𝙰 𝚆𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙻𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚄𝚗𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 - 𝚇𝚒𝚊𝚘 𝚡 𝙵𝚎𝚖!𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝚄𝚗𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 ~ 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟾

Childe's POV

"Those stupid adepti..." I mutter through clenched teeth. "they keep meddling with my affairs." My jaw tightens as I kick up a patch of dirt from the path I've been walking on.

I cannot afford to fail again. This mission is a redemption chance for me. If another Gnosis falls into the hands of the Fatui, we'd have an incomprehensible amount of power.

Besides, I never pass up a chance to prove my abilities.

All I need is to locate her and take the Gnosis she holds. I'm not exactly sure where to find her though. My best bet is she'll be around that Adpeti, Xiao. I've heard rumors that he is often seen by Wangshu Inn. I was getting hungry anyway and I have also heard that they can cook up some pretty delicious meals. 

I use the teleportation point nearest to the Inn and can instantaneously pick up the fragrance of food wafting through the atmosphere.  Without a thought of hesitation, I walk up to the front entrance. The outdoor seating area is like a large patio with the Inn above.

 I pull back a chair at an empty wooden table and sit down. A h/c girl begins to approach me. She has her head turned to someone else as she skips over to me. I grin wickedly.

"Hello and welcome to Wangshu Inn! Is there anythi-" I'm still smiling but Y/n's face has dropped and her e/c orbs are suddenly on mine. 

She knows perfectly well who I am.

Your POV

My mouth feels dry.

"Yes, in fact, I think I'll be having the Qingce Stir Fry. I'm told that it's one of the best dishes." His voice is so melodic as he speaks, it almost sounds mocking. 

I just stand there, dumbfounded. How did he even find me? Was this just a coincidence? What does he want-

"Well?" He smirks and I can sense my nails begin to pierce the palms of my hands.

"Aren't you going to serve my dish Y/n?"

My voice comes out raspy and frail. "You are not welcome to call me by my name like a friend nor are you welcome to be here." He just chuckles at my supposed threat. I walk away reddened by my irritation which almost helps disguise how I really feel. 

Fearful.

Between Xiao and working at Wangshu Inn, I never even considered what I would do if Childe showed up. I feel like an idiot. 

"Oh c'mon!" Despite how fast I sped-walk to the elevator, he managed to catch up easily. "You can't be that angry with me about our little sparring match now...?" Childe teases in a melodic voice.

I whip my head around and nearly bump into him. His aqua-blue eyes are full of amusement. 

"What do you want? And our little 'sparring match' nearly got me killed."

He grins smugly."If you've been training, that would never have been a problem. I think we both know that you lied."

My jaw begins to ache and I only just realize that I have been clenching my teeth. "What do you want?" I say coldly, not wanting to admit to the lie.

"I want to train you."

I can't help but scoff and sarcastically say "Yeah, I'll definitely entrust the person who nearly murdered me with training." 

"No one else is as willing as me. Therefore, you don't exactly have much of a choice besides myself so I suggest you accept." 

"I suggest you leave me alone." I turn around and attempt to look unaffected. Even though I've walked far enough to almost reach the wooden elevator, I can still hear Childe laugh behind me. I flinch. Suddenly, his arm is around my waist and my face turns pink as he nuzzles his chin against my ear.  

My breaths come out short and hesitant as I try to pry away his hands "What the heck! Get off of me!"

"You shouldn't be so difficult you know-" 

An abrupt gust of wind blows my h/c locks in front of my face, completely obstructing my sight. I don't need to see properly though in order to recognize him. Luminescent jade points swiftly find their way under Childe's chin separating his face from my ear. I release my breath in relief.

"I advise you to step away from her Fatui. I do not appreciate unworthy mortals such as yourself tainting my student." Despite the fact that I know he isn't speaking to me, I can barely help but feel petrified- wait did he just say, 'student'?

Childe loosens his grip on my waist and I shuffle away from him almost instantaneously. A crowd has begun to form around the three of us causing me to look to and fro uncomfortably. Well, more awkwardly than anything. I don't have much time to consider what to do next as Xiao places his free arm around my shoulders. Blazes of teal consuming us, I close my eyes.

~ ~ ~

AN: Sorry about that hiatus ;-; I lost motivation and this past week has been so busy for me. I'm going to try and complete one chapter per week at least. I could end up doing less or more, Irdk. If anything comes up or changes, I'll be sure to make a notice on it <3 bye now.