Messenger of the Harbingers [Genshin Impact]

𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐚 (𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃) 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏

The room was warm.
You found familiar comfort in covers and pillows as if you've been surrounded by their similar warmth before.
Still, you had no strength to fully wake up. Your eyes were glued together as your body basked in the familiar yet still unknown feeling of home. The feeling that you have been longing for quite some time now.

What truly made you open your eyes was the sound of someone gently opening the doors and closing them behind carefully.
When you opened up your eyes, you were surprised by the fact that you were back.
Back in the Zapolyarny Palace, back in your very own room.
And before you stood no other but Emma - the maiden you've missed oh-so-much. The look in her eyes was just as surprised as yours, as she did not expect you to wake up upon sensing her presence.

Your mouth ran dry, preventing you from saying anything. All you could do was raise your hands, reaching for Emma, which rushed to you and hugged you carefully.
"- Welcome back, Y/N." - she smiled as her hands wrapped around your neck.

You felt your eyes water just a little bit. As you wished to straighten up and sit properly, you felt a sharp pain cut through your whole body, which made you lay back down into the previous position.
Emma carefully backed away from the hug and looked at you with worrisome eyes.
Your whole chest was covered in bandages which made your mind run hazy.
What happened?..
...
How long has it been?

Sensing your mood switching and thoughts running wild, your favorite maiden gently pat your shoulder, trying to get your attention.

"- Hey... You're going to be alright... Besides, you'll have guests pretty soon. Cheer up. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want to see you all gloomy." - the maid gave you a gentle smile.
"- Who?.. Who is coming to visit?" - You asked, trying to sit up once again. Except for this time you were doing it slowly, more carefully.
"- Oh, you'll see." - Emma laughed, as she lifted your pillow to put it in a vertical position for you.

As you were about to ask again about the mysterious guest, the door to your room opened once again.
And you were met with familiar ginger hair staring right at you, which seemed to be at the loss of words as his arms went limp to his sides.
Sensing the longing tension between you and the Eleventh of The Harbingers, Emma excused herself and left the room, closing the door behind her.

The moment the doors closed, as if it was a given sign to move, Tartaglia rushed to your side and squeezed you into a bone-crushing hug.
It hurt, but you didn't care. You hugged the man back as if he'd disappear at any given moment. His mere scent was something you've missed dearly.

What startled you was the shaking of Tartaglia's shoulders as he buried his head in the crook of your neck, trying to suppress his sobbing that tried its hardest to escape.
You ran your hand through Childe's hair which never failed to comfort and reassure The Harbinger.
Upon separating from the hug, Childe gave you a longing forehead kiss and looked into your eyes once again. There were still some fresh tears in those deep-blue ocean eyes of The Harbinger.

"- You have no idea how worried I was... When I heard of what happened in Inazuma, I... I didn't know what to do. I was furious, but more importantly, I was scared... Scared that I'd never get to see you again..." - Tartaglia said, taking your hands in his.

By now, you were crying too.
You missed the comfort and warmth of this Harbinger, which loved you more than you could ever imagine.

But the past events were still somewhat a hurtful memory in your mind. You didn't want to remember all the bad, but some things had to be figured out for your own sake.
"- How did I get back here?.. What happened in Inazuma?" - you asked, somewhat meekly.

Tartaglia sighed as he sat on the edge of your bed, still holding your hands in his.
"- From what I've heard, Scaramouche left with the gnosis.  He's still on the run... You're lucky that Signora found you at the Raiden Shogun's estate and quickly took care that you got transported back to Snezhnaya. If it weren't for her, you would be..." - The Harbinger went silent.

You only nodded, as you reached for Tartaglia's cheek to wipe away a few stray tears. Your small gesture made The Harbinger look up at you as he shuffled closer and pressed a love-filled kiss to your lips.

"- I'm more than thankful that you're okay... I promise, I will never leave your side again." - The man before you promised.
"- But what about other Harbingers? Wouldn't I have to be their assistant now?" - you asked, with a sad tune in your voice.

But to your words, Tartaglia only chuckled.
"- I've already taken care of it. You're mine from now on, honeybun~" - Childe smirked, as he pressed his forehead to yours.
"- W-what? What do you mean?" - you asked, feeling your cheeks get flushed from the words of The Harbinger.

"- Well, let's just say that I've annoyed Tsaritsa enough for her to assign you as my personal assistant from now on!.. With your permission, of course..." - Childe smiled.

Upon hearing those words, your mood got quickly lifted as you hugged The Harbinger once again, feeling your heart beat faster.
Tartaglia only laughed at your gesture as he ruffled your hair.
"- I'll take that as a yes?" - the man asked, hugging you back.
"- Hm... I'll think about it." - you teased, which made the Harbinger squeeze you tighter.

"- Ohoho, I'm afraid you won't have much choice. Not after how I saw your eyes sparkle upon seeing me enter the room~"

"- Oh stop it!"

And he was right to his words.
Never again did he leave you alone in danger.
And as the peaceful snowing behind the window turned into a blizzard,
He stayed close and warm by your side, never letting you shiver.