—go right ahead!”

“Very well, I shall do that then.”

With a quick farewell, Zhongli hung up the phone and looked around the apartment. It was quite messy due to the recent move and was in no state whatsoever to receive guests. Before attempting to ask a neighbour, he put himself to work tidying up whatever he could to make the space slightly more presentable. It was nowhere close to being up to his standards, but it wasn’t like he had much other choice at the present time.

When he knocked on the door to the apartment to the left of his own, he heard a frail, old, voice reply something in Snezhnayan that he couldn’t quite make out. A chain clanked noisily as it was removed from the lock and when the door opened, Zhongli was unsurprised to see an old woman peering up at him through her spectacles.

“Pardon me, ma’am,” he said in Snezhnayan and wanted to grimace (internally, of course) when she struggled to understand him through his thick Liyuen accent. “Do you have a screwdriver?”

“You want help too or just screwdriver?” she replied inquisitively, and goodness, her accent was almost incomprehensible to him. It took him a moment to find the right words, but he nodded thankfully.

“Help would be very much appreciated.”

At that, she squinted and seemed to mull over his words for a moment before gesturing at a door at the other end of the hall.

“A young man lives there. He will help.”

As soon as she said that, she gave him a quick nod and shuffled back into her apartment. Perhaps he should bring her some of the compensation as well since she had not given him a chance to thank her. Regardless, he hoped that this young man that she spoke of would not mind being volunteered to help without his knowledge.

He knocked on that door and, just like he had been told, a much clearer, younger, and more masculine voice called out that he would be there in a moment. His voice was pleasing to the ear, Zhongli noticed. A light tenor that was bright and cheerful. It sounded as if he laughed a lot somehow, and he very much hoped that the man would not be offended by what he was about to ask.

The door opened and it took everything Zhongli had to not look shocked because not only was the man as young as his neighbour had said, but he was most definitely conventionally attractive. His reddish hair fell in an artfully dishevelled style across his forehead and his eyes were a gorgeous blue. A small smirk played on his lips—oh, he must have realized that Zhongli was taken aback—and most noticeable of all, he was shirtless, and he had the kinds of abs that could easily be used to wash clothes. For some reason, Zhongli wanted to reach out and touch them.

Zhongli had never played the field, as Venti said once, and he could count on less than one hand the number of relationships he had had. There had been a few people interested in him and they made attempts at a date or two, but none of them had worked out to the point where he would consider it a relationship. Because of this and his flawless composure, he had never been “thirsty”—yet another term that Venti had taught him while he was drunk calling him from a bar.

If he still remembered the definition of that term properly, then perhaps he would have to reconsider never having a thirst for anyone. 

“Need anything?” the man said, smirk growing wider when Zhongli’s gaze quickly moved up from his abdomen to his face. It seemed as if he had not been quite as discreet as he had thought with his admiration of his physique, which was quite embarrassing. 

“Um, yes, in fact,” he replied quickly, his composure completely shattered. It was likely that his face was reddening as well, considering how warm and flushed his cheeks felt at that moment. “I was wondering if you had a screwdriver.”

The smirk fell off his face. “A screwdriver? What do you need that for?”

Zhongli gestured to his apartment with one hand. “I just moved in and I have to assemble some furniture, but I found myself woefully underprepared for what would be required to do so.”

“Furniture, huh? I can grab my screwdriver for you, no problem. Do you want some help with that too?”

Zhongli hadn’t mentioned what the elderly lady had said beforehand so as to not make him uncomfortable, but it seemed that he had simply offered without even being prompted. 

“Thank you for your offer, some help would be appreciated as long as it is not any trouble for you,” he replied with a small smile. “My name is Zhongli.”

The man held out his hand and Zhongli shook it, remembering that he was no longer in Liyue where the practice was uncommon. “I’m Ajax.”

Ajax…

The name wasn’t common, and it definitely wasn’t distinctly Snezhnayan, but somehow it still fit him perfectly.

“Just give me a moment to get my screwdriver and I’ll be right over, okay?” Ajax said and Zhongli went to prop his door open since it locked automatically when it closed. It would be more convenient since not only would Ajax be able to find it easily, but they would also not have to worry about the door locking either of them out.

He did not have to wait long, thankfully, because Ajax arrived shortly after he did with the screwdriver in hand. He, apparently, also hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt.

“So, it’s just this bed, right?” Ajax asked, kneeling down next to the pile of parts laid out on the floor. “Can you pass me the instructions?”

Zhongli did as he asked and tried to avert his eyes from Ajax’s bare torso. “Will you require my assistance as well? I believe it says that this needs two people.”

At that, Ajax laughed. “I’ll ask for help if I need it, but otherwise just sit tight and look pretty, okay?”

Oh. His cheeks were most definitely going red at this point. While he had had to deal with flirting before, no one had ever dared to be so direct or straightforward with him before. 

Not that he was opposed to the notion.

“Do you expect this to take a long time?” Zhongli asked as he turned away in an attempt to hide his blush. “I can prepare a meal as compensation; it would only be fair.”

Ajax made a slightly startled noise, making Zhongli glance back at him. His face had also gone a slight shade of red and he looked flustered. “You… you want to cook for me?”

“I could always hold off until a later date if that would be more amenable for you,” he offered, and Ajax just shook his head. 

“I’d love to have dinner, if that’s what you’re offering. This will take a few hours at least.”

Zhongli smiled and nodded his head once. “Very well, I shall get it started then. The dish I will prepare takes several hours as well, so the timing should work out perfectly.”

He made his way to the kitchen and pulled out some of the ingredients he had brought with him, beginning with the Jinhua ham. To reduce the sodium content of the finished dish, the ham must be soaked for two hours. With careful and precise cuts, he sliced the ham to the desired shape and size before submerging them in the water.

Ajax had already gotten started with screwing in the many screws required to assemble the bedframe, and every once in a while, Zhongli would glance over at him. The work was fairly physically intensive, especially as he had to move around the large pieces of wood, and it was making him start to sweat slightly. When he caught sight of rivulets of sweat rolling down Ajax’s toned back, Zhongli hoped that his sharp inhale wasn’t too obvious. It was hard to look away, even after an hour had passed, and he soon found himself entranced by the way Ajax’s muscles tensed and released with every movement. For some reason, his mouth felt quite dry.

Zhongli opened one of his cupboards and took down two decently sized glasses before filling them with some water. Taking a drink from one of them, he set it down on the counter before approaching Ajax with the other one. Ajax stopped working when he noticed that Zhongli was standing behind him and turned to face him. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead before they were wiped away by the back of his arm.

“Oh, some water? Thanks.”

No, Zhongli definitely wasn’t left breathless when Ajax tilted his head back to take a long drink. His heart pounded rapidly within his chest and when he finished taking his drink, Ajax looked at him with those eyes reminiscent of the depths of the ocean and Zhongli felt himself get swept away by their raging tides.

“It’s coming along well so far, at least,” Ajax told him with a smile that made Zhongli’s heart flutter. “Only a few more hours of work, I think.”

That was wonderful news and Zhongli had to show his gratitude fully. “I cannot thank you enough.”

Ajax laughed and waved it off. “No need, really. I get to meet my pretty neighbour, which is great enough as it is, but you’re throwing dinner on top of that? I feel like I’m getting the better deal here.”

Zhongli could not prevent the blush from being seen that time. He hesitated but decided to try his hand at flirting back anyway. “I could argue that getting an attractive, shirtless man to do manual labour for me, all for the price of a bowl of soup, is the better deal.”

Ajax practically choked and his face went almost as red as his hair.

“You... I... what?” he choked out before falling into a crouch and hiding his face in his hands. “You don’t get to do that to me! I’m going to have a heart attack and die!”

Zhongli hummed and smiled, feeling a lot more confident as he returned to the kitchen. “That would be most unfortunate. I would have to eat all the soup by myself.”

When he looked back, Ajax was peering up at him over his fingers.

“Here I am, trying to be all smooth and suave,” he muttered, “but then you go and say stuff like that?”

Zhongli could no longer hold back the slight chuckle that escaped him. “You were flirting, yes? Why, pray tell, would I not be allowed to respond in kind?”

“You’re making me embarrassed!” Ajax sputtered once again, but after a moment’s hesitation, he looked up at Zhongli with some kind of spark in his eyes and the beginnings of a smirk on his lips. “At least I get to have a good view while I work.”

“By the view, I assume that you are referring to me? I cannot imagine that the bedframe is an exquisite view,” Zhongli mused before deciding to try pushing his luck a bit more. “However, I do believe that you are the true view here.”

Ajax reddened again but he stood up straight and advanced toward Zhongli until he found himself backed up against the counter and he had to grip onto the edge to keep himself steady. Ajax braced himself with an arm against the cupboards up above and hovered a hand over Zhongli’s hip—but not daring to touch. Zhongli, for his part, could not do anything but hold on tighter as Ajax moved so he was much closer. He couldn’t breathe—not with Ajax so close that they were breathing the same air—and the look in his eyes entranced and entrapped him all at once.

“No, I think I was right,” Ajax whispered, looking as if he was taking in every detail of Zhongli’s flustered expression. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve seen in a long time.”

He tried to find his voice to reply, but all Zhongli could produce was a puff of warm air. It felt as if all the words he knew had escaped him and all that he knew at that moment was that he would, for some reason, be completely okay if they happened to stay like this for a little while longer. He could no longer deny that not only was Ajax objectively attractive, but that somehow, he had managed to check off all the boxes that Zhongli did not even know he had.

It felt like the calm before a storm, that charged moment where there were many possibilities and just as many uncertainties. It felt like he was watching a car crash, but Zhongli couldn’t look away. Ajax leaned in a bit closer before pausing, just enough that Zhongli could feel his breaths brush against his lips, seemingly waiting to see if Zhongli would allow him to go any further. It was considerate, and Zhongli just knew that another box in his mind was ticked off. His cheeks were flushed, and he couldn’t do anything but close his eyes and lean in a bit himself. He had never kissed anyone before, never felt the need to, but there was this magnetic quality about Ajax that he couldn’t understand, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. They were close enough that he could practically feel the warmth of Ajax’s skin and the anticipation was killing him, but—

A loud beep rang out in the quiet and Zhongli’s eyes flew open as Ajax recoiled in surprise. The ham was done soaking.

Zhongli quickly ducked under Ajax’s arm and removed the ham from the water, knowing that his face was surely the reddest it had ever been. They were so close and even if they never went any further than that, Zhongli knew that the moment was now seared into his mind and the memory would be replaying itself in his dreams that night.

“I’ll just… go back to working on the bed now. Yeah,” Ajax laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck in his nervousness.

At least he wasn’t left completely unaffected by what had happened. It would have been more than slightly awkward if Zhongli had been the only one embarrassed by it.

As Zhongli got to work preparing the rest of the soup, knowing that it would take at least another hour, he snuck another glance over at Ajax.

“So, Zhongli,” he said, perfectly on time as if he could tell that he was being looked at. “What’s someone from Liyue like you doing all the way out here?”

“I am here for work,” he said as he sliced some pork belly and placed it in a pot to boil off the impurities. “Zapolyarny University requested that I come as a visiting professor to teach Liyuen history, culture, and language classes.”

Ajax hummed. “A professor, huh? That’s pretty impressive.”

“I usually teach back home in Liyue, but I decided to accept the position to broaden my horizons.”

While he did teach, his focus was mostly on researching the history and beliefs of the ancient civilization that once inhabited the Guili Assembly, though. He did enjoy teaching when the opportunity came but he much preferred gaining knowledge and learning than simply regurgitating knowledge that most people in the classes weren’t interested in. Perhaps here in Snezhnaya, the students would be looking forward to learning about something new.

“And you?” he asked as Ajax hefted another piece of wood to put the headboard on.

Once it was securely attached to the bed, Ajax put his hands on his hips and tilted his head from side to side in a stretch. “Me? I’m a masters’ student at Zapolyarny, actually. Maybe I’ll have to take your class as an elective.”

Zhongli pondered over his words for a moment. “Just know that if you do, I will not show you any favouritism regardless of our relations outside of school.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less!”

The rest of the time that passed while the soup was cooking was spent with discussions of their hometowns, their families, and other tidbits of information they thought would be interesting. Ajax moved at quite an intense pace, determined to finish the bed by the time the soup was finished, and Zhongli made sure to refill his water glass whenever it was getting low. He did still spend that time admiring him, but this time he didn’t look away when Ajax noticed him there.

Eventually, the bed was completely set up only a few seconds before the timer went off on the soup. It had taken just over three and a half hours since he had started slicing the ham, and Zhongli was very much impressed that Ajax had managed to finish in that time, and alone no less. Some parts had definitely required some creativity to build by himself, but instead of thinking that he looked funny doing so, Zhongli was much more impressed by the displays of strength and control that Ajax had over his body. After checking that the soup was truly ready, Zhongli took great care in spooning the hot liquid into the bowls, organizing the meat on the top into a diamond shape, and garnishing it with berries and green onions.

“I hope you enjoy it,” he said as he set the bowls down on the table and invited Ajax to come eat.

Ajax sat down and inhaled deeply. “You have no idea how much I’ve looked forward to this. The closer it got to being done, the harder it was to focus because of how good the soup smelled. Is it a traditional meal from Liyue?”

Zhongli chuckled. “I am glad that you appreciate it. This is indeed a traditional dish, but I have put my own spin on it, so to say.”

Ajax took a spoonful and practically melted when he put it in his mouth. He let out a groan of satisfaction before setting the spoon down and staring Zhongli in the eyes.

“Never tell my mother I said this, but this is better than anything she ever made.”

That was high praise indeed, especially from someone as fond of his mother as Ajax was. Zhongli smiled and closed his eyes, taking a bite of the pork that he picked off the top with chopsticks. Figuring that Ajax had likely never used chopsticks before, he made sure to provide the typical Snezhnayan spoon as an alternative and sure enough, that was what he had chosen to use instead.

“Perhaps I will have to cook for you more often then.”

When he heard no reply, he opened his eyes and looked over at Ajax again, who seemed to be quite red.

“Zhongli…” he said, almost in a whine, “if you keep saying things like that, I might just have to get down on one knee and propose here and now. Your cooking is to die for.”

“I am quite flattered,” Zhongli replied, “but I have often been told that my cooking takes too long.”

“I don’t even care about that. Pretty and talented? Leave some for the rest of us!” Ajax joked, pointing his spoon accusingly at Zhongli. “I’m very serious about this. I would kiss you right now—if you let me, of course—but it would be a shame to let the soup get cold.”

“Of course,” Zhongli replied sagely. The soup was always best when eaten hot, and it never tasted the same when it was reheated. “There is no reason that the kisses cannot wait until after we have finished eating.”

He heard Ajax inhale sharply and he looked red again, but he supposed that it was only expected considering how calmly he had said that.

“I’m holding you to that, okay?”

With that, Zhongli watched in abject horror as Ajax picked up the bowl in both hands and practically inhaled his soup. If he weren’t so worried that he would somehow choke on a piece of bamboo, he would probably be more offended that he wasn’t savouring the soup properly.

When he set the bowl down once more, it was empty somehow and—ah, that would explain it. Looking at Ajax, with his cheeks stuffed full of food like a squirrel, made it increasingly difficult for Zhongli to hold back his laughter. It took a few moments, but somehow Ajax managed to finish the food in his cheeks.

“There, done. Can I have that kiss now?”

Ajax was looking at him with pleading eyes and what almost looked like a pout. In response, Zhongli simply gestured to his own bowl of soup that he was currently making his way through at a leisurely pace. It was quite impressive how quickly Ajax’s face fell upon the realization that he had to wait for Zhongli to be finished with his food as well.

Instead of refilling his bowl or sitting in silence, Ajax just leaned forward to rest an elbow on the table and to prop up his chin with his hand. With the other, he reached across the table to gently twist the locks of hair that made up Zhongli’s longer bang around his fingers. “You know,” Ajax said quietly, “I would ask if we’re moving too quickly, but I’m afraid that will ruin my chances.”

Were they? Zhongli finished chewing the slice of pork in his mouth and swallowed it before replying.

“Perhaps this is the wrong comparison to make, but I have known people who have fallen into bed with others that they have known for far less time than we have.”

Venti had been one of them. In fact, if Zhongli remembered correctly, the list of people back during their time at university that Venti hadn’t been with was probably shorter than the list of the ones he had. He was a free soul, and all his one-night stands knew it. In fact, it hadn’t been until Zhongli had introduced him to Xiao three years ago that he had decided to give commitment a try.

Ajax frowned. “Yeah, but those are usually hookups and aren’t serious.” He did have a point with that, Zhongli acquiesced. “Is it weird that we’ve only just met, and I already really like you? I don’t want this to be just a hookup.”

“No, I cannot say that it is weird. You are already aware that I find you attractive and that I would let you kiss me.”

Those words seemed to be enough to pacify him and he managed to sit and make small talk until Zhongli finally drank the last dregs of the broth that remained in his bowl. Once he was finished, however, he barely had the time to set the bowl down before Ajax was already in his face, waiting for the silent go-ahead (which Zhongli didn’t hesitate to give) to pepper quick kisses across his cheeks, forehead, and even the tip of his nose. They were feather-light and gentle, a far cry from what Zhongli had expected given the display Ajax had made earlier, but somehow, they suited him perfectly. He felt slightly overwhelmed when Ajax brought his hands up to cradle his face like he was the most precious thing in the world, and somehow, they got closer and closer until there was barely any space left between them at all.

It was then that Zhongli let his eyelids flutter shut, and that was all the invitation Ajax needed. Within a second, he felt warm lips gently press against his, moving against them in a slow, sensual manner. The hand on his cheek moved to cup his jaw and only drew him in closer. Ajax kissed like the ocean that raged off the coast of Snezhnaya, the very same one that he had played in as a child, that could be deceptively calm but held within it an undertow that would drag anyone caught unaware down below the waves. It was a force few could combat, and Zhongli was no different.

As Ajax tilted his head to the side for a better angle, Zhongli felt the undertow latch onto him and drag him under.

He was swept away by the currents and could do nothing more than grip desperately to Ajax’s shoulders, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath his hands. On one hand, he wished that Ajax was wearing a shirt so he would have something to hold onto to ground himself, but on the other, he could feel that Ajax was just as affected by this as he was, and that somehow made everything feel like so much more. Ajax pulled back for a moment to take a breath and Zhongli moved on instinct, chasing his lips as they left his, and let out a soft sigh when Ajax surged forward again at a faster and rougher pace than before. His nervousness seemed to have vanished and Zhongli could do nothing other than gasp when he felt a warm tongue lick along the seam of his lips.

Taking that as his opportunity, Ajax pushed his tongue into Zhongli’s mouth and gently ran it along the edges and ridges of his teeth. He cautiously moved his tongue to meet it and he felt the rumble of Ajax’s groan into his mouth when he did so. It was sloppy and clumsy, but neither of them cared. They moved together in the ebb and flow of the tide, their tongues dancing back and forth inside their mouths, and to Zhongli, Ajax’s hands on his jaw and waist felt like a pleasant brand upon his skin. His lungs burned and his head spun from the lack of oxygen and he reluctantly pulled back to gasp in some air. They were both panting heavily, and he could see the ocean’s depths in Ajax’s eyes—ready to crash over him and consume him, and Zhongli couldn’t look away.

With a gentle squeeze on his hip, Ajax stepped back. “A chair probably isn’t the most comfortable place for this. Want to give your new bed a try?”

“Very well,” Zhongli chuckled and moved to sit on the edge of the mattress, the dishes left forgotten on the table. He would wash them later. Ajax sat beside him and paused before making any further moves.

“If we keep going like this, we might go a bit too far,” he said, and Zhongli looked at him curiously.

He shook his head, though. “I will say something if we go too far with this, do not worry.”

At this point, though, with how his blood was singing in his veins and how his skin tingled with every touch, he wasn’t sure that anything Ajax might do could be too far. With those eyes, that body, and the personality that Zhongli was beginning to adore, he would let Ajax do almost anything to him.

“Alright, I’ll trust you,” Ajax muttered as he carefully guided Zhongli to lay down on the mattress and climbed above him on his hands and knees. Dipping his head down, he began to lave open-mouthed kisses up and down the column of Zhongli’s neck and even right up to the spot below his earlobe, where he sucked for a moment. 

“You’re so fucking beautiful, gods,” Ajax whispered next to his ear before placing kisses on his jaw. “I can’t believe someone like you is just letting me do this.”

“Is it really ‘just letting you’ when I want this as much as you do?” Zhongli asked, and he was answered with a soft kiss on his lips before Ajax turned his focus to the other side of his neck.

“Then I must be the luckiest man alive.”

Zhongli laughed softly when Ajax nuzzled their cheeks together. Allowing himself to be daring, he brought up one hand to run it up and down Ajax’s toned abdomen. 

“Perhaps I am the lucky one,” he teased, and he could feel Ajax muffle a laugh in the crook of his neck in response.

Ajax moved to press kisses further down his chest but paused, going back up to a kneeling position. “Um, is it okay if we take some clothes off? That isn’t too far, is it?”

“It is not too far at all,” Zhongli told him with a soft smile, reaching up to pull his shirt over his head. It was only fair—after all, Ajax had been shirtless this whole time. He hesitated to remove his pants, not sure if that was what Ajax intended, but as soon as the other man noticed him starting to pull the waistband down, he wasted no time at all to remove his own. As soon as he had, however, Ajax paused and buried his face in his hands.

“Is something the matter?” Zhongli asked, tossing his pants off to the side so he could deal with them later. When he looked back, he noticed just why Ajax was so embarrassed. His boxers, which did absolutely nothing at all to hide what behind them was making the tent in the fabric, were patterned with adorable, little cartoon whales.

When Ajax noticed that he had seen them, he let out an agonized noise.

Zhongli, feeling courageous somehow, reached out to drag a finger along the waistband and forced Ajax to pay attention to him once more. “Why are you embarrassed?”

“Well,” Ajax said with a gulp, his voice getting higher in pitch the closer Zhongli’s finger got to the front of his boxers, “as you might be able to tell, I wasn’t exactly expecting something like this to happen today.”

Zhongli removed his finger with a thoughtful hum and Ajax let out a relieved sigh. Without waiting any longer, he moved forward to leave marks across Zhongli’s chest and abdomen. They alternated between kisses, gentle nips, and the places where he sucked on the skin for a little while with such dedication that it felt to Zhongli as if he were trying to forcibly make him forget about the boxers. With such an effort, there was little he could do other than allow himself to be swept away by the tides. 

When Ajax lightly bit down on his nipple, Zhongli gasped, his eyes widened and his back arched as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to push himself closer or escape. It was soothed with a few licks before Ajax did the same to the other one, and Zhongli wasn’t sure where he should be focusing when the other man started rubbing his hands soothingly up and down Zhongli’s sides. Their lips came together again shortly after and Zhongli couldn’t hold back his gasps and low moans anymore, but Ajax drank them up like they were water, and he, a man dying of dehydration. 

Slowly, Ajax lowered himself so some of his weight was on top of Zhongli and he could think of nothing else other than how right it felt to be trapped between his body and the mattress. When Ajax rolled his hips experimentally, Zhongli could only gasp at the pleasurable sensation that rushed through his body. Chasing it, Zhongli rolled his hips as well to try and prompt the same feeling again, and the moan Ajax let out sent shivers down his spine. 

They were moving so fast, but neither of them wanted to stop. Zhongli could feel himself growing harder the longer that Ajax continued his assault of kisses and grinding their hips together, and he could feel that it was having the same effect on him as well. When Ajax stopped moving and pulled back from the kiss, a trail of saliva connected their mouths for a moment, but Zhongli could only frown and look at him with a searching gaze.

“Why did you stop?”

Ajax took a deep breath and carefully cupped Zhongli’s cheek in his hand. “You have no idea how badly I want you right now, but I—”

“Then why did you stop?” Zhongli asked again, cutting off his thought. Ajax looked back down at him, eyes wide, and his hand dropped to his side.

He seemed to bite his lip and consider something before he spoke again, continuing his previous statement. “I’m assuming you don’t have any lube, so give me a moment and I’ll grab some from my apartment.”

Zhongli practically whined when Ajax slid off the bed and he felt his comforting presence go further away. Ajax slid on his sweatpants, hissing when they passed over the bulge in his boxers, and he made sure to leave something to keep the door slightly open as he stepped out of the apartment. It only took a minute or two before he had returned with a small bottle in hand.

“So, um, do you have a preference?” he asked, gesturing between the two of them. 

Zhongli pondered the question for a moment. “By preference, you mean who is being penetrated during intercourse, correct?”

Somehow, out of everything that had happened that evening, it was that comment that made Ajax blush so vibrantly that it reached down to his chest.

“I mean, yeah, but I wasn’t expecting you to describe it like that,” he muttered under his breath, and Zhongli honestly couldn’t think of any other way to describe it at that moment. That wasn’t incorrect, was it?

“I do not think that I have enough experience to say what my preference would be—if any. I will leave that decision up to you.”

Ajax seemed to mull over his words with a nod. When he looked back at Zhongli, his eyes showed that he was practically ready to devour him.

“This is your first time? Fuck, okay. I typically top and that’s what I’m most comfortable doing, so that’s what I’ll do tonight. I want you to have the best experience possible,” Ajax said as he approached the bed again, “but just know that if it’s for you, I would gladly bottom if you wanted to try that sometime in the future.” He paused, red colouring his cheeks again. “I hope that it isn’t too cocky of me to assume that this will happen more than once.” 

“I believe that I would be more offended if you wanted this to be a one-time thing,” Zhongli told him and when Ajax leaned down to devour his lips in a kiss once more, he wrapped his arms around his shoulders to hold him close. Moving on instinct, Zhongli allowed one of his hands to follow the curve of Ajax’s back until it rested at the bone of his hip. He wanted to touch, to push the boundaries a little bit, but he was nervous. He was a healthy adult male, so of course he had touched himself before in the darkness of his room, but the idea of touching someone else in that manner gave him pause. It was intimate and private and not something Zhongli ever expected to share with someone else.

(Somewhere deep in his mind, he wanted to let go of all his inhibitions, push Ajax down onto the mattress, and swallow him deep just to hear those beautiful and alluring noises that he would surely make.)

(Somewhere deeper, he wanted Ajax to do the same to him—and more.)

Instead of doing that, Zhongli simply dropped his hand down until it rested on the hot and heavy bulge that was hidden by the whale-patterned boxers. When he made contact with it, Ajax hissed and grinded forward into his hand while he sucked another hickey into his neck. With a gasp, Zhongli tilted his head to the side to give Ajax a better angle and lightly stroked his dick through the fabric. 

After sucking in a breath when Ajax lightly nibbled on his earlobe, Zhongli lightly tugged on the waistband of the boxers. “May I?”

“Fuck, please,” Ajax said, his tone huskier and more breathless than before. Zhongli pulled the boxers down and waited for Ajax to pull back and slip them off before giving the flesh beneath an experimental stroke. The resulting moan was enough to make Zhongli wish that he didn’t have any clothes left on either, but instead he just gave it another long stroke with a slight twist from his wrist near the head. He didn’t know how Ajax liked it, but he was willing to learn from listening to the sounds he was making.

Not to be outdone, Ajax bit down gently on his shoulder and reached under his boxers to reciprocate. When they kissed, it was barely enough to muffle their moans as they stroked each other. Zhongli felt light-headed and overwhelmed; Ajax’s hand was rougher than his, more callused, and every time he touched Zhongli, he thought he was seeing stars. It was as if he was touching his soul and unmaking him with every action just to remake him seconds later in a never-ending cycle of pleasure.

The cock in his hand was getting slicker as the precum spilled out of the slit and he knew that his own was doing the same. Eventually, Ajax stopped him with a hand on his wrist.

“Gods, Zhongli,” he panted, “are you sure you’ve never done this before?”

It took him a moment to remember that he had to respond, still caught in that pleasurable state where it was hard to think. “Not to my knowledge, at least.”

Ajax kissed him softly, then. “It’s amazing. You’re amazing. I really want to let you just jerk me off, but I don’t want to overdo it for either of us.”

“Next time then,” Zhongli agreed, leaning up to kiss Ajax himself. 

“Yeah, next time.” Ajax just laughed and pressed their foreheads together. “For now, let me focus on you, okay?”

When Zhongli nodded, he felt his own boxers being slipped off and he let out an unseemly noise that made Ajax laugh when he felt his ass being squeezed. He was kissed again, gently this time, but the squeezing didn’t stop. In response, Zhongli wrapped his arms around Ajax’s neck once again and played with the short strands of hair at his nape.

With every kiss that Ajax pressed to his skin, it felt like the other man was whispering a prayer as he lavished him with praises of how beautiful, how amazing, how perfect he was. His body felt hotter than ever, and he couldn’t help but squirm in Ajax’s hold at that. Somehow, the words were causing him to become more sensitive and receptive the more times that they were offered to him. Soon enough, he felt one of the hands release the flesh of his ass and he heard the telltale sound of the cap on the bottle of lube being opened. He watched, breathless, as Ajax worked the viscous liquid on his fingers—to warm it up, he claimed—and he let out a sharp gasp when he felt them trace just around his hole.

Logically, he knew how intercourse between two men worked (thanks to Venti’s love of descriptions and oversharing), but even then, he hadn’t expected anything like this. When the first finger entered him, he wasn’t sure how to feel. It was a paradox in and of itself: it felt strange, yet pleasurable; too much, yet too little; and also, somewhat like he was stuck somewhere between this world and the next. It was only the sensation of Ajax rubbing gentle circles above his hipbone with the thumb of his other hand that kept him grounded.

“Are you alright?” Ajax asked him softly as he slowly pumped the finger in and out. Zhongli nodded but let out another moan when Ajax pressed their lips together again, plunging his tongue in to kiss him deeply. After a few moments, he added a second finger and Zhongli clenched his hands tightly into his bedsheets at the sensation. There was the sting of the stretch, yes, but it was more than just that. At first, he hadn’t understood why people liked this so much, but the sensation was growing on him. It was the feeling of being connected to someone else, emotionally and physically, that appealed the most. Ajax looked focused as he worked his way in, but suddenly he touched something within Zhongli’s passage that made his back arch off the bed and for all the breath to get sucked out of his lungs.

When Zhongli looked up at Ajax, a frantic and questioning glance, he could see the satisfied smile on the other man’s face. 

“Did you like that?” Ajax asked while curling his fingers into the same spot again. A loud and long keen escaped Zhongli’s mouth and he slapped his hands over it to muffle himself and keep from doing it again, feeling ashamed that he had produced such a sound. At that, Ajax laughed and reached up with his other hand to free his mouth while continuing the stimulation with the other one. “Come on, Zhongli, there’s nothing to be embarrassed over. You sound beautiful.” His words were punctuated with more kisses.

His breath was coming out in short gasps and even Ajax was breathing heavier than normal when he finally pushed a third finger in. Zhongli wasn’t sure if he wanted to hold onto the sheets, Ajax, or cover his face but he felt so sensitive, and his hands were trembling. Ajax worked slowly, but thoroughly and efficiently, as he moved his fingers in and out of the hole. The lube was helping to produce embarrassing and erotic squelching noises that made Zhongli want to flush from the tip of his toes to the top of his head, but his expression was clearly only fuelling Ajax more. When Ajax’s other hand found its way to his dick, Zhongli shook violently at the sudden external stimulation that was now dividing his attention. He couldn’t think, couldn’t focus, and couldn’t do anything other than moan and give Ajax everything he had. 

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he felt the fingers pull back and not push in as they had consistently done before, but he let out a shuddering breath accompanied by something that sounded vaguely like a whine. All the nerves in his body were buzzing and he felt wound up like a spring with no release. He didn’t want it to be over, not yet, but—

“Shh, it’s okay,” Ajax said in a soothing tone, gently running his fingers through his hair that had come loose sometime since they had begun their activities and sending a pleasant tingle down Zhongli’s spine with each motion. “Are you doing alright?”

Could he even form words anymore? His thoughts, normally so clear and concise, were scattered and foggy. Zhongli struggled to open his eyes, not wanting to face the music, but he saw Ajax leaning over him with a worried expression. It took him a moment, but he managed to compose himself for long enough to notice that Ajax’s penis looked more than hard—to the point where it was likely becoming painful.

“Don’t stop,” he said, reaching up to pull Ajax’s face down toward him. “Don’t you dare stop now.”

Ajax huffed out a laugh but smiled. “Your wish is my command. Hang tight for a minute, okay?”

The sound of the bottle cap echoed in the quiet apartment again and it didn’t take long for Ajax to slick himself up, letting out a laboured yet relieved breath at the contact. He went to move back over Zhongli but paused with a conflicted look on his face.

“I really want to see your face, but it’s easier if you’re flipped the other way,” he muttered. “Could you do that for me?”

With perhaps more effort than required, Zhongli managed to roll his body over and buried his face into his pillow. His eyes fluttered shut and he instead focused on the feeling of Ajax’s strong hands lifting his hips up before massaging his butt again. The shudder that wracked his body when kisses were pressed down the line of his spine made Ajax laugh, and Zhongli had half a mind to just thrust his hips back because of how impatient he was getting. As if he could tell that was the case, Ajax started rubbing his lubed-up erection along Zhongli’s ass, but somehow managing to just barely catch the head on his rim without putting it where it was wanted.

“Patience,” he whispered, leaning over so Zhongli could feel the warmth of his chest on his back. Not even a second later, Zhongli jolted when his left nipple was pinched, followed by the right one. With both of his hands on Zhongli’s chest, Ajax’s entire upper body weight was pressing him into the mattress and even though the pressure was unfamiliar, he loved it. 

Ajax drew moans and sighs from him like a master musician would draw the notes from their instrument and when the head of Ajax’s cock finally started pressing into him, Zhongli felt his eyes roll back when it hit the spot that had been stimulated earlier. From above him, Ajax was panting and gasping as well, holding Zhongli as close to him as he could. He felt so full, so complete, and yet it seemed that Ajax wasn’t even fully in yet.

Zhongli waited patiently as Ajax buried his face into the back of Zhongli’s neck, clearly feeling a bit overwhelmed if the small swears he was letting out was any indication.

“You’re so tight, so warm,” he whispered, nuzzling his cheek against Zhongli’s neck and jaw. “I don’t know how someone like you exists. You’re so perfect.”

“Mmmm,” Zhongli hummed back, unable to say anything else while trying to steady his breathing and allow his body to adjust to accommodate Ajax’s sizable erection within him. It ached, in a good way, and although he appreciated that Ajax was giving him time, part of him couldn’t help but wish that he hadn’t waited. “Move, please.”

Ajax readjusted his position, reaching over to grab onto Zhongli’s wrists and truly hold him down to get better leverage. It felt wonderful and it made Zhongli’s mouth go dry and it only heightened how sensitive he was. He started moving slowly at first, but with every gasp, sigh, or moan that came from Zhongli’s mouth and every shudder or reaction from his body, Ajax increased the speed he was moving at until Zhongli could barely process anything other than the feelings of the cock inside of him, the hands holding down his wrists in a bruising grip, or the kisses and hickeys pressed into the skin of his back. 

His own neglected erection was drooling precum onto his sheets every time the head grazed against them because of how hard he was being pounded into. There was no time to stop and catch his breath, not when his vision was going blurry, and the tears caused by the amount of pleasure he was feeling were streaming down his cheeks only for Ajax to either lick them up or kiss them away. 

“Ajax… Ajax please… oh, oh,” Zhongli gasped before letting out an obscene whine that was nearly drowned out by the creaking of the bed beneath them and the sound of the headboard slamming into the wall. He was shaking and he felt so overwhelmed, but—

“Zhongli…”—but Ajax just had to whisper his name and it brought him back to the feeling of standing on the edge of a precipice, unsure of just how far he would fall if he took another step. Zhongli had never cared before about how people said his name, but at that moment, the way Ajax said it—desperate, exhausted, debauched, and with so much care—was his favourite. It brought a sensation of satisfaction that settled in the bottom of his stomach, just from the knowledge that he was the one who brought Ajax to this point, and that Ajax was the one who brought him there.

Zhongli felt boneless and allowed Ajax to move him into whatever position he preferred to get a better angle, and he couldn’t do anything other than let out a drawn-out moan when the head of Ajax’s erection pressed directly on his prostate. He felt so pent-up and ready to burst, and from the way that the cock inside him was twitching and the hips behind his were stuttering, it seemed that Ajax felt the same way. Their bodies were in tune with each other, responding to any subtle shifts in weight or vocalizations.

As if sensing that they were both close, Ajax sped up even more—something that Zhongli hadn’t thought was possible. The sounds of skin on skin mixed with their harsh breathing, their groaning and moaning, and the telltale crack of something breaking.

Zhongli’s eyes opened abruptly right as he felt the frame holding up the mattress give out from beneath him. He found himself tilted at an even harsher angle that somehow felt even better than before and with a final, powerful thrust and a cry of his name, Ajax released inside of him. Once he had recovered from his orgasm, Ajax reached down and with a few quick and skillful strokes, brought Zhongli to a shaking completion on top of his broken bed.

They lay there for a moment, Ajax still not pulling out for the time being. Zhongli felt tired and sweaty, but he had never imagined that Ajax would fuck him so hard that his bed would break. Part of him wanted to laugh, especially considering how Venti had always described his favourite one-night stands as being “good enough to break the bed”, but he didn’t particularly want to think of Venti at the moment. 

“Are you alright?” Ajax asked him, gently rubbing up and down Zhongli’s arms. “I wasn’t too rough, was I?”

Zhongli shook his head but winced when Ajax pulled out. The sensation of the cum dripping out of his now-gaping asshole was strange, but not entirely unwelcome.

“I am alright,” he said as he turned to look at Ajax but frowned at how hoarse his voice sounded. He must have used it a lot more than he thought he had. “My bed does not seem to be, though.”

“Your… bed?” Ajax looked confused for a moment but then his eyes widened. “Oh shit.”

He stood up and, likely realizing that Zhongli might not be able to stay standing, he easily picked him up and carried him over to a chair. Zhongli watched as Ajax moved the mattress only to grimace at what remained of the frame.

“Well… I guess you could say we really broke it in,” Ajax said with a shit-eating grin that quickly vanished once Zhongli had laughed slightly at his joke. “But really, god, I’m so fucking sorry. I can’t believe that we literally broke the bed not even two hours after setting it up.”

“That is a problem, yes,” Zhongli agreed. Ajax walked back over and knelt before him, drawing him into a hug around his waist and pressing his forehead into Zhongli’s shoulder, whispering apologies interspersed with light kisses across his skin. He reached up and held Ajax close, quietly reminding him not to blame himself over this. It wasn’t like either of them had anticipated this outcome, but they couldn’t change it now.

“You have to let me make this up to you, okay?” he said into the skin of Zhongli’s chest. “I would feel awful otherwise.”

Zhongli hummed thoughtfully and ran his fingers through Ajax’s hair as a soothing gesture. As he did so, he glanced out the window at how dark it had gotten as the evening made way for night. It was much darker outside here when compared to back in Liyue Harbour, where the lights of the city streets were kept on all night. Surely enough, it was definitely too late for them to even attempt fixing the frame or to return the broken pieces and get replacements. That would have to wait until the morning.

With a sigh, he decided to just go with the simple and logical solution. “I can just put my mattress on the floor and—”

“And nothing!” Ajax protested. “I broke your bed, so the least I can do is let you come stay over at my place for the night. It would only be fair. I would have to clean up a bit since I wasn’t exactly expecting guests, but that shouldn’t take too long if you don’t mind waiting a few minutes.”

“Very well, if you insist,” Zhongli conceded and leaned down to press a kiss to the crown of Ajax’s head. “And should you decide that the next time we have intercourse also happens to be tonight, I would not be opposed to the notion.”

Ajax looked up at him, stunned and somewhat like Zhongli had just said something beyond his wildest dreams. “You’re serious? I literally just broke your bed and you want me to fuck you again?”

“When have I ever not been?”

He laughed and at that moment Zhongli knew he wanted to hear that wonderful sound many more times. “Fair point. Did you want to do it the same way again, or...?”

Zhongli pondered the notion, knowing that he found the experience of “bottoming” to be extremely satisfying and pleasurable, but perhaps he should try the other way at least once before making his decision. However, Ajax said that he was much more used to topping and was more comfortable there.

As if sensing that he was conflicted, Ajax placed a hand on his jaw to draw his attention to him. “Zhongli, I just want you to know that I love you and I mean no offence by this. I know I said you could try topping if you wanted—there’s no pressure there at all—but if you say something like ‘I will now insert my erect male genitalia into your rectal cavity,’ I think it would actually kill me.”

Out of all of that, there was only one thing that really caught Zhongli’s attention: “You love me?”

“Well, um,” Ajax said nervously, “I kind of said that without thinking, I’m sorry, did that make you uncomfortable? Like maybe it isn’t love, since we just met and maybe we’re kind of friends with benefits now, but I kind of really like you already and… yeah.”

Zhongli laughed and leaned down to kiss Ajax chastely on the lips. “We can agree to be in mutual like for the time being, then.”

Ajax smiled and held him tighter, both of them just enjoying finding comfort in each other’s arms.

“Mutual like, huh? Yeah. I like the sound of that.”

Ajax’s eyes were like the depths of the ocean, and when he looked at Zhongli, they were full of such joy on the surface (but hiding just beneath it was an undertow of want).

(Taking a deep breath, Zhongli allowed himself to sink down below the waves and let the currents carry him away.)