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Zhongli and Ajax sat at a table at Third-Round Knockout, laughing, drinking, eating, and generally having a good time. Everything seemed to be perfect on that night.
The Harbinger got up from his seat, standing. “Zhongli, I’ll be right back, I’m going to the bathroom.” he said before walking away. Zhongli nodded, this was perfect timing as Ajax still had quite a lot of his drink left.
As soon as the other was out of sight, Zhongli took the package of pills from his inside jacket pocket and tore open one tab, slipping the pill into the unsuspecting Harbinger’s drink. He put the remainder of the pills back into his pocket, and Ajax came back to the table about 5 minutes later.
“There was a line for the bathroom,” he huffed and sat down. Zhongli took a sip of his own drink, sighing. “Well, let’s continue eating.” Zhongli said before giving Ajax a plate of another serving of food he had ordered earlier. The food was salty, so it made them both thirsty. Of course, this was just a small part of Zhongli’s plans.
Zhongli watched as Ajax brought the cup to his lips, taking a sip of the drink. He set it down and continued eating. They talked for a while, about 15-20 minutes until Zhongli noticed the drug starting to take effect on the younger man. “I feel sick,” Ajax coughed, “Like, really sick,” he stood up and tried to walk away from the table, stumbling towards the bathroom.
Zhongli jumped up and caught him before he fell, taking him by the arm and stroking his back. “We should go home, Ajax, it’s late.” Zhongli spoke to him in a reassuring tone. Ajax nodded, dizzy and confused about what was happening. Zhongli swept him off his feet quite literally, taking the man in his arms. He had already paid for the food, so he started to walk back to his quiet house just on the outskirts of the harbor.
Ajax looked up at the man, smiling. Everything in his world was slowed down, he didn’t know what was happening, only that he was with his best friend. “Zhooooooonglii, are we almost there yet?” his speech was slurred and slowed, and Zhongli just smiled down at him, not saying anything.
Once they arrived at the house, Ajax was unconscious in his arms. Zhongli looked down at the unconscious man, admiring him. Zhongli took this chance to bring him to the basement. Zhongli treaded down the steps carefully so as to not drop his soon to be boyfriend. He gently set the unconscious man down on the cold stone floor, grabbing a rope and tying his hands together. Zhongli then tied his hands to the cold steel support beam in the basement. He touched the cheek of his unconscious soon to be lover, mumbling “Mine.” he grasped a loose strand of the man’s hair between his fingers, “Soon you’ll be all mine.” Zhongli stood up and exited the basement.
Zhongli woke up at exactly 1:26 AM. The reason as to why he woke up was in the basement of his house. Zhongli could hear him scream from the basement, as he had not shut the door earlier that night.
Zhongli rose from bed, still in his pajamas, and walked down to the ground floor, and then to the basement.
- - -
For the past few months, Zhongli had been slowly developing a crush on Ajax. He finally confessed one night when they were spending time together, down by the docks of Liyue Harbor. Zhongli looked down at his feet, they were submerged in the calm waters of the dock. “Ajax,” he started suddenly. The other man looked at him, waiting for him to continue. “I love you.” Zhongli stated, still staring at his feet, nervous of rejection.
Rejection was what he feared, but that’s what he ended up receiving. Ajax smiled sheepishly, “I- uh, I don’t feel the same way.” and looked down at his feet, kicking up the water. Zhongli stared at the water, not moving. “I understand,” he said. “Are we still friends?” Zhongli queried after a short pause. “Yeah, of course.” Ajax smiled at him, the harbinger didn’t know how much his smile made the ex-archon ache.
Zhongli smiled back, his smile melancholic. “I am going to go home now, I wish you a good night, Ajax.” He stood up and took his shoes from the dock, walking home. His confession had failed, but at least they were still friends, right? Wrong. He wanted him more than anything.
So he decided to take what he wanted.
- - -
Tartaglia awoke on the hard stone floor of someone’s basement. At first, he thought he had passed out somewhere. He tried to move his hands to rub his eyes, but his wrists were bound together to a steel support beam in the basement. He panicked, now aware he did not just pass out somewhere random; He was abducted to who knows where. He remembered Zhongli offering to take him home last night, but the rest after that was hazy. Did something happen to Zhongli? Ajax’s breathing picked up the more he panicked, eyes darting around the basement. There wasn’t much to look at except for the cool stone floor and the other support beams. He started to yell, yelling for help, for Zhongli, for anyone.
He was relieved when Zhongli stepped down the stairs, “Zhongli!” he shouted, smiling, “You’re okay, thank the Seven, please help me get out.” Ajax pleaded, looking up at the other man. Zhongli smiled, and crouched down. “You’re so eager to see me,” Zhongli smirked, running his hands through Ajax’s hair, “How cute.” Ajax’s smile faded, “Please?” he pleaded again, his voice getting quiet.
“I’m not just going to let you go, especially not after my months of work.” Zhongli told him, standing up. Ajax’s eyes were wide with fear, he didn’t speak. Zhongli went to the door of the basement and shut it, locking it tight and deadbolting it. Zhongli walked back to where his future boyfriend sat on the floor in fear. “Don’t worry,” Zhongli reassured him, “I won’t hurt you.”
Zhongli then went to the back of the basement behind Ajax, and when he returned, he brought with him a black case. Ajax eyed the case, terrified of the contents. “Now, we have two options.” Zhongli started, “You can be a good boy and take this pill, or you can take the injection.” Zhongli opened the case, revealing a syringe containing some kind of medicine and a bottle of pills. Ajax swallowed nervously. “It’s your choice,” Zhongli continued, “If you say nothing, I assume you want the pills. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Ajax opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it. “Go on.” Zhongli spoke. “What does it do?” Ajax mumbled, staring at the case’s contents. “It makes your body weak for a bit; I don’t want you to escape.” Zhongli stated. “Okay.” The Harbinger blinked, “I’ll take the pill.” Zhongli smiled and petted his hair. “Good, I brought you a glass of water on my way down.” Zhongli walked to the table by the stairs, picking up the glass. He returned to Ajax and put the pill in his mouth, bringing the glass of water to his mouth. Ajax drank it, swallowing the pill. “You’re so good for me already.” Zhongli smiled, setting the glass down on the floor.
Zhongli reached behind Ajax, untying the rope. The harbinger just sat there, waiting for what was to come next. Zhongli picked him up and took him to the couch that was in the back of the basement. Zhongli set him down on the couch, and pulled out the bed part of it. He reached to a side table and grabbed a pair of handcuffs. “Why do you have a couch down here?” Ajax looked at him, confused. “I like to come down here and read sometimes.” Zhongli responded. “Now, which side of the couch do you prefer to have your head on?” Zhongli questioned, holding up the handcuffs. “Um, I don’t care.” Ajax replied worriedly, staring at the handcuffs. “Okay.” Zhongli said and handcuffed his wrist to the leg of the bed-couch. The handcuffs were strange; the middle part was longer than normal handcuffs, Ajax noted. Probably for keeping him near the couch.
Zhongli took off Ajax’s shoes, setting them on the floor by the couch. “Since you interrupted my sleep, I’m going to sleep down here with you.” Zhongli said, chastising him. The Harbinger said nothing. Zhongli laid down next to where Ajax was, and pulled him closer to his body. Ajax was cold, having been unconscious in the basement with no heat as well as on the floor. Zhongli snuck his hand up the back of Ajax’s shirt, feeling his skin and rubbing his back. His other hand went to the ginger man’s face, touching his cheek. “I love you.” he said, staring directly into his eyes. Ajax didn’t know how to respond, he was plenty touch starved so he liked this feeling, but also he was still conflicted because of how he got into the situation. Ajax stared at anything besides his face, he was too unsure how to feel about it and looking at the other man’s face would make him feel even more so.
“Ajax, look at me.” Zhongli firmly gripped his jaw, making him look up at him. “I love you.” he repeated, the same amount of affection present in his voice as the first time. The captive could only look back at his eyes, his cheeks now pink. “Do you love me too?” Zhongli asked, still holding his jaw in place. “Y-yes.” Ajax mumbled, staring off to the side. He was embarrassed to admit it, his face getting redder.
Part of him wasn’t sure if he truly loved Zhongli back or if he just wanted to escape. Hell, he might be a mix of both. At this point, he couldn’t tell anymore and just hoped Zhongli wouldn’t do anything too rash. He was wrong.
“Ajax.” Zhongli started, letting go of his vice grip on his jaw and gently placing his hand on the back of Ajax’s head, feeling his hair. “Will you be my boyfriend?” Zhongli asked, running his hands through the other’s hair. Ajax choked, this was so sudden. Also quite ironic he asked, considering Zhongli had literally kidnapped him.
He had no choice but to say yes, it scared Ajax to think what he would do if he said no. He also quite liked the way Zhongli held him; maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. “Um, sure,” His voice quivered. Zhongli smiled, and he kissed his forehead, “You’ve been such a good boy,” Zhongli paused, looking at the man he was holding and continued, “I think you deserve a treat.” Ajax blinked, unsure what he meant. He was also a little afraid to find out what he meant.
Zhongli closed the gap between them, pulling Tartaglia closer to him than they already were. Zhongli kissed him gently, but the other didn’t reciprocate. He was stunned, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad kind of stunned. Ajax blinked, processing what was happening. He didn’t pull away, instead closing his eyes and enjoying the moment.
Zhongli pulled away, the kisses seemed to last forever to the smaller man. Ajax was tired although he had just woken up around 20 minutes ago. He leaned his head on his new boyfriend’s chest and closed his eyes. Zhongli said nothing, sneaking his arms up the back of Ajax’s shirt to hold him. The older sighed and closed his eyes, getting ready to sleep. “Ajax is perfect for me,” he thought before he drifted to sleep.
The next morning, Zhongli woke up to Ajax still asleep in his arms. Zhongli removed an arm from the other’s back, took a key from his pocket and unlocked the shackle-handcuff type thing on his wrist. He figured he had been good so far, so why not put some more trust in him? The movement woke the younger man up, his eyes fluttering open. Ajax’s eyes widened a bit; he was surprised he hadn’t dreamt the entire thing. If he did dream it, however, he would have a lot to think about the next morning. One of those things being how he felt about Zhongli.
“Good morning, Ajax.” Zhongli smiled, sitting up. “I have to go to work today, but I trust you enough to take care of yourself here.” Zhongli looked at him to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep before continuing, “Under no circumstance will you leave this house, unless it is life threatening.” Zhongli said sternly. He placed his hand on Ajax’s shoulder. “Do you understand?” he asked, but it was less of a question and more of an order. “Y-yeah.” Ajax stuttered. “Good, I’m glad I can put my trust in you.” Zhongli smiled and patted his hair before getting up to leave. He exited the basement, leaving the nervous Harbinger alone.
How would he escape? He thought about it, coming up with a simple plan. He would eat breakfast and shower and all of that to make it look like he wouldn’t leave. He’d sit in Zhongli’s bed until he was sure that his captor was gone and then simply leave the house. It was a perfect plan, and he would only need to act convincing. Though, Ajax was unsure if his love for him was really still acting.
Ajax got up from the bed-couch and walked up the stairs to Zhongli’s living room. He walked to the kitchen and looked in the fridge, taking out some fruit for breakfast. He grabbed a glass of water and sat at the counter, eating his food slowly. Zhongli came down the stairs quickly, most likely in a hurry for work. “The house is yours, quite literally. Be good while I’m gone.” Zhongli came to where Ajax was sitting and gave him a kiss on the cheek, Ajax’s face flushing pink. Zhongli waved bye and rushed out the door off to work. It seems he left quicker than expected, so his plan could go into action quicker than anticipated.
Ajax watched as his captor left the house, getting up from his seat a few seconds after he left. He ran down to the basement, grabbing his shoes and putting them on. He then ran back up the stairs and opened the front door, walking outside. Ajax looked around carefully for any sign of Zhongli, but he didn’t see anything. Ajax started to walk towards the city, when he was stopped from behind by someone. The stranger gripped his shoulder tightly, leaning into his ear to whisper, “Where do you think you’re going?” Ajax realized that it wasn’t a stranger, but the person was Zhongli. He froze, terrified of what he would do to him now that he found out he tried to escape.
Zhongli’s breath was warm on his ear and his neck, it made Ajax blush a little. He was waiting for a response. “I thought I told you to stay inside the house,” Zhongli growled. The taller man wrapped a strong arm around Ajax’s waist, lifting him up and carrying him back to the house. Ajax struggled, trying to loosen his grip on him and make his escape, but it was no use. Once the two were inside, Zhongli put him down and slammed him against the wall. He pressed his body against Ajax, the smaller trying to back away. “You’re mine now, what do you not understand about that?” Zhongli seethed, both angry and disappointed that his beloved boyfriend had broken his trust. Zhongli grabbed his wrists, pressing them against the wall with force. Ajax teared up, he had never seen the other like this. Zhongli saw this and softened his expression, “I’m sorry.. ” He let go of the other’s wrists and hugged him, “I love you, Ajax.” Ajax said nothing. “Do you not love me? Is that why you tried to leave?” Zhongli broke the hug and held him by his sleeves. Ajax looked down, unsure what to say. He hated to admit it but he did kind of love him, even after he had drugged and kidnapped him.
“Ajax. Do you love me?” Zhongli stared at his face. “Y-yes.” Ajax stuttered, making eye contact with the other man. “Then you’ll understand why I’m doing this.” Zhongli pushed him back against the wall, “At least, you will eventually.” Zhongli leaned in to kiss him, grabbing his waist and pulling the smaller towards himself. Ajax gave in, letting his hands wander up to run his fingers through Zhongli’s hair. After a while, the two broke the kiss, pulling away. Ajax panted, he cursed himself on the inside for letting himself give in like that. “You’re going to sleep in the basement tonight.” Zhongli said sternly. “Why?” Ajax questioned. “You left the house today, you broke my trust.” Zhongli spoke. Ajax sighed in defeat, slumping forward into the other’s chest. Zhongli’s heart ached, seeing his boyfriend upset over sleeping in the basement. “Maybe he wants to sleep with me,” Zhongli thought.
Zhongli pulled him towards the basement, and Ajax reluctantly followed him. Zhongli led him down the stairs. He gave the smaller man a kiss on the forehead and walked upstairs. “If you need anything, there’s a cooler down here.” Zhongli said before leaving and locking the basement from the outside. There were both locks on the inside and outside. Ajax sighed, there was not much to do besides think of another escape plan. Besides that, there were also lots of books. Ajax wasn’t really one to read much.
After a long time and reluctant flipping through pages of books, Ajax looked at the clock. It was now 11 PM, it had been the entire day he was locked in the basement. He sighed and flopped on the bed-couch, waiting for sleep to come over him. He was about to fall asleep but heard the door unlocking and turned around to see Zhongli standing at the top of the steps. “Come here.” Zhongli ordered. Ajax stood up from the bed, tired and no longer willing to resist. Besides, if he resisted he was already in Zhongli’s basement and that would get him nowhere. “You can sleep in my bed tonight, since you’ve been a good boy all day.” Zhongli gave him a small smile.
Ajax blushed, but he wanted to smack himself for blushing. He thought it was too dark for Zhongli to notice, but the ex-archon saw. He decided not to say anything about it, but thought to himself that it was cute. Zhongli picked him up and carried him bridal style up the stairs to his room. Zhongli put Ajax down on his bed, getting in beside him. Zhongli placed his arms around the other man’s waist and pulled him closer to his body. “You’re mine.” Zhongli whispered and stared into his eyes. Ajax said nothing, staring back into his eyes. Ajax closed his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep. Zhongli kissed his forehead and closed his eyes as well.
Ajax woke up the next morning still in Zhongli’s arms. He studied Zhongli’s sleeping face. Ajax touched Zhongli’s cheek and brushed some of his hair out of his face. “There is no point in resisting anymore,” he thought, and decided to give in to what he and the older man both wanted. Ajax kissed him gently, Zhongli’s eyes opening from sleep slowly. “I think,” Ajax paused, “I think I really do love you.” Ajax said wearily. “I love you too,” Zhongli smiled. Zhongli grabbed his hand and held it, rubbing his thumb across the top of his boyfriend’s hand. Zhongli kissed him again, satisfied that his love was finally being reciprocated. Zhongli pulled Ajax close to him, and Ajax kissed him back, leaning into his touch. Ajax no longer doubted the fact that he really did love Zhongli.
to be continued perhaps