[Perhaps he shouldn't delight himself in the flush that spreads across Ajax’s face, the wide-eyed shock that briefly freezes him in place, his lips parted so captivatingly. Zhongli feels the delicate balance between them tip, the tension of their playful back-and-forth shifting into something far more profound, having the slide both down the incline into a depth that even he hadn't really expected that day. He wonders, as his smile deepens, if the tension of the week has gotten to him, and he now craves and thrills at seeing Ajax flustered, even if just for a fleeting moment.
He is incredibly distracting, he thinks as he curls his fingers and turns their hands, fingertips tracing over the same lines that Ajax pretended to read on his own. What was it again? Ah, there's a scar where his lifeline is, and a turbulent beginning to his heart's, only for it to settle into something so deep and steady. He wonders if Ajax has read his own palm before.
Okay, he says. A single, soft word, so unlike the boldness Ajax typically radiates. He feels it settle there, like a steady flame, flickering yet unwavering. How endearing.
Zhongli’s golden eyes flicker with interest as he studies the board. Ajax has made a daring move, one that leaves his pieces in a precarious position. A risk, certainly, but one worth taking for someone like him. Zhongli lets the silence stretch, his eyes lifting to meet Ajax's once more. There's a glint of something mischievous in them.]
How bold. However, a knight alone cannot win such a battle.
[Zhongli moves a piece—a defensive play, positioning his queen to protect the king, but also creating a delicate trap of his own, surrounded by all kinds of attacking pieces, even the remaining pawns. It's tempting - take the queen and the king all at once. It's subtle, but it gives Ajax the opportunity to press forward. Should he take it, however, the board will tilt once again, but in Zhongli’s favor. One would call it the sweetness of a venus flytrap.]
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He is incredibly distracting, he thinks as he curls his fingers and turns their hands, fingertips tracing over the same lines that Ajax pretended to read on his own. What was it again? Ah, there's a scar where his lifeline is, and a turbulent beginning to his heart's, only for it to settle into something so deep and steady. He wonders if Ajax has read his own palm before.
Okay, he says. A single, soft word, so unlike the boldness Ajax typically radiates. He feels it settle there, like a steady flame, flickering yet unwavering. How endearing.
Zhongli’s golden eyes flicker with interest as he studies the board. Ajax has made a daring move, one that leaves his pieces in a precarious position. A risk, certainly, but one worth taking for someone like him. Zhongli lets the silence stretch, his eyes lifting to meet Ajax's once more. There's a glint of something mischievous in them.]
How bold. However, a knight alone cannot win such a battle.
[Zhongli moves a piece—a defensive play, positioning his queen to protect the king, but also creating a delicate trap of his own, surrounded by all kinds of attacking pieces, even the remaining pawns. It's tempting - take the queen and the king all at once. It's subtle, but it gives Ajax the opportunity to press forward. Should he take it, however, the board will tilt once again, but in Zhongli’s favor. One would call it the sweetness of a venus flytrap.]