Chapter Text
Aether, for all his innumerable suitors, has only ever truly loved one person.
Xiao, for all of his cool and aloof demeanor, has captured the heart of Teyvat University's darling errand boy. Xiao's sincere yet blunt affections made Aether swoon faster than Lumine can beat Childe in their weekly spar. His words are curt and sharp, on the edge of biting if you don't know where or how to look for the tenderness underneath, yet his touch is always gentle and always sweet, never pushing Aether, never daring to ask for more.
In Aether's wholly biased unbiased opinion, Xiao is the perfect boyfriend one could ever ask for.
Yet, for all of the satisfying one and a half years of their fulfilling and sweet relationship, Aether can't help but look for... Something more.
Don't get him wrong! Aether is immensely happy and completely satisfied in all aspects of their loving relationship. Yet when it comes to intimacy, Xiao, much like his approach for everything involving Aether, never dares to push his luck. He treats Aether gently, tenderly, his sweetness overflowing with his soft touches and his gruff sighs of pleasure. Words also are rarely spoken during their times of passion and Aether feels guilty for feeling greedy, wanting to hear more of the low and scratchy timbre of his voice affected by pleasure.
They've ever only made love, in the most basic of acts, never the nasty and disrespectful fucking Aether sometimes a lot of the time craves. The most adventurous they've gotten was when Aether got a bit too frustrated and straddled Xiao to take his pleasure for himself, wanting his dark-haired boyfriend to also let loose; yet even then, his touch on Aether's waist was light, guiding his hips yet not bruising them as Aether had hoped.
Feeling his frustrations mounting is not a new sensation for Aether, especially when he moved in with some of his friends along with his boyfriend in a two-bedroom apartment. Liyue’s powerful and booming economy ensures that the cost of living in the country is nigh unfathomable for a bunch of university students looking to make a name for themselves. Aether had just assumed (and he assumed correctly) that rooming with more people would lighten the burden of rent on his shoulders.
His roommates, Chongyun and Xingqiu, are locals of the country much like Xiao. They’re childhood best friends and current boyfriends so it was no issue for them to sleep and stay in one bedroom. Aether’s grateful for the additional company yet he couldn’t help the unreasonable bubble of jealousy every time he hears the couple next door make love. The walls are not exactly soundproof. It’s a miracle they haven’t been reported yet.
Although… maybe the term ‘making love’ is not the most appropriate when it comes to the other couple’s nightly activities.
Aether’s cheeks heat at each memory of his roommates’ activities, phantom voices flitting through his mind. He shakes his head to rid of the imagined scenarios, not wanting to think of his friends in that way. Besides, it’s not as if Chongyun and Xingqiu are bad roommates. In fact, they’ve been model companions right from the start. Aether found it easy to befriend the two, although Xiao would argue that it’s always easy for him to befriend new people regardless and would lecture him on being more vigilant of strangers.
It’s with that newfound and festering friendship that Aether finds himself today, mind resolute and heart thumping in anticipation. He’s going to ask his friends for advice.
Advice on how to seduce his too gentle boyfriend into handling him just the way he always wanted.
--
Aether finds Xingqiu lounging on the couch, his head resting on the armrest as his body takes the full expanse of the plush seats, his legs resting on the other end of the sofa comfortably. He is nose deep into a book, from the looks of it another action martial arts book. Aether never really understood his friend’s tastes in fiction, but who is he to judge?
“Xingqiu,” he calls, letting his presence known. At first the blue-haired man doesn’t seem like he notices Aether’s presence at all, eyes still steadily reading through the passages, focus never wavering. Aether tries again by clearing his throat rather obnoxiously. Yet once more, Xingqiu doesn’t stir, instead he turns the page excitedly, hungrily devouring the words on the following page.
Aether still really doesn’t have a good read for Xingqiu. But what Aether knows is, Xingqiu considers him a dear friend (in the bookworm’s own words, with a smile too symmetrical that Aether has yet to understand) and so the blond changes tactics.
Xingqiu startles an undignified squawk as a weight suddenly and forcefully settles itself onto his front.
“Ah, so you were just too engrossed in your book. I thought you were truly ignoring me,” Aether teases as Xingqiu searches for his surroundings frantically only to meet with the blond’s yellow gaze.
“My liege, it’s considered awfully rude to break one’s concentration while being engaged in fiction.,” Xingqiu sighs with a deep breath. He has a funny way of speaking sometimes, Aether thinks, too sophisticated for someone who is rooming with three other people in a rather nondescript part of the bustling city. Sometimes, Aether doesn’t know if he’s actually mocking or sincere with his words. But Aether would argue that that is one of his charm points.
“Well, I was calling for your name earlier but you weren’t responding so I had to take drastic measures,” Aether hums, flicking the hair that has landed on his face as he lied comfortably on Xingqiu’s front. Xingqiu is soft and cool to the touch and Aether feels comforted with the silk flower perfume that emanates from his friend.
“Well then, how may I be of service to you, my liege?” Xingqiu has closed his book temporarily, his finger is sandwiched between the pages he’s reading as he gave his full attention to the blond lying on top of him.
Aether is suddenly very aware of his request and is even more aware of the way how he clings to his friend. As he was about to get up however, Xingqiu places a delicate hand onto his back, patting down the wild strands of his braided hair comfortably.
“What has the brave and immovable Aether want from the likes of me?” Xingqiu teases and it brings a light chuckle from Aether’s lips, his worries are eased somewhat. Xingqiu is a menace in teasing people, most especially his boyfriend, but Aether knows that he cares deeply for the people he cherishes.
Aether goes quiet once again, burying his face onto the soft material of Xingqiu’s silk pajamas (where in the hell he got silk, Aether doesn’t really know). Xingqiu pats Aether’s head as he would a child and it is with the light caress to his head that he finds the courage to speak.
“I… I need to ask you something,” Aether starts, his voice small and meek. Xingqiu raises an inquisitive brow yet he did not push and simply waited.
“So, you know that… that Xiao is my boyfriend, right?” Aether tries, cringing internally at the light tremble that seeps in his tone. Xingqiu hums, even more confused at the topic of conversation.
“Yes. Do you have any troubles in paradise?” The blue-haired man cuts right to the chase and Aether is left coughing as he chokes on his own spit in surprise. He begins to sit up, covering his mouth with his hands as he coughs his lungs out. Xingqiu lies there patiently, eyes wide and observing, yet his mouth curls slightly, a start of a teasing remark on the tips of his lips.
“Ah, how gallant of you, o brave knight, to come to me for advice!” Xingqiu claps his hands together giddily, his form strung tight with excitement on the sofa. Aether’s face is burning from embarrassment at being caught so quickly. He casts a withering glare in Xingqiu’s direction, yet his friend only gives a wide grin before it dissolves into a pensive stare. Xingqiu brings a hand to his chin, subconsciously rubbing at the skin as he thinks.
“But, my liege, why come to me? Wouldn’t it be better to discuss your woes and troubles with Xiao himself?” A valid question, Aether concedes.
“Believe me, I tried. I just don’t know how to breech the subject,” Aether sighs defeatedly, plopping down once again onto Xingqiu’s chest. The other man doesn’t mind his friend’s distressed affections, as Aether is quite the touchy person.
“Pray tell, what is the nature of your ‘troubles’?” Xingqiu hears Aether mumble inaudibly on his shirt, the material muffling the blond’s words, rendering it intelligible.
“Pardon me, you would have to speak louder than that, my liege,”
“I-I said that Xiao is very sweet to me,” Aether trails off unsurely yet Xingqiu hears the supposed other meaning of his words. But of course, Xingqiu is not who he is without some lighthearted teasing.
“I don’t see how that is a problem. Isn’t it great that he treats you with gentleness as one does with his most favored porcelain doll?” Xingqiu knows he hits the nail on the head when Aether lifts his head to glare at the bookworm’s shit-eating grin.
“That’s exactly my problem! I’m not a porcelain doll! I’m not easily breakable! All I wanted was for him to be a little more assertive and- and confident and m-maybe rough me up a little! I trained with Lumine when we were little, for god’s sake! And I still continue my exercises in the gym! And does he think that running around campus fulfilling ridiculous request wouldn’t make me at least less fragile than he thinks I’d be—!?” Aether uncharacteristically explodes, and Xingqiu lies there with a wobbly grin, taking care not to guffaw at his friend’s mounting frustration.
“You know sometimes! Sometimes I just want to get dragged around the bed like a— like a rag doll! Sometimes, I would prefer it if he would just go a little faster, a little harder! But he’s always way too nice!” Aether feels heated tears start to gather in his eyes, anger and desperation bubbling as he explodes his heart out.
“My liege, really, this seems like a problem best resolved through thorough communication—”
“I need advice on how to seduce Xiao and get him to fuck me like how Chongyun fucks you,” Aether says with a strong resolve, eyes shining not with tears but with determination. Yet when his words catch up to him, he begins to blush and stammer.
“I-I mean! It’s not like I know how you guys have sex, y’know? J-just! The walls are th-thin a-and—!” Aether’s embarrassed stuttering gets drowned by Xingqiu’s melodious laughter.
“Oh, dearest Aether! There’s no need to be too flustered. All of us know that we hear each other fuck from the other room. No need to be shy,” Xingqiu snickers with a dismissive wave of his free hand. Aether only blooms further scarlet, hiding his face behind unruly bangs.
“Ah but, seduction is not really one of my strong points, my liege,” A lie. A fat and blatant lie, Aether knows.
“You see, for our bedroom activities my dearest Yunyun and I have adopted roles to follow. Making things more, ah, organized, if you will,” There’s mirth in Xingqiu’s tone and at the curl of his mouth. Aether doesn’t quite follow.
“Chongyun is not the most assertive of people if you’ve observed. He is selfless and generous to a fault, so I devote myself in his aid. He needs a gentle, guiding hand to encourage him to get what he needs, what he wants. I fulfill that role in his life. Of course, that extends to our dynamic in the bedroom as well,” Xingqiu’s grin is catlike, predatory, and heated. Aether is flushed for very different reasons now as understanding dawns on him.
Images and scenarios come passing in Aether’s mind. From Xingqiu’s gentle coaxes to his encouraging words whispered into Chongyun’s ears, scenes Aether really doesn’t pay mind to but now they feature prominently in his memories.
“He likes being ordered around and he obeys with every word I say. So, it was only natural for us to… adapt that into our sexual encounters as well.” Xingqiu finishes with a smile too angelic and innocent for the words that left his mouth.
“B-but… aren’t you the one who…?” Aether trails off, finding his throat suddenly going dry.
“Mmm, I’m the one who is taking it, you ask? Why yes, I do enjoy the feeling of having Chongyun’s dick shoved impossibly deep inside me. You should see him, he’s huge,” Aether chokes on another mouthful of air at Xingqiu’s nonchalant tone and vulgar words.
“And… not to be rude, but I have seen Xiao exit the bathroom with nary any clothes but a single towel on, and I must say, he is also packing quite the package down there. No wonder you crave the rough treatment,” Aether makes a sound not unlike a dying man’s, a whine high and breathless, gasping for air after being metaphorically punched in the gut.
“S-so what you’re saying is that I…? I should be the as-assertive one?” Aether squeaks suddenly feeling too exposed, to uncomfortable with heat simmering under his skin.
“No, no, my liege, that is not my implications at all!” Xingqiu laughs merrily, his tone going back to that easy friendliness that makes the knot in Aether’s stomach unwind just a bit.
Just before Aether could further ask clarifications for his friend’s cryptic words, the door to the apartment creaks open, alerting them of a new presence. They hear Chongyun sigh a breath of relief as he takes off his shoes in the entryway. They hear the soft thumps of his footsteps on the polished floor and Aether suddenly feels like being caught red handed, straddling another’s boyfriend with face beet red and his hair in a tangled mess.
“I’m home,” Chongyun announces with a blink of inquisitive light blue eyes, taking stock of the scene before him in their living room.
“Welcome back, my dear. How was work?” Aether whips his head at Xingqiu’s casual words.
“It was fine. Nothing happened much. How are you?” Chongyun, for all of his intense glacial stare at Aether’s face doesn’t hint at his feelings of the situation as he leans down to press a chaste kiss to Xingqiu’s lips.
“Our dear Aether here has required my assistance and I am simply helping out a friend in need,” Xingqiu hums and Chongyun furrows his brows slightly, looking back from Aether’s frozen expression and at Xingqiu’s teasing grin.
“Alright, Qiu quit playing around. Aether looks like he might combust,” Chongyun reprimands lightly. Xingqiu sighs defeatedly as he drops the act.
“I’m not playing around! Aether truly did need my help, isn’t that right, my liege?” Now that the attention is back on him Aether suddenly feels like his tongue can move and can finally defend himself.
“Y-yeah! It only became like this because Xingqiu was ignoring me so I took well, er… drastic measures,” Aether says with a nervous laugh.
“Oh, how you hurt me, my liege! I was simply too engrossed in my new book that I hadn’t noticed your approach!” Xingqiu pouts and Aether almost, almost, forgets the persona he showed him earlier when they were alone.
Finally, finding himself relax even more, Aether moved away from Xingqiu’s front, getting up from the couch to sit on the plush carpet beneath. Xingqiu too also sat up, and Chongyun wastes no time as he fits himself beside his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around a smaller waist, nuzzling at the crook of his neck.
Cute, Aether thought.
“Now, now, Yunyun, there is no need to be jealous,” Xingqiu hums as he pats Chongyun’s arm lightly causing the lighter haired male to stiffen as if caught stealing from a cookie jar.
“S-sorry,” Chongyun mutters unsurely and once again Aether marvels at the display, now that he knows some more… context, in their relationship.
“You couldn’t have come at a better time, however. Our dear friend requires our assistance in his relationship,” Xingqiu hums deviously and Aether subconsciously straightens his back, eyes going wide as they return to their previous conversation.
“Relationship? Why, did something happen with Xiao?” Chongyun’s genuine worry is so endearing that Aether feels himself sniffle. He shakes his head frantically, once again having difficulty finding the words to express himself.
“More like the opposite, my dear. There’s nothing happening,” Xingqiu helpfully supplies with a dramatic sigh along with a shake of his head. Aether weakly glares up at mirthful amber eyes before he turns his gaze to meet inquisitive glacial blues.
“I came to Xingqiu to ask for advice… On how t-to advance Xiao and I’s… in-intimate relationship,” Aether mumbles abashedly, lowering his gaze as soon as he sees Chongyun’s face dusts pink and eyes widen in understanding.
“O-oh,”
“And that is precisely why I, from the goodness of my heart, devote to helping out a dear friend in need,” Xingqiu declares proudly from the couch, chest puffing out as he places a delicate hand to his heart as if in promise. Aether finds himself rather apprehensive to accept such enthusiastic declarations.
Aether gulps as he feels his throat dry up, nervousness swimming in his stomach. Honestly, he rather fixes this issue on his own, but as it is turning out, he would sooner lose his hair in stress rather than by fulfilling his fantasy of Xiao’s hand deliciously pulling at his golden strands.
Xingqiu’s gaze is heavy and intense, amber eyes almost glowing with purpose as his lips quirk into that half-smile that Aether now decidedly thinks, he really doesn’t like.
“W-what do you have in mind?” Aether finds himself almost automatically saying, drawn to Xingqiu’s sudden commanding presence. As if, he is the only thing in the room worth paying attention to. Xingqiu reaches a delicate hand down, his fingertip extending to place delicately under Aether’s chin as he lifts Aether’s head a commanding yet gentle force, making their eyes meet. Aether sucks in a ragged breath.
“Say, Aether, how do you feel about… group discussions?”