Philophobia | Tartaglia X Reader

008

"Alright we need a Chilli-Mince cornbread buns, Almond tofu and some lighter than air pancakes." Childe hummed as he finally finished the order, looking over to you while you rubbed your temples in stress.

"Just how many customers are we going to have today?" Childe chuckled, running his fingers along your shoulders. "Hey, stop being so tense if you need some help just ask." He smiled softly while you felt heat rise to your face, not minding his comforting notion as the stress seemed to slowly leave your body. You will admit, you were ready to accept busy days within the cafe when working here. Although you just wished busy days only meant a few extra people, the whole cafe was practically packed with people.

"Here let me make the cornbread buns and you make the tofu, alright? That way we can finish everything faster." You nodded in agreement, causing the man to grin cheerily happy to be of some help to you.

Let's just say you two were in the kitchen for hours, working on different dishes and helping one another out. You were incredibly grateful for the man's help as Shenhe took the final dish to the waiting customer.

"Wooh! Finally we're finished." You cheered while stretching your arms, smiling sleepily after all the hard work. "Yeah and you managed to not doze off the entire time," Childe teased, ruffling your hair while you flushed in shame. "Right, I really do need to get out of that habit, I'm sorry all of you have to deal with that."

"Don't worry about it, just remember if something is bothering you I'm always here to listen." Childe spoke reassuringly, causing your lips to unwillingly perk into a small smile. You didn't know what it was about the male but he managed to make your heart flutter. All of your negative emotions seemed to dissipate away when with him…

"Anyway, I'm pretty sure we better lock up." Childe chuckled, beginning to walk out with you following behind. He was right, the last customer was finally taking their leave, a small tip left on their table while Yun Jin waved goodbye.

"Ah finally, today was so busy." Hu Tao whined, stretching her sore arms across the counter while Chongyun sighed in agreement. "Are you guys not used to having busy days here?" You quirked a brow while Yun Jin shook her head, putting the tip from the customer in the jar beside the cash register happily.

"Not really. We usually get a decent amount of customers throughout the day but today was a lot busier. I wonder why…" Childe shrugged it off casually however before anyone could make an assumption, quickly leaving to grab his jacket. "Who cares, at least the days finally over."

You chuckled at the males enthusiasm to get home, it was almost as if he had someone waiting for him. A lover perhaps? The thought made your heart hurt slightly however you briskly shook it off. You weren't ready for romance yourself and Childe was your work colleague. His life was none of your business, though if he did have a lover…

You shut your thoughts up quickly, shaking your head and trying to focus your mind on another subject. "Hey Y/N." Childe looked into your e/c eyes with a grin, holding the cafe keys within his hands. "Let's lock up and I'll walk you home."

The man walking you home had become a regular occurrence between the two of you. Yun Jin found it quite cute while Shenhe was adamant something was going on between the two of you. However you quickly brushed both off, you and Childe are friends and nothing more. Even if you happened to sometimes find yourself checking the man out when he worked the cashier. Or when you felt heat rise to your face when he caught you staring too much and smiled in your direction. You didn't want to admit you were catching feelings.

You were scared too. You were scared of having a romance like your mother and father. A romance that led to a loveless marriage and a child used as nothing more than a charity case. The thought of being in a relationship like your parents scared you, along with the thought that either you or Childe could end up like your father.

That man. The man who ripped your of your childhood, the man who took your mother and never bothered to be a father. He was a coward within your eyes and you wanted nothing to do with him. You despised how you could still see a glimpse of him within the mirror when looking at your features. It hurts you. It made your heart feel like it had been ripped in two and thrown away as if worth nothing. You hope to never see his despicable self ever again. Not after what he did to you.

You heard the door click shut as Chongyun finally left the cafe. Everyone stood outside, holding their jackets and coats closely to their chests. "Now we can finally all go home." Hu Tao hummed happily while Shenhe hummed, seeming to be thinking to herself.

"Don't you all find it weird how we only ever speak to one another at work. I mean we're friends right?..." You agreed with her slightly with what she was saying. You were all certainly friends at this point however the only contact that seemed to happen between the group of you was at work.

"I think we can change that," Childe pulled out his phone, bringing up his number and having everyone type it into their phones briskly. Once that was done he added everyone to a group chat, calling it "Liyue Café". "Done now we all have each other's numbers." He smiled before putting his phone back in his pocket and taking your hand in his. "With that being said, see you guys tomorrow."

He waved goodbye to everyone with a cheery smile before beginning to walk in the opposite direction. A cheery smile was on his lips while the two of you walked silently down the road, the streets being illuminated by nothing but the soft glow of streetlights as they began to turn on.

"You know, I'm glad I met you Y/N." Childe hummed, swinging your intertwined hand slightly while the two of you walked side by side. "Oh, how so?" You smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear and enjoying the soft breeze from the night sky.

Small stars began to paint the sky above the two of you as the night grew older. Both of your hands grew cold from the breeze that continued, however they stayed intertwined. Almost as if they found themselves warmer when with each other rather than inside your separate pockets.

"Hm, I don't know. Perhaps what I'm trying to say is, my life has become a lot brighter now that I've met you." He admitted happily, thankful for the night hiding his cheeks as they turned into a soft red hue. You could feel your own heart skip a beat at the males words also, unable to hold back the small smile taking form on your face. "Thanks, I could say the same for you, Childe. Truly."

Both of you let go of one another's hands when you finally made it to the apartment building. You almost walked away before hesitating slightly, turning to face the man once more. "Hey, do you want to come in for some tea or anything?..."

Childe's breath hitched before he smiled disappointingly, scratching the nape of his neck. "I'd love to but I need to get home soon, though maybe another time." You felt slightly disappointed by his answer for some reason but smiled softly, "that's alright. Maybe another time then." Both of you stood there awkwardly before you finally decided to take your leave, "goodnight Childe, make sure to get home safe."

"Will do!" He waved goodbye, a smile still up on his face. He was disappointed that he couldn't take up your offer, wishing to spend more time with you. However sadly, Teucer was probably waiting for him at home and he didn't wish to keep him waiting too long.

So as he left he sent you a text, sending a small picture of him smiling along with it. 'I can't wait to see you tomorrow, maybe then you can make me some tea <3'.

©Zenosyne_Aries