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Do you know what it’s like to experience your first love, and not be able to embrace it? To try and reconcile the fact that you’ve fallen for someone who’s been through more lifetimes than you could ever begin to imagine? Not that he'd ever expected to fall in love in the middle of all that was going on, but the longer the traveler spent in Teyvat, the more he learned we can’t always control our hearts.
And it was right around the time Aether realized what to call these feelings, that his growing suspicions were all confirmed, in a single instant. Somewhere along the way, he too, had fallen for Rex Lapis, Liyue’s archon of the last 6000 years. Although unlike the rest of Liyue, the young man had been blessed with the chance to form a much more personal relationship with their deity.
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The very first time he spoke these thoughts aloud, it had been seated upon the hands of the statue that stood before Mondstadt’s cathedral. He and Paimon had just heard the story of Venti’s past, and Aether felt as though something in him had broken open finally. Convincing Paimon to run off on an errand, he sat himself down and leaned into the bard’s back, and took a large, grounding breath before blurting out, “I’m in love with Zhongli.”
Aether felt the young man’s back stiffen behind him, though it was so slight anyone else would’ve missed it. A gentle breeze brushed his face and Venti let out an airy laugh. “Well congratulations, people are supposed to fall in love! Oh, maybe I should write you a song? Though I can't say I'm much good with Liyue’s musical style, I can certainly try.”
“Venti, I know he’s Rex Lapis.”
The laughter stopped, and he felt the bard sigh. “Ah, I was afraid you’d say that. Though maybe it’s better you know now, before you decide to act on your feelings.”
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Zhongli, in his own ways, was every bit as mortal as the rest of us. But in knowing the truth now, Aether realized it was visible just how much he was still their god; his body may have been warm and alive standing next to the young man on the harbor docks, but his mind often wasn’t. He would softly call out to the older man and watch his gaze come back, those ageless golden eyes lowering to meet a soft brown pair before he would give a gentle smile and they’d carry on with their errands in the rebuilding of Liyue.
Today was much like any of those days, but the young man had slept restlessly the night before, head full of the night he'd fought for his life against Tartaglia and seen his true nature, and watched Zhongli hand his gnosis over to the Fatui. He had been so unable to do anything and it was... haunting. Maybe it had just been held in for too long now, but words were being spoken before they could be stopped.
“Zhongli, are you free later this evening?” Brown eyes started to drift towards the tall figure next to him and Aether focused even harder on the stacks of permits he was carrying, heart thundering in his ears.
“Well certainly, after everything you did for me you and Paimon are always welcome to-”
“No, I’d like to visit you. Alone.” This time he let their gazes meet, hoping his face would show the other what his voice wouldn’t. After a handful of agonizing moments, Zhongli turned back to the road, nodding slowly.
“Of course. I'll be sure to send the staff home early this evening. Will you join me for a meal as well?”
Aether nodded enthusiastically, letting out a large sigh of relief that he hadn’t needed to explain further.
* - * - * - * - * - * - * - *
He'd known Zhongli had a personal apartment in the depths of the funeral parlor, but being together in his home was much different from the times they'd been in his working office. Under the guise of a gift, the younger man had brought the finest bottle of dandelion wine he could coerce from Diluc to their dinner as something to steady the nerves. But in trying to steady them, and convincing his partner to drink as well, Aether had long lost track of how much he'd been pouring for the both of them.
“...Are you sure you ought to be drinking quite this much? You're still underage after all.”
The traveler looked up from his glass to meet a golden gaze highlighted by a soft blush, the dark brows above it slightly furrowed. His concern was charming, and the younger man let out a bright laugh.
“Everyone assumes that, and I’ve never bothered to correct them since I don’t normally indulge. But today is a special occasion! ~” Tossing the last of his drink into his mouth Aether rose from his seat, and wandered slowly around the small table to stand before Zhongli. The young man stood just a slight head taller than his seated companion now, and was pleasantly delighted to find he was being gazed up at for once.
“And what makes your visit today-” The older man pauses, eyes flickering down to look at the trembling hands discarding their usual gloves, and coming to rest ever so lightly on the back of his own. He clears his throat briefly, looking back up into the warm brown gaze he’d become so familiar with. “What makes this evening’s visit special?” Ever so slowly Zhongli starts to turn his hands, as though afraid he’d scare him away, until gloved fingers are resting along the underside of Aether’s wrists.
With half lidded eyes and shaky breaths, the young man finds himself dipping his head down until the tips of their noses are just touching. Through the scrambling thoughts and wine haze clouding his mind, he makes a note that Zhongli’s eyes seem to be glowing much more brightly than the subtle lighting of the room should’ve allowed.
“Zhongli, the truth is, I-”
As though he’d been zapped, the blonde snapped back up to attention, eyes wide and face red from more than the drinks he’d had. He suddenly wasn’t sure he could follow through with all this. “I- I-.. I just remembered something very important that I uh, have to be elsewhere for! And it’s- well you see it’s important so really I-” Still trying to spit out something that wasn’t a completely obvious lie he scoops discarded gloves from the table and moves to make a hasty exit.
“Aether.”
Oh dear.
A strong hand holds his wrist, as though the soft command of his name in that voice hadn’t already been enough to ground the traveler firmly in place. A slight shiver creeps up his back, and he knows if he turns to face the older man all of these feelings will come forth, though in what way is anyone’s guess. Zhongli had only called him by name once before, in thanking him for everything he’d done to help the former archon, and even that had almost been enough to make the young man faint right in the middle of Yujing Terrace.
But turn to face him he does, and before he even has the chance to realize it a hand is gently tilting his chin up, wide brown eyes locking onto a brightly glowing golden pair. Like a wave, it hits him once more just how much time the man before him had spent as a god. “In my 6000 years in this world, I have seen and heard more than enough from the people of Liyue to understand what you wish to convey this evening.” And faster than Aether can process, the hand on his wrist becomes an arm circling his waist, drawing them together, and Zhongli bends down to kiss him.
His lips are soft, the kiss gentle but full of intent, and he can feel all of the taller man’s emotions held just behind it. He can feel every ounce of strength coiled through the embrace he’s been swept up in. And it’s warm. Everything is so warm, and it... it feels like home. Now it’s… a little wet? Aether suddenly realizes he’s crying and for some reason it just makes the tears fall faster. Zhongli breaks away after what feels like an eternity, softly resting their foreheads together and watching the younger man quietly catch his breath. Somehow he knows those tears aren’t because of him, or because his actions had been wrong. Lightly, he presses a second kiss to his companion’s forehead, and mutters quietly into blonde hair.
“Please stay for the night.”