#tartaglia fanfiction

[nubisaureus]

asking you to sit on their face

character(s): Childe, Zhongli

pairing(s): fem!reader x Childe, Zhongli (separately)

contents: face sitting, praise, domestic scenery, c0ck r1ding, hint of breeding

a/n: hey y'all! sorry for the long absence but I got sick, and a bunch of personal stuff came up plus a bit of writer's block so yk :')

anyways, I am absolutely feral about pussy drunk characters so please enjoy this absolute filthy post (ik you love this stuff ;) it'll be out litte secret)

ps: it's my first time writing for Childe so let me know how it was! <3

pps: not proofread T^T

•┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈••✦ ❤ ✦••┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈•

Childe

It had started with you using your Cryo Vision to freeze him.

You two were sparring: it was no secret that he was your rival, as well as your lover. Rivals in the streets, lovers in the sheets.

He had tried to sweep you off your feet using his Hydro Vision, but what he didn't know is that you had a Hydro delusion: an extreme measure really, but needless to say it was devastating when combined with your Cryo vision.

So you had used your Hydro powers to direct his flood towards him, soaking him from head to toe. And then, with a flick of your finger, you had frozen him from the waist down, freezing his hands to the floor, effectively rendering him powerless at your mercy, laid down in front of you.

«So, looks like I win.» you bragged, looking at him top - down.

He scoffed.

«I reckon it comrade, you won. A Hydro delusion is not something I had expected. Although I don't mind this position at all.» you gave him a smug look, crouching next to him and caressing his face.

«What can I say, I'm full of surprises.»

«Oh, I can see that.» you looked at him, bound in front of you, helpless, at your mercy...

You were horny, very horny. His sexy knowing smile didn't help either. He knew exactly what you were thinking.

«Something wrong, comrade?» he asked, as you got closer to him.

You didn't answer. You simply kept looking at him, a million scenes playing in your mind, distracting you from the present.

As another fantasy started playing in your head, a loud bang startled you: Childe had managed to break free of his hand bonds, although he remained frozen from the waist down.

He grabbed you, making you topple over him, and started voraciously kissing you.

You moaned on his face, and flinched at the contact with the ice, so you melted it with your powers, and could finally feel his hot skin, burning even.

The training room wasn't the best for privacy, so you whispered something in his ear, and soon enough every doorknob was frozen, making it impossible for people to enter.

«You have a wicked mind using our Visions like that, comrade.» he whispered, out of breath.

«Oh, isn't that why all of this is so hot though, comrade?» you didn't particularly like that nickname, so you mocked him.

Soon enough, the floor of the training room became a mess.

An indefinite and tangled mess of clothes ended up all over it, leaving you two with only your underwear.

With skilled hands he undid your bra, which now laid somewhere on the floor.

«Sit on my face.» he suddenly said, his pupils dilated with lust.

«Huh? But I've never done something like that.» you expressed your concern, but were soon bothered by the raging heat between your legs, quickly soaking your underwear.

«Hey, stop using your Vision on me..» you whined, but he didn't stop.

Fuck it. He wanted you to sit on his face? Then so be it.

You took off your underwear and sat on his stupid orange haired face.

You doubted he could last very long..oh.

Oh fuck.

He. was. everywhere.

His tongue was inside you, moving, and moving, and moving.

The wetter you became, the more he'd feed on it.

And the ungodly slurping noises only made things worse. He wasn't eating you out, no. He was drinking you. As if he had an unquenchable thirst. As if he couldn't have enough.

You lifted your hips a bit, worried he didn't have enough air, but you heard him mumble.

«Don't you fucking dare lift up those hips. I'm not done yet, and you'll be here until I'm satisfied, comrade.»

At this point any and all rational thought had left you, and you just let your mind empty, lust taking you over.

«Fuck fuck fuck. Childe I swear, I'm not gonna last long if you kee-ahh..!» you came. Not once, not twice, you had lost count.

His tongue was drinking you up more and more, and you lost track of time, too ecstatic and lust drunk to even notice something as trivial.

When he was satisfied, he lifted you up, making you sit on the floor.

It didn't last long though. Soon enough you were down on all fours, doggy style.

«Baby I need you to take it for me, can you do it?» he asked, and you knew he was drunk. Pussy drunk. He just needed you to clench around him, he just needed to feel you.

You gave him a nod, and then felt his length inside of you, and the arousal mounted again. It was just a never ending marathon when you two got to it. That's why you tried to keep your meetings short, otherwise you'd end up like this, but at that point your mind was too preoccupied with him to think about anything else.

«You're so pretty baby, I love it so much when you clench around me like that..you're so warm, it just feels like you were made for my cock. Take it a little bit more baby, please, won't you? I know you can, you're so good..» he sounded delirious, out of his mind, but you didn't care. His cock just felt so good inside of you..

«So good, baby. I can't get enough of it, I'm sorry. I know you're tired but please, please please hold on just a little bit more for me, okay baby? You take me so well I just can't get enough of you baby. I swear baby I want to make you feel so good every day and every moment, if you'll just let me, I promise I'll take good care of you, baby.»

──────────────────────────────

Zhongli

It had been a long day. Zhongli was tired, sitting in his office at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, exhaustion filling every fiber of his body.

Who would've thought that working for a 19-year-old girl would be so tiring? He almost regretted fighting every day, almost.

Truth be told, he was just being overly dramatic: he hadn't seen his girlfriend all day, and today, of all days, his body decided to make him feel extra horny. Exactly when he had to work overtime.

6000 years and he still suffered from these issues.

He chuckled to himself, almost relieved. At least he still had a semblance of mortality in him.

As he signed the last of his paperwork, he could finally go home to his girlfriend, to you.

He found you on the armchair, reading a book. And you were wearing just one of his shirts. It made him feel..a certain way.

He sneaked his way behind you, his fingers landing on your shoulders, pressing slightly, massaging them.

You sighed happily.

«Oh, you're back, love. What did I do to deserve this special treatment..?» you said, closing your book and leaning forward, giving him more space to massage you.

He made you stand up and sit on his lap, and you instantly knew what was up, his cock pressing against you.

«Oh, I see now..» he continued massaging, and you unbuttoned the shirt a bit, exposing your back to him.

«I'd give you this special treatment regardless, love.» he reached for the shirt, unbuttoning it all the way. Now it was hanging loosely on his lap, your arms still in the sleeves.

He moved your hair from your back, delicately dragging his fingers along, sending shivers down your spine.

He kissed your shoulder, and gripped your hips hard, squishing your flesh.

He then started kissing your neck, making you tilt your head all the way back, until it was resting on his shoulder.

Soon enough his hands moved, now kneading your breasts, which were exposed, since you weren't wearing your bra, just panties.

«Zhongli..» you moaned, kissing his neck, your bodies tangling in a mix of lust, sweat and love.

«Mh..?» his mouth too preoccupied with making you feel good to give you a proper answer.

«In our bedroom. I need to feel your skin, please.»

«Of course, my love. As you wish.» you turned around, now facing him.

He picked you up, carrying you to the bedroom, while you undid his tie, and helped him remove his jacket.

As you two got to the bedroom, the shirt you were wearing was on the floor, and you were completely naked, except for your panties.

You undressed him, taking your time to kiss every inch of his body.

He moaned, a sound that reverberated deep within you, going directly in your pussy, his voice was just that hot.

He kissed you, and you both remained naked, as you jumped on him, crossing your legs behind his back.

He dropped you on the bed, climbing on top of you, and inverted your positions, putting you on top of him.

«I need you to sit on my face, love.» he said, panting because of the lust. How could you deny his request, when he was looking at you like a dying man looked at his savior?

«Are you sure, Zhongli? Won't you run out of air..?» he shook his head, reassuring you.

«It's fine, love. I just need you. You've been on my mind all day, and I need you, so badly. I just need you to sit on me, love.»

You decided to grant his request, curious yourself of how it would feel. He had eaten you out many times, would this time be so different..?

As soon as your pussy made contact with his face, you immediately understood how wrong you were about it feeling the same.

His nostrils got invaded by your scent, your arousal dripping down on his face, intoxicating him.

It was just so addictive. He had been dreaming of doing that all day, his mind unable to tear itself from the thought of having his face buried deep in your pussy.

He started licking away, like his life depended on it.

His hands firmly gripped your thighs, making it impossible to move. You bent down, the pleasure overwhelming you, making your head dizzy: you gripped the bed sheets, your legs trembling under his relentless licking and sucking.

His mouth was on your clit now: he sucked away, never stopping, never ceasing to make you feel good.

«Z-zhongli..» you whined, slamming your forearm on the bed to regain some balance, as he pressed your pussy deeper on his face.

He could feel how you were trembling around him: your pussy clenched on his tongue, as if it wanted to capture him, keeping him inside of you.

He couldn't get enough, he had to have you in every way possible, so when you came all over his face, he didn't hesitate to lick you clean, as your scent enveloped him, making him lightheaded, or rather, pussy drunk.

You didn't even know who you were anymore. All you knew was Zhongli under you, making you see stars with his tongue, making you feel like you were the luckiest woman in all of Teyvat.

As he was satisfied, at least for the time being, he lifted you up, already missing your warmth on his face.

«That was..I..Z-zhongli..» you couldn't speak properly, your whole body was trembling, the orgasm still lingering.

He moved you lower on his body.

«I need you to take me, love. Will you do it for me?» he didn't have to ask twice. You lowered yourself on his massive cock, your pussy stretching around him, making space. He had a massive girth to it, making you feel every inch of his length, driving you crazy.

You sat still on him for a few seconds, wanting to savor the sensation of his cock stretching you out.

«Fuck- love you're so warm and tight around me..!» his voice was an octave higher, the lust completely taking hold of him.

«M-move love..please. I need you to move, please.» he whined, begging you to move.

You grabbed his hands, using them as leverage to rise up, only to bounce back on his cock.

You took your time though, bouncing up and down, your tits following the movement.

You could hear Zhongli moaning like his life depended on it, which compelled you to open your eyes.

You looked down at him, the sight of his face contracted in pleasure, with his cheeks all read, and his mouth open, a small line of drool (or your arousal, you weren't sure), making you feel so powerful, like a Goddess, his Goddess.

You just couldn't believe you were on top of the Geo Archon, and said Archon was feeling so good because of you.

You came at the same time. You could feel his seed dripping down your thighs, and you tried to move a bit, to clean yourself.

He prevented you from doing so, closing your legs instead, as to trap all the seed inside of you.

«I just need to feel you clenching around me a little bit more, love.»

──────────────────────────────

[angelblacksmith]

childe ✧ :-゜・．

hard day. a very hard day full of documents related to the new goal of Harbingers. so as soon as he came home, twenty minutes later his head was already between your thighs. he ate out of you like the most delicious piece of cake while you writhed in bliss on the sheets, and your tits bounced from the thrusts of his fingers. the fabric rubbed roughly against the tender skin of the cunt, making you moan long. he sucked your clit, licked all your folds and fucked you with his finger until you became a complete mess. and he definitely won't stop until you cum at least twice.

.・。.・゜✭・

[caelisblade]

¡! oh, those ocean eyes | tartaglia

cw: fem reader (use of term wife but other than that no other pronouns); mentions of pregnancy; smut, very mild breeding / impreg kink ???, pet names (baby, sweetheart, angel)

wc: 3.4k

a/n: i hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did writing it, it's one of the longest things I've written in a long time

"welcome our soldiers and heroes back to our homeland after they have completed their task for our queen, the tsaritsa. please, welcome back the knave, ms. arlecchino and mr. tartaglia!“

your eyes widened at the announcement echoing throughout the entire nation. 

how come you were not notified of his return? by the tsaritsa, you were so close to murdering someone in anger but this frustration quickly faded when you came back to the realization that your husband finally was home. 

you immediately grabbed your jacket and went outside into the familiar freezing cold, everybody who knew you and your relationship with ajax congratulated you for his return which you returned with 'thank you's. 

a small part of you wished they would just shut up and let you run to finally let you see your husband after four long months. 

what state is he in? is he alright? 

the questions and worries in your mind were so overpowering that you started to ignore the people who congratulated you and just started running on the slippery, icy grounds. 

luckily, as you had become very familiar with these grounds, you didn‘t slip and fall; quickly arriving at the big entrance to zapolyarny palace where you were — again — stopped by the guards. 

"halt! you can‘t simply enter the— oh, it‘s you! apologies, ma‘am, i had not noticed it was you. you may enter. welcome!", the guard said, tone firm, yet in some strange way, welcoming as well. 

"thank you", you replied with a soft smile, as you entered the icy halls of the palace, immediately trying to figure out where your husband was. 

"oh, hello, y/n!", arlecchino greeted you, as she was about to leave. "he‘s in the infirmary, getting patched up.“

before you could inquire about his current state, she just disappeared. with no further thoughts about this, you just ran towards the infirmary, finally spotting your husband in just a hospital gown as he bit into the pillow in pain when the nurse applied some disinfecting cloth on his wounds. 

"hey, hey! stop! you‘re hurting him more like this“, you yelled, pushing the nurse away. being used to his … adventurous behavior, you had figured out how to take care of him as pain-free as possible. "can i take care of my husband myself?"

the nurse nodded before she rolled her eyes, mumbling something along the lines of 'why even let me do my job, just pretend you know it all better' which pissed you off even more. 

"listen, you little bitch, you have no idea what i went through these last four months. now shut the fuck up and let me do my job. and not to forget, i was a nurse here with the fatui, too, for way longer than you probably even lived, until i married this idiot and he insisted on how he doesn‘t want me to work for my money. now piss off."

the nurse scoffed before she left and you were finally all alone with your husband. 

"oh, you stupid, stupid idiot. how many times do i need to tell you to be more careful", you mumbled as you brushed some strands of hair out of his face. 

ajax groaned in pain as he lifted his head, still trying to laugh to lighten up the whole situation. "if only you knew what i did all this time, you‘d be so proud of me", he laughed, making you smile. 

"oh, i am proud of you either way, baby", you replied, planting a gentle kiss on his cheek. "you did so amazing. i can't wait for you to tell me everything. now, shut up, and let me get somebody to bring you home. alright? i’ll personally take care of you until you’re fully back to your health.”

you quickly stood up, calling for somebody and a low-rank agent arrived, greeting both of you with a quick bow; asking how he could be of assistance. 

"i need somebody to escort me and my husband home. i'll be taking care of him myself in our home. would you please arrange a car for us?", you asked the agent, who eagerly nodded, excusing himself before he left the infirmary. 

"let's get you dressed, honey", you mumbled, carefully helping him to turn around; wincing as you heard his groans in pain and you quickly ready his clothes to put them on. as he was finally dressed, the agent returned, and announced a car was ready for departure. 

"hold on, dearest, may i talk to you?", the cold, yet sweet voice of the one person you always loved to chat with echoed through the freezing hallways of the palace. 

you immediately stood, bowing slightly at the sight of the tsaritsa. “of course.” you quickly turned your attention to childe, telling him you’d be back shortly before you followed the usually icy queen to her only warm and comforting room. 

“is there something i can do for you, your highness?”, you asked carefully; after all, she was an archon. as much as she asked for some casual chats and invited you for tea because of your relationship with childe – and because she never got to have somebody to chat with as she does with you–, she was still the person you worshiped all your life. at least, before you got to meet her as childe’s fiancée for the first time personally as he went to her for her blessing. 

his loyalty to her was something else, and if you weren’t just the same towards her, you’d probably be incredibly jealous. 

“just tell me… is he doing okay?”, she asked, her voice soft and at the brink of breaking. 

it was unbeknownst to all but childe was somehow her favorite of all her harbingers. it was not because of his successes but because of how courageous and yet caring he was despite his young age, especially compared to all the other harbingers. “he will be fine. i’ll take care of him. he is doing quite okay, the medic on the travel home made more than enough notes on his recovery process to allow me to personalize a therapy plan. he will be out of commission for a few weeks, however. i’ll try my best to get him back on his feet as soon as possible.”

“please, don’t be afraid to contact any of the agents if there is anything you require. we will make sure ajax is well taken care of.”

ajax. she rarely called him that – actually, she never did; in your presence at least. your eyes teared up as she offered you her full support, and before you knew it, you were already embraced in her arms and sobbing, seeking comfort in one of the two only people you had placed your trust in throughout your entire life. 

“i’m sorry, your highness, i did not mean to break down like this.”

“no need to apologize, my child, you have every right to feel this way. i can’t even imagine living with the most horrible thoughts of your loved one in danger with no chance of communication on his well-being. please don’t hesitate to ask for anything you need, yes?”

“thank you, your highness. i will return to him now and get him home. i’ll make sure he’s well taken care of”, you stood up, bowing slightly in front of her before you made your way back to the infirmary, smiling slightly as you saw childe bickering with an agent about how he could walk by himself and does not need any support. 

“leave it to me. i know how to handle this big baby here”, you chuckled, shaking your head. “can’t you just agree to play the sick and hurt card here for once? i want to pamper you like you deserve, my dearest prince.” 

“you know i can’t”, he laughed lightly, grabbing your hand as you both walked out of the infirmary and the palace as quickly as he was able to. once you were ready for departure, you leaned against his shoulder, taking in a shaky breath.

“did you cry?”, he mumbled, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead. you could only nod, tears rolling down your cheeks as you embraced the emotions you tried so hard to suppress all this time; finally allowing yourself to be so weak in front of your husband and it felt so good as you cried, sobbed and he comforted you with occasional “shh”’s and “it’s all okay”’s. 

once you arrived home, you helped him out of the car and towards the house, smiling as you saw the bunch of flowers and tiny gifts scattered all over the front porch. “everyone’s so happy you’re back, it seems”, you giggled. “as am i, love. i missed you so much.”

you settled him on the couch, firing up the woods in the chimney, and sat down next to him, gently brushing through his hair. “please, let me know if you need anything. i’ll be here for you, yeah?”

“stop stressing out so much, baby, just lay down with me here and let me hug you. i missed your touch too much to stay away from you right now.” 

you sighed lightly, chuckling softly as you laid down next to him and looked up at him, staring at his sparkling eyes as he stared at you with so much love in his whole body, it seemed like the pain he was feeling suddenly didn’t matter, simply because he was with you now. 

“i love you so much, sweetheart. i never meant to worry you as much as i did. i know that you cried when her majesty asked you for a quick talk. i heard your sobs. i’m okay, though. i’m safe and with you now, hm? just give a couple of days and i’ll be up on my feet again”, he chuckled lightheartedly, kissing your forehead softly. 

“yeah, right. as if i’m going to let you”, you scoffed before you giggled, shaking your head. “you, my good sir, are going to stay laying right on this couch until i allow you to get up. i might let you go to our bedroom, though, but chances are low as of now.” 

“we’ll see about that”, he whispered suggestively, smirking as he saw you biting your lip. 

“you know what? maybe i should just tie you up to our bed, hm? so, that you can’t escape me”, you replied with a giggle. “you’ve been away from me for way too long, i just need to be with you here.” 

“and you have me, right here with you. i don’t plan on leaving until you clear me for missions and her majesty has another task for me. i love you. so much, baby. you deserve the world for always being so patient with me whenever i get sent on a mission over a long period of time. and i would give you the world if i could”, he whispered. “you’re so incredible for the patience you have with me.” 

the moment he kissed you properly for the first time after four long months, and it was the most gentle and sensual kiss you experienced in a long time. and despite his injuries, he didn’t hesitate to pull you on his lap, promising he wasn’t hurting as much anymore as he did earlier. 

“you take care of me so well, sweetheart. i owe you at least one bit of indulging”, he chuckled, softly brushing through your hair. “it’s just your little reward for being such a good and patient girl for me, baby.” 

you shuddered at how he was speaking to you like he hadn’t just returned from one of the longest battles of his life. “mhm, i missed the way you feel against my lips. i missed the way you taste, the way you whine when i pull away for a short breather. you’re still my beautiful needy girl, aren’t you, baby?”, he mumbled, peppering gentle kisses all over your neck. 

you were only able to nod, sighing in bliss as you started getting distracted by his soft ministrations. “i am”, you mumbled, smiling innocently. and he was so whipped for you, that he wasn’t noticing any of the pain he was experiencing because of the way you made him feel. 

“that’s a good girl”, he mumbled, smiling as he placed a gentle kiss on your lips. 

over the four months he had spent on travels, he had been waiting the most for this moment – to finally hold you in his arms, kissing you as gently as possible – because he had missed you so, so much. 

it was all that was in his mind when he fought that all-devouring narwhal for almost two months straight with no break whatsoever. all he could think of was holding you in his arms again, having you on top of him, underneath him, just having you with him. it didn’t matter, nothing mattered to him as long as you were there. 

“i love you so much, sweetheart”, he whispered once more before he kissed you so desperately, yet so lovingly, it made you feel so dizzy. ajax poured all the love he felt for you into this kiss, as he slowly made moves to remove your clothing, having missed the feeling of you naked on top of him. 

“n-no, ajax, we shouldn’t. y-you’re hurt, and… i could never forgive myself if i ever hurt you in this way”, you mumbled, trying to get up from his lap but he stopped you with yet another kiss, smiling softly. 

“i’m doing a lot better, angel. don’t worry about me, yeah? i’m okay. and i just want to be close to you. let me remember how good it feels to be with you. it has been way too long and way too lonely all this time”, he tried to milden your worries. 

with slight hesitation, you nod, slowly helping him remove his clothes, too, as he winced when a short bit of pain coursed through his body. “i’m so sorry, i knew this was a horrible idea”, you sighed, shaking your head. 

“shh, relax, sweetheart, i’m okay. don’t worry, i can handle a little bit of pain”, he chuckled, shaking his head. “you worry too much, angel. i’ll be fine. if i can’t handle you right now, it’s because you’re too fucking hot.” 

your cheeks were burning as you heard his stupid compliment – he always knew how to make you embarrassed and feel so stupidly in love with him. sometimes it felt like, ajax wasn’t your husband but you two were still stuck in the freshly dating stage, just because of how random his compliments were. 

“idiot”, you mumbled, smiling as you leaned down. the fire in the chimney was keeping both of you warm enough, yet the way he touched you had you shivering. 

“well, i’m your idiot. there’s no way you can get rid of me”, he chuckled, slowly starting to tease your clit with his thumb as you let out a needy whimper to which he couldn’t help laughing. “cute.”

“stop teasing, idiot”, you whined, “i need you.” 

“mhm, baby, i know you do. you’re so wet for me already, drenching those cute little panties of yours because you missed me, huh?” you could only nod as he increased the pressure on your clit, eyes rolling back as the pleasure coursed through your body. 

“mhm, oh, fuck”, was the only reply you could get out. 

“god, i missed those pretty little sounds you let out”, he groaned, slowly pushing the fabric of your panties aside and aligning his cock with your entrance, before he slowly pushed himself inside, having you cry out as you felt so full of him, your body needing a moment to adjust taking your dearest husband in again. 

“so full of me, aren’t you, angel?”, he let out a grunt as you slowly started moving up and down his cock, whining as he filled you up so good, making you feel dizzy from all the pleasure each time his cock hit your g-spot. 

“mhm, ajax, please”, you cried, thoughts started to blur as you slowly got closer and closer to the edge, you felt pathetic for being unable to control yourself but the need you had felt throughout the long time of distance from your husband was overwhelming you. 

“wanna cum, baby? mh, please, come for me, hm? make a mess, i don’t care. just make yourself feel good on my cock. i’ll come deep inside of you if you do, angel; gonna give you that baby we always wanted, hm? how does that sound, sweetheart?”, he babbled, eyes rolling back as he, too, got closer to his orgasm. “gonna fill you up so good, angel, just make me proud and come for me.” 

it was as if on cue when you suddenly shuddered and lost all control of your body for a moment. the dizzying pleasure was overwhelming every fiber of your body as you couldn’t hold yourself up anymore and just slumped down on his body, hugging him as carefully as you could. 

you clenching around him so tightly triggered his own release as he let out a groan, finally coming buried deep inside of you. 

“i missed this. i missed you, ajax. much more than i could ever put into words”, you whispered. he chuckled softly, nodding. 

“same for me, angel. i missed you a lot and am so happy i’m back with you now”, he replied in a slightly breathless but content and happy tone. “and perhaps… we can focus throughout my time off in recovery on us and… maybe attempt for the baby we always wanted? her highness gave me the go for as much time off as i require and… i don’t know… that was all i was thinking of all this time.” 

“well… in that case…”, you started, biting your lip in excitement. “i have great news.” 

you got off him, giggling as his cum trickled down your thighs, and grabbed the gift box you had prepared for him. he sat up confusedly, watching your every move until you returned to him and gave the box to him. 

he opened the box and inspected the insides as he picked up the baby shoes and the positive pregnancy test result from your doctor and looked at you with a confused gaze in his eyes. as the realization hit, his eyes teared up and he smiled so brightly. 

“are you…?”

you nodded excitedly and giggled when he touched your tummy and you saw the happy tears roll down his cheeks. “i went to the doctor when i just couldn’t stop feeling nauseous and constantly throwing up. and then he just… confirmed my suspicions actually. i had a feeling it might be a pregnancy but i just didn’t want to… believe it, i guess? but yeah, uhm, this happened when i… well, we, had our… goodbye fuck”, you giggled as you couldn’t find a better wording. he laughed with you, shaking his head. 

“and since you’re clear of any missions for the time being until you’re back to your duties, i thought this was the perfect moment to tell you.” 

“you made me the happiest man right now, baby. wait… does my family know?”, he chuckled. “they do, don’t they? that’s why teucer sent me a letter saying that you got a surprise for me, hm?” 

you giggled as you nodded. “i did tell him not to tell you anything but he asked if he could at least do that. and the thought of teasing you all the way over here was too tempting.”

“you’re such a fucking minx. i love you, so much”, he mumbled as he pulled you into a hug, cuddling as you relaxed in his arms. “another question… did the doctor clear you for sex? i hope this wasn’t too much on you just now. god, now i feel terrible for talking you into–” 

“shh, you didn’t force me or anything. i’m fine. the doctor said it’s alright”, you giggled, kissing him gently on the cheek. “let’s sleep a little, huh? let me grab a blanket quickly and let’s sleep.” 

once you cleaned yourself up and grabbed a blanket, you laid down next to your already sleeping husband, hugging him as you, too, slowly fell asleep in the comfort of his arms and finally were able to sleep properly through one night with no worries in your mind.

[august126]

Difference

Pairing: Childe x Reader

Summary :You sidled up to the window, unlatching the glass and drawing the man in front of you by the neck of his jacket in for a kiss. His lips are soft, and his hands rise to your arms, holding tight and deepening the embrace in which you were held - eyes fluttering shut as breaths caressing your cheeks. You pulled away softly, and slowly - nothing burned brighter than the affection you felt for the man in front of you.

Tags:Hurt No Comfort,Implied/Referenced Sex,Fluff and Angst, and Angst

A/N: the summary is an excerpt because im lazy as shit and don't know how to summarize this piece

There is nothing but comfort when you wake, slow and drowsy and ultimately comfortable after the night you've just had. You've forgotten what yesterday was all about, but you did remember some details. There was the unmistakable feeling of a tiredness that clung to your skin, aiding the stretch of your arms and legs to be pleasantly rousing. You sighed into the warm air, feeling sunlight settle on your face.

Next to you, someone shifts.

You feel a brief amount of surprise shock itself into your bones, before catching a glimpse of bright hair - oh, you remembered Childe, of course. Who wouldn't?

You remember the pleasant day you had spent with him, walking amongst the abandoned plateaus of Liyue, enjoying the smooth breeze as it floated up against the two of you. The nearby Liyue harbor was pretty, but you couldn't help but think that there was nothing more beautiful than your beloved, quick on his feet and light with his laugh, as he would move behind you to wrap you in his arms and press a kiss to your hair.

"This is everything I've always wanted," Childe would whisper against your skin. "We were destined to walk these roads together."

The inn hadn't been far away, and there was no further place than Snezhnaya - and although a local inn near Liyue wasn't the most private place to stay, it had been the safest option. Even so, you had gone into the inn alone, and booked a room for one. There had been no need to establish a paper trail.

You had brought him to your room, through the window, to avoid anyone's suspicion. He looked so pretty outside your window, knocking to be let in, moonlight reflecting in his eyes and illuminating his face. His smile - soft and sweet and almost genuine - sparked emotion in your chest.

You sidled up to the window, unlatching the glass and drawing the man in front of you by the neck of his jacket in for a kiss. His lips are soft, and his hands rise to your arms, holding tight and deepening the embrace in which you were held - eyes fluttering shut as breaths caressing your cheeks. You pulled away softly, and slowly - nothing burned brighter than the affection you felt for the man in front of you. As you pulled away to allow Childe through the window, you could do nothing but rest your eyes on him.

He really was easy on the eyes, as he raised his head to catch your gaze, lowering the window shut with no sound at all. Childe was pretty - devastatingly so - and had the confidence to match. Flustering you was one of his favorite activities, with hushed words and aimed exhales and a smirk that never failed to make your knees run weak.

"Hey, baby," he had purred, and approached you.

"Hello, darling," you had teased right back - though your words didn't have as much of an outward effect on your beloved as his words did on you. Your face was a warm, flushed mess already - and you still had the entire night to spare.

Your mouths met in a kiss once again. Burning with desire, you fell back onto the bed.

And now, it was raining.

The soft pattering of water against the window had replaced the sun during your moments of reminiscing, and you found yourself regretful - forlorn, even.

What were you thinking?

It wasn't the regret of a one-night-stand, no - moreso the memories that trickled in with your pleasant day, flashes of secret dates and not quite an affair, but a prior commitment. It was clear - it had been previously made clear by the man you loved so dearly himself - Childe was not in a position to take a lover.

The reason was to be damned - it was clearly his job, and this was made clear by none other than Teucer, your love's brother, who you had met on pure accident one day. If Childe had kept his job a secret from his family - the people who he placed above everyone in this forsaken land...

Based on the way that Childe was still pretending to be asleep, there was no doubt about it - you would not be walking out of this inn satisfied.

"Good morning," you plead, and hope your voice doesn't come out as desperate as you feel. "The rain is nice."

There are never pleasantries in a Harbinger's world.

"This shouldn't have happened," Childe murmurs, and some part of your stomach sinks beneath the realm of retrieval.

"It could be different, with me - right?" You ask, unable to dare and look him in the eyes. "I understand your line of work. I could - archons, Childe, I don't know." Your face burned with shame.

The arm that had lingered against your shoulder - the only source of warmth that had connected you to him - moved away. With a mixture of shock, anger, and stone-cold hurt forming a ball in your stomach, you couldn't help but yearn for his warmth again.

"I wish it could be different," Childe admitted, and if you were not hanging onto his every breath, you would have easily missed the agony clinging to his words.

"Why can't it be this way?" You ask again.

There's silence from your side. Then, "It's too dangerous. I can't having you get hurt." You know from the past, when you've saved his hide many times during a fight, that he's trying to convince himself as much as you.

Tears brim in your eyes as you stare blankly at the ceiling. "I understand," you placate.

You do not understand. Not in the slightest.

"Give me your name," you bargain - something to take with you, to hold precious; something to show he belonged to you.

"I'm sorry," he says, and you wonder when the last time you've heard him apologize was. The words are foreign to you.

You turn to face him, and settle a hand along his stomach. Your fingers rest just above his waistband.

"Once more," you plead.

"Alright."

It feels everything like love, and nothing like how it should end.

[kiryoutann]

Before reading, please check series masterlist to read the warning(s), disclaimer, and to make sure you’re on the right chapter. Minors do NOT interact.

Please consider donating to my Kofi. That would really help me!

Likes, replies, reblogs, and shares also count. Once again, thanks so much!

Six months later.

It's so beautiful.

Green grass under the warm sun. A fresh breeze stirred the decorative flags that were hung all over the capital Mondstadt. Gothic architecture is still strong and stands as the main attraction of this country. The river that flowed outside the great wall was reflecting the white clouds that extended beneath the azure sky. Those who are busy with their daily activities are surrounded by the scent of dandelions. Little ones are playing and running around.

Mondstadt is so beautiful. Unfortunately, you spend all day sleeping on the soft bed provided in one of the palace rooms for royal guests.

Childe left the room early in the morning for a diplomatic meeting, so the opposite side of the bed has been vacant for a while. You (thought) you managed to persuade Sasha to let you sleep a little longer, but instead she assumed you were sick and immediately asked Laura to find Childe.

“Love?”

Here he is. You pulled the covers over your head, trying to ignore the sound of his approaching footsteps. The end of the bed was pressed down and you guessed he was sitting next to you. Slowly, Childe pulled your covers up to look at you.

"Are you sick? Want me to call a healer?”

You shook your head quickly, "I simply want to sleep a bit longer."

Childe glanced at Sasha who was standing not far from the two of you before turning back to you. "But, angel, you've slept all day, and they said you have to attend a tea party this afternoon. Well, I don't mind if you don't but, are you sure you're alright?” He brushed away the strands of hair covering your face.

"I'll be fine. Just.. give me one more hour of sleep.” You spoke drowsily and then shut your eyes once again.

Childe frowned in worry. "Are you sure? Should I stay? I can tell them I have urgent business and leave the conference—”

"Don't be silly, Ajax." You opened your eyes to glare at him. “Why do I feel you’re trying to make me as an excuse to get out of your responsibilities?”

A laugh from him. “Hey, I was really worried you know.” He says.

"I told you I'm fine. I'm not going to die, at least not now."

"I thought we agreed not to have talks like this again." Childe stares in disappointment and you can't help but laugh.

"Good God, I was just kidding." You cupped his face with one hand. “Stop sulking like a baby. I might actually ask you to stay and cuddle with me."

A smile appeared on his handsome face as he drew closer to you, “Hmm? What's stopping you?"

Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Sasha and the other two were trying hard to deaf their ears to the conversation you both thought was quiet enough for them not to hear. Her eyes darted to the walls of the room as if that was the most interesting thing. At least that will distract her from you and Childe who are too preoccupied with each other to notice anyone else's presence.

A kiss on your lips. “I'll hurry back for you alright? Don't look at other men at the tea party." You almost roll your eyes at his words.

“It’s a tea party only for the ladies.”

"You can never be too careful."

Childe got out of bed and you already started to miss his warmth. He briefly spoke to Sasha, saying that she should immediately call a healer if anything should happen to you. After giving you one more glance (and a wink), he walks to the door to Dmitri outside the room.

A sigh left you before you got up reluctantly asking your maids to prepare warm water for a bath.

One rosewater bath later and you're sitting at the dresser. Laura did your hair, while Ksenia applied your makeup. She patted the powder pad so gently you yawned. Sasha noticed this and stared suspiciously at your reflection in the mirror. You took a deep breath trying to relieve the tiredness in your body.

"We are finished, Your Majesty." Laura and Ksenia said together.

You said a small thank you to them then got up from the chair. Laura opened the door for you, letting you leave the room first. Your three ladies-in-waiting followed behind you on your way to the garden where the tea party was being held.

Warm air hugs you as soon as you step into the palace garden. Butterflies and a few small insects flutter and land on the colorful flowers that grow around you—you almost forget how beautiful they are after living on Snezhnaya for so long. Once more, the wind blows. The sun falls to illuminate your path to the gazebo with a white iron roof where a table spread out with beautiful cloth is located. The sound of your footsteps turned the heads of the Mondstadt nobles, and you smiled at them all.

“Empress (Y/N), good afternoon.” The blonde-haired woman—Countess Jean—carved a thin smile with her polished pink lips.

Some Mondstadt nobles you've never met before welcome you. Jean stood next to them while helping introduce them one by one to you. “This is Lady Fischl, daughter of Duke Verurteilung of Immernachtreich.” A green-eyed blonde bowed politely at you before giving an enthusiastic look.

“Empress! I, Fischl, hast known all kinds regarding thou, especially how  they define thy grace and beauty as being comparable to the stars that adorn the welkin at dusk. Wouldst  I may add, thy lovely gown caught mine eye and wondered where I might find some one with such stitching talent!”

"Ah? Um..” While trying to figure out what she said, you lifted the hem of your dress slightly. "This was made by a Snezhnayan tailor."

“'tis decided. I shall cross mountains and sail oceans to meet this tailor!"

Jean cleared her throat awkwardly. “Lady Fischl, may I continue?” she asked, earning a nod.

After Countess Jean introduced you to the Mondstadt nobles who were present at the tea party, Princess Ayaka waved enthusiastically. “Princess—! Ah, I mean, Empress! Please sit next to me!” She pointed out the empty chair next to her.

Jean watched as everyone had taken a seat. She then continued, “Since King Diluc doesn't yet have a partner to handle the tea party, I'm the one responsible for this. For that, allow me to present traditional Mondstadt delicacies for overseas guests to taste.” She signaled the maid to put the snacks on the table.

A cake covered with pink cream and fresh raspberries is set in the middle. Lemon buttercream cakes make you smile seeing their small size. You looked around the table as Jean described each dish. The cookies placed in front of Ayaka appeared to be delicious.

What smells like boiled eggs wafts into your nostrils, and you instinctively cover your mouth to hide the nausea that's roiling in your gut. Ayaka immediately got a handkerchief for you. Sasha who is sitting at the table along with other nobles ladies-in-waiting rushes over to you.

“Princess!” Ayaka mistakenly called out from panic.

“Your Majesty! Is something the matter?!”

You were too occupied trying to ease your nausea as you covered your nose with a blue handkerchief to respond to Sasha. Jean orders one of the maids to call a healer. You glance out of the corner of your eye for the source of the pungent scent.

"That.. the smell.. get rid of it, please." You said after finding a loaf of boiled eggs not far from Jean. "I'm sorry but, the smell .."

Jean followed your gaze and nodded quickly. “No need to worry, Empress (Y/N).” He gave the plate of bread to the maid to take away. "The healer will come soon."

A server arrives with a new meal just as your nausea begins to subside. The smell of eggs returned. The handkerchief was tightened over your lips as the shaking of your stomach intensified. Sasha noticed your face beginning to flush and rose up from her kneeling position in front of you to approach Jean.

“Your Excellency, I'd better take Her Majesty to a healer right away. Please accept my apologies for leaving the tea party early.” He says.

“I understand. Please, lead them to the healer's room!”

In response to the blonde's request, one of the maids nodded. Sasha and Ksenia put strong hands on your shoulders helping to support you while stroking your back. Laura pulls out a bottle of fragrance trying to ease your nausea. The long hallway was filled with hurried footsteps on the way to the healing room. After passing through the door, the royal healer immediately tells you to lean on the red velvet couch.

The first thing she did was check your pulse. Her warm fingers touch your skin as she furrows her brows in concentration. She pursed her lips thinly, asking about your monthly cycle—which Sasha answered in detail. You feel awkward knowing she knows about it more than you do.

The healer nodded while retaining an assumed diagnosis. "I already have a suspicion, but I'll need to confirm it again." She dipped her hands in a basin of clean water before turning back to you while making sure her palms were raised; you watched as the water dripped down her elbow. "I must request that you remove your dress, Your Majesty."

Although the examination is uncomfortable, you know that it is necessary for the healer to confirm the diagnosis. After she was done, Sasha helped you put on your clothes again while waiting for the woman to tell you what was wrong.

"There are several reasons besides pregnancy that can affect your late monthly cycle, such as stress or fatigue. However, after I combined that with the nausea caused by the strong smell—the smell of eggs as one of them—and the physical examination just now that revealed enlarged breasts and changes in areola—I can confirm that you are pregnant.”

Laura and Ksenia gasped with joy. Sasha smiled silently. While you are frozen.

The healer's lips curved up, “Congratulations, Empress (Y/N). You are with child.”

Something defines the brilliance of this world's hues. The basin is no fuller than your heart which flows happiness and emotion to every inch of you. The realization that there is another life growing inside your tummy sweetens the air. You want to set your foot on every green meadow here to let them know that you are the happiest human being on earth.

As you covered your mouth to contain your sobs, your hold on the fabric of your dress' grew tighter. Your maids approach you to congratulate you. You couldn't help but extend your arms and hug all three of them. Women celebrating other women's blessings

You wiped your tears, looking at Sasha with a smile.

"Please don't tell him just yet."

Sasha's eyes widen from that, but what she gives you next is a smile—a warm one. You wouldn't have realized she was holding you if it wasn't for the light squeeze she gave; her way of telling you that she will continue to be with you and wants nothing but the best for you and now, your child. Laura and Ksenia congratulated you, saying they would do their best to accompany you on your pregnancy journey.

Aside from the promise made by Sasha, it's another one that makes you smile with blushing cheeks.

In your room, Sasha instructed Ksenia to prepare warm water for a bath while Laura hurried to inform Jean that you were unwell and couldn't continue the tea party. The ball is being held tonight—that's reason enough for Sasha to force you to stay in bed and take plenty of rest.

When they dress you in a mauve dress for the ball, your ladies-in-waiting make sure not to tie the bodice too tightly. Diamonds and gems accessorize your neck, ears and fingers. You try to hold back a smile when you see the door swing open showing Childe ready in his nice suit. He leans against the arm of the couch, blue eyes sweeping across your back carving a thin grin before he meets yours and gives you his usual wink.

"We are done, Your Majesty." Sasha told you.

"Thank you." You got up from your seat, not missing the enthusiastic stares of your ladies-in-waiting.

Childe holds out his hand to receive yours. He squeezed it gently before bringing it to his lips, a chaste kiss you received from him. "Are you sure we shouldn't skip the ball and cuddle the night away?"

“Absolutely. Besides, I heard that Mondstadt has the best wine.” You reasoned that even if you knew full well, there would be no alcohol going down your throat tonight and in the months to come.

"Firewater is still better in my opinion." Childe said, leading you to the door.

The sound of music is heard the second you enter the ballroom. A resounding blend of harp and piano throughout the opulence. Many of the guests had dragged themselves onto the dance floor, their partners clutched tightly in their hands. You and Childe get greetings from several familiar faces, but not a few Mondstadt nobles who you don't recognize have the courage and courtesy to introduce themselves and give a warm welcome.

“Emperor Childe.”

When Childe and you turned around, two men were standing there, one with red hair and the other with dark blue strands. Both of them had long hair, with the only distinction being the height of their ponytails.

“King Diluc.” Your husband holds out his hand for a handshake.

Diluc Ragnvindr. The red-haired King of Mondstadt who reminds you of fire. You wonder if he's hiding a smoldering spirit behind his polite face. He was present in another set of his dapper suit. Unlike at Snezhnaya's recent banquet, he appeared with his long hair pulled up into a higher-than-usual ponytail.

Diluc gave you a brief nod before turning to the man next to him. “Allow me to introduce my brother. This is Duke Kaeya. Perhaps you have not met." He said, making your attention fall on the man wearing an eye patch.

“Ah, right. This is the first time we have met, Duke Kaeya.” Childe shook his hand.

Kaeya painted faint dimples on his tan skin. "It is an honor to meet in person such a wise person as you, the Emperor and Empress of Snezhnaya." He gave Childe a friendly smile, which you swear turned into something else when he swept his dark eyes across you.

Diluc's red eyes widened as he watched Kaeya hold out his hand asking for yours. He didn't have to do this, but he chose to do it. Childe watched as you offered your hand hesitantly. A kiss that was too long for Childe not to think anything of it landed on the back of your hand. Kaeya opened his eyes to look at you accompanied by a smile that had a meaning behind it.

“Welcome to Mond, Empress (Y/N).”

If looks could burn, Kaeya would have already emptied all the drinks in here to quell the fire that was searing him. You swear you heard Childe pulled out a light scoff. Kaeya straightened his back again with an expression close to satisfaction.

“Ahem.”

Diluc made a fake cough noise, but it was more to remind Kaeya to keep his boundaries than to break the uneasy silence between the four of you. "Kaeya is known to be friendly with others, so I hope you don't take it the wrong way, Your Majesties." He says.

Childe laughed dryly. “Does this mean Duke Kaeya is also friendly enough to take me on a little tour around Mond?” His voice is sweet, but you know the intent in it contrasts from that.

"Why, of course, Your Majesty." Kaeya smiled widely and placed his right hand on his left chest. "It would be my pleasure.”

This situation is too heavy. You want nothing more than someone to save you from this and luckily, Diluc has the ability to read that. "If you'll excuse us, we have to greet the other guests." He then turned to the buffet. "Do enjoy your time with banquets and refreshing drinks like grape juice."

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” You said.

Childe and you turned the other way while Diluc and Kaeya started walking toward the other nobles. You take a deep breath before emptying your lungs again.

"I would appreciate it if you would stop picking fights with every man I talk to."

"He was flirting with you." Childe stopped in his tracks.

You hastily put your hand in front of his lips stopping him from letting out a longer protest. "Could you get me a glass of grape juice?" you ask him.

Childe furrowed his brows, "Not wine?" You shake your head.

Although not completely convinced, Childe gives you a kiss on the hand then tells you to stay here. You see his figure walking to the buffet table. His broad shoulders make you smile. You sweep your eyes around to relieve boredom.

Strands of blonde caught your eye. You remember she has longer hair; now it falls a little lower than her earlobes. The woman with gold eyes was spinning in an orange gown, in the arms of a man with nearly the same hair color as her. His eyes could still be seen through the mask that covered the right portion of his face.

The smile on Lumine's face was so wide it radiated happiness.

Footsteps draw your attention to Childe, who is holding a glass of grape juice and another of what you assume is dandelion wine. He handed you one. You stared at the liquid before taking a gulp, feeling the sweet taste on your tongue.

"Do you like it?"

You nodded, "It tastes better than I imagined."

"Wanna bring home ten barrels of it?"

A laugh from you. "One bottle is enough, Ajax." You said.

In the midst of a sea of people, a figure stands out for some reason; you're not sure why; it could be his complex fancy suits, the way he carries himself, the power in his gaze, or the fact that you've known him all your life. You greet your old friend with a smile on your face.

Zhongli made strides towards you with a handsome smile. Under the extravagant chandeliers, amber eyes sparkled beautifully. Childe did not take his blue eyes off his every move.

The man stops right in front of you for a bow, "Your Majesties."

Weird to hear that from him. Even though it had been six months ago Childe had inherited the throne and three months ago Snezhnaya had declared it an imperial state; You think you'll never get used to all this. Let alone one that came out of Zhongli.

"Duke." Childe gave him a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

“Duke Zhongli.” You called him enthusiastically. "It's.. a surprise to find you here."

Zhongli nodded, “His Majesty Emperor Shiva is unable to attend. I've come to represent him at his request.” He says.

“Make sure you do well, Duke.” Childe commented.

Zhongli pretended to be blind by the sharp glare Childe gave him. “I appreciate the concern—

"Who said I was concerned?"

“—but, everything is well.” Zhongli continued despite being interrupted by him.

Your lips were about to part to change the topic to break the pressure between the two when a woman bumped into Zhongli and spilled her glass on him. Her voice is sweet, making you turn to look at her and stop in place.

“O-oh my! I'm so sorry! I was careless and—”

A laugh from Zhongli. "Nothing to worry about. Are you alright?”

Zhongli asked the woman—the woman you saw in your vision. You're completely convinced after casting a glance at the hanfu she's wearing. Zhongli continued to talk to her with a big smile that seemed to be permanently etched on his face.

"This is my first time here, and I've already ruined someone's expensive suit. I'm truly sorry!” The woman kept apologizing to Zhongli.

"As I said, this is nothing, Lady..?"

“Guizhong! My name is Guizhong.”

Guizhong.

Guizhong appeared in front of you with everything that made you believe she would be a good fit for Zhongli. You watched her give him a blue handkerchief. Long fine strands of hair. She's clumsy, but you find that to be cute. You wonder if Zhongli thinks so too. They were lost in their new conversation and every word they exchanged dripped happiness into the depths of your heart.

The promised happy ending had at last arrived.

“Duke Zhongli, Lady Guizhong, “You have their attention.

Guizhong looked at you and then at Childe before bowing deeply in regret. “Goodness! Your Majesties! M-may prosperity and health be bestowed on you! I'm sorry I should have realized sooner." She tightly shut her eyes after hearing your chuckle.

"Please rise. Forgive the interruption but, we'll leave you both to your talk."

Zhongli turned to face Childe who was grinning happily at you. "Now?" he asked.

"Yes." You turned your gaze on the area where people were dancing. “I suddenly want to dance.” You turned to Childe. “Perhaps the Duke can bring Lady Guizhong for one.” You said to Zhongli.

Those amber eyes stared at you in curiosity and confusion. In your heart, there is one thing you want to tell him: that happiness is close to him. But, just as Zhongli and Guizhong gave nods and let you go, you twisted your heels and tightened your grip on Childe's arm.

"That’s scary." Your husband comments.

“What is?”

Childe slowed down as he reached the dance floor. "Your smile. You look like you've planned something and it's working." He put his hand on your waist.

A chuckle escaped your lips. You put your hand on his shoulder, and he starts picking up on the melodic tempo of the music. “If so, will you stop sulking and dance properly?” You see the annoyance reflected on his face again.

"How could I not when nearly every in the room—in all of Tevyat—was trying to flirt with my wife?"

"They were just talking to me, Ajax." you corrected.

“They were flirting with you, angel. Don't try to manipulate my memory."

A sigh comes out a sign you give up arguing with him. Childe took you for a twirl. "You are the most jealous man I have ever known." You then continued, "I can't imagine how you'd react when the other one showed up."

The frown in the middle of his brow deepened before his limbs came to a complete stop. He gave you a dumbfounded look. “Wait, what are you—” His expression now full of hurt. "—you're.. you have another man?" He spoke with trembling, and you stifled a laugh in the guilt that you were covering up.

"Well," Your hand tried to lead him to dance again but, Childe refused to move his feet before you answered him. "After all, I'm still not sure if it'll be a boy or a girl, right?"

Confusion hit him like a tsunami even though his betrayed expression was still there. “A boy or a girl? What kind of nonsense are you playing—”

“I’m pregnant.”

The words died suddenly on the tip of his tongue. Childe stared at you with wide blue eyes. The blood seemed to be drained from his face before returning to fill his cheeks.

For him, the world came to a halt for a brief minute. His brain stopped functioning. His ears suddenly went deaf leaving your voice and those words repeating over and over in his head. His mouth gaped open. His heart was pounding inside his ribs pumping out the feelings he was still digesting. Then a tsunami of happiness washed over him, so overwhelming that his lips curved and he sobbed as he took you in his arms.

It was one moment he wished could stay forever. Even so, Childe—Ajax, is aware that there will be more happy things in the future. With you, with now—his unborn baby. At the same time, Childe felt and desired a lot.

In the middle of the melodies that flowed from a combination of piano and harp, you hugged him even tighter. He is the luckiest man in the world. His heart felt like it was wrapped in satin and moonlight. You laugh, but it's his chest that warms. What a dream this is, and God has the generosity to make it not end up as one. Perhaps He knows: happiness should come in the form of a really sweet fruit for two human beings who have suffered for a long time.

Childe gave you a smile before laying a kiss on your lips. He didn't mind if he had attracted everyone's attention as a result. The music could stop but, he wouldn't with this. He placed another one, still not caring if people would label him unethical.

“I,”—he kissed you again—“love,”—another one—“you.” He said in between kisses.

You both left the ballroom early that evening. The moonlight filtering in through the opened window illuminates the bed where you lie down for a cuddle. The wind of Mondstadt's capital is finally appreciated the next day in the lush meadows.

"Please be born healthy." Childe speaks to your still unnoticeable pregnant belly before giving it a small kiss.

The blue sky stretches above the white clouds. He held your hand as you walked down the grassy path. The gurgling waterfall sounded faint. Dandelion blooms swayed and then scattered into the air. On a wooden chair with a view of a statue in the center of a lake, the two of you decide to take a break.

"I wonder how Shiva will react to this." You start the conversation.

Childe's shoulders shook as he laughed. "He will definitely kill me. For impregnating my wife." You join in the louder laugh.

There was a silence before you lifted your head from his shoulder to say, "About that grape juice.." Childe looked at you curiously. "I don't think ten barrels will be enough."

Childe carved a smile. The two of you returned to enjoy the sight ahead.

"Twenty it is."

AbbyBianx, ness

@thelovelydiviner @r0ttenhearts @tsunotaro-san @yguchild @a-random-bored-person @ajaxstar @dandelimoonus @deemayaz @sxztus @meiraloves2dmen @bananazzzen @sugarxbxby123 @httpmitsuya @kaiyoschaos @ganyuzuri @enviouspeanut @justreadings @nat1203 @creamiepudding @childes0nlywife @hieraethx @r0se-r4men  @cyn9 @bluelovesleep @sucrosia @undecidingfate @funicidals @geozhong @chipzho @yevenly @hanilessa @gojoandelsalovechilde @angeliquen @imthestatebum

If I wrote your username wrong, please let me know TT_TT For those who can’t be tagged, please make sure the setting for "Allow this blog to appear in search results” is turned on.

Check out more of my post: WRITING COMMISSION

[technaart]

The moment they realize they love you

Characters: Xiao, Kaeya, Childe

Genre: Fluff/Comfort, angst Did Xiao ghost you? Yes, he did :')

Part One

Amidst the darkness of his life, there's you, who can make him feel more alive than he's ever felt. Was this what they call love?

Xiao is confused at first, eyes constantly on you to observe - figure out why he was feeling like this around you. Only you. It's not like you had done something to him, that thought made him scoff. You were just a normal human with a Vision. A beautiful human that was kind and warm, welcoming him back to the Inn when he returned from his duties. You always had a plate of almond tofu ready for him, too.

His heart would jump against his rib cage, startling him. Words evaded him as he stared down at the plate of food that reminded him of pleasant dreams. A feeling he also got with you, joyful, peaceful where he can forget about his karmic debt. That only made him love -

"Xiao?"

The Adeptus had stopped mid-bite, shocked about his own thoughts. That couldn't be right, he couldn't...! Xiao stood abruptly and with a quick glance your way he vanished.

A worried frown forms on your lips, looking down at the barely eaten plate of his favorite food. Maybe he didn't feel like eating? Either that or someone possibly called his name. With your bubble of worry holding steady inside your chest, you go ahead and save his plate for when he returns.

To you, he never did.

Kaeya has always known he loves you, and his feelings will not change. Acting upon them was a different story.

You had grown up with him and Diluc, the three of you the best friends up until that night. While he might have lost his brother, you didn't care for who he really was or why mondstadt. He was your friend, you loved him. Kaeya had simply given you a teary-eyed smile when you yelled those words at him, the air around him freezing with the new vision he held in his hand tightly.

Your own vision was Hydro.

The thought made him snicker in his drink, causing you to stop talking and look at him in confusion. The two of you were just so compatible.

"Don't mind me," Kaeya said, shrugging off your adorably confused stare. "Please, continue. I want to know what happened."

Giving him a suspicious stare for a few seconds, you shake your head and continue with your story. Kaeya smiled behind his cup admiring your features while you spoke. You were beautiful, inside and out and after this long, the time has only comforted Kaeya that you really weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

I'll tell them. he thinks. Someday.

Childe reacts almost instantly. A wave of emotions flooded him all at once that he couldn't decide which one to act upon. He loves you. He loves you! Elation fills him and he just wanted to wrap you tightly in his arms and shield you from everything. Even himself.

Especially himself.

The guilt came second as he watched you help a few Liyue citizens. You deserve better than him, a mentally sane person who can love you normally. Was it even love he felt? A part of him wonders that maybe he was mistaking it for obsession and dependency. He needed you just as much as he needed to prove himself in a fight.

But then you turn to him, the smile you give him making those thoughts fade to the back of his mind. As you approach him the sun setting behind you formed a halo around you.

You definitely deserved better, but there was no way in Tevyat that was he going to allow another person to receive your warmth. Having settled his mind, Childe threw his arms around you, pulling you into him to be held tightly, maybe a tiny bit painful but you didn't mind.

Rather he voiced it or not, you were his.

[yaesnovels]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒘 | 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒂

contains: unprotected sex, established relationship, fem!bodied reader, oral (both), fingering (fem receiving), mentions of a ceiling mirror lol, very loving and whipped bf childe <3, overstimulation, very self indulgent, where is my gamer bf ; repost from my old blog @/y0imyas

reblogs and feedback are very appreciated <3

you really didn’t want to disturb him.

it wasn’t like he would be mad or anything about you going in while he’s gaming and talking to him - in fact, he would be very excited to finally see you. yet you knew that childe didn’t have time to play his games with his friends for a few days now and you knew he deserved a break more than anything after working so much the past couple of days.

yet, you needed his attention so much in that moment. especially after seeing how pent-up from everything he looked from losing multiple matches over and over. and he looked hot. and it didn’t help that the weather was extremely hot and childe had taken off his shirt, sitting there with only his shorts as you watched his muscular body tense up once again while he talked to his friends. 

his eyes widened at you suddenly crawling under the table and pulling down said shorts to press soft kisses on his tip. his body tensed up even more while you started to stroke his cock at the same time with your hand to get him harder. 

“wha-”

“shh, don’t talk. just … continue playing”, you whispered as you looked up to him with a little smile on your lips before you took his tip into your mouth and heard him breath in sharply. it took him all sort of self-control not to moan out at you twirling your tongue around his tip and he looked down to see you smiling up to him.

childe let out a particularly loud groan when you started to take him a little deeper into your mouth. you had thought it would be good to surprise him as he was already stressed out and tense from work and losing the games. and just hearing those little grunts and groans made you clench your thighs together.

he couldn’t even focus on his game anymore. so, he just announced to his friends in the voice chat – in which he had muted himself in, because fuck no, he wasn’t going to let them hear him get sucked off – that he would be going offline as ‘there was something else he needed to take care of’. before you could even react, he was already pulling you up from your uncomfortable spot under the desk and was pressing his lips on yours. he was quick to have you sit on the desk while he was standing between your legs.

“god, what did i do to deserve you?”, he asked as he trailed his lips down your neck and you closed your eyes in bliss. your lips formed a little ‘o’ as he proceeded to pull on your shirt to suck on your one nipple while he was pinching the other one roughly. getting impatient, he took it off to press light kisses all over your stomach. “so cute and adorable when you were trying to suck me off, darling.”

he finally pulled down your own shorts, leaving you all naked in front of him. he looked into your eyes which sent a shudder through your body, making him smile. after all this time you still shivered at the way he looked at you. his voice got so much deeper all of a sudden; “all you wanted was some attention, right? you could’ve just asked but decided to go such ways, my love. unnecessary waste of time. you know, i love to give you all the attention you want. all you need to do is to ask.”

“i just wanted to make you feel good”, you mumbled as a reply. your fingers were tangled up in his hair from the sweet kisses he had given you just now. “i know you’ve been stressed out lately and i didn’t want to disturb you from your gaming because you deserved this time with your friends more than anything.”

childe realized once again how much in love he was with you. you were so considerate and showed him how much you loved him every single day in every way possible. 

he then finally put his thumb on your clit, slowly and softly massaging over the sensitive spot and making you breathe in sharply. childe was being extra slow and it felt like there was almost no pressure coming from his thumb that would make you lose your mind and have your eyes roll back like usually with him. “please”, you said with a soft voice. 

he had this smug smirk on his lips that made you realize how he was going to tease you – probably to the point you’re on the verge of tears, maybe even actually crying before he finally makes you cum on only his fingers and maybe his mouth, too.

“sorry? i don’t think i got that. would you please repeat it, my love?”, he said while starting to rub your clit with a little more pressure, before he stopped to listen to your breaking voice beg for him.

“please, just …”, you didn’t know what you were asking for anymore; all you wanted was his attention on you and you got that now. “just please make me come. all i wanted was your attention and i know i should’ve just asked, but just didn’t want to disturb you.”

“i know, darling, i know. i’m just messing with you after. i want to make you feel good, yeah? i was just kidding, darling, i just wanted to hear you beg for me”, he reassured you with a giggle before he proceeded with softly circling his thumb around your clit and multiple soft pecks on your lips. “do you want me to continue?” your quick nodding made him chuckle once again before he leaned in and softly kissed you on the lips once again, this time longer than the previous ones.

he loved doing that – giving you soft, little and playful kisses on the lips. they made you happy and your soft giggles warmed his heart. at times like this he felt extremely lucky to be yours and that you were his.

childe was extremely sweet during foreplay. well, most of the time. he would take his time pleasuring you with his tongue or fingers alone. at other times, however, he would be so impatient to finally take you, raw and with nothing holding him back. today was one of the days he felt even more … generous than usual with the foreplay.

he was quick to make you come on his fingers once; oh, those beautiful, long fingers that made you see stars so quickly. the way they reached deeper than yours could ever – you loved his hands and fingers. 

then he took his time with eating you out – he always talked about how much he loved it and the taste of you. childe was such a giving lover; you sometimes couldn’t handle it. he managed to make you cum just on his tongue so quickly, it took you a couple of moments to calm down again. 

“ajax, please”, you were breathless as you tangled up your fingers in his hair to pull him up to look at him properly. his chin and lips were glistening with his spit and your cum; he quickly brushed it away with his thumb and licked the remaining cum away – and he once again had this smirk on his lips, knowing the effect on this tiny little action on you. your whole body was shaking from the aftermath of the two orgasms he managed to pull out of you back to back. 

he was quick to take you down from his desk, have you lay down on your shared bed and climb on top of you. the deep, loving gaze made you feel the same butterflies you were feeling just moments ago once again. “i love you”, childe mumbled as he buried his face into your neck, placing soft kisses on the sensitive skin and making you whine.

“can you please just … fuck me now? i have been waiting patiently, ajax. please.” you were on the verge of tears – just as he intended to – as you felt his tip on your sensitive clit with which he had been previously playing around with his thumb while he was eating you out.

“how can i say no to you?”, he replied before he aligned himself with your hole and slowly thrusted in. your eyes rolled back as the overstimulation kicked in and made you squirm around – to which he grabbed your legs and held them firmly. the grip was so tight that you were sure there was going to be light bruises tomorrow. 

childe started off with a rather slow pace, not wanting to overwhelm you too much anymore. however, you clenching around him so tightly made him forget about that and he was quick to fasten his pace. your moans grew louder and you were already so close once again.

his grunts were heavenly to listen to – you could swear you would be able to get off to them alone so easily. as you closed your eyes in bliss, he roughly grabbed your chin to make you look at him. “eyes open, darling. i need you to watch how i rearrange your fucking guts”, he grunted out. the sudden action made you once again roll your eyes back. 

right, the mirror. he insisted on the mirror right over the bed as you moved in together because “it would make things interesting”. his words. you tried to focus on your reflection on top of you.

watching his rough thrusts you noticed how tense his entire body had become in focus of pleasuring you. however, that wasn’t the how things were supposed to be. you wanted to make him feel relaxed and destress. yet, you also knew being a giving lover, this was his way of relaxing – by seeing you lose your mind while he rearranges your guts.

all those thoughts disappeared when childe delivered a particularly hard thrust that made you moan out loudly and close your eyes for a moment, as you finally felt him come inside of you. he let out a deep groan that had you focus on his heavy breaths. 

you watched his body relax over you as he continued with a couple more slower thrusts to ride out his orgasm and he proceeded with trying to get you to your release with his fingers rubbing over your clit. the way you finally clenched around him as you came made him groan out once again.

he doesn’t remember the last time he had come this hard. maybe it was the way you kept on insisting to make him relax and tried to suck him off by surprise – which his ego just didn’t accept. he lived off your reactions to him giving you all the pleasure he possibly could. and today, those reactions were particularly turning him on. 

once he pulled out, he watched his cum drip out of you on the sheets. oh, how much he loved to watch you be unable to take everything he has to give to you.

that alone made him want to go again, his cock once again hard against his belly. he was quick to pull you on top of him as he was sitting up against the headboard and you were sitting on his lap. “ride me. please”, he mumbled. “i know you’re sensitive and just want to sleep but–”

you interrupted his little “speech” by aligning your hole with his cock and pushing yourself down on him. he looked up into the mirror as you slowly started off to ride him and the look alone of your struggling to take him could’ve made him come again like a horny teenager. “oh, god, ajax”, you sighed at the way he felt inside of you, making you feel all those butterflies and shivers down your spine.

childe put his arms around your waist as you lost any remaining energy in your body and slumped down against his chest. “please, i … can’t”, your voice was so breathless and hoarse. “i just wanted you to feel good and wanted to help you destress but … too much.”

“come on, my love, you can do this one more time”, he started off to thrust up into your abused hole and made you cry out loudly, this time with tears rolling down your cheeks and he felt them drop on his skin. he knew he was close and could tell the same about you by the way you started clenching around him so tightly. 

he let out the prettiest and whiniest moan when he finally came inside of you once again. childe didn’t remember the last time he was this sensitive but he liked the feeling. he slowly pulled out again, slowly rolling you around to have you lay on your back. “didn’t…”, you mumbled.

oh, he couldn’t have his pretty baby be this close and not come for him again. he placed a soft kiss on your clit and proceeded to finger you until he felt you come for the last time for the night, his fingers were coated in a mix of his cum and your slick. he softly tapped your lips with his fingertips and made you suck them clean. “i’m so proud of you, darling. don’t worry about anything, just let me clean you up and we’ll sleep, yeah?”, he said and you nodded with a smile on your lips. he quickly did what he promised and hugged you tight as he put the blanket over the both of you.

“i love you”, you said, almost asleep and made him smile brightly. oh, and how much he loved you, too. 

[byizoyas]

genshin impact ; red means ily ch. 7

゜₊ ⁺ ｡ masterlist | « moment » — notes: the main post for the series has reached 150 notes it might seem to not be a lot but it is to me so thank you very much im genuinely happy that y’all like the story and i hope you’ll like the way it’ll be taking too<33 | taglist is open.

[lostsunlight]

CHAPTER 13 - TRES AUTUEM FACIES PRAENUNTIUS

childe x reader, wc: 7.1k, masterlist, Ao3

cw: nsfw, violence, murder

The next morning came all too quickly. A ray of sunlight hit Childe directly in the eyes, he rolled over and pulled the blankets over his head to block out the world for a few sacred minutes. 

You smiled and carded a hand through his hair, he tilted his head a little to the left. Childe could have sworn he was seeing an angel, soft sunlight illuminating your form, sheets pooling at your hips. 

Childe rolled onto his back and you shuffled closer, the hand scratching his head trailed down to trace his jawline. You admired his freckles, the small nicks in his skin from battle. You moved your thumb over his lower lip and then down his chin and neck. 

You leaned in and whispered against his neck “ Il n'y a pas de douceur comme ton péché ”

“тогда приходи и купайся в нем, дорогая ” He mumbled back, finger tracing down your spine. 

You straddled him and slipped his shirt up over his stomach. Following every scar in an intricate pattern upwards. He gripped your hips to steady you. You traced up his abdomen to the dip in his clavicle. You were leaning over him, chest nearly touching his. 

You traced the scar across his chest, the one he got when he first met you. He traced the scar across your upper thigh, from when you had made your escape.

You opened your lips, inevitably with a million questions. Childe cut you off before the first word. “I know there's a lot to talk about but can we forget the world outside exists? Even it its just while I’m in your arms”

You nodded “Okay” You closed the gap and sweetly kissed him. He held you close to him as you tasted him. He was tangy, with a hint of iron. You hadn’t intended on it being anything more than a kiss but you found your will to break away from him quickly fading.

In the end he was the one to break away, he looked at you with an expression you couldn't quite place. He used his thumb to pry up one side of your top lip, you opened your mouth ever so slightly and he traced your canine before pressing down on your tongue. You sucked and he made an unintelligible sound. He pulled it out and dragged it down your chin, leaving a trail of spit in its wake. He angled your jaw up to access your neck, kissing it in a way that made your core pulse. 

He rucked your slip up so it bunched around your waist, you finished the job for him, pulling it off and throwing it somewhere on the floor. You removed his shirt in turn leaving the both of you in nothing but underwear. He traced the edge of your breast, you sucked in a breath. 

He cupped them, swiping across your nipple, you let out a small whine. He grinned and repeated the action, causing you to grind down. You let out another whimper when you felt his hard length beneath you. He stopped for a second as pleasure shot through his body. 

You ground down again, arching your back. He took your nipple in his mouth and gently sucked. You moaned as one hand supported your back and one pushed you down. He bucked his hips up. Your hands rested on his shoulders as your pussy fluttered, desperately trying to find leverage. 

He stopped to get some air as one hand continued to explore your body, moving lower and lower. The other still circling your nipple. His thumb played with the edge of your panties, you lifted your hips up so he could slide them off. 

You moved down and peeled his boxers, blushing at the sight of his cock. You wrapped your hand around it and gave it a few slow pumps. You looked up through your lashes to see him looking at you with an endearing intensity, his chest rising and falling with anticipation. 

You gave it a few licks and he sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth. You move back up slowly, intent on teasing him. He lies back as you position yourself, teasing your pussy with the tip of his cock, wetness making it easy.

“Любовник, be gentle” He asks, still sore, he didn't know how much his body could take. He wished he was the one talking the lead.

“I’ll be as gentle as the breeze” you replied, sinking onto his cock. You let out a sound somewhere between a huff and a moan, it sounded like the holiest melody Childe had ever heard.

You bit your lip and rested your hands on his chest, trying to get used to the feeling of being so full, his cock hitting all the right spots inside of you. After a second you lift yourself up, relishing in the feeling. 

You make tentative eye contact with Childe. You could melt in the sanctity of his gaze - a blush spread across his cheeks, his mouth slightly parted, small moans tumbling out. He skirts his palms up your thighs until he reaches the apex, right below your hip bones. You sink back down, riding him like you were made for it. 

You placed your hands on top of his and then tugged trying to pull him up. He obliged, wrapping his arms around you and drawing you in for a kiss. He finds your clit and you gasp into his mouth at the feeling. Your cunt squeezed around him.

“I-I’m close” you whined, burying your head in the crook of his neck. He lay back down, knowing if he kept fucking you like that he would overexert himself, he would go too hard and as much as he wanted to see that he knew his body couldn’t handle it. 

He kept rubbing your clit as you reached the edge. you sunk fully onto him, knowing you couldn’t fuck him through your orgasm. You moaned a little louder than usual letting the feeling envelop you. It was electric, making your mind go blank for a moment. 

Your legs were getting sore but you were determined to take his orgasm from him. You picked up the pace ever so slightly. Childe lay beautifully underneath you, hands fisting the sheets, brows knitted in pleasure. 

He moans deeply, flinging an arm across his face “C-Cumming” 

Quickly you lifted yourself off him and gave him a few more pumps. He finished, white-hot ropes of cum splattering across your stomach. You kissed Childe again, lost in his being. 

 ✧

After the two of you cleaned up, you went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Childe took the stove while you chopped some bacon

“That was surprisingly gentle compared to last time” You joked 

“Don’t expect me to be so nice next time” he quipped back

“Next time?” Your raised a brow

Childe just smirked. “This morning was a nice surprise, but what were you doing in my bed?”

“You don't remember? you had a nightmare, woke up screaming. You asked me to stay when I came in. Something about a ‘Celestial Narwhal’ again” You frowned, moving over to place the bacon in the pan, it spat back at you

He frowned “No, I don't. I don't even remember a nightmare” He cracked an egg into a bowl and used a fork to break the yolk

“I still have questions about last night, you nearly electrocuted me you were so mad” He poured the egg mix into the pan with the bacon

Childe sighed deeply “Signoria got the gnosis, Zhongli is Rex Lapis and I was used by the both of them”

“So Rex Lapis lives in mortal form now? Why?” You asked, pulling two plates out from the cupboard and placed a piece of bread on each

“Retirement, He didn’t technically abandon Liyue, rather he’s leaving it in the hands of humanity” he snorted, dividing up the scrambled eggs 

You leaned on the counter, trying to think. Wasn’t it his sworn duty to protect Liyue, man couldn’t defend against Celestia, at least not from what you’ve seen. Why not pass the torch to another god?

“And Signoria? Another Harbinger?” You picked up one of the plates and folded the bread in half, taking a bite.

“Yeah, the eighth, ‘Fair Lady’ is a dubious title at best. She’s the one who got Barbatos’ gnosis as well” he grumbled, if looks could kill this woman would be nothing but ashes.

You swallowed "So she's making you do her dirty work?” 

“No, The Tsaritsa sent me for both assignments. She has her reasons, I’m sure the others have hundreds of years on me, of course she wouldn't expect me to pull this off on my own. I'm a warrior not a diplomat.”

“Then why make you a Harbinger?” You took another bite

“I don't have an answer for that, maybe because I’ll best serve as her weapon but the title of Harbinger requires me to act like a diplomat, I don't know. But next time, next time I'll deliver the gnosis straight to her feet myself.

You pick up his mask, “Then go out and prove yourself, Tartaglia. You may not be the most cunning, but when it comes down to the battlefield - you would leaving most of them dead”

He attached it to the side of his head “I will get stronger, just you wait”

 ✧

Baizhu had sent you outside the city to restock herbs, unfortunately for you most of the ones you needed seemed to be around ruins littered with Ruin Guards. You kept your catalyst drawn as you slowly made your way around the perimeter. 

You had thought that you had made it away until you heard the mechanical rumbling of a ruin guard activating. Your entire body tensed as you whipped around. It was your turn to dance.

You drew water droplets from the air, forming a ring of daggers around your head and fired them at the Guard. Circling around the mechanical abomination , making sure to keep your distance to avoid its wide ranged strikes.

You repeated the same attack, just focusing on trying to survive. It stilled, bracing backwards, turrets perched on its body began to glow, aimed directly for you. Thinking fast you ran, forwards, sliding under the guard as the projectiles hit the ground with a sickening bang. You clenched your eyes shut at the sound. You stumbled up to face the back of the guard. 

Drawing your power you created two streams of water twining around the Ruin Guard, briefly immobilising it. You pull in the pressure of the two streams of water and then release it. Causing it to stumble back a step.

It swung at you, knocking you to the side, you tumbled and skidded in the dirt, by some small miracle you landed upright. Clambering back to your feet you tried to regain your sense of surroundings. Your shoulder throbbed in pain.

You had to disable it somehow. How had Tartaglia done it? An arrow to the eye right?

Having nothing to lose you made another dagger and aimed for its eye, it flew past splashing on the stone behind it. You tried again, moving backwards as it advanced menacingly towards you. This time the hydro dagger hit its mark, it came tumbling down. 

It was only a matter of time until it reactivated. Concentrating, you wove a hydro sword from droplets. Approaching it you gathered all your strength and struck it.  Once. Twice. Thrice - the last strike plunging directly into its eye. It let out its last cry and it lay felled before you. Its body disintegrating into nothing more than black smoke flecked with red ashes.

You collapsed to the ground on one knee, hydro sword holding you up. You panted, trying to draw enough air to satisfy your burning lungs. The sword broke into droplets wetting the stone underneath you, causing you to fall further down. You felt no satisfaction from the fight, rather relief you made it out alive.

In the distance you could swear you heard the faint voice of a child. “Hey! Hey you! Come look at this!”

Slowly you drew yourself back up, you stuffed the herbs you had collected in the bag Baizhu had given you. Reforming another hydro dagger just in case you stalked over to one of the inactive Ruin Guards. Behind one of them you found a small child, no older than six clambering over its arms. 

“Have you ever seen something so brilliant?!” he exclaimed with great enthusiasm.

Shielding your eyes from the sunlight you could see the boy was wearing foreign clothes, perhaps Snezhnayan. He had flaming red hair and large blue eyes sparking in the sun. He bore a striking resemblance to Childe.

“You should get down from there, you could hurt yourself boy. Ruin Guards are dangerous things” you exclaimed back 

“Nuh-Uh, Mister Cyclops would never hurt me! And what kind of a stupid name is ‘Ruin Guard' anyway?” He sat on its shoulder rather precariously. 

“Mister Cyclops?” You asked, that was a creature from old legend.

“That's what my brother called them!” He grinned widely, showing a gap-toothed smile “He’s the best toy seller in the world! He's working at the Institute for Toy Research in Liyue. That's where all Mister Cyclops’ come from”

“What's your name?” You ask, trying to get this kid back home to safety

“I’m Teucer! I came all the way from Snezhnaya on a boat to find my brother in Liyue. I can’t find him though…” He frowned

“You came all the way from Snezhnaya alone” You laughed a little in pure shock. This was Teucer, Childes' younger brother. One of the two who didn’t know what he actually was. ‘Toy seller’ must be the excuse he's using to disguise his true role as a Fatui Harbinger until they're ready to learn the truth.

“Uh-huh!” He slid down the Ruin Guards arm “This is the part where I give you this” He presents you with a huge bag of mora

“My brother said to find a nice person and give it to them so they’ll take good care of Teucer”

“He must make a lot of money selling toys then”

“You best believe it! He sends it home to help us as well! Alright now we've gotta make a pinkie promise”

“Why do we need to make a pinkie promise?” You ask

“You need to promise to keep me safe!” He extends his small pinkie and you wrap yours around his after a moment of hesitation

“You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life. You break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice. The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend, the frost will freeze your tongue so you never lie again” He recited, his tone too jaunty for the rhyme he just spoke.

“I think I know where to start looking for your brother” You said, crouching down to face him eye to eye. He didn’t have a vision but so long as he held on tightly enough you would be ok. 

 ✧

You waited at the top of the red lacquered stairs in front of Northland Bank waiting for Teucer to scramble up the remaining steps.  As soon as he reaches the top step he sprints towards the open door, you follow languidly behind him. Childe is by the desk talking to what seems to be the receptionist in Snezhnayan. You recognised her as one of Childe’s informants.

He seemed to be doing a little better, or at least he's good at hiding how terrible he feels. If you look close enough you could still see small bags under his eyes.

“Ajax!” Teucer exclaimed, he snapped his head around you see Teucer barrelling towards him, he slams into Child's leg and hugs it

Ajax? 

He switches to Common Tongue “I would know that voice anywhere! Teucer!” He laughs ruffling his hair, his tone significantly lighter than before. “I thought  I would have to wait to go home to see you again. How are the others, Tonia? Anthon?”

Teacher unclasps himself from Child's leg “They all miss you alot! Мама and Tonia pray for you at dinner every night. Папа is still a little sick but he's getting better every day with the medicine you sent!”

Childe frowns “Wait a second Teucer, what are you doing in Liyue? How come I haven't heard anything about this”

Teucer looks at the ground guilty “I snuck onto a ship back home, they said they were shipping toys to Liyue.., a-and I really wanted to see you! When I got off I just kept walking and walking until I found a Mister Cyclops”

Childe sighs and holds his head in his hand, crouching down and places his hands on Teucer’s shoulders “What you did was extremely dangerous, I’m happy to see you, really I am. But just promise you won't ever do that again. Poor Мама must be worried sick”

He clasped his hands behind his back swaying from side to side “Are you mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you, I care about your safety, that's all. Just promise to never do that again, OK? If this nice lady hadn’t found you things could have been a lot more dangerous for you. Did you say thank you to her?”

“I promise” The both of them look at you “And thank you Miss. Nice Lady!”

You shook your head “It’s really no bother, I just wanted to make sure he got back to his brother safely” You said, putting on your best performance you could, you were no actress but you had a feeling you were somehow pulling it off.

“I can't thank you enough Miss…?”

“Yulia” you supplied

“Could I trouble you to take care of him for a few more hours? I have some business I need to attend to” He asks

“As long as you’re alright with me taking him to Bubu Pharmacy, I guess I could show him some of Liyue”

“Thank you so much” The receptionist hands him a small pouch of mora, he walks up and hands it to you “Consider this as Teucer’s entertainment fund” He whispers the next bit “Thank you for not revealing anything, he's still too young”

He steps back and turns to the receptionist “Ekaterina, I’ll death with that outstanding debt collection right away”

“But Master Childe wouldn’t it be a little improper to ask you to deal with a debt collection?” Ekaterina asked tentatively 

He shrugged “I made a bet with and agent and I lost, might as well get a littler exercise out of it” 

He walks out, pausing just before he exits “If you need me I’ll be by Qingxu Pool”

You and Teucer took to the streets of Liyue, he flitted around fascinated by the city. 

“Did you know that Anthon thinks the people in Liyue are made of stone. Ajax sent us a letter telling us they were boring old humans” He said, skipping ahead of you. 

You made your way to Bubu Pharmacy to drop off the herbs. You left the package with the new Herbalist Gui

“Let Baizhu know I’ll be in tomorrow for my shift!” You said waving goodbye.

Teucer tugged your hem “I’m hungry!” he whined

“How about we head to Wamin Restaurant? The chef and his daughter are the best cooks in Liyue” 

Teucer nodded enthusiastically and bolted down the stairs, you chased after him “Hey! Wait! You don't know where you're going!”

The boy didn’t seem to care, weaving through the crowds of Liyue without a care in Teyvat. You filled behind, trying to keep track of him. You caught back up to him and steered him across a bridge to another part of the city. 

Teucer scrunched his nose as soon as he stopped “It smells… choking in here”

Chef Mao evidently overheard that was you winced 

He took in stride as he gave a booming laugh “Choking smell? You must be referring to our signature jueyun chillies!”

“Chillies? But… I can’t easy spicy food”

“What do you like to eat, Teucer?” you asked calmly

“Hmmm, something with lots of sugar and extra virgin olive oil!”

You looked at Chef Mao and apologised “I’m sorry, well go find somewhere else that caters to Teucer's tastes”

Chef Mao waved his hand nonchalantly “We can do special requests no problem”

“Are you sure?” you asked slightly taken aback

“Easy work! Go find yourselves a seat”

“Thankyou” You and Teucer chirped

You and Teucer found a free table near the back corner of the restaurant, he scrambled up on the seat and swung his legs, he looked around, clearly fascinated by Liyuean culture. 

“Are you the Yulia that Ajax told us all about in his letters?” 

“S-sorry” you asked, trying not to choke on the sip of water you just had

“You have the same name and you look like the way Ajax described in his letters! Why didn't he know you at the bank?”

You were silent for a second, trying to come up with a good enough lie “Sometimes people in the toy industry have to pretend to not know each other, so when they announce a new toy everyone’s surprise”

A terrible lie but it would have to do but Teucer seemed to buy it judging by the way his eyes lit up. 

You wouldn't believe Childe mentioned you in his letters home, and what was with ‘Ajax’, was that his true name?

“Really! You’re a toy maker too!”

Thankfully one of the waitresses came around with the food, Teucer gave it a suspicious look before taking a small bite with the fork given to him.

“Mmmm! Just how Tonia makes it” He ate the whole meal and licked the plate clean. 

After paying Chef Mao with the money Childe gave you, you promptly left the restaurant.

Teucer already had a look on his face that suggested he knew what he wanted to do next. Out of the corner of your eye you spotted an older lady selling kites on the wharf. 

“You wanna go check the kites out Teucer?” You asked

He gave a vigorous nod and bolted off. You were again left to catch up to him. By the time you approached the stall the old woman was giving a Teucer a through explanation of what kites even were

“Snezhnaya is too cold and windy for kites! They would just get stuck in the snow” He said inspecting every single kite “I don't see one of a Mr Cyclops..”

The woman looked confused and you leaned in to whisper “He means a Ruin Guard” She gave you a warm smile in thanks. “I do do custom builds but it’ll be extra and I’ll need a few days to complete it”

You nodded, Childe could always pick it up and send it Snezhnaya, he was paying for it anyway. After haggling for a few minutes you agreed on a price and Teucer looked satisfied knowing that he’ll get a kite soon.

You walked along the harbour marketplace  “Do the people here ever freeze?”

“I don't think it snows in Liyue at all”

“Never?” He asked, confused

“Never” you chucked back, for all his rambunctiousness he was a cute kid. Teucer was distracted again by a fish merchant peddling his wares. 

“Wow! The fish here are so small!”

The merchant looked like he just got slapped “Whose fish are you calling small! I’m trying to run a business”

Seemingly oblivious to the merchants offence he prattled on “The fish in Snezhnaya are double, no, triple the size of this”

You stood back, as much as you wanted to intervene you did find the merchant's annoyance amusing, especially towards a clueless child.

“Are you gonna buy a fish or not?” he seethed, glaring Teucer down

“In Morepesok there are legends of giant fish and it's supposed to be super yummy. I told my big brother about it and he went hunting. A few days later he returned with a giant fish slung over his shoulder. Anthon and me were so happy!” He yapped on

Morepesok, so that's where he's from

The merchant looked just about ready to punt Teucer, sliding in you bent down to Teucer's eye level “How about we go find your brother”

Teucer looked about ready to explode with excitement when you said that. Taking that as a yes, you whisked him away to Qingxu Pool.

 ✧

Approaching Qingxu pool you would see Childe conversing with a blond Fatui agent. A group of pissed off treasure hoarders lingered nearby. 

Childe glazed over looking floored to see you and Teucer approaching, the Fatui agent raised a brow and ignored the two of you. 

“As I was saying, after Signoria’s departure you are the only Harbinger in Liyue. You need to initiate the new recruits. They’re just south of Lingju Pool” He reported in a thick Snezhnayan accent

Childe turned to look down at Teucer “I’m really sorry but I have to work”

Teucer looked about ready to burst into tears “But.. But I just got here”

You placed a hand on his shoulder “Hey, it’s OK, we can go back to Liyue Harbour and look at more toys? Why doesn’t Yulia take you to Wangshu Inn?”

Teucer hung his head, looking utterly dejected “Fine” 

As you started to walk back Teucer broke free of your grip, bolting after his brother. Rushing after him you barely caught up. You had no idea how he was able to run for so long as he weaved through the underbrush and through the ruins. 

Finally catching up to the small child, you caught him peeking over a rock at his brother giving a speech 

“You can't do that!” you forced out trying to catch your breath, ducking beneath the rock with him

“Shhh! I’m trying to hear Ajax speak!” he whispered to you, placing a finger to his lips to emphasise the point

“From this day onwards you will honour the oaths you have made to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, and you will stop at nothing to bring victory to Snezhnaya. You shall sweep through the lands like the icy winds of the furthest north, as strong as the hoar frost of Zapolyarny Palace” He spoke to the newest recruits, inducting them into The Fatui, a smile of passion gracing his face

“Her Majesty expects of you loyalty, ruthlessness and precision. For the trials we face are harsh and our enemies are like..”  Teucer popped his head over the rock and waved. Taraglia looked like lighting had struck him 

“... Like kites and rattle drums. Who shall become reputable foes of Mr Cyclops in the marketplaces of Liyue.” He let out an unsure laugh as the recruits looked around in confusion. 

Teucer nodded as if this was normal “Uh-huh kites are fun too”

“This is of course an analogy, as they say - the marketplace too, is a battlefield” He glanced back over to Teucer and you, you bit your lip trying not to let out a laugh with how absurd the situation was.

“So as your… Sales manager I demand you obey every order. A refusal shall be considered a betrayal and the price of betrayal is to be dishonourably discharged from the…Liyue Institute of Toy Research” He finished the speech with an awkward look on his face

The recruits still looked at each other and Tartaglia in confusion. Muttering among themselves. 

“Forget it. Perhaps some hands-on training will suit us better. After all a strong body is proof of one’s capacity” He says jumping down

Some of the recruits chattered in excitement at the possibility of a Harbinger himself wanting to spar with them personally.

Thinking fast you covered Teucer’s eyes and whispered “Were going to play a game where you have to guess what's going on OK?”

Teucer, seeming delighted at the prospect of a game, eagerly nodded “Alright!”

Tartaglia, still weak from the abyss, took on each new recruit with ease, a master of battle with mere beginners. 

Teucer hummed “He’s showing them how to make a Mr Cyclops isn't he?”

Before you could answer he pried your fingers apart to see what was actually happening.

He stared amazed, focused on Tartaglia’s movements as not a single blow landed on him. After all the recruits had had their turn Tartaglia dismissed them, they signalled off and left for the nearest camp to officially begin their training. 

As soon as he dismissed the recruits he made a bee-line right towards Tartaglia “Ajax! You were amazing”

“Teucer, Yulia, what are you doing here? I thought Yulia had taken you to play at Wangshu Inn” He laughed but he looked at you for an answer. 

“I wanted to see you so I ran away from Yulia” He said proudly

“He’s rather slippery you know, reminds me of someone I already know” You commented 

Childe chucked and Teucer bounced up and down on his toes “I wanna learn to fight like you! I wanna look cool like you”

“Fighting isn't about looking cool, you know. If you want to get better you need to have a reason as to why you're fighting. I’ll teach you but you've got to know why you're doing it”

Teucer gave it a second to think “I want to learn to protect Tonia and Мама and Anthon!”

“That's a good answer, but now you need to go home, Tonia must be worried about you” He said, trying to coax Teucer home in any way possible

Teucer frowned “Only if you do one small thing for me” Cleary resistant to the idea of leaving his brother again 

“And what would that be?” He cocked his head

“I wanna see The Liyue Institute of Toy Research” Childe’s jaw twitched 

“Let’s see, yes, The Institute is just south-east of here isn't it?”

✧

The three of you stood outside the abandoned factory, leaned in and murmured to Childe “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

He murmured back “Dottore abandoned this place a few months ago when he lost interest, it’ll be fine” He said dismissively

You grabbed his arm forcing him to look at you “Do you even know what it’s like inside?”

“Well.. no, but you have me and it's my duty as a brother to protect Teucer.” He spoke to his brother “You ready?”

He pushed his way inside of the factory, Ruin Guards littered the floor. “Ajax, Yulia said that Mr Cyclopes are dangerous”

“Did she now?” He gave you a look and you raised your eyebrow. Your catalyst floated alongside you just in case. “What a silly thing to say. Maybe don’t go repeating that though, your far too young to think about such things” He added tentatively 

“Yeah! Mr Cyclops is my friend and he’ll defeat the bad guys and protect the world” Teucer relied, skipping along the path in delight

“Right. With Mr Cyclops around the bad guys won’t ever hurt you” You said, stepping over a loose arm. Without even replying Teucer ran off to play. The grated door shut behind him. 

“Teucer! Hey! Wait up!” You yelled, voice echoing against the walls

“C’mon there's another way up there” The two of you ran, Childe drew out his bow and activated the hydro monument flooding the empty pool in front of you. You ran and he skated over the short distance. 

A few pyro slimes littered the way to the console, within a few seconds you hand Childe had vaporised them. He pressed the console and opened up the door to meet up with Teucer

“Oh, the door opened! Was that you?” He said, not even bother to look at Childe

“Yeah, Teucer give me a moment I need to make sure everything's -” Before he could finish his sentence Teucer had gone off into the next room. 

He pulled a hand across his face “Maybe I shouldn't have spoiled him so much” he grumbled.

“Let's go, we've got no time to lose”  You made your way carefully to the next room. Steam making it harder to see. 

“These Ruin Guards have all been strung up, I wonder where they're being taken to?” You mumbled, looking at the countless mechanical weapons above you

“I don’t know - but if it's any chance where Teucer is we need to get there before things get ugly” He replied, voice getting tenser. You made it past the elemental slimes and through the metal labyrinth. You saw Teucer’s form through the iron bars. 

Childe called out “Teucer! You see that stone cube over there? I'm going to count to three and were going to press it together. One, Two, Three” The gate ground open and Childe hugged Teucer.

“Are you hurt?” he mumbled into his hair. 

“Hurt? No way this has been so fun!” He grinned

“Fun for you maybe, we've been scared to death” you said, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Wait… what's over there.” He takes a step forward “A giant room full of Mr Cyclopes! Is this where he takes his friends when they come to visit?”

Childe sighed, just about done with Teucer’s antics “It is. Impressive isn't it? Now, how about a game of hide and seek?”

“Uhh.. Now? But” Childe cut him off 

“I have a surprise for you” Teucer brightened up “You can look for it later but now you need to close your eyes, turn around and count to sixty” 

“But sixty is a really long time” he whined, obliging anyway. 

You stood next to Childe, preparing yourself for the onslaught. The guards came down, and you drew your weapons. A ring of hydro daggers floated behind you while Childe drew his dual blades. 

“There’s not much time, let's clear this place out” he said to you, you nodded in return

You didn't bother with the theatrics Childe put on as you aimed for the eye plunging through it with your hydro sword. Teucer’s countdown creating unhelpful background noise. 

“Forty-eight, forty-seven forty-six, forty-five...”

You found yourself surrounded by a circle of Ruin Guards advancing towards you, Childe bursts through and takes a few of them down, one approaches him behind his back, you disable it, jumping off one of the disintegrating bodies to end it for good. 

“Twenty-six, twenty-five, twenty-four...”

“Hey! You skipped a few numbers!” Childe exclaimed as he dodged an arm coming down towards him. The ground shook as it made impact. You tried to swallow your growing fear and keep quiet for Teucer’s sake. 

A Ruin Guard nearly hit you, you retaliate, swinging your sword at it blindly. An arrow thrown by Childe hits it and you finish it off. 

“Five, four, three, two…” You use the last second to throw your sword at the mechanical sentinel and rush over to Teucer to block his view. Childe stood alone surrounded by endless enemies.

“One! Are you ready” He asked, ready to play

“Just ten more seconds. Still hiding” he bit out as calmly as he could

“Hmph! Who’s the cheater now? Fine, ten seconds that's all you get” He replied indignantly 

He laughed and turned as a guard was just about to punch him.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

A flash hydro turned to electro as he dashed towards the centre of the room, creating a shockwave that blasted the guards back. His Foul Legacy emerged, jumping up followed by a cape of stars he plunged down destroying everything in his wake.

“Four, Three..”

He landed and looked directly at you, a glint of light emerging from his eye. He dashed off into an unknown corner.

“Two, One! Coming ready or not!” Teucer turned around to see the corpses of the guards laying around in the steam, a few still sparking. He stood in awe before giggling and running to clamber over the guards

“This.. This is everything I ever dreamed of!” He yelled in pure excitement

“This is the surprise your brother prepared for you, what do you think?” You prompted, scrunching your nose at the faint traces of the abyss. 

“I love it! I’m gonna go find my brother!” He sprints off looking behind the guards.

You approached the dark corner Childe was hiding in. You found him slumped against the wall, he peered up at you

“Thank the Tsaritsa you found me first” he coughed. “I don’t know what I would do if Teucer found me like this. It would just about shatter the dreams I’ve worked so hard to build for him”

“You need to get home now” you knelt down in front of him taking his pulse, his skin was cold and clammy and his heartbeat was slow. Using his Foul Legacy form so soon after the last time must have wiped him out.

“No, I can get myself back. J-just get Teucer to the bank. I’ll get one of my agents to take him from there” He coughs again, hacking up that signature black-flecked phlegm. He presses a small figurine into your hands “Give this to Teucer won't you?” 

Reluctantly you stood “Get back safe alright?” 

“I always do” He took a deep breath and stood up shakily. 

“Pinkie promise me” you asked, he gave a small, soft smile and hooked his pinkie with yours. You started the first part of the rhyme “ You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life.”

“You break a pinkie promise, I throw you on the ice. The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend, the frost will freeze your tongue so you never lie again. Teucer taught you that?” 

“Yeah…” You glanced to the room seeing Teucer was nowhere near the two of you. He just gave a small laugh and limped back towards Liyue Harbour

You found Teucer still looking around the Ruin Guards mumbling to himself “I can’t find him anywhere.. Where did he go…”

“He already left” you said, walking up to him

“What? Without me?” he said, upset

“A huge number of people wanted to buy Mr Cyclopes. Here he gave me something to give to you” You handed him the small action figure of a Ruin Guard

“Wow! I didn’t know they came in this size. Ajax really is the best big brother ever!” He turned the figurine around in his small hands

You gave him a soft smile “C’mon, don’t you reckon it's time to head back to Snezhnaya?”

 ✧

As soon as you approached the bank a stern Fatuus spoke “Ma’am, young master Teucer, I've been waiting for you. The Lord Harbinger extends his gratitude to you miss. A boat has been arranged to take you back to Snezhnaya young master”

“But what about my brother?” He questioned, sadness lacing his voice

“The Lord Harbinger has instructed me to tell you that you will see him soon in Snezhnaya” He replied coldly, leaving no room for questions. Teucer looks up at you and you crouch down to give him a hug

“Stay safe OK? Let your brother know when you get home” 

“I will! I can’t wait to tell everyone that I finally met you” He let go and stepped back, being led away by the Fatui Agent. You see Childe signal to you out of a shadowy corner. You went over to see him holding himself up with one arm on the wall.

“Why didn’t you say goodbye to him?” You place him arm over your shoulder

“Partings are special moments, I don't want his last memory of me to be of me like this. All haggard and weak. Still… I wish I could have seen him off” He gave a sad smile as he looked down at the red-lacquered wood of the bridge.

You began to escort him back to his apartment. He shook you off and walked a short distance ahead of you. Eventually he unlocked the door and collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion. Groaning as he finally let his body rest.

“You told your family about me” You comment, voice flat

“That I did” he mumbled, You felt the rage quell in you, rage that he put you and Teucer in danger like that, that he pushed himself so hard. You took a deep breath in, trying to calm down.

You spoke softly, sitting down on the couch. His head in your lap, you tangled your fingers in his hair gently. A lock of his hair was lighter than the rest, something new.

“Why?” You looked down at him, he looked tired and yet content

“I-I don’t know.” He admitted. He coughed violently. 

“You. Childe, Tartaglia Ajax. Harbinger, Abyssiling, Boy. Are a man of inherent contradictions. You care so deeply about your family's safety and mine to the extent that you had me make contracts with you and yet, you put us in dangers way. You took Teucer and I to an abandoned factory of Dottore’s for what? Your brother's entertainment?”

You took a breath and continued “You told your family about me, what if those letters got intercepted?” You spoke evenly

You looked into his eyes, the purported windows of the soul only to find they were shut. letting nobody in. You realised that he not only contradicts everything you initially stood for, but everything he lived for. He didn’t want to release Osial but he did anyway. He hates the Fatui’s deception but deceives his own siblings. He acts so genuine and yet he wears a mask.

“You could have gotten yourself killed like that” You try not to scold him

“I nearly did, transforming that fast fucking hurts. But it's something I need to do to keep my family safe. The abyss taught me that wrath will always be the cost of protection” He fully relaxed into your lap

“What happened to Ajax, What happened in the Abyss?” You prodded further, no indication of anger in your voice

“Truths you wouldn't want to know, what Celestia did to Khaenri'ah, the roots for my loyalty to the Tsaritsa. Ajax died in the Abyss by my own hand” 

“Then who are you if not a loyal dog to the Tsaritsa, Ajax?” There was a faint glint of light in his eyes as you spoke his true name. 

“I am nothing but her vanguard, without her I am a soul lost in the snow. The boy who clambered out of the abyss and attempted to grasp the gods”

“Ajax isn’t dead is he? Buried somewhere in the snow he still lives and breathes” Your fingers twitch in his hair

“Don't try and crack this mask” He said, not even having the energy to try and be intimidating

“Watch me break it in two” You replied 

Translations! Tres autuem Facies Praenuntius -> Three Faces of the Laughing Harbinger Il n'y a pas de douceur comme ton péché/тогда приходи и купайся в нем, дорогая -> There is no such sweetness as your sin/Then come and bathe in it darling Любовник -> lover

[stellas-et-abyssum-vincite]

Falling Asteroid ~ *Childe/Tartaglia*

Summary: He fell from the sky. As a healer, it's your job to take care of his wounds. Of course, he finds you suspicious. But you're not about to let his paranoia get the better of you.

Pairing: Childe/Tartaglis X G/N!Reader

Genre: Angstyish Oneshot

Word Count: 1140

Warning: N/A

Masterlist

A/N: This took a long time to figure out. As much as I like his character, I find him very hard to write for.

There was a loud bang before the sky split in two and the asteroid came hurtling to the ground. You were just watering the flowers in front of your cottage when you felt the ground shake. It was not in your nature to turn a blind eye to something like this. So grabbing your basket full of healing herbs and other medicines, you set out for the crash site of the asteroid.

Turns out, it wasn’t an asteroid at all. It was a person, a man to be more exact. You’d be lying if you didn’t find him extraordinarily handsome. However, you pushed those thoughts to the side. He was injured and you needed to help him.

Carefully, you looked over all of his wounds and tended to the more serious ones before you stood up and sighed. Dusting your hands off, you picked him up so that he was leaning against your back. Holding onto him the best you can, you trudged towards home so he could rest safely. It’s a good thing he decided to fall out of the sky not too far from your cottage.

When you arrived, you put him in your bed and finished addressing the smaller wounds so nothing would get infected. When you were all done, you looked at his sleeping face, studying the small twitches in his facial muscles. He was dreaming, which was a good sign. That means he will survive this fall. You were curious as to what he was dreaming about. You made a mental note to ask when he woke up. For now, you pulled the blanket up to his chin and stoked the fire in the room before leaving him to his rest.

It was three days later when he woke up.

Again, you were watering the flowers outside when you heard a groan coming from inside. Quickly you went inside to find him rubbing the sleep from his eyes. You grabbed a bucket of water and the kettle before putting it over the fire to brew some tea.

“Who are you?” A sharp voice demanded behind you, but you didn’t flinch. “And where is my shirt?”

You glanced behind him to find the man holding the blanket protectively over him. He looked much different when he was awake. He didn’t look so young, his eyes betraying years of hardship and paranoia. But it didn’t bother you. You’ve seen plenty of those people pass through your cottage.

“You fell from the sky.” You replied simply, placing herbs and tea leaves into the boiling water. “You were injured. I just dressed the wounds so they wouldn’t get infected.”

“I don’t appreciate you undressing me without my consent.” He snapped. “Return my belongings so I may leave.”

You shook your head. “You can’t leave now. You’re still recovering from your wounds. Stay for another day or two and then you may be on your way.”

He opened his mouth to argue when you shot him a sharp look that shut him up. You didn’t like being mean to your patients, but you also knew what was best for them. He needed another day to rest and then he may be on his way.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bill you for your time here.” You added before handing him a cup of tea. “Drink this, it will help you rebuild your strength faster.”

He stared at it suspiciously. “How do I know you didn’t poison it?”

You shoved the cup in his hands before getting close to his face. “Listen, Fatui. I greatly resent the insinuation that I would do something as cruel as that. I use my Dendro vision to heal others, not take a life. Now drink it before I force feed you, and believe me, I will show no mercy if I have to.”

The man stared at you a second more before raising the cup to his lips and drinking it down in one go. “How did you know I was Fatui?”

“You are not the first Fatui I’ve healed. I can tell.”

“And you won’t kill me?”

You shook your head. “No. I won’t. But I do ask for one thing as payment.”

His eyes narrowed at you. “What could that be?”

“Something simple. Just your name. It doesn’t even have to be your real name. Just something to call you while you’re here.”

He hesitated before saying. “Childe. You can call me Childe.”

You nodded. “Childe. A pleasure to meet the falling asteroid.”

Childe was not amused by your little joke. “How long have I been out?”

“Three days.”

“I need to go.”

“No, you don’t.” You crossed your arms, as a hard sneer crossed your face. “You will stay in that bed until I tell you you are healed enough to travel. Understand?”

He matched your look of frustration. “I do have other things I need to be doing. Return my things and let me live.”

Your sneer becomes a smirk. “No. Until you are better, I will keep your things under lock and key. Consider yourself my prisoner for the next day or two. You’ll find I’m a rather strict jailer.”

Childe tried to stand up, but the headrush he received from having not been awake for three days forced him back down in bed. He had discarded his blanket, leaving his bandaged chest bare. But you knew better than to stare.

“You are a cruel healer.”

“Cruel but fair. Trust me, I’ve heard about you, Childe.” You sat in a chair opposite him and stared into his eyes. “You are the eleventh Fatui harbinger. You are as strong as you are dangerous. The citizens in the next town over believe you are a threat. So are you?”

“Am I what? A threat?”

“No, the bad guy?” Your smirk grew. “Should I be afraid of you, Childe?”

He paused before giving a teasing smirk. “You should be very afraid.”

You laughed, tossing your head back as you did so. “You’re very amusing. But I find it very hard to be afraid of someone who looks like a child when he sleeps.”

“I do not!”

Shaking your head, you grabbed one of your medical books and cracked it open. “Go to sleep already. The tea should be kicking in by now and as it works its magic, you’ll begin to feel some exhaustion. Don’t worry, I can read you a bedtime story.”

“I am not a child!” He huffed as a yawn overtook him.

“Whatever you say. Now sleep. You’ll be better when you wake up.”

Crawling back under the blanket he glared at you through drooping eyes. “And you’ll return my things to me then?”

“I will. Now sleep, Childe.” You gave him a sweet smile as his eyes slipped close. “You’ll find no nightmare will come for you as you sleep.”

[chaoticremnants-wattpad]

Chilumi Oneshot [ Genshin Impact ]

Dawn's Light

Dawn was just upon the horizon, sunlight peeking through the small gap between the curtains, painting faint patterns along the girl's exposed body. A thin sheet draped along her lower abdomen, slowly sitting up to climb out of bed.

The figure beside her began to stir awake, Lumine turning to glance at her company. Copper colored hair shifted along the pillow, the girl frozen until he fell quiet once more, successfully dangling her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. The sunlight warmed her bare skin, shoulders relaxed as she scooped her dress off the floor. The material hugged her body comfortably as she slipped it on, adjusting the spaghetti straps.

The blonde felt at ease for the first time in a very long time, turning around to gaze at the sleeping man. His chest rose and fell, the girl wondering how long it has been since he got to rest this well. She didn’t know too much about him; Childe opened up to the Traveler in small tidbits, never prying further than what he chose to disclose. Lumine sat back against the mattress, the surface dipping a bit under her weight before turning to Tartaglia, examining his peaceful expression.

It was funny how one could go from fighting to, well, this. A playful duel between companions turning into something much more intimate. It was unexpected but welcomed.

Lumine reached over to brush some of his curls away from his forehead, not getting that far before his hand shot up instinctively, gently grasping her wrist and pulling her small frame against him. Before she could process anything, the boy was on top of her, settled between her legs. The skirt of her dress rode up on her thighs, Tartaglia squinting down at her through his sleepy haze.

“Hey girlie..” A smile formed on the boy's lips, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her exposed collarbone, lips lazily trailing up to her neck and towards the outer lobe of her ear. The butterflies within her stomach stirred, clenching her thighs in response before letting out a soft exclamation. The sheet slipped off his hips, exposing all of him once again, her face heating up as her golden orbs lingered for a moment too long.

“G.. good morning..” She stammered, feeling his weight shift towards the hand that was planted on the mattress next to her hip, his other hand pinning her wrists down above her head.

“Good indeed.” His eyes twinkled with amusement, blue orbs trained on her to gauge her reactions accordingly. Childe dipped his head down to drop a kiss to the cleavage that threatened to spill out from her dress, his lips traveling slowly down her body. 

Lumine arched her back, pressing her porcelain skin against his lips while a soft moan pushed free from her lips. The blonde's body reacted with every kiss and touch, craving more from the man. When she felt his grip on her wrists ease, the girl pushed against the man's lean frame, using her lower body to gain the upperhand once again, straddling his hips.

His orbs grew a few shades darker, a smirk forming on his lips as his eyes swept over the curve of her hips. Tartaglia reached up, slipping the tip of his index finger under the spaghetti strap of her dress. His eyes burned with desire, eyes glued to her clothed chest but Lumine pinned his wrist down onto the mattress before he could slip off the strap. A devilish grin spread on her lips, a surge of confidence flowing through her system.

“Is everything a competition with you?” She purred playfully, leaning down so their faces were inches apart. “You’re lucky to have found someone who can keep up with you.” The girl dropped a soft kiss to the man's lips, pulling away just as he was about to give in.

“I am lucky.” His eyes bore into hers, ocean blue meeting sunset gold. A sense of dread filled the girl, sliding off his lap and sitting on the edge of the bed, back turned to him. Tartaglia perched himself onto his elbows, a concerned expression dawning on his face. “Did I say something to upset you?”

Lumine bit her bottom lip, a sudden wave of sadness crashing over her. Tartaglia felt a shift in the mood, settling behind her and delicately wrapping his arms around her petite waist.

“Hey.. talk to me.” He mumbled softly, propping his chin against her shoulder, the scent of her shampoo filling his senses as he dropped a soft kiss to her neck. The contact churned her butterflies, a smile threatening to form on her lips.

After a few moments, the girl exhaled softly, settling her hands on his that were holding her. “You know I’m not from this world. That I’ll have to leave eventually.” Her eyes settled on the rising sun, Tartaglia’s fingers drawing soothing circles against Lumine’s skin through the material of her dress.

“But do you have to go?” The boy asked, gaze softening as she turned to look at him. Her silence was enough for him to continue. “Stay…” The sunlight ignited the flecks of gray and dark aquamarine in his beautiful eyes, rarely seeing such a vulnerable side to the man.

His suggestion made her heart flutter, a stubborn blush spreading across her face as she tenderly cupped his cheek. “Childe –” “Look, we don’t have to discuss this right now.” The man spoke softly, Lumine’s shoulders relaxing slightly as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Not until we find your brother.”

“We?” Lumine’s golden orbs flickered to his, arching an eyebrow. His index finger traced her jaw, chuckling when he detected the challenge behind her gaze.

“Yes. We came this far already. What’s another journey together?” He chuckled, a mischievous glint present in his blue eyes. The girl rolled her eyes playfully before feeling his arms pull her back against his torso. Soft laughter bubbled from the girl, Childe keeping her cradled in his arms. “Besides, Teucer wouldn’t forgive me if something happened to you. Someone needs to keep an eye on you.”

The blonde scoffed at his cockiness, refusing to admit how happy he made her. “And you still owe me that tour around Snezhnaya. Or did you forget?” A muffled chuckle pushed past his lips, sending subtle vibrations through her skin as he dropped another kiss to her shoulder.

“I could never forget that, Traveler.” Lumine twisted her body enough to face Childe, arms securely around her. His gaze was composed of a tenderness she wasn’t accustomed to, the heat enough to make her cheeks flush pink. “I promise.”

Tears blurred her vision, only then realizing how much they cared for each other. It was unlike anything she’s ever felt. Words couldn’t quite express her gratitude for him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his lips tenderly. Where words failed, Lumine prayed that her actions spoke volumes, unable to suppress her smile as they deepened the kiss. The pair fell back against the mattress, tangling themselves once again as the sun rose higher into the sky, marking the start of a brilliant day ahead of them.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I hope you liked it! My stories are available on Wattpad so if you're interested, feel free to follow for more! <3 :)

Beautiful art is from Aitsuwu on Instagram! &lt;3

Btw I have a LOT of muse for Childe x Lumine due to 4.0 AAAHHSKHFKSHKHLDHAK

[thepaperpanda]

One Bed - Two People || Tartaglia x fem!reader

Masterlist

Summary: Sharing a bed isn't always a bad thing, especially if two people adore each other.

Warnings: None

Word count: ~725

Authors: Cass & Fenrir

A/N: today’s prompt: Bed Sharing

Resting during missions is common, but resting in a decent hotel is unusual. You are surprised to discover that there is only one room with one bed available.

You adore Tartaglia, which is why you refuse to consider simply sharing a bed with him! At least not right now! You sigh, rubbing the back of your neck. "Wow, that's unexpected."

Because Childe likes you so much, he only smirks, more to himself. "Is that an issue for you, Y/N? You're always so eager to be challenged, so consider this as a challenge," he says after taking a seat on the bed and petting the open space beside him.

You frown, your cheeks flushed as you stare at him. You're not going to give him this satisfaction, are you? "I'm going to take a bath because you dragged me into an unnecessary fight."

"Sure, I won't stop you," a smug smirk appears on his lips as his gaze follows you until you vanish in the bathroom.

You lock the door and quickly start the bath to calm yourself down.

After bathing, you change into more comfortable and clean clothes before joining him again.

Childe moves a little to provide you with a more spacious place on the bed. "Feeling better?"

"I would if there were two beds," you say and sigh and settle into the bed next to him.

"If this is such a problem for you, I can eventually take the floor," he scoffs.

You chuckle, shaking your head. "No, no, everything is fine. Just… I wasn't expecting such a situation. Whoever got us this room had a great sense of humour."

After you're comfortable by his side, Tartaglia wraps his arm around the curve of your waist. "I like your shower gel scent."

You look at him and blink. Your eyes widen in surprise at the unexpected words. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it."

His hand rubs your shoulder as he holds you close. "You're tired, aren't you?"

"A little, but I'm fine with staying up a little longer," you reply, nuzzling closer to him. "How about you? Aren't you exhausted? Especially after what happened?" You perk up as you look at him, "You're not hurt, are you?"

He rolls his eyes and replies in a casual manner, "No, I am not. You think I would have gotten hurt so easily, Y/N?"

"I don't believe you would, but…" As you nuzzle to him and wrap your arms around him, your voice becomes quiet, "I'm simply concerned about you. Always."

"Oh, really? Is that so?" He asks, poking your nose.

You groan slightly annoyed, rubbing your nose, before saying, "Don't act as if you don't know! You're wondering why I'm always there for you when you're in pain?"

"I have no idea, Y/N? Perhaps you like to take care of people that are in need or the hurt ones?" He teases.

You immediately turn in his arms, huffing angrily. Your back is facing him. "You annoy me a lot today, Childe."

He uses the moment to push your hair from your neck and kiss your nape. "Oh, am I that annoying, little Y/N?"

Your cheeks are bright red right now. "Y-yes, you are! You make me blush so much that I am on the verge of dying!"

"Tell me what do you feel for me, but for real."

"I…" You pause before continuing, licking your lips, "I absolutely adore you. I adore you, and it breaks my heart to see you in pain."

"It's not so often, though," Childe reminds you with a smirk forming on his lips.

"It's not often, indeed, but you have a habit of pushing yourself past your limits, which has a turn on your body," you counter.

Childe likes everything about your bragging, as you can tell by his chuckle. "It's difficult not to agree with you."

You pull his arms up your body, hugging them as you snuggle closer to him. "You are very important to me."

He smiles against your nape and soon closes his eyes. "Sleep tight, Y/N."

You turn around in his arms once more before placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "You, too," you say softly, settling against his chest.

"You see?" He asks, his voice sleepy. "Sharing the bed with me wasn't such a bad idea."

[angelblacksmith]

° ☆ Genshin Impact Masterlist ``

◇ - nsfw

Childe

✧   . Imagines ౨ৎ ┄ .

Eat you out after his hard day ◇

Al haitham

coming soon...

Zhongli

coming soon...

[chaoticsnowflake-ao3]

It’s out!!

here it is- the fic i’ve been teasing for the past few days!! i feel like i say this about every fic, but i really did have a lot of fun with this one- in part because of the combined chaos of kaeya and childe being in the same room. but anyhow, i’ll stop talking and let you find out for yourself- happy reading!! :D

[mondaymelon]

₊⊹ "𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐨, 𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝…" | xiao, childe, alhaitham x gn!reader

「 "𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐚𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮!!"」

— in which you've gotten drunk... drunk enough to fail to recognize your own lover.

— silly fluff. soft xiao, had this one in the drafts for far too long and its about time i choke it out... happy white day !!

the moment your slurred words reached his ears, XIAO knew that he never should've let you get your hands on that cursed rice wine.

in a way, he supposed it could be his fault. the one time he had decided to indulge in trivial mortal matters like alcohol due to your constant insistence... well, just look at you.

red-faced, the tips of your ears and cheeks stuck in a helplessly drunken flush, you babbled incoherently with half of your face smushed against the table. xiao could only stare in contempt as you feebly reached towards the already-emptied bottle,

( xiao had taken one sip and refused any more indulgence, claiming it was bitter, when in fact, you had gone out of your way to find a sweeter drink ),

and sigh, massaging the bridge of his nose with a certain disillusionment.

"come on, you're getting to bed." the man was just about done with your hopeless actions. he grabbed your wrist and tugged, only to be met with resistance. you're pouting like a child, brows furrowed lazily as you stare upwards at him.

"nnno. m'not going with you."

"...excuse me?" what in the archons was the problem now? he tugged again, this time with a small margin of force, and was met with an even larger pull back, this time paired with a low whine. "hey, it's late, and all the wine is gone, so just comply with me won't you?"

"i already told you... i have a husband..."

your complaint met the cool night air and the adeptus' silence. his lips were slightly parted as his round eyes blinked once, then twice, in a sort of stunned stupor. "...love, i am that husband."

archons, how had he found himself such a foolish mortal to love?

"don't lie to me!" you shook your head profusely, wiggling around in his grasp relentlessly until the adeptus had no choice but to let go. "i know my husband when i see him... and he's way handsomer than you, stupid..." you stared him up and down with squinting eyes, eyeing the way his ears were beginning to turn pink, and sat heavily in thought as you pondered the man before you.

definitely not your husband.

idiot. with a huff, he easily hauled your body over his shoulder as if carrying something as trivial as a sack of potatoes. you hung loosely over, landing a couple weak punches on his back as you proceeded to prattle on, your defiance seemingly having little effect.

then, you were silent, and xiao had to look back to make sure you hadn't gotten hurt. sure, he had considered once or twice leaving you out there all passed out on the balcony, but not without reason, yet he'd decided against it. you seemed fine, mouth hung slightly ajar as you snoozed peacefully, your eyes shut and cheeks still warm from what you'd downed. the audacity to fall asleep... xiao couldn't deny that his sigh was one of fondness.

"night, this husband of yours loves you."

strange, wasn't the wine from liyue supposedly far less intense compared to the vodka CHILDE had tried back home?

that, or the people here simply were more susceptible when it came to the topic of intoxication. you were no exception — he'd taken you out drinking, his mistake, thinking it'd be an easy, splendid time.

and don't get him wrong, it was! not just, well... conversation was rather hard to make when the other person was practically unconscious. you're practically splayed across the mahogany table, eyes nearly drooped close and fire across your cheeks.

you giggled. it's a muddled sound, when you're mostly mumbling into the table. "hhhey, pour me another glass~"

childe scans your less-than-ideal state and procures an answer in a little under a second. "love, you've had too many."

you seem shocked at his words, leaning forwards a little with narrowed eyes. your figure sways as you shake your head lazily, from side to side. "wwhhhat? nnno, that can't be right..."

the man holds back an amused chuckle. it's entertaining. "and how many fingers am i holding up?" he holds up just one hand, displaying a reasonable amount of three.

there's a beat of silence. "...nineteen?" you blink a couple times, as if to shake you out of your stupor. "...nineteen," this time, with confidence.

childe claps his hands together, a sudden sound that makes you startled, and he moves to apologize immediately. "we're getting you to bed, love. clearly you've had more alcohol than you can handle."

"what, was i wrong??" there's tears forming in your eyes, and your lips tug downwards in a frown. "u-uhm, fifteen? nno, four...?"

"still incorrect, love. i'm afraid it's time for you to go to sleep. you'll wake up with a hell of a hangover tomorrow morning, but..." he sighed, thinking back to his time in shneznaya, then made a mental note to prepare you a hangover drink in the morning. his hand found its familiar place in your hand, unnaturally warm with your skin rosy from the alcohol. he smiled, turning to glance at you, but ceased when he saw you on the ground, tears now falling from your eyes, quietly sobbing as you shook your head back and forth.

panic immediately sets in. what has he done wrong?? "love, what-"

"nnnno, don't call me that..." you squinted upwards at him, looking quite displeased. "no 'love', 'kaaay? i'm not your love, mister."

he paused. wait, you didn't possibly think that... "love-" oh, old habits died hard, and the word had already left his lips before he could process what you'd said.

"i have a husband, you!!" in some sort of fit, or perhaps better worded as a tantrum, you stood, wrenching yourself from his grip and then hitting him repeatedly in the shoulders, chest, anywhere your fists could reach, really. the alcohol had surely affected your capabilities of combat — you missed half the time, and what punches did land caused no pain at all.

as your anger subsided, your step faltered, body swaying in the open air before childe reached over to catch you in his arms. he was concerned, naturally. "lov- are you alright?" his worry only grew when he heard no response, but it ebbed with a chuckle when he saw you were already fast asleep in his arms, snoozing without a care in the world.

"a husband, hm? whoever it is, he must quite be the gentleman..."

ALHAITHAM knew his night was fated to end in idiocy the moment you knocked on his door.

it didn't even strike him that you were holding wine, of all things, when you waltzed into his house like it was your own. sure, it wasn't as if these occasions weren't frequent, but really anyone would be surprised to glance up from a quiet reading session only to see their (annoying) lover pressed against the door, repeatedly calling out his name in a sing-song, satire-like voice.

like... calling a cat. it was a realization he made with not too much contentment. silently, he thanked the archons that kaveh was not home — they knew that he could not handle the both of you.

it was only when you sat down at his table, where he'd been reading up to the point when you barged in, that he noticed. green-tinted glass, a little wind motif on the front... dandelion wine from mondstadt. now, just how did you get your hands on that?

"connections," you had stated. with a note of pride, he might add. what, was he supposed to congratulate you on being able to talk to other people? even he, a person who generally hated people, could do that.

ah, but he didn't hate it. your voice, that is, when you rambled on for hours on end. he didn't have the heart to interrupt you, especially when you were so heated on a topic — be it work troubles, an especially annoying sailor, or you accidentally dropping your pita pocket into the water when walking along the port, he didn't mind.

"...mmbottle. haaithammm, the bottle..." your drunk complaints reach his ears, and he his irritation is more so disrupted with inward amusement as he watches you in the predicament you've landed yourself in.

"the bottle?" he questions, raising an eyebrow. his hands are crossed over his chest; he's clearly getting a ruse out of this. "just what would you need the bottle for, love?"

your eyebrows scrunch together. he can tell your brain is working at its max capacity. "...im. thirsty?"

"you've already drunk two thirds of this bottle." he holds said bottle high above your head, hopelessly far from your reach. "if you're so thirsty, drink water."

"i don wanna."

"..."

"just... one drop?"

"hah..." he pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing deeply, and places a hand on your shoulder. you barely react, and don't even glance at the sudden weight. "love, you're staying over. you're going to bed."

"bed...?" horror crosses your face, paired with evident irritation. "y...you, who do you think you are, to suggest such things!?" your face is bright red, and you're hugging yourself with one arm and pointing an accusing finger towards the male with the other. "i have a husband!!"

ah. "...what's his name?"

"and why do youuuu want to know?" you narrow your eyes suspiciously at him, but seem to come up with an answer to your own question, for you answer him anyhow. "haitham."

"do you love this 'haitham'?" alhaitham's enjoying himself. when he teases the sober you, all you do is retort back, but now... he can see your flustered expression on full display as you stammer out an answer.

"o-of course! a-and, if you wanted to know, he's waaaaay handsomer.. than ... you..."

just like that, you topple over and sink into the couch, knocked unconscious. a trace of a smile crosses alhaitham's lips as he looks at your sleeping form.

"fortunately for you, this 'haitham' you speak of loves you too."

(a/n) bye i was gonna add kaveh to this one too but i realized oh fuck its white day i said id post a month ago what the fuck am i doing so i just like regurgitated this out and spat it onto your dashboard. ahodfjlds

tags (id paste the aesthetic thing but i cant find it so we're just gonna roll w this):

@manager-of-the-pudding-bank, @iamdedinside, @ilyuu, @ @falors, @swivy123, @scara-is-my-wife, @lupicalbestwolf, @justyoureader,@fiannee, @aether-darling, @ceneid, @avensuersa, @solxima

[kiryoutann]

Before reading, please check series masterlist to read the warning(s), disclaimer, and to make sure you’re on the right chapter. Minors do NOT interact.

Please consider donating to my Kofi. That would really help me!

Likes, replies, reblogs, and shares also count. Once again, thanks so much!

In the morning, still too early, the sun arose at the horizon, slowly taking its position in the blue sky. The birds' wings were flapping as they flew over the soft ground, over the rain that had just ended this morning. In several parts of the palace, workers were ready to start another day of serving the kingdom.

Yet in a quiet room lit by a bit of sunlight that made it through the thick curtains covering the window, a woman was still asleep in the arms of her love. Warmth was shared by the two naked bodies enveloped in the satin blanket.

Under those eyelashes, two blue eyes stared at her beautiful face as he supported his head with one firm hand. Lips curved into a smile, clearly proud to have an angel within his reach, in his arms. He moved his fingers to tuck a strand of your hair from covering your cheek and then brought you back closer.

Childe watched as his wife's brow furrowed before her eyes opened, revealing the exact color of Ramon flowers—his current favorite flower.

"Good morning, angel." He greets you.

You looked at him while drowsily blinking your eyes. He's so beautiful, with his messy hair and the smile he gives you. You lower your sight to his broad chest and muscular abs, bringing in the curve of your own lips that make him laugh.

“Checking me out already? It's still early, you know." You hit his chest lightly as your reaction to his comment. Childe presses a kiss on your forehead. "Did you have a nice dream?"

You make an effort to recall the last bits of your dream, grinning when you do. The image of you and Childe hand in hand through a field of flowers, with the sun shining its warm light out. You nodded in response, bringing yourself close to his bare skin and picking up every sweet scent on him from your bath last night.

"It was a very beautiful dream." you say to him.

All your life, you've always wondered what you'll become after you lose your abilities as an oracle. Yet, you did not imagine it being this sweet.

Childe lands another one on your lips. "Let's spend the day in bed, hmm?" he suggested.

You laugh, and he couldn't find anything more beautiful than that. "You know we can't. I'm sure word of me regaining consciousness has spread; I need to meet some people.” You see his lips curl into a frown.

"I can always chase them away."

When you hit his chest again, Childe let out a fake cry of pain.

"After you prohibited anyone to come see me when I was unconscious? No, thank you. There are few things that need to be cleared up.” You took your robe from the sofa near the window, slipped it on, and tightened the knot over your stomach. While you were adjusting it, you remembered something.

“Ajax.”

Childe gives you his full attention. “What is it? Is something wrong?” His blue eyes scanned you from head to toe, checking for cuts or anything else that would make you uneasy.

You give him a shake of the head. You sat on the bed while gathering your strength to tell him.

"I know who devised that scheme." The next thing you see is him widening his eyes. You took a deep breath before continuing, "On the day of the attack, I had a vision of the future."

Childe shifted in his seat, and his obvious discomfort was clear to see. Of course, the fact that you used to be an oracle was hard to comprehend.

You hold his hand. "I understand that you still are unable to believe-"

Childe took your hand in his, stroking the back of your hand slowly. "I believe you. Go on.” He said, followed by a faint smile across his face.

For reasons unknown to you, your shoulders feel light, and the breath you didn't realize you were holding is let out before you take a new one. The eyes under the curled eyelashes stare at you patiently, waiting for you to say it.

You breathed out a name.

In his study, Childe sat silently in his chair. He seemed to be in deep thought that he didn't give a single glance at Dmitri and Ekaterina who had entered earlier.

Duke Maxim. He remembers how that name left your lips.

His hands clenched so tightly that they turned pale. How dare he try to plot to harm a member of the royal family. How dare he lay his hands on you and make him almost lose you. Childe locked his jaw. There had never been a stronger desire to find Maxim and have him and the other aristocracy involved in his schemes immediately executed.

If it wasn't for you saying you had a plan to expose him, that man would undoubtedly be no better than a corpse, dying in the most agonizing way. But Childe believes you—he believes you know what you're doing.

“Ahem, Your Highness.”

Childe finally raised his head, looking at Dmitri and Ekaterina. He scanned his two confidants, found a document held tightly by the woman and made him raise an eyebrow. The look he gave Dmitri was enough to tell him to quickly tell the contents.

Dmitri nodded in understanding, Ekaterina handed the document over to Childe. As he watched the Prince begin turning over the paper to read, Dmitri opened his mouth to say: "It's about the antidote herbs that entirely burnt down suspiciously." He started. “When learning that the type of poison that had rendered Her Highness unconscious was the same as the one consumed by the late king, the researchers and I immediately looked for herbs that were commonly traded to the Liyue as the antidote to the poison.”

"But, when I went to the village to retrieve it, something was wrong." Dmitri paused and Childe stopped on a section of the page. "Surprisingly, the entire field where the plant was grown was burnt to the ground."

One of the ginger haired eyebrows raised in question. Childe didn't say another word before he flipped the paper again and found the name of the village.

Klirinsk village.

"The village of Klirinsk is a territory under the authority of Krykiye." Dmitri continued, receiving a stare from Childe's blue eyes.

Ekaterina furrowed her brows. "In history, there has never been a case of burning land unless it was intentional." She combined two with two before opening her mouth again with shock etched into her features. “Duke Maxim is the Duke of Krykiye.”

As if the hatred for the man wasn't enough to fill every vein of his blood, Childe gritted his teeth and closed the document. He played out some cruel scenarios that he wanted to do to him. The only way for Maxim to atone for his crimes for planning this all so thoroughly is dying in the cruelest possible way.

Two questions came out of him, “Where is (Y/N)? The knight I assigned is protecting her, right? Make sure she's safe."

Dmitri nodded. "Her Highness is meeting Prince Shiva in town."

The Prince's handsome face crumpled into an expression of distaste. Nonetheless, he remained silent about it. Childe stood up from his seat and walked from the table to the large door. Before he turned the doorknob, he glanced over his shoulder to say another command.

"Until I give my next order, keep this information a secret."

Ekaterina and Dmitri both nodded at the same time.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Snezhnaya—in a bar that is almost isolated from the hustle and bustle of the capital to be precise—you sit on a rickety wooden chair while waiting for the person who will fill the chair in front of you to come. The guard Childe appointed to watch over you, whose name is Leonid, is standing next to you. Despite his stiff posture, he is clearly one of the best knights in the kingdom. Rumor has it that before becoming your bodyguard, he led one of Childe's strongest squads.

The wooden door swings open, capturing your attention and revealing Shiva arriving with his confidant. You turned to Leonid indicating to give the two of you some alone time.

“(Y/N).” Shiva calls you after the room is left with only you and him.

A thin smile you carved on his face. “You seem to really keep your word, brother.” You watch him sigh, walking over to the seat across from you.

“Is that the only thing you can say? After being unconscious because of what? Saving that man?” Displeasure was evident in his voice.

"Would you prefer me to be a widow then?"

Your brother snorted angrily. "I know that isn't your concern." He leans back, crossing his arms as he scans your face under his gaze. There was something he didn't like in it and it made him click his tongue. "Unlike the last time, this time, it seems like you really fell in love with him, huh?"

You raised the teacup in front of you and brought it to your lips rather than paying attention to what he said. "You will understand one day, brother." You said before taking a sip.

“About what?”

“About why I did it.” You said.

On Shiva’s face, the query was still visibly there. You chose to pretend you didn’t see it. To carry on the conversation, you set the tea on the table. “I know who’s behind all this.” Hearing that, Shiva furrowed his brows even more in confusion.

“What?”

“It was Duke Maxim.” You could tell he recognized the name right away from his changed expression. “Originally, he planned to aim for Prince Childe and put the blame on Liyue. Surely, you already know that they have had that objective ever since the King’s death.”

Shiva clenched his fists so firmly that the veins bulged. “I’m going to murder that son of a bitch.” His voice dangerous and low.

“Since it struck me, it should be enough to at least sway a few nobles opinions.” Your eyes looking straight at Shiva emphasizing the importance of your next point. “Brother, this is an opportunity to turn things around. I need your help to answer my questions.”

Your request is met with silence. Deep in thought, Shiva put his fist in front of his lips. You give him time. After he finds whatever it is, he looks back at you.

"How do you know all this?"

"I have my source." You say with a smirk at the corners of your lips.

Shiva sighed. "What do you want to know?" He moved in his sitting position.

You rest your hands on your thighs. “The poison that was smeared on the arrows is the same poison that he used on the late king. However, since their plan was to harm the Prince, it appears that they’ve made a slight change to this one; making it weaker than the one that killed the King.”

"'Silence',"—you saw Shiva's eyes widen—"the same poison you were planning to use on Lady Lumine back then, aren't I right?"

A nod is given to you.

"Tell me, brother. Why, of all the poisons you could buy, did you choose that?"

Shiva stared at you for a long time before replying, "That time I really wanted to kill that woman." he began. “I know many poisons that kill faster than that but, I'm trying to avoid suspicion. I don't want to put you in a dangerous situation, especially at your own tea party."

His fingers clung to the handle of a long-cold teacup. "'Silence' is the best option, or at least it won't look so suspicious since the effect won't begin to set in for a few minutes after consumption." He finished and something clicked in both of your brains.

“Shivas.” You signal him.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

It's just like back then you were kids, when the two of you were playing puzzles or just reading books in the imperial library. Whenever Shiva realizes something, so will you. The connection between siblings will never be lost, you suppose.

“I clearly remember the King coughing a second after drinking the tea, which means he had consumed it before meeting us.” You said.

“That Duke brought him wine that day.” Shiva set down his teacup, straightened his crossed legs before getting up from the seat and smoothing his suit. "There you go, you now have your answer, dearest sister." His grin causes you to arch your brow.

You stand up and ask, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Of course, I'm a busy man."

Your eyebrows are raised in curiosity. Your lips curl in a teasing smile before you say, "My, my, could it be that my brother has found someone?" You hear a chuckle from him.

"Curious, sister?" Shiva turns to you. He took the opportunity to scan you up and down as if confirming something. "I must say, for someone who has consumed that poison twice, you look fine."

"Perhaps my body developed immunity to it after the first time." You rush to compose a lie. There's no way you can say you survived because Childe kneeled at the Divine Tree.

Fortunately, Shiva bought it. He took one glance while adjusting the hood of your robe. "After I kill Maxim, your husband is next for not allowing me to see you when you were unconscious." You can't help but laugh at his words.

"Have you never done the same?"

This time he laughed. "I'm still going to do it." As he said this, he turned around and headed for the wooden door behind him.

You were about to wave your hand when Shiva stopped to say: “Ah, although your words are strong enough to be used as evidence, it will take more to convince the Snezhnayan nobles.” He then continued, "Look for the late king's confidant and bring him along. I bet he at least remembers a thing or two about that day.”

The door opened, allowing Shiva to step out and Leonid back inside. You take a deep breath.

“Leonid?”

"Yes, Your Highness." He nodded his head greeting you.

Taking a breath, you then said: "Let's go somewhere."

AbbyBianx, ness

@thelovelydiviner @r0ttenhearts @tsunotaro-san @yguchild @a-random-bored-person @ajaxstar @dandelimoonus @deemayaz @sxztus @meiraloves2dmen @bananazzzen @sugarxbxby123 @httpmitsuya @kaiyoschaos @ganyuzuri @enviouspeanut @justreadings @nat1203 @creamiepudding @childes0nlywife @hieraethx @r0se-r4men  @cyn9 @bluelovesleep @sucrosia @undecidingfate @funicidals @geozhong @chipzho @yevenly @hanilessa @gojoandelsalovechilde @angeliquen @imthestatebum

If I wrote your username wrong, please let me know TT_TT For those who can’t be tagged, please make sure the setting for "Allow this blog to appear in search results” is turned on.

Check out more of my post: WRITING COMMISSION