WhIP

by footfungus

nederlands verhalen over mijn otp

86. Chapter 86

Main ContentHalf an hour for love

hanilessa

Summary:

You felt your cheeks flush with anger. Now you were really very angry.

Tartaglia just smirked smugly and moved towards you.

"Okay, I understood. You want me to apologize to you, right?" He carefully lifted your chin with his long fingers, forcing you to look into his blue eyes. "I have an offer for you. You. Me. My bed. What do you think about it?"

He is a typical son of a rich father, who in the future should have a whole company at his disposal. Tartaglia doesn't take all his responsibility seriously, arranges parties right in his office, invites his rich friends and orders girls from a strip club, simply because he can afford it.

You get a good job and hope it helps you get your little brother into a good academy. And you never expected to work for someone like Childe. You and he are from different worlds, and you, sometimes furtively take a look at him, think that you and he aren't destined to cross paths.

One day, by chance, your and his paths converge. Will this meeting be one of the most ordinary ones or will it be the beginning of something more?

Notes:

hi everyone! i'm very excited because this is my first big fanfic. i really hope you like it!

this fic is also published on my tumblr hanilessa. if you're interested, i'll wait for you there 3
enjoy reading!

Chapter 1: You, him and his Mercedes Benz

Chapter Text

The laptop screen glowed brightly in the darkness of the small room. It was early autumn outside, so it was a little cool inside room. You rubbed your cold hands and looked back at your laptop monitor.

"Honey, are you eating well?" Asked the woman on the other side of the laptop screen.

You just sighed, smiling lightly. Your mother, as always, was in her repertoire. She knew perfectly well, that you're an excellent cook and you can provide yourself with delicious and healthy food. And the woman was always worried in vain. But you knew that it was her motherly heart that worried about her child.

"It's okay, mom, don't worry." You changed your sitting position, because your back was gradually numb. "I ate four times today. If it comforts you."

The woman just laughed. Her wrinkled face smiled with a knowing smile.

"You're right, I'm worrying too much again."

You hear loud noises on the other side of the screen. And your heart immediately felt warm.

"How is Xiao doing?" You asked, remembering your younger brother. And how he was dissatisfied and annoyed that you were leaving for in another city in order to get a good job and help him enter a good academy. He always told you that he could handle himself.

You believe him. Is it true. He was a smart boy. But modern education required not only to have a mind, but also to have a decent amount of money in your wallet. You wanted to help your brother, so immediately after graduating from college, you began looking for a high paying job in a big city.

And as you were about to leave, Xiao hurriedly hugged you, still angry with you, but you felt that he was grateful to you. Even though he didn't show it openly.

"He is fine." Mother's voice brought you back to reality. You looked back at the woman. She looked tired, but she was very happy to see you again. "You know he's always studying. I ask him to take a rest, but he doesn't listens to me. He said he shouldn't rely on you alone."

You just shook your head. Xiao always said that. As soon as you thought about it, you felt that your eyes were starting to gradually close up. You let out a loud yawn.

"It's getting late, go to bed soon!" Your mother said sternly.

"Enough, mom, i'm not a child anymore. But you're right, I have a lot of things to do tomorrow." You took a deep breath, stretching your stiff limbs. The thought of work made you feel very tired.

"You can handle anything, honey. I love you." The woman smiled warmly at you and waved her hand.

"I love you and Xiao too. Bye" You said and closed Skype.

Silence enveloped your room and soul. You missed your family very much, and it was hard to get used to living alone. But you didn't want to give up on your goal.

You sighed heavily and lay down on the bed hugging your soft toys. This created the illusion that you were not alone here. But it was easier for you. Tomorrow will be a new day, and you should try to do everything in the best possible way.

You slowly walked towards the main building of the company you worked for. It was large and very beautiful. It really got attention. It seemed that the owner was very fond of luxury and prestige. You thought, you were very lucky to work in a place like this.

The salary really corresponded your expectations, and you could easily spend money on daily expenses, save for Xiao's education, and send money to your family in your hometown.

Despite the fact that it was autumn outside, the bright sun was shining today. It gave you strength and energy for today.

While thinking about what things you need to do today, you noticed a beautiful black car outside the building. You easily guessed that it was the car of the owner of the company.

You didn't like gossip and rumors, but sometimes you heard it against your will. You've heard a lot of things about the owner of the company. He was twenty three years old. And he was older than you by two years.

Someone said that he constantly throws parties in his office. Other people talked that he ordering girls from a strip club.

You thought. What is this guy doing with his life? Didn't he have goals and aspirations? Your and his life paths were very different.

You remembered how you were told that Tartaglia usually came to work in the afternoon. That's why it was strange to see his car here so early. It was hard to deny, the car was really beautiful, and you would like to ride one like that at least once.

You were snapped out of your thoughts by a familiar voice. You felt a slight push from your back and someone's hands on your shoulders.

"Hey, Y/n" You heard Yoimiya's voice.

You turned to the girl and saw how she smiled happily at you. You met her on your first day at work. The girl was kind to you and was ready to help you always. Yoimiya was a good and cheerful person, so you were glad you got to know her.

Because in your current situation, you lacked such a person next to you. But the blonde was always there, for which you were very grateful to her.

"Hi, Yoimiya." You smiled happily.

You and the girl were talking and exchanging news while heading to the office where your workplaces were. The day promised to be busy.

You had a really hard day today. You were on your feet all day, and you didn't have a single free minute to rest. But you happily noted that you coped with all the planned work.

You stretched tiredly and stood up from your seat. Today you had a very busy day, so you felt a little tired. But that didn't stop you from thinking enough about how you would come home and take a warm bath with aromatic oils.

Maybe you can afford some red wine. You loved such evenings, so this idea inspired you very much.

You politely said 'goodbye' to your colleagues and hurried out to the street. The scarlet sunset gradually spread across the sky, bathing you in gentle light. Your mood was good, and, it would seem, nothing could spoil it.

Bam!

Sharp pain shot through your body as you felt a jolt to your side. You were pushed slightly to the side, and you fell to the cold, hard ground.

An involuntary cry of pain flew from your lips, and you looked indignantly at your offender. But you saw only a black lacquered door, which began to gradually open.

"Damn, I just recently got rid of the scratches on the doors." A voice was heard from inside the car. Although the man cursed, his voice was very melodic and beautiful.

Wait… Was he only worried about his car, when he apparently injured another person?

"Hey, are you serious?" You said irritably, realizing that you had received a injury and were not able to rise on your own. You looked at your hands, realizing that you had peeled the skin from your palms, which upset you even more.

"Hm?" It was heard from the side, and you again looked at the man getting out of the car.

You immediately froze as the realization came to you. It was none other than Tartaglia. Owner of company. You realized that you had never seen him before, and you had to admit that he was really attractive, as your colleagues described him.

The man slowly took off his sunglasses and looked down at his feet, where you were still lying on the ground. For some reason you didn't like that look.

It felt like he was mocking you with just his eyes. His ginger hair shimmered in the light of the setting sun, and his blue eyes carefully followed your every move. The man's lips twitched into a slight grin as he slammed the car door behind him.

"I didn't see you, baby." He ruffled his hair. "Looks like you and I have a little trouble."

"Yeah, and instead of helping me, the first thing you did, was check to see if your car had a scratch!" You said indignantly, looking at the guy with annoyance.

He made a surprised face, as if such behavior was normal.

"I don't see any problem here."

You sighed in annoyance and realized that you wouldn't wait for help from him. You had to try to get up on your own. Raising yourself carefully, you excitedly tried to keep your balance, but your legs treacherously failed you, and you felt yourself falling.

But strong male hands didn't let you fall back to the ground. You felt an unprecedented lightness and looked at the man who continued to hold you in his arms.

You looked at his handsome face and felt your cheeks turn red. It was too close and you felt awkward and embarrassed. Tartaglia noticed your embarrassment and smirked defiantly, realizing why exactly you were embarrassed.

"Okay, let's be careful this time." The man helped you to your feet and opened the black car door, inviting you to sit inside. "You're right, if we don't take care of your injury, it could be a big problem."

You felt like he was doing you a favor. This unpleasant residue remained in your heart. You remained silent, waiting for him to sit in the driver's seat.

The interior of the car looked very nice, the chair was comfortable, and you tried to relax as much as possible with a injured leg. Well, you might ironically think that you had the opportunity to ride this car.

The ginger man got into the car, and the car started moving. He told you that he would take you to the hospital to see his friend who was a doctor, so you shouldn't worry too much. You didn't want to talk to him, so you didn't say anything.

Loud music was playing in the car, and you grimaced uncomfortably. The man continued to talk about all sorts of nonsense, which annoyed you very much. Your head started to hurt. It was different from how you wanted to spend tonight.

"Hey, can you stop being silent?" Childe said in annoyance as he turned the steering wheel to the right, and the car also turned its wheels, heading forward. "I've been trying to get you to talk for ten minutes."

Is he really serious? You had the feeling that he didn't even realize what situation he and you were in right now.

"I don't want to talk to a person who doesn't see a problem with hurting someone." You answered sharply.

To your surprise, you noticed that he thought about it and fell silent. It gave you a chance to relax despite the nagging pain in your leg. Tall beautiful buildings flashed outside the car window, and you realized that the car was passing through one of the richest areas of the city.

It looked very impressive and you looked excitedly out the window. Large buildings, beautiful windows in expensive shops, well groomed streets. It was really different from the area you lived in.

Your eyes lit up. You thought that you will definitely do everything possible so that your family also lives in a place like this someday. Thinking about it, you didn't notice the car pull up in front of a large hospital building.

When the doctor checked your injured leg, you had the feeling that you were somewhere else. All thoughts disappeared, only pain remained. But the doctor reassured you and said that it was just a slight injury, which should pass soon.

You uncertainly thanked the man, after which he and Tartaglia talked about something for some more time, but you didn't want to go into details.

When you and he left the hospital building, the sky was already bright with the moon and stars. It was cold, so you wrapped your coat tighter. A small puff of warm steam escaped from your mouth.

You looked at the ginger man next to you out of the corner of your eye, he looked relaxed and calm. Like nothing happened at all. You just shook your head and, without saying a word, headed towards the bus stop.

Childe, noticing that you were leaving, raised his eyebrows in surprise and said:

"Hey, wait! Don't you want to say me something?"

You stopped. "Excuse me?"

He carefully leaned his back against his car and smirked defiantly.

"You didn't even thank me."

You felt your jowl hit the ground. This guy…

"Are you really serious right now?" He looked at you with interest, realizing that you are gradually starting to get angry. "You were the one who hit me with the car door, was rude to me, didn't apologize. And now you're telling me that I didn't thank you for taking me to the hospital that I ended up in because of you?"

You felt your cheeks flush with anger. Now you were really very angry.

Tartaglia just smirked smugly and moved towards you.

"Okay, I understood. You want me to apologize to you, right?" He carefully lifted your chin with his long fingers, forcing you to look into his blue eyes. "I have an offer for you. You. Me. My bed. What do you think about it?"

What happened after that shocked the ginger man. The scarlet mark from the slap burned like a burn on his cheek. He moved slightly away from you, put his hand to his burning skin, and an unexpected glint of excitement appeared in his eyes.

Childe looked at your face and your facial expression seemed to him the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Now you looked like you were a fierce warrior in the heat of battle.

You suppressed another thought of hitting him again and looked into his eyes in annoyance.

"What kind of person do you think I am? If you were born with a golden spoon in your mouth doesn't mean you can get whatever you want."

That's all you said to him before you turned your back on him and walked away, leaving the shocked man alone.

Tartaglia continued to excitedly press his hand to his cheek, watching you leave. As his shock faded, a cheeky smirk appeared on Childe's face.

"Such a cutie…"

In the evening of the next day, loud music was again playing in Tartaglia's office. The smell of expensive cigarettes and alcohol was everywhere. Half naked girls danced on the table.

The ginger man sat relaxed on a soft leather sofa and slowly drank whiskey from a small wineglass. His head was empty, he didn't want to do anything at all. He just lived for today and enjoyed it. He spent a lot of money on entertainment in order to get away from the problems that worried him.

By the way, about the devil.

The screen of his iphone lit up with a bright light, and messages from two people appeared on the screen. He lazily picked up his phone and when Tartaglia read the message, he angrily threw the phone aside and wearily ran his hand over his face.

Father [5:15 PM]

Did you buy a wedding present for Lumine?

Mom [5:23 PM]

Dear, have you been to the lawyer today?

"I'm so tired." He sighed as he leaned back on the sofa and took another sip of his alcoholic drink.

"Hm?" Childe heard from the side and turned his head towards Ayato.

A blue haired man stood near the window to full height and looked out the window. When the man heard his friend's voice, he turned around.

"You have three naked girls in your office right now. You can go and relax with any of them. Should I teach you?"

"I'm not talking about this." Tartaglia snorted, pushing his ginger hair out of his face. He licked his lips. "It seems to me that I am stuck in a deep hole, and there is no way out. I just want to get away from problems."

Ayato nodded in understanding. He knew about the problems of his friend, he would like to help him, but didn't know how to do it. Perhaps he would have offered Tartaglia to solve problems with money. But if it were possible, Childe would have done it a long time ago.

So he decided to help his friend in another way by offering him a bet as a form of entertainment. They were both gambling people, so the man thought that Tartaglia would appreciate his offer and be able to relax a bit.

"Then I have an offer for you. How about a bet? "

The ginger man looked at his friend in annoyance.

"I don't care about your damn bets right now, you know?"

Ayato smiled impertinently.

"If you win, I will persuade my mother to help you and your family in law court."

Childe excitedly got up from his seat.

"Are you serious now?"

"Absolutely."

He walked closer to Ayato and said: "Tell me your conditions."

The blue haired man made a thoughtful expression in his face and looked out the window again.

"The first girl to leave this building should get into your bed."

Tartaglia rolled his eyes. Ayato was always too predictable. For some reason, it seemed to Childe that this wouldn't be too difficult a thing. Especially with his charm. He followed Ayato's gaze and looked at the opening door. Just in time.

And when the girl finally left the building, the ginger man held his breath for a second.

It was you. You, the girl who slapped him yesterday and lit a deep fire in his heart. He followed you with his gaze, noticing how awkwardly you stumbled over a small pebble in the road and straightened your skirt. A cheeky smile of anticipation appeared on his face.

"It's getting interesting."

Chapter 2: Your name

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The small bathroom was filled with the pleasant aromas of candles and various oils. The candles smelled of lavender, while the delicate oils were scented with coconut and cinnamon. It was really relaxing for you. Delicate fluffy foam bubbles lay on the surface of the water, creating various shapes and patterns. It was quite funny.

Hot water pleasantly relaxed your stiff muscles and injured leg, and it helped you to let go of all the pain. A wineglass of red wine was on a small table next to the bath, and you reached for the crystal wineglass to quench your thirst.

You really wanted to relax. If only it were possible. You took a sip of wine and the cool, sweet liquid washed over your throat. It helped calm your nerves a bit, but your head still hurt.

You furrowed your brows in displeasure. Your thoughts kept returning to Tartaglia. No matter how hard you tried to think of something else, you kept thinking about how rude he was to you.

You felt your anger starting to rise again in your chest as you remembered his cheeky smile. What kind of person did he think you were, when he asked you to lie in his bed?

He really saw you as that kind of person? Or did he decide that his beautiful face, muscular body and financial position will help him get any girl into his bed? You snorted in annoyance, blowing a small piece of foam off your nose.

Yes, he was really handsome. But that didn't change the fact that he was a rude and moron who didn't respect other people's boundaries and feelings. And you were insanely annoyed by the fact that he couldn't leave your thoughts.

Before yours and his strange acquaintance, you heard about Childe many times, but in those moments you could easily put him out of your head. So why is he now so tightly seated in your skull? What changed? But you knew you wouldn't give him a chance to taunt you.

Your wet palm rested on your forehead, your head continued to hurt, and you thought that you should take medicine. You changed your position because your body began to gradually become numb. Because of the water your skin gradually softened, which caused an unpleasant feelings. You had to get out of the water.

Surprisingly, thoughts about Tartaglia miraculously disappeared from your head when you remembered that you would soon need to go to the main Snezhnaya's academy. You should have found out what documents needed to be prepared for admission to the academy and when you need to make the first tuition fee.

Also, before going to bed, you were going to call your family. Therefore, when you finished with all the water procedures, you left the bath in high spirits, and the thoughts about Childe, as they appeared in your bathroom, remained there. And today it didn't bother you anymore.

The next day you were in a good mood. Even though you didn't have the best day yesterday, today you thought about how you want to make the most of this day. Unfortunately, your injured leg still bothered you, and you limped awkwardly on your way to work, noticing the surprised looks of your colleagues on you.

You greeted them shyly, trying to avoid questions about what happened to you. But you didn't manage to avoid questions from your friend.

"What's wrong with your leg, Y/n? Why are you limping?" Yoimiya excitedly sat down next to you on the bench when she noticed you limping and wincing in pain.

Ei remained silent, but from her look, you realized that the woman was also worried about your condition. You made a sad face, realizing that you couldn't get away from your friends' questions. They often worried about you because you lived alone and there was no one to take care of you during this period of time.

You said many times that you could take care of yourself, but just like with your mother, your friends didn't believe you at all. You appreciated their care, but you were confident that you could handle a small injury.

As you suspected, Yoimiya asked you too many questions, asking you how, where and why you got this injury. Ei, unlike her too noisy friend, occasionally made comments and asked you to be more careful next time. When both girls found out the cause of your injury, their indignation knew no bounds.

"Of course, I heard that he doesn't have good manners, but to neglect someone's health and feelings so much, you have to try!" Yoimiya snorted, turning her nose up and showing that she was very unhappy with Childe's behavior.

"Yoimiya, please keep calm." Ei calmly demanded.

This made you laugh.

"Perhaps we aren't given to understand what is going on in the heads of rich guys." You smiled and the girls picked up your mood. Despite yesterday's bad memories, today you were in a good mood.

You and your friends headed to the cafeteria, and the only thing you really wanted right now was a good meal. But your appetite was gone immediately after you saw the ginger man. He stood in the parking lot next to his car and pressed some girl to it.

You just snorted, thinking that this guy had no shame or conscience. And you really didn't want to have anything to do with him. You didn't want to waste time on him, so you turned away from him and continued talking to Yoimiya and Ei.

The next few days passed quietly and without incident. Your injured leg finally healed, which made you happy. And, to your happiness, you forgot to think about Tartaglia. You continued to do your job, making various deals with many companies around the country and communicating with various people. And sometimes it seemed like a chore to you.

You wanted to get some rest and visit your family in Morepesok. But you couldn't find a free day off for that. All your free time was spent cleaning the house and cooking your own meals. You really hoped that soon you would have free time and be able to visit your mother and Xiao.

You were snapped out of your thoughts by your boss's voice.

"Y/n, please give these documents to the chief secretary." The man put several folders with documents on your desk. "I need to leave for a while. I hope you can handle it."

"Of course, I will do it!" You smiled and followed with your gaze as your boss left the office.

The day was sunny, it was warm outside. You left the building and headed towards the main company building. It continued to stand majestically, drawing all attention to itself. Holding the folders with documents to your chest, you continued to walk forward. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a black Mercedes Benz in the parking lot next to the building.

You concluded that Tartaglia must be somewhere in the main building of the company. You bit your lip in annoyance. You had no desire to see this man. And you continued to be annoyed by the fact that you started thinking about him again. Why, when you noticed any reminder of him, did Childe so easily become everything you could think of at any given time?

Thinking about how much you were unhappy about this, you didn't notice that you went up to the third floor of the building. The place where business meetings usually took place, and where the director's office was located. You knocked on the large door with your fist and pushed the door open in the hope that the secretary was in the office.

You looked around in confusion. You were in the alleged office of the secretary, but she wasn't in the office. You really hoped you could leave the documents with the secretary. But Lady Fate had a completely different way, making you nervous.

The office was bright, despite the fact that the window was covered with large dark green curtains. To the side was another wooden door, behind which, as you assumed, was the director's office.

You thought irritably that you would have to go into his office, but right now the last thing you wanted to do was meet Childe. In the hope that there would be no one in the office, you quietly took hold of the gilded doorknob and opened the door to the office. What you saw made you scream in fright and drop important documents from your hands.

Half naked man and woman sat on a large glass table, kissing roughly and passionately. The ginger man leaned on the table, holding the girl sitting on him by the rounded hips. The half dressed girl ran her thin fingers over his bare shoulders and embossed abs, and two people continued to kiss until they were distracted by a loud sound from the door. Childe pulled away from the girl's lips, and she looked at him disappointedly.

"Darling, what happened?" She whimpered, puffing out her lips a little clumsily and, as if by chance, straightening her blouse, thereby exposing her magnificent chest in a black lace bra.

"I-I'm sorry." You immediately lowered your eyes, and, as if remembering the fallen documents, squatted down, trying to quickly collect the documents and get the hell out of here. But this turned out to be extremely unsuccessful, and important documents scattered more and more across the floor.

You swore in your thoughts in annoyance. Why did you and he have to meet again under these circumstances?

Tartaglia looked in your direction with interest, and his heart beat faster when he realized that it was you. You're that girl. You were the one who made him feel incredible excitement, and at the same time, you were the main character in his bet with Ayato.

And both of these facts delighted him. He knew you would be his, in his bed. Even if he has to move mountains for this. And the fact that you were such an unapproachable girl added oil to the fire. Childe never turned down a good fight, and this fight must have been one of the most exciting of his life. He was in anticipation.

If he wins — and he will definitely win — Ayato will help him and his family. He would never turn his back on his family and would do everything possible to make his family happy. Even if he has to go over the heads.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, and I'm leaving now." You finally collected all the documents in folders, picked up the folders from the floor and hurried to turn to the door so as not to blush even more at the sight of half naked people.

"Yes, you can go." The blonde sitting on the table said slightly displeased, throwing one leg over the other and carefully pulling on the black stocking that had come down.

The ginger man looked at you excitedly because he didn't want you to leave. All these days he did nothing but think of you.

How beautiful you looked the moment you hit him. And your words struck him to the very heart. Even despite the bet, you were insanely very interesting to him. Therefore, he hurried to move his secretary away from him in order to come closer to you.

"Wait, you're that girl..." Childe came closer to you, causing you to step back in fear and look at the floor because the man's appearance was truly embarrassing. "Don't leave. I didn't even know your name."

You chuckled ironically at your thoughts. Wow. He remembered you.

"Hey, bunny." A girl whimpered behind him, causing Tartaglia to roll his eyes in annoyance, distracted from the girl he was interested in. The girl who blushed so damn cute and shyly looked at the floor. He wanted to look at it a little longer. How cute you were blushing right now and how hot you looked that evening, it made his heart beat at a tremendous speed. The combination of these different emotions tempted him to watch you longer. He was hoping to find out what other emotions he could make you feel. "I miss you, hurry up."

You tried not to raise your eyes to the man in front of you, because it was beyond your strength and embarrassment. But despite that, you were still able to see his bare abs when you entered the office. And damn, he really was well built and handsome.

That was the last thing you should be thinking about right now. Taking a deep breath, you looked into his blue eyes and said:

"I'm sorry, I don't think knowing my name will change anything for you. Besides…" You looked behind him at the blond girl who continued to sit on the table. "You shouldn't keep your woman waiting."

The secretary perked up noticeably when you mentioned her.

"I see that you're a very understanding person." She said, smiling, and you smiled her with the same sugary smile.

You gave the documents to Childe. And without saying another word, you turned your back on the two people and walked out of the director's office. Tartaglia curled his lips in annoyance. You left him in such a vulnerable state with no chance to say anything back to you. It looked like you and he were competing in some kind of competition.

Who will find the best way to piss off the other person? You or him?

He annoyed you, you annoyed him. This was your common. Common thoughts that haunted you and him.

He was annoyed, he wanted nothing so much as to make you want him. The consequences don't matter. In any case, he will win the bet — and you will cease to exist in his thoughts.

"So where did we stop?" The woman asked coquettishly, reminding him of her presence. Childe growled in displeasure. Without even turning to her, he said:

"At this moment. Svobodna*."

The only woman he wants right now is you.

For Tartaglia, it was something of an exciting battle. Sweet goal to which he aspired. The way that he must go to achieve the goal. And the end result, which has always been the most long awaited and exciting. He lived for these feelings and never gave them up. As is the case with you.

His end result was the well being of his family, and you were like the way he had to take to achieve his goal. And Childe knew that this way was, is and will be one of the most difficult in his life. But he also knew that he would go this way. It doesn't matter what he needs to do for it.

For you, it felt like you were in hell. Your friends asked too many questions, but you didn't know how to explain the whole situation to them. There was no escape for you. It seemed that Tartaglia literally replaced all the air next to you, because his presence next to you was too much.

Every time Childe saw you, he immediately came up to you and started pestering you with his questions about your name, your phone number and asking you if you were going on a date with him. It was very annoying, because you really wanted all thoughts of him to disappear from your head as if they had never been there. But because he found a reason to be with you almost every day, it seemed impossible.

And even now, when you sat in the cafeteria and ate calmly, he sat in front of you and with his fingers counted a hundred and one reasons why you had to go on a date with him. None of the reasons seemed worthy to you, so you continued to ignore him and all the prying eyes of other people that were directed at you and him. The extra attention was really embarrassing.

"I really want to apologize to you."

You looked at Tartaglia, who continued to talk about something, and noted for yourself that he didn't pay any attention to other people's views. He's probably just used to the extra attention. For the first time, you thought that you even felt sorry for him.

"Okay." Unexpectedly — even for yourself — you said, attracting the attention of a ginger man. He paused, surprised that you answered him. Usually you were always silent and ignored him. "I'll go on a date with you if you promise not to invade my privacy again."

A satisfied smile appeared on Childe's face. Gotcha.

"You won't regret it, princess." He stood up from his chair, winked at you and said: "If I can't get your forgiveness on this date, I promise I will never bother you again. At the end of the working day, I will wait for you at our place."

He finished speaking and left the cafeteria, ignoring the girls who were trying to talk to him. You frowned. What did he mean by the phrase "our place"? Was that the place in the parking lot where he hit you with the car door? Your eye twitched. You held back the curses in your tongue. This guy…

You didn't notice how the evening came. The sun was gradually sinking below the horizon, turning the sky red. A light breeze was blowing outside, but you understood that such weather wouldn't last long. Soon you will need to dress in warm clothes. You slowly walked towards the parking lot, noticing the familiar male silhouette.

His jacket was open, his ginger hair swaying in the wind. He was leaning on the hood of his car and smoking a cigarette. When Tartaglia noticed you, his face lit up with a cheeky smile. And you felt your cheeks suddenly turn red.

"I think, after seeing my bare body, you shouldn't be embarrassed." He said cheerfully and invited you to sit in the passenger seat.

You looked at him with irritation in your eyes.

"One more joke like that and I'm not going anywhere with you."

Childe laughed and sat in the driver's seat. The engine was started and the car started moving. The car left the territory of the company and rushed in an unknown direction. Music was playing in the car, you tried to relax and leaned back in the seat. Tartaglia looked pleased. Suddenly a thought came into your head.

"You asked me my name."

You broke the silence, thereby attracting the attention of a ginger man. He raised an eyebrow and smiled. You smiled back and said:

"My name is Y/n."

Notes:

Svobodna (rus.) means "You're dismissed" or "You can go".

wow wow wow it's a new chapter! i'm very grateful to everyone who left kudos here!
thank you so much 3 i also have a profile on tumblr hanilessa, if you're interested, i will wait for you there!

Chapter 3: Wedding attractions

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Loud music was playing in the car, but despite this, there was complete silence between you and Tartaglia. It made you awkward and shy. You seriously didn't know what to talk about with this man. You glanced at Tartaglia out of the corner of your eye, noticing that he looked pleased and relaxed.

There was a spark of excitement in his blue eyes. You wondered what he was thinking at the moment. Because the only thing you thought about was the embarrassing silence between the two of you.

"Do you want to make a hole in me with your gaze?" You heard from his side, and your cheeks immediately turned red. He caught you peeping. "I'm glad you appreciated my beauty."

"S-shut up." You answered dismissively, as if nothing had happened. But you and he still knew you were embarrassed. And you knew it would take his self confidence to the top of Everest.

Not wanting to continue this embarrassing conversation any longer, you turned to the window, looking up at the tall buildings that were quickly disappearing before your eyes as the car continued to move. You were wondering where Childe wanted to take you.

Although you didn't expect anything from this date, your heart still beat faster than usual. You've never been on a date. You had admirers during your high school years, but you always tactfully turned them down because you had more important things to do. Such as studying and helping your family. And at that time you weren't particularly interested in dating. Perhaps you seemed impregnable to someone, but you didn't care at all.

And now you were in the same car with the man with whom you will spend your first date in your life. Of course, it wasn't out of love, and this man really annoyed you, but for some reason your heart was beating so hard in your chest, and you were really excited about your first date.

You wondered. How many women did he date before you? He always looked so confident around you, so you felt like he really had a lot of experience with women. And somehow you didn't want to be just "one of them", but someone special to him. You wanted that he remember this date.

While you were in your thoughts, you didn't notice how the car stopped in front of a tall building. You looked out the window and realized that you were near the most expensive and richest building in the city — Snezhnaya City. With your mouth open, you continued to stare at the building with wide eyes.

This caused the ginger man to laugh and he hurried out of the car to gallantly open your door and help you out. When you stepped on the ground, your eyes lit up, and you began to look around with interest.

The view really matched the wealth and prestige, and your eyes ran in different directions. You were interested in everything.

"It's very beautiful here." You said while looking at small fish swimming in a small decorative lake near the entrance to a big shopping center.

"Believe me, the inside of the building is even more beautiful." The man smiled and opened the door for you, inviting you to enter the building.

Entering the big hall, you looked around, noting to yourself that Childe was right. It was very beautiful here. Marble floors, expensive leather sofas, golden chandeliers and candelabra that hung on the walls. It all created the feeling that you were in a royal castle. You two were met by a man who invited you to follow him.

Tartaglia followed you, still smiling at how excited you were. He rarely saw such sincere surprise on the faces of the women he brought here. Usually rich furnishings were familiar to them and didn't make any impression. But you were so excited and joyful, and it stirred his heart. He wanted to show and tell you more.

You two entered the elevator, and the elevator went up to the very top floor of a tall building. When you stepped onto the velvet carpet, your eyes lit up with bright stars. There was a stunning view of the entire city. You looked at all this beauty from a bird's eye view. It was truly breathtaking.

The hall was spacious, and you noticed to your surprise that it was empty, despite the fact that there were many tables and a big stage with various musical instruments. You thought that there concerts are held here. Looking around, you turned around in confusion to the relaxed Tartaglia. He calmly followed you, putting his hands in the pockets of expensive trousers.

"There's no one here." You tilted your head, slightly surprised by this fact.

"This is true. I rented the whole hall." The ginger man said so easily, as if it was a normal thing for him.

You opened your mouth in shock. Childe just laughed and invited you to come to a table by the wide window. He pulled out a chair for you, and you carefully sat down on the soft seat. For yourself, you thought that today he behaved like a real gentleman.

This was very different from his rude words and actions towards you in previous days. You thought that he really thought about his actions and decided to apologize to you. You decided you'd give him a chance. You have always believed that everyone deserves a second chance, even rude people like Tartaglia.

While you were deep in your thoughts, a man sat down across from you and called a waitress over to your table. The girl smiled coquettishly at the ginger man, but he paid no attention to it. Tartaglia took two menus and gave you one. You gratefully took the small menu in your hands and opened it with interest.

"You can choose whatever you want." You heard from Childe's side and nodded in puzzlement, following the list of proposed dishes with your eyes.

Noticing your furrowed brows, he asked:

"Something happened?"

You looked at the prices with your open mouth and realized that even your annual salary wouldn't be enough to order all the food that this restaurant offered.

"Everything is so expensive here, I'm not sure I have enough money to pay for myself." You bashfully lowered your eyes to your knees, after which you heard Tartaglia's chuckle.

"You don't have to worry about it." He casually leaned back in his chair and ruffled his ginger hair and you thought it looked pretty exciting. You bit your lip and lowered your head slightly to hide the blush on your cheeks. "I was the one who asked you on this date. Besides, I will never let my woman pay for herself."

The words came out of his mouth as simply as if you and he had been together for a long time. You blushed more than before. M-my woman?

Childe didn't notice your embarrassment — which made you very happy — and continued to look through the menu as if it were just an ordinary, meaningless phrase.

After all the dishes were placed on the table in front of you, you smiled blissfully. It's not every time you get to eat so deliciously. In truth, you've never been to such a prestigious restaurant. There were small cafes in Morepesok, and you with your friends often went there to have a good time and have fun.

But you have never visited such restaurants, thinking that it's better to save money for more necessary things. So you thoughtfully picked at the salad with a fork, a little embarrassed to eat it all at once. The ginger man noticed your confusion and, taking a sip of wine, asked a little casually:

"Is there something wrong? Why don't you eat all this food? In the cafeteria, you always had a healthy appetite every time we were there."

You shamefacedly hid your gaze looking on the table, continuing to scoff at the lettuce leaves.

"I just can't accept the fact that I can eat all this expensive food." You said, looking confusedly out the window at a beautiful scarlet sunset. Gradually it got dark and evening came on. "It's just that I'm thinking that with all the money you spent on one dish, I could buy food for myself for a whole week. Aren't you embarrassed by the amount of money you're spending?"

Childe stopped eating and thought about something. You assumed that he chose to ignore you, so you continued eating your salad excitedly. After a few seconds after that, you heard his voice:

"I think that it really doesn't matter, and that you need to take everything from life. After all, we only live once."

You looked at the ginger man with interest. He continued to look out the window and drink wine. You liked his outlook on life, although the fact that he spent most of his money on women and alcohol didn't seem like a worthy reason to you. He could have done so much more with so much money. You thought that he just needs someone to help him settle down. The rest of dinner passed in pleasant silence.

You were quite satisfied. Although you were slightly annoyed by the fact that Childe, with the most serious face, made you finish all the expensive food, you really enjoyed this date. Perhaps you had no experience, and you had nothing to compare this date with in order to say for sure whether it was good. But you were sure you liked it.

And you hoped, in the depths of your soul, that Tartaglia also liked this date.

When you two stood by the car, you smiled.

"So you took me to a restaurant, what about my turn?"

The man raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"For your part, you took me to a restaurant, so for my part, I should also suggest that you go somewhere." You answered, clasping your hands behind your back.

Childe's lips curved into a pleased smirk. You were the most pleasant surprise for him. Always.

"I like the way you think, princess."

The ginger man gallantly opened the door for you, and you sat down on the soft seat. Now riding in this car didn't seem like a bad thing to you, so you leaned back in your seat with pleasure. Tartaglia got behind the wheel, stepped on the gas, and the car started off.

"So, where would you like to go?" He asked.

You made a thoughtful face, looking at the flashing buildings in the window, and put your finger to your lips. An unexpected thought came into your head and you smiled.

"I heard that Snezhnaya is famous for its amusement park. I'd like to visit that place!"

Hearing his laughter, you furrowed your brows and glared at Childe. Despite the fact that his laugh seemed very beautiful to you, you asked in annoyance:

"Why are you laughing?"

He continued to laugh out loud until you hit him in the side with hand.

"Seriously, princess? Amusement park? Out of all the places that women like to visit, did you choose this one?" He arched an eyebrow with a smile as he stopped the car as the traffic light turned red.

You grumbled something under your breath and smoothed out the wrinkles in your skirt.

"Why did you think that I would want to go to places that other women like?" You looked out the window, resting your cheek on your hand. "Besides, I think two people should enjoy a date, not one. I don't think you'd like to go shopping with me."

What you said made the ginger man think. There was truth in your words. Every time he took another woman on a date, it seemed like hell to him. The expensive shops that he had to bypass were like a huge maze with no way out for him. The irritating chirping of the woman at his side made him growl angrily.

The only thing he wanted was just sex. He didn't think it was really worth it just to satisfy his physical needs.

You were different. You were excited, interesting, enthusiastic. You were honest with him and always said what you thought. When he thought your and his date was over, unlike other women, you didn't say a word about it being boring, mundane, and cheap.

You were kind and sweet in suggesting that he continue date at a place where both of you could have fun. And for the first time, he thought that now he didn't want to put a woman into bed immediately after a date.

He gritted his teeth. Damn bet.

Childe turned to you. You looked thoughtful and agitated, your cheeks slightly rosy. He thought about how cute you were when you were embarrassed and he really wanted to tease you a little longer.

Meanwhile, the car kept moving until it stopped in the parking lot of the amusement park. You excitedly left the car, looking around. It was very beautiful here — a lot of attractions, tents with various sweets and toys. Your eyes darted from side to side. You've never been to a place like this and you wanted to try everything that was there. Tartaglia also got out of the car, but wasn't particularly surprised.

"Let's hurry up!" You smiled enthusiastically, waving your hand at the man. "We must try everything here!"

Childe just smiled kindly. He liked your energy.

"As you wish, princess."

The sun gradually went below the horizon, giving way to bright stars in the sky. You happily ate ice cream, remembering how much fun it was when the two of you rode the rollercoaster. And when Tartaglia tried to win you a teddy bear.

Unfortunately, his attempts were unsuccessful, from which the man disgruntledly promised the owner of the attraction to return to him next time and be sure to take your rightful prize. You just shook your head with a smile.

You think that when Childe was doing such mundane things, he looked like an ordinary person. And you felt somewhat ashamed of yourself for being so prejudiced against him. You glanced at the ginger man who was sitting next to you on the bench, and then followed with your gaze as the carousel was spinning not far from you two.

"It's so cool here!" You said happily, biting off a piece of ice cream. Tartaglia looked at you and smiled back. "I think my little brother would love this place. Though he probably wouldn't show it." You chuckled.

The man turned to you in surprise and excitement.

"Do you have a younger brother?" He asked, and you were very surprised by how much his emotions changed when you mentioned your brother.

"Yes, his name is Xiao."

"I have younger siblings too." Childe's eyes glowed with excitement. He was pleased that you and he had something in common.

"Really?" You asked and received a few affirmative nods. You smiled. "It would be great to meet them!"

"I will definitely introduce you to them!" The ginger man replied with undisguised excitement. "I would also really like to meet Xiao."

"Ah, that's…" You lowered your eyes to the ground.

"Something happened?" He tilted his head, asking.

"Honestly, Snezhnaya isn't my hometown." You said as you continued eating your ice cream and looking up at the stars in the dark sky. You caught Tartaglia's interested gaze and continued to speak. "I'm from Morepesok. I came to Snezhnaya to help my brother enter the academy. While he goes to school, I'm slowly saving up for his studies in academy. For as long as I can remember, I have always tried to help my mother and Xiao. And I came to Snezhnaya only for the sake of my brother."

Listening to your story, Childe realized that you and he had so much in common. And because of that, his heart began to beat faster. Your love for your family and desire to help them reminded him of himself. But when the realization came, he gritted his teeth in annoyance, remembering the bet with Ayato. This was starting to annoy him.

"Therefore, I will need to visit the Sneznaya's academy soon." You have finished your story.

"I can go with you if you want." The man offered, unexpectedly for himself.

"It would be great!" You smiled affectionately, and the man caught his breath.

You were so beautiful now. In the light of the bright lanterns of the amusement park, with a kind smile on your lips and cheeks slightly stained with ice cream. Tartaglia exhaled sharply.

"Listen, I…" He began to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of a message that came to his phone. He took the iphone out of his pocket. "I'm sorry."

You nodded in understanding as you continued eating your ice cream. Childe unlocked his phone and looked at the screen. His teeth emitted a sharp gnash. Why now?

Lumine [7:30 PM]

I hope you haven't forgotten that we have a wedding fitting today?

The ginger man exhaled heavily and stood up from his seat, getting your attention. You raised your eyebrows in surprise.

"I need to go." He answered in a voice filled only with gloom and cold. You got the feeling that Tartaglia, who talked to you five minutes ago, and this person in front of you, were completely different people. "Thanks for this date. I hope you find a way to get home."

You watched in surprise as he walked to his car, got behind the wheel, and the car disappeared soon after. You continued to sit on the bench with melted ice cream in shock when the realization came to you. This man left you in an unknown place all alone. He didn't even explain his behavior. This guy…

Now you're thinking that all your thoughts that this date was the best in your life and that Childe wasn't a rude idiot were just self deception. You clenched your fists in annoyance, stood up from your seat and, not caring that you would be considered crazy, shouted loudly:

"Ty grebanyy idiot!*"

Tartaglia casually opened the door to the most prestigious bridal salon in all of Snezhnaya, thereby attracting the attention of all those who were there. He looked around at every person in the room, and his eyes landed on the girl who was standing on a small platform in front of a wide mirror.

Her blond short hair was covered by a long wedding veil, which was carefully held by one of the stylists. Her puffy white wedding dress looked like a big cream cake. Stylists decorated it with various shiny crystals and pearls on all sides. They, like fairies, fluttered around the beautiful girl and helped her create the best wedding look.

"You're late." The woman said without even turning to the ginger man. Her golden eyes gazed calmly at his reflection in the mirror as he slowly walked in her direction.

"Leave us alone." Tartaglia said casually. The stylists, as if on cue, got up from their seats and left the fitting room.

The blonde sighed softly, pulled her veil aside and turned to the ginger man, giving him her calm look and meeting cold blue eyes.

"Do you seriously think that for the sake of such nonsense you can interrupt me from important matters?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lumine arched her blond brow and answered in annoyance.

"Looks like I missed the moment when pick up whores at night and wasting money became important matters."

"You know you can approve all this wedding nonsense yourself?" Childe answered displeasedly, ignoring her previous words.

"I only do what your father wants." She turned to the mirror and straightened a lock of her hair. "I advise you to do the same. Your suit is hanging in the fitting room. Please, change your clothes."

Tartaglia cursed quietly. Without another word, he went to another room to change. When he returned to the blonde, stylists surrounded her again, complementing her look.

"Mister Tartaglia, please stand next to miss Lumine." Politely asked one of the stylists.

The ginger man, without much enthusiasm, complied with her request, and out of the corner of his eye noticed how Lumine's cheeks turned red. It was the last place he wanted to be right now. Thoughts returned to you, to your beautiful smile and bright glowing eyes. He thought maybe you hate him now because he left you there all alone. To be honest, he hated himself now too.

He thoughtlessly looked into the reflection of the mirror, where stood a man and a woman in beautiful wedding dresses. And usually a man and a woman in this situation should feel like the happiest people in the world, right? But the only thing he felt right now was the desire to be an ordinary person, and not the son of the owner of a big company.

"Look at us." Tartaglia heard it from the side of the woman, and again looked in the mirror with a more conscious gaze. "We look so beautiful, don't you think?"

Childe was silent.

"I really look forward to the moment when we will stand in front of the wedding altar in the same way." Lumine said with an embarrassed smile as her cheeks turned red again.

Those words echoed in the man's head as he stood helplessly on the platform next to the woman he didn't love. He absentmindedly watched as stylists ran from side to side beside him and straightened his suit. His body was here, but his soul was still with you in amusement park. In his thoughts, Tartaglia saw only your joyful smile, and now he thought that this was the beginning of the end.

Notes:

"Ty grebanyy idiot!" (rus.) means "You're a fucking idiot!

hey! we have a new chapter. so what is this? it's so interesting why tartaglia and lumine get married :)

Chapter 4: Second fire

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

You slowly got off the bus, stepping on ground. Your muscles were terribly numb and sore, your legs barely kept you in a stable position. The sky shone with bright stars and the moon, accompanying your journey home.

It got colder outside, and you pulled your coat tighter around you. But this wasn't enough, and you felt how you gradually begin to freeze. Your cheeks were red from the cold.

You were so tired and angry. And right now you wanted nothing more than to go home and lie down in your bed. Oh yeah, another good idea was to hit damn ginger. Although it was a very tempting idea, at this moment you just wanted to sleep.

You walked down a quiet street to your house, dreaming only about how to take a shower and go to bed. Unfortunately, the memories return to the moments of your and Childe's date. And to the fact that at first you liked it. Exactly until the moment when he left you there alone without explaining his behavior.

You even thought that you could get to know him better at that moment. The way his eyes lit up when he talked about how happy he would be to introduce you to his siblings made your heart beat faster. You were quite surprised by this fact.

You didn't feel like this before. And it warmed your soul to some extent. But immediately after that, you think with displeasure that it was complete nonsense, and you just invent these stupid feelings.

Memories gives you moments of your and his joint fun against your will, but you think that this is due to the fact that you haven't had a rest or fun for a long time. And not at all because Childe was interesting to you.

His tactless and rude manner brought you out of your calm state. As in the moment of your and his first meeting, so now. You desperately wanted to know what was going on in this man's head.

At first he is rude to you, the next moment he is cheerful, playful and gentle, then again he is rude and distant. His unpredictability annoyed you as much as the fact that you still think about it.

At the moment when you looked at his broad back, when he spoke to you in a cold and gloomy voice, it seemed to you that you were a little child being scolded by a parents. He really gave the impression of strictness and self confidence, didn't giving you a chance to stop him or even say a word.

So you looked helplessly after him as Tartaglia walked to his car. You thought you lost your voice, and you were unable to call him and demand an explanation.

You opened the door to your apartment and tossed your bag aside, leaning against the iron door in a relaxed manner.

The apartment met you with emptiness and silence. You smiled sadly and walked inside the apartment, heading to your bedroom. Right now, the last thing you want is to be here alone.

Usually, Yoimiya came at the office before everyone else, to prepare the office for the start of the work day and water the flowers after a long night. The girl loved plants and always tried to take care of it.

The door was always locked before she came in office, so the blonde reached into her bag to get her keys. But looking at the door, she noticed that today, to her surprise, the office door was open. The girl looked around excitedly, surprised by this fact. She entered the office and saw the owner of the company, who was pacing around boredly from side to side, as if he waiting for something.

Yoimiya, not at all expecting something like this, excitedly stumbled over the box that was on the floor next to the office entrance.

Hearing a sound from the side of the door, Tartaglia joyfully turned around, but when he saw the wrong girl he expected to see, his enthusiasm noticeably diminished. He tousled his ginger hair and, smiling casually, said:

"Good morning, you're Yoimiya, right?"

"Good morning, mister Tartaglia." The girl answered, still surprised by his presence here. "Yes, you're right, my name is Yoimiya."

The man nodded calmly and sat down in a big leather chair.

"I'm waiting here for someone. Pay no attention to me."

And now, Yoimiya was watching with a raised eyebrow as the ginger man spun around in their boss's chair, looking at the charts on the electronic board with a thoughtful expression on his face. To Ei and your boss' silent question when they came a few minutes later, the blonde just shrugged her shoulders.

The girl looked at clock — work time was about to start soon, but for some reason the man didn't plan to leave, continuing to sit imposingly in the black leather chair that your boss kindly gave him. Yoimiya understood that Childe was here because of you.

She remembered your stories about him, and some anger and irritation appeared in her chest when she remembered how he behaved towards you. The blonde wanted to protect you with all her might, so if he tries to somehow offend you or hurt you, she will definitely not be silent.

Meanwhile, you were in a slightly excited hurried to work. Everything has gone wrong for you since morning. You overslept the alarm clock, fell out of bed and hit your little finger painfully on a wooden closet.

Tired muscles reminded of itselves with heaviness in the body, so you, like a wounded doe, slowly walked towards the kitchen to cook yourself breakfast. To your utter dismay, the scrambled eggs burned and the coffee ran out of the coffee machine. You sighed in annoyance. It would seem that it couldn't be worse.

But you realized that you were disastrously wrong when you finally came at the office.

"Sorry, I'm late." You closed the door behind you, smiling awkwardly and apologizing for being late. After that, you finally lifted your eyes and immediately froze as if rooted to the spot, meeting your gaze with Childe, who immediately got up from his seat, pleased that you had finally came to the office.

You looked blankly at your friends and boss, and they just shrugged their shoulders. You sighed heavily and, ignoring the presence of Tartaglia, went to your workplace. The ginger man raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Don't you want to say me something?"

"What do you think I should tell you?" You turned to the ginger man, ignoring the questioning looks of your friends. You didn't want to talk to him and understood that now isn't the right time to sort things out with him. "I think you made it clear to me that it's better for the two of us to no longer communicate when you didn't explain anything to me and left me at the amusement park alone."

You bit your cheek inside, realizing that in the future it will be difficult for you to avoid the questions of your friends, because right now they heard this conversation very well. The man sighed heavily, running his hand over his freckled face.

Yesterday you noted for yourself that it looked pretty cute. And immediately you scolded yourself. When this ginger man was next to you, you always thought about what you shouldn't think at all.

"Give me five minutes." Tartaglia said, looking pleadingly into your eyes with his deep blue eyes. "That's all I ask."

You looked uncertainly at your boss, who only nodded, realizing that it was better not to argue with the owner of the company. You took a deep breath and answered:

"Only five minutes."

You walked out of the office, not even waiting for the man's answer. Tartaglia, annoyed by your cold attitude, followed you without even saying goodbye to those who were in the office. Your friends could only stare in disbelief as you two left the office and the wooden door slammed shut.

You breathed in the fresh morning air and walked down the small alley that was on company property. Out of the corner of your eye you looked at Childe, who was walking beside you.

His ginger hair fluttered in the wind, chaotically falling over his eyes and getting in his way. It was funny and you would even laugh if you weren't mad at him. However, you had to get back to your work, so you casually hurried Tartaglia to finally start talking:

"If you continue to be silent, then I will leave."

The man just chuckled, throwing one hand behind his head and disheveling his hair. You thought you'd like to know how soft his hair was. Sometimes your thoughts really annoyed you.

"You're too harsh with me as always, baby."

"You got what you deserved." You said categorically, wrapping yourself in your coat. The middle of october made itself felt.

"Okay, listen, I'm really sorry." The ginger man sighed as he stopped, and you stopped too, looking at him. You raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"And why should I forgive you?" You asked.

If you thought that this man was unpredictable, then you were absolutely right. Because at this moment he looked like a puppy that was scolded by his master — and this image is completely different from his behavior that he showed you yesterday. He looked at you with puppy eyes and said timidly:

"Because we're friends?"

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, slightly flustered by this statement. It was a very unexpected statement on his part, but nonetheless, something in your heart melted.

"Then tell me, do people leave their friends alone in an unfamiliar place without any explanation?" You asked, holding out your hand to the yellowed leaves. The leaf felt very fragile and quickly crumbled to dust as soon as you touched it.

Childe took a deep breath.

"Listen, we had a good time together yesterday, but…" You looked at Tartaglia with interest. You wanted to know what he meant by his "but". "I had important things to do."

"You could have at least told me about it instead of leaving me alone without an explanation." You snorted, crossing your arms over your chest.

The man wanted to say something else, but stopped in mid sentence, realizing that it was useless to argue with you. But for himself, he noted that this is what he liked about you. You sighed, realizing that you needed to get back to your work, so you answered:

"Looks like you won't leave until I forgive you, right?" You raised an eyebrow and received a few quick nods. You thought about the fact that at such moments he looked just like a child. "Okay, it's good, I'm not angry at you."

You extended your little finger to him, and the man, surprised, but excitedly, extended his finger to you. You and he sealed the promise with a children's song, and this made Tartaglia's heart tremble with excitement. He did the same with his siblings. He thought it made the two of you closer to each other.

The man smirked contentedly and ruffled his ginger hair.

"It seems, princess, you didn't believe that I always get what I want."

You rolled your eyes. The old Childe is back.

"I'm going back to work." You turned away from the man and hurried back to the office. The man's hand on your wrist stopped you.

You looked at the ginger with a question in your eyes, not understanding why he still distracts you from work.

"Since we've made up, can you do me one little favor?"

You raised an eyebrow.

Tall trees quickly disappeared from your field of vision while the car was heading in a direction unknown to you. You shook your head. Once upon a time you thought that you would like to ride in this car at least once, but lately you have found yourself in this car too often next to its owner.

"And why did I agree to this?" You complained, sighing and resting your cheek with your right hand. "I could take a warm bath right now and read a book."

You heard a chuckle from Childe and looked at him with displeasure.

"Stop moping, princess. Try to find the good in it." He turned the steering wheel and the car turned its wheels too. From afar, you noticed a big white mansion that began to appear in your field of vision. "You work too hard. You need to get some rest. Don't you think so?"

"This isn't a rest that I enjoy."

"Hm?" Tartaglia smiled slyly and raised his eyebrow. "Then what type of rest do you usually enjoy?"

Your eye twitched. You suppressed the thought of hitting him because his double meaning jokes really annoyed you. You pointedly turned away from him and looked out the window. The ginger man only laughed, fixing his eyes on the road again.

As the car approached the big mansion, a stunning view opened up for you. Beautiful big marble fountains were placed throughout the mansion. They gurgled cold crystal clear water. Golden alleys led to the entrance to the house, where marble statues stood. You were, as if under hypnosis, when you looked around at all this beauty.

The car stopped in a big parking lot near the house, where several more expensive cars were placed. You shivered uncertainly in your seat, because meeting new people has always been some kind of test for you. But, looking at the relaxed man, you also relaxed and tried to put your thoughts in order.

He asked you to accompany him to his friend's party. At first you thought about the strangeness of his request to you, because he could simply invite any other girl or pick up a girl in a strip club. You voiced your assumption to him, to which Tartaglia laughed casually and told you that he was tired of women from the strip club.

He winked at you cheerfully and said that he enjoys your company and would like to apologize to you for all his previous actions, promising you that you two will have a good time. It briefly made your heart beat faster.

The two of you got out of the car and walked towards the big mansion. With undisguised delight, you looked around the small garden near the house and thought that you would also like to live in a similar place. To your surprise, no one met you and Tartaglia. The man opened the door as if he were the owner here and invited you to enter the house.

You looked around, noting to yourself that the interior of the house looked even better than its exterior. There were a lot of marble and gold things here — it was very striking. But that's where you're done with the positives. There were many people inside the building, they were drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.

Cigarette smoke was everywhere, and loud music was playing in the house. You winced. Did Tartaglia really think you could have fun in a place like this?

While you were thinking about how to make your stay here comfortable, you didn't notice how a short man approached the two of you. His short purple hair framed his pale face, and his eyes shone only with coldness and indifference. He gave the ginger man an annoyed look.

"Won't you even greet me properly?" Childe asked mockingly, turning to a man you didn't know.

"After what you did at my house last time, you can't hope for it." The short man snorted, then turned his purple eyes on you. He looked at you inquisitively, and you felt a little uncomfortable.

"It's Y/n, my friend." Noticing his friend's gaze on you, the ginger man hurried to introduce you to the purple haired man. He eyed you skeptically from head to toe and casually said:

"I'm Scaramouche."

After the two of you exchanged dry greetings, Scaramouche turned around and walked deeper into the house. Tartaglia pushed you to follow the short man, greeting some people along the way. You thought that he must have been popular, because many of these people tried to talk to him a little more than they should, constantly getting in his way.

You saw how Childe smiled at them, but after a long time with him, you began to distinguish between his fake and sincere smiles. And now he was clearly annoyed, although he tried to seem friendly.

The ginger man suggested that you go get drinks while he was talking to people. According to him, it was always a long occupation, because other people simply didn't let him pass. You nodded in understanding and headed towards the big kitchen, where a big amount of alcohol and various snacks stood on a big table.

Luckily for you, there weren't many people in the kitchen, so you relaxed approached closer to the snack table and looked with rapture at all the food provided. You loved to eat delicious food, but you also tried to keep your figure and eat right.

But today the desire to eat well took over you, and you didn't dare to argue with your stomach. Noticing salmon sandwiches on a nearby table, you hurried to get around the table. A few seconds separated you from the cherished snack, and you were ready to grab it, but a sudden push to your side stopped you from your goal, and you slightly stumbled to the side.

There were only curses in your head, and you didn't understand why every meeting with any person began with something like this. You felt deja vu. But unlike the case with Tartaglia, to your surprise, you heard a flood of apologies from the person you encountered:

"I'm sorry." You heard a pleasant voice from the side. "Are you hurt, miss…?"

You looked up and saw a young man in front of you. He was slightly taller than you. His long blond hair was tied into a long braid that dangled behind his back. His golden eyes looked at you excitedly. He waiting for your answer. He looked a little confused and agitated, and it seemed to you that this was common to you and him in this situation.

"A-ah, I'm Y/n." You hurried to introduce yourself and tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear. "I'm fine. I'm sorry too."

"I'm Aether." The man smiled as he held out his hand to you, and you gladly held out your small hand. You were glad to meet a friendly person in this place.

"Didn't I hit you?" You bit your lower lip awkwardly.

"No, everything is okay." Aether smiled. "Are you alone here?"

"No, no, I came here with…" You thought displeasedly about the ginger man who had been staying somewhere for too long. You promised yourself that you would definitely remember this for him. "With my friend."

The man nodded in understanding and wanted to say something else, but he was interrupted by a loud cough from the side. You two turned to the source of the sound and you saw a ginger man in front of you. He looked like he was genuinely unhappy about something. You wanted to ask him what happened, until you noticed him looking at the place where your hand was connected to Aether's hand.

The ginger man squeezed a crystal glass in his hands. Tartaglia lifted his gaze to the two of you, and there was genuine irritation in his eyes. Aether didn't notice the tense situation at all and continued to hold your palm in his hand. And now you have found yourself between two fires.

Notes:

okay i'm going to make some real havoc with this :)

Chapter 5: Toy and toys

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was a damn exciting moment, although it may have seemed that way only to you. There was absolute silence between the three of you. You felt like the tension between the three of you could be touched. It hovered like a clot in the air and settled in your throat like an unpleasant lump. Well, or you just thought so.

When you looked at Tartaglia, you realized that he was tense not because of the awkwardness of the situation, but because of something else. And this something was happening right now. On the other hand, Aether showed only benevolence and calmness, what you sometimes lacked when you talked with Childe.

You again looked at the ginger man, noticing that he was still, as if under hypnosis, looking at the place where your hand connected with Aether's hand. And when you finally realized that you had been holding the hand of an unfamiliar person for an unacceptably long time, you hurried to carefully release your palm from the grip of the blond man.

You awkwardly smiled at Aether, catching his understanding look. Tartaglia's face finally stopped being gloomy, and he squeezed out a fake smile, but his voice remained slightly annoyed.

"Aether." The ginger said dryly, his cold blue eyes reflected only detachment and some kind of disdain for the man with whom he spoke.

"Childe." Aether answered calmly, maintaining friendliness, but it seemed to you that they were conducting some kind of non-verbal duel in which, it seemed, impossible to determine the winner, because both men didn't want to give up.

From their informal communication, you realized that they had known each other for a long time, but at the same time they didn't give the impression of good friends or good acquaintances. There may have been something else that connected them, but you decided not to dwell on it.

In addition, all your attention abruptly shifted to a ginger man who shamelessly approached you closely, wrapped his right arm around your waist and pressed you closer to him, which caused you to gasp in surprise. You looked at Tartaglia in bewilderment and raised an eyebrow, but he didn't seem to notice this, continuing to look at Aether with a hostile look.

"Is Lumine here too?" Childe asked without much enthusiasm, hoping for a negative answer, because the last thing he wanted was to meet his bride at this place. And he certainly didn't want you to meet her.

"Ah, sister is busy preparing for the wedding right now." In Aether's eyes one could literally read: While my sister is preparing for your wedding, you're here holding another woman in your arms. But, nevertheless, the man didn't voice his thoughts, only adding to his last phrase: "That's why she couldn't accept the invitation to the party."

"Congratulations." You said politely, smiling at Aether, and the blond nodded with a smile, although it seemed to you that his attitude towards you changed a little, when Tartaglia wrapped you in his arms.

"Doubtful cause for congratulations." Holding you tighter, Childe said irritably under his breath, but you heard his words and raised an eyebrow skeptically, trying to ignore the wildly beating heart in your chest.

You two have been in this position for far too long, but it seems to have bothered only you. Tartaglia was imperturbable and all with the same composure, like a beast ready to tear his prey to pieces, looked at Aether.

"However, I hope we don't meet again under these circumstances." Aether said, and an irritated expression appeared on Childe's face. Because he knew what the blond meant.

He shouldn't have been here with you. Or just shouldn't be with you. Anywhere.

But what could he do with himself when you had such a strange influence on him that he didn't dare to resist? What could he do when he felt genuine warm in his chest seeing you as you happily talked about your brother? Or when you and he sealed your common promise together?

The ginger man was simply powerless before this, and therefore he should to figure out all these feelings that you aroused in his soul. But this was a matter of the future, so he just laughed casually, returning to his self confident look again, hiding his vulnerable side deep inside.

"Can I hope this meeting doesn't happen in the near future?"

That was all Tartaglia said to Aether before turning in the opposite direction and pushing you forward without even letting you say "goodbye" to Aether. You glanced excitedly at the blond man, but he just nodded in understanding, being familiar with Childe's explosive nature like no one else.

When your and Tartaglia disappeared into the crowd of people, Aether, who continued to follow your figure, turned his gaze to his right hand, which still kept your warm, and said:

"Nice to meet you, Y/n."

Meanwhile, Tartaglia led you to a spacious balcony, continuing to maintain an annoying silence between the two of you. He never explained anything to you, and that annoyed you the most. The two of you moved closer to the marble railing, and you crossed your arms over your chest and looked at the man expectantly.

"Princess, you look at me like you want to eat me." You understood that the man, as always, was joking, because a cheeky smirk appeared on his face. "You know I'm always in favor. You just have to ask."

"I think you remember that after such jokes, my hand usually meets your cheek?" You asked skeptically, raising your eyebrows, earning Childe's amused chuckle.

A thought flashed through his head. Would you like your lips to be on my cheek instead of your slap?

This thought was thrown into a bottomless box of other similar thoughts, which he would think about a little later.

"Okay, okay, forget it."

"Maybe you can explain to me why you were rude to Aether?" You asked, pressing your back against the marble railing. It was dark here, there was practically no light in this part of the house, so you could only guess what expression the man had at the moment.

Exactly until the moment when he pressed you harder against the white railing, placing his hands on either side of your body. He looked at you with glowing blue eyes, and you could see his focused and serious face. His ginger hair fell over his eyes. Childe showed confidence and audacity.

You caught your breath when you looked into his blue eyes, which seemed to hypnotized you at the moment. Embarrassment at the moment took possession of you, you didn't understand what had suddenly come over the ginger man. There were only a few centimeters between your face and his, and this made you little nervous.

Tartaglia, on the other hand, was hypnotized by your plump scarlet lips, because his eyes always stopped on it, no matter how hard he tried to look into your eyes. Feeling you so close to his body was something forbidden, but so desirable because he couldn't bring himself to pull away from you no matter how hard he tried to do this.

You had a very unusual and forbidden power over him. You were so distant and unattainable, and this made him tends for you even more, desire you even more.

"Are you going to keep silent?" You asked, and with nervousness you found your voice trembling with embarrassment.

"He was close to you." Tartaglia exhaled, little lowering his head closer to you, and you could literally breathe in the smell of his ginger hair.

"And it's all?"

"I can't keep my mouth shut when I'm angry and I don't like something, baby." He lifts his head and meets your gaze. He looked almost hot in your eyes at that moment. The keyword is almost.

You snorted because this reason didn't seem worthy to you at all. You two continued to press your bodies against each other, and this position really embarrassed you.

"Then you should get your emotions in order before you talk to me." Your phrase brought him to his senses, and he again felt this spark of excitement, which grew like a fire in his chest after each of your bold but precise phrases. You're perfect.

The ginger man exhaled in defeat, looked into your eyes again, realizing that he was gradually starting to sink into it.

"I don't like it when another man is around a woman who..." He froze for a moment, stopping speaking as if the words were stuck in his throat and weren't going to leave it. He gripped the marble railing behind you with force and gritted his teeth before pulling away from you, taking with him all the warm you both held at that moment. He exhaled nervously and, throwing his hand behind his head and ruffling his ginger hair, said dispassionately: "Forget it."

And Childe left you alone in the cold evening air, hiding in a crowd of people, and left you with a million questions in your head that remained unanswered. You put your hand to your blushing cheek, which still held the warm of his breath, and tried to steady your breathing to calm your racing heart.

A lot of thoughts appeared in your head, but you couldn't catch at least one of it. What suddenly came over him? Why did he talk to you like you were a close person to him?

This man was chaos in your head. And he definitely wasn't going to leave your thoughts — which you have long resigned yourself to.

You decided to leave these thoughts about the strange, unexpected warm and fluttering inside your stomach for later, and wanted to leave the balcony, but you heard a mocking and little prejudiced tone next to you:

"Amazingly, you're holding yourself up well." You heard from the side and turned to an unfamiliar female voice.

Not far from you stood a tall woman with long blond hair. She leaned against the white marble railing and slowly drank champagne from a glass. Her crystal blue eyes were sharp and confident, and her thick eyelashes fluttered. For yourself, you could describe her as a sophisticated and stately woman.

"Excuse me?" You raised your eyebrow, surprised by her sudden words in your direction.

The woman curved her lips in a slight smile and turned to you with her whole body. She straightened up to her full height and moved closer to you. You realized that she was quite tall. When she stood in front of you, you fully appreciated the difference between your height and hers.

"Any other woman would have jumped on him a long time ago the moment he turned his attention to her." The blond woman said, nodding to the side. You looked where she pointed you and noticed Tartaglia in the crowd of women. Many of them literally hung around his neck. The woman looked at you again and continued to say, "I must admit, you really surprised me and I had a lot of fun watching you two."

"Watching other people's private lives makes you have fun?" You didn't give up, not intending to listen to ridicule from an unfamiliar woman. She looked at you with interest. "Then I can assume that nothing interesting happens in your life, since you like to invade other people's personal space and time."

The blonde raised her eyebrows in surprise, obviously surprised by your answer, but after a few seconds she laughed out loud, covering her mouth with her free hand.

"Now I understand why you attracted him." She said cheerfully, but her gaze didn't showed amusement — only coldness — as she glanced at you out of the corner of her eye. "So I wonder how long he will play with his new toy?"

Those were the last words she said to you before leaving you alone on the balcony. You were definitely outraged by her tone of conversation with you, but you didn't pay your attention to it, telling yourself that you were above it.

You didn't know what to think about her last words, but you decided that being in this house was already enough for you, so you rushed to find Childe to demand to take you home.

After a long time, the car finally stopped at your house. You took a deep breath and clutched your bag to yourself, biting your lip awkwardly. Tartaglia was surprisingly silent, didn't say a word to you all the time while the car continued its movement from Scaramouche's house to yours.

You had the feeling that he was thinking hard about something. But you were quite embarrassed by the silence between the two of you, so you the first decided to break the silence:

"Thank you for taking me home." You smiled awkwardly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. "And thank you for tonight."

You reached for the doorknob to open the car door, but were stopped by the Childe's hand on your wrist. You shuddered and turned to Tartaglia, who was holding your wrist. You looked at him and noticed that his eyebrows were little furrowed and his lips were pressed into a thin line. He looked flustered and, seemed, to be worried about something.

"Have I offended you in any way?" Suddenly, the ginger man asked, which plunged you into an extreme degree of surprise. You were a little taken aback and you thought the reason for his strange behavior.

Why did he decide that he offended you with something? There wasn't any sticky situation between the two of you today, except... That moment when he held you close to him on the balcony while yours and his lips were at an unacceptably close distance from each other.

"Wh-what? N-no, not at all…" You stopped talking as you remembered the moment you two were close to each other, and the memory turned your cheeks bright red.

Childe breathed a sigh of relief and finally let go of your hand.

"It just seemed to me that…" The man began to speak, but he felt like the words were stuck in his throat, so he swallowed and spoke completely different words. "Forget it. Let me take you to your apartment."

You nodded absently, a little dissatisfied with the fact that all your conversations with Tartaglia ended in approximately the same way. He started to say some important words, but then stopped in mid-sentence and simply told you "forget it". But how could you forget, when these words, on the contrary, were imprinted in your memory, like multi colored paints on a piece of paper?

The two of you went up the stairs to your apartment and stopped in front of the iron door. You were a little embarrassed by the fact that the man now knows a little more about your private life, but there was nothing to be done about it. But you weren't too upset about it, because gradually you started to trust him, although sometimes he can be really annoying.

"Hm, the princess thinks about inviting me to her house? Believe me, we can have a lot of fun!"

For example, at times like this.

You looked at the ginger man with annoyance, who only laughed at the sight of your face. You were so sweet.

You didn't share his fun, so you hurried to open the door and go into your apartment, after which you immediately slammed the door right in Childe's nose.

"Hey, baby, stop it!" A pitiful voice came from the other side of the door. "You told me you weren't upset!"

"I'm not upset!" You answered, slightly stamping your foot, a little annoyed by Tartaglia's behavior. "But you have to deal with the consequences of your jokes! Go home!"

Pitiful sighs were heard on the other side of the door, but the man complied with your request and headed to his car. He liked teasing you, but also Childe thought he had to respect your boundaries. He liked it in you, and he liked to gradually go towards his goal, in spite of any obstacles. He smiled — sooner or later you still give up.

Wearily, you leaned back against the wooden commode and ran your hand over your face. The day was quite exhausting, noisy and long. After the party, you felt very tired, and the only thing you wanted was to cook dinner for yourself, eat and go to bed.

You were pleased that there were two whole days off ahead. You hoped to spend it usefully, but you should also take a break, so you decided that you would continue to watch the series that you put aside due to the fact that you were constantly busy.

You wanted to head to your bedroom, but you were distracted by the knock on the door. You raised an eyebrow in bewilderment, wondering who might have come to you. You didn't have any relatives in city, and Yoimiya and Ei didn't warn you that they wanted to come visit you. You didn't have any other options. You cautiously approached the door and asked:

"Who's there?"

"It's me, princess." You heard on the other side of the door and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Why are you still here? Go home!"

"My car has stalled!" You froze in place and felt your eye twitch. You sighed and opened the door, looking at Tartaglia with displeasure. He looked like a little puppy, looking at you with a sad gaze. You crossed your arms over your chest and looked at the man with a question.

"Are you serious? How could your car break down?"

"I'm being honest with you! If you don't believe me, you can go and check for yourself!" The man snorted in annoyance, dissatisfied with your claims.

You took a deep breath and asked him to wait while you called tow truck. A ginger man came into your apartment and looked around. It wasn't as spacious as he was used to, but Childe noticed to himself that it made him feel more comfortable.

When he wasn't partying, he often felt lonely in his big house. It was surprisingly comfortable in your house, and Tartaglia even relaxed. Exactly until the moment when he heard your heavy sigh and looked in your direction. You bit your lips nervously, thinking hard about something. He had to wait a few more seconds before you spoke again.

"No one picks up the phone, I think they finished their work day." You awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and looked up at the man. "I remember that you told me your house is out of city, right?" You asked, and Childe nodded quickly several times. You sighed heavily. "Okay, you can stay here for the night. But only today!"

The man exhaled calmly, glad that he wouldn't have to spend the night in the car until morning, and sincerely thanked you.

"Go and wash your hands! If you stay at my apartment, you will help me cook dinner!" You grunted in an orderly tone, pointing towards the bathroom with your finger.

The ginger man just laughed, because he liked it when you were so serious and strict. So he hurried to fulfill your request without hesitation. You grunted and headed to the kitchen.

The man complied with your request and wanted to go to you, but he was attracted by the dim light from the next room. Taking advantage of the fact that you were in another room, he slowly opened the door and found a small bedroom.

It was dark in here because the curtains were tightly closed, creating a cozy atmosphere in the room. There were a lot of different posters and stickers on the walls, a few fun garlands that blinked in different colors.

He thought it was in your style. But what he saw afterward caught his attention more than anything else in your bedroom. There were a lot of plush toys on your bed — bears, bunnies, foxes, a giraffe, you even had a yellow minion from a famous cartoon. It was so cute and so contrary to the bold image of you in his head that he broke down and laughed out loud.

He held on to his belly, which hurt from laughter, turning to you right at the moment when you froze excitedly in the doorway, looking with wide eyes at the laughing man. You turned on the lamp, looked around the room with your eyes and again fixed your eyes on Tartaglia, who continued to laugh.

"Seriously, princess?" Through laughter he asked, brushing tears from his eyes. "Do you sleep with plush toys?"

Your cheeks turned red in an instant, you felt your heart beating fast, and irritation appeared in your chest.

"Why did you even come into my bedroom without permission?!" You asked with embarrassment. Your eyes burned anger and shame.

You wanted to go closer to the laughing man and demand an apology from him for daring to laugh at you, but you were distracted by the suddenly flashing screen of your laptop. You stopped in front of the table and sat on a chair, opening the Skype. Your brother called you. You thought that now was a completely inopportune moment for this. For several reasons. For example, the ginger man who was behind you.

Childe stopped laughing and moved closer to you with interest when he was attracted by the sound of an incoming call. You thought it would be weird to hang up the call, so you pressed the green button and Xiao's face appeared on the screen.

"Hi, Y/n." Xiao said calmly as he went about his affairs on the other side of the screen, so you hoped that he wouldn't notice Tartaglia who was standing next to you.

"Hi, Xiao." You answered nervously, looking out of the corner of your eye at Childe, who instantly perked up when you called out your brother's name. You prayed to all the gods that he would just remain silent at this moment. But it looks like your prayers weren't answered.

"Oh, so you're Y/n's little brother, right?" The ginger man leaned closer to the screen, leaning on your shoulder, and the boy turned to two of you, little surprised.

There was a tense silence in the room.

Notes:

well, i just listed the toys that i have. and don't worry, childe will regret laughing at us. don't doubt it!

i'll tell you a secret, this is my favorite chapter. we have a lot of interaction between y/n and childe — i'm so excited about this hehehe

Chapter 6: (Not) close people

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

There was absolute silence between the three of you. You would have assumed that crickets were purring somewhere in the back of your mind, but you brushed off this thought, realizing for yourself that you exaggerated too much. You tried to pretend that you don't to notice this tense atmosphere, cleared your throat and said:

"H-how is your studies going, Xiao?" You noted to yourself in annoyance that your voice trembled treacherously, and you were sure that your brother realized that you were hiding something from him.

The boy raised his skeptical eyebrow, first looking at you, then shifted his gaze to the ginger man next to you. You hoped with all your heart that Tartaglia would keep silent, but, to your regret, this didn't happen.

"You both look a lot alike!" Childe said excitedly and enthusiastically, looking first at your brother and then at you. He seemed to make an innocent face on purpose and, putting his hand to his chin, continued to say, "Even though your cheeks look a little plumper than your brother's, Y/n. So cute!" He laughed as he looked at Xiao, who still didn't understand anything, being somewhat confused.

"Stop it immediately!" Your cheeks flushed red at his comment about your cheeks, and you let out an exasperated sigh. But remembering that you two are still being watched by your brother, you glanced nervously at the laptop screen, noticing that Xiao was looking at you with a question in his eyes. "A-ah, Xiao, this is my colleague."

Tartaglia visibly frowned when he heard that you introduced him to your brother not as "your friend", but as an ordinary "colleague". There was a sudden glimmer of annoyance in his chest as he thought about how many male colleagues you might have had.

These thoughts kindled an unpleasant burning fire in his chest, leaving a nasty ash residue of sadness inside. However, he decided to postpone these thoughts and hurried to correct your obvious — in his opinion — reservation.

"Baby, why are you calling me your colleague?" Childe pouted his lips like a child who had his toy taken away. Your eye twitched when the man called you "baby" once again. The amount of your awkwardness at this moment could exceed the maximum value. "We're frien..."

You instantly covered his mouth with your hand, which surprised not only Xiao, but also Tartaglia himself. He opened his blue eyes wide, obviously he didn't expecting such an unexpected action on your part. You made the most innocent look, smiled and looked at your brother again.

"Yes, we're colleagues." Specially highlighting the last word with your voice, you smiled again and looked at the ginger man, as if expecting words of confirmation from him. "He came to my house to take some important documents. And now he's going to go home!"

Childe mooed protestingly into your small palm, and you realized that he wasn't going to give up so easily. So you had no choice, but to turn to your laptop and say to your brother:

"I'm sorry, Xiao, this isn't a good time to talk." You looked at the ginger man from the corner of your eye, who finally stopped resisting your grip and turned to you with a question in his eyes. You looked back at your brother. "Say hi to mom. I love you! Bye!"

The boy didn't have time to say a word as a protest to your actions, because you dropped the call with lightning speed, lowered the laptop lid and, to be sure, also pulled the wire from the socket, after which you exhaled heavily.

For a few moments, the room was again tensely silent, crackling like electricity. But you pretended that you didn't to notice it, after which you looked at Tartaglia and, raising an eyebrow, asked with irritation:

"Can you explain to me why you came into my bedroom without permission?"

Tartaglia raised his eyebrows, also in a slightly annoyed state. He had many questions that he wanted answers from you. For example, why were you so nervous and dropped your brother's call? Why didn't you let him talk to you?

"Would you like to explain to me what happened a few seconds ago?" The man demanded — he also looked annoyed by the whole situation.

"I asked you first!"

"Why are you trying to avoid the question?"

"Look who's talking!"

You got up from your chair and turned your back on the man. He stayed behind you, nervously ruffling his ginger hair. You both couldn't see it, but you and he bit lips at the same time, realizing that you two were rude to each other.

You clenched your fist with little force, realizing that you can't escape explanations. You decided to answer briefly because, as much as your heart ached at these thoughts, you and him weren't close enough people to share such things with each other. So you took a deep breath and answered haltingly:

"Xiao has been wary of other men always. That's why I didn't want you two to fight. Please don't ask why."

And without saying another word, you went back to the kitchen, leaving Tartaglia alone with many questions in his head.

Luckily for you, you two didn't bring up this conversation this evening again, which made you very happy. After all, the last thing you wanted was for a man to see your vulnerable side.

That part of you and your past that you were afraid to show to other people. For a few seconds, you suggested that Childe might sympathize with you if you confided in him and told him about your feelings, but you immediately dismissed this thought, remembering his teasing and brash nature.

You glanced at the ginger man out of the corner of your eye and was surprised to see that he was quite good at cutting vegetables for salad. He looked very serious and focused, the sleeves of his red shirt rolled up to his elbows, showing you his big, strong arms.

His arms were covered in blue veins and you realized that was your weakness because it looked really hot. You awkwardly bit your lip, after which you looked uncertainly at Tartaglia's face and immediately screamed in surprise, realizing that the man had been watching you all this time.

"Hm, princess was attracted by the sight of my arms?" The ginger man laughed when your cheeks turned red. He caught you red-handed. You scolded yourself in your thoughts. How could you look at his arms so carelessly and too openly?

"Stop teasing me!" You grumbled, turning away from him, showing with all your appearance that you were offended by him. You continued to cook the dough for the pie, giving it a certain shape.

"I just can't resist how cute you're when you're angry." Childe answered cheerfully, cutting the tomatoes into small pieces. The pleasant smell of a red vegetable hit your nostrils, gradually filling the entire space in the kitchen.

You gave him an annoyed look, dissatisfied with his comment. But you had to admit in your heart that you were actually fascinated by such comments from him. Your cheeks glowed even more, as much as if you were in front of a large fireplace or stove with a blazing hot fire.

You told yourself — you shouldn't have succumbed to his charms! You have thought about how many women he charmed with his phrases and teasing behavior? For some reason, these thoughts made you feel sad.

"I've noticed that you're pretty good at cooking." You continued speaking, leaving your thoughts aside. Perhaps you will return to your thoughts about Childe when you're alone.

"You think so?" He raised an eyebrow as he carefully placed the chopped vegetables in a glass dish.

"I'd say you don't look like you're a good cook." You chuckled, lightly brushing a strand of hair out of your face, touching your skin with your flour-stained hand.

"Is that so…" The man replied thoughtfully as he slowly sliced the vegetables.

There was silence between the two of you. But in fact it wasn't a tense silence, on the contrary, you two were silent, because each of you was thinking about something different.

You kept fiddling with the pie dough, it bunched up in big clumps and stuck to your hands, what made you furrow your brows in a funny way. Just as you were thinking about the two of you continuing to remain silent, unexpectedly for you, the man spoke softly.

"When I was younger, my parents often stayed late at work." Tartaglia calmly told, noticing your interested look. You listened, continuing to knead the white lump of dough with your hands. "And I, as the eldest member of the family in their absence, always looked after my brothers and sister."

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, because a new, unknown and hidden side of Tartaglia opened up for you. For yourself, you learned that he was a caring and loving person for his family, and it warmed your soul to some extent.

You were pleased that he decided to share this with you, despite the fact that you were previously reluctant to explain Xiao's situation to him. You bit your plump lip. Not close people.

You rarely opened your thoughts and your soul to a stranger, but now you were very ashamed, because Childe trusted you and told you about his family. You felt that he cared deeply for his siblings just by listening to his voice and how fondly he spoke of them. It made the ice in your heart melt. Perhaps you could trust him.

Meanwhile, the ginger man continued to speak:

"I often cooked food for them because they refused to eat the food that the nannies cooked for them." Tartaglia grinned as if he remembered some funny incident and put the chopped vegetables in the dish.

You smiled, when you watched the man. You thought it was funny.

"It was strange, they only wanted to eat the food that I cooked for them."

"I think they like your food and appreciate what you do for them." You shrugged, carefully square the pie.

The man paused for a moment and turned to look at you. You kept fiddling with the dough, and he thought it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life.

You're next to him, and the two of you cook food, that then you and he will eat together. You were so cute when you fiddled with the pie dough, there was white flour on your slightly rosy cheeks, but you didn't seem to notice.

Without realizing it, he put the knife aside and reached for your cheek to wipe the flour from your skin. Tartaglia touched your cheek, and you shuddered in fright, dropping a piece of dough from your hands. You obviously didn't expect these actions, looked at the man with excitement in your eyes, meeting with his dull blue eyes, which, like an abyss, carried you into their depth. And you couldn't resist it.

There was absolute silence in the kitchen, only the loud beating of two hearts in unison and the ragged breathing of two people could be heard. Your and his body were pressed against each other. Childe, holding his breath, pressed you closer to the countertop, and carefully ran his thumb over your delicate skin, wiping the white flour off your cheek.

You watched his Adam's apple, that was twitching slightly, and you swallowed in embarrassment because the two of you were back in that embarrassing position — too close to each other — like you two were at the party tonight. Seriously? Has this happened for the second time in a day? Your heart raced in your chest, when the ginger man continued to gently run his hand over your face.

"You have flour on your cheek." Tartaglia whispered gently, burning the skin of your face with his hot breath.

"A-ah…" You answered confusedly, unable to find the right words due to the huge embarrassment you were feeling right now.

You two had a strange influence on each other.

Even though Childe had wiped the flour from your face a long time ago, for some reason he didn't want to let you go right now. He wanted to hold you in his arms a little longer, because you had an irresistible influence on him, but he couldn't understand the reason why he felt such an attraction to you.

He thought that if he was closer to you as much as he could, it would let him know why you were such a desirable person for him.

The man's left hand firmly and surprisingly gently held you in his arms, as if it didn't letting you fall, and with his right hand he carefully stroked your cheek, wiping the flour from your face.

You swallowed excitedly, feeling your cheeks burn with hot fire. And as you looked at his handsome face, a thought popped into your head that you least expected to find in your head. And you put your hands up to his face. There was nowhere to retreat.

The ginger man gently lifted your chin, but immediately flinched when he felt your hands on his cheeks. With some interest and excitement, you ran your hands over all the places where his face was strewn with small freckles.

It looked like freckles were little stars in the sky, and you liked it so much. You had the feeling that the sun itself was kissing his cheeks so that beautiful freckles appeared on his cheeks.

Childe froze, afraid to make an unnecessary move, and watched you look at his face from different angles and run your gentle hands over his skin. Feeling your touch was so exciting, his chest was bursting with feelings.

"You have very beautiful freckles." You said looking into his blue eyes. You were so innocent in that moment.

The man's cheeks instantly turned red. It was beyond his strength. He couldn't remember the last time someone had made him embarrassed like that. And he couldn't remember the last time someone complimented his freckles.

And the fact that you did it now warmed his heart insanely. His heart and his vulnerable side screamed that Tartaglia needed it. But his mind told him that no one could ever accept him for who he was. Not a rich company owner, but an ordinary person who loves his family.

So he took a deep breath to clear his thoughts and carefully removed his hand from your chin, but he wasn't about to move away from you just yet.

It took him a few seconds to put his thoughts in order, put on his "bad boy" image again, smile with his signature smirk and look at you with a bold gaze.

"Is it true?" He asked slyly, putting his finger to his lips, pretending to think. His ginger curls fell over his eyes, giving him a more bold look. "And you have flour in your hair!"

You froze in front of him with wide eyes, and, like a fish thrown ashore, you opened and closed your mouth, unable to say a word. All your beautiful feelings and emotions that you experienced in such an intimate and exciting moment between the two of you instantly disappeared, leaving you with a gaping emptiness in your chest. It's like feelings weren't never there.

You looked at Tartaglia, who pretended that nothing had just happened, and felt a wave of irritation begin to rise in your chest. This man…

"I hate you!" You yelled as you shoved the laughing man away from your body and headed towards the bathroom to wash your hair. You covered your face with your hands. Your cheeks burned with red fire, because of embarrassment, and also because of his hot breath that he left on your cheek earlier.

And at that moment it seemed to you that you couldn't tear it off your skin with anything.

You two spent dinner in pleasant silence. You were glad that there was no awkwardness between the two of you because of what happened just recently. And you were grateful to Childe for keeping a straight face. He acted as if nothing had happened. And because of that, you didn't have to think about how uncomfortable he could felt about what happened.

You and he occasionally threw a few insignificant phrases at each other, otherwise just enjoying the cooked food in silence. You really appreciated the man's culinary skills, and for a person of his status, he cooked just fine.

When you two finished dinner, you took him into the living room, after that you brought bedding and a blanket.

"It's already very late, I think we're both tired." You said as you awkwardly smoothed out the wrinkles in your clothes. You looked at Tartaglia and he nodded in understanding.

"Good night, Y/n." You flinched at the sound of your own name that escaped his lips.

For some reason, it sounded so gentle, and it seemed to you that you had never heard your name sound so beautiful in someone's voice before. You nodded and said:

"Good night, Tartaglia."

When you left the room, the man flinched. You called him by his name for the first time in your and his acquaintance. Even though it wasn't his real name, it was already a big step forward. To his cherished goal. The ice gradually began to melt.

But for some reason, thinking about how he got a little closer to winning the bet, it caused him nothing but longing. The only thing he wanted right now was for you to call him by his real name.

You didn't sleep well this night. You may have been hampered by the thought of how many things you have to do over the weekend. Or maybe you couldn't sleep because today there was a man in your apartment in the next room who evoked conflicting emotions and feelings in you.

It disturbed your sleep. You constantly thought about how rude and a moron he could be with you, but these thoughts instantly disappeared when you remembered how gentle Tartaglia was when he spoke about his family or in those rare moments of your and his closeness to each other.

Your memory has inadvertently started to drift back to that moment before dinner, when the ginger man ran his hands so gently over your cheeks. This memory made you sigh in annoyance and cover your red face with your hands.

"Damn it." You cursed.

You really thought about how unlikely you will be able to sleep tonight. So you decided to go get some fresh air on the balcony in the hope that it will help you fall asleep soon. To your surprise, you found a ginger man on the balcony, leaning on the windowsill and looking out the window.

You held your breath and didn't dare to disturb this enchanting atmosphere. There was a smell of rain in the air, a light breeze blew from outside, and it made your skin crawl. Tartaglia continued to look out the window and smoked a cigarette. Cigarette smoke formed various shapes, after that it gradually dissolved into the night air, rushing towards the dark sky, that shone with bright little stars.

The stars were reflected in his beautiful blue eyes, as if in the purest glass. His skin seemed paler than usual in the dim moonlight. Your heart was beating loudly in your chest, and you thought that he could hear it, because it was very quiet around. And just as you thought that he might be able to detect your presence, you heard a hoarse voice.

"Childe."

You shuddered in fear and looked the man in the face, but now his expression wasn't mocking or bold, that you're used to. Now his face expressed only calmness and peace. Tartaglia took another puff and slowly exhaled cigarette smoke from his mouth.

"W-what?" You felt your cheeks turn red. He caught you peeping at him again.

"You can call me Childe." His voice seemed hoarse and deep when he smoked.

You didn't smoke and led a healthy lifestyle, so you didn't have an ashtray. You thought for a second, noticing a small empty cup on the windowsill.

You stepped closer to the ginger man and pushed the cup closer to him. Noticing your actions, Tartaglia nodded to you with gratitude and, taking a puff again, blew smoke from his mouth, continuing to say:

"My friends call me Childe. I'm called Tartaglia only by those with whom I'm little acquainted, or my business colleagues."

You nodded, and an unexpected warm filled your chest. It warmed your entire body, spreading through your veins to every part of your body. This feeling was so unfamiliar to you, but insanely pleasant and wonderful. You could say you could become addicted to that feeling inside you when you were next to Childe. You were pleased that he considered you his friend.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" You asked, also looking out the window, admiring a million small stars in the dark sky.

"I can't sleep." He answered and finished his cigarette, then put it out in the makeshift ashtray you gave him. He brushed his ginger hair out of his eyes and, turning to you, asked in a low voice: "And you?"

"Me too." You sighed and shivered from the cold.

After a second, you felt a soft tissue on your body and raised your eyes in surprise at the ginger man. He stayed in one t-shirt, giving you his red shirt to keep you warm. Your cheeks turned red more, and it seemed to you that now the skin of your face was the color of Tartaglia's red shirt.

"Princess doesn't protect her health at all, since she goes out on the balcony in only her pajamas." Childe laughed merrily and tousled his hair.

"So what about you?" You asked with concern in your voice.

The ginger man turned his attention to you and slyly smiled.

"Hm, are you worried about me?"

You hid your face behind your hands in annoyance, blushing deeply. "Shut up."

Sincere laughter was heard next to you, and you carefully removed one palm from your face, looking at Tartaglia out of the corner of your eye. The ginger man stopped laughing when he looked at you again, and in that moment he felt his breath catch.

In the pale moonlight, with disheveled hair and sleepy eyes, you looked so cute. Your frail body in his big shirt continued to tremble slightly due to the cold air that lingered on the balcony. You were so beautiful in his shirt.

Your red cheeks treacherously told him that you were embarrassed. The sight made him tease you a little longer, but this time he decided to remain silent because he didn't want to embarrass you even more.

You pretended to be offended for a while, but after a few moments you relaxed and looked up at the dark sky again. The moon illuminated the black sky with its dim light, and small stars kept her company. You thought that when you and Tartaglia were silent, you were never embarrassed, and you felt peace.

You rarely met people with whom you were truly comfortable. And this ginger man next to you was definitely one of those people with whom you could always feel comfortable and good. So now you decided to share with him one of your innermost parts.

"I really miss my family." You said it and instantly attracted all of Childe's attention. He looked at you with interest in his eyes and rested his elbows on the windowsill.

Your cheeks flushed slightly, but you continued speaking through your embarrassment.

"That's why I sleep with plush toys. It helps me pretend that I'm not alone here. "

Tartaglia grunted thoughtfully, after that a slight silence hung between you two for a few moments. You gently rubbed your nose because you felt like you were about to sneeze because of the cold. A hoarse voice came from the man.

"Today you're not alone."

His words pleasant bliss spilled into your heart and soul, completely warming you. Neither the wind blowing from the window nor the cold air made you feel cold anymore. When Childe was around, you felt only warm.

"Thank you."

And now you were thinking that today you two have become a little closer to each other.

The sun's rays gradually began to illuminate a small alley in the park, that was located directly in front of your house. You have always liked to walk here on your free days, enjoying the pleasant atmosphere, the birds singing and the flowers that bloom when spring comes. Now, to your regret, the leaves gradually began to fall from the branches of the trees, leaving the tree trunks completely bare.

It was still early in the morning, but you and Childe were outside at such an early time, because last night you two couldn't sleep, and the two of you talked until morning, exchanging stories about your life and his life.

You smiled slightly, remembering his story about how he and his family went to a ski resort and how they played snowballs. You squeezed a small package with a certain thing inside, hoping it might impress. While you were in your thoughts, you didn't notice how Tartaglia approached you, putting his phone in his trousers pocket.

"The tow truck should be here soon." He said looking at you.

You nodded lightly. In the light of the rising sun, you looked like an angel in reality. And the ginger man suddenly felt a blush on his cheeks. This didn't go unnoticed by you, so you slyly narrowed your eyes and asked:

"Oh, it looks like something confused you, Mister Red Cheeks? So curious what could be the cause of your embarrassment!"

"Princess learns to embarrass other people? Looks like I'm a good teacher." He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked like he wasn't embarrassed at all.

"Don't be arrogant!" You grunted in response.

You two laughed and you looked at the rising sun. It was cold, but gradually the sun's rays began to warm your skin. Suddenly, you remembered the small package that you had been holding in your hands all this time.

"Here, take this." You said to the man, passing the package into his hands.

Tartaglia raised an eyebrow with interest, but accepted the package from your hands. He opened it and saw three small toys there. Three red foxes.

"This is…"

"You spoke so lovingly about your family, so I thought it would be nice if you gave them a gift when you get home." You said shyly, clasping your hands behind your back nervously. "I think your brothers and sister might be worried about you this night. Therefore, you should apologize to them!"

Childe excitedly felt his heart beat faster when he looked from the toys to you and back to the toys. You seemed perfect to him. Without exaggerations.

"That's very kind of you, princess." He said with a little smile, and you smiled back too.

But immediately after that Tartaglia slyly smirked.

"Do you want to steal the love of my brothers and sister from me?"

You flinched in surprise, caught off guard by his unexpected comment. You would never... Wait! Your eye twitched when you realized that the ginger man was joking again. Your cheeks instantly flushed, and you yelled in annoyance:

"I did it with all my heart! You're a fool! Stay here alone, I'm going home!"

And, turning on your heels, you threw your nose up, expressing the full extent of your resentment towards him, and hurried back to your home to finally have a good sleep. In response to your words, you heard only a loud, sincere laugh, that caused a foolish smile to appear on your face involuntarily.

Tartaglia looked after you, clutching the package with toys closer to his chest, where his heart continued to beat furiously. It seemed to him that it might jump out and chase you, begging you to stay by his side.

He smiled, assuring himself that he would do anything to ensure that this wasn't the last meeting between you and him. You made him feel like no one ever made him feel. And he didn't want to lose that feeling so quickly.

A light breeze followed you home and swept your hair in different directions, when Childe watched you walk towards your house. It seemed to him that he could continue to enjoy this view, but suddenly a message came to his phone.

He turned away from you and pulled his phone out of his pocket. His blue eyes skimmed over the text of the message.

Ayato [7:51 AM]

How is our girl doing?

Notes:

we have SO MANY awkward moments in the new chapter ^/^

i decided to post a new chapter today, because exactly a month has passed since the fanfic was published!

i also wanted to say that i really appreciate your kudos and comments. please let me know that i'm on the right track and that you like it. tysm

Chapter 7: From his side, from your side

Notes:

OH HELLO EVERYONE!

first of all, i would like to apologize for my absence and for delaying the chapter for such a long time :((( i'm sorry! i had some problems with my mental state, but now i'm much better. please take care of your physical and mental health!

also you can check my tumblr hanilessa where i post all the news regarding this fanfic, my drawings and my other fics! i'll be grateful for your support.

i really hope that you will like the new chapter and it won't disappoint you. thanks for your support and love! enjoy reading

Chapter Text

Childe was irritated. The red light of the traffic light flickered unpleasantly, annoying Tartaglia even more. Irritation filled every part of his body, preventing him from thinking rationally. He nervously tapped with one hand on the leather steering wheel, and in the other hand he held the third cigarette.

Usually a man smoked in two cases. When he felt supremely satisfied and when he was nervous. Now, to his displeasure, he felt very nervous.

It seemed to him that he was blessed by heaven and experienced unrealistic great happiness, just feeling you next to him. When you were around, when you both were cooking dinner, exchanging life stories.

This gave him strength for life and the necessary energy, that he had lacked for a very long time. Exactly from the moment when problems began in his family.

You were something distant and wonderful to him. You were always honest with him, and without hesitation, directly to his face, said what you think, without fear and without missing a single detail from your words. You could, without any fear, say a lot of nasty things to him in response to his teasing, despite his high position, not only as your boss, but also in principle as a member of high society.

He knew that you always tell others to their faces, everything that you think about them, without fear of being judged for it. And the fact that you were sincere about it made him sure that you were the person to whom he could turn for help without fear and with whom he could simply have a heart-to-heart talk.

Perhaps you could tease him about it. And that would definitely happen.

Tartaglia grunted with a smirk and, throwing the ashes from the cigarette out the window, started the car engine when the traffic light changed from red to green.

But you would never refuse him a heart-to-heart talk. He was sure of it.

So now every part of his body burned in agony when he thought that he was just using you for his own benefit. Perhaps, at the beginning of the bet with Ayato, he wouldn't care, and he wouldn't worry at all about such a simple little thing as your feelings. But now…

He thinks that this bet was a stupid idea. Perhaps he could deal with his problems on his own, but he was so enthralled by the fact that Ayato's mother was the chief judge in the Snezhnaya court, so he simply couldn't refuse such an opportunity at that moment. He didn't know where to put himself right now.

Childe felt one desolation, that corroded all his insides with acrid cigarette smoke, preventing him from taking a saving breath of air. Thoughts of you swirled in his head at the speed of light, mingling with dirty insults against himself. Right now, he felt like he was being sucked into a black hole, and there was no way out.

Annoyed, the man scraped his fingernail against the leather steering wheel and swore loudly when the car in front of his car suddenly moved into his lane.

"Fuck." The man cursed, throwing his cigarette out the window and clutching the steering wheel.

His car moved forward at high speed. Adrenaline coursed through his veins at a furious pace, bringing a momentary sense of calm and contentment that slowly faded away as he thought about where he was heading now.

Friends invited him to come together at Scaramouche's house after yesterday's party to discuss some questions regarding some aspects of the common business.

His friends had their own brand called "Harbingers", that they distributed and sold throughout the country and even beyond its borders. Signora was a famous fashion designer, Scaramouche was engaged in the jewelry industry, Dottore liked to deal with mechanics and modeling.

Childe didn't participate in this, because he was preparing to become the heir to a big company, but he wasn't averse to supporting the ideas of his friends, so he always attended such meetings.

Of course, this meeting definitely wasn't limited to business matters, because the ginger man was clearly given to understand that his friends knew about his bet with Ayato, who was also supposed to be there.

His blue eyes flared brightly as he started thinking about Ayato and this stupid bet. If he had the ability to go back in time, he would definitely drop this fucking bet.

But at the same time… He was thinking that if not for this bet, you and he would never have become so close. Tartaglia didn't know what to feel from these thoughts.

The ginger man would like to shield you from everything related to this bet, from his personal family problems, from Ayato. But when he thought that this would mean that you and he couldn't be near each other, he became sad and lonely at heart.

But, all these thoughts aside, what scared him the most was the realization that one moment you would find out about everything.

He wanted to be with you a little longer, and, frankly, he wanted to delay the moment when you find out about everything for as long as possible.

Meanwhile, while he was in his thoughts, his black car drove into a small garden that surrounded Scaramouche's mansion on all sides. Childe's thoughts were starting to go back to yesterday when he was here with you.

And by the time you met Aether. And how that blond moron held your hand right in front of Childe's face.

"Damn it." The man hissed and ran his free hand through his ginger hair in annoyance as he parked his car near the white mansion. He turned off the engine and removed the keys from the ignition, exhaling sharply.

He decided that he would return to these thoughts a little later, and took a deep breath to calm his irritation and nervousness. A quick glance of blue eyes in the rearview mirror, and there was nothing left of his former vulnerable state.

The ginger man made the most casual expression on his face, ruffled his unruly hair, twisted his lips into a smirk and left the car, slamming the door loudly.

Muffled music could be heard from the second floor of the mansion, and Childe thought his friends had picked up the girls from the club again. He rolled his eyes — how predictable. The autumn wind howled with a roar and blew strongly at his back, driving him to the big house.

The ginger man entered the mansion without even bothering to ring the doorbell. He knew that the door was always open when they had these meetings.

Inside the house, as always, it smelled of expensive alcohol and cigarettes, this was different from the cheap alcohol that Scaramouche bought for yesterday's party, so Tartaglia, with some pleasure, inhaled the alluring smell into his nostrils and went straight to the second floor, where loud and cheerful voices were heard.

When the man entered Scaramouche's office, he looked around, noting to himself that not all of the Harbingers were today here. Perhaps someone had more important things to do. Or maybe someone just didn't want to come. This happened quite often.

Only Signora, Scaramouche, Pantalone and Columbina were in the office. The women sat on a brown leather sofa, Rosalyne smoking a cigar and Columbina sipping expensive wine.

Pantalone looked very concentrated as he sat at Scaramouche's desk, his eyes flickering over some documents. Scaramouche stood at the window and muttered something displeased under his breath.

"Why invite me to this meeting if you just wanted to have fun here with the whores from the strip club?" Signora snorted displeasedly, looking out of the corner of her eye at the girls dancing on the table.

There was a slight chuckle next to her.

"I don't think it's bad. Look at it the other way." Columbina said in a thin voice, taking a sip of red wine. "Look at their physique. You could give them a chance to make their lives better by asking them to be your models."

"I'm not going to waste my time on second-rate trash." Rosalyne grunted and stubbed out her cigar in a golden ashtray.

"Let's put that fact aside and remember that Ayato and Childe like spending time with this type of girl." said Pantalone, continuing to check bills and documents. In their business, the man was mainly responsible for the funds and money, that he skillfully distributed among all the Harbingers.

"Now I understand what you think about me." The ginger man snorted, finally making his presence known in the office. Three people stared at him, with the exception of Scaramouche, who seemed not to move an ear when he heard his friend's voice.

"Isn't that right?" Pantalone raised an eyebrow, and his lips broke into a smile that Childe found very vile. "I thought you liked women without outstanding intellect, but with curvaceous forms."

"Shut up." Covering his eyes with his palm, Tartaglia said angrily and sighed.

"Well, why are you so cruel to him, Pantalone?" A voice was heard from the direction of the door, and Childe felt a hand on his shoulder. He recognizes Ayato's voice immediately. "Recently, our friend got a very nice girlfriend. Without outstanding forms, of course, but she's pretty smart. You won't tell them, Childe?"

"Shut up, Ayato." Tartaglia hissed.

"Is that the cutie you were pressing against the railing on the balcony?" Rosalyne asked slyly, covering her mouth with her hand. Her blue eyes were full of mischief and obvious mockery.

"Did you see us?!" The man asked excitedly, breaking free of Ayato's grip and moving closer to the two women sitting on the sofa.

"So I'm right!" Clapping her hands contentedly, she easily threw one leg over the other and pursed her lips feignedly. "Yes, I saw you and her. And even talked to her after you left."

"What did you say to her?!" The man exclaimed excitedly, slightly surprising the women sitting in front of him.

Tartaglia nervously and excitedly considered every option that you could talk about with Rosalyne, and what a woman could say to you. Could she tell you that you're the object of his bet or that he was engaged?

One was worse than the other. He could feel every cell in his body screaming in agony in fear of the fact that you would ever find out.

Childe took a few deep breaths, realizing that Signora would hardly have told you about something like that, because, according to Ayato, she only found out about the bet yesterday. As for his marriage to Lumine… Could she have said that?

"Don't worry, I didn't talk to her about Lumine." Understanding what he was thinking, Rosalyne smirked, leaning back on the sofa and watching Tartaglia's tense face. "If think about how you used the cute Y/n for your own gain, you also got engaged at the same time… Very exciting, don't you think?"

"This is fun for you?" The ginger man's patience was running out. He clenched his fist, leaving crescent-shaped fingernail marks on his skin. The pain helped sober the mind.

"Isn't it so for you?" Ayato asked slyly, standing next to the ginger man again. A mischievous smirk appeared on the face of the man with blue hair.

He watched Tartaglia's eyes darting nervously from side to side and continued to say, "Have you forgotten that Y/n is just your way of avoiding an engagement with Lumine? All you need is to get her into your bed, remember?"

The ginger man felt great rage appeared in his chest. His blue eyes narrowed as Childe glanced at Ayato and saw only genuine amusement on his friend's face. Ayato chuckled.

"For some reason, I thought that poor simpleton like her wouldn't mind going to bed with a rich man to hit a good jackpot."

A sharp push to the side knocked out all the air from Ayato's lungs, when Tartaglia slammed him into the concrete wall with high force, frightening absolutely everyone in the room with his unexpected action. The blue-haired man was surprised at first, but after a few seconds, a wry smirk appeared on his face.

Childe's eyes flashed with unbridled anger and rage, that sparkled in his blue irises. The force with that he squeezed his friend's forearms with his hands seemed to leave bruises. There was absolute silence in the office until the ginger man spoke.

"Don't you dare talk about her like that, or I can't be held responsible for my actions."

Ayato chuckled and effortlessly freed himself from his friend's grip, after that Childe also pulled away from him, holding back his rage raging in his veins. His fists itched uncomfortably, the pent-up strength begging to be released, but he suppressed the remnants of irritation and exhaled heavily.

"Has she really become very important to you in such a short time?" Ayato asked, pushing his bangs aside.

"It doesn't concern you." The ginger man growled and headed for the exit without another word. But no one demanded words of explanation from him, because the office had been quiet until now.

"If you both do this again in my house, you both will never come here again." It was heard from Scaramouche when Tartaglia left the office.

"Yes, I know." Casually said Childe.

Now he couldn't stay in this mansion, because everything here seemed so alien, when, on the contrary, your house, from that he left a few hours ago, was a saving place for him.

Despite the fact that your day started early in the morning, you felt quite rested. You managed to take a little nap after telling Tartaglia "goodbye" and returning home.

Remembering this now, you involuntarily blush, waiting for your laptop to finally turn on. Next to the laptop was a cup of freshly brewed coffee, that had a truly bewitching aroma.

You decided that you would call your family back in the morning when Tartaglia leaves your home. You were still embarrassed for being so rude to Xiao and hanging up his call without even letting him say a few words.

Part of you thought that it was the right decision, but the second part told you that you acted very rudely and badly. That's why you called your brother with complete confidence right now with a sincere desire to apologize.

To your surprise, it wasn't Xiao who answered the call, but your mother. She looked a little tired, but cheerfully smiled at you from the other side of the screen.

"Hi, mom." You scratched your cheek and reached for the white cup to take a sip of coffee. On the pink surface of the cup was a picture of a white bunny holding a small heart in its paws. You loved cute things like this and always bought something like that for yourself when you had some money left to spend on yourself.

"Hi, darling." The woman greeted you and smiled softly. "Me and Xiao miss you very much. When will you have time to visit us?"

"I miss you both too, mom, but you know I have a lot of work to do." You sighed and shook your head in thought. You didn't have time to visit your family at all.

"You should definitely come closer to Christmas!" The woman said with a slight sternness, but then she smiled again and continued to say, "I must feed you well before you leave again."

You laughed.

"Okay, mom, I understood you. Anyway tell me, where is Xiao now?"

The woman thought for a moment and answered. "He said he was going to the library for more astronomy books and left a few minutes ago."

"Damn it." You sighed.

"He told me about what happened yesterday. According to him, you acted very strangely." Your mother shook her head, but then she smiled slyly and said in an unctuous voice. "And he also mentioned some ginger young man who was with you."

You instantly choked on the hot coffee and coughed, feeling your cheeks flush with a bright blush.

"Was he right?" The woman smiled. "I already thought he was joking."

"You know he'll never joke about it!" You snorted in annoyance.

"And yet, who was it?" Your mother asked with interest, moving a little closer to the laptop screen so as not to miss a single word of yours.

You snorted again, remembering about Tartaglia. Your cheeks gradually began to burn from a blush.

"He's just my colleague from work, he came to my house to take the documents."

"Is that so…" The woman said thoughtfully.

"So I had to hang up the call." You answered while looking at your phone, waiting for a message from Yoimiya. "You know how he treats other men."

Your mom nodded in understanding, after that your phone finally received a message from your friend.

"Oh, mom, listen, I made an appointment to meet Yoimiya and Ei today to go shopping." You said as you awkwardly got up from your chair and stumbled a little because of your clumsiness. "So I must go now."

"Of course, darling, have fun!" The woman smiled in understanding. "But I'm looking forward to the moment when you drop your excuses and tell me about this ginger young man."

"Mother!" You exclaimed indignantly, blushing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The woman laughed as she watched you run around your room and get ready to meet your friends.

"I completely forgot to tell you, mom!" You stopped suddenly in front of your laptop, and the woman looked at you with a question. You put on a beige sweater and continued to say, "Please apologize to Xiao again for me. And remind him that in two weeks he will need to come to Snezhnaya to submit documents to the academy and pass the entrance exams. He will need to free up three days for this."

"Okay, darling." The woman nodded with a smile. "Have fun!"

"Of course, mom. I love you! Bye." You ended the call and again heard a message come to your phone. Probably Yoimiya and Ei were already waiting for you near your house. You decided that you needed to hurry up and continued to get ready for a shopping trip.

"I tell you that he isn't as rude as he wants to appear to others!" You answered displeasedly when you and your friends started talking about Tartaglia again.

You tried your best to avoid the topic, but restless Yoimiya still found a way to get all the information out of you.

She knew that yesterday you went somewhere with a ginger man who had irritated you so much before. And now she was itching to know everything that had happened between you and Childe.

Ei, to your delight, was less enthusiastic about it, for that you were very grateful to her. For the most part, she was silent during this conversation, occasionally inserting her pertinent, peremptory comments and once again telling to Yoimiya be calm.

"You changed your mind about him so quickly!" The blonde exclaimed excitedly and put her hand to her lips with a slight chuckle. "Have you fallen in love with him?"

Your cheeks blushed and you glared at your friend angrily. This is the second person in a day talking about it! Your mother mayn't have said it directly, but that is what she meant by her words. Sometimes you thought that your mother and Yoimiya were like two peas in a pod.

"N-nothing like that!" You snorted, crossing your arms over your chest and turning your head away from your friend. "I just had a little misunderstanding with him, that we then settled. Nothing more. It's just friendship!"

Really?

You thought for a second. Did you really think so or did you want to deceive yourself? After all, you didn't understand how you should have felt for him.

You were calm next to him, you felt comfortable and warm, but his rude and teasing manner pissed you off. But for some reason, his teasing and seductive behavior made your heart beat several times faster.

His love for his family, his good intentions and desire to make them happy, his beautiful blue eyes… You immediately patted your cheeks and turned your head from side to side to let those foolish thoughts leave your mind.

"Hey, Y/n, can you hear me?" Yoimiya waved her hand in front of your face, trying to get your attention.

"Yoimiya, be more restrained." The purple-haired girl said with a hint of sternness. "Y/n was just thinking about something."

"I'm sure she was thinking about someone." The blonde grunted and laughed as you gave her an indignant friendly slap on the shoulder.

"Let's hurry!" Trying to change the topic, you walked forward enthusiastically. "Soon a daily action should begin in the cafe. We mustn't miss this!"

Your friends also enthusiastically supported your words with smiles, and the three of you hurried to your favorite cafe.

The cafe was very comfortable and calm. Quiet music was heard from the radio, the cafe smelled of freshly baked buns with sugar and fragrant coffee. When you entered the cafe, a pleasant smell of baking entered your nose, and you smiled relaxed, glad that you could have a good rest today.

Your friends sat down at your common favorite table, you told them you were going to order and hurried to the barista. You moved closer to the small crowd of people hoping to get in line, but suddenly you felt like you collided with someone on the way to your goal.

A powerful sense of deja vu swept through your mind and hit you in the head. You swore angrily in your thoughts. It seemed to you that you had a talent for making new acquaintances using this method.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you." You immediately apologized, genuinely worried about the condition of the person you encountered.

"No, no, don't apologize. I didn't look where I was going either." A gentle and beautiful voice was heard from the side, and you finally raised your eyes with interest to the one who spoke to you.

A woman with short blonde hair and big golden eyes was looking at you.

Chapter 8: His bride's brother, her fiance's girlfriend

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

You breathed out excitedly. This woman was the embodiment of the word "beauty". Her delicate features made her look light and weightless. Blonde hair framed the woman's face, and on her head was a small hairpin with a flower. Her clear golden eyes looked at you with slight interest, excitement, but at the same time she looked very stately and elegant, as if she were a real princess.

You bit your lip awkwardly and continued to say, "I'm really sorry I pushed you. Can I make amends by offering you coffee and a croissant at my expense?"

"You have nothing to apologize to me for." The blond woman answered as she carefully adjusted her short hair. You were completely captivated. "I didn't look where I was going either, so I'm to blame for this incident too. I think we're even."

"But it would be very impolite of me to leave it like that." You insisted.

Meanwhile, while you were talking to a stranger, the crowd of people in line gradually moved closer to the barista, who looked quite tired from so many customers, but nevertheless did his job conscientiously.

"You're very kind." The woman shook her head and smiled softly, giving you the warm glow of her golden eyes. "But you really shouldn't be doing this. I'm here to make a big order."

You raised an eyebrow in interest, waiting for the woman to continue speaking.

"When I was a little girl, my friends and I used to come here for hot chocolate and sugar buns." She said with a slight nostalgia in her voice, and you also thought you remembered some of the memories you shared with your friends in your hometown. "This has always been my favorite treat and now I would like to order this hot chocolate and buns for my wedding."

You froze for a second, finally noticing from the corner of your eye a beautiful gold ring with a large iridescent diamond on her ring finger, after that you felt your heart beat faster. An unknown feeling of joy for an unfamiliar woman filled your heart, and you hastened to congratulate her on this important event.

"Please accept my congratulations." You smiled happily at the blonde, but immediately noticed how her shoulders slumped, and a sad smile appeared on her face, which in no case should have been characteristic of someone who will soon get married.

"Thank you." She nodded to you with the same sad smile and raised her hand to her face, once again looking at her wedding ring, "Perhaps I would feel like the happiest woman in the world if the one who will become my husband would love me."

The joyful smile disappeared from your face, and you pursed your lips. You didn't know how to help this woman, and you didn't have the strength to do it, but somehow you wanted her to be happy, despite the fact that you and she had only known each other for a few minutes.

You have always believed that marriage should be for love, and when you heard about marriages of convenience, your heart sank painfully. Perhaps it was the fault of circumstances, perhaps the couple themselves wanted this for one reason or another, despite the fact that they didn't love each other. But you still couldn't understand it.

"I'm sorry." You answered quietly and noticed that the two of you were getting closer and closer to the barista, gradually moving forward towards the man who was taking orders.

"You shouldn't feel sorry for me." The blonde said, clutching her bag in her hands. She looked sad, but for some reason she smiled, as if it were a smile with a share of self-irony. "I'm just an egomaniac who was glad to have the chance to marry a man who doesn't love me."

"Don't be so categorical!" You said excitedly, that greatly surprised the blonde stranger, who opened her golden eyes wide when you said these words to her. "Every person deserves love. And you're no exception! You mayn't be lucky with mutual feelings from your fiancé, but you have a whole life ahead of you with him! I'm sure it will bring you both very close."

"You're trying so sincerely to reassure me with your words..." She tried to smile happily, but you thought, for a split second, that she was about to cry right now. "I'm grateful to you, but my fiancé is unlikely to ever be able to love me."

She lifted her eyes and looked at you, and you felt your heart filled with despair. The woman continued to speak.

"One part of my heart is raging with love, selfishly glad that the person I love will soon be mine forever, but…" The blonde stopped in mid-sentence, making an effort to continue speaking, and the two of you walked a little further, approaching the barista. "The other part of my heart will always remind me that I'm taking away the freedom of a loved one and that I will never deserve an ounce of his love, as if he loved me one day."

You looked at the woman sympathetically, completely unsure how to help her. In your eyes, she looked completely unhappy, and your heart resented such injustice. You understood that not all marriages were doomed to happiness, but you didn't want to put up with it at all. You would never get tired of repeating that every person deserves happiness and love.

But, to your surprise, the woman's face returned to a calm expression, and the blonde said.

"Sorry you had to listen to all this. I don't know what came over me." She gave you a seat in line, and you walked over to the barista in confusion.

The man gave you a friendly smile, and you hurried to make an order for yourself and your friends. You absentmindedly watched the coffee being brewed in the coffee maker until the voice came from the woman again.

"Maybe I kept it to myself for too long."

You shook your head excitedly, "You have nothing to apologize for. Every person needs to talk to someone when you have a feeling that feelings and emotions can no longer be stored in yourself. And sometimes it's easiest for us to talk about it with someone we've never known."

"Thank you." The blonde smiled sincerely, and you felt your heart is filled with warm. You smiled back at her.

After receiving your order, you stepped aside, allowing the woman to make her order. You watched as she calmly spoke to the barista, waiting for her to finish this.

"I can't wait to have this delicious hot chocolate with him on our wedding day." She said dreamily. "When we were kids, he really loved this place and this hot chocolate too."

"I'm sure he'll enjoy this hot chocolate with you." You smiled and the woman smiled back at you.

"Mistress Slowness, are you there soon?" It was heard from somewhere, and you almost dropped your coffee mugs when Yoimiya slammed into you from behind.

"Damn, Yoimiya!" You shuddered in fear and immediately looked angrily at your friend. "I almost spilled our coffee because of you!"

"Why did you take so long with this? Ei and I are already hungry!" Yoimiya crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrow as she waited for your answer.

"I just met someone." You turned to the woman you were talking to a few moments ago, but when you turned your back on Yoimiya, the stranger was no longer there. "She was just here." You sighed, realizing that you didn't even get to know her name. "Damn, I didn't even get to say goodbye to her."

"Whoever it is, it doesn't matter!" Your friend pulled you sharply by the hand to the table where Ei was sitting, and you, screaming in slight fright, followed her, trying not to drop your tray with coffee and sugar buns. "Right now, the only thing that matters is that I want to eat this bun!"

You laughed and hurried after your friend, but your heart continued to contract painfully as you thought of the unhappy stranger and her unknown lover.

Aether was always ready to do anything for his sister. And then, when they both were young children, and even now, when they were already adults, accomplished people. For a man, his sister was the only person for whom he was ready to do anything.

It never mattered to him what he would be willing to do or what he would have to do in order to make Lumine happy. All that mattered was that his sister smiled.

That was why, right now, he was heading with complete confidence towards a tall building with many glass windows, that made it look like the building was made only of glass. This building has belonged to his family's company for a very long time.

The twin family had a big car sales business, and, like the eldest of twins, Lumine should have inherited the business immediately after her marriage. Before fully taking up the position, her parents suggested that she try herself as a boss in order to gradually get used to the new position, and the girl happily agreed.

Aether, in turn, decided to completely leave all the business to his sister and moved away from the family business, and with his own money, as a small side income and his own entertainment, he opened a nightclub in the city, where he often visited with his gang, that had the name "The Abyss Order".

However, he helped his sister with the company's business, but only when she asked for it. For the most part, Lumine handled everything perfectly, but now, due to the preparations for the wedding, she had more and more urgent matters that needed to be dealt with immediately.

But the issue on which they had a meeting scheduled wasn't related to their business. Lumine didn't state the reason why she wanted to see her brother on the phone, she only asked him to come as soon as possible if he had the opportunity. For the sake of his sister, he always put off all his affairs, and this time was no exception.

The blond got out of the car, gave his driver a nod, and slammed the car door, heading towards the building. As the man approached the large glass door, the porter bowed slightly in greeting and respect, and opened the door to the building for Aether.

"Welcome back, Mister Aether."

The man nodded and walked on, heading for the elevator that would take him to the highest floor, where his sister's office was. He had to wait a few more minutes before the man exited the elevator and walked towards Lumine's office.

On the way he was met by a young secretary.

"Hello, mister Aether!" She greeted cheerfully, blushing slightly. The blond nodded and smiled. "Glad to see you here again!"

She turned to Lumine's office with the intention of escorting the young man to his sister's office.

"Miss Lumine is currently at a meeting with investors, but she'll soon be free." The girl said as she opened the door to her boss's office, letting Aether into the office. "May I offer you coffee?"

"No, thanks." The man shook his head and walked over to his sister's table, running his hand over it.

"Then I'll leave you." The secretary said, and when the blond nodded approvingly, she left the office, closing the door behind her.

When the girl left the office, Aether turned to the big panoramic window and looked at the opened view of the big city. From a bird's eye view, the city looked simply amazing, and it seemed to the man that he was floating in the air. He wanted to keep those moments in his memory for as long as possible.

He turned to Lumine's desk and noticed a small gold-framed photo. It was standing next to the computer monitor, the gold of the frame shimmering slightly in the daylight, and it caught the blond's attention. The man came closer to the table and took the photo in his hands, carefully examining what was depicted on it.

The photo showed the twins when they were five years old. The boy and girl were smiling happily and holding hands, their faces smeared in cake, and Aether remembered that this photo was taken on their birthday. He smiled warmly.

Memories of that day filled his chest with pleasant warm, warming his heart with love. Although their carefree childhood is long gone, it warmed his soul that his sister still kept this photo as a sign that she remembers that happy time in their lives too.

While in his thoughts, the man didn't notice how the office door opened and Lumine entered the office. She was a little surprised at first that Aether arrived earlier than the agreed time, but then she smiled warmly when she saw that the man was holding their photo in his hands.

"I often look at this photo during work hours." The woman broke the silence, and Aether instinctively shuddered, looking up, but when he saw his sister, he relaxed and smiled. "It helps me relax and clear my mind so I can keep working."

"Hi, sister." The blond set the photo down and followed Lumine's gaze as she moved closer to him. They exchanged welcoming hugs. And, when the girl pulled away from him, the man continued to say, "Did you want to see me?"

"Yes." The blonde nodded and turned to the window, fixing her eyes on the view of the city. "I have a request for you."

"And what is its essence?" Aether raised his blond eyebrow, waiting for a response from his sister.

"I need you to find out the identities of all of his potential love interests." The girl said looking out the window.

Aether was a little taken aback. It was very unexpected of her to make such a request to him. Yes, Aether was sometimes involved in collecting information on people for money, but he did it exclusively as the head of the gang, and he never took it out of the scope of his activities in a nightclub. He didn't want to involve his sister in his affairs, so he never told her about what he was doing there.

"How did you know?" The man asked in a serious tone, tensing slightly.

"I thought you knew it was hard to keep things from powerful people." Lumine smiled and turned to her brother. "Our family ties helped me."

The man sighed, obviously annoyed that his sister found out about the dark side of his work, from which he tried his best to keep her away. The last thing he wanted was for Lumine to get hurt because of him.

"I didn't want you to know." Aether bit his lip and looked away with his golden eyes.

The woman came closer to him and hugged him.

"I don't mind your work. But please be careful." She said with a slight sigh. "The most important thing for me is that you're safe. Please always be on the lookout. And never jump above your head. This is the only thing I ask. Can you promise me it?"

Aether exhaled and hugged his sister back.

"I promise."

When this conversation was over, the brother and sister sat at the table and drank hot aromatic coffee. The smell of coffee filled the entire office, leaving behind a pleasant plume of tart coffee beans in the air.

"So you want me to gather information about those he likes?" Aether asked for clarification, slightly annoyed that his sister's ginger fiancé was the reason for his new job.

"That's right." Lumine nodded as she took a sip of hot coffee and set the cup down on the glass table. "I want to know who and when he meets."

"Is there any particular reason for this?" The blond asked as he took a sip of coffee.

"Actually, no…" The girl honestly admitted, sighing and hiding her face in her hands. Aether also sighed and put his cup of coffee on the table, waiting for his sister to continue talking. "I just want to know about what they have that I don't."

The woman's eyes filled with salty tears, that she held back for a long time. Crystalline tears streamed down her cheeks, causing Aether's heart to clench painfully.

He always knew that his sister had been in love with Tartaglia since childhood, and that she was always ready to do anything for him. Even the impossible. And now Aether's heart was filled with sincere anger at the man whom his sister loved so much.

Yes, Childe was an old friend of Aether's, but the blond couldn't help but hate him for every tear his sister shed. He just wanted Lumine to always be happy. And he would do anything for it.

"I just want to know why he always chooses others and not me." The blonde continued to speak, wiping the salty tears from her red face with her hands. "I need it so that I can be calm."

She took a deep breath and continued speaking.

"I want every one of these women to know that this man is mine."

The blond immediately got up from his seat and approached his sister, sitting next to her on the sofa. He gently removed her hands from her face and wiped the tears from her red face. The woman looked hopefully into his golden eyes.

"I'll do it." Aether said as he carefully took Lumine's palms into his big, strong hands. "I'll find every woman and try to make them understand that they have no chance to be with him. I promise you. Just please, never cry again, unless it's tears of happiness, all right?"

Lumine smiled happily through the last tears that rolled down her face and hugged her brother tightly. Aether hugged his sister back, and when he felt her relax in his arms, he sighed happily.

"Thank you, Aether."

You took a deep breath and winced slightly. Loud music beat against your eardrums, causing your head to gradually start to ache. You never liked such noisy places, but you couldn't refuse Yoimiya when she persuaded you to go with her to one of the most popular clubs in Snezhnaya.

Of course, you tried to tell her that you had many important things to do at home, but your friend was irrepressible.

That is why now you were in the club, where loud music was playing, joyful laughter and voices of people who were resting here after a long working week were heard.

You thought that you should have rested too, but you would have preferred your apartment, an interesting book and hot tea to the club. But at the same time, you didn't want to upset your friend who begged you to go with her.

You were sitting on a chair at the bar, leaning your hand on the table and watching Yoimiya having fun and dancing in the crowd of people, moving her arms and legs vigorously and not quite in time with the music. It looked quite funny, so you couldn't help but smile.

The weekend gradually passed. That conversation with a stranger that happened yesterday in a cafe couldn't get out of your head. You thought about how her fate could have turned out, if the person she loved, loved her in return.

Being in your thoughts, you didn't notice how a small glass with a cocktail was pushed towards you, and you raised your eyebrow in surprise when you saw a man's hand.

"I see you're a fan of such parties." It was heard from the side, and you excitedly raised your eyes to the person who was talking to you. You recognized his voice.

Aether, the man you met at Tartaglia's friend's party, smiled friendly at you, standing at the bar and wiping crystal glasses.

Due to the fact that the club premises was quite dark, you could see his face only when the bright light colored spotlights ran across his face.

You smiled shyly and shook your head, "It's not really like that."

The blond raised an eyebrow, as if urging you to keep talking, and continued to smile. You, a little embarrassed and excited, turned to him and smiled friendly too, letting the man know that you also hadn't forgotten about that meeting, which happened in Scaramouche's mansion.

"I prefer going to museums or reading a book in the library." You ran your finger over the glass that contained cocktail and sighed. "Such noisy places aren't for me."

"Then why are you here?" The blond asked as he made another cocktail for a customer.

"Let's just say it's hard for me to say no to people." You chuckled and glanced at Yoimiya from the corner of your eye, who continued to have fun and dance somewhere in the crowd of drunken dancing people.

"Then suppose if I invited you to visit in a museum with me or read a book in the library, would you refuse?" The man smiled brightly, but immediately made a excited look as he continued to say, "I won't insist if you refuse, don't worry."

You thought for a few seconds, but then smiled and said.

"Honestly, I came to this city a few months ago, and I have never been to any of the local museums and libraries. This is a terrible omission! I would be glad if you give me a tour of local museums."

"Then, if you don't mind, I invite you to join me when you have free time!" The blond smiled as he handed you a small business card. "I'll be honest with you too. I don't like such noisy places either, it makes it difficult to focus on something beautiful and sensual."

You nodded in understanding and took the business card in your hands. It was golden and slightly glossy.

"Call this number when you're free. I look forward to our meeting!" The man winked at you and walked towards the customer, who called him to make an order.

You bit your lip and finally looked at the business card. It had a phone number and a few words written on it.

Aether. The Abyss Order.

Notes:

new chapter is here! :3 i hope you enjoyed this chapter. next chapter will be much more interesting! did you miss childe?

Chapter 9: Three little foxes

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

You sighed tiredly and, with irritation in your eyes, looked at the person who, with an absolutely unperturbed look, told you that right now there were no free official cars on the company's territory. This upset you a lot, because you were instructed by your boss to deliver important documents to the marketing department of the enterprise with which your company cooperated.

You were supposed to give those documents to the person you were working with, and the two of you had a meeting that was supposed to happen in two hours. You had absolutely no time for such hitches, and you continued to persuade the man to check again if there is a free car.

The man just snorted and turned around to go to his office and check it out.

For the most part, the last five days have passed quietly and without incident. The work that you had to do occupied all your thoughts, so you forgot to think about the unhappy stranger from the cafe and about Aether, with whom you had an appointment in the near future. Now you made a remark to yourself that you really need to focus on work.

But something definitely prevented you from concentrating on your work. Or rather, someone. You already regretted giving Tartaglia your phone number when he asked you about it, arguing his request with the words: "What if something happens to you again? I know how clumsy you are. You can't even take a step without me."

In your mind, you mimicked his way of speaking and put on a wry smirk, exactly the same as he did at that moment. You snorted. Blockhead! You're capable of anything without him! You made a satisfied face at your thoughts and nodded your head.

And okay, if he called or wrote to you on really important issues. No, every damn time he sent you a bunch of pointless messages and posts asking a lot of stupid questions. So basically you ignored his messages, but later on you had to listen to him whine in the cafeteria where he usually found you because you forbade him to come to your office because he interfered with your work.

You thought he acted like a child. You giggled, momentarily forgetting. Childe is like a child. Funny play on words. You wonder, who gave him that nickname?

Fortunately for you, today he didn't send you any messages and didn't distract you from work. You saw his black car in the parking lot when you got to work. And you were a little surprised that Tartaglia was unusually calm and non-clinging today. Did he have some important job or meeting?

Was it the calm before the storm? Or are you just get imaginative? You chose not to focus on it. You think about him too often, even when he's not around. Your cheeks blushed, and you hurried to pat your cheeks to remove this annoying embarrassment. What a wrong time…

You noticed, that the man was returning from his office, and looked hopefully into his eyes. He looked tired and obviously unhappy that you were too pushy. The man scratched the back of his head and spoke to you in a rough bass voice.

"I'm really sorry, miss, but there are no cars available right now. All cars are occupied."

You frowned in annoyance and bit your lip, clutching a folder with documents in your hands. Out of the corner of your eye, you looked at your wristwatch, noting that there was only an hour and a half left before the meeting. What should you do? You realized that you were completely desperate when an idea came to your mind. You looked at the man.

"Then maybe…" You said, shifting from foot to foot. "Will you take me there in your car?"

The man was taken aback, already extremely annoyed by your assertiveness.

"Listen, miss…"

"But I really need to be in time for this meeting, don't you understand?!"

"What's going on here?" You heard from behind and felt someone's big hand on your waist.

At first you were taken aback by such impudence, but when you noticed the ginger head out of the corner of your eye, you relaxed. And then you scolded yourself. When did this behavior become the norm for the two of you? Publicly show affection for each other? Sure, the two of you have become friends, but still, these actions are mostly for lovers, not friends. Your cheeks flushed red.

"Mister Tartaglia!" The man said excitedly when he saw the owner of the company, clearly not expecting to meet him in person.

"What's going on, princess?" The ginger man pulled you slightly closer to him, looking at the man who was standing in front of the two of you.

"What are you doing here?" You asked discontentedly and, twisting away from Childe's arms, looked sullenly at him. "Don't you have your own job?"

He raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise when he received such a rude response from you, but then the ginger man smiled slyly, noticing a bright red blush on your cheeks. He understood that you were embarrassed.

"Come on, baby." He smirked, glancing at the other man out of the corner of his eye. "I was just passing by and noticed that you have some problems. And, as your valiant knight on a white horse, I bravely decided to help you."

Your eye twitched as he said those words, and you were about to taunt him back when you heard someone call your name. You turned around and noticed Yoimiya running excitedly towards you, waving some papers in her hands. When the girl finally ran up to you, she took a breath and looked into your eyes with a slight fright.

"It's good that you're still here, Y/n!" Slightly interrupting her words due to her breath, she said. "You forgot invoice from accounting! I was afraid you had already left."

You raised your eyebrows in surprise and opened the folder with the documents, running your eyes over it and checking the presence of all the necessary documents, and noticed that you really forgot to take the invoice.

"You're right…" You sighed, accepting the document from Yoimiya's hand with a grateful look and placing it in the folder with the rest of the documents. "Thank you, Yoimiya!"

"You're welcome!" Your friend smiled, after which she noticed Tartaglia and bowed slightly to him as a sign of respect. "Hello, mister Tartaglia."

"Hello." The man nodded as his curious gaze flickered from Yoimiya to you. "You never explained to me what happened to you. Where do you need to go?"

You sighed and replied, "I need to deliver these documents to our partner, but there are no available company cars at the enterprise at the moment. The meeting is scheduled to start in an hour and a half, but I won't have time to walk or use public transport."

Your shoulders slumped and you sobbed sadly. You didn't want to let your boss down at all.

"I don't know how I can make it to this meeting."

"How could you forget about your knight on a white horse? You upset me, princess …" Tartaglia made an upset face and, winking, looked at you.

"What?" You asked slightly annoyed, looking in his direction and angrily crossing your arms over your chest. "I don't care about your jokes right now, you know?"

"I'll take you there." Without thinking for a second, the ginger man said.

You froze in your place, not believing his words. You were a little taken aback by how confident his words sounded. He said it without thinking at all. As if he had nothing more important than to get you to the other side of the city, spending his time and effort on it. Your heart began to beat faster, but you immediately put your thoughts in order and hurried to speak.

"You don't have to do this!" You said categorically, turning away from him with the intention of going to meet your partner on foot. "I don't want to distract you from your work."

The ginger man only sighed heavily and grabbed your hand, pulling you towards him and pressing you against his hard chest.

"I'll start the car and wait for you." He whispered in your ear, and you felt your legs buckle at his hoarse voice and goosebumps ran down your skin. "And you carefully check if you forgot anything else, and come to me when you're ready."

Then Childe let go of you and, without saying another word, went to his car, leaving you alone. Your heart was beating wildly in your chest, your thoughts were tangled in your head like a ball of yarn a cat was playing with. And you couldn't get hold of even one of those thoughts. You could only helplessly press the folder with documents to your chest and look at the wide back of Tartaglia, who gradually moved farther and farther away from you.

There was a slight chuckle next to you. You shuddered and turned to your friend. Yoimiya smiled slyly at you, a twinkle of mischief shone in her golden eyes.

"Don't miss your chance." She said and winked at you as she turned around to walk towards office.

"W-what?" Your cheeks blushed even more, and you excitedly shouted after your friend, "What a chance?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about." Yoimiya answered and disappeared through the door to the building.

You could only look after her in confusion and listen to how loudly and quickly your heart beats in your chest. You pursed your lips, biting hard on the soft skin of your lips. What was she talking about?

On trembling legs, you walked up to Tartaglia's car, opened the door and, sitting on the soft leather seat, slammed the car door, causing the ginger man to flinch for a moment, as if he had previously been absorbed in some important thoughts. Smoothing out the wrinkles in your clothes, you awkwardly turned towards the window and looked at the company building.

"You know you shouldn't waste your time on my business?" You grunted, only to break the silence in the car. "Don't you have your own job?"

"Today I had only one meeting with potential partners, and it has already ended." The man said as he twisted the steering wheel and pulled out of his company's parking lot. "So why don't you just silently accept my help?"

You would have been indignant at the rudeness of his last phrase, but decided not to provoke the man into an argument anymore, realizing that this would still lead to nothing. Yes, both of you were still those stubborn ones.

And maybe it was another common trait of your character.

"So where should I take you?" The man asked as he stopped the car as the traffic light turned red.

"Knights of Favonius." You answered while looking out the car window. "I hope you know where this company is located."

The ginger man just nodded, and you two fell silent again. It seemed to you that he was thinking about something, and you also decided to think a little about what happened a few minutes ago between the two of you.

It was embarrassing enough, but what annoyed you the most was the fact that Yoimiya also saw what happened between you and Tartaglia. Now you definitely can't get away from her questions and stupid jokes.

What's more, Childe looked completely unruffled, just like the time you and he got into that awkward situation of flour on your cheek in your kitchen. Sometimes you marveled at the equanimity of this man, but at the same time you envied him to some extent. You wanted to assess the situation soberly and treat such things calmly too.

You tried to listen to your mind, but the feelings always returned to your heart, which threatened to jump out of your chest just from one look at the ginger man who was now sitting next to you and driving a car.

You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye and noticed that his face was serious and focused, as if he really cared about your business and the work you had to do.

You might think that he has changed somewhat since you first met. Aside from his silly jokes and teasing, Childe has become much nicer to you than when you two met.

To some extent, you wanted to know what caused such a dramatic change.

While you were in your thoughts, you didn't notice how the car drove up to a large building that looked a bit like a medieval castle. You noted that these people really had a taste in architecture. You have always liked this style of art and architecture. This made a big impression on you, and so you excitedly hurried out of the car without even waiting for Childe.

The man snorted in displeasure and also got out of the car to escort you to a meeting with a partner of his company. Unlike you, Tartaglia didn't share the special joy of being in this place. The fact that you had to meet another man kindled the fire of a hitherto unknown feeling in his chest. Just like the moment you met Aether.

For some reason, your happy smile didn't warm his heart at all now, your joyful mood didn't make him feel better. Was this place the reason for this? Or the person you were supposed to meet?

When the two of you finally made it to the meeting room, the secretary asked you two to wait a bit. You sat in an armchair by the window, and Tartaglia sat opposite you and crossed his legs, turning away from you and looking out the window. You would assume that he was unhappy about something, but you decided not to tease him.

And now, five minutes later, the door to the office finally opened, and a young man entered the office. He looked handsome and commanded respect. His blue eyes had a slight greenish tinge, and his gray hair fell down to his shoulders. The man looked around and when his gaze settled on you, he smiled friendly and came closer.

You immediately stood up and smiled friendly.

"Hello, miss Y/n." Said the man, shaking your hand gallantly. "I hope you got here without incident."

"Hello, mister Albedo." You greeted the man and tried to keep up small talk. "Yes, we didn't have any problems on the way here."

"We?" Albedo was genuinely surprised, after which he finally noticed Tartaglia, who was sitting in a chair by the window and knitting his brows. "Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

The ginger man got up from his seat and approached you and Albedo, fixing a piercing gaze on the other man.

"Childe Tartaglia." He said and reluctantly shook hands with Albedo. "Owner of Zapolyarny Palace."

The gray-haired man was genuinely surprised at first, but then his face turned into a smiling expression again. You glanced nervously at Childe, but he ignored your gaze and continued to look at Albedo.

"It's not often to see the owner of the company coming to a meeting of ordinary workers." The young man was sincerely surprised, looking at you with his greenish eyes.

"We have a special case." Tartaglia replied sharply, annoyed that Albedo was paying too much attention to you.

You gasped indignantly, your eyebrows met at the bridge of your nose, and dirty insults appeared on your tongue. You thought that steam will come out of your ears, but when Albedo invited you two to sit down at the table and start negotiations, Childe pushed you to the table and you had to calm down.

You threw an annoyed look at the ginger man, letting him know that this conversation wasn't over yet. Tartaglia caught your eye, and when Albedo turned away from the two of you for a few seconds, Childe slyly smiled at you and winked. You flared up angrily. You will definitely remind him of this!

In general, the negotiations were very successful, you and Albedo discussed all the important issues and agreements between your two companies and came to a general agreement. You could feel absolutely comfortable if, during your conversation with Albedo, Tartaglia didn't interfere in this.

He asked a lot of questions about cooperation between companies, and if it weren't for your annoyance that he disrupts your negotiations, you would even be surprised at how well he understands the affairs of the company.

In your head, his bold image of a bad guy who doesn't care about anything but parties and money is very firmly entrenched. And the moment he spoke to Albedo it seemed to you that you began to recognize him from a new side.

Therefore, you were quite surprised when you saw that some of Childe's questions took Albedo by surprise.

But, nevertheless, the man with gray hair behaved confidently and answered Tartaglia's questions with the utmost calmness and prudence.

And Albedo sincerely tried to ignore Childe's sharp gaze as you stepped closer to him to sign your signature on the documents.

When the negotiations were finally over, the ginger man let out a breath of relaxation as he stood behind you and watched you exchange pleasantries with Albedo. Tartaglia has never wanted anything more than to end this conversation so that both of you can leave company of partner as soon as possible.

He was very annoyed at Albedo's attention to you, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't suppress feeling irritated that settled in his chest, and he couldn't help but insert his snarky word in the middle of a conversation every time Albedo asked you a question.

It was an overwhelming relief for him when you finally left your signature on the documents, letting him know that this meeting was finally over.

"Thank you for your cooperation, miss Y/n." The gray-haired man said politely before turning his eyes to the ginger man. "Mister Tartaglia."

Childe nodded, but said no more.

You smiled and said, "I look forward to our continued partnership, mister Albedo."

Tartaglia gritted his teeth and immediately pushed you towards the door. You gasped excitedly, not even having time to object. Albedo raised his eyebrow mockingly as the ginger man turned to him and said.

"I'm sorry, this young lady still has a lot of work to do, we are in a hurry now, so forgive us for such a hasty farewell. Goodbye!"

Albedo only chuckled as the door slammed shut behind you two, leaving him alone in the office. You snorted indignantly, trying to escape from Tartaglia's cuddle, but he firmly held your hand, continuing to lead you towards the exit of the building. Sometimes you didn't understand at all what was going on in the head of this man.

You looked sullenly out the window, arms crossed over your chest, not wanting to talk to a man at all. Childe drove a car, glancing in your direction out of the corner of his eye and noticing how sweetly you puffed your cheeks.

"Princess, you shouldn't frown like that, or your pretty face will soon get wrinkles." Tartaglia said cheerfully, smiling slyly as always.

"Shut up." You grunted and then turned your attention to him. "Do you want to explain anything to me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about!"

"Hm…" He made a surprised expression as he put his finger to his lips and looked uncomprehending before looking at you defiantly with his blue eyes flashing. "I don't understand at all, baby. Could you explain to me?"

You, irritated and angry, replied, "What did you mean by "we have a special case"?"

"Ah, you talk about it…" The man chuckled, making an innocent face. "I, as your esteemed boss, just decided to test your negotiating skills and help you conduct professional negotiations. That's very generous of me, don't you think? Why don't you thank me?"

Tartaglia smirked slyly, watching your face turn red with anger.

"For example, a kiss would be a wonderful reward."

Your cheeks flushed brightly.

"The only reward you will get from me is a slap." You hissed, snorting and turning away from Tartaglia.

The man laughed out loud.

"Okay, okay, a kiss on the cheek would be enough."

You fell silent, no longer wanting to continue the conversation with him. You were attracted by the sight of the city that flashed past the car window, and you enthusiastically watched how small houses were replaced by big houses outside the window, and how gradually the car returned to a richer area of the city.

Childe glanced at you one more time, making sure you relaxed, and turned his gaze back to the road. The last thing he wanted was for you to feel uncomfortable in his company. Therefore, he always tried to create a relaxed atmosphere between the two of you, constantly joking and smiling.

He thought you might like it. All the women he had to deal with were always fascinated by his flirtatious and teasing behavior, but you didn't seem to care at all. When he joked, you only got angry, blushed and embarrassed. You were a tough nut for Tartaglia, which he must to crack and make his own.

But sometimes it was insanely difficult to do. For example, when you met other men. He didn't understand where this feeling came from, which corroded all his organs with a burning hatred for any man who approached you. Childe had never experienced this before, and he must to figure out where these feelings could come from in his chest and what caused it.

Meanwhile, you began to notice that the buildings began to replace tall trees, and it seemed to you that the car had left the city. The car has been driving along a country road for a long time. You stared at Childe with a question in your eyes.

"Where are we going?"

"Let's just say I promised someone that you will meet them…" The ginger man said timidly, lightly gripping the steering wheel with his hands.

You froze for a moment, and immediately you felt like you were being doused with cold water as awareness came to you.

"So did you plan this from the start?!" You shoved him in the side with your hand, causing him to hiss in pain.

"Princess, you should better calculate your strength, otherwise next time you will be the one to take me to the hospital!"

"Take me to the office now!" You were outraged, making a formidable look. "My boss will reprimand me if I don't come back with a negotiation report!" In a panic, you put your hands to your cheeks.

"Now I'm your boss!" The man snorted, he turned the steering wheel, and the car swerved to the side, pulling up to a big mansion. "And I'm giving you the day off for today."

"What?! Stop spouting nonsense! Take me back to the office now!" Your indignation knew no bounds.

"Y/n!"

You froze in place, surprised at how pleading your name sounded at that moment. You looked up at him and noticed that his blue eyes were filled with a kind of pleading. He seemed to be asking you to stay with him. And for some reason you wanted to fulfill his request. You relaxed slightly, letting Childe know that you were listening carefully.

"Please, Y/n, I beg you. Only today." He said and got out of the car, after which he opened the door for you and gave his hand to get you out of the car. You accepted his help and got out of the car, looking around. "They really wanted to meet you."

You nodded in agreement and Childe walked towards the mansion signaling you to follow him.

You looked around. It was very beautiful here. The mansion was a big three-story house with beautiful facades. Around the house was a big garden with beautiful flowers. It seemed to you that you found yourself in a fabulous garden overlooking the beautiful royal castle.

But right now you're most interested in a slightly different question. You thought about who these mysterious they could be.

When the two of you finally entered the house, you were again amazed at how beautiful and luxurious the lives of rich people are. You have rarely seen such beautiful furniture and various decorations, unless in a museum in your city where such furniture was on display. Distracting from the contemplation of the view, you looked at Tartaglia.

He was calm, but it seemed to you that he looked wary and was listening to something. And it was true, because literally one second later a small ginger hurricane swept in front of you, and you could watch with excitement how this hurricane knocked Childe to the floor.

You were amazed at how happy and sincere Tartaglia's laugh was when he lay on the floor and hugged three small ginger children.

"Brother!"

"Big brother!"

The ginger man laughed gleefully as the children clung to him from all sides, welcoming and joyfully hugging him.

"I'm back!" The ginger man answered, and in that moment your heart began to beat rapidly at how beautiful his smile was.

"We missed you so much!" Said one of the two boys, who was older.

"I made cookies for you!" The little girl with ginger hair said excitedly. "Are you hungry? Do you want to try?"

"Big brother! Did you bring us presents again?" Asked the smallest child, pressing his hands to his chest and looking hopefully at Childe.

Laughing, Tartaglia finally got up from the floor and, hugging the children again, answered.

"No, Teucer, today I have a special present for you." He made a satisfied smile, waited until the attention of the three children was focused only on him, and continued to say, "Today the one you three have been waiting for so long has come to you."

When he looked at you, the children's eyes also rested on you. You smiled awkwardly and raised your hand in greeting.

"H-hi, my name is Y/n." You said excitedly.

Bright lights of happiness lit up in the eyes of the three little foxes.

Notes:

hello everyone! yippee we have a new chapter

finally childe and y/n met again. did you miss their interaction? y/n also met childe's siblings. i wonder what will happen next? please share your impressions in the comments. it always motivates me a lot. tysm!

Chapter 10: You|she

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The spacious living room smelled of freshly baked cookies and wild flowers in a vase on the table. You awkwardly picked up a small cup of hot tea and looked at the little children who, with the happiest faces, were eating the oatmeal cookies that Tonia cooked. You were quite surprised by the fact that a girl at such an early age was able to bake such delicious cookies. She appeared to be less than ten years old.

You took another bite of the cookie and closed your eyes in delight, enjoying the aroma and taste of the mild sweetness. The pieces of chocolate melted pleasantly on your tongue, giving the cookie some bitter taste, which mixed with the powdered sugar applied to the cookie on all sides, giving the cookie a truly amazing taste.

You even thought that it would be nice to ask the girl to give you the recipe for these cookies so that you can make these cookies for your mom and Xiao in the future.

While you were in your thoughts, you didn't notice at all that Tonia's gaze was directed straight at you. The girl looked at you from head to toe, studying and interested, as if she was analyzing something and drawing some conclusions for herself. When you snapped out of your thoughts and looked back at the children, you caught her eye on you.

A slight blush appeared on your cheeks when you realized that you were the object of her observation. You tried to smile friendly and relaxed when the girl smiled back at you, her blue eyes sparkling. You four continued to sit in pleasant silence until Tartaglia approached you.

He looked at your face and shook his head when he noticed that there were cookie crumbs on your face. He leaned a little closer to your face, causing you to blush, and gently ran his thumb over your skin, brushing off the cookie and chocolate crumbs.

"I told you that you can't even take a step without me." The man chuckled and sat down next to you, leaning back on the couch. "Your face is covered in chocolate. Last time you got dirty in flour. So sloppy. Even my brothers and sister eat more carefully than you!"

Your eye twitched, you blushed in embarrassment and hit him on the thigh, causing the man wince. He teased you as always.

"It isn't true!" You snorted and, defiantly turning your head away from him, took another bite of the cookie.

"The real truth!"

The children watched with interest and curiosity as you both exchanged barbs and snarky remarks about each other. Their blue eyes darted from side to side depending on which of the two of you was speaking.

Your annoyance level started to rise again when Childe reminded you of all the most awkward situations that you were in with him, and you already wanted to start reminding him of his awkward moments when a cheerful voice was heard next to you.

"Sis, do you want me to tell you about how messy big brother is when he cooks for us?" You let Childe go, which you held tightly on his ear in an attempt to avenge him for his teasing, and turned your attention to the youngest child.

Teucer stood right in front of you and flashed his joyful and innocent smile.

"W-what?" The ginger man asked, slightly startled as he turned his attention to his brother. "What are you talking about, Teucer?"

"I remember this moment too!" Anthon exclaimed joyfully and excitedly, and his eyes lit up with some slyness, which he directed at his older brother.

"Hm?" You also smiled slyly, glancing out of the corner of your eye at the ginger man, who noticeably quieted down and stared at his brothers and sister with a pleading look in his eyes. "Then I would love to hear your story about it!"

"Once we were cooking a festive dinner with family." Tonia began to tell, giggling mockingly and looking at her older brother, who gradually began to look like a puppy that was kicked by his owner. "Brother needed to cook pasta, and when he cooked, he was covered in sauce!"

The children burst into loud laughter, brushing away tears of joy from their eyes, and you giggled, watching how Tartaglia's face gradually turns red. He puffs out his cheeks like a small child, and crosses his arms over his chest, showing with all his appearance that he was offended.

"And once Tonia put her red lipstick on big brother while he was sleeping!" You could see from Teucer's face that he liked to tell you about the ridiculous situations his elder brother got himself into. You laughed out loud as you watched Childe's embarrassed expression. "When he woke up, big brother walked around with makeup until the moment he looked in the mirror in the evening!"

You sincerely laughed when you heard Tartaglia snort in annoyance. A slight spark of joy and mischief appeared in your soul when you and he switched places. Now he was the object of your teasing.

"Didn't anyone tell him that he had lipstick on his lips?" You asked, covering your mouth with your palm to drown out your laughter — this made Tartaglia flinch, because now he was completely fascinated by your laughter.

"When he noticed it, he screamed so loud!" Tonia giggled, throwing a mocking look at the ginger man.

"It was cruel, Tonia!" Childe made a whining sound, embarrassed and offended.

"And we had fun!" The girl smirked and put her hands on her sides, after which she looked at you, as if looking for your approval and support. "Is it true, Y/n?"

"It's true!" You nodded with confidence and smiled at the girl again, catching Tartaglia's offended look on you.

"And more recently, my brother got dirty in toothpaste, and..." Anthon began to say, also wanting to share a funny story about his brother with you, but the ginger man managed to cover his mouth in time, forcing the boy to kick in his arms with displeasure.

"I think you've told Y/n enough stories." Childe said, after which he looked at his brothers and sister with some sternness and asked, "Have you finished with your homework? Should I check it out?"

You noticed how two boys shyly lower their eyes to the floor and blush, throwing timid glances at you. You could tell from their faces that they hadn't done their homework yet. Tartaglia understood this too. They looked so cute that your heart beat faster when you felt this warm and reverent family atmosphere.

But you could tell by Tonia's look that she had done all her homework. The girl smiled as Childe stepped closer to her and patted her ginger head.

"Take an example from your sister!" The ginger man said importantly and instructively, noticing how proudly Tonia tossed her head and smirked. "And while I'm cooking dinner, please finish your homework."

Both boys nodded absently.

"You both will definitely cope with everything!" You smiled reassuringly at them, and a happy twinkle of confidence appeared in the eyes of the little boys.

Anthon and Teucer hurried up to the second floor to finish their homework, full of confidence thanks to you that they could handle everything. Childe looked at you as you looked at his brothers, and for some reason his heart beat with joy. The fact that you got along with his siblings warmed his soul and gave him a sense of calm and serenity.

Tonia noticed her brother's gaze and smiled contentedly. It seemed that the girl understood much more than her silly older brother. A grand plan popped into her head.

"Brother, can I play with Y/n in my room?" Tonia asked, moving closer to the ginger man who was busy with dishes and vegetables in the kitchen.

Tartaglia turned to his sister and smiled, stroking her head, "Sure, you can. Y/n, would you like to play with Tonia while I cook dinner?"

"W-what?" You were in your own thoughts, so you flinched when the ginger man started talking to you. You looked at Tartaglia and his sister, comprehending what he told you. "Yes, sure, I'll keep her company."

The girl clapped her hands happily and walked towards you.

"Thank you, Y/n!" Childe smiled tenderly, and your heart fluttered at how sincerely he smiled at you at that moment. The man returned to cooking, and you continued to look at him, as if spellbound, until Tonia came up to you and pulled you by the hand towards her room.

A satisfied smile appeared on the girl's lips when she noticed your gaze.

"Let's go, we'll have a lot of fun!" You hurriedly stood up and let Tonia lead you towards her room.

"Let's hurry!" You smiled.

You were sitting on a soft chair at the dressing table in front of a large mirror. It was framed with gold edging, and, in fact, Tonia's whole room looked like the room of a real princess. It was very spacious and light in here. The room was dominated by light colors and tones.

On the girl's bed there were many different plush toys, next to the window there was a big dollhouse. If you were a little girl now, you would even envy her very much. Of course, as a child you had toys, but you never had a dollhouse, and with some envy you glanced towards a dollhouse from the corner of your eye.

The light strokes of the comb through your hair calmed you, and you relaxed a little when the little hands of the girl ran through your hair. Tonia asked you to be her model and you gladly agreed. The girl smiled happily as you removed the hair tie and let your hair down. Stars of pure delight shone in her blue eyes.

And now you looked at yourself in the mirror and understood why Tonia was so excited. Your hair was really very beautiful, it flowed down your back, framed your neat little face. Your hair was very soft and silky to the touch — you could see the ginger girl's eyes narrowing contentedly as she ran her hands through your hair.

"I really like your hair!" Tonia said enthusiastically, wielding a comb like a real hairdresser.

"Is it really so?" You smiled at her in the reflection of the mirror, trying to remain still so as not to interfere with her work. The ginger girl nodded contentedly. "And I like the color of your hair."

"It is true?" The girl was carefully combing your hair when a sly smile appeared on her lips. "Then do you like the color of my big brother's hair too?"

Your cheeks instantly turned red, and you excitedly looked at Tonia through the reflection in the mirror. The little girl looked quite pleased and wasn't at all embarrassed by her words.

"W-what?" You stuttered awkwardly, trying not to show your embarrassment, nervously clutching the fabric of your clothes with your hands. "W-why did you think that?"

"Sis, well, it's logical!" The girl said cheerfully, and leaned over to her nightstand to get out her hair ties and various hairpins. "He's my brother and if you like the color of my hair, then you like his hair color too!"

You smiled shyly.

"That's hard to argue with."

"So don't you deny that you like my brother?" Tonia smiled slyly, continuing to braid your pigtail.

"W-why are you asking me something like that?" There was no limit to your embarrassment, because you couldn't understand how you felt about Childe. "We were talking about his hair!"

"He and his hair are one!" Tonia spoke instructively, continuing to braid your hair. A self-satisfied smile played on her small pink lips. "And if you like his hair, that means you like my brother."

You couldn't resist childish logic, so you chose to just nod absently, continuing to stare embarrassedly at your reflection in the mirror. Gradually, your hair became braided, giving you more cute and childish look.

The girl really made you think about what feelings you could have for Tartaglia. Why did this ginger man evoke such a storm of emotions and feelings in you when you were next to him?

Or when in a big crowd of people the first thing your eyes found were his blue eyes? It was like a reflex. You had the feeling that your body controlled itself and was looking for Childe among all the others.

How could you resist his beautiful eyes? How did your heart still not jump out of your chest when he was next to you every time?

And how could you resist the urge to kiss him on the lips when he smiled at you with such a wonderful smile? These questions quickly changed one after another in your head as Tonia continued to braid your hair.

Stop. What did you just think about?

Kiss him on the lips?

You instantly felt your heart beat much faster, a hot blush rose to your cheeks, and your level of embarrassment reached its maximum heights. When did your thoughts become so unexpected and embarrassing!? You didn't expect such thoughts from yourself.

You tried to calm down, take a deep breath in and out, and grunted in your thoughts. You and him are just colleagues and friends. You shouldn't be thinking about something like that goes beyond work and friendship.

Meanwhile, Tonia continued combing your hair, and when your hairstyle was ready, you smiled happily when the girl began to weave various hair ties and hairpins into your hairstyle. The final decoration was a small hairpin in the form of a bow, which the girl attached to one of your two pigtails.

You were looking at yourself enthusiastically in the mirror when you heard her thin voice behind you.

"She never let me touch her hair."

You froze for a moment and looked up at Tonia's reflection in the mirror, noticing that she was a little sad. You turned to her.

"Who are you speaking about?" You asked as you watched the ginger girl search for something in her big makeup bag.

You didn't use much make-up except for skin care make-up. Therefore, your eyes ran from side to side at the sight of all the variety of cosmetics that the girl had.

"She was always only interested in my brother. She never played with me." Tonia didn't seem to pay attention to your question, but you decided not to repeat your question, just silently continuing to listen to her. She pulled a pink lipstick out of her cosmetic bag and looked at you. "You're completely different. I like to play with you, Y/n!"

You were touched by her words and smiled, "I like to play with you too!"

You spent the time before dinner with Tonia. She gave you a beautiful makeover, telling you some funny stories from her life. At the same time she didn't forget to constantly praise Childe, listing all his best qualities and merits. You just smiled shyly at her as you listened to her stories.

You tried to listen carefully to her voice, but during all this time the thought of who this "she" that Tonia spoke about couldn't leave your head. Was it her friend or friend of her brothers? Why was the ginger girl talking about "her" in such a hurt and upset way?

While you were in your thoughts, you didn't notice that the ginger girl was finally done with your makeup. She moved away from you a few steps and smiled contentedly, proud of the work done.

"It's ready!" Tonia said happily. "You can look at yourself in the mirror!"

You nodded with a smile and turned to the mirror. You involuntarily felt that you were speechless. In your eyes, you looked amazing. Your hair was braided into two long pigtails that adorned various hairpins.

Your eyes were lightly made up with eye shadow, your cheeks were covered in light blush, and a matte pink lipstick was applied on your lips in a thin layer. And in addition to everything on your head was a hairpin with a beautiful puffy bow.

Your cheeks blushed pink as you said, "It's very beautiful, Tonia..."

"You're very beautiful, Y/n." The girl corrected your words and hurried to take your hand, forcing you to rise from chair. "Come on, I want my big brother to see you!"

Your heart was beating fast as the girl said those words. For some reason the fact that Childe would see you like this warmed your heart, but at the same time it thrilled you insanely.

"S-stop, wait a second!"

But the girl was quicker, dragging you with her straight to her brother, because of whom your heart threatened to jump out of your chest.

Tartaglia was busy in the kitchen, standing by the stove and checking the soup was ready. A truly amazing aroma emanated from the pot, and the man smiled contentedly, anticipating his brothers, sister, and you tasting his food with the most enjoying faces. He wouldn't even mind if you complimented him.

Childe wanted to surprise and impress you by cooking you a delicious dinner. The opportunity to show you his culinary skills put him in a state of excitement and some nervousness, because he was very interested in how you would react to this.

Both of you have already cooked and enjoyed food together, but now he wanted to cook something for you on his own to make you happy. The last days you occupied all his thoughts, the ginger man thought about you almost constantly.

And the opportunity to see you next to your family, to see how you get along with his brothers and sister, makes his heart beat joyfully in his chest from the realization that the people who are dear to him — you and his family — were able to find a common language.

He wanted these wonderful days of calm to last as long as possible. Until his life turns into eternal suffering.

"Brother!"

From his gloomy thoughts Tartaglia was pulled out by the sonorous voice of his sister.

"Turn around now and see what beauty you're missing from your sight!" This request was made in a commanding tone, and Childe, smirking, didn't dare to resist, wondering what Tonia was talking about.

And when he turned around, Tartaglia froze in place, and his heart beat faster when he saw you. Your beautiful appearance at that moment was reflected in his blue eyes with a radiance. You stood there in front of him so beautiful and wonderful, smiling shyly and nervously clasping your hands in front of you.

You looked wonderful, and the ginger man was speechless for a few moments, not knowing what he should say. He could have sworn that he saw an angel in reality in front of him.

You bit your lip nervously as you noticed that Childe was standing in front of you in that cute kitchen apron looking completely stunned. And you would certainly have laughed at this, if not for the embarrassment that took possession of you when the eyes of the man looked at you from head to toe.

The silence between the two of you was also very embarrassing, and you already wanted to say something to break this embarrassing silence, but Tartaglia beat you to it, breaking the silence first.

"You're beautiful."

From how confidently this phrase sounded, and from how gentle his voice sounded at that moment, it seemed to you that your heart would break out of your chest now and rush right into his hands. Your cheeks instantly turned red, and you felt a great warm rise to your chest.

Both of you looked into each other's eyes, unable to tear yourself away, and it would seem that nothing could disturb this moment, but when Childe wanted to say something else to you, Teucer and Anthon's voices were heard from the side.

"Big brother! We're done with our homework!" The youngest boy ran up to Tartaglia and hung on his arm, drawing his attention to himself.

Childe's blue eyes left you and the man looked at his brother. You mentally thanked Anthon and Teucer for showing up in the living room at such an opportune moment. But Tonia seemed to be dissatisfied with something.

"Damn, you both messed up again!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at her brothers with irritation.

"What? What are you talking about?" Anthon didn't understand, looking at Tonia and grimacing at her.

"You both will never understand this! You ruined such a romantic moment!" When the girl said these words, your cheeks turned red, and you glanced at Tartaglia, who caught your eye, making you even more embarrassed.

"Stop arguing!" Childe tried to calm the children by getting their attention. "You three should wash your hands, dinner is almost ready!"

The ginger children shouted excitedly and hurried to the bathroom to wash their hands. You smiled as a warm family atmosphere spread over your chest with a pleasant bliss, reminding you of your mother and Xiao.

Dinner came merrily, accompanied by hilarious and funny family stories. Children's voices were heard from each end of the table, the children vied with each other, trying to draw your attention to themselves. You laughed as you listened to their stories and sometimes asked questions that interested you.

You also told some stories from your life, and the ginger children with undisguised desire told you that they would like to meet your brother. You nodded and promised them with a smile that you would definitely introduce them to Xiao someday.

During dinner you often noticed Childe's eyes on you. He looked at you with a strange tenderness in his eyes, which was noticeable in his clear ocean eyes.

You wanted to ask him why Tartaglia was looking at you in this way, but the children constantly took all your attention to themselves, and you couldn't leave them unattended, gradually forgetting about Childe's gaze.

But the ginger man didn't take his eyes off you for a second. Throughout the dinner, his blue eyes studied you carefully, outlining every curve of your body, not leaving unnoticed a single piece of your skin, not a single birthmark and not a single small scar.

His gaze, like himself, succumbed to the pull of your gravity.

After dinner the children, happy and full, fell asleep on the couch in the living room. You gladly decided to help the ginger man clean up the kitchen after cooking and wash the dishes.

You washed the dishes, rinsing it with water, and the man, taking the dishes from your hands, wiped it with a towel. You both did your work in silence until you decided to speak.

"They are so active! They ate and immediately fell asleep." You chuckled as you passed another plate to the man, and at that moment your and his hands touched.

His hand was slightly cool, the skin was rough, but his hand felt very gentle and soft on your hand. Your cheeks flushed when you noticed that the man continued to stare at the place where your and his hand joined.

You exhaled in embarrassment, drawing his attention, and he, as if coming to his senses, jerked his hand away. It seemed to you that he didn't hear your words, but you decided not to tease him about this, maintaining a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

"Thank you for agreeing to come here today." Childe said in a serious voice that he used on the rare occasions when he was truly sincere. "It's very important for me."

"You have nothing to thank me for." You smiled and turned off the water faucet, finishing washing the dishes. "I was happy to meet Tonia, Anthon and Teucer!"

The ginger man froze when he heard your words, which spread in a pleasant warm in his chest.

"Listen, Y/n…" He didn't have time to finish when you suddenly interrupted him.

"Oh my god, is it this late already?" Your sudden exclamation frightened Tartaglia a little when he noticed how frightened you looked at the clock that hung on the wall. "I need to be home in an hour, I have to receive a package for my report at work!"

You excitedly hurried out of the kitchen, leaving a confused and visibly upset Childe alone. Sighing, he followed you to see you off.

The ginger man found you in the hallway, where you were diligently trying to get your foot into a shoe, that you did quite badly and ridiculously because of your haste. You scolded yourself in your mind.

"Y/n, are you leaving already?" Anthon's voice was heard from the side, it sounded very upset.

You looked up and noticed three children who came closer to you. They looked very sleepy and rubbed their eyes with their hands.

"Y/n has some urgent business and she needs to go." Childe answered for you, he leaned against the wall, fixing his blue eyes on you.

"Wha-at?" Tonia asked in an upset voice, looking pitifully at you with her blue eyes. "Y/n, will you come to us next time?"

"Sure, I'll gladly come to you again!" You smiled and stroked the girl on the head, noticing the adoration and interest with which the youngest child, Teucer, looked at you.

"Then you should definitely come to our family picnic!" The ginger girl insisted, turning to her older brother. "Do you agree with me, brother?"

"You should ask about it not me, but Y/n." Tartaglia chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest and giving his sister a mocking look.

"Fool!" The girl snorted, then looked at you with pleading eyes. "Will you come, Y/n?"

"Sure, I'll try to find time for that." You smiled at her again as you picked up your bag from the dresser.

Childe decided to see you off and moved closer to you when his little brother's voice made him freeze in place.

"Big brother, will you and Y/n get married?" Teucer tilted his head, looking at Tartaglia and you with a question and sincere curiosity.

Your heart sank into your heels as you caught Childe's gaze. There was also a slight fear and excitement in his blue eyes. You both froze in place and turned attention to the youngest child, who was looking forward to your answer.

"Ahem…" The ginger man tried to control himself and looked at the boy. "Why do you think so?"

"You and Y/n look happy when both of you are around each other." The words of the child struck you to the core, and you didn't even know what to answer him, but Childe saved awkward position.

"No, Teucer, me and Y/n won't getting married." Tartaglia said, and at that moment it seemed to you that you forgot how to breathe. Just like Childe.

"But why?!" The child sincerely didn't understand, pressing his small hands closer to his chest. "Don't both of you want to always be happy?!"

"Enough, Teucer!" Tonia interrupted him, making an angry face. "You're putting our brother and Y/n in an awkward position."

"It isn't true!" He pursed his lips in resentment, staring at his sister. "Why can't Y/n and big brother get married?!"

"Because we don't love each other." You completed Tartaglia's thought, and for some reason these words came to you with extraordinary difficulty.

Childe felt that he was beginning to lose his mind.

You looked at the ginger man and caught his sad look. It has become very difficult to be here.

"I'm sorry, I really have to go." You said, ignoring painfully contracting heart in your chest that demanded that you stay here. Next to him.

You turned towards the door and walked out of the mansion, leaving Childe and his brothers and sister alone on the threshold of their big house.

Notes:

hello, my darlings! new chapter is here! what is interesting here?

note that childe's siblings deliberately don't give his real name. this is a very important detail. also y/n gradually begins to reflect and understand her feelings about childe :)

i really appreciate your kudos and feedback, and i would love to read your feedback on this chapter! tysm! 3

Chapter 11: Academy

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Shivering in the cold wind, you impatiently rubbed your hands together and exhaled hot steam from your mouth in the hope that it would help warm your icy hands.

You thought you should have put on the gloves you so inopportunely forgot at home. So you had to warm your frozen skin in other ways.

The cold wind blew your hair into your eyes, irritating you a bit. Today you were very absent-minded and got ready for work in a hurry, forgetting about everything in the world.

In particular, about your gloves and that you should to braid your hair so that it wouldn't interfere with you. You wrapped yourself in a warm coat, looking around.

Gradually it began to get dark, people went about their business, and the crowd of people at the station quickly began to disperse. You watched the railroad tracks while waiting for the train your brother was on.

The joy and excitement of the long-awaited meeting filled your entire being, and you couldn't wait for the moment when you could hug Xiao.

The days before his arrival passed very quickly, you didn't even notice how the working week passed, and the deadline for submitting documents to the academy and passing the entrance exams came up.

There was some trepidation in your chest because you sincerely wanted Xiao to enter the academy and fulfill his dream.

His well-being and dreams were one of the most important things in life for you, so you put in all your efforts, working hard every day, and gradually it brought results.

You hoped that you would soon be able to save the full amount in order to fully pay for your brother's education.

This brought spiritual satisfaction, and you relaxed a little, realizing that gradually your efforts finally bring results. Perhaps after you save enough money to pay Xiao's education, you could take a little vacation and take a break from work.

Your cheeks were suddenly filled with hot heat, warming your face. When your thoughts touched work, it always smoothly turned into thoughts about Childe.

About that day, about his home, his brothers and sister. About him, about his beautiful blue eyes, bright ginger hair that you wanted to touch, about his charming smile. And about that embarrassing question from his younger brother.

Big brother, will you and Y/n get married?

It was difficult to explain such complex things to a small child, and you didn't want to destroy his childish naivety and faith in goodness and magic. But sooner or later, he will still have to face the harsh reality in which marriages are made not only for love, but also for convenience.

And people can't always get married just because they're happy around each other. And reality lets you know, hitting you hard in the face. You didn't want to upset Teucer, but you had to answer honestly.

Because we don't love each other.

A lot of prickly needles and thorns pricked you in the heart at the moment when you remembered your phrase. You shouldn't have felt so sad thinking about it, and you didn't know why it was happening.

Every time you allowed yourself a crazy thought about what feelings and emotions you would feel if Childe fell in love with you and proposed to you, your heart was torn from strange and unusual sensations for you, which blurred inside your body with a pleasant bliss.

Or…

What feelings and emotions would you feel if you knew that Tartaglia loves another woman and wears a gold ring on his ring finger as a sign of their eternal love and wedding vows to each other?

You felt complete devastation, which swept through your body in a quick wave, not leaving a single cell of your body suffering from mental pain without attention.

It seemed that someone very evil and merciless very painfully picked your heart with a sharp knife, without pity, with a grin, creating more and more wounds.

For a moment it seemed to you that you forgot how to breathe, clearly feeling the wounds on your heart, as if it was really happening to you, until someone's hands grabbed your face, bringing you back to reality.

You frightenedly inhale through your nose and mouth, the way a person does who has just swallowed sea salt water and whose lungs are burning from lack of oxygen.

You adjust your breathing, the feel of warm gloves on your cheeks bringing you back to consciousness, and you finally focus your gaze on Xiao, whose eyes are filled with genuine concern.

"Y/n, are you okay?" Your brother asks, getting your attention with his excited, husky voice. His golden eyes were looking at your pale face.

You put your thoughts in order, remembering that you're still at the station, there are a lot of people around you hurrying about their business, the signal noise of trains sounds, words of greeting and goodbye. And it all merges into a cacophony of sounds. But you didn't seem to care.

It's amazing that when your thoughts are focused on one person — Childe — you don't notice anything around you.

"Y/n?" The boy repeats, waiting for your answer.

"I'm fine." You finally answer as your attention returns to your brother.

The boy looked into your eyes suspiciously, as if he was looking for some kind of trick in them, but after a moment he relaxed and exhaled, smiling slightly.

"You haven't changed at all." He chuckles with a smile and you help him with his luggage. You two are heading out of the train station. "You still have your head in the clouds."

Your cheeks flushed slightly and you pouted. "How could I change?! It's only been a few months since I left!"

Xiao chuckled and walked forward, leaving you a little behind.

"And you still take my jokes seriously."

You pouted, but hurried to catch up with your brother, exhaling hot steam from your mouth and breathing in the fresh evening air.

Your hands continued to tingle with cold, and you involuntarily wrinkled your face, but an unexpected warm warmed your palm, and you raised your eyes in surprise.

Xiao stared ahead as he continued walking, and when you looked into his golden eyes, you felt warm in your soul as he squeezed your hand with his gloved hand, warming your skin.

"I missed you, sis."

You smiled happily.

"I missed you too, bro."

Now you can breathe much easier. A native person holding your hand was able to heal your heart wounds, which you inadvertently inflicted on yourself.

Childe stared thoughtlessly at the wooden table in front of him, resting his cheek on his hand, and half-heartedly listened to the man who sat in front of him.

He sincerely didn't want to think about the reason why he had invited this man here today. But he could no longer postpone the solution of this problem, so Tartaglia had to overcome his reluctance.

The detective continued to say something to the ginger man, but Childe mostly ignored most of the information, focusing on the unpleasant tingling in his chest.

This had been going on for some time, and it was stressing the man out. And it started after that evening.

The ginger man winced slightly, returning to memories that, for some unknown reason, gave him inexplicable pain. Why did your words about how you both don't love each other echo in his head for a long time?

You said it with such confidence that it made his heart clench painfully from feelings incomprehensible to him. Did you already have a person to whom you gave your heart and soul?

Tartaglia tensed up, squeezing the arm of the chair tighter, his nails dug into the leather upholstery. For some reason, the thought of this brought him into a state of extreme irritation.

Even the very idea that you can be in someone else's male arms and receive and give kisses to another man seemed very wrong. It hurt Childe to think that you could be with another man. But the key question is why? Why was he in pain?

Tartaglia squirmed unhappily in his chair, trying to take a comfortable position. The green-eyed detective continued to say something at a leisurely pace, explaining all the details of their upcoming collaboration and basically discussing the reason why this collaboration had to happen. But the ginger man didn't seem to care.

At that moment, you occupied all his thoughts, and only for you there was a place.

A crazy and unexpected thought crept into his head, and Tartaglia's cheeks turned slightly red, a heat of embarrassment spread through his body.

He glanced at the detective out of the corner of his eye to make sure the green-eyed man hadn't noticed his embarrassment, and sighed in relief.

The detective looked at the papers and went on explaining something, paying no attention to Childe at all.

This very thought seemed to the ginger man so far away, but for some reason so desirable and beautiful. He chased this idea like a cheetah — the fastest animal in the world — but couldn't catch up with it, because it seemed to him absolutely unrealizable.

Would he like you to be in Lumine's place? Would he like you to be his wife?

Would he like to see you in a white dress next to him on your wedding day with a happy smile on your lips? Would he like you to look at him with eyes full of confidence that he's your support and love, that he can make you truly happy?

And would he like you to see absolutely the same thing in his eyes?

"Mister Tartaglia, can you hear me?" The voice broke into his thoughts, and the image of you in a wedding dress disappeared from his head in the blink of an eye.

He flinched and after a few seconds focused his eyes on the detective. The man with green eyes calmly looked at the ginger man, waiting for his answer.

Tartaglia cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry. I digress."

"It's okay." The man nodded, sorting through the papers that lay in front of him on the table with a thoughtful look. "As I said earlier, investigation into your case will take quite some time. And it will cost a lot of money."

"You don't have to worry about money." Carelessly — as if the money really were ordinary pieces of paper for him — Childe said, not even looking in the direction of the detective. "Just do your work. And if I'm satisfied, you will receive much more money than was agreed."

The detective nodded and began collecting his papers and documents. Tartaglia got up from the table and approached the man with green eyes.

"I'll let you know right away when the first successes appear in the case." The detective said as he finished packing his things and looked up at the ginger man.

"Okay."

The men shook hands, and Childe said.

"Thank you for your work, Mister Heizou."

The detective went to the door and opened it, finally turning to Tartaglia.

"You have nothing to thank me for yet." And the man went out, leaving Tartaglia alone in his large office.

When the detective left the office, Childe turned to the panoramic window and looked at the evening city. A feeling of some relief appeared in his soul when he had a reliable person who would help him get closer to his goal.

The noise of the city came through the open window, fresh air entered his nose, and after a day's work it was very calming. Tartaglia was thinking that he would like to visit his brothers and sister before he returns to his mansion when a message came on his phone.

The man took his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it.

Evil hamster Y/n:

Tomorrow my brother and I are going to the academy. If you still want to keep us company, then come to my house in the morning. And don't forget to check that your car is in good condition. :)

The ginger man froze for a second, but then his office was filled with soft laughter.

"You're incredible." A smirk appeared on Childe's lips.

He adored that you could be so different. One moment you were embarrassed and cute, the other moment you were snarky and bold.

He adored that you could put him in his place with one of your phrases, make him feel this excitement and desire not to yield to you in this. And he adored the thrill you kept holding him with every time. You were perfect for a man like him.

And he adored it.

You carefully slipped the gloves that Xiao kindly reminded you to take onto your hands and looked around. The sky was covered with gray clouds, the leaves completely fell off the trees, leaving their branches completely bare and like terrible monsters with clumsy paws.

It made you a little nervous, despite the fact that the person who passed the exams today wasn't you, but your brother.

You glanced at Xiao out of the corner of your eye. The boy looked calm and assembled. It would seem that he wasn't worried at all, but you, like no one else, knew that even though he didn't show it, Xiao was very worried right now.

The academy was really prestigious and many people wanted to study there, but not everyone could pass the entrance exams.

But despite all this, you believed that your brother would succeed in passing the exams, and he would enter the academy. You and your mother have told him many times that he's a smart boy. And he really was.

He always studied well, and he was even invited to various olympiads, where Xiao won first places.

You sincerely believed that he would have a good day today.

"Are we waiting for someone, Y/n?" Xiao's voice interrupted your thoughts, and as if you came to your senses, you turned your attention to him. The boy held a notebook with notes and continued to memorize something.

"My friend agreed to join us today and take us straight to the academy." You explained, and your cheeks flushed slightly. But it wasn't clear why this happened. Because of the cold or because of embarrassment. "He should be here soon."

"Friend?" Xiao tore his eyes away from the notes in his notebook and looked at you with a slight disbelief.

You were about to answer him, but you were interrupted by a loud car horn, which caught your and Xiao's attention. A black car stopped right in front of you and your brother.

You shifted from foot to foot, looking uncertainly towards Xiao, and waited for Tartaglia to get out of the car. It was a very exciting meeting.

Your cheeks turned a brighter red as Childe finally got out of the car and waved his hand at you with a charming sly smile.

The man was wearing an expensive gray coat that matched his ginger hair perfectly. For some reason, this fact made your heart beat faster.

"Hello, princess." He said in a sweet voice with a clear desire to tease you. "I can tell by your embarrassed face that you're glad to meet me."

You pouted, snorting, "I'll be glad to our meeting if I can make sure your car doesn't break down halfway through and you get me and Xiao safely to the academy for him to pass his exams."

The ginger man laughed out loud, putting his hand to his forehead in a theatrical gesture.

"You're too cruel to me, you know?" Tartaglia stopped laughing and finally looked at your brother, who was looking at the ginger man with a searching look. "Will you introduce us to each other?"

You snorted again, but complied with his request.

"Childe, meet my brother Xiao." With a gesture of your right hand, you pointed to your brother, whose golden eyes tirelessly continued to look at Tartaglia. After that, you pointed at the ginger man and made a face, showing him your tongue.

If you knew how cute you were to Childe at that moment.

"Xiao, Childe is the friend I told you about." You said.

Tartaglia extended his hand to Xiao as a greeting gesture. The boy remained silent, eyeing the man with some suspicion, causing Childe to swallow nervously.

But after a few seconds, your brother still shook hands with him, although his face showed that he did it with reluctance.

When the greetings were over, the ginger man invited you and your brother into his car. Xiao didn't give him a chance to open the door for you and did it on his own.

Tartaglia could only blink his blue eyes in a stupor. You silently got into the car, after which the boy and the man in silence hurried to do it too.

There was a tense silence in the car. You awkwardly fingered the folds of fabric in your clothes, Childe tapped the leather steering wheel slightly nervously.

It seemed that only Xiao felt relaxed enough as he continued to read his notes in his notebook.

When the car pulled up to the academy, you enthusiastically looked out the window, admiring how beautiful was the academy building. Large facades, marble statues, various golden patterns on the walls of the building as decoration.

As a caring elder sister, you were sure that Xiao would like this place and that he would feel comfortable studying here.

When you three got out of the car, Xiao hurried to the academy building, leaving you and Childe to slowly follow him along the decorative alley.

"This academy is like a palace." You said enthusiastically, looking around with interest.

"Brings back memories." The ginger man spoke in a quiet voice as he walked beside you.

"What?" You didn't hear what he said, so you decided to ask him.

"Is your brother always this silent?" Tartaglia tried to change the subject, opening the door to the academy building for you.

"Mostly, yes." You shrugged as you entered the building and marveled at how beautiful it was inside. "He always reads and studies a lot."

"Is that so?" The ginger man grunted thoughtfully, and then slyly smiled and looked at you again. "It turns out that he's the complete opposite of you. You're very noisy."

"What is that even supposed to mean?!" You exclaimed as the two of you approached Xiao, who stood uncertainly in the middle of the big hall of the academy.

"Don't be angry, princess. I just wanted to tease…" Childe didn't have time to finish when a voice interrupted him.

"What an unexpected and pleasant meeting."

You three turned around. Childe visibly tensed and suddenly intertwined your and his hand, squeezing your hand tightly. Your cheeks instantly turned red, and you looked at Tartaglia with excitement.

But an unknown voice again attracted your attention, and you turned to the person who spoke to you.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Childe."

A man with blue hair stood in front of you and smiled friendly, and next to him stood a girl with the same blue hair and looked embarrassedly from behind his broad back.

Notes:

hi there! i hope you have a good day!

are you excited about xiao's appearance in this chapter? i'm so excited. and i'm also excited about crazy y/n and childe's thoughts hehehe :)

i really appreciate your kudos and comments. it really motivates me to keep writing. also, if you're interested, you can check my tumblr hanilessa where i post all news about this fic and my other work to keep up to date with news regarding the fic. tysm! ily! 3

Chapter 12: Teenage crush

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Childe tensed even more, you could feel it by the way he gripped your hand tightly. You assumed that the ginger man knew this man, but it seemed to you that Tartaglia didn't experience joy from their meeting. His face was cold-blooded, his blue eyes reflected only seriousness.

You uncertainly turned to an unfamiliar man and an unfamiliar girl, who timidly hid behind man's back and looked at the three of you with big blue eyes.

She seemed very cute to you, and when her gaze shifted to you, you tried to give her a friendly smile. The stranger's cheeks turned red, and she immediately hurried to look away.

You followed her gaze and saw that the girl's eyes landed on Xiao, who flinched uncertainly, and you noticed that his cheeks were covered with a slight blush.

The girl's cheeks also blushed red, and she hurried to look away. Your brother clutched his notebook in his hands and also turned away.

You thought that it was very cute. It looks like Xiao fell in love for the first time. The realization that your brother was becoming an adult sent a slight thrill into your heart, and you allowed yourself to smile in anticipation of how you would tease him.

Meanwhile, the unfamiliar man continued to speak.

"Please forgive me for my rudeness. My name is Ayato." He said turning his attention to you. Childe bit his lip nervously, worried that this meeting might end in something bad.

He couldn't know that Ayato might do or say in this situation. You and he hadn't met up to this point, but Childe knew of his friend's cunning nature and that the blue-haired man wouldn't miss an opportunity to make some hint or say some ambiguous phrase.

Like the last time they met.

Tartaglia glanced in your direction from the corner of his eye. Your face remained calm and confident. He always liked that about you. He exhaled and also cheekily smiled at Ayato, showing his relaxed demeanor. Everything will be okay.

"Ayaka, please introduce yourself. I can't speak for you every time." The man turned to the girl, who was standing next to him. She nodded excitedly and finally stepped forward, her arms clenched in front of her.

"H-hello, my name is Ayaka." The blue-haired girl bowed and lifted her head to look at your brother again. When their eyes met again, Xiao blushed deeply and turned his head away, causing you to chuckle softly.

"My name is Y/n." You smiled friendly as Ayato's gaze rested on the spot where your hand joined with Childe's. That piercing gaze made you feel a little nervous, but you instantly came to your senses and nudged Xiao with your shoulder to make him introduce himself.

"I'm Xiao." Your brother muttered and turned away again, blushing and making you shake your head. He didn't have any manners.

"I see you and Childe know each other." You said it to keep up the conversation, talking to Ayato.

His eyes finally left your hand and Childe's hand, and he looked into your eyes again. It seemed to you that his cold blue eyes could penetrate your soul and turn it inside out.

"Yes, Childe and I are old friends." The blue-haired man nodded, giving you a smile that didn't impress you. "I can assume that you came here today for the same reason that Ayaka and I did."

"You're right." You nodded and smoothed down the hair on Xiao's head, who immediately brushed your hand off his head and snorted in embarrassment. "My brother has entrance exams today."

Xiao awkwardly stomped around next to you, trying to avoid other people's eyes. The great hall of the academy smelled of dye. You thought about the fact that the smell of dye didn't have time to disappear after the holidays, so gradually your head began to hurt.

"Well, then I can wish you good luck, young man." Ayato said to your brother, drawing his attention.

"Thank you." Xiao murmured his gratitude indistinctly and frowned again, showing that he didn't like to participate in this conversation.

"C-can I ask you… ahem…" Ayaka's quiet voice came from the side, and it seemed that she became even more embarrassed when all of you paid attention to her.

The girl exhaled, gathered her thoughts together and looked at your brother with confidence.

"Which educational specialty do you want to apply for?" The blue-haired girl asked, putting her hand to her chest and looking with interest into your brother's golden eyes.

Xiao was embarrassed, and it seemed to you that due to embarrassment he wasn't able to answer her, but after a few seconds, you heard his hoarse, stammering voice.

"Medical education department." The boy said briefly, embarrassed by the girl's attention.

"This is cool! Me too." Ayaka smiled happily and clapped her hands, and out of the corner of your eye you noticed that Xiao smiled a little. "We will learn together! It's so nice to make a friend on the day of the entrance exams!"

Kamisato Ayato chuckled knowingly, placing his right hand over his mouth.

"Teenage crush is so sweet and wonderful." Ayato's eyes flashed with a sly light that was directed in your direction. And then he asked, "Have you ever experienced this, Y/n?"

You were taken aback by such a sudden and embarrassing question, but you tried to answer in a more or less confident voice.

"No, I've never been in love before." Your cheeks flushed a little, and you felt uncomfortable revealing the details of your personal life to strangers.

"Hm?" The blue-haired man smiled slyly, and this smile seemed to Childe something that portends trouble. "It's strange that you have never fallen in love, when you have a man like Childe by your side."

It seemed to Tartaglia that his heart sank into his heels. He shuddered as his gaze caught Ayato's sly smile and his cunning blue eyes that seemed to be mocking him.

A feeling of hatred and irritation towards a friend rose in a wave in his soul and spread through his body.

Your cheeks turned red, your eyes darted from side to side, and you didn't know where to put yourself. Childe is only a friend. Only a friend.

You needed something to say, and so you frantically thought about it. And an unexpected, but such a necessary thought at the moment finally visited you.

"A-ah, look at the clock!" You stuttered, and everyone except you turned their attention to the clock that hung on the wall in the hall. You told to Xiao and Ayaka, "You two need to hurry up! Do you want to miss your entrance exams?"

And you let go of Childe's hand from yours as you stepped forward. His skin was immediately covered with an indescribable cold, and he wanted to stop you, not let you leave.

He felt so alone and weak when you let go of his hand. In his eyes raged a hurricane of hitherto unseen emotions. Being close to you and not being able to constantly hold your hand seemed to him a very cruel perspective.

Did he want to be more than just a friend to you? It seemed to Tartaglia that he was in a slow-motion dream in which he was trying to catch up with you. But you found yourself further and further away from him, despite all his attempts to be closer to you.

You moved away from him as quickly as numbers grow exponentially, leaving him behind.

Childe watched sadly as you and two teenagers disappeared around a bend in the hallway, leaving the two men alone. One of them with a gaping void in his chest.

Ayato followed his friend's gaze and chuckled, clasping his hands behind his back as he leisurely walked down the long hall of the academy.

Silence enveloped the hall, the only sound being the heels of Ayato's shoes tapping on the floor with every step he took. And the sound of how fast Childe's heart was beating in his chest.

At that moment, many feelings and emotions overwhelmed his soul. After many years, he returned to the place with which his childhood and teenage years were associated.

The ginger man didn't know how he should have felt about it. Perhaps it could have been pleasant nostalgia accompanied by a sad smile.

The fact that after so many years he came here with you really stirred his heart. For some reason, he really wanted to show you here every corner, every place in which Tartaglia felt happy. He wanted you to share his happiness.

But when Ayato appeared in front of him, it seemed to Childe that you and he were from different ends of a huge mountain that towered majestically above your heads.

There was no cave here to take a shortcut, no way around the mountain. There was only the way up, difficult and thorny, which is filled with ups and downs. But for some reason, Childe was sure that for you he would have gone this way.

The place where you would be waiting for him with a happy smile on your lips seemed to him the most beautiful dream, for which it's worth turning any of the highest mountains.

And first he needs to start with the mountain that his friend erected.

"What are you up to?" The ginger man finally broke the oppressive silence, his casual tone of voice cutting through the air around him.

Ayato stopped a few steps away from the man and turned to him, pretending not to understand his friend's question. Kamisato Ayato's eyes expressed sincere misunderstanding and surprise.

Tartaglia, like no one else, knew how well the blue-haired man could simulate various emotions.

"You know very well what I'm talking about." Childe growled impatiently, clearly annoyed by Ayato's childish behavior.

The blue-haired man sighed with a grin, knowing that Tartaglia didn't like to be kept waiting. They had known each other since childhood, and both men had very complex nature, which not everyone managed to curb.

Therefore, Ayato decided not to provoke Childe anymore, remembering the incident that happened the last time they met.

"I have a feeling that you're not moving forward, so I decided to push you to take more decisive action." Ayato shrugged, casually tossing his blue bangs.

The ginger man rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his coat pockets as he walked close to his friend. Their eyes met in a sparkling dance of mockery and annoyance.

"I don't care about your feelings." Tartaglia's voice was cold, like the water of the Arctic Ocean, and the man with blue hair felt as if he had been plunged right into this cold water when he heard Childe's voice.

As a friend, no, as a man who had known Tartaglia since childhood, he knew better than anyone that when Childe was angry, no one should stand in his way.

"I don't care about your feelings." The ginger man repeated his words, maintaining a cool calmness. "If you dare to tell her anything or hurt her, I won't look at the fact that we are friends, and I'll make you regret it very much."

His dead, empty eyes, which seemed to have lost any hint of light, expressed only seriousness, and it seemed to Ayato that his friend's eyes metaphorically pressed him to the floor, as if a large hard stone had fallen on him.

Kamisato Ayato knew that Childe Tartaglia never joked with anyone. And if he wants, he will always do what he said.

However, Ayato only chuckled and returned to his relaxed expression, "You shouldn't make such an intimidating face. Otherwise, your beloved Y/n will get scared and run away."

"You piss me off." Tartaglia said wearily, running his hand over his face and also returned to his calm look. It was amazing how easily he could switch between his emotions.

Ayato shrugged his shoulders with a smirk.

"The clock is ticking and your princess still keep a decent distance from you, Childe." He tapped his wrist, pretending to tap on a real wristwatch. "There isn't much time left before the wedding. I heard that you and Lumine are going to have a wedding rehearsal soon."

The ginger man furrowed his brows, making a displeased and annoyed look.

"I wonder if friends of the bride and groom are allowed to the wedding rehearsal?" The blue-haired man again made an innocent expression, after which his lips broke into the most evil smile. "I wouldn't mind bringing Y/n to your rehearsal."

"Stop your jokes, otherwise I won't look at the fact that we are in an educational institution, and I'll hit you hard, like that time." To Ayato's surprise, the ginger man reacted calmly to his provocation, however, in his blue eyes one could see a blazing spark of anger. "How's your back, by the way? Doesn't hurt?"

The blue-haired man's eyes widened in surprise, leaving him in mild shock, but after a few seconds he was laughing out loud with his hand to his forehead.

"I didn't think she could influence you so much." Ayato's eyes flashed with excitement. "Now I want to know more about her. Will you arrange a private meeting for us?"

"Don't even dream about it." Tartaglia snorted in annoyance, throwing a glance at his friend filled with hostility and wariness.

"Don't think anything vulgar." The blue-haired man laughed, pretending to be innocent. "For the first time in my life I see you from such a side, and I'm interested in the person who influenced you."

"I won't let you get anywhere near her."

Ayato seemed to want to say something else, but your loud voice interrupted him. The men turned at the sound of your voice, and Tartaglia noticed with excitement that your expression was frightened and nervous.

Without thinking twice, Childe hastened to rush towards you, catching you in his arms when you tried to slow down and buried yourself in his chest. You lifted your frightened eyes, and the ginger man's heart sank into his heels when he noticed small tears in your eyes.

"We have problems." You said as your body trembled in his arms.

"I repeat once again that there are no more empty seats in the classroom." The voice of the woman who spoke to you oozed with irritation and impatience, because she was already trying to explain for the umpteenth time that the classroom had run out of seats.

"How can that be?!" You couldn't put up with such injustice.

Why didn't these people provide enough work places for the students who are taking their exams today?

Excitement washed over you, "Are there really no more classrooms where there is an opportunity to pass exams?"

You glanced anxiously at Xiao and Ayaka, who also looked sad and flustered at this turn of events. They were insanely nervous and looked at the rest of the students who were sitting in the classroom in confusion.

You couldn't let all your brother's dreams and labors go to waste because of such a misunderstanding in which he was a victim of circumstance.

"I have already said that the equipment that will be needed for passing the entrance exams is only in this classroom." The woman was relentless, giving you a cold gaze that made you shiver. "Show understanding."

"What kind of understanding can there be when you don't have understanding for people who have come a long way to get into this academy?!" Your anger knew no bounds.

"Y/n, calm down…" You heard your brother's voice, but it didn't calm you down.

"All those who failed to pass the exams today will be able to take it next year." The woman kept calm, ignoring your words.

"Next year?!" You exclaimed and wanted to say something else, but you felt someone's hands ring your waist and press you closer to hard chest.

"Take a deep breath, Y/n." A soothing whisper sounded over your ear, Tartaglia's hot breath scorched your skin, and you calmed down a little, putting your thoughts in order. "I'll deal with it."

Ayato, who was standing next to his sister, raised an eyebrow with a sneer as he noticed how Childe's gaze turned back into the same gaze he had given him just a few minutes ago.

The same sharp and cold gaze, ready to tear to pieces everyone who gets in his way. And everyone who hurts his loved ones.

"Can I see the principal?" The ginger man asked, continuing to hold you in his strong arms.

But for some reason at the moment it didn't bother you at all. On the contrary, you felt his support, calmness and self-confidence. And to some extent it was transferred to you too.

"Did someone want to see me?" A woman's voice was heard from the side. Woman had a very pleasant, deep voice, but at the same time there was a certain spark of mischief and self-confidence in it.

You turned in the direction of the voice and saw a woman with long white hair and red eyes, who studied all of you in turn. There was a contented smile on her lips.

Notes:

oh, angry childe is so exciting. don't you think so?

fic has almost reached 100 kudos and i'm so happy and thankful to all of you. 3 i can't express in words how much your support and feedback mean to me. i'll be very grateful if you leave feedback on the new chapter. love y'all

Chapter 13: The world of privileged people

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

You were holding a marble patterned cup in which herbal tea was steaming. The smell of the drink pleasantly enveloped your receptors, and it seemed to you that you were on a tropical island with many delicious fruits and berries.

That was the feeling you had when you once again took a sip of delicious tea.

The academy principal's office was spacious and very bright. A pleasant light poured from the window, illuminating the small space in which you and your friends were.

The taste of tea and the softness of the feather couch relaxed you a little, and you almost forgot about the situation that happened a few minutes ago.

Ayaka and Xiao sat in front of you on the couch and talked about something. It warmed your heart to know that they seemed to be calm enough despite all the troubles they had to face.

The girl and the boy talked about some information that only they understood.

This helped you relax, and you involuntarily leaned back on the back of the couch, completely forgetting that you weren't sitting on the couch alone. Your back was pressed against Tartaglia's shoulder, who sat next to you and looked at the screen of his phone.

The man lifted his head as he felt a slight weight on his shoulder, noticing how you pressed against him.

Your cheeks instantly flushed, and you hurried to move away from the ginger man at a decent distance, but this didn't seem to suit him at all.

"I don't bite, Y/n." His voice somehow filled with resentment as you tried to keep the distance between the two of you. The man didn't seem want at all that you and him were separated by distance.

You smiled awkwardly and scratched your cheek, then noticed how his lips turned into a sly smile that didn't bode well for you.

"I don't bite unless you ask me to bite you." Childe purred, winking at you charmingly and making you blush in embarrassment. "I would rather bite your lips."

Your cheeks were on fire, and in any other situation you would have told him everything you think about him, but now you and he weren't alone. Your brother was here, and two other people you met today.

You suppressed the irritation and the desire to hit Tartaglia on the shoulder and exhaled. You will definitely remind him of this when both of you are alone. Alone…

Your cheeks instantly flushed with hot heat as you imagined the moment when you and Childe were alone with each other.

Why did this simple situation between two people suddenly become so embarrassing to you?! You and he have been alone many times already!

But... Why is it now so embarrassing for you to think about it? It seemed to you that you missed some important moment that turned your life upside down, making you embarrassed by Childe's smile and wink.

You really hoped that he wouldn't notice your embarrassment, and you would avoid another tease. You had to look anywhere, but not in his direction, because you knew that now Tartaglia was smiling slyly and looking at you, pleased with your embarrassment.

The principal asked you to wait a bit and left somewhere, leaving all of you to wait. And it seemed to you that if she didn't come back now, you would simply burn with embarrassment.

Luckily for you, immediately after your thought, the wooden door finally opened, letting in a woman with long white hair.

"I'm sorry you had to wait for me." She said with a smile as she walked to her seat.

After that, Tartaglia nevertheless decided to leave a little distance between himself and you and moved aside, but he wasn't going to remove the hand that lay on the back of the couch behind your back.

Ayato, who had been watching the two of you in silence all this time, just chuckled silently as if he was thinking about something.

His blue eyes passed over you and Tartaglia in a studying look, but after a few seconds he finally turned his attention to a woman who, with a light and graceful movement, sat on a chair in front of a large wooden table.

She clasped her hands and buried her chin in them, fixing her red eyes on all of you.

Ayato took this as a sign that he could finally start talking and said, "So, would you like to share with us how you got the principal position of our academy, Ningguang?"

The woman smiled slyly, as if she expected this question. You noticed that Childe was also interested as he slipped the phone into his trousers pocket, and you didn't have to put two and two together to realize that Ayato and Tartaglia knew this woman.

Xiao and Ayaka stopped talking and also decided to listen to the conversation, which should be directly related to them and their exams.

"For some reason, I assumed that the first words you would say to me after a long separation would be something like that." Ningguang laughed, covering her mouth with a white velvet glove.

You watched the principal of the academy and marveled at how beautiful she was. Her long hair gave her sophistication and stateliness at the same time.

Ningguang was the embodiment of the word "elegance". Her whole image screamed that she was a woman from high society.

She was a privileged person. Just like Ayato and Ayaka.

And just like Childe.

You felt a little awkward, it seemed to you that you didn't fit into this environment. Meanwhile, the conversation continued.

"I see that both of you are surprised." The woman chuckled, speaking directly to Childe and Ayato.

The men continued to listen.

"Okay." The white-haired woman nodded, closing her eyes. "I'll tell you about it, after which we will return to your problem."

You also decided to listen to Ningguang's story. You assumed that this woman was an Tartaglia's old acquaintance, and for some reason you were curious about his past. So you tried to keep quiet, deciding to listen to the story.

"A few days after our graduation, I was invited to the academy to discuss some important issue with me." The woman began to speak, opening her penetrating eyes. "You may remember that at that point the former principal of the academy was about to leave his position."

Ningguang looked at Ayato and Tartaglia in turn, as if expecting them to say something.

"Are you saying that this gramps suggested that you become the new principal?" The ginger man raised an eyebrow.

"You're right." The woman nodded, smiling. She seemed pleased that the men figured it out on their own. "I had no reason to refuse it. The status of "the best student of the academy" and a graduate degree of pedagogical faculty allowed me to take this position. Why are both of you so surprised?"

"Don't take to heart." Ayato sat comfortably on the soft couch, crossing his legs. "Understand us, seeing you in the chair of the principal of the academy is a surprise for everyone. I don't remember you wanting to."

"Life is unpredictable, Ayato." Ningguang chuckled, and her gaze suddenly shifted to you.

Her words seemed true to you. Life was unpredictable because when you were a little girl you never imagined that you would live in a big city, work for a prestigious company and be able to meet a lot of new people.

"It's unpredictable." The principal continued to speak as she watched the large wall clock ticking steadily. "Because no one could ever have imagined that I would meet both of you again in this office. And no one could have imagined that a guest would come with you today."

You felt that you had become the object of everyone's attention, and your cheeks blushed treacherously.

"This is Y/n. My friend." Childe said, and then out of the corner of your eye you noticed that he winked at you. This made you even more embarrassed.

"I can assume that you wanted to see me because miss Y/n was having some problems." The white-haired woman was very shrewd, so you weren't surprised that she was in such a high position.

"You can call me Y/n." You smiled awkwardly, and Ningguang nodded in understanding with a slight smile.

"Then let's talk about the problem itself." Ningguang suggested, ready to listen to your words.

"This isn't about me specifically, but about my brother." You answered and shifted your eyes to Xiao, catching his golden eyes. "And also about his new friend Ayaka."

The woman nodded in understanding and asked, "Do you both have entrance exams today?"

The girl and the boy nodded uncertainly when the principal asked them her question. And after you finished your story about the problem that you and your friends had to face, the woman again buried her chin in her hands, and her face took on a thoughtful and serious expression.

"I understand." She finally spoke, and you held your breath, hoping that her next words would solve your problem. "It's true that there is only one classroom with the necessary equipment in our academy. Other classrooms aren't suitable to pass such exams."

You felt like all your hopes were slowly starting to fade away, "Can't they just be allowed to pass their exams when at least one of the equipment isn't occupied by another student?"

"I understand you perfectly, Y/n." The woman raised her eyes and looked at you. "But the problem here is something else. I'm willing to do anything to enable people to get a good education, and I don't want to be an obstacle in their path."

"Then what's the problem, Ningguang?" Asked Tartaglia, noticing how you tensed up.

"Investors." The woman answered immediately, and you noticed that Childe visibly stiffened too. "People who invest their money in our academy."

You saw how Ayaka and Xiao's face gradually become sad, and the last glimmer of hope disappears from their eyes.

"Basically, they become the people who make the final decision on whether a student has passed the exams or not." Ningguang continued to explain. "If they want, investors can easily destroy the dreams of any person, even if a person coped with the exams perfectly."

You tensed as you continued to listen to the woman's words.

"I'm sorry to say this, but I'm sure they won't waste their time extending the exam for two people who didn't have seats in the classroom."

There was an oppressive silence in the principal's office. You and your friends were thinking about different things. You literally saw all your hopes that Xiao could fulfill his dream burn slowly and painfully in a bright flame, like fragile paper in a fire.

It was completely unfair! But you didn't know at all what you had to do in this situation.

You looked at your friends in turn, and when your gaze settled on Tartaglia's face, your heart began to beat much faster.

His face was serious, his eyes burned with a bright flame, it seemed to you that he wasn't ready to accept such an injustice.

"Ningguang." Finally the ginger man broke the silence, drawing the attention of everyone who was here. You looked hopefully at Childe. "Please talk to investors and convince them to prolong the time for the exam."

It seemed to you that your heart, overflowing with many feelings, could jump out of your chest right now. You never felt like this.

You had the feeling that you were floating somewhere in the clouds, and it was so easy for you, because Tartaglia accompanied you. It was easy for you because he was always there to help you.

"How do you imagine it?!" The woman exclaimed as she got up from the table. "They won't listen to me. Even if I'm the principal, but the main managerial role in the academy is occupied by investors."

Tartaglia calmly listened to Ningguang's words and also calmly replied, "Don't worry, you just need to convince them. I'll do the rest myself."

You nervously walked from side to side, wringing your fingers behind your back. You had that habit and you did it all the time when you were very nervous. Before entering in the classroom where students and investors were, Ningguang and Tartaglia asked all of you to wait a bit.

More than ten minutes have passed since then, and this didn't give you peace of mind.

"You don't have to worry so much, Y/n." Ayato tried to calm you down and you turned your attention to him. Being alone with him was a bit awkward, so you tried to look at ease and smiled.

Ayaka and Xiao continued to talk about something, and you were glad that your brother found a common language with someone so quickly.

"I'm sorry." You smiled awkwardly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "When I'm worried, I can't sit still."

"This is normal." Kamisato Ayato nodded his head in understanding, and his blue eyes narrowed as he smiled at you in a friendly way. "But you don't have to worry so much."

"It's hard not to be flustered when all circumstances are against you..." You sighed sadly and lowered your eyes to the floor.

"Perhaps this is true, but…" Man with blue eyes made a little pause, as if he was thinking about something. Then he spoke again. "I have known Childe for a very long time, so I can say with confidence that if he wants something, he will achieve it, despite all the setbacks and obstacles that stand in his way."

"Is that so…" When the realization came to you that Tartaglia was doing this for you and your brother, and that he wouldn't back down from his goal, you blushed, and your heart began to beat again with the rhythm that it beats only for Childe.

And when your thoughts returned to the ginger man again, the door leading to the classroom finally opened. Ayato nodded to the side with a sly smile, and you followed his gaze, after which your eyes immediately met Tartaglia's ocean blue eyes. Your heart was ready to jump out of your chest.

You ran closer to the two people who had left the classroom and looked hopefully first at Ningguang and then at Childe.

"Investors have agreed to prolong the time for the exam." Ningguang said, and a light, peaceful smile appeared on her lips.

Now it seemed to you that there was no happier person in this building than you. A veil of happiness and joy enveloped your body, and the first thought that appeared in your head was that you really wanted to hug Tartaglia right now.

Your eyes filled with small crystal tears of joy and you hugged the ginger man, taking him by surprise. He obviously didn't expect this, but instantly relaxed and hugged you back a little awkwardly. The two of you have never been so close. It frightened and delighted him at the same time.

"Thank you." You whispered and, without realizing it, you stood up on your toes — there was a big difference between your height and Childe's height — and your plump scarlet lips touched his pale freckled cheek in a kiss.

Childe felt as if his whole world stopped for a moment. But he could confidently say that it was the most beautiful moment in his life.

Feeling your soft, uncertain lips on his skin was something magical and ethereal, something he wanted to strive for like never before.

He remembered saying that he wouldn't mind if you kissed him on the cheek. It was unforgettable…

He wanted to repeat this moment an infinite number of times. It's like a film that is stuck at one frame and keeps scrolling through it all the time.

It seemed to Tartaglia that this moment was fleeting, but at the same time it lasted for an eternity. It felt as if the ginger man had succumbed to the influence of gravity, capable of changing the time around.

And when your warm lips disappeared from his cheek, this beautiful endless moment, unfortunately, ended.

He caught your gaze, which was filled with the brightest and most beautiful feelings. There was a stupid smile on your lips and Childe thought that was the cutest thing he had ever seen.

But after a few seconds, when your face regained a meaningful expression, you with fear realized the situation that just happened.

Goosebumps ran down your back, your cheeks blazed with a hot flame, and you thought that you were ready to sink into the ground in shame right now.

Your face and Tartaglia's face were still in close proximity to each other, so you hurried to pull away, giving yourself the most laid-back look.

You immediately turned to Ningguang and nodded at her in gratitude, "Thank you very much, miss Ningguang!"

And without giving anyone a chance to stop you, you instantly ran away and disappeared around the corner of a spacious hall, in the hope that no one would follow you.

Luckily for you, it did. You pressed your back against the wall and put your hand to your chest, trying to calm your rapidly beating heart.

You just kissed Childe on the cheek.

A lot of thoughts came into your head, and you were ready to burn with shame. Of course, you kissed other people on the cheek many times, but this time it was about Childe. It's Childe! This is completely different…

You've never felt like this when you kissed someone on the cheek. The feel of his soft skin bloomed with fragrant flowers on your lips. And you tasted the beautiful nectar of the kiss with pleasure.

You wanted to understand it. And also you wanted to once again touch your lips to his soft skin, but you were insanely afraid that Tartaglia mightn't like it.

For some reason, this thought made you feel very heavy at heart.

"Y/n, are you okay?" Xiao's hoarse voice brought you back to reality, and all thoughts about Childe disappeared from your head.

"I'm fine." You swallowed the lump in your throat and smiled at your brother.

"Then let's go. They are waiting for us."

Xiao told you that you, Ayato and Childe can stay in Ningguang's office while exams are taking place. When the boy entered the classroom, you called out to him and he turned around.

"Good luck, Xiao." You smiled.

"Thank you." Your brother thanked you and disappeared through the classroom door.

Finding neither Childe nor Ayato nearby, you assumed that they had gone to Ningguang's office. After calming your rapidly beating heart, you went to meet the person who slowly but surely gradually occupied the leading place in your heart.

Ayato took a sip of hot tea from a marble cup, crossing his legs. Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one in the office except him and Tartaglia, he decided to start a conversation.

"It was so noble." He said in an unctuous tone and smiled wider as Childe turned his attention to him. "Did you really decide to impress her with this little trick so that she would be in your bed as soon as possible?"

"Spare me your comments about this." Childe growled, because he immediately felt that he wouldn't like this conversation.

"If she isn't stupid, she will understand that you solved this problem with money." Watching Tartaglia tense up at his every word, the blue-haired man continued to speak. "And maybe if she wants to thank you somehow, try not to miss the chance."

The ginger man didn't need to think much to understand what kind of hint he put into this "somehow to thank."

"She's not that kind of person." He hissed. Tartaglia was sure that he would never allow anyone to talk about you like that. "I'll never touch her unless she's ready."

"Hm?" Ayato's eyebrows rose in surprise and the blue-haired man put his cup of tea on the table, fixing his now cold and sharp gaze on the ginger man. "Since when do you care about other people's feelings?"

Childe was silent.

"I don't remember you ever caring about Lumine's feelings."

"What does this have to do with Lumine?!" Childe asked irritably. This conversation began to irritate him more and more.

"She is your bride. Her feelings should always come first to you."

Notes:

ah, ayato is so evil and annoying... i'm very dissatisfied with him! i wonder why he constantly provokes childe with his words?

the new chapter is here! fic has finally reached 100 kudos and i sincerely want to thank all of you for your support and comments. you're the best! tysm! 3

Chapter 14: Pinky promise

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

There was a feeling of awe in your heart, and you smiled when you saw Xiao smiling happily walking in front of you and talking to Ayaka. Their faces radiated happiness and contentment after so many obstacles. You took a deep breath and marveled at how fresh the air was, despite the late autumn and the exhaust fumes from passing cars.

The breeze enveloped you from all sides, developing your hair in different directions, but this didn't bother you at all, because now you were really happy. Your brother has passed the entrance exams and next year he will study at the academy, which he dreamed of entering since childhood. You were very happy.

You and your friends stopped in front of the cars, as if waiting for something. Ayaka, feeling a little shy and throwing timid glances at Xiao, fingering the folds of her skirt. You thought that the girl didn't want to say goodbye to your brother at all, and it was very sweet. Ayaka was a sweet, shy, and very intelligent girl.

You knew about your brother's nature. Basically, he was always sullen, read a lot and was often silent, preferring to ponder thoughts and things rather than say it out loud. Ayaka was the complete opposite of him. She lacked self-confidence, but she was very sociable, if you get along with her.

You thought that a person like her could be a good friend for Xiao. You were brought out of your thoughts by the voice of a girl who finally decided to speak, attracting everyone's attention to herself.

"I would like to know…" Ayaka said in a thin voice, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "Would you like to celebrate passing exams somehow?" She glanced timidly at your brother.

Xiao blushed slightly and hesitantly looked into your eyes as if he was looking for some support from you. It was very cute! You had the feeling that he wanted to ask you for advice on what he should have done in such a situation. He wanted you to help him with his romantic interest.

But how much did you know about romance and relationships? You have no experience in relationships and have never had romantic feelings for anyone.

The only person who made your heart feel unusual feelings was standing behind you right now. But you didn't know what the relationship was between you and Childe. Can you give Xiao good advice if you didn't know anything about romance?

"It would be nice to celebrate it. Don't you think so?" A familiar voice was heard near your ear, and your heart literally jumped out of your chest when Tartaglia's warm breath touched your skin.

You jumped away from the man in fright, as if from a hot fire, and your cheeks instantly turned red. Your friends' eyes shifted to you. It was really embarrassing. But you didn't know what bothered you the most. Everyone's attention or such intimate actions on the part of a ginger man.

You tried to look casual and, with a slight chuckle, said in a trembling voice, "Yes, it would be nice if we celebrated the successful passing of the exams! I would like to show Xiao the city."

You caught your brother's amber eyes, and he nodded his thanks, completely embarrassed by Ayaka's attention.

"Then let's go to the amusement park!" The girl's lips stretched into a joyful smile, and she grabbed Xiao's hand, making him even more embarrassed. "I have never been to our city amusement park!"

Your heart skipped a beat for a moment when you heard Ayaka's words. Your heart overflowed with many feelings, bringing you back to the past. At the time of your first date. Nervousness enveloped you from head to toe, and like branches with thorns wrapped around your body.

Would you like to be in that amusement park again? With him? You wondered how you would feel when you were back at the amusement park. And what could that mean for Childe?

"Then I take my leave." Ayato's voice pulled you out of your thoughts, and you noticed with excitement that Tartaglia had been carefully watching your expression all this time, and for some reason his mood also abruptly ceased to be calm. "I'll send a car for you, Ayaka."

"Okay, brother!" The blue-haired girl nodded and smiled happily. Ayato got into the car and looked at you and your brother.

"It was nice to meet you, Y/n. I hope this isn't our last meeting." You nodded and tried to smile. Immediately after that a man with blue hair turned to your brother. "Please take care of my sister, young man."

Xiao nodded in embarrassment and slightly awkwardly squeezed the girl's hand tighter. Ayato smiled contentedly and shifted his gaze to Childe. You noticed that both men seemed to be waging a silent struggle with their gazes. But you couldn't understand what was the meaning of this struggle and which of them won it.

Tartaglia met Ayato's gaze with indifferent, dead blue eyes. It seemed as if sparks were sparkling between the two men and a huge hurricane was raging, which swept away everything that was in its path. Ayato smiled and Childe understood what Ayato wanted to tell him with his look.

And you take care of Y/n, Childe.

The ginger man gritted his teeth, admitting defeat, the realization of which pricked his heart with nasty needles, as if trying to tell him something. He felt nothing but disgust for himself, but he knew he fully deserved it. After all, he used you to a certain extent to achieve his goal.

He didn't think it would be so hard. To see you every day and understand that one day he will have to hurt you and trample on him and your friendship. Yes, you and he were friends and Tartaglia considered you the person he really wanted to be friends with. A crazy thought popped into his head. Or did he want both of you to be more than just friends?

Ayato smiled contentedly as he noticed how Childe tensed up. The ginger man's face was very tense and focused, as if he was thinking about something that made him doubt himself and his actions. This was enough to make Kamisato Ayato feel like the most satisfied person in the entire world.

You didn't think it would be so problematic. It was stuffy in the car, and there was no way to open the windows, because all of you could be blown with cold air. You were in the front seat next to Childe, who was driving. The car drove to the place where your feelings and emotions were stored, which you shared with the ginger man in moments of your happiness.

It seemed that you were the only person in this car who was ready to just melt on the spot from embarrassment. Nervousness filled your mind in waves, like a huge tsunami that could overwhelm you, leaving you without oxygen. Which you really lacked in this period of time.

Behind you, you heard Ayaka's loud joyful voice and Xiao's muffled calm voice, and you were kind of glad that you and Childe weren't alone with each other right now. You glanced at the man next to you out of the corner of your eye, and at that moment your and his eyes met, that made you immediately look away and blush excitedly.

Your heart beat in a frightened rhythm in your chest, drowning out all the sounds in the car, so you couldn't hear the heavy sigh that escaped the man's lips. It was like a sigh of weariness or a sigh of sadness, as if he was saddened or distressed by something. But you couldn't hear it because your heartbeat drowned out all other sounds in the world.

The amusement park greeted you with the same bright colors and a lot of attractions, as well as at the time of your first stay here. You awkwardly got out of the car and followed Xiao and Ayaka, who was leading your brother forward with a smile and telling him something. Behind you, the slow steps of the ginger man could be heard, and your hands sweat from excitement.

You and your friends went to a small tent where there was a fishing attraction. Rubber and plastic fish swam in a small pool filled with water, attracting your attention. It didn't go unnoticed by you how Childe perked up at the sight of toy fish and a toy fishing rod. Just for a moment, for a moment, it seemed to you that a small ray of light flickered in his empty dead eyes.

"Dear ladies and gentlemen, don't miss the chance to receive exclusive toys as a reward for your victory." The owner of the attraction tried to get your attention by showing you the various toys that were on the stand behind him.

You watched with a smile as Ayaka and Xiao agreed to take part in the challenge. The teenagers looked happy and smiled, and their happiness was transferred to you. You were immersed in your thoughts, so you didn't notice at all how the ginger man behind you leaned closer to your face, immersing the entire space around you in his scent.

"Will you let me be the one to catch that fish for you?" Tartaglia whispered in your ear, making your skin crawl and you tremble like an aspen leaf. The man's voice was sweet, like honey from a beehive. It poured into your ears.

"A-ah!" You excitedly tried to recoil to the side, but, to your dismay, on the contrary, you pressed closer to the man's chest and almost lost your balance. But Childe's strong arms didn't let you fall to the hard ground, carefully holding you by the waist.

"Be careful, princess. We both don't want you to get hurt again. Right?" The gentle whisper of his lips excited you much more than the fact that the people around you were looking at both of you right now.

Your heart continued to beat in your chest at a fast pace, tossing from side to side, like a bird trapped in a golden cage. Embarrassment and awkwardness exceeded your possible limits, and you urgently needed to come up with something that could divert everyone's attention from you.

Luckily for you, you spotted a small stall that sold drinks and ice cream, and you decided this would be the perfect chance to get out of an embarrassing and awkward situation.

"It's so hot in here. Don't you think so?" Laughing awkwardly, you asked and looked innocent when your friends looked at you. "Let's buy cold drinks!"

"Y/n, it's quite cold windy today." Xiao said calmly with a raised eyebrow as he watched you and Childe who was still standing next to you.

"Are you hot? Do you have high temperature?" Tartaglia leaned closer to your face and put his hand to your forehead. Your cheeks flared brightly and you immediately scolded yourself for trying to get away from the embarrassing situation only made your embarrassment worse. "Your forehead isn't hot. How are you feeling now?"

You sighed heavily, realizing that there was no way you could avoid this embarrassing conversation any longer, and replied, "I'm fine. Please, let's move on."

To your delight, the embarrassing situation was hushed up and all of you continued your journey through the amusement park. You all made the decision to take a short break after the attractions and have a bite to eat.

You sat on a wooden bench and looked around. The couples walking in the park started to catch your attention, and if not for the presence of Ayaka and Xiao, you and Childe would also look like a couple on a date.

"Y/n, are you sure you're okay?" Your brother inquired with some concern as he noticed you fidgeting nervously in your seat.

"I'm fine." You tried to smile reassuringly, but it seemed to you that Xiao didn't believe you at all. "Please pay no attention to me and enjoy today. You deserved it."

Xiao just nodded, deciding that you're really fine and he doesn't need to worry.

You were left alone again with your thoughts, which took you further and further away from reality. It was very strange. You have never behaved like this, you have always been confident in your words and actions, your voice almost never trembled, and you have never acted so stupidly.

Was there a name for this feeling that made your legs tremble and your heart beat faster in your chest? It wasn't a cold or a fever, but you always felt that heat in your chest when...

When Childe was by your side.

"Here, take it." The man's voice pulled you out of your thoughts, and you absent-mindedly looked at the thing that was in Tartaglia's hands. In his hands he held cotton candy. The cotton wool cloud was pinkish in color and smelled good. It was the sweet smell of strawberries.

"Thank you." Your voice was quiet, and you took the cotton candy in your hands, carefully biting off a piece of sweetness. The ginger man sat down next to you and also began to eat cotton candy.

This moment was very calm and peaceful, all of you were silent, enjoying a pleasant day. The cotton wool on your tongue melted instantly, and the sweet taste of the red berry spread in your mouth, giving you pleasure and a pleasant sensation.

Your heart was beating wildly in your chest again, because your body felt the presence of Tartaglia next to you. You felt warm and cozy when he was next to you, and this feeling wasn't like having your family members, mom or Xiao next to you. It was different, but it also felt familiar, like Childe was part of your family.

Embarrassing thoughts crept into your head again about how you would feel if he loved you. You shook your head sharply in an attempt to drive away the embarrassing thoughts, and it attracted the ginger man's attention.

He turned his attention to you, noticing your movement next to him, and for some reason a gentle smile appeared on his lips as he reached for your face and ran his finger along your cheek, brushing cotton candy off your cheeks and making you freeze in place.

"You're so sloppy."

At that moment, space and time stopped for you, leaving only you and Childe to exist in this Universe. And yours, overflowing the edge of the bottomless pit, all-consuming feelings.

You suddenly jumped to your feet, attracting everyone's attention and forcing Tartaglia excitedly and uncomprehendingly to get up from the bench after you.

To stop any questions in the bud, you put your hand in front of you, blocking Tartaglia's path, and said, "I'm sorry, I need to leave for a few minutes."

And without giving anyone a chance to object, you disappeared behind the first stall you came across, frightened pressing your hand to your heart beating wildly in your chest.

You felt like you and ginger man were playing cat and mouse. Each time he tried to approach you again and talk, offering to visit some attraction with him, each time you came up with more and more ridiculous excuses to quickly disappear from his sight.

His sad deep blue eyes wounded your heart with sharp daggers every time you refused him and ran away, trying to get away from your embarrassment and obsessive thoughts. You couldn't help yourself, just as you couldn't calm your crazy heart that was going crazy next to the person you were trying to run away from.

The sun was gradually turning the sky red and orange, and when the two combined, it created a beautiful crimson hue. The cold rays of the sun illuminated your path to the big ferris wheel. You left Xiao and Ayaka alone, not wanting to interfere with their nascent friendship.

You noticed that big ferris wheel the other time you and Childe were on a date, but unfortunately you didn't get a chance to admire the bird's eye view then. That's why you decided you had to do it now. And you really wanted to see the sunset from a bird's eye view.

Noticing that the movement of the wheel almost stopped to let new people inside the small booths, you quickened your pace so as not to miss this opportunity and not wait for another full turn of the ferris wheel.

To your joy, you managed to run into the first booth that came across and took a breath, closing your eyes. You evened out your breath, feeling how the ferris wheel gradually begins to slowly move up.

"Have I offended you in some way, princess?" An unexpected voice from the side took you by surprise, because you were sure that this booth was empty. You opened your eyes and your gaze met Tartaglia's blue eyes. He was sitting in front of you on the seat. "You've been avoiding me all day."

The ginger man's face was illuminated by the setting sun, the rays of which penetrated into the booth. He looked calm and peaceful, but it seemed to you that his face reflected a hidden feeling of sadness.

And at that moment, a feeling of guilt spread like poison throughout your body, and you were ready to scold yourself with all the most terrible words. A man just wanted to spend his time with you, and you so ruthlessly denied him all this time.

Conscience gnawed you from the inside and you, sighing, sat down on the seat in front of Tartaglia. You looked out of the booth window and noticed that your booth was already high above the ground. Therefore, you no longer had the opportunity to avoid this conversation.

"I'm sorry, I acted like a child." You finally broke the silence, and it attracted the ginger man's attention.

His blue eyes from contemplating the crimson sunset moved to your face, illuminated by the last rays of the sun. It seemed to him that at that moment you shone brighter than all the stars in the Universe. The man's chest was squeezed in a vise by unknown feelings.

Feelings boiled in his heart with pain at the fact that you deliberately tried to keep a distance between the two of you, and bloomed with bright fragrant flowers at the moment when he saw your beautiful face again. It was bitter and sweet at the same time.

You continued to say, "It's about our date."

Childe's heart skipped a beat when you talked about the day that made him hate himself the most.

"You left so quickly that time without explaining anything." Words were given to you with difficulty, but you continued to speak. Meanwhile, the sunset spread like fire across the sky, preparing to cover the Earth with a starry blanket. "And when we got back to this amusement park, I just didn't know how should I behave with you."

The guilt tore his soul apart. Childe had the feeling that someone was holding his legs and arms and pulling him in different directions in an attempt to tear him apart and give him the pain and confusion, that you felt at the moment when he unceremoniously left you alone on a cold evening in an empty amusement park.

"I acted like an idiot towards you." Tartaglia was sincerely sorry, and he understood that it was he who became the cause of his current state. And that it was his own fault that you avoided him today. "I'm sorry."

The ferris wheel continued its unhurried movement in a circle, it seemed that reaching out to the birds flying in the sky was very easy.

"I already forgave you, remember?" You tried to smile to dispel the oppressive atmosphere.

Tartaglia felt his tense body relax when he saw you smile. It seemed that your smile could cure him of any ailment. He smiled gratefully at you, after that his face took on a serious look.

"Let's promise that we will always share our feelings with each other." Tartaglia said and extended his little finger to you, leaning slightly in your direction to be closer to you.

You smiled slyly and also moved closer to the ginger man, holding out your little finger to him and connecting your finger with his finger, "Do you remember that if you break a pinky promise, the frost will freeze your tongue off, and you will never lie again?"

Childe caught your high spirits and squeezed your pinky with his, also smiling slyly.

"Princess, how could you think that about me?" He made a feigned upset look and lowered his eyebrows sadly to make you feel sorry. "I never dared to disregard a pinky promise!"

"This is true?" You raised your eyebrow with a smile. "Then make one more promise so that I will definitely believe you." You rose from your seat because of a sudden desire to be closer to Tartaglia.

The ginger man did the same. Now you and he were standing in front of each other, it seemed that your and his breathing were in sync, and your hearts were beating in unison.

"Promise me that next time you and I will go on a real fishing trip." The man whispered, and at this moment his eyes found your pink lips.

"I promise." You smiled so sweetly and squeezed his pinky with yours and Childe's heart fluttered in his chest. "And you will catch the biggest fish for me."

As if in a daze, he stood and looked at you — the person he wanted more than anything in the world. A sudden desire to kiss you on the lips popped into his head. He thought that kissing you in the rays of the setting sun was the most wonderful idea that could come to his mind.

His hand moved on its own and landed on your cheek, gently caressing your skin. The thought was so ingrained in his brain that he couldn't help it as he leaned closer to you.

And then the world froze.

"Y/n!" Xiao's voice came from the side as you both felt the ferris wheel stop moving. Tartaglia froze at a decent distance from your face, not having time to taste the sweetness of your alluring lips.

Coming out of the sweet daze, the first thing you saw was the blush on Childe's cheeks. To think about the reasons for his red cheeks didn't give you your brother's voice, who insistently continued to call you by name.

Still holding the ginger man by the pinky, you turned to the side and noticed Ayaka and Xiao, who were waving at you.

To Childe, you were so beautiful and cruel at the same time. One moment you were ready to be the one to give him the most wonderful kiss of his life, and the next moment you were the one to let go of his hand and leave him alone in the ferris wheel booth, never knowing that at this moment he madly wanted to kiss you.

Notes:

hello there! sorry to keep you waiting.

i would like to say that in this chapter, both y/n and childe begin to seriously realize their feelings. AND I'M JUST SO EXCITED ABOUT THE TWO OF THEM AND THE ENDING OF THE CHAPTER. THIS IS REALLY CRAZY. AND I'M THE ONE WHO CREATED IT HEHEHE

i'll be glad if you leave a feedback for the new chapter! tysm and ily! 3

Chapter 15: First love

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

You lay on your soft bed and thought about the day. The softness of the blanket on which you lay relaxed your tired muscles after a hard day. The color on the little garlands kept changing, lighting up your room with different colors. You watched the different patterns change in measured order on the wall, which was hung with many posters.

Xiao successfully passed his exams, found a new good friend, and visited a new city. Before boarded the train, your brother even mentioned that he and Ayaka exchanged email and phone numbers. You giggled. The boy seemed to be really happy, and your brother's happiness made you happy too.

The light of the garlands changed to red, and this momentarily brought you back to the moment when you and Childe were standing in front of each other. Your cheeks also turned red in the blink of an eye, and you thought that now in the red light with red cheeks you looked like a ripe tomato. You squealed in embarrassment, remembering Tartaglia's blue eyes and how tenderly he looked at you at that moment, and squeezed a plush toy in your hands.

You needed to take a break! Otherwise, you won't be able to resist the urge to keep thinking about the ginger man, who gradually becomes everything you can think about and everything you can see. You promised yourself that you would return to this monologue with yourself, but now you're too embarrassed to think rationally. So you had to do something to distract you.

And suddenly a really worthwhile idea came to your mind. You sat up in bed and glanced at the nightstand, where a golden business card lay peacefully. You reached for a small card and took it in your hand. Its glossy surface reflected the flashing garlands. You ran your eyes over the text on the business card, remembering the man who gave it to you.

A mysterious blond who you first met at Scaramouche's party and later at the bar you went to with Yoimiya. You had to admit to yourself that you're very interested in him. You were sure that he was a powerful man when you saw him in Scaramouche's mansion, so you were a little surprised when you saw him again in a bar in which he clearly didn't fit into the atmosphere.

You couldn't overcome your curiosity and decided to find out a little more about the mysterious man. Moreover, this interest in him distracted you from thoughts about the ginger man and your reflection about your feelings for him. You added a phone number to your phone contacts and pressed the button. There were low beeps, and you, holding your breath, froze in anticipation.

And, when he finally picked up the phone, a rather cold and serious voice was heard from the other side, because of which you were somewhat taken aback, "Aether is listening."

"O-oh, um, h-hi!" You awkwardly said hello, feeling as embarrassed as possible by this situation. But you pulled yourself together and tried to speak more confidently. "This is Y/n. Do you remember me? We met at Scaramouche's party and at a bar on the outskirts of city."

"Oh, it's you, Y/n! Of course I remember you." The man's voice instantly changed, and this change made you very surprised. From harsh and cold, his voice turned into friendly and perky as soon as you introduced yourself. "Forgive me my rudeness. This is my work number. Glad to be able to talk to you again."

You smiled and leaned back against the soft pillow, fixing your eyes on the ceiling, "It's mutual! Tell me, Aether, is our tour of the museum still stands?"

For a few seconds there was silence on the other side of the phone, but after a moment you again heard the friendly Aether's voice.

"Certainly! If you don't mind, I would be honored to show you the best museums in Snezhnaya."

You smiled happily and pulled the soft toy closer to you, "When would it be convenient for you to meet?"

"What do you think about next week?" Strange sounds were heard on the other side of the phone, it seemed to you that someone called the man by name.

"It would be nice." You answered. The strange sound and noise continued to come on the other side of the phone.

"Then I will call you back next week to confirm the exact date. I'm sorry, Y/n, I have some urgent business to attend to, so I have to say goodbye to you."

"Ah, okay. I will be looking forward to meeting you!"

"Goodbye, Y/n."

"Goodbye, Aether."

After your words, the connection quickly ended, but before that you heard a few more incomprehensible words, in which the phrase "The Abyss Order" also continued to sound. You could only guess what might be happening on the other side of the phone. You lay down on the bed again and looked at the flashing garlands, being in anticipation of your future meeting with a mysterious man named Aether.

You clutched documents and important papers to your chest, and slowly walked along the long corridor. When you had business in the main building of the company, you really liked walking here, because it was really very beautiful here. Everything looked presentable and rich. Of course, the building you worked in was also very beautiful, and it could even be considered a cultural heritage after restoration, but it still couldn't compare with the main building of the company.

You were instructed to look into the accounting department to give invoices and some documents, but now there was some kind of meeting in the accounting office, so you were asked to wait a bit. As such, you had no choice, so you once again decided to enjoy inspecting the interior of the building.

Dim light filtered through large panoramic windows. The sky was densely covered with gray clouds, small snowflakes were quietly flying in the air. Gradually it became cold, the first snow went a couple of days ago. It's begun to cover the ground in a white blanket, preparing the world for a cold winter. The leaves on the trees have fallen off, leaving them completely bare.

You glanced at the potted plants in the hallway. They continued to grow and bloom, and that made you happy. There was something dull about late autumn and you never liked that time period. Everything lost its colors, becoming gray and faded. And it seemed to you that nothing could bring the colors back into your life.

"Hm, who do we have here?" Your ears catch a familiar sly voice, and your skin gets goosebumps. You startle in fear, irritated by the sudden appearance of a man. "It's not every day that you see a little rabbit willingly coming into a gray wolf's lair."

But no, you were wrong. The colors in your life were returned by this chaotic and ginger young man. Your cheeks turn red as you hear his last words. You turn to Childe with an annoyed gaze and meet his sly eyes.

"What do we have here?" The ginger man smiles contentedly, noticing your blushing cheeks and angry expression on your face. You looked absolutely charming, making the man's heart beat faster in his chest. Tartaglia leaned a little closer to you, noticing the documents in your hands. "Is my princess lost?"

Your heart was ready to jump out of your chest when you were called "my princess", but you tried not to betray your embarrassed state and tried to confidently answer, "I-it's not like that! I was asked to wait."

Childe made a thoughtful face, and in that seemingly endless moment, you could see every detail on his beautiful face. His ginger hair, deep bottomless eyes, a scattering of cute freckles and alluring lips. It would seem that your cheeks couldn't be even more red. You were ready to fall underground from shame for your thoughts. But for some reason, these thoughts were so sweet and desirable, so you couldn't resist it in any way.

And finally, after a short silence, the ginger man said, "Then wait with me in my office."

"Don't you have your own job?" You hoped that the displeasure in your voice would distract him from your red cheeks. You followed his puppy eyes and you didn't have to put two and two together to figure out what was going on. "Are you shirking work again?"

"Come on, baby!" The ginger man said frustratedly, looked pleadingly into your eyes. "These endless meetings are so annoying. I need a rest. And you should do the same."

"You behave childish." You grunted in response, ignoring Childe's sad look. "When you're done with your work, I'll think about keeping you company."

"Don't be so cruel to me!" The ginger man was in despair, and it amused you a little. For some reason, his childish behavior seemed completely cute to you.

For several months of friendship with him, you have long understood that he usually behaves in this way in order to get and achieve what he wants. It was super cute! But… you were a person who was difficult to influence in this way.

You didn't know about it, but it was this quality that attracted him to be closer to you, to want to be with you. To want to become someone who can overcome your high wall that you have erected in front of you and the rest of the world. After all, Childe never turned down a good fight. And you seemed like a great opponent to him.

"I'm so unhappy!" Tartaglia theatrically put his hand to his forehead, and looked at you out of the corner of his eye to see your reaction. Unfortunately for him, you just raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "My princess refused me. Wouldn't you even agree to have dinner with me tonight?"

"Nah!" You shook your head and smiled conspiratorially, putting on a mysterious look. "I have a meeting today."

Childe stopped grimacing and, frozen in place, stared at you in surprise, "A meeting?"

"Yes." Your answer was short.

"With whom?" You were a little surprised by his interest, because suddenly the ginger man stopped grimacing and made a serious face. This change in mood always brought you into a slight state of excitement and embarrassment, when the man instantly became serious towards you, and when all his attention was focused exclusively on you. "Tell me."

For some strange reason, you were madly tempted to tease him, so you frowned and shook your head from side to side.

And you said, "What happens if I don't tell you?"

Unexpectedly for you, your voice trembled treacherously when you finished your sentence and looked at the ginger man with your doe eyes. Your heart seemed to have completely stopped beating and fell into your heels when Tartaglia unexpectedly pressed you against the wall, leaning closer to your face. His blue eyes scanned your excited face, and it seemed to you the most cruel torture.

Being so close to him, but not being able to touch him the way you really wanted to when you returned to your thoughts about him every time. Your thoughts brought you into a state of denial and excitement, but you could no longer resist them when Childe was so close to you.

The smell of his cologne hits your nostrils, which spreads at the speed of light in your lungs and eats into them without the possibility of ever disappearing from there. As if one day you were on the other side of the Universe, you still would never be able to forget his smell, settled in your lungs like ashes.

It seemed to you that you couldn't run away from him anywhere. In all senses.

The ginger man remains silent, listening to your ragged breathing as his blood boils in his veins with the desire to constantly hold you in his arms. You were within his reach right now, very close, yet so far away at the same time. Despite his burning desire to kiss you — to do what he didn't have time to do that day at the amusement park — he keeps his composure and only leans closer to your ear.

You held your breath, feeling his ginger hair tickle your cheek, completely unsure of what would happen next. You could only tremble slightly and listen to your wildly beating heart, the sound of which, as it seemed to you, carried throughout the empty corridor. Meanwhile, Tartaglia's left hand rested against the wall next to your head, and his breath scorched the skin of your ear. The warm breeze sent goosebumps on your skin.

"If I don't know with whom and where my princess is, I will be very worried." He whispered into your ear, and you literally suffocated from the feelings and emotions that overwhelmed you. You felt like you were dizzy, chilled and feverish at the same time.

His lips barely touched the skin of your ear, and after that endless moment, the man pulled back to look into your eyes. He felt an overwhelming urge to do it right now. When his eyes met yours, his heart beat faster because it seemed to him as if he saw the whole Universe in your eyes. Your slightly excited look, bright red cheeks. You were perfection for him.

Both of you continued to look into each other's eyes, maintaining a silence that was broken only by the synchronous beating of your hearts. Every one of you was waiting for some action from the other, and when Childe really was ready to give a damn about everything and kiss you, someone's voice called out to you.

"Y/n!" The accounting girl's voice grabs your and Childe's attention, and you both seem to wake up from a deep sleep. The girl looks confused, obviously realizing that she appeared at the wrong time.

"Ah, I'm sorry I kept you waiting!" You move away from the wall against which Tartaglia pressed you a few minutes ago, and before you come closer to the girl, you look into the ginger man's eyes.

Your gaze meets his. And at this moment, it seems to both of you that the most powerful storm is raging in the oceans, an avalanche descends from Everest, the most powerful volcano erupts, and the earth cracks and breaks underfoot, opening the way to the center of the Earth.

And all of this is only happening because you and Childe have been separated again and left with no way to be near each other. It felt like the world itself was crumbling to the ground when both of you couldn't be near each other.

Your and his eyes reflect each other's eyes and the feelings that splash in them. It would seem that the endlessly lasting second ends, and you're the first to take your eyes away from his eyes and leave after the girl, leaving him alone again.

You looked around awkwardly as you moved closer to the spot next to the large marble fountain where you and Aether had arranged your meeting. Despite the fact that you confidently talked with him on the phone, you were still a little embarrassed by a personal meeting. Some excitement built up in your chest and you wondered how this walk would go.

You lifted your eyes and noticed a blond standing near the fountain. His long blond hair was braided, the man was wearing a white coat and gray trousers. Your cheeks blushed a little when Aether finally noticed you and waved his hand at you in a friendly manner. You smiled warmly and walked closer to him.

"Today is a great day to enjoy art to its fullest. Don't you think so, Y/n?" The man smiled, giving you his beautiful smile. "You look beautiful."

You smiled sheepishly as you awkwardly straightened your coat. The unexpected compliment warmed your soul, because if Childe were in Aether's place now, he would have teased you with absolute probability, enjoying your embarrassment. Your cheeks flushed instantly, and you scolded yourself for thinking about the ginger man. You shouldn't be thinking about him right now!

You immediately reminded yourself that you decided to go to this meeting to get thoughts of Tartaglia out of your head, so all you had to think about right now was art and Aether. You drove away the thoughts of the ginger man flickering on the edge of your consciousness and made a laid-back look.

"Thank you. You look beautiful too." You smiled, trying to keep up the dialogue. Aether nodded in gratitude, but his golden eyes continued to tirelessly scan you and notice every detail at the request of his dear sister.

First you two decided to visit the art museum. You listened to the blond-haired man tirelessly telling you about this or that painting, and you were amazed at the fact that he knew so much, and the fact that he was interested in art warmed your soul to some extent. You were pleased that someone shared your interest, and therefore you tried to maintain a dialogue.

Aether stopped in front of another painting, and you did the same, waiting for the blond to speak.

"What do you see in this painting?" You looked at the work of art with interest, noticing only abstract figures of different colors on it.

"I think that the author wanted to depict his feelings and emotions at a certain period of his life." You thoughtfully looked at the painting, looking at it with your big eyes, trying not to miss a single thought of yours. "The way one color transitions abruptly into another may mean that his life had spontaneous moments."

"I completely agree with you!" To your surprise — as well as to his own — Aether brightened up enough when he heard your answer. He had never heard from someone thoughts that so exactly and to the smallest detail coincided with his own. The blond smiled excitedly, looking forward to a good dialogue.

You smiled back, but for some reason you still had the feeling that now you wanted to be in a completely different place. And with another man. You looked again at the painting painted with oil paints, and you could literally hear in reality how his voice sounded in your head.

These are ordinary figures. I don't see any hidden meaning here. You're so funny, Y/n!

Somehow you were sure that Childe would have said that and then laughed as he continued to tease you. This thought accompanied you as you and Aether continued your journey through the museum. And for some reason, you no longer tried to get rid of thoughts about a ginger man.

Those thoughts were sweet and gooey, like the candy and cotton candy you and he ate at the amusement park. You went crazy with how he made you feel and with the fact that Tartaglia simply didn't have the opportunity to leave your mind. As if you and he were one, as if he were your soul mate, without whom you couldn't live a single second of your life.

The cold rays of the setting sun accompanied the two of you as you both left the museum with the intention of taking a little walk. Aether gave you his hand, helping you down the stairs, and you would say that your heart was beating excitedly, but it didn't feel as exciting as if Tartaglia was holding your hand now...

The ginger man would smile at you so tenderly, tease you a little, but in his eyes you would definitely catch the admiration that was dissolved in two beautiful blue oceans. His bright smile would have made you embarrassed, and your legs would have trembled slightly, and the man would have caught you in his arms, in which you felt so good and comfortable.

You held your breath for a moment. It couldn't happen... It was completely spontaneous, like a realization hit you on the head with a huge dusty pillow, leaving you confused and agitated.

"What do you think of modern literature, Y/n?" Aether asked you, bringing you back to reality, and you noticed how his cheeks turned a little red. You could only wonder why his cheeks turned red blush. Perhaps this was due to the cold. You have decided to go with this option.

"I think both classics and modern literature have a lot of their merits." You said, wrapping your coat a little tighter because of the strong wind. "But I still prefer classical literature. Unlike modern literature, classical literature evokes a lot of vivid feelings and emotions in me."

Just like Childe.

The desire to see the ginger man intensified. Your heart was torn from your chest to the other end of the city to be in his hands, and you were ready to fall on your knees in front of him and beg him to keep your heart in his hands and carefully protect it, never allowing anyone to touch it. You wanted to be with him right now, to see his smile, to listen to his every word and listen to his languid voice.

"I completely agree with you!" It seemed that the man was really inspired, and you were really ashamed that you couldn't share his enthusiasm, because your thoughts had long been focused on another man. "I didn't even think we had so much in common!"

Aether was indeed a good person, and your heart also rejoiced that you could talk to a person who shared your interests, but something really wasn't right. It seemed to you that some big important part had been torn out of your heart, without which you simply couldn't imagine your life. And your heart desperately needed to find this part and reunite with it again, giving you life-saving oxygen.

Meanwhile, you both came to a small lawn in a city park, where it wasn't crowded and calm. This couldn't be said about your soul, in which a huge hurricane of feelings and emotions raged, seeking to break out and flood the open sky. The sky was painted in a dark veil of night, scattering a lot of stars over the starry veil, which greeted you from the endless night sky.

The wind was blowing through your hair and your heart was racing in your chest, trying to find someone your heart really wanted to have next to you right now. Feel, cherish and love with the strongest love of all.

His desire to help you, his help to your brother, his love and care for his family — all this made your heart beat faster in your chest, and you to be in love with him.

You looked at Aether in the glow of the moon and stars and imagined Childe in his place. You imagined his beautiful, gentle smile, his languid, sweet voice calling you "my princess." You imagined him telling you about his family and saying that he would like you to be part of his family.

You imagined Childe kissing you on the lips, gently holding you in his strong arms.

All the thoughts and feelings that overwhelmed you every time you were next to him, it couldn't be anything other than love. Awareness of your feelings for a ginger man, like a tsunami, covered you headlong, plunging you into the depths of the Mariana Trench.

Right now, being next to another man, you realized that you don't want anyone but Childe. You only want him. You want only Childe Tartaglia to be with you all your life, so that only he will be the one who will make you truly happy. After all, you were sure that only he could really make you feel like the happiest woman in the whole world.

It turns out that giving your heart to another person was the most beautiful thing you could ever feel. And today you carefully gave your heart into the hands of a person who became the center of the Universe for you. Your planet was in orbit around his star.

It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe, the pounding of the heart echoed in your temples, and right now you needed to breathe saving oxygen into you. You needed Tartaglia to do it.

Today, among the bright stars and the pale moon that serenaded you about love, you realized once and for all that Childe was your first love.

Notes:

weeeell how was it? I'M EXCITED RN, AND YOU? y/n finally realized her feelings (now it's childe's turn :)). i really hope that it was really cool described. i really hope you enjoy it!

also have you seen the trailer for fontaine's story quest? CHILDE WAS SO HOT. I'M AT HIS FEET, I REALLY CAN'T WAIT TO COMPLETE FONTAINE'S QUEST. THIS IS VERY EXCITING!

thanks for your kudos and comments. i really appreciate it! ily! 3

Chapter 16: The woman he wants to see in a wedding dress

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Aether was pleasantly excited. Pleasant excitement slowly rose from his heels all over his body, gradually relaxing his tense muscles after a day's work. He was quite surprised at how his words continued to pour out of his mouth as the blond man continued to tell you more and more facts about some painting or book.

It seemed to him that you and he had known each other for as long as he could remember. It would seem that there wasn't a second when he didn't know you.

Your sincere words and comments, your kindness and curiosity gave him the strength to keep talking and made him want to share even more interesting and exciting information with you.

For the first time he met a person who shared his interests and understood each of his feelings so well. It was a very pleasant feeling, which, it would seem, had no analogues. Aether could tell that even his sister didn't understand him as well as you did.

And even the thought that he was here at the request of his sister completely disappeared from his mind. Now he was sure that he was with you of his own free will, and equally enjoyed this walk with you.

Your questions, interested look, light sighs as an answer to his words, were something special, which he was really glad about. His only thought was how charming you were when you both were discussing a book you read recently. You were like a breath of fresh air to him.

He was completely enamored with you as you two stood in the middle of the evening park. The silence filled the space around you, it was broken only by the whistle of the wind, which tousled your hair in different directions. It looked pretty funny, but that didn't diminish your beauty at all.

The man's cheeks were covered with a slight red blush, and to his surprise, he was insanely glad that the evening had come, and that you could hardly see his red cheeks in the dark.

You looked at the bright stars in the dark sky and didn't notice at all how Aether was looking at you at that moment. It felt like a blessing to him to be watching you right now. He's watching one beautiful being watching other beautiful beings — the stars. You were thoughtful, your cheeks were a little red, and the man thought that you must be cold.

Aether took off his white coat and walked closer to you, gently draping the warm cloth over your shoulders. The blond-haired man watched as you slowly came out of your thoughtful state and looked into his golden eyes with excitement.

"What about you?" Your concern for him was absolutely adorable, your beautiful eyes darting from side to side, looking at the man who stood in front of you. The man didn't seem to be shivering at all because of the cold. "Please put on your coat, you will get sick."

"I noticed that you have red cheeks, so I thought you were cold." The man said as you carefully took off white coat and gave it to the man.

"No, I'm not cold at all. Please take care of your health." You bit your lip awkwardly as you watched the man put on his white coat.

"Is there another reason for your red cheeks then?"

Aether watched as you gradually became more and more embarrassed. You awkwardly tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear and looked away. The man's heart seemed to stop for a moment, but after a second it continued to beat again at an unfamiliar pace. But for some reason this pace seemed very pleasant and magical to him. At the pace and rhythm that he wanted to dance next to you.

The man continued to look at you with his golden eyes, waiting for you to finally answer him. You were thoughtful, your facial expressions let him know that you were thinking about something. It was something that was really dear to you.

"Maybe I just got carried away with my dreams." You smiled at the man and he felt a intense desire to see you again.

Time seemed to him so fleeting next to you. It was as if that moment flew past him at the speed of light, the thing that had the fastest speed in the Universe.

He wanted to become a black hole that warped space-time around itself, playing with time like a child building a sandcastle out of wet sand. He wanted time around him to freeze in those moments when you were next to him.

"I hope your dreams will definitely come true someday." To his surprise, the man felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment as he saw you nod with a sweet and kind smile on your lips.

"It's already dark." You said awkwardly, looking away, but Aether took your hint and didn't insist on staying with you for a while longer.

"Then let me take you to your home, Y/n." To his delight, you didn't mind and agreed.

You two had to make several subway changes to get to your house safely, but this time was quite fun for you, because the blond man didn't stop telling you interesting and funny stories about himself and his sister.

You were curious to see his sister, because Aether spoke of her with such love and pride, saying that she had inherited the family's business at such a young age. You told him stories about your brother, and Aether was pleasantly surprised by the fact that you had a sibling too.

You were nodding your head in admiration as you listened to another story when the two of you finally stopped at your house. You smiled awkwardly, letting the man know that your walk for today was over.

Even if all your thoughts were occupied with Childe and the realization of your feelings for him, you still sincerely enjoyed the walk with Aether and were glad to meet such an interesting and versatile person.

"Thank you for today." Your eyes sparkled with gratitude as Aether nodded to you with a smile. You noticed how his face takes on such an expression, as if he was thinking about something diligently.

"If I suddenly tell you that one meeting with you wasn't enough for me." said the blond, looking into your beautiful eyes with his golden eyes and making you slightly embarrassed. "Would you agree to meet with me again?" His clear eyes look at you, waiting for an answer.

You didn't really know what you were supposed to say to the man. Yes, you enjoyed his company and both of you had a good time together. But today you realized your romantic feelings for another man. Will it be right that you agree to another meeting with Aether? He was a nice person with whom you had a lot in common.

There's nothing wrong with ordinary friendship, right? Both of you were connected by love for art, poetry, literature, and it was very pleasant to have a friend who can share your hobbies with you. Aether has become your friend. And you were sure that you could stick to the friend status with him, so you decided that it would be a big omission to refuse his offer.

Your feelings for Childe were sincere, tender, quivering. You really loved him — now it was still embarrassing and unusual to think about it, because you only realized your love, but you were sure that in time it would be easier for you to think about it — you loved, and you were sure that you never betray this love.

Therefore, you were determined to answer Aether's proposal with your consent, "Yes, I wouldn't mind meeting you again."

When you gave a positive answer, it seemed to you that Aether's face began to glow even brighter because of his joyful smile. He reminded you of the sun with his blond hair and golden eyes, but now, when his lips were curved in a smile, it seemed to you as if he was illuminating the entire space around him, giving the sun's rays to the city at night.

"I would be honored to accompany you again at our next meeting." He nodded gratefully and happily. You had the feeling that he wanted to do something else when his eyes fell on your hand. But the man immediately took on a relaxed look again and smiled at you. "I hope you had a good time with me today."

You smiled shyly, "I hope you had fun with me too, Aether."

"See you then, Y/n." The man nodded slightly at you.

"Goodbye." You answered and disappeared behind the iron door of your house. You had enough things tonight that you needed to think over again.

It seemed to Childe that he was slowly and painfully losing his mind. This was repeated over and over again. And again. Like a vicious circle from which he had no way out. A rehearsal for the worst day that could ever exist for him.

The rehearsal for his wedding with Lumine took place at the Goth Grand Hotel, the most prestigious hotel in Snezhnaya. Despite the fact that the wedding was to take place only a few months later, work was already underway to decorate the premises. The ballroom was adorned with many colorful decorations, and beautiful flowers were everywhere, which were regularly watered by the staff, who made sure that the plants didn't wither.

Many beautiful ribbons adorned the walls of the hall, tables were covered with velvet fabric. And the red carpet led to the altar, which was on the other side of the ballroom, along which Tartaglia once again walked arm in arm with his bride Lumine.

All thoughts had long since evaporated from his head, it would seem that the ginger man wasn't here. There was only his body, which had to do what he didn't want at all. But his mind was now somewhere far, far away, in a saving place where you were waiting for him.

Childe noticed absolutely nothing. He didn't notice how the hotel staff and bridal salon workers ran around the hall, doing various preparations. Tartaglia didn't notice that with what a bored look Aether sat on an soft chair at one of the tables, not paying any attention to him at all. He didn't notice how happy the blond woman looked next to him, holding the ginger man by the arm with bated breath.

In Tartaglia's head there was only your image. In the moment when he rehearsed the moment of destruction of his life, the man saw only you.

Your beautiful face, which always smiled at him kindly, sometimes frowned and embarrassed, but it was so sweet and gentle, only for him alone. He saw your sweet smile, the way little wrinkles appeared under your eyes when you smiled.

The woman and the man continued to walk along the red carpet, despite the fuss that was going on around them. But each of them was immersed in their own world.

And if for a blonde woman it was one of the most long-awaited and best moments in her life, then for the ginger man it was hell in reality. Walking on the red carpet, he went through nine circles of hell, injuring and burning his feet.

Tartaglia felt your soft skin, remembering the moments when he was blessed to be able to touch you. The feeling of your beautiful soft skin on his hands was the most unforgettable, the little bumps in your skin only gave it a peculiarity, a peculiarity that is unique to you.

He remembered your laughter, how beautiful it sounded like little bells in his ears, creating the most beautiful melody he could ever hear. He remembered how sweet and gentle you were with his siblings.

Lumine and Childe stopped in front of a man, a priest, who stood decorously near the altar, holding a small book in his hands. He was silent, and Tartaglia was insanely happy about this, because he had neither the strength nor the desire to say anything, except for the words of the oath, which he had to utter for the sake of the rehearsal. The bride and groom turned to face each other.

Tartaglia looked into Lumine's face. She looked like she was the happiest woman in the world. He wondered what it would be like if he loved her too. Would he be happy now, rehearsing his wedding with her? Would he be happy knowing that he would live with her for the rest of his life?

He didn't love her, he knew it. The ginger man did this only out of a desire to help his family. He never expected that in this situation, another constant would appear that would make him doubt and look for another way to solve the problems his family faced. He never knew that you would appear in his life. But he could never regret it. After all, you were for him-

"I ask the bride and groom to pronounce their oaths." The priest's voice snapped Childe out of his thoughts, and the ginger man looked back at Lumine.

She was smiling, dressed in a beautiful snow-white dress with many diamonds, rhinestones and flowers. And even though today was only a wedding rehearsal, he could clearly see genuine happiness and love in her eyes, which he couldn't share with her.

He watched her lips, which spoke the words of an oath that didn't reach his ears, as if he was deep under water right now. In fact, he wouldn't mind if the hotel was flooded by a huge tsunami right now.

Childe looked at Lumine's lips and saw your lips on the day in the amusement park he wanted to kiss you madly. Standing in front of you in the rays of the setting sun, painting your face in the most magical colors, he wanted nothing more than to touch his lips to yours. And let the whole world burn to the ground, but he would never regret this kiss.

"I, Lumine, take you, Ajax, to be my husband." The blonde's words poured out of her mouth like a song her heart sang. But her song could never match your song. "I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad…"

The words floated past him like free fish in the sea, who had a choice in which direction to swim. Oh, how much he envied these fish, because he himself never had such a right.

What would have happened if he had kissed you that day? This question tormented him at a moment when his whole life was gradually sinking to the bottom, like a ship sunk in an icy ocean, which would never have the opportunity to rise to the surface of the water again.

"Your turn, my dear." The blonde said, smiling a little, but these words "my dear" seemed so unfamiliar if it wasn't spoken by your lips.

The ginger man was silent for a while longer, but when he realized that he could no longer do this, he couldn't say a word. It seemed to him that his voice had left him forever, his throat was dry, and that he would never be able to speak again. It wasn't really that scary considering the situation he was in.

Childe looked into the waiting golden eyes of the unloved woman with whom he would have to live the rest of his life, and with an insane pain in his heart began to speak the words of the oath. It was as if all the remaining oxygen had been taken out of his lungs.

"I, Ajax, take you, Y/n, to be my wife. I promise-"

Those words, beautiful to him, but terrible to her, fell from his lips. For a few moments, a ringing silence enveloped the ballroom, after which the bride's bouquet broke it, falling to the floor in front of her feet.

"Y/n?" Lumine asked, looking into his blue eyes.

The words escaped his lips with surprising ease, but he didn't say anything as the blonde pressed her lips into a thin line and turned around to run towards the exit of the ballroom. She didn't stop even when Aether's alarmed voice called her name. Tartaglia's mind told him that now he should feel guilty, but his heart couldn't feel it at all.

After all, now he really came to the realization of what had just happened. He just said an oath. For you. Even if he didn't finish saying those words, even if it wasn't your and his wedding. But that's what helped him understand.

In the place of his bride, he saw you.

Your name was said so easily, so rightly in this situation. It was as if there were no other names in the entire Universe but yours. It seemed to him that his tongue existed only to pronounce your name.

Childe realized that only next to you did he see his future. He wanted to see you smile every day, hear your laughter every day. Feel you in his arms, hug you and take your hugs in return. Kiss your lips and receive your kisses in return.

With each new thought of you, his heart beat faster in his chest, intending to break free and rush into your arms, into your tender and loving palms, in which you would cherish his heart with all your boundless love. Nothing else mattered when the realization came to him. Nothing else mattered but his love for you.

Nothing else mattered but you.

Standing at the altar where his future bride had just escaped from, he finally understood something important. Tartaglia realized that for him in this world there was no longer a single woman, except for you.

The woman he loves. The woman he wants to see next to him every day. The woman he wants to see in a wedding dress. You.

Notes:

oh i'm so excited! it finally happened! both y/n and childe finally realized their feelings. and we can finally move on to the most interesting. i can't wait to share this with you ~

please share your thoughts on this chapter. i appreciate your opinion. thank you very much for your kudos and comments. it always motivates me a lot. also, you can visit my tumblr hanilessa to keep up to date with all the news about hhfl and my other fics. thank u so much. ily! 3

Chapter 17: Business trip

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Y/n, you will be accompanying mister Tartaglia on a business trip."

The way this phrase was said unexpectedly and unceremoniously made you flinch in fear, drop the pencil from your hand and stare at your boss with wide open eyes. Ei and Yoimiya also raised their heads in surprise, waiting for the man sitting in the chair to continue speaking. He, as if wanting to continue the exciting moment, was silent for some more time, after which he finally continued speaking.

"In a week there will be a meeting of investors and owners of large corporations in Mondstadt." The man began to explain, catching your interested gaze. You stopped typing the text of the letter and completely focused your attention on the task that your boss set for you.

"This meeting takes place once a year. This was created so that the owners of various enterprises enter into mutually beneficial deals that can bring a large amount of profit in the future."

You nodded in understanding, but one important question was still bothering you, so you spoke again, "But why did you decide that I should go on this trip?"

"You need to gain work experience. And going to a meeting with business partners is a good experience." The man explained to you, and you couldn't disagree with him. In fact, you weren't against this trip, it was just that the news about it was too unexpected. "I wanted to go there myself to see my partners, but mister Tartaglia insisted that it was you who would go from our department."

Your eye twitched at the words you heard. For some reason you thought this trip would be very exciting. Considering the fact that you finally realized your feelings for Childe. It took you a little over two weeks to really think about it, but you still weren't sure how you should act with him alone.

Perhaps this trip is a chance by which you can learn how you should act with him. And maybe you both will become closer on this trip. Because of your thoughts, your cheeks were covered with a bright blush, and the sensations and feelings that excited your heart, which appeared every time you thought about Tartaglia, spread in your chest. It was hard to deny, you thought about him constantly.

"Bring these documents to him." The voice of your boss broke you out of sweet thoughts about your lover, and you absentmindedly glanced at the man's face as he pointed at the stack of papers that lay on his desk. "And you will have a chance to ask him about the upcoming meeting."

You nodded and stood up from your desk, hobbling awkwardly on legs shaking because of the unexpected meeting with Tartaglia, and took the documents in your hands, turning to the door to leave the office.

"Just don't stutter too much, okay?" Yoimiya winked at you, trying to tease you and make you feel embarrassed, since she knew that you had romantic feelings for the ginger man. You rolled your eyes at your friend's words and left the office.

You rarely visited Tartaglia's office. Mostly, you were in the office of the director of the company on business issues when your boss had to leave his workplace. Or when Childe was too clingy, forcing you to take a break from working in his office. In such cases, you usually feigned agreement in order to distract his vigilance.

You followed him with a slight sly smile, and when he finally entered his office, hoping that you would follow him, you quickly closed the glass door in front of him, causing him to turn in confusion in your direction and look into your eyes. The ginger man looked absolutely adorable at that moment, making your heart beat faster in your chest. His blue eyes looked into yours with mock sadness, begging you to stay next to him. But you were adamant!

Now, remembering this case, you quietly covered your mouth to hide the smile that adorned your beautiful face. Of course, the next time you were no longer able to deceive him in this way, because he walked behind you and carefully made sure that you walked towards his office and didn't run away anywhere.

It felt like some kind of game to both of you, which you two enjoyed equally. But, unfortunately for Childe, you were able to easily deceive him and leave him alone in his office again. You were wondering how your meeting today would end. Your heart beat a fast rhythm with every step you took, which brought you closer to the director's office. Excitement enveloped you from all sides, but the opportunity to see your loved one exceeded your excitement many times over.

You greeted the blonde secretary, who only nodded at you irritably and followed you with a long, drawn-out look to the door to Childe's office. You felt a little embarrassed by her gaze, but this feeling quickly disappeared when you finally found yourself in the director's office and slammed the door behind you. And at that moment, instead of confusion and irritation, the most beautiful feelings blossomed in your chest when you finally saw him.

He was sitting at his wide wooden desk and looking through some papers. His blue eyes focused intently on every letter, every word, and every sentence. He looked so motionless that it seemed to you as if he were a motionless statue, sculpted with the greatest diligence of which sculptors can be capable. You watched how his eyebrows furrowed, how his lips pressed into a thin line, how his eyes narrowed when he found some controversial point. He was so...

"The little bunny must really not be afraid of the gray wolf if he comes back here every time, huh?" The man's voice brought you out of your sweet thoughts and brought you back to reality, causing your cheeks to turn red.

The ginger man smiled with satisfaction at your confusion and leaned back in his chair, waiting for you to start speaking. Confused and embarrassed, you were in no hurry to start a conversation, so Tartaglia turned his attention to the folder of papers that you were clutching to your chest and sighed in disappointment.

"Why do you only come to me when you need to bring me these stupid documents?" Childe groans in frustration, closing his eyes from fatigue, but then immediately opens them, looking at you with two oceans again. "Can't you really come to be with me without any good reason?"

"So is that the only thing you're not happy with?" You ignored his childish behavior — which again made you internally squeal at how cute he was in that moment — and you continued to say, "I thought you'd be upset that I brought you extra work."

"If you stay by my side, I'm ready to do any work." The ginger man said it completely seriously, looking straight into your beautiful eyes. Your cheeks flushed with a bright blush, and a warm wave of pleasant feeling passed through your body, warming every cell of your body.

"I-I can't be with you all the time." Your voice trembled treacherously, hinting at your embarrassment. You walked closer to his desk, placing the folder with papers on the wooden surface. Tartaglia watched you carefully all this time.

"That's what upsets me." He muttered the words under his breath, catching your attention. You tilted your head to the side, not hearing his last words, which made Childe very happy.

You raised an eyebrow questioningly, but decided not to question what he said and told, "I didn't just come to give you the documents."

The way his ginger head rose at your words made you chuckle. Your heart was about to jump out of your chest when his blue eyes, full of hope, found yours. Right now, he looked like a little child who had been given a delicious piece of candy.

"Is it true? Should I order the secretary to make tea for us and bring sweets?" The man stood up from the desk and overcame this obstacle on his way to you, finally standing in front of you.

"I'm still on work hours, don't forget." You smiled sweetly at him, with a few words dashing all his hopes of being with you for a while. You watched as his happy smile slowly faded from his handsome face, and because of this you felt some sadness, because you didn't want to upset your loved one. But you couldn't do anything about it. Work is work.

"I remember." The man snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. But when he saw your gentle smile, he felt better just watching how beautiful and wonderful you were just standing in front of him now. He had never wanted anything more than to touch you and your skin without really having a good reason to do so.

"I'm here to inquire about our future trip to Mondstadt." You said, watching Tartaglia's face change when you mentioned the business trip you two were scheduled to go on in a week.

"And what exactly do you want to know?" The ginger man asked, leaning his back against the wooden table. You bit your lip for a moment, watching Childe. The top button of his red shirt was undone, making you feel embarrassed. "The company will pay all expenses. You don't need to worry about transport and the place where you will spend the night. It will be at the highest level."

"Why did you decide to take me on this trip and not my boss?" You asked directly, without any prevarication, waiting for his answer. When the ginger man heard your question, his face took on a sly look and he stepped away from the desk, moving closer to you.

"I want you to gain work experience, princess." Tartaglia shrugged his shoulders, showing with all his appearance that your question was completely stupid and inappropriate in this situation.

"You sound like my boss!" You said with a snort and the man only chuckled, enjoying how cute you were at that moment.

"Your boss has enough experience, and I would like you to be able to participate in the life of the company too. I want to pave the way for you to a good future. Is it bad?"

"I think it looks like you just want to spend more time with me!" These words escaped your lips before you even knew it.

For a few moments there was a tense silence between the two of you, interrupted by the beating of two hearts which seemed so close to each other, but at the same time so far away. You held your breath excitedly as the ginger man moved closer to your face, gently lifting your chin with his calloused fingers.

His minty breath burns your lips as he says, "What will you do if I say you're right?"

You felt like you were in a cheesy romantic comedy. You were like the female main character, who was constantly embarrassed because of the flirtatious words of the male main character, after which they remained alone and confessed their love to each other. But was everything as simple in reality as in romance novels and films? Reality was harsh, and happy endings were rare.

What is the probability that your romantic story will be happy? Love always clouds the mind, it creeps into the heart, entangling all your insides with its tenacious paws, closing access to logical and rational thinking. Feelings and logic will always be opposites of each other in any of the worlds. You had always been a rational person, but how could you resist how beautiful and gentle Childe was in your eyes?

An extremely funny thought crept into your head. Big bright hearts must have been blinking lovingly and joyfully in your eyes, like those of loving heroines from cartoons, because now you were looking at the man who occupied all your thoughts. It was like a sweet dream that you didn't want to leave at all. After all, if you wake up, you will again find yourself in a reality that will never be lenient towards you.

But, if you woke up every time, feeling his kisses on your skin, you wouldn't mind leaving your wonderful dreams. You were too absent-minded to fully understand what had just happened. But the touch of his soft lips on your cheek finally brought you to feelings that instantly filled your chest with a fire that burned everything that was in the way. Ginger hair tickled your face, immersing you in the most pleasant smell you could ever smell with your nose. In his smell.

Blue bottomless eyes peer carefully into your wide open eyes. In his eyes you can see a spark of sincere care, which mixes with tenderness, carrying you into the abyss of the endless ocean. Tartaglia exhales relaxedly as your face takes on a conscious expression and his lips finally leave your skin. How cruel of him to give you a single kiss, leaving you burning with desire to pull him closer to you, taking everything he could give you.

Thoughts swarm in your head like bees in a hive when you notice a bright blush on Childe's cheeks, which in the blink of an eye makes you squeak out excitedly, thereby slightly frightening the man.

"Baby, are you okay?" Tartaglia asked excitedly, leaning closer to you to assess your condition. Your face looked very red. "You look worried."

"A-ah, n-no, I'm fine." You tried to look as casual as possible so as not to show your nervous and embarrassed state. Once again you were amazed at how calm Childe was in such situations. Or were you such a sensitive and shy person? "Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment."

The man looked you over from head to toe once again to be completely sure that you were okay, and after a few seconds his tense body relaxed. Hot heat rushed to your cheeks when you saw the smile appear on his face. It was so gentle, so reverent. He smiled at you as if he was looking at the most important person in his life.

"Then I wouldn't mind if you were in your thoughts more often, so I could bring you to your senses with my kisses."

Your cheeks turned red in an instant and you could call yourself a ripe tomato if you looked in the mirror right now. You frowned and squeak out in embarrassment, "You're so annoying! First you act cute to me, and then you immediately tease me!"

The ginger man raised his eyebrows in surprise when you called him cute, and the most teasing and sly smile appeared on his face again as he gently caught your wrist with his hand and pulled you closer to him, looking into your wide eyes, grinning slyly.

"Do you think I'm cute?"

"No, I think you're a jerk!"

"But you just called me cute!" Childe smiled as he watched you try to deny things that were obvious to both of you. It was absolutely cute how you argued with him about such seemingly completely pointless things. But the fact that he shared these moments with you made them special and made his heart warm to think that he was blessed to be the person who could see you in such moments.

"You have misunderstood it!" You snorted and turned your nose up, turning your head away from him to the side so as not to look at his satisfied and grinning face.

Tartaglia exhaled happily, feeling his heart fill with the most beautiful feelings he could ever feel and leans a little closer to you again to whisper the next words in your ear.

"Sorry, princess, we both have to work." He watched in awe as big goosebumps ran down your neck as his breath touched your skin. You held your breath, waiting for him to finish speaking. "If I had the opportunity to stop time and stay with you a little longer, I would do it immediately, but..."

You felt your knees shake as he broke off his sentence, leaving it unfinished, making you embarrassed. He moved closer to you again and whispered in your ear.

"I'm looking forward to our trip so that I can be with you a little more than the time I'm allowed."

A slight movement, and the man moves away from you, giving you a final look from his blue eyes. He turns around and walks out of his office, leaving you alone in the chaos of your thoughts and feelings in the middle of his big office, filled with his entire being.

You loved it when autumn gave way to winter. Snowflakes fell from the dark sky, which was covered with dense gray clouds hiding the sun, which was weakly warming the Earth. And there was something romantic about standing on the street early in the morning, when the sun hadn't yet risen, watching the rare cars drive along the roadway. In the distance, a faint streak of sunlight could be seen on the horizon, and it was truly a beautiful sight as the night sky faded into the golden colors of the daylight.

You rubbed your palms together to keep your body warm as you waited for the black car will pull up to your house. Your eyes and your whole appearance were still sleepy, so you yawned quietly and absentmindedly looked into the void, hoping to see the car of the person with whom you were to be side by side for a long time. This trip was different from your usual meetings, because you were supposed to be with Tartaglia constantly. It seemed like something beyond dreams, it both excited you and made you want to see him as soon as possible.

The headlights illuminated the small space around you as your lover's car pulled up next to you. Snow continued to fall to the ground, snowflakes crunching under your boots as you shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, trying to pick up your suitcase from the ground. It felt as if the wheels of a suitcase were frozen to the asphalt.

"Let me do it." Warm hands suddenly circled your waist and gently moved you to the side. The ginger man gave you a quick glance as a greeting before carefully taking your suitcase in his hands to place it in the trunk. Clouds of warm air burst out of his mouth, rushing high into the sky, drawing various fancy images and shapes, and gradually dissolved in space.

You, slightly flustered by his unexpected action, just nodded and whispered, "Thank you, Childe."

The man smiled and nodded towards the car, "Hurry up, get into the car, otherwise you'll freeze."

You decided to listen to the man's advice and got into the car, carefully slamming the door behind you. It was warm inside the car, and you relaxed, feeling your body begin to warm up. The car smelled of freshness and pine. You inhaled the pleasant smell, realizing that you were starting to fall asleep again. But the unexpected coldness from the driver's seat woke you up again when Childe opened the door and sat down in his seat. He noticed your sleepy state and smiled gently. Or is it just your sweet inventions due to sleepiness?

The man started the car engine and pressed some button, and you noticed how the back of your seat fell back a little. Childe said, "Aren't you cold? Should I turn the heater up to make it warmer?"

"No, I'm warm." You answered and yawned, feeling relaxed as you settled more comfortably on the back of the seat. Finally, the car moved off, driving out onto the roadway.

"You can get some sleep." Tartaglia turned off the music that had been playing up to this point and looked at you again. "We have a long way to go."

"What about you?" You asked excitedly.

"Don't worry about me. I got enough sleep and I have enough strength." He smiled at you again and looked back at the road. "Just sleep."

You didn't answer, not wanting to disturb the pleasant silence around you and Tartaglia, and looked out the window. The sky continued to maintain a dark hue, and you could still see small stars on the dark blanket of space. Snowflakes fell outside the window, gradually making you feel more and more sleepy.

Your heart beat faster in your chest as you thought about the ginger man's words. About how he took care of your comfort. About how incredibly gentle and caring he was with you right now. This embarrassed you and your knees trembled, but you didn't have the opportunity to think about it any longer, because sleep was gradually drawing you into its kingdom. And before the purr of the engine finally lulled you to sleep, your last thought was that you loved Childe so much.

You were awakened by the light touch of Childe's hand on your cheek. You opened your eyes with difficulty, squinting from the bright light. Day had finally arrived and the sun was shining through the small clouds. The snow reflected the sun's rays, and this created a very beautiful view. You glanced absentmindedly out the window, noticing that the car had stopped near a small building.

"Aren't you hungry?" Tartaglia's slightly hoarse voice was heard from your right, and your heart sank painfully when you noticed the slight tiredness on his face. How long did he continue to drive? "If you're hungry, we can have breakfast at a roadside cafe."

"You're tired." You state the fact, making the man momentarily surprised by your remark and attention to him, but then his face again took on a teasing expression.

"Is princess worried about me?" His voice sounds loud and casual, but you understand that he's just grimacing.

"Yes." Your answer was abrupt and unexpected for Childe, but your confident appearance at the same time made him swallow nervously and raise his hands in a conciliatory gesture.

He smiled kindly and said, "You don't need to worry, Y/n. I'm not tired. I just need to take a little break. Let's have a snack."

You didn't have time to answer, because the ginger man had already gotten out of the car, so you had no choice but to follow him. You stretched sweetly, yawned, and opened the car door, also leaving the car. You looked around — the roadside cafe was in a very picturesque place. The small building was surrounded by coniferous trees, the smell of which reached your little nose. You inhaled the pleasant smell of nature, following Tartaglia into a cozy cafe.

The cafe was really cozy, quiet and calm music was playing, there were few people, the waiters stood at the counter doing nothing, and when you both entered the cafe, it seemed to immediately come to life. Tartaglia asked you to take any table, and you chose the farthest table by the window, where you could watch the snowflakes continue to fall on the white blanket of snow. After a couple of minutes, Childe sat down in front of you, placing a tray of food on the table. The food was not particularly pompous, but it looked very appetizing and beautiful, so that your drool literally began to flow, and you felt that you were really hungry.

Both of you were enjoying a delicious meal in silence, you were thoughtfully looking at the forest landscape outside the window, thinking about how your trip would go, when dissatisfied grumblings were heard from your lover. You looked at the man with interest, noticing the chopsticks in his hands. He awkwardly tried to pick up a small piece of meat with them, but failed, and the meat fell back into the plate, splashing the sauce.

"Damn it." The ginger man cursed, biting his lip in irritation.

You continued to watch Childe as realization slowly dawned on you. He didn't know how to use chopsticks! Your lips spread into a satisfied and sly smile when you finally found a worthy reason to tease him.

You rested your chin in your hands and said in a cloying sweet voice, "Are you having problems?"

You grinned contentedly when the ginger man's attention shifted to you. You could tell by his blue eyes that he was somewhat embarrassed by the situation and the fact that you noticed that he was bad with chopsticks.

"You're so messy with those chopsticks." You continued to tease, not realizing at all that you were setting yourself up for embarrassment. Because after a few seconds, the embarrassment disappeared from Childe's face and the teasing behavior took its place again.

"Then maybe you should feed me?" The man raises an eyebrow and his lips are curling into a satisfied smile as your cheeks instantly turn red. Tartaglia opens his mouth in a showy manner, letting out a lingering "Aah" sound, causing you to snort in defeat.

You embarrassedly covered your face with your hands, refusing to continue further dialogue with the man. Childe's heart was beating fast in his chest as he watched how sweet you were being to him. There was an overwhelming desire in his soul to embarrass and tease you even more, because you looked absolutely adorable when he embarrassed you once again. He would give anything in the world to see your red cheeks and embarrassed smile once again.

The rest of the trip passed in silence until Childe received a call from a colleague. They were discussing some work issues, and you decided not to disturb him, turning to the window and enjoying the views outside the car window. When you finally arrived in Mondstadt, you looked at the new city with delight. It was very beautiful here, and it was noticeably different from Snezhnaya.

Tall stone houses rose here and there, giving you the impression that you were in some kind of medieval city. Your eyes looked around the streets of the city with excitement, and you really wanted to take a walk here in your free time. Tartaglia noticed your curiosity and interest, and a gentle smile touched his lips. He loved watching you when you were so cute and curious. He thought that you both would definitely need to take a walk around the city.

The hotel greeted you with a luxurious winter garden. Garlands hung on small bushes, illuminating the area around the hotel with golden light. You walked happily towards the hotel entrance and looked around, taking in the view as Childe talked to the porter, arranging for him to take care of your luggage. When you both found yourself in the hotel lobby, you were greeted by a friendly girl.

"Welcome to our hotel!" She smiled. "Do you have a room booked?"

"Yes, I booked two rooms under the name Childe Tartaglia." The ginger man answered and took out several documents from his pocket.

You remained silent, feeling that this day had been very tiring and that you needed some rest.

"I got it, please wait a moment. I need to check all details."

You yawned, completely losing the point of the dialogue when you felt Tartaglia's hand on your cheek. You shuddered in surprise and looked into the blue eyes of the man who leaned closer to your face.

A light whisper escaped his lips, "Hey, princess, don't sleep. First we need to pay for our rooms. It will be difficult for me to do this if you fall asleep right here. Don't you think so?"

Your cheeks lit up with a red blush, and you wanted to answer him something caustic and impudent, but suddenly the voice of the receptionist girl interrupted the two of you.

"I'm sorry, sir, we've got a little problem."

For a few moments, you thought Childe was annoyed that you two were interrupted, but his face returned to a calm expression and his hand left your skin, leaving you confused and unsaid.

"What's wrong?" He asked, turning to the girl.

"It seems that our employees messed up some rooms, and mistakenly put other people in your rooms." The girl said, biting her lip nervously.

You looked at Tartaglia worriedly. He caught your eye, letting you know that the situation was under control and he would sort it out. You felt relieved. You had the feeling that you were always next to Childe, as if behind a stone wall.

"And what does it mean?"

"We have only one room with one bed." After checking the information she had, the girl said.

Your heart began to beat faster in your chest when you heard those words. Your eyes once again caught Tartaglia's ocean eyes. This trip really promised to be exciting, full of surprises.

Notes:

hey everyone! we have a new chapter ~ first i would like to thank you for 5000 hits, it means a lot to me! your support motivates me a lot. thank u SO SO MUCH!
also i really like this chapter. especially the part about the cafe and hotel. i couldn't help but write about the "one bed" trope. it's one of my favorites. what's your favorite moment in this chapter? share your opinion in the comment. thank you! ily! 3

Chapter 18: Love room

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"We have only one room with one bed."

These words thundered in your head like thunder from a clear sky. It echoed in your mind, preventing you from regaining consciousness for some time. For a few moments, it even seemed to you that you had forgotten how to breathe, and you had to take a couple of shuddering breaths to calm down a little. You awkwardly, but at the same time excitedly, raise your doe eyes, and they immediately meet Childe's blue eyes.

The ocean of his eyes seemed to be absolutely restless. Huge waves raged in its ocean, ready to sink any ship that was unlucky enough to go out into the ocean in such frightening weather. Thunderstorms threw furious luminous charges, rain dripped from the dark sky. But that never scared you about his beautiful gaze. On the contrary, you wanted to plunge headlong into it, to dissolve in that soft and creamy sea foam that floated on the surface of his gaze.

The ginger man, catching your worried gaze, swallowed, realizing that his knees were trembling for a second with the knowledge that the two of you would have to spend several nights next to each other. There were a lot of butterflies frolicking in his stomach, fluttering their wings and tickling his insides, and it literally made him smile stupidly. He felt like the swarm of butterflies in his stomach could tear him apart.

But… he again took on a serious expression and looked at your face, trying to understand what you were thinking about now. His heart beat faster as Tartaglia looked at you and your cute face. You were so excited, but that always made you look so sweet. The way your cute eyebrows frowned, the way they met at the bridge of your nose, was the most charming sight. Your red cheeks looked like two ripe red apples. Your slightly trembling pink lips made him want to touch it with his lips every second.

"Princess, if this is causing you even the slightest discomfort, we can find another hotel now." The man came a little closer to you, looking you over from head to toe. Your clothes were slightly damp from the snow and you were shivering from the cold. "Where you will have your own room."

You looked back into his eyes and you swore you could have the stupidest lovestruck smile on your face right now. Your heart fluttered in your chest just looking at your lover who was so worried about your comfort. There was none of his usual twinkle of teasing or slyness in his gaze. Only pure concern for your well-being, tenderness and a hint of slight excitement.

You understood that you both were tired after a long trip, and it would be wrong to force a man to look for a new hotel for you late at night. It was cold and damp outside, you were falling off your feet, Childe also looked very tired. Moreover, he drove the car all day! You couldn't let him worry about anything else.

You knew for sure that you could never feel uncomfortable next to the person you gave your soul and heart to. The thought of having the opportunity to be so close to him for several days and nights made a whole hurricane of all sorts of vivid feelings swirl in your stomach. A big firework of happiness exploded in your chest.

So you took a deep breath and looked confidently into the eyes of the man who was still waiting for your answer, "No, we can stay in this hotel. That's fine with me."

The hurricane raging in his body stopped, and a wave of relief covered his sandy shore when Tartaglia heard your words. The ginger man exhaled and closed his eyes for a moment before opening it again to move even closer to you. He gently ran his cool palm over your hot cheek and smiled, grateful for your trust in him. He couldn't have asked for anything more in this situation.

"I will finish with the formalities, just wait a little longer." His gentle whisper lulled you a little, and you felt even sleepier. But this state only lasted a couple of seconds, after which Childe's hand disappeared from your cheek, causing you to come to your senses again in an instant. Your heart screamed and broke, wanting to be in his tender hands again.

You absentmindedly watched as the man talked with the receptionist girl and resolved pressing issues about your shared room. A shared room… It sounded so embarrassing, but also at the same time exciting and knee-shiveringly amazing. You wondered how your first night with Tartaglia was supposed to go. You squeaked in embarrassment, placing your palms on your cheeks, hot from embarrassment. Sometimes your thoughts were really awkward.

"Y/n." The voice of your lover brought you out of your thoughtful state, and you looked at the ginger man who was holding the keys to your room in his hands. "Let's go, princess."

You nodded shyly and allowed the ginger man to take your suitcase and you both headed off to follow the receptionist girl as she led you towards your room. You looked around, noting to yourself that the hotel looked very beautiful and attractive.

Every now and then your gaze caught on something sparkling or shiny — chandeliers, marble fountains, beautiful statues. The light from the chandeliers played on the shiny surfaces, creating a beautiful, bright sight — you felt as if lights were dancing around you, as if in a fairy tale.

To your surprise, the hotel hallways were empty. You assumed that most people had already been in their rooms for a long time, because it was already quite late in the evening. You absentmindedly watched the girl walking in front of you, who navigated this labyrinth of corridors like a real guide.

You even thought you were dizzy as the three of you turned another corner. You were sure that during these few days in this hotel you would definitely get lost here a couple of times.

After some time, the young girl finally stopped next to the large wooden door and turned around to face you and Childe. You could tell from her sympathetic face that you two weren't looking the best. However, she smiled friendly and pointed towards the door with her hand.

"This is your room. If you need anything, you can use the landline to call the maid." You and Tartaglia thanked the girl lamely, and she bowed. "Enjoy your stay."

When the girl left, you looked at the closed door, and for a moment it seemed to you that the ground had disappeared from under your feet, and the bowels of the earth with hot and hissing lava opened up in front of you. You immediately mentally scolded yourself.

Breathe, Y/n, it's just a room. This thought calmed you for a moment, but the next thought knocked you out of your calm state again. Yes, it's just a room with one bed. Your cheeks have turned a bright crimson color.

"Are you ready?" You heard Childe's voice from the side, and glanced at his face out of the corner of your eye. It was calm, but it seemed to you that the man was also a little nervous.

You swallowed and nodded, "I'm ready."

The first thing that caught your eye when the ginger man opened the door for you was, of course, the bed. There was only one bed. You mentally chuckled. Brilliant conclusion, Y/n. The bed wasn't too small, but you couldn't say that you both could sleep within a good enough distance of each other. However, there was no turning back, you made the right decision for yourself and had to move only forward.

"Do you want to take a shower?" Tartaglia asked as he closed the massive wooden door behind the two of you. "The trip was too tiring."

"Oh, yes, sure." You smiled at him, taking off your snow-damp coat and hanging it in the wooden closet that stood in the hallway of the room. Your cheeks, red from embarrassment, were clearly visible in the light of the bright crystal lamp. "That would be great."

"Then you can do it first." The ginger man said, noticing your red cheeks. You smiled happily and nodded, and his heart beat rhythmically in his chest, humming a love song.

His cheeks were red, his voice trembled, and he urgently needed to do something about it, until you noticed that he was embarrassed too. And when he finally found the right words, a cheeky and sly smile appeared on his face. You looked absolutely adorable when you were angry and embarrassed, so he couldn't resist teasing you.

"Though I wouldn't mind joining you."

The slyness didn't leave his face even as he watched your face gradually become red and hot. The ginger man continues to smile teasingly and reaches out to you with his forefinger, gently touching your soft skin.

"Ouch! You're so hot, baby!" He theatrically pulls his finger away from your cheek, and also theatrically brings it to his lips and carefully blows a light breath on it. "Should I stay in the bathroom with you to make sure you cool down, huh?"

In the blink of an eye, the percentage of your embarrassment takes on the most impossible indicators, and you scream indignantly and beat Childe in the chest with your small fists. A hearty laugh escapes his lips as his blue eyes meet yours, burning with anger and embarrassment, and you scream loudly.

"You're a fool, fool, fool! I hate you!"

You can still hear his loud, beautiful, bell-like laugh as you slam the bathroom door and press your back against it. You put your hands to your cheeks burning with fire, and the man's words no longer seem so absurd to you, because your cheeks were literally burning, like coals in the hottest fire.

Your heart was beating wildly in your chest, the sound of your pulse echoing in your ears as you tried to get your breathing back to normal. This man… Why did every word he said made your heart beat so fast in your chest?

If someone else would have said such an embarrassing thing to you, you would have simply ignored it, but for some reason, coming from Tartaglia's lips, these things always sounded very embarrassing! But at the same time it was so tender and exciting. And all this made you quietly squeal with delight and your love.

"I don't want to interrupt your hatred of me, but don't stay in the bathroom for too long, okay? We have to get up early tomorrow." Childe's cheerful voice was heard outside the door, and you just snorted angrily.

"Shut up!"

Hot water trickled down your naked body, relaxing your tired body. Your hair stuck to your wet body, slightly hindering your movements. The pleasant smell of lavender and the sharp smell of citrus hovered throughout the bath, absorbing into every part of your body. It calmed your nerves and relaxed your stiff muscles after a grueling day of trip.

You looked into the large mirror, noticing the bright blush on your cheeks. And it's unclear why your cheeks were more red. Because of the hot air that permeated the entire bathroom. Or because of your beloved man, who was just a few meters away from you now.

The only thing separating you two was this moderately thick brick wall. Your heart was jumping in your chest when you thought that you both had to see each other in the most vulnerable state.

"Don't worry, Y/n!" You cheered yourself up, but your knees continued to tremble. You smiled wryly at your reflection and dried your damp hair with a towel. "It will be okay. You can handle it."

You carefully opened the bathroom door and looked out of the bathroom. The spacious room was filled with the smell of essential oils that you used in the shower. On wobbly legs, you walked closer to the bed, awkwardly looking around. You flinched sharply, like a frightened little rabbit, when you heard a familiar hoarse voice.

"I see you're done showering and hating on me, hm?" You rolled your eyes at his stupid joke as you felt him move closer to you.

You didn't dare turn to him, feeling the sticky excitement spreading throughout your body. The feeling of his chest fleetingly pressing against your back, which was covered only by a light silk robe, made your knees tremble. A small laugh escaped his lips as he leaned towards your face and lightly blew his breath onto your cheek.

"Relax, princess, I'm just kidding." The knot of excitement continued to twist in your stomach when the man finally pulled away from you and you were able to exhale in relaxation. You prayed to the god to take pity on you.

"Someone told me to hurry up when I was in the bathroom. We mustn't be late tomorrow!" You frowned, trying to hide the fact that your voice was trembling with embarrassment.

"Hm, is princess worried about whether I have time to take a shower?" Tartaglia smiled slyly as you glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. His fingers lazily unbuttoned his red shirt, button by button. The man, noticing your timid look, smiled smugly. "Then maybe can you join me to check on me? My offer still stands."

Childe laughed loudly, barely having time to close the door to the bathroom when a heavy pillow flew into it. You, puffing with embarrassment, pointedly turned up your nose and sat down on the soft bed. The softness of the feather bed felt great on your skin, and you were able to relax while looking at the snowflakes falling outside the window. The dark sky was covered with clouds, winter fully felt its dominance over nature.

You decided to read a book for a while before going to bed. You wanted to wait for Tartaglia to come out of the bath, because you felt like going to bed alone was wrong. Therefore, you opened the novel that Yoimiya recommended to you and began to read with interest. As you read the first words, your eye began to twitch. The beginning of the story in the book was absurdly similar to your situation with Tartaglia.

The main characters of the novel stopped for the night at an inn. Unfortunately, there weren't enough rooms, and they had to share one room between two. The absurdity of the coincidence unsettled you so much that you didn't immediately notice how the bathroom door finally opened after a long time. The sharp aroma of menthol and mint hit your nostrils, causing you to squeeze your eyes shut for a moment.

You opened your eyes again and winced when your gaze fell on the ginger man. Your cheeks instantly turned bright red as your eyes ran over his naked, sculpted abs, along which small droplets of water flowed. Childe ruffled his ginger hair, and a few drops covered the shag carpet under his feet. All thought processes in your head were stopped for a couple of seconds before you could hear the man's voice.

"Do you like what you see, princess?" Tartaglia smiles slyly, noticing your excited expression and red cheeks, and raises an eyebrow teasingly.

You immediately look down in embarrassment, your red cheeks pouting out in resentment as you answer, "Not at all."

"Hm? Is this really true?" The ginger man has the nerve to put on an innocent face as he tosses the towel to the side and climbs onto your bed, crawling a little closer to you.

Your heart beats faster as your eyes meet Childe's blue ones and you find the ginger man looming above you. You press yourself against the head of the bed while Tartaglia looms right over you, watching your every little move.

The man watches how your chest heaves, how small droplets of water flow from your wet hair and fall on your skin and his. He sees the pure innocence in your doe eyes when you look at him. The blood in his veins becomes hotter when he notices your flushed cheeks and innocent, embarrassed look. Fuck, you're so beautiful.

You both take deep, labored breaths. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of your room, leaving the two of you suffocating in the burning fire of love. Your breathing is interrupted only by the measured ticking of the clock hanging on the wall. Tick tock. Tick tock. It felt like torture, and it seemed to you that now you could lose the last bits of self-control, pressing your lips to Tartaglia's lips in a hot kiss.

"Damn it." You want to laugh because this phrase leaves your lips and Childe's lips at the same time.

His face is still close to yours, you can see how his Adam's apple trembles, how your own hands tremble. Time stood still around you, and the meaning has no meaning. You both continued to look into each other's eyes, and it seemed that nothing could interrupt this exciting moment. But…

"Tomorrow's meeting." Your broken voice cuts through the silence between the two of you, and Childe seems to wake up from a deep sleep when he hears your voice. He looks at your pink lips as you say your next words. "We shouldn't be late, so we should go to bed."

"You're right." Tartaglia exhaled hot air from his lips and awkwardly ran his hand through his ginger hair.

A moment later, the ginger man pulled away from you and lay down on the other side of the bed. You felt like it all that just happened between the two of you was just your sweet dream. But your heart, ready to jump out of your chest, never agreed with you and your thoughts. All this happened in reality.

The two of you were lying a good distance away from each other, both of you wanting to say something that could break this tense atmosphere. Your hearts beat in unison, as if you both were one.

Gradually, fatigue began to take its toll and you felt that you were starting to fall asleep. A sudden desire to see Childe's face before you fell asleep appeared in your mind. You couldn't resist this desire, so you timidly turned towards Tartaglia, and at that moment your eyes met his. He looked into your eyes and didn't want it to ever end.

You bathed in the ocean of his beautiful eyes, which caressed every part of your tender body. The blue of sea salt cut into your nostrils, and on the verge of sleep you could feel yourself walking along a sandy shore surrounded by a clear crystal ocean. A light whisper escaped his lips and touched your ears.

"You're so beautiful."

And a moment later you fell asleep.

Notes:

hello, my dears! i'm super excited for the new chapter because it's so hot! do you feel this tension between y/n and childe?

also i would like to thank you for 6000 hits and 210 kudos, i'm very happy that you really like this fic!
AND it's my birthday today 🎉🎉🎉 this chapter is my gift to you. i really hope you enjoy it. share your impressions about this chapter by leaving a feedback. thank you so SO much! i love you! 3

Chapter 19: Dreams of each other

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The sun rays played on your sleepy face, running across your pale skin from side to side. It was as if they were little bunnies and were playing tag, trying to catch up with each other. The sun rays warmly enveloped your relaxed face, warming the surface of your skin. They were relentless in their desire to finally wake you up so you could start a new day. But the soft bed couldn't allow you to wake up so quickly, because it was so warm, relaxing your body in its soft, downy feather beds. It felt like a sweet and soft cake with cream that enveloped your entire being.

Your thick eyelashes began to tremble, notifying the world of your awakening. Your body felt so weightless and light, like a feather. You didn't want to leave your warm bed at all, but your work responsibilities left you no choice. So you yawned sweetly, getting ready to open your eyes. And when you finally did this, an exciting sight appeared before you — your cute little nose buried in a wide pale chest. It heaved with every inhalation and exhalation, which sounded like a small whistle in your hair. The weight of hand on your thigh was felt as a matter of course, and at first you didn't attach much importance to it.

Your sleepy brain continues to analyze the situation and the space around you when the gears in your head finally begin to move and grind. Holding your breath, you timidly move your head up, and your eyes meet Tartaglia's blue eyes. Your heart falls to the heels and your throat becomes dry, when you hear his hoarse, sleepy voice.

"Good morning, princess." His sly eyes continue to wander over your sleepy face, noting every unevenness, every hollow on your skin. He was infinitely attentive and meticulous in this matter, as if he couldn't forgive himself if he missed even one small detail about you. Your sweet sleepy face, beautiful eyes in which Childe could see his reflection, plump lips, on the corners of which there was a slight trace of saliva. You were absolutely adorable in your sleepy and uncomprehending state. Watching all this, the man couldn't resist a little teasing. "Earth to Y/n. Should I kiss you to bring you back from heaven to me in the bed?"

A loud squeal fills the hotel room as you push the ginger man off the bed. The characteristic thud of falling to the floor and the muffled groan that the man made when his body came into contact with the cold floor reaches your ears. Your eyes widen and you fearfully crawl closer to the edge of the bed to make sure Childe is okay.

"Are you okay?" Your voice is full of sincere excitement, and Tartaglia, rubbing the bruised area with his hand, felt his heart overflowing with pure and all-consuming love. Sitting on the bed and covering yourself with a white blanket, you towered over him, like an angel descending from heaven and blessing him with just your presence.

"I didn't think you could be so energetic right after waking up." There was slight dissatisfaction with your action in his intonation, and you couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, which quickly disappeared when you reminded yourself of why you reacted so violently in the first place. It wasn't every day you got to wake up in the arms of the man you loved. "I'm fine, don't worry."

The ginger man quickly rose from the floor, and you again discovered that his chest was still naked, giving you a wonderful view of his toned body, strong muscles and arms, with which he held you in his arms all night. Your face turned red as this realization crossed your mind.

"But I think my heart was hurt by your cold greeting this morning." The man grinned, heading to the bathroom to take a morning shower and do all the necessary procedures before the working day. "Would you like to soothe my unbearable pain with your kisses?"

"Don't even dream." You muttered and turned away, but your heart beat in protest in your chest, because your heart knew that you wanted this. More than anything else. But you couldn't help but think, was he really serious about his words at that moment? Or was he just flirting with you and teasing you once again? You desperately wanted to know how he truly felt towards you.

The man's blue eyes carefully watched your thoughtful face, his chest heaving with each convulsive breath when he finally released a deep exhalation from his lungs and turned towards the bathroom to quietly whisper the words with his lips:

"If you only knew that I dream about it day and night." His hoarse voice and words were muffled by the closing bathroom door.

With a slight exhalation, you again sank onto the soft feather bed, which again joyfully accepted you into its fluffy and cloudy expanses. You were glad to lie in the bed a little longer while Tartaglia took his morning shower. Your mind was filled with many thoughts about the day ahead, how many new acquaintances you had to make, and how many things you had to do. You thought that it would be nice to drink strong coffee before the upcoming work day. You two had a busy day ahead of you.

The sound of water was heard from the bathroom, and your thoughts involuntarily returned to your loved one. The beating of your heart echoed in your ears like a rhythmic melody, the rhythm of which was dedicated only for Childe. A pleasant warmth enveloped your body as you remembered how you fell asleep, caressed by the gentle gaze of his blue oceans. It was as if you were watching a movie from your memories, and since each movie takes its course, the next scene of the movie didn't take long to appear and popped up in your mind, exciting your entire being.

You're so beautiful.

These words, like the strongest and most heady wine, like the sweetest chocolate and the most delicious fried steak, filled and nourished every part of your body like a hurricane, melting you in a hot fire. And Tartaglia, who came out of the shower, didn't even have time to say a word to you when he heard the words escaping your lips.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" Childe shuddered, feeling caught off guard. He thought that at that moment your mind was completely sleepy, and so the ginger man allowed himself to be a little sincere, and said out loud those words that were always in his head, unspoken. Was he mistaken? And did you hear his every word? Could you really feel the tenderness with which he said these words?

"Hm?" Tartaglia tilted his head to make it look like he didn't know what you were talking about. His ginger, slightly wet hair fell into his eyes, giving him an innocent look, and you furrowed your brows, confident that he knew exactly what you were talking about.

"You called me beautiful before I fell asleep." Your voice trembled slightly as you said these words, as if you were afraid of something. Were afraid of his answer.

You then calmly watched as the ginger man made a thoughtful look, and then, as if nothing had happened, his voice broke the oppressive silence. "Princess, you must have been dreaming."

A dream? You must have actually had a dream about how much you longed to hear those words spoken by him. Your sleepy mind simultaneously gave you the most beautiful moment of your life, but doused you with cold, icy water. He reminded you that this was only the imagination of your sleepy and loving mind, and not reality. For some reason, your legs and arms suddenly became completely weak, and you didn't want to do anything. Although a couple of minutes ago you were full of energy to start a new day.

"Is that so... It seems that this is really the case."

Tartaglia watched your expression and his heart sank painfully as he noticed that your doe eyes have become sad. You looked like you were expecting a different answer. But at that moment, Childe seemed to have forgotten all the words in the world, it felt as if his mouth had been sewn up, and he had to continue to exist without the ability to utter even one simple sound. The words didn't come back to him even at the moment when you walked into the bathroom and the bathroom door slammed in his face, leaving him alone in a room filled with words thoughtlessly spoken and unspoken.

Your hands dipped into the cold water before you rinsed your face to bring yourself back to your senses. The cold water felt good on your hot face as you took a shuddering breath. A feeling of sadness washed over you as if out of nowhere, knocking you off your feet without warning. It seemed absurdly funny — waking up in the arms of a loved one, feeling like the happiest person in the world, only to plunge into the deep abyss of sadness a few minutes later.

Another breath in and out, and you looked at your reflection in the mirror. A thousand pieces pierced your heart when you thought about Tartaglia. You could never be offended by him. No, you couldn't blame him, it was only your fault, the fault of your loving mind and heart that wanted your dreams to be reality.

You cleaned yourself up and walked out of the bathroom with determination to make sure the man was okay and that there was no misunderstanding between the two of you. But when you left the bathroom, you were greeted by a lonely, empty room. It was quiet, the silence was broken only by the clock hanging on the wall, ticking steadily. Looking around, you walked over to the made bed, and when you looked at the bed, you froze.

A white dress lay on a silk bedspread. It was so light and silky when you touched it to feel the softness of its fabric. This dress looked like a little princess's dress. While you were looking at the beautiful dress with delight, your gaze found a small envelope that was lying next to the dress. With interest, you carefully took the envelope in your hands and took out from it a small, pleasant-smelling piece of paper that contained a few short words.

Please wear this dress for me.

Your heart beat faster and faster as your eyes re-read the slightly clumsy letters on the paper. It looked a little sloppy, but his handwriting was so cute, making you smile softly. You put the envelope aside and, with undisguised excitement, finally took the beautiful dress in your hands. The fabric of the dress was shiny, shimmering in the bright light of the morning sun and persuaded you finally to put it on. Not wanting to hesitate another minute, you threw off your nightgown and walked closer to the mirror.

The hotel room felt like a large flower greenhouse in which a beautiful white flower bloomed. It timidly but boldly pulled his petals closer to the rays of the sun, hoping to receive affection, love and warmth. Neat mesh sleeves covered your arms with beautiful colorful patterns, the corset emphasized your every advantage and gave you neatness and weightlessness. The skirt of the dress, like a snowdrop descending to the nourishing water, covered your legs. This view absolutely captivated you, and you didn't even notice how the ginger man approached you from behind.

His calloused fingers gently touched the clasp on your dress, causing your body to shudder and your skin to break out in goosebumps. You both breathed steadily and you let him do his little thing of helping you with that stupid clasp. You looked at Childe's face in the reflection of the mirror, watching how his eyebrows furrowed slightly, how his blue eyes carefully watched to be careful with you and your skin so as not to hurt you. It was at such moments that he seemed truly sincere and genuine to you. Now his heart was open.

You were distracted for a moment, after which you noticed that Tartaglia had finished helping you with the clasp and now was looking into your eyes. You watched with bated breath as he carefully brushed away the locks of your hair, his voice finally breaking the silence.

"I think you're beautiful. Both in a dream and in reality."

You were silent, listening to his charming and attractive voice. You didn't want to ruin his moment of sincerity, so you didn't let a sound leave your lips. Only his words and nothing more. You wanted to see his face and hear his every word at this very moment, so you carefully watched the ginger man, afraid to miss any meaningful moment. Childe continued to hold your shoulders, his brows furrowing as he realized the fact. You held your breath because you realized he wanted to say something.

"I..." Tartaglia began, but a moment later he faltered and fell silent. He sighed and looked away. His hands left your shoulders to ruffle his ginger hair and not embarrass you anymore. "Come on, we need to go."

You nodded, leaving your heartfelt thoughts for later. You needed to be focused solely on work right now. You both got ready, put your outerwear on and left the hotel room.

In the light of the bright lights of the chandeliers, which were reflected in the small crystals on your dress, you looked like a real princess in your beautiful fairy tale dress. And this undoubtedly attracted others' attention. You caught other people's gazes on you, the hubbub of voices turned into small whispers about how beautiful you are when people were next to you. Heat rushed to your cheeks, and you tried to distract yourself from the awkward situation by turning your attention to the table with snacks and drinks. A glass of sparkling champagne caught your attention, and you gladly took a few small sips to quench your thirst and distract your attention.

Your eyes darted from side to side, you noticed people talking to each other and forming small groups, as if they were in a hobby group. Friendly voices were heard from everywhere, you noticed mutual handshakes shared by men in formal suits. Everything here seemed to breathe pomp, cooperation and mutually beneficial connections. You also had to plunge into this world headlong. But how to do this when you didn't know anyone here? Childe cited urgent business and asked you to wait for a while, leaving you alone. That was a bit problematic, you thought before hearing a vaguely familiar voice.

"Miss Y/n? Is this really you?" You turned to the person who spoke to you and discovered that it was Albedo. The man smiled friendly at you, and his appraising gaze, which lingered on you for a split second, didn't go unnoticed by you, before the man with gray hair looked into your eyes again. "You look wonderful."

You smiled gratefully and nodded, "Pleased to meet you, mister Albedo." Are you here for a business meeting?

"It's true." Albedo nodded in agreement and carefully took the glass of champagne from the table. He took a few sips and looked around the large spacious hall. "I'm accompanying my boss, mister Diluc. Let's just say that my duties include accompanying my boss on some business trips. I must admit that it's a really good experience. And what are you doing here?"

"Let's just say we have something in common." You said briefly and smiled when your eyes finally found your beloved ginger head in the crowd of many people.

You continued to look at Tartaglia, his concentrated face as he talked to his companions. Childe's whole image in a formal setting gave away his status, influence and power — it looked exciting, and your cheeks involuntarily turned red. You carefully watched the features of his face, and when your eyes and his finally met, your heart fluttered at the gentle, but noticeable only to the two of you, smile that he gave you. Albedo followed your gaze and smiled knowingly.

"Please excuse me." He said as you looked at him. "I hope that we will meet again." You nodded and smiled goodbye at him as you watched him walk away. You breathed out and looked again towards Tartaglia and the people who were walking next to him in your direction.

A few seconds later you found yourself surrounded by several men and women. You smiled shyly and greeted the ginger man's business partners.

"Y/n, these are the people we will be working with in the future." Childe stood next to you, maintaining a businesslike appearance. He was great at changing his behavior depending on the situation. You thought he could be a good actor.

"Nice to meet you. I hope that successful cooperation awaits us." You smiled. All the official deal-making events weren't supposed to take place until tomorrow, but today all the guests had the opportunity to enjoy good snacks and small talk.

"You didn't say you had such cute women working for you, Childe." One of the men said. It was a man called Arata-san. Before the meeting, the ginger man gave you a list of all his business partners so that you could familiarize yourself with it and feel more confident when meeting them.

You smiled nervously, not knowing how you were supposed to respond to those words. Luckily, the awkward situation was saved by Tartaglia, who stood in front of you like a towering mountain. In this protective gesture, he looked to you like the most reliable person in the world.

"You will live just fine without this information." Tartaglia's voice sounded light and casual, but you saw that his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if he was dissatisfied with something. But you quickly forgot about it when two women approached you and started a casual conversation with you.

Overall it was a really enjoyable meeting. You talked to people, made useful contacts, and even agreed to discuss some business details at tomorrow's official meeting. And at the same time, you were next to your loved one. What could be better than this? You were very happy today. You secretly caught his glance directed in your direction, and a small smile involuntarily appeared on your lips, which, in turn, made the ginger man's heart flutter in his chest with awe.

You felt a little tired when the two of you were finally back at the hotel after a day of work. The ginger man, noticing your tired appearance, asked you to return to your shared room to rest. He needed to settle some issues with the receptionist girl, but he said that he would return to you as soon as he finished with his things. Walking through the wide corridors of the hotel, you blushed, remembering his words.

I'll come back to you.

These thoughts were so sweet, like chewing gum. Being in your thoughts, you didn't notice at all that you had entered a completely unfamiliar corridor, which was identical to the one that led towards your and Tartaglia's room. Wandering between the various corridors in search of your room, you grinned with some annoyance and recalled your thoughts that you would definitely get lost in this maze of corridors. Well, you were right.

When your hope of finding the right corridor completely disappeared, you entered another corridor and heard a familiar voice. It sounded just like Arata's voice, the man you met a few hours ago. He was Childe's business colleague. Hoping that they would help you, you decided to knock on the slightly open door, but you were stopped by another voice, belonging to the woman with whom you spoke at the meeting. You froze, listening.

"This time it should work out." The woman said, crossing her arms and looking at Arata, who was sitting on the couch in a casual manner, smoking an expensive cigar.

His lazy gaze wandered over all the people who were in the room. He straightened up, brushed his black bangs off his forehead with a careless movement and put his cigar out in a gold ashtray.

"If it works out, Childe will sign the documents." The man said. You frowned, listening carefully to every word. You watched Arata's expression as it became more and more pleased as he said the next words. "And all his shares will become ours."

The room was filled with exclamations of satisfaction. You covered your mouth with your hand to keep from letting out a cry of surprise. Reacting quickly, with trembling hands you reached for your phone, which was in your small bag. Turning on the video recording, you continued listening with bated breath. Meanwhile, the conversation continued.

"We need to be extremely careful." Said another man, Fyodor. He chuckled smugly as he glared at Arata and continued to say, "You know how careful Childe is when it comes to his company."

Arata was silent for a while, after which he simply waved Fyodor off and drank whiskey from a glass, continuing to say, "He trusts us. We just need to let him know that this is another deal between companies. I'm sure he will sign these documents."

The man took a few more sips of whiskey and spoke again.

"Relax! It will go according to our plan." He said in a satisfied voice and raised the glass of whiskey above his head. "Let's celebrate our victory!"

Satisfied exclamations and voices filled the room, interrupted only by the knocking of glasses filled with whiskey against each other. You breathed out nervously. Stopping the small panic, you brought your thoughts in order. You should have told Childe about this.

Notes:

hello, my darlings! i sincerely apologize for the fact that the new chapter was posted a month after the previous one. i didn't feel very well mentally and physically, and i was also very overwhelmed with work. i hope you're doing well. i really hope you like this chapter. enjoy reading! 3

Chapter 20: The path that I will walk next to you

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

You nervously fiddled with the hem of your dress, carefully watching Childe, who was holding the phone in his hands and watching the video you made just a couple of minutes ago. The ginger man listened carefully to every word spoken by the people he considered his business colleagues. The silence unnerved you, but you waited patiently for the man to finish watching the video. You honestly thought that your business trip would go without a hitch, but you couldn't even imagine that the two of you would have to face such obstacles.

But to your surprise, after finishing watching the video, Childe didn't seem surprised at all and looked calm and relaxed. He handed your phone back into your hands and leaned back in his chair, his gaze directed somewhere to the side. Tartaglia was silent, thinking about something, and when the silence reached its climax, you realized that you would need to start the conversation yourself.

You put your phone aside and said quietly, "You don't look surprised."

The ginger man turned his dark blue eyes to you, in which a frantic hurricane of emotions raged, ready to sweep away anyone who didn't please him. He was ready to tear anyone apart and subject them to the most terrible tortures. And for a moment you caught yourself thinking that you were afraid of this hurricane that was hiding in his gaze. But after the same moment, Childe's eyes again became the same as he always looked at you — tender and warming you with their warmth. Tartaglia was silent for a few more seconds, after which he straightened up and finally broke the oppressive silence.

"As a person who runs a big successful company, you stop being surprised by something like that." The man shrugged his shoulders relaxedly, and you looked at him in surprise. The realization hit you over the head like a big feather pillow.

"Did you know about it?" There was obvious surprise in your voice. You breathed out nervously, taking a couple of breaths in and out to calm your rapidly beating heart.

"I guessed." Childe said, getting your attention. You continued listening to his story. "They were too obvious about some things, and as we collaborated, I began to notice their strange interest in my company. Arata-san has always been too persistent." The man chuckled.

But immediately after that, the ginger man again took on a serious expression, "But, unfortunately for them, they miscalculated. I agreed to this meeting only in order to finally convict them of deception. My subordinates have been collecting information about all their illegal transactions all this time. This should be enough to hold them accountable for their actions."

His words were firm and confident. You found yourself thinking that you now had a huge admiration for him and how wise and serious he was when it came to his company. This contrasted greatly with the "bad boy" image he assumed when he was around people he didn't know well. It warmed your heart to know that Childe considered you close person enough to show you his true self.

"And now, thanks to you, we have another solid proof." Tartaglia smiled gently, and a small smile bloomed on your lips as well. "Thank you, Y/n."

You nodded with a smile, but then asked with justified concern, "Are you sure it will work out?"

"Don't worry." The man leaned closer to you, completely captivated by your beauty, smile and innocent look. His right hand stroked your head to give you a feeling of calm and confidence. You looked at him in fascination as he looked into your eyes with all his seriousness. His voice was filled with unshakable confidence. "I won't let anyone stand in our way."

Oh yes, you wanted to share this path with him. Even if it's filled with many obstacles, suffering or failures, you will never regret it, walking along the chosen path next to Tartaglia with your head held high.

The hotel room was filled with silence, interrupted only by your quiet breathing. It was so cozy, so comfortable being around him, and you almost relaxed, basking in his gentle gaze. But a second later, something else crept into your thoughts that didn't give you peace. And you, tormented by guesses, hastened to voice your thought.

"What matters did you discuss with the receptionist girl?" Much to your surprise, your voice sounded quite annoyed when you mentioned the hotel worker. Unexpectedly, you discovered that you could be very jealous when it came to Childe.

Your eyebrows met at the bridge of your nose, but you were distracted by a muffled knock on the room door. You and Tartaglia simultaneously turned your heads towards the door, and Childe perked up noticeably.

"Speaking of which..." The ginger man, to your surprise, smiled contentedly and, asking you to wait a couple of seconds, went to open the door.

A few moments later, a girl in a maid uniform came into your hotel room with a small basket in her hands. You watched in amazement as she placed the gourmet dishes in front of you, two glasses that were later filled with white wine. The mind-blowing smell of food filled your nostrils, and you clearly felt that you had been hungry for some time.

Childe carefully lit the candle in the middle of the table and sat down on the chair in front of you again. The maid finished placing the food on the table and said with a slight bow:

"Have a good time, mister Tartaglia, miss Y/n."

When you two were alone again, the room was filled with pleasant incense. The candle must have been scented. The smell of cloying vanilla mixed with the bright, pungent scent of grapefruit was in the air everywhere. A twilight reigned in the room, and magical shadows danced on the walls with every slight fluctuation of the fire. It melted the wax, which flowed down the base of the candle, and you had an irresistible desire to touch the hot wax, to feel it on your fingers.

In this pleasant silence, the two of you sat in front of each other and looked into each other's eyes, finding there the myriads of stars in the night sky, the Milky Way and discovering new galaxies.

"I wanted to surprise you." To your surprise, the man sounded a little shy now. Your eyebrows raised in surprise, and you felt heat rush to your cheeks. Wanting to hide his embarrassment from you, he continued speaking. "Are you hungry? I've noticed that when you're immersed in work, you forget to take a break to eat. Princess, you must take care of your health."

Your cheeks turned red when you heard his words. The ginger man was really attentive because you also noticed the moments when you were completely absorbed in work and forgot to eat. Joy and a feeling of magical euphoria filled your entire being, because you had the opportunity to bathe in his care and enjoy every bit of his attention. You didn't want to share him with anyone else, you desperately wanted to take all his attention for yourself, and the devilish whisper tempting you maliciously whispered to you that you have every right to this. You wanted to be selfish when it came to Tartaglia.

"Thank you, I will try to be more attentive to my health." You looked down at your plate of food shyly before the loud sound of your stomach growling filled the quiet room. You were horrified, shamefully clutching your stomach with both hands.

Childe's muffled laughter was heard from the other side of the table, "Looks like your whale is hungry, huh?"

There was slyness in his voice, and you raised your angry eyes, hoping to appear intimidating and irritated, making the man laugh more.

"It looks like this kitten is unhappy about something. Don't make such an angry face, princess, you look like an angry child whose candy was taken away!"

"Shut up!"

The man laughed loudly, and his beautiful laughter filled the room, causing your cheeks to blush treacherously. You pointedly turned up your nose, refusing to continue this dialogue. Your eyes returned to the delicious food that was on the table in front of you, and you wondered what kind of food Childe liked. Isn't it normal that you wanted to know about your loved one's preferences in order to give him a pleasant surprise later? Like he did for you now. You carefully cut a piece of fried meat and glanced at the man out of the corner of your eye.

Tartaglia looked relaxed and calm. Even though his ginger hair was disheveled in different directions, it, on the contrary, gave him a certain charm and — you couldn't deny it — sexuality. You put a piece of meat in your mouth to distract yourself from embarrassing thoughts, and after chewing the meat, you finally decided to ask the question that interested you.

"Do you like food from restaurants?" You asked the ginger man, and he turned his attention to you. Noticing the misunderstanding in his eyes, you decided to clarify your assumption. "We order food often, and on our date," You looked embarrassed for a second, but continued talking. "You invited me to a restaurant."

"I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of restaurant food, but I do like to indulge in a fancy meal every once in a while." The man shrugged and slowly drained his glass of white wine.

"Oh, I see..." You felt a little awkward when you thought about how you probably wouldn't be able to compete with the chefs at the restaurants Childe liked to eat at. Tartaglia noticed your worried look.

"Is something wrong, Y/n?"

You immediately started shaking your head negatively from side to side, "No, it's fine. I was just thinking about what kind of food you like, and I decided that you like restaurant food since we eat it together so often."

Childe was silent for a while, his expression becoming serious. You blushed involuntarily when the man's gaze traced the line of your chin, lingered on your lips, after which Tartaglia looked back into your eyes.

"Are you wondering what kind of food I like?" You nodded quietly, maintaining a silence that was only broken by your rapid heartbeat.

And at that moment, holding your breath, you could watch the most sincere smile appear on his lips as he uttered those words.

"My favorite food is the food you cook."

You didn't know if there was a limit to your love, but every time you were next to Childe, you were sure that there was no limit to your love for him. Your love will always expand, just as the Universe has been expanding tirelessly and endlessly every second since the Big Bang.

The atmosphere in the office in which the business meeting took place was quite tense. You tried to maintain a confident look, but you could clearly feel how your hands were sweating and shaking. Unbeknownst to the others, you took a few deep breaths in and out to calm down, and looked around at the people in the office. At first glance, each of them seemed like extremely honest citizens, but after you witnessed their conversation about wanting to steal Childe's shares, and how the ginger man told you about their past crimes, you couldn't perceive them as good and decent people.

You were extremely angry, because you were always sure that a good business should be built only on honesty and mutual assistance. Therefore, you really wanted all these people to realize their mistakes and suffer the appropriate fair punishment for this. You were present at the meeting as Childe's advisor, but he mostly spoke on his own, occasionally asking you for help with certain issues and with paperwork. You sat next to Childe, looking over several points in the contract, trying to find any vulnerability that could help you accuse Arata-san and his assistants of deception. Your eyes suddenly caught sight of the strange wording in one of the clauses of the contract, and you re-read this point several more times.

"After the signing of this agreement, all existing shares in the possession of the Zapolyarny Palace remain in the possession of mister Childe Tartaglia, excluding moments when mister Arata needs to invest some shares in the development of his subsequent projects." You frowned and suppressed an indignant exclamation.

So that's how they wanted to take over the company's shares! In fact, the shares would remain in the possession of the Zapolyarny Palace, but at the same time, Arata would be able to freely steal money under the guise of the needs of his company. And soon after this, Tartaglia's company would suffer major losses, and no one would be able to understand what happened. You were completely angry and felt nothing but disgust towards Arata-san. What rascals!

Unbeknownst to the others, you tugged the ginger man by the sleeve of his red shirt, getting his attention. The man gives you the look of his blue ocean eyes.

"I found it." You whisper and Childe nods. It doesn't go unnoticed by you how your cheeks turn red, and how the heat rushes to your chest when a triumphant and satisfied smile appears on the ginger man's lips, revealing his slightly pointed white fangs and even teeth. The show is about to begin!

Tartaglia casually leaned his hand on the wooden armrest of the chair, expressing his attitude to what was happening with his whole appearance. Arata-san was just finishing up his presentation of the project.

"So this will help us achieve the greatest profit for our companies." The man with black hair finished speaking. You took a deep breath, it was the perfect moment.

"I think you meant for your company, didn't you?" The ginger man's voice, like a bolt from the blue, cut through the air in the meeting room. There was silence for a moment, and you couldn't help but notice that many of Arata-san's colleagues present here had noticeably tensed.

The black-haired man also shuddered, but tried not to show his tense expression. His eyebrows raised slightly, feigning surprise that clearly didn't reach the concept of "sincere surprise".

"What do you mean, Childe?" There was a slight nervousness in his voice, mixed with irritation beginning to show itself.

"Ah, you know exactly what I'm talking about, Arata." Tartaglia stood up from his seat just as the door suddenly opened and several people you instantly recognized entered the office. These were several workers of the Zapolyarny Palace!

Arata, Fyodor and their people watched tensely as the middle-aged man carefully handed several folders of documents into Childe's hands.

"Here it is, as you asked, sir." The man said and the ginger man nodded gratefully. You continued to remain silent, gradually starting to feel uncomfortable and unprotected. After all, Tartaglia left his seat next to you, and you found yourself surrounded by people who could be potential criminals. As if sensing your confusion and uncertainty, Childe's eyes met yours for a moment and he nodded confidently at you, causing you to relax a little. This action didn't go unnoticed by Arata.

Tartaglia looked serious again, and his voice took on a steely tone, "You see, Arata-san, you think that you're too smart and can outwit anyone, but that is what makes you the biggest fool!"

"What are you talking about?" The man with black hair gradually began to get angry.

"Did you really think that I wouldn't find out how you, under the pretext of a business agreement between our companies, would get the opportunity to own my shares?" Tartaglia's voice was absolutely calm, his whole appearance screamed that Childe was absolutely confident in himself. His blue eyes sparkled mockingly as he looked at the man with black hair. "You're a naive fool."

"You can't prove anything!" The little trick worked, and you could clearly see Arata's expression change as the ginger man smiled contentedly, throwing the folders of documents onto the wooden table.

"Are you that sure about this?" The man asked, grinning. Unlike the enraged Arata, Childe looked calm and you could even tell that he was enjoying what was happening here right now. "On the table in front of you are all the receipts and documents that can confirm any of your illegal activities in relation to my company." The ginger man's eyes sparkled victoriously. "And not only mine."

The atmosphere in the meeting room continued to become darker and heavier, you felt it with every fiber of your being. There seemed to be no place to hide from Childe's intense and stern gaze directed at Arata-san. The man with black hair made a mocking face and casually hurried to answer.

"Do you think that I didn't destroy all the documents that could prove my involvement in the theft of shares?!" Arata's face twisted into a grinning grimace, and you felt a strong disgust for this man. "Your useless pieces of paper will not help you at all!"

"Boss..." Fyodor said nervously, but Arata's sharp gaze silenced him, swallowing nervously.

"Maybe you're right." Tartaglia was still calm, and it gave you confidence that he knew he was right, and Childe was confident in what he was doing. "But..." This word thundered like a bolt from the blue, causing everyone in the room to tense up. "Yesterday, my beautiful assistant witnessed your conversation about how you all expressed your desire to take possession of my shares."

Arata-san suppressed a frightened gulp as he nervously watched the man standing in front of him. Tartaglia nodded at you and you stood up from your seat on slightly shaky legs. The eyes of everyone present were directed straight at you. It was awkward, but you continued to move confidently towards the man you loved. You handed your phone into Tartaglia's hands, you remained standing next to him.

"There is evidence on this phone that you definitely cannot destroy." The ginger man said mockingly, holding your phone in his hands.

The man with black hair felt a surge of anger as he glanced in your direction. He couldn't help but be enraged by the thought that he was able to lose everything he had gained by entering into deals and agreements that helped him steal from his business partners. Arata-san's nostrils flared and contracted in anger.

"I officially announce that the business relationship between our companies is officially terminated." Tartaglia said categorically, frowning. "This evidence will go to the law enforcement department, and from now on you must return all my shares that you dared to appropriate in the past."

"Mister Tartaglia!" Fyodor exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. "Mister Tartaglia, please, I have always been devoted only to you! It's a misunderstanding! I was forced to do this!"

"Fyodor, you..!" Arata hissed angrily.

Childe ignored their pitiful cries, finally looking up at you with a gentle smile.

"You did well, princess." The ginger man whispered. An enraged Arata-san continued to watch the two of you closely. "My subordinates will take care of the rest. Let's go, we have nothing else to do here."

You nodded timidly at him and followed the man towards the exit. And just as you were about to leave the office, someone's hand grabbed your wrist and threw you to the side, causing you to hit your back painfully against the concrete wall.

"It's your fault, you little brat!" A cry of fear and pain escaped your lips as your back made contact with the wall and as Arata-san's angry scream reached your ears. The people in the office fell silent, and all attention was directed to the two of you.

Your heart sank in your chest, it was the scariest and most frightening moment you had ever experienced. Horror and fear showed in your eyes as the man with black hair raised his hand to hit you. At the moment when your life flashed before your eyes, someone's strong hands pulled the enraged Arata away from you, leaving you frightenedly pressed against the wall and breathing heavily.

Tartaglia, without ceremony, pressed Arata-san against the wall in front of you with a dull blow. Breathing deeply, you could only see Childe's broad back, and you didn't know how frightening his blue eyes were right now. Arata froze in fear in front of the man, like a disgusting cockroach in front of a big growling tiger.

Taking a deep breath, Tartaglia growled, "I wanted to give you a chance to continue your vile existence, but by touching her, you signed your death sentence. I guarantee you that you will regret that you were born into this world."

The ginger man looked truly intimidating, ready to raze to the ground anyone who dared to hurt you. A pitiful squeak escaped from the mouth of the man with black hair, because he knew that it wouldn't be difficult for Tartaglia to turn his life into a living hell. Childe loosened his death grip on Arata's forearms and stepped aside, not giving Arata another glance.

You took a few shaky breaths as the ginger man walked closer to you. His tenacious and sharp gaze quickly ran over your body, checking to see if there were any injuries on your body.

"Are you okay?" The man asked worriedly.

"Yes." Your answer was short, and Childe's gaze instantly warmed when he was sure that you weren't injured.

"Let's go." He extended his hand to you, and without hesitation you placed your palm in his, and you both left this unfortunate meeting room.

The pleasant evening freshness hit your nose when you and Childe found yourself outside. Your cheeks instantly turned red from the cold, and your skin was stung by the merciless frost. The dark sky was covered with gray clouds, hiding the pale shining moon and stars. A cloud of steam left your mouth, rushing into the void.

"I'm sorry." Those words broke the silence between the two of you and you glanced at Tartaglia, who stood with his back turned to you. You could watch how white snowflakes fell on the top of his ginger head.

"What are you sorry?" Your voice was calm as you walked closer to the man and stood in front of him. You noticed his furrowed eyebrows and his empty, dead gaze, and sadness ate through your heart like acid.

"I was terribly stupid when I allowed myself to tell them that you were the one who overheard their conversation." Childe's heart ached with the knowledge that he had been careless in his words and actions, thereby putting you in danger. "You got hurt, and it's only my fault."

You smiled affectionately and carefully reached your hand towards the ginger man's face. When your palm touched his cheek, Tartaglia shuddered, and his eyelashes, which were caught in small snowflakes, fluttered. The pleasant warmth of your hand contrasted with his cold, red skin.

"You're not to blame for other people's actions. They do bad things only out of their own free will, and it's not your fault."

"But..." You didn't let him finish.

"It was only my decision to record this video to help you expose the deception. And I don't regret it at all." You stroked his cheek and removed your hand, making Childe feel the frosty cold again.

"I didn't think it would be so difficult."

"Nobody said it would be easy." A small, beautiful smile touched your lips, and Tartaglia's heart beat faster in his chest, tormented by his boundless love for you. "But I'm here for you. I'm here to walk this path with you."

And those words were enough for Childe to understand that you were, are and will always be the only woman for whom his heart beats with love.

Notes:

hello, my darlings! the business trip arc is finally done and in the next chapter something interesting finally awaits us! i'm grateful to you for every kudos and hits! you can also support me by visiting my blog hanilessa on tumblr, where i post current news. i'll be very grateful if you leave a feedback. thank you! 3

Chapter 21: Picket fence

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Childe took a nervous, deep breath as the voice on the other side of the phone continued talking. The ginger man's eyebrows met at the bridge of his nose, and he nervously clutched the phone in his hand.

"We already discussed this, remember?" The voice of the man speaking was rough and familiar. It was obvious that the man Tartaglia was speaking to had no intention of considering Childe's feelings. Childe bit his lip painfully, clearly realizing that he couldn't do anything about it, no matter how much he wanted it. "I'm taking Anthon, Tonia and Teucer with me to Fontaine for Christmas."

"But, father...!" The last hope was lost, turning into only a desperate cry. The man didn't even notice how he clutched his wooden desk with his free hand until his fingers hurt. An unpleasant crunch of bones was heard, but Childe didn't pay attention to the pain in his hand. This was a mere trifle compared to his brothers and sister and their well-being.

"I confronted you with a fact, and I absolutely don't care what you think about it." The man on the other side of the phone snorted casually when he heard his son's words. Childe clutched his phone even tighter when he heard a strangled cough. "This isn't something you should be thinking about right now. Better make sure Lumine is happy with your upcoming wedding."

The ginger man felt his jaws tighten at the mention of his fiancée. He clenched his teeth to suppress the desperate urge to scream, but continued to listen to his father's words.

"That's all you need to do. Be a good boy and do what you're told." Right now, what the ginger man hated most about himself was the fact that he didn't have the opportunity to resist. He felt so small and insignificant, as if all hope and desire to strive for his goals left him in the blink of an eye.

"Yes, father..." He could only helplessly agree with person who had more power than him. The short answers Childe could give were so pathetic and empty. He was disgusted with himself right now. And most of all he was afraid of what you would say if you saw him in such a pitiful and helpless state.

"That's better." Those were the last words Tartaglia's father spoke to him before he ended the call, leaving the ginger man in the ringing silence of his office. Childe remained motionless for some time, biting his lower lip until it bled. He collapsed into his leather chair, clutching his ginger hair, finding himself filled to the brim with boundless horror and disbelief at what was happening.

"Thank you, I will come see you a little later to pick up these documents!" You smiled happily at the accountant girl you worked with. The two of you were often given joint projects, and you had nothing but joy working with her. The girl smiled back at you and nodded, after which you left the office, finding yourself in a long corridor.

A sudden growl in your stomach alerted you that you should eat, and you glanced at your wristwatch. Indeed, it was now midday and you decided it would be nice to have lunch. The sudden click of heels caught your attention, and you noticed blonde secretary emerging from Childe's office. The woman disappeared around the bend, and you smiled contentedly, rejoicing at this opportunity to invite the man to have lunch together and spend a little time with him.

Led by your loving heart, you looked around and hurried to the office of your loved man. You carefully opened the door to his office, to your surprise, finding the curtains tightly drawn. This created an oppressive darkness in the office, and for a few moments you thought that the man wasn't here. But this thought appeared in your head and instantly left it when you noticed the ginger man bent over the table. Your attention was drawn to the multiple glass glasses on his table — some of them were completely empty, while others weren't completely filled with brown-golden liquid.

Your heart began to beat anxiously in your chest, because in the long time of your friendship you had seen Tartaglia in such a state for the first time. He sat in his chair, his ginger head buried in his hands, and gave the impression of a man who was confused about his life and what he was supposed to do. You couldn't understand what caused such a sudden change in mood. After all, when you two returned to Snezhnaya after a business trip, Childe was, as always, talkative, clingy and kindly annoyed you. Therefore, you sincerely didn't expect to see him in such a state.

A thorny vice squeezed your chest, and pain spread throughout your entire body. You couldn't help but feel sadness and heartache when the person you loved was in such a state. So you hurried to close the door behind you and headed to the window to push the curtains aside. When bright sunlight flooded the hitherto dark office and hit Childe's face, you heard a strangled groan escape his bitten lips.

"Y/n..." Tartaglia finally raised his gaze, noticing your fragile figure standing by the window. His voice was hoarse, as if your name was the first word he decided to say for the first time after several years of continuous silence. Your breath caught in your throat when you noticed his haggard, pale face.

On slightly shaky legs, you walked a little closer to him, and Childe moved away from the table slightly, making room for you to sit next to him. You shifted timidly in place when you realized that you had never come so close to his work chair in which he was sitting. It was like a forbidden area for you, but your heart was bursting with happiness when Tartaglia allowed you to come near him so easily. Being inaccessible to other people, a huge cold iceberg, he was open, warm, like the warmest fire, for you.

You pushed the liquor bottle aside with a slight movement of your hand, and you had to squat down to be face to face with the ginger man. His attentive, bottomless blue eyes watched your every move, and when your eyes and his eyes met, it felt as if the world around you two had stopped. No matter how much you were fascinated by his handsome face right now, you had to help him get out of this depressed state.

"You drank so much alcohol." Your voice is full of some sternness, and the ginger man thought that you were disappointed in him. However, quenching his pain and sadness with alcohol seemed to him the only right decision. "You need to eat healthy food. You told me you wanted me to take care of my health, remember? So you should do the same for me."

"I'm fine, you don't have to bother yourself." The ginger man said as he leaned back in his chair and tried to relax. The only thing he wanted now was to drown out his pain in expensive alcohol and the tart taste of cigars.

"Stop being stubborn, let's go." Snatching the cigar from his hand, you placed it on the table, pushing it further away. Tartaglia's brows furrowed slightly. "You look like you're sad about something. Let me help you."

"I told you I'm fine, baby." Childe answered you casually and irritably, but you remained calm, understanding that he was rude to you not out of evil intentions, but simply because he was very upset about something. But you really couldn't leave him alone right now. Your heart couldn't bear the thought of the ginger man suffering and the fact that you couldn't help him. So you made another attempt to persuade him to share lunch meal with you.

"Just come with me, and together we will think about how to solve this prob..." You didn't have time to finish, because your words were interrupted by Tartaglia's sharp, rude voice.

"That's enough, Y/n! I told you I'm fine!" Your eyes went wide when you heard his growling, rough voice. Hundreds of thousands of sharp daggers pierced your soul as soon as you looked into his face. "None of the solutions you proposed, nor yourself — none of this can help me! Just leave me alone!"

The ginger man was breathing heavily, his nostrils narrowing and widening as he took in shuddering breaths. In his dark blue eyes, instead of a calm and gentle ocean towards you, you saw only a huge storm, ready to swallow you headlong with one single wrong step towards him. Without realizing it, you took a small step back, and the realization of this reflected slight fear in the man's eyes when he noticed that your body trembled slightly under his gaze.

The tense silence between you continued to grate your ears for some time before you finally regained your composure. Your immobile muscles began to obey your nervous system again, and under Tartaglia's worried gaze, you headed towards the exit from his office. The ginger man remained sitting in his chair, consumed by rage at himself, helplessness and the desire to fall on his knees in front of you and beg for your forgiveness. But still, he made no move to catch up with you, as if he was chained to his chair.

Childe could only stare after you before his heart started beating faster in his chest as you stopped near the door and hesitantly turned to him. The punitive sword of guilt fell on his shoulders as a gentle little smile appeared your lips.

"If you want to talk about this, don't forget that I'm always here for you to listen and help you." Your words, like an angelic song, touched his ears before being drowned out by the dull knock of the door, hiding your beautiful silhouette from his sight.

The man cursed tiredly and leaned back in the leather chair, throwing his head back to the ceiling. A groan of disappointment escaped his throat. God, how much he hated himself at that moment. You were so kind to him, and all he could do in response to your offer of help was be such a rude and terrible person to you? Drowning in despair, he wounded those who wanted to help him. Pain and fear for his siblings are mixed with a feeling of boundless guilt in front of you, and this was all too much for one day.

Tartaglia takes a glass of liqueur from the table and takes several frantic sips. The burning liquid washes over his throat, giving him a moment of relaxation, which dissolves immediately after he remembers your frightened eyes and worried look. But even after he was rude to you, you were still kind and tender to him. Childe smiled wryly and sadly, his heart poisoned by violent pain. He will never deserve you and your love.

Small garlands illuminated the bedroom, playing with its multi-colored rays and running across various vertical and horizontal surfaces. A cold wind howled outside the window, day turned to evening, and the dark blue color of the night spread across the blue sky. You lay on your bed and thoughtlessly looked at the screen of your laptop, the open web site with some article was successfully forgotten by you, because all your thoughts were occupied only with your beloved man.

For the past week since your last conversation, he had been studiously avoiding you, and it was completely unlike him. Usually he was the initiator of your meetings and the person who tried to be with you every minute of his day. You involuntarily blushed at these thoughts. Of course you couldn't be mad at Tartaglia. You couldn't and didn't want – your heart didn't want – to be angry with the person who was dearer to you than anything in the world, and you sincerely believed that there was a logical explanation for his strange behavior. And you will humbly wait for the moment when he decides to reveal his thoughts and experiences to you.

Thinking about it, you continued reading the article before you were interrupted by the beeping sound of your phone, notifying you that you had received a message. You reached for your phone, truly convinced that it was Yoimiya who had once again sent you a funny meme. But when you turned on your phone, your heart began to beat excitedly in your chest when you saw the name of the sender of the sms.

Childe 3

I'm in the park in front of your house. Please, I want to see you. I feel so bad.

Your heart was breaking into pieces as you tossed your phone aside and jumped out of bed, not caring at all that you were wearing your pajamas right now. With a messy bun on your head, you ran out into the hallway to put on your long coat and boots. Your pulse was pounding rapidly in your ears as you unsuccessfully tried to fasten the stupid zipper of your coat, which, as luck would have it, didn't give in to your efforts. You cursed, finally buttoning your coat, and finally ran out of the apartment, loudly slamming the door behind you.

In a coat that barely covered your body, with disheveled hair, you ran through the raging cold to the person for whom your heart beat. Your throat gradually began to torment with frost, and shortness of breath made itself felt, scratching your lungs, but all this didn't matter to you when Childe's heart was tormented by mental pain. You rushed to him to ease his pain.

You stopped in the middle of the park, trying to catch your breath. You were breathing heavily, your chest contracting with each uneven breath, and your cheeks were red from the cold. He sat in front of you on a lonely bench and looked at the endless sky full of shining stars that were reflected in his blue eyes. There was a sadness on Childe's face that was unknown to you, but even right now he was for you the most beautiful person in this world. Surrounded by endless white color and snowflakes falling on his ginger hair, he looked like a prince who had escaped from the pages of a fairy tale book.

Small clouds of steam left your mouth, flying upward, and this seemed to bring the man out of his thoughtful state, because he had finally noticed you. Tartaglia looked blankly at your fragile figure, which was shaking from every whiff of the cold frosty wind. The ginger man looked up at the sky again without saying a word to you. He looked tired, and you had the feeling that he was holding a thousand and one thoughts within himself that he had never been able to share with anyone. You wanted to scream that you were ready to be a person for him, who would share with him every good and bad day, and you were ready to finally break the silence, but...

But your words died in your throat when you noticed his pink lips twitch slightly, foreshadowing the words that were about to be spoken. You held your breath.

"My parents are getting divorced." Your heart sank in your chest when you heard those words. The ginger man's face remained impassive, but you could feel with every fiber of your soul how much he wanted to scream in despair right now.

His parents are getting divorced... So that's what it was. You understood exactly how Childe was feeling right now because your family also had to deal with this terrible event. Your father left your mother when you were still in kindergarten, and Xiao was still just a baby. You remembered how difficult it was for your mother, so you perfectly understood how painful it was to see your loved ones suffer. This feeling is comparable to hellish agony, tearing your body apart and not leaving a single living place on your skin.

How much you wanted to hug the ginger man right now and whisper to him that it would be fine, that you would always be by his side. But you were afraid to scare him away by again taking rash steps, as at your last meeting. You understood that you weren't able to change other people's decisions that were made, but you could at least be with him in these moments and give him the support he needed right now.

So you, trembling from the cold, timidly extended your hand to him and began to say in a hoarse voice, "Childe, I..."

Suddenly the man interrupted your words.

"Ajax."

You were taken aback, "W-what?"

The silence between the two of you was interrupted only by the howl of the raging wind and cars honking on the roadway. His blue eyes finally looked back into yours, and your heart began to beat faster in your chest as you could see the small hint of tenderness in them again. For some reason a sad smile appeared on the lips of the ginger man as he looked into your eyes, filled with sincere regret and love.

"My name is Ajax."

Ajax. Ajax, Ajax, Ajax. A-j-a-x. His name sounded like a treat to the ears, like the most beautiful love song you had ever heard. You wanted to repeat his name an infinite number of times, and it would never be enough for you. You savored his beautiful name in your thoughts, it sounded so tender, so magical and it fit him so well. And you really wanted to feel how his name would sound on the tip of your tongue.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you my real name." The man continued to talk, the wind played with his ginger hair, mercilessly developing it in different directions.

"I-it's okay!" You were quick to let him know it was fine. Sitting down next to him on the bench and completely oblivious to the bad weather raging around the two of you, you carefully extended your hands to him.

Tartaglia nodded, relief flowing throughout your body as he gave you the opportunity to touch his hands again. Your skin touched the skin of his hand, and you felt thousands of sharp needles of cold pierce the skin of your palms. His hands were very cold and chapped, and you worriedly wondered how long he had been sitting here alone before texting you. You squeezed his hands in yours, trying your best to warm his frozen skin.

You looked into his blue eyes, letting him know that you were ready to listen to everything he told you. And that you're ready to share every ounce of his pain with him and be with him in this difficult period of his life. Ajax took a shuddering breath.

"Father is going to take Tonia, Anthon and Teucer to Fontaine for the Christmas." His voice trembled slightly, and you could only guess whether he was trembling because of the cold or because of carefully restrained emotions and feelings. You felt him tighten his grip on your hand and your soul cried salty tears as you helplessly watched as he ran his free hand through his ginger hair, looking completely lost and helpless. "He wants to take them, Y/n. He wants to leave me and my mother with nothing."

You bit your lip until it hurt, trying to get your thoughts in order and not panic. For Ajax's sake, you had to be strong. Childe was in despair, and you had to help him overcome this state at all costs. You couldn't watch how your loved one suffered. So you took a deep breath before the words left your lips.

"My father left the family when I was still a small child." Ajax's eyes widened in surprise when he heard your quiet words. His ocean blue eyes instantly found your big, sad eyes and you smiled timidly at him. A lump formed in your throat, preventing you from speaking, but you overcame this small obstacle only for the sake of the ginger man sitting next to you. "Xiao was still just a baby then, and I saw how difficult it was for my mother."

Childe, despite the pain and despair tormenting his chest, tightened his grip on your hand, giving you a feeling of support and care. Now you two could be truly honest with each other, you were a stronghold of care and love for each other, you were both united in the desire to become the most reliable people in this world for each other.

"I often cried from powerlessness at that time, but over time I realized that tears and despair wouldn't help me." You looked at the starry sky, from where white fluffy snowflakes were falling. They fell onto your face and dissolved on your skin, melting from its heat. "There are many moments in life when people fall into despair, but they should never allow despair to consume their entire life."

You smiled timidly at the ginger man and touched his cheek, red from the cold, with your free hand. Ajax pressed himself against your hand as if this was the only meaning in his life, and you were the only person who could give him absolute peace. He reached out to you the way young grass in spring reaches out to the bright, warming sun in the hope of receiving warmth and affection.

"That's why I'm here by your side to ease your pain. I won't let you drown in despair."

The man's heart was bursting with boundless love for you when your words reached his ears. He could endlessly ask the Universe what he did to deserve this salvation given to him in your guise. In your every smile, in every word, in every look that you gave him. You were his guardian angel.

"We will definitely get through this together." You tried to smile tenderly at him. "If there is even the slightest possibility that I can help you with something, you can always ask me about it."

"I know it, Y/n, I know, but..."

He breathed out shakily, burying his face in your palms, and fear rushed through your veins when you felt droplets of cool liquid rolling down the skin of your hands. Ajax was crying in your arms and you couldn't do anything about it. Your heart was breaking into pieces and you felt a tear roll down your cheek, falling onto his ginger hair. You were both so small, so helpless in this cruel world, and it seemed there was no way that you two could feel that wonderful feeling of happiness again. You listened carefully to everything that the ginger man told you. His father was going to limit Childe and his mother's communication with Tonia, Teucer and Anthon.

"There is going to be a divorce hearing soon and the judge will decide who my brothers and sister will end up with. My father has too much influence and he will never let me and my mother win this case." Childe breathed out shakily as you gently cupped his face in your hands, forcing him to look into your eyes.

"Please don't despair, I'm sure we will find a way to deal with this. I will always be with you, no matter what." You said in a confident tone. The two of you looked into each other's eyes and couldn't look away.

"I'm so tired, Y/n... I'm so tired of being a person who has everything and more, but has no way to solve my problems." He was trembling violently, completely lost and helpless.

You squeezed his hands in yours again, listening to his every word.

"The company, the cars, the countless sums in the bank – I would trade it all for just being an ordinary person and living happily with my family. Happily to live with you." Your heart sank when you heard his last words, his blue eyes looked straight into your soul and wanted to take your heart for himself and never give it to anyone.

Now the only thing he really wanted was to let go of all his problems and just dissolve into your arms. And he couldn't imagine a better moment for this.

"Having it all I only have half an hour to be myself. I only have half an hour for love. I only have half an hour to love you." These words left his lips and filled the space around the two of you with a beautiful trill.

Your heart froze in your chest, filling with a hot fire of excitement that burned you to the ground. Your chest was filled with blooming flowers, forming a bouquet of your beautiful feelings for Tartaglia. It was like a wonderful dream. Hearing words of love from the person you loved more than anything in the world. And you could sincerely believe that you were sleeping right now if it weren't for the severe frost tormenting your throat and body.

"You... love me?" You asked, stuttering mid-sentence, the fear that you had misheard enveloped your entire being, and your lips trembled slightly from the cold. Your doe eyes sparkled with hope and faith, reflecting the light of lanterns and falling glossy snowflakes, bathed in the light of the stars and the moon.

Ajax, absolutely mesmerized by your beautiful look, carefully raised your frozen hand to his lips and, scorching your rough skin with his hot breath, left a kiss on the back of your hand, "Yes."

It took your breath away when your eyes met his again, and his face lit up with a bright, happy smile for the first time that evening.

"I love you with all my heart."

Completely enchanted by his words, you didn't notice how a small tear rolled down your cheek. Your heart was filled with boundless happiness, and this feeling couldn't be compared with anything else that you could ever experience in your life. A feeling of euphoria washed over you. Tartaglia's eyes widened and he hurried to ask excitedly.

"Y/n, why are you crying? Does something hurt you? Are you cold?"

You touched your cheek excitedly and found a small wet trail of tears. Noticing the man's worried face, you rushed to reassure him and tell him that you were fine, "O-oh, I'm fine! Don't worry!"

Childe breathed a sigh of relief.

Gently grabbing the man's hand, you placed his palm on your cheek and squeezed his hand with yours. His ocean breeze caressed your sandy shore. Smiling happily, you whispered, "I love you too."

A wave of relief washed over the ginger man when he was convinced that his feelings were mutual. That's all he could want right now. You, so beautiful, small, in the bright light of the evening lanterns with blushing cheeks — it was the most beautiful sight he could ever see. Not a single painting, not a single masterpiece of architecture, not a single beautiful sunset or sunrise could compare with your beauty. You two looked into each other's eyes, completely enchanted by each other. Your hearts beat in unison and sang songs about mutual and eternal love.

Led by desire and an infinitely loving heart, Childe shortened the distance between you, and his lips found yours in a bright kiss of love and boundless passion. The most beautiful and magical feeling of happiness and joy spread in your chest, dispersing your frozen blood throughout your body when you felt Ajax's lips on your lips. His lips were slightly chapped, but, nevertheless, it was passionate and tender, giving you boundless caress and pleasure. You timidly kissed him back, and the ginger man intertwined your tongues in a passionate dance of love and adoration.

It was so frantic and hot, and the sensations made you dizzy. Tartaglia pulled you closer to him and sat you on his lap, enjoying the sweet taste of your lips — he ate it like the hungriest person in the world. Like a traveler lost in the desert who was lucky enough to find an oasis, he kissed you as if tormented by an unquenchable thirst for you. You were his air, his water, the meaning of his life. You were everything he ever wanted. In the bright dance of white snowflakes falling from the sky, in the light of the stars and the moon that witnessed your love, the two of you were people kissing the person you loved more than anything in the world, and this could be called true happiness. This cold winter, you both warmed each other with your love and your kisses.

Sharing your first kiss with the man who was your first and only love, you felt like the happiest woman in this world. You wished that time would freeze in place and you both would remain in this magical moment forever. Ajax gently broke your kiss, a glistening string of saliva connecting your lips, signifying your first shared kiss. His arms tightened around your waist, the man enjoying the weight of your body on his lap — this was your place by right.

He carefully leaned a little closer to you, enjoying the beauty of your eyes that looked at him lovingly. Ajax pressed his forehead to yours and rubbed his nose against yours, and the happiest smiles appeared on your and his faces as you happily hugged his neck, breathing in the pleasant smell of his hair. Your little joyful laughter filled the space around you, and Childe's soul finally felt such long-awaited peace.

The ginger man nuzzled his nose into your shoulder and squeezed you tighter in his arms. You were everything he ever wanted. And Tartaglia wanted to be with you, even though he was engaged to another woman.

He doesn't care. He doesn't care about anything or anyone.

Right now, you were the only one that mattered to him. And even though you two have to go through absolute hell, you both will be infinitely painful and sad – in the end you will still be with him. He will move the highest mountains, walk across hot lava and swim across the wildest river just for you. You were the only woman Ajax saw standing next to him. You were the one with whom he pinned his dreams for the future.

Baby, you were his picket fence.