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Ajax had wondered on many occasions why he liked to put himself in danger. Was it because that was how he grew up? He did grow up in the abyss. Was he just that desensitized to it that it didn’t bother him? No, that couldn’t be it. He knew that because he knew very well he was in danger at the current moment. He knew he was in danger, and unlike most times where he just grinned and pulled out his weapon– preparing for a fight – this time he had the instinctive urge to run far the fuck away.
He smiled, sheepishly, at the cause of his fear, hoping that, if he came off harmless enough, she would let him live.
Ajax, Tartaglia, Childe, he went by many names, remembered how he got here.
Most of the time, the lovely Tsaritsa did not assign specific missions to her Harbingers. They had their roles to play, of course; The Jester gave out instructions and worked as her right hand man, Il Dottore dealt with the chemical sciences, The Knave raised and trained new generations of Fatui soldiers, Pantalone dealt with finances, Sandrone made robots, and so on. They also, of course, had their collective mission of acquiring the gnosis from the archons. As of the current moment, they had only retrieved two, both thanks to La Signora. Other than that, they were free to do as they pleased.
Occasionally, and by that did he mean very rarely, once in a blue moon, would the Tsaritsa give a specific mission to a Harbinger. Even rarer, to the point it never happened, at least in his time, did the Tsaritsa give out a single mission assigned to two Harbingers.
When he had been requested to go visit the Goddess of Love, he had been surprised but pleased to see the Knave, or more commonly known as Arlecchino, the fourth Harbinger, had been summoned as well.
The Knave was among the harbingers who were more willing to take him up on his requests for combat, although she beat him every time and he wondered if it got boring to her at all. She was also the caretaker of the very person he later decided to put his life on the line for.
As previously mentioned, The Knave was in charge of raising and training the next generation of Fatui Soldiers. To do this, she ran an orphanage well known as the House of the Hearth, based in Fontaine. The House of the Hearth had turned out many good soldiers, even before Arlecchino had taken over running it. Childe liked the soldiers she trained more than the ones of her predecessor, Crucabena. Crucabena made ones that were incredibly skilled in fighting and were completely fine with taking the life of another, but they were often cold and rigid. They weren’t very fun to talk to and treated him with either too much respect or too much fear, and he liked neither. Arlecchino’s products were nicer, they also came in higher numbers.
Arlecchino, like her predecessor, raised soldiers that were insanely skilled, and once again, totally fine with doing what was needed for their cause. From both Harbingers, Childe had witnessed their soldiers take the life of someone who they grew up with, but there was a crucial difference between them. Arlecchino's soldiers cared for one another, they were clearly distressed after taking the life of a family member, and they protected one another when it came down to it. On top of that, they were a lot more relaxed around him. They were respectful when greeting him, and talking to him, of course, but they treated Tartaglia like they were old friends. They were willing to hold conversations with him and he liked that about them. However, there was one soldier of Arlecchino’s that had captured more than just his attention.
The Knave was raising a magician boy who went by the name Lyney. He was a born and raised Fontanian alongside his twin sister Lynette who looked much like a gender-bent, half-cat version of Lyney. They both had platinum blonde hair, fair skin, and purple eyes. Other than biological gender differences, the two also had similar body shapes, though he’d probably regret saying that out loud if Lyney ever heard him say that.
Lyney was very protective of his sister and more than a couple times did Ajax remember seeing him just barely hold back his rage when someone had the nerve to harm or make one of his family members uncomfortable. This did mean that he was totally fine being put in those situations himself instead, and he would put himself in said situations to defend those he cared for. Once, he had witnessed Lyney just straight up kill a guy after pretending to be Lynette and the guy almost raped him. When the news reached the Fontaine newspaper, they claimed the body had been burned and beaten well beyond recognition. The boy had massive anger issues, it was amazing he was able to keep them under wraps as well as he did.
Other than those moments though, the boy was incredibly nice and the one with the most guts to treat Tartaglia like he wasn’t a superior at all, like he was just a regular peer of his. He also wasn’t afraid of threatening the redhead, a feat he had witnessed several times from the boy, and one of the biggest reasons he was in his current predicament.
Tartaglia recalled when first met the twins, it was two years ago, they were 19 and he was 21. He had spotted Lynette and had taken no time to try to start up a conversation with her. He grabbed her hand at the time and placed a kiss to the back of it. Much to his dismay, she was mostly unresponsive, just staring at him, unimpressed. When he asked, “What’s wrong, girlie? Don't know how to respond to my charm?” she had simply sighed. He still wasn’t entirely sure what she had responded with, but he knew it was along the lines of “Your funeral,” or “I would watch your head, if I were you, Sir Tartaglia.”
To the archons above, was she right. At that moment, an arrow had nearly been shot through his skull. This had been after Lynette had gotten her vision, but prior to Lyney acquiring his own. Had it been after, Childe sure as hell would not be still alive. The arrow had been released at speeds he himself couldn’t reach with a bow, and had shattered a vase it had made contact with post its release. On top of that, he had not sensed any danger or bloodlust coming from the one who shot him up until after the arrow had been shot. When he looked at the male twin, who was barely keeping his seething hidden, his interest in the girl had immediately shifted to the boy. Never once had a lower ranked Fatui member ever dared to fight him, much less non verbally threaten to initiate a fight. He was intrigued.
That hadn’t been the last time a weapon had been launched at him by the boy, and Archon, he really hoped the boy wouldn’t stop. Lyney had launched daggers, more arrows, even forks and playing cards at the Harbinger for a multitude of reasons, all somehow he managed to keep a pleasant smile on his face during. Every time the boy unleashed his rage at him a little, whether by throwing weapons at him, elbowing him in the gut, pull down on his earring, kicking him in the balls (which always hurt like a motherfucker because the Lyney wore boots with a decent sized heel on them for a man), or straight up putting a very sharp playing card to his throat, he fell deeper into a rabbit hole.
He fell in love with the boy. How could he not? He was the first subordinate that wasn’t scared to threaten him, and his anger was ridiculously attractive. Lyney was much shorter than Tartaglia which only made his anger that much more appealing. How he was when he wasn’t pissed was equally captivating. He constantly had this air of “look at me”, not in a self centered way, but more like he just naturally captured people’s attention and he wasn’t afraid to bask in it, though he never went fishing for compliments. He was also incredibly sweet. He would buy gifts for his family, or help out those who needed it. He regularly visited people who struggled to get money and would bring them a pouch full of mora and plenty of home made food when he could. He was smart as well and great at assessing situations, at least when his anger wasn’t driving him. He shone his brightest when he was performing magic tricks for people. It didn’t matter who, it brought him joy.
He was also very skilled in combat, though he often said he didn’t compare to his sister. It shook Tartaglia that the boy didn’t think he was good enough in that sense, especially because Arlecchino, the woman whom Lyney called ‘Father’, had chosen him to be her successor. It was intended for him to take over her position as the head of the House of the Hearth and become Harbinger as well along with it – not that he would be permitted to take over the House of the Hearth without becoming a Harbinger first. The two titles would either be given simultaneously or Harbinger would be given before the Head of the orphanage, but never the other way around.
On top of being charming and strong, he was also a very pretty specimen, adorable too. He kept a thinner physique for when he performed, mostly so that when he and his sister did little switcheroo tricks for their magic shows or when he was going to beat some guy up for her, they couldn't be told apart by their figure. Despite that, he still kept a little bit of muscle that he would need for fights. He wasn't very good at hand to hand combat since, most times, his opponents out matched him in raw strength, but he found ways to out maneuver them instead, teasing his opponent that they couldn’t catch him. He wore make up regularly, mostly for stage performances but it just made him prettier. He had a slight feminine face and his stage make up tended to enhance that. His cheeks were soft and whenever he pouted or begged, all Childe wanted to do was squish them. When he playfully got upset or flustered it made him all the more appealing to the eyes.
It was absurd, the way Tartaglia felt about the Magician boy. He just appeared in his life for a moment and now he consumed his waking thoughts AND they were dating. He wanted to know when he would see him again, when he would get to hold him again, when he would get to kiss him again, when he would get to feel the boy underneath him again. Lyney took his whole “pay attention to me” act and wired it into Tartaglia’s brain so that he couldn’t think about anything else. He tried to make it so they could see each other as often as possible but as he traveled a lot as a harbinger, that proved to be rather difficult.
They didn’t usually argue a lot, and when they did, it never got very heated. They were mostly because one, or both, was already in a pissy mood hoping the other would be able to help them calm down but the other did something that only set the other off. Their fights usually ended with apologies, hugs, and cuddles. There was only one time, in their year and a half of dating now, that they had gotten into a pretty bad argument, and it had been fairly recent, leading to why the red head was now in a state of danger.
Tartaglia had gone to Liyue for the Rite of Descension, in hopes he could meet with Rex Lapis, Morax, the Geo Archon, God of Contracts; he too went by many names, and take his Gnosis. While there, Tartaglia ended up coming across a traveler with hair as yellow as the sun and eyes the color of Cor Lapis traveling with a White haired fairy of some sorts. They, too, had come for the Rite of Descension and to meet the Lord of Geo, though it was only to ask him questions. Along with the Traveler, he met a man by the name of Zhongli whom he later came to find out was Rex Lapis himself and La Signora had beaten her fellow harbinger to the punch about gathering his Gnosis.
Both Zhongli and the Traveler had very much captured his attention. They were both strong and just the kind of people he wanted to be friends with. He wanted to fight them, like he did with any strong person he met, and his fascination with the Geo Archon and the Traveler had begun to grow. He was visiting Liyue more often to see both of them and when he saw Lyney after visiting them he was happy. Though it seemed he was too happy.
Lyney, having been left in the dark and not told about his interactions with Zhongli, or the Traveler, add on the fact he didn’t know them and they were currently in a different nation that Tartaglia was now frequently visiting and coming back from weirdly happy and pleased, had gotten suspicious. Neither Ajax, nor Lyney, had given their lover any reason to doubt their loyalty before, but this behavior was foreign. After two months of the red head coming back to him suspiciously happy, not that he wasn’t allowed to be happy, he was just never so happy that his head seemed to be in a different place, Lyney broke and asked his lover a question Tartaglia had never thought he’d hear. Especially not in a tone so contradictory to the Pyro vision the magician was in possession of.
“Are you cheating on me with someone in Liyue?”
That question had been what caused their first actually heated argument. Tartaglia had been appalled that Lyney would even begin to think of such a thing and then accused him of asking just to hide that he was cheating on him. People would do that. They would ask to make sure someone wasn’t doing what they themselves were doing to make themselves look innocent. Lyney had gotten equally pissed at the accusation and told Childe off for visiting Liyue so often all of a sudden and coming back happy. Their argument had continued and it got to the point where they were both prepared to get into actual combat with each other until Lyney stormed out.
It had been a month of little to no communication between the two. Tartaglia had thought about it and he began to realize he did truly come off like he was cheating. He hadn’t told Lyney anything, hadn’t noticed his hesitation when he would tell him he was going to Liyue again, and he hadn’t reassured him he wasn’t being disloyal. He even missed a date they had planned to go fight the Traveler. He hadn’t come off as a good, loyal boyfriend.
In the end, he snuck into Lyney’s room (mostly to avoid the Knave who was completely oblivious of a relationship she would not approve of) to apologize. He happened to catch his lover just when he was getting ready for bed. Childe apologized, bringing out flowers and some of Lyney’s favorite chocolate as an apology for seeming like an unfaithful boyfriend and accusing him of something he didn’t think he would actually do. Lyney had laughed so hard the redhead had to cover his mouth to keep him from accidentally telling his ‘Father’ that he was there. It turned out Lyney had bought flowers and Ajax’s favorite sweets to apologize to him as well and gave them to him via a magic trick.
It was that moment Ajax knew he was truly in love. It was also that moment he made a decision that got him into his current situation.
See, after having been summoned with the Knave to an audience with the Tsaritsa, they learned that they would be sent to check out some ruins with each other that they suspected to have remnants from Khaenri’ah and abyssal creatures roaming around it, a suspicion that turned out to be 100% correct. It was also occupied by treasure hoarders, nothing the two of them couldn’t handle. However, there was a question on the 11th Harbinger’s tongue he had been wanting to ask since he made the decision to do so, at some point, two weeks ago now when he and Lyney had made up.
The problem with this question is asking it would not only reveal his and Lyney’s relationship, but also, very likely, no maybes about it, get his ass killed– heavily beaten if he was lucky. This made asking the question very nerve wracking.
It wasn’t until they were leaving the ruins that Tartaglia decided to start up a conversation.
“So this was a fun mission. We don’t usually fight together. Have you gotten stronger? Cleaned your scythe-”
“If there’s something you want to say, just say it. I don’t like it when people beat around the bush.” She cut him off, catching onto his nervous sweating quickly. He knew this wouldn’t go well and if he tried to come up with something on the spot, she would just call him out on it.
“Observant as ever, I see.” He laughed. She didn’t look at him as they got closer to the exit.
“Spit it out,” she hurried him. She wasn’t making this easy on him, he still didn’t know why he did this to himself. Well, he did. He was doing this for Lyney. He loved him and he would do this even if it meant he got his ass kicked in the process.
“Well, if you insist.” He took a deep breath. “Lyney and I have been dating for a year and a half and I really really love him, so like a gentleman, I'm going to do this the proper way and ask you, his guardian, permission to Marry him.” She stopped walking and he did as well. Maybe it was a good thing she was in front of him and not vice versa. “So, can I? Can I marry him?”
She hadn’t killed him yet, so that was good. Unfortunately, being one of the Knave’s least favorite coworkers was something that would not work in his favor. Not to mention, dating her star student and even requesting for his hand in marriage? He really should have just told Lyney they were going to run and elope but he didn’t and chose the route of death for two reasons.
The first being Lyney wouldn’t have agreed to just leaving his family behind. He knew that feeling. He often felt bad about leaving his own little brother to go to work, making Lyney leave the family he adored so much was cruel. He couldn’t do that to him. Lyney would also never forgive him if he made him do that, and might just shoot another arrow at his head – as wonderful as that sounded, it wouldn’t be under that context. The second reason he chose not to take the magician boy to elope was the fact that, somehow, the Traveler, who had clearly never come into contact with the Knave, convinced him he would be fine.
Childe had gone to Liyue last week because he had some legitimate business to take care of there. He had promised Lyney he would bring him, his twin sister, and a slightly younger man by the name of Freminet the twins had gotten real close to souvenirs. He also promised to bring pictures of the Traveler and Zhongli so he could get a better idea of why he kept visiting Liyue. He wanted to ease any remaining doubts Lyney had.
While there, Childe managed to find the Traveler, coincidentally with Zhongli after he had finished his work during his time shopping. They were having a cup of tea while listening to a story. The floating white fairy was also with them, as she always was, gorging herself in enough food probably 3 times her own body weight. It amazed him how she could eat so much and remain so small. Then again, Tartaglia has seen Lynette do the same with sweets on countless occasions and she still retained her slim figure. Lyney was always a lot more careful about what he ate, and ate only much he needed. Tartaglia was pretty sure he regularly counted his calories.
He had approached the trio and sat down with them. Unbeknownst to Lyney, further proof that the redhead had no intention of cheating on him was The Traveler, the white fairy who went by the name Paimon, and Zhongli were all aware that Childe was in a relationship with someone in a different nation. They knew this because, when given the chance, Lyney was all he would talk about. Him and any brilliant duels he had gotten into recently, but mostly Lyney. He loved talking about the boy that made him smile so much Paimon had to tell him to shut up, which was rich coming from her as she did more talking than anyone he knew.
When Ajax sat with the group they all greeted him and they fell into a nice chat, eventually
Paimon asked their harbinger friend what he was doing there and he told them about the job he was there for and buying souvenirs for his lover and his siblings. Telling them this led to the Traveler asking if they had finally made up which he had gladly replied yes to and it spiralled into him talking about his little dilemma.
He told the three he wanted to marry Lyney after dating for a year and a half but he wanted to be a gentleman about it and ask permission from his guardian who would absolutely murder him if he brought up that he and her adopted son had been in a secret relationship for so long right under her nose. Paimon, surprisingly tried to be helpful, but in the end it was the Traveler who told him he would be fine. Zhongli added that it was just a test of how much he truly loved Lyney. They made valid points and the Traveler tried to tell him he would be just fine if he went up against the Knave in which he had to tell them the Knave was the number 4 harbinger who he had fought a variety of times and still had yet to win against. Their faces had turned to one of shock and Paimon patted his back wishing him good luck.
He guessed it was really what Zhongli had said that pushed him to do this. He had gotten into countless fights where the odds were against him, he wasn’t afraid of danger. He had, again, been desensitized to it to an extent. Did he actually love Lyney if he wasn’t willing to place himself in a situation where there wasn’t a single odd in his favor like he had done so many times prior?
Tartaglia stared ahead at the knave and, before he had solid time to react, she had summoned her spear, transformed it to her iconic scythe and moved to be around his neck, prepared to slice off his head like she were the grim reaper here to finally take him away. She almost was, in a sense. She was rather fond of wearing cloaks with hoods, and masquerade masks during missions sometimes instead of her usual white tail coat. Her heels were also sharp and pointy like knives, he had watched her make a treasure hoarder’s foot bleed on purpose with them while they had been fighting the ones in the ruins they were currently in. ‘X’ was also a common theme in her clothing, especially in her eyes where they were a deep red surrounded by pitch black. Her hands, which were naturally a deep black themselves, and her normally very cold expressions only added on to her Grim Reaper-like feel.
There were so many reasons for him to be terrified of the woman before him, and he was, why? He had just asked for a fight in the worst way possible. She stared at him. Her expression was cold and angry but at the same time, calm. He was amazed he wasn’t dead yet.
“Care to give me a good reason why I should give you my blessing.” Her voice was just as cold as her eyes, but there was the slightest hint of anger. Ajax was just thankful she was giving him a chance to persuade her.
“Because Lyney is a grown adult who can make his own decisions?” The blade moved closer to his neck, clearly she was not pleased with that answer. “I make him happy? At least I’d assume so. He usually seems happy to see me and spend time with me.” He prepared for her to move the weapon even closer but to his surprise, she didn’t.
“Were you the reason he was pissed and depressed the past month?” He should have seen that coming, nervous sweat began to build. If he wasn’t careful, his answer to this could get his head chopped off.
He readied himself for the worst possible outcome, and looked into her eyes. Would she be proud that the man who had asked her to spar so many times despite knowing he would lose was being a coward while asking for her child’s hand in marriage?
Tartaglia straightened his posture and gave himself more confidence, he could do this. “Yes,” he replied and she was ready to swing and end his life, but he blocked it in the knick of time. “But it was due to a misunderstanding. He believed I was cheating on him-” more force was put on the scythe, trying to get past the weapon that blocked its path. “I wasn’t. We got into a fight and didn't talk for the last month but we made up two weeks ago. I had come to apologize with gifts and he was ready to do the same. I love him, Arlecchino. I love everything about him, from the way he dresses to the way he acts both with and without his well constructed mask. I love how he naturally draws attention to himself and he thrives in it. I love how his face contorts with anger and he’s not remotely scared to threaten me despite being his superior and stronger than him. He is a god damn joy in my life and in the name of our Tsaritsa, the goddess of love, I will love him until time runs out for the world, be that in 1 second, tomorrow, next month, or a million years from now. Please, I ask that you give me permission to take his hand and be able to love him until that clock ticks its last tock.”
She looked at him, she didn’t move her scythe, but she took a second before she spoke again. “You are aware that your Foul Legacy and delusion are draining your life, correct? You will almost certainly be the first to die which will break his heart when you do. Are you prepared to face the consequences marrying him and your death will have upon him?”
“Yes, yes I am. He knows I probably don’t have much longer too. It’s all the more reason you should let me marry him. We can have that special moment before I pass. You can hunt me in the afterlife for the way my death hurts him. Maybe I'll finally be able to beat you there.” He gave her a tense smile. He was still scared shitless despite the brave face he was putting on. He half expected her to put the last bit of force needed to get past his blockage and end his life, but she didn’t and instead removed her weapon and made it disappear into the realm where vision wielders' weapons were stored when not in use.
“Fine, permission granted.” Tartaglia breathed a sigh of relief as the Knave turned back around and continued walking.
They went back to Snezhnaya to inform the Tsaritsa of their success and when they left the meeting room with their archon he began to walk off, he had an engagement ring to find but the voice of the woman who had nearly killed him stopped him.
“Just so you know, I knew about yours and Lyney’s relationship, but I would agree, he seems happy with you. Which is why I never actually intended to behead you back at the ruin. That job now belongs to him if you prove to be a piece of shit of a husband, that is If he accepts your proposal.” He was stunned and she walked past him.
“How long did you know?” He stopped her long enough for her to answer.
“I actually thought the two of you had started dating back when you first met. It was only when you mentioned you being together for a year and a half that I realized I had been about 6 months too early. I suppose I predicted your relationship more than I knew about it. I was a little surprised you hadn’t asked me sooner. Although, I had expected you would just run with him and eloped.” Ajax stood stunned as he watched her walk away. Were they that obvious?
He shook his head. He didn’t have the time to question it. He was going to go visit his little brother then go ring shopping. Luckily, Lynette, who had always been wary of their relationship, was willing to help him get Lyney’s ring size and ring preference so he knew just what to look for.
He smiled, when he had obtained the ring. He was really hoping Lyney would like it. Archons above, he hoped he accepted too. He wanted to see Lyney with the ring around his finger when they walked around, announcing to his fans that he was taken and entirely off limits to anyone else. He wanted to see him with the ring and know that he had officially labeled the blonde magician as his. He wanted to promise his life to the younger man, he was going to promise his heart and soul with this ring and a more permanent one if he accepted his proposal. He wanted to see him walk down the aisle in a white tux or, hell, he could envision Lyney in a dress. He wasn’t afraid to wear skirts and dresses, he had done it countless times before.
For nights after buying the ring, he envisioned it on his lover’s finger. He envisioned them laying in bed together and taking a moment to kiss the band on his finger. He imagined pulling the blonde close and kissing him as he slipped the ring on his hand. He was sickeningly in love with the lower ranked fatuus, it was almost painful. It helped, at the very least, to know his feeling were not unrequited. He didn’t know if Lyney loved him as much as he loved him, but he knew he loved him.
Finally, the day he was going to pop the question arrived. He and Lyney had arranged a day to go diving, spar, watch a play, and then enjoy a nice dinner. They had their full day planned out and Childe was very much looking forward to showing off during the first two activities, claiming he would be an excellent swimmer with a hydro vision.
He was very much proven wrong. Lyney knew all of the water currents to get places faster, he knew where to find local legends they could fight. He knew where to find plants specific to Fontaine, it was incredible. Lyney even showed off how he could dive out of the water and back in it. He was so graceful and he loved watching how his hair swirled around his face while they were under water. It was a spectacular sight to see. He was upset he had bragged so much because he had hydro vision only to get shown up by his lover with a Pyro vision.
He did get to show off when they sparred afterwards.They went out to a field to fight after they stopped by Childe’s temporary place of residence for a shower and clothes they could fight in. Childe had chosen some sweats and boots with a tank top that he later discarded while Lyney had gone with a loose white t-shirt and some shorts with his hair free of its usual side braid. He looked so pretty fighting him. Lyney would shoot arrows at him and Ajax would just deflect them with a sword. At some point he had swung his sword when he got too close for the blonde’s comfort and ended up breaking his training bow. He was lucky that it was, in fact, just a training bow; Lyney would have been pissed if he broke his signature bow. The look that struck his face told Tartaglia that he was thinking the same thing and he scooped him up before he could get a response out.
“Ajax.”
“Kotyonok.”
“Oh, so you want to talk in the language specific to your nation? Ok. Vas te faire foutre salope. Tu as cassé mon arc d’entraînement, tu as de la chance que ce n’était pas mon arme habituelle. Bâtard.” Childe laughed, mostly out of confusion, but at the same time, Lyney only spoke to him in anything other than the Teyvat common language when he was pissed, so he knew he was insulting him, but he said it in a way that sounded like he was telling him some cheesy romantic line.
“I don’t know what you said.”
“Good.” He laughed harder, then kissed him, an action that was returned with a little bit of reluctance. The magician’s lips were soft and tasted like strawberries, a flavor he was sure he would never get tired of, and hopefully, he would get to taste for the rest of his life.
He pulled away and set Lyney back on the ground. They were both sweaty and would need showers again before they continued the rest of their date, which they did. Childe put on some clothes a little fancier than his usual attire just so he wouldn’t look completely out of place among the people of Fontaine, an issue that did not exist for his lover as per the privilege of being from the Nation of Justice.
They continued with their date, taking the Aqua bus from the Court of Fontaine to the Opera Epiclese. They watched the play they had planned, and then traveled back to the Court of Fontaine to get dinner. Ajax could feel his anxiety begin to boil the closer they got to the end of their date. He intended to propose after they had eaten. He would take Lyney on a stroll and ask the question there. But, what if Lyney didn’t love him enough for that? What if he was still upset about the cheating misunderstanding? What if he horribly fumbled the proposal? Did he look ok? Did he even remember to grab the ring before they went to see the play?
He felt the pocket he had put the ring in. It was there, thank the archons.He wasn't usually a very anxious person, but, for some reason, this was causing him a lot of anxiety, he wasn’t entirely sure why.
His anxiousness must have been too obvious because, as they were leaving their dinner now, Lyney grabbed his hand and looked at him. Worry was plastered on his face.
“Ajax, are you alright?” Fuck, the way he spoke to check on him was so sweet. It was calm and gentle and he squeezed his hand to reassure him. He wanted to marry this man so badly. He wanted to claim him as his own for all eternity. If he were a little bit crazier, he might just be willing to kidnap him, but he’s not.
“I’m fine Lyney.” He leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Do you want to go for a walk? It will let our food settle in our stomachs.”
The boy still looked unsure if his lover was truly fine. Tartaglia could only smile softly and squeeze his hand affirmatively. Finally, Lyney smiled back as they set on their walk. The court of Fontaine was beautiful when all lit up for the evening. It was less busy but that gave the area a feeling of calmness, and solitude. If it weren’t for the few people they passed every now and again, Ajax would almost think they were the only ones on the street. He glanced at Lyney, admiring how the moon light mixed with the lights of street lamps to make his hair sparkle. The teardrop that was painted on his face curved in the most gentle way known to man in response to the soft smile on the man’s lips.
The magician looked up at his superior with a small smirk, like he was silently teasing the ginger for staring. He couldn’t help it. Not when a person as beautiful, and caring as he was present. Ajax smiled back. He could feel his face flush. He truly wasn’t the kind of person to get flustered often, but he supposed there was no way around it happening from time to time.
They finally reached the fountain after a while of walking. The layers of gravity defying balls of metal were lit up by the fountain lights, and the water was running, creating a soothing sound of the rushing water hitting the calmer water. It was as if listening to a miniature version of a waterfall. It was calming. There weren’t many people in the immediate area. As Ajax could see, there were only four.
Next to him, Lyney let go of his hand and moved ahead, getting closer to the fountain. His back was turned to him and Tartaglia forgot momentarily what he wanted to do. He admired his lover from behind, looking as he held himself with confidence but in a relaxed manner. He wasn’t pretending to be anything right now. He was not scared for his sibling's safety so there was no fear or anger to cause his shoulders to tense up. They were relaxed. He wasn’t trying to call attention to himself, but nonetheless he had captivated the ginger’s attention. Nothing else around him consumed his thoughts the way the magician had. His eyes never wandered to look at a tree, a passing dog, or another person. He only had eyes for the Fontanian whom he loved so dearly he had risked getting himself killed by his coworker for.
He could go on about everything that he loved about the magician but that would take much too long. Childe didn’t have the same time that Lyney did. They both knew that, so he couldn’t waste time sitting there and listing everything he loved all at once. But he could have until he dies to tell lyney one by one if this went well.
A small breeze aroused Childe from his thoughts about his boyfriend, like it was trying to remind him what he was there to do. He dipped his hand in his pocket and grabbed the ring, pulling it from where it had been safely hidden from the soon-to-be receiver’s view. The ring was simple. Just a gold band with the engraving of a cat head upon it. On the inside the words ‘Prepare to be amazed’ were engraved in cursive. Something simple to contrast the Fontanian’s usually exquisite style. He smiled at the ring then looked up. Lyney was still looking into the fountain.
The ginger approached his side and held the ring in a closed fist.
“About time you finally joined me. I was beginning to think you had been paralyzed by fear back there.” Lyney spoke in a teasing tone as he smirked up at the 11th Harbinger.
Childe only laughed a bit. “What would I be scared of,” He queried. “ Certainly not you.”
“You say that like I didn’t startle you when we first met.”
“Hey, startled is different than frightened.”
“Barely.” They held each other’s stare for a moment before laughing. Lyney’s laugh sounded like a chorus of angels, his smile was as bright as the sun, and his brilliant purple eyes glittered in the fountain light. Lyney’s cheeks flushed with the excitement that came from the laughter and it only made him that much cuter and handsome all at the same time.
When they finally calmed down, Childe took a deep breath in as silence overcame them again. The only sounds being that of the mechanical workings of Fontaine, and the fountain in front of them.
The harbinger was the one to break the silence as he spoke,”I have a question to ask you.” He squeezed his fist to feel the metal band that rested within it.
“Ask away,” Lyney assured him before adding on. “So long as it’s not ‘Will you marry me’.”
Childe stayed silent. What did that mean? Did it mean Lyney didn’t love Ajax as much as he loved him? If he asked, does that mean the magician would say no? Did he just not love him at all? Was it a lie? There’s no way it was. Unless Lyney was going to break up with him when they made up and was going to use the presents to let his superior down gently but felt he couldn’t. Had he been trying to force a relationship that no longer worked. He hadn’t noticed anything different with Lyney. Was he that blinded by love?
Tartaglia looked at the blonde who was looking back confused. Silence stretched between them. The water of the fountain drowned out Tartaglia’s breaking heart and he looked away. This hurt more than any physical pain he had experienced, including whenever he used his foul legacy, and that hurt like hell.
Lyney’s voice broke their silence. “Oh, Archons. It is ‘will you marry me’.” He sounded stunned.
“It doesn’t matter, the moment’s gone.” Childe responded, still looking away from the man he thought would be his lover for the rest of their lives.
“Is it ‘Will you marry me’?” Something about Lyney’s tone was what one could describe as excited. Why? He had already made it clear that he didn’t want it to be that.
“It doesn’t matter,” the harbinger replied. His own tone was cold like the nation he hailed from. He was annoyed. Annoyed that Lyney didn’t want to be proposed to, and now that he had come to the conclusion that that was what Ajax was going to do, he seemed all for it. Why? It was stupid.
“No, no.” Lyney grabbed his shoulder and tried to make him turn around.
“Stop, Lyney.” He didn’t budge, and instead started walking away.
“Hey. Hey! Don’t turn away from me!”
“I’m going home, Lyney.”
“No, I’m not done talking to you. Turn and face me!” He continued walking. “Ajax! I said to turn and face me!” Lyney had gotten angrier. He didn’t care. While most times he would have loved to look back and see his face twisted in anger, he couldn’t face him right now. He loved seeing him angry, but he was too hurt to even glance his way. He just kind of wanted to go home sleep the night off. He was already exhausted.
It seemed he was too exhausted. Somehow he had missed the feeling of bloodlust behind him, a thing he didn’t notice until something whipped past him and cut off the branch of a bush in front of him before being caught by the greenery. Seeing it made him stop in place, and he was further brought from his exhaustion as the now warm metal of the ring in his hand moved, reminding him that it was there.
“Ajax, look at me.” Lyney had caught up to him. “My superior or not, as my boyfriend, listen to me.” The shorter male grabbed him by his scarf and forced Tartaglia to turn and faced him, pulling him into a kiss. Tartaglia didn’t kiss back, partially because he was still in minor shock that he had missed the blood lust forming behind him, and partially because he was still hurt. Luckily Lyney didn’t make the kiss very long so he couldn’t pinpoint that the ginger had not reciprocated the kiss.
The next time the magician spoke his voice was gentler. He grabbed Tartaglia’s face and caressed his cheek. “Listen to me, please.”
“Why? You said so long as it’s not ‘will you marry me’. Even if it wasn't, you made it clear what you don’t want.” He continued to speak coldly, grabbing Lyney’s wrists to pull his hands away from his face. Lyney’s gorgeous purple eyes widened a little and looked at Ajax’s hand that still held the ring. The blonde smiled gently.
Tartaglia was never one to cry, in fact he couldn’t remember when the last time he cried was. It had been so long he thought he had forgotten how to cry, but now he wanted to sob as he stared at the man he loved so dearly that didn’t seem to love him the same way. He had found many people interesting in his 23 years of life, he had found many attractive, and they had all been someone he wanted to fight because that’s just what he understood, he liked the adrenaline rush. It’s what he liked. Then he met Lyney, someone who made his heart skip a beat in a good way. Someone who made him want to be a better person and spend his life on more than just fighting people he found fun, strong, and interesting. Meeting Lyney genuinely made his world better, even though their meeting was one where he could have died, and he was nearly beheaded because he loved him so much.
It seemed, at this point, to love Lyney as much as he did was life threatening, and you know, he was okay with that. He just wished Lyney would have felt the same.
“If you walk away from me again, I can promise you it won’t be another playing card shot in your direction.” The magician’s threat brought Ajax back from his thoughts. Their eyes met though displaying different emotions; broken hearted and love. When Lyney spoke again his voice was soft. “Ajax, I didn't want you to say ‘will you marry me’ not because I was going to say no, but because I was planning to ask you.”
Childe paused as the words began to register. “What,” he asked, nervously laughing.
“I was going to do a magic trick and then ask you.” As Lyney spoke, he reached behind His lover’s ear and when his hand came back in between the two of them, there was a silver ring in his fingers. “Though it seems you were about to beat me to the punch.” The blonde nodded his head to the hand of the ginger that held the ring he was going to give Lyney.
The harbinger reached his hand in between them as well showing the golden ring that rested in his palm.
“Hey, mon Amour.”
“Yes, comrade-” There was a playful tug on his earring, which hurt, but it was all in good fun so he laughed before saying, “ Yes, lyubov’?”
“Do you wanna get married to each other?”
“Like you don’t already know the answer to that.” They put their foreheads together while slipping the rings they had gotten for one another on their fingers. Once that was complete, Ajax wasted no time holding on to his subordinate’s waist and grabbing that back of his head to pull him into a kiss.
His lips were ever so soft and sweet, a sensation he’d have no issue getting to experience for whatever remained of his life. Luckily that was exactly what he would get to do. He loved the blonde truly more than words could describe and he was forever pleased to have him in his life.
“I love you, Lyney. I love you more than life itself. You make me happy in a way not even fighting has made me feel. Please know whatever may come our way, any decision I have to make to make where you are an option. I will choose you everytime.”
“Practicing for our wedding already?”
“If I didn’t want to take you home and hold you captive in my arms as we slept, or if I didn’t know you wanted a ceremony for a wedding I’d carry you to the Iudex’s house, kick down his door and ask him to marry us right now.”
Lyney laughed his bright, sparkling, beautiful laugh and smiled. “I love you, too, Ajax.”