childe, tartaglia, ajax: a man of many names
↪ childe, noun, a young man of noble birth
childe, was the name you first knew him as. after all it was the name most used within the fatui. casual and pleasant, thats what you came to know him as. a real funny guy, could make friends anywhere, a one dimensional nice guy. yet as work conversations became private, and meetings became hangouts you came to know more of childe.
you were enjoying spending time with a harbinger, you knew he was. the 11th harbinger, a killing machine owned and controlled by the tsaritsa. yet as you store into his eyes, his coy grin and the way his freckles contorted when he laughed, you couldnt ever guess that who he was supposed to be.
~
"comrade i think we are heading the wrong way." , he grimaced looking at the run down alley in front of you.
you looked down at the map, and then at the alley ahead, "childe... based on instructions alone, i believe this is it."
and so you walked, close together weapons in hand. down a run down alley, in a gang ridden part of town.
"scared for your life are you?", you looked the other way but his tone implied a heavy grin.
you squinted your eyes trying to focus in the dark, "no? are you?"
"you know comrade, around these parts there are several snakes to be lurking around...", he paused cautiously, "their venom can kill 30 men in one minute."
you shivered, his comments were not helping with the mood.
"its dark, so it should be the prime time for snakes to search for prey," his voice sullen in tone, "and when you least expect them to... they strike at you and pierce your skin and you die terrifically!"
you felt something touching your leg and you jumped up, a meek scream coming out of your mouth. your eyes widened as you heard laughs, laughs... as you looked down in the complete darkness. but there was nothing and didn't see any snakes, but you definetly did see the boisterous face of your team member.
you were definetly going to kill him now.
↪ tartaglia, italian for stutterer, most commonly a "comedia dell'arte" character
"tartaglia, huh?" you punched him, a form of banter between you two, "how fancy of you."
he sighed a hand over his chest, "its a title, a badge of honor to my affiliation with the tsaritsa."
you could never understand him, "so much for the tsaritsa is it ?"
he furrowed his brows at you, "just because you don't understand my dedication, doesn't mean everyone does. i do it for myself foremost, for my country and for my family."
"its alright tarti, man its alright", you put a friendly hand on his shoulder.
his face changed colors and he clenched his fists while raising his voice, "hey don't you ever call me that, that is not ever okay!"
you could only smile at him.
~
tartaglia, a government name or a work alias. a more formal name, used within business transactions and deals. accompanied with the glamourous, "11th harbinger" title and being a title in its own right.
the name was dangerous, scary and frankly powerful. a name which invokes fear in the hearts of enemies, but you could never see him as such. so much for being a man of many faces, you werent going to deny his battle prowess, but you werent going to deny his good humour either.
he was a good man, a killing machine but a good man. being a family man, he talked of his siblings in a land far away. a good ally, being present in every meeting and leading with an iron fist. a good friend, a best friend, for everyone and especially for you.
↪ ajax, a strong and brave hero from greek myth
his name, his real name. only ever known to the people closest to him. few fallen friends, his family, the harbingers... that was the extent of who knew his name.
identities were a big deal within the fatui, you knew the fact and so did he. was it intentional ? the more you thought of it the more it drove you crazy. ajax, a semi common name in snezhnaya, but it meant so much more when you thought of ajax, your ajax.
did you even have a right to call him yours ? you didnt even know.
~
"you were looking for me ? ", ajax called amongst the crowd, sticking his hand out as you say him a few meters away from you.
the crowd was pushing and your time was ticking. your mission was due and your boat would leave. lateness was not rewarded within your line of work, and you were bound to be shipped off far away. far away, to a place where you wouldnt see him, you wouldnt tell him what you wanted, what you felt.
"yes! but its too late!", you were pushed and pulled and squished, but you made your way through, you had to.
"it didnt matter anyways, dont worry about it! get off me!" you bumped against someone.
"i know its late, i know everything's not the way i wanted it and i had everything planned out i promise, but-" ajax screamed out, "i love you, i-, hey back off!"
grunting and curses in a language you didnt understand was heard across a multitude as you digested, what was admitedly a surprise to you.
you felt two familiar arms grip your shoulder, as he pushed strangers out of the way. you looked at him as he did the same and you couldn't describe it but he looked beautiful.
you loved him, loved the way he smiled. tbe way he laughed when you teased him, the way his eyes lit up when he pulled a prank on you. in that moment his eyes looked like those of a man in love, his smile lines present in the soft smile he gave you. his freckles, his eyes, he looked gorgeous.
"i love you too, a..", it slipped out, slipped out when you least wanted it to. you could say so much more, but you couldn't, "lot actually."
he was right in front of you and he looked gorgeous, even more so when he put his forehead against yours and he rubbed your nose against his.
"you can send cards while youre away, i dont care. take pictures will you ?" his eyes softened and he looked you straight in the eyes.
the word spread and you could hear it, ten minutes until the last passanger could board. the crowd cleared and you could see him.
ajax, your ajax.
he raised your hand and he pressed a single kiss before looking at you warmly, "better leave you know."
you nodded quickly and he chuckled nervously, "so letters ?"
he nodded as he started walking away, "letters."
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A/N: back after a pathetic year of not writing, haha hello ! not spelling checked, not peer read or anything. written at 12 am and im rawdogging this completely.
