Cold Blooded

Mirrors

 "You're house?" Saya scratched the back of her head. "But don't you live in Liyue?"

"Well, yes." Mr. Childe chuckled. "It's um, my mom's house."

"Oh, um, okay." Saya shrugged and walked up to the harbinger. "Lead the way then."

The three walked for a while. They traveled through forest and long empty expanses of snow. They happened upon a few creatures, but there was not a human in sight. As the sun began to dip behind the far off mountains, they came close to a house. There was a hole in the ice nearby and smoke coiled out from the chimney. Laughter drifted out into the snowy wasteland.

"So, you two stay right here," Mr. Childe said, turning around to talk to them. "I'm gonna go grab some clothes from my old room for Chongyun. It's just probably not a great idea for me to come home with two strangers, especially not if one is only half-dressed."

"Yes, sir." Saya said. Childe nodded and ran off without another word.

Saya slipped off her hood and clipped her mask to a thin chain at her side. She ran her fingers through her hair. Saya laughed quietly and spread her arms wide, turning to Chongyun. "What do you think, Yun? Do I look presentable and non-threatening?"

Chongyun smiled and nodded. The two looked back over to Mr. Childe. He strode up to the house, but instead of going to the door, he turned around and opened a window on the side. He hoisted himself up and leaned in. His legs hung outside and kicked a bit as he did... whatever it was that he was doing.

"What is he..." Saya trailed off, staring at one of the most powerful and dangerous beings in Teyvat dangling halfway through a window. Chongyun just shrugged, unable to take his eyes off Mr. Childe. What was he doing???

"AJAX!?" A woman's voice suddenly tore across the quiet dusk. It came from the small house and was filled with a mix of rage, confusion, and surprise.

"M-MOM!" Mr. Childe's voice cried out in response. A moment later, he fell fully through the window and disappeared from sight.

"Mr. Tartaglia!" Saya shouted. She raced towards the house and Chongyun followed close behind her.

They came to the window that Mr. Childe had disappeared into and looked through the window. Mr. Childe lay splayed out on the floor and an older woman stood above him, fuming.

"How dare you try to break into your own mother's home!" She whispered angrily. "You're lucky Anton, Tonia, and Teucer are all in the dining room right now. Why are you even trying to sneak into your own room? Stop acting like a rebellious student and start acting like the adult I raised you to be!"

"But Mom-" Mr. Childe attempted, rising to his feet.

"But nothing, young man!" She continued on. "I will not have you disrespecting your family just because..."

The woman's gaze fell on Saya and Chongyun through the open window. "A-ajax, who are these people?' Her voice became soft and fear was evident in her eyes.

"They're why I'm here, Ma," Mr. Childe said softly. "I need to get them out of here, but I need some time to make a plan. I just need a place where I know that they'll be safe and this is the only place I could think of. Chongyun over there fell in a lake and I was trying to get him some dry clothes."

"Oh, my poor child," Childe's mom was all tenderness and concern now. "Come on in, both of you. Ajax will help you get changed and I have some stroganoff cooking on the stove. Come in, come in."

Chongyun crawled through the window and landed on Mr. Childe's bed with a thud. He quickly moved out of the way, allowing Saya to follow a moment later.

"I-I'll go wait outside while you guys figure out... clothes and... stuff," Saya muttered and followed Childe's mom out of the room.

"So, that could have gone better..." Childe ran a hand through his hair as he let out a slow breath. "Let's get you something dry to wear."

Mr. Childe began to rummage through some drawers and pulled out a few shirts, a pair of pants, and a few other random jackets and things. "Try these on and just pick a pair that fits right. Don't worry, I'll look away while you change."

Chongyun nodded and slipped out of Mr. Childe's winter coat. The house was warm and the pain in Chongyun's head dissipated in the warmth. He tried on a few different shirts until he found one that kinda fit. He slid on a pair of dry pants and pulled on a pair of shoes that were a bit too big. He turned and saw himself in the mirror on the wall.

Chongyun jumped at the sight of himself. It had been years since he had last seen his reflection. He had grown much taller and bigger. His hair reached down towards his waist and in the new clean clothes, he looked as if he were any other regular person. A smile spread across Chongyun's face, but a small cry escaped his throat a moment later.

Mr. Childe spun around and looked around for a hidden enemy or threat. He walked up to Chongyun to see what was the matter, but Chongyun was far too busy staring in the mirror. He slid the pad of his thumb over his teeth. His razor sharp teeth.

His mouth was crammed full of jagged teeth. He had been aware of the change during his rampage back in the lab, but he had thought that it had changed back. The claws had disappeared and he had returned to his normal size, why hadn't this changed back?

"M- T-teeth!" Chongyun rasped, frantically pointing at his mouth. "Wha- appened?"

"Oh, um, it's been like that since I grabbed you in the lab..." Mr. Childe placed a hand on Chongyun's shoulder. "I'm guessing by your reaction that this is something... new. But, it's okay. I'm sure it'll be fine. You'll be fine. Come on. Let's um... Let's go get some dinner."

Chongyun nodded slowly but couldn't take his eye off the mirror. He reached his hand up and slid his finger over his teeth again. He pulled his hand back with a quiet hiss. He had cut his finger on his new fangs. His eyes focused on the drop of blood, then everything went wrong.

Hello again, darling.

~author's note~

don't got much to say, but thanks for reading as always.

art posted by @diaaasazz