Archive of Our Own

“I’m sure Mr. Nice guy here will be happy to keep you company though.”

Aether’s eye twitched in anger. 

Great.

Just what he needed right now, after a tiresome few days of protecting Liyue from a ginormous sea beast.

Spending a whole day fucking babysitting.

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'

Aether had never considered himself an angry person, honestly.

But it was if Childe knew what buttons to press to make him so pissed off. No other man could achieve making Aether lose his cool this badly and what was worse was that Childe seemed particularly proud whenever he made Aether snap, which only caused his temper to shorten further. 

It had been a few hours since Childe had thrown him a wink and an oh-so charming grin before dumping his younger brother in Aether’s care and Aether was still seething.

He had things to do, places to be. But of course, in his typical Childe fashion, Childe hadn’t bothered to listen to Aether’s protests before fleeing and leaving Teucer with Aether and Paimon.

Both Aether and Childe knew that Aether wasn’t cruel enough to leave a child abandoned in Liyue, especially one who had never really been to Liyue before.

That was an accident waiting to happen and Aether didn’t want the blame. He couldn’t deal with another problem being added to his metaphorical problem-pile.

So, just for these few hours, Aether would entertain this child.

Paimon had already left, disappearing like she always did into thin air. Aether didn’t bother to ask her to stay.

It was just him and Teucer. 

“Hey, Traveller! I want to go down to the beach!” 

“Haven’t you already seen enough? We should be going back to find your brother.”

Teucer pouted, folding his arms across his chest.

The corner of Aether’s mouth twitched and only one word kept repeating in his mind: Brat.

With no warning other than a childish glare tossed Aether’s way, the young boy took off sprinting down Liyue’s harbour, carelessly barging people and giggling as he did so. Aether had no choice but to run after him, knowing Childe would most likely have his head if something happened. As he ran, he muttered quick half-assed apologies to the folk who Teucer had pushed and tripped.

Eventually, the young redhead ran out of breath. By the time he stopped, he had already made it to an area on the beach that was somewhat overgrown with shrubbery and trees. In the distance, there were crumbs of a ruin and a camp of hillichurls.

Still, they were a considerable safe distance away that Aether didn’t have to worry. As long as Teucer himself didn’t spot them, that is.

“Listen, you can’t just run off like that.” Aether snapped, his words drawn out and slow as he struggled to get air back into his lungs. 

Teucer didn’t reply, shedding himself of his hat and thick coat while humming.

The humming was obnoxiously loud and it reminded Aether of something Childe would do, which only fuelled the anger inside him.

Of course, there would naturally be many similarities between the two brothers. However, they were alike in so many ways that Aether found it a little creepy.

For example, their eyes. So bright and blue and filled with mischief that it made Aether want to be sick.

Surely him and Lumine- despite being twins- didn’t even carry this same kind of… Vibe to them that Childe and Teucer had where they could be mistaken as the same person or be suspected of one of them being a clone.

If Aether squinted, he was sure that the faint group of freckles on Teucer’s nose bridge were all in the exact same places that Childe carried his freckles too.

It was a little creepy, if he was honest.

As Aether’s thoughts continued their tangent, Teucer finally rid himself of all his clothes until he was down to just his boxers and a white vest. 

Aether was suddenly met with the sight of a very spoilt child in practically nothing. Beneath the fabric of the white vest, Aether could make out the shape of two pinks buds standing in the wind.

Liyue, despite being warm, always had a strong breeze in the air. Which was ironic, considering it was Mondstat that had the Anemo god. 

“Back in Snezhnaya, it’s always freezing. Our lakes are usually frozen so we can never swim and even if the lakes aren’t frozen, it’s still too cold to be able to swim,” Teucer explained, noticing the unsure expression on the Traveller’s face (What he didn’t realise was what was causing Aether’s uncertainty.) “So I want to swim here.”

Blinking once, then twice, Aether responded with a slow nod. “Right, I get it. Just don’t run off like I said.”

“But you’re so boring, you’re always telling me where I can and can’t go.” Teucer pouted again, turning away from Aether stroppily and marching into the water.

Aether’s eye twitched again, a new habit that was seemingly occurring so often that Aether might have to start considering it a tic. 

He had only known Teucer a few hours, but even so, there was nothing more Aether wanted to do than make him shut up . But he wasn’t that cruel, not cruel enough to hurt a child, no matter how annoyed he got.

“Just don’t go too far! I’m not saving you if you start to drown.” Although his words carried no real meaning, because he certainly would have to save Teucer if he started to drown, they still had their intended effect.

Teucer had spun around immediately, the water just past his thighs and barely teasing the hem of his tiny boxer briefs. “You have to save me! My brother will be mad at you if you don’t!” He stomped, creating a small wave as he did so. He walked further out into the water and Aether took it upon himself to rest on a large, flat rock.

He had been walking around for so long that he didn’t even realise how sore his legs felt and how nice it was to finally sit down. He kept a close eye on Teucer in between his minutes of relaxing, making sure the boy didn’t wander out too far in defiance. 

“Traveller Aether! Aether! Count how long I can hold my breath for!” Teucer yelled and waved his arms to get the older boy’s attention before abruptly sumbergining his entire head underwater.

Panicked, Aether watched the spot where Teucer had dipped down. After thirty seconds or so, paranoia began to chip at Aether’s mind so he used anemo to pull Teucer up from the water.

The soaked boy looked confused as he blinked his eyes open to meet Aether’s concerned ones. “What're you doing? I could’ve held my breath for, like, another ten minutes!”

“I believe you, but you shouldn’t be putting your face in this water. It’s probably dirty. There’s lots of fish in it.”

Teucer frowned, yelling a quick ‘ew!’ as if he hadn’t expected fish to live in… The water . Still, Teucer did as Aether advised and spent the rest of his time playing in the water with his face high out of the river.

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'

As the sun began to set, Aether finally stood and called Teucer out of the water. Childe was probably expecting him back by now.

For once, Teucer listened and got out of the water like Aether had asked of him.

What he didn’t expect was that when Teucer emerged from the water, the fabric of his vest had become transparent over time and stuck to his skin as if it was sticky.

Aether had a full view of Teucer’s tits, his soft tummy and his slim little waist. He quickly looked around, as if a prank was being played on him, as if he couldn’t of gotten this lucky.

Teucer watched, confused. Why was Aether looking around? Was somebody else here?

He stepped closer to the Traveller, his face a clear display of his suspicion with hints of fear.

Upon realising his mistake, Aether tried to offer him a comforting smile. “Hey, look, it’s fine. I’m just making sure no animals are around. Let’s get rid of your wet clothes and dry up so you can put your other clothes back on.”

In an instant, Teucer was okay again. His shoulders relaxed as Aether’s hands reached down to peel the wet fabric off of his torso. 

Aether had always had urges like this and being finally able to act on them was almost nauseating. In the past, he had had many opportunities to do something to other kids. He had been alone in the woods with Klee; helping Diona after hours; helping Qiqi gather ingredients; doing missions with Sayu. But none of them were what Aether wanted.

Teucer, however, was something Aether could literally and metaphorically get behind. He was such a brat that Aether wanted to make Teucer choke on his cock and swallow all his cum, but he was also so cute that Aether wanted to cherish him and kiss him lovingly from head to toe.

After stripping the boy of his vest and underwear, salvia began to pool in Aether’s mouth. Between Teucer’s legs was, surprisingly, not a tiny cocklet like Aether had been expecting. No, between Teucer’s legs was a pink, wet, untouched cunt.

Back in Aether’s original world, this wouldn’t be considered normal at all. However, in Teyvat, gender was more confusing. Because anything could be inside anyone’s pants and genitalia didn’t always equal someone's gender. 

Boys were people who identified as boys, even if they had a pussy, tits, or a cock, and girls were people who identified as girls, even if they had a cock, tits, or pussy. It made it a gamble whenever you wanted to sleep with somebody else, as you weren’t always sure what you’d get. Although, as a bisexual man, Aether didn’t really care about what his partner had.

“Traveller Aether? What’s wrong?” Teucer questioned, noticing how Aether’s hands came to a halt and his eyes continuously stared in one place.

“Ah,” Aether breathed through his nose, his hands coming to rest on the outside of Teucer’s thighs. “No, nothing. You’re just very handsome.”

A blush crept up on Teucer’s face and a smile broke out. “Well, yeah, my mother always said I was cuter than Ajax!”

‘Ajax?’ That must be Childe’s real name. 

“And she was telling the truth.” Aether replied, moving his hands away and folding up Teucer’s wet clothes.  

Teucer didn’t speak, only smiled, a sheepish little smile he hid behind his bare, small hand. 

It didn’t take too long for Aether to start up a fire. The warmth was sickening, almost, to Aether’s already hot body. Fire ants roared beneath his skin, searing his muscles in the process.

Seeing Teucer wearing nothing, sitting criss-cross atop of Aether’s jacket, was hurting him. It was causing Aether physical pain not to be holding him. For his hand not being between Teucer’s legs. For his lips not to be pressed against the young boy’s skin. 

“It’s a little cold!” Teucer exclaimed, although his eyes never left the warmth of the fire’s dance. 

“… Yeah. As soon as your clothes dry, we’ll put them back on you and head home.” 

Teucer nodded along, idly rubbing his hands along his opposing arms in an attempt to warm himself.

Aether shuffled. He’d do anything for those hands to be his.

Anything.

Sucking in a quiet breath, Aether shuffled again. “Do you want me to warm you up? I know a way to help you.”

Finally, Teucer’s gaze was drawn away from the fire to meet Aether’s. The very faint outline of an adam’s apple bobbed in Teucer’s throat as he stared curiously. “Yes! I’m really cold…”

Aether was quick to crawl over to Teucer, placing himself slightly behind the small boy. Both of them sat on the jacket now, which had been placed to avoid the dirt plaguing itself upon Teucer’s skin. Aether didn’t want anything else touching him.

In fact, he was jealous of the air. The air that got to caress the little boy whenever it wished to. The wind that brushed its fingers through his hair, that cupped his cheek and trailed its fingertips along his collarbone and neck. 

But now, he didn’t have to be jealous. Teucer was all his to caress. All his to touch. To love.

“Just trust me, okay?” Fingers began to wander and prod at areas they most likely shouldn’t. It didn’t take long for Teucer’s breathing to pick up and a blush to spread across his whole body. 

“Aether…?”

“I’m just warming you up.”

A hand finally slid between Teucer’s thighs, which were still damp with lake water. Slim fingers moved between folds, gently teasing the small bead that Aether could only assume was Teucer’s tiny clit. When Aether began to move his finger in small circles, Teucer’s eyes fluttered and his hips jerked forward unexpectedly.

Slick began to gush from Teucer’s waiting cunt, mixing with the traces of the lake. As far as Aether was concerned, the combination of slick and water was delicious. 

“Aether, that feels weird…” Teucer spoke, his voice the softest that Aether had ever heard since they met. 

Aether merely chuckled, dark. “Are you starting to warm up?”

Bashful and red, Teucer nodded his head. He slowly relaxed in Aether’s arms, his head tilting back to rest against Aether’s chest.

“Can I put it in?” Asked Aether, leaning down to rub and just feel. However, the question was a pointless one to ask, as Aether didn’t wait for an answer. His hand crept lower and lower until his finger slipped in and Teucer’s mouth popped open in a silent gasp. A broken moan left his lips as Aether pushed deeper and deeper inside his cunt, until he was knuckle-deep.

Although a little late, Teucer still answered, “Yes,” Which broke off into a high-pitched whine. He rocked his hips against the digit deep in his pussy, repeating, “Yes!”

Guess that answers that .

The poor boy hardly knew what was going on, that he was technically being violated. All he knew was that Aether was making him feel good and warm. Just like he had said he would.

Chuckling lowly, Aether began to curl his finger and prod at Teucer’s insides, which only caused the child to jolt and jerk more. “What would Ajax say about his baby brother acting like this? You’re so slutty.” 

Red scorched Teucer’s cheeks as shame settled in his skin. Teucer wasn’t sure why he felt so ashamed, because he hardly knew what was going on. However, despite his shame, he continued to roll his hips and grasp at Aether’s arms. Lust had swiftly overpowered everything else, taking control of his mind and his body. 

Little hands held onto Aether’s wrist as he was fingered, overwhelmingly so. Slick noises echoed throughout the forest and it made Teucer feel dirty but so good at the same time. 

“Does it feel good?”

Teucer nodded, his hips staggering as his whimpers increased in volume.

“Say it, Teucer; use your big boy words.”

“It feels— Good!!” Teucer cried out, pathetically squirting liquid onto Aether’s hand. It was certainly liquid, but not quite cum. Teucer still seemed a little young to be able to reach the full potential of an orgasm, but it was fine because with time, Aether would train him.

In no rush, Aether’s hand moved away. Teucer seemed content with the loss, but his pussy twitched and throbbed in the cool air. Aether only took this as an invitation to continue. After all, he had to satisfy his poor boy to his fullest, as much as he could handle.

Lifting up the small boy was the easy part, but getting him to sit still was a different story. 

Aether laid Teucer out on the jacket below, which was just big enough to make sure Teucer wasn’t touching the dirty floor. Observing the young boy, Aether couldn’t help but smile. They had hardly begun and the redhead was already quivering. 

Puzzled, Teucer’s hands came up to rest on Aether’s chest. “Are we done?”

“Of course not, you might get cold again. Plus, don’t you want to make me feel good too?”

Although anxiety showed in his pretty blue eyes, Teucer answered with very little hesitation. He nodded and gripped the fabric of Aether’s shirt between his fists. “Yeah, duh!”

Smiling, Aether praised him with a quiet, “Good boy.”

Spreading apart Teucer’s legs, Aether began to work the boy open even more, this time pushing in two digits instead of one. Little thighs clamped on Aether’s arm while grabbing at his sleeve. Aether absorbed everything Teucer offered; every moan; every whimper; every raw expression. It was all for him.

The thought of taking Teucer back home was suddenly not so appealing to Aether. Imagining the boy not being around him made Aether feel… Angry. Insecure. Jealous .

The idea that Teucer would grow up into a fine young man and have a girlfriend (or boyfriend) and have sex with them and have a family with them… Aether’s blood began to boil, much hotter than earlier, when Childe was taunting him.

A gentle “ ow ” broke Aether from his own mind and he realised a little too late that his spare hand had been gripping Teucer’s thigh, far too harshly. Indents from his fingers were clearly visible and were followed up by red, irritated skin. 

His grip softened and he leaned down to kiss over the imprints, hoping to soothe the angry blood beneath. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Defensive, Teucer half-sat up. “What? It didn’t hurt at all! I’m really strong…”

A quiet beat echoed. Aether wasn’t sure if it was Teucer’s heartbeat or his own.

And then Aether smiled, “I believe you.” 

Taking out his fingers- which were somewhat numb from Teucer’s tightness- Aether steadied himself and sat up. He held apart Teucer’s legs and unzipped his pants, taking out his own cock. 

Two fingers weren’t at all enough to prepare Teucer for his cock, but, Aether wanted Teucer to feel the stretch of his cock. Call him selfish, but Aether wanted Teucer to feel every inch entering his body. He wanted to feel Teucer’s insides to adjust to the shape of his cock.

Teucer’s eyes blew wide in surprise and it was obvious he wasn’t very accustomed to seeing genitalia that wasn’t his own. He mouthed a silent ‘ woah ’, but Aether didn’t think he was meant to see it. 

Smiling as gently as he could, Aether secured his hands under Teucer’s thighs and guided him back down, until the head of his cock settled between Teucer’s folds. “Do you see something you like?” He teased, tongue skimming across his lower lip.

Teucer wasn’t sure how to answer exactly. He was excited, nervous, scared. Did he like the look of Aether’s cock? It was big, a little intimidating. But from the gentle look in Aether’s eyes, Teucer felt a little calmer about the whole situation.

Quietly, Teucer replied, “Uh-huh…” while chewing the side of his mouth. The mixture of precum from Aether’s tip and Teucer’s natural lubricant gushing onto Aether’s cock was all that they needed for the head of his cock to slide in smoothly.

A loud mewl erupted from Teucer’s mouth and he spread his legs wide- almost automatically- as Aether slid inside him more and more.

Every inch felt like an entire foot. His insides clamped down on Aether’s cock, stretched beyond belief. It hurt , honestly. For the both of them. Teucer considerably more.

But he was a brave, stubborn child. Perhaps stupidly stubborn.

Specks of blood appeared on the shaft of Aether’s cock from Teucer’s little body adjusting to the large intrusion, but that was most likely normal. 

Aether kept pushing and pushing, until he was as deep as he could go and his balls were pressed against the warmth of Teucer’s body. “There we go, you did it. You took all of my cock.”

Aether breathed, taking in the cold air, which was an extreme contrast to the radiating warmth coming from Teucer’s burning body. “Are you okay?”

Whimpering gently, Teucer nodded. “I feel… Full.”

“I know, but you can take it. Just tell me when you’re ready.”

“Ready…?”

“For me to make you warmer and feel better .” 

Despite not understanding, Teucer merely nodded. 

A few moments passed, which dragged on like hours. Aether just wanted to move, to fuck Teucer into oblivion. But he couldn’t. As powerful as his lust was, Aether didn’t truly want to hurt his baby boy. So he waited patiently, until Teucer finally nodded and gave him the go ahead.

Aether slowly drew back, before pushing forward again, burying himself deep inside of the young boy. The warmth of Teucer’s insides were akin to enclosing your cock in a group of petals

belonging to the flaming flower stamen, and it was incredible.

Soft moans began to echo throughout the forest as Aether thrust at a steady peace, trying not to overwhelm the young boy too much. He couldn’t have his lover passing out on him or something like that.

Teucer’s insides were clamping down on Aether’s cock and were so so warm. It was practically impossible for Aether to stifle his grunts and groans, so he didn’t hold back. He has never considered himself vocal during sex but he has never felt as good as he did inside of Teucer’s body.

A little discomfort was showcased on Teucer’s face at first, but within a minute or two of their bodies rocking against one another, the discomfort began to fade. It was instead replaced by an overwhelming sensation of pleasure.

Aether’s cock was pulsating and hitting Teucer in the deepest of places, places that Teucer didn’t even know he had. His tummy felt full and his cunt felt stretched, but so amazing at the same time. 

If Aether wasn’t careful, Teucer would for sure get addicted to sex and more specifically, Aether’s cock.

Aether blushed at the idea. He could envision it perfectly: Teucer begging for his cock every single day, not being able to go a few hours without being pumped full of his seed. It would make it all the more perfect if Teucer would be addicted to his cock only, so Teucer could never leave him. No other dick could satisfy him.

Teucer squirmed and wiggled beneath Aether, switching between grabbing at his shirt and grabbing at his arms. It felt so good- so fucking good- that Teucer’s mind was beginning to numb. He felt as if he was being swallowed by the ground beneath him.

“Aether, Aether,” Teucer whined, canting back his head. A giggle couldn’t help but slip past Aether’s lips once he spotted the trail of drool dripping from Teucer’s mouth. The poor boy looked like he was in heaven, so unbelievably blissed out. “Aether, feels good…”

Leaning down, Aether hid his face in the crook of Teucer’s neck and began to nip and kiss at the virgin skin there. Never once had it been caressed or broken by another person and that made Aether’s cock so hard . He picked up his pace, the sound of skin slapping against skin increasing in volume.

With the sudden increase in speed, Teucer began to babble, gripping Aether’s shirt with all his might. He shut his eyes tight as he began to ‘cum’ again, squirting on Aether’s cock and clamping down. His thighs shook as he tried to shuffle his hips away from Aether’s thrusts.

It felt too good; Aether couldn’t stop. He had wanted to be careful not to overstimulate Teucer, but that was now thrown out the window. Aether wanted nothing more than to breed him and fuck him until he saw stars. 

“Shh, shh, you can take it for a little longer,” Aether cooed, trying to comfort the boy in his arms who had began to cry from being overwhelmed. 

Aether didn’t stop though, nor did he slow his pace. It was all too perfect that Aether couldn’t think coherently, his mind too focused on the need to fuck Teucer until his seed had filled Teucer’s tiny womb. 

Their combination of loud noise had startled the birds in the trees and the crimson foxes who were previously somewhat observing, which led to them fleeing. Aether just hoped they didn’t attract anything dangerous, or at least not another person.

Incoherent mumbles spilt from Teucer’s lips as Aether rocked into him, their bodies colliding so beautifully. Aether crashed down onto him with such force that he had Teucer pinned down by his cock, practically impaled. It was good, all too good.

When Aether lifted his head to watch Teucer’s face, he saw the boy’s heart in his cloudy eyes and tears beginning to form. Just what he wanted. 

Aether pressed a kiss to Teucer’s lips, then to his cheek, then to his nose and brow, muttering about how he looked so perfect and so beautiful. Teucer had never heard these words directed towards him before, but it made his chest tighten with delight. 

Mist had begun to fill his head and it was becoming increasingly harder to hear Aether’s serene praise. Everything was so loud. So warm, so good, so loud.

Aether’s deft fingers caressed the boy’s hips, which slotted into place perfectly, like matching jigsaw pieces.

Aether’s pace seemed to go on forever. It had been at least another ten minutes of vehement thrusting. The sheer force of Aether’s grip had also caused bruising on Teucer’s tiny hips. 

It was only now that Aether was extremely close. Usually, he could last over an hour of sex if he kept edging himself. But… How could anyone last long when such a tight little cunt was trying to squeeze the cum out of their cock?

“I’m close,” Aether muttered to the dazed boy below him, who’s eyes had begun to roll back. Drool trailed from his lips and he looked completely stupefied. Teucer couldn’t reply, barely letting out a whimper and a tiny squeak when Aether shoved in so deep that he could feel it deep in his belly.

Aether was sure his tip was pressed against the entrance to Teucer’s womb as he finally reached his limit. 

Cum began to pump out of Aether’s cock in lazy, thick spurts. More warmth filled Teucer’s insides, his overflooded cunt leaking. Teucer’s eyes rolled into the back of his head before he promptly passed out, finding the sensation too much for his body to handle. 

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'

“Teucer, you’ve gotta wake up now.” Aether hushed, his voice no louder than a soft murmur. Teucer stirred, rolling over into the warmth that was right next to him.

Aether sighed, squeezing the little boy in his arms. “Come now.”

At one’s own pace, Teucer opened his eyes and propped up on the makeshift bed below him. He glanced around to find that they were still at the side of the Mondstadt river, lay on the ground. Teucer’s clothes were dry and now back on his body.

The moon had risen, the sky dusted over with gentle purple that was close to fading to a deep black. The sun had not yet gone down, but was just about to.

It was probably time to go back to his big brother now.

At this realisation, Teucer began to pout as he smushed his face against Aether’s chest. Aether brushed his hands through Teucer’s hair, confused. “What’s wrong now?”

Listening carefully, Aether heard a meek “Don’t wanna go back to Ajax…” which had been slightly muffled by Teucer’s refusal to raise his head.

Well, luckily enough for him, Aether didn’t want Teucer to go back to Ajax either.

“Well, how about we make a little game out of it?”

At the proposal, Teucer’s eyes lit up and he finally raised his head to meet Aether’s. “A game?”

“I’ll take you back to your big brother and we’ll tell him I’m taking you home…” Teucer grimaced at the suggestion. “… But then we’ll actually run off and go have adventures together instead, without telling him.”

“Oh!” Teucer gasped, starry-eyed. “Yes, I wanna do that!” 

“Let’s go before he gets suspicious then.”

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'

After not too much travelling, Aether managed to find Childe in the middle of the city of Liyue. Teucer was in Aether’s arms, because despite his best efforts, he couldn’t walk properly. His thighs shook too much and he dropped like a pile of bricks after a few steps.

Aether didn’t mind too much. It just gave him an excuse to keep Teucer close to him.

“There you are! I was starting to worry,” Childe smiled bright upon spotting them both, although his expression shifted to uncertainty once he realised his little brother was snuggled in the Traveller’s arms. “What’s the matter, Teucer?”

“He tripped and hurt his leg while we were exploring,” Aether explained coolly, ignoring the surprised annoyance on Childe’s face. “Plus, he’s really tired.”

Slowly, Childe let out a sigh and nodded. “Don’t you think you should’ve kept a better eye on him so he didn’t hurt himself?”

Aether’s eye twitched.

“Yep. I’ll be more careful next time.” He muttered through gritted teeth.

If Childe noticed his anger, he didn’t notice. He just smiled before turning his attention to Teucer. “Anyway, you’re heading now, okay? That was our agreement.”

A pout tugged at Teucer’s lips as he fiddled the feather hanging from Aether’s ear. “I want Aether to take me back home…”

“Oh? I didn’t know you two bonded so well. Seems the Traveller is much better with kids than I thought!” Childe beamed, teasingly grinning at Aether. 

Aether suppressed a smirk. 

If only you knew.

Childe continued, “Well, I’ve already gotten you a boat and one of my toy-maker employees to take you home. Plus, I’m sure the Traveller is too busy—”

“No, I can do it,” Aether cut Childe off quickly, his tone cold. “I’m supposed to be heading to Snezhnaya anyway.”

Irritated, Childe cleared his throat. It was obvious he didn’t want Aether to accompany Teucer back to his home, but couldn’t find a good enough reason to decline Aether’s offer. 

He laughed weakly, lacking any trace of real lightheartedness. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah.”

At this, Teucer’s eyes lit up. Completely oblivious to the heavy tension and strained conversation between his older brother and the Traveller, Teucer giggled happily. “Yay!”

Childe’s lips pressed into a thin line. The hardest part was denying Teucer any chance at happiness the poor boy could get. If being accompanied home by Aether was really something Teucer wanted… It was impossible for Childe to shut it down.

There was nothing he wouldn’t do to make his younger brother happy.

After releasing a defeated sigh, Childe folded his arms across his chest. “Fine. You can go home with the Traveller.”

Teucer beamed again, swinging his legs and smiling. “Thank you!”

“But you better start heading off quickly. I don’t want him out for long in the dark.” Childe said, although it sounded more like a warning for Aether.

Just how fast did Childe think he could get to Snezhnaya? 

Good thing Aether had no real plans of heading to Snezhnaya anytime soon. 

“Sure.”

After Childe said goodbye to Teucer a few more times, even giving him a hug and a sweet kiss to his forehead, Aether and Teucer were off again.

After being far enough away from Liyue and confident that Childe, nor any other Fatui were following them, Aether stopped and placed Teucer down on a nearby flat rock for him to sit on. “I have something I want to show you.”

Excited, just like a giddy child being let in on a secret (which is exactly what Teucer was,) Teucer leaned forward. “What is it?”

Opening up his bag, Aether held out a brown teapot with markings of carefully sketched gold along the middle. “Touch it and find out.”

Confused, Teucer reached out his hand and placed it along the side of the teapot, right next to Aether’s hand. Then, an array of smoke and mist appeared where Teucer was sitting.

And just like that, everything changed.

'*•.¸♡ ♡¸.•*'

Seven years.

That’s how long Teucer had been missing.

Seven years since Ajax had slept soundly.

Seven years since he had been happy.

If Teucer was still alive, he’d be seventeen now. It was his birthday. Ajax had decided to visit home on that day. 

This time, he didn’t bring any gifts. There was no little boy waiting on the doorstep, covered in snowflakes, excitedly waiting for him.

There were just his other siblings, who looked just as miserable as Ajax felt.

You’d think that after almost a decade after somebody went missing, people would begin to move on. But how could this family move on? Their baby had been taken. Their youngest had been stripped away from them.

Most of the family believe he’s dead.

Some kind of hilichurl accident or Teucer being too much of a reckless adventurer, like he always had been. 

Only Tonia and Ajax remained hopeful that one day, by some kind of miracle, some kind of blessing from the archons, that Teucer would return to them. That he would be okay.

If only Ajax had gone with his gut and demanded Teucer be taken home by his men instead of Aether, then Teucer would be okay. He would still be here, by his side. 

Aether apparently didn’t remember what happened to him, he lost his memory of that day specifically and only that day, somehow. Some likely fucking story. Ajax wanted to kill him, but without any evidence to back it up, he’d surely be arrested. Maybe that was worth it though.

Another thing stopping Ajax from acting irrationally was that Aether was stronger now. Maybe even enough to win a fight to the death.

Sometimes, Ajax wanted that. To die. 

Maybe he could see Teucer again that way. 

If that’s really where Teucer was. Maybe he could apologise to him, for being such a horrible older brother. For lying so much. For not prioritising him as much as he should’ve.

Ajax would kill anyone and do anything, just to have one more conversation with Teucer again. 

Just to apologise.

It had been a long day for Aether.

Aftee fighting hilichurls so many times, you’d think it’d get boring by now. But they were still as annoying as they were when he first started slaughtering them. 

He sighed and wiped himself off from the dust and dirt that had been kicked up while fighting. Finally, the moon had risen and the sun had settled. 

It was time.

Aether opened up his bag, taking out his most prized possession: his teapot. 

Placing a gloved hand on the spout, a cloud of smoke boiled over the area Aether was just standing. The tea pot itself disappeared, too.

Suddenly, Aether was standing in the middle of a grassy field. The sight of a large house, almost big enough to be considered a mansion, was a few feet away from him. There were crops growing a small distance from his feet, ready to blossom.

Brushing himself off once more, Aether stepped up onto the porch and pushed open the front door. 

The sound of a kettle brewing was enough noise to draw Aether into the kitchen and there was a sight so perfect that Aether forgot all about his troubles of today.

His sweet lover, now standing taller than he was, was brewing coffee.

Every time Aether laid eyes on him, he fell in love all over again. He fell in love with his thick ginger hair that curled at the tips, his sun-kissed skin and the clear freckles on his cheeks and nose. He fell in love with the cinnamon lashes that curled so beautifully, with his eyes that were always so full of life. 

Hearing footsteps, Teucer set down the kettle and turned to greet Aether. He smiled so warmly, so full of love. He immediately made his way over, wrapping his arms around Aether, just like how Aether did to him all those years ago. Teucer kissed his cheek a few times.

“You’re home!” Teucer exclaimed, pressing more chaste kisses to Aether’s face. Unlike Teucer, Aether hadn’t aged at all. Being a descender, time worked differently for Aether. He wasn’t going to age for a very, very long time.

Smiling ever so sweetly, Aether returned the embrace. “I am, and I’ve been so excited to see you all day. You haven’t left my mind.”

Blush crept onto Teucer’s cheeks as he kissed Aether again and again. You’d think after so many years together, getting shy around your partner was a faraway memory.

But Teucer still held on to his personality from so long ago, his bratiness and joyfulness, his shyness and his loudness. Nothing had changed and Aether loved it.

Teucer was staring at him so fondly that if Teucer had a tail, Aether was sure it’d be wagging like crazy. His boyfriend frequently reminded him of a cute pup, always so willing to give him love and always so happy to greet him.

“I could say the same back to you…” Teucer finally spoke, nuzzling his face into the crook of Aether’s neck. 

If Teucer remembered his siblings, remembered his life and his family from before Aether, he had never brought it up. Maybe he had truly forgotten about them or didn’t want to bring it up.

It’s not like Aether could let Teucer visit them anyways.

Plus, they were happy with how they were now.

It had been the same routine for seven years now, after all. Aether continued to travel during the daytime, carrying the missing boy in his pocket. Then, when night fell, he would head home into the teapot and meet with his lover.

“Do you know what the day is today?” 

Immediately, Teucer’s face dropped. Was it their anniversary and Teucer forgot? Aether’s birthday? Some other special event Teucer hadn’t realised?

Nervous, Teucer sheepishly admitted, “I haven’t checked the calendar today.”

Aether just laughed gently. 

He didn’t blame Teucer, it was probably difficult to keep track of what day and what month it was when you were in the same house all day everyday. 

“It’s okay. Sit,” Aether guided Teucer to sit down at their kitchen table, swiftly pressing a kiss to Teucer’s lips. If there was one thing the two shared, it was their love of kissing one another. Not an hour could go by without their lips meeting at least once.

Aether sat himself down at the opposite end of the table, opening up his bag. He took out a white box that had been folded neatly, with a red ribbon tied around it. The second thing he pulled out from his bag was a plush toy akin to Teucer’s imaginary childhood friend, Mr Cyclops. 

Teucer’s eyes softened upon seeing the toy and he carefully picked up. His movements were slow and steady, almost as if the toy was ready to jump out at him and attack him. Slowly, he hugged the toy to his chest.

“Teucer,” Aether spoke gently, catching his boyfriend’s attention. Teucer raised his gaze from the toy to look at Aether with a gentle expression, his lips slightly agape. “Happy birthday.” Aether finished, opening up the box to reveal a themed birthday cake that he had bought just for him.

With the power of pyro, the candles had been lit. 

Everything was for Teucer, to see the joy in his eyes like right now. The soft, gentle expression, only for Aether to see.

Everything was his.