Travelers Handy Sword - Genshin Impact Childe X Reader

7 - The Pearl Galley

(AN - a line in this chapter is directly influenced from a piece of Childe fan artwork, the context Im using it in is different and I dont have the name of the original artist, but if you know of the art youll known which line Im referring to. That was all, thank you for reading so far, enjoy)

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A knock sounded at the door, instanlty filling you with butterflies as you fixed the final strand of your hair in place and spared a glance at yourself in the mirror. The golden fabric hugged your figure in all the right places, draping beautifully on your form. You smiled before rushing to the door, making sure you had your sword - just in case.

You opened the door to Childe waiting for you, dressed in a smarter uniform than his normal grey one, the scarf still wrapped over his shoulder, pinned in place by the decorative badge.

"Are you ready?" he asked simply, stepping away from the door to allow you to exit.

You felt your heart sink a little. You thought he would at least acknowledge that you were wearing the outfit he bought you, a compliment wouldve been nice too. You swallowed those thoughts, giving him a smile and a nod as you left your home.

The two of you walked side by side through the streets "was work hard?" you asked, hoping to strike up a little small talk and maybe find out the reason as to why he hadnt greeted you with his usual cheerful greetings and teases.

He shrugged "it was . . . irritating" he muttered "but I handled it"

"Im glad" you said, before quickly spluttering out "I mean- Im glad that you handled it, not that Im glad that it was irritating"

He glanced to you, giving you a grin "nervous?"

"Huh?" he was looking at you while you walked and you quickly realised he was asking you about the impending gathering "oh uhm, I guess"

His hand brushed your arm, sending goosebumps to the area he touched, you turned to him the thought that he was trying to grab your hand filling your mind before you watched him poke the red sword that hung on your hip "dont be, if they are rude to you you can always cut them down with this"

He gave you a large grin as he said this, almost as though he enjoyed the idea of you taking the fancy members of the public on the ship. You forced a laugh "yeah, I could . . do you think I shouldnt have brought it?" you asked, as now that he had pointed it out you suddenly thought it might seem odd to bring a sword with you. Though, you rarely ventured anywhere without your sword, so the idea of leaving it behind didnt feel right.

He shrugged "I think its a good idea to keep your weapons within reach"

You nodded, seeing Zhongli waiting by the small passanger boat that would ferry you to the Pearl Galley. He waved the two of you over, smiling as you came close "you look lovely this evening" he greeted you, bringing a smile to your face.

"Thank you" you beamed, happy to have recieved a compliment, although you wish it had been from Childe. Maybe that was selfish? it wasnt like he owed you a compliment, but his actions made it seem as though he would . . he did kiss you on the cheek earlier, and not to mention all of the dinners, and then there was the first night you spent together watching the sunset-

Were you jumping to conclusions?

A hand suddenly placed itself on your waist, thrusting you from your thoughts as you looked up to the owner of the arm, seeing Childe smiling down at you. His smile made you feel warm. If you were jumping to conclusions, then why did he do things like this?

He gently steered you towards the small boat, releasing your waist so that he could hop on the boat first before turning to you, his hand outstretched for you to take. He helped you carefully onto the boat, his free hand returning to your waist to hold you steady. You stared at him silently. His hand left yours once you both sat down, Childe sitting closely next to you, while Zhongli sat on the other side, making small talk with the few others sharing the boat ride with you.