𝙂𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙀𝙮𝙚𝙨 [ 𝘼𝙐 𝙕𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙘𝙝𝙞 ]

1: Familiar looks

The loud noise of his alarm woke the redhead, who reached out reluctantly, turning off the annoying sound. Childe sat on the edge of the bed where a few moments ago he was stretched out and sleeping peacefully, sighing from exhaustion. It was cold, but he couldn't afford to turn on the heat. Three pairs of blankets were enough to ward off the cold of winter.

Childe got up from the bed, resting his arms on his knees and then stretching, lifting them. He dropped them once he was satisfied and headed to the bathroom. When Childe looked in the mirror he wasn't surprised to see big dark circles under his eyes, they had been there for quite some time and he didn't think he could get rid of them. He stepped into the shower, feeling the hot water hit his bareback.

He put on his uniform shirt and black pants when he finished washing, tucking his shirt inside them. Childe adjusted his belt and pulled on the thin sleeveless vest to match his pants. Regarding shoes, they had a certain freedom to choose what they could wear, but even if that rule existed, Signora always complained, so he simply opted for the ones that she had indicated were 'the most appropriate'; some oxfords. Those stupid shoes had cost him practically an arm and a leg and two months without food, but he couldn't afford to lose the 'best' job he ever had (speaking of pay, though it wasn't a lot either).

It was five in the morning, and he still had a lot to do. Childe went to the kitchen and made himself a coffee along with some toast, which he spread with a generous amount of jam.

As he enjoyed the smell of the coffee brewing, he checked the notifications on his phone. He had several messages from his family and a few from his friends. He prioritized his dear family. They were two text messages accompanied by an image.

The gifts he had sent to his brothers had arrived in perfect condition, as had the bank transfer of the money for the medicines. Childe smiled as she opened the photo, finding a mildly blurred image of his siblings enjoying their new toys. He happily replied to his family and went to check the messages Kaeya had sent him.

«Someone told me you stared at Zhongli ;)»

Childe winced when he read the first message.

«You have guts, you aim for the highest, friend... Too bad you're terrible at flirting. If you want I can give you the advice to conquer it~~»

Childe was outraged to see Kaeya insult his dating skills, but he made a disgusted face when he saw that the third message consisted of various eggplant and waterdrop emoticons. He decided not to play his game, leaving him on seen.

"I just stared at him for a moment! Aether always talks too much, and Kaeya misinterprets any situation."

He poured himself the coffee into a cup, realizing it was done, leaning his back on the counter, and began to eat his breakfast.

"It doesn't matter, I won't stare at anyone again, I don't care how pretty their face is!"

After finishing breakfast he went back to the bathroom to brush his teeth, then went to the bedroom, picking up his coat that he was hanging from the closet door. He checked that he had the keys and wallet in his inside pocket, then put his cell phone in his pocket and put on his gloves. Childe looked at himself in the hallway mirror one last time, combing out some stray strands of hair. Satisfied, he left the apartment and bolted it.

—

Childe was early, as usual, remembering how he had to walk the long walk back last week. It was several hours before the restaurant opened its doors to the public, but he had always been in the habit of having everything properly prepared. Chidle set the code to deactivate the alarm and flipped several switches, lighting the building and turning on the heat.