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⊹ 𝔪𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔞𝔰𝔥 & 𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔟𝔢𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔡.
WHO: Childe + others.
WHAT: catch-all.
WHERE: Various.
WHEN: end of Firaseri & all of Sekiseri
WARNINGS: tba— see top levels for exact thread warnings.
WHAT: catch-all.
WHERE: Various.
WHEN: end of Firaseri & all of Sekiseri
WARNINGS: tba— see top levels for exact thread warnings.
no subject
[ this is helping, though. It's helping distract his mind, even though he can see severed limbs dripping Kenoma essence dangling at the corner of his vision right past Kaeya. He just can't linger too long or his mind will catche up to the rest of him trying to get away until things settle down.
So ... where else it hurts, the other wants to know. After a moment, Childe offers his shoulder where Hayame got him with a few arrows during the battle. He knows it's more his fault than hers that his muscles there burn hotter than hell and are torn up at this point, so it didn't register as much to him as a real injury to be concerned with. ] Everything else is pretty much minor, achy, or bruising.
no subject
[ One of these days, Childe will learn that he can't bullshit the No. 1 Bullshit Master. Kaeya takes pride in being more perceptive than most, so he can only roll his eye when the other Aion tries to act like those words didn't belong to him. He's sure that Childe remembers, anyway. They wouldn't be in this situation if that wasn't the case.
If he notices the man seeing things that aren't there, he makes no mention of it for the time being. Right now there are more pressing matters he needs to look at. Namely, the shoulder presented to him. This is one of those moments where he wishes he was a healer, but...
He places a hand over the noted area. ]
This won't fix what's wrong, but it should help.
[ A delicate blue glow emanates from his palm, pure cryo energy mixing in with heated and frayed nerves in an attempt to smooth out the pain. It's a temporary relief that should help make it more possible to move the joint around without making things worse. He'll even extend its reach to manage wherever else that Childe is hurting, a cool and crisp feeling being the most prominent sensation that he'll experience from all this.
Once done, he retrieves his hand and starts putting away the supplies he'd brought with him. ]
This will last until you're able to fall back asleep. Call for me if you need it refreshed.
[ Both words and actions that say he isn't planning on staying. ]
no subject
[ the bullshitting, he means.
He wants to thank the other beyond a simple word of "thanks" after the other has performed that ice which actually does seem to already be helping with the pain which is great, but with Kaeya suddenly making it clear he's going to be leaving, Childe can't find any words to do with the subject any longer.
Instead, he immediately focuses on Kaeya's technically unspoken but plenty obviously intended departure. ]
It probably took you longer to get here than you've stayed, but you're leaving already?
Hnmph. I'm guessing that means you're going straight to bed, at least? I'm not joking you look like you're going to fall face first if you do more than a few steps.
no subject
He huffs softly, but there's no malice when he responds to Childe's words with a simple question. Time to reveal that he has noticed the other Aion seeing things that aren't there— not to mention the way Childe lapsed into odd silences earlier on. ]
Are you that afraid of the dark?
[ He wonders if he's touching on a sore spot, well aware that whatever reaction he gets should tell him everything he wants to know. A part of him is curious why someone from the Fatui is capable of wielding the power of the abyss in this matter, but maybe he should ask after Childe has slept some more.
He sets aside the box of supplies on top of the dresser before pulling a chair closer to the bed. ]
I'll stay here for a while. Go get some sleep.
no subject
This isn't quite the same: the fear of the dark usually comes with the double-edged sword that there's nothing he can see— and right now he would take that anxiety and loneliness for the solace in being blind over what he sees with the smallest amount of light.
He'll look down to his sheets again to avoid seeing too much even if the corners of his vision tells him the nightmare is still in the room; even if his ears tell him no matter how he tries to ignore it—her— the presence has never left even with the intrusion of someone from reality instead of hallucination.
That realization sinks into him, his throat suddenly heavy as he attempts to swallow only to be met with an undescribable pain as if swallowing a large rock. Childe attempts to say something to not let the silence stretch because he knows each second is stepping away layers of himself despite how many have already been burned off between the fight with the Sanctifier and now. He can't let himself just fall apart now, after years of doing fine, of perfecting his masks so he can hide the vulnerable little boy that met his gate to the harsh reality that the world is cruel and unforgiving. Heroes don't come to save you when you're weak and in danger, afterall. No one comes at all, and you're left to die by yourself.
The world is cruel, the reality is that the only one that can protect him is himself by joining his skills and fortifying his walls so nothing and no one ever gets in.
Yeah, even so, he can't get his mouth to open. He hears that voice of the Innocence again, asking why he pushed her away, why he couldn't have just opened up and saved them both. Why did he strike down the one thing existence that gave a shit about what happened to him?
He breathes out a shift hiss through his teeth as his jaw starts to ache as he refuses to vocalize the tears stinging his eyes. Shit, wasn't he done with the uncontrollable tears? He doesn't even know what reason he's crying for.. How much longer is his body going to torture him with this in addition to his mind?
(Why is nothing on his side ...?)
He grips the sheets in his hands suddenly but ultimately lets go to ease into a lying down position. With no way to say anything to Kaeya, he can't tell him to just leave. He also can't say it's stupid for him to stay awake and watch Childe when Kaeya himself needs rest badly.
There's nothing he can do but silently accept that Kaeya is going to stay in the room in that chair for now unless he changes his mind.
Childe rolls onto his side to have his back to the other man even though it means rolling onto his injured shoulder. It's still preferable to letting the other see him even more of a mess than he already noticed on his own so far. ]
no subject
It seems there's more than meets the eye with the Eleventh Harbinger. Tonight alone has proven as much. Kaeya wonders if he should leave him alone or not, but deep down, he already knows the answer to that. He knows he can't leave him, not when he's like this. Maybe he isn't the best person for it, but — who else is there? If only Lumine were still here, he thinks. She would know what to do.
Since she isn't... all he has to rely on are his own experiences. He'll deal with the consequences later.
Quietly, he brings himself to a stand and walks to the other side of the bed. Childe might not want to see him, might not want to let him see more cracks on his facade, but there's no impact if he doesn't do it this way. The mattress shifts to accommodate his weight, and soon enough, he is lying right next to the one who is afraid of the dark, face to face. Close. ]
... It's alright.
[ He leans in until their foreheads touch again, ignoring all signs that point to how strange this arrangement might be. Even if this doesn't bring Childe any solace, at least he doesn't have to be alone tonight.
(In the back of his mind, he can hear Diluc tell him: I won't let them get you. If only it would be so easy to promise the same thing now.) ]
It's alright. I'm right here.
[ It's all he has to offer. ]