Chapter Text
Every time Zhongli’s eyes glazed over Ajax he caught the man looking at him, and every time Ajax took a glance at him, he also caught Zhongli’s gazing back.
Every time it happened during the dinner, which was more than Zhongli could count, it sent a rush of warmth to his cheeks and a strange electrical current zapped just under his skin.
They were seated all together by the big table that stood between the living room and the kitchen. Many dishes were sprawled across it, although only from Liyuean cuisine – as much as Zhongli wanted to accommodate their Snezhnayan guest and include something from his culture, it was too late to go and find ingredients that would allow him to cook even a single dish from the ones he had found on the internet. He apologized to Ajax about that, but the man just gave him a look of surprise before smiling warmly and saying he wouldn’t have even expected it and that he should not feel in any way bad about it. Still, Zhongli made a mental promise to himself to try and cook something Snezhnayan for him on the next occasion.
Because if the butterflies kicking at his stomach walls on every single bit of attention that Ajax gave him that evening were anything to go by, Zhongli would really, really like it if there would be a next occasion. Or occasions. Multiple.
When they finished the dinner, having discussed all the Snezhnayan Christmas traditions (the one about sharing a piece of bread before the Christmas Eve dinner with every member of the household and wishing each other everything best in the upcoming year was most interesting to Zhongli), he forego the hassle of cleaning the table up and just took everyone to the living room to just sit down and relax over a Christmas-themed movie. The kids took it as an opportunity to boast about some of their gifts. Xiao brought in his newest shiny atlas of colourful birds of Sumeru and a new set of paints and art supplies, and Ganyu dragged in her dragonling costume and colouring books with pictures from Liyuean mythology. The kids spoke very excitedly, and Ajax listened to everything attentively, admiring their gifts with a spark in his eyes.
“Mister Childe, when do you open Christmas gifts in Snezhnaya?” Xiao asked him.
Right after Ajax stepped through the front door, the kids all but kidnapped him to drown him in different questions and stories. Zhongli listened to it with one ear as he was preparing the dinner table and finishing the dishes (having refused Ajax’s help offers because he was the host!), and he was thoroughly amazed that despite all the time the kids spent with him yesterday, they still had more questions to ask, and that Ajax replied to them all with the same enthusiasm and seriousness. It seemed that their curiosity was not yet satiated as the barrage continued when Zhongli was trying to find a movie to watch.
“We do that on Christmas Eve once everyone finishes the food on their plates,” he said.
“So your Christmas are three days long?” Ganyu asked, from above her colouring book.
“Yes, three days of sitting at home with a cup of hot cocoa and all that delicious food,” Ajax replied with a grin.
“What was the best Christmas gift you’ve ever gotten?” Xiao inquired, sitting next to him on the sofa.
Ajax hummed, lips pouting in thought. “A fishing rod from my dad, when I was ten.”
“You like fishing?” Ganyu asked in disbelief, and the disgust in her voice was very amusing. Zhongli couldn’t contain a chuckle.
“I quite enjoy it, yes! I was born and raised in a seaside village so fishing was a part of my life from the beginning. Even in winter, we would drill holes in the ice of the sea or lakes to fish. It’s called ice fishing.”
Ganyu’s little “eww” sent Ajax into a bout of laughter and Zhongli wanted to burn that picture into his brain.
“Okay, kids, the movie is starting,” he announced as he dimmed the light in the room and sat down next to Ajax. Ganyu sat next to him, and quickly climbed up to sit on his lap, curling into his chest.
With the movie playing on the TV, the colourful Christmas lights twinkling in the room, the presence of his loved ones around him, and the warmth of Ajax’s body right next to him, Zhongli felt at peace, truly and wholly, for the first time in a very, very long time.
He didn’t even notice the moment sleep grasped him in its embrace.
He was woken up by an equally sleepy Ganyu, who was poking at his arm delicately. The TV screen was black, meaning that the movie must have already ended.
“Dad, I wanna go to bed,” his daughter whispered.
Groggy with sleep, he couldn’t understand why she was whispering, until he noticed a weight on top of his head and the sound of deep, steady breaths close to his year.
It seemed like they all fell asleep. And that in said sleep, Zhongli had unconsciously snuggled to Ajax, resting his head on his shoulder. He felt a little embarrassed because of it, feeling his face go hot, but if Ajax minded… well, it must not have been an offence so grave it would stop him from resting his own head atop Zhongli’s.
The man stirred in his sleep then, waking up. He blinked a few times, trying to understand what had happened. As he looked down to see Zhongli still snuggled to his side, a faint blush tinted his freckled cheeks.
“Oh,” he said in a voice hoarse from sleep.
Zhongli’s heart skipped a beatt as they looked at each other, neither breaking the contact.
“Daaaaad…”
With the spell broken, Zhongli moved away from Ajax a bit, instantly missing the warmth of his body against his own. He put Ganyu on the sofa and stood up, taking her hand into his.
“Let’s go then, my dear. Xiao,” he very gently woke his son up. The boy grumbled, unhappy at having his sleep disturbed. Zhongli chuckled. “Time for bed.”
Xiao got up after a moment, still with an unhappy and sleepy frown on his face. Zhongli grabbed his hand into his free one.
“I’ll be right back soon, please wait for me a little,” he said to Ajax. He was looking at him with an unreadable expression and a shadow of a smile in the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah,” Ajax replied, and the shadow bloomed into a real, wide and happy smile that made Zhongli’s heart thump. “I will.”
*
Once the kids were in bed, tucked away and each having received a forehead kiss from Zhongli, they went back to the kitchen to clean up the dishes and enjoy some mulled wine. Zhongli told him that he never really prepared it, and only went to the only opened convenience store to get the missing ingredients in the morning. Luckily for him, Childe was quite well acquainted with the drink and the recipe, so he took the reins of their undertaking and guided him through every step, feeling an indescribable rush of energy whenever Zhongli accidentally brushed by him.
“Add the oranges now, and turn on the heating to low,” he said, watching Zhongli slowly stir the mixture. “We don’t want it to boil.”
“I assumed so.”
“I didn’t know kitchen smarts go in pair with full knowledge of Liyuean law system.” Childe crossed his arms on his chest, tilting his head.
“They do in the case of this particular individual,” Zhongli sent him an amused look from above the cooking pot.
“You are a very skilled lawyer indeed, then. I guess your reputation was true.”
“I’m not technically a lawyer, actually,” Zhongli clarified. “I’m more of a… consultant, I suppose you could say.”
“A consultant for what?” Childe was genuinely intrigued.
“For legal advice, mostly financial, but for companies. We oversee contracts and do audits, amongst many other things. I’ve never actually worked as an attorney, that’s not really my area of interest.”
“I think you would be a good one.”
Zhongli scrunched his nose. “No, I don’t think so. I wouldn’t feel comfortable in that role.”
“Not one to decide on who’s guilty or not?”
“That’s one thing, yes,” the man agreed, mixing the wine. Its smell started slowly swirling in the air, the spice prickling at Childe’s nose pleasantly. “Besides, civil and criminal law has never interested me much. Not in a way that would make me not abide by it,” he corrected himself quickly.
Once the wine was ready, they poured themselves a small mug each and shared it over some more light talk about their lives. They continued on the topics they scratched at during their little tea “date” two days ago, going more in-depth on each other’s passions and jobs and stories from their lives. In particular, Zhongli enjoyed hearing of Childe’s childhood adventures with his dad, and Childe was amazed by the stories of Zhongli’s high school and college times. They kept refilling their mugs as their conversation went on, straying towards different, sometimes more serious topics. Zhongli opened up about his struggles after the death of his wife, the pictures of which Childe saw on the corridor wall. It broke Childe’s heart a bit and made him appreciate the man more than he already had, hearing the full extent of the strength he had in himself. He, in turn, shared some of the stories of his darker times in his teenage years – how he got involved with shady individuals, how he ran away from home, how he got so many scars. The worry on Zhongli’s face deepened as he admitted that he had seen them the day before, but did not want to intrude on his privacy.
“That wouldn’t be intruding. I do have a hard time talking about it, mostly due to the unpredictability of people’s reaction to me telling them of my past,” he explained. “But for some reason, I know I wouldn’t feel bad if it was you asking.”
Zhongli stopped his glass midway to his lips.
“How so?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
“I… don’t know. There’s just something about you that makes it really easy for me to talk with you, to feel at ease with you, even though we come from completely different backgrounds. Something special that keeps my thoughts circling around you.”
Childe didn’t know why he said that last part. Instantly, he felt embarrassed, so much so that he turned his eyes away and took a sip of wine to busy himself with something.
Zhongli appeared to be quite stunned at the compliment but quickly regained his poise. “I must admit, I feel very similar.”
Childe whipped his head at that, looking back at Zhongli. His cheeks were flushed with wine, and his eyes were like two smouldering coals in the dimmed light of the kitchen. Maybe it was the alcohol speaking, but Childe could swear they had a light of his own.
“Care to explain?” he inquired, maybe a bit daringly, feeling his heartbeat speed up as he saw a shadow of a smirk dance at the corner of his lips.
“Well,” Zhongli put his empty mug down. “I think you’re an interesting and complex individual with a strong sense of self, that’s for starters. I see the way you act around kids, and how accommodating you always are. You are caring, selfless, and kind, and you possess a sense of humour that I find particularly heartwarming. Qualities that I find quite attractive in other people.”
Childe’s head spun, and this time he was absolutely sure it was not the alcohol. Mustering his wits together, he returned the smirk.
“That’s an interesting information,” he mused. “And it matches well with my own feelings, but, please, do go on.”
Zhongli rolled his eyes. “Are you fishing for compliments now?”
Childe took a step forward, noticing how that caused Zhongli to take a deeper breath. “No, absolutely not,” he chuckled. “I can return them just fine.”
“Now you go on, then, please.”
He couldn’t contain a chuckle at the commanding tone, continuing to get closer to Zhongli. “Well, other than you being an amazing father, a responsible, respectful, and attentive person, and a very interesting conversation partner that I would possibly never get bored talking to and listening to…” he said. He was now close enough to Zhongli to put his arms on the kitchen counter on both of his sides, caging him in. “You’re also fucking hot.”
Zhongli’s breath hitched in his throat. Childe observed him carefully for any signs of discomfort or a clue to stop but found none.
“I must admit that I share the sentiment.” Zhongli bit his lower bit as if in thought. Childe’s eyes followed the movement. “There’s this kind of strange pull that I feel towards you.”
“It’s a good thing, then.”
“Why?” Zhongli asked.
Gosh, why was the man so hypnotising? Childe wished he could drown in the golden pools of his eyes, so beautiful and enticing. Guided by that unknown magnetism, he tucked a loose strand of bronze hair behind his ear. A small gasp slipped through Zhongli’s throat as Childe’s fingers brushed his ear shell. Childe’s fingertip burned, and so did his chest.
“Because I feel that pull too,” he confessed. “And I don’t know how much longer I can fight against it.”
He pushed his head closer, not breaking eye contact with Zhongli until he glanced down at his lips, soft and tinted with the wine, and quite possibly just as sweet. He wanted to taste them. Needed to taste them.
“Then don’t.”
The words said in Zhongli’s low whisper, sent a shiver through his entire body.
The man parted his mouth, then, and a puff of warm breath filled the space between their faces with the scent of spices and oranges. Childe’s heart skipped a beat and resumed its race with double the speed, and for a second he was afraid it might jump out from between his ribs. The thoughts in his head turned into an inaudible mush of sounds and sensations as he tilted his head, glancing up for a second to see the expression on Zhongli’s face, but the man wasn’t looking at him; instead, his eyes were focused on Childe’s lips with something that could only be described as the most urgent expectation. It made something swell within Childe’s torso, something between pride and self-confidence laced with deeply hidden hunger.
Years later, he could never recall which one of them was the first to push their lips together. All he could remember was Zhongli’s fingers grasping at his shirt desperately, the burning sensation coursing through his veins, and a very inviting mouth that tasted of wine, cinnamon, and cloves.
Childe didn’t know if he was dreaming or not, because kissing Zhongli was too good to be true. Especially kissing him that way.
Zhongli gasped into the kiss when Childe deepened it, accepting the invitation. He put his hands on Zhongli’s waist, bringing the man closer, turning him around and pushing against the kitchen counter, feeling a rising need to be as close as possible. He felt slim fingers thread into his hair and grab them, finding purchase in the strands. A grunt left his throat as Zhongli kissed him back with the ferociousness he had never expected him to have. It took him by surprise, so much so that he broke the kiss and gasped for air, looking at Zhongli with wide eyes.
The other man did not agree with that decision – a shadow of dissatisfaction flashed on his face in a small grimace, and he brought Childe closer to resume the kiss. Childe did not mind. Absolutely.
Suddenly, a small, sleepy voice broke through the haze in Childe’s brain.
“Dad… why are you trying to eat mister Childe?”
Zhongli let him go instantly as if he suddenly got burned. A bit dishevelled, flushed, and with lips slightly red from kissing, he looked like an absolute vision.
Childe shook his head, trying to get back to reality. Not the time, not the time! He took a step back, a part of his brain instantly missing the warmth. He looked to the side at little, confused Ganyu looking at them half-asleep, in her pyjamas, with a dragon plushie dangling from her hand.
“Sweetheart, I’m not-“ Zhongli started in a hoarse voice. He coughed into his fist. “Sweetheart, I’m not trying to… eat… anyone,” he sent Childe a panicked look.
“What happened, princess?” Childe came to the rescue but also had to clear his throat before that. Looks like both were equally affected.
Ganyu didn’t seem to have noticed this abrupt change of topic. “I think there’s a monster under my bed.”
“A monster,” Zhongli repeated, slowly. “Alright, dad will go with you and check.” He quickly fixed his hair and shirt, briefly glancing at Childe. “I’ll be back soon,” he whispered and followed Ganyu out of the kitchen.
Childe stood there in his place like a stone statue, trying to comprehend what had just happened and if it really did happen. He pinched the skin of his hand and hissed at the pain. Nope. That definitely wasn’t a dream.
His hands were shaking, he realized, and his heart didn’t seem to be able to calm down even after Zhongli had left. A deep, calming breath also didn’t help. He could still feel the smell of Zhongli’s perfume, his fingers in his hair, the warmth of his body so close to his and the urgency with which he kissed back.
There was no calming down, not here in this kitchen.
Believing that some fresh air would help him, Childe slipped out to the balcony. The coldness of the night hit him instantly, but it wasn’t even comparable to the frost he had to endure in Snezhnaya. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with cool air, so much that his ribs almost hurt. He held it in for a bit and then exhaled slowly, very slowly, giving his body a second to slow down.
The panorama of Liyue was breathtaking from the balcony. The city twinkled below and in front of him like the almost clear sea of stars that hung above him in the dark sky. The moon, full and round, hung above the calm waters of the harbour, sending silver illumination onto everything within its reach.
So yeah. They had just kissed. He and the ethereally beautiful, kind, intelligent, and funny golden-eyed man that he had met a few days ago while dressed as a Santa’s elf had kissed. And more importantly, said man seemed to enjoy it just as much as he did.
Childe put his hands in his pockets.
What the fuck.
As he pondered on the absolute improbability of anything like that ever occurring outside of a crappy Christmas romcom, the door behind him opened quietly, and he turned his head to see Zhongli walking in. The man gave him a shy smile that sent his heart racing again.
“Enjoying the view?” Zhongli asked when he joined him at his side and gazed at the city sprawling in front of them.
Childe couldn’t take his eyes off of him. With his cheeks dusted with a faint blush, basking in moonlight, Zhongli looked positively oneiric. “Yeah,” he replied quietly, enthralled.
The man turned his head to the side to look at him, then, and Childe swore he could count the stars in his eyes.
They looked at each other for a few long seconds that might have as well lasted a few eternities. Neither of them realized that they were getting closer to each other.
“Well,” Zhongli murmured, his breath fanning over Childe’s face. “Looks like I have to give my daughter a promotion.”
“Why?” Childe asked, laughing. It didn’t escape his attention how Zhongli’s eyes slid down to look at his lips.
“She does have a good eye for recruitment, it seems.”
“How so?”
“Her newest hire is very… promising.”
“Oh?” Chide got even closer to him, inches away from Zhongli’s face, pulled by an invisible force that he couldn’t fight.
“Yeah,” Zhongli breathed out, his chest rising and falling slightly faster than before. “The management has his eyes on him.”
“Good. He quite likes the management’s eyes,” Childe whispered.
Zhongli’s chuckle was cut abruptly by Childe catching his lips in another kiss. The man smiled into it, putting his arms around Childe’s neck.
It was slower this time, with less heat but no less sweetness. They savoured each other, catching the faintest taste of the mulled wine on their tongues, giving themselves time to take the moment in, without a hurry. Zhongli’s fingers played with the hair at the base of his head, scratching idly, which sent pleasant shivers down his spine and made his stomach flip in his belly. He, in turn, slowly dragged his own hands down Zhongli’s back, drawing little shapes and circles with his thumbs on his way to his hips, which he then grabbed lightly, applying just enough pleasure to elicit a light gasp from the man’s throat.
He couldn’t tell how much time had passed before Zhongli broke the kiss to gasp some much-needed air.
Reality took back its place around them, reconstructing itself as they looked at each other, smiling, their breaths mingling together in the air between them.
A speck of white landed on the tip of Zhongli’s nose, and then another on his hair, and one more on his shoulder. Soon, more white flakes idly flew in the air around them, gracefully twirling as they fell.
Only after a longer moment did he realise what it was.
“Snow?” he asked in shock. It was a rarity in Liyue, and it had not snowed once since he moved here a few years ago.
“Huh?” Zhongli was just as surprised. “I can’t remember the last time it snowed.”
“I suppose miracles do happen at this time of the year,” Childe mused.
Another snowflake fell on Zhongli’s nose, and Childe kissed it away, lightly.
“Merry Christmas, Zhongli.”
The man gave him a smile so warm it could melt the glaciers of Dragonspine. It sunk into Childe’s skin, lodging itself in the cavity of his chest, right in his heart.
“Merry Christmas, Ajax,” Zhongli replied before kissing him again.
The man shivered in Childe’s arms, but this time it wasn’t a shiver of pleasure.
“You’re cold,” Childe murmured.
“A bit, yes. I’m not from Snezhnaya.”
Childe laughed quietly. He gave Zhongli a chaste, sweet peck on his lips, using all of his will not to melt into them again, and then took his hand in his, intertwining their fingers in a way that felt so completely right, for some reason. The skin of Zhongli’s palm was soft against his own.
“Let’s go inside,” he said.
“Yeah,” Zhongli agreed with a smile. “Let’s go inside.”