Look Me in the Eyes (and tell me that it's me) [Zhongchili]

Chapter 10 - Clues Assembled

They race back to the university car park, stealing brief kisses whenever they have to stop to cross the road, then hop into Zhongli's car. Zhongli wastes no time, setting off as soon as the doors are closed, and Ajax sits beside him, trying to ignore how his boner is pressing uncomfortably against his jeans.

Zhongli can definitely see it, but that's the point, isn't it? They're going to sleep together, have sex, fuck; it would be worse if he wasn't aroused.

He's going to sleep with Zhongli. Is Zhongli really going to let him sleep with him? Or maybe Zhongli is the one who wants him? Does he ask directly, or do they just sort of figure it out? Either is fine...probably. But he's heard the horror stories too. It could hurt like a bitch. But hurting Zhongli would be bad too.

Life was so much simpler when it was just him and his hand.

Should he do something to keep the atmosphere going? Yeah, good idea.

Ajax reaches out to rest his hand on Zhongli's thigh. Zhongli glances down and smiles.

Okay, good move, Ajax. Good move.

He keeps his hand there the entire ride back. At one point the car bumps violently as they bounce over a pothole, and his hand slides awkwardly close to Zhongli's crotch, his pinkie pressed against something solid that he's pretty sure is Zhongli's dick.

He doesn't dare look down to check. That would be awkward. It's awkward leaving his hand there too, but looking would be more awkward, and so would be moving it—a tacit acknowledgement that he is, in fact, touching Zhongli's dick. By proxy. Through his pants.

It's a long ride home.

"Here we are." Zhongli stops the car outside of a sleek, modern apartment block in a part of town that Ajax has, prior to today, only been able to fantasise about entering the likes of. Zhongli sure has a decent amount of money for a simple researcher cum funeral parlour employee to be able to afford a place like this.

"Woah, nice place," says Ajax, opening his door and stepping outside.

"Thank you. I was told that this part of the city is desirable, both in terms of peace and safety; it was good fortune that I was able to secure this unit."

Desirable is certainly one way to describe it. Ajax had a few classmates from this part of town back in school. They all had private tutors to help them get into their swanky international universities.

Maybe he should be asking Zhongli for some savings tips. Not torturing his boyfriend with sushi would probably be a good start.

Boyfriend... Are he and Zhongli an official couple now, or is this still a dating thing? It certainly feels like how other people have described their partners, but does he need to ask? If he sleeps with Zhongli without asking, will it look like he just wants a fling? He could use a dating app if he wanted that, which he doesn't; sleeping with some random person, having them touch him, is about as appealing as sitting on a cactus toilet.

People are too complicated. Makes sense why he's never bothered with all this before.

He follows Zhongli inside the building and Zhongli leads him two floors up a modern spiral staircase onto a light, airy corridor, with paintings and carpet furnishing it instead of dried piss and empty liquor bottles.

If only his siblings could see this. If only his siblings could live here. Heck, even somewhere half as nice as this would be enough.

They stop by a smart, black door at the far end of the corridor and Zhongli pulls out a card, swiping it across a sensor to the right of the door handle. The door beeps its answer, the light on the sensor turning green, and Zhongli opens the door.