⊹❄⊰ Tartaglia ࿐

You and Tartaglia had never quite figured out what to call whatever existed between you.

You weren't officially together. Neither of you had ever sat down and decided on a label, nor had either of you bothered to ask the question outright. Yet somehow, your lives had become intertwined to a degree that made the lack of a title almost absurd.

You sparred together nearly every day, often turning friendly practice into vicious competitions neither of you was willing to lose. You ate together afterward, wandered through the streets for hours, and occasionally found yourselves talking long after either of you had intended to leave.

Tartaglia flirted with you constantly.

You pretended not to notice.

He became noticeably irritated whenever someone else monopolized your attention.

You insisted it didn't bother you when the same happened in reverse.

Neither of you believed the other.

There was an unspoken understanding between you, an invisible boundary neither of you crossed but neither of you seemed particularly interested in respecting either. You weren't lovers. You weren't simply friends, either.

Whatever you were existed somewhere inconveniently between the two.

And somehow, Tartaglia had decided that this was the perfect time for you to meet his family.

The journey to Morepesok had been surprisingly quiet. Tartaglia, normally incapable of tolerating silence for more than a few moments, had spent much of the trip staring ahead with an unusually contemplative expression.

Every now and then, he glanced toward you.

You noticed every single time.

"You've been staring."

"Have I?"

"Yes."

That familiar grin appeared.

"Maybe I'm just curious what you'll think of my family."

"Why? Worried they'll scare me away?"

"You?"

He laughed.

"I'm more worried you'll scare them."

You rolled your eyes, though the corner of your mouth betrayed the faintest hint of amusement.

Eventually, the familiar landscape of Morepesok came into view. Tartaglia's hometown carried a warmth that felt strangely different from the places you'd grown accustomed to seeing him in. Here, he wasn't the Eleventh Harbinger. He wasn't the dangerous opponent you'd crossed blades with countless times.

He was simply Ajax.

And perhaps that was what made meeting his family feel so strangely significant.

When you finally arrived at his family's home, Tartaglia slowed near the door.

For someone who had faced countless dangerous situations without hesitation, he suddenly seemed almost uncertain.

"What?" you asked.

"Nothing."

He hesitated before adding, quieter this time,

"Just... stay close, alright?"

Before you could question him, he knocked.

The door opened shortly afterward.

"Ajax!"

Teucer's voice rang through the house.

The younger boy rushed toward him with barely contained excitement, and Tartaglia immediately crouched to catch him, laughing as Teucer nearly collided with him.

"Hey, little brother."

Teucer immediately began bombarding him with questions, barely giving Tartaglia enough time to answer. Tartaglia responded with an unusual patience that you rarely saw from him elsewhere.

Then Teucer's attention shifted.

His eyes landed on you.

He paused.

His expression slowly changed from curiosity to recognition.

"Wait..."

He looked at Tartaglia.

Then back at you.

"You're the person Ajax keeps talking about, aren't you?"

Tartaglia's expression stiffened.

"I don't talk about them that much."

Teucer immediately protested.

"You do!"

You raised an eyebrow.

Tartaglia sighed.

"Maybe occasionally."

"You told me they're really strong!"

"They are"

"And that you spar with them all the time!"

"That's true."

"And you said they beat you once!"

"I said they got lucky."

You gave him a look.

"Lucky?"

He grinned.

"Very lucky."

Teucer laughed, clearly enjoying himself as he looked between the two of you.

There was something almost suspicious about the way his eyes lingered on you both.

Then, with the complete innocence of someone who had just noticed something the two of you had spent months deliberately avoiding naming, Teucer tilted his head.

"So... are you two dating?"