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When Childe first came to Inazuma, he hadn't expected to develop any notable degree of fondness for the nation. Even with the Vision Hunt Decree recently terminated, just stepping onto its soil had been a chore, and Childe had gone purely out of motivation for work as a Harbinger, and didn't have much personal interest in his stay at all.
But the more time he spent, the more it felt like Inazuma opened up its wonders to him. Finding a hidden labyrinth where paper charms came to life and let him fight and slaughter to his heart's content had been a major highlight, of course, but there was also plenty of scenery that could be as dangerous as it was beautiful, Kairagi and Nobushi waiting to ambush in hidden corners, and even those purple beetles had their own fighting spirit. The food wasn't all too bad either.
His brief adventure in Chinju Forest had been quite novel as well, learning about the Great Mujina Youkai, along with several other legends and tales of all the mystical creatures and events that were said to have happened there. With his primary objective of finding the Balladeer's whereabouts having little success, Childe was glad he could at least find some enjoyment from Inazuma itself. It made accepting the reality he would have to return without completing his goal less frustrating.
Unfortunately, as much as he had come to like Inazuma, leaving it still wasn't the easiest affair. It was just his luck all boats both exiting and coming into the nation were temporarily halted by tremendously bad weather. As much as Childe himself wouldn't mind braving those storms, it seemed most others weren't of similar mind. Anyone who had been planning on leaving in the next few days decided they wouldn't be disembarking until they'd made ample preparations for the more dangerous journey, or the storms calmed.
Childe didn't wish to spend that time just idling by, and so he decided to return to Chinju Forest, trying to see if he could add a firsthand experience with some youkai among his stories for when he got back.
Though to his disappointment, he’d been looking up trees, biting into fruits, walking along the waterways and peeking into bushes without so much as a mouthful of mud or even the slightest hint of a troublemaking youkai. It almost felt as if they were all avoiding him on purpose. It was mostly to try and stave off dejection and boredom that Childe bothered to engage with the small group of hilichurls he ended up finding.
They were all gathered around one of the torches on a path through the forest, one Childe opted to go around, figuring he’d be more likely to find something interesting if he took the less traveled road. He doubted they would have even noticed him from where he was, he probably could have passed them by without any trouble. Unfortunately for them, in that moment, trouble was what he wanted most.
He ran up to them with Hydro blades drawn, striking with swift fatality. The hilichurls were taken care of in the blink of an eye, there had only been three and none of them had been of a higher rank either. Childe knew a fast end was as much as he could expect from such a small gathering of weak monsters, but the ‘fight’ did little to help uplift his mood.
He turned away without giving the hilichurls a second thought, dissipating his weapon with a flick of his hands and about to pick another direction to start heading in, when out the corner of his eye, he saw one of the nearby patches of flowers rustle like something had just dipped inside them. Childe turned to look at where he’d seen the movement, trying to keep from moving too suddenly and startling whatever it was away.
Even though he couldn't see it, he could tell it was watching him, waiting in the foliage with its careful gaze to decide whether he was a threat or not. Being in its sights, Childe already knew trying to go up to it and catch it probably wouldn't work, he was sure it would flee if he just started walking up to it without so much as a sound.
It could have just been some small animal, but he was hoping he’d finally found a youkai after all, and chose to call out to it. If he was lucky, it might have just been looking to play, and would come to him on its own, as long as he seemed friendly enough. Though, if it’d seen him kill those hilichurls, he’d need to work extra hard to have it believe that.
“Hey, I already know you're there, y’know. Come on out, I promise I’m not gonna hurt you, so long as you aren't looking for a fight too.”
Childe bent his knees to get closer to the ground and try to seem smaller, holding his hand out towards the hiding spot to try and beckon the critter. It felt like several minutes passed, and Childe was considering between saying something else or maybe trying to shuffle a little closer, when he saw the flowers rustle again as their occupant stepped out.
Childe’s extended hand fell to the floor in shock, and his lightless eyes widened into big reflective pools. “I don't believe this–Comrade, is that really you? Haha, of all the things I expected to find, I don't think I ever would've guessed this!”
Out of the flowers came the Traveler, the very blonde boy with golden braided hair and eye-catching clothes that was quickly becoming known throughout the lands, not much more than a foot tall. In contrast to Childe’s amusement, the Traveler didn't look happy at all about his situation, nor the mischievous aura that began exuding from Childe now that he’d found him out.
“Yes, yes, Childe, it's me. I didn't think running into Fatui Harbingers would be another item on my list of troubles today. What is it you're even doing here again? Don't tell me you’ve left your duties to become a youkai hunter, after last time?”
Childe wasn't too surprised to see his Comrade had guessed his reason for being here so easily, he had told him all about the Great Mujina last time they had met here. There wasn't any time to commend him on his people reading skills, however, as there was something much more important to unpack here.
Childe walked closer to Aether, staying bent down so he could get a better look at him. Even bringing himself closer to the ground, Aether still looked so unbelievably small. Childe almost found it difficult to accept he wasn't just seeing things, or that this was even the Traveler at all. He would think it was some type of youkai illusion if he wasn't hovering right over the blonde at this very moment, with that ever familiar annoyed look in Aether’s eyes.
“Haha, nice guess, Comrade, but I think I have an even better question for you. What exactly are you doing all the way down there, hm?”
Aether had already been feeling pretty agitated about everything that had happened. Just the fact he still had to bend his neck back to look Childe in the face, even though he was leaning down enough that his chest pressed against his knees, was pissing him off, and the way Childe wasn't even trying to hide how much fun he was having just made it even worse.
Aether would have already swore the ginger had made it his life’s mission to get on his nerves, and now he found himself in an unfathomably perfect position to be subjected to his teasing. The obvious solution was to just not let Childe’s antics get to him, but in this moment it truly felt like this world itself was conspiring against him.
He couldn't believe Childe had even noticed him, the flowers should have barely moved when he dipped back into them after getting a closer look. Now he was hovering over him, like Aether was some weird creature he’d found in the brush whose existence his brain couldn't comprehend, while Aether just had to stand there and feel those scrutinizing eyes roam his shrunken form.
Aether wanted to ignore his question purely out of spite, but it really wasn't like he could just walk away from this either. Childe could probably cover more distance in a single stride than Aether could doing a light jog, and would definitely continue harassing him the whole time he worked to fix his problem, anyway. It was so obvious he wasn't ever going to let him live this down.
That fact was not helping him stay calm.
“Ugh…! …I opened a chest that I found in the forest, only for it to have been a trap set by some youkai. They were hiding inside it, and the moment I popped the lid they jumped out, laughing like hyenas before they hit me with their magic. It made me shrink, and then they all ran off before I could get them to change me back.”
Aether granted himself some respite from looking Childe in the face, though he could without a doubt tell that damn harbinger hadn't taken his eyes off him for a second. Instead he looked at where those hilichurls had been, a few feet away from where he’d been hiding in the flowers.
“I think the youkai just want me to find them, like a game of hide and seek, but being like this has made covering ground to search for them a lot harder. I was trying to go around these hilichurls to keep looking, before you showed up and noticed me. It really is my luck today you would be here too, just as I was passing, isn't it…”
Aether bitterly grumbled out that last part, but Childe’s ears still had no problem catching it, along with the rest of his story. To think that Childe had come to the forest and been spending all this time looking for youkai, yet Aether was the one who stumbled into their trap…
It was all just too funny, Childe really couldn't have stopped himself from laughing, even if he wanted to.
“Pff–Hahaha! Oh man, that's quite the tale, Comrade! Honestly, I would've suspected your senses to be a bit more fine tuned to pick up on such a thing, but I guess we all have off days sometimes, yeah? It's good fortune for you I showed up indeed, in this state it's no wonder even a small group of hilichurls was giving you trouble.”
Aether bristled at Childe’s words, eyes narrowing and his lips pulling into an even deeper grimace. As if the teasing wasn't bad enough, now Childe was trying to imply that just because he was smaller, he was suddenly incapable of handling even one of the most common threats to an adventurer? He shot the man a glare, though it wasn't a lie to say its effectiveness was reduced by his diminished stature.
Even so, it was plain to see how thoroughly insulted he felt through his tone alone.
“What are you talking about, I would’ve been just fine if you hadn't shown up. I could definitely handle a couple hilichurls, even like this. I’ve already lost count of how many bigger and stronger monsters I’ve felled. Honestly, I’m surprised you would belittle your own strength by saying such a thing, considering how many times I’ve beaten you.”
Childe could feel the heat in Aether’s words, rising, his frustration morphing into raw anger. He remembered when Aether had acted like this all the way back in the Goldenhouse too. Back then, seeing the blonde’s eyes sharpen like blades at the boastful Harbinger’s taunting as he fired back his own heated remarks had sent adrenaline pumping through his veins, and the ensuing battle had proved his excitement justified.
But seeing that same resolve to defend his pride building in him now just made Childe want to laugh even more, he practically found it adorable. The little Traveler thought he was still a match for a world that was so much bigger than him. It didn't matter how strong he had been, because now, the defier of archons and the storm that upturned nations was a literal fraction of the unyielding warrior he’d once been, while Childe was standing before him stronger than ever.
But if the Traveler was still going to be so stubborn about it anyway, well, Childe would be all too happy to show him how much the gap in power between them had truly grown.
He flashed a fanged grin down at him before standing up to his full height, feeling an indescribable high watching himself tower taller and taller over Aether. To see his once great rival now standing like a bug at his feet, it wasn't something he could have ever imagined.
Conversely, Aether had to step back to keep looking Childe in the face, neck already craned all the way back, watching him loom over him like a real giant. It felt unfair how it only took such a simple action to show Aether how much of a disadvantage he was really at now, while Childe’s shadow dwarfed him as if to make him feel even smaller.
“You're right, Comrade, it was just a few hilichurls. Even like this, I’m sure you could’ve managed someway to survive if they had attacked. Run away and hidden in the grass like any other hapless prey. In fact, I’d have to agree it's more unlucky they weren't who found you, after all.”
Childe’s smile only grew more wild, the previous amusement in his eyes twisting into a sinister glee. Aether recognized that look on his face, the way his once still blue pools would storm with mania. They grew darker and darker, like the very abyss he had fallen into, and looking no less dangerous.
“Because you should know, there isn't going to be any running away from me~”
Being so small, Aether already knew his tiny footsteps wouldn't have ever carried him far enough to escape, Childe would hunt him down relentlessly. All he could do was brace himself as he saw Childe’s arm outstretch and reach right for him, the opportunistic fox snatching an easy catch right in its paws.
Childe’s hand closed right around his middle, the palm of his glove against his stomach and his fingers around Aether’s back. The ascent of a couple of feet felt like a hundred as Aether was brought up to Childe’s face.
He could land safely even from this height, but Aether chose not to struggle yet, and let things play out. He needed to wait for the right opportunity, or he was certain it would end poorly for him, wasting his energy on futile straining wasn't the smart move.
“Hahaha, looks like I gotcha, Comrade! To think after all our battles, catching you would end so easily~ It seems you aren't so surprised though, were you expecting something like this to happen? I’m so hurt, Comrade!”
Aether grit his teeth and snarled, refusing to show an ounce of fear even when looking at another bigger, threatening predator in the face and being snared in its claws.
“I’d be able to feel more sorry about it if you weren't so intent on proving me right. There can't be any peace with you around, can there?”
“You just know me too well, Comrade! Guess you can't say I pulled any tricks on you this time, at least! Besides, can you really blame me? To have the legendary Traveler in my hands, a wall I still had yet to overcome now comparable to a little plaything… An opportunity like this is just too delicious to pass by.”
Aether felt himself get lifted up even higher, while Childe tilted his head back so his mouth would be right below where he held the tiny Traveler. Despite his earlier defiance, Aether couldn't help but l feel intimidated upon looking down and seeing his teeth glisten in the forest’s low light.
“I’m afraid I don't mean that only figuratively, though. Even with as small and weak as you are now, I’m sure there's a nonzero amount of strength left in you from your adventures, and your time as a worthy rival. Besides, if I don't claim it, something else you’ll run into like this will in my stead, don't you think? I don't see any reason it shouldn't fall to me, I believe I worked quite hard for a day like this after all~”
Aether had begun trying to break himself free the moment he realized the Harbinger was planning to swallow him whole, but Childe’s grip met his match and closed tighter around him.
Looking down into his maw was like an abyss of its own, deadly and lined with teeth, so eager to pull him into where he’d never escape. His boots were only inches away from his lips now, and he could feel Childe’s breath fanning over him, voracious and far too eager.
“Stop it, Childe, that's enough! Let me go, this isn't funny!”
“Hahaha, that's the spirit, Comrade! It’ll be so much more enjoyable if you put up one last fight! I wonder how well I’ll be able to feel your struggles when you're going down my throat and inside my stomach, don't disappoint me~”
Aether knew this could very well be how it all ended, a terrible demise in his rival’s gut, all because of a single mistake and an unlucky encounter. Desperate to avoid such a fate, he mustered every bit of strength he had to pull his arms out, laying his palms against the furthest ends of Childe’s hands he could reach.
Childe didn't have enough time to react, wrongly assuming Aether was only trying to futilely push himself out of his grip, when his earring began glowing a bright violet. With a flash of Electro, a searing burn shot through his hand like he'd been grabbing onto lightning.
Childe had held Electro in his hands before, using his Delusion to channel it into his blades, but this wasn't electricity he had under his guidance, it was raw energy being administered right through his gloves and into his skin that made his hand feel like it was being burnt from the inside out. Childe gasped from the pain, and his grip around Aether loosened from the powerful shock.
Aether put his hands together as he fell, facing his palms out towards Childe before he pushed them forward, sending a blast of Anemo down at his upper body. Even with his diminished size, the winds still felt like they had the same strength as a monstrous storm. Childe may have been able to weather it if he was on guard, but the proximity of the attack only furthered its severity, and he found himself blown backwards to the ground.
It only took Childe a split second of falling to realize he’d been knocked down and be prepared to recover. Childe’s hands touched and pushed off the ground, but rather than rolling back on his feet, his body jolted and he fell straight back down, back thumping against the floor, straining his legs to find they wouldn't move.
Aether had managed to trap them beneath two miniature versions of his Starfell Sword, and even if they were much smaller, Childe couldn’t burst through with the raw strength in his legs alone. He tried to attack them and shatter the restraints, but Aether landed safely from his fall and fired off another blade of Anemo to intercept and keep him away.
Childe tried to change tactics and attack the blonde instead, but being stuck in place and having a smaller but nimble target made getting a successful hit more difficult than he expected. Aether dodged and weaved another grab and Childe’s ever familiar melee Hydro attacks, before launching himself forward and winding up a geo-fueled right for the Harbinger’s middle.
Childe managed to block the attack, taking practically no damage, but the force of the trembling earth itself still knocked him straight back to the ground, which gave Aether the opportunity he needed to keep Childe’s hands under control too. With his wrists touching the ground, Aether trapped them within another geo construct like those restricting his legs, which fused around his arms and into the ground. In a handful of seconds, the great 11th of the Fatui Harbingers found himself flat on his back and successfully restrained by a tiny blonde he thought he’d be able to crush under his feet.
Childe struggled for a few seconds, before realizing he couldn't just burst through the annoyingly sturdy constructs. Trapping him with Geo was a technique his Comrade had used before in their fights, but sending out those big heavy rocks was often too slow for it to land, and left Aether vulnerable to a punishing counterattack.
Being caught by surprise had provided ample opportunity for it to work out this time. Still, he was certain he could build up enough strength to break through them with just a bit more time. He could feel them wear down a little more with every kick of his legs and strain of his arms.
“...Hahaha, well, Comrade, it looks like you got me again! I’m quite impressed, I suppose the size of the being doesn't matter quite as much when it comes to elemental abilities, does it? I can hear how heavily you’re breathing, though, so it seems doing all that still wasn't too easy for you.”
Unfortunately, Childe was right; usually, bigger opponents moved slower on account of their size, but Aether was just smaller, which meant Childe was as fast as he’d always been. He had to push himself a bit to make up that difference, and also needed to ensure he put enough power into his restraints so he couldn't just break them immediately. Making the Geo sturdy enough at this size took a lot more compacting of the energy, which was difficult when he was already working with a smaller piece from the start.
“Sh-Shut up, Childe… You’re the worst.”
“Oh, come on, Comrade! No need to be upset over a little fun. You managed to beat me, after all, so where's the harm done? Here, if you get rid of these rocks you put on me, I’ll even help you with that youkai curse to make it up to you. No hard feelings!”
Childe could've cared more or less about whether or not Aether would actually remove the constructs. They were a pain, sure, but it wasn’t like Childe was really stuck; Even if he somehow did end up being unable to break out of them, Aether couldn't keep them around indefinitely.
They were both aware of this, and after everything Childe had just put him through, Aether didn't even want to entertain the thought of helping Childe and trusting his word. He was sure the moment he got out, the ginger would just try and settle the score. Aether only had him incapacitated, not beaten to near unconsciousness, which meant Childe would still try and fight.
“...Are you serious? Like hell I would help you after you just tried to eat me.”
“Oh, Comrade, you’re always getting stuck in the past. I was only playing around, that’s all! There's no need to be so cross, I’m even offering to right my wrongs! How should I make it up to you when you won't give me a chance, hm?”
This all felt eerily similar to Aether’s first fight with Childe in the Golden House, back when Childe had also treated Aether’s near death experience at his hands as no big deal. Childe had found himself at the mercy of Aether not long after that day, drained from using his foul legacy and away from any telling witnesses…
Aether had chosen to spare Childe’s life. Finding himself in a similar position now, he wasn't in the mood to make that same mistake again.
Aether walked to one of the constructs that had Childe’s hand beneath it, curling a fist that trembled with strength born from unfiltered rage.
“I gave you a chance, Childe, and today you showed me that with it, you’ll belittle and threaten my life for your own thrill if you think you can get away with it. I don't see any reason to give you another.”
Aether shattered the construct with a punch, before grabbing Childe’s wrist with both his hands. Childe tried to get out of Aether’s grip, but was surprised to see that he couldn't even get the blonde to move an inch with his pulling.
“Boy, Comrade, you're even stronger than I thought! I didn't expect your physical strength to hold up so well, too. How do you have so much strength in such a little body?”
Aether didn't bother humoring Childe with a response, and forcibly bent his wrist so that his hand and fingers were flat on their right side and facing him.
“Hey, Comrade, what are you doing now? I know you're upset at me, but I’ll be on good behavior from now on! We've been getting along fine until now, haven't we? ”
“Just shut the fuck up, Childe.”
One would have expected the rude comment to have been filled with the frustration Aether had been feeling towards the harbinger all day, but instead Aether’s voice didn't betray any hint of emotion.
There was no heat, no fire like the sun or stars. It was icy and cold, like the unforgiving void of space itself.
That was what finally made Childe begin to worry.
“H-Hey, Comrade, seriously, what's going on? You know I’ll just get out of these eventually, right? So it's in your best interest to play nice with me, too!”
Aether only scoffed, and then got down on his knees to position Childe’s hand closer to his head, now holding both sides of his palm in his hands.
“Oh, can you really not tell? The powerful and conniving Tartaglia? After you even suggested yourself, too. How did you put it again? “Claiming my power?” By eating me? You might be surprised, but such a concept is actually one I’m familiar with. That’s how I could tell, you hadn't been joking in the slightest. So I think there couldn't be a more fitting end for you, than to suffer such a fate yourself.”
Childe kept trying to move any of his limbs, break his restraints or out of Aether’s hold, but the blonde had such a tight grip he just couldn't slip away, and he could feel the constructs continue to weaken, but it still wasn't enough. Aether had put more power into them than should've been possible.
“W-What? Comrade, I know we're all just joking here but surely you realize there's no world in which you sound reasonable? You're barely big enough to even fit one of my fingers into your mouth, much less anything else. Stop messing around and just let me go already, I don't even understand how you or your Geo is still this strong…”
“It seems there's still a lot you don't understand about strength, with how you’re underestimating me even now. I guess it doesn't matter though, you aren't going to be able to make that mistake again, anyway.”
Childe felt something wrap around the tip of one of his fingers, lightly soaking the material through. He almost couldn't believe Aether was really going this far to make a point, sure he might've deserved it, but now he was starting to make himself look ridiculous.
“Comrade, really now, I think that's enough. I’ll admit I may have underestimated you, but anyone of sound mind would say the same–”
Then Childe felt his wrist tug, and half his finger was suddenly trapped in a tight canal, while Aether pulled on it with his hand to urge it in further. His arm was pressing down against Childe’s other fingers to keep them out of the way, and his other hand was now grabbing at just beneath Childe’s thumb to keep him from moving too much.
“O-Okay, Comrade, seriously, I get it! You should stop now, before you hurt yourself, haha!”
Aether swallowed again, and reached to the base of the finger just before Childe’s knuckle. The arm bending Childe's fingers lifted, and Aether shoved his hand upward, impossibly fitting his mouth around its entire width. He continued gulping halfway past his palm, and kept using his own hands to help push Childe even deeper in.
Childe’s brain could hardly comprehend what was happening, with every heavy swallow Aether was swallowing nearly a quarter of his hand, the very one that had been holding him a few moments ago. He could feel oppressive moisture encroaching on his gloves as he was pulled deeper down Aether’s throat, pushing through the tightness of his neck and slipping inside his stomach.
Before he even realized, the open back of Childe’s glove passed through Aether’s lips, and Childe could feel his teeth and saliva drag across it, while Aether’s hold slipped lower down his arm. A few more seconds and he was swallowing a bit past Childe’s wrist, stomach already starting to swell with Childe’s hand filling it. With Childe’s hand in his gut, Aether didn't see a need to hold it in place anymore and moved to his other hand, with his mouth still stuffed full with his arm.
He broke the second construct by lazily elbowing it, and then grabbed Childe’s arm to begin on his second hand. Childe thought it would be easier to get his first hand out after Aether had let go of it, but the blonde had kept swallowing, and the way it was being sucked in made it impossible to get free. Instead he couldn't even get Aether to stop swallowing it deeper, somehow the muscles in throat were stronger than the strength of Childe’s arm.
Aether jammed one of his other fingers into his mouth, cramming it beside Childe’s first hand, and then began to swallow it down too. Aether aggressively pulled at his second hand to catch it up with the first, forcing it down as much as his throat pulled it in. It didn't take much longer for him to get past the other wrist, leaving both of Childe’s hands clasped together inside his stomach.
“T-Traveler, how are you even doing this?! It should be impossible! This must be a trick somehow, it doesn't make any sense! Y-You're just trying to get back at me, right?!”
Just both of his hands alone was almost equivalent to the mass of Aether’s own shrunken body, but the blonde continued to eat. Childe had just enough room to spread his fingers in Aether’s gut, but all he could do was make the skin beneath bulge and wriggle. The already too small space only diminished further as more of Childe’s arms joined his hands.
Fluid completely soaked through Childe’s gloves, the material adhering to and squelching against his skin while Aether’s stomach clenched around his hands. Drool dripped past Aether’s lips and slid down Childe’s yet unswallowed forearms, creating a wet trail the blonde seemed determined to keep up with.
Childe could feel Aether’s throat clench on the bare parts of his arms every time he swallowed, his skin and muscles pliant under the simple motions of his eating. Childe couldn't even stretch his arms apart now, they were practically fused together going down into his stomach. He should've been able to tear that little blonde apart from the inside out, but instead he couldn't even pull himself out from his throat.
Aether approached Childe’s elbows, where Childe was finally able to see Aether in his peripheral vision, watching him inch forward like an all consuming void before the blonde finally reached his head, and plunged him fully into darkness. He swallowed Childe, mask and all, and Childe had to suffer through his face being slathered with his salivation, and then trudged down his neck along with his arms as Aether continued on to the rest of him.
He kept getting Aether’s fluids inside his mouth, smearing all over his lips and threatening to get into his air pipe with every breath, while the noise of the gulps bringing him closer and closer to Aether’s gut boomed loudly around him, now that Childe’s head was inside too.
Stomach walls smothered his face once he made it through the sphincter, and his hair was matted with juices. His arms were bent at the elbows to fit inside already, and they pressed up against his face while it squeezed in too. The darkness only enhanced every awful sensation as Aether continued to eat.
Once Aether reached Childe’s shoulders, his neck and back began to curve in order to fit in his gut with how tiny the space was. Aether’s belly had grown to an extreme degree already compared to his size, hanging out from his crop top past his knees, even after standing up to give it more room. It constantly wobbled and lurched with every step forward he gave to shove more of Childe in, and it wasn't much longer until it began pressing against the ground.
Childe could feel where his body was making contact with the floor, Aether’s skin taut around his upper half. With Aether’s rapid progress, it quickly got to the point where it stopped him from walking, and he needed to lean forward onto his own stomach to reach the rest of Childe, pressing his weight fully on his prey and still vigorously swallowing.
This solution was only temporary, because the constructs still holding Childe’s legs had been stopping the rest of his body from getting pulled into Aether. Being unable to reach the constructs holding Childe down, Aether opted to right this conundrum by swallowing even harder, pulling Childe with all the might of his throat and arms to wrench him out.
Aether had only managed thanks to all of Childe’s struggles earlier, and the constructs shattered in a brilliant shower of dust while the following gulp sent nearly all of Childe’s remaining torso inside of his gut.
Childe's legs were finally freed, but it hardly even mattered when the rest of him was already crammed away inside him, and they could only uselessly kick from between his lips. Childe could feel Aether’s hands grab his hips, pulling him in with ease now that his own constructs weren't obstructing him. He quickly moved on to his thighs, squeezing them in his hands and down his neck and making his way to his ankles.
With only Childe’s boots sticking out his mouth, Aether forcefully pushed down on their soles using both his hands to fit them inside, expression straining hard at the effort it was taking now that he was so full. They sank down, until Aether’s lips could finally close around the toes and give a final gulp, Childe’s shape trudging down his neck and finally fully settling in his stomach.
Aether felt Childe shift a final time as the last of him was fit into his belly, his body constantly shifting in his gut through the process of being eaten. He ended curled up against his legs, with his head pressing against his knees and his arms wrapped around his elbows. This left Aether laying on the curve of his back, while Childe’s head was in the direction of Aether’s feet.
It was so absurdly tight, a testament to just how full Aether’s gut really was after eating someone so much bigger than him. Childe found himself even more constricted in Aether’s gut than beneath his Geo constructs, any movement took the exertion of pushing a mountain, only for Aether’s skin to snap him right back into place.
The blonde himself was now much smaller than his own belly, even with Childe’s height compressed to fit inside it. While fervor had been flowing through him during the act of putting the ginger where he belonged, Aether was feeling a bit overwhelmed purely from how stuffed he was. Having so much meat packed into his gut was affecting him more than he expected it to.
“Huah… Hahh… F-Fuck… I’m so full. Stars, that was a lot… But it's more than worth it, to finally– UUUUURRRRRRPPPPPP!”
Aether couldn't stop the belch from coming out, the sound much louder than you would think possible from one so small. His stomach was making several gurgling and groaning noises, which were even louder to Childe and came from all around him. A deep rumbling groan would shake the entire space, before Aether’s stomach walls clenched down on him to expel the gas that had built.
“HHHUUUUOOOORRRRPPPP!! Sh-Shit, this might be my hardest fight against you yet, Childe…”
Childe tried to give a response, but he was facing into his own bunched up knees and chest, as well as having his voice muffled by Aether’s own insides and skin. Aether could feel him try and stretch out his neck to speak better, but he couldn't get Aether’s skin to give way, and whatever he said was lost into his flesh, and drowned out by gurgling.
All he could do was sit there while Aether’s stomach worked away at him, the oddly shimmery liquid filling his gut soaking through his pants and into his boots. The soiled fabric began to tear and fray shortly after, and he could feel the soles of his boots begin to detach. The acid made short work of the thin protection his clothing had provided him, and Childe could feel his skin begin to tingle shortly afterwards.
“UUUUOOORRRPP, oh Stars! I can't even remember the last world I’ve ended up feeling this full. Who knew Fatuu Harbingers made such filling uuurrrppp, meals, hah…”
Childe tried all he could to stop it, he was supposed to be a warrior, not just food, but he couldn’t even fight back. It didn’t matter how hard he tried to escape, or how much he could brace himself for what he knew was coming, Aether’s stomach would still overpower him. There wasn’t any preventing the fluid from attacking his skin, beginning to pull him apart piece by piece, rearranging and mangling his skin until it revealed the layers of muscle beneath.
Those too would be picked apart, fibres and tissues unravelled while the acid only continued to pour in to add to Childe’s troubles. It splashed over him in waves with the rhythmic pulsing of Aether’s internals, accompanying the deep groans Aether’s overly stuffed gut made, as if it were struggling to hold the immense amount of meat that’d been packed inside it, despite its work dissolving it proceeding horrifically swiftly.
He could feel it pooling up to his knees, and began to worry whether he’d drown or be digested first. Neither was a particularly pleasing fate.
“Just so you know, even with how easy eating you ended up being, I’d never planned to do it before. You were mostly a nuisance, but I didn't think there was any good reason to go through with getting rid of you like that. At least not until today, when you tried to devoUUUUURRRRPPPP– me instead, ugh. Why am I getting so gassy after eating you? You just can’t make anything easy for me, can you…”
He was losing control of his fingers, his hands completely submerged in the fluid and fully victim to its corrosive desire. With his weight pressing down on his calves, they squished under the pressure of his own body after softening up, gooey muscle popping painfully and mixing with the rest of his dissolving body. How was he going so fast? Was he really that weak after all? Or was Aether just beyond anything he could have expected?
His arms and legs were worn away all the same, the meat of his thighs pulled and liquified, the trained muscles on his arms softened until they melted and flowed off. It really was like he was no different from any other piece of food, the cruel and unbiased process of Aether’s gut taking him apart like an extra large cut of meat.
“I really thought our spar at the Golden House would’ve been enough for you, but apparently you don't know how to stop– BBBBBUUURRRPPPPPP– pushing your luck. Now your last fight is gonna be against my OOOUUURRRPPP stomach acids, and not some great UUAARRP big monster. Hahh, you must be really starting to soften up…”
Childe’s legs and arms were mercilessly stripped to the bone, all the nourishing flesh taken from them until there was nothing left. The smell of his own melting flesh was apparent, and he could tell his chest and stomach would follow the fate of his limbs shortly.
Aether could feel Childe’s processed essence rounding his stomach, filling every crevice in a much more pleasant way than his undesirably solid flesh and bone could. The shape he made in his belly was steadily becoming less defined, the once recognizable outline of his form giving way to the vaguely simple roundness of a stuffed gut.
“Huah, it feels really good now… I’ve eaten a lot throughout my travels, but this is my first time really having one this HHHUUUUOOOORRRRPPPP big. Honestly, I’m starting to think I should’ve just churned you up a while ago… you're so much better like this, as BBUURP slop chugging through my guts and filling my insides, than you ever were as a Harbinger.”
Childe was completely submerged by now, but somehow he hadn't drowned. He could open his eyes in the fluid, and he would see more darkness, broken up by dotted lights in the distance that twinkled like stars. What was this? He wished it wasn't happening. He could’ve been dead, but instead he had to suffer through feeling all his vital organs melt after his torso was torn open and ravaged, and everything that would come after.
The liquid bubbled from inside him, flowing through any small opening and tearing it wider and wider, taking him apart in bigger pieces every time. To think he'd been training and fighting for so much of his life just to get mulched to slush like this.
Fuck, this sucked so much. It hurt like hell, Childe thought he wouldn’t have to sit through every cell of his body getting dissolved like this. Did Aether know this is how it would feel? If he ate one person, who’s to say he hadn’t eaten another. The way he was talking, it didn't sound like this was his first time doing something like this. That would explain how he'd eaten Childe so easily.
How many people had passed through Aether’s guts, if Childe wasn't the first? Could Aether even remember? Would he even care enough too? After enough time, he would probably just forget those people, and after Childe was absorbed into padding and his remains were left behind, Aether would probably do the same with him.
He was just another meal. His whole life was going to end to serve a purpose as temporary as filling Aether’s stomach. His ending really didn't have any meaning at all.
“Oh, fuck–BBBBBBUUUUURRRRRRPPPPP!! Sounds like you're almo–UUURRRRRRRRPPPPPPP–st done in there. So much crunching, your bones must be getting– OOOOOOUUUUUUURRRRPPPPP brittle… I’ve never BBBBUUUUURRRRPPP had to mulch a human skeleton this size before– HHHHHHUUUUAAAAARRRRPPPP, hahh, Stars! It's just so much.”
Childe didn't have any feeling in his bones, one of the only mercies given in this indescribable hell he found himself in, but he could still sense and hear the last structure his corpse held onto be demolished brutally. The overwhelming pulsing of Aether’s stomach walls saw his ribs snapped and caved in, his skull was severed from his spine and his femur snapped like a twig.
The outlines of Childe’s disfigured bones could barely be seen bulging from Aether’s stomach, thoroughly buried in the mixture of fluid and thick sludge Childe’s body had become. Looking at the misshapen sphere of Aether’s gut, it was quite difficult to believe the blend churning inside it had ever been a person at all.
With every other part of his body so thoroughly destroyed, it only made sense whatever remained of Childe’s soul that kept him from slipping into merciful oblivion would finally come next. He welcomed it, deeming anything better than continuing to exist like this. Aether’s stomach pumped and groaned, taking Childe’s essence and merging it with himself, the line between where Childe ended and Aether began growing more muddled.
The frothing sea of slop that had been his body was steadily drained, until he was more of Aether than he was himself. His ability to think or feel anything as Childe, rather than as fat on the blonde he was becoming part of blended and churned and melted away…
With Childe rapidly making his way throughout Aether’s internals, his belching only grew more severe causing some of the items that had miraculously survived digestion to be launched out from his maw. The tattered remains of one of Childe’s gloves splattered against the floor, horribly singed with its metallic parts severely melted, along with shreds of his scarf, other scraps of his clothes, and his red mask, miraculously chipped and fractured to be nearly unrecognizable after its trip inside Aether.
Aether’s stomach shrunk while Childe was relocated elsewhere, causing his crop top and pants to begin growing tighter. Aether began tugging at the fabric, too busy fretting over how much weight he was already gaining and belching to realize he was steadily growing taller as well.
It seemed the youkai’s curse was wearing off, thanks to the extra energy Aether’s large meal was providing him with. Eventually, both the shrinkage of his gut and extending of his height caused his knees to return to the ground, where Aether finally realized he was no longer so small, though in some other areas, that had already been unpleasantly obvious to him.
“D-Damnit, Childe, I’m going to get so fat because of you! Ugh, even when I think I’m getting rid of you, you find a way to stick around and still be a bother… How am I going to burn all this off…?”
While Childe drained from his belly, the broken bones that remained inside it steadily became more and more clear inside. Looking down to check the progress of his gut, Aether could see Childe’s skull inside his stomach, along with his spine and some other parts. Absorption continued, and it wasn't much longer until those parts began to get buried under belly fat instead.
Aether’s gut folded at his waist, his naval jutting out a fair bit past his torso now. His hips were much wider now too, leaving his once baggy pants now straining to hold all the meat packed inside them, and his top was notably packed with a new swell of resulting moobs as well.
Aether bashfully gave his body a quick check over while the last of Childe filled him out, already feeling mortified at the thought of how much attention he would be drawing to himself now. Anyone who knew him would definitely notice how much thicker he’d gotten since last time…
Dejectedly poking at his gut, and feeling the fat and bones still inside stir from his touch, Aether noticed there was something else in his gut. Barely shining through all his padding, he could make out an odd blue colored light glowing inside his belly, to the left below his belly button. He began squeezing at it, trying to figure out what part of Childe it could be, when his stomach gave another deep gurgle.
“HHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!! F-Fuck! T-that was the biggest one yet…”
Aether had felt something come out along with that mighty belch, and looking for where it landed on the grass provided him an object that was startling in its familiarity. It was Childe’s Vision, completely intact, with a glowing Hydro symbol on it and all. Aether reached down to pick it up, and it felt strangely warm in his hands, as if it were responding to him.
“This is Childe's Vision… But why is it still glowing? Is Childe still alive somehow? Or maybe he has to finish digesting fully?”
Aether stared into the light, like he was waiting for the Vision to give him an answer itself. Aether knew eating Childe had made him a part of him, but did that mean his vision would recognize his presence as still existing in the world? Would Aether be able to use it himself somehow?
Aether would have given the mystery some more thought, but upon trying to decide where he should tuck the Vision away, he was reminded once again of how much fuller his body had become in the last handful of minutes.
“Wh-What the hell, why did my chest get so big!? It's like I have boobs now… A-And my ass too, my pants feel so tight, what the fuck!? Oh stars, there’s no way people aren't going to notice! Ugh, I can’t believe how badly he ruined my waistline…”
Aether tucked the Vision into his inventory, choosing to give it his attention later after he’d addressed more pressing matters. It pulsed softly inside the space, waiting for the time Aether would bring it out to be examined again.
Had his mind not been so preoccupied, Aether would have likely already noticed his earring glowing the same deep blue of Hydro before he’d put the Vision away.