eternal flame | tartaglia x reader

Chapter Six

More and more frequently, people who had a record of either hanging around Maksim or bullying Ajax seemed to show up to school with quite severe injuries and no explanation on how they were obtained. Obviously Ajax can't be the one hurting them- he would never resort to such violence. Even if he's power tripping a little but with his new vision you know that he would never go as far as inflicting broken bones and bruises onto his bullies. Not that you can say they don't deserve it, and you know that you're above fighting back with punches (the memory of punching Maksim during your first year of school still haunts you), but not once has Ajax ever stooped to their level, and there's no real reason for him to start now.

"Weird how so many people keep getting injured," you mentioned to Ajax one day on the walk to school.

Ajax, like he did so often nowadays, only replied with a smirk and a shrug.

Later that afternoon, as you waited for Ajax to use the bathroom before the two of you started your walk home, you felt a hand wrap tightly around your arm and before you knew it, you were dragged into a dark corner of the school.

"How'd he do it?" someone hisses beside your ear, and to no surprise, Maksim is there when you turn towards the sound of the voice.

You pull your arm harshly out of his grip and scowl, "Leave us alone."

You try to take a step forward, but Maksim won't move, and you're not strong enough to shove your way past him. You're stuck in place.

"Just tell me, y/n. How'd he get so strong? Was he always this strong? Why'd he let himself get beat up for so long?" Maksim asked, almost frantically.

You couldn't believe it, Ajax was the one who has been doing this?

"Can't you answer me?" Maksim growled, grabbing your arm again.

"Stop it! I don't know!" you cried out.

Before you even have a chance to blink, your arm is released and Maksim is falling to the ground, Ajax stands tall behind him.

"What'd he do?" Ajax asks, the solemness of his voice sends a shiver down your spine.

"Nothing," you said, grabbing Ajax's hand and trying to walk away, "You already hit him once, let's go before someone finds out."

Ajax doesn't budge an inch, "Did he threaten you?"

"No Ajax, it's fine, let's just go home now," you're trying to pull Ajax in the opposite direction, get him away from the situation, get him away from Maksim who is trembling on the ground.

The next moments are only seen as flashes in your memory, Ajax's momentary soft smile, removing his hand from your grip, lifting Maksim up by the collar of his shirt, shoving a knee into Maksim's gut, yelling, Ajax is yelling so loud, everything is so loud, was Ajax ever capable of being this loud?

Your vision is blurred tears and your pleas to Stop, Ajax, stop. Let's go home Ajax, just leave it alone, are slurred by the sobs that escape your mouth.

There's blood on Ajax's shoes and fists and finally he takes a step back and looks at your face and something clicks inside his brain.

"Y/n," Ajax started, taking a step towards you.

You didn't mean to, you really didn't, but you take a step back. Away from Ajax. Out of his reach. His expression falls to a look of regret in an instant.

"Let's go," you finally spoke, grabbing Ajax's hand and pulling him away before he had a chance to think about objecting.

You're halfway home before you can bring yourself to look at Ajax's face again.
He's crying.

"I'm sorry," he said through a sniffle. "I really didn't mean to take it that far. I just wanted to protect you."

You weren't ready to talk to him yet, so you grip his hand a little bit tighter to reassure him. You were scared, and Ajax was sacred, and neither of you seemed to be able to understand what was going on anymore. There was no doubt in your mind that something massive had happened to Ajax in his days gone. The only thing is, you can't begin to imagine what he could have found in that forest to cause such a drastic change.

"They're all weak," Ajax exhaled, finally seeming to get his tears under control. "Why is everyone else so weak, y/n?"

It's one of the last things Ajax is able to say to you for a long time. You didn't hang out with Ajax that weekend. For the first time in your life, you needed some space from Ajax, so you stayed holed up in your bedroom for a few days. Sometime during your second day without seeing him, your parents come into your bedroom wearing the same worried expression they always seem to be sporting these days.

"Y/n, we need to talk about Ajax," your mother said. Her soft smile is like a teaspoon of honey to help the bitter taste of whatever news she's about to deliver go down easier.

"You know that he's been a lot different since he came back from the forest a few weeks ago," your father started.

You can only nod silently.

"He's been getting into a lot of fights with your classmates, and his father, and there was an incident at the market yesterday as well."
"An incident?" you asked.

"A fight broke out, with Ajax at the center of it all. He almost killed more than half of the merchants," your father explained.

It's like the air has been knocked out of your lungs. Though you want to deny it, you want to hold onto the belief that Ajax would never resort to such violence, after seeing what happened with Maksim the other day, you can't continue to hold onto the sweet, kind Ajax that you've grown up with.

Your mother places a hand on your back and traces soft circles, "We're sorry Y/n, but his parents have decided to conscribe him into the Fatui. He's leaving in a week."

You don't let any tears fall, only nodding and closing your eyes.

"Okay," your voice comes out as a whisper. "I just need some time alone now, I think."

You sit there for a long time, thinking. You really, really, don't want Ajax to leave, but you don't know what else anyone can do for him at this point. And he'll just be in training until he's 18, right? Even the Fatui won't swear in a child before they're of age. It's just training, so he can get his temper under control and return home before he ever even has a chance to see the battlefield, right?

Your train of thought is interrupted by a knock on the window. Except that it isn't really a knock, it's more of a crash, a loud pounding on the crash followed by a pretty angry yell of "Y/n, let me in! Fuck, y/n, open this window!"

You immediately recognize the voice as Ajax's, but he's speaking with a tone that you've never heard before. He's angry, furious maybe. The window rattles in the sill as Ajax continues to bang on it with both fists, and you find yourself hesitating for a moment before approaching it and undoing the lock.

This wasn't looking good.