Chapter Text
“La-da-dada-da-da-dada-da-da-da!” Barbara giggled as she felt all eyes on her around the campfire. Singing was so much fun, especially with an audience to applaud you!
The Honorary Knight had enlisted Barbara and a few other dear friends to take on a couple of commissions, and what kind of Idol and Deaconess and friend would she be if she couldn't help tackle a few Hilichurl camps scattered across Mondstadt?
She peered around the circle as she took in the facial expressions of her traveling companions. The Honorary Knight and Paimon were beaming with glee—Barbara could even hear Paimon humming the tune to herself. Xiangling from Wanmin Restaurant was smiling from ear to ear, though Barbara was sure she noticed a slight drool and figured Xiangling was daydreaming about her next signature dish based on the few-day venture. However, their other companion, Childe of the Fatui Harbingers, simply stared at Barbara with a straight, blank face.
Barbara couldn't read his expression to tell if he just didn't like her singing (like she secretly believed Diluc didn't care for it) or…if he was thinking about something else entirely. She smiled weakly, took a bow, and then took a seat—right next to the forlorn Harbinger.
When the Honorary Knight had initially introduced this entourage, Barbara was a bit nervous to meet the head chef of a famous restaurant, and even more nervous to meet a Fatui Harbinger. After finding the Honorary Knight, Paimon, and Venti outside the cathedral after a Harbinger purportedly attacked them, Barbara was surprised that they were so quick to befriend the Fatui, especially one from their elite numbers.
Although, Barbara had to admit that the four of them made a great team. Not that Childe really needed a team, she noted as she replayed the day's encounters.
“You really enjoy being in the spotlight, don't you?”
“Oh…” Barbara stumbled out of her head as she realized the question was directed at her by none other than the boy plaguing her innermost thoughts. “I guess I really enjoy putting a genuine smile on each person's face. Maybe it's a bit selfish of me to wish it had made you smile also.” She looked up and noticed, perhaps for the first time, the deep blue tumultuous oceans within his eyes. However, with those oceans she could also see the swirling storm clouds that slowly eroded his peace of mind.
A corner of his mouth upturned ever so slightly as he responded, “Humanity as a whole tends to be selfish. However, I wouldn't say it's selfish to wish someone happiness, even if it's because of your eye-catching performance.”
What sounded like a compliment at the end of his words was contrasted sharply by the dryness in his voice. Regardless, Barbara smiled at his complimentary words. It seemed that her smile promoted him to continue speaking, though not that she minded. She liked listening to her companions' inner thoughts and feelings.
“Adventuring and hearing new stories and songs—and especially defeating new enemies—is really great and all, but sometimes—” Childe paused, as if stumbling over the words he wished to say next. “It's difficult being so far away from home. I miss my siblings every day.” He took a moment and stared up at the sky, and Barbara knew he was seeking comfort in sharing the same starscape as his family.
Ah, so the sadness in his eyes was a longing for home, and for family. Barbara was lucky; her home was a day or two walk away. Childe probably couldn't even remember the last time he saw Snezhnaya.
“I don't even know why I'm sharing this with you,” Childe muttered. “I don't open up to people really, ever. But your words were genuine and honest, so I simply wanted to repay the debt.”
Barbara nodded, knowing that repaying debts was a way of life within the Fatui. “It's okay to be homesick sometimes. You said you have siblings, right?”
Childe blinked and furrowed his brow, obviously wondering where the petite Idol could possibly be taking this.
“I have a sibling too, back home in Mondstadt. She's...everything I'm not. I've always admired and looked up to her. I want to help people, more than anything, but I also sometimes still wish I had just one thing I was better at than my dear sister.” Barbara sighed.
For the first time that day, Barbara saw Childe's expression soften as his eyes met hers. “Well, I happen to think the Deaconess Barbara of Mondstadt is pretty amazing in her own right. You stood toe to toe with those Hilichurls today. And tended meticulously even to the tiniest bumps and scrapes I got today. You're already this 'everything' you're talking about,” Childe said, gesturing wildly with his arms for emphasis on the “everything”. “My water brings nothing but death and destruction. In your water though, there's life and laughter and a lot of healing. Now that's pretty special.”
After those words, Barbara couldn't help but look away as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Here she was trying to cheer him up when she was the one being cheered up.
She sighed again and tried to force herself to meet his gaze. His eyes, normally tinted by torrential waves and stormy seas, now glimmered like Cider Lake in the moonlight. “If you'd be willing to share, I'd love to learn some of the music from Snezhnaya to sing around the next campfire. It might help with that homesickness a little.”
Childe broke into a grin, one that made Barbara's heart flutter ever so slightly when she saw it.
She looked away again to keep her composure. It's probably a good thing he doesn't smile often, she thought, or he'd be melting hearts everywhere with one look.
“You know, I think I'd like that,” he replied, and this time she could hear the smile in his voice.
In a moment that took her entirely off guard, she suddenly felt a weight on the shoulder closest to her newfound companion. Through the corner of her eye she could see a tuft of ginger hair, now an even brighter orange under the campfire light. Barbara froze, hoping the blue-eyed menace couldn't hear her breath clamoring and her heart pounding. She'd healed on, patched up, and talked with many boys in the past—Bennett, Huffman, even Kaeya on occasion—so why was he any different?
“Thank you for looking out for me out there today. I don't usually have a team that sees each other as equals. I guess it doesn't help that I often see myself as infallible. I mean, I am pretty stellar, if I do say so myself, but your songs were the perfect energy boost to clear out those last few hordes.”
Barbara couldn't help but giggle as she rolled her eyes and said, “Oh, I've no doubt you could've handled every single Hilichurl camp out there today without me. Watching you out there was like watching an idol take her spot on stage. You're amazing—uh, I mean, the way you fight is amazing, not that you aren't amazing because you totally are, but—” Barbara stammered, her mouth continuing to move as her tongue continued to tie up her words in the worst ways. She sighed. She was doing a lot of that tonight it seemed.
Childe let out a chuckle at her flubbed words.
Barbara's face flushed and she began to wish for respite from her embarrassing thoughts, words, and actions in front of the merciless man. However, no amount of recovery could prepare her for looking over and finding him intensely staring at her, an unreadable look on his face.
And not only was he staring, but he was so close to Barbara's face she wanted to retreat within herself to get away from him. Not that she necessarily minded; if anything, Barbara was excited to receive the attention, but the excitement was also mingled with shock and fear. Not fear of him, really, though based on today maybe she should be scared of him a little bit (oh, who was she kidding, if he'd made one wrong move against the Honorary Knight or their troupe she could've knocked him senseless and not given it a second thought). It was more of a fear of what might happen next.
Childe seemed to notice the discomfort, as he slowly pulled away and looked up at the sky again. “I guess I forgot myself for a moment.”
It was then that Barbara noticed two things: that there were rain clouds of sadness in his eyes, and that his hand had likely been resting atop hers for most of the night's conversation.
Steeling her nerves as best she could, she consciously twined her hand with his and looked straight ahead, just long enough to notice the Honorary Knight and Paimon across the campfire whispering to each other emphatically with their eyes fixated on Barbara and Childe. Who knew Paimon could be quiet enough to whisper? Barbara snickered at the slightly reprehensible thought.
At least Xiangling and Gouba were too busy flirting with her food ideas to fawn over Barbara's current fiasco.
The tension was so thick it felt as though Barbara's body was made of the Honorary Knight's Geo, immovable and uncrackable. At least if she was Geo, her walls would be impenetrable and he wouldn't be able to snake his way into her heart. “Childe—”
“Tartaglia. You can call me Tartaglia if you want. Childe is usually just easier for people to say.”
“Tar-tah-lee-uh,” Barbara enunciated slowly, relishing in the gift of a new name to call the Eleventh Harbinger. “Is that your real name?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Tartaglia replied, shifting his eyes away from Barbara's questioning gaze.
Barbara raised a brow in confusion. The shifty eyes implied he was hiding something, but why hide a name? She shrugged. “Tartaglia it is. But you know what they say, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Wait. Barbara totally didn't just call a Fatui Harbinger sweet. Did she?
Tartaglia furrowed his brows at the statement. “First I'm amazing”—cue Barbara's flustered facial expressions—“and now I'm sweet. Somehow I don't believe I've heard that one before.”
Barbatos could smite her right here and Barbara would be ever so thankful. However, tonight she would have to live and continue on in her embarrassment. After all, it couldn't get any worse, right?
“Not that you're sweet, just that a name's just a name and you'd still be you—impossible, arrogant, dreamy, stubborn, you—regardless of what name I call you,” Barbara chimed back, hoping the explanation would sate the boy's thirst for compliments. Not that he was anything short of all the positive and negative things she had said about him that night.
The clever Tartaglia took his cue, placing himself in front of Barbara's face once again. “Lots of words there to describe me, but I swore I just heard you call me dreamy . Is that right, Miss Deaconess of Mondstadt? Do you find this bloodstained Harbinger of death and destruction to be dreamy ?”
His words sank like a vice grip around Barbara's heart and mouth; as much as she wished to acknowledge and provide a witty (or at least less embarrassing) retort, she was instead paralyzed by his proximity to her face. For the first time, she noticed the white tuft of hair tucked almost unnoticeable in the back of his bangs. She would have to remember to ask him about that streak sometime—knowing him, maybe it has an interesting story. As she continued looking down his face, his ginger brows were raised expectantly, waiting for a response; those ocean eyes reached a deadly calm, piercing right through her; and his thin-lipped, slightly upturned mouth told her that he was clearly enjoying this.
Without warning, Barbara surprised even herself as she leaned in to give those adorable, thin lips a generous peck. Go, Barbara, go!
When she pulled away, both of them blinked hesitantly at one another.
Oh no, I didn't even ask. What kind of person doesn't ask and just does something like that? Barbara frantically started beating herself up in her head, despite the sense of wonderful warmth she felt when her lips met his. He probably hated it anyway. Not like you’ve ever kissed a boy before. You're so ridiculous —
Before she could finish stringing together her panic-stricken thoughts, she felt a hand tilt her chin upward. “Is this okay?” She heard him say, and she nodded as best she could.
She then felt that warmth once again, for just a brief moment. At that, her thoughts silenced as she focused her gaze on the boy who made her entire being panic and become serenely calm in just one campfire conversation. Barbara's expression finally softened, letting go of the tension she had built up simply sitting beside him most of the night.
“I happen to think you're the sweet one,” Tartaglia whispered into her ear, his breath and voice sending a shiver straight down Barbara's spine.
Tartaglia pulled his face away, though their hands continued to be clasped together next to one another. As he pulled away, Barbara went white with even more embarrassment as she processed that they now had a small audience watching to see what would happen next.
Of course, Xiangling had begun discussing with Gouba the possibilities of a sweet and spicy dish with Childe and Barbara's recent encounter in mind. As long as it wasn't bitter, Barbara simply shrugged and accepted that fate. After all, she could always teach Xiangling how she makes her spicy and delicious Cream Stew, which she believed had the exact flavor profile Xiangling was wanting anyway.
Paimon and the Honorary Knight, however, had been gossiping the entire time about the two lovebirds dangling dangerously between one another.
"Paimon thinks that Barbara could be a good influence on Childe,” Paimon sensibly stated. “Hey, did the Traveler bring them both on this adventure on purpose?"
Paimon was finally whispering. Guess it was too early to count my blessings, Barbara mused as she heard Paimon clearly across the campfire.
She thought she saw the Honorary Knight nod in response to Paimon's question, but whether she did or didn't, Barbara was glad she came along.
This time, Barbara placed her head against Tartaglia's shoulder, finally finding her peace of mind for the night. He gently ruffled her blonde curls and quietly amused himself by running his fingers through her soft, golden hair.
Barbara wouldn't dare complain. In fact, his slender fingers felt fantastic flitting through her hair. She smiled and knew she was safe, even if it was a fling meant only for a few nights. And regardless of the truth of his actual feelings hiding somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind, the sense of euphoria washing over her as she considered her own feelings was irrevocably enticing.
Barbara smiled, and from what she could tell, Tartaglia was also smiling as he held her.