Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Childe was so horny he couldn't stand it. He didn't exactly expect to get sent to the Fortress of Meropide during his stint in Fontaine; in fact, after Liyue, he'd expected everything to go smoothly since he wasn't unknowingly a pawn in a grand plan. He certainly hadn't been guilty of any crime (this time at least), so he hadn't been worried.

What he hadn't planned for was to be framed for a crime and be judged guilty anyway. What a joke of a legal system. Couldn't even make up its mind.

Now he was achingly hard and with no handsome dragon adeptus around to make love to. Thinking of Zhongli didn't help his hard-on, but it did make him feel less lonely knowing he had someone to talk to about this bullshit when he escaped - not if, when . Or, at least, he’d like to talk to Zhongli when he got out…but Zhongli didn’t really seem like he was interested in talking anymore, considering his complete lack of commuication. Well, whatever, Childe wasn't going to sit around and wait to be released like a good little prisoner, he was going to get the fuck out of here.

...At least, that had been the plan before he couldn't contain his libido anymore and was laying in the provided cot in the evening, trying not to move else his arousal get so bad that he cream himself.

Alas, fate was a cruel mistress, and he couldn't wait for it to go away anymore. He unbuckled his pants, and palmed himself needily through his boxer, releasing a loud groan but not caring who heard. His face was red with want and he was going to chase his release with abandon.

He let his cock out, sighing in relief at the cool air hitting his groin. Panting, he started to slowly stroke, grunting at the pleasure it brought. No lube, he thought regretfully - all his things had been confiscated on the grounds that he was a Fatui Harbinger, and some oil for sex had been included in that.

A wave of pleasure courses through him as he kept stroking, faster and faster. 

A knock at the door and a voice brought him out of his lustful haze.

"Childe?" a deep voice called - the Fortress' Duke, Wriothesley. Why had he come *now* of all times?

Another knock. "I know you're awake, others were complaining about your noise level. Come open the door before I come in uninvited."

He kept stroking, ignoring the Duke; he was so close, he needed this so badly, so badly -

The door opened and the Duke walked in, his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Childe groaned in frustration, wanting to finish so badly, but he'd been caught. Panting even harder, he let go of his throbbing cock and looked at Wriothesley.

"Could...you...come back...later?" he asked the larger man between breaths. Childe could already feel his cock deflating, arousal gone without stimulation.

Wriothesley clicked his tongue, slowly walking closer. "So this is why there were noise complaints - you just couldn't help yourself anymore, mm? No wonder everyone was saying you were acting off today, too. You're just a needy pup, aren't you? Can't even go a week without release, can you?" 

"So, I'm gonna have to take care of this issue myself, aren't I? I have to take responsibility for my inmates, especially the needy ones. Tell me yes, and I'll give you the best release of your life."

Childe gulped, and his cock throbbed, back at full hardness. Who knew the Duke of Meropide could talk dirty?

"I'm going to take that as a yes," he growled in a low voice, firmly taking hold of Childe's dick. He mewled with want, he couldn't help it anymore, someone needed to finish him off.

Wriothesley hummed while stroking him excruciatingly slow and said, "Archons, you're leaking already. Looks like I'm gonna have to take extra measures." The hand left his cock, and the other man produced a small bottle with a familiar fragrance - his oil.

"Please, please, please," Childe begged, fully losing control of himself and humping the air.

Another clicking of the tongue, and Wriothesley was holding down his hips with just one hand, then told him, "Patience, pup. Great orgasms don't come quickly, you know." Childe laid his head back and groaned again. That's the only sound he could make that wasn't pleading for release. 

The sound of a belt unbuckling got his attention and he turned his head only to see Wriothesley dropping his wolf-print boxers to let his massive cock flop out, half-hard and leaking. 

His eyes widened and he gulped again. He didn't expect the Duke to go this far, but then again, he didn't expect any of this in the first place. The small part of his brain that wasn't completely mush from wanting to cum figured this was just another surprise on the list of Fontaine surprises. 

He took the dick in his hand and marveled at how warm it was while not even fully hard.

Wriothesley hummed again, then chuckled. "You're not the first to have that reaction - I give off heat like a furnace. Come on, pup, get me hard." Childe snapped out of his daze and nodded, stroking it.

Giving a grunt of approval, the Duke quickly got to full hardness and Childe had to admit, he'd never taken anything this big before. He dazedly said so out loud too.

The larger man laughed in response while Childe kept stroking. "You've taken dick before? Never would've guessed it from someone like you." 

When Childe grunted in protest, he said, "I don't mean any offense. You just don't seem like the type. You do seem like the type to only have one partner, and I bet he's pretty big too. I'm bigger, though, I can tell by the look in your eyes. Who knew one of the great Fatui Harbingers was such a cockslut?" 

Great Tsaritsa, he knew how to keep Childe hard even without touching him. His dick was leaking like a faucet just from a few touches and the way he talked.

With himself fully hard, Wriothesley pulled Childe's pants and boxers over his boots and off of him in one fell swoop - why he left those on was a mystery. The cold air hitting his ass made him shiver, but it was quickly warmed by the Duke's finger circling his entrance. That sent a shiver, of pleasure this time, through him.

He yelped when he felt Wriothesley's mouth on his ass but it quickly turned to pleasure as a tongue invaded his hole.

All he could do was moan. All he could feel was pleasure and absolute bliss. His toes curled in his boots. If he died now, he would die happy. Damn the world, this felt too good.

Wriothesley surfaced from his meal and chuckled. "Archons, what did I get myself into? I might have to spend the night, get you all spent so you'll behave. Would you like that, little pup?" Childe eagerly nodded yes, he would like that very much. If that meant feeling as good as this for longer, he'd do anything.

A smile graced the Duke's face - a genuine one. Childe was too horny to do anything but smile and mewl for more stimulation. 

What he didn't expect was Wriothesley climbing on top of him, giving him a gentler grip on his cock and a kiss just as soft. A muffled sound of surprise escaped his mouth as the lips met his own. Hands found his chest and roamed, pinching his nipples and getting a cry of pleasure from him.

"Good pup," Wriothesley murmured, making Childe mewl. His own hands found purchase on the Duke's chest, groping his massive pecs through his suit.

That earned him a hot breathy groan, making him lazily smile while his cock was stroked and nipples pinched. He made someone feel good. His brain was completely mush at this point, not a single coherent thought other than lust and pleasure.

A strange sensation broke him from the haze momentarily, as when he was distracted, Wriothesley had started rubbing his cock between Childe's boots. He stared incredulously until stimulation returned to his own needy dick.

Wriothesley panted, throbbing intensely in his chase of his kink. 

"Enough of that," he grunted, grabbing the neglected oil and speeding up for both of their sakes. An oiled finger entered into Childe and he bucked his hips as a moan involuntarily left his mouth. 

“Easy, pup. No cumming until we get to the main event,” Wriothesley whispered into his ear, smirking. Childe whined, grabbing at his dick but was met with a smack on his hand. 

“What did I say?” the Duke growled, adding another finger and scissoring his entrance. Groaning, Childe could do nothing but lay there while the larger man worked his body open for him.

It wasn’t long before a third finger was added, and then a fourth. Great Tsaritsa, Wriothesley knew what he was doing. He kept pressing up against Childe's prostate, making his back arch. After a few more seconds of fingering, he pulled them all out, leaving Childe feeling empty and frustrated.

“Ready for the main event, little pup?” Wriothesley asked him, lining his cock up with Childe's hole and gently prodding at it. Though he was incapable of coherent thought, he managed a nod as he backed up a little onto the massive dick.

The larger man chuckled and said, “Alright, alright, don't be too greedy.” He finally pushed in and Childe swore his vision turned white. He didn't cum - he was sure of that, but by the Archons, he very nearly did just from the sensation alone. He felt…full in a way he'd never felt before.

Wriothesley started thrusting hard in and out of Childe, grabbing hold of his legs and putting them above his broad shoulders. Then, he pressed his body on top of Childe's chest and somehow went even harder.

All he knew was bliss, the feeling of being full of cock and being kissed by this hunk of a man on top of him, his tongue invading his mouth and getting to know every part of him.

Moans he didn't know existed escaped his mouth and filled the small room in the Fortress, and his cock leaked all over his stomach with pre, soaking him. All the while, the Duke was talking and grunting.

“Feels good? Good, I'd hate to disappoint - ah, your hole feels so good, so tight just for me. You're my needy little pup, aren't you? Gonna get bred by Daddy?” Childe whined, wanting release so badly; he couldn't think of anything else.

That's when he felt a hand on his neglected dick, stroking it quickly. The Duke grinned.

“You've earned it by being such a good little pup. Come on, cum for Daddy, pup,” he encouraged, going faster and faster.

Childe screamed as his orgasm came, flowing through him in extreme waves of pleasure. Cum erupted from his dick, hitting his shirt, his face, and even one of Wriothesley’s pecs. His hole clenched around the other man's dick, making him grunt.

“Here…it…comes!” the Duke grunted, slamming into him one last time as he came, filling Childe's hole with cum.

Panting, Childe collapsed back onto the bed, completely physically spent. Wriothesley pulled out with a satisfied sigh.

“That was good,” was all he said to Childe before walking to the corner where the inmates kept their clean laundry, and grabbed a couple towels for them to clean up.

Contrasted to the way he had sex, Wriothesley was very gentle with stripping Childe's shirt off and wiping them both up. He closed his eyes as the other man cleaned them up. Childe's head was sluggish, too worn out from the incredible sex that he just had, but he managed to croak out a, “Thank you.”

Wriothesley laughed softly and replied, “No problem. What kind of sex partner would I be if I didn't help clean up?”

Childe opened his eyes and saw Wriothesley’s eyes, warmly looking at him.

“Move over. I need a rest after that,” he told him. Though he was a little annoyed at having to move, he still obliged, scooting over enough for the Duke of Meropide to crawl in bed next to him like a little kid. 

“You have great sex,” Childe mumbled, “haven't felt that great - or been this spent - in a long time.” He stared into the other man's eyes, guilt creeping in. Him and Zhongli weren't together, not officially, but they'd been close for a while and had sex on more than one occasion, so they might as well have been.

“You're pretty good yourself,” came the reply from those handsome blue eyes, “best I've had in a while.”

They were silent for a while, just looking at each other curled up in bed; Childe, fully naked except for his boots, and Wriothesley, fully clothed.

“...You feel guilty, don't you?” the Duke softly asked. Childe nodded.

“Talk to me.” That caught Childe off-guard. The only one who had ever treated him this kindly outside of his family and Ekaterina was Zhongli. 

His gut told him to trust Wriothesley, and his gut was never wrong. So he talked.

“He's someone close to me - I had been ignoring leaving for Snezhnaya for him, but lately…he had been being distant. Keeping secrets again, just like before. I told him I was leaving for a holiday in Fontaine, and he didn't stop me. He wrote to me from time to time, about how he was doing, asking how I was. I always replied, but just before I got sent here, the letters had stopped coming. I got pissed off, and ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now I'm here.”

Wriothesley listened with the quality of someone who was great at listening, then nodded as Childe fell silent, staring at the wall with a faraway look in his eyes.

“I’m…admittedly not the greatest at feelings,” the Duke said, shifting close towards Childe, “but I think that’s bullshit. I don’t really know much about you, Childe, Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers, but you seem decent enough for me to say you deserve so much better than that. Someone who hopes to be your partner should be able to tell you anything.” He tilted Childe’s chin so they were looking into each other’s eyes once again.

“You can talk to me any time, okay? If anyone’s bothering you here at the Fortress, if you need anything. I don’t generally give special privileges to people, but…well, once in a while can’t hurt.” He smiled.

Childe’s mouth curled up the tiniest bit. “Thanks,” is all he said, curling up against the Duke, closing his eyes. Wriothesley hugged him, loose enough that Childe could wriggle out if he was uncomfortable, but tight enough to provide some level of security.

The two drifted off, each of them thinking of the person laying right next to him.

Chapter Text

Wriothesley sighed while staring at the piles of paperwork on his desk. Nobody had ever said being the administrator of such a large institution would be easy, but some days, he really wished he didn’t have to deal with this.

His mind kept drifting towards his recent encounter with Childe - how raw the emotions and passion were, and how he felt laying next to him after their impromptu sex session. The feeling was difficult to pinpoint without a reference point or a comparable experience, so he filed it away to deal with later. Compartmentalizing was an everyday occurrence for him, having so much to manage at once, but this one instance particularly bugged him.

A knock on his office door from downstairs snapped him out of his thoughts, so he barked out a mildly irritated, “Enter!” 

A slight pause, then the door opened to let in his visitor. He could tell by the light steps it was Sigewinne. Everyone else who wasn't Childe or someone from the surface walked somewhat clumsily when he was around, and most of them wouldn't have the nerve to come to his office in the first place.

“Good afternoon, Wriothesley!” she said cheerily, holding two cups of steaming tea in her hands. Ah, he'd almost forgotten; Sigewinne always came on Fridays to give him weekly reports on the goings on in the Fortress. Of course, this was only one of a few meetings like this he had throughout the week, but hers was the visit he looked forward to the most. Her smiles could lift even the worst of worries from his mind, even just for a moment.

She set his cup in front of him, then, with a small flourish, she brought out a bag of…macarons? 

“Hehe, Navia gave these to me on her last visit with Clorinde! She wanted to make sure you kept up your spirits,” Sigewinne said, happily taking a bite out of the confection. He hesitantly took one from the proffered and eyed it for a moment before taking a bite out of it.

It was definitely made by Navia, that's for sure. He noticed that they were a tad less sweet than the last time he'd had one, more digestible for people without her preference for sweets that completely rotted your teeth.

He found himself enjoying it, a slight smile on his face.

“Now that's better!” Sigewinne said when she saw him smiling. He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to explain.

“You've got everyone scared half to death, Wriothesley, with how you've been acting lately. All the workers are so on edge, there’ve been more accidents!” she sounded a bit upset with him.

“I've been acting fine, Sigewinne,” he assured her, but she didn't look very convinced. 

“Something's on your mind, and as the head nurse around here, it's my duty to treat all ailments, physical and mental. So, you're not leaving this office until you talk!” Sigewinne could be very insistent when she wanted to be, just one of her endearing qualities.

Sighing, he took a sip from the tea. Hot and calming, just how he liked it.

“Do we really have to do this today, Sigewinne? We're both busy people, you know that.” Truth be told, he did want to talk about it, but also didn't. He didn't mind talking about his problems, especially to someone like Sigewinne, whom he'd trust with his life, but this felt different.

All she did was look at him expectantly with that pouty look on her face that he couldn't resist. He put his head in his hands and sighed again.

“Fine. It's that Fatui Harbinger,” he gritted out. A confused look crossed her face.

“Childe? What about him? To my knowledge, he hasn't been causing trouble. Our inside people have said he's really well-behaved, far from the person we thought he'd be. He does go all-out in the Pankration Ring, but restrains himself enough to not kill someone.” Sigewinne’s report only made sense with the context that he'd been given special privileges in the Fortress in a moment of vulnerability from Wriothesley. That benefit only was given to the hardest workers normally. Wriothesley didn't know if he regretted it or not.

“It's…not that,” he said, flushing a little. “He's…very handsome and we may have shared an intimate moment together the other day, and I can't get my mind off it. He opened up to me, and I felt…I don't know.” He stopped talking, ruminating more on their encounter. There was something there that he just couldn't pinpoint, and it was driving him crazy.

“I see…” Sigewinne said without missing a beat, “it seems like you like him a lot, Wriothesley.” There was a teasing tone to her voice that made his face redden more. She noticed but didn't press any more.

“...Maybe.” That was all he said, refusing to give her anything else.

She broke off into giggles, unable to contain her laughter anymore. The Duke of Meropide was grumpy because he had a crush on someone! He wouldn't get over this embarrassment for at least a week.

The rest of the meeting - after Sigewinne finished her giggle fit - went fine. The Fortress was running smoothly with no incidents to report. The tea and macarons were great (he'd have to compliment Navia the next time he saw her), and the inmates were in general good health.

“Thanks for stopping by, Sigewinne,” he said, spirits a little lifted. She smiled and walked out, but stopped before closing the door.

“Talk to him. He's at the Pankration Ring, as usual,” she winked slyly before running off. He sighed in exasperation; she meant well, but did she really have to embarrass him in the process? 

After a few minutes of contemplation, he strolled down and left his office, paperwork forgotten.
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Childe panted, body sore but satisfied. The exertion of training at the Pankration Ring always left him in high spirits – being able to go all out against something that wouldn't get injured or die before he'd had his fun felt good. Of course, the dummies did end up broken into multiple pieces, but nobody seemed to complain since they all got to stay in one piece.

The general chatter around him suddenly hushed, breaking him from his focus. Curious, Childe looked around and spotted a familiar figure leisurely walking towards him, icy gaze fixed on him.

He rolled his shoulders, a smile slipping onto his face. It was good to see Wriothesley, he had to admit to himself. After their initial encounter, he'd found his room lacking without the larger man in it.

“Hey, Mr. Duke,” he said in an easygoing tone, “long time, no see!” A small smile formed on Wriothesley’s face.

“Indeed, it's been a few days,” he teased in a deadpan voice, before laughing, shoulders relaxing. Wriothesley surveyed the wreckage of the training dummies, then nodded to himself. Childe wasn't worried. This kind of thing was normal around the Fortress.

“Good work,” he praised, and Childe felt a splash of pride. Most compliments felt meaningless, he knew how strong he was, but hearing it from Wriothesley felt different somehow.

They walked to a bench where Childe grabbled a towel and mopped the sweat off his face. As he sat next to Wriothesley, he realized he didn't really know what to talk about. And from the look on the other man's face, he thought the same thing. It was almost laughable how they sat together, silent, with dozens of eyes on them.

“You all can go,” Wriothesley said, deliberately making his tone gentle. That snapped people out of their daze, and they gathered their things and quickly filed out. 

“Everyone here respects you, huh?” Childe asked.

Wriothesley snorted. “It certainly didn't happen overnight. I don't know what you might've heard about this place, but it used to be a hellhole. After I took over, I ensured things improved for everyone, and that earned their respect. For the ones that still go out of line, I do my best to uphold my own form of justice.” He gave Childe a once-over. 

“I'm surprised you haven't caused any trouble here,” he noted off-hand. 

“Hey, now! I'm not even here because I should be, that machine of yours in the courtroom is broken or something. Monsieur Neuvillette said I was not guilty, and it said I was. Not a very funny joke, if you ask me.” He was still fuming about that, but it was his own problem, and it was also no reason to cause trouble for someone else…especially not Wriothesley.

Wriothesley frowned. “I see. I'll have to have a talk with Monsieur Neuvillette then.”

Childe smiled a little. “It's not all bad. I get to fight every day without consequences. And, there's you.” Wriothesley snapped his head up, looking him intently in the eyes, a small smirk on his face.

“Oh, yeah? What about me?” he said in a low voice, leaning in close so their noses touched.

Childe smiled hungrily. “You're interesting. And I don't know if you knew, Mister Duke, but I like interesting,” he replied in a murmur. Their lips met, passion igniting between them and sparking a roaring flame.
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Later, in Wriothesley's bed, both of them undressed and laying next to each other, Wriothesley stared at Childe, his blue eyes mirroring his own.

“What?” Childe asked him, lip curling slightly. 

“Mmm, I'm just thinking,” he replied nonchalantly. Childe snorted.

“You wanna talk about it?” the other man asked him, scooting in closer so they could feel the warmth of each other's bodies.

“It's been a long time since I felt like this with someone. So long that I'd forgotten what it's like when your heart races at seeing the other person.” He smiled to himself a little, allowing himself a bit of indulgence. The Duke of the Fortress never really got to indulge himself. It was a well-known fact that he hadn't really gotten close to anyone beyond a surface level friendship.

“Hah, so that's how it is. Well, as for myself, I've forgotten how to be in love with someone. Even with Zhongli, I…” Childe trailed off. He smiled ruefully.

“I guess you could say he was never in love with me. Just the part of me that was human. We were already having issues before I left, but the silence on his part says more than any words ever could,” he said. He then laughed, “You know, I'm not usually the kind of person to talk to about my feelings or use a lot of words. A good fight usually does the talking for me. You make me feel different. I like it.”

Wriothesley, for his part, kept his composure, staring deep into those eyes that held an ocean of trauma and judgment. He leaned over and gave Childe a kiss on the forehead, gentle but firm. 
“You deserve better. Even if you think you don’t,” he added, as Childe went to open his mouth in a rebuttal, “I think you do. I’ve never been one to talk about feelings either, so I’ll get to the point. I like you. I don’t know in what way, but it’s something I want to explore with you. Got it?”

Childe nodded. Wriothesley smiled sleepily and ruffled the other man’s hair.

He pulled Childe completely into his embrace, cuddling him with no protest. This felt right in every way. Before he fell asleep, he thought that Childe coming into his life was the best thing that happened to him.