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He’s heard the horror stories from classmates, sure, but this. No amount of words could tell anyone the amount of panic and fear he was feeling.
He was Tartaglia, the 11th and youngest of the Fatui Harbingers. Since he met her, he swore to follow her to the ends of Teyvat. But now, he realised that no amount of preparation, strategies, battle experience, nothing could compare to the fear of being a new father.
Lumine, his whole world, was in a room alone with doctors and nurses and who knows who else, doing her damned hardest to push out a child that they made together. He kept pacing in front of the curtain. When they came in, Qiqi was just coming back from the back room with Dr. Baizhu. Baizhu was kind enough to immediately rush them into a private room, but Childe had to stay outside in the lobby. So here he was, pacing in front of the private room.
Her screams, he has always wanted a big family. But her screams of pain, it hurts him so much.
Lumine fell pregnant before they planned to visit his family back home in Snezhnaya, and Childe immediately sent letters to cancel to his family. It broke his heart that he wasn’t going to be able to see them sooner, but for now, Lumine and their unborn child was his priority.
Yet, his family immediately responded that they were traveling over to Liyue to help with the baby’s preparations. No matter what Childe told them, they were already on the boat to Liyue harber and knocked on their door. Lumine was already starting to show, and was currently dozing off on their front room couch. Childe, on the other hand, seemed like he was running on an hour of sleep and 3 cups of coffee.
Teucer couldn’t hold his excitement and ran past his big brother and straight to Lumine. Before Tonia, Anthon, or Childe and his Mom could say anything about letting Lumi-Lu get her rest, Teucer was already jumping up and down and shaking Lumine.
When Lumine, poor, sweet, head strong Lumine, finally opened her eyes, she just smiled, ruffled his hair before rubbing her eyes and sitting up. Ajax was immediately at her side, “Do you need anything lyubov moya?”
Lumine rolled her eyes, “I told you, Jaxie, I’m pregnant, not helpless.” She moved her hand to hold his, and Ajax wrapped his fingers around hers.
“I know moya zvezda, it’s just you’re starting to show and so early as well.” Ajax nuzzled her head, and Lumine cupped his face.
She looked at him, full of adoration and love, “Ajax, you absolute lovable idiot, I can still kick your butt even with a four month baby in my stomach.”
Mama Ajax, or Mama Anastasia as Lumi called her often, called out to them, “Lumine, I brought some Snezhnayan dishes! Can you help me unload them?”
Lumine perked up and slowly stood up before joining her mother-in-law. Teucer climbed onto the spot Lumine was sitting in as Ajax watched Lumine disappear with his mom into the kitchen. Anthon and Tonia walked over to their brothers, watching their older brother.
Ajax snapped out of his daydream when Tonia tugged on his shirt. “Tonia, you are twelve, you can use your words,” yet, he still picked her up and set her on his thigh. Tonia smiled up at him, her sett smile and her light eyes were just too innocent to scold her. Instead, he sighed, “Once your birthday comes around, I am not allowing you to do this again.”
“You said that last year, yet here we are!” Tonia just smiled at him.
Anthon, the ever quiet middle sibling of the youngest finally spoke up. “So, you and big sister Lumine are having a baby?”
“Little sibling!” Teucer cried out, “Big sister Lumine and big brother Ajax are giving us a little sibling!”
Ajax coughed and rubbed his eyes. He spent sleepless nights worrying about Lumine. So many what ifs fogged his mind, if their future children were anything like him when he was younger…...poor Lumine. He knew he wouldn’t want to be an overprotective father, but what if they too also fell into the Abyss? He would never forgive himself, he had seen monsters that he still had nightmares about. What if his children weren’t as lucky to have Skirk around to protect them? Ajax shook his head, no. He had to focus on the positives, he and Lumine were starting a family together.
Tonia tugged at his shirt multiple times at this point, “Ajax? Ajax are you in there? Did your brain stop moving and freeze to death?”
Ajax snapped out of his daze again, and gave a small smile to Tonia. “No, my brain is still moving, don’t worry.” He kissed Tonia on the head. “But yes, Teucer and Anthon, we’re having a baby. And you, Teucer!” Ajax looked over at the youngest. “When Lumine is sleeping, we do not wake her up. Remember, Lumi is carrying a little baby in her, so she needs all the rest she can get.”
Teucer shifted a bit, “I’m sorry brother, I was so excited to see big sister Lumine I forgot about the baby.” he really did look sorry about it too. Ajax was reminded about the time a few years ago when Teucer snuck his way into Liyue just to meet Lumine. Granted, Teucer was only six at the time and he got very lucky, now he’s ten years old. Four years, it’s been four years since he and Lumine met. Time flies by.
Ajax was snapped out of his memories when Qiqi pulled on his pant leg and motioned for him to follow her. Lumine finally stopped screaming and now, only cries of a newborn can be heard. Ajax was able to breathe again, but those “what ifs” still lingered in his mind. As he followed Qiqi, his eyes immediately went to Lumine.
Lumine, the strongest woman he knew, the only person who can and would beat him in a fight, was lying on a bed. She looked so weak, weaker than after their sparring matches, and pale...so…...pale. Ajax rushed to her side and saw a little bundle of blankets in her arms.
He could cry, and he was not ashamed to admit that. Him, Childe Tartaglia Ajax, was crying at the sight of his wife and newborn child. He felt her hand brush away his tears, and he looked up at her. Her bright golden eyes were squinted as her smile grew. “Your daughter, Ajax. This is our beautiful daughter.”
A daughter, a little princess that he could spoil rotten. He smiled and he watched his daughter squirm and cry loudly. The cries of a newborn never sounded better to him, knowing that his daughter was born healthy, that was the greatest blessing Celestia could ever give to him.
“Lumine,” he stood up and brushed some of her bangs out of her face, “you know I want a big family, but after hearing you scream out for the past who knows how long.” He looked down at their daughter, moving some of the blankets so they could see some of the fuzzy blonde hair that was on her head, “Just one is enough, if it means I never have to hear you scream that way again.” He kissed her forehead.
“Just one,” Lumine smiled to herself and kissed their baby’s head. “Just a little family of three.”
It’s been years since that day, but now Jolena was five years old. They watched her carefully and Ajax always made sure to double check the fences to make sure that Jolena never found a way to crawl out and escape.
And as Lumine guessed, Jolena was a little trouble maker. Along with the usual kid stuff, eating rocks and dirt, and also crying when they didn’t let her take a fish out of a pond, Jolena always found a way into trouble. One of the defining moments was when Lumine brought Jolena to Mondstat, and Jolena was left in the care of Albedo and Klee as her mother once again ran around the city being an errand girl. When Lumine came back to pick up Jolena, she found Klee teaching Jolena how to make bombs. Klee was sent to solitary confinement for a few hours after that. At least she got to say bye to Jolena before they left back to Liyue.
Another incident being when Venti and Zhongli came to visit, a couple of months after she was born. She puked all over Zhongli’s suit and chewed on Venti’s lyre. It was clear the couple were still new to parenting, but they were happy and trying their best together.
Ajax watched Jolena as she climbed up onto the couch, sat in his lap and started dozing off while he was reading. He smiled and petted her head with his free hand before setting his book down and picking her up to put her to bed. Lumine went to bed a little while ago, so now it was Jolena’s turn. He took her to the room that was across from theirs, and slowly made his way through the maze that was her floor filled with all sorts of toys.
Although it wasn’t exactly the best news, learning the honorary knight of Favonius, the savior of Liyue, had a child with a Fatui Harbinger, Jolena quickly grew on everyone. Ajax slowly set her down on her bed and tucked the blankets up to her chin and gave her her current favorite sleeping buddy, a Mr. Cyclops that was Teucer’s, but he had since given it to his niece.
After clearing the floor of all the toys that Jolena brought on her adventures today, he went and joined Lumine in their room. He changed out of his uniform and joined Lumine in their bed, being careful not to wake her. When the bed shifted, Lumine shifted immediately to her personal heat vent. Ajax chuckled and kissed her head before wrapping his arms around her. No “what ifs” this time, just the peace of mind that his daughter is sleeping peacefully and his wife is happily nestled against his chest.
He smiled and laid his head on the crook of Lumine’s neck, Lumine waking up a bit when she felt his hair tickle her. She smiled and scratched at his head, knowing that he is calm for once in his parenting life.
Maybe Lumine was right, just the three of them was enough.