Genshin Impact Headcanons

Forced Partners, Childe

Reader x Childe
Modern High School AU
Requested by A_Simp4u ♡♡♡♡♡♡

You thought maybe your day couldn't get worse, but it did. You thought maybe you'd be spared the one extra nudge of dread during last period of school today, but you weren't. Today in art class, your teacher assigned you a week long project, making a huge painting, taller than you were. You were allowed to choose partners, but here's the thing, only one partner. Your friends had decided to pair up with each other, leaving you the only one excluded. You looked around the room anxiously, wondering if there was anyone left. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to be told to join someone's group and I can go with my friends. You think to yourself. But no. Of course not. Today was not your day. You saw the tall boy, orange hair bright in the class, and dread filled you. Tartaglia. Your mind thought sadly. Really? How is he not taken?? You think to yourself. Tartaglia was known in the school. Girls liked him, boys fought with him often, and he had a bunch of friends, seeming more like a leader and his soldiers. His name is Ajax Tartaglia, but he earned the name, "Childe" because of his personality, always seeking a fight naively, and always smiling and laughing like a little child. People never knew what to expect from him, he really changed with the tic of the clock. You silently begged that you wouldn't be partners with him. But alas, his blue eyes met yours, and he smiled cheerfully to you, coming over.
Oh gosh... You thought to yourself.
"Hey Y/N, wanna be partners?" He asked with a slight laugh. You nod and say, "Sure!" As if you had any choice to even say no.
"Great! So what are your ideas? Got any themes you really want to do?" He questions. You think for a moment but find yourself unable to come up with an idea.
"Not really." You say.
"Oh, that's okay, you usually come up with great ideas, so if you end up having one don't hesitate to tell me!" He says in his enthusiastic voice, that always sounds like his smile. You raise your eyebrows slightly, and he sits himself down next to you.
"I don't really come up with good ideas." You say. He looks at you with a surprised look.
"Are you kidding? That project you did in English was great!" He says. You try not to get embarrassed but it's hard when you're being complimented.
"Well, my friend helped lots with that..." You say flusterdly. Childe was in the same school as you for all of high-school, but he also transfered into your middle school in grade eight. Now he was in the same homeroom as you. This was your last high-school year.
"Well, I thought the speech topic you did was really good too, that was on your own." He smiles.
"Aheh, thanks..." You say quietly and look away, slightly embarrassed. What the heck, Childe?? You think to yourself.
You two came up with a theme together eventually, and then you had to write down your ideas. You saw that Childe had pretty nice handwriting, so you told him that.
"Thanks, it's probably because I write a lot of letters, so I've had lots of practice." He says, looking at his pen. You look at him curiously.
"You write a lot of letters? How come?" You question.
"To my siblings... you know, when I'm away at camps or trips." He smiles with a slight blush on his face.
I didn't know he had siblings. Or that he cared about them that much. The Childe you knew would always be outside, asking the other boys to fight with him, so much so that it was just really annoying. When he would get beaten up with bruises and everything he would laugh it off and wipe his face, thanking them for giving him a "learning experience" and a "chance to grow". And besides, with or without his tough and rowdy personality, you didn't know anyone who would write letters to their siblings.
"Oh, that's so nice." You say. You see him fluster just a bit, and it makes you want to smile, that you're making him embarrassed.
"Thanks Y/N." He says, then you two continue to write until the period is done.

The next day in your English class you see Tartaglia again, and he waved and smiled at you. He came over and looked down at you who was sitting at your desk. You look up wondering what he has to say.
"Hey Y/N. You sitting in the sunlight makes you look kind of ethereal, it's cool." He says. You instantly mentally break down. The hell?? Your eyebrow probably twitched but you recover quickly, forcing a laugh.
"So, the teacher said that we need to have our thought process on why we chose our theme written by next class, which is tomorrow. Care to join me at the library today to type it up quickly?" He asks. You think about if you're busy this lunch, and come to the conclusion that you weren't.
"Sure." You agree. He smiles at your agreement and says, "Awesome, thanks, Y/N." You nod and watch him go to sit down at his desk, feeling embarrassed. Later at lunch you go to the library, waiting for him to arrive. He gets there just a little late, and immediately apologise as he places himself next to you.
"Hey! I'm so sorry I'm late. I bought my friends lunch today." He says without his usual smile. You look at him in a questioning way.
"Why'd you buy them lunch?" You question.
"Ah, you know, just a good time." He said. You did the math of what that must've cost for him and you sit there in disbelief.
"Isn't that pricey?" You ask. He looks at you for a moment then a silly expression takes his face.
"Well, yeah, a bit, nothing I can't spare though." He laughs good-naturedly. You blink a couple of times with a semi shock. So what, you're also rich? That's why his friends look more like followers. You think to yourself.
"That's very kind of you." You say quietly. He brushes it off with a closed eye smile and wave of his hand.
"Alright, let's get to work." You say turning on the computer. Childe took the role of composing it, and you typed it as he spoke. Afterwards when you handed it in he turned to you and gave a high five. You smile and so does he, then he waves goodbye claiming he still had stuff to do, in the small amount of time remaining.