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“Traveller, you are so dreamy.”
The line had been at the forefront of Aether’s mind since it slipped from Heizou’s lips. That and the way the detective had leaned into him, one hand resting over his heart and their faces mere inches apart as he told the traveller that he felt something was off about the island.
If purple sparks just so happened to crackle into existence around Aether’s hands, he definitely didn’t notice them.
That’s why the traveller is too distracted to hear Heizou ask him to join in on his vacation until the detective leans into him, their shoulders brushing this time. Aether turns, catching Heizou’s gaze.
“I’m sorry, I missed what you said.”
“I gathered that, you looked far away,” the detective’s posture is relaxed but his eyes are sharp, clearly looking for clues to the traveller’s thoughts.
“Just thinking about earlier.”
“You were thinking about me, correct?”
Aether looks away, trying to hide the flush that washes across his face, “hah, no. I was thinking about…Um.”
Heizou just leans further into the traveller’s side.
“Nothing gets past you, does it Heizou?”
“Well, being a detective does have its benefits. I’m often quite good at divining what other people are thinking, how people react to certain stimuli, etcetera.”
Heizou is cut off when one of the members of Swordfish II walks up to the two and explains that the shrine will be closing to civilians soon and that while the traveller can stay it’s best if the detective finds somewhere to stay the night. Aether nods in agreement and shifts away from his companion, silently wishing the two had gotten to stay later.
“So,” Heizou starts, “would you care to travel Watatsumi Island with me, Aether?”
“Count me in!”
The smile that spreads across the detective’s face is worth the pile of commissions that will build up over however long Aether stays on the island.
The two end up renting a house in Bourou Village for their stay, Heizou had been sleeping under the stars most nights but the traveller convinced him that it would be nicer to have somewhere to come back to every night.
The house is small with a kitchen, lounge area, and a single bedroom. Aether doesn’t mind sharing, the amount of times he’s shared rooms with Childe, Xiao, and Kazuha make it practically impossible to complain. He is glad there are two beds though, maybe it’ll save him from any awkward situations.
Heizou heads to bed before Aether so when he steps outside to summon Paimon, he makes sure to avoid any creaky floorboards and shuts the front door softly behind himself.
“Hi, traveller! Have you really thought through staying here with Heizou? Paimon knows you hate making up commissions!”
Aether isn’t sure himself if the time off is worth it but assures her that he’s perfectly fine with his decision. A bit of rest and relaxation couldn’t hurt. Then he asks her to inform the guild he’ll be away for some time and to pass any important commissions on to his adventuring party.
“Alrighty, call if you need anything!” Paimon disappears in a wave of sparkles and Aether makes his way to bed.
When Aether wakes up the detective is still out cold, the sun's rays pouring in from the window onto his face and down his bare chest. The traveller is surprised to notice thick scars running under each pec. He wants to continue admiring Heizou but tears his gaze away going to the kitchen in search of breakfast. When he doesn’t find anything Aether quietly slips out of the house again and down to the river below the village.
Heizou is awake but barely when Aether comes back about an hour later, lavender melons and fresh fish in hand. One would think that as a detective working for the Tenryou Commission, the man would be a morning person or at least be able to function but it’s just the opposite.
The detective looks half aware and his hair is hanging in front of his eyes. He’s dressed in his normal clothes now and the traveller raises an eyebrow when the detective absentmindedly pulls at his shirt revealing that the rope hanging off one shoulder is actually connected to his choker. Aether silently catalogues the information for later.
As the traveller cooks he can feel Heizou’s eyes on him. Aether doesn’t think much of it until he hears feet shuffle up behind him and a chin settle on his shoulder. The traveller’s eyes widen but he doesn’t stop what he’s doing.
The traveller has met many people during his time in Teyvat. He’s made a good amount of friends and even some that are more than friends. Almost none of them are blatant in their affections for Aether. He’d met some that spoke to him with honeyed words and thinly veiled lust in their voices but no one except Heizou spoke outright about their feelings for him.
And now the detective’s chin is resting on his shoulder while he cooks them both breakfast. The whole situation is almost domestic!
The only thing that could make it any more so would be–
“Looks delicious, traveller,” Heizou’s arms slide around Aether’s waist and he nearly stops breathing.
Aether finishes up the breakfast quickly after that and the two eat in a comfortable silence. The traveller can’t tell if the man across from him is as unaffected by the contact they’d just shared as he looks or if he just has the king of all poker faces.
The traveller decides to push his luck. He finishes eating and crosses the table with a map of Watatsumi Island he had picked up earlier in the morning. Aether leans over Heizou’s shoulder, sliding the map in front of them both.
“Where were you thinking about going first?”
Heizou points down at the far west of the island, the beach behind Mouun Shrine, “everybody likes a beach vacation, even grizzled adventurers and cynical detectives.”
Running a hand up Heizou’s arm the traveller takes a hold of the rope hanging there. He gives it a slight tug, putting tension on the rope, “that beach is pretty isolated. It would be nice to have it all to ourselves.”
Stubbornly, Heizou’s face remains neutral even with the traveller practically plastered over his shoulder. Aether gives up for the moment and backs off from the detective, deciding instead to go rummaging around in his inventory for a fitting swimsuit.
He decides on a pair of short brown and black trunks that cling nicely to his thighs without being family unfriendly. Now that a beach day is decided he can’t deprive Paimon of fun and relaxation just to get alone time with Heizou. She’d never let him hear the end of it.
Teleporting from Bourou village to Mouun Shrine and walking to the beach is done in comfortable silence and then easy conversation once Paimon arrives. Aether lets his shoulder or hand brush Heizou’s occasionally to see if he’ll take the hint. He thought that maybe if the detective notices the repeated attempts to get his attention he’ll take Aether’s hand eventually.
The traveller huffs dramatically when he doesn’t and then skillfully ignores his friend’s questioning look.
How can someone be so forward with their feelings and simultaneously ignore every advance Aether makes?
Paimon takes the traveller’s hand once she sees the beach, “come on, let’s go!”
He follows behind dutifully while Heizou sets up some chairs and an umbrella. The traveller never really gets any time to relax so he makes the most of it spending the first few hours playing with Paimon and swimming in the ocean. At some point Heizou joins in on a game of catch though he spends most of his time reading and soaking up the sun.
Eventually everything winds down to Aether and Heizou chatting about anything and everything while Paimon builds a sandcastle. For a little magic fairy she has serious sandcastle architectural skill. She says she based it on what she thinks Celestia looks like.
Paimon takes her leave shortly after citing a cooking contest between Smiley Yanxiao and Xiangling leaving the traveller and Heizou alone.
Earlier Aether had put his focus into playing around with Paimon, now he can get back to his second objective: flustering Heizou.
“You know, the whole idea of a beach day was yours and you haven’t even been in the water yet.”
“I suppose I should do that,” Aether pulls the detective up to his feet, interrupting him, “eager there, traveller?”
“Just want to make sure you get the most out of your day.”
With that the traveller turns on his heel making his way back down the beach, completely missing the way Heizou’s eyes follow his ass as he walks.
By the time the detective catches up to Aether, now missing his signature sleeveless shirt, the man is treading water and staring unabashedly. Heizou follows him in, the water is cool but not uncomfortable, so the man takes his time.
Then Aether gets a wonderful idea and sinks under the water. It’s waist deep and murky so he disappears under the slight waves easily.
He doesn’t have access to hydro energy yet but he’s very familiar with anemo so he creates a bubble of anemo energy allowing him to breathe underwater for a short period of time. His vision isn’t the best but he knows the general vicinity Heizou had been in so positions himself and waits patiently.
Once the anemo energy depletes Aether bursts out from the water splashing the detective and dragging him down into the water with him. Heizou’s face is priceless when the pair surface.
“Man alive, Aether!”
“Can’t blame me for keeping you on your toes,” the traveller teases through laughter, still holding on to the man’s shoulders.
“You pounced on me like a cat!”
“I mean yeah, that was the plan.”
Heizou’s eyebrows shoot up and he smirks, “oh, it’s all coming out now. I should’ve known you had malicious intentions behind asking me to swim.”
Aether doesn’t deny the detective’s teasing remarks, he is right after all. The traveller pulls Heizou flush against him, “the sun’s starting to go down, we should head back to the room if you’ve had your fill of the beach.”
“That’s fine with me, I’m content in your company on the beach or in our room.”
The traveller takes a chance, “as much as I’d like to have you here, I don’t love the idea of sand in unwanted places.”
“Is that true… You know, you could have had me sooner if you had asked.”
“Hah– What?”
“As much as I’d love to use my detective skills on you, I would rather you ask these sorts of things directly.” Heizou says it with an innocent smile but Aether can feel the meaning behind the man’s words.
Aether is no stranger to sex with how long he’s been travelling different worlds so he asks without hesitation, “do you want to go back to the room and fuck?”
The pair are close enough that the traveller can see his partner’s pupils dilate, “there you go. I’m liking this!”
They teleport back to Bourou Village and hurry over to their house. Heizou has the key so Aether presses up against his back as he unlocks the door. As soon as it opens Aether pushes the detective forward, slams the door shut, and then crowds him in against the door. With one hand above his partner’s head and one knee forced between the detective’s legs Aether leans in close to Heizou’s ear and whispers, “I intend to fuck you silly, does that sound good to you?”
“Man alive, when you put it like that–”
The traveller pulls Heizou into a kiss, the rope and part of the detective’s shirt now fisted in his hand. Aether drags the man toward the bedroom before pushing him down onto his bed and stripping off his scarf and shirt. Heizou follows suit with his own shirt then the two go at it again, lips already flushed red.
Heizou pulls back, “how do you want to do this?”
“Can I tie you up?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I–” Aether pauses for a moment, “how do you feel about me sucking you off and then riding me without using your hands?”
The question drags a moan from Heizou’s lips answering the traveller’s question. The detective mutters an affirmative against Aether’s skin and with that the man gets to work tying his partner’s hands behind his back. The rope attached to Heizou’s choker does a wonderful job baring his neck when it’s used to restrain his hands.
The traveller trails kisses and nips down the man’s neck gradually biting harder as he reaches Heizou’s collarbones. They hadn’t talked about marks so he errs on the side of caution making sure the pressure isn’t enough to bruise or break the skin.
“Ah– traveller, could we get this moving?”
“Who’s eager now?”
Aether continues the kisses downward, stopping at the detective’s waistband. He looks up to catch Heizou’s eye and slides down his swim shorts when the man nods.
“Keep your eyes on me,” Aether breathes, holding eye contact with his partner.
An expert hand grips Heizou, his thumb rubbing circles around the tip while the traveller mouths against him. The detective fights the urge to let his head fall back, Aether hadn’t said he could yet. Instead he props himself up on his elbows as he watches the man knelt in between his legs get to work. All his blood rushes directly to his dick.
The weight of Heizou feels nice in Aether’s mouth and with a practised motion he takes him all the way. Heizou’s hips buck up wildly into the traveller’s mouth. In response the man’s hands slam down from where they had been roaming his body with a surprising strength that the detective is sure will leave bruises.
Heizou opens his eyes to the travellers nose at his stomach and eyes glaring daggers, he whimpers hoping the man won’t be mad. His eyes soften at that and he pulls off, crawling up the detective’s body kissing him roughly.
“I’m not one for punishments. If you’re good and want more after what I have planned, I’ll make you come until you cry.”
Nodding in approval Heizou breathes, “please, fuck me.”
“Since you asked so nicely!”
The traveller flips the two, now laying back against the pillows with his partner straddling his hips.
“Go on, you know what to do to be a good boy.”
Lining himself up Heizou sinks down slowly onto Aether’s cock, it takes a moment to adjust but eventually he’s fully seated. With his arms still tied behind his back he leans back a bit, bracing a hand against the traveller’s thigh for balance. Then he starts fucking himself, raising up slowly before sinking back down again. Aether moans again encouraging Heizou to keep going.
Switching up the rhythm after a while he grinds his hips down against the traveller’s, circling them to try and tease his partner. Aether watches him do it, admiring the slick look of Heizou’s skin as he moves.
With a smile Aether suddenly pops his hips up pushing Heizou off balance and the detective falls forward, unable to catch himself with his hands tied behind his back. Aether runs a hand through his partner’s hair pulling slightly while the other snakes down to his clit.
“You’ve been so good for me,” the traveller says, accentuating each word with a thrust.
The detective keens at the attention, his face buried in Aether’s neck. The matched steady speed of the traveller’s hips and hand take Heizou to the edge faster than he expects. Before he can say anything his climax hits and Aether fucks him through it chasing his own. The overstimulation is getting to be too much when the traveller comes.
Heizou stays where he is for a few moments, coming down and just enjoying his place against his partner’s chest when Aether wraps his arms around him. He undoes the rope restraining the detective’s arms.
They stay like that until Heizou curiously asks, “so, what do you have in mind since I was good?
Aether laughs in reply before pulling the detective in for a bruising kiss.