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Ajax was exceptionally restless.
He’d been trapped under the sharp claws of this state of agitation for over a week now. It wasn’t atypical of him to lose his temper or act out in seek of attention, but it was atypical for it to occur as often as it had for those past few days. The slightest hindrance would send him flying headfirst into a rage, like when the dinner he ordered at Wanmin restaurant came out undercooked so he berated the chef with uncontrollable fury until he was physically dragged away by Zhongli. Any hint of neglect was a surefire catalyst to his misbehavior as well; if Zhongli ignored his advances, Ajax would tease and pester him until the Archon snapped and had no choice but to bed him.
Zhongli did not ask what was bothering him. The trigger for Ajax’s being so on edge was not any of Zhongli’s business. If it was, Ajax would have told him already, so instead of prying, he did his best to deal with the young man’s childish behavior with as much understanding as he could.
It was deep into night when Ajax came bursting through the doors of Zhongli’s study, soaking wet from the rain pouring outside. The only light radiated from the small oil lamp on Zhongli’s desk, which he used to illuminate the pages of the novel he’d been reading. Now, the warm glare reflected off of Ajax’s damp cheeks and highlighted the falling drops of water that landed on the red tasseled rug beneath him. Zhongli stared down at where dark spots were staining the carpet under Ajax’s feet, and sighed.
“Ajax…” Zhongli took a deep breath. Forced his eyes closed. “Stay. I will find you something suitable to dry yourself with.”
Zhongli rose to his feet and took a mere three steps forward before Ajax was in front of him, blocking his path with an aura of defiance. Blue eyes narrowed at him -- those of a challenger -- but his lips twitched as if he was internally pained. “Ajax.” Zhongli said again, tone firmer this time. “You will catch a cold if you stay in these clothes.”
The twitch in his lips gave way to a malicious smirk. Zhongli already knew what was coming, and he regretted wording his last statement like that. Ajax took another step forward. Another. Until he was close enough that Zhongli felt the sleeves of his own clothes dampening as Ajax leaned over him, whispering into his ear, “Take them off of me then.”
Taking care of someone who does not want to be taken care of is exhausting.
“Do you want to be good for me, Ajax?”
But Zhongli has learned that it’s not impossible.
Zhongli turned back around and began to search for the heavy quilted blanket he kept in the room for chilly nights. “Take the wet clothes off -- go ahead and leave them on the floor, I will worry about the mess later. When you’re done, wait for me under my desk.” He did not need to look to know that Ajax was obeying his orders. There was the sound of soaked fabric gliding along scarred skin and dropping to the floor in a puddle with a loud thump.
The quilt, which Zhongli found lying at the bottom of a crate, was made with thick ropes of soft fur. Wrapping it around his own shoulders, he decided that it was warm enough to shield Ajax from the cold for the time being, but he’d still need to get him in front of a fire soon. He really was susceptible to colds, and Zhongli didn’t want a repeat of the last time he’d had to harbor a cranky Ajax in his home for days on end.
When Zhongli returned to sit at his desk, Ajax was on his knees beneath the solid table of wood just as he had been ordered. It was hard to tell with it being so dark, but it appeared that his body was trembling slightly. Zhongli sighed, and wrapped the giant quilt tightly around the shivering form at his feet. “Stubborn little thing…” the geo Archon mumbled under his breath. Ajax’s eyes flashed up when he heard shuffling, but even when he saw that Zhongli was unfastening the button on his trousers and sliding them down, he did not utter a word. “Must you worry me like this? You’re going to get yourself hurt one day, Ajax, and what would I do then?”
Zhongli did not know if the droplets of water balanced precariously on Ajax’s eyelashes were raindrops or tears, but they might as well have been the same thing. “I’m sorry,” Ajax choked out the words, as if they had scratched and dug at his throat with intent to punish on their way out.
“Apologies are not necessary.” The Archon stroked Ajax’s hair, wetness gathering on his fingertips. The boy, on his knees and faced with Zhongli’s cock, still had it in him to retract from the tender show of affection. He was still far too tense to relax, and any display of real intimacy would only thrust him deeper into the facade he’d been hiding under. Like a kid hiding under his bed from a monster that was not truly there, Ajax was frightened. “Consider all other matters irrelevant now. The only thing you need to concern yourself with is keeping me warm. Can you do that for me?”
Ajax hesitated before nodding, wet strands of hair flopping pitifully in front of his eyes. “Yes, I can...I believe I can manage that, xiangsheng.”
Tight heat surrounded the place between Zhongli’s thighs and it coursed through his veins. He sunk back further into his chair, lips parted on a quiet gasp.
Even when he was not hard, Zhongli’s length was quite sizable. Ajax was able to take all of him inside, but only after his throat twisted and contracted around it as he adjusted to the size. When he did adjust, and the stimulation of his strained, struggling muscles subsided to leave only a pleasurable pocket of warmth around Zhongli’s cock, the Archon was able to focus enough to pick up his book.
Flipping through the pages, he found where’d left out, and picked up from there.
Still, Ajax was fidgeting -- Zhongli could tell by the way Ajax would occasionally attempt to arouse him. Ajax swallowed around him, humming so that his lips vibrated around the width of his cock. The tip of his tongue flicked along the shaft, testing his patience, and the rush of pleasure did make Zhongli slap a hand over his mouth to stifle a grunt. However, he could not allow Ajax to know that his attempts were working, so he steadied his breathing and buried his face in the dusty pages of that novel once again.
Zhongli did not pay attention to the time. It didn’t matter. Ajax would stay there on his knees, jaw aching, until he was told to get up. For as much as he liked to tease, Ajax truly did only want to be good enough for someone. It was correct to say that he was a bit headstrong at times. He disobeyed, he taunted, he was reckless.
He had hurt people.
But none of this meant that he couldn’t still be a good boy for Zhongli.
If he couldn’t be good to anyone else, if he was already labelled as a villain, a monster, then he could at least earn someone’s praise here, on his knees and vulnerable.
As the sound of pages turning became dull background noise, Ajax began to calm down. He stopped fidgeting, stopped shuffling around on his knees. The palms of his hands were resting on the tops of Zhongli’s bare thighs. His fingers were not digging into his skin or fighting for purchase; they were completely still. Content. Devoid of any of the uncertainty that had been plaguing his mind. The teasing stopped as well, and now he was letting Zhongli occupy his mouth without complaint.
After sliding in his bookmark and closing the text, Zhongli peered down to check on him. The sight that befell him made his heart contort in ways he didn’t understand yet.
Ajax was limp, holding himself up by resting on Zhongli’s leg. The glaring defiance in his eyes was drained, and the blue in his irises was half-hidden by his heavy eyelids and trembling damp lashes. His pink lips were stretched wide and made filthy by the drool gathering at the corners, but Ajax did not register the pain nor the disgust. The only thing he could register, the only thing he needed to register, was keeping his xiangsheng’s cock warm.
And he was doing a very, very good job.
This time when Zhongli petted his hair, Ajax did not flinch away from it. Rather, he made a small involuntary noise of gratification. “Ajax,” Zhongli said, tapping him gently on the cheek. “You may get up now.”
It took him some time to process the words, but that was okay. Zhongli was a patient man.
Slowly, Ajax began to piece himself back together. Almost like he didn’t want to leave the safety of his place at Morax’s feet, Ajax tentatively pulled off of him and stood, his legs wobbling with the effort after kneeling for so long. The quilt was still tightly wrapped around his broad shoulders, but now, Ajax was burying his face in the warmth, inhaling the traces of Zhongli’s scent.
Taking the lantern with him to light the way, Zhongli wrapped his free hand around Ajax’s waist and led him to the bedroom. “How are you feeling now, dear?” Zhongli asked, peeling back the plush white covers that topped the mattress.
With Zhongli’s help, Ajax climbed into bed and rested his head on a stack of satin pillows. “Better,” he said, but he swallowed and opened his mouth again like there was something he was afraid of saying. He tossed and turned under the blankets, and only stopped when Zhongli leaned down to kiss him thrice: once on each cheek, and once on the lips. Ajax finally sighed and continued, the words barely audible, “Can you say it? The...the thing that I like to hear you say. Say it. Please.”
Zhongli smiled, almost out of guilt. He should have said it sooner; it was cruel to make him wait. “You did good,” he promised him. “Such a good boy for me, Ajax. You made me very proud.”
After lighting the fireplace to keep the room warm and igniting a stick of incense, Zhongli climbed into bed next to him and held the boy close to his chest. While they spent many nights in bed together, the times that they slept holding each other were sparse. Naturally, Zhongli wanted to savor it before Ajax became the petulant, brash bastard that he was so accustomed to. He was a bastard that Zhongli loved, but a bastard nonetheless.
Zhongli’s lips grazed the nape of Ajax’s neck as he asked, “Are you ready to tell me what’s been bothering you, love?”
With a defeated exhale, Ajax parted his lips to speak.