childe knew he shouldn't have ever gotten attached to you.

with the volatile nature of his job, connections with others had to be forgotten. in order to not hurt himself and his loved ones, childe distanced himself from his friends and family as he trained in the fatui. his eyes, once jovial and cheeky, became dull as he poured his entire being into his job. he completely surrended his body and mind for snezhnaya, and his dear archon tsaritsa.

...but there's something about you.

something that not only caught childe's attention, but maintained it, demanded for it, and made him sickeningly infatuated with you. despite the violent greeting that the two of you had, childe sought you out like a kicked puppy looking for their master. like the stupid boy that he internally was, he grovelled for even an ounce for your attention on him at all times.

even if that meant hurting you. or specifically, 'dueling' you.

childe always used that excuse whenever the two of you fought - he was simply checking your strength. yet in reality, this was the one time where your attention was on him, with absolutely no distractions. and archons, was it riveting.

the way your eyes focused on his body to predict his next move, or the way you gracefully dodged his lethal attacks with the poise of a ballerina, or the way you called out his name whenever he pierced your sweet skin with his blades or arrows. he almost felt weak in the knees whenever he saw your scars, all mostly coming from him - he didn't need to mark you with a hickey or love bite when scars from his wrath lasted longer.

his crazed yet dull eyes grew hazy as blood dripped down his arm and onto the cold snow below his feet. "who was that man you were talking to earlier?" his voice was nonchalant as usual, as he suddenly appeared behind you, raising his dual blades to plunge them into your back.