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Xiao wakes up to rustling in his closet, which is weird because he lives alone and the last time he checked, doesn’t have any pets. He tries to turn towards the cause of the noise, only to wince when a throbbing headache splits his head into two.
The walls spin around him as he attempts to roll off the bed. It takes a great deal of strength of lift himself off and when he finally manages to open both eyes, he realizes he has barely made half a turn. Xiao groans and buries his head into his pillow. He feels his guts rearrange as whatever substance he consumed last night threatens to escape. A part of him thinks he should throw up on whoever is still running through his closet.
Xiao takes a deep breath while mushing his face onto the sheets, which are softer than usual at second feel. He wonders if his new softener really makes such a difference. Then he realizes that it doesn’t smell like the jasmine and green tea he very specifically picked out a week ago. It smells salty, a nice salty. Like the ocean, His mind helpfully supplies.
“You’re up,” the voice from his closet says, halting the rummaging, “do you mind wearing Teucer’s transformers shirt? I can’t find anything remotely your size.”
Xiao manages to lift a hand to rub the crusts blocking his vision, scarcely revealing a head full of ginger hair, “what.”
He groans again, but internally this time. No fucking way he went home with a stranger last night. He redirects anger to Venti, who was supposed to stop this from happening, who he also vaguely remembers giving Diluc a lap dance while pissed drunk. In retrospect, he probably shouldn’t have asked Venti to be the designated driver.
He looks up again, back to the ginger haired, transformers print shirt holding man, who in turn smiles at him. He’s also shirtless, toned body exposed in all its glory. At least he’s hot-and familiar- but mostly hot. Xiao’s a little bit impressed with himself, all things considered.
“Who are you?” Xiao asks, his throat is dry, and his tongue feels like sandpaper.
“Tartaglia?,” the man says, eyebrows lifted both in amusement and confusion, “I fixed your phone once. Venti told me to drive you back.” He says it clearly, but all Xiao could process in his cotton stuffed mind is.
Fuck, I fucked the intern.
Xiao shoves his face down back into the very nice smelling, very high-quality sheets which he finally realizes are not his own. Now more so to suffocate himself. He rolls himself into the ball, hoping he can cave into himself and grow so miniscule he simply disappears out of existence.
“I think you’re still a little drunk,”
“awubu bu,” Xiao replies.
Childe chuckles, placing the shirt on the bed, “go sleep it off, I’ll call you when breakfast is done.”
Xiao jolts up half an hour later, mostly from the shame eating at him. He rolls out of bed despite every cell of his body opposing him and grabs the neatly folded clothes and towel, now with a green toothbrush placed on top, and hobbles to the bathroom. He walks past the wooden floor- another sign which shows that this isn’t his room at all. He forces himself to not look down upon his careless strewn pants on the floor as he makes his journey of shame towards the bathroom.
The bathroom is neat, much like the room he woke up in. He brushes his teeth and looks in the mirror, his hair is spiked up in every direction possible and his cheek has a mysterious smudge. He’s somehow certain that he drooled in his sleep. He looks away, shocked at his reflection.
Xiao scrubs himself with the Aseop Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser next to the shower head (pretentious, he scoffs). He makes quick work, before he dies of shame, or worse, remembers what happened last night. Patting himself down dry he puts on the bright blue kids’ shirt and pants, ignoring how perfectly it fits.
The shame comes back full force when he walks into the living room to the intern wearing an apron. Childe places two bowls of soup and rice on the table. Xiao sits down, both hands placed on his lap politely.
“It’s bean sprout soup,” Childe says, placing chopsticks and a spoon next to Xiao’s bowl of rice, “my last girlfriend made it for me when I had hangovers, it’s supposed to be a Korean thing I think, but she was Japanese?” He puts only a spoon on his bowl, “but she really liked those kpop groups, but I don’t know which one there were so many. I probably should have though, considering how she left me for Jimin.”
Xiao hasn’t found a moment to try the soup, constantly getting interrupted by the rambling man in front of him. Childe finally pauses and Xiao reaches for a spoon of soup. It clears his head instantly, the broth washing away the last of the bitter taste on his tongue.
“Is it good?” Childe asks expectantly.
“Did we fuck?”
Childe spits out his soup. Xiao chews on his bean sprouts, it’s perfectly seasoned. He grabs a spoonful of rice, slightly mushy.
“N-no! We didn’t-” Childe gasps, “-you were so drunk, I’m not that low to sleep with someone who can’t even remember his address. And frankly I’m offended you thought I would, not that I wouldn’t, I mean, if you weren’t drunk-”
Xiao looks at him, he feels his face growing redder as the other man continues.
“-but you were and I- we- just slept, normally,” Childe ends, finally.
Oh. Xiao gapes, he’s now past the point of embarrassment, now threading into feeling like a whole clown. “But why were you shirtless. Why was I shirtless.”
“You puked on your shirt, and I sleep shirtless,” Childe laughs, which somehow makes Xiao feel better because now the misunderstanding feel lighter. It doesn’t help with his growing shame, but it softens the blow, even if only by a small fraction.
Childe notices the sourness on Xiao’s face, “It’s okay, eat your soup, it should help.” Xiao eats quietly then, not saying more. He has embarrassed himself enough in the past few hours.
Childe drops him off at his apartment. They both silently agreed that Xiao would combust if he had to take in the embarrassment of walking back home with his Transformers outfit. He’s actually impressed at how the other man took this so easily. He stands outside of the car door awkwardly and shuffles his feet.
“Is there any way I can make up for this?” Xiao asks, “lunch maybe?”
“It’s okay,” Childe winks, “but a free lunch sounds nice.” He hands Xiao his phone for his number. There’s a shirtless picture of Childe on his lock screen.
Xiao definitely doesn’t think about it when he curls up in bed the rest of the day. The jasmine and green tea softener calming him down.
///
“I trusted you,” Xiao makes a beeline to Venti’s cubical on Monday.
“I don’t know what this is about but honestly,” Venti says, fingers fidgeting with his pen, “that’s a mistake on your part.” Xiao smacks the pen away from his hand.
“When I told you to send me home safely, I meant my place. Not-“ he looks around to see that the rest of the office is very obviously listening, he drops to an angry whisper, “-Childe the Intern’s.”
“Well yes, you told me I was the designated driver, I designated someone to send you home,” Venti says, finally realizing what Xiao meant, he smiles at him proudly.
“That’s not how it works-“
“Childe isn’t an intern anymore. He fixed boss’ computer a week ago and Zhongli offered him a position,” Hu Tao pipes up from her seat, not even trying to act like she isn’t eavesdropping anymore.
Childe joined their assemble two months ago. Xiao thought he was just another rich kid using his father’s connection to gain a shiny title on his resume but he proved useful when he removed a virus which threatened to destroy their entire database. Everyone decided it was much better profit wise to keep a slightly annoying beanpole of a man than call in IT every time Venti accidentally fucks up his computer.
“You really have no idea what happens out of your cubicle don’t you,” Venti tsks, then tries to change the subject, “I bet you didn’t know that me and Diluc are finally dating.”
“Even I didn’t know that,” Diluc from accounts whacks Venti’s head seemingly out of nowhere, earning an “ow!” from the nuisance.
Venti grins and looks ups, “we can change that anytime.” Xiao rolls his eyes.
“Can I grab a pen?” Diluc sighs and grabs one, a fond smile on his face. Xiao has seen this routine way too many times to want to comment on it. He should get Venti a new pack of pens soon, or Diluc will run out of excuses to visit his friend.
“Byee,” Venti waves playfully at the other man, and back to Xiao, head resting on his hand, “so, was my service unsatisfactory?”
“I can’t stand you,” then Xiao turns to Hu Tao to glare, she’s next on his hit list, “and you,” he points, “what did you spike my drinks with.”
“Nothing you didn’t die from,” Hu Tao shrugs. Xiao’s eye twitches. Sunday was their monthly company get together and Xiao, because of many past experiences, was minding his own business with a few cans of beer. Xiao hates to admit it but when he gets drunk, he can enter a state of idiocy only Venti can achieve on a daily basis, which is why he specifically didn’t want to. He doesn’t want to remember much about that night but he’s certain the last face he saw was Hu Tao’s.
His phone buzzes in his pocket. He picks it up, ignoring the curious stares of his colleagues.
unknown:
hey its me
childe
the intern
ex intern lol
when should we have lunch ;)
Xiao looks up and sees a tuff of orange hair at the end of the office. Childe definitely heard everything.
///
Xiao:
Hi Tartaglia, It’s Xiao. Is Sunday okay? Would you like Japanese or Mexican?
Tartaglia:
sundays ok. You pick
Xiao:
I’ll meet you at the station near our office. At 12.
Tartaglia:
you can call me childe
Xiao glances at his phone again, frowning. It’s 12:10 with no sight of the man. His other hand holds a paper bag with the Transformer’s outfit Childe gave him. He looks around and stops when he feels a hand tap his shoulder playfully. He turns to the direction of the tap, he jumps slightly when he feels a finger poke his cheek.He looks up to the owner of the finger and he’s met with cheeky foxy eyes.
Xiao grips his finger on instinct, twisting it with intent to snap it in half.
“O-ow ow ow sorry! Sorry,” Childe tries to pull away, writhing in pain. Xiao immediately let’s go, reminding himself that he owed the man a huge favour.
“Sorry,” Xiao apologises, “reflex.”
“Reflex...” Childe mutters. He’s wearing a turtleneck and cashmere coat, hair slicked up and all. It makes Xiao feel severely underdressed in his hoodie and hastily tied up ponytail. But they have both seen each other shirtless before, which no amount of expensive clothes can wipe it off Xiao’s memory.
He hands the bag over to Childe before he starts imagining the man in front of him in various compromised positions, preferably shirtless. “Here, the clothes you loaned me.”
“You could have kept it,” Childe jokes, “it suited you that day.” He shuts his mouth when Xiao glares at him. Xiao blushes even when he doesn’t want to. He can’t help it, Xiao has a decent job with a good pay, a car, an apartment, and a very good relationship with the grandma who sells chicken rice under it. Childe was just lucky enough to witness him in a low- but highly, highly uncommon- moment of his life.
“Let’s go,” Xiao leads the way towards the Japanese home owned restaurant hidden in an alleyway just a few blocks away from their office. He hasn’t told anybody about it except for Zhongli, fearing that his rambunctious group of co-workers would invade his quiet spot. He loves them all, dearly, or he wouldn’t have stayed all these years. But he decided some places should be kept to himself. He doesn’t know why he would willingly bring Childe here, but if he were to have a very uncomfortable conversation with the man he thought he slept with, it would be in a place he was comfortable with.
“Sucks,” Childe says when he sees the wooden entrance of the place, “was hoping for Mexican,” but he has a playful smile on his face. Xiao rolls his eyes and smiles back. He expected it to be awkward but he’s pleasantly surprised at how easy conversations flow between them.
“Good afternoon,” He greets the waiter when he enters, Childe hits his face on the noren and has to almost fold himself over to pass the cloth. Xiao tries not to laugh. “Table for two please.”
The waiter leads them to their table. Childe is still disorientated from his very intense fight with the noren. Xiao grabs his sleeve and guides him to his seat, huffing at the other man.
“Pick anything you want,” Xiao says when they’re both settled, “on me.” That’s right, it’s time to finally prove himself as the older one in this relationship. Whatever relationship they have.
“Nothing here costs more than my abysmal hourly intern pay,” Childe deadpans.
“I’m sorry I can’t adjust my budget to your pay grade,” Xiao’s eyes twitches, “don’t eat then.”
“I’ll have the curry rice,” Childe smiles.
“Brat.”
The food comes quickly, saving Xiao from having to make small talk. Childe immediately whips out his phone when the food is placed on the table to snap pictures excitedly, he looks adorable.
He snatches his bowl and ducks his head down for his udon before Childe could comment on the blush growing on his face.
“So,” Childe starts after taking a bite of curry. Why does he always start conversations mid eating, “how’s work?”
“Same old,” Xiao replies, deciding to entertain him. “You’re not an intern anymore? Congratulations.”
“Oh yea bossman finally realized how much of an asset I am to the company,” Childe says smugly. Xiao figures that by bossman he means Zhongli.
“Would have been faster if you didn’t spent the first week of work trying to get into his pants,” Xiao laughs. Childe spent a week flirting with Zhongli, with very little effect because the other man has a joke barrier of a brick wall. Zhongli found him more than a nuisance than anything.
“You saw that?” Childe says, acting offended, “I guess we’re even after your-” he waves his hands.
“Can we please stop talking about that,” Xiao grumbles. Then he stops, finding an opportunity to get rid of a bother he had since. “Did I… act inappropriately that day?” he asks.
Childe huffs, eyes going turning into little crescents. His mouth opens as he laughs, revealing sharp canines. Xiao thought it was just the alcohol at first but the younger man really does look like a fox. “Do you usually act inappropriately?” Childe tilts his head.
“No-” Xiao exclaims, “just, if I did I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry,” Childe laughs, “you were cute if anything.”
“Cute,” Xiao stammers, dumbfounded.
“Very.”
A pregnant silence passes them.
“So,” Xiao tries to changes the topic, “how did you start working with computers?” it comes out strained because small talk is on the list of skills he has never attempted to develop.
Childe blinks at him, his eyes are a deep blue, and Xiao can’t tear his eyes away. Childe scratches his neck bashfully, “someone told me if I knew a lot about computers I could pick up cute girls,” he laughs then looks at Xiao, leaving no room for interpretation for what he says next, “and very cute boys.” His eyes reflect the sunlight, clear orbs of ocean blue.
“You’re terrible at flirting,” Xiao says point blank, giving up.
“But you’re blushing,”
“I’m going back to my noodles,” Xiao ignores him.
They leave the restaurant way past lunch. Xiao with his belly full and mouth tired from laughing and talking. Childe sneaks to the bathroom and paid the bill when Xiao wasn’t looking, Xiao realizing that he has been betrayed by the owner when his payment was rejected.
They walk back to the station where Childe parked his car, squabbling along the way. Xiao hasn’t laughed so much in a while, even though most of it consisted of scoffing and annoyance. Something about the taller man makes him relax, even if he doesn’t want to.
“Hey,” Childe leans on his car, a small smile on his face, softer than his usual smirk. The setting sunlight frames his face, golden light making his hair shine. He crosses his arms as he looks at Xiao, “do you want to maybe hang out at my place, eat some ramen with me? I can send you home later.”
Xiao blinks, “Thanks but no, I rode my bike today,” he wonders why Childe’s expression makes him nervous, “and I’m still full from lunch.”
“Oh,” Childe says. Xiao doesn’t know why he looks oddly disappointed. Childe is really close, Xiao realizes, he can smell the cologne on him, salty and a hint of yuzu. Maybe the smell wasn’t from the softener on his sheets after all. He notices just how the younger man towers him in this way, almost a head taller.
“Sure, sure,” he smiles, the genuineness from before fading. Xiao looks away.
“Guess I’ll go now,” he mumbles, “see you tomorrow at work.”
Xiao walks away hesitantly, the nudging stare from behind relentless.
///
“Good morning, how was your date with Childe?” Ganyu, his cubical mate, greets him when he takes a seat. She’s smiling, which means that she meant no harm in that question, which somehow makes it worse.
“It wasn’t a date,” Xiao says, “and how did you know that?”
Ganyu blinks at him innocently, “Keqing told me, she heard from Hu Tao, who heard from Venti.”
Xiao grimaces, completely forgetting how fast information travels by mouth in this tiny building. If only their high speed information transfer capabilities were digital and not just useless gossip.
Xiao furrows his brows again after realizing that if Both Venti and Hu Tao knows, it also means that Zhongli does. Which explains why his boss, and old friend, has been taking peeks at him from his office. Zhongli looks away when Xiao stares back, but since the walls separating them are made of glass, it was obvious. He sighs and stands up to walk over to Zhongli’s office to clear up the misunderstanding.
“I am not dating the intern,” Xiao says after he checks that the door is fully closed. Zhongli is doing a terrible job acting like he doesn’t know what Xiao’s talking about, he’s holding his book upside down. “Zhongli.”
“I don’t know anything about anyone dating,” Zhongli says, shrugging and putting his book down. Xiao stares at him. “But well, if you were…”
“I’m not,” Xiao says again.
“I think it would be nice you know,” Zhongli tries to sound convincing, “it has been a while since you dated.”
Xiao frowns. It hasn’t been a while. Then he remembers Chongyun from university, bright eyed and filled with sunshine, and wonders if it really has been that long.
“It wouldn’t hurt to try,” Zhongli pushes further, changing his tone, revealing his experience as a lawyer before he started his company. He may as well have a pile of papers detailing Xiao’s entire life in front of him, and glasses on ready to scrutinize every part of it. “Seeing that we’re getting older…”
Xiao once couldn’t deal with this side of Zhongli, but now he feels more fond than annoyed. They have been friends longer than they were not and Zhongli’s many jokes about them being two disgruntled middle aged men is turning out to be true as the years pass. He smiles fondly at his childhood friend.
“Go back to the book you were reading,” Xiao deadpans, “right side up this time.”
When he leaves Zhongli’s office he sees Childe by the printer, sleeves folded up and tie slung over his shoulder. He’s holding a sheet of instructions as he pushes buttons Xiao didn’t even dare to touch the entirely of his working here. Somehow the conversation with Zhongli makes him a bit brave.
“Did someone break the printer again?” Xiao asks, approaching Childe. Childe looks up. A bead of sweat rolls down his cheek and his hair is tussled cutely.
“Yea,” Childe chuckles,” Venti somehow managed to switch the black and magenta ink, now we have a stack of sales reports printed barbie pink.”
“I’m pretty sure his mere presence is disruptive to technology,” Xiao rolls his eyes. He folds his arms and rests his weight on his right leg. Because Hu Tao told him once it makes him look cool. Or that it made him look cool. When he was in college. 10 years ago.
It seems to work though, Childe immediately directing all his attention towards Xiao. “I’ve fixed your computer after you accidentally switched to recovery mode,” he bursts into laughter, not the soft smug one, but the hyena one, “I don’t think you can fare any better.”
“That was one time,” Xiao defends himself.
“Xiao!” Hu Tao calls for him,” not to interrupt but I got you your drink.”
Xiao looks at Childe apologetically and turns to leave, not before the other man grabs his sleeve. “Hey, do you want to have lunch again?” Childe asks, “Korean this time.”
Xiao smiles, hopeful, “sure.”
“Okay, you have to tell us what happened between you two,” Hu Tao says when he arrives at her seat, handing him an americano and a pile of papers on his other hand, “as you finish this pile of reports.”
Xiao grunts, taking a seat, “so you can tell everyone else?”
“Yes! There are no secrets within this family young man,” Hu Tao wags her finger. She says family like a headmistress does when a fight breaks out in her school.
“Nothing happened, we just ate lunch,” Xiao brushes her off.
“And?” Venti asks, peeking his head out. Xiao hasn’t even read a line from the reports he was called to do.
“And he wanted to eat ramen at his place,” Xiao says, “but I said no and went back home.”
“What,” Venti and Hu Tao both say in unison, “you said no?”
“Yea, I was full,” Xiao looks at both of them in confusion. They both look like Xiao just murdered a man in front of them.
“That means he wants to hook up!” Hu Tao whispers aggressively, “everyone knows that.”
“That’s not what it means,” Xiao laughs at how ridiculous it sounds.
“Yes it does you idiot,” Venti rolls his eyes, “watch.” He turns to the back and zeros into Keqing, “Hey Keqing, would you like to eat ramen with me?”
Keqing’s expression instantly turns into full on disgust, “don’t talk to me ever again Venti,” she glares at him and leaves the room. Venti looks positively beaming. He shouldn’t look that proud to be rejected but the look on face says otherwise when he turns back to Xiao. “See?”
“Huh.”
///
It’s two days later when Childe comes back to him. It’s also two days later when Venti’s huge proclamation of undying love comes back to bite his ass.
Venti comes to work with every single pen Diluc has borrowed back on his table. Xiao can hear Venti’s heart break clearly all the way from his seat. The whole office is looking at him. He walks over to his friend to console him, only to meet a very angry Ganyu.
“I can’t believe you Venti,” she crosses her arms, “How dare you hit on Keqing.” The audience attention turns to her. Ganyu is usually kind and reserved, but even Xiao knows she turns icy the moment you make her mad.
“Wait,” Venti rubs his eyes, “what do you mea-”
“You know that Keqing and I are dating,” Ganyu says, squinting. Venti nods. Xiao didn’t know that, but no one else looks surprised. He really doesn’t know what happens in the office.
“Well yea I do, oh,” Venti’s eyes widen, realization hitting him “okay, okay this is a misunderstanding. I was just trying to show Xiao something. I didn’t mean it. ”
“I sure hope so,” Keqing appears behind, she turns to Ganyu, “let’s go.”
“Wait,” Venti stops them, “does Diluc know?” The look on both their faces answers his question. Of course Diluc does. Family. Venti grabs a bundle of pens and stands up, “I have to go.”
The crowd Xiao didn’t know formed disperses, leaving him still standing. He sees a few people whispering in the back, and a couple more laughing as they fetch drinks. This is exactly why he has always tried to avoided conflict in the office, which includes dating in general.
The opposition to his argument comes when a familiar finger pokes his cheek. He manages to not reach out to break it this time, instead he turns to look at Childe’s grinning face.
“That was tense,” Childe whistles, “I hope it turns out well for them.”
Xiao sighs, “it seems like everyone in this office is dating.”
“I think it’s cute,” Childe looks down, “what about you? Any secret romance we should know about?” He pauses for a while to think, “god, please don’t tell me you’re dating Zhongli. That would be embarrassing on my part. Both times.”
“No we’re not,” Xiao laughs, “definitely not. I’m very much single.”
Childe laughs along with him, crescent eyes, “same here.”
“ both times?”
“Anyway,” Childe shifts the topic, “dinner tonight maybe?”
“I almost thought you forgot about that.”
///
Xiao rubs his arms, trying to warm himself as he waits for Childe to pick him up. Childe offered a ride to the restaurant after they got assaulted by the sharp cold at the entrance. Xiao couldn’t refuse when he only option was his bike. Childe pulls up to the curb and Xiao quickly enters the car.
Childe brings them to a buzzing Korean restaurant filled with customers clinking glasses or drinking soup to burn away the cold. The rowdiness of the place suits Childe, not so much for Xiao. Childe seems to sense Xiao’s discomfort and pushes him to a corner seat, where the music barely reaches.
“The mackerel kimchi soup here is good,” Childe says while they look through the menu, “if you can handle the spiciness.”
Xiao raises an eyebrow, “I would expect you to be the one unable to.”
“Then we should get soju too,” Childe asks, “you had no problem with alcohol that night.”
“You’re just asking to be strangled,” Xiao glares, reaching for Childe. The other man dodges swiftly as he laugh loudly. Childe waves to the waiter to order two bowls of soup and soju, smiling sweetly at the waiter as he does. Xiao scrunches his nose.
The order comes quickly, soup still boiling in the clay pots. It warms Xiao up almost instantly. Childe immediately reaches for a bottle of soju, cracking it open and pouring a glass for both of them. Xiao takes his glass and Childe clinks his together.
Surprisingly they eat peacefully, refilling their cups and making light conversations between spoons of soup. The sourness of the kimchi wakes Xiao up, and the heat of the spiciness warms him. Childe stares at him all the while, and Xiao feels a mixture of pride and insecurity under the man’s attention.
He gulps.
“When I first joined I was certain there was something between you and boss,” Childe says. resting his head on his palm, tilted. Xiao hears him clearly despite his soft voice in the buzzing noise of the crowd.
Xiao pauses, wondering if Childe noticed something between them. He once liked Zhongli, and Zhongli him, unfortunately in different times of their life. They were too similar, too afraid to hurt the other, so the love faded, leaving only the friendship he holds dear to his heart till this day. Xiao doesn’t know if he should deny it.
Xiao looks at Childe, the opposite of himself, clad in confidence and sharp smiles. He wonders if this would be short lived, and how he would be okay with that.
“The office felt like a bubble I can’t enter,” Childe continues, “I felt like I didn’t belong and a mistake would leave me stranded.”
“Really?” Xiao says, surprised.
“Yes,” Childe replies, “I may be incredibly smart, strong and perfect in every way possible,” Xiao rolls his eyes, Childe laughs and takes a sip of soju, “but I can make mistakes too.”
“I know I can do better,” Childe says without jest this time, “I just need to prove it. But it sometimes gets tiring,” he looks at Xiao, a gleam of seriousness replacing the playful expression he had just a moment ago. Xiao feels a chill run down his spine. Xiao doesn’t think he has ever felt that way, the need to try to fit in the office. But he feels a part of them. A pang of guilt passes through him when he realizes that it was the people around him who makes the effort to talk to him, and how he can’t imagine a day at work without Hu Tao’s peskiness and Venti’s dramatics. Even Ganyu was the first one to strike up a conversation between them despite both being introverts.
“You’re still young you brat,” Xiao coughs, “it’ll take time. Plus, we like you, you’re a great addition to our team.”
“Guess it will,” Childe grins, then lifts the bottle of soju between them, “another glass?”
“You really want a repeat of that night don’t you,” Xiao says, “now we both can’t drive.”
“We can take a taxi home, there’s no work tomorrow.”
A, he says. One taxi. One home. Xiao finds that he doesn’t mind that at all.
Childe slings Xiao’s arms over himself to guide him into the taxi. Xiao knows can walk perfectly, but Childe took his arm before he could prove to the other man he can. He feels a seatbelt fasten around him, and the car shake when Childe takes his seat.
“What’s your address?” Childe asks, Xiao looks at him, a hidden meaning behind the stare the other man gives him. He knows that Childe knows his address, and is just asking for the sake of it. A formality. A cue.
“I don’t remember,” Xiao plays along.
Xiao is definitely not as drunk as he were last time, because his mind is registering every detail of Childe’s mouth on him. Childe’s mouth is soft, surprisingly so. Xiao doesn’t really like to kiss much since he would have to tilt his head up in most occasions but Childe lifts him up as he does, which was frankly more embarrassing. The kiss travels down to his neck the same time he feels hands slip under his shirt, brushing a nipple. Xiao shudders and lolls his head to the side. He finds enough clarity to grab the other man’s hand.
“We are not fucking in your hallway,” Xiao complains. Childe laughs, mouth still latched on his neck. He bounces Xiao up to secure him in his arms and starts casually walking to his room. Xiao flushes at how easy that was for the other man.
“Yes princess,” Childe says, adding on to his embarrassment. Before Xiao could reprimand him for that comment they’re both on Childe’s bed. Xiao feels overwhelmed when Childe traps him between his arms. “Does that mean we get to fuck?”
Xiao rolls his eyes. He wraps his legs around Childe to pull him down, “don’t make me change my mind.” Childe’s eyes widen at that and grins, canines and all. He doesn’t give Xiao the chance to do lament his words, immediately latching his lips back on. Xiao is suddenly aware of the amount of fabric obstructing them, he tugs at Childe’s sweater, “off.” Removes both layers of his shirt swiftly, tossing them to the side. He pauses for a while, like reminded of something, and reaches over Xiao towards the bedstand.
Xiao takes a moment to stare at the body stretched over him as he unbuttons his shirt. He didn’t get a good look at that morning because he was still half out of his mind, his many imaginations not doing justice to the view just inches away. Childe comes back down, and Xiao is met with the biggest smirk he has seen the other man make, “like what you see?”
“Brat.”
Xiao wakes up to ocean scented sheets, everything awfully familiar, even the slight spinning in his head. He shuffles to grab his phone to check the time but huge arms stop him. He looks up and sees Childe staring at him with a soft smile.
“Morning,” Childe says.
Xiao groans back. Childe laughs and kisses him on the forehead, “you look so ugly just woken up.”
Xiao manages to free his hand to smack Childe’s face, “you’re ugly too!” He retorts childishly. It isn’t true, Childe looks amazing framed in the peeks of light escaping from the curtains. Xiao’s heart almost can’t take how close the other man’s face is.
“I’m joking! Joking,” Childe exclaims, he takes Xiao’s hand and pushes it back down the sheets. He shuffles out of the bed and Xiao can’t help but he disappointed about losing his heat source. The morning feels colder than last night. Xiao wraps tighter in the blue sheets.
Childe walks over to his closet and grabs a couple of items, Xiao can’t tear his eyes away from the other man’s bare ass. Childe turns back, “Teucer got mad at me for giving his shirt away,” he says as he loops a hoodie over himself, ”so you’ll have to settle with mine.” He folds a spare sweater and places it next to Xiao.
“I’ll go make breakfast,” He pats Xiao’s head, making him blush, “take your time.”
“Thanks,” Xiao manages to squeak out. He’s slightly blown away at the domesticity of it all. He rolls to the side and mushes his face on the bed sheets, willing his heart to stop beating so fast.
Xiao steps out of bed after he’s certain he has survived cardiac arrest, grabs the sweater and makes his way past the warzone that is the aftermath of last night. He can’t help but laugh at the familiarity of it all. When he enters the bathroom he sees the green tooth brush he used a week ago next to Childe’s, clinking side by side.
There’s a cup of black coffee when he comes out from the bath, still fumbling with the sweater that fits him more like a gown. He looks at the cup. Then back at Childe, who somehow managed to cook a full breakfast with toast and beans, setting the table.
“How did you know I like my coffee black,” Xiao asks.
“That’s the only thing you drink at work,” Childe says like it’s a fact. Xiao pauses for a moment, from his heart skipping a beat.
And the sheer ridiculousness of him falling for a cheeky young man just because he remembered the coffee he likes.
“I would like that ramen,” Xiao mumbles shyly, drinking his coffee.
Childe looks at him, then his face lights up when he figures out what Xiao meant. He comes closer, smiling the same soft smile, but with a slight tint on his cheek, “are you asking me out?”
Xiao gulps, suddenly nervous, “I am.”
“Yes,” Childe says, “I’ll eat that ramen with you.”
“I’m taking it back,” Xiao huffs, embarrassed. Childe wraps his arms around him instantly, reaching for a kiss, “don’t come closer!”
///
“I have huge news everyone,” Venti announces the next day when everyone arrives for work, getting the whole floor’s attention. Xiao immediately whips his head up, wondering if Venti can somehow read his mind and is about to announce to everyone about the new development between him and Childe. He jumps up his seat in fear when Venti smirks at Xiao for a moment.
“Diluc and I are finally dating,” he proclaims, earning a multitude of groans in reply, “for real this time!” He whines, “you can ask him yourselves!”
“Go back to work Venti,” Zhongli instructs from his office. Venti sticks his tongue out at him the same time something smacks him on the head. He turns his head up in excitement.
“You’re too loud,” Diluc says, but he doesn’t deny the allegations. Xiao laughs from his seat and sits down, happy for his friend. He was ready to shove all the pens Diluc returned up his ass if he hurt Venti’s heart.
“Baby!” Venti squeals loudly. The office groans again.
“You seem happy today,” Ganyu says. She glances at Childe who finally got the printer to work. He turns over and gives Xiao a thumbs up, smiling sweetly.
Xiao blushes, but doesn’t deny anything too. He doesn’t have to because he knows that Ganyu is probably the only person he can trust here. “Yea, I think I am.”