The next morning, Childe woke up with the strangest crick in his neck. He attempted to roll over, but found that there was no bed to roll onto, and face-planted straight into the floor.
Right. There were two otherworldly children sleeping in his bed right now.
At least he knew it wasn't a dream.
He pushed himself off the floor with a grunt, rubbing his face with a great pressure. The squishy noises that came from his eyes made him squirm.
Because the sun was just rising, he decided it would be best to hop back up onto the couch. Before he laid his head down onto the arm, though, he noticed the person in the chair beside him. Kaeya was sleeping; it was the most vulnerable Childe had ever seen him. The man breathed in and out at a steady rhythm, and the light from outside hit his face in just the right angle to frame his jawline. For some reason, Childe couldn't stop staring, starry-eyed and all.
His gaze was broken when he heard a door open. He immediately jumped, flipping to shove his face into the couch.
"Uh..." Michael raised an eyebrow, "What just happened?"
"Shh, I am sleeping," Childe replied, giving the teen a thumbs-up. He rolled his eyes at the antics; while he hadn't seen Childe staring at Kaeya, he did see him flop around like a fish out of water. He preferred not to ask.
"Whatever. Do you have anything to eat?"
The ginger finally stood, leaning on the arm of the couch, "Don't worry about it, I'll make you and the other two some fried eggs when everyone wakes up."
Mirroring his movements, Michael leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. An awkward air brushed past them, and they both shivered under it.
"So..." Childe swung his arms together, "Sleep well last night?"
"Why do you care?" the teen scoffed.
He cringed, "Not one for small talk, huh?"
Michael glared at him, his mouth hanging open as if he wanted to retort a snarky comment, but ultimately said nothing. He simply shrugged and looked the other way.
After Michael awoke, it didn't take long for Evan and Elizabeth to follow. They heard Michael swing open Kaeya's door, which woke them up with a loud bang. Although they were shocked out of their sleep, the challenge was actually getting out of bed. The comforter was so warm and cozy...Evan wanted to lie there forever.
"Get up, Evan!" Elizabeth demanded, trying to pull him off the side of the bed. He shook his head into the pillow, rolling to the other side to get away from her. She pouted, resting her elbows on the comforter.
"Please? I want to talk to Mr. Kaeya!"
"Why can't you go alone?" he mumbled groggily.
"Because I don't want to."
Groaning, he accepted her answer, as sassy as it was, "Fine...'m coming."
His sister cheered, but her mood dropped again when he hopped onto her back. She grimaced, but if this was the way to get him out of bed, then so be it. She pulled his legs up and skipped over into the other room, Evan dozing off in the meantime. Though he was relishing the physical touch with his sister, she dropped him to the floor in favor of someone else.
"Mr. Kaeya!" she beamed, jumping onto his stomach. He convulsed in response, a soft 'umph!' coming from him.
"Hi, 'Lizabeth," he greeted monotonously.
Swinging her legs, she went on about the dream she had the night prior; it was something about a big metal monster, but she couldn't remember it much. All she remembered was defeating it with her 'super cool purple laser beams!' Kaeya entertained her antics as much as he could, but Childe could tell he was starting to get antsy. Chuckling at his friend's suffering, he moved to the kitchen to make breakfast.
"Tartaglia," Elizabeth heard Kaeya warn when he interrupted her rambling.
"I'm just getting some food together," he shrugged with a smirk, then patted Evan's head as the boy sat up, pouting on the floor. Elizabeth watched him climb up onto the couch, but it was not him she was interested in. What interested her was her older brother's deadly glare at her. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to lock eyes with him, he averted his gaze completely. Furrowing her eyebrows, she blinked in confusion.
"You okay, 'Lizabeth?" Kaeya asked, bouncing her with one knee.
She perked back up, happy to have his attention, "Sorry, I'm fine!"
"Good, 'cause I'm not. Up!" he threw her into the air, catching her under her shoulders, "I couldn't breathe with you on me."
Giggling, she gasped, "Wow...Mr. Kaeya, you can't comment on a woman's weight! Mum said that's rude!"
"Well, it's a good thing you're under my watch for the time being. I can make all the comments I want," he replied as he placed her down, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Just don't disrespect our Mum," Michael added condescendingly.
"Mike," Kaeya shot him a snarky smirk, "I forgot you were there."
His face reddened at the dig, but he ignored it, heading for the bathroom once again.
"I'm gonna go brush my hair, no one bother me like you usually do."
"Nobody wants to!" Kaeya called after him, and he growled, then slammed the bathroom door behind him. The man snickered, and Evan tugged on his sleeve.
"If you make him mad, he'll be awful."
Kaeya snorted, "Trust me, kid, I already know."
As they stepped closer to the kitchen, Childe beckoned them in, excited about the dish he was making. He told them its Snezhnayan origins while he sprinkled spices over it.
"I thought you were just making fried eggs," Kaeya commented, pushing Elizabeth away from the stove where she was trying to sneak a taste.
"I decided to be fancy, comrade," he replied, mimicking a posh-like accent.
It felt almost familial, the four of them spending time together in the kitchen on an early morning. And while that thought made Kaeya want to run fast and far, Childe cherished it. Oh, how he missed days like these back in his hometown. It would be impossible to return, not with his history with the Fatui. Someone would find him, he knew it. He settled for letters back and forth with his family, and their empty promises to visit him in Liyue. Deep down, he knew his parents wanted to keep his siblings away from him, to prevent them from going back down the same path he had, but he still kept hope that someday Anthon's letters stating 'Mom said we can come see you soon!' would be true. He said Teucer was growing up to look just like his big brother Ajax, and Ajax wanted nothing more than to see that fact for himself. Knowing his siblings were growing up without him made him feel like there was a burning flame in his chest, and he was ready to run home into their arms as soon as humanly possible.
Taking in a deep breath, he shook his head. He couldn't get upset right now; he had an example to set for two young kids.
And also, a table.
He put various silverware and napkins down, then handed everyone a plate, leaving one at the head of the table for Michael. The children began chewing ravenously as soon as the food was put in front of them.
"This is really good," Evan mused quietly, and Childe chuckled while Kaeya flicked a piece of the boy's food off of his pajama shirt.
"Like I always say, Snezhnaya never disappoints."
"Only in the sense that you'll freeze your balls off there," the other man shot back.
Childe raised an eyebrow, "You like the cold."
"Too much of anything is a bad thing."
"I don't think I could ever have too much of this!" Elizabeth chimed in through a mouthful of food.
The group shared a hearty laugh at her messy face, especially Evan, who was kicking his feet to try and hold in his laughter. Just then, as if on a cue, Michael entered, shaking his newly brushed mullet.
"What's all the laughter about?" he asked, chewing on something.
"Lizzie looks like a weirdo," Evan teased, and she blushed, rubbing her face with her arm.
"That's not true!"
"Need I remind you that napkins exist?" Kaeya added.
While she snatched away a napkin from his hand, Michael leaned back and forth on his feet, "So, anyway, do we have any news on when we might be able to go back home? My friend Parker's birthday is soon, I don't want to miss it."
"Aw, I miss Parker," Evan commented, "He's the only nice one of your friends."
"Sure," Michael rolled his eyes, secretly a little hurt by the comment.
Childe picked up an empty plate from under the boy, "Well, no, we don't have any news on that. Neither Kaeya nor I know how to jump through worlds. The only person who might know something about it is Lumine, but even then, we probably won't see her for a good while. We might have some chances with Zhongli since he knows practically everything, but Lumine's arrival always seemed to confuse him."
"Ugh," Michael groaned, flopping down at the head of the table near where his sister was sitting.
She raised an eyebrow, "What are you chewing?"
"Gum?"
"Ooh, give me a piece!"
"Ooh, no!" he mimicked her tone, "This is the last of my stash, asswipe."
"Michael," Childe scolded as he sponged a dish.
The teen gave him a glare, "Sorry, I meant buttmunch."
"Ah, well, it's a slight improvement," Kaeya shrugged, throwing a smirk to his friend.
The young man could not help but smile back, "Indeed it is."
"I don't need your encouragement," Michael pushed himself onto the table, "But thanks."
Elizabeth poked his leg, "Father would kill you if he saw you sitting on the nice furniture."
"Well, he's not here, is he?" Michael replied, poking her forehead.
Good riddance, Evan thought to himself, slumping his chin into his hand. He looked at Michael, who was swinging his feet back and forth off the edge of the furniture. Surprisingly, he laughed at something their sister said, and the sharp smirk that grew across his face reminded him of his father. He may not be here, but Michael served as an eternal reminder. And he brought the aggression along, too.
"Y'know, you're funny when you're not being a nuisance," he heard Michael say when he tuned back in.
"Shut up, Michael," Elizabeth folded her arms, but smiled despite herself.
It was nice.
Evan wished he could join, but he didn't bother. Seeing Michael interact kindly with his siblings was a rare occurrence, and he feared he might ruin the moment with his presence, so he stayed put. The whole ordeal made him feel almost like a ghost. If he were more sure of himself, maybe he would have called out to alert them of his presence. But that feeling only lasted a moment, for Childe put his hand on the boy's shoulder soon after.
"You should go join them," he whispered knowingly.
"It's okay," Evan shrugged, "What are we doing today?"
Childe slumped, but continued, "Well, Zhongli and Yanfei always come over in the mornings to come get Kaeya and I for the next day's adventure."
"Because you sleep in," Kaeya added.
"And so do you!" he shot back.
"You're the one who said you'd be my alarm clock. You've failed, every single time."
Childe scoffed, "Maybe we should settle this over a spar."
"Really? And do you really think I'd let you win?" Kaeya asked, shoving his nose towards Childe. Although he was just a tad bit shorter, he was still as intimidating as ever. Childe brushed off his surprise and replied:
"No, but you forget that I could easily best you, comrade."
"Maybe don't freeze up next time you try to threaten me," Kaeya pushed him aside, then walked around the table to slap Michael on the back, "Well, you heard the man! We'll have some more guests over soon. Now, go on, and get ready."
Rubbing his back, Michael hissed in pain, "Why are you hitting me? I already am!"
"Help your siblings. Especially with their hair," he cringed, "I can't since I have to do up my own."
The teen rolled his eyes, "You're so arrogant."
"I've heard so, many a time."
Childe laughed, watching as Michael begrudgingly pushed his siblings to the other rooms to get ready. Childe leaned on the table, happiness evident in the rise of his cheeks.
It was nice.
Part of him understood why Evan preferred to simply stare at the interaction before him, now.