Words cannot describe the way he feels about you, so he shows it in a multitude of other ways. Whether or not they’re genuinely romantic gestures is up to you to decide.
[childe x gn!reader]
warnings: slightly suggestive themes? not really, but just in case.
note: hey! this is a oneshot series i’m starting cause i really like this dumb man. this is the beginning of my childe propaganda so, i hope u enjoy, hehe.
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The faint glow of the city shimmered below you, illuminating your visage and casting you in a slight golden glow. The sound of children laughing below you filled your ears and you could feel yourself smile just a smidge. They reminded you of your family back home, full of laughter and screams of delight. You could still visibly see their smiles when you came home and their tight hugs when they told you that they missed you. You watched the Liyuen children from above, watched as they played with each other before being beckoned inside by their mother. They all whined in complaint before they all begrudgingly filed into their home.
How were the kids back home? Did they miss you? You hoped they didn’t, hoped they weren’t sad that you’ve been gone for so long. You’d be home soon, you promised you would after you got to see the world for them.
A gentle breeze pushed through you, chilling you slightly. But you didn’t move.
“Ah, I thought I’d find you here,” a familiar voice teased from behind you. Normally, you would have snapped back with something teasing or witty, but you weren’t in the mood for anything tonight. You merely lifted a hand in greeting, not tearing your gaze away from the city. There was some shuffling from beside you. He sat down as well, letting your legs brush against one another.
“Are you alright?” Childe asked, his voice had dropped the playful tone and was replaced by sincerity. You shrugged, not really wanting to open up to him. It wasn’t because he was part of the Fatui, but more the fact that you weren’t ready to talk so seriously with him just yet. You’ve only known him for about a month now anyways.
But… he was your only friend here in Liyue. Sure, you knew of certain people, like Xiangling the chef from the Wanmin restaurant and Zhongli from the funeral parlor, but you’ve only spoken to them in passing.
You pulled your knees to your chest, resting your chin on them as you curled yourself in. “Yeah I’m just homesick,” you told him. You could feel your eyes begin to burn after you said that and buried your face in your arms. You took a shaky breath before you continued your sentence. “I want to go home.”
Childe didn’t answer you; you didn’t expect him to comfort you anyways. You guys barely knew each other and the only relationship between the two of you was mainly teasing and taunting each other. It wasn’t common for either of you to drop something so vulnerable.
“I know, there’s nothing I want more than to return to Snezhnaya and see the town and people I grew up with again,” he paused before continuing, “but finishing your goal or mission now is your priority before anything like that will happen.”
“I’m sure your family misses you too, but you’ll see them in due time. It’s not like your mission is going to last a lifetime.” You felt a hand brush against your arm and you lifted your head enough to see what he wanted. You were met with his smile, sympathy and warmth radiating from his visage, and his ocean eyes. Usually, they lacked any light in them and were filled with nothing but the turmoil and crashing waves of the angry sea. But tonight, at this very moment, they were calm and filled with hope and light. “If anything, I’ll help you get back home sooner than later.”
You knew his words were supposed to imply that he would help out with your mission so you could return home, but knowing him, he could’ve meant beating you into a pulp so you were forced to go home. A laugh escaped you at the latter thought, causing the ginger beside you to furrow his brow and tilt his head in confusion.
“Sorry, I.. I just… A different thought came into my head rather than the one you intended,” you murmured out, averting your eyes away from the Harbinger sitting beside you. He hummed and leaned towards you to get a better look at your face.
“Oh? And just what would that thought be, [Name]? You didn’t think of anything naughty now, did you?” He smiled when your head shot up from your arms and flushed in embarrassment. “And to think you’d do this when I finally offered you some sympathy.”
Childe’s laughter filled the air when you socked him in the arm and told him to “Shut it!” Surprising to you, this was… genuine. It was more quiet than his usual laughter that you heard on the battlefield or when he was being friendly in front of strangers or future enemies. It was… cute, if you could call him that. You felt your cheeks warm at his smiling face, at the little red tinting the corner of his eyelids when he closed them. Seeing him like this, so sincere and genuine, made your heart skip a beat and you quickly averted your gaze. Oh… this was bad.
“Sorry, [Name], it was a good opportunity and I wasn’t going to miss it.” He chuckled and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye before he calmed down. His smile remained on his face, but you didn’t dare look at him again. “I’m glad I cheered you up though, seeing you so down really surprised me there.”
You glanced at the Fatui member beside you before staring back at the city below you. You leaned back against your hands, palms pressing on the grass you were sitting on. “Yeah… I really appreciated what you did today. Thanks for listening to me and checking up on me, Childe.”
The Harbinger hummed in response, staring at the city before settling his gaze back onto you. His fingers brushed against yours on the grass before his hand covered your own. Your name rolled off of his tongue and you turned your head to meet his gaze.
“I meant it. If you ever need help with whatever you’ve got going on, I’ll be here for you.”
The breeze blew against you again. But this time, it wasn’t so chilling.