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Rex Lapis sat quietly, watching Mondstadt from afar. The people of the two countries peacefully worked. Children freely ran and played like there was nothing to fear. Animals wandered under the giant trees enjoying sweet fruits and pure drops of water; this was what he and Barbatos had built together. They survived the Archon War, searching for each other in lonely days, carefully licking each other's wounds when nightmares came.
Rex Lapis was sure that he fell in love with Barbatos at first sight; when the other appeared with that bright smile, he stole a heart of stone without even trying. Back then, Rex Lapis was an idiot who didn't know what love was until Barbatos taught him.
Each of his holds made Rex Lapis remember forever; whenever Barbatos was happy, he naturally leaned against his chest. Rex Lapis's heart would beat faster, his body became hotter, and his thought started messier. Rex Lapis once asked the Adepti of Liyue about this situation, thinking it was a disease. They gave him many medicines, but it didn't cure his problems, so he gradually ignored them because he assumed it wouldn't do any harm.
Whenever Anemo Archon visited, Rex Lapis would unconsciously hug him to his lap; the other would play around and talk about everything; Rex Lapis simply carried on with his works and listened to his stories. At that time, a habit of his also formed; if Barbatos didn't mention it, he wouldn't know. Whenever he stressed from work, his hands would squeeze Barbatos's soft waist like a ball. At first, Barbatos didn't say anything, just smiled and rested on his chest, humming a lullaby he learned from everywhere.
Rex Lapis's hands got bolder; he went from Barbatos’s waist to thigh. Until one day, he encountered a rather serious matter - Barbatos faked his signature to buy Mondstadt from the tyrants. His hands gripped tightly around Barbatos's waist, causing Barbatos to scream, then looked at him pitifully. He angrily scolded Barbatos, for he was the God of Contract; he couldn't let this go, even Barbatos, faking a contract was a serious crime. Rex Lapis could punish a people to death for this.
That was the first time they argued, Rex Lapis first saw Barbatos's silence, only quietly explaining and apologizing, but that did not extinguish his anger. Anger made the mind of the most rational person also become foggy; he said words he shouldn't, accusing that Barbatos took advantage of their time together to find out his weak point, then defeat him and take over Liyue.
The Anemo Archon looked at him with wide eyes; he immediately denied it, but Rex Lapis didn't listen and chased him away. A gust of wind followed, and everything was soundless; Rex Lapis rubbed his pagoda, ignoring the voice deep in his heart telling him to follow the wind. The room became quieter than ever; his heart was heavy like raindrops falling outside.
After more than a year since that incident, Barbatos did not move a single step back to the land of Liyue. Rex Lapis, at that time, had a conflicting mood. This abnormal temperament made Adepti visit regularly to help him with papers because they thought he overwork, so he must be tried and became edgy, except Xiao. When he finally met Xiao to ask about his condition, he found out Barbatos did go to Liyue but for Xiao, not for him.
The Anemo Archon would sometimes come to Xiao to heal his wounds and suspend his karma. Upon that news, Rex Lapis’s favorite pottery was crushed mercilessly. Ignored Xiao's question face, he calmly asked about Barbatos if the Anemo Archon treated Xiao right.
"Why don't you go to Mondstadt to meet him?" Xiao asked.
"Why should I?" Rex Lapis raised his eyebrows, examined Xiao's situation, and acknowledged that he was well cared for by Barbatos.
“Pardon my rudeness but if you yearn for Barbatos then why hide it, you two are lovers after all.” Xiao's face clearly showed his confusion for Rex Lapis and Barbatos's relationship.
"What?" He looked at Xiao in surprise. “Me and Barbatos are lovers?”
"So you two aren't?"
Rex Lapis did not give his answer directly back then, only to remain silent; he paid farewell to Xiao and returned to his home, mulling over Xiao’s question. He and Barbatos were lovers, but lovers must have feelings for each other. So did he?
Rex Lapis admitted he enjoyed hearing Barbatos's voice but only because it was ethereal. He liked hugging him simply because he was soft; he also liked those aqua-green eyes because they reminded him of a beautiful sky. But, unfortunately, those would not be counted as emotions for love, right?
Xiao's words drowned him in uncertainty. What gave Xiao such an idea? Rex Lapis touched the empty space next to him. Barbatos's warmth was long gone, his bed growing cold every night. Rex Lapis frowned, trying to disregard his feeling. If thousand years ago he could sleep alone in an ice-cold cave, so could he now. He closed his amber eyes and dreamed of the Wind God's laughter like every other night.
To understand Xiao's statement, Rex Lapis observed the behavior of couples in Liyue; he was embarrassed when he saw them getting intimate, so he switched to a new method, which was reading novels. Liyue and Mondstadt had more love stories than he thought; most of the books he read were tragic love stories between a poor girl and a certain noble. Although he had to wonder about the plot and the characters' intelligence in it many times, the books did teach him some of the things that couples usually do.
They would be close with each other, trusted each other, gave gifts to each other. Rex Lapis looked at the Cecilia flower pot in front of his desk, which Barbatos gave him before things got complicated. He used a little of his power to keep the flowers from wilting. The more he recalled it; the more Rex Lapis felt that their relationship was more like husband and wife than lovers...
Rex Lapis's face turned red when he thought they had shared the same pillow for several months. However, it wasn't over the line yet; he and Barbatos had hugged extremely intimately, with vague actions such as touching hair and stroking each other's bodies. Now he could understand why Xiao thought that.
But if he had feelings for Barbatos, then he must have sexual desires for him!
To confirm he didn't have feelings for Barbatos. Rex Lapis let his imagination take over with a naked Barbatos lying on his bed, a sweet voice whispering in his ears inviting him to invade that magnificent body. His twin braids were loose; his eyes were luring at him, his red lips captured Rex Lapis's lips.
Rex Lapis opened his eyes, feeling that everything was fine; he smiled a little because he proved he didn't have ah-oh-
Liyue's greatest man deadpanned when he looked down at the hut below. Perhaps his body understood better than his mind.
The Seven Archon arrived for their party just as they promised, each bringing unique gifts of their own country, Rex Lapis's eyes searching for that pure white figure, for he hadn’t seen Barbatos for more than a year. Had the Anemo Archon changed, more importantly, if he was still mad at him and not coming to the gathering this time?
“Hey Dendro Archon, I heard you just discovered the new recipe for wine, care to share?”
Rex Lapis watched Barbatos in his beautiful form, the scent of Cecilia still as sweet as he remembered. The body floated in the air like a delicate bird, smiling energetically at the other gods.
"This is a little specialty from Inazuma, brewed from cherry blossoms." Electro Archon smiled and held the bottle in front of him; before he could say anything, Barbatos looked at the Electro Archon with great interest.
“Baal, could I get the pleasure to try it?” Barbatos's eyes sparkled as he looked at the Electro Archon.
“You'll when we are in the party”
“Yahoo! Then hurry up, I'm excited about what it'll taste like!” Barbatos dragged the Electro Archon's arm to the table placed in the middle of the courtyard without saying hello or looking at Rex Lapis.
Rex Lapis was upset for a moment, then looked back at the Anemo Archon, who greeted everyone else except him. He was ignoring him, definitely ignoring him! The Geo Archon tried to control his desire to drag Barbatos into his room and teach him how to be a responsible God.
Rex Lapis snorted at his thought and joined in with the others. Everyone chatted happily, yet Rex Lapis only hummed and hawed because his mind was occupied with Barbatos following one after another Archon, touching hands and body without restraint. He clutched the glass of wine in his hand, his gaze landing upon the Pyro Archon, who was reaching out to grab Barbatos's wrist.
“Hey Barbatos, can you teach me the archery technique tonight?”
"Sure, that would be fun!"
The wine glass in Rex Lapis's hand became broken, an unknown emotion that Rex Lapis had never experienced, anger but with something else. He felt the feelings inside him were more aggressive, not liking the thought of letting Barbatos alone with someone else. He didn't think much of it, pulled Barbatos closer to him; his face showed every word.
“Don't bother others, Barbatos”
“Hey! You can't order-!"
Barbatos let out a squeal as Rex Lapis's hand gripped his waist.
"Shut up and drink"
Rex Lapis handed a new glass of wine to Barbatos, his hands tightening around the other Archon body to the point that Barbatos felt uncomfortable and willingly sat into Rex Lapis's lap to make their position more comfortable.
The Hydro Archon patted Pyro Archon on the shoulder to comfort him as he was glared to death by Rex Lapis. Everyone knew the Pyro Archon just wanted Barbatos to teach him archery because he was competitive in every battle, but unfortunately, the Geo Archon thought otherwise. It was worth sacrificing a Pyro Archon for world peace; they were tired of being gawked at by Rex Lapis like they were stealing his stuff.
After the party ended, each of the Archons returned to their land except Barbatos because Rex Lapis was still holding him in his lap. Barbatos could do nothing but lean on him while in a drunken state.
"Rex Lapis, you're a jerk!" Barbatos muttered under his breath.
Rex Lapis sighed, thinking about what their relationship would be like from now on.
"I'm still mad"
He looked into Barbatos's almost sober eyes; his face red from alcohol made him look cuter than ever. If Rex Lapis were the one who caused the red on Barbatos's cheeks, that would even better.
"I know"
Rex Lapis hugged Barbatos as tightly as if afraid the wind would leave again. A year wasn't long for a God, but to Rex Lapis, it felt like an eternity when he did not see Barbatos. He was really whipped by this little wind, was he? Glad that not everyone knew about this except Guizhong.
"Let's go back to the room"
This would have been perfectly normal if he didn't know his feelings, but when he did, he suddenly felt flustered at the thought of Barbatos sleep next to him.
"Do you want to sleep alone tonight, I'll prepare another room for you." He whispered regretfully but, of course, didn't let Barbatos notice.
“I wouldn't be surprised if you were still mad at me.” Barbatos pouted.
“No, I'm not.” He refused and was slightly surprised by what had made Barbatos think he was still angry with him. “Why do you think so?”
"You never tell me sleep alone"
Oh, that was the answer he didn't expect.
“It's for now, not after I solve something”
Rex Lapis tried to find the most suitable excuse to lure Barbatos out to sleep alone because the image of his body still lingered in his mind from a few days ago. If Barbatos slept with him, he was afraid that he would not be able to control his desires.
"Why?"
"Because you'll regret it"
“I still don't get it.” Barbatos narrowed his eyes and looked at him like he was thinking nonsense.
“Just do what I say, Barbatos”
"Fine, only for now because you look so demanding"
Rex Lapis looked at Barbatos rolling his eyes; he was a bit surprised that the Anemo Archon agreed so quickly because usually, this mischievous God would ask to his ear until he found an answer. Unless he had other plans, Rex Lapis didn't know what kind of plan was going on in his head.
Done taken Barbatos to the guest room, Rex Lapis immediately went to bed for rest, but when he closed his eyes only to see the image of Barbatos everywhere. Finally, after many days apart, he could stroke again the warmth of Barbatos; he loved every curve of the other Archon body that snuggled against his lap. Felt Barbatos's smooth skin and delicate scent; it drove him crazy just by remembered.
Rex Lapis blushed when he felt his lower body rise, somewhat annoyed that he couldn't touch Barbatos when the person he secretly loved was only a wall away from him.
Suddenly Rex Lapis realized something was pressing on his body; his amber eyes opened and met Barbatos's playful smile.
“Barbatos, what are you doing?”
“It's sad to be alone.” Barbatos's eyes sparkled, he giggled. Rex Lapis panicked, hoping he didn't notice anything unusual about him.
“Hey Rex Lapis, something is rubbing my ass?” Barbatos narrowed his eyes and asked; he sat up curiously to find the source.
Rex Lapis didn't have time to stop the Anemo Archon when he exposed the blanket covering all Rex Lapis desires.
"Oh"
That's right, oh.
“I-I'll go back to my room.” Barbatos's voice went stutter, his face flushed, trying to sound calm and smiling awkwardly. "Everyone has this moment so you don't have to worry about what I think. It's completely normal"
Rex Lapis had never seen a Barbatos react so shyly as he did now. As if he had never known sex before, he was a little doubtful about it because Barbatos had always shamelessly sung love songs, advising those couples. Unless he was trying to sound knowledgeable, Rex Lapis chuckled as he watched Barbatos embarrassed, attempting to get out of bed.
The Geo Archon quickly pulled Barbatos down to bed; he gently pressed on top of him.
“You need to take responsibility, Barbatos. This is the result of disobedience.”
Those aqua-green eyes looked at him shocked, still full of shyness; he and Barbatos's heart exchanging beats as if they were dancing. Rex Lapis touched Barbatos's cheek; he didn't move away; perhaps Barbatos also shared his feelings.
With a smile on his face, Rex Lapis lowered his head to claim what he had wished for. Their bodies touched together; Rex Lapis enjoyed every piece of Barbatos’s flesh; after this night, they would only belong together.
Of course, once Rex Lapis had tasted Barbatos once, there would be the second time, the third time. He and his adorable mate spent a lot of time making love to each other whenever the other visited Liyue, but that didn't mean they would act like animals in heat. In the morning, the two of them would walk around Liyue Harbor, played games, and talked to each other like soulmates in the eyes of mortals. Then, they would crawl into their nest for passionate love at night and only stopping when Barbatos fell asleep or fainted from exhaustion.
Of course, such a lifestyle would also bring some surprises. It was a beautiful day, and they decided to sleep until noon because last night was a pretty exciting one. He held Barbatos closely in his arms as he heard his lover mutter, “Don't be so tight that it will harm the baby”
Rex Lapis was dozing; then his mind suddenly became active when he finished consuming his lover's words.
He jerked his hand to examine Barbatos's stomach, and just as he said, a source of energy steadily built up inside him.
And the rest of the story was history.
Rex Lapis opened his arms to welcome that gentle wind; after two hundred years of waiting, after two hundred years of longing, he finally met the love of his life again. Rex Lapis was holding his love tightly but gently; he had lost him once he would not repeat it a second time.
"Mother"
He heard the eldest son's voice, his eyes seemed about to cry, but he was trying to hold back to appear strong in front of his siblings.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, let's see how big you are?"
Barbatos happily left Rex Lapis to hug his cubs; their ten children appeared to be unable to control their emotions. They transformed into their original form and jumped into Barbatos, using their lovely heads to rub their mother. Rex Lapis felt a little lonely, but he would let the children follow their mother all morning until they were tired. In the night, Barbatos would be his alone.
“Rex Lapis, want to take a walk around Liyue Harbor?”
Barbatos flew to him with the children; Rex Lapis smiled tenderly; this was so like him; he just woke up from slumber and wanted to have fun right away, and Rex Lapis couldn't refuse when those beautiful eyes stared at him expectantly. Sometimes Rex Lapis thought he pampered Barbatos too much, like now when Barbatos wanted something; he didn't hesitate to buy it all. If it weren't for the eldest son to speak up, the stalls in Liyue Harbor would have nothing left to sell for other customers today.
They returned with food and wine; he watched their children slowly fall asleep while his love sung lullaby for them, then they quietly went up to the mountain's top. A soft breeze blew through their hair, white light shining down on the Cecilia plants they had planned.
“Rex Lapis, I'm sorry for making you wait for so long.” Barbatos raised his voice first.
“And sorry for worrying you. It must be hard for you to love someone like me.” Barbatos laughed.
Rex Lapis only dragged him closer to his lap, wanted to be angry, wanted to scold Barbatos, but he couldn't do ỉt when his heart constantly ached for Barbatos.
"Don't ever leave me again," said Rex Lapis, his hand trailing on Barbatos's thigh, making his pattern glow. "This is my contract for you."
The pattern on Barbatos' body slowly changed from blue to amber, like Rex Lapis's eyes.
Barbatos just closed his eyes, resting his head on Rex Lapis's chest, listening to his heartbeat like a symphony. With a subtle smile on his face, Barbatos whispered.
"I promise"