Work Text:
3rd person POV
Tartaglias loud breaths fill up the silence in the room as he sat up with a speed rivaling his lovers falcon, looking around blindly he panics, seeing and hearing things that weren't there.
This has happened many a times in the past but he always managed to keep quiet and excuse himself from whatever situation causing his panic, unfortunately Childe had no idea where he was right now.
His erratic heartbeat sounding in his ears, supplying the only other noise in the room aside from his panicked breath, that and the shallow breaths of the figure beside him.
Childe blearily rubbed his eyes, the panic only settling in further as he realized he was in a pitch black room, so devoid of colour it reminded him of the abyss, he wasn't there was he? No surely not, he couldn't.. could he?
His breathing sped up and he thrashed under the thing holding him down, loudly falling off the stone ledge he was sure he was on. The blankets feeling like the chains that once held Childe down all those years ago.
After he landed on the wooden floor he scrambled away until his back hit the wall, bringing his knees to his chest Tartaglia held his hair tightly, squeezing his eyes closed in a futile attempt to calm himself down.
Everything only got worse as he heard the quiet rustling of the other figure in the room, whatever it was slowly got up and started walking in the harbingers direction, Childe squeezed his eyes shut tighter and begged in his mind for whatever trick this was to stop, leave him alone-
"..Tartaglia?."
The unfamiliar voice startled him out of his mind, tiredly opening his eyes slightly to see a figure crouching in front of him about 1 and a half meters away.
Childe startled and pressed himself flat against the wall, the room being so dark it was difficult to see any facial features or something to remind the harbinger who this was, to keep him from doing what he was about to do.
The figure slowly reached out towards childe.. rookie mistake.
The smaller man (let's pretend childe is shorter than him) lunged towards the figure, tackling him to the ground and blindly searching for his throat, unsure of the man's proportions.
A pair of rough hands gripped Childe's own, the palms feeling familiar, Tartaglia struggles as his eyes fly wildly around the room, looking for more enemies or perhaps a weapon.
In his few moments of distraction the man beneath him flips them over, locking the harbingers smaller wrists together with one hand while the other cupped his cheek. Childe thrashes around underneath the man as he panics, once again looking around at things he couldn't see, eyes watering as warm tears leak out.
His ears filled with static as his breathing grew further and further out of control, faintly he could hear a familiar voice call his name, trying to bring him our of his thoughts and back to reality.
A soft light started emitting from the man ontop of him, gently illuminating the room as what seems to be a Pyro vision heats up and glows, Childe slowly but surely calms down, going to reach out for the warmth before realizing the man still had his hands immobile.
His breath sped up slightly once again just when it was starting to even out, once again he heard that quiet voice bringing him back to reality.
He leans back and focuses on that voice, until the static in his ears was cleared and so was his mind, eyes slipping closed as he focused further, Childe then feels a hand gliding through his untamed hair, the sensation so familiar that he once again opens his eyes.
Slowly looking up he sees Diluc..
His eyes widened further and more tears streamed out as the realization dawns upon him, he had hurt his lover, his one and only.
The hand on his wrist slowly falls away and moves up to Childes face as Diluc gently strokes his lovers cheek, a small hiccup escaping the smallers throat as Diluc gets up off him and moves to sit down beside him.
Slowly Childe got up before turning to the redhead and twitching to embrace him, he was about to before a voice of doubt filled his mind, scared he'd actually hurt him Tartaglia moved away slightly, giving off the hint of exactly what's going through his mind right now.
Diluc sighs softly and speaks
"Ajax, come here love. It's alright"
Childes eyes widened at the use of his real name but swiftly shook his head and said
"But.. w-what if i-"
"You won't, trust me darling"
He replied with a blunt but loving tone, Diluc stayed exactly where he was, not wanting to scare Childe or make him uncomfortable enough to run.
"..can you light up the room please..?"
Childe pleaded quietly, Diluc hummed in agreement before slowly getting up to move to the lantern on the dresser. Once the room was lightened up the harbingers tense shoulders relaxed, and he looked to his lover who ever so slowly made his way over.
Once within 1 metre of Tartaglia, Diluc gently bent down and crouched before his lover a silent invitation which the smaller hesitantly accepted.
Slowly getting up, he moved closer to Diluc and fell into his arms, which wrapped around his waist gently before picking him up.
Childe gently kissed his lover before ducking, his face into the crook of his lovers neck and wrapped his long legs around Dilucs waist, tears slowing to a stop as his breathing evened out and Diluc carried him out of the room, his glowing vision a comfort as it pressed against Childes thigh, a soft warmth keeping him grounded just as much as his lovers arms are.
He doesn't question where they were going, instead pressing himself as close to Diluc as possible as the man gently stroked his hair, the soft motion of his walking coming to a stop.
Tiredly Tartaglia opens his eyes enough to see they were in the kitchen, the harbinger focusing on the soft rumbling of Dilucs chest as he starts to speak
"Darling can I set you down for a moment? I won't be far"
Hesitantly he nods and gets set down on a soft sofa as the redhead gets to work brewing tea. The smell of chamomile wafts through the air, trying to lull Childe into sleep as he watches his partner move around the kitchen with a practised ease.
Before he knows it he's back up in Dilucs arms as the taller man sits down, sitting Childe in his lap before handing him a cup of tea and resting his head on the smaller shoulder, sighing softly.
Not much communication is exchanged between the two as they silently drank their tea but the silence was welcome, like a soft blanket on a winter day.
Eventually Diluc then asks
"Would you like to talk about it darling? Or could you tell me how to calm you down from it if it happens again?"
His voice calm and soothing as Childe struggles with his answer, before settling on explaining what had happened
(after that cause I'm lazy)
The smaller man had finished his tea during his explanation and gently sets the mug down on the table, curling further into a sympathetic Diluc.
The red-haired man gently stroking Childes hair with one hand while the other held the shorter man to him.
They sat like this for a while before Tartaglias body completely relaxed against Dilucs chest, presumably asleep, the older man carefully picks his lover up and carrying him to their bedroom.
Laying him down against the bed the redhead sets his vision on Childes bedside table, to be used as a source of comfort if the younger male wakes up in a panic once again and he's not there.
Diluc then himself slides under the cover and brings Childe closer to him, the shorter man blearily opening his eyes slowly before snuggling into his lovers chest.
Said lover then sighs softly before gently kissing his tired darling on the lips and then forehead.
They both fell asleep quite quickly and weren't waking up anytime soon, content in their own little world.