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Kaeya had known the Fate of the world for most of his life.
He knew of the inevitable flames and darkness that would consume the Ley Lines and lands. He knew of the death and carnage that would carve its cankerous blade into the nations of the gods, and the bodies it would leave behind. He also knew that he was but a sole man with no true way to stop it. But he figured, where was the fun in just laying down and waiting for the end?
What Kaeya had not known in those long years of waiting, planning, and anticipating were all the people he would stand shoulder to shoulder with as they faced that despair and catastrophe together in arms. Sure, he had hoped his brother would be there with him—flames bright and hot. As well as Jean with her healing and commanding winds, and the rest of his loved ones from Mondstadt. However, he had never stopped to consider who all else from the far nations would take their place by his side against the evils of the Abyss and Celestia above.
Not until a fallen star with dirt-covered cheeks came up to him with a soldier from another land. It was the Traveler who introduced the two as they set out to clear an Abyss hoard in Wolvendom.
“This is Childe. He’s coming with us.”
Childe was quite the juxtaposition to his name. This was not some innocent, doe-eyed boy who only dreamed of the first hair on his chest. No. This man was a muscle-carved warrior, covered in blood, with eyes that would haunt those who dared to search them. The very Abyss itself stared back from within the void of blue.
Those eyes were an even greater juxtaposition to the grin on his face.
“You’re a friend of god and Abyss alike, dear Traveler.” Kaeya had smirked, his judgmental eye raking the lanky figure up and down, lingering on the Hydro Vision and Electro Delusion. “I look forward to seeing what you can do, Childe. Hopefully a few Rift Hounds won’t prove to be too much trouble for you.”
The Harbinger’s eyes had searched just as hard, lingering on the stars littered about the Cryo allogene’s legs and chest. Staring at the swell of biceps that tugged at Kaeya’s sleeve as he crossed his arms.
“I’m sure I can manage, comrade.” Straight, pearly teeth flashed at him, like a beast craving blood behind a man’s smiling lips.
And manage he did. Dazzling wasn’t a word Kaeya often used to describe a war-driven hunger, but the Harbinger was. Even as his mortal form bent and broke and shifted under the pressure of blackholes and galaxies. He transcended into a form so horrifying and stunning it tangled into a breathtaking creature. One that caused Kaeya’s heart to traitorously stutter as his star-singed eye beheld the monster before him.
Though a mask covered Childe’s face, Kaeya knew that mouth was curled into a taunting smile at the captain’s momentarily stunned expression. For blood pooled at the Mondstader’s ears and cheeks, burning his skin.
“You’re quite the fighter yourself.” The monster-turned-man had tossed his Hydro blades and Abyssal form aside at the end of the battle.
He did not bat an eye at the gore he stepped over to approach the man responsible for the bones and teeth that laid scattered about the soiled sand.
“Perhaps we should duel? I would love to see what all you can do with that sword of yours.”
“My blade is not for the likes of your entertainment, comrade.” Kaeya’s lips curled back into a cunning grin, letting the man see his own teeth. A warning and a challenge. “It only cuts when I deem the recipient has earned it.”
“Oh, ho!” The deep belly laugh caused Cryo lips to twitch as dimples crinkled around the Harbinger’s lips. “I like you, Alberich. It shall be quite exciting to see what you have in store for us. Let’s see how far we can go in this war. Just don’t go dying on me before the final battle is over. I’m going to earn that fight with you, just you wait.”
“Oh, don’t worry.” Kaeya pried his sword free from the skull of the fell Hound before him. “I plan on being there until the very end.”
Cryo and Hydro made an impressive team. Frozen hearts and ice-cold calculations thrust upon the battlefield behind blades and wicked smiles. Battle after battle, their weapons sang of war and death while their own backs were pressed together. Hot with sweat, slick with blood, drenched in Abyss and corruption.
“Don’t go dying on me now,” one would goad the other. “It would be quite embarrassing to die to something as simple as a bunch of Mages.”
“Just try to keep up,” the other’s call would come.
Kaeya was by Tartaglia’s side constantly as Jean and the Jester sent them off to hold the line or clear out contamination. Every time the captain looked up, he found himself face to face or side by side with the other. So, it came as no surprise the first time Childe stepped into the captain’s dreams.
What had, however, was how Kaeya found his hands tangling themselves up into the other’s topaz-colored hair.
Within the safety of slumber, Kaeya did not hesitate to press his mouth against Tartaglia’s lips. Hungry. Thirsty. Desiring. The Harbinger’s laugh brushed against Kaeya’s tongue, tasting like the sweetest of wines. Echoing in his mind and fading in the air as the once-Khaenri’ahn’s eyes flew open and he bolted up in his bed, gasping.
Needless to say, Kaeya had been pissed upon waking. Hating the way his cheeks were flushed, stomach warm. Perhaps it had been petty of him to freeze the path underneath the Harbinger’s unexpecting boot, causing him to fall headfirst into a bush. It served the man right for having the audacity to smile in such a way the captain’s stomach twisted with butterflies and desire.
Kaeya lulled himself to sleep thinking about how those lips might taste. How their teeth would bite and tug and nibble back at his own.
Archons.
His dreams were full of the other. That infuriating blood-hungry maniac with the gentle touch and the caring smile was the only light in the darkness at the Edge of the End. The only sweetness Kaeya could cling to as the dreams whispered confessions and hopeful promises to each other. Kaeya’s hands tangled around each dream, trying to stay longer and longer. Hands craving just one more moment before reality snatched him from this sanctuary.
When Kaeya woke there was only a cold and empty cot next to his own and hunger in his belly. A reminder of who was no longer there. Bodies fell around them wherever they went, haunting the lands of Teyvat as the two men carved their way through enemies. Some were Hounds, Mages, or Lectors, but not all. Their blood-soaked hands became tainted with soil and ash they buried and burned their comrades one after the other.
As the nights and weeks marched on, peaceful slumber became nearly as fictional as the hopes of surviving the war. Childe’s teasing smile fermented into a hard line and Kaeya’s cheeks hollowed out as death became the master of the land.
Adelinde was gone.
Elzer was gone.
Tonia was gone.
Anton was gone.
Dead Visions hung from Kaeya’s belt. Tributes to fallen loved ones. Heavy reminders of who he had lost. What he had failed to protect. A bead of ruby slipped through cut skin as a grey Anemo Vision dug into Kaeya’s palm. He stared into the fire of a pyre. There should have been so many others standing next to him as the heat and ash charred the air.
Yet now there were only strangers-turned-allies who were all slowly dispersing back to their tents. They were all exhausted from a long day of fighting and anticipating the promised battle on the morrow. Now, Kaeya was alone save for the one person who for better or worse, never did.
With their shoulders hunched downward from the weight of survival, the two men stood together in the cold. Standing at attention until there was nothing left to burn. The darkness swallowed them up as the embers slowly winked out one by one.
Leaving Kaeya with a promotion he never wanted.
His eye betrayed him as it landed on Childe’s chafed hand. Oh, how he yearned to lean into the hand that came to gently rest on his shoulder at that moment. How he wanted to grasp it and cling to it and squeeze it until their bones broke and molded into each other.
All he had to do was reach up and clasp it, lead it back to his tent and ask the man it was attached to to just stay. To just sleep next to him so he wouldn’t wake up cold and alone on this last night they all had together before their final stand.
Yet, his own hand did nothing more than stiffly move to clip the dead Vision to his waist where the others softly chimed together with his movement. His sole starry eye drifted down to Childe’s own belt where Visions and trinkets alike were braided together.
Kaeya knew it would break him if he had to clip that Hydro Vision next to the rest on his own belt. Kaeya also knew Childe would break if he had to hang a clipped Cryo one next to Teucer’s ribbon.
They were both on the brink. Right when it mattered the most.
Kaeya’s lips pressed together as he pulled away. “We better get some sleep and sharpen our swords. Can’t be slacking off tomorrow of all days now, can we?”
He felt Childe’s hand stiffen at the rejection as though he longed to claw at Kaeya’s shirt and skin and drag him back. The captain’s heart ached as he walked away.
“Kaeya?”
He couldn’t help it. The longing in the other man’s voice froze him in place. He cursed his weakness.
“Stay? Just a little longer?”
His knees shook, heart wept. The leather in his gloves creaked as he clenched his fists. Dirty nails dug into his skin.
“I can’t encourage one of our greatest weapons to not rest on the eve of the final battle.” Kaeya stared at the mud crusted onto his boots, not daring to look up and witness whatever hurt expression the other was probably wearing. “Go rest, Childe. I know Foul Legacy has taken its toll on you. You need to be at your best.”
“I’m at my best when I’m with you.” The Harbinger said, his words growing heated at the rejection. His lips curled in anger around his snapping jaw. “Will you keep pushing me away? Even now? After everything? Knowing what is to come tomorrow?”
“Ajax—” Kaeya sighed.
“You know what? Fine,” Childe cut him off, his sneer a lance in Kaeya’s heart. “You’re right. There are more important things to worry about now than us.”
The newly appointed Grand Master stumbled as the Harbinger shouldered past him, hitting him roughly as he strolled towards the tents.
“My Foul Legacy might be one of my strongest weapons, but do you know what?” Childe glared over his shoulder.
Kaeya startled as he fell under those piercing blue eyes, aflame with something other than bloodlust for once.
“Your heart was yours, but it has become rusted and brittle with loss.” Tartaglia’s eyes flashed as he laughed bitterly. “I thought perhaps I could earn the right to fight with you. That we would one day have our duel. Was that all just pointless wishing, Kaeya?”
The Cryo user flinched as Childe’s voice cracked on his name. He lowered his head in shame. His shoulders were stiff with despair and tension.
“Ajax, please. Don’t—" was all he could whisper, hoarse and broken. “I’m sorry, but —”
“I see,” the cold, curt reply came, cutting off Kaeya’s pathetic excuse and answer as he turned and left. “Good luck tomorrow, Kaeya.”
Ajax was not waiting for him in his dreams that night. Nor was he there as Kaeya crawled out of his tent and walked through the ragged camp. The newly appointed Grandmaster sat down at an abandoned campfire and summoned his sword. Eye dull as he sharpened it while staring into his reflection in its steel.
Diluc was gone.
Jean was gone.
Rosaria was gone.
Lisa was gone.
And now.
Ajax was too.
His heart ached. Recognizing his mistake far too late. Screams of warning rose in the winds.
They were coming. Celestia was here.
Kaeya laughed as he watched the sky split open and the hoards begin to reign down. A sword appeared in each of his hands. It was his own fault for having no one to stand shoulder to shoulder with as he faced his doom.
Perhaps, it was for the best. At least, there would be no tears for him this way.
The sound of battle was louder than the crack of thunder. More pungent than anything a mere mortal could imagine. Flesh and blood smelled as they were sliced in two, and Abyssal corrosion poisoned and cankered the skin it fell upon.
Kaeya couldn’t quite say how long it was before he found himself with his swords embedded in his hand, Cryo crusted to his skin to hold the blades in place. Never mind the frostbite. The nerves in his hands had long gone dead from the tainted teeth of a Hound. Its putrid breath and corroded spit left them useless, dead. His fingers and flesh were purple as it rotted his limbs.
He supposed it didn’t matter; he would never run his fingers through those strands of topaz and honey after all. It was a silly thing to be so upset over, yet the bitterness rose in his throat. It coated his blood-stained teeth as he swung his arms again and again. Cutting, carving, cracking.
He wondered where the Traveler had gone. Where the gods had gone.
He hoped he could buy them enough time. Hoped they could strike the Heart of Fate before there was nothing left of Teyvat to save for those still alive. Those like Klee and Teucer.
Perhaps, Mondstadt had been doomed to face the same fate as his homeland. Perhaps, it was silly to think he would have done anything different than his ancestors before him. Perhaps, it had been a silly, childish dream of standing on the battlefield a victor, grabbing that sun-kissed, freckled hand and yanking the man it belonged to against him. One where he finally figured out what those lips tasted like. Kaeya had always imagined it would be something warm, savory. Like summer sun after winter. Like laughter on the wind.
Was it silly to miss a taste one had never partook?
As though his heart itself was leading him, he found the one who consumed his thoughts in a place mortals don’t belong. At the doors of Celestia itself, the castle, no, the prison in the sky crumbled around them. Blood dripped from Childe’s skin as beasts sank their teeth into his flesh. His Legacy burnt up and gone. Leaving him simply a mortal man being torn in two.
“Ajax!” Kaeya screamed.
Their eyes locked right as Celestia shattered around them, struck from the sky as the Abyss swallowed the Heavenly Principles whole. The very floor beneath his feet gave way. The child of wind found himself plummeting.
“Ajax!” the captain cried out once more, terrified as debris and monsters alike separated them.
His useless glider snapped off his back as he fell. As Childe fell.
A comet upon the cosmos, sword poised as he plunged. Shattering the stricken air, cutting through the claws and teeth that sought to consume until it speared the skull of the Hound at Childe’s throat. His swords and their ice snapped off his skin, spinning away from and out of reach.
Ajax was bleeding. He was bleeding far too much. Far too fast.
Kaeya kicked the Hound off and away as he reached his ruined hands towards the other. Flesh entangled with flesh as hands clasped around the other, pulling two hearts together until their beating chests were connected. Arms and legs wrapped around the other in desperation as they plummeted. Two dying stars in the burning sky. Eyes stared at the beauty of the other as blood and blades fell.
Wind rushed past their ears as they leaned close to hear. To whisper.
“Took you long enough.” Red-stained teeth grinned. “I was starting to give up hope that my knight in shining armor would find me.”
A freckle-dusted palm reached up, pressing softly against the other’s cheek. Hesitant as he leaned forward. Kaeya rushed to meet him. Ruined fingers dug into those sunset locks. Tangling, strangling, grasping as lips crashed and cascaded. Desperate and hungry and longing and accepting as they finally met. Holding onto the last one they had, the last thing worth protecting.
“My blade,” Kaeya gasped against him, nuzzling his face into the other’s chin and cheek before going back for another bite. “It was yours. It is yours.”
His warrior laughed as he grasped Kaeya’s ruined hands and brought them to his lips. Kissing them as though they were precious things.
“My love, I know.”
The two mortals shone against the red sky as Celestia falls around them and the ground races to catch them.
“Let us finish this fight together,” those blood-flavored lips whispered against his own. Sweet as wine. Warm as the wind. “Let us taste victory or death have us.”
The air grew humid and cold as swords of Hydro and Cryo formed in their broken hands. Childe’s fingers grasped where Kaeya’s could not. The Grand Master’s arms were steady where the Harbinger’s failed, exhausted from blood loss as he was. Together their blades turned poised towards the monsters that surrounded them, their claws and fangs extended.
Kaeya laughed and Childe grinned, their lips pulling away from each other as they faced this last fight like they always did. Shoulder to shoulder.
Hand in hand.