childe with prompt 10: Photo in my mind (?) angst ?? :00 i dont really have ideas (ahhh, im sorry) but all i can ask for is angst
— BURN THE WORLD FOR ME, a drabble
penpal: ask and you shall receive! hope this is angsty enough for you hehe
prompt: angst | ten, when they reminisce the time when the other used to be alive.
pairing/s: childe x gn!reader (soulmate!au)
warning/s: cursing, mentions of death, fire, spoilers on archon quest chapter 1: act 1-3 and childe’s story chapter
sypnosis: an au whereas you can see colors after seeing your soulmate for the first time. childe never expected himself to meet his soulmate so fast — yet the moment he met you, he fell hard.
note: quick heads up that this takes place during and after childe’s story chapter! i also changed some minor stuff in the storyline of the archon quest for the sake of this fanfic.
the stars have never looked so beautiful.
he knew he shouldn’t be using his foul legacy too much— but he couldn’t help it. he’d rather fight thousands of ruin guards than get his little brother, teucer, hurt from them. besides, 10 seconds isn’t enough for his regular and delusion form alone.
he thought he was done for the moment he went out from dottore’s lab, not having enough energy to go back to the harbor.
but then someone came.
“oh my god, are you okay?!” childe tried to look at his savior, breathing heavily as the fatigue washed over him and caused him to lay down in pain, staring up at the night sky.
he wondered what the sky would look like with colors.
it felt like the universe listened to his wonders. the moment he saw (e/c) eyes staring at his, colors vividly came in his vision.
you look at him with your eyes widened, now seeing colors as well.
who knew your soulmate’s eyes was so beautiful?
“it’s you,” childe breathed out, smiling weakly as his vision blurred. “i’m glad i get to see you before i die.” your breath hitched at what he said and immediately brought your bag out. “i’m not letting you die.” you swore, bringing out healing materials.
before he could ask what you were doing, he instantly blacked out.
“...care to tell me why you aren’t touching your food?” you ask in amusement as childe laughs nervously.
fuck, he forgot that he can’t use chopsticks.
“i forgot that i’m uh, allergic to the food.” he lied, scratching the back of his neck with a cheeky smile.
you furrowed your eyebrows. “didn’t you order that as your... usual? unless i misheard it.” well shit, now he’s even more embarrassed.
as childe tries to think of another excuse, you laughed. “relax, childe.” you said as you slowly grab his food with your chopsticks. “it’s alright that you don’t use chopsticks, not everyone in teyvat follows liyue’s customs.”
the harbinger looks at you in confusion as you reach out his food to him with your chopsticks, causing you to give him a “seriously?” look. “i’m trying to feed you, dummy. now say ah,”
if childe haven’t fell in love with you back then, he is now.
“who knew my soulmate would be so sweet.” he commented before opening his mouth, causing you to shove the food in his mouth.
as you two enjoy your night, you lowkey wondered how the hell your lover managed to eat for the past weeks of his stay in liyue.
“and where do you think you’re going, hm?” you cheekily smiled at childe as you slowly turn around from the front door to see your lover.
“i was going with aether and paimon to visit an old friend of mine who resides in wangshu inn, apparently he wanted to see me after so long.” childe then pouted. “and you weren’t planning on telling me?” he asked.
you smile apologetically. “i’m sorry childe, i was so busy making food for them that i forgot.” you explained, wrapping your arms around him.
childe lovingly hugs you back, still pouting playfully. “i forgive you but i’m hurt.” you rolled your eyes at him and pulled away, much to his dismay. “i’ll make it up to you when i get back.” you said.
“nuh uh, don’t you dare think i’m letting you go out there on your own.” you look at childe with raised eyebrow as you watch him summoning his weapon and open the front door. “you’re going with me?” you asked.
“who else would be there to protect you on your way there? besides, aether and paimon will probably be distracted and leave you alone... and i’ve been itching for a fight.” he then steps aside, giving you space to go through the door. “now are you going with me or not?”
you sighed and surrendered. “alright, alright— i guess aether and paimon won’t mind your company. just stay somewhere while i’m with my old friend. he’s shy around new people.” you said before walking out from your home with childe following.
“oh and childe?”
“hm?”
“don’t try to wake any ruin guards or attract enemies to you while on our way to wangshu inn.”
“heh, no promises.”
“so... you work for the fatui?” you asked as you and your lover lay on the picnic basket, staring up at the sky in peace.
childe nods in response. “yeah... shocking right?”
“does this mean you did stole rex lapis’s gnosis?” childe grits his teeth at you mentioning rex lapis. “i tried to. turns out la signora beat me to it.”
you stayed silent for a moment, cueing childe to speak up.
“i don’t blame you if you leave me because of this. dating someone as dangerous as me will bring you misfortune, y’know?” you rolled over to the side and face him, frowning at what he said.
“childe... you know i mean it when i say i’ll never leave because of what you are,” your lover looks at you with a hopeful look on his face. “you’re... you’re not leaving me?” he asks softly.
you nodded, smiling gently. “i’ll always be here with you. no matter if you’re an archon, a harbinger, a killer,” you then place a hand on his cheek, causing childe to place his hand on yours. “i’ll never stop loving you, the person who made my world colorful.”
he immediately wraps his arms around your waist, sighing in relief. “i love you so much, y/n.”
“and i, you.”
“you know, i never thought i’d met my soulmate here of all places,” childe confessed as you sleep beside him on your shared bed. “i honestly thought you were in snezhnaya— or maybe in inazuma.”
“then i met you, you saved me, and then we fell in love.” he chuckles at the memory of when you first met. “i thought i was going to die after meeting you.”
childe then turns around to look at you and wrap his arms around you. “i promise, when the tsaritsa is done with her goal— or maybe when i’m done taking rex lapis’s gnosis,” he leans his chin on your head, closing his eyes.
“i’ll propose to you and take you to snezhnaya where you can meet my family.” his heart flutters at the thoughts of your future together. “if i convince you enough then.. hopefully you’ll be okay with moving to snezhnaya with me so that we can settle down.”
when he looks down at you, his eyes widen when he realized you’re awake.
“who said i wasn’t okay with moving to snezhnaya with you?”
the stars have never looked so beautiful.
childe slowly knelt down on the ground as he places a bouquet of flowers in front of the stone.
r.i.p. y/n l/n. xxxx - xxxx
“it feels different without you.” childe whispered, staring at the grave blankly. “i’m not sure if i will get used to the black and white. i’m scared of forgetting what color looks like as time goes by.”
you didn’t deserve to die so fast.
“i promise, i’ll find whoever burned you down in your home.” he swore, clenching his fists as memories of the place he used to call his second home burning down to the ground— crying out for your name as he tries to get inside to save you.
why are the gods so cruel? you didn’t deserve such a tragic death.
“i’ll bring hell to that person— even if that person is someone we know.”
suddenly childe hears a sound of footsteps coming nearby, causing him to look around.
his eyebrows furrowed when he sees a green-haired man walking towards him, his face was covered by a mask. he then realized the mysterious man was the old friend of yours from the wangshu inn and the “young adult who resides the top floor of the inn” that a few people were talking about.
“my name is xiao,” the man said as he stands in front of childe with a menacing presence.
childe watched as he removes his mask, showing the harbinger his youthful face that speaks vengeance and no mercy. “and i’m here to help you hunt down the insolent mortal who killed y/n.”
facts.
xiao met you back when he was hunting down possessed hilichurls.
you actually knew that childe was part of the fatui long before he told you. his acting gave it away.
childe would pay people to make a statue or a portrait of you so that he won’t forget your face unlike how he almost forgot what a color looks like.
