Dormmates | Genshin Men

5 | I can squish you easily in any kind of fight.

"'Little dude'?" the male next to him repeats with raised brows.

"Oh, yeah. Just a nickname I came up with on the spot," Itto explains before looking down at you again. "Woah, breathe! You look like you're about to drop dead."

You push yourself upright, taking in some more deep breaths, and wave your hands back and forth as to dismiss his comment.

"Listen, I don't wanna be accused for murder on my first day, so please take some of this nice, icy water," he says, taking the cold bottle from the side of his friend's backpack, ignoring the "hey!"

"I-I'm fine, really! Just..." you manage out, breathing heavily, "...you're so fast."

The white-haired male laughs loudly, catching some nearby stares, as his sharp, cinnabar eyes crinkle in amusement. He puts the water bottle against your cheek.

"Cold...!" you yelp, closing one eye.

He moves the bottle away. "Feel any better?" he asks, lowering himself down to a squat.

You nod.

Grinning in satisfaction, he continues squatting and asks, "So what got ya running so desperately to see me?"

"I need my pencil back, please," you remind him.

Realization dawns on Itto's face as he "ohs" and holds up a finger, indicating for you to wait a moment. You simply nod and watch him move to the side, away from the walkway, as he sorts through his shambolic backpack.

Well, an organized backpack would've been strange to see for someone as chaotic as Itto.

His friend beside him also sits himself down with a tired sigh, uncapping the water bottle that he got back from Itto, as he flickers his curious gaze to you.

"Are you a new student here?" he asks, chugging his drink.

"Yeah. It's the height, isn't it." You smile. You've received countless comments or questions that either directly mention or hint at your height, so it's likely he has one thing on his mind right now.

"100%. You're really short and small, like I can squish you easily in any kind of fight." He wipes the water from his lips with the back of his hand and gives you a closed-eyed smile back.

Squish? Are you some kind of bug now? Although there isn't any hostility laced in his voice, you aren't sure how you feel about his immediate smile that followed after saying he can "squish you easily". Is this guy a boxer or something?

At the very least, you can tell he has confidence. Confidence in squishing you in a fight, that is.

"Don't listen to that weirdo. He won't actually lay a finger on you, don'tcha worry," Itto reassures before going back to his long journey of finding the rainbow pencil.

"Who said—"

"And if he does," Itto interrupts, "I will personally squish him myself."

"Yeah? I'd like to see you try."

"Dude, you're gonna scare our new friend off with your creepy grin."

You suppress a laugh at their little conversation. As they continue to playfully bicker back and forth, you take the chance to observe Itto's friend, taking note of his ginger hair first.

His hair is swept in various directions with some tufts covering his forehead, falling in between a pair of blue eyes that reflect the deep, ocean waters. When you think of the ocean, you envision a beach day with the waves carefully crawling up to the sand.

Although his eyes are filled with the beautiful shades of the ocean, they are lifeless and void of light.

And you can't help but wonder if they were once vibrant, so much so that you can see the surfboards gliding across the surface, the seagulls soaring up above, and the numerous colorful bodies running around the shore.

But all you can see is a vast ocean with emptiness, so dark that not even the rays of the sun can permeate down into the depths, as his gaze meets yours.

His diamond-shaped, red earring moves slightly from his head movement, causing your thoughts to break. You blink. He blinks.

You blink again. He also blinks again.

And then he suddenly asks, "Is... something on my face? You've been staring at me for a pretty long time..."

You're at a loss for words. "Huh? Oh, um..." you begin to explain, only to get interrupted yet again.

By Itto this time.

"I found it, I found it!" he exclaims, shoving the rainbow pencil in your face.

Your eyes sparkle as you happily take it from him. "Thanks, Itto! You're the best!"

He laughs and reaches over to ruffle your hair. "I'm the best, huh? Well, you better keep that energy for the rest of the year too," he says.

"In fact... me and you are now besties. There. I said it. You can't take it back either," he adds in before standing up, brushing off the dust from his pants.

"Hey, I didn't agree with any of this 'besties' thing, y'know..."

"Mhm... clearly you're remembering wrong. Nice try trying to weasel your way out of this strong friendship we have going on."

You chuckle and listen to him talking to his friend as he offers a hand up. The latter takes it with a small smile, and in that moment, you can tell his smile is genuine, particularly with the way his eyes faintly crinkle and soften.

Although his eyes tell a hidden story, his smile tells another: one that shares his current experiences with friends like Itto.

"You said I'm creepy, but our small friend here keeps staring at me," the ginger-haired male whispers.

Itto turns to face you. "Okay, I gotta ask you to take it down a notch. Slooow down, little dude. We may be besties, but to hit on my good friend while I'm here?! Despicable."

"No, no. You guys are misunderstanding," you attempt to explain.

Itto's lips part open, about to reply back, but the ringing of the bell stops him. He clicks open his phone and widens his eyes.

"Damn—I mean, oh no! We gotta go to the event we signed up for. It starts in five minutes," he says quickly, slinging his red backpack over his shoulder. "See you around?"

"Of course. Bye guys, have a good rest of your day!" You wave goodbye, grateful to meet two other students who aren't rude like Bad Morning.

Before Itto's friend can say anything back, he gets put in a headlock and is dragged away. You watch as the two start bickering again, Itto nonchalant and laughing at his whining ginger friend.

Oh. You forgot to ask for his name.

-♡-

It seems Childe sees you as an Onikabuto beetle.