Chapter Text
Childe was not one to stay in a single place for too long and there was never a reason not to. After all, the missions the Tsaritsa gave brought him all over Teyvat and, because of that, he was able to see places that no one’s ever seen before. Plus, it’s like a prerequisite for all Fatui Harbinger missions to fight insanely strong opponents anywhere and everywhere he went. How could it get better than that?
This is freedom, he thought. And besides, there were always new assignments one after the other, never giving him the chance to really contemplate the possibilities. The Tsaritsa, almighty, could never give him a break.
Still, Childe often thought about leaving the Fatui... but why should he? The pay guaranteed that his siblings and their future generations would be taken care of for the rest of their existence. The mention of his title was as feared as an Archon’s was venerated. Anything he wanted could be obtained with a snap of two fingers and even the strongest and most stubborn people would submit to him. The most captivating sights and the friendliest people were unable to make him stay. So why would he ever question it?
Maybe he needed the adventure with no boundaries, or maybe he just wanted a break from the missions. Maybe he was just waiting for someone to ask him and who knows, maybe he’d drop it in a heartbeat. Nevertheless, the maybes weren’t enough and he couldn’t stay for just anyone. As if he could up and leave the Fatui.
Yet, even when he found the one to make him waver, it wasn’t meant to be-
“Wait for me.”
…
“I finally received some intel, so- so now I just have to find her, and get her idiotic thoughts together so that she doesn’t succeed in world domination and literal genocide- you know what? That’s all trivial.” Aether put the drink down and looked up at him with tired eyes. Despite the corners of his mouth tilting upwards, Tartaglia could understand the hurt behind his words. Was this how his siblings viewed him?
“By the way…” Aether frowned slightly, “I’m sorry that that was how you met her. I promise she’s- was- not always in an I-will-kill-you-and-all-of-your-loved-ones kind of mood.” He chuckled softly at that, and so did Tartaglia. “I wanted it to be similar to when I met your siblings, but now I know that things don’t always go as planned.” He took a large gulp of his drink. “To be honest, I should’ve expected it since the last few times I saw her, but our last ominous conversation seemed to go pretty well- apparently not.”
They were in Angel’s Share and the cautious owner had given Aether the key to stay longer. If you do anything to him- Tartaglia could still see the hothead’s amusing glare. It was worth it, though, because Aether’s hair still glowed a moonlit golden despite the dark. The boy’s face darkened and his eyes looked down to his hands on his lap. If there was a way Tartaglia could comfort him without dragging the girl back himself, he would.
“Just… I promise I won’t take long. Though, I guess it depends on what your definition of long is…”
The nervous boy in front of Tartaglia was shaking under his façade. What was he supposed to say to that? No? He knew that he couldn’t wait- no. He knew that he shouldn’t. Not until he knew that his family would be undoubtedly safe again. Not when the Fatui was moving him to another location soon, although he never knows where until the last minute. The timing couldn’t be worse.
Not while knowing that Aether would be stuck waiting for someone like him. This was the Honorary Knight of Favonious in front of him. A hero (with him - does Fatui not ring a bell anymore).
“I wish you could, like… I- I know I have to go and you have to go, but there will be an end to this… right?”
Tartaglia stayed quiet. There was only ever one sure thing in every mortal's life. He didn’t want Aether to get his hopes up. He just wished he was strong enough to go and do what he needed (which is saying a lot, to be quite frank).
“You’re being unusually quiet today…” He forced a small laugh out. “It feels like I’m talking to myself...”
But truly he was listening to his every word and deeply contemplating them. Hoping and believing that they could convince him to no avail.
“Aether…”
They couldn’t and that was how they had to stay. Even if Aether could put an end to everything that easily, Tartaglia wasn’t sure he would still be alive by then.
“I don’t think I can.” He watched Aether’s smile stay and his eyes fall. He was always fond of that smile, even if it was fake. It reminded him of his brother and the same way his eyes lighted up when they saw him. Brother.
Thinking back to every time he caught the younger staring at him and blush, and all the times Aether would follow him around (despite Paimon’s disapproval). At first, the puppy love was slightly vexing to Tartaglia and he didn’t know what to make of it. To be honest, he thought the blond hated him with, you know, attempting to destroy Liyue and everything. Though he can’t say that Aether’s a child at heart, saying as Tartaglia was already a Harbinger by 15 and the traveller- a renowned saviour…
He supposed that he wanted to just see wherever Aether took him, too. After two full years of being around each other and following each other around (after staying for as long as he had), Tartaglia thought that this could have been it. He had never stayed in a same nation like Liyue for so long, even though a large part of it was the Northland bank project (as well as his requests for errands in the area- of course, only because he knew the area better, was all). Though a large part of that was him asking the Tsaritsa to stay, because staying meant he could travelled with Aether for days at a time. Still, he knew this was his last chance at anything remotely close to it. And with Aether, it was always interesting wherever he went.
The years between a 17-year-old and 20-year-old were unlike those of 93-year old and 96-year-old, even in consideration of his unexpected maturity. Aether’s height reached his nose now, and he was still growing.
“These feelings you have for me…” He tried to find the words to make this easier, but they were nowhere to be found. “You’re still young, Aether-" The boy in front of him froze, "-there’s still so much for you to- so much of Teyvat to see. You’ll find someone- someone so much better than me and they’ll be someone you deserve. Someone your age-“ (“You’re not my grandfather Tartaglia”) Someone who can stick with you even in the most difficult times. I just… know.“ He was saying these words with confidence but he regretted each one the second they left his mouth.
Aether’s smile finally dropped. And then his eyes to the floor until, after what it feels like an eternity of silence, he looked up at him again.
“…If… If that makes it easier for you…” Aether seemed to be waiting for an answer he didn’t have, searching Tartaglia’s eyes for any answer that wasn't masking the truth. Instead, the elder looked to his shoes at the underlying accusation. “Then, that’s it, I guess.”
And maybe it truly was him trying to make this easier for both of them, or maybe that was what he really felt. He didn’t know, but did he want to dig into these emotions any deeper? Definitely not. Something he learned was that too much of anything can be used against you and thinking wasn’t his strongest suit anyway.
“Well, I… I better get going.” Standing, up, taking the last swig of his drink.
“...You’re going without saying goodbye to everyone else?”
“No… I think it’ll be too hard. I want to leave with a happy image of me.” His last memory of him will be one that he won’t want to remember.
“Paimon?” This was one of the only times he has ever called the fairy by her actual name to her face. Maybe also the last.
She appeared out of thin air, pulling some cloth out of her ears.
“Is it over yet?” She scrunched her face towards the two before Aether shook his head. Tartaglia couldn’t look at her in the eyes when she looked to him for affirmation. “O-oh…”
“You should say bye." Aether turned to the bar to gather his things. "We’re going soon.”
After a lingering look towards her companion, Paimon hesitantly floated towards the elder. Feelings kind of awkward, but mutual. Tartaglia was the first to react, softly ruffling her white hair until she pulled him into a light hug. She couldn’t even wrap her arms around him.
“I’m gonna miss you.” Paimon started. “You’re nice- when you feel like it, and pretty strong even when Aether still beat you to a pulp...” The man laughed and the fairy sighed with a small grin. And in a moment of clarity, her smile widened.
“I’m… hmm. I’m also going to miss when you would get jealous and glare at others for coming too close to Aether.” Both males froze in shock, eyes slowly widening. “I’m also going to miss you following us around just to stare at Aether all day-" she wouldn't- "specifically to gawk at him when fighting Hilichurls, sweat-" Childe grabbed at her, but alas, all he caught was air, “-sweat dripping down his neck or something.” Before he could reach her, she floated higher to the ceiling. "And and- andI’m also so very much going to miss hearing you only talk about Aether for hours on end even when you said you’d treat me (not Aether mind you!) out to eat-“
“Okay, yeah. That’s enough.” As the tour guide slowly floated back down, Tartaglia pinned her mouth shut with two fingers.
“Mmhmrr- Whaaat?” Paimon pulled his hand away and scrunched her face again. “If you’re gonna reject him, might as well spill it all out already.” Then, she turned to Aether. “I got your back, kid.” And after a ‘hmph’ towards Tartaglia, she vanished into stars, sparkles taunting him.
Aether sighed again and looked at the man apologetically… Until she appeared again.
“Oh! And I’m also gonna miss when you would ask artists to draw and paint images of Aether to keep for yourself-“ And with a menacing grin, “-now, bye, dumb-dumb!” Poof.
Tartaglia lifted his head and chuckled to the ceiling. “She has no remorse, does she?” Aether laughed lightly with him, not quite uncomfortable, but almost awkward.
After taking a few slow steps towards the taller man, he wrapped his arms around his lower torso. The embrace allowed Tartaglia to admire the golden hair once again. To feel the softness of his skin on his midriff. To appreciate their height difference. The boy’s hands grasped his clothes tighter and buried his head further into his torso, the leather of his gloves loud in the silence of the tavern.
He knew that he wasn’t going to be the first to let go, and Aether knew that as well. After a quiet sniff, he pulled away.
“I guess I can’t keep the hero of Teyvat here forever, huh?” The blond smiled at the thought of it but shook his head. "Even if I say please?"
“Unfortunately... no.” The two left their seats and started towards the exit so that Aether could properly lock up the tavern. The silence between them was unusual, broken by the jingle of the keys and the lock of the door.
"I can drop that off for you." Tartaglia gestured towards the keys.
"Oh, thanks. Though Diluc might not be happy about that..." With a tired smile, "Yeah, I- I think I'll bring it back myself."
"I can... walk you there?" Tartaglia would usually never ask and just go instead, but now...
"Thanks," Aether smiled for the nth time, "but I'll just go alone."
"...alright." Aether did not try to meet his eyes when he started walking through the entrance. With a puff of stars, Paimon appeared when their voices were almost out of reach. It might have been the first time he has ever heard the fairy's voice be so quiet.
Noticing that Aether hadn't turned back may have hurt more than saying goodbye. His smile did not once reach his eyes that night.
Tartaglia hasn’t heard from him since.
Today would mark the second year since he left. And in celebration, honour, or whatever else you may want to call it, he returned to Mondstadt. Back to the Angel’s Share again and back to the bar where he left. This has occured more than once.
Kaeya would often accompany him to bother the red-haired man, though any company was good company and still appreciated. However, it would often get annoying when he would leave him to flirt with random strangers throughout the night. If he was only going to leave, why accompany him in the first place? He should be used to it by now, not sure why it still catches him by surprise. Maybe he should bring Lisa next time, too. Diluc, on the other hand, seemed to have softened up to him after Aether left. Maybe it was the fact that he couldn’t tease him anymore or maybe it was because he became sort of a regular. Maybe he just pitied the state he was in and could not, for the life of him, get out of. Nevertheless, it was also appreciated.
“Will you be here all week?”
Childe laughed heartily at that and took a small bow. “Why? Tired of me already?”
“No… not yet, at least,” with a grin. “I was just wondering how many barrels I should prepare. You're going to buy my wine all out.” Another laugh.
Sometimes Childe would wonder if Aether ever visited. The thought crossed his mind many times. It would only make sense since Aether’s friends were all here. For all he knew, the Harbinger was probably causing turmoil all over Teyvat.
Childe is not one to linger like this, though. That’s what he told Aether, yet here he is.
It had come to his attention that maybe he was just trying to grasp traces of Aether within his friends. Scratch the maybe, he definitely was. In other old news, his self-analysis had become especially prominent after his departure, keeping to his thoughts even more than before. And he believed that the rest of Mondstadt may have noticed, too. It was as though he was speaking all of his inner monologue aloud. At the very least, he found himself warming up to them as well. He liked it more than the wary, friendly-enemy status they held towards him previously.
Of course, he was still a member of Fatui so they could never share any work information with him. Always so tight-lipped. It was not often, but it was easily noticeable when they wanted to talk about something he couldn’t hear. Tonight was similar. He took it upon himself to leave early, thankfully not drunk.
On the way to the waypoint, Childe thought back to the conversations he shared with Aether. One of their earliest conversations, after Aether could finally stand being near the Fatui member, was his fondest.
-
“Are you sure you’re that young?” Tartaglia laughed, amused at Aether’s eloquence with Teyvat’s words. “It’s as if you’ve already travelled Teyvat 3 times over. You might even speak the language better than I can.”
Aether blushed at the compliment. Despite already having received many from him already, each time made the younger feel like it was the first. Though, the Aether now- the Aether two years ago would no longer lose composure like before.
“Even more, actually.” Aether chuckled lightly. “Though not actually Teyvat, to clarify, I meant that I’ve travelled to more than 30 worlds with my sister before coming here.”
Tartaglia pretended to be surprised, pretended not to have already known before. The nostalgic expression on the boy's face made him feel the slightest bit of guilt.
“That’s amazing. They really let kids travel anywhere now." The boy pouted a little at the statement, suddenly interested in his gloves, but he brushed it off. "And to think that I was sauntering around like I was everything when I was 15.” Aether gave him a probing look as if to challenge him. He paid no mind and took a sip of his tea, trying to block out the loud conversations around them. Liyue Harbour would always be bustling no matter where they were, after all.
“I don’t know, really. But it’s not too uncommon, where I’m from.” And where’s that? He wanted to ask, but that was forbidden knowledge for the Fatui. “I’ve met a lot of different kinds of people, but this is the first place I’ve seen where everyone has 2 stomachs!”
Tartaglia took a moment to process what the younger had just said and burst into laughter. He knew that Aether was red with embarrassment, but the innocent look on his face and the confidence in his tone were all too serious.
“P-Paimon insisted…” The younger looked down at his hands while waiting for the other to calm down. The looks they were receiving due to the boisterous laughter were not making anything any better. “Y-you know, this might’ve been the hardest you’ve ever laughed since I met you…”
“I-“ A few more airy heaves and, “I’m so- so sorry. Haha…” He could see from the corner of his eye that Aether was starting to get annoyed with him. “Well, I’m sure the fairy has two stomachs at least, maybe three. I’m not sure about the rest of Teyvat, though.” He grinned.
“H-huh… is that… so?” Aether awkwardly looked away, still red. Tartaglia looked at him fondly. “Well, I have to go, um, help someone with... something.”
“What?” He pouted. So soon? “You told me you’d give me the whole day.”
“Yeah, but. You know. Hero things, eheh,” he chuckled suspiciously. He's been around the Anemo Archon for too long, in his opinion.
“But it hasn’t even been 6 hours yet!” He pouted harder.
One of the younger’s brows lifted. “I-I did say that, but I didn’t think you meant literally. We’ve been here for 5 already.” His confusion turned into a soft smile. “Aw, is the all-powerful, mighty Harbinger going to miss me?”
The mighty Harbinger laughed. “Yeah.” Another blush. “But it’s okay, hero. Do your hero duties and leave the poor, lowly Fatui Harbinger by himself.”
“I can see lowly-” Tartaglia raised a brow at that "-but where’s the poor? You’re still paying, money man.” After a cheeky smile, “See ya!” And he glided towards the teleport waypoint.
Paimon was already waiting there for him. He watched as the younger interacted with the statue, look back, and wave before disappearing into glowing dust. The tea master approached him.
“Well, I’ll be, You’ve laughed harder with that kid than you’ve ever at one of my stories, Mr. Childe.” You’re definitely right, but that was a secret. Childe just smiled. " As a customer of mine for months, I feel somewhat hurt." Childe gave him a sheepish smile.
The young man left some moras on the table and turned to the staircase while the older man huffed after him, “You think he might have some pointers for me?!”
-
Back at Liyue Harbour, he found the seats again. Though it was night, he could still remember the sight of the ocean as the sun gleamed down on it that day. It was one he's seen many times, but still one of his favourite views. Or maybe at least one of the Aether's favourite views.
Another half a year had already gone by and his errands were getting more and more taxing. Despite missions passing exponentially and unusually faster than he could keep up, he was unable to land one near the younger (regardless of the fact that he had no idea where he was). As much as he tried to forget, he still worried about him. He knew what it was like being as young as him and alone, having what felt like the weight of the universe on his shoulders (though in Aether’s case, that may be true).
At least he had the fairy… The thought of Aether forgetting him was one he was still trying to get used to.
After almost dying multiple times, one would think that Childe would know how to take care of himself after a particularly large wound, but alas. Prior to what he knew would be a long fight with strong foes, he prepared items overestimating them. It seems that he still miscalculated. He was never any good at the maths of combat (or any maths for that matter).
Then, a hooded figure appeared before him out of thin air. He reached slowly for his sword, though almost sure they were Fatui.
“Over-morrow.”
The cloaked person held out a paper with the familiar insignia and left as soon as the item left his hand. Childe carefully opened it, confused at the delivery.
Another mission. It was uncommon for them to be so close to each other. He wouldn't be able to return to Snezhnayan for weeks at this rate. His cryo archon was not heartless- in fact, she was the opposite. Childe was the one who wouldn’t tell her anything. And usually, he would get up as soon as he could to get it over with, but with the amount of blood gushing from his calf and his bruised torso, he decided to wait just a little, hoping his hydro could heal enough to ease the pain a little. The messenger could have at least brought him some herbs. Maybe it would be easier to just go to sleep on the wet ground.
The thought that Aether could be in a similar situation hurt him. So for him, he stood up again. With a loud grunt and a yell of pain, he used his sword as a crutch and hydro as an ice bag for his ribs. Maybe he needed to learn to forget as well, though for the sake of his wellbeing now, he would not.
He started limping towards the nearest statue of the seven, though it was a few kilometers away from him. With no waypoints in sight and the fabric tied around his leg barely helping, he knew it was going to be a while before he could get there- if he even could.
Left, right (ow), left, right. The pain was nauseating and his head was starting to get foggy. He did not know how long he had been walking for. In the darkness of the cloudy evening, he thought of Aether’s hair. His eyes. The way they closed when he laughed with his whole body.
Brother? Yeah, right. Left foot in front of the right.
He could see the Geo Archon's statue. Now if only the real one would show up. He needed a break, but if he sat down, he wasn't sure he could get back up. He stopped and leaned on his makeshift cane. Oh, mighty... rock god- whatever- I still have money. Pick me up, please and thanks. Noticing that the man was not going to show up, he struggled on.
Visions of Aether appeared before him. Teucer playing with Tonia nearby. He missed their voices the most. He remembers the days they would visit them, bringing their favourite foods, new toys, and flowers Aether picked along the way. Left. Left again, apparently.
He remembers the fairy’s favourite book. Of course she would have a travel guide as her favourite read. Aether did not have a favourite, but he had so many. He brought so many over, reading his little brother to sleep and conversing with Tonia about the stories he had heard and ones he had experienced. He could tell he had a soft spot for her.
Speaking of which. He snapped out of it, knowing that he could not afford to daydream or loiter any longer. But his legs were giving in and his energy was drained. His eyes were too blurry to see anything but vague shapes and colours. His right leg stopped cooperating altogether and he stumbled.
At first, he was too tired to notice his descent, but the pain hammering on his head made it clear. After finally being able to lie down, the little energy he had left had disappeared. And he was so close too.
He felt a force push him down. Likely gravity, or more likely, the fatigue he felt.
Rest.
Though if it was a person, he will definitely kick their ass when he wakes up.
Okay.