₊˚ʚ 𝖦𝖾𝗇𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗇 𝖮𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗍𝗌 ✧ ﾟ.

{𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚} 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚?

Symbols °࿐ 🫧
Au °࿐ Canon AU

Request by suckwow <3

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ.

There wasn't much to say about Childe's life, he was the 11th of the Fatui harbingers, rich and most importantly a brother. But even that was just fake, he had the lowest rank, only got a monthly allowance like a child and couldn't care for his own siblings.

He had friends ..... At least he thought. The only good one he had was Zhongli, a good looking fellow, archon, poor and someone who childe had a soft spot for, but even he was just as fake as everything else using him for the money, trying to get what he wanted. Then there was Aether, he genuinely thought he was a nice guy, had some laughs and helped him with his mission, but yet it couldn't be helped that Childe was in fact a harbinger someone who does nothing but betraying, and so there went Aether. Well then at least he had Pulcinella, the only other harbinger that cared for him and his siblings, he looked forward to Pulcinella's letters about his siblings, but he missed him oh so much, he wasn't a friend, but more ... Like a father perhaps.

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He sat on a rock, there were many rocks in Liyue so he doesn't remember where or which rock, just playing with his bow, shooting some pigeons here and then. The faint laughter of small town children could be heard on the background, it reminded him of home somehow. He wasn't exactly sure what he was doing, downing in sorrow and hatred, did he really not deserve any friends?

His mind wandered of to the first days after the attack on Liyue Harbor, millelith staring at him with disgust and Qixing staff calling nasty things. So he wandered off to somewhere in between the mountains, where no one would've ever heard of the tragedy that found place, waiting for a letter from back home to meet with her majesty once again. He remembered the way his coworker La Signora and Zhongli traded the Gnosis like it was some kind of cheap piece that belonged in the kids version of a low quality chess set. Maybe Childe was just a 'child' that was fooled and played by the players of that cheap chess set, maybe he was cheap, deserving to be thrown away by society. It wasn't as if his co workers were so nice to him either, his codename was choose intentionally, just to mock him for it, it was why he preferred 'Tartaglia' or his real name 'Ajax'.

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While Childe was overthinking his sins somewhere in the middle of archon knows where, some of his supposed friends were having a meeting at Liyue pavillion. It was important, because for the first time in his mortal life, Zhongli had his wallet with him. The meeting was unusual for Aether, who had been called here by means of the Dodoco device, kind of annoyed he was by how every archon had somehow managed to hack it. Normally he would've gave in so easily, but Zhongli promised there would be food and he seemed quite conserned. Zhongli didn't say what it was about, perhaps because the topic would cause Aether not to come.

So now our favourite white boy was sitting across from Zhongli with his favourite companion, who was not surprisingly munching on some snacks, looking kind of confused as to why Zhongli had a quite panicked look on his face.

Zhongli was a reserved man, never let his emotions get to him that easily, so Aether guessed it had something to do with Childe. It wasn't a secret to Liyue inhabitants that these two were quite fond of each other , having build a strong friendship as time went on. It was only natural for Childe to feel betrayed after that stunt stunt Zhongli had pulled and to be completely honest, Aether hadn't forgave Zhongli for what he did back then.