Chapter Text
Childe woke up and stretched. It had been nine days since he started taking the antidote. On the sixth day, Albedo had moved him to one of the spare rooms in the Knights’ quarters. When he woke up this morning, he noticed a significant difference.
He was human again. Well, mostly human. When he sat up, he felt something behind him swish across the bed. He looked back to see an orange cat tail. When he reached up to his head, he noted that he still had cat ears and that his human ears were not there.
Childe disregarded all of that for now. He jumped up out of bed, noting briefly that he felt a lot more energetic than before and grabbed his bag of clothes that had been set in the room. He quickly got dressed and headed for the door.
It opened before he reached it and Albedo jumped slightly when he saw Childe standing there. “Oh. Um…” He frowned, looking up at the ears on the Harbinger’s head.
“The antidote mostly worked.” Childe said, smiling. “Can I please get out of here now? I am so tired of lying in bed.”
Albedo let out a sigh. “I would prefer if you stayed here and continued taking the antidote for a while longer.”
“C’mon. I don’t think I’m going to be able to handle staying in this room any longer. At least let me take a walk to Windrise or something.” Childe pleaded. “And besides, it’s just ears and a tail. I’m entirely human otherwise. Do I really have to be completely human?”
“Is that not what you’d prefer?” Albedo looked confused.
Childe shrugged. “If it’s just ears and a tail, I can work with that. Plus, don’t tails help with balance or something? I might become even better at fighting!” He grinned. “And my ears are way sharper now, too. I think this is perfect.”
Albedo didn’t look entirely convinced, but he sighed anyway. “Can’t you wait until morning? It’s the middle of the night right now.”
“Are you kidding? That’s an even better time to go out. I can test out how well my night vision is. Maybe it’s also improved.” Childe said. “Look, I’m not staying in this room. I can’t. I have to get out of here and do something. I’ve been laying around for over a week now.”
“Fine.” Albedo said. “Be careful. And if you’d like, I still have more of that antidote left. Now that you’re more human again, it shouldn’t make you as drowsy.”
“I’ll consider it. Depends on if my ability to fight has improved or not.” Childe said. He slipped past Albedo and headed out of the Knights’ quarters.
Part of the reason he’d been excited that it was night did have to do with his hope for improved night vision, but it also had to do with his hope of finding Diluc out patrolling somewhere. As he walked, he realized he had no idea where Diluc would be, though. ‘Hm… Kaeya usually hangs out at the tavern a lot, and he tends to know the latest intel.’ Childe spotted a clock and nodded to himself. It wasn’t too late. He could drop by the tavern and check in with Kaeya to figure out where Diluc would be going for his patrols. He knew Diluc most likely wouldn’t be there tonight. He didn’t usually work on these nights.
It was easier to move silently. Not that Childe couldn’t do so before, but with the extra balance provided by the new tail, he was finding it much much easier. He smiled as he walked up to the tavern door, opening it and slipping inside. There, sitting at the bar just as Childe had predicted, was Kaeya. He was sipping on a drink and speaking to a woman dressed in nun attire, which seemed odd to Childe, but this was the City of Freedom. People were not as bound to rules here as they were in Snezhnaya.
“Hey, Kaeya.” Childe said as he stopped next to him. The Cavalry Captain stared at him for a moment, surprised.
“You realize you’re not completely human, correct?” He asked.
“I am very aware, thanks. Where would Diluc happen to be?” Childe asked.
Kaeya shook his head, sighing. “He’ll probably be somewhere around Brightcrown Canyon. Last I heard, there was a ruin guard there causing trouble. There might be more of them, so Diluc wanted to go take care of it.”
“Can I ask why someone like you is after the Dawn Winery owner?” The nun asked, narrowing her eyes on Childe.
“Relax, Rosie.” Kaeya said, turning to her. “He and Master Diluc have come to… an agreement of sorts.” ‘Rosie’ didn’t bother relaxing, but she didn’t say anything else.
Childe decided it would be best to take his leave now. “Thanks for the intel, Kaeya. See you around.” He turned and headed out of the tavern.
The moment he was away from the city, Childe looked around and grinned. His night vision had improved. This was exciting. Once he made it to Brightcrown Canyon, he hoped he’d have the chance to test out his combat abilities again.
~~~
Diluc watched as the ruin guard fell, charred and beaten. He dismissed his claymore after a quick scan around and decided to continue his search for any more of the giant robots. So far, he’d found two. He doubted that was it.
‘How did I let it get this bad? Were the Knight patrols not looking out well enough? How did they not notice?’ Diluc thought, frowning to himself. He’d been staying out later every night recently. His last update on Childe’s condition had been two days before and he was agitated. To keep himself from storming into the Knights headquarters to see how the Harbinger was doing himself, he started busying himself with patrolling more.
The distraction didn’t really work the way he’d hoped. He found his eyes sometimes scanning the battlefield in hopes of sighting that puff of orange fur again.
As Diluc walked, he heard the sudden clang of metal being hit by something. Likely another ruin guard, but this one sounded like it was being attacked. He turned toward the sound and headed in that direction, eyes scanning his surroundings carefully.
Another clang. Was someone really already fighting this ruin guard? Diluc quickened his pace, running toward the sound. He slid to a halt and ducked behind an old ruined pillar.
There, a ruin guard was turned and raised its fist to hit something or someone. When its fist slammed into the ground, Diluc barely managed to see the person that had dodged to the side. The glimpse of ginger hair made his eyes widen. ‘What is he doing out here? When did he leave the Knights’ headquarters?’
Diluc watched from where he was hidden as Childe ducked, dodged, and slashed at the ruin guard with his signature Hydro blades. He had a big smile on his face, and… he still had a tail and ears? Did the antidote not fully work?
Diluc considered coming out of hiding to help him take down the ruin guard, but it was already falling before he had the chance to move. Childe stood over the fallen robot, looking around. Now was a better time than any. “When did you leave the headquarters? And why do you still have ears and a tail?” Diluc asked as he stepped out of his hiding spot. Childe turned to him and smiled.
“Do you like it?” Childe showed off the tail and his ears twitched. “I thought keeping them would be a good idea. My hearing is better, my balance is better. I even have better night vision. I can actually help with your patrols now.”
“You kept them… to get stronger?” Diluc raised an eyebrow at him.
“Of course! As much as I know you don’t like it, I am still the Vanguard of the Tsaritsa. Getting stronger is my whole goal. In my opinion, I’ll never really be strong enough. I can always improve.” Childe was still smiling. Diluc had missed the sight of it, even if he would never admit it.
The redhead considered telling him that he should probably get rid of the ears and tail, but decided against it. For every argument Diluc tried to put forward as to why he should get rid of them, Childe would have some sort of counter argument to convince him otherwise. Besides… they were actually kind of cute. “You came back.” He said instead. Part of him had still believed that the moment Childe was human again, he would have left and gone straight back to Snezhnaya.
The Harbinger’s smile dropped. “Of course I did.” He said. “I promised you, Diluc. I don’t go back on my promises.”
Diluc opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again, unsure. Should he say that he was glad Childe came back for him? Should he tell him that he should have left? That he should leave and never come back to Mondstadt? Diluc looked down, his thoughts spinning. Before he had the chance to say anything, Childe suddenly wrapped his arms around him.
Diluc froze, his eyes widening. How long had it been since anyone had bothered to hug him? For a moment, he was unsure of what to do.
“I promised that I would stay for as long as I could. I won’t go back to Snezhnaya until they call me back, okay?” Childe said.
“Childe don’t you have family in Snezhnaya?” Diluc muttered. “I thought that was the entirety of Snezhnayan culture. Family first.”
“That’s true. Hey, maybe you can come see them with me.” Childe said, chuckling.
“I’m not allowed in Snezhnaya.” Diluc pointed out. “They’ll kill me if they see me.”
“Not in Morepesok, they won’t. The Fatui doesn’t have any stations there.” Childe said. “Stop calling me Childe.” The next sentence threw Diluc off guard.
“What?” Diluc leaned back and looked up at him, brows furrowed in confusion. “What am I supposed to call you, then?”
“Ajax.” Childe said. “Childe’s just some code name I got when I became a Harbinger. My real name is Ajax. Call me that.” The serious look on the Harbinger’s face also threw Diluc off. He had only seen that a few times, and most of the time it was because he was chiding Diluc for keeping his feelings in and not talking about them.
“Ajax…” Diluc mumbled. That was a surprisingly normal name.
Ajax grinned again. “Yeah.” He hugged Diluc a little tighter and a look of concern crossed his features. “Hey, you look pretty tired. You weren’t too worried about me, right? Maybe we should go back to the winery and get some sleep.”
If Diluc had heard that wording before, the ‘we should go back’ instead of just ‘you,’ he likely would have told Ajax off. Now, he just nodded, feeling fatigue wash over him, alongside relief. “Yeah. Let’s go back to the winery. I’ll come back out tomorrow to check on the ruin guard situation.”
“We’ll come back tomorrow.” Ajax corrected. “C’mon, Diluc.” He grabbed the redhead’s hand and pulled him along. Diluc stared at their hands, feeling his face heat up slightly.
The two of them walked back to the winery and headed inside and up to Diluc’s room. There, Ajax stopped and frowned. “Oh. I don’t have any pajamas.”
Diluc sighed and shook his head. Of course, a man whose mind was only on getting stronger would naturally forget some of the necessities he was probably supposed to bring. “Are they at the hotel in the city?”
“Yes.” Ajax chuckled. “Ah, I don’t want to walk all the way there and back again. It’s so late.”
“Just borrow some of mine for tonight.” Diluc said. “Here.” He pulled out a set of dark gray pajamas and handed it to the Harbinger. “Go change in the bathroom. I’ll change out here.”
“You don’t want me to change in front of you?” Ajax asked, smirking playfully at him.
“Go.” Diluc pushed him toward the bathroom, glaring at him as he went. Ajax just chuckled as he disappeared behind the bathroom door.
Diluc changed quickly and sat down on the edge of the bed, taking his hair down and letting out a relaxed sigh. Ajax came out of the bathroom a couple minutes later and flopped on the bed behind Diluc. “C’mon, lay down. I can tell you’re tired.” He said, patting the bed.
Diluc smiled at him and crawled under the covers. Ajax stared at him for a moment with wide eyes. Diluc frowned and raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“You’ve never really smiled at me before.” He said, sounded like he was in awe.
“Oh.” Diluc blushed and looked away. He wished Ajax would stop staring at him like that. “Go to sleep.” He grumbled.
Ajax chuckled as he pulled the blanket over himself and snuggled closer to Diluc. “I like your smile. It’s really pretty.” He said. Diluc refused to meet his eyes. Instead, he closed his eyes and curled up, tucking his hands close to his chest. Ajax chuckled again and wrapped his arms around Diluc, who tensed slightly before slowly relaxing into the embrace.
He was about to fall asleep when Ajax kissed his forehead. He jumped and opened his eyes, looking at the Harbinger. “I’ve been wanting to do that.” Ajax admitted, smiling. Diluc didn’t know what to say or do. He just stared at Ajax, lost in his spinning thoughts once again. The Harbinger’s smile grew and he leaned forward and kissed Diluc, who’s eyes went impossibly wide as his heart tried to jump up into his throat.
For a moment, Diluc stared, unsure of what to do. It must have only lasted seconds, but it felt like forever for Diluc, his brain warring against itself. Then, he eventually melted into the kiss and curled even closer to Ajax, sighing.
When he pulled away, Ajax was grinning. “I love you, Diluc.” He whispered.
Diluc had never been faced with eyes filled with that much adoration. He stared back at Ajax for a few minutes, still trapped in a stunned silence. “I love you, too, Ajax.” He whispered once he’d found his words again.
That night, Diluc slept easy, lulled to sleep by Ajax’s heartbeat.
~~~
Diluc was hunched over his desk again. It had been two years since Ajax’s incident with the cat potion. In that time, he had been called back to Snezhnaya twice. He was still gone to answer the second call. Diluc wasn't sure when he’d be home.
He also wasn’t sure when he’d started considering the winery Ajax’s home as well, but he found that he didn’t mind. He liked it, even. And Ajax seemed to like it even more, though he always seemed to like everything more than Diluc. Maybe it was just his enthusiasm.
Diluc set his pen down and was about to lean back in his chair when the tip of an orange tail, larger than any normal cat’s, flicked his nose. He jumped slightly and looked up at where Ajax was leaning against his desk with a smile on his face. “Hey, firefly.” He’d chosen to start calling him that name randomly one day. Diluc wasn’t sure why, but he found that he didn’t mind it.
“Ajax. You’re home.” Diluc smiled at him.
“Of course. I told you I’d always come back.” Ajax leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. “Now, how about we go take a nap. I’m tired from my trip and you don’t look much better yourself.”
“You nap like a cat.” Diluc said.
“Hm, maybe I do.” Ajax chuckled. “Oh well. C’mon, firefly. Let’s go lay down.” He pulled Diluc out of his chair and led him out of the office, smiling the whole way.
He was always smiling when he was with Diluc. Diluc loved his smile.
The two headed to their room - at some point, it had stopped being just Diluc’s, though the redhead had no idea when. Once they were comfortable under the covers, Ajax sighed happily.
“I’ll always miss this when I’m gone.” He said. “You’re so warm, Diluc.”
“You always say that. I’m pretty sure it’s just because I’m a Pyro user.” Diluc pointed out.
“I don’t care what the reason is.” Ajax said. “You’re coming with me the next time I visit my family, by the way.”
“I never agreed to that.” Diluc grumbled.
“You don’t get a choice, firefly. Teucer won’t stop asking to meet you. It’s about time you met them, anyway. We’ve been together for two years now.” Ajax kissed his forehead.
‘Together for two years.’ Diluc liked the sound of that a lot for some reason. These feelings felt so new. “Alright. I’ll go with you the next time you visit your family. But just so you’re aware, I’ve never been the best with children.”
“I think my siblings will love you.” Ajax said. “Especially Teucer.”
Diluc chuckled. “I wouldn’t really want them to hate me.”
“They won’t. Trust me. Now, go to sleep, Diluc. You need it.” Ajax started rubbing his back. Diluc closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing even further into the bed.
He hadn’t been at peace like this in a long while. He cherished it.