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Childe liked to think of himself as a confident person. After all, he is the star player of the hockey varsity team and one of the names mentioned the most the day after a particularly rowdy party.
But even he had to admit there was a certain vulnerability in standing in front of your home to pick you up for a date.
In front of the Ragnvindr home.
One of the many Ragnvindr properties.
It’s not like his family was poor or anything, far from it. But their name was certainly not found on the luxurious dark bottles praised worldwide.
His hands felt clammy as he tightened his grip on the bouquet he was stiffly holding, mentally trying to revive the charisma everyone knew him for.
The seconds passed painfully slowly as he considered what to do. Would it seem ungentlemanly to just text you? I'm at the door, perhaps? He shook his head. No, he should just man up and knock already. But what if you didn’t hear all the way from the second floor? He could ring the doorbell instead. But what if your father answered instead? An informal first meeting and conversation with Crepus would be humiliating at the very least, especially in his current state. He’d rather be extra prepared for that when the moment finally comes. Would he ever be prepared, though? Did all this stalling even make sense when his reasoning had no meaning? He could just wait in the car, where it’s safe from all the unfamiliar doubts that were eating at him. He really could—
Ding
He fished out his phone from his pocket faster than he ever considered possible and felt a warm sense of relief fill his chest when he saw it was a text from you: “Look up ;)”
He promptly obeyed, raising his head and looking to the sides of the manor until he met your eyes as you looked down at him from your balcony at the right. A soft smile spread on his face, and he raised his eyebrows, trying to sound as casual as he could manage when greeting you with a “Hey.”
You smiled at the sight of him, the sound of his voice enough to make you giddy. “Give me another 5 minutes and I’ll be right there.”
“Take all the time you need, gorgeous.” He winked. You rolled your eyes and walked back into your room to get ready.
He took a deep breath of the fresh air, feeling considerably calmer now that he’s seen you and his main problem was solved. All he had to do now was just wait and be patient. He could surely do that.
Yeah, of course he could. And when you finally come down, he will kiss you and open the passenger door for you, you’ll tell him he’s the best boyfriend ever, and the date will proceed without a hitch.
He couldn’t believe how silly he was being by overthinking moments prior; there’s absolutely nothing that could go wrong now.
The door handle suddenly turned and Childe stiffened at the foot of the stairs, his eyes darting to the mahogany door as he watched it open with dreading anticipation until he finally saw Kaeya, who leaned on the doorway with the most irritating smirk ever. He took in Childe’s put-together appearance and finally the flowers he was tensely holding.
“Ohoho, for me? You shouldn’t have.” Childe was used to Kaeya’s usual smooth, teasing voice, but with the current situation, it just translated to an unavoidable headache.
“Kaeya, I really don’t need this right now,” He grumbled, leaning back on the iron railing and using his free hand to rub his face.
“Oh c’mon. From where I'm standing, it doesn’t look like you’re up to much,” Kaeya retorted, nearly smiling from ear to ear. “Is she making you wait this long?”
Childe sighed. You hadn’t revealed your relationship to either of your families yet, but if anyone was going to find out, it was going to be his best friend.
“She said she’ll take less than 5 minutes.” He informed.
“Make it 20,” Kaeya countered, crossing his arms in a relaxed manner. Childe’s composed expression faltered. “Relax, I’m kidding,” Kaeya smirked, waving his hand dismissively.
“Funny” Childe deadpanned, “Don’t you have stuff to do?”
“Now that you mention it, I should be getting some papers from father’s office for Diluc” He mused, as if thinking, “But watching you sweat through your shirt is way more fun”
Childe wasted no time in anxiously looking at his armpits, trying to look for any stains, only stopping when he heard Kaeya snort. He sent a glare his way.
“I’m sorry, alright?” Kaeya said with no hint of honesty, his hand on his stomach as his laughter died down. “You look fine, don't stress too much” he reassured. Despite finding it amusing how uncharacteristically jumpy he was, the last thing he wanted was for Childe to go on a date with you while filled with insecurities.
To be completely honest, Kaeya felt like this was the best outcome he could think of. Now that his suspicions of you two dating had been confirmed, he couldn't help but be relieved that you chose to date someone whom he knew well and approved of. Not to mention you were two of his favorite people.
“Nice hair, by the way” He added, making Childe absentmindedly touch the soft orange strands he took extra time on, murmuring a thanks.
“There you are.” Diluc’s monotone voice suddenly cut the conversation, his footsteps heavy under the polished floor as he walked towards Kaeya. “Could you explain to me why you’re standing here while I was waiting for the reports? Adeline had to step in and do it herself. The simplest of jobs and you still—” The redhead’s rambling came to a halt once he came to view on the doorway, noticing Childe standing at the bottom of the stairs. His crimson eyes glanced back and forth between his brother and the ginger before landing on the bouquet.
“...You’re dating Kaeya?” Diluc asked, nearly unbelievingly.
Before anyone could say a thing, your steps broke the silence as you made your way down the stairs. “Sorry for the long wait.” You apologized with an ounce of sheepishness, walking past the two guys at the door and making your way straight towards Childe, taking the flowers and embracing him. He could barely hold you back as Diluc’s eyes pierced his, nearly making all the muscles in his body freeze in place.
“You’re dating my sister?” Diluc’s voice wasn’t hesitant this time. It was cold and low, hardly a question and more like an accusation of a heinous crime.
You ignored Diluc and pecked Childe’s cheek after pulling away, grabbing his hand, and pulling him to the car, knowing he wouldn’t find the courage to break eye contact with Diluc on his own.
Childe awkwardly waved at them while making his way into the car right after you did, trying not to look at Diluc’s astonished expression for too long.
“You knew of this?” Diluc demanded, and Kaeya only snickered as he held the door to avoid falling by how weak he was turning from all his laughter.
He might’ve escaped his wrath today, but he knew he would be doomed the moment he stepped on the ice next practice and felt the pucks “accidentally” hit him over and over with suspicious accuracy.