Stargaze | Tartaglia (Childe) x Reader (Genshin Impact)

Epilogue

Epilogue
Ask any question you have about Stargaze and it'll be answered next chapter.

Rumors that once echoed throughout the discord ceased almost entirely, though not because they were found to be untrue. Amidst the Fatui, unspeakable actions were common and a graver sin would follow the previous, though you had grown to be indifferent. Whether that was moral was of no matter to you, for hardening your heart was the best—only—way to protect yourself from the frostbitten hearts of Snezhnaya's people.

Tartaglia was like that: an unwavering stone amidst a valley, but there was more to it. It was a cheerful exterior leading none the wiser to his malice and his dull gaze, but neither were entirely him. You couldn't quite define your relationship with him, though you knew what it was not. Neither a bond akin to you and your sister's nor like that of a close friend—no, it was different. It stirred something within you that you had never experienced; it churned viciously in your stomach and burned like a Phoenix at dawn, but it was still pleasant in a way you couldn't understand.

And it was that feeling that made you brave.

"Tartaglia," you called.

He hummed, indicating he heard you, yet he did not turn his head. His mistake.

Acting quickly but not without caution, you crept behind him and pushed him into the river. It was Spring, so even though the water was still frigid, the ice from Winter thawed just enough to let a stream of water flow. And even if the river was fully melted, you trusted he was tall enough not to let the river carry him away.

Tartaglia, who was completely drenched, stayed still for a few moments before looking up at you with a smile plastered on his face, "Care to explain what that was for?"

You scowled, he is not the one who should be smiling right now.

"You were such an easy target I couldn't help myself," you replied as you shrugged your shoulders, though you knew he could have easily evaded you if he really wanted to.

His grin widened, "Is that so?"

Before you could contemplate what he was thinking, he grabbed your hand and pulled you into the river with him. There was a rush of bitter cold and the feeling of your clothes being completely soaked, and it was only after staring, shocked, at Tartaglia for a few moments before you realized what happened.

"It's cold!" you exclaimed.

"You're the one who started this," he pointed out.

You rolled your eyes, indignant but conceding to his logic. Prepared to leave, you lifted yourself but whas immediately pulled down. You would have protested further, but Tartaglia looked rather serious.

"Hey," he began. "I'm glad."

"About what?"

His expression softened and he hugged you close to his chest, "That you're still here."

He was warm despite the water and comforting like rain patterning against the roof in the middle of the night. You longed to be embraced by him and for him to only embrace you, but was that selfish to ask?

"Then, I'm glad to be wherever you are."

There was no other place for you, regardless. Even if you desperately hid the feelings you harbored for so long, you could only ignore them for as long as they stayed dormant. Like a winter storm, you knew they would return, but you wouldn't be alone the next time. So even if you couldn't say you were completely of peace of mind, at least you wouldn't stand idly by and allow it to consume you.

"Y/n..."

His voice was wispy as if he were out of breath, and his eyes were glazed with the sky, interlocking with yours and conveying a message you both knew to be the truth.

He brought his hand behind your head, meeting his lips onto yours like a picturesque moment in time. His lips were cool from the wintry air; soft and silken smooth. The two of you were rhythmically in sync like a single wave in still water; ebbing and flowing onto the shoreline and imprinting your hearts unto the other until you were one with one another.

And then you parted with your half lidded eyes too flustered to look up, but his expression was like yours in that he was truly unsure of himself. For someone who put up an arrogant front, it was refreshing to finally figure out what could bring it down.

You smiled softly, a genuine smile neither forced nor plagued with regrets, "Yes, I'm more glad than you could ever know."