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“Okay. You have two minutes to break into the vault,” A girl’s sheepish voice explained, her rapid keyboard clicking picking up on the shared phone call. “Any longer and the basement guards will be alerted. Your time starts… now.”
“Perfect.” Childe grinned, flipping open the metal panel box on the outside of the matte gold vault door. Immediately, he faced a tangled mess of different colored wires, all bathed in a soft red light. “Keep me updated every thirty seconds. It won’t take me that long.”
A snort on the other end of the line. She always doubted his incredible skills, even though he’d proved himself several times in the last few years. A similar holograph whirred to life from his watch, the bright blue riptide flickering until it finally revealed the list of wires to stitch together. He jumped into it, long fingers hurrying across multiple colors in quick succession.
“I’m not seeing any guards on this floor.”
“That’s because I took them all out.”
“On the entire floor? Unlikely.” Another little giggle.
“You doubt your big brother’s ability?” He asked, tugging out a pair of tweezers and holding them between his teeth, eager to not make a mistake and set off every alarm in this damn building. Long fingers followed the wires to their outlets, tracing over them as gently as one would touch a lover; delicate, patient, if not a bit hurried.
“I’m just saying,” Tonia stressed, a second window popping up above his list of wires to cut. It, too, was tinged from the blue holograph, but he clearly recognized her bedroom covered in posters and string lights (and computer monitors he conveniently helped her hide from their nosey parents). She wore thick duckie pajamas, blankets curled up to her chest as she hurriedly tried to configure the wire options now that she could see the panel box. “It’s a lot of guards on this floor. It’s a miracle you didn’t set off any alarms already.”
“Really, Tonia, your lack of faith is disturbing.”
“Don’t quote Star Wars to me when you know I haven’t seen it.”
“I’ve failed you as a big brother.” A little beep whined at him as he yanked the yellow wire out of the socket, tossing it aside, then snipped one of the blue wires in half to try and hot-wire the door. “Truly, I went wrong somewhere.”
Tonia rolled her eyes. “Minute thirty left. How’s it coming?”
“You’re hovering.”
“I am not!”
“Just like Mama.”
“Oh, please! Do you want me to trade places with her and have her catching you do this?” Childe visibly flinched, wasting valuable seconds to glare at his little sister through the holographic monitor. She giggled again. “I think she’d probably have a stroke.”
He’d probably have one as well. He could already see it now; there’d be a lot of yelling, a lot of smacking, and a lot of threats on his life if he ever got hurt. “That’s why you are my gal in the chair.”
“I prefer ‘main accomplice’,” Tonia corrected. He hated how much that was true just as much as he preferred her taking the spot. As Tartaglia, one of the Tsaritsa’s great Harbinger spies, he’d soared through missions like this for years. Turns out, stealth and strength were an asset his queen desperately needed, so much so that she was willing to tangle him up in the Fatui’s web after catching him sneaking into her personal vault at only 14 years old. It was merely a miracle that he hadn’t been executed on sight; he liked to joke his queen had a soft spot for him, even with her heart of ice.
He wouldn’t trade his job for the world, even if it meant struggling to juggle the dangerous world he’d willingly entangled himself in and a very, very clingy family. He had done a fantastic job to keep them out of the loop and out of harm’s way (even if it meant getting a little brutal and taking out anyone who dared snoop into his history)-- until his nosy little sister had stumbled upon him stitching up his own injuries after a mission. It had taken all of him to shut her up before she could tell their parents, and the only way he’d manage to salvage everything was by promising she could help with his work.
To his surprise, Tonia’s talents on the computer rivaled even some of his coworkers. She’d make a great little specialist if she ever needed to join the Fatui (something he adamantly refused to let happen). The downside was if he were to ever get caught and interrogated, if anyone ever managed to hack into the highly secure network he had set up between them, they’d find his one weakness.
Another loud, frantic three beeps from the panel box, sparks flying from two wires unused to being tangled together. “One minute down,” Tonia whispered, and he could hear the tension in her voice, as if she were the one in this dangerous situation.
“It’s okay,” He reassured, moving onto the next conglomeration. If he was right, the door would open with only one more adjusted sequence. “Guard check?”
“I thought you took them all out~”
Childe grinned again. If she was making jokes like this, she wasn’t too worried about him just yet. “Can never be too cautious. Don’t want any guards distracting me like you are when I only have a minute left.”
“45 seconds,” She corrected, a nervous but smug smirk on her face.
Archons above, maybe he had trained her too well. “Don’t count down, you’ll stress me out.”
“Still no guards,” Another rapid click of her keyboard. “Are you anywhere close to opening it?”
“T. Hovering.”
“I’m just checking!”
“It’s complicated,” He corrected, clenching his jaw when the door didn’t immediately open. This was getting ridiculous – his intel had been solid, why was he having such a hard time unlocking this?!
“Thirty seconds,” Tonia reminded him, voice cracking from the stress.
“Relax, I got this in the bag.”
A pause. Then, “Did you just tell me to relax?”
Dammit. “Uh– no.”
“You did!”
“Shh, trying to concentrate,” He interrupted, his stomach twisting in knots, snipping the black wire and the red wire in one swift movement, then hurriedly tangling them together, his fingers a flurry of trained skill.
But his little sister, as sweet as she could be, had his mother’s nagging tendencies whenever he said something wrong. Unlike his mother, she didn’t have the same intimidating demeanor as she whined, “I’m asking for a bigger pay cut for this mission, if you even manage to complete it!”
“Again with the lack of faith. You’re hurting my little heart.” Flashes of frustration raced through his veins like lightning as the stupid door refused to open, a warning of ten seconds flashing across the panel box’s screen. “Archons, why isn’t this— oh, fuck it.”
He didn’t give Tonia a chance to protest. He summoned his Hydro daggers, slashing all of the wires in the box in one swift movement so as not to completely shut down the vault system. It overloaded and spritzed, sparks flying from the exposed cables. He held his breath as the clock counted lower and lower and eventually reached zero, only letting out a sigh of relief as no alarm accompanied the time limit.
“Damn, I’m good,” He let the daggers fade back into mist and wiped the moisture off on his pants. He scanned the room quickly, making sure there weren’t any remaining traps as decompression fog settled around the room.
Before he could take a step, Tonia began giggling again. “That’s two more Mora for the swear jar, big brother.”
“Fuck.”
“Make it three.”
“Shut up,” He grumbled, knowing she would bleed him dry one day. To be fair, with his job, it would likely take years to accomplish that. Several small pillars dotted the room, each holding a single precious item in the cool spotlights. Each enticed him, all itching to be stolen; beautiful gemstones the color of blood or as deep as the ocean, the very first Mora, its gold glinting in the dim light, even a perfectly crystalline glaze lily, its petals frozen in open position. His fingers ran over the jewels, aching to savor them in his hands, but he let it fall when he remembered his mission. “Any hidden alarms?”
“None going off right now,” Tonia whispered, as if she, too, were infatuated by the goodies scattered around the room. “I don’t understand where the guards are–”
A subtle click sounded right in his ear. Then the agonizingly wonderful scent of wildflowers spun around him like a song, familiar and hauntingly dangerous. The hair on the back of his neck stood at full attention, warning him to pay attention to every little movement he made. Childe made one quick glance down, spotting a small shadowy figure in the reflection on one of the fat diamonds in a diadem. The uneasiness swirling in his stomach evaporated in a heartbeat, replaced by eager satisfaction.
It had been far too long since he’d had a decent fight.
“Hey T?” He hummed, raising his hands slowly as heels clacked on the shiny black marble floor, the gun still raised to his eyeline. “I’ll call you back.”
“What?” Tonia shouted, leaning forward in her holographic screen, as if she could see the scene in front of her if she got closer. “Wait–”
He tapped his ear, hanging up before this assailant could determine who his gal in the chair was. A grin exploded on his face, raising his chin to take in this tiny challenger threatening him with each slow pace. Her black dress hugged every curve like a glove, the slit to help with her movement so high he swore he could see her milky white hip bone– along with another identical gun strapped to her thigh. Dangerous stiletto heels sharp enough to slit a man’s throat gave her a little more height, but she hardly came up to his chin. Her golden hair gleamed in the dim light, as brilliant as a star. A mask covered most of her face, ornate and complicated like the most fragile lace. And those perfect pouty lips, stained as red as cherries, as rubies, as blood.
“Well, well,” He hummed, tilting his head and letting his hands drop when he deemed her not a threat. “Aren’t you a pretty thing?”
Her lips twitched upwards, so different from the stone-faced assailant he knew personally. Perhaps it had been too long since she had a good fight, too. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Harbinger.”
“I’m not sure, Viatrix,” Childe chuckled, hands on his hips. “It’s gotten you pretty far in this line of work. Care to explain what someone like you is doing here?”
“The same thing you are doing here,” She purred, finally lowering her gun but deeming him dangerous enough to keep it in her hands instead of holstered.
“Oh? Enlighten me. I’m just a simple man with a fascination for rare jewels.”
“Is that so?” Viatrix slowly paced around the room, putting one of the columns between them as she moved. Gods, he could watch her walk all day long, especially in this fucking dress. It did so much to highlight her wonderful thick thighs. “An interesting cover, since your grabby hands haven’t snatched up all the jewels already.”
“One could make the argument that the most precious jewel hasn’t been found yet.”
She glared at him over her shoulder, nose scrunching with his words. “I already told you, flattery will get you nowhere.”
“Aw, myla,” He chuckled, the two pacing around each other like big cats, on guard with every step. “I wasn’t talking about you.”
A laugh, as perfect as bells. The ache in his chest only deepened, his heart beating out of control with every emotion except fear. Probably a bad sign, but he was too deep in at this point.
“So,” He interrupted his own train of thoughts, one brow raising as she finally holstered her weapon and started going through the wall of lockboxes, breaking into them with a skill rivaling his own. He could take her so easily right here and now– she wouldn’t even know where his attack came from. Instead, he popped up the holograph on his watch to search for his own target, ignoring the frantic messages from Tonia. “Was it you who distracted all the guards?”
“And disabled all the alarms.” A honey amber eye pinned him in place, but he couldn’t stop staring at her pretty little mouth. “You’re welcome for that, by the way. Though your little Hydro show was… cute, to say the least.”
“I think you mean ‘impressive’.”
“I said what I said.”
“Rude. So tell me, how do we plan to get out of this one?” He asked, tilting his head but never dropping his guard.
“Hm?”
“I’m here for the Gnosis. You’re here for the Gnosis.” Every nerve electrified him as fiercely a live wire, jittery with excitement. He could barely prevent himself from summoning his Hydro blades, if only to feel something tangible in his hands. Especially when touching her would probably get him shot in the face. “Only one of us can get it.”
“Oh, Childe,” Those ruby red lips spread into a brilliant grin, and he nearly died from the way she cooed his name, savoring it like the sweetest wildflower honey. Nevertheless, he refocused himself as her perfect small hands conjured up a glowing chess piece– from where, he couldn’t tell. “If only you paid more attention to my fingers instead of my mouth.”
When–? How?!
He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but just as he did, alarms blared around the room, glowing red and angry. In one sudden movement, a solid gold gate shut down over the wall of lockboxes, while each of the pillars in the room immediately slammed into the floor. The two infiltrators watched as another gate threatened to shut over the vault’s only entrance.
“Shit!” They shouted in sync, both lunging for the opening. Even with ridiculous speed and a talent others in his agency rivaled, neither could escape the trap once the gate locked into place, sealing with a hiss of condensation. Viatrix gripped the bars and shook, as if that would do any good, while Childe quickly slid to his knees in front of another panel box, ready to hotwire his way out of here.
“I thought you disabled the alarms!” He shouted as his rival started to pace the room.
“I thought I did!”
“Well, obviously not.”
“Shut up.”
He yanked out the yellow wire, much more careless compared to his intricate and careful attempt earlier. No point in trying to keep things quiet when they’d likely already alerted every guard in the building. “You know, if you hand it over, I may allow you to escape out alive with me.”
“What?” She swatted the back of his head, crossing her arms. “Of course not.”
“Then I guess we have to fight for it,” He grunted. The wire box could be left for later; after all, if he’d learned anything, one could easily override the door by yanking out the entire clump of cables. Then he finally summoned his Hydro blades, so much more comfortable with them in his hands. “You know, before the guards you triggered show up?”
The woman’s honey gold eyes widened with surprise, glancing between him and the swirling blue daggers in his hands. “You really want to do it this way?”
“I’m not just letting you walk away with it.” Especially now that he’d seen it in all its beauty. It would make the perfect addition to his collection of trophies. His agency probably wouldn’t like him keeping it, though.
Viatrix’s ruby red lips curled up in a pout. “Fine!”
“Fine!” He agreed, another grin exploding across his face as he made the first move.
He lunged, a wave of Hydro energy swelling around him in an elaborate dance he’d mastered in the darkest pits of hell. His speed, unrivaled by those he worked alongside of, was mere child’s play against the talented woman in front of him. In the blink of an eye, she tugged the sleek gun from its holster, aiming for his heart. With anyone else, the move may have sent a flicker of panic through him. With her, it was simply an empty threat.
Childe surged forward, the consistent blaring alarms music to his ears, timing his attacks with each brief lull in its song. Viatrix knew him and his movements well. After all, this wasn’t their first fight, and he knew it wouldn’t be there last. He slammed his blade towards her neck and she barely blocked his blow. He yelped in surprise, still not used to her wicked strength as she twisted his arm behind his back and kicked him in the ass with her stiletto heel.
Gods, if only he’d brought his bow. The last time they’d gone face-to-face, they went for hours in a long distance shooting match, daring the other to land a hit.
The violent string of gunshots refocused him, recentering his mind on the vault. He dipped and dodged the flying bullets, careful not to piss her off enough to actually dare shooting him. This barrage was nothing more than her attempt at keeping him far away while she figured out her own path out of her. He refused to let her put distance between them.
He let all the fun playfulness of battle drop, instead replacing himself with the persona of Tartaglia. He lunged for her again, slashing and hacking at her small form. One swipe, she barely dodged. Another punch from his dagger nearly caught her arm, threatening to sever her brachial artery with the flick of his wrist. He grunted, using his speed to keep her on the defense. She hissed as he spun again, the tip of his blade catching her perfect, pale cheek.
He’d savored the blow too much to catch how she raised her heel to his stomach and kicked him backwards, his boots skidding across the sleek black floor. Childe roughly raised his head, gritting his teeth as he readjusted his grip on his blades.
A grin exploded on his face seeing blood trickle down her perfect pale cheek. Even when the threat of the guards bursting into the room at any moment, even with the Gnosis just in reach, he stayed perfectly still to watch her reaction. Her hand reached up to touch the single ruby droplet as it carved a path down her chin, pulling away to feel it between her fingertips. Then her amber eyes sliced to his, rife with annoyance.
Before he could breathe, she raised her weapon and pulled the trigger.
An annoying ringing blared in his ears, the high-pitched squeal drowning out the consistent flashing alarm. Childe hissed, flinching as waves of pain rippled through his arm, cupping the wound to stop the burning sensation radiating out through his body. “You shot me!”
Viatrix’s eyes narrowed. “It’s just a scratch.”
“Yeah but it still fucking hurts!” He shouted, gritting his teeth. The pain acted as another reminder that, if she really wanted to, she could put a bullet between his eyes before he could think of what it was he said wrong.
His rival turned back to figuring out the issue with the locked gate, leaving her back open. She’d gotten too used to one bullet taking down her enemies. Tartaglia was simply built different, crafted as the perfect weapon for his queen; if only having the flaws of arrogance and kleptomania. After all, he was only human.
He rushed her again, more annoyed now than ever before. Viatrix yelped when his foot collided with her chest, barely managing to stay standing in those dangerously high heels after the blow. He let his Hydro daggers evaporate into mist and dropped to his knees, swooping her legs out from underneath her tiny frame. She hit the ground with a loud oof, her blonde hair stained red from the rivers of blood now racing down her face.
She had no time to catch his masterful hands snatching the Gnosis from her grasp. She probably didn’t even know it was gone by the time he’d reached the panel box, ripping the bundle of wires from the heart of the system. In an instant, the golden gate locking them inside shuddered and groaned, peeling back.
Loud, clunky footsteps echoed off the silent office walls down the hallway, the sound of approaching guards. Childe turned back to her as her golden eyes widened with the revelation he’d managed to succeed in snatching their shared prize. He hummed, sliding the Gnosis into a secure pocket strapped to his chest, unable to stop from smiling. “This was fun, you pretty thing, but I have to be going now.”
“Wait–”
“So sorry. We should do this again sometime. Definitely one of the most exhilarating fights I’ve had in a while.” The shouting down the hallway inched closer, and he knew his time had officially run out. “Have fun getting yourself out of this mess, girlie.”
He gave her no time to respond before disappearing into the night, as sleek as one of the shadows and as silent as a mouse.
***
Goddammit.
“It was a fake?” Childe whined, banging his head on the desk in his coworker’s office, ignoring the throb of pain radiating from every injury in his sore body.
“Seems so,” Signora said, twisting the glowing chess piece in her fingers, her nails tapping against the ceramic. “You should have checked before leaving the scene.”
“Forgive me, I was a little tied up,” He grunted, conveniently leaving out his comment of and not in the fun way. Not that Signora would mind– probably.
“Not my problem.” His coworker only rolled her eyes, tossing the fake Gnosis piece into one of her filing bins. “Perhaps you can explain to the Tsaritsa where the real one is.”
“I’m sure it’ll pop up soon enough,” Childe mumbled, really not looking forward to his queen’s disapproving glare at how he’d failed a mission and managed to get shot in one night. Speaking of, another twinge of pain nearly brought him to his knees, an uncomfortable burning sensation radiating throughout his arm. He grit his teeth, desperate to hide his pain from the one woman who really wouldn’t care. “Rex Lapis isn’t one to hide from public view, the show off.”
His phone dinged and he bit back a groan, pulling it out of his pocket. Ah great. She was asking for dinner. He supposed he could place an order at Xiangling’s restaurant and swoop by on his walk home.
“If you get any new leads, let me know.”
One of Signora’s platinum blonde brows rose. “Where are you going?”
“Home to lick my wounds.” He shoved his phone back into his pocket and grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his good shoulder. “In case you didn’t read the report, Viatrix fucking shot me.”
A fact he still couldn’t really believe, a fact Signora didn’t bother commenting on. He slipped out of her office and out of Northland Bank, biting his lip to avoid whimpering in pain as he hurried down the steps. Liyue glowed at night, vibrant and beautiful, the warm summer air curling his copper hair in little ringlets at the base of his neck. Even in these masses, he savored the evening, the busy nature of the city, the thrill of being alive.
He grabbed dinner for two from Xiangling’s restaurant just like he promised and headed home a block away, not bothering to hide his grunts of exasperated pain as he climbed the stairs to his apartment. The key easily turned in the lock, much to his relief. A similar warm glow hung in the living room, the scent of wildflowers and the wind and fresh-baked apology cookies on the coffee table comforting him in ways he still didn’t understand. The television played another rerun of a goofy spy show; ironic, considering the line of work they dabbled in.
Ajax dropped the takeout on the coffee table beside the cookies and sank into the couch, not bothering to take off his jacket or bloodstained shirt. He let out a deep sigh, wondering if he could meld into the couch for a few days, maybe a week.
Then, warm lips brushed against his forehead, the pain radiating throughout his body evaporating in seconds. He opened one azure eye, spotting Lumine as she hopped over the back of the couch and curled into his side. Her golden hair hung in damp ringlets, fresh from the shower, the smell of her wildflower shampoo so soothing.
“Long day at work?” She asked, as if this was the normal conversation for a normal couple.
“You could say that.” He made no comment about the bandage on her perfect cheek. “It was a fake.”
Her amber eyes widened. “Wait, really?”
Ajax nodded, grunting again as he grabbed their dinner, his arm hanging uselessly by his side. She bit her lip to hide her own laughter, but he still noticed, tossing her a pair of chopsticks. “You get to help me eat,” He grumbled, kissing her forehead with a smirk. “Since I’m pretty pitiful right now.”
“Of course,” She teased, unable to hide his favorite smile any longer.
“Good. Next time, can you not shoot me?”