Pairing: Childe x fem!Reader
Summary: The young pair was inseparable since little days, always seen tied together. But with the beginning of high school, the two went their own ways and forgot about their childhoodās fairytale. Or so Name thought. Born into the ones of the richest families in Teyvat, Name and Childe were bound to happen one way or another, and once the marriage between them came knocking on the door, they were brought back together. However, neither of the two were the same people they used to be, and both learnt that since the very beginning of their shared life.
Tags and Warnings: Fluff at the beginning, angst at the end, friends to strangers, modern AU kids/teenagers POV, usage of Childeās real name, mentions of strict childhood
Notes: I am so sorry this took so long to post. I had a shitshow of the last week, plus my graphics card died again. But weāre here! Hope itās a good enough intro into the whole story and thank you @genshinfanboyāā for beta reading!Ā Reblogs and feedbacks are appriciated.Ā
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āHave you ever thought of what your future would look like?ā You winced at the sudden break of the soothing silence between you both. The strands of his ginger hair tickled your nose as you turned to him, only to see him staring at the flickering stars above you. His ocean eyes were focused on the sight, blinking too many times while you questioned where he pulled the question from. You were too young to have such conversations, merely tackling into the beginnings of middle school, yet he never failed to amuse you with unexpected topics.
But that was Childe for you; never afraid to speak his mind.
āNot really,ā you mumbled, averting your gaze back to the night sky. āPapa probably has things planned for me, so there is nothing for me to think about, I guess.ā Some part of you knew that was the case. Ever since you were able to talk, he has had a strict approach to raising you. Learning at least two languages, excelling in chess and mathematics, making sure you read a few books a week. The list went on as you grew older, making you a female copy of your father. You didnāt have many toys to play with or friends to hang out with, although your mother took it upon herself to cheat the system every once in a while. Was it to brush your hair after a bath, read you fairy tales before bed, or sneak a plush or two without your father noticing, she made sure you knew what it felt like being taken care of outside the stern routine you had.
After all, she was the one who introduced you to your best friend and his family, and that was something you always silently thanked her for.
Childe was the complete opposite of you; his parents let him shape himself in the way he wanted to. Being the youngest at the time gave him the freedom of getting extra spoiled, almost carefree, yet he ended up as someone every parent would like their child to be.
He was someone you wanted to be but knew you couldn't.
The only reason your father allowed your friendship to bloom was Childeās father himself. Being best friends since their high school days, the two were inseparable. Although two polar opposites, they seemed more like brothers than anything else. For sure, your mother encouraged you to spend time with Childe in the first place, but your father never said a word after seeing you together.
āThatās so lame, Name.ā His teasing voice made you frown. āYou should have a secret hobby. Donāt be the boring one.ā Even though you knew there was no ill intention behind his words, you still pinched his side, drawing a dramatic squeak from his mouth. Rolling your eyes, you puffed the air you held out and pouted at him. His eyes never left the scenery above, but you noticed a tiny smirk forming at the corner of his right lip.
Ajax āChildeā Tartaglia was a menace who you were proud to call your best friend.
āYou know how they are, stupid. āCan't do much about it.ā You loved your parents equally for everything they were doing for you. So, it was only natural to accept what they planned for you without any second thoughts.
āWell,ā he exclaimed, abruptly turning around to face you. Childeās tiny head was too close to you, his hair tickling your nose, with a big smile plastered on his cute face. āAt least youāll have me in your future! Promise Iām not going anywhere.ā
His eyes closed, the smile only growing wider. Your heart fluttered at the scene. It skipped a few beats hearing his words. He would always be by your side. He would be the ray of sunshine in your pre-planned life. He would always be your Ajax.
As you returned the smile to him, he ruffled through your loose hair, lying back down on the shared blanket. Emitting the warmth in the already warm sunroom, he pressed himself closer to your tiny body, fingers searching for yours. You quickly glanced at your small hands, letting him intertwine them together. There was that soothing silence between you once again. Shortly lived as Childe quickly started rambling about his own plans and wishes, never once forgetting to mention where were you in that story. You were happy.
Little that you knew back then your life would turn around 180 sooner than you thought.
It hurt to face him. It hurt to let those words out of your throat. It hurt to hurt him.
You knew about your departure overseas before the middle school graduation, but you couldnāt bring yourself to say anything to him earlier. It pained you enough already, and you knew how much it would do the same to him. But you had to; you just decided to wait until the very last moment.
Childe grew out to be a teasing gentleman. He could have spun everything around his finger without blinking once, yet showed major respect when needed. You were proud of him, more than you were of yourself. There was still shape that had to be done about him, he was only 15, but you knew he would be a sly charmer.
Both of you quietly stood at the frozen fountain inside your garden, your favorite place to chase each other since little days. His already tall figure loomed over you, but his eyes avoided meeting yours, no usual shine inside them. You knew you had broken him, how could you not? His best friend, his better half, was leaving him for however how long. The moment you shared with him right there and then was the last one, but you couldnāt even make him smile, make it easier for him.
āWhy didn't you say something earlier?ā Childeās voice was detached; no one would understand how hard he was trying not to let it crack. None but you. With each lip bite, another blade pierced your heart with sorrow. It felt like the air had thinned out, making it impossible to breathe. You wished he looked at you, and saw the guilt hoarded inside your irises. But there was nothing instead. Only the sound of him breathing incoherently and clenched jaw.
āIā¦ā Your voice gave up on you, yet you had to find it in yourself to end the already one-sided conversation. āI was scared.ā Was that really enough? Deep inside, you knew it's not, it wasn't a good reason. As honest as it was, it couldnāt give him the fair closure he deserved.
Maybe you should have said something earlier. Maybe it would have hurt both of you less if he knew sooner. But it was too late already. It was too late even if it was sooner.
You were leaving and it couldnāt be stopped. Childe knew that, cursing everything and everyone that kept it hidden away from him. But he never said it out loud. Shoving it deep inside his brain, he didnāt say a word. He didnāt blame you. He couldnāt blame you. After all, your life was decided before you knew it. The only wish he had was more time. More time to hold you in his arms. More time to tell you how he really felt.
More time to confess his love to you.
Instead, he leaned down his forehead onto yours, his cold skin absorbing the warmth out of you. And he just breathed, eyes closed, mouth sealed in a straight line. You hitched at his movement, pleading your heart to stop racing so fast and loud, but touched his nose with yours as your eyes stayed glued to his stoic face.
āDon't forget me,ā he whispered, wishing it more to himself than anything else. Your heart broke in half as he finally opened his eyes, the oceans turning into a midnight sky from the sadness that consumed them. Tears finally escaped and rolled down your face uncontrollably as you pulled him into a tight hug. Wrinkling your coat, he tugged you closer, just to feel you next to him one last time. Until you meet again.
āNever.ā You thought that was a promise you would never break. It was easy, you couldnāt forget about him. He promised he would stay by your side forever, no matter what happens.
Yet, some twisted part of your fate had different plans for you, and Childe became nothing but a faded memory after 10 years of you leaving him alone in that garden.
With each passing year, he roamed your mind less and less, until you found yourself never thinking of him again. Memories you two made together were nothing more than a smudge you couldn't restore. Nor did you try to in the end. You focused on yourself and your career, making sure your parents had a reason to boast about their daughter being the next successor to numerous hotels around the country. It was the only way for you; to listen and obey what was expected of you.
You owed them that much. You owed them your whole life for being where you were, satisfied with the lush life you lived.
And you had to agree with anything they still had in preparation for you once you step through their doors again.
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