delusions, and the absence of ...

i know this topic is a bit overdone, but i wanted to make a more sfw romance & relationship headcanon meme! most if not all of these questions are related to romance and topics that may arise within romantic relationships, but without explicit nsfw topics!

he— after the lengths Neuvillette and the House of the Hearth both took in order to fid him in the Fortress, the weeks of investigating... after he just upped and vanished, when his Vision had been left behind in her possession, when the last she'd seen of him was some oceanic void... cast in the shadow of some kind of whale...

—he joked about her hiding? she had half a mind to throw a fist. not a careless and rage-fuelled assault, but a channel through which all the worry could finally dissiptate. since day one, there was never doubt of Childe's strength, but without his Vision, resorting to his Delusion after the Oratrice's verdict and the Iudex's intervention... well, believing him 'worse for wear' would be one way of putting it.

honestly, seeing him in one piece was the most important thing right now.

with a conscious note to settle and a steady breath, the Traveler's shoulders loosened. "shouldn't I be the one asking you that? I'm glad to see you're alright".

Perhaps he should have known, too, the extent of his power when rushing in as he did, but there wasn't a single bone in Childe's body that regretted it. He would have still done what he did with a smile on his face, because how else was he going to feel that thrill? Perhaps that was at the bottom of the list when it came to others' priorities, but Childe was always resolute in what he considered important to him. It would be hard now to explain the events that unfolded. But he did have his questions...

"You guys were looking for me?" And, despite the events that had unfolded, Childe sounded surprised. He would understand the House of the Hearth to some degree ... "well if he's here, we can just settle for a rematch," Childe concluded. "Otherwise, I had to get out. What, didn't you think I was capable? No 'Fortress of Meropide' was ever going to stop me." He said it so nonchalantly. Realistically, as absurd as it would often sound, there was little that would truly shake Childe to his core, and even then, would he step down?

"Sounds like you two have been busy. Maybe we should talk this over a bite to eat or something." Childe kept his bouncy tone, as if the contents of their conversation weren't as dire as they seemed. Childe laughed. "I must say, after all that, maybe coming here was a blessing! But there's been little to do here..." It was obvious that Childe was a little restless, all things considered.

"... can i help you?"

it's been a relentless fifteen minutes of feeling like he's being tracked, and though it should be unnerving, especially in a place as isolated as the outskirts of spirale, his instinct tells him whoever's been tracing his footsteps has no malicious intent.

but the ringing in dan heng's ears tells him, malice aside, that the uninvited company is in search of something else.

his grip tightens around his flimsy wooden spear, and with deliberation, he fully stops in his tracks, turning to face an empty space once rustling with the noise of crinkled leaves.

Childe told himself he had clearly been teasing to get their attention.

After a beat, Childe gave a lighthearted laugh, emerging from some shrubbery. If anything, he felt a lot more comfortable now than he did a couple of seconds ago. Childe was giving the stranger a grin, as if they already knew each other, and were simply rendezvousing. "Hey!"

It was fun whilst it lasted. There was no tension with revealing himself too soon. If Childe knew the terrain on the outskirts of Spirale more, than this would have panned out a lot better. Oh well. His grin was easy. "You have a keen eye." Quickly, he dusted at his knees and arms, catching a stray lead or two, and there was a tiny twig stuck in his hair.

   she'd seen him walking around the bar, having fun and drinks. she wonders why he sat down next to her after a while. tapping her fingers against the thin stem of the glass, she lets out a soft humming noise in acknowledgement. ' i was gonna order the, uh ... ' she squints at a menu nearby, ' seething solar? but i chickened out. this one kinda just tastes like perfume, though. '

He saw everything and anything as a challenge if there was even a hint of hesitation. Despite having just met this individual, Childe talked as if disbelieving their cowardice for not purchasing it. "Like perfume? So you like that sort of thing?" He gave a brief glance at her drink. "I'll be honest, I can't even remember if I've been to this exact bar before." He let out a laugh. "I see one, I go. Gotta check out what this city has to offer if there's nothing else to do." He could have been spending his time picking fights with anyone who looked like they could give him one. But going to the bar was a good second choice.

Childe flashed a toothy grin before taking a seat. He perhaps would have anyway, even if he was declined. Maybe Childe wasn't the biggest fan of small talk, but he wasn't adverse to the notion. With a drinking buddy of some sort, it was different. A conversation would only go so far with anyone Childe found boring, which unfortunately was always the vast majority. But he was taking his chance today at the expense of Spirale giving him close to nothing to do that he thought was actually worth doing. Honestly, Childe wasn't the easiest man to please, and he would always express his disappointment without shame.

But a drink was a drink, and he needed someone's ear to nag, if only for a little while whilst getting intoxicated. "Are you?" He asked. "I thought I'd start on beer and see how far I go. Something tells me you're also a go-getter when it comes to drinks."

❝ Shut it. ❞ her tone is sharp, stance shifting to one more steady, as she continues. ❝ There's hardly a reason to explain to someone who might as well be begging to be shoved into an early grave. ❞

whether such a claim was true or otherwise would be anyone's guess, something she has no true knowledge of. rather, she focuses instead, grip taught upon the handle before twirling the large blade with relative ease within her grasp. two fingers press against its crimson metal, pressed upon the cool surface before swiping down its edge as ink pools upon her finger, soon enough flicked toward his feet. turning her hand, fingers lift as if to instruct the fresh stroke of ink. and were childe not observant, he would hardly see the way it forms as it hits upon the ground.

"Your confidence is infectuous!" Childe cried. He would've liked to hear more of it, but, before he could taunt the stranger more-so, he caught the whisps of the vines seconds before trying to shift his body to evade them. As adept and skilled as Childe was at combat, oftentimes his ego would be his greatest betrayer.

Shit.

He thought he was okay until he felt something on his leg. Childe wasn't adverse to pain, yet he wasn't immune. Despite how vocal he was, the immediate wince in his expression was enough to make him disappointed in himself. A miscalculation on his part, surely. But he still managed a grin. Childe laughed, breathless. "Ahah! You're quick." Now there was even more of a disadvantage ...

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀only this one hardly has a clue quite yet—

much like the way the scenery shifts as if in the blink of an eye, those beautiful, pristine structures which have loomed around them now a mere sight of their former glory — buildings fallen to ruin beneath decay and rot, washing away at the crimson rain of blood which falls from the rolling, crimson clouds that cry upon the tragic scene around them. only few would be able to discern the nature of this change from reality to one of a painting itself. and now, as if belonging amid the scene, the artist of it all stands with a makeshift blade of ink in hand as his smile is met with her piercing gaze.

"Sky Weeps Red?" It is often incredulous to most that he would still be smiling. His smile doesn't last for long this time. As the scenery around him changes, it's instinct that Childe wips out.. well.. whatever he has. In all honesty, he finds everything in ruin to be more beautiful than it was before. The aftermath of the fight is like the lingering taste of something incredibly sweet. The more he looks around, the more excited he gets. Like eating a birthday cake and then wanting more. His hunger, as usual, is intatiable.

"Oh," Childe says.

"Haha, is that so? We can see about that, can't we? I don't mind finding out." It's a little teasing. Childe can't help but roll his left shoulder in response, as though the two of them are already standing on a battlefield. "Well then? Does that mean you'll take my offer? I'm more than willing for you to show me. Don't tease me now. I can show you what I'm made of too." With this, Childe smiles, as if he'd just exchanged a compliment or two.

sure, this had to be some sort of joke, or mistake, or hallucination.

but wasn't this a bit too close- isn't the threat on his life just a bit too close?

he had watched this clear stranger take down that- whatever that was- with nothing but bare hands and a cheerful smile. grey eyes meet brilliant blue, and lips flutter trying to find the words and fail.

eventually, mikoto simply blurts out,

"th-that was incredible...!"

okay, fangirling wasn't going to get the two of them anywhere. he pulls himself to his feet and hastily dusts the dirt and sand off of his rear. "i-i'm sorry, are you alright? you saved my ass...!"

how could he even begin to think about shelter when this guy was out here playing hero to begin with? still, the taller man was making a point, and he finally drags his eyes away from the imposing red-haired figure in front of him, the twitching remains of some horrendous grotesque, to the seasalty and hazy horizon.

It surprises Childe, just a little. He doesn't need an ego boost. There's little that can already top what motivation and reason he gives himself on a daily basis, but, it still makes him pause for just a moment, if not to take in an otherwise abnormal response. All he did was strike at whatever had been in their way, and with much enthusiasm and hunger, at that! Childe's smile turns into a toothy grin.

"Just wrong place at the wrong time, huh?" He asks. If anything, his intention was more on getting his hands on whatever blood he can, than whoever else was caught on the crossfire. It had been a tit for tat; a lucky strike, and a win/win for them both. "Yeah, sure." Nothing wrong with a little company. "Do you fight? Or...."