eternal flame | tartaglia x reader

Chapter Four

Sleep did not come easy that night. Every time you closed your eyes, swollen from crying, all you could see was the memory of Ajax's face. You tossed and turned all night long, fading in and out of sleep until the morning birds began to sing, signifying the break of dawn. You let your feet drag you to your kitchen, where your mother and father sat alongside Ajax's mother.

"Y/n, Ajax is missing," your mother said. Only then did you notice the tears welled up in Ajax's mother's eyes.

"He's not, he told me last night that he's running away," you admitted.

Your parents exchanged a look, and you felt your heart drop to your stomach. Ajax's mother shook her head.

"Ajax told Tonia that he was running away as well. We went to look for him this morning, and we found his boots, his food and his scarf near the edge of the forest. There's no way Ajax could have made it far with only a shortsword," his mother whispered.

You took a heavy step back as you felt your heart rate spike. Was it always so difficult to breathe? Ajax can't be missing, not when he's in so much pain. Images of Ajax scared, alone, cold, helpless in that forest flooded your mind.

"I'm going to look for him," you declared.

Ajax's mother nodded and stood up to grab your hands and stare into your eyes, "We can look together," she said, with a sense of determination that you've never seen from the woman before.

The first day that Ajax is missing, you feel that your heart might explode. You spent hours with Ajax's mother and sisters, searching the forest edges for any sign of the boy. A frantic thumping never seems to leave your hearing, and it's not until the sun sets and you're forced to go home that you realize it's your own pulse.

The second day that Ajax is missing, your lips just about turned blue from the sheer cold outside. Ajax's mother forced you to go home before it's even time for dinner. Not that you've been able to eat, or sleep, for the past two days. You couldn't help but notice how, as far as you can tell, Ajax's father had not spent a moment searching. Sure, someone had to be around to watch Teucer and Anthon, but with Ajax's older siblings who have come back home to search for their brother, their household was not sparse of adults.

The third day that Ajax is missing, you couldn't find it in you to get out of bed. Though you'd spent the last two days searching endlessly, you haven't found anything. It's simply not possible that Ajax actually succeeded in running away, with no food, or boots, or weapons. In this Schneznyan weather, his feet would fall off before he made it halfway to the next town over. As long as you could remember, you haven't spent this long without having Ajax at your side. Not knowing where he is, or if he's safe, felt like you've lost a part of yourself. And so, on the third day, you stayed in bed. At some point your father knocked on your door to ask if you're going out to look, and you could only shake your head before wrapping the blankets around your body tighter. You were so consumed with anxiety that your whole body felt weighed down. Time passed in a series of blurs, the sun was setting and you had done nothing but sulk.

You heard a knock on your front door, and a soprano voice that you recognized as Ajax's older sister. The door closed only a second later, and you heard footsteps approaching your bedroom door.

"Y/n," your mother spoke in a soft tone as she opened the door.

"Yes?" you asked.

"They found him. Ajax is back home."

It's as if something snapped inside of you. Before you know it, your whole body shakes with sobs, yet you're standing and throwing on shoes as if you're on autopilot. You thought that you might hear your father calling your name, but you're already throwing open the door and heading to the house beside yours. Your knuckles might have started bleeding with how hard you knocked on the door to Ajax's house, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. You need to see him. You need to make sure that he's okay.

Eventually, Ajax's other brother, Alec, opened the door.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You can't see him."

"Please!" you were gasping for air now, and you think that seeing Ajax safe might be the only thing to help you catch your breath.

Alec shook his head, "I'm really sorry, y/n. He's been through a lot. He needs some time."

You felt a coat wrap around your shoulders and oh, you had almost forgotten about the Schneznyan flurry circling around you. You looked back and saw your mother, who placed her hands on your shoulders and flashed Alec an apologetic smile. She must have followed after you stormed out of the house.

"I'm sorry for the trouble Alec, I'll take her home now."

Before you knew it, you were back at your own home. Your anxiety has only slightly improved, knowing that Ajax is at home. You're desperate to see him though, to talk to him and confirm his safety with your own two eyes.

You still couldn't seem to find your appetite, and opt to head to bed early. At least time may pass faster if you're asleep, and you'd be able to see Ajax sooner.

As soon as your eyes closed, you heard a faint knocking at your window. You thought it must just be the flurries, because no way-

Another knock, the exact same as before.

You peaked towards the window and saw a mop of orange hair.

"Ajax!" you cried out, opening the window and pulling him into a tight hug.

You couldn't stop the tears that flowed out of your eyes.

"I was so scared, I'm sorry, I should have gone with you, I'm sorry 'Jax."

When a few seconds passed where Ajax didn't say anything, you pulled away to look at him.

Maybe it's because it had been a few days since you had seen him, but he looked different.

His hair was a little bit longer, his freckles seemed a little bit more faded, even his shoulders seemed a little bit broader.

Ajax doesn't meet your eyes, but you noticed that the large gash on his forehead was completely healed. Was your memory making it seem worse than it had been?

"Ajax?" you asked, hoping for a response from him.

You can't stop your jaw from dropping when you look down and see a hydro vision hanging from his waistband.

"Y/n..." Ajax finally whispered, finally looking up to make eye contact.

More surprising than the hydro vision, was the look of despair on Ajax's face. The one prominent flame behind his eyes was now extinguished.

"What happened to you?" you gasped.