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Mondstadt is known for many things — freedom, alcohol, handsome bachelors, questionable outfit choices for one's god — many things indeed. On this list, however, warm temperatures did not seem to make the cut. Even during the peak of Windblume, citizens are seen sporting coats during their flower picking, acting as if it is mid winter opposed to early spring. It is a jarring change from Liyue’s climate, and Morax knows this. How could he not; after living for millennia, it would be more surprising if he hadn’t visited the neighboring nation during all his years. When Morax indulged in rare visits to said nation, it would be to visit his old friend, the archon who loosely supervised it. However, Morax is no longer Morax. He is Zhongli, and Zhongli is visiting Mondstadt once again, but this time he did not come for the bard.
Light filters through the curtains when Zhongli awakes. He shifts under the covers, careful to not disturb the man pressed behind him, arms wrapping around his body. Through bleary vision, Zhongli admires the red curls that begin to spill over his shoulder. Akin to the bed he lies in, and the arms surrounding his waist, they belong to his lover. Zhongli soaks in his current situation, and gives himself a mental high-five for bedding the ‘Uncrowned King of Mondstadt’. As a former archon, he should not care for the titles mortals hold as he can easily upstage them — but as he is in his ‘mortal’ era, being involved with a very attractive (and very rich) noble is a good start, is it not? A quiet snore interrupts Zhongli’s private gloating as he hears soft breathing escape Diluc, and his smug grin melts into something softer. It is rare to see his partner at peace, and Zhongli savors whenever he is able to witness it. Zhongli refuses to do anything to disturb his lover, and why would he want to? He adores the man holding him, and treasures every moment he can spend with him, whether it be a chat at Diluc’s bar or the morning after a night of intimacy such as this. He really does love the feeling of being in his arms. Also—
Diluc is impossibly warm.
Saying this isn’t surprising. It’s as if someone said the sky was blue or pointed out the drunks that orbited Angel’s Share. The few that are close to him know that Diluc pumps out heat like a furnace. Not many have felt the man's warmth themselves, but a glance at the man's pyro vision would give a hint to his body heat. Luckily enough for Zhongli, he has personally encountered the heat himself, and, oh, how he loves it.
While Zhongli has switched identities, instincts do not leave with a name change. At his core he still has the heart of a dragon. He doesn’t lay eggs or lick his eyeballs clean like an actual reptile, but he is still an overgrown lizard in a crisply ironed suit. It is part of him that has its pros and cons: pros being possessing a rather unique set of fangs; a con being Zhongli is quite literally cold blooded. Admittedly, at first it was unusual for Diluc to wake up to a still, cold body, but he got used to it. As Zhongli’s visits to Mondstadt became more frequent, so did his encounters with constant cold weather. So unsurprisingly, Zhongli got used to sleeping next to a living heater very quickly, as what would a cold reptile love more than heat?
“Hmm…” A hum quietly slips out of Diluc’s mouth as the rays of sun begin to wake him as well. He opens his eyes slowly, eyelids still being dragged down by remnants of sleep. His arms squeeze the body against him, and Zhongli presses back against Diluc easily.
“Goodmorning, Diluc,” Zhongli whispers into the silence of the room. Instead of a response, he is met with a small groan.They both know soon enough Diluc will have to fully awake and begin to work, Diluc starting to let go of the other man. While the bar doesn’t open until after 5 in the afternoon, commissions and preparing for Windblume (not to mention speaking with connections of Mondstadt’s ‘Darknight Hero’) still hold a place in his schedule. Despite the knowledge that Diluc will soon have to leave their bed, Zhongli holds on to the moment with his partner for as long as he can. To ensure this, he swiftly rolls around and hugs the man he now faces. Unfortunately, his efforts to make Diluc stay are dismissed.
“Li,” Diluc croaks out tiredly, “I’m sorry, but it’s already after 8 am. I have to get up.” Instead of letting go, Zhongli simply squeezed tighter. He wouldn’t admit this out loud, but it wasn’t only the companionship he wanted: he wanted the warmth. With Diluc gone, Zhongli was left with a measly fireplace that didn’t dare to compare to the heat of his partner. Diluc chuckles at the act of neediness, amused at his partner's attempts. He starts to actually move out of bed only to realize he is being held still. Gnosis or not, Zhongli is still abnormally strong, leaving Diluc pretty much helpless.
“Zhongli. I have to—” Diluc attempts to slip out of Zhongli’s grip, and fails. “I have to go. Now, please.” No response. He sighs defeatedly, and starts to pry at his lover's hands. After a bit of tugging and pleading, he was able to break free and quickly leave the bed. However, he didn’t get far.
A noise of surprise leaves the winery owner as he feels nimble fingers creep around his waist once again. Diluc groans, loudly, and turns his head to give a dirty look to his lover. Instead, he finds Zhongli stretching himself across the bed towards Diluc, sees his body littered with reminders of the night previous. Whether this scene was made on purpose or not, upon witnessing it Diluc briefly considers if staying home is really such a terrible idea. Luckily for him, his common sense returns and he peels off the ex-archons hands one last time with a grunt. As Diluc finally begins to get ready for the day, he thinks to himself about Zhongli’s behavior, despite actually knowing why his lover is acting so clingy. Zhongli is a hard man to decipher, similar to Diluc himself, but he reveals himself in small ways. Zhongli isn’t a very needy partner, and Diluc knows this; despite their moments of domesticity, both are quite independent. However, that doesn’t mean the couple is any less attentive to one another. Diluc notices how Zhongli beelines to sources of heat, or how he prefers to lay in bed only after Diluc has warmed it up. At first he thought it was just Zhongli not being used to the weather as Liyue is a lot more temperate than Mondstadt. Though after learning about Zhongli’s rather odd origins and biology, he settled with a different answer.
“Maybe I should get him a heat lamp…” Diluc starts to whisper while slipping into his pants, but quickly stops when he feels a glare stabbing at his back. A shit-eating grin briefly crosses his face before he turns around to give an apologetic smile to the offended party. Zhongli stares back, unamused. Knowing his “apology” was not accepted, Diluc makes his way back to the bed to place a kiss on his lover's forehead.
“For the last time,” Zhongli starts, “I am not actually a reptile.”
Diluc chuckles. “Your forked tongue makes that hard to believe.”
“I’m choosing to ignore that comment.” Zhongli proceeds to do just that, instead leaning into the heat of Diluc’s body.
“At least you’re giving me verbal responses now,” Diluc murmurs. “As much as I enjoy our banter, I don’t want to enter Mondstadt shirtless —” he continues, but abruptly cuts himself off with a shudder. Confused, he thinks of what could have chilled him so suddenly; but it’s too late when Diluc realizes he’s fallen into a trap. Familiar icy limbs have already snaked their way back around his waist.