Work Text:
xxx-xxx-xxxx
heyyy so i’ve heard you’re like extremely smart so i was just wondering if you could help me with the first problem on the math assignment?????
zhongli
Sorry, who’s this?
xxx-xxx-xxxx
oh cmon no need to be so cold 😅
zhongli
I’m not? Who is this?
xxx-xxx-xxxx
ajax from math?????
zhongli
I’m sorry that doesn’t ring a bell.
zhongli
[attachment: 1 screenshot]
Pardon but who is this?
hu tao
holy cooked 😭😭😭
venti
zhongli they’ve fed you to the vultures
my fucking condolences
hu tao
osrs
you’re genuinely cooked
zhongli
I’m sorry?
Why?
venti
lwk don’t even answer anymore
hu tao
if you answer you just paid for your ticket to hell
and this isn’t me being dramatic
this is the TRUTH
ganyu
oh i know him
he’s in my chemistry class with xiao
xiao
The really annoying one?
ganyu
yes
he hangs out with the popular kids
they call them “the harbingers”
he’s also on the baseball team
hu tao
LMFAO
what in the actual hell 😭
venti
wait ntm cause they throw really dope parties
hu tao
???????
you’ve been invited to one??????
venti
lmao yes
out of all of us here i actually have a life
hu tao
wow okay
i have a life mind you
i’m EMPLOYED
venti
okay
so?
hu tao
i have a stable income???????
something that you DONT have??????
venti
okay
so?
hu tao
what do you mean “so”????????
YOU DONT HAVE A FUCKING JOB?????
venti
okay
so?
hu tao
holy shit we’re fucking doomed
ganyu
yikes…
zhongli
I fail to see how this is will help me
xiao
Stay away from him
That’s what I got from…
All this
ganyu
yes zhongli!!
i’ve heard some rumors about him and their little group
allegedly they’re cold hearted and play with people’s emotions for their own gain
not to mention baseball players are not known for their pleasurable romantic endeavors
hu tao
yeah i’ve heard that too
allegedly he has a new partner every other week???
not too sure how plausible that is
venti
i’ve heard that too
but he’s lwk chill
well from the conversations i’ve had with him
xiao
Whose side are you on
venti
obviously on your side zhongli
BUTTTT i’m just giving my two cents on this
both good and bad
ajax has been really chill with yoimiya and i
he asks about our day and how we are whenever we bump into him around campus
even bought us coffee when we saw him at the coffee shop across campus
hu tao
well he doesn’t sound that shabby now
BUTTT the rumors still exist
venti
you’re not wrong on that
yeah zhongli ur cooked with or without rumors good luck with that
ganyu
either way zhongli just be careful around him!!!
it’s best to keep him at an arms length
xiao
I second that
zhongli
Thank you.
I’m still confused on why he wants my help with the assignment.
It is the first problem too…
venti
LMFAOOOO
he’s actually fucking dumb 😭😭😭😭😭
hu tao
time to log off omg
xxx-xxx-xxxx
uhh the guy that sits two seats away from you? bright orange hair? we’ve been in the same class for a while now
zhongli
Oh. Yes, I recall who you are now.
ajax
okay great!
so could you help me with the first problem???????
zhongli
If you insist.
ajax
okay so what do i do?
zhongli
Pay attention in class.
ajax
that doesn’t help me??????
in the slightest?????????
zhongli
It’ll help you tomorrow.
ajax
but this is due tomorrow???????
zhongli
Touché.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
the GOAT @moraxli is the reason i understand college pre calc now😫 round of applause for him everyone
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
How did you find this account?
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to zhongli | @moraxli
we have mutuals??? yk venti???
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
He’s banned?
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to zhongli | @moraxli
give it up for the GOAT 😭😭😭😭
wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
was just scrolling on my timeline after a long day at work and i see the most embarrassing, diabolical, most pathetic thread EVER 😭😭😭
wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
like holy AIRBALL 😭😭😭😭😭
wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
he is NOT nonchalant omg
ganyu | @4rexlapis replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
are you talking about the ginger and zhongli? if so, i thought the same thing
unban me | @notventispam replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
LMFAOOO I SAW IT TOO.. he doesn’t even follow this backup account..
unban me | @notventispam replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
top 10 ways to airball
xiao | @alatusxiao replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
What’s going on? I’m lost
wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao replying to xiao | @alatusxiao
bruh just look at zhonglis recent replies 😭
firework enthusiast | @yoimiyafireworks replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
i just saw them omg ajax does not have game whatsoever 😭 this is really embarrassing for him
unban me | @notventispam replying to firework enthusiast | @yoimiyafireworks
someone tell him to log off please for everyone’s sake
scara | @wanderingscara
i’m being so deadass when i say this but ajax truly does NOT know how to pull a baddie he resorts to asking for MATH help of all things and STILL fucking fails catastrophically 😭😭😭😭😭😭
signora | @signoraa10 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
I won’t lie—I giggled
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
As much as I hate you both—I can agree. I did find myself letting a breathy laugh out seeing the original thread.
scara | @wanderingscara replying to arlecchino | @fatherarle4
it does not kill you to say i’m funny 🙂
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
This might come as a shock, but it does. It pains me to even think about such god awful things. I might just need to be transported to a hospital for mental treatment.
scara | @wanderingscara replying to arlecchino | @fatherarle4
while your at it take ajax with you… he certainly needs all the mental treatment possible after an embarrassing fumble
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
dude????? i can literally see all this???????
scara | @wanderingscara replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
thank GOD. you need all the criticism you can get after that
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
what is this about fumbling????? i don’t even want him
signora | @signoraa10 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
It’s not nice to lie
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to signora | @signoraa10
but i’m not lying???? there is no fumbling or airball happening 😭 and i have game??????? not my fault yall can’t get hoes
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
Ajax.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to arlecchino | @fatherarle4
IM NOT LYING?????????
Skirk | @abyssalskirk replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
I thought you were better than lying Ajax. You have left me disappointed.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to Skirk | @abyssalskirk
WAIT NO IM SORRY!!!!!!!! PLEASE DONT THINK SO LOWLY OF ME!!!!!!
hu tao
soooo
we all saw that right
venti
yeah
we did
sadly
ganyu
it was quite funny
xiao
If I’m being frank
I had to close the app from the second hand embarrassment
venti
LMFAOOOOOO
hu tao
oh xiao you’re too funny
ganyu
well he did point out the obvious…
hu tao
shut up now i take back my laugh
ganyu
sorryyy
venti
back on topic
LMFAOO I KEEP LAUGHING AT THAT 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
xiao
It’s true
Please shut him up
venti
fuck you
xiao
No
hu tao
zhongli
answer
venti
YEAH ANSWER
zhongli
Hello.
I am in the middle of an interesting chapter.
Why am I being bothered?
hu tao
read
zhongli
Ah.
I see now.
What do I have to do with this?
venti
what do you mean what????
you’re literally a good portion of the subject here 😕
hu tao
yeah zhongli
it’s pretty self explanatory
ganyu
what they’re trying to say zhongli is how did we go from warning you about ajax to ajax publicly shouting you out?
venti
thank you ganyu
hu tao
thank you ganyu
zhongli
Oh, that.
As you have said—it is pretty self explanatory.
I helped with one problem and he somehow found my account that I rarely use.
hu tao
wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up posting you on other social media platforms
venti
that would be the cherry on top
ganyu
i just envisioned it
“my gorgeous mathlete”
venti
WOAHHHHHH
I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE
hu tao
that would be quite endearing
but he’s still an ATHLETE
ganyu
you’re right
athletes are the first to break your heart
venti
welp half the student body is getting their heart broken
thanks a lot ganyu
ganyu
?? it’s a known thing
venti
no shit
it’s sarcasm
hu tao
okay we got side tracked
so zhongli did you acquire a new friend?????
zhongli
No.
It was just a one time thing.
I’m sure he’ll forget about my existence now.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
THANK YOU @moraxli I GOT A C ON THE TEST IM LEGIBLE TO PLAY FRIDAY
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
I helped with one problem?
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to zhongli | @moraxli
you opened my eyes for this unit and i thank you with every single fiber in my body
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
There’s no need to. It was all you.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to zhongli | @moraxli
well if you HADNT helped me with that problem i would NOT be playing on friday so again i thank you + you should totally come to my game
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
I’m sorry but what sport do you play?
unban me | @notventispam replying to zhongli | @moraxli
okay stop being mysterious we told you he plays baseball…
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to unban me | @notventispam
oh so he talks about me??????
zhongli | @moraxli replying to unban me | @notventispam
You did? I must’ve forgotten.
unban me | @notventispam replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
wouldn’t you like to know
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to zhongli | @moraxli
sooooo are you willing to go ????
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
I’m sorry Ajax but my baseball knowledge is quite limited.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to zhongli | @moraxli
it’s fine you don’t even need to understand it
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
I believe that defeats the purpose of going.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to zhongli | @moraxli
don’t stress too much about it i would love to see you there
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
I’ll see.
unban me | @notventispam
zhongli getting asked out to someone’s game was not on my bingo card for this semester 😭✌️
wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao replying to unban me | @notventispam
LMFAOOO I SAW DO YOU ACTUALLY THINK HE'S GONNA GO?????
unban me | @notventispam replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
i hope he does just for the plot
ganyu | @4rexlapis replying to unban me | @notventispam
if he does end up going we’re going to have to go with him
unban me | @notventispam replying to ganyu | @4rexlapis
nvm he can’t go
xiao | @alatusxiao replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
Why am I always late to these things?
scara | @wanderingscara
twenty bucks ajax’s date doesn’t go to his game friday
signora | @signoraa10 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
I’m adding twenty to the pool
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
Have some faith in the child. Twenty bucks his date will show up.
scara | @wanderingscara replying to arlecchino | @fatherarle4
he asked his date to go to his game as a way to thank him for helping him pass his MATH class????? what type of game is THAT??????
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
Oh hush. Not everyone swoons through traditional methods.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
?????? he’s not my date though????????
signora | @signoraa10 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
Here we go again.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
WHY ARE YOU GUYS BETTING??????
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
You could be happier about the fact I have some faith in you.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to arlecchino | @fatherarle4
BUT I DONT LIKE HIM????????
Skirk | @abyssalskirk replying to arlecchino | @fatherarle4
I am also adding twenty bucks to the pool. Ajax might not have the most sanest swooning methods, but it could work.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to Skirk | @abyssalskirk
WHAT IS GOING ON????????
venti
soooo
how’s everyone doing
hu tao
😭😭😭😭
ganyu
?
xiao
Spit it out
venti
what
i can’t ask how everyone is now???
xiao
When have you ever done that before?
venti
ugh you’re no fun
xiao
I don’t care
hu tao
okay but what were you trying to say
venti
it involves zhongli
ZHONGLI ANSWER
hu tao
oh wait nvm i know what ur gonna ask
zhongli
Hello Venti.
venti
are you going to that man’s game
hu tao
we need answers
do you two have smth going on that we aren’t aware of?????????
zhongli
Why the sudden interest?
hu tao
god forbid we’re curious about our friends love life
venti
swear
zhongli
One can never be too sure.
To answer your question—I am not sure if I will attend Ajax’s game and no. We do not have anything going on. This is much of a shocker to me as it is to you.
hu tao
well
just be careful
venti
he’s my friend
well maybe acquaintances?
anywho
be careful zhongli
ganyu
if you do end up going we can accompany you!
xiao
I wouldn’t mind going
Our team is quite good
venti
a compliment from xiao????
hu tao
is the world ending
xiao
Haha. Very funny.
venti
extremely
Sitting up in the home side stands wasn’t the way Zhongli had expected to spend his Friday night. If he was being honest, this wasn’t a keen moment he had looked forward to. The thought of attending such an event hadn’t crossed his mind before. Considering he had an exam coming up for his Teyvat’s History course, a reading for his literature class to start, and a review for his pre-calculus class—he had no time for such ridiculous activities.
It was an irrational decision to come. He barely knew anything of the sport at hand. Not to mention, he was invited to come by Ajax; star baseball player and popular heartbreaker with a steady decline in his average from the lack of success in college pre-calculus. Now, he resided in the middle section of the stand. Right smack in the middle. Yet, it was better like this—he wouldn’t stand out as much. He was hidden in plain sight.
He hadn’t mentioned to Ajax that he was going to come. It was an obvious flirt from Ajax to invite him to one of his games, it didn’t mean anything else. He was glad for that. Ajax doesn’t have the most reputable reputation; he is known for his witty comments and his ability to sway people off their feet. Zhongli didn’t need to be involved with someone like Ajax romantically, but dare he say he wouldn’t mind being friends.
Soon enough, the student body and outside fans started taking their seats around him. At first, it was only a couple of people, the game hadn’t yet started, and there were still thirty minutes left. Once the twenty-minute mark came, a wave of people came in and filled up the stands. Zhongli had severely underestimated just how many people were going to attend today’s game. He felt his shoulders brush up against the people beside him, a pair of knees could be felt from behind him, and he had to be mindful not to knee the person in front.
It was astonishing to see how popular the sport was. He didn’t know much of it besides the basics of it: 9 innings, 9 players, it switches from offense to defense, 3 strikes and you’re out, the team with the most runs wins. (This was information he had looked up before arriving at the field.) Even then, how can it possibly be entertaining? It didn’t pique his interest in all honesty, but maybe he was biased since he didn’t like sports at all.
Clearly, it was his bias since once the stands were full, people started to unfold their own chairs and sat near the stands or near the fence that was blocking a foul ball to the face. It was a sight to see. Their team must be having an amazing season or the attendees were die-hard baseball fans. (Zhongli hoped it was the latter. He wouldn’t like to spend three hours with a losing team.)
Zhongli soon noticed how their team started making their way onto the field. They still had twenty minutes until the game started, so warmups had begun. Zhongli took notice of their uniform—skin-tight white pants, maroon jersey with gold accents, names with numbers on the back, and a cap with their school's initials. It barely took him a minute to catch Ajax: Tartaglia, 20.
Tartaglia? Was that a name he went by in baseball? Almost like an alter ego or does everyone have a nickname on the field? He made a mental note to ask Ajax later.
Ajax was bouncing a baseball between his hands as he jogged across the outfield. Zhongli immediately caught wind of the ginger chewing gum which of course he was. He is one to feed into a “cool” personality when he does not fit the sort. He knows this from the way all his harbinger friends make fun of him on their social media. Couldn’t the act of chewing gum seem unruly or was it socially acceptable in baseball? Maybe it helped with focus.
Zhongli continued to watch Ajax throughout their whole warmup. Not like he had anything else to look at. He wasn’t being bombarded with messages from Venti or Hu Tao, and he wasn’t going to seek them out. No one knew he had come to Ajax’s game; he would never live it down (Even if they had offered to accompany him.) He can’t lie and say he doesn’t miss the familiar buzzing of his phone though.
Zhongli stared at how seemingly easy Ajax caught fly balls from his teammates with precision. How he threw sharp, controlled lines to the man at third base. His form was fluid like it was second nature to him. It most likely was second nature, athletes stick to a sport at a young age. Ajax was more definitely accustomed to catching balls or batting than proving an equation by factoring. When Ajax wasn’t doing much, he would laugh with his teammates, dipping his head backwards, and wipe a tear that was forming.
It was…endearing. To see the so-called “heartbreaker” and “harbinger” so at ease. If fans came to see their favorite team let loose like this, he wouldn’t mind coming every game.
As soon as the warmup time hit zero, the players went to their respective dugouts. Music started to play from the stadium speakers and the announcer spoke into the microphone, “WELCOME TO TODAY’S GAME BASEBALL FANS! TODAY WE SEE YOUR LIYUE DRAGONS VERSUS THE SUMERU ARANARAS!”
Zhongli brought a hand to his right ear, wincing at the distortion. Their school should invest in new equipment, he wouldn’t want to come back if his ears were going to buzz in irritation. The stands were in uproar, cheering for their respective teams and chanting slogans like “Let’s go Dragons, let’s go!” or “Fight Aranaras! Fight!” Zhongli would cover his left ear too until the crowd went quiet.
Zhongli noticed how Ajax was already in the outfield. He tracked his every movement like he had to, almost like in his lectures; how he would have to focus on what his professor was saying and writing down on the board. He noticed how Ajax adjusted his glove; how he paced around in the grass waiting for the pitcher and batter to be ready; how he bent his knees slightly with every pitch, ready to run for the ball.
Soon enough, in the second inning, the ball finally came to him. Zhongli saw how a manic grin formed on his face. It was a hard hit towards the right field and it was quickly making its way towards the foul line.
Ajax sprinted, he made ease of closing the distance with long strides. Just before the ball hit the turf, he slid forward. His glove outstretched, his body skimming low to the ground.
Ajax ended up catching it. Zhongli blinked in surprise, he knew he shouldn’t doubt their star athlete, but the feat seemed near impossible. The crowd erupted into cheers while the opposing fans rose in anger.
Ajax quickly stood upright, turned, and threw the ball to second base with such brute force that it made him flinch. How hadn’t his shoulder popped out of place? How strong was his shoulder? He must have an insane amount of upper-body strength. Zhongli then heard a cough from behind him, and he soon realized that he had been standing up—how had that happened? He hadn’t remembered standing up or cheering for Ajax. How embarrassingly, awkward.
Zhongli slowly sat back down.
During the second half of the third inning, Ajax was first at-bat. He walked to the plate, rolling his right shoulder while twirling the bat in his hand. Once in the plate, the sun glimmered against his face, jaw, and nose glistening with sweat. His jersey clung just slightly to his back. Archons, he had never seen such definition on a person's back. Dare he say Ajax looked almost…attractive in such state.
The first pitch was a strike due to Ajax not swinging in time. The ball had been a fast pitch making it too quick for the ginger. The second pitch was fast and high and was ruled a ball. Then the third pitch came at him, and Ajax swung. With one smooth, confident motion, Ajax swung and the bat connected with the ball with a satisfying crack. The ball then flew towards the center-right side of the field.
Zhongli saw how Ajax was already moving. He ran to first base; a quick turn and he continued to second base. With his pace, he could see how his feet blew red dust into the air.
He then threw himself onto the floor, sliding into second base. He flashed a toothy smile, he hadn’t been tagged out making the play safe. The crowd around Zhongli erupted in applause and shouts. Unbeknownst to himself, Zhongli also found himself smiling at the scene in front of him.
The game wore on. Their team had fallen behind by just a smidge; 5 to 4 by the sixth inning. However, the players weren’t nervous about the one-run difference, especially Ajax. His focus never faltered, by now most players would lose themselves in nerves or grow impatient, which would cost them the game. Yet, Ajax continued to chase every ball with the same hunger from the start, and his batting form only grew sharper with each passing inning.
By the bottom of the eighth inning, the score was tied. Ajax had stepped up to bat once more. The crowd was loud with cheers and chants. They needed to break the tie, now. Everyone was cheering on Ajax as he got ready to bat. The first pitch was a strike, and the crowd erupted into groans, but quickly toned down as soon as Ajax was batting once more. The second pitch was a ball since it was too low and outside the strike zone. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, and so was Zhongli. They needed to break the tie and there was only one more inning left.
On the third pitch, Ajax made contact with the ball. With another loud, sharp crack, the sound echoed throughout the stands. The ball soared toward the left field and the crowd began to roar in celebration. Zhongli didn’t realize that he, too, was screaming at the top of his lungs like a proud baseball mother.
Ajax was flying. He flew across the bases like this was his only chance to make the score even, and it honestly was his only shot. He soared from first base, then to second base. Zhongli could loosely make out their school’s baseball coach shouting and waving Ajax on to third base. As the ginger continued to run, dirt kicking up behind him, and with a final slide onto the home plate, he was safe.
He got back up with his fists punching the air, and his face was lit with a triumphant smile spread across his face.
The game ended shortly after. The end score was 6-5. Their team had won, but it was a close game.
Towards the end of it all, the crowd was shouting praise or criticism, others were laughing, and some were chanting Tartaglia. As soon as the ninth inning ended, fans started trickling out of the stands and made their way out of the field. Others stayed back to get pictures with their friends, family, or favorite players. Zhongli was one of those people, staying behind to see his friend (?). He waited patiently for Ajax, his back against the fence and coat folded over one arm, watching as the players came off the field.
Ajax was the last player to come out. His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, his jersey untucked and a few buttons threatening to come loose, his cleats made a scratching noise against the concrete with every step he took, and his face was flushed from all the running he had done.
He was still talking to a teammate when his eyes drifted in his direction and stopped. Zhongli had never felt so…uncomfortable under someone’s gaze. He never had trouble with eye contact or feeling vulnerable under it. Yet, during this moment, he felt an indescribable feeling.
Ajax looked at him like a kid opening their Christmas presents, seeing that they received what they had been asking for all year. As if Zhongli’s appearance was bigger than winning the close game. As if he had hoped he would show up and see him excel in what he does best.
Ajax quickly said goodbye to his teammate with a sheepish smile and waved him off before making his way towards Zhongli. “…You came?” He said, breathless.
Zhongli nodded. “It appears that I did.” Zhongli had a better look at the man now that he was in front of him. Archons did he look absolutely disgusting with all the sweat, but how could someone still pull it off and still look so…perfect?
“You watched the whole thing?” Childe asked, stunned. Gazing his eyes all over Zhongli like he couldn’t believe that he was standing right in front of him. It made Zhongli feel quite hot for some reason.
“I came to your game. I’m sure that’s enough information to understand I watched the whole thing.” Zhongli sighed.
“You sat through all nine innings?!” Ajax asked, incredulously; mouth slightly agape and eyes widened in shock.
“I quite enjoyed the last one,” Zhongli replied with a breathy laugh.
Ajax wiped his sweat off with his sleeve, trying to seem nonchalant but the corners of his mouth wouldn’t stop curling upward. “Damn. You actually came and saw me.”
“You exceeded my expectations.”
“Oh really?” A breathy laugh escaped his mouth, a smirk playing at his lips.
“I rarely say things I don’t mean.” Zhongli huffed, crossing his arms across his chest.
“Hold on…” Ajax said while reaching into his baseball bag, “This needs proof.”
Zhongli raised an eyebrow at this. Proof? Why would he need proof of his attendance? Isn’t memory enough?
Childe grinned. “Picture time. Just one. This is going down in the history books. The almighty Zhongli came to see Ajax."
Zhongli huffed, shaking his head, but let himself be pulled gently into the frame. Both men were brushed up against each other—shoulder to shoulder. There was no need to be so close to each other, the camera got them perfectly in the frame. Yet, Zhongli didn’t mind being so close to the ginger. Despite being drenched in sweat, he exuded a comforting body warmth, but maybe that was just him coming off a rush. In the background, the sun had begun to set, making the field glow gold behind them. It felt like something right out of a movie.
The camera then clicked.
@tarilax11
[The photo. Ajax and Zhongli are shoulder to shoulder. Ajax is seen displaying a wide, bright smile on his face while Zhongli has a small, awkward smile on his. The photo is captioned with: 6-5 and he showed up? how did i get lucky and win twice??]
Liked by moraxli
venti
ZHONGLI
ZHONGLI
ZHONGLI
hu tao
dude it’s so late
get to bed
venti
NO
I NEED ZHONGLI TO ANSWER
ZHONGLI
ZHONGLI
hu tao
bro is NOT answering you
give it a rest
venti
DO YOU GUYS NOT CHECK YOUR SOCIALS?????
hu tao
obviously but its late now who in their right mind is posting at this hour
venti
AJAX
CHECK YOUR SOCIALS
ZHONGLI
ZHONGLI
ganyu
shut up please
hu tao
HOLY FUCK
WHAT THE FUCK
ZHONGLI
COME ONLINE NOW
ganyu
not you too
hu tao
CHECK YOUR SOCIALS
ZHONGLI
PLEASE
venti
ZHONGLI
ZHONGLI
hu tao
PLEASE ZHONGLI ANSWER
ganyu
oh my
that is quite the surprise
@zhongli
zhongli
Hello Ganyu.
It is quite late, do you need help?
venti
WTF
YOU ANSWER HER?????
hu tao
damn he does NOT like us
zhongli
Anyways.
Ganyu?
ganyu
just a simple question zhongli!
did you go to ajax’s game?
zhongli
Yes I did.
I see you have seen the post he made.
ganyu
i have!
i am quite shocked
zhongli
So am I.
I did not think he would post it.
venti
so are you guys like together
hu tao
or like mutual pining cause wtf…..
zhongli
Anything else Ganyu?
ganyu
pardon my intrusiveness, but is it a friendship or a blooming relationship?
zhongli
It is not a relationship.
I would assume it’s a friendship, or one that’s developing.
At least on my part it is.
arlecchino | @fatherarle4
@wanderingscara @signoraa10 Could we have our money now?
scara | @wanderingscara replying to arlecchino | @fatherarle4
HOW THE HELL DID YOU SEE THAT COMING
signora | @signoraa10 replying to arlecchino | @fatherarle4
I hate to agree, but really—how did you know?
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to signora | @signoraa10
A leap of faith.
scara | @wanderingscara replying to arlecchino | @fatherarle4
???????????
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
Oh hush.
Skirk | @abyssalskirk replying to scara | @wanderingscara
Our money?
scara | @wanderingscara replying to Skirk | @abyssalskirk
fine fine. I’ll send it soon.
Skirk | @abyssalskirk replying to scara | @wanderingscara
Thank you.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
HA YOU LOST
signora | @signoraa10 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
I hate you.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to signora | @signoraa10
love you too
scara | @wanderingscara replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
you little fucker posting that shit in the middle of the night while everyone is asleep. you really wanted to catch us off guard
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
i guess we’ll never know
signora | @signoraa10 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
Did you not denounce any possibility of having feelings for your math tutor?
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to signora | @signoraa10
can i not celebrate your failure????
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
I don’t say this ever, but I’m proud of you.
Skirk | @abyssalskirk replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
I am also proud of you, Ajax.
zhongli
What does it mean when someone likes an old post of yours?
venti
zhongli
zhongli
Yes?
venti
what do YOU think it means
zhongli
Well I’m not sure. That’s why I took the liberty to ask.
hu tao
doomed bro doomed
venti
deadass omg
zhongli
Could I know what that means?
ganyu
they were stalking your page zhongli
most people do that for people they like or find attractive
it’s mostly to get more information on them
zhongli
Thank you Ganyu.
ganyu
you’re welcome!!!!
venti
you should’ve let him figure it out on his own
ganyu
may i remind you zhongli is one of the reasons you’re still passing your classes
hu tao
HAHHAHAA
venti
okay not funny
hu tao
oh but it is
you almost dropped a required class for graduation cause you kept failing assignments 😭😭😭😭😭
zhongli pulled through and helped your ass
venti
im passing literature without zhongli’s help thank you VERY much
hu tao
i can count on one hand the classes you passed on your own
i need all ten toes for the classes you needed external help with
xiao
Anyways.
Who liked your old post Zhongli?
And from how long ago?
zhongli
It was Ajax.
He liked a photo of myself with a cat. It’s from a few months ago, August I believe.
ganyu
oh wow
hu tao
down BADDDDD
zhongli
It was most likely an accident.
venti
dude it’s november that was NOT an accident 😭
zhongli
It definitely was an accident.
There’s no need to go through my posts willingly.
This was accidental.
hu tao
Zhongli.
venti
oh shit
it’s bad when she uses proper punctuation.
hu tao
You went to his game.
You guys took a picture.
He posted it.
Captioned it with some corny bullshit.
Now he liked a post of yours from months ago.
Tell me.
What do YOU think this means?
zhongli
That he made a mistake?
hu tao
Other than he made a mistake.
zhongli
That he enjoyed my posts?
ganyu
wow
venti
wow
hu tao
Goodbye.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
if you like someone’s post from months ago and unlike it really quickly do they still get the notification 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
scara | @wanderingscara replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
say swear
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
It is fine, Ajax. There is no need to be ashamed of your very late-night activities.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to zhongli | @moraxli
hahaha omg im definitely failing next week's test for pre calc can you please help me 😅😅😅😅😅😅
scara | @wanderingscara replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
BRO HE REPLIED AND NOW YOURE DEFLECTING
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
dude i was just appreciating the scenery god forbid a man likes what he sees at 3 am
scara | @wanderingscara replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
THE SCENERY???? BROOOO THIS IS GOING STRAIGHT TO THE GC 😭😭😭😭😭😭
ajax
hey zhongli can you help me with unit 3?
zhongli
Did you pay attention during the lecture?
ajax
I DID
i swear i did
i just can’t wrap my head around it
zhongli
Dozing off doesn’t count.
ajax
oh so you pay attention to what i’m doing
zhongli
I am aware of my surroundings is all.
ajax
you can admit to having trouble taking your eyes off me zhongli
this is a safe space
zhongli
I do not have trouble with such issue.
ajax
awww so the glances are just my imagination???
zhongli
It seems so.
ajax
my charm will get you some day
zhongli
I have to ask, what if that day never comes? What will you do then?
ajax
don’t be so pessimistic
my charm WILL work
zhongli
Hypothetically then.
ajax
we will reincarnate and i will charm you and make sure it works this time around
zhongli
How chivalric.
What would we reincarnate as?
ajax
you’d be a deity from how ethereal you are
i’d be the person coming into your land to cause quite a ruckus
just like how i’m entering your life to suede you into a happily ever after relationship
zhongli
How enamoring.
ajax
always
so can you help me with unit 3?
zhongli
What would be my compensation?
ajax
you get to spend time with me???
obviously????
zhongli
I fear I am busy for the foreseeable future.
ajax
DONT BE LIKE THAT
okay fine
i’ll pay you
zhongli
I’ll check my schedule, but if I remember correctly I am busy.
ajax
100,000 mora an hour
zhongli
I was proven incorrect. I can do Tuesday, is that alright?
ajax
yes that’s fine
library at 3?
zhongli
That sounds perfect.
The library was quiet as usual. Students rarely came here during the day which made it a perfect spot to meet with Ajax. They would be free from the bustling of a cafe, the loud chatters of passersby on their way to their dorms; they would be secluded from the outside world. It was perfect.
With the solemn silence that the library offered, Zhongli was able to be alone with his thoughts and think. He thought about what he had to do after his study session ended, what he had due today, and what he needed to work on even though the deadline was nowhere near. He could also think about a certain redhead he was soon to see, especially everything that had occurred before this moment.
His friendship with Ajax was slightly complicated. It had started with a text message and evolved into a series of messages sent via their social media platforms. He was then invited to one of his games and now he agreed to tutor Ajax.
Zhongli was sure this was all a ruse to get him to tutor the baseball player. Since the beginning, he had wanted Zhongli’s help in their math class. Now, he was finally getting it. He was sure Ajax didn’t want to be associated with Zhongli as more than a tutor, but that was fine. However, he didn’t understand the need to flirt with him every waking moment. If it was all a ruse, why did Ajax bother with the need to flirt and hint at a potential future with Zhongli? It didn’t make sense in his head, Zhongli would like to be his friend, though the rumors that circled his name weren’t so kind.
It inflicted… confusing emotions on him. Zhongli had never gotten this kind of attention from another person, especially someone like Ajax. He was always so focused on his studies and his life that he never paid attention to any potential romantic encounters.
Ajax was attractive. That was an obvious fact, everyone with a pair of eyes could notice his evident good looks. His personality was full of confidence and witty charm. Yet, the way he presented himself in front of Zhongli was the complete opposite.
When Ajax has interacted with him—publicly or privately—he was rendered from his usual confident demeanor to an awkward school boy. Honestly, it was quite endearing to see, and it only left him wanting more. Zhongli wanted to see every different side of Ajax: good or bad. False pretense and genuine belief.
Zhongli couldn’t get his hopes up for such things to happen. Once the semester ended and Ajax was free from his math class, he would go back to normal. He would forget about Zhongli, his existence, number, and username handle. Ajax would’ve received what he wanted since the beginning—a tutor and an A to continue playing baseball. It was inevitable and rather unfortunate.
That was fine.
But it wasn’t. Even if it was an inevitable outcome, he didn’t want fate to run its course. As silly as it sounded, Zhongli wanted to keep Ajax around. He wanted to continue seeing him make a fool out of himself (as his friends would say) on social media. He wanted to continue talking to Ajax, where he would subtly or obviously flirt. He wanted to continue seeing Ajax play on the field, to cheer for him on the stands, to see him light up upon hitting a home run.
There had to be a way to rewrite fate itself.
Again, it was silly to think of such a notion. Wanting to keep Ajax in his life, no matter what, just to have these small but meaningful moments together… It honestly resembled like he was a schoolgirl with a crush-
Zhongli was then brought out of his thoughts when a toned figure appeared in his line of sight, taking a seat in front of him. “Zhongli! Sorry, practice ran longer than I expected. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.” Ajax explained seemingly out of breath. “Coach made us run extra laps once we were done. Allegedly we’re lacking in dexterity and stamina—I believe he’s crazy.”
Zhongli took in the man in front of him. Ajax’s fiery red hair clung to his forehead, his face glistened under the library’s light, freshly out of the shower. His eyes showed a glimmer of excitement and his lips quirked up into a boyish grin; who would be excited to come to a tutoring session after such grueling practice?
Seeing Ajax in such a state brought him back to his original thoughts. Ajax had good looks, a dazzling smile, and he was a star athlete. Not becoming easily infatuated with him was a challenge, but he noticed how these qualities could also be used to wrongly attribute to half the campus’s broken hearts.
Zhongli wouldn’t mind becoming part of that percentage—
“—li? Zhongli? Are you still with me? I haven’t bored you already have I? It’s barely our first study session together! I’ll stop talking about my day at practice now.” Zhongli snapped out of his inner bubble, he hadn’t realized he had started staring and quite intensely as well.
Zhongli cleared his throat, “Apologies, Ajax. Fear not, you haven’t bored me with your day. You can finish your story before we start with our study session.”
“It’s fine Zhongli. We can go ahead and start now,” Ajax pauses for a moment before adding, “I’ll take you out for dinner someday and we’ll talk more then.”
“Dinner?” Zhongli asked in bewilderment. He hadn’t expected Ajax to say something like that, especially not so casually. His confident charm was seeping through him. Was this a lighthearted move or a blatant flirt? It was weird. Ajax looked at him expectantly, a hopeful glint in his eyes, like he wanted Zhongli to say yes, like he needed him to say yes.
“Yes? Dinner?” Ajax responded like it was obvious, “I’d like to talk to you more outside of school. We could have dinner sometime and speak to our hearts' content. If you’re up to it! Obviously.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous smile playing at his lips.
“I’d love to have dinner with you, Ajax,” Zhongli offers a smile of his own, “I’d love to chat more, but we do need to start with our study session.”
“Ah! Right, right. I’m all ears now. Please help me understand what’s going on in this topic.” Ajax replied, scooting his chair a little closer towards him. He was now millimeters away from him; with every breath they took, their shoulders would touch, with every small movement, their arms would graze upon each other.
It suddenly felt warm inside the library. Which was weird. It was usually always extremely cold like a freezer. But having the slightest bit of contact with Ajax right now… Archons above… It was as if Liyue’s sun had fallen from the sky and immersed itself between the two.
“Ah. Okay, well, to begin with—the fundamental concept for pre-calculus is trigonometry. If you don’t understand simple trigonometry then you won’t understand the actual calculus part of it all,” Zhongli starts explaining, “Now, do you know the six trigonometric functions?”
“Sin, cosine, tangent, secant, co-secant, co-tangent.” Ajax listed them proudly, leaning forward, making his knee brush against Zhongli’s under the table.
Archons. Why is he suddenly hyper-aware of every accidental touch he has with Ajax? And why is it making him burn up?
“Yes, you’re correct. Now, do you know the reciprocal and quotient identities?” Zhongli moved his leg away from Ajax’s. Much better.
“Sin and cosine can be written with a one under them. Tangent is sin over cosine, secant is one over cosine, co-secant is one over sin and co-tangent is cosine over sin.” Ajax recited each term’s reciprocals and their quotient identities with ease.
“Correct. Now, the final thing you need to know are the Pythagorean identities.”
“Sin²θ plus cosine²θ is equal to one. Tangent²θ plus one is equal to secant²θ. Co-tangent²θ plus one is equal to co-secant²θ.” Ajax answered with the identities quickly and was left breathless after it.
“Right. So you know the basics for the unit. What do you get confused on?” Zhongli asked, skeptically. For someone who needed help in math, Ajax seemed to have a very good memory. The entire unit was based on what he had just recited to him with simplistic ease.
“I can remember the different identities and functions, but I have trouble simplifying the identities,” Ajax answered.
“Okay. Let’s start off with an easy problem.“ Zhongli flipped to a clean page in the notebook, he paused for a moment, thinking about a problem, before settling on something simple enough to test Ajax’s knowledge.
sec²θ (1 − cos²θ) = tan²θ
“How would you go about solving this problem?” Zhongli asked.
“Well, the identity in the parentheses turns into sin²θ because of the Pythagorean identity.” Ajax leaned forward, settling his arm on the table while his free hand wrote down the expression’s simplicity.
“Exactly. That would be your first step. Now, what else would you do?” Zhongli praised with a smile, gazing up at Ajax. Were his eyes always such a beautiful shade of noctilucous jade?
“Use the reciprocal and quotient identities?” He looked at Zhongli with a raised brow.
“You’re correct, but don’t doubt yourself. Even if you are wrong, it’s okay to be. Now, what would these terms become?”
“Secant would be one over cosine and sin is simply sin over one,” Ajax answered, continuing to write down the simplification of the problem.
“Now that you have fractions, what would you do?” Zhongli pointed to the fractions Ajax had written down with his pencil.
“Cross multiply… which would be sin²θ over cosine²θ… and that equals tan²θ…which is equal to the other side!” Ajax’s voice grew more confident as he worked out the problem by himself. It almost seemed like he had an epiphany moment. Once he was done, he looked up towards Zhongli seeking approval from him.
“Exactly. You did well on this first problem.” Zhongli praised to which Ajax gave a shy smile.
“I can’t get my hopes up. The first problem is always easy. Add two fractions into the mix and it’s over for me.” Ajax laughed, teasingly.
“We’ll see about that.” Zhongli chuckled, low and warm.
childe
brooooooo
call me crazy
but
why is someone being knowledgeable in math so
hot
like holy shit
why are you a nerd
and why do i like it???????
like it’s such a hot aspect of person
but it’s also so endearing
like yes seduce me with simplifying trigonometric equations
but also continue explaining how to simplify trigonometric equations with a smile on your face
scara
you’re fucking crazy
signora
You’re fucking crazy
childe
yall just don’t get the appeal
scara
thank archons i don’t
signora
Could you busy yourself with seeking a job instead of trying to get into your math tutors pants?
childe
THIS ISNT ABT ZHONGLI?????
scara
bro just sold
signora
I didn’t mention names.
childe
bruh
yall knew zhongli was going to be my math tutor
scara
uhm no we didn’t but okay
signora
Whatever makes you sleep at night
childe
i hate yall
scara
and you love zhongli
signora
Even Zhongli?
childe
omg
can yall
die
scara
not even denying it
signora
Someone has a crush on their math tutor
If it wasn’t already blatantly obvious
childe
i don’t have a crush on anyone
that’s silly
scara
right and the sun is green
childe
I DONT HAVE A CRUSH ON ZHONGLI
i can’t appreciate a man’s interests and their beauty now?
signora
You are the one making a complete fool out of yourself online trying to get his attention
scara
admitting you have a crush on your math tutor won’t be the end of the world
not admitting it might just cause that
childe
i don’t have a crush
i just find zhongli attractive
and that’s NOT a crime
scara
we never said it was
signora
We’re trying to get you to understand that you have a very obvious crush on your math tutor whether you like it or not
childe
what even makes you guys think that nonsense
scara
apart from all the embarrassing times you’ve tried to get his attention online?
and that time you stalked his socials..
oh and when you invited him to your game
and then when you posted a photo with him and put a corny caption
also how you just called him hot and cute at the same time because he taught you MATH of all things
signora
He got you there
childe
okay
fine
scara
thank you
childe
i might have a TEENY crush on zhongli
BUT
BUTTTTT
it’s TEENY
i’ll get over it soon
signora
Right…
scara
whatever you say dude
childe
i’m done with y'all
The following day, Zhongli had another meeting with Ajax for tutoring in the library. He was very glad to see that Ajax was taking this opportunity seriously and not wasting his time. Especially since they had an upcoming test and Zhongli knew Ajax needed all the help he could get.
He also didn’t mind seeing Ajax and spending time with him. Even if all they did was talk about trigonometry.
Before their meetup, Zhongli had a lecture today on the history of Teyvat, and for the first time, Zhongli was bored. He already skipped ahead into the reading, he knew the unit like the back of his hand. In this moment, all he could think about was Ajax.
It was becoming a recurring habit. Zhongli would be doing anything: cleaning, studying, Gods even eating, and Ajax would seep into his mind. He would slip into his head like a thief, trying to steal his attention. He’d think about what he might be doing, how he was, and if he too was thinking about him.
It was cliché to think about, but it was true. Ajax was running around in his mind more times than he could handle. Not even formulas ran this much in his head during a test. Ajax was living so much in his head that he might just have to make him pay rent.
Zhongli was snapped out of his thoughts when his professor dismissed the class. “Finally,” he murmured and with a sense of urgency, Zhongli grabbed his things and started making his way to the library to meet Ajax.
Zhongli hoped he would arrive early, he hadn’t wanted to make Ajax wait for him. (He was the tutor not the tutored, meaning he should follow the proper etiquette and be ready before his student arrived.)
Once Zhongli arrived at the library, he pushed the doors open and walked towards the table the boys had used yesterday. Once he got closer, Zhongli noticed how Ajax was already at the table with his items out, ready to learn.
How unfortunate. He was late.
“Hello, Ajax,” Zhongli said, smiling at the ginger while pulling a chair next to him. “I apologize for being late. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”
“Zhongli! Hey!” Ajax turns at the sound of his voice and immediately brightens up, “Don’t worry. I haven’t been waiting that long,” he flicks dismissively.
Ajax takes out his notebook and places it in front of them. He starts flipping through the pages, trying to find the most recent page they had left on.
As he tried to figure out where the last page they used was, Zhongli stared at Ajax. Not creepily or weirdly, but rather in admiration. It hadn’t settled in on him how he had Ajax in front of him. It was quite unusual to have the school's heartthrob right next to him. It was also quite unusual to be teaching the school's heartthrob math because he was failing horrendously.
He didn’t want to glorify Ajax as some godly man. Even though he looked quite godly… like he had been sculpted to perfection by Celestia themselves.
Even in the library’s bright white light, Ajax looked…handsome. That was without saying, obviously, but Zhongli hadn’t known of his existence up until a few months ago. How come this precious gem had been hiding in plain sight this entire time? How hadn’t Zhongli been enraptured by his beauty?
He got sidetracked. He hadn’t wanted to glorify Ajax as a godly being who was above everyone else simply because he was dashing and popular. It was simply that Zhongli found it hard to believe that Ajax was willingly trying to get his attention (for whatever reason). He’d never experienced such things happen to him.
Zhongli hadn’t even bothered knowing who Ajax was until he messaged him. He didn’t even know who he was, he loosely remembered having a ginger in his math class, but other than that, he never bothered to learn his name (or anyone’s for that matter.)
Yet, Ajax was already familiar with Zhongli.
Ajax must’ve felt his gaze since he slowly blinked up towards Zhongli. Zhongli’s heart fluttered at the notion. It was silly. All Ajax did was look up at him with his blue, creaulan, ocean eyes. (Why had he just explained Ajax’s eyes in three different synonyms? They all meant the same: Ajax had blue eyes, but one could easily get lost in them.)
Zhongli quickly recovers himself, coughing into his mouth. He turns his head away from Ajax and reaches out to start writing a new problem for Ajax to solve.
sin x/csc x+1 + sin x/csc x-1
Ajax stared at the problem like a deer in headlights. “Pardon my language, but that’s fucking disgusting.”
Zhongli ignored his comment. “The first thing to do is to identify any reciprocal identities,” he said calmly, “in this instance, it would be cosecant since it’s the opposite of sin.” He rewrote the denominators.
sin x/1/sin x+1 + sin x/1/sin x-1
Ajax grimaced. “It doesn’t look any different.”
“This,” Zhongli said calmly, “is called a complex fraction. It means a fraction inside another fraction.“
Ajax frowned. “I know that. How do you get rid of it?”
“To get rid of it, you have to follow a rule. The rule is: you are allowed to multiply the numerator and denominator by the same nonzero value without changing the fraction.” Zhongli paused, realizing that must’ve been hard to understand, “What happens if I multiply a number by one?”
“…Nothing,” Ajax said. “It stays the same.”
“Exactly, and what is sin x over sin x?”
“…One.”
“So when we multiply the top and bottom by sin x, we’re just multiplying by one. The only thing that’s changing is the look of the expression.” Zhongli explained and wrote down the simplified expression based on what he had just said.
sin x/1/sin x+1 * sin x/sin x
“Now let’s focus on one thing first. For example, for the denominators,” Zhongli continued. “Each term is multiplied by sin x.”
1/sin x+1 * sin x
“The first term becomes—”
“—one,” Ajax said, catching on. “Because 1 over sin x times sin x.”
“And the second becomes sin x.” Zhongli finishes.
1 + sin x
“We simplified the denominator and now we need to do the same for the numerator. Sin x times sin x is sin² x.”
sin² x/1+sin x
Ajax nodded in agreement. “Okay. That makes way more sense now.”
“Good. Now what you do to one fraction, you’ll do to the next. So we will have…”
sin² x/ 1+sin x + sin² x/ 1-sin x
“After this, we need to add them,” Zhongli tapped both denominators with this pencil. “They are different, so we need a common denominator. To do that we have to multiply the denominators by the opposite fraction.”
sin² x (1-sin x) + sin² x (1+sin x)/ (1+sin x)(1-sin x)
Zhongli heard the faint hitching of Ajax’s breath. He must be utterly confused here. Zhongli could understand that. Many people get overwhelmed by the amount of letters and numbers there could be in a single problem.
Zhongli covered the denominator with his hand. “Ignore this. It won’t help you just yet.” He then rewrote the numerator.
sin² x (1-sin x) + sin² x (1+sin x)
“Tell me what appears in both terms,” Zhongli asked the obvious.
“Sin² x.”
“Exactly, so we factor it out.”
sin² x [(1-sin x) + (1+sin x)]
“Now we add what remains inside,” Zhongli explained.
“Oh… wait that's easy. The sines cancel, and what’s left is two.”
Zhongli nodded.
2sin² x
Zhongli then uncovered the denominator.
(1+sin x)(1 - sin x)
“It’s a difference of squares, so it becomes one minus sin² x. That’s a Pythagorean identity which makes the expression become cosine² x.” Ajax explained before Zhongli could question anything.
2sin² x/cos² x
“This is a reciprocal identity… my answer is 2 tangent² x.” Ajax grinned, evidently proud of himself. “Okay. Yeah. I get it now.”
“A little bit of math couldn’t hurt anyone, not even you, Harbinger,” Zhongli teased.
“Ha. Ha. Very funny of you, Zhongli,” Ajax rolled his eyes in playful banter.
ajax
hey zhongli! i won’t be able to meet you tmr
coach is being an ass
extra practice time
can we reschedule?
zhongli
That is fine Ajax. I was also going to tell you I’ll be busy tomorrow. Does Wednesday sound fine?
ajax
yes wednesday is fine
what are you doing tmr
if you don’t mind me asking
zhongli
I don’t mind.
I’ll be at a math competition for UIL.
ajax
ohhhhh
i see
you’ll do amazing !!
the competition will fear you from how great you will do
trust
zhongli
Thank you for your kind words.
Let’s see what happens tomorrow.
The gym smelled like fresh wood and the obvious nerves of students; it was an odd and very specific smell he had come to associate with academic competitions. There were rows of desks assembled on the freshly polished floors with students already filling them up.
Academic competitions were fun. At least, now they were. Zhongli was able to meet new people who also enjoyed the same material as him, and see how well his skills were and how he could improve.
It was funny to think that there was a time when Zhongli would get nervous and tongue-tied at the notion of having to attend a competition. Yes, he was good and knowledgeable in math, but that didn’t make him a genius. He was scared of not placing or having the lowest score. Then, with every passing competition he attended, his fears were eased and his mindset changed. Now, with much more skill and practice, Zhongli finds joy in attending these events whenever possible.
Zhongli sat in an empty seat, his hands folded in front of him, back straight. He fixed his tie and inspected the board in front of him. It projected a series of problems that contained both algebras, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus with the competitions name in the middle.
Zhongli wasn’t nervous in the slightest. He was familiar with these problems. He had come to love these problems (as sad as that may sound). Well, maybe all these problems… He sometimes couldn’t wrap his head around word problems that were worded in riddles.
Math competitions worked like this: each student would receive a packet of math problems, the more you solved the more points you’d receive, all in the span of an hour.
There was a catch, as always, if you answered wrong, you wouldn’t get any points for the question—not even partial points. Skipping questions only gave you a point and answering a question right gave you three points.
In hindsight, a student benefited more from skipping questions rather than risking getting a question wrong. One should only answer a question that they know will get them the three points.
Soon enough, the competition began. Immediately Zhongli could faintly hear the tapping of pens on tables, and the constant clicking of said pens. He heard rubber making contact with paper, pages flipping, and mild groans of students who got a particularly hard problem.
The hour had started to count down, and it felt unbelievably slow, yet the pressure was building up.
Zhongli saw that the first problem was an easy geometry problem. It involved turning degrees into radians. Ninety degrees over one times pi over 180… the answer was pi over 2.
There was a question as easy as answering what competition they were currently participating in. Teyvat All-Star Competition.
Another easy question: what day is it?
Basic algebra question: 1/0 is?
Another basic algebra question: write the point-slope intercept formula.
Trigonometry question: what axis does negative tangent flip to?
Trigonometry question: solve the triangle using Heron’s formula.
Geometry question: find the central angle.
The hour slipped by as always. Each problem was easy. The competition felt really easy. It was based on critical thinking and how well you knew your material. Zhongli wrote down his work neatly and boxed his final answer.
He was halfway through the packet when the proctor called time. Zhongli put down his pencil and closed his blooket. The proctor went by every desk and picked up their tests. Once they were finished they announced, “Results will be released in an hour.”
After their test finished, students made their way to a second gym, where the winners would be announced.
Luckily for the students, they had a canteen where they were serving food. When students noticed that, they made an immediate beeline to grab anything to snack on while they waited.
Zhongli hadn’t followed the massive crowd to the canteen. Instead, he grabbed a seat near the stage where they would soon announce the winners.
After the hour passed, the judges came into the gym and students started to make their way to the empty seats.
One of the judges, a seemingly young lady, made her way onto the stage and stood in front of the podium. She tapped on the microphone to make sure it was on before speaking, “Good afternoon students! Welcome to the Teyvat All-Star Competition’s award ceremony!” A round of applause started after she finished her presentation.
“After such a grueling competition, you must be dying to know who had the highest score today. Well… let’s not delay a second more.”
“In third place, with a score of ninety, we have… Miss Yanfei!” Applause followed after she announced third place. A girl with pink hair and fair skin walked up the stage, received her medal, shook hands with the judge, and walked back to her seat.
“Now… in second place, with a score of 97… Mister Albedo!” Another wave of applause followed after, a blonde boy with teal eyes walked up, did the same as the previous winner, and got back down.
“Finally… in first place with a score of 106.. Mister Zhongli!”
Another wave of applause started, Zhongli gracefully got up from his seat and made his way up the stage. He shook the judge's hand, received his medal, and went back down to his seat. He was filled with a sense of accomplishment, he had won the competition with an almost perfect score.
“Thank you all for joining us. We hope to see you again!”
Zhongli got up from his seat and started making his way out of the school's gymnasium. Now that the competition was over, he could go home and take a well-deserved rest. As much fun as it was to solve equations or to simplify expressions, it was quite tiring to have his brain at its finest when under pressure.
Before he walked out of the gymnasium, a voice spoke from behind him.
“Zhongli!”
Zhongli jumped, stopping in his tracks before turning around to where the voice came from. There, standing right in front of him, in all his glory, was no other than Ajax.
“Ajax,” he replied, “You startled me. What are you doing here?”
Ajax grinned in retrospect. He stood there in his varsity jacket; maroon with gold accents, black jeans, and low top shoes. His hair was damp with what seemed like sweat, and in his hands he held a bouquet of flowers.
It was a full bouquet. There were red roses, peonies, lilies, and tulips. He could loosely remember the meaning of the flowers presented. The bouquet was wrapped in black paper with twine holding it together. It all seemed like it was created with care and patience rather than a last-minute effort. For a moment, Zhongli simply stared.
“You,” Zhongli said slowly, “are meant to be at baseball practice.”
“Skipped,” Ajax said cheerfully. “Coach owes me. Plus, this felt more important.”
He held out the bouquet.
“I see you’ve won the competition,” Ajax continued. “Figured a genius deserves flowers too. Not just athletes.”
Zhongli was at a loss for words.
Ajax skipped out on his practice to come to his boring math competition. He skipped out on his practice to give him flowers.
Not just any flowers. Now that he’s standing here, dumbfounded, flower terminology comes flooding into his mind like a lengthy mathematical formula he had forgotten five minutes before the exam ended.
Peonies represent romance and prosperity. Lilies carry out the message of beauty and devotion. Tulips convey love and happiness. The kicker? Red roses are the epitome of deep, passionate love.
All these flowers have one common meaning—they’re all meant to be received as a token of love. Not the kind between two good friends. Romantic love. The love you show to a person you’re courting, dating, or married to.
Was he overthinking all of this? Was he reading well in between the lines? It all seemed so perfectly curated to be taken as anything other than “friendly.”
The way Ajax skipped out on his practice to see him was something his other friends had never done before. The bouquet and how perfect it looked. Like Ajax had taken the time to search up flower meanings and asked a florist to put together the garland.
Zhongli hesitated. What was he supposed to think? All of a sudden, this all felt real. The moment felt so intimate. Did Ajax want to pursue him as more than a friend? Did Zhongli even want that?
Zhongli thinks about Ajax. The star baseball player who lives up to his reputation on the field, the school's heartthrob who is rumored to have everyone wrapped around his finger, the man who seemingly craves his attention even going out of his way to make a fool out of himself.
He thinks about Ajax. The man who’s failing math horrendously, the man who seems to brighten up every time he sees him, the man who is far more than he is perceived to be.
He thinks about Ajax. The man who has fiery red hair like a fox, the man who has blue eyes that resemble the purest, most luxurious noctilucous jade, the man who has a smile that is so genuine and radiant it rivals Liyue’s sun.
He thinks about Ajax. The man who has been stuck inside his head like a much-needed formula, the man who makes him burn up whenever they simply graze shoulders, the man who has him longing for more than just tutoring.
Oh.
Oh.
Archons, he had been so blind.
His fingers stopped hovering over the bouquet in uncertainty, and he grabbed the bouquet.
“They’re… very thoughtful,” he said, voice low, scratchy from not speaking. “Thank you.”
Ajax leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially, a sly smirk playing at his lip.“Is that Zhongli code for ‘I like them, Ajax’?”
“It is Zhongli code for ‘they are appreciated, Ajax,’” Zhongli replied, voice stern but the corner of his mouth betrayed his evident amusement.
Zhongli is waiting for Ajax at their usual spot in the library. Lately, it had become a routine to come after their lectures or before/after Ajax’s practices to the library and recap their math sessions.
Zhongli was finding it very endearing. As sad as Ajax looked at first trying to wrap his head around the problem, he would soon see how his face would twist from confusion and frustration to slow enlightment.
It was rewarding to see someone as lost as Ajax process and understand math. It sounded nerdy and geeky, but Zhongli truly liked to teach the subject. Being able to tutor Ajax was bringing him back to a time when he believed he would be a math professor. (Obviously, that dream had to be discarded since it wouldn’t pay the bills.)
Zhongli also liked having an excuse to meet Ajax for an hour and a half whenever their schedules met up. He felt like a giddy high school girl seeing her hallway crush for three seconds a day. It was ironic since he was in high school a few years prior, but never experienced the feeling of “high school love” until now—despite being in college.
With his newfound feelings for Ajax, Zhongli was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that everything seemed so daunting. Ajax was popular, sporty, and charming. Zhongli was the complete opposite: quiet, nerdy, and awkward.
Despite this, Ajax still befriended him. He knew he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but could he be blamed for doing such action? Ajax had the looks, the charm, the witty smile, and the unprecedented reputation.
The rumors that trailed behind him were farther from the real Ajax he had come to meet and understand. Zhongli learned that Ajax came off as ‘flirty’ from his charming personality and witty comebacks. He was also fairly confident. Anything he did would seem like he was trying to impress, but was naturally confident in himself. To an outsider, he would come off as too strong, but someone who knew him well would know this was just how he was.
Despite knowing this, there was still a question lingering in his mind. After the math competition, he had wondered what the bouquet meant. It was weird to receive flowers from a person who wasn’t courting you, even weirder to receive flowers at a math competition.
What exactly was he to Ajax?
Zhongli was snapped away from his thoughts when his vision was obscured by a paper in front of him. He raised a confused brow before looking at the contents of the paper. It was a graded trigonometry test; in the top right corner a “B” was circled.
Zhongli turned his head to see Ajax smiling widely at him. Everything fell into place at that moment, Ajax passed their trigonometry-based test.
“Guess who’s eligible to continue playing this season?” He asked the obvious.
“Ajax… I’m beyond proud of your work. You earned the grade.” Zhongli silently applauded him, they were in the library after all.
“Pfft… Not really. You taught me everything that we had gone over throughout the course. I was lazy back then until you showed up to help.” He waved him off, diminishing his own work.
“Exactly. I set up the basics for you; you then picked everything up and learned how to properly do the work. This was all your doing, not mine. You could’ve stayed failing, but you didn’t, you made a change from your own volition.” Zhongli quickly rebutted, not letting Ajax try to downplay his hard work.
Ajax then engulfs him in a tight hug and Zhongli gasps at the movement before melting into the embrace. He hovered his hands above Ajax’s upper back before placing them and awkwardly patting him.
Ajax had strong arms, a factor from playing baseball. Zhongli felt like he was being squeezed to death from how tight the embrace was, but it felt oddly nice. He wanted to stay wrapped around Ajax’s arms and never leave, to be fused to never escape this solemnity.
To add on, Ajax smelled heavenly. If Celestia could be visited; he would imagine Ajax would smell just like the Gods themselves. Archons—the Gods wouldn’t be up to par. He could smell his cologne on the nape of his neck, a strong whiff of citrus and an underlying wood smell. His clothes faintly smelled like detergent: it was lavandar and it was comforting to smell.
“Thank you,” Ajax mutters into his neck. Zhongli freezes at the warm breath that tickles his nape. Zhongli feels his throat close up, and nods at his words.
After what felt like an eternity, Ajax pulls away from their embrace and sits down next to him. Zhongli immediately felt cold from the loss of warmth, he held himself back from frowning at the loss of contact.
“You should’ve seen our professor's face! I’m sure he thought I was going to fail again. When he gave me back my test, he looked astonished and could barely utter a word to me!” Ajax jokes with a cheeky grin.
“I can believe your words, Ajax.” Zhongli looks down at the newly displayed notebook he brought out. Despite Ajax passing his exam, there was still a lot of material to cover if he wanted to continue playing in games.
“We should start now,” Zhongli said to which Ajax nodded, eagerly scooting closer to the brunette, making their shoulders brush against each other.
Zhongli picked up on their previous concepts; simplifying and proving trigonometry expressions. He gave a quick overview of them and every other step, Ajax would finish his sentences with the exact process to follow.
Zhongli proceeds to start a new topic; how to graph trigonometric functions and their inverse. Zhongli started slowly, explaining how each function has a period, amplitude, phase shift, and vertical shift.
“Sin waves always start at the origin. If it’s a regular sine wave, they jump one up to the right at pi over two, then down to a zero at pi, you follow this pattern until the end of your period at two pi.” Zhongli explained it like second nature—he knew this information like the back of his hand, it was easy and engraved into his brain.
“Cosine waves don’t start at the origin, they start at one on the y-axis. A regular cosine wave jumps down to the right at pi over two, then down one to pi, and back up to zero at three pi over two. You do this until you reach the end of your period.”
Zhongli looks at Ajax to see if he has retained any of the information he just explained, but instead of looking at the paper, he rests his chin on his palm, looking straight at Zhongli.
“Am I not making sense?” Zhongli asks in concern.
“You are.”
“Then why are you staring at me and not the paper?”
“Has anyone ever told you how cute you are when teaching math?” Ajax compliments him with a boyish grin, maintaining their eye contact.
Zhongli feels his cheeks heat up at the witty comment and Ajax chuckles, causing him to look away in embarrassment. How could he say things like that out of nowhere? He had to have some decency; especially now, he’s his tutor! He’s being tutored not on a date. He had to learn social cues.
Zhongli quickly composed himself and cleared his throat. He changes the subject back to their original point: how to graph trigonometric functions and their reciprocals.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
GUYS i just passed my pre calc test with a B!!! the first B of the semester !!!!!!!!! i wanna thank @moraxli the best tutor ever i dedicate this grade to you <3 this calls for a celebration party at my house TONIGHT
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
There is no need to thank me, Ajax. The hard work was all your doing and it paid off. Congratulations.
signora | @signoraa10 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
Are you throwing a party tonight?
scara | @wanderingscara replying to signora | @signoraa10
can’t believe you’re asking the important questions here
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
Party tonight? Have you gone mad? It’s a school night. You have a game tomorrow. Throw your party another day.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
PARTY ON FRIDAY!!!! (i moved the date cause some of yall cant party hard…)
scara | @wanderingscara replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
the last time you threw a party on a school night you missed all your classes cause you were throwing up all morning…
signora | @signoraa10 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
The last time he threw a party a day before a game, he cost his team the win. Who can’t party hard?
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
If I recall correctly, you missed an important test, and lost a game against an easy team because you threw a party the day before… Of course, we can’t party hard though.
Skirk | @abyssalskirk replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
Is this what you would call someone being “clocked”?
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to Skirk | @abyssalskirk
NOOOOOOOOO THESE ALLEGATIONS ARE FAKE!!!!!
unban me | @notventispam
son im crying… why did zhongli get a test score dedicated to himself….. IM ACTUALLY CRYING IN WHAT WORLD ARE WE LIVING IN
wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao replying to unban me | @notventispam
LMFAO I SAW THE TWEET TOO i’m actually crying wtf do you mean by “i dedicated this passing score to you!” WHY does this all happen to zhongli
unban me | @notventispam replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
how does one unlock all these side quests…
ganyu | @4rexlapis replying to unban me | @notventispam
i thought it was quite endearing…
unban me | @notventispam replying to ganyu | @4rexlapis
oh my sweet child… you have a lot to learn about life…
xiao | @alatusxiao replying to unban me | @notventispam
More game than you’ve gotten though
wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao replying to xiao | @alatusxiao
LMFAOOOO YOU JUST GOT ROASTED BY XIAO
xiao | @alatusxiao replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
That includes you too.
unban me | @notventispam replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
who just got roasted by who now???????
venti
soooooo
are we all going to the party or????????
hu tao
what party
venti
gingers party
hu tao
“gingers party” i’m fucking crying
venti
i got lazy to type his name out
hu tao
his name is shorter than what you typed out
venti
okay idc i got lazy
so are we goingggg
hu tao
i’m down to go
venti
@ganyu
@xiao
@zhongli
what’s the move guys
ganyu
i’ll see if keqing would like to go!
venti
ugh she doesn’t like to party
you could’ve just said no
ganyu
she likes to go out to a party once in a while
not all hope is lost!
venti
right
hu tao
@xiao
@zhongli
xiao
Who wants to go to a party?
venti
us
hu tao
us
xiao
Ok
Pass
venti
lameeee
hu tao
party pooper
venti
@zhongli
hu tao
@zhongli
zhongli
Yes?
venti
are u going to ajax’s party
hu tao
aww u didn’t get lazy to type his name out
venti
whateverrr
so yes or no
zhongli
Are we invited?
venti
you don’t need an invite for a party
you just show up
zhongli
Is that not considered rude?
hu tao
okay we’re going bye
Zhongli didn’t understand the appeal of attending parties. He would rather be in his room studying for an upcoming exam or getting his much-needed rest.
He also didn’t understand the need to throw parties for any practical reason. For example, Ajax was throwing a party because he passed his math test with a B after many F’s and C’s. It was silly to throw a party for such a feat. He would’ve thought throwing parties needed more significance than “passing a math test.”
It hadn’t been twenty minutes into the party and Zhongli already wanted to go home. Xiao refused to come, Venti left Zhongli to grab dandelion wine, Hu Tao was talking to a girl with pink hair (he vaguely remembered her name… Yanfei? From the competition.), Ganyu and Keqing were nowhere to be found.
Maybe Zhongli wouldn’t have the urge to leave if he had more than four friends but he digresses.
Zhongli hasn’t seen said party host and by the time he’s wandered into the kitchen looking for any of his friends, he has been there for the past half an hour already. Throughout that time, he has received a cup of beer. He wasn’t prone to drinking, but one wouldn’t hurt anyone.
One beer had turned into two and he was almost done with his third one before he decided he needed to stop before he could get drunk. Not to mention, the room he was currently standing in felt extremely uncomfortable, unfathomably hot, and his ears were starting to ring. Zhongli took that as his sign to go outside and sit on the empty porch.
The porch was lonely. There was no one outside, they were all inside having a blast drinking and probably getting high on some substance they brought.
Zhongli could enjoy the tad bit of silence the porch had to offer despite the loud music still being heard and the sound waves vibrating off the walls. It was simply him, the moon accompanied by the stars, and the crickets.
It’s not a full five minutes of somewhat estranged silence before the door opens and closes.
“Zhongliii! You caaame!”
It was Ajax. Drunk.
“Ajax, you’re drunk.”
“Pfft! As ifff! I’ve only had…four bottles, Snezhyans knowww how to hold their liquor.” He loudly states before plopping right next to Zhongli on the porch, leaving no space between them.
“If you aren’t drunk, why are you dragging your words? It’s a common symptom in alcohol intoxication.” Zhongli counters his statement with facts of his own.
“Hmm… You’re veryyy observant, Zhongli. It’s a good quality in a person, makes them be able to pick up abnormalities and place a schedule.” Was this supposed to be a matter of fact or poor flirting?
“Where have you been? I was wondering where the party host had fled to.” Zhongli switches the topic before he could spiral into a string of questions that he wouldn’t like to indulge in at the moment.
“Busy drinking. Thought you weren’t coming. Got a bittt sad. Then someone said they saw you. Started looking for you. Found you.” Ajax explains in broken sentences. Ah. So he wanted him to come tonight? He had been anticipating his arrival all night and got drunk when he believed he wasn’t coming.
Zhongli opened his mouth to ask another question before he was beaten by Ajax, “You look fucking gorgeous under the moonlight.”
Zhongli feels himself go dizzy at the sentence. He couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol still in his system or the music playing causing his ears to ring and his head to hurt. Or the fact that Ajax just said he looked ravishing. Even though his newfound feelings for Ajax were new, what the latter was saying was under the influence, not from the heart. A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts.
“Thank you, Ajax. Need I remind you you’ve had far too much alcohol tonight?” He dismisses his words with a hand and heaves a sigh.
“I’m finee Zhongli,” Ajax’s voice raises, not in anger, but in frustration, “Can I not compliment you? Is it so hard to believe that I’m willingly complimenting you because I want to?”
“The compliment is much appreciated. It would have delighted me to hear you say it when completely sober," Zhongli replied looking to his right, staring right into those ocean blue eyes that he has become enamored with.
Ajax’s eyes flickered down to Zhongli’s lips, licking his own before meeting Zhongli’s gaze again.
The air around them was tense. It was since the moment Ajax came outside. All their unsaid words and feelings were being brought to light under the moonlight. The alcohol in their system only made things worse, all they’ve ever thought to do is now being acted on. It was scary.
Zhongli didn’t know who leaned in first. If it was him or Ajax. He was sure it was Ajax, but he wasn’t sure if he had met him halfway. One moment he was staring at Ajax waiting for anything—an action, a word, anything—and he would get his answer in the form of Ajax’s lips on his own.
The initial shock of the action passed in a fleeting moment before Zhongli melted into the kiss, letting Ajax guide him while grabbing the back of his neck. Zhongli found Ajax’s knee and placed his hand on him, a pillar to ground himself. He felt immensely weak despite already sitting down on the porch, he felt like he could faint from how overwhelmed he was feeling.
Kissing Ajax felt like the long-awaited rainfall after a long drought during Liyue’s peak heatwave. There weren’t any fireworks but electric shocks mixed with goosebumps were running through his body.
Ajax tasted like tropical fruits mixed with a tart flavor. It was the beer he had drunk earlier still lingering within his mouth. His lips were slightly chapped, the roughness of them being lapped over with combined saliva.
When kissing Ajax, he wanted to map out his mouth with his own. Have it memorized like the back of his hand—Archons, mold his own lips to Ajax. To have them be curated and fit perfectly like a missing puzzle piece against the gingers' lips.
Zhongli was timid and felt himself trembling. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He was kissing Ajax. The man he had been longing for without having realized it. The man who made his heart skip a beat like an easy trigonometry equation on a test. The man who would leave his heart in his throat every time he would say something remotely flirty—genuine, full of honesty.
When they pulled away, Zhongli felt himself shiver at the faint breath of Ajax’s lips. He fluttered his eyes open to see Ajax staring back at him with a look he could only describe as endearing—puppy love. His blue eyes that resembled Liyue’s vast oceans only reflected Zhongli in that moment, that was all he could see.
Ajax continued to stare before he let out a soft chuckle, “What now?”
“Well, despite saying you aren’t drunk. Let’s see if you remember this. If you remember, we shall talk then. If you don’t, this is null and void.” Zhongli voices his concerns. It was only fair. He had been thinking about how this could all be forgotten by tomorrow morning due to their alcohol intake. Zhongli had sobered up after being alone, but he wasn’t sure if Ajax would still drink after this.
“Okay, fine. That’s fine with me,” Ajax nodded in agreement.
They stayed staring at each other under the moonlight, both letting the weight of their actions sink into them. It was hard to believe that not even a week ago, Zhongli had realized his very long festering feelings for Ajax, and now he had just shared his first kiss with this man. Fate worked in very mysterious ways.
Ajax leaned back into Zhongli's place, trying to steal a kiss from him, but Zhongli stopped him, placing a finger on his lips. “Tomorrow.” He voiced again.
Ajax presumably whined before sighing in defeat. Muttering curses to the Archons above, asking what he had done in his last life to deserve such a “kiss block?”
The following morning, Zhongli woke up with a mild headache. He was grateful he had only drunk slightly before he truly blacked out. He had some recollection of last night after Ajax and he shared a kiss. He remembered getting up with Ajax, recouping back inside with the rest of the party. Back in the kitchen, Zhongli had found Venti absolutely wasted with Hu Tao just as bad. Zhongli quickly spotted Ganyu and Keqing trying to coax them into leaving the party.
It was an absolute hell trying to get the two of them out of the party. They kept refusing to leave, boasting loudly that they were in fact not drunk and were just getting started. To say the least, the two of them were dragged out of the house by their ears. In the festering chaos, Zhongli had lost Ajax, most likely seeing what else was going around his place.
Last night was definitely an experience he wouldn’t mind reliving again, especially his intimate moment with Ajax. Speaking of him, Zhongli hadn’t heard from him since their last encounter. He wondered if Ajax remembered last night's kiss. He mentioned he wasn’t drunk, but the slurring of words said otherwise.
A big part of Zhongli wanted Ajax to remember—he needed him to remember. He didn’t want to be the only one who remembered how Ajax’s lips tasted, how soft they were despite the chapped roughness of them, the feeling of finally letting his mouth do the talking after months of buildup. He too hoped that Ajax was replaying that moment in his mind ever since it happened. It wasn’t a mistake, far from it—it was good, it was everything, it was right.
Honestly, now that he thought about it. He never overthought all of Ajax’s actions toward him. It was all a deliberate effort to get his attention, to get him to befriend him, to get him to want him. And it worked. As soon as he learned of Ajax’s existence, he was immediately enraptured by the man, his looks only made him even more curious. When they became friends, the lines quickly started to blur. The lingering eyes, the accidental touches, the witty comments feeling even more genuine and honest than they ever did. Every single instance and moment led up to what happened last night. Everything had been building up between them and last night, with the assistance of booze, it all spilled out.
Now that everything had come out, Zhongli had to wait for everything to settle. Waiting wouldn’t be a problem, by the time he had woken up it had been past morning, the afternoon creeping up with every passing second.
It also seemed like it wouldn’t be a problem since by the time he had finished getting ready for the rest of the day, he received a message from Ajax.
ajax
hey zhongli
are you doing anything today?
zhongli
I have nothing planned today
ajax
okay good
what if i said im outside your dorm
zhongli
I’d ask why you’re outside
ajax
id like to enjoy the afternoon's glory with you
which translates to id like to walk around campus with you
zhongli
I understood you the first time Ajax
I would like to spend the afternoon with you too
ajax
okay ill be waiting outside
zhongli
I’ll be out soon
Zhongli walked out of his dormitory’s building to see Ajax leaning against a wall, waiting for him. He quickly made his way towards the ginger, not wanting to waste another minute of his time.
“Hello, Ajax. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long," Zhongli greets, sliding up next to him.
“Zhongli! Hey. I haven’t been waiting long,” Ajax greets back, pushing himself off the wall.
The two of them stay standing there for a moment, looking at each other. There’s a slight hint of awkwardness in the air. Had Ajax remembered what happened last night? Was he put off by it? He couldn’t have been, he seemed disappointed that Zhongli “kiss-blocked” him. What if he had regretted it now? Was he here to talk to him about last night? Was he bringing it up now or letting it drag out? Did he even remember at all?
“What’s your pretty head thinking about? I can see the gears turning up there.” Ajax breaks the awkward silence with a teasing comment. Gosh. He hated how easily he could do that. How could someone say witty, flirtatious comments so easily?
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry. Are we departing now?” Zhongli dodges the question. He wasn’t sure if Ajax was going to bring it up or if he remembered at all.
“Ah. Yes, let’s go now. I actually have something to show you. I hope you like it.” Ajax fills the space with his words after Zhongli’s own curt answer. Zhongli internally winces at that, he could’ve done more to balance out the conversation.
“Something to show me? I thought we were exploring campus?” Zhongli walks in step with Ajax. Left. Right. Left. Right.
“In a sense, we are. I’m taking you to a specific place while walking through campus. So, it is exploring.” Their shoulders brush with every step. Every once in a while their fingers brush against each other, and Zhongli has to single-handedly stop himself from intertwining their hands together.
The two of them quickly leave behind the dormitory building in the far view. They soon walked past their school's garden. It was adorned with multiple greenhouses with the main one in the middle. The main greenhouse was said to be off limits for students who weren’t gardening or agriculture students. The rest were open to the public, and students were allowed to visit the greenery inside as long as they didn’t make a mess or touch anything. There was also a stone trail that accompanied each house, the walkway to it was adorned with bigger rocks. The grass was cut down short, and the flowers that were inside the houses looked well-maintained. There were also two small porcelain water fountains that had their own bird bath. He could tell that their student body had done a good job at keeping their garden clean.
“The garden was a pretty sight, right? It’s honestly cool that some students care about greenery and agriculture. Especially in this economy where everyone seems to be thinking about how to make more money rather than how to help the world.”
Zhongli looks up at Ajax as he continues to ramble on about how society has become too focused on itself, rather than stopping to appreciate the beauty of the world.
Despite his rambling, Zhongli can’t help but feel endeared. It’s not that he hated Ajax talking—far from it—he can even admit to saying that he too rambles about oddities like math.
Honestly, for someone who seemed to not care about the world around him, he seemed to have the greatest affection for it.
“It was very pretty indeed. It almost seemed like it came out of a fairytale. I’d say the school has done an amazing job at keeping it maintained.” Zhongli replies, looking straight ahead with a smile.
After all the walking they’ve done, Zhongli could see the baseball field out in the distance. If he remembered correctly, there was no other building after the field, so was the surprise there? Or would they have to take a detour?
“Is our stop at the field?” Zhongli asked, looking at Ajax who was already was staring at him.
“It is. We aren’t going inside where the dugouts are or the actual field, we’re just hanging around the fences. You’ll see soon.” Ajax answered with a mischievous smile and Zhongli huffed.
Soon enough, the two of them made it to the entrance of the field. Ajax led him towards the home side fence, to his left he saw the stands, and a few flights of stairs up he noticed the press box. They continued to walk for a moment before Ajax slowed to a stop.
“Okay. Close your eyes.”
“My eyes? Aren’t I supposed to see what you’ll be showing me?” Zhongli raised a confused brow.
“Well—yes, but what I need to show you requires you to close your eyes. It’ll only be a second!” Ajax retorts, awkwardly shifting his weight from one side to another.
“Okay.” With that, Zhongli closes his eyes and waits to be told to open them. He hears Ajax start moving around him before the sound of his footsteps grows fainter. About a minute passes before he hears the rubber against concrete, with the sound of wrapping?
“Okay. You can open them now.”
Zhongli first opens his left eye slowly before blinking both eyes open. He allows his eyesight to adjust to the light after being encompassed by the dark, and he then registers what’s in front of him.
Ajax was there. Obviously, he was there, but he was now holding two items he wasn’t holding before.
In his right hand, he had a bouquet that weren’t real flowers. They were paper flowers. He could recognize that the paper had been used, dark pencil line over white paper. What he couldn’t make out was what was contained inside those paper flowers? Zhongli held out his hand to the flowers, carefully touching each petal of the handmade flower. Each flower looked different, there were small ones, big ones, huge ones even. There had been a lot of thought and effort placed into this, but when had Ajax done all of this? Now that’s looking more carefully at the flowers, he could see the dark lines sketched onto the paper were, “Math problems…” He breathed out in shock and endearment.
Zhongli notices the next item Ajax was holding—a white generic poster. Where had he been hiding this? How had he planned all this out? Zhongli assimilated the poster and noticed how it was decorated to the brim with math symbols, filling up the blank spaces that the big black letters weren’t: They say to solve for X, but I’m glad that I found U instead. Since I’m not being obtuse, be my boyfriend?
“So, what’s your answer?” Ajax smiles at him, impatient and nervous, waiting for any sign of life from him.
Seeing all this effort be put into him, to the careful making of the flowers, to the little details of the math problem covered petals, to the poster and how it was designed, and the cheesy lines it had on display. Everything had been thought out with love and affection—everything for him. For Zhongli. From Ajax.
Everything clicked like the final piece of the puzzle, being slotted in between two other pieces.
“Yes.”
Zhongli surges into Ajax before he can doubt himself. He presses his lips onto his with both his hands cupping his cheeks.
If everything had clicked a few seconds prior then this was the moment where a mathematician would find a groundbreaking discovery in their work from using an ancient formula no one ever talked about.
Ajax had stumbled back at Zhongli’s unexpected surge forward, but he quickly regained his footing and melted into the kiss. With both hands occupied, he couldn’t get a proper grip on his hips, meaning he could only use his spare fingers. It didn’t matter if it was a little awkward, the feeling of a couple of his fingers was enough to keep him grounded.
Kissing Ajax without the added booze for confidence felt more genuine than it did the first time. He noticed the way his lips slotted perfectly against Ajax’s like they were always meant to be pressed against one another. How each kiss they received was gentle and soft rather than lustful and quick.
He hoped he was conveying every single feeling and thought he had throughout the entire time he had known Ajax. How much he loved him. How much he wanted him. How much he cared for him. How he had fallen in love at first sight without realizing it. How he was a hopelessly devoted fool to him. How he wanted to be with him, only him.
With every press of their lips, Zhongli felt a warm feeling bubble up inside of him. If this sensation were butterflies in his stomach, he’d like to never let the feeling die. With every passing second, being in Ajax’s arms and kissing him, made all his worries dissipate. He felt so warm, bubbly, and giddy. He loved it.
Ajax parted for a breath of air and stared into Zhongli’s eyes. Standing up close and finally realizing his own feelings, Zhongli could say he noticed a new emotion flash in his eyes: love.
“I can’t believe you’re mine now. I had been waiting to do this for a while now and after yesterday, I knew I had to do it today.” Ajax rests his forehead against his own, continuing to stare into his eyes, completely enamoring him more than he was.
“So you do remember last night. I was scared you wouldn’t or that we wouldn’t talk anymore after that.” Zhongli confessed, a wave of sadness came over him at the thought before washing away.
“Of course I remember last night! I wouldn’t dream of ever forgetting how our first kiss was. I’d kill myself before I let that happen.” Ajax reassured him, placing a quick peck to his forehead before parting away from him.
Ajax hands Zhongli his handcrafted bouquet and poster, letting Zhongli admire his hard work. Archons. He couldn’t get over the fact that Ajax made him handcrafted flowers from paper that had math problems written on them. And the poster he made for him? Celestia. He made it about math. Math!
Unbeknownst to Zhongli, a click from a camera goes off.
@tarilax11
[The photo of Zhongli. He’s holding the bouquet tightly to his chest while staring at the poster. The sun hits Zhongli perfectly. It allows for his eyes and hair to glow a beautiful cor lapis color, yet the smile he dons glows brighter than all three combined. The photo is captioned with: minemineminee.]
Liked by moraxli
unban me | @notventispam
zhongli getting a boyfriend before me getting unbanned is honestly INSANE
wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao replying to unban me | @notventispam
IM CRYING THATS ACTUALLY HILARIOUS
unban me | @notventispam replying to wangsheng employee | @coffin4hutao
NO ITS NOT LOG OFF
ganyu | @4rexlapis replying to unban me | @notventispam
zhongli getting a boyfriend isn’t surprising, you being unbanned would be
unban me | @notventispam replying to ganyu | @4rexlapis
how is that NOT surprising???? he likes math?!???
ganyu | @4rexlapis replying to unban me | @notventispam
maybe you should start attending your math class! then you’d get a boyfriend too!
xiao | @alatusxiao replying to ganyu | @4rexlapis
I laughed. Thank you.
unban me | @notventispam replying to xiao | @alatusxiao
i hate everyone
scara | @wanderingscara
damn ajax is locked in before any of us
signora | @signoraa10 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
I’m surprised.
arlecchino | @fatherarle4 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
It was bound to happen.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to scara | @wanderingscara
i’m going to ignore this
Skirk | @abyssalskirk replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
Congratulations, Ajax.
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11 replying to Skirk | @abyssalskirk
THANK YOU
ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
i love my boyfriend. he’s all i ever wanted. i’m happy to learn math every day with him, im right where i want to be.
zhongli | @moraxli replying to ajax 2 cool | @tarilax11
I love you too, Ajax.