[There's... not shyness, exactly, because Childe left that personality trait in the abyss ten years ago, but something small and cautious about the warmth he feels from Essek's faith in him.
Luckily he glances at Essek's face and ruins the vulnerability with a pulse of attraction, because sometimes you are looking at a beautiful elf man in the firelight. He doesn't say anything about it, though, simply sighing as he finishes his cocoa and puts the mug aside.]
Well, it would've been much easier with the items from the case, but... you're right that I don't intend to give up easily. If Alex could bring us all back once, then there's got to be a way.
[He doesn't mind serving her while he's there, but he's got an unfortunate knack for getting out of impossible situations, so a single year definitely isn't enough to make him resign himself to his fate. Maybe a few hundred? Who's to say.]
STOP RUINING THE VULNERABILITY WITH HORNY. He gets a pass on this one thing this one time only because Essek is, unfortunately, a good looking elf man. Childe may look upon him and feel attraction and confuse the hell out of him about it.
If things had gone differently for them, if he had lived, but still gotten to know Childe... perhaps he would have killed for something in the case for Childe's sake...]
It's alright. Don't worry about those. I know you and Alex would find your own ways. You would find something that worked.
[If Essek had lived and killed to get an item for him from the case then Childe would be madly in love with him by now I fear
BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN so he is just here being so tragically responsible about his weird fixation and his dokis and his STOP IT'S NOT HORNY well I guess it is a little but mostly it's just appreciation. Listen.]
...If I'm honest, I'd like for her to leave her post. Jonas too, really. But I don't think they will, so I'll just have to find a good replacement for her before I get out.
[He has no desire to rule over hell himself, so he has no interest in taking Alex's job. But for all that he doesn't respect her as Satan, he does like her as a friend, and he wants to make sure she's taken care of. He talks a lot about following his own agenda, and he'd never choose staying with her over going home, but that doesn't mean he wants to ditch her without a word.
He doesn't want to dwell on their potentially sad dead futures, though, so he changes the subject.]
Anyway, I thought about taking you to the island with the beach, but I wasn't sure if you'd like it. [Surely by now he's noticed that Essek is light sensitive?? Surely??? If nothing else he can't imagine Essek with sand in his elegant goth clothes]
[Well, I'm sorry to say that he would have done that because his biggest loyalty is doing whatever makes the other person happy even if it might be a little evil. He's evil!!!
Just give Hell to Ryo........ Give Hell's dominion to true Satan.]
You're considerate.
[You like them, Childe. It's okay.]
The beach would have definitely been painfully, but I perhaps could have survived for a little while with some protection.
[An umbrella. Some sunscreen... Sunglasses. Covering clothes. He's a vampire.]
...I like this despite the cold. Because... [He looks away. Embarrassing.] Because it's something important to you.
[HE IS... he is... he may be post-friendshipped, but Childe can sense the evil-alignment resonance. This is why he got weirdly obsessed from the start.
That makes him laugh quietly.]
Not particularly. [He does like them, but he is also... evil... just because he's nicer than Scaramouche doesn't mean he's a good guy.
He's about to make some comment about the beach, but then Essek is being gay and moe and distracting, so whatever annoyingly playful comment he was about to make fades from his mind. Essek isn't the one one who can have complicated emotional squiggles, though they aren't anxious like Essek's are. Even so, they're probably recognizable to him, because... well. When you've chosen to be evil-aligned, you relinquish the idea that people will care for you, and despite how many little displays of affection and indulgence you might be shown, it's surprising every time.
It's gotten just a little easier to trust over the past two months, though. So even though there's that reflexive urge to shy away from the way it warms his chest to hear such a sweet sentiment, he doesn't deflect. Essek's own embarrassment helps a little too, honestly, because if he hadn't looked away, Childe probably would have. Instead he is free to stare for a minute.
Thoughtlessly--]
Can I-- [Wait no. He wanted space. Shakes his head slightly.] --sorry. Never mind. I'm glad you like it, despite the trip up here. [...] Do you want another drink?
Childe could have still made a comment about the beach and ruined and ignored the gay things he was saying. It would have been fine. The feelings make him ever so slowly look up from under his lashes - it is surprising every time; he won't ever understand how the Mighty Nein could have wanted to be his friend - but it's the start and the stop which really lifts his attention.
His brows furrow. He spends a long moment just looking at Childe, debating. The silence is probably a bit awkward, but... he's trying to decide... His eyes flick down, then up again. It's not very many seconds, but so many conversations go through his mind. He feels like a foolish teenager again, thinks he's probably pathetic.]
The silence is indeed awkward, but he can't really complain when he's the one who did it. He's about to just get up and go get them refills, maybe some alcohol to ease the tension, but Essek speaks up again before he can, and.
Well. He may not prioritize romance in his life, but he's not really the type to hesitate when he does have something he wants. And the closer they get to the end, the more he finds himself wanting to indulge in the last of their time together. So--with permission granted, he'll lean in to kiss him again--softly again, but slow and lingering. He had some vague idea of proposing exploration of the rest of the island after they warmed up and rested, but now he's just going to want to do this until they decide to bundle up and leave.]
[Oh. He was not sure if Childe would reciprocate despite the entire fact Childe was the one to almost do it from the start. Can't begin to explain how stupid he is about this whole situation based off a single few logical sentences.
As Childe comes in, he puts his drink down out of the way behind him without looking, freeing his hand so he can bring it up to rest against Childe's cheek. He's careful, like he's afraid Childe might reconsider things. (Equally as insane of a take.) He doesn't pull away for a long time, and even when he does, it's only a hilarious amount of inches. Not a single care for whether or not they go back out into the cold, he will take staying and making out with Childe Genshin over it.
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Luckily he glances at Essek's face and ruins the vulnerability with a pulse of attraction, because sometimes you are looking at a beautiful elf man in the firelight. He doesn't say anything about it, though, simply sighing as he finishes his cocoa and puts the mug aside.]
Well, it would've been much easier with the items from the case, but... you're right that I don't intend to give up easily. If Alex could bring us all back once, then there's got to be a way.
[He doesn't mind serving her while he's there, but he's got an unfortunate knack for getting out of impossible situations, so a single year definitely isn't enough to make him resign himself to his fate. Maybe a few hundred? Who's to say.]
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STOP RUINING THE VULNERABILITY WITH HORNY. He gets a pass on this one thing this one time only because Essek is, unfortunately, a good looking elf man. Childe may look upon him and feel attraction and confuse the hell out of him about it.
If things had gone differently for them, if he had lived, but still gotten to know Childe... perhaps he would have killed for something in the case for Childe's sake...]
It's alright. Don't worry about those. I know you and Alex would find your own ways. You would find something that worked.
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BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN so he is just here being so tragically responsible about his weird fixation and his dokis and his STOP IT'S NOT HORNY well I guess it is a little but mostly it's just appreciation. Listen.]
...If I'm honest, I'd like for her to leave her post. Jonas too, really. But I don't think they will, so I'll just have to find a good replacement for her before I get out.
[He has no desire to rule over hell himself, so he has no interest in taking Alex's job. But for all that he doesn't respect her as Satan, he does like her as a friend, and he wants to make sure she's taken care of. He talks a lot about following his own agenda, and he'd never choose staying with her over going home, but that doesn't mean he wants to ditch her without a word.
He doesn't want to dwell on their potentially sad dead futures, though, so he changes the subject.]
Anyway, I thought about taking you to the island with the beach, but I wasn't sure if you'd like it. [Surely by now he's noticed that Essek is light sensitive?? Surely??? If nothing else he can't imagine Essek with sand in his elegant goth clothes]
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Just give Hell to Ryo........ Give Hell's dominion to true Satan.]
You're considerate.
[You like them, Childe. It's okay.]
The beach would have definitely been painfully, but I perhaps could have survived for a little while with some protection.
[An umbrella. Some sunscreen... Sunglasses. Covering clothes. He's a vampire.]
...I like this despite the cold. Because... [He looks away. Embarrassing.] Because it's something important to you.
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That makes him laugh quietly.]
Not particularly. [He does like them, but he is also... evil... just because he's nicer than Scaramouche doesn't mean he's a good guy.
He's about to make some comment about the beach, but then Essek is being gay and moe and distracting, so whatever annoyingly playful comment he was about to make fades from his mind. Essek isn't the one one who can have complicated emotional squiggles, though they aren't anxious like Essek's are. Even so, they're probably recognizable to him, because... well. When you've chosen to be evil-aligned, you relinquish the idea that people will care for you, and despite how many little displays of affection and indulgence you might be shown, it's surprising every time.
It's gotten just a little easier to trust over the past two months, though. So even though there's that reflexive urge to shy away from the way it warms his chest to hear such a sweet sentiment, he doesn't deflect. Essek's own embarrassment helps a little too, honestly, because if he hadn't looked away, Childe probably would have. Instead he is free to stare for a minute.
Thoughtlessly--]
Can I-- [Wait no. He wanted space. Shakes his head slightly.] --sorry. Never mind. I'm glad you like it, despite the trip up here. [...] Do you want another drink?
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Childe could have still made a comment about the beach and ruined and ignored the gay things he was saying. It would have been fine. The feelings make him ever so slowly look up from under his lashes - it is surprising every time; he won't ever understand how the Mighty Nein could have wanted to be his friend - but it's the start and the stop which really lifts his attention.
His brows furrow. He spends a long moment just looking at Childe, debating. The silence is probably a bit awkward, but... he's trying to decide... His eyes flick down, then up again. It's not very many seconds, but so many conversations go through his mind. He feels like a foolish teenager again, thinks he's probably pathetic.]
...You can.
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The silence is indeed awkward, but he can't really complain when he's the one who did it. He's about to just get up and go get them refills, maybe some alcohol to ease the tension, but Essek speaks up again before he can, and.
Well. He may not prioritize romance in his life, but he's not really the type to hesitate when he does have something he wants. And the closer they get to the end, the more he finds himself wanting to indulge in the last of their time together. So--with permission granted, he'll lean in to kiss him again--softly again, but slow and lingering. He had some vague idea of proposing exploration of the rest of the island after they warmed up and rested, but now he's just going to want to do this until they decide to bundle up and leave.]
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As Childe comes in, he puts his drink down out of the way behind him without looking, freeing his hand so he can bring it up to rest against Childe's cheek. He's careful, like he's afraid Childe might reconsider things. (Equally as insane of a take.) He doesn't pull away for a long time, and even when he does, it's only a hilarious amount of inches. Not a single care for whether or not they go back out into the cold, he will take staying and making out with Childe Genshin over it.
Damn, what are we?]
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I do]