Chapter Text
Aleksandr watched on as his siblings played in the snow. The twins,Tonia and Anthon, toddled gleefully after Ajax who was pretending that they would catch him. And after a bit the child tumbled dramatically to the ground allowing the twins to ‘capture’ him.
“Ahhh Have mercy. Noooooooo!” Ajax stared at him with an expression of exaggerated terror and ‘desperately’ reached out a hand.
“Save me brave hero! Save me from these monsters!” Aleksandr snorted before donning his wooden mask. The mask was a simple design with two upturned crescents for eyes that seemed to give off an air of weariness.
For it was him who introduced the ideas of masked heroes and villains to the children regardless of the fact that nearly the entirety of their own military was also masked. It was not that he saw them as heroes, but naming them the alternative was considered treason , and the Snezhnayan government did not take treason lightly. Especially not the Tsaritsa.
While he was lost in his musings, Anthon suddenly seized Ajax’s arm with his teeth, biting with as much power as his tiny jaw allowed. “Ahhhhhhhhh letgo! Let me gooo! Brother help me!” False terror was replaced with actual panic as their older brother ran towards them. Aleksandr raised his voice into an almost motherlike tone. “ Anthon no!”
Aleksandr pulled up Ajax’s sleeve to inspect his ‘wound’, the tiny teeth were imprinted on his skin but it had not drawn blood. “Doctor, will I make it?” Aleksandr looked at him grimly. “I am afraid there is no cure. Don’t worry, this next part will be painless…” He pounced on his little brother, digging his fingers into his sides as the other flailed and kicked about. “Hahahaha stooop”
Tonia peeped her head in the doorway after hearing their conversation with Anthon following close behind. The twins looked at eachother and burst into tears, they weren’t going to have a little big brother anymore. Anthon burst into the room with tears streaming down his face. “Im sorryyyyyyy wahhhhh ” He clung to Ajax, sniffling into his side, snot and tears soaking into his clothes. Aleksandr made a note to wash that later. “My God, It’s a miracle. He’s been cured!” Aleksandr cupped Anthon’s face in his hands, wiping away the tears with his thumbs.
Anthon looked unsure. “Is he really ok?” Aleksandr smiled gently and ruffled the young boy’s hair. “Of course he is… You know Ajax, he has suuuuper thick skin.” “It’s true! I do have thick skin, see?” Ajax rolled back his sleeve showing off his miraculously unwounded arm. He perked up at the sight. Aleksandr put his hands on his hips. “Now, that does not mean you can bite him more. He might not be that lucky again.” Shaking his head, he motioned to the door. “Now you and your sister need to go clean up, dinner is almost done. I made Borsch!”
His brother flopped back on the bed gracelessly, covering his face with a pillow to muffle his laughter. “Ha his.. Did you see his face? Hahaha” “I did… He looked so solemn pftt” Aleksandr wrapped his arm around Ajax’s head to pull him in for a noogie. But a sinister gleam entered his eye and he bit down on the older boy’s arm. “OWWW Quit it!!” He smacked Ajax on the head. “Taking lessons from Anthon are we?” Cradling the arm to his chest, he mock glared at the little monster before him.
Ajax laughed at him and grabbed his arm. “Cmon, you have to finish teaching me how to cook borsch your way . It’s sooo much better than the way big sister Inessa makes it.”
Hands cradled the simple wooden mask with crescents for eyes, a crack going down the edge from where his older brother had dropped it while they were playing. His masked hero coming to save him from the monsters. Childe looked at the sun setting on the Liyue Harbor as he traced the crack with his fingers. “If only things were so simple again…” But he knew they would never, could never, be the same. For there was no hero to save him from the monster. No.
He was the monster now.