unexpected [childe x reader]

The Bed

"Mmhmm.." you let out, feeling movement from the mattress. You didn't open your eyes, that was too much work.
"(y/n), it's just me, Childe," you heard a voice softly sound from the other side of the bed. You didn't fully register it at first, just adjusting under the covers, trying to get comfortable.
Wait... when did you get under the covers? You remember laying on top of them to take a quick nap. You open your eyes, confused. You look to your left, seeing the ginger sitting up in the bed, blankets in hand. Switching to your left side, words messily fall out of your mouth "When did... the covers? I'm confused."
"You looked cold, just lying in my bed on top of all of the blankets. I'm just surprised you didn't wake up when I picked you up to adjust the covers," the blue eyed man sitting next to you laughed as he thought about your sleeping figure in his arms. You were adorable.
Trying to sit up, you propped your arms by your side and pushed your tired body up. Wait what were you even talking about before?
       Oh, right. He's a Harbinger. It's weird to think about. He doesn't seem like someone that could be one, he's so sweet and gentle with you most of the time. Thinking back to it, he was pretty calm when you were demanding answers, only changing his tone to a more serious one and not raising his voice. That was very thoughtful of him, he probably gets that calmness from having to help with his younger siblings. Childe would make a great dad— Wait. What? Your thoughts betrayed you. You haven't fallen that hard for him yet. Right? Like, sure you like him, but thinking about kids? If Brielle was here, she would lightly hit your arm just for that.
      Collecting your thoughts, you asked him a question, "So, Childe, were you ever going to tell me about being a Harbinger? Even if I didn't ask?" The fact he didn't answer earlier was slightly bugging you. "Say we started dating and it got pretty serious, would you have told me?"
"Probably, it just would have taken some time," he replied. "I would have really had to trust you. The only reason I didn't tell you now is because I only just met you. And then with what your father said, I wasn't planning on ever telling you, just avoiding you," he turns his eyes away from you, not wanting to see your reaction, which was not good. "But then, you came right up to me, wanting to talk. I had a feeling of what it was about and I couldn't leave you in the dark."
The two of you sat there in silence, a weird tension in the air: guilt, attraction, frustration, and sympathy all lingering. Your eyes fell over his plushie, tucked between the pillows you were sitting against. Smiling, you pick it up, giving you the perfect opportunity to change the subject. "Tell me more about your family. I'm curious," you say to the deflated ginger next to you.
      "Well, my dad took me ice fishing when I was younger," he said, a smile appearing on his lips, "We would go out to a frozen lake early in the morning, sometimes even before the sun had come up. Once we got the opening in the ice and started fishing, he would tell me stories about his adventures. I always wanted to be an adventurer. My dad's stories were the best, they made sitting in the cold on a frozen lake waiting for fish to bite fun. I miss him..." he trailed off at the end.
      "I wish my dad was like that. All he ever does is tell me what not to do. '(y/n), don't put your forearms on the table when you eat, sit up straight, don't talk so much, you can't see that man anymore!' it makes me feel like I can't talk to him about anything," sadness stains your voice, "I mean, if he only ever tells me what I'm doing wrong, how could I ever go to him for anything? He's just going to be disappointed in me no matter what it is. Oh, and there's no way he's finding out about this, I told the head maid that I'm out shopping."
      Childe chuckles, "The perfect excuse for you." He pauses. "Why do you think your dad does that?"
      "I have no idea, it just feels like he's trying to control every bit of my life."
      "Maybe he's just trying to protect you."
      "Protect me?" you ask, shocked, "Maybe protect his reputation," you scoff out.
Childe sighs, trying to think of a way to make you feel better. He does the only thing he can think of, he scooches closer to you, putting his arm around you as he relaxes into the pillows behind him. At first, you're surprised at this gesture, but then you melt into his chest, feeling your breath relax your shoulders that got tense while talking about your dad.
"Have I ever told you about the time my littlest brother came by himself all the way to Liyue from Snezhnaya just to see me?" Childe changes the subject, trying to get your mind off of your father.
As Childe tells the story, you study his hand, taking it into yours. His hand is so much bigger than yours, your fingers can't quite reach up to the last segment of his fingers when your palms are together. His is rougher than yours is, probably due to fighting, it's part of his job. He has calluses on his fingers on his left hand, different from his right. Does he use a bow? Is he left handed? I wonder if he can teach me.
Suddenly Childe lightly laughs, "What are you doing, (y/n)?"
"Hmm?" you reply, slightly confused.
"Did you take my hand hostage?" You only now notice you're holding his palm up to your face with your other hand holding one of his fingers up. Looking at him, you drop his hand, making Childe laugh. "You know, I'm kind of hungry. What time is it?" he asks as he looks at his watch.
      "Oh, it better not be too late, my father will be disappointed if I'm late for supper," you reply, worry tingeing your voice.
      "it's only four thirty, you'll be ok, I promise," Childe replied, squeezing your hand with the one you dropped earlier. "You know, if your father does find out about today, I can take the blame. I can say that I felt the need to talk to you and I couldn't stop myself; I can even say you ignored me for like fifteen minutes while I followed you around!"
      "That's really sweet, Childe. Thank you," you sweetly reply, "But I really should be going, I should be home any minute now if I'm 'shopping,'" you say, putting air quotes and getting up to leave.
      "(y/n)," Childe starts, hesitating, "I really want to see you again, I'm not sure how or where we could," the tall man took a deep breath "I like you a lot, and I want to know all about you. I want to know what makes you the happiest in the world and what scares you so I can protect you. I want to know every corner of your mind so well I can guess what you're thinking. And if you feel the same, I could talk to your father, try to see if he could change his mind,"
      "Childe," you say, cutting him off slightly, "I like you too, and I really wish we could have more time together, but I'm not sure my father will change his mind. He cares too much about what other people think about him. I'm sorry."
       You turn to leave, but Childe gently grabs your wrist. "Just let me try," he pleaded. You could see the pain in his eyes, he really liked you, didn't he. You've never seen a grown man look so desperate for anything before, let alone for you.
      After a moment of thinking, "Alright, you can. But, two days from now, that's enough time for him to think he won, but not forget about it," you caved. "Since we won't be able to see each other until then," you say as you move in closer to him, sliding your hands up his arms until they rested on his biceps, "I'm going to miss talking to you. Getting to laugh with you calms me down, it's a really nice feeling." You inch closer to him and he leans down, now only centimeters lay between your two pairs of lips. Feeling each other's breath gently against your faces, he leans in to close the minuscule gap. Finally your lips touch, sending shivers down both bodies. It's going to be hard to break this, neither one wants to pull away, feeling the lure to give in to each other and melt together.
      After a few more seconds, Childe manages to escape the pull. "Alright. You, little miss, have to go," he smiles.

🐳

a/n:
be fed my children, i cooked quite a lot today
- banana bread 🍞