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127 » shame on me for loving you
[Their meetings usually go like this:
They aren't planned, for one thing. Aether rarely calls upon Childe because he wants to see the man specifically. In fact, if not for their usual weekly battle, Aether would never have cause to visit Childe at all. They run into each other, that's all; they happen across each other in the streets of Liyue, or sometimes outside of the doors of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Childe drapes an arm around him, calls him comrade in that too-familiar tone of his; Aether shrugs it off and scowls. He's prickly. He pretends not to care, but he always indulges Childe at the end of the day, and in private, sometimes in more tender moments, he's more than willing to admit that Childe is a friend.
Most of the time, though, Aether doesn't go out of his way to visit his Fatui companion. So it must come as a surprise for Childe that when he comes back to the Northland Bank after a special assignment, his duties concluded for the work day, Ekaterina looks at him through her mask and smiles. "Oh... the traveler was here looking for you, Master Childe," she says, giggling faintly.
What a mystery. What would Aether possibly need Childe for? He isn't the type to come seeking a loan from the Fatui, so perhaps he has some challenge for his Harbinger friend, some divine beast he can't face alone? Thrilling. Aether can be hard to find even in the best of times, but it's not hard to guess where he might be if he's looking for Childe; a short walk from the bank will take Childe to the restaurant district, where the traveler's pixie companion would surely take him for a bite to eat —
— except that when they do run into each other, Paimon isn't floating over Aether's shoulder, and the peculiarly wide-eyed look in Aether's golden eyes suggests that he wasn't expecting to see Childe at all.]
Childe!
[Inexplicably.
Inexplicably, Aether tackles the Harbinger, running and colliding with solid impact into Childe's chest; he takes a deep, shuddering breath, as if he thought he'd never see Childe again, as if he needs to engrave the scent of the man's soap and skin into his memory. As if Childe is the one thing in the world he really needs, though of course that can't be true.
He's never been so openly affectionate... and also, people are staring.]
You're alright... I'm so glad you're alright...
[...Did he think that Childe would be hurt?]
They aren't planned, for one thing. Aether rarely calls upon Childe because he wants to see the man specifically. In fact, if not for their usual weekly battle, Aether would never have cause to visit Childe at all. They run into each other, that's all; they happen across each other in the streets of Liyue, or sometimes outside of the doors of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Childe drapes an arm around him, calls him comrade in that too-familiar tone of his; Aether shrugs it off and scowls. He's prickly. He pretends not to care, but he always indulges Childe at the end of the day, and in private, sometimes in more tender moments, he's more than willing to admit that Childe is a friend.
Most of the time, though, Aether doesn't go out of his way to visit his Fatui companion. So it must come as a surprise for Childe that when he comes back to the Northland Bank after a special assignment, his duties concluded for the work day, Ekaterina looks at him through her mask and smiles. "Oh... the traveler was here looking for you, Master Childe," she says, giggling faintly.
What a mystery. What would Aether possibly need Childe for? He isn't the type to come seeking a loan from the Fatui, so perhaps he has some challenge for his Harbinger friend, some divine beast he can't face alone? Thrilling. Aether can be hard to find even in the best of times, but it's not hard to guess where he might be if he's looking for Childe; a short walk from the bank will take Childe to the restaurant district, where the traveler's pixie companion would surely take him for a bite to eat —
— except that when they do run into each other, Paimon isn't floating over Aether's shoulder, and the peculiarly wide-eyed look in Aether's golden eyes suggests that he wasn't expecting to see Childe at all.]
Childe!
[Inexplicably.
Inexplicably, Aether tackles the Harbinger, running and colliding with solid impact into Childe's chest; he takes a deep, shuddering breath, as if he thought he'd never see Childe again, as if he needs to engrave the scent of the man's soap and skin into his memory. As if Childe is the one thing in the world he really needs, though of course that can't be true.
He's never been so openly affectionate... and also, people are staring.]
You're alright... I'm so glad you're alright...
[...Did he think that Childe would be hurt?]