Yes, Childe, You Could Have Been Doing This the Entire Time

Zhongli thought that the next morning would be far more awkward than it is, but he finds that he settles into his usual routine the next morning easily.

He wakes up on time, his watch vibrating so as to not wake up Childe at such an ungodly hour. He stretches in his bed, rolling out his shoulders, and then stands, padding across their dorm on quiet feet. The smell of coffee fills the air as he watches the first bloom of his coffee in the french press.

When Zhongli looks up, he finds Childe staring at him from his bunk, chin resting gently on the railing.

"Ah, I—" He drops his wooden spoon, surprised.

Childe looks half-awake. "Mornin'" he murmurs, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Zhongli clears his throat. Even though he's more relaxed than expected, "Coffee," he says. "If you want some."

"Hmmm, yeah. That's—yeah. Sounds good." Childe climbs from his bunk, dropping to the floor with a thunk, and then disappears into the bathroom.

The moment the door clicks shut, Zhongli lets out a long sigh. "Could be worse," he says to himself, dropping the spoon into the coffee grounds, breaking them up before leaving the press to properly brew.

Zhongli can't help but smirk, knowing exactly what's exhausted Childe. He jerked off to you again. This time it wasn't a mistake. There is no denying it—Childe absolutely, and intentionally fucked his hand, thinking of Zhongli.

He couldn't help indulge right back, hand shoved underneath his sheets as he fisted his cock. Zhongli is a little embarrassed by it and how he lost himself to the moment, but more than anything—

Well, he's a little proud. Zhongli isn't typically what is considered a catch even if he knows that he's objectively handsome enough. Childe is a jock and Zhongli is certainly not his time, from what he's seen. And yet.

The bathroom door slides open and Childe emerges, looking more refreshed. This time when he meets Zhognli's face, his cheeks turn bright red. "I… Zhongli, what I mean to say is—"

"I assume you want your coffee as normal?" interrupts Zhongli, trying to save Childe from his floundering. "Tons of milk and tons of sugar?"

Childe makes a face then. "I don't… why'd you say it like that?"

Zhongli chuckles, pouring out a cup and dumping in an absurd amount of milk and sugar. "Because you waste the coffee."

"That's exactly what Xiao said," says Childe, glumly.

Zhongli drops the coffee cup before him. "Unlike Xiao, I don't actually judge you for your coffee choices."

Childe's hand shoots out then, wrapping around Zhongli's wrist. They both freeze as he holds it awkwardly, his thumb pressed to the sharp jut of his wrist bone. "Uh… look, about last night—"

"It isn't a big deal." It slips from Zhongli's mouth before he can stop it. Liar, he thinks. Of course, it's a big deal. "Ah, let me rephrase. I am not particularly… bothered by it." A pause. "Obviously."

Because he'd jerked off alongside him, not bothering to hide it. Much.

Childe turns pink again, right to the tips of his ears. "I… yeah, okay. Right. I just wanted to make sure that… you're okay."

"Childe, might I have my hand back?"

"Oh. Sorry, yeah—" He lets go of Zhongli's wrist as though he's been burned. "Wasn't thinking."

Zhongli sits opposite him, nursing his own cup of black coffee. They don't talk about it further than that, and the air is a little tense.

But it's still a good breakfast despite that, and Zhongli cannot help but feel fond.

#

They are not very good at being nonchalant about the entire situation.

Zhongli assumed that after Childe's awkward fumbling, they'd drop it entirely and go about their days as normal as they can. He was wrong.

Instead, there are lingering stares. Every time that Zhongli looks up, he finds Childe staring back at him dreamily, chin cradled by his palm. There are lingering touches, soft little things that most wouldn't think much of. But between the two of them, they are clear and very precise. Childe and Zhongli have never been particularly tactile with each other, so this is new. Exciting, even.

They lean across each other, or find excuses to catch hands. Childe will press close whenever the opportunity presents itself, and Zhongli will easily respond in kind.

"Did something happen between the two of you?" asks Xiao one day, weeks later. Childe has already left the counter to reserve the two of them a spot.

"Hm?" Zhongli catches himself staring, much to his embarrassment.

Xiao's face shifts then. "Oh my Gods, did you finally fuck him?"

"I—no?"

"Damn," says Xiao with a snort, turning back to the espresso machine. "I thought my days might get a little better, but it looks like I just have to watch the two of you moon from afar." He pauses, steaming a cup of milk. "Really though… something is different?"

"I… well, nothing happened, per se. Nothing of consequence. But it has been confirmed that Childe was certainly touching himself to the thought of me."

Xiao drops the milk container and it clatters across the floor, making a mess. He grunts in frustration before looking back at Zhongli. "I—he didn't do it again, did he?" It comes out as a quiet hiss as he grabs a mop from the corner to clean up his spill.

"I…"

"That's… to the idea of you?"

Zhongli frowns. "Now that's just rude."

"And what, you didn't do anything? Say anything? You just laid there and let him?"

Oh, he did something. And it was arguably worse than fucking his hand in the hallway while listening to Childe get railed by another man, which is saying something. Zhongli still can't believe he had it in himself to mutually jerk off in the same room.

"What did you do?" Xiao is watching him with that narrowed gaze that knows too much.

Zhongli clears his throat. "It doesn't matter now. Just make sure his drink is correct."

"What do you mean—Zhongli!"

Zhongli smirks at Xiao before turning away, leaving a very baffled barista.

#

"What did the little nightmare want?"

"I wouldn't let him hear you call him little," says Zhongli, settling into the couch next to Childe.

Childe snorts. "He's short. So, little."

"He's also a competitive wushu martial artist, so I wouldn't risk a fight."

"He's a what?" Childe lights up at that, far too eager at the prospect.

"I didn't tell you that to get you excited."

Childe grins cheekily. "I mean, I like to wrestle others, you know? It's a rugby thing." Zhongli doubts it's a rugby thing, and thinks that it's more a Childe thing. "Ah, whatever. I don't have the time," continues Childe. He flops against the worn couch of the cafe, sinking into the leather.

"I take it that your classes are proving to be an issue again?"

"It's just math," whines Childe. "I'm not dumb, but I'm begging to know what Calculus I and my rugby scholarship have in common."

Zhongli chuckles softly. "Even I have courses that don't make much sense with my graduate degree."

"Yeah, but you're like… you. You're a genius with all that knowledge you lug around in your brain."

"I certainly am not."

"He's right, you know." Childe and Zhongli turn to find Xiao standing there, a sneer spread wide across his face. He drops their mugs to the coffee table before them. "Zhongli, I mean. You're the dumbest man I've ever met."

Zhongli appraises him with a mildly sarcastic glance, which leads to Xiao flipping him off before he makes himself scarce.

"Rude," says Childe under his breath. He knocks his knee against Zhongli's. "Don't listen to him, yeah? You're easily the smartest person that I know."

"Do you know that many people?"

Childe blinks. "I… well, I guess not. But that isn't the point!"

Zhongli reaches out to press a hand against Childe's thigh, squeezing it lightly. It's instinctual. He thinks nothing of it until Childe's leg tenses slightly and his face turns pink. "Ah, I…" Zhongli lets go and clears his throat, tugging slightly at the collar of his sweater vest.

"I didn't mind it," says Childe quietly. He doesn't mean Zhongli's smarts.

Zhongli nearly drops his coffee on his lap.

#

This is how it goes for an insufferably long time.

Zhongli and Childe dance around each other, silently acknowledging that something lies between them, but never mentioning it outright. But it's clear. It's obvious. Xiao has started making gagging noises every time that they walk into the cafe on their totally not coffee dates.

(They're definitely coffee dates, judging by the way that they stare at each other instead of their school work, but Zhongli isn't in a position to complain).

It's nice. Childe was never a stranger to him, but they've spent more time together in the last month, than they have the entire time that they've shared a dorm. It's been a long time since someone truly held his interest without guilt wracking him.

Guizhong would like him, thinks Zhongli. She would get along with him like butter and bread. Her phrasing, not his.

"Hey, is that a new sweater?"

Zhongli pauses, looking down at himself. "No, it's an older one. I don't wear it much, but ever since I ruined the other one—"

"Man, I liked that one." Zhongli falters slightly in his words, looking back at Childe. Childe watches him back with a lazy grin. "The chocolate brown one, right? With the yellow stitching? It looked good on you. Very handsome."

Oh. Zhongli's mouth goes dry, unused to such openly expressed flattery. His cock stirs in his trousers, just a bit. Zhongli wills it to steady, grinding his hand down into his lap as subtly as he can. Childe knows. He has to. His eyes glint with mirth, his mouth twisted into a grin as he just watches Zhongli squirm.

But then Childe looks away. "Back to the grind," he says, turning a page, but not really looking at it. "These functions won't derive themselves."

"These—functions. Yeah." Zhongli can't seem to find his word. He reaches into his bag to swap out his books, thinking that perhaps a change in the subject might help clear his mind.

A moment passes and Childe's looking at him again. "Hey, Zhongli?"

"Hm?" Zhongli looks, training his gaze on those damnable freckles, the ones that dot Childe's face.

"Your book is upside down."

Oh, Archons above. This time it's Zhongli that turns red, and he can feel the way that his ears burn.

All that Childe does, though, is laugh before reaching out and tugging the book from his grasp, flipping it to its proper position. Then he pauses. "Oh hey, you have—" Childe leans over, swiping his thumb across the corner of Zhongli's mouth. "A little bit of foam," he says with a laugh. "You don't normally get cappuccinos, so I guess that's my fault for ordering you one."

Zhongli is fairly certain he looks like a tomato. His heart hammers in his chest.

"Like a ten-year-old child," said Xiao to him once.

Zhongli wants to think himself above that, but it's hard to think with his cock trapped so tightly in his trousers.

#

Zhongli is nearly thirty, but apparently, it doesn't take much for him to revert to the mindset of a jealous fucking teenager.

One look, one glance at Childe at the wrong moment, and suddenly, Zhongli is a green-eyed monster.

Childe looks as handsome as ever, clad in a slim-fitting t-shirt that rises just enough to show a slip of skin. Well-cut trousers, and his backpack hanging off one shoulder to where he has to hold onto it, biceps rippling. He looks effortless, smiling wide at—

Someone that isn't Zhongli. A recognizable face, the one he saw the night that he tugged one out in the dimly lit hallway. Childe laughs at something the man says, and rubs at his face, looking more at ease than he's ever looked with Zhongli.

Jealousy curls in his gut. Zhongli has no right to feel like that, he doesn't own Childe. He can't expect him to not talk to others, but… but. Zhongli sighs, pulling at his collar. "Get a hold of yourself," he says quietly. "Childe isn't…"

Well, he doesn't exactly know what Childe wants. The interest is there, that's clear as day, but to what end?

Childe is the type to indulge and drop. It's why he doesn't put himself out there. Zhongli tells himself that he's been satisfied with the lingering touches and soft stares, but he's only been fooling himself.

Zhongli doesn't want a quick fuck, he'd prefer something of substance.

He looks at Childe again, who's busy nudging his friend with an elbow. Then, he reaches out and grabs hold of the man's arm, smoothing his thumb across the skin of his bicep. Childe smiles widely, looking content.

And Zhongli leaves, figuring that anywhere would be better than there, at that moment.

#

Zhongli comes home in an admittedly foul mood.

Childe is standing in their kitchenette, not far from the door when he walks in like an angry storm. "Zhongli, hey—" A pause. "Are… you okay?"

"I'm fine," says Zhongli curtly, with more bite than he meant. It isn't Childe's fault, it's his own. Zhongli shouldn't have entertained the idea of anything between them, no matter how much he craves it. Guizhong would laugh at the absolute absurdity of it.

Childe crosses the room quickly. "Hey," he says, softer, "you aren't. What's wrong?"

"I…" Zhongli risks a glance at Childe's concerned face, and Zhongli hesitates. He is not a risk taker. Zhongli is a crusted, doctoral candidate in his post-grad years, too busy with his head in books to have his brain so full of another person.

And yet.

He reaches out, grabbing Childe by the wrist and tugging him closer. Childe falls so easily, with so little resistance. "Zhongli—" he starts.

Zhongli cuts him off with a kiss. Childe makes a surprised noise, tensing slightly as Zhongli lifts a hand to cup his face. But then Childe relaxes, kissing him back, snaking his hand around Zhongli's neck to drag him closer.

Kissing Childe is different from Guizhong. Childe is about the same height. Zhongli doesn't need to lean over, or close any gaps; Childe is right there, front and center. He drags his thumb across the bone of Childe's cheek, petting it.

Which causes Childe to pull back. Their breaths mingle as they just watch each other.

"I got jealous," says Zhongli finally. "Uh, earlier. I saw you with…"

"With who?" And then it dawns on Childe and he snorts. "Oh, Gods, that's—You really don't need to worry about him."

"You've already brought him back here, once. What was I supposed to think?"

Childe looks amused then. He tangles his fingers in the fine hairs at the base of Zhongli's neck. "He looks like you," he says simply.

"I… he does not?" Zhongli looks at him absolutely baffled. About the same height, maybe. Dark hair, arched brows, and the same general build, but that's where the similarities end.

"Okay, maybe if you squint. I never looked much. Point is I didn't fuck him 'cause I liked him, I fucked him 'cause it was easier to pretend it was you."

Zhongli gapes at him, unsure how to respond. But his dick does, twitching pathetically in his trousers, slowly filling out.

Childe laughs, reaching out with his free hand to drag a thumb across Zhongli's bottom lip. "You can't tell me you didn't know."

"I mean, I knew, but I didn't know that." Oh, he's red in the face. Childe tugs him closer and Zhongli just barely manages to say, "Watch my glasses—" before their lips meet again.

The kiss is electric. Childe's tongue sneaks out to lick across the seam of Zhongli's lips, asking for entrance. Zhongli opens up, groaning softly as Childe's tongue slips in, stroking across his. A tongue piercing. Zhongli never noticed, not that he was looking. His hand slides down the length of Childe's neck, and then across his shoulders. Down his back and across those powerful rugby shoulders.

"You should come to a game," says Childe against his mouth when he feels Zhongli dragging his fingers across his muscles.

He should. Zhongli definitely should, but that's a thought for another day, and he dives in for more. They move back, Zhongli nearly tripping over his feet until his back hits their dorm room door. Childe pulls away again, smirking at him in that insufferable way of his.

"Gods, do you know how long I've wanted to do that?"

"I can hazard a guess."

Childe's hand dips low, gripping Zhongli by the hips. He leans forward to bite at his neck, sucking a mark just to the side of his Adam's apple.

"Childe."

"Just so everyone knows." A pause. "Okay, maybe they won't, but they'll see it, and I'll know."

Zhongli moans at the thought of such a claim, as small as it is. Childe radiates heat as he presses close, still mouthing at his neck. His hand slips around, grabbing at Zhongli's ass, squeezing.

"Gods, you—"

"Fuck, Zhongli. What are you hiding in here?" Childe's other hand skitters across the front of Zhongli's trousers, pressing against his very obvious erection. His gaze drops as he looks, and Zhongli can feel the way that his face burns with embarrassment. Pleasure drops to his gut, coiling tight, and his dick twitches against Childe's fingers.

"Hey," says Childe, "do you want to see just what I can do with my mouth?"

Absolutely. Zhongli fumbles over his words though, his tongue tangled. "I'm—you—"

Childe's face smooths out then. "Do you not want to? We don't have to—"

"No." Fuck, Zhongli sounds desperate. He drags a hand through his hair and adjusts his glasses which have gone askew. "I mean, yes. I… I'm saying yes."

Childe drops to his knees, right there at the door. He shoves Zhongli's sweater aside and tugs his button-down from his waistband. "Always so clean-cut," he muses, nuzzling at the soft skin of Zhongli's taut belly. "Hiding the goods."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you seen your abs? Unreal. Mouthwatering. I saw them once, and I haven't been able to get them out of my head"

Zhongli had no idea. His mind whirs at the mental image of Childe staring at his body and wanting him. Suddenly, all he can think about is Childe fucking his own hand in bed, calling out his name. Well.

"I… take care of my appearance," says Zhongli amicably.

Childe's hands tremble slightly as he works open his trousers, revealing Zhongli's cock. He stares at it, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "Oh," he says softly, wrapping his fingers around the thick base of it. "Shit, you're perfect."

"Certainly not."

"No, like—" Childe groans slightly, readjusting himself between Zhongli's legs. "Fuck, I can't wait to get my mouth on you." He leans forward and licks a stripe over the length of him before tugging at the rest with his hand. And then Childe takes him into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the head, the metal of his tongue piercing dragging across the underside with delicious friction.

Zhongli's head tips back, slamming against the door. He moans, trying his best not to buck into the heat of Childe's mouth. "Shit," he murmurs, hands slipping down to curl into Childe's hair. It's coarser than he expects, thicker too. His fingers just sink into the locks, tugging gently.

Childe smiles around him, taking his cock deeper, hand covering the part that his mouth cannot reach. It's wet and hot. Childe moans as he sucks him down, bobbing along Zhongli's length.

"Look, at you," says Zhongli, moving to cup Childe's face. He looks obscene, the way that his lips are stretched wide around his cock. Sounds even more so with the way that he drags his mouth over him, spit bubbling at the corners. Zhongli bucks slightly, slipping a little deeper, and Childe rewards him with the swipe of his tongue, the metal ball of his piercing sending shivers down Zhongli's spine.

Childe pulls off suddenly, sliding his hand over his slick length, jerking Zhongli's cock as he presses a kiss to the tip. "Come on," he says, "you can slip a little deeper. Fuck my mouth properly."

Zhongli would, but— "I like this," he says instead, petting through Childe's hair as he drags the tip of his cock across Childe's swollen, pink lips. "Watching you do what you want."

Something in Childe's gaze shifts then, and suddenly his mouth is back on him, swallowing his dick once more. But this time, he just goes, and goes, and goes, taking Zhongli's entire length until it nudges the back of his throat, and his nose is nuzzling the coarse hair at the base.

"Fuck," hisses Zhongli, unprepared. "Fuck, that's—Oh, that's—"

Childe hums around him, a soft sort of laughter that vibrates his cock, leaving Zhongli a trembling mess that can barely hold himself up against the door. Childe moves then, bobbing his head slowly, throat tight around his length.

Zhongli pulls at his hair again, trying to tug him off. He listens, pulling back to lap at the tip, that dangerous piercing dragging against the sensitive flesh. "Childe," warns Zhongli, pulling at him with a little more intent. "Childe, I'm—"

"Are you close?" Childe looks so smug as he kisses his cock for the umpteenth time. "Come on then, you can let it loose all over my face."

Oh, that'd be a sight, wouldn't it? Childe's face, covered in his spend, soft skin painted in white. He'd wear it so beautifully, there isn't a doubt. "I—"

"Zhongli," says Childe, leaning forward to nuzzle the skin where his cock meets his pelvis. He presses kisses there, sucking soft marks to stake his claim.

"I'd rather—"

Childe laughs. "Inside my mouth? We can do that too. I like to swallow, and I'm dying to know what you taste like." He licks a stripe across the crease of Zhongli's thigh as if to make his point.

"No, I want to—"

Childe pauses then, looking back at him with a half-lidded, wanton gaze. "Oh," he says then, his voice pitching low. "Do you want to fuck?"

"Please," begs Zhongli, finally losing his composure. His cock twitches in Childe's hand, which leads to a sweet kiss against the crown.

Childe stands again, wrapping an arm around Zhongli's neck. His lips are red and swollen, ripe for kissing, and he seems surprised when Zhongli presses forward. Their mouths meet again, tongues seeking and searching. Zhongli moans against him, reaching around to grip Childe's ass.

"Thought about this, have you?" Childe is only teasing, laughing against Zhongli's neck.

"I jerked off in the hall."

"I—what?"

Zhongli swallows, rubbing at his face. "The last time you… when you didn't text me a warning. I came back and you—fuck, this is mortifying. I could hear you, and I…" Zhongli makes an indelicate motion with his hand, unable to meet Childe's gaze.

"Fuck, that's…Is that how you ruined your sweater?"

Zhongli cringes. "I didn't mean to listen in. I was worried, so when I put my ear to the door and realized your, um, preferences—"

Childe whines then, pulling away, tugging at Zhongli's hand. They tumble into the bottom bunk unceremoniously, Zhongli hanging over Childe, boxing him in. It's a tight fit. Zhongli can feel the heat of Childe's presence which makes his stomach flip-flop.

"I thought I'd have to top," says Childe, tugging at Zhongli's sweater, trying to pull it over his head. Zhongli tosses it aside, and then his shirt next. "I didn't think you'd—I mean, you're hard to read. You mean you want to—Oh, fuck. I should've just…" Childe drags his hand down his face, his cheeks pink.

"Shh," says Zhongli, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "I definitely want to…" Childe makes a different salacious hand gesture, and Zhongli laughs.

Just like that, the tension eases a little. Their clothing comes off, and Zhongli's glasses are tossed to the side. He delights in dragging his hands and mouth all over Childe's body, kissing at freckles and thumbing over old rugby scars. He squeezes muscle, and nuzzles every square inch, and crease and corner that he can find. Childe is impatient—almost too impatient. He wriggles underneath him, begging for him to get a move on.

"Patience," says Zhongli, before leaning back and spreading Childe's ass cheeks to get a peek at his hole. Tight, pink, and twitching, just waiting to be touched. Zhongli wants to see it spread wide around his cock as he fucks right in.

He slicks his fingers up and presses one in, watching the way the Childe arches against the bed with such a simple touch. And then another finger, spreading them slightly, tugging at Childe's rim, trying to ease him open.

"Fuck, just—Gods, that's—"

"Hm, do you like it?"

Childe whines, fucking against his hand, trying to take his fingers deeper. Zhongli hooks them in a certain direction which causes Childe to jerk. Oh, thinks Zhongli, a smile spreading across his face. He pulls his fingers out and slips back in with three, aiming for that spot again, dragging them across Childe's prostate.

"Fuck, just—please just fuck me already."

"Let me take my time," says Zhongli, pressing his fingers in and out, coaxing Childe to just enjoy it.

"No, I don't want to come like this, I want to come on your cock—"

Zhongli stills then. Childe looks embarrassed, hiding his face in the crook of his elbow as he realizes that he said it aloud. "Well, then," says Zhongli softly, pulling his fingers out and wiping them off.

It takes some maneuvering in the tiny little bunk, but they manage. Childe's legs are thrown around the rise of Zhongli's hips, his back slightly arched from the matres. Zhongli slicks his cock generously in the lube before pressing the tip of his cock to his hole.

He watches as he slides in, eyes trained on the give and take of Childe's hole as it steadily swallows him down.

"Celestia, above," curses Childe in a hiss, going taut against him. His own cock is hard, dripping against his stomach, and his fingers curl into Zhongli's sheets as he lets out a long, drawn-out moan. "Yes, yes—"

Childe is tight around him, his insides writhing as he slips into the root. "Childe," he says, leaning forward slightly, dropping his forehead to Childe's shoulder. "Gods, you're—"

"Zhongli, I'm begging you to move."

Unwilling to deny him, Zhongli pulls out to the tip before slamming back in again. Childe moans, head tipping back into the pillow, his mouth hanging open. Zhongli moves then, setting a steady pace as he fucks Childe earnestly. With each thrust, he gives a little grind, slipping in deep and settling there.

"Fuck, I'm—"

"You're perfect," says Zhongli. He reaches out, pressing his hand against Childe's sternum. Flashes of silver glint as he focuses on those nipple piercings, the ones that have haunted Zhongli's dreams. He thumbs over one as he thrusts in, tugging at it gently with his fingers.

"That, oh gods, keep doing that."

It's almost too much, too quick. Childe responds too easily, arching his back and moving against him as though they've done this a thousand times before. He moans as Zhongli tugs at a nipple. He whines when his hand drops to grip him by the waist instead.

Zhongli pulls away, pressing Childe's thighs back to watch his cock slide into his tight heat. He thumbs across his rim, reddened and puffy where it's stretched wide around his dick. Childe's eyes roll back in his head, and he slams his hand against the wall above his head.

"We have neighbors," teases Zhongli. "Do I need to shut you up?"

"No, I'm—Gods, I can be quiet, just don't stop."

Zhongli wouldn't dream of it, too addicting to the way that his cock practically melts inside of Childe. Childe reaches down to touch himself, wrapping his fingers around his cock in a loose grip. He keens, jerking his cock in time with Zhongli's thrusts.

"So good for me," says Zhongli as he ruts into him, carving out a spot that's for him alone. If Childe will have him. Fuck, he hopes. "This is just what I dreamed of."

"I'm going to—" Childe cries out when the angle changes, Zhongli hiking his hips high to drill into his prostate, cocking dragging along that bundle of nervous with the most delicious type of friction. He comes, unexpectedly, his ass clamping tight as his cock shoots white all over his stomach.

Zhongli stills, then, trying to give him a moment, and Childe drags him closer, locking him in with his legs.

"Don't stop, don't—Please."

Pleasure curls in Zhongli's gut as he watches him. Tears leak at the corner of Childe's eyes from overstimulation, but he fucks back against him, begging for more. Zhongli moves again, thrusting into the tight heat of his ass, gripping at his hips tightly.

He leans over, pressing his nose into Childe's nape, inhaling. Then he kisses the skin there. And at Childe's jaw, the curve of his ear, even his temple. "This is all that I wanted," he says next, kissing his mouth, making this a little more romantic than either of them probably expected.

Childe responds eagerly, kissing him back, and that's all it takes for Zhongli to tip over the edge, fucking deep into his core. He comes messily, filling Childe up, and the resulting moan is likely the dirtiest thing that Zhongli has ever heard.

He isn't about to forget it.

His skin tingles as he rides out the high of his orgasm. Childe groans gently underneath him, too tired to move. Zhongli kisses his collarbone this time, nosing across the length of it. "That was…"

"Are you seriously telling me we could have been doing that this entire time?"

Zhongli laughs against his skin. "I'm good with words, but not particularly expressing myself."

"Fuck, I think you're the best lay I've ever had."

"Hm, that does wonders to my ego. Stay here, I'll grab something to clean us up."

Zhongli totters about on legs made of jelly, managing to make it to the bathroom. He looks a debauched mess, hair askew, bite marks, and soft, purling bruises littering his collarbone. He sighs, strangely content.

Clean-up is quick enough. Childe just lays there, relishing in the way that Zhongli wipes him down. When he's done, he cracks open an eye and says, "You're not going to make me move, are you?"

Zhongli pauses near the hamper. "I…" He hadn't thought that far. He swallows thickly, weighing his options. "No, you can—"

"We can share then. Come here."

Zhongli finds himself on his back with Childe pressed against his side. "Hm, I like you like this," says Childe, reaching out to tap the end of his nose. "You're so handsome."

"I.. uh, thanks." A pause, as Zhongli tries to gather himself. "I didn't think you the type to cuddle."

"I'm not." Childe yawns tiredly, his eyes dropping slightly as he nuzzles against Zhongli's chest. "I usually kick guys out the moment we're done." He hums then, sighing softly. "You're different, though."

Zhongli feels the rapid beat of his heart in his throat. For a moment, there's a kernel of hope. The two of you just need to fuck it out, said Xiao. Maybe he was right. Childe seems more relaxed than Zhongli has ever seen him.

He combs his fingers through Childe's hair gently, staring at the top bunk.

Zhongli wonders if it's dumb to think this could turn into something more. Either way, Zhongli falls asleep, deliciously exhausted, to the sounds of Childe's soft snoring.