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If you had to ask Zhongli about Childe, there were 101 things that the man could talk about him, but if you were to ask him the same question a year ago, he would never have ever thought that he would like a man with a personality the total opposite of his. Childe's loud and rambunctious personality juxtaposed with Zhongli's own quiet and serious nature. If Childe was like refreshing spring water, youthful and exuding energy wherever he goes, Zhongli would be like the rocks that laid dormant beside it, unmoving and ancient, despite his young age.
They were two years different in age, and were roommates by pure coincidence. Childe had registered for his dormitory stay late and wasn't able to stay with his friend as a result and so they had assigned him to a completely random room that had still not yet been filled, and so it was fate that had led Zhongli to Childe.
Everything was destined, or so Zhongli thought.
He could still remember the first day he had met Childe, he had walked into the room completely unaware that his new roommate had moved in. He was half a step into the room, hand still on the doorknob as he looked up in surprise to see his new roommate. The sun was hanging high in the sky that noon, its rays angled through the window pane, lighting the man sitting near it in a soft glow, contouring every curve and line of his lean yet muscular body. The exertion from moving all his belongings by himself combined with the warm summer weather had blessed Zhongli with the view of his half naked roommate.
Zhongli couldn't look away, eyes glued onto the man like a pervert as he watched the muscles on his abs flexing with every pant of breath he took, mind jumping to a thousand different scenarios all at once-
"Okay, okay, look I get it, Zhongli. You're just a huge simp over him." Venti sighed and blew bubbles into the straw of his drink, disinterested with the conversation that Zhongli had been bringing up for the one millionth time.
"I believe that I am unfamiliar with the word 'simp'. Is that an abbreviated form of a modern colloquial word that describes a loyal fan? Or is it a-"
"Archons! It means you're head over heels for him, dummy! I swear if I have to listen to this talk about his blue eyes or chiseled abs another time I will kill someone. You need to get laid so badly, old man."
Zhongli pondered deep in thought. "That would be ideal, but I would first have to get him to even be interested in me… Which he clearly does not…"
"Turn it down, turn it down! I can literally smell your arousal from here. Bleh." Venti fanned the air in front of him and scrunched his nose in disgust.
Zhongli looked away, clearly embarrassed. "I apologise for that. I could not control my pheromones."
Archons. Venti rubbed his temples tiredly, Zhongli was simultaneously the smartest yet densest person that he had ever seen. The omega broke through the educational glass ceilings to top his cohort in geology, which has always been dominated by alphas, writing his own research papers even as a student, absolutely standing out as the omega student that the others wanted to be. Yet when it came to romance he was as dense as the rocks he loved. It had been a year, yet the pining for the red headed alpha had not waned one bit.
"This is absolutely painful to watch. I've already told you this, he obviously likes you too, oh my archons. I've been over at your place so many times and I've seen how he looks at you! One of you just has to make the first move!"
Zhongli shook his head. "You don't know him as well as I do, Venti. He does not like me. It… It is an undeniable truth. He only treats me as his good friend. That's all we are right now. And I'm scared it will ruin our current friendship if I confess and… he rejects me."
That's it. He couldn't take this anymore. Venti threw his head back and emptied every last drop of wine in his cup. It was 10am in the morning and he was already drinking to try to get rid of the headache that was caused by the massive problem that was Zhongli and Childe's relationship.
He slammed both his hands down on the table. If the two of them weren't going to try to solve this problem, it was time for him to take it into his own hands. "Zhongli, finish up your food. We're heading to my place. We need to commence operation Seduce Your Man! If you aren't going to confess, I'll just have to force the other idiot to confess and get you to see how much he actually likes you."
—
1. Dress seductively
Zhongli’s sense of fashion was just as ancient as he was. All he had were formal outfits that looked way out of place in a university where most people dressed casually on all days. Lectures? Crisp brown waistcoat, a white button up and a tie. Hanging out with friends? Another button up and tie. Heck, he even wore full pajamas to sleep. Who the fuck over the age of twelve still did that? Venti wanted to die when he thought of how Zhongli dressed.
“We need to get rid of all your stuffy outfits and get you changed into something HOT, ehe.”
Somewhere behind him, he heard Zhongli muttering about how his outfits were perfectly fine.
Venti ignored him and continued rummaging through his closet, humming to the tune of Xinyan’s latest album blasted at full blast in his room. He swayed to the beat unconsciously as he racked his brain for the perfect outfit for his best friend. Venti’s closet was practically the opposite of Zhongli’s. Some outfits inside were so scandalous that even Venti himself would feel slightly embarrassed to wear them out in public.
He mentally catagorised each outfit. This one was too skimpy, that one was too bright, nope, that one was reserved for his own kinky nights, nope that wouldn’t do too… Aha!
“Zhongli!” Venti dangled an outfit in front of Zhongli as he did a victory cheer, “You shall wear this!”
Zhongli looked up, horrified. It was an open chest button up that would leave most of his chest exposed and some of his abs to peek through. The pants were fully covered and long enough to touch his ankles, thankfully, but they looked so tight that it left little to imagination.
"T-this," Zhongli sputtered out, "I-I'm not wearing this!"
Venti tutted and shook his head. He wasn't going to let him back out of this so easily. "No buts! Do you want to seduce your man or not? The moment he sees this, he's going to absolutely combust." Venti winked. "Oh, Zhongli." He made a love stricken expression and placed a hand on his chest as he deepened the pitch of his voice to mimic Childe's. "My love, you look so hot that I just want to pin you down and strip you naked and-"
"Stop, stop! I'll.. I'll try wearing it."
Venti grinned. That was easier than expected.
“And remove that pair of ugly spectacles while you’re at it!”
Venti dodged the pillow flung at his face.
Zhongli reappeared sometime later after changing into his new outfit.
Damn. Venti wolf whistled. That ass was almost obscene with how thick it looked. And that sliver of abs peeking through at the bottom of the opening… No alpha should be able to resist it. "You look hot, like, really HOT!" Venti cheered. "Now go get your alpha! Let's see how well, or in this case, ahem, how naughty things can turn out." He threw a wink at Zhongli who blushed crimson red.
And with that, he was promptly kicked out of the apartment by Venti who said "If I don't chase you out you'll never dare go back dressed like that." before he was set on his way.
Along the way back, there had been so many cat calls by alphas and betas who openly leered at the omega, while his other fellow omegas blushed upon seeing his outfit, but Zhongli ignored them all. There was only one man he wanted.
"Childe I'm back-"
He cut his words short. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Childe's face turn beet red. The ginger haired man made an odd choking noise that left Zhongli befuddled. Zhongli frowned and cocked his head to one side. Was the apartment that warm?
"Childe, are you okay?"
"I-I-I'm fine!" He squeaked.
Oh he definitely did not look fine.
In fact, Childe looked unusually tense, and Zhongli saw him sneak a quick look up and down his body before his eyes snapped back to look at Zhongli's face again, as if he was deliberately controlling himself to not look anywhere else.
What…
"Childe, are you… falling ill? Your voice seems to have changed." Worried, Zhongli surged forward and spun the man's roller chair around to face him. He placed both his arms on the chair's armrest, effectively caging Childe as he bent down to his eye level, their faces mere inches away. Whatever illness that had inflicted Childe seemed to have become worse, for his face turned even more red.
Zhongli pursed his lips. Perhaps he was studying too hard? Juggling so many sport club activities and studies at the same time would surely wear him out. Zhongli thought that Childe deserved way more rest than that.
"Here, let me feel your temperature." He said, breath ghosting over Childe's lips. He placed the back of his hand gently against the other man’s forehead, which caused him to sink back into the chair even further. Childe’s blue eyes widened, and his breath stuttered as he tried to control the inappropriate thoughts that surged through him with him locked in such a compromising position with Zhongli. (Childe had to stop thinking about it, for it was causing him some… other problems.)
“Hmmm… You definitely feel warmer than usual.” Zhongli shook his head as he withdrew his hand. Worry surged through his chest like a concerned mother. Ever since the whole Guizhong incident happened… Anytime he saw someone he loved become sick, it would trigger the most unpleasant memories of the endless hospital visits he made in the past.
But there was something else unusual here. The pheromones that he was emitting were slightly different, with more wooden undertones, a smell that was usually associated with someone aroused- No. Zhongli shook his head. He must have scented that wrongly, it was probably just a feverish scent.
He forced down all thoughts on seducing Childe. Childe needed someone to take care of him right now, sadly this wasn't the time for him to try anything funny.
Zhongli rubbed a thumb into the reddish skin on Childe’s forehead. "I will be making some herbal tea for you. It is a special blend of honeysuckle flowers, forsythia bark and rhubarb. That should help with whatever illness that seems to be plaguing you."
“I’m not even going to question how you have these rare ingredients just lying around. But i-it really is fine, Zhongli! And I erm… I actually need to go to the toilet, in fact. So, erm, excuse me!"
That was an abrupt change in topic. But now that he mentioned it, he noticed that Childe seemed to be crossing his legs an awful lot. Zhongli furrowed his brow in thought. Was he that urgent for the toilet?
"Okay…I'll still make the tea for you so that you can drink it when you're back."
Just like that, his plan was aborted and he had to report back to Venti that it had been an unfortunate failure.
They were both lounging on Venti's bed casually when Zhongli broke the news.
"What?! You're telling me he had no reaction at all?!" Venti threw his hands in the air in disbelief.
Zhongli shook his head and hugged one of the pillows tightly. His eyes were downcast, disappointment clearly filled in his golden orbs. "No… Childe was just sick. He hasn't been sick for a long time now, this was just unfortunate timing."
"Geez, what a bummer!" Venti blew raspberries at Zhongli. "After all the effort we put in, he couldn't even appreciate it. Buuuut! Fear not, for love guru Venti has another trick up his sleeve." He winked at Zhongli. "If this doesn't work, I know that surely will. We're talking biggg here, Zhongli! Something you never did before."
"There's a lot of things I didn't do before with Childe." Zhongli muttered.
Venti ignored him. "Drumroll please. Brrrrr… We're gonna make you do baseeee zero!!"
Zhongli was utterly confused. "What base zero?"
"What!" Venti exclaimed. "Have you never heard of bases in a relationship before? Base one is kissing, two is light petting, three is heavy petting, and fourth is sex! But since you obviously can't even do base one yet, we'll just do the next best thing which is hand holding." He chuckled loudly. This was hilarious. Venti had never seen someone as hopeless as Zhongli to need help to even do base zero.
"Petting… like a pet?"
"Oh archons … This is a talk for another time. I shall personally give you a lesson on the birds and the bees, with pictures and physical demonstration-"
A pillow was sent hurling at Venti's face to cut him off before he could say more.
—
2. Physical touch
According to Venti, the easiest way to initiate physical contact is to do something the other party was bad at. And it wasn't hard for Zhongli to think of something Childe was bad at. Even though he could play all the sports Zhongli could think of, be in many varsity teams, can cook, is a good gamer, there was one thing Childe could not master no matter how many times Zhongli tried to teach him. That's right. Chopsticks.
And Zhongli was going to take full advantage of it.
"Childe," He started. It was midday and both had no lessons, so they were both present in the dormitory room. The man in question rolled over on his bed to face Zhongli, eyes glued to his phone as his show still continued playing on his screen. He gave a humm in reply. "Would you like to go for lunch with me? We could try dining at Wan Min's, the new restaurant on campus."
The reaction was instant. Childe immediately put down his phone and beamed up at Zhongli. "Sure. Since when would I ever say no to you?" The implications of that sentence left Zhongli with a pounding heart as he looked away shyly. How could he say such words so easily? If only he knew how much it meant to Zhongli.
And so they left their room and headed down to the part of the campus where the new restaurant was at. The chef, Xiangling waved to them, and Zhongli gave her a signal to take their order.
"Alright let's order, shall we?"
The food came in no time, its mouth watering fragrance emanating through the air and left Childe absolutely famished. He wasted no time grabbing his chopsticks to start stabbing at his food.
Venti’s lessons came flashing back to his mind.
Lean in. Venti had said. So Zhongli leaned in towards Childe.
Tell him off that he is doing it wrong. “Ahem, Childe, like I said before it is unbecoming of a gentleman like you to use your chopsticks like this. Why don't I help you out?"
Then, go correct him by physically guiding him through it. Make sure to prolong the contact. “Here, I think a physical demonstration this time around would be a more effective way of learning. ” Zhongli pushed himself up from the chair and in a swift move, placed himself behind Childe. He bent down and brought his hand forward, making sure to let his fingers ‘accidentally’ graze across Childe’s arm before it settled on his hand, where he enveloped his slim fingers around Childe’s own.
Zhongli instantly felt the other stiffen. Childe's back suddenly became a bit more straight and he could feel the muscles in the hand beneath his own tightening minutely. Oh no. His heart sank. Was he… doing this wrongly?
"I-I'm sorry, this is making you uncomfortable -" He unclasped his hand from Childe's and stood back up awkwardly, but his words were cut off almost instantly.
"NO! I mean, erm, please don't stop! No wait, urgh, I meant just… continue on. I-I want to learn how to use chopsticks! I was just surprised, that's all." Childe used his free hand to grab Zhongli's hand and pulled it downwards to envelope over his own again. Oh. Oh. This was the first time Ajax had ever initiated touching him like that. Good thing Childe wasn't able to see his face right now, for he was blushing like a maiden in love.
His face was directly above Childe's head, so low that some of his ginger hair tickled Zhongli's chin, and he could smell the shampoo that the alpha used. He took a deep breath in. Mmm.. It smelled just like the sea breeze, almost the same smell that Childe would usually emit. He made a mental note to get sea related smelling items for his next heat.
He readjusted his own fingers to hold the chopsticks correctly. "First, you place one of the chopsticks between your thumb and fourth finger, and then you hold the second one like a pencil like that…" He corrected Childe's finger grip, "... and then you move the top one around like a lever."
"That's right, you got it. Now let's try picking up the meat there." Zhongli guided Childe's hand to hover over the meat. "Lift your top finger…yes, that's right, there we go. We did it, Childe." Zhongli beamed down at the alpha. Childe laughed too. Neither let go of each other's hand the whole time, even though the lesson was already done now that the goal was achieved.
"Why don't you try it out yourself now?"
"Sure, let me try to pick up another piece of meat."
Zhongli watched as Childe's own chopsticks shakily gripped the meat clutching on for its dear life on the chopsticks. The posture and grip was bad, but it was still a big improvement nonetheless. But suddenly, one of Childe's fingers moved, causing his grip on the chopstick to loosen and clatter down onto the table, meat scattered as well.
Zhongli narrowed his eyes. How did that happen? He swore he saw Childe get the right grip already. There was no way that could have happened unless he had done it on purpose.
"Oops! I guess I haven't mastered it yet. Dang it, looks like you'll have to teach me again." Childe laughed sheepishly.
Zhongli's expression loosened up into a smile again. He would gladly teach Childe any day, if that gave him an excuse to touch his hands. Any suspicion he had was pushed to the back of his mind. Childe was just slow in learning how to use chopsticks, there was no way he did that on purpose. "Gladly." He replied.
He failed to see the smirk that Childe had on his face afterwards.
The two continued on with their chopsticks lesson shenanigans until it was well past dinner.
Now, it was time for the next step. Venti had told him that they should go for a walk afterwards after all that touching so that, and he quoted verbatim "Childe can realise how in love he is with you during the meal and the walk would be the perfect opportunity to confess his love." So needless to say, Zhongli was more than excited to do so. A romantic walk would definitely get anyone in the mood.
"Childe, would you like to go for a stroll with me down the Liyue harbour?"
Childe's eyes practically sparkled. "I would love to!" His response was instantaneous, as if he never thought through about what the question was, but simply instantly agreeing to whatever Zhongli would have asked. Even then, that detail slipped past the ever oblivious Zhongli.
“Then let’s go.”
The pair walked down the harbour together, admiring the city lights from the tall glass buildings that sparkled in the backdrop, contrasting with the traditional Liyuen buildings along the harbour, a perfect blend of old and new all in one place. On any normal day, Zhongli would have gladly given a talk on the history of the buildings and how the harbour came to be, but today, all his attention was instead drawn onto the ginger haired man walking beside him.
They walked and talked about school work, Childe’s day at his sports club, yet the whole time Zhongli couldn’t help but steal glances down at the calloused hands of the alpha. Maybe it was just the horny omega hormones kicking in, or maybe he was just desperate for something to happen after so long. Regardless, he didn’t know what overcame him when he suddenly gained a boost of confidence to reach out and slip his fingers into place with Childe’s. Well, Venti did say that he should be making physical touches.
The reaction was instantaneous. Childe’s head immediately whipped downwards to look at their interlocked hands, and whatever he had been saying dried out at the tip of his tongue. The same odd lust-like smell that Childe had emitted earlier when he was sick was back again. Hmm. How strange, Zhongli thought.
"Hahaha," Childe laughed nervously. His blue eyes darted from Zhongli to their hands and back to him again. "People might be getting the wrong idea when they see an alpha and omega holding hands like this."
"Ahem, nothing wrong with that, am I right?"
"..."
"...?"
"Yeah! Erm, haha, we're just… good friends anyways! No shame in hiding that." Childe didn’t even meet his eyes, preferring to gaze down at the ground.
Oh.
Zhongli felt his heart sink. It felt like someone had carved a hole out in his chest, draining whatever confidence he had away. That's right… that was all they were. Just two best friends holding hands. He was silly for expecting Childe to think that they should be more.
“I… yes.” He replied, voice trembling.
An awkward silence blanketed their previously joyous atmosphere and Zhongli felt horrible. He had ruined things again. He racked his brain for a distraction. “Let’s… erm let’s go see the harbour lights instead shall we? I heard that they would be releasing some lanterns tonight.”
As much as he tried to tell himself to let go to make things less awkward, Zhongli found himself unable to. Every nerve in his hand felt like it was on fire, he could feel every muscle in that strong pair of hands, and the omega in him was fascinated.
They eventually made it to the iconic red stairs above the harbour, leaning against the railing as they admired the lanterns taking off into the night sky by the people releasing them. Zhongli watched from above as kids ran about with their lanterns while couples kissed each other before releasing them, a romantic gesture to commemorate their joint wishes.
Childe’s gaze was trained on the couple too.
Zhongli coughed lightly into his fist to draw his attention before quipping in. “People usually write their wishes onto the lanterns, in hopes that releasing them to the heavens would grant their hopes and dreams fulfilled by their ancestors from above.”
Childe turned around to look at him, eyes filled with interest. “Have you released a lantern before?”
“Of course, I have been in Liyue since birth. It would be intriguing if I had not partook in this tradition as well.” Zhongli hums in reply. Childe nods, and turns back to watching the kids run about below. Zhongli couldn’t help but voice his thoughts. “What about you, Childe? Do you have any wishes you want to be fulfilled as well?”
“Of course, Zhongli. Who wouldn’t?”
An idea crossed his mind. “Wait here for a moment, Childe.”
Barely a few minutes later Zhongli returned with an unlit lantern in his hand, knees bent as he hunched over and panted with exertion from the running. “I…” He huffed, “I got you this lantern. I would love for you to take part in my culture as well.”
“Zhongli… I…” Childe took the lantern that Zhongli passed to him, his gaze softening as he looked down fondly at it. A genuine smile danced across his lips, and Zhongli couldn’t help but smile too. “Thank you.”
Zhongli perched on the bench nearby as he watched Childe write his wishes down onto the lantern. There were the typical wishes for his family’s health and prosperity as well as his own personal wishes… and then there was a sentence written in Snezhnayan. Я хочу, чтобы Чжунли стал моим парнем.
“Childe, what did you write there?”
An unreadable expression crossed Childe’s eyes.
“It’s… a secret.”
“A secret? What is it that you are wishing for that you do not want me to know?”
Childe beamed back at him with a playful smile. “You’ll find out someday. Maybe.” Zhongli gave a contented hum and didn’t pursue the topic anymore. Whatever it was, he was just glad that Childe was happy.
With a lighter in hand, they released the lantern into the air and watched as it floated away, higher and higher until it became a mere speck in the sky, too small to be seen, carrying with it the duty of fulfilling Childe’s hopes and dreams on its back.
“So how was it how was it!! Did he go down on one knee and confess his love to you??”
They were at Venti’s apartment once more, with Venti hugging his Dvalin plush as he laid down on the floor while Zhongli sat upright on the bed. Venti’s apartment was starting to become some sort of HQ to discuss his romance issues.
Zhongli could practically see the glimmer in Venti’s eyes. But he had only bad news to bring. He shook his head. “I’m sorry to disappoint you but nothing interesting happened.” He paused for a moment, musing over the small moment they had seen the lanterns. That was probably the closest he’ll ever get to being able to date Childe. “It was… nice, though. We watched the lanterns by the harbour for a while, there was no confession whatsoever, it was just two friends hanging out, nothing romantic because Childe clearly only likes me as a friend. Still… this will be a memory that I will cherish forever.”
“BOO! We ain’t aiming for just a nice feeling here, we’re talking about a hot, steamy confession, some kissing and maybe sex afterwards-”
The pillow was flung at Venti’s face again, knocking him down flat onto the floor. But Venti sprung back up immediately, sparkles still shining in his eyes. “Zhongli, you need to step up the game!! Do you want to date this guy or do you just want to be his good friend? I think it's time we turn up the heat.”
Zhongli looked away. Of course he wanted to date Childe, that was a given. But… they were making no progress so far. Romantically, at least. “What ideas do you still have?” He caved in after some thought.
“Ehe, I think you’ll like this one. It's called Operation Jealousy!”
3. Make Childe jealous
Venti’s bright idea was to hit up Zhongli’s old friend called Osial, who he insisted had a crush on him in the past despite Zhongli vehemently disagreeing. Osial did not have a crush on him. They were just old friends. That was it. Regardless, Venti had asked him to ask Osial out on a date to try to induce jealousy in Childe. He had eventually acquiesced and texted Osial, who immediately agreed to it.
What Venti kept secret from Zhongli however, was that Osial and Childe hated each other with a passion. The two were rivals in the sports field, always neck to neck on opposing teams, always winning or losing to each other by mere points. Besides, they hated each other’s attitudes and personality. Practically the whole school knew that, except poor, dense Zhongli.
He had no idea what kind of fire he was just about to ignite between the two alphas.
“Zhongli, why are you dressed so well tonight? Going out on a date?” Childe teased.
“About that… Yes, yes I am.” Zhongli hummed from behind the mirror, adjusting his tie to make it sit on his neck more snugly.
The room’s atmosphere immediately turned cold and Zhongli shivered lightly. Was it just him or did it look like there was a dark aura coming out from Childe? “Oh.” Childe smiled sickly sweet, yet it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. There was no spark in those blue eyes that he loved and they reminded Zhongli of the dead fish eyes that he had seen in the grocery store. It was creeping him out. “I was just joking, who knew you really had a date. So who is this lucky alpha?”
“Ah, it’s Osi-”
A string of rapid knocks on their shared room door cut Zhongli off. “Coming!” He yelled. Oh, speak of the devil, that must be Osial. Zhongli opened the door to reveal the blue haired man who was dressed to the nines with a red rose in hand.
“OSIAL?!”
“CHILDE?! You guys are staying together?!”
“How did someone like YOU get Zhongli to agree on a date???”
“Zhongli was the one who asked ME out, get your facts right, Childe.”
Childe was stunned. All the witty comebacks he had were suddenly gone. The look that crossed his face was of utter bewilderment, betrayal, then it settled at anger. What did he have that Childe didn’t? What did Zhongli see in him that Childe didn’t have?!
“You little piece of shit!” He seethed. He felt hurt, really. He knew that Zhongli wasn’t his anything, and that the omega was free to go on dates with whoever he wanted, but still…
Seemingly satisfied by the distressed state that he had inflicted on the other alpha, Osial smiled deviously and turned his attention back onto his main target. "You've grown to be really pretty, Zhongli. I would love to make you my omega." His deep husky voice whispered directly onto the shell of Zhongli's ear, sending shivers down his spine.
“This flower is for you, darling.” Osial presented the rose to Zhongli who swooned over it. Tch. Looks like he knew about Zhongli’s love for flowers as well. Childe thought. “Your face is as beautiful as this rose is, as soft as its petals and as sweet as its smell.”
Childe rolled his eyes in absolute disgust. Since when did he get into shitty poetry? Even someone like him who wasn't into language could do better than that. But enough was enough. He wasn’t about to just stand by idly and watch Zhongli get stolen right under his nose by an asshole. Zhongli was his and his alone. No one else could have him. And certainly not his arch nemesis.
"I didn't recall Zhongli saying he'll be busy tonight. He said he was supposed to help me with my homework. So I'll be using his time tonight, sorry to ruin your plans Osial." Childe stood up so abruptly that his chair knocked back into the desk behind him as he stormed over to tug Zhongli back.
Zhongli blinked owlishly. Since when was he supposed to help Childe with his homework? "Childe, I don't recall you asking me about homework."
He could feel Childe freeze momentarily and the other alpha took this opportunity to pounce. "That's right, Childe.” He could practically hear the glee in Osial’s voice. “So that means Zhongli is going out with me on a date." In a swift movement, Osial pulled Zhongli back and wrapped his arm around Zhongli's tiny waist to secure his prize. Osial 1, Childe 0.
Yet Childe didn’t give up. He had never let go of Zhongli the whole time, arm still gripped possessively around Zhongli's wrist as he turned around and practically snarled at Osial. Seeing that slimy guy's arm around his omega's waist made Childe want to just pin down Zhongli right now and claim him on the neck to show Osial who's omega that really was.
Since neither alpha budged, the three of them were trapped in this weird limbo where they were both gripping onto the poor omega in the center, while the two of them glared down at each other from the side. Childe made sure to stand a bit straighter, widening his shoulders a bit more to exert dominance over the other alpha as he tried to drown out Osial's pheromones. A classic alpha strategy to try to prove yourself to be stronger than the other.
But that didn’t seem to sit well with Zhongli. “Osial, Childe, please, stop this. You guys are stinking up the room.” He wrinkled his nose in displeasure. “I know that both of you want to spend time with me, so can we please compromise and come to a middle ground instead? Childe, since I have already agreed to a date with Osial, the dinner will be going on but you can join us too. Osial I know you wouldn’t mind, right?”
He heard Osial growl softly and the hand that was snaked around his waist tightened slightly.
“...Fine.” Osial gritted out between his teeth after a long silence. It was as if it physically hurt Osial to say that. “If Zhongli wants you to come along, you can join us.”
The smug smile that slowly creeped up Childe's face stretched his lips wide to reveal a toothy grin underneath. "Thank you for being so gracious, Osial." Childe said, voice dripping with mockery as he made sure to enunciate each word clearly for him to hear.
Zhongli swore he saw the vein on Osial's forehead throb.
When they had arrived at the restaurant, Zhongli sat down on the seat first before Childe immediately slid beside him, leaving Osial to take the remaining seat opposite them. He glowered at Childe as he sat down, eyes narrowed dangerously with murderous intent, and Childe felt the urge to stick out his tongue childishly at him. Osial 1, Childe 1.
This was hands down the most awkward dinner Zhongli ever had in his life. No one said anything throughout the meal, the tinkering of the glassware as they prodded their food was the only sound present throughout the whole dinner. The tension was so thick in the air that he could practically cut it. Zhongli felt like he was 10 again, eating with his parents who had just quarreled and were in cold war with each other throughout the meal. This was how it felt like right now. He didn’t understand. Why were Osial and Childe so cold with each other?
This was such a failed plan, Venti was supposed to help him get Childe to like him, not for him to break apart his personal friendships.
“Osial, Childe, you know what… Since this dinner is causing everyone such misery I think we should just call it off. I’ll just head back first.” Zhongli squirmed in his seat uncomfortably. He hated to see his good friends quarrel with each other like that.
“Yes!”
“No!”
Both men shouted simultaneously, whipping their heads around to glare at each other when they realised that they had polar opposite reactions to what Zhongli said. One wanted the date to continue, while the other wanted it to end.
"See? That's what I meant.” He sighed. “I hate to see my friends be angry at each other. I'm sorry but let's just cancel this dinner tonight… " Zhongli stood up to leave the table, and Childe practically stuck himself behind him like a puppy trailing its mother, making sure to turn around to give Osial the middle finger right before they left.
“Well, that’s it. I’ve run out of ideas. Childe is beyond help if he didn’t confess to you after all that we’ve done.” Venti shrugged.
“What do you mean that’s it?” Zhongli echoed back helplessly. A feeling of restlessness ignites in him, burning at his heart and making it pound nervously. “I still want him to be alpha, which hasn’t happened yet.”
Maybe it was the hormones talking, he was getting close to his monthly heat now, so the attraction to Childe was more heightened now than usual. He absolutely wanted Childe to be his.
“Well, why don’t you try telling him about how you feel? Like, directly to his face. I’m pretty sure that would work too.” Venti offered after some thought.
“No! Venti you don’t understand!” He half shouted at Venti, who blinked in surprise at the sudden outburst. “He’ll reject me! I just don’t want to risk ruining our friendship! I really, really l-love Childe a lot! All I want is for him to be my alpha…” His voice died to a whisper, his throat tight from want. An idea sparks in his mind. “So if he isn’t going to make a move, I will. Even if that means using manipulation.”
“Zhongli,” Venti narrowed his eyes at him, voice wary with suspicion. “What are you planning?”
“Let’s just say… I won’t need to use your apartment next week to tide over my heat.”
4. Force Childe into mating with him Use his heat to encourage Childe to make a move
“Zhongliiii~! Why does our room smell so strongly of you?” The door was flung open and the ginger haired man strolled in with a smile on his face.
“I could smell it all the way from-”
Whatever he was going to say died in his mouth.
Splat.
Suddenly all that Childe had been holding in his hands dropped to the ground.
There Zhongli was, laid prostrate on Childe’s bed like a feast to be devoured, naked from head to toe as he squirmed and humped Childe's own clothes while a dildo was up his ass. All the while softly mewing his name.
That image alone was worthy of a year’s worth of masturbation material.
Something snapped in him. A haze clouded over his mind. All the feelings accumulated from the months of pining came crashing back all at once like a tidal wave, washing away all rational thoughts. All he wanted right then was to mate the pretty omega lying there and claim him until he begged for him to stop. His cock was fully hard and leaking already. Mine. The alpha in him declared. He started stalking towards the omega like a man possessed.
It wasn’t until Zhongli let out a happy thrilling noise upon seeing him come closer that Childe snapped back to reality.
His steps staggered to a halt and he shook his head vigorously to clear it. This was affecting him way more than he thought it would. The smell of an omega in heat, and not just any omega but the one he loved, was severely impacting his judgment to think properly. He slapped a hand over his nose to cover it as he inched backwards until his back hit the wall.
What the fuck.
He was absolutely disgusted with himself. He had just been a few steps away from raping the one and only man he loved so much.
He needed to get out of here, for both his sake and Zhongli's, while he could still think clearly.
But Zhongli clearly thought otherwise.
"No, no no! Don't leave me, please. Alpha! I want you so, so bad, please just fuck me!"
The usually quiet and nerdy Zhongli would never have said that, this was clearly a sign that the man lying there wasn't thinking straight anymore. "Zhongli, I-I can't stay here," Childe gasped as he choked from the sickeningly saccharine air that was Zhongli's scent. Every breath he had to take in was torture, sending fire through his veins, alighting all his nerves with pure lust. "I-I'll get someone - Venti to take care of you. I'm an alpha, I-I can't be around you when you're in heat."
"No!! Stay with me, please! Y-You can fuck me for as long as you want, you can use me however you want, just please mate me!" Zhongli's hand started reaching out towards Childe, golden eyes pleading with him.
"Zhongli," Childe gritted out through clenched teeth. "I can't be here, don't you understand?! You'll hate me once your mind clears up, t-this is just wrong. I would never take advantage of you."
"I promise you I want this! Please - ah!" He gasped between moans, the obscene squelching of the dildo going in and out of his ass punctuating each word. "Just ah! … come here, please!!!"
Oh he was so much bigger than that pathetic dildo, he thought darkly. If he wanted to, which he definitely did, he could absolutely satisfy Zhongli's need to take something big up his ass.
Childe's hand was already fumbling for the doorknob when Zhongli cried for him again. "NO! Alpha please! Come back!! " Zhongli pushed himself up shakily from the bed. Desperation clawed at him, even through the thick of heat messing with his mind, he knew clearly that he couldn't let the one and only objective he had slip right from his grasp when it was so close. He couldn't let him leave!
"Wait, be careful-!" Childe tried to shout.
That was the only warning he got before his vision was titled and the hard cold floor greeted his face. "Ah!" He yelled out loud. Childe's bed sheets that had been bunched up at the foot of the bed had tangled between his feet and when he tried to stand, it caused him to smack face first down on the floor. The heat was causing all his senses to be amplified two fold which made his face hurt so much more-
"ZHONGLI!! Are you okay??"
The thudding of footsteps on the floor reverberated into his head, making him wince. Strong hands grab at his face, and the smell of Childe's seaside like pheromones engulfed him. He whined and chased it like a starved man desperate for a crumb of bread, hungry for any part of Childe he could get. The alpha smelt so good and all Zhongli wanted was him.
A calloused hand tugged his chin upwards and Zhongli thought he heard Childe asking if his head was alright but all he could think at that moment was those dazzling blue eyes staring down at him, drowning him in its depths.
His body started working on autopilot, the omega in him taking over control again now as he pulled the alpha down onto the floor with him by his neck, hands interlocked together to prevent him from leaving. Zhongli surged forward and latched onto the alpha's scent gland on his neck and started nibbling it, pushing his nose deeper into the crook of Childe’s neck to try to drown himself in that salty cloying smell.
“Nnnh! No, wait stop-”
He needed to talk less and just fuck him already. Zhongli silenced Childe by mashing their lips together and tugging at his hair to pull him deeper into the kiss, slipping his tongue into the alpha’s own and exploring every crook and nanny inside. He felt a purr rising in his throat. The omega in him was so happy that finally he was getting what he wanted after waiting for a whole year-
Suddenly the kiss was ripped away from him and-
“STOP THIS!!!”
Zhongli looked up at Childe, dazed eyes widening in surprise, the need to be bred forgotten for a split second to give way for the shock that settled in. Childe had never shouted at him before.
His ginger hair hung above his eyes like a curtain, obscuring his expression but Zhongli could still see how hard he was gritting his teeth and how the muscles in the arms propping himself up from above him were shaking minutely.
“Do you,” He gritted out, “Have any idea how much I want to fuck you right now? Do you know what you are doing to me, Zhongli? How affected I am right now?”
“Then do it- !” Zhongli found himself begging.
“NO! I… You’re not thinking straight right now. Normally you wouldn’t have wanted this, I am not taking advantage of you in this state, Zhongli… Despite what I feel.”
“No no no! You don’t understand! I have been in love with you before this…! This is what I really want I promise you please-”
“No! You can’t make a choice for yourself right now, I am not going to-”
“Please! Please just mate me I really want this-” He started grinding his clit onto Childe’s own erection straining in his pants, and oh archons, all he wants is the alpha’s dick in him. Yet Childe pulled away again.
He could see the intense lust swirling inside those blue orbs so why is he still resisting-
“Stop it !! I’m not sure how long more I can hold myself back anymore- I don’t want you like this, not when you’re not fully lucid-”
“...You… don’t want me? Is that why you won't mate with me? No matter how much I beg you to? ”
He… he saw this coming didn’t he? This was what he had been telling Venti about, why he didn’t make the first move precisely because he was so afraid of rejection. And Childe not wanting to mate with him no matter what he did just confirmed it.
The first seeds of poison started growing in his thoughts. “Am I not attractive enough…?” Zhongli whispered. No sane alpha would have been able to resist an omega literally throwing themselves at their feet like this, especially one in heat. “...Am I that unpleasant to be with?”
It felt as if his heart had been stabbed and left out to bleed.
“O-oh wait- No, no! Don’t cry please- I-I didn’t mean it like that I’m so sorry, I am so so so sorry Zhongli I just wanted you to stop before you did anything you would regret-”
Why… Why was he crying? He hasn’t shed a tear since Guizhong’s funeral ten years ago so why was he crying now?
He saw Childe scrunch up his nose. The smell of a distressed omega combined with the heat was simply overwhelming.
“...I think you should leave.” Zhongli eventually found himself saying. With all his willpower, he managed to remove his arms from the man propped above him and averted eye contact by turning his head to the side. Every part of him was screaming against his decision to let the alpha go, but Zhongli just found himself physically unwilling to hold back a man that just didn’t want to be with him.
It hurts, it hurts so much. But he did what had to be done.
To his relief (or disappointment), Childe doesn’t argue against that. A part of him had hoped that Childe would reverse his decision, though. He untangled himself from the omega and started apologising, but Zhongli wanted to hear none of it.
“I’m sorry…I-I’ll get Venti to bring food for you and-”
“Just leave.”
It wasn’t until Zhongli ensured that he heard the door click shut that he burst out into tears again.
5. Give up
After his heat ended, Zhongli left and didn’t return to the apartment.
Not the week after. Nor the week after that.
Childe had sent him a bunch of text messages and phone calls. He didn’t read them. Eventually it accumulated, two hundred over unread messages and fifty missed calls.
Everything felt numb. His body moved on auto pilot day in and out, going to classes and back, yet he wasn’t actually living.
Eventually, Childe showed up at Venti’s apartment, where Zhongli had been staying but he refused to see him. No matter how much Childe had pleaded with Venti, all the poor middleman could do was offer him an apologetic smile and turn him away.
“See…” Venti sighed once he shut the door. “I told you that it was a bad idea…”
Zhongli didn’t reply. He was curled up into a ball on the bed, face shoved into the pillow as he tried to hide the tears flowing freely. If he knew that a heartbreak would feel so painful, he never would have fallen in love with the beautiful ginger.
“Zhongli, I know that you don’t want my advice but it's been three weeks… Shouldn’t you answer at least one of his phone calls? He clearly still wants you back.”
“No.” Zhongli found himself snapping back. His head shot up from the pillow as he glared back miserably at Venti. But Venti remained unfazed. Zhongli looked more like a sad puppy in this state than anything else, which was pathetic, if you had to ask him. “I…I don’t think I can ever face him again… To crawl back to someone after literally begging them to mate you and get rejected is… upsetting.”
“Upsetting?” Venti crossed his arms and sighed. “I highly doubt that’s all you’re feeling right now. You look like you want to die.”
“...”
“Zhongli, you can’t just hole up in my room all day… Hey, you know what will make you feel better? We’ll go drinking tonight at the tavern alright? You need to get out of the house and do something new, you know? Like hit up on other hunky alphas. Heard that helps anyone get over a man.” Venti chuckled lightly, but Zhongli didn’t share his humour.
Somehow, after a lot of persuasion, Venti eventually did manage to get Zhongli to change out into something decent for a bar, and they left the apartment right after the sun set for their night of fun.
It was barely even ten o clock before Venti was already completely wasted. Zhongli was pretty sure he had taken some other substances as well from the other alphas who had been hitting on him, flirting with them for a puff of something in between, for he was out like a light, no matter how much Zhongli tried to wake him up. Sighing, Zhongli resorted to just using his phone with no one else to talk to in the bar now.
But hell, even looking at his damn phone reminded him of Childe. He was the one who thought him how to use the phone, he was never great with technology and Childe had been the first to take the first photo on his phone and he still had it as his wallpaper and-
No! He shook his head to clear out all the thoughts. He needed to stop thinking about him!
A chime from his phone did just that. Distracted, Zhongli looked down at the source of the chime. New message from Osial. He clicked on it.
Hey Zhongli, do you want to go out on another date sometime? I know the previous one ended up in a disaster but I promise this time it'll be great.
His finger hovered above his screen, hesitant. He knew he didn't like Osial romantically, but…
Do something new. Venti’s words from earlier echoed at the back of his mind. He sucked in a breath and typed back.
Sure. How about now? I am at Angel’ Share.
Maybe Venti was right. Maybe he did need to try and move on. Why stick to someone who doesn’t want you?
The chime of the notification on his phone was almost instantaneous.
Drinking? At a bar? damn Zhongli didnt know u into that. I’ll be sure to help u have a gd time ;) I’m nearby so ill be here in a jiffy
Reading his message stirred something in him. At least he was still wanted by someone else, he thought bitterly. The remaining wine in his glass was knocked back in a single swallow. Maybe… Maybe Osial could help him get over Childe… Take his mind off things for a while… Even if it was temporary.
He didn’t even have to wait long before he felt a tap on his back and a whisper in his ear. “You look lovely today.” There was a huffing sound which sounded like a smirk before Osial slid onto the bar stool right next to him.
Zhongli rolled his eyes, scrunching up his mouth in contempt. “Lovely? Really? After having not showered for two days and not eating properly for three weeks? Does this ugly omega with a disheveled shirt here look lovely to you?”
“Wow! Snarky. Is this still the same Zhongli I’ve known for so long? The alcohol is really loosening you up, I like that.” Osial laughed. He not so subtly snuck a hand onto Zhongli’s thigh and squeezed it. Out of pure instinct from fending off unwanted alphas harassing him, Zhongli almost swatted his hand off, but… not today, he had to remind himself. He…He needed to try something new.
“Also… Archons, Zhongli. Just look at yourself… You’re the god of beauty reincarnate itself. You’re the most beautiful omega I’ve ever seen so don’t think of yourself as ugly, please.” Osial’s hand reached out to pinch his chin, tugging it sideways so that Zhongli could look at him. But oh archons looking him in the eye was a mistake, those blue eyes were almost the same shade as Childe’s-
His slight grimace didn’t go unnoticed. Osial’s blue eyes flicker between Zhongli and the empty cup of glass on the table, and an understanding formed in those eyes. “Don’t worry,” He growled. “I can help you beat up that bastard for upsetting you. Throwing away an omega like you? His loss then.” He waved a hand, and the bartender looked up at him. “Give this pretty guy here your strongest liquor.”
“Ah, Osial, I must refuse. I need to be sober enough to bring Venti back-”
“Don’t worry about your friend, I will book a cab to send him back right now. It’ll just be the two of us, me and you together tonight.”
The bartender slid the tall glass of firewater onto the counter and Osial placed it in Zhongli's hands. Snezhnayan alcohol, he thought bitterly. Yet another reminder of him. Osial grabbed his own glass and raised it. "Let's drink to our hearts content tonight, eh? Cheers."
Zhongli knocked back the alcohol in a big gulp, eliciting a wolf whistle from Osial who was watching with interest. "Another one?" He grinned.
Zhongli hesitated. Somewhere at the back of his mind, alarm bells rang off. A lone omega shouldn't be drinking out alone at night. He drummed his fingers across the table. But Osial could probably bring him home if he got drunk, right? "You know what?" He found himself saying. "I… I'll go for it. Fuck this." He needed to forget about Childe, even if it's just for one night. Consequences be damned.
The smile on Osial's face grew as he refilled Zhongli's cup. "Wow… I'm actually curious now, what did that fucking asshole do to you to make you so upset?"
Zhongli became visibly quiet. It felt wrong to share something so…intimate. No matter how he felt about Childe, sharing this would cross the line.
The hand on his thigh tightened its grip and Osial's razor sharp gaze narrowed. Zhongli flinched, he felt as though he was being judged. "Can't tell me? I thought we were way past that now."
"It-It's just that-"
"Tch, forget it. Let's not talk about that asshole anymore… thinking about him makes me pissed." A strong odor was starting to emit from Osial, and Zhongli didn't even need to scent it to know that he was angry.
"Drink up." Osial demanded. "You're too sober." Zhongli hesitated for a moment, before he caved in by downing his drink.
Thankfully, they did move on from the subject of Childe to chat about Osial's day. The alpha boasted about his achievements both in school and in his club activities. Zhongli lets him lead the conversation, occasionally interjecting but mostly getting cut off by Osial who just wanted Zhongli to hear about how well he did. He doesn't argue against that, he wasn't much in the mood to talk anyways.
It wasn't until sometime later that the alcohol began hitting him all at once. For a moment, his vision tilts in its axis but barely a second later, a strong grip grabs his body firmly. "You good?"
Zhongli felt himself nodding sluggishly. Shit, he thought drearily, he should have remembered that firewater hits later and harder than other alcohols. The hand holding him shook him lightly and he turned his head slowly, dazed eyes trailing over from the bar top to Osial's body then finally his face. "Yeah… I'm good." He slurred.
The world around him moved slowly, background noises from the bar drowning at the back of his mind and the lights felt they were a bit too glaring now. "Why's it so bright? Urgh turn the lights down Osial… " He bemoaned. There was no reply. If he had been more perceptive, he would have seen the sly smirk creeping up Osial's face.
Osial's gaze never left his. The hand on his thigh started crawling upwards to his crotch, leaving goosebumps across his skin. "Zhongli," He started, voice sickeningly sweet. It felt as if the sound was echoing in his head. "What do you think about me?"
W-what? He struggled to comprehend the question. "What do you mean about you?" Zhongli blinked sluggishly.
"What do you…" The blue haired man's bony hands settled fully over his crotch now, and despite his attempts to feebly push it away, it remained unmoving. Osial leaned in to finish his sentence. His nose settled over the scent gland on his neck and Zhongli keened softly from how sensitive it felt. "...feel about me? We've been friends for so long, after all. And you did ask me out on a date…. A date that you initiated, so surely you have less than pure intentions, right? " His deep voice reverberated through his chest and Zhongli shuddered.
"You're my good friend, Osial. What else would you be?"
Apparently that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. Osial growled, and the grip that was on his shoulder tightened so much that it became almost bruising. Without warning, a set of sharp canines lightly clamped over his scent gland- a bond with an omega - and Zhongli almost yelped if not for the other hand that shifted from his crotch to his mouth, preventing him from making a sound.
"Mmmm!! Sthommmp!"
N-no! He was terrified of what Osial was trying to do. Bonding with an omega was such an intimate gesture, it was a way for partners to mark each other as a symbol of marriage.
"Shhhh, you don't want to make a scene do you? All I want is just to have a good time with you. And I know you want that too. I've waited far too long for this…" Osial yanked his canines away from Zhongli's neck, and to his horror, he saw mating venom dripping down his teeth. No… No! With all the strength he could muster, he pushed himself away from Osial, who simply let him go. There was a loud laughter from the man, the sound grating on his ears and amplified from the high from the alcohol as he tried to desperately tune out in favor of focusing on his steps. One step forward, and then another…
He didn't even make it two steps away before he completely crashed sideways and onto the bar floor. People parted around him unforgivingly, no one wanted to involve themselves in what seemed like another drunk patron just stumbling around. Osial used it to his advantage. His sleek voice placated the people hovering around Zhongli. "I'm so sorry about my friend here, he's had too much to drink. Zhongli, let's get you back to my place shall we?"
Strong hands grabbed at his underarms, dragging him up, up and -
His head was being propped up and the sudden change from lying to standing up sent the drunk omega's head spinning. Bile rose up his throat and he started gagging, but a hand slapped across his mouth forced him to swallow it back. Osial whispered into his ear. "No puking on me, or I will make sure you lick every last drop of it off my shirt."
The thought of that alone made Zhongli even more nauseated, but he forced himself to nod meekly. The blasting loud music and neon lights washing over them gradually faded behind them as Osial led Zhongli out of the bar, or rather, he practically dragged Zhongli out of the bar. Osial had slung Zhongli's arm across his neck as he held on tight to the omega, hand on his waist as he dragged him along, the omega's legs utterly useless in his inebriated state. They looked every part of the couple going home after a wild night out.
Zhongli drifted off to an alcohol induced slumber at some point, for the next time he woke up, it was to the sensation of cold air brushing across his chest. He blinked groggily, taking in his surroundings to try to piece together what had happened when he was unconscious. The view of a sleek dash board and blinking lights told him that they were in Osial's car, the same car that he, Childe and Osial took to the restaurant the other day, yet he was here again under conditions that were so different.
Childe… The thought of him sent Zhongli whimpering. Oh how he was the only one Zhongli actually wanted to be given a mating bite by, not Osial.
A growl and a foul pheromone greeted his senses. Shit. He must have said it out loud.
Osial snarled at Zhongli, slamming his hand onto the seat from the driver side, effectively caging him on the car seat. "Still thinking about that brat? I thought we are mates now, Zhongli, so shouldn't your attention only be on me?! Why are you still thinking of him?! " He could hear the leather creaking underneath the alpha's fist, rage rolling off in waves and sending pheromones that smelled so strong that it sent his head spinning once again.
The alpha's cold hands grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him roughly, and to Zhongli's horror, when he looked down he realised his chest was bare, shirt discarded in his lap sometime when he was unconscious.
A harsh slap was delivered to his face which made him reel in shock. Osial had completely dropped the friendly persona now, slipping into a crazed, possessive one instead. And Zhongli was so, so terribly afraid.
"That's it, I'm going to break off whatever hope that brat had left in hoping to mate you. I'll show him right now that you're mine! I've waited for far longer than he has!" The hands that were on him left his skin, and Zhongli saw from the corner of his eye that Osial fumbled to fish out Zhongli's own phone. There was pause, before a flash of light and clicking sound sent him panicking. No, no nono- Childe couldn't see him like this, debauched and crying, mating marks all over his neck, he'll think of Zhongli like some lowly omegan whore, coupled with how he practically begged the alpha to mate him the other day would absolutely destroy whatever reputation he had left in the alpha's eyes. He'll be cemented in Childe's mind as nothing but a dirty, pathetic, useless omega that just goes around begging for alphas to mate him.
"No! NO! Osial p-please… I-I beg of you, please don't send Childe the photos! I'll do anything!!"
But of course his cries were ignored, his outstretched hands to grab the phone were pushed back with almost no force needed from the alpha. No, no no! He was far too weak in his state to do anything.
Yesterday
Zhongli, please, I just need to talk to u
Please I’ll do anything u want me to do
Please pick up my calls
I’m so so sorry i promise everything will be better once we just talk it through
Please…
205 unread messages, 52 missed calls
Today
<Picture attachment>
Zhongli!!! Thank archons u finally replied
Please pls pls just meet up with me pls we need to talk
Wait
WHO R U?? WHAT DID U DO TO HIM
The tune from the Mr Cyclops cartoon show rang out from his phone, a ringtone that Childe had set as a prank on Zhongli, who couldn't for the life of him figure out how to get rid of the ringtone. Hearing it now brought a fresh wave of tears to his eyes. Oh how he wished he could return to those days with Childe, before all of this happened.
"Hello." Osial's cool voice ran out calmly, mockingly.
"OSIAL I KNEW IT WAS YOU!! YOU FUCKER! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ZHONGLI?!"
There was an outburst of laughter from Osial, who seemed like he could barely hold himself back as he doubled over in stitches. "Oh don't worry about it," He grinned. "I win, you lose. All I did was just make sure that he's mine now, you hear me, Childe?" He spat out the other alpha's name like poison.
A string of curses was shouted from the other line. "TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN AND LEAVE HIM OUT OF TH-"
Beep.
The call ended abruptly, leaving Zhongli's cries as the only sound echoing in the car.
"Hmph, that was satisfying. He finally knows his place now. Now we can finally start having fun, you've been waiting for this right, Zhongli? Sorry to have taken so long."
The pair of hands was back on him again, crawling across his skin, going down, down, down until they reached the waistband of his pants. In a swift motion, they were undone, and a hand plunged swiftly into his panties.
"..!!! " A squeak left Zhongli's lips and he yelped at the foreign fingers toying at his clit. "Osial please, don't." He tried to beg. Archons, please! He prayed to any god out there that would listen to his pleas.
But fate wasn't on his side. The alpha silenced him by clasping his own lips onto Zhongli's, swallowing all the noises that he was making. "NO! Stop-" Zhongli parted for a breath but barely a second later his lips were sealed once again. Osial stayed in that position for a long time, fingers toying with Zhongli's pussy as he took in all the moans and cries he elicited, savoring it like a starved man.
"You little minx, do you know how long I've been pining for you? And imagine my horror when I see that man staying with you, darling. I'm going to erase every last bit of his stench on you and replace it with mine."
Suddenly there was a roar of an engine outside and a smashing of glass that sent Zhongli crying out from how loud it sounded. Everything happened all at once, Osial was suddenly yanked back from him and thrown out of the car, and the pheromones of another very, very angry alpha flooded the air.
All it took was one sniff of the air for Zhongli to know who it was.
"CHILDE!"
"OSIAL!"
Osial scrambled back up to his feet in an instant, despite the gory mess of blood and flesh on his back after being dragged through the broken car window, he did not let the pain show on his face. "You…! How did you know where we were?!"
"You might have known Zhongli for a longer time than I do, but I understand him far better than you ever will." Childe hissed out. "Did you know that he's practically useless when it comes to technology? I've always been the one to help him out with his phone, so I know that he definitely does not know how to turn off his location tracker. Bet you never knew him well enough to know that."
The two alpha's circled each other, fists out and teeth bared as they waited for the other to make a first move. Then, Childe striked, a sweep under Osial's feet and an uppercut sent to his jaw as he tumbled backwards. Osial spit out the blood in his mouth and ran forward in an attempt to throw a punch at Childe's stomach, but the other alpha shielded against him expertly with his arms.
Childe wasn't captain of the boxing club for no reason.
It took another three beatings to convince Osial that he wasn't going to be able to beat Childe in his current state, and especially not when Childe was absolutely furious and wasn't afraid to hold back.
"Leave now before I call the cops on you. If I ever see you hanging around Zhongli again, it won't just be your nose that is broken! "
The blue haired alpha was sent scurrying away with his tail in between his legs like a coward.
Now that the threat was gone, Childe allowed himself to relax a little as he jogged back to the car and flung open the passenger door to reveal a half naked and terrified omega. The smell of the pheromones of an angry alpha still emitted from Childe, which caused the poor omega to shrink away from him and bow his head and bare his neck in submission, purely based on instinct.
"Zhongli!! You're safe now, thank god I got here in- Huh…? Oh wait, this is not what it looks like! … I'm so sorry, l-let me try to calm down first. I-I promise I'm not angry at you Zhongli, that's the last thing I'll feel right now towards you!"
He… wasn't angry? No… Childe was probably lying. Zhongli peeked up meekly from where he was curled up. "You… You probably think I'm some omgean whore who throws himself at every guy…" He wailed, unconvinced.
A warm, comforting hand softly brushed out the sweat and tear soaked bangs covering his face, and Zhongli couldn't help but make a keening noise at how comforting the gesture felt. It was such a stark contrast to how harsh and forceful Osial was. Childe bent down until he was at Zhongli's eye level, and he cupped the man's face in his palms lovingly.
"Oh Zhongli… I… This is probably long overdue and probably not the best time to say it but I don't know how else to convince you other than letting you know that I… I've been in love with you for the longest time ever. Ever since you took it as your responsibility to guide this fresh off the boat Snezhnayan boy through Liyuen culture and its city streets, ever since you started telling me your stories and I realise how I would never want to stop hearing them, ever since you smiled at me and those absolutely beautiful golden eyes twinkled… I just want you to know that I really do love you. That day when I didn't mate with you it wasn't because I didn't like you, it was because I wasn't sure if you had liked me too, so I didn't wish to force it upon you… " The beginnings of a tear started forming in Childe's eyes, and he had to force himself to look away so that he wouldn't cry.
Zhongli was at a lost for words.
So Venti… He was actually right. Childe actually… liked him too?
The guilt that washed over him for thinking so little of Childe, when all he had was just good intentions for him was absolutely overwhelming. "Oh Childe… I'm so, so sorry I had misinterpreted it so badly." Zhongli cried. He sat up abit straighter, and there was only a moment of hesitation before Zhongli pulled Childe in to lock his lips in a bone crushing kiss. He had waited for this moment for so long. To have his dream alpha reciprocate his feelings… Zhongli wouldn't have given it up for anything else in the world.
But… There was still one big problem.
Zhongli reluctantly pulled apart from the kiss to gaze down at his lap, unable to meet the alpha's eyes. "Childe… But Osial had already made a claiming mark on me…" He cried out. Tears pooled beneath his long lashes, threatening to spill over. Both of them knew what the implications of it meant. Alphas and omegas generally mate for life, and thus a claiming mark was supposed to last for a lifetime.
A low growl emitted from Childe. Thinking about how that filthy bastard stole his omega's claiming mark from him brought out all the horrendously violent thoughts that he wanted to do to Osial.
But he couldn’t show it. Not in front of Zhongli, not when he was in this state.
Childe reached out to gently swipe a calloused thumb under the other's eyes. "Zhongli, we'll see the best doctors to reverse it. I have the money for that, and your case isn't unheard of, so don't worry, my love."
The term of endearment that rolled off so easily from Childe's tongue sent Zhongli's face ablaze in crimson. "I… Thank you so much, Childe. There's no one else in Tevyat I'll rather be mated to than you." He shyly admitted.
Finally… The heavy weight on his heart that was the fear of rejection was finally lifted, leaving Zhongli feeling renewed and more in love than ever.
—
“What. Did. I. FUCKING. TELL. YOU!!!”
Venti’s high pitched scream echoed through Zhongli’s and Childe’s small shared room.
Zhongli cringed and immediately made a hushing motion at the green haired omega, who was in hysterics. “Quiet! You are going to get me a warning letter from the RA at this rate.” He hissed. Yet, he couldn’t hide the grin that was threatening to escape from beneath that stoic mask.
That definitely didn’t escape Venti’s all seeing eyes. Immediately, the boy practically flew across the room to grab at Zhongli’s face. “Look at you,” He cooed, “All smiley now! What happened to the emotionless omega I once knew?”
Venti released him from his grasp, but immediately replaced it with a finger shoved at his face. “Uh huh, after all my hardwork I get to say this again. I FUCKING TOLD YOU BITCH! I told you Childe was in love with you and you didn’t believe me!! Look who’s right!!!”
Zhongli folded his arms and sighed. “I guess I do owe you one.” He begrudgingly admitted.
“YES!”
Venti’s cheers were interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Looks like lover boy is here.” Venti winked at Zhongli, who rolled his eyes with an amused huff.
Childe pushed open the door to see Venti, and immediately shoved the bouquet of roses he had been holding behind his back.
“It’s alright, don’t need to hide from me. I was just making my way out of here anyways.” The teal haired boy stood up and dusted himself off. He walked to the entrance, but not before turning around to wink at Zhongli. “Don’t wanna interrupt your sexy time here. Have fun!” And the door clicked shut, Venti’s head narrowly missing a pillow flung at it.
“Is this some sort of omega thing that I’m not supposed to know about?” Childe laughed as he made his way over to Zhongli, who took the roses from his hands. He brought the flowers up to his face and inhaled deeply into the floral scent. Absolutely fragrant.
“Nothing important. Just Venti being Venti, as usual.” He chuckled.
“So… ahem… is Venti right about this being ‘sexy time’?” Childe smiled slyly.
Zhongli cringed and swatted the alpha’s forearm with the flowers. “Childe!” He chided, “Please do not say that. Makes it sound so… unrefined.”
Oh two could play this game, Childe thought.
“Oh pardon me, mister,” He curtsied in a mock bow. “Will this kind sir wish to copulate with thyself?”
“Childe!”
Childe tackled the omega onto the floor as they dissolved into a laughing fit. He couldn’t believe it. Just months apart since the incident and now here he was again, on the floor caging the lovely brunette underneath him once more, yet the conditions surrounding the situation this time were so vastly different.
“Oh Childe…” Zhongli met his gaze shyly. “Well… I don't mind."
Looks like it was going to be a long day ahead.