The birth of a hero

Additional chapter: The frozen bird and the drunken boy

This chapter is an additional chapter to my fanfic The Birth of a hero - it takes place at the time sometime after Childes 18th birthday (maybe he's 19/20 by now, left it open), when he's being trained at Fatui Headquarter, and before he finally becomes Harbinger. Or maybe it didn't happen that way, who knows....
After all, it's just an addition to the fanfic heheh ;DDD

Caution. Please read the chapter only if you are decently interested in the ship Pulcinella and Childe and Yaoi. V Gay action involved.

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One day Childe was out drinking with the other recruits, his comrade Vitaliy and friends. Basically, it was back to picking up random women. Why had he let himself be beaten broad to come along? Just because Vitaliy had rubbed it in his face the other day at camp that his friends and he had been asking each other questions about his sexuality? Childe didn't really want to hook up with some woman he didn't even know. The experience on his 18th birthday of waking up the next day next to a complete stranger had struck him as pretty weird, and he didn't set out to repeat it for a bit of fun. But somehow he had to prove to his comrades that he wasn't gay. So he went with them again.

Together with them in a pub in a notorious district of the capital, he gave himself the edge mightily, in search of a pretty lady. However, it still demanded a little more alcohol. After one or two more glasses, Childe noticed that he was not doing so well, while his friends were having a great time. Either he couldn't take anything today or someone had mixed something into his drink. He suddenly felt strange...

And so he excused himself, ordered a glass of water and lay back in an armchair further back in the bar to rest....

He had just nodded off slightly when he suddenly noticed a touch on his shoulder.

"Hey, Childe. You all right?" he heard Pulcinella's voice. He looked up and noticed from the feather collar that it was indeed his mentor. His cool gaze from his slightly slanted, empty, gray eyes usually made your blood run cold, but he looked at him differently, if not exactly warmly. Strictly parted on the side, his brown hair gelled into a neat shape at the top, the lateral, slightly longer strands laid around his face to his jawbone. This seemed narrow, yet he had a slightly contoured chin.... Childe blinked when he realized he was staring at him again.

For a brief moment, Childe also wondered what he was doing here in this place. He should probably answer him sometime...

"Yes... I guess so..." he stammered.

"Your colleagues were just with me. They said you were unresponsive," Pulcinella said, shaking his head with a laugh. Childe didn't know what was so funny about that. Defiantly, he glared at him.

"I'm fine," he slurred softly.

"To think I'd ever have to rescue you just because you drank too much vodka. Unbelievable," Pulcinella added dismissively, but then he extended his hand to him. "Can you walk?"

"I think so," Childe muttered, grabbing his hand. As the fifth Harbinger pulled him up, Childe almost landed on him. Surprised, he looked up at him. He hadn't expected to suddenly be so close to him and was blushing quite a bit. Pulcinella returned the look coolly.

For some reason, he remembered the phrase when Vitaliy had asked if Pulcinella claimed his ass for certain hours because he was so popular with him. Childe bit his lip. But that wasn't possible that his mentor would think such a thing, was it? He did seem fascinated by him, but surely that only referred to his skills in combat?

"I'll help you walk," Pulcinella said, continuing to hold Childe as they left the bar.

"I can walk on my own, thank you!" replied Childe defiantly.