Whale and Dragonfly // OC x Childe Genshin Impact fanfiction

Chapter 52: Family Comes First

The young, sunset-haired man slowly opened his eyes.

The view was blurry, his entire body feeling numb. The chest felt like it was filled with lead, it was hard to breathe. Boy didn't really understand what was happening or where he was.

After laying still and staring at the roof for 20 minutes, he finally seemed to go back to his senses. He was looking at the roof of his home. Of his room, specifically. He was covered by a soft and warm blanket, his head resting on an even softer pillow, stuffed with goose feathers and fluffs. The scent of burning wood and coal in the fireplace of his room brought back so many memories that a young man wanted to close his eyes again and enjoy it for another hour or two.

But he also had other matters to attend to.

Slowly moving his numb and aching body, the boy forced his hand to grip the corner of the blanket and lift it up. Glancing down, he saw that his entire upper body was wrapped in bandages. That's why it felt so hard to breathe – he was bandaged way too tightly.

Deciding that he will cause more trouble rather than benefit by trying to rebandage himself, Ajax slowly sat up, wincing in pain. Taking a deep breath, he turned a bit, finally able to put his legs down on the floor. It made him sigh in relief.

But the hardest part wasn't yet done. Standing up seemed like a nightmare.

His chest was heavy already and whenever he moved even a bit, it seemed like it was getting sliced by sharp knives. Yet, somehow, using the backrest of the bed, he managed to support his body weight and now was standing straight.

Like a baby learning how to step his first steps, he moved slowly, getting used to the state his body was currently in. As a former warrior, he has learned how to adapt to his surroundings quickly, so soon enough, he was walking normally once again.

Silently opening his room door, he sneaked out in the corridor. Feeling like he was still a bit too weak to accept the challenge of walking down the stairs, he decided to go and check his parents' room first.

Carefully, he bent down the door handle, opening the door and peeking inside. There was no sign of his father, only his mother, sitting in her rocking chair, humming a soft tune while knitting. Her back was facing the door, so the woman didn't acknowledge her son's presence at first.

Only when Ajax gently knocked on the door, did she turn around. Her eyes widened as she saw her beloved son awake.

"Ajax..."

As her eyes got teary, she stood up, walking up and embracing her son. Ajax followed her, wrapping his arms around her too.

"Mother..." he squeezed her gently. "I missed you..."

"Everyone missed you way more, dear..." She pulled away and her son took an opportunity to wipe her tears away. "We thought we have lost you..."

"I'm here now..." ginger forced out a small smile. "What happened, exactly?"

"Let's get you back to the bed first, you need to rest. Both of the sides have a lot to explain."

Gently pushing her son forward, she escorted him back to the bed. Ajax felt like he was a small, innocent child once again – his mother tucking him in in a nice and warm bed, giving him a goodnight kiss on the forehead. She then sat down at the side of the bed, taking her son's hand in hers and gently stroking it as she got ready to tell the recent events.

"Her Majesty, a Fatui guard, and a group of doctors came for a visit 1.5 weeks ago. They brought your body to us. Queen said she used her Archon power to revive you and Charlotte. However, reviving didn't heal up your wounds and doctors had to treat you. They said you will be unconscious for a while and today..." she smiled with a warm, motherly smile. "Today was finally the day you woke up. What torture of patience-testing these 1.5 weeks have been..."

Ajax listened to his mother carefully, nodding when she was finished. Rethinking what she just said again, only one word, or rather, a name, occupied his mind.

"Charlotte... Where is she? Is she alright?" he asked hurriedly, his voice worried.

"Shh... Calm down." His mother shushed him, making him lean back down to his pillow and relax. "Charlotte is safe and sound in the other room next door. Her injuries, however..."

Ajax's eyes slightly widened as his mother quieted down.

"She got it way worse than you. Doctors took an entire night performing surgery to save her. According to what they said, she had a massive stab wound in the middle of her chest. The blade must have pierced her and injured her heart, together nearly cutting off one of the largest veins."

The orange-haired young man was now listening to his mother in shock. All of the sudden, his chest felt extremely heavy again. It felt as if he could feel Charlotte's pain himself.

"But rest assured. She's now alright. Poor girl will stay unconscious for quite some time but doctors assured her that sooner or later, she will be fine. Don't worry, okay? Ajax?"

Ajax slowly nodded.

"Are these injuries all? Do you by any chance know what happened to her in the abyss?"

Now it was mother's turn to be surprised. She had no idea how her son, who was dead at the time, knew about Charlotte's adventures and death. In the end, she decided to not question it.

"Charlotte is the only one who can tell her story. Be patient and wait until she's awake. Then, you can learn the truth. As for the rest of the injuries... Her right arm was broken in 2 places and she has scratches and bruises all over her body. Heart and vein injuries are the worst but she will recover. Believe me."

His mother's gentle voice calmed the ginger down. He nodded, feeling way calmer now.

At least, he did for 1 minute.

Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing a little kid with hopeful blue eyes. The moment he saw his big brother, he charged at him.

"BIG BROTHER!!"

The little boy jumped on top of his big brother. Despite his chest aching terribly due to the sudden weight on top, Ajax accepted Teucer's hug attack, embracing him.

"Teucer!" he squeezed his brother, holding him close. "My goodness!"

Wheezing and heavy breathing noises could be heard as another figure entered the room, leaning against the wall.

"I... Hah... tried... to stop him..." Sergei sighed, trying to catch his breath. "That little rascal is... Fast... Phew..."

Mother and Ajax laughed.

"Haha. Some exercise would be no harm for you, you know, Sergei?" Ajax snickered, watching his eldest brother straighten his back.

"Hey! You just woke up from the coma and the first thing you say to your eldest brother is a rude remark?! You little-!"

Sergei approached his brother, ruffling his hair. Ajax laughed, trying to get his brother's hand off of his head.

"Sergei! I'm sorry! Stop it! Haha!"

Sergei humphed, leaning down to give his brother a warming hug.

"It's great to have you back, Ajax."

Soon enough all of his family stood in the room. All 3 youngsters: Tonia, Teucer, and Anthon were snuggled close to him in bed. His elder siblings, mother, and father stood in the room too all smiling as they were happy to see him awake.

Ajax always lived up to the rule "Family comes first" in his life. Yet, now he was once again reminded of how good it feels to be surrounded by the people you love.