HI IM SORRY im on hiatus for a while until my summer break starts! ive got exams soon which im nervous for since i havent had to do any since i moved. but we'll see! love you all to the moon and back 🫶
hello im dead tired but i press on, just got broken up with yesterday so im writing to distract myself. apologies for the lack of posts. please enjoy ... ʅ（◞‿◟）ʃ
warnings: the usual, fem!reader, she/her pronouns, not proofread
Log Entry #15 - Clear Skies
The rain cleared up some time in the night while [Name] and I were asleep. She managed to convince me to sleep in the common area once again. I agreed under the pretence of watching her to make sure she does not do anything untrustworthy, but we were both asleep far too fast for me to do any watching.
After the day we spent together yesterday, I can rest easy that [Name] can enter Mondstadt and not cause any harm to its citizens. While the Knights will be on guard to greet her at the gates, I have lost my trust in their efficiency long ago. I believe that I may have unintentionally disclosed my reasoning for my distrust of the Knights while we were talking late into the night. Neither of us drank, as we both shy away from consuming alcohol, yet I must have been tired enough that my memory is fairy hazy. I digress, she was strangely friendly and sympathetic toward me after we woke up, saying things such as "I understand your pain," and "Please talk to someone if need be." For some reason I do not worry about what can be done with this information in her hands.
She left only a little over an hour ago to attend to her business in the city. Much to my surprise, the lounge shirt that I lent her was neatly folded and placed not far from where she initially slept on her first night here. Though I offered my clothing hesitantly, I seem to feel a strange sense of disappointment seeing it without its metaphorical guest.
I offered my contact information to her upon her departure, but considering her distaste in alcohol, I am not confident that I will be hearing from her again.
I find it strange that someone who I had such little trust in a mere day ago has left me craving her attention. I hope to receive a message from her in the future, even to discuss trivial maters.
currently 5 am, please excuse any mistakes i make, never proofread but ill make edits if need be after i sleep
warnings: fem!reader (she/her pronouns), not proofread
Log Entry #14 - Bond
It is not often that I end up falling asleep in the common area of the winery. My unexpected guest had been resting near the fireplace and something about her made me compelled to stay near her. I've been telling myself that it is because I don't trust her, and that she could steal something while I am away.
The rain did not cease during the night, which was to be expected. [Name] offered to leave and asked for recommendations for places to stay. I still do not entirely trust her to enter Mondstadt, so I requested for her to stay.
[Name] made breakfast for herself despite the attempted intervention from my maids. Adelinde seemed to be particularly antsy while she was looking for ingredients. I feel as though I was supposed to condemn her for not allowing my maids to do their job, but I allowed her to continue anyway. We had a nice discussion of her travels over cinnamon scones and dandelion tea.
Though I am still not entirely secure with the idea of [Name] entering Mond, she is worth getting to know. Her knowledge of Mondstadt's wildlife and history is admirable, she clearly puts a considerable amount of care into learning of the locations she travels to. I can easily see her as someone I willingly work alongside.
basically diluc journaling about you (oooooooo he likes you)
childe's been getting all my attention lately bc im so so so in love with him but i also love me some diluc too!!!!
i was gonna write all parts in this post but halfway through my head started killing me, i should head to bed now ;;
jeez, almost 5 am
warnings: uhm????? none i dont think? fem!reader (she/her pronouns used) , not proofread
Log Entry #13 - Shelter
It has been raining quite hard for the past few days. Not many people have left the city to attend to matters beyond basic needs. In turn, of course, I have not been getting as many visitors to the winery. I don't mind all that much though, my time to organise my thoughts on deliveries to other nations has increased tenfold.
If the occasional visitor does stop by, they’re not here for long, usually adorning some amount of rain protection. That is until late this afternoon.
I heard a knock on the winery doors expecting another request for wine to take home while the weather continues. That's been the only request that I've received in the last day at the very least. A drenched young face greeted me again, sans aforementioned rain gear. She looked to be around my age.
She asked if she could use my shower and spend the night while she waits for the rain to subside. Not quite sure why she was hopeful that the sky would be clear by tomorrow, but something in me didn't have the heart to turn her down.
I'm not quite sure where this woman came from, she does not look like a Mond native. I am not very trusting of her, but the maids said to give her a chance. Something along the lines of "you could use a woman in your life!" I don't understand what they mean. She introduced herself as [Name].
She has fallen asleep on the couch near my work area as I write this, I can hear her slight snoring from here. I stupidly allowed her to wear one of my lounge shirts as she did not have a change of clothes. I've been kicking myself for that decision for around an hour.
I do not expect to have that shirt returned to me.
yes ofc, i’ll add your req to my list! 99% of the reqs i’ve had so far are about some sort of angst or angst/comfort and idk if i should be concerned or happy about it 😂
i love this idea and was acc about to write one so it’s good to see we’re on the same page lmao—
yes ofc, i’ll add your req to my list! 99% of the reqs i’ve had so far are about some sort of angst or angst/comfort and idk if i should be concerned or happy about it 😂
i love this idea and was acc about to write one so it’s good to see we’re on the same page lmao—
just letters between the two of u when he goes away, nothin much. apologies for the inconsistency in posting, ive still got some lingering covid symptoms ;;!
warnings sorta: angst if you squint, childe's real name used, reader lives in liyue, job is vague but baizhu and qiqi are mentioned, not proofread
Your letter -
To my lover Ajax,
Work has been frustrating with nothing to look forward to coming home to. Dr. Baizhu has been away all week attending to matters in Sumeru, so Qiqi has been left under my care during the day. She’s a good kid, of course, just a bit tiring having to repeat myself constantly. You'll have to visit the two of us more often when you return, I can't explain how special it feels when she remembers my name.
How is your family? You seemed antsy to see them while you were getting ready to leave, so I hope your visit has been meeting your expectations. Say hello to Teucer for me, by the way, I've missed him since he visited all those months ago.
I've been hanging around the Northland Bank as of late to fill in your presence in a way. I can't exactly comment on the effectiveness, though. On the bright side, Ekaterina and I have been conversing beyond small talk. She really is a sweet woman.
I miss you more and more each day. I've been telling myself that these 2 months will pass quickly, but it doesn't seem to work. The house is quiet, as much as I used to complain, I miss your antics making this place seem brighter. Now and then I find myself wishing I soaked in our last few nights together just a bit more. Nights are difficult, I've grown used to your touch soothing me to sleep. The space in our bed leaves me restless some nights.
I hope your trip is going well, I'll be here to greet you with open arms once you return.
With everlasting love,
[Name]
Childe’s letter -
My dearest [Name],
My visit home has been nothing short of eventful, that is for certain!
Teucer has been well, he has been attached at the hip with me since I returned. He always asks about how you’re doing and when I plan to ask for your hand in marriage. I wish I could say ‘soon’ and have it be true. Seeing my family again only makes my mind wander to what children of my own would be like. You’re not opposed to the idea, no?
Work has been tiring for me as well. The Tsaritsa always seems to have some new task for me to give my attention to. I try to get as much done as I can in a day so I can return home to my angel as soon as possible. Please don’t hold your breath, though. No matter how much I do in one day, I always seem to be just as busy the next. There is so much to do. I hope to bring you here without having my duties as a Harbinger looming over me.
I've found myself connecting every little thing around me to you in some way or another. Even if it is completely ridiculous, the smallest things make me think of you. It is difficult to keep myself from associating aspects of Snezhnaya to my lover when you are my home in my heart. Curse you for making me feel such sappy things.
I'd be lying if I said I did not miss you just as much as you say you do me. Perhaps I miss you just a bit more, but I don't mean to make it a competition. Don't get me wrong, I love my family more than anything, but my heart aches being away from you for this long. My bed feels empty as well. I never used to hug my pillows as a child, but Tonia poked fun at me this morning for doing so in my sleep. You've brought out a new weakness in me, I can never forgive you.
I'll tell you what, join me in looking at the stars every night from now on. Find your favourite, the one that shines brightest in your eyes, I will do the same. Tell that star you love them, and really mean it. Maybe that love will reach me all the way over here.
I greatly look forward to returning home to you as soon as I am able. I'm ashamed to admit that I may begin to slack on my duties if I yearn for you any more.
eYOOOOO IK I ALREADY SAID THIS BEFORE BUT CONGRATS ON THE MILESTONE !!!!!!! I'd love to make a request for childe but my brain is just in the mindset of "AS LONG AS ITS SFW AND TEN IS THE ONE WHO WRITES IT IM SOLD" which in itself is,,,, not very specific for a request. ANYWAYS GOODLUCK WITH YOUR REQUESTS <333 ROOTING FOR YA
again
pairings: childe × gn!reader
genre: slight angst/comfort
summary: though the two of you have separated, the universe has a funny way of bringing the both of you back together (or, in this case, the tsaritsa)
wc: 1.9k
warnings: swearing (only once i think)
a/n: now, ik you didn’t intentionally put this as a req but i took and ran with it anyway— i think you put too much faith in me 😭 but i hope you enjoy >:)
you can find my masterlist here
sometimes you hated the icy hell that was snezhnaya. the monotonous white of the landscape only served to bore your mind and the constant chills running up your body did nothing to help your already sour mood. at some point you had resorted to playing with your pyro vision, absentmindedly toying with a small flame in the palm of your hand, purely for some form of entertainment.
yes, you concluded. you absolutely did not want to be here. especially not with this imbecilic ginger.
“i can hear you grumbling, you know.”
speak of the devil…
“yeah, no shit. i’m right behind you.”
the man who you now refer to as childe, rather than ajax, heaves a particularly heavy sigh as the pair of you continue to trudge through your home country.
you’d curse celestia for your circumstances if it wasn’t for the the fact that you knew exactly whose doing this was.
your archon thought it a good idea to pair the two of you on a mission to retrieve a stolen artefact but there were several issues with this;
first of all, you had no idea why something as menial as fetching some toy concerned the attention of a harbinger. surely this could’ve been left to the lower ranks? but most importantly, you were even more baffled as to why she had to pair him with you of all people. while it’s true that you were an accomplished healer, that didn’t mean there weren’t any others with twice your experience.
you’d ponder these questions with more scrutiny but you’d be damned if you spent more time dwelling on your situation if it meant you had to stay with the ginger for even a split second longer.
archons, just looking at him and his stupidly long legs carrying him through the snow is giving you a headache… same with the way they seem to accentuate his annoyingly tall figure. and his rather broad shoulders that supported his head of soft hair. and the way that his jaw clenches beautifully in concentra—
hold on, beautifully? that doesn’t sound right.
“—n we can make a fire in the shelter over there.”
ah… you’re being spoken to.
“h-huh?”
childe stops in front of you suddenly, shooting you a look of confusion and you nearly bump into the body you were just fawning over. you had to shake your head quickly in order to get rid of the thoughts manifesting in your mind.
“have you listened to anything i’ve just said?” he questions, daring you to answer with those bottomless azure eyes.
you blink. focus, you simpleton!
“of course i have,” you reply dumbly.
much to your irksome, a gloved hand sits cockily at his left hip. “great! mind leading the way, then?”
a tease.
you’ve played this game with him many times before but you’re certain you don’t want him to find any amusement this time.
it’s no use, though. you unknowingly entertain him anyway.
your legs are quick to take you in a direction that wasn’t even close to what childe had suggested a few seconds ago. you were headed the exact opposite way, in fact.
a smirk slowly makes its way onto his face but you’ve already marched ahead of him, too far away to notice. childe huffs, full of mirth, before he decides to follow close behind you.
being forced into a situation with him like this… well, you couldn’t help but wonder where it all went wrong. you might have been the one to sever your relationship but as soon as the wave of anger resided you found yourself wishing you didn’t. celestia knows how much you’ve tried to distract yourself from the pain, and admittedly you were doing pretty well. that was until now, at least.
memories of arguments resurfaced as you willed yourself to remain unresponsive. if the both of you were less frustrated in the moment, would the two of you still be together? or were the reasons of your breakup too glaring to dismiss?
after all, staying up for nights on end wondering whether or not your partner was even alive wasn’t exactly ideal for your mental health. neither was having to lecture him after dressing many of the unsightly wounds he’d regularly come home with. you could only cope with the stress for so long.
but you couldn’t help but miss him.
the pair of you had wandered for another half hour or so when the situation seemed to take a turn for the worse, the telltale signs of a snowstorm beginning to fester in the skies above. this wasn’t good. you’d both be dead if you were caught in a snowstorm, pyro vision or not.
willing the flame to grow larger in your hand, you looked around for anything that could be used to protect yourselves from the oncoming storm when childe suddenly gathers you into his arms without warning.
“h-hey! what do you think you’re doing?!” you yelp in shock as you flail about in his arms.
“saving our lives,” he quips not even a second after.
shaky arms are quick to instinctively wrap themselves around childe’s neck in order to prevent yourself from falling. he subconsciously responds by holding you closer to him, both as if to prevent you from slipping and to shield you from the bitter cold.
you’re too caught up in panic to notice the quickening beat of his heart.
soon enough, childe manages to find a small crack within a nearby cliff and he swiftly manoeuvres inside with you still in his hold. he shuffles so that his back is pressed to the back of the cave, trying his hardest to keep the both of you as far from the entrance as possible. he slides down into a sitting position and moves you so that you were sitting sideways in his lap- your head resting on his shoulder.
you sit in silence for the next few moments with only the howling of the wind to keep yourselves company. being outside in the frigid cold for so long had sapped your energy and you were about to fall asleep there and then when you felt your companion start to tremble. it was normal to shiver in these conditions but the way his body started to violently shake had alerted you from near slumber.
untucking your head from his neck you looked up at him with furrowed brows, “childe?”
“ ‘s fine,” he grits out through chattering teeth. “don’t worry about it.”
your frown grows. it’s easy to see how the moisture in his eyelashes have caused them to clump together due to the sheer temperature, and it’s even easier to feel how intense his shivers are.
this won’t do.
quickly shrugging off your scarf you begin to wrap it around his neck when his hand catches your wrist.
“i said it’s fine,” he protests, increasing the pressure of his grip.
but you stand firm, “i’m not playing around, you fool.”
“and neither am i, so keep your sca—”
…why was he always so stubborn?
you don’t give him time to finish his rebuke as you quickly wrap the article of clothing around him. too worried to care about your proximity, your face inches closer to his to ensure that none of the skin of his neck could meet with the bitter cold.
his breath hitches, caught in his throat, but you don’t acknowledge it.
“i won’t have you dying cause of hypothermia, you brat. just listen to me for once, please,” you whisper the last bit out shakily.
you hate how your voice wavers.
thankfully he relents under your insistence and instead settles back into the wall, tentatively rewrapping his arms around your shoulders.
you can’t bear to look at his face for prolonged periods of time and so you bury your own back into his neck, cushioned by the soft scarf you had just successfully swaddled him in.
there’s nothing for you to make a consistent fire out of and so you resort to heightening your body temperature in the hopes of keeping the both of you warm. you hate this. you should hate this, but you find that you can’t help but nuzzle into him no matter what you beg yourself to do.
but it’s not like he’s pushing you away, either.
silence passes between you once more but the air is much thicker than last time. it’s suffocating; threatening to consume you whole. maybe you’ve crossed the line this time, overstepped your unspoken boundaries.
“you’re doing it again,” childe comments, breaking the tension.
with hesitance clearly on your visage, you look up towards his face.
“stop chewing on your cheeks. you’re gonna hurt yourself.”
a gloved hand reaches out for your face, but he retracts it before you could notice his mistake. a habit, it seemed.
you scoff in disbelief, but the disdain you intended to put behind it lacks any real punch. you reply with a quiver in your voice.
“really…? you’re unbelievable. don’t you dare lecture me about hurting myself. it’s hypocritical, childe.” it didn’t take a genius to pick up on your solemn tone.
childe.
for a split second you think you see a hint of regret spread across the young man’s face but it’s gone the second you look at him again.
he looks at the ground past you and whispers,“what happened to ajax…?”
“pardon?” you reply, perplexed by his question.
a sigh of defeat leaves his thin lips. childe then pulls you closer to him but with the way his eyes seem so distant you can tell it wasn’t done on a conscious basis.
“i said, what happened to ajax?” he repeats a little louder.
your brows furrow once more, but it was more so due to confusion than worry. “nothing happened, i just don’t call you that anymore cause we—”
“i,” he interrupts as if he doesn’t want you to finish that sentence. breathing in in frustration as he balls his fist, he continues, “i know, just… i just miss the way you used to say my name. forget i said anything.”
and at this, you freeze- eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape.
as if sensing your shock, childe drops the subject and turns his head to the side away from your astonished face.
what the hell is happening?
with your heartbeat thrumming away in your chest, you slowly let your head fall back onto his shoulder.
a third and final silence settles; this time filled with realisations and unspoken feelings. it settles like the first wave of sunlight waiting to thaw out the fjords of snezhnaya after the long and gruelling months of its unforgiving winter.
childe— no, ajax, chances a glance at you once he’s certain you’ve fallen asleep and he finds that his heartbeat sings in time with yours. they thump in unison, and ajax falls asleep feeling less lonely than before. he cradles you and lets his cheek rest on the top of your head, not before untangling your scarf so that it covers the both of you comfortably.
someday, someday he’d get to hear his name roll off your tongue once again. he’d make sure of it;
and somewhere in the grand zapolyarny palace, the tsaritsa smiles.
with a steady breath, you lowered your gaze and drew an arrow.
snow crunched beneath your footsteps as you eased yourself, gingerly reaching for the fawn’s corpse. its weight and hide were easily valued for 6000 mora. there were mouths to feed, debt to pay off, and herbs to buy. you contemplated to hunt some more but knew it was unwise as dusk cloaked the horizon.
you groaned and steadied yourself, lugging the corpse over your shoulder. the metallic stench lingered and stained your clothing. it would’ve been the 2nd laundry load for the week.
“leaving so soon?” a familiar voice called out, lifting the weight off your shoulder.
you turned to face the ginger-haired man, smiling awkwardly with a sledgehammer in the other hand. his callused hands effortlessly tugged at the corpse and tool; surely he was demolishing something again. he had always kept himself busy around our village. you uttered under your breath, calling him a “disaster”.
“you left, and i stayed put.” your unexpectedly bitter words made him shudder. “tonia, anthon and teucer are well fed anyway.”
“i know, and that is all thanks to you. i was hoping you’d be excited to see me again.” it was irritating how his smile was so confident and contagious. you turned away from his infectious grin, chewing the sides of your cheek. you reached for the carcass and paced back to the cottage.
“hey y/n—“ he tripped slightly, rushing to stand in front of you, “i’m back for good now. i left the fatui. we can start over.” his ocean blue eyes followed your expression, tracing from your eyes to your lips carefully parting for a kiss. it wasn’t proper to be impulsive, let alone be affectionate in public, so you curled your lips back and turned away.
undeniably, you hoped that he would follow you and his footsteps trailed along. you listened to your heartbeats thundering and pulsating through your ears. blood flushed and scurried on your cheeks, and along your nose. his footsteps sunk deeper into the snowfield as he paused and cleared his throat, “if you have another man, you could tell me. i’d leave you in peace with him.”
“oh really? well, you’ve changed. i thought you would put up a fight because you’d be reckless as ever. you were never tame, you temperamental mess. you left me to fend for myself and tolerate so much shit in your absence.” you scowled and hissed at him.
your silence gnawed him deeper than his guilt.
“my glaze lily-“ he began, clearing his throat.
“shut up, ajax.”
you kicked the wooden door twice before barging into a home with hungry children. anthon, tonia and teucer gleamed at the sight of you, charging forward with a tight embrace. they hid behind you as they watched their murderous brother smile and wave. tartaglia’s gaze fell with remorse and he finally understood the circumstances.
while he fell in love with you for your candor, he couldn’t help but to feel betrayed. he swallowed and tightened his grip around the sledgehammer. the tension between him and his siblings fell like a deafening silence, only slightly broken by the crackles of flames.
“okay, little ones, who wants some stew?” you offered chirpily, waltzing to the kitchen. the children excitedly volunteered to help, picking pieces of onions and carrots to add. tartaglia leaned by the door frame, watching you and his siblings prepare dinner.
age never defied your beauty. he studied the way your eyes crinkled with more lines as you smiled. stress created faint stands of grey from your roots that were quickly covered as you ran your fingers along your hair, tousling your hair that was plastered with sweat. he frowned at the way your skin peeled and chapped - he resisted himself from nagging at you for not prioritising yourself. nevertheless, he marvelled at how much you’ve taught his siblings; anthon finely cut slices of carrots and tonia stirred the broth carefully with your guidance.
“big brother?” teucer called out in a whisper.
“teucer, what can i do for you?” tartaglia smiled sweetly at his brother, bending onto one knee to face teucer.
“y/n said you were a part of the fatui and you killed people. father told us that it was true. it’s why y/n doesn’t want you to ever meet alec.” teucer blurted in disbelief, silently wishing that his brother wasn’t a mindless soldier.
“alec? who is alec?” anger began to engulf as he rose from his position. his fists were clenched as he glared at you. “y/n, who is alec?” he repeated his question.
you sighed, “you should leave, ajax.”
“okay, anthon, tonia and teucer. y/n and i are going to be making dinner with surprise ingredients. why don’t you all go upstairs and play?” tartaglia fixated his gaze on you, cautiously placing the sledgehammer down. the children exchanged glances and tonia spoke, “but big brother, alec is still asleep.”
enslaved by rage, he stormed the stairwell and checked through every room for a man.
unknowingly, he had disturbed his mother who was asleep on the armchair. “ajax, any louder and you would wake alec up.” tartaglia gritted his teeth and demanded to know who ‘alec’ was.
“didn’t you receive the letters? you mean to tell me that while you were gone for 3 years, you hadn’t had known that you were a father? you impregnate someone on your 21st birthday and you just leave them? is this how we raised you? don’t you have any shame? you are a disgrace to us—“
“thank you, but don’t worry, i’ll handle this from here.” you spoke gently, holding a toddler in your arms.
it had always pained you to look at your son’s eyes - resembling his father’s dearly. his oceanic blue eyes curving into raging tides, calmed by an aquamarine shore. tartaglia’s gaze softened, reaching for his son’s face. his finger slid along alec’s cheek. you watched tartaglia’s mouth fall agape as he whispered, “i’m so sorry, y/n, i didn’t know.”
you nestled alec closer to your chest, feeling his arms wrap around your neck. “mommy, who is this man?” alec’s voice was muffled as he peered over your shoulder, observing tartaglia. “that’s your daddy, alec.”
“daddy, daddy! mommy always read your letters to me! you saved liyue! you are a superhero! i got your presents, mommy brought them back for me! i like this one- i like this one- i want to show you my favourite present from you!” alec wiggled out of your arms and darted to his room, painstakingly searching for letters and presents that were supposedly sent by tartaglia.
tears beaded, brimming by his lash line, slowly cascading along his cheeks. your heart crumbled at the sight of tartaglia sobbing. you unfolded your arms and wrapped them around his waist. alec returned with a folder of letters and an indecisive amount of toys. “daddy, don’t cry. mommy told me that i am a good boy - i shared these toys with anthon, teucer and tonia. do you want to play, daddy? i can share my toys. look, daddy, look at this one!”
it was paradoxical. he ached yet yearned for his son’s love despite knowing he was once a monster. undeserving of love and affection. he was a slave and puppet of the abyss, corrupted by his own desire to be the strongest warrior, the most proficient with weapons. he was once a harbinger that destroyed families but he was devastated at the thought of ruining his own. he knew his family could no longer face him anymore, yet they strained each day, searching for reasons to forgive him.
tartaglia peeled away from you gently and cleared his throat, breathing slowly. he leaned forward to pick alec up and spoke, “you have the best mother in the world, did you know that?” alec beamed and nodded his head, squealing in agreement. “mommy, mommy! i can show daddy that i am strong just like him! i can fight osial and win like daddy did!”
“yeah, i’m sure that his side kick, lumine, was just as strong.” you picked up after alec, and rearranged his toys and the folder of letters. “c’mon, sweetie, you gotta go to bed. daddy is not working for her majesty anymore, he will be here for you—“ you turned back to tartaglia, “right, daddy?”
“right, kiddo. i’m back, and there will never be anyone else but your mommy as my side kick. i’m not sure why she thought the famous traveller, lumine, was even a part of it.” his gaze taunted you for answers. you raised your brows in suspicion before tucking alec into bed, placing a soft kiss on his forehead.
“mommy, can i tell daddy a story? just daddy, though. i want to talk to daddy alone.” alec held onto an exuvia plush. “it’s the same story about this toy, when he saved liyue. remember that, mommy? i want to tell daddy everything that i remember! daddy is a superhero!”
“sure, baby. i’ll be making supper for your cousins. enjoy your time with daddy, okay?” you swiftly left the room, carefully shutting the door behind you.
tartaglia noticed that alec’s room was decorated by paintings of the ocean, filled with detailed marine life. luminescent jellyfish, ocean floors raided by crayfish - the walls were made of aquatic fantasies, meticulously painted by you to protect his dreams. alec believed he could swim with whales and dolphins, journey around teyvat with his father, and obtain a hydro vision as well. he wanted to be just like his father. he wanted to save the world, he wanted to serve her majesty. above all, he wanted to be strong enough to save his parents from all of mankind’s threats.
“daddy, can you promise me something?” alec raised a pinky at his father, watching tartaglia slowly reciprocate with an intertwining finger. “you make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life. you break a pinkie promise, i throw you on the ice.” tartaglia and alec recited together, giggling at the synchronisation.
“daddy, promise me that i won’t ever have another mommy? i don’t like seeing mommy cry over the side kick. superheroes can have side kicks, but the side kicks cannot steal you from my mommy. promise me that it is only you and mommy?”
with that, tartaglia’s smile fell into profound culpability.
