eternal flame | tartaglia x reader

Chapter Eight

You groan as you trip over another toy on the ground. You pick it up and inspect it with a frown, what the hell is this? A hilichurl? Since when did toy vendors make things like this?

"Teucer, buddy," you called out to the young boy, "We need to clean up our toys when we're done with them, okay?"

Teucer waddles into his living room, nodding and starting to pick up some of the toys. You give him a big smile and help organise the toys back into a bin. You can't believe how big he's grown in the past four years, it seems that it was just yesterday when Ajax held his younger brother in his arms for the first time and fought back tears. You shake your head to clear the image from your head, you don't need to think about him right now.

It's been almost four years since Ajax left for the Fatui. He hasn't come home yet. You don't know when he's coming back, if ever.

Though Ajax promised to write often, you didn't receive many letters. Though you wrote almost every week for the first year after Ajax left, you didn't often get a reply. You started hearing less and less, and so you wrote less and less, and you haven't had any contact with Ajax in around two years now.

To be honest, it crushed you. You were depressed for months, it felt like you really lost Ajax. The pain started to fade when you told yourself that people grow apart, and not everyone can keep their first love by your side forever. From what you could gather, Ajax has moved onto much greater things in the Fatui, judging by the luxury clothing and abundance of toys that always seemed to be arriving in the mail. It was definitely worth more than a fisherman's salary.

Since Ajax left, your two families have grown apart a lot. Your parents promise that they didn't lose the friendship because of resentment towards their son's behaviour, but of course you have your suspicions.

In any case, you'll often babysit Ajax's siblings. While Ajax's older siblings moved out before Ajax had left home, he still had three younger siblings: Tonia who is 11, Anthon who is 9, and little Teucer who is 5 years old. Teucer is still too young to start school, and Ajax's mother often needs someone to keep watch over Teucer while she runs errands during the day.

That's why you're over at his house now, watching Teucer collect different action figures and toys.

You won't be able to commit to babysitting them for much longer, as your boyfriend is working a big business deal right now. If all goes well, you may set afoot to travel with him to a different part of Teyvat very soon.

In reality, you don't really want to leave Snezhnaya. Living in the seaside village of Morepesok is all you've ever known, and you can't say that you're too anxious to leave. You established yourself as quite the artist, often taking commissions for portraits and other various drawings as required. Sadly, not everyone has their houses filled with the finest jewellery and furniture (as your neighbours seem to) and you must think about your future, and the money that goes with it.

That was about one half of the reasons that you accepted Maksim's attempts at courting you. That, and the fact that he started his pursuit of you around the same time that you had finally accepted that Ajax was done with you.

Though he spent years terrorizing Ajax, his tyrannic behaviour came to a halt once Ajax left town. He seemed more than remorseful of his behaviour as well. You've seen him at Ajax's house more than once, begging for the forgiveness of Ajax's parents for the way he treated their son. You can't say that you'll ever be able to fully forgive Maksim for the hell he put Ajax through for so many years, but you can also acknowledge the fact that the person you are at age 14 is not the same person you are at age 18.

Maksim treats you well enough, he's handsome enough, and he has a bright future ahead of him in the business world, which is a stability that you're going to need as your parents grow older in age.

Besides, moving somewhere else in Teyvat with him will be a good opportunity for you to expand your art business, Snezhnaya isn't the only place in the world who enjoys paintings after all.

"You hungry for lunch, Teuc?" you asked the boy with a smile, grinning even wider when he replies with enthusiastic nods.

There's a knock at the door. You glance at the clock, Ajax's mother wasn't supposed to be home for a few hours?

You swing the door open slowly, and you're met with an unfamiliar face. He looks like he's from Morepesok, no doubt, as so many of its residents also have that burnt auburn hair colour. For a moment you wonder if it might be Alec, Teucer's oldest brother. You haven't seen Alec for a few years, and his face is mostly a blur in your memory.

That is, until you actually take a moment to inspect his face. Your eyes run over his button nose, his curved lips, his angular jawline. He's much too young to be Alec, he's probably closer to your own age.

Your eyes finally reach his eyes, and you feel your heart explode inside your chest.

Ajax.

"Y/n?" Ajax asked, and his voice sent a shiver down your spine.

You look away from his face quickly, you're not ready for this, you'll never be ready for this, why didn't anyone mention that he was coming home?

Ajax seems to catch a glance of Teucer standing behind you, and he calls out with an excitement you weren't sure you'd ever hear again.

"Teucer! Come say hi to your big brother!" Ajax called out, and his voice was all honey tones.

Teucer looks up at you as if to ask for permission, and you barely have a chance to nod fully before the young boy is leaping into his big brother's arms. You realise that Teucer probably has no memories of Ajax, only knows him through the toys sent in the mail to him.

You let Teucer and Ajax embrace for a few moments before you clear your throat.

"So, you're back?" you asked.

"Yup," Ajax said, twirling Teucer in the air a few times before setting the boy on the ground. "Only get today and tomorrow off, though, then it's back to work."

You continue to fix your gaze on the floor. Isn't Ajax being a little bit too casual about all of this? Did he have memory issues? You can't help but feel a lick of anger at the bottom of your stomach. Is this all he has to say to you?

"I see," you whispered. You're already shrugging on your jacket. If you stay here any longer, there's really no telling what you might do. "I'll leave you to spend some time with Teucer, your mother will be back in a few hours."

Before Ajax even has a chance to protest, you've already slammed the door behind you.

A part of you can't even believe it, believe that Ajax has returned home after all these years. It took you longer than a second to recognize him, which goes to show just how much his appearance has changed. He's probably over six feet tall now, which shouldn't be much of a surprise since Ajax was always on the taller side. His hair is longer, his shoulders are broader and during the few moments that you dared to look at his face, you didn't see a single freckle left on his skin. It's like you're fourteen all over again, laying on your bedroom floor while daydreaming about Ajax's looks, heart beating faster with every moment. You're just glad that you have no plans to meet Maksim today, the man would probably have a heart attack from guilt if he found out that Ajax was back in Morepesok.

Before you know it, the sun has set and you're still laying on your bedroom floor. You really don't know how you feel right now. You're relieved, very relieved that Ajax is safe, that he doesn't have any missing limbs or severe injuries from being in the Fatui for years. But you're mad, you're so, so pissed off that Ajax thinks he can speak and act nonchalantly after all the pain he's caused in your life. You're confused, you're scared, you're-

You're hearing a noise that you haven't heard in years.

A gentle tap-tapping on your bedroom window.