crown [C. TARTAGLIA]

26

"ohmygod..." you could only gasp at the sight of childe covered in bruises the morning you woke up.

he had his arms around you when you saw the mark left by your handcuffs on his wrist, as well as the bites on his neck.

you were a bit horrified, having memories which seemed to be a blur to you. could you have done all this last night? and why did childe just let you do all of this? surely it wasn't against his will, was it?

"mmm... [Y/N]?" he grumbles, eyelids fluttering open. he sees you avoiding his gaze as you sat on your bed, your body being covered by the blanket you two shared.

"hey." childe scoots closer to you to wrap his arms around your bare waist. "what's up?"

"sorry..." you apologized. "about last night, i didn't mean to be that... y'know."

"what're you sorry for?" he tilts his head.

"the bruises... are you okay with it?" you placed your fingers on his wrist and felt it gently. "it looked like it hurt."

"i didn't say i didn't like it now did i?" he laughs. "you don't need to be sorry about anything."

"...really?"

"really." he placed a kiss on your cheek. "and besides, i like it when you get jealous."

"enough..." you sighed at his teasing. "can we not talk about that..."

"alright alright." the prince chuckled. "let's get ready, there's somewhere i'd like to take you for today."

"which is where, exactly?"

"i told you it'll be a surprise, didn't i?" childe got up from the bed, placing the towel that was hung by your cabinet around his waist.

"oh right, we didn't get to go yesterday...."

"now then, shall we take a bath together?"

"w...what?"

"you heard me." he went close to your side of the bed and extended his hand. "you didn't think that yesterday's events were over now did you? it's my turn to pay you back."

°

"i hate you..." you mumble as you sat on the carriage, your legs still feeling sore from yesterday and earlier. you had no idea just how many rounds you two had the night before but judging from your state it was a lot.

"sorry." childe sat next to you as he giggled, intertwining his fingers with yours.

"no you're not." you blankly stared at him.

"maybe i'm not."

you took this chance to finally take some rest since you couldn't seem to get one whenever you were alone with childe. you placed your head on his shoulder as you shut your eyes, hearing nothing but the galloping of horses outside.

childe watched as you slowly fell into a deep slumber, hearing light snores from you minutes later. now he did felt sorry seeing how tired you were.

he then rests his head on top of yours, squeezing your hand the entire ride. "sweet dreams, [Y/N]."

how long was it since you actually slept so peacefully? ever since that incident when you were young, you've always had trouble falling asleep.

you worry about what might happen if you were to close your eyes even for a minute, wondering if that person would come after you next. you didn't want to admit it but you've always felt fear everywhere you went, you couldn't help but to feel as if someone was watching you every time you close your eyes.

but now, it felt different for once. as you lied there on childe's shoulder, you fell asleep in less than five minutes.  you felt at peace when you were with him. somehow, even though you were the guard, you always felt protected whenever you were with him.

°

"[Y/N]? we're here." childe lightly shook your head.

you got up as you rubbed your eyes, trying to adjust your vision. "where... are we?"

"you'll see when you come down." he says and opened the carriage door.

childe got down and waited outside, extending his hand for you to reach. you grabbed it and also got out where you had finally seen the scenery in front of you.

"this is..." you stared wide eyed at the lake, it looked almost crystal clear even though you were far away from it.

birds chirped from the tall pine trees that surrounded the area, and just nearby the lakeside was a small lodge with some seats at the front.

"i'll be nearby your highness, call me if you need anything." the servant who was driving the carriage informed the prince and soon left with the horses.

"let's go." childe took your hand and walks with you towards the small house you were presumably staying in.

it was small and simple, but it looked peaceful to be in. the smell of the freshwater nearby calmed you, you haven't seen a sight like this in ages. after all, being stuck in a crowded city 24/7 ever since you were young didn't really provide you with such a sight to see.

"so, what do you think?" he asked as you both stood at the porch of the house, staring at the lake in front.

"the view looks amazing." you placed your hand on the wooden balustrade, smiling. "does your family own this place?"

he nods, "it's a private area that was meant to serve as a vacation spot. but since we rarely even get days off, no one gets to use it that much."

you couldn't help but to take a glimpse at the prince whose hair was fluttering with the wind that passed by. he then looks at you when he noticed you were staring.

"ah, i almost forgot." you reached out for the pockets of your uniform, grabbing a small box. "it's a day late but... happy birthday prince."

childe took the box from you and opens it. inside was a necklace with a small gem carved in it, it was an alexandrite.

"this is... the same gem from that ring." he says, referring to when you first met.

"i'm glad you remember." you felt a bit embarrassed. "sorry if it's not much... i couldn't really think of anything to give so..."

"what do you mean? i love it, i'd love anything you give me [Y/N]." he took the necklace out of the box and wore it on his neck.

you saw him staring at the gem as he smiles softly, "i'm glad you liked it."

"it's green now, since it's day time." he took the small gem in between his fingers as if to examine it. "it'll turn red by night. wait... this must've cost a  fortune–"

"hey, don't mind the price and just appreciate the sentiment." you pout. "and besides, a royal guard's salary is a lot more than i could even take. i had to donate half of it to charity since i didn't really know what to do with the rest of it..."

"if you say so." he walks over to you, placing his hand on your cheek. "thank you, [Y/N]. it's one of the best birthday presents i've ever received."

"glad you liked it."

"well, the first one being your present last night–"

"shut up, you're ruining the moment prince."

°

a/n: the floof.