Archon Quest: Custom Night [FNAF/Genshin]

Chapter 14: You Sure Know a Lot

Evan scrunched his nose, feeling the rough cloth press against his head. He squirmed under the touch.

"Sorry, comrade, but it has to be done. You don't want to catch a cold, do you?"

"I can do it myself," he insisted, picking at the couch cushion. The man stood behind the couch as he toweled the boy's hair dry.

"I just want to make sure it gets done," Childe replied, a hint of exhaustion in his voice, "You've been pretty difficult recently."

Silently, Evan shrugged. Childe bit the inside of his cheek, struggling to find the words.

"You can't treat people like that, don't you know?"

"What does it matter?" he mumbled dejectedly, "I'm..."

"...you are inconsequential. In the grand scheme of things, everyone is. Do not try to be anything, Evan. Keep your head low. Do not interfere."

"Yes, Father."

"You are not inconsequential," Childe ripped him out of his own thoughts, "Who told you that?"

He rubbed his thumbs together, "Father."

The man pulled the towel out of Evan's hair, placing it on the arm of the sofa. He jumped over the back of the couch and landed on the seat next to Evan's.

Childe leaned his elbows on his knees, "Listen, you aren't inconsequential. You wanna know how I know?"

Evan looked over at him, and the pain was evident in his eyes: a mix of regret and anger. Childe looked back through his own pained eyes; like Evan, he was upset that Kaeya lied, but that didn't excuse his maltreatment.

After Evan nodded shyly, he continued, "Because I love you. I would miss you. And the same can be said for Elizabeth, Kaeya, even Michael—we would all miss you. You're a part of this family. We might not all be related by blood, but we're still a family."

Shaking his head, the boy sniffled, "I messed up, didn't I?"

"Yeah. You did," Childe rubbed his back, "But it's not beyond repair. Why don't you go apologize to Kaeya?"

"He probably hates me," Evan, bringing his knees to his chest, sobbed.

"Hey, he's not a monster," Childe joked, but it only made Evan cry more, "Breathe, Evan, everything's okay."

He shook his head into his legs, "It's not okay! I just wanted to be like Michael. I'm tired of depending on other people. I know what I have to do, so why can't I do it alone? Why do I mess up everything I touch?"

The man drew circles into the boy's shirt, "Everyone needs someone, comrade, even Michael. When you first came here, I remember him patching you guys up and making sure you were okay. He may not admit it, but he needs you guys around. He doesn't want to be alone either."

Wiping his tears, Evan lifted his head. He leaned back against the sofa and stared at Childe.

"I'm not ready to apologize," he whispered, "I'm scared."

"That's okay. Kaeya probably needs some time, too—"

As he was talking, Michael and Elizabeth opened the front door, laughing as they walked in.