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falconcoast · 1 year ago

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an eye for an eye | childe x reader | one.

mission one, part one: the dotted line.

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the professor offers childe a contract to begin training for the heist with you.

a/n: me when she uploads consistently :shocked: !!! anyways take this while i ignore my summer work and playing resident evil 2 xoxoxo

tw: mention of knives, swearing

“I’m sorry, he’s my what?” you sputtered, exasperated. You looked over at your new partner, whose eyes were trained on your boss. And the code name “Childe”; who the hell named themselves that?! “Professor, you can not be serious--”

“I’m as serious as your C in Liyuean Post-Archon War Literature,” he answered easily.

You scowled. “Below the belt, Professor, below the damn belt.”

Childe let out a little huff of laughter beside you, quickly shut up by your elbow in his side.

“He’s a banker from Snezhnaya,” Professor Zhongli explained. “I’ve hired him for this especially important heist.”

You raised an eyebrow. Whenever Mr. Zhongli interviewed someone, he was thorough about it. As far as you knew, he had only thought about this in the seven months since the accident. Your own interview process lasted up to nine months--what kind of bullshit was this? And a banker? At least you had some knowledge of the artifacts you worked with before you ever got hired by the Professor. You opened your mouth to speak your mind on this.

He ignored you, pressing a button under his desk. The screen behind him flickered on, showing a revolving set of artifacts. Professor Zhongli smiled just at the sight of it.

“As you know, I am always interested in recovering the Geo Archon’s artifacts,” he smiled. Rolling back in his chair, he pointed. “A set of artifacts is said to have been wielded by Rex Lapis. It is called the Archaic Petra.”

“The first is the Flower of The Creviced Cliff,” he announced, “It was a miracle performed by Rex Lapis. When he came into power, a cynic of his asked him how he would make life bloom in the barren mountains. From there, a flower made of minerals and rock formed. It was a promise by the archon that he would always provide for the people of Liyue, even in desperate situations.

He tapped the button again, revealing a golden flower with orange lining and brown leaves on the screen. He crossed his arms, letting out a small smile. “It’s beautiful,” you whispered.

“It’s stunning,” your partner repeated, to which you openly frowned. Kiss-ass. “I can tell why you like it so much.”

“Yes, indeed. It is for this reason that I feel the obligation to protect it,” Professor Zhongli vowed. His face fell, brows creasing. “Unfortunately, it seems like some buyers in Yujing Terrace want to keep this beauty to themselves. So much so that they wish to auction it during a gala in Fontaine.

“So, the first part of the mission, you will fly out to Fontaine and be staying in a branch house before going to the gala and auction. You two will be alone there. Consider it a trial between the two of you.”

Your lips turned downwards again in dissatisfaction, but you said nothing more.

“Is it safe to assume that I’ll be getting some training before then, Mr. Zhongli?” Childe piped up beside you.

“Yes, indeed,” he nodded. “Some workplaces require on-site training, but when you’re handling millions of dollars worth in artifacts, there’s little room for errors during the mission.”

He shuffled around to retrieve a schedule. “You’ll be taking on the identity of my graduate assistant shadowing my work. It’s identical to what your partner’s cover is right now. Confidential matters stay in my office. You do not discuss this with anyone else besides your partner and my in-house staff, Xiao, Ganyu, Xingqiu, and Chongyun. The museum staff stay out of this.”

“Understood,” Childe nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. Mr. Zhongli shifted to pull out a few papers and a black pen.

“Your daily schedule, Monday through Friday, will be as follows: 9AM, cognitive training. 11AM, stealth training. 1-2PM, lunch. 2PM, equipment training. 3PM, mock heist. And at 5PM, you will be heading home,” he said while handing over. “This job is not for the faint of heart, Childe. If you understand, sign here.”

With a swift swish of ink, it was done.

“When Rex Lapis struck down his spear, the earth quaked beneath him. No more was the mystical phoenix in the sky. It dissipated into shards of beautiful gemstones,” you opened your palm to your crowd of visitors, revealing a gemstone the shade of honey. They gasped, eyes wide in wonder. “According to legend, that’s why northwestern Liyue has an abundance of this precious stone.”

Straightening your back, you finished up your museum tour in the Liyue section of the mythology exhibitions. You answered a few final questions, and then the crowd dissipated into the main hall. Pocketing the gemstone, you took a deep breath. Although you loved history, it could be exhausting.

Walking back, you thought of where you were heading next and scowled. In a few minutes, you would be watching your partner in action for the first time. Mr. Zhongli had ordered that you learn how to adapt to Childe, and not the other way around. Goddamn rookie.

Staring up at the rotunda, the mechanical metal model of Rex Lapis huffed out a puff against his long, golden whiskers as he circled the room. Right, you shouldn’t be complaining about a partner when you hadn’t seen him in action yet. Or at least, that was what Rex Lapis would say to that.

You breezed past the Mondstadt exhibition, where a rush of wind tumbled against your hair. The android version of the Wind God flew around the room, attached to carefully puppeteered strings, playing his songs on the lyre and accompanied by the sounds of songbirds. His wings swept up and down, sometimes greeting the guests in a cheerful tone. The artificially intelligent model of Barbatos was the newest addition to the Teyvat mythology exhibition. Something about his fluttering hair and quick-witted banter made the exhibit a little bit more lively and reminded you of home. Besides the Liyue Legends exhibit and the mural, you would say that this would be one of the best parts of the museum.

Passing through, you slipped by rows of ancient clay pottery, preserved after thousands of years. Ducking through the traditional art collection, you looked at the carefully curated pictures of painted landscapes on hanging scrolls. And finally, as you moved closer to where you needed to go, you passed by the grand mural.

Slipping through the back, you took a sharp right, down into the curator’s basement. The dank smell of artifacts waiting to be reviewed by the Professor cast long shadows against the walls. Your nose scrunched up in disgust, unimpressed by the scent. At the end of the hallway was a single door with a rickety door handle. You pushed it open, immediately hit with the fresher smell of mint and cold ventilation and wide open space, revealing the headquarters of the Professor.

Four rooms surrounded the commons with tinted glass walls: one for physical training, one for a break room, one with several foam blocks, and the last one for equipment training. The floor was lacquered in a black sheen, so shiny that you could see your reflection in it. Golden lighting highlighted the chiseled molding. At the back end of the room, a set of glass desks were all together with computers displaying several new missions available and Professor Zhongli’s anticipated schedule for the day. The screens on the walls also displayed the news. Ganyu was at her desk, running an analysis of Childe’s cognitive abilities.

The archivist looked up from her position at her desk. “Good morning,” she greeted cheerfully. “How was touring around those museum visitors?”

“It was good. They seemed to really like the story of Rex Lapis and the phoenix,” you hummed nonchalantly. Looking at her screen, your eyebrow raised at Childe’s cognitive skills. “Above average aptitude? He sure as hell doesn’t show it.”

“You should give him a chance. He’s extremely trained in on-the-spot speaking, too,” she complimented. “Prompted him with what to say if he got caught in a scenario and if I were security, I would’ve let him go.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you said thoughtlessly, clearly not going to give him a chance. You noted the time on your phone: 1:55PM. He would be coming out of stealth training with Xiao soon. You scowled; you didn’t want to deal with this piece of shit.

“Ganyu, I really don’t understand why the Professor thinks it’s such a good idea to pair me up with someone,” you say, flopping back onto one of the rolling chairs. You kicked your feet up onto the desk, sighing out a groan. “I mean, I think I’m okay on my own. I do my job and get it done fast!”

Ganyu looked at you with an empathetic gaze, tucking her blue hair behind her ear. Then, she clicks her mouse around a few times before showing the statistics of your mission. “Well, comparatively, your work alone has an average score of 92, with a standard deviation of six. When you worked with your last partner, you averaged 100. A 100, Y/N. You know, if he were here, he would say he was disapp--”

“Stop, he wouldn’t say that! He would never say that about me!” You exclaimed before sitting back down and slinking down into your chair. The world began to feel much bigger at that moment, and you felt so very small. “Sorry. You didn’t deserve that, Ganyu. I-I don’t know what came over me.”

Her mouth turned into a sad, little smile. “You’re still processing the accident. It’s okay.”

As if on cue, Xiao and Childe walked into the commons. He wore sweats and a compression shirt that fitted around his chest nicely. Your brand-new partner noticed the tension in the air immediately. “Woah! Did I miss something important?” he asked, tilting his head like a puppy.

“Do you ever shut up?” you mutter under your breath. You twirled your chair to face Xiao. “How’d stealth training go?”

“He’s got heavy footsteps. I’m pretty sure that you’d get killed instantly with where he’s currently at.”

“Hey, I said I was sorry!” Childe piped up.

“That said, that’s nothing we can’t fix, Chariot,” Xiao said, dusting off his hands. He looked at the rookie beside him. “It’s lunchtime. Go grab whatever you put in the fridge this morning.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Ganyu said, clapping her hands. “You have to go have lunch with Childe. Professor’s orders, not ours. Xiao, you know the drill.”

“Huh?” you nearly snapped your neck as you looked back at her. Before you can say more, Xiao took your chair and slid it smoothly into the break room. “Hey!”

Childe smiled as he greeted you, happy as ever. “You get to spend lunch with me? I thought you didn’t even like me!”

“I don’t,” you answer instantly. You took a deep breath in and out. The Professor asked you to have lunch with Childe. It doesn’t matter what you think. You frowned as you take out your own lunch from the fridge. You sat across from him as you opened up your salad, poking at your lettuce. “So, uh, art thieving, huh? Not every day that we get a new recruit here.”

He perked up happily. “Yup! Art thieving!”

“But you’re, uh, a banker, right?” you tilt your head. “How the hell did you get wrapped up in this whole thing?”

Childe stirs his lunch--a bowl of a Snezhnayan soup that was red as blood--pursing his pink lips. “Mr. Zhongli asked me to help him out with something after we met at a restaurant near the art institute.”

You stared at him. “That’s it? That’s all it took? Meeting some stranger and saying yes to him?”

“Well, Mr. Zhongli is just that interesting of a man!” he countered.

Something in your gut made you feel like he wasn’t telling the entire truth, but you dropped the subject. “You do realize that this is a helluva side gig, right? It’s high-risk, high reward. So, who are you doing this whole thing for?”

“My family. It’s not easy to move across the continent away from all five of them. But they need the support, and hey, I’m capable!” he shrugged easily. “A little more money doesn’t hurt anyone.”

Your gaze softened as you stared at your salad. “That’s sweet, actually,” you said quietly. Then, you snap out of it quickly. “And what about your physical experience? I’m sure Xiao’s been putting you through the motions with his training.”

Childe tilted his head, coral hair bouncing. “Nah, I’m good. I was a hockey player in high school and college. You know, there’s not much to do in that winter wasteland other than play hockey.” He chuckled lightly. “Damn. I miss those days.”

“Hockey, huh?” you said softly. “Not exactly a quiet sport, like tennis, but I do suppose it’s physically demanding. I have high hopes for your equipment training later today.”

“And what about you? I should get a question or two, right?” the redhead tilted his head. “Like, why do you have to have a code name while everyone else doesn’t?”

“You have a code name too, Childe. It’s not exclusive to me,” you rolled your eyes. “As for code names, I came up with them.”

“What? Why? Isn't it easier to use your real name?”

“No. I use a code name because it doesn’t compromise my identity if someone overhears me. And…real names mean you’re close to people.”

Childe looked at you, confused about what you meant. “What do you mean by that?”

You gazed at him as the dingy lighting of the break room highlighted his azure eyes. With a loud sigh, your eyes met and you clicked your nails against the wood of the table. “Don’t push it, rookie,” you said simply.

The rest of Childe’s training schedule went as planned, and you kept taking note of Childe and his behavior. He was always springy, bursting with energy. You received his energy with apathy, not caring for such a loud partner.

Equipment training went smoothly. He was able to wield a knife or two, manage his way around ropes, and could figure out how to use the bite-sized bugs for listening in on conversations. However, you had to cringe when he left a very noticeable hole in the wall from his use of a grappling hook.

However, the most interesting part of the day finally came: the mock heist.

You and Childe waited in the commons, staring at the end of the room. Childe looked at his phone before letting out a long whine. “Why can’t we go in already? It’s been ten minutes since he first went in there!” he complained. He had changed out of his sweats and compression shirt to tactical gear that matched your own.

You elbowed him. “The mock heist room takes a while to set up. It’s a large warehouse that Mr. Zhongli built for training. The floor goes in and out with randomized stages, ranging from fake city rooftops to small towns, to a model mansion, to mountain caps. He lays out an elaborate plan for a heist, and we’re supposed to follow it to a T.

“Where the hell does he get the money from?”

You shrugged. “He’s the best curator in the world and museums pay him a lot to just talk. Private organizations and charities pay him money under the table to pay us to steal back what they ask for. He spends that extra money to fund his private projects, like the Archaic Petra set we’re going after. Sometimes, he’ll even use some androids to simulate humans.”

He didn’t say anything to that, but his blue eyes shone with what you assumed was admiration. You let out a tut of appreciation to that. Finally, something you could agree with the rookie on.

Soon after, the door opened. “Afternoon, you two,” Mr. Zhongli greeted. “And Childe, welcome to your first fake heist.”

You stepped through the warehouse door first, getting a good look at the vast room from the top balcony at the front end. The set below, this time around, was a city block of rooftops. The buildings had blinking lights, complete with little sets of furniture inside them. There was a rotunda of a museum, several apartment buildings, a fire department, and a restaurant. The overhead speakers played the white noise of cars and honking. The lighting was dim, illuminated only by a thin strip of lights surrounding the parameters. That quickly changed when spotlights from the top of the warehouse swept over the rooftops. It looked exactly like a real city, just cut in half vertically.

You rolled your head and stretched your arms, ready for action. Childe looked in awe at the elaborate set. For any thief, this would be the ultimate toy.

“Today’s task is to get to the plastic statue somewhere in the set, and not get caught by the floodlights. There are clues hidden around to help you out. Each of the buildings is accessible, meaning that you can go inside the rooms. Make sure not to touch the floor-- we’re simulating the city rooftops, remember?” the Professor said. “I expect you both to work together on this because you are partners. No lone-wolfing, alright?”

“The hell are you looking at me for?!” you exclaimed.

“And finally, since this set is supposed to take place over city rooftops, we’ll have to simulate a fly-in with the harness and wires,” the Professor announced. “Chariot, show him the way.”

You sighed deeply, walking to the railing of the balcony. You grabbed two harnesses, buckling in Childe by the torso. “Ooh, a little handsy. I like it!” He grinned. You deadpanned at the Professor as if to ask him if this was really your partner.

You strapped yourself into your own harness, hooking both of you to high-tension wires. “The wires and harness will lift you up and bring you above the set. It will go across the set in a grid pattern, first horizontally, and then vertically. It will go fast, just like in real life. When you want to drop in, press that big button in front of the harness, and it will get close to the set for you to land.”

“‘Lift me up’? What the hell do you mean? You mean we’re gonna be dangling over that set?!”

The Professor looked at the both of you. “All ready to go?”

“Lift us up, Professor,” you affirmed. Childe screamed like, well, a child as the Professor hit a large, red button. He waved, smiling as he watched you two rise into the air.

The floodlights swept over the set as you held on to your harness. The same thrill of a heist overtook any annoyance you had with your new partner.

“So, like, are we gonna drop at the same time? Or are we gonna divide and conquer the block?” Childe asked, panicked looking at you. “Hey, what are--what the hell?!”

You began to press the button on the front of your harness, leaving Childe still up in the air.

And then, you dove right into the set, under the shadow of the floodlights.

taglist: @da-disappointment @neonnian @escapeis @duckyyyx

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact reader insert #childe

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falconcoast · 1 year ago

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an eye for an eye | childe x reader | prologue.

prologue; the vortex vanquisher

masterlist

next chapter ➙

as the professor’s right hand for the last five years, you know how to do a job efficiently and quickly. this mission, to go hunt down a seventh-century replica of a spear called the vortex vanquisher, is no different.

a/n: welcome to the aefae reboot! you might notice that this fic is formated much differently than any of my other ones. that’s because i gave myself the ick when writing in lowercase LMAOOOOO !!!!! anywho, enjoy this story about thieves and heists and enemies who really really hate one another!

tw: violence (non-graphic), swearing

Thieving was like a game of chess.

You pushed a few pawns around (in this case, the handful of guards you beat up and left knocked out on the floor earlier). You always had to be one step ahead of your opponent, moving right under their nose. You didn’t irrationally jump on any opportunity you could and there was a strategy for everything (like beating up the aforementioned guards instead of sweet-talking your way into the cellar).

If thieving was like chess, you must be the grandmaster.

And now, it was time for your next play.

The cellar was silent when you stepped into it, and unlike the party you had just left. The old scent of oak barrels and finely aged wine permeated the basement. Carefully, you navigated the dark room, oblong case in hand.

You hurried, weaving through the dimly lit shadows of the cellar. Your earpiece buzzed, but you drowned out the noise with a soft tut. Laying your eyes on a clothed set of boxes, you perked up. Yanking off the fabric, you quietly pried open the biggest box. You licked your lips. It was just the right size for your case.

It glimmered in the dull light of the room, as if it was truly as sacred as the myths would say. It was a seventh-century replica of the Geo Archon’s spear--the Vortex Vanquisher. The tip looked like it was solid gold, and the bronze metal looked like it had never been touched before. Putting on gloves, you opened up the case you carried with you. Delicately, you secured it into place in cushioned velvet. The Professor was going to very pleased with you.

Attaching the case to your back, you whistled as you walked away from the crime scene. You stepped over the unconscious guards, entering yourself back into the grand party. You dusted yourself off and slipped into the crowd.

Your exit was under a hundred steps away, up the stairs and on the rooftop. If you could just manage to get to the staircase--

“Sorry, but this area is restricted to people on the guest list. Mr. Ji’s strict orders,” the security guard said as you attempted to start up the stairs. You fought the urge to purse your lips. “Are you on the list?”

“Ah, apologies,” you lied. You were never sorry. Motioning to your case, you smiled. “I’m one of the musicians for Mr. Ji’s quartet upstairs.”

Without much fight back, he moved aside to let you through. You smirked. Too easy, you commended yourself.

Up the second flight of stairs, you navigated through the crowd again. It wasn’t your type of party. In fact, you didn’t like any sort of large parties like this. People danced around you with flutes of champagne, oblivious to your crime. You casually passed through, keeping your head down low. At the next staircase, you used the same excuse of being a musician to allow you through.

At your final flight of stairs was where you met trouble. “I’m a musician for Mr. Ji’s quartet on the third floor. I play the oboe,” you smiled as nicely as you could, showing off your case that definitely did not hold the seventh century model of the Vortex Vanquisher.

“I see. Well, I’ll have to check that case for a moment, and then I can let you up there.”

You swore internally, but took off the case on your back. Briefly gazing around, you noticed that there was no one else around this area with the stairs. You supposed now was a good time as any to be a little indulgent with your strategy. And besides, the Professor wasn’t in your earpiece to guide your moral compass north.

As you placed a hand on the buckles, you quickly jutted the front end of the case into his chin. Without a second to process the attack, you ran up the stairs and jutted the bottom of it into the back of his head. You didn’t need to spare a glance to know he was on the floor.

Pressing into your earpiece, you ran up a flight of stairs. “This is Chariot to the base. Xiao, you there?” you said, opening up a door to a set of emergency exits. “Are you on the rooftop yet?”

“No, about three minutes out,” he replied, a little too casually for your liking. You scoffed--you had two minutes at best until someone noticed any of those unconscious guards.

“Hurry it up! We don’t have all day!” you scolded, sharply turning to get up the stairs. He mumbled something incoherently, but you heard the bits and pieces of swears.

Traversing up the stairs, you awkwardly climbed with the case in hand. At the bottom of the stairwell was the sharp shout of security guards. Mr. Ji sure has a lot of guards, you thought to yourself. You noted that you should probably not take a commission the morning of.

Bursting through the rooftop door, you were pleased to see Xiao rolling in with the helicopter. Standing at the edge, you let the wind touch your heated skin. Adrenaline still rushed through your body, tensing your muscles in waves. Your tensed fist around the case handle almost loosened.

Your peaceful moment was ruined by the sound of the door pounding. You scowled, cursing yourself for not locking the door. Looking around, XIao was only a few hundred feet away. The helicopter door swung open as he swooped down to your level. The case you had was by no means aerodynamic, but it was light enough to throw around. Briefly looking around, you calculated your choices.

Bracing the case on your shoulder, you flung the case on the floor of the helicopter, satisfied when it landed in the dead center. Looking behind you, security was within an arms’ length to you. Motioning over to Xiao, you indicated that he needed to keep heading right and quickly. He dipped down slightly, whirring blades just below you.

Taking a running start, you sprinted along the length of the rooftop’s edge before jumping over the side. Below you, the Harbor’s minuscule cars and street lights were in the palm of your hand.

Security looked on in shock as you hung from the landing skids with one arm. You grinned, launching yourself up into the enclosure with the case. Slamming the door shut, you carefully cradled the case as you laid on the back seats. That was more than enough excitement today, and you were sure that your boss would be pissed that you had made such a close call.

Xiao looked at you in the rearview mirror. “All good back there?” he asked, as he swung the helicopter over the skyline.

“Doing just fine,” you nodded.

“By the way, that big coat you love so much—the one with the belt, I think—is right here.”

He opened up the middle compartment, and threw you a heap of fabric. You caught it, cherishing the sleek, black fabric and its long collar and coffee-colored buttons.

Closing your eyes, you smiled. Another mission well done for the Chariot.

Xiao soon dropped you and your case off at the front, thankfully hedged private lawns of the Liyue Museum of Arts and Culture. It was the centerpiece of the adjacent university, where you studied as a graduate student. Walking on the marble stairs, you walked through the veranda. Statues of the seven archons watched with steely eyes as you slipped to the back end of the museum. Momentarily, you stared up at Focalors, whose gaze looked especially sharp in the moonlight. Turning away, you slid your key card into an adjacent door and entered with a soft whoosh! of your coat.

As a volunteer educator and guide, by day, you were giving tours about the city’s myths after class. You passed by the grand murals that dated back several centuries ago, where Rex Lapis charged head on with his army of adepti against dragons and miasmas. You smiled to yourself; that one was your favorite. You were responsible for its rightful return two years ago, after a third of it had been stolen.

Taking a left, you entered into a hallway and slid your keycard again. You opened the plain looking door, which opened into a darker entryway. Black walls held up portraits of significant donors, painted in delicate, yet moody colors. Their eyes were on you as you passed by. The case began to feel especially heavy in your hands.

At the end of the hall was a large set of golden doors. Up the sides snaked the dragon form of Rex Lapis, scales worn from time. In the center was a state-of-the-art keypad and retina scanner. You plugged in the password, stared into the scanner, and let the wind brush your face as it creaked open.

Your boots hit the floor of the office with deafening clicks, along with your black coat rustling. The room had a similar scheme to the former hall: black walls, gold detailing, and oddities along the table behind the sofa set. You looked down at the most interesting one, which was a pair of scales tilting back and forth perpetually.

At the front of the room was a large, honey-colored desk with a black chair to accompany it. Behind it was a large flatscreen attached to the wall above an empty, chiseled fireplace. It showed a gallery of the museum’s newest exhibits, and displayed several iconic pieces of art that belonged to the institute.

“Professor,” you addressed to the back of the chair. Placing the case gently on the desk, you slid it over. “I come bearing gifts.”

Slowly, the man in question turned around. He wasn’t just your professor at the graduate school, but the most well-known museum curator in Liyue--maybe even the world. His long, chestnut-colored hair swept over his shoulder and his glasses sat pointedly on the edge of his nose. His suit coat hung off of his shoulders, and his hands were busy with a red pen and a stack of papers. Placing a fist on his cheek, his amber eyes lightened and he leaned into the side of his chair.

“Why, hello to my protege,” he greeted. “Perfect timing. I got notice from Xiao that you finished. He sent me your case rundown earlier.”

“We’re alone, Professor. You can just say my name. There’s no need for formalities,” you said in a typical routine. He smiled like a parent who appreciated their child’s silly advice.

Sliding open his drawer, he pulled out a pair of black gloves. Slipping them open, he flexed his hands before taking the case from you.

As he took out the spear from its velvet case, you smiled. Professor Zhongli was always so happy when given an artifact or art piece, and could list off an endless amount of facts about it. It felt right when you gave him what you stole back, as he was the only one with the network to present it back to the communities or museums that they belonged to.

Standing up, he wielded the weapon with ease, as if he had done this several times before. He spun it, threw it up in the air, and caught it. You gaped openly at him while he chuckled jovial laughter. You felt slightly concerned that the Professor was wielding an artifact in this manner, but you’d seen him do much stranger things. “Seems like I’ve still got it,” he grinned, brandishing his spear and holding it at the hilt.

Your brows furrowed. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he dismissed before caressing the end. “A perfect replica of Rex Lapis’ Vortex Vanquisher. This particular copy was discovered in the seventh century, but its handiwork is reminiscent of a time before that. It is divine, in a way. It is a miracle that it has not eroded away with time. To think it was stuck in a basement all this time…what a waste. It’s good to see that it is back in its rightful home after nearly three decades of it being missing. After all, the historical society donated it for the purpose of education.”

“It’s truly nice,” you nodded.

He set down the spear and sat down. Professor motioned that you do the same, and you obeyed without hesitation. “The funds will be transferred to your bank account tomorrow morning, as per usual,” he began, crossing his legs. “But, dear Chariot, I believe we need to have a talk about your behavior while out on a mission. Especially for the heist I have planned for you.”

You froze in place, affronted by his criticism yet intrigued by what he might imply. For the last six months, the professor hinted about the grandest heist yet. You thought nothing could top your thieving back of the mural, or the time you stole back a pair of earrings supposedly owned by an ancient adeptus, or the time you took centuries-aged wine away from an underground auction. But the way he made it sound was like he was

Narrowing your eyes, you crossed your arms. “I’m listening,” you replied.

“In the rundown, Xiao reported that you took a running start and jumped off of a forty-story building, in which he had to swiftly catch you,” he said, furrowing his brows while looking at you intensely. You folded under his gaze, burying yourself in the comforts of your dark coat.

“Hasty of me, I am aware,” you stated, voice muffled into your long collar.

“And you barely caught yourself on the landing skids as well! One armed, within reach of the personnel about to catch you,” he tsked, disappointed.

You attempted to speak up, but he held up a hand to stop you. “Ganyu looked at the aftermath. You knocked out 16 security guards, injured five bystanders, and damaged over 10,000 dollars worth of property. What happened to being elegant? To being tight and tailored?”

Ashamed, you ducked your head down. Staring at your thumbs, you took in a deep breath. Suddenly, he spoke up.

“It risked your life!” he thundered, fist colliding with the oak wood. You shrunk into yourself a little more, like a young child being scolded by their father. Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “That was out of turn. I apologize. But my sentiment remains: you need to take care of yourself and not put your life at stake for these sorts of things. No artifact or painting or statue remnant is worth it.”

His voice softened for a moment, looking at his desk. “Y/N, I’ve been looking at your past missions, and for the last seven months, you’ve been taking more intense missions, nearly weekly. You used to go on missions once a month and they were relatively tame compared to what you do now. Do we need to talk? Is this about what happened with--”

“Professor,” you cut off curtly. “Please. Not now.”

“I only worry for you,” he softly said. “I think it would be in your best interest to return to partnerships.”

“Absolutely not,” you scoffed. “I’m fine. I really am! And this new heist, or whatever you’ve got planned, can be handled by me. Alone.”

He shut his eyes and leaned back. “So you say, but when the time comes, I’m unsure. And that is where I worry.” Standing up, he took his papers and placed them in a drawer underneath the desk. “We can talk about the heist and all of this tomorrow. Come to my office again after you finish your classes for the day.”

“As you like it,” you complied. Getting up, you dusted down your black coat. “See you tomorrow, Professor.”

“Take care of yourself, Y/N.”

You turned swiftly, shoving one hand in your pocket and using the other to wave.

After classes, you were in the employees’ lounge of the museum getting a snack. Taking a knife out of its block, you shuffled around to get an apple from a fruit basket. Hearing a noise behind you, you looked up while cutting the skin off of your apple. “Hey, Xiao,” you said. “How’d your martial arts match go?”

“Just fine,” he said, taking a swig from his thermos. There was a thin sheen of a sweat on him, despite being in a chilly room. He crossed his arm before falling down on the couch. “Knocked out the guy in one go. It was pretty satisfying.”

“Sounds like you won, then.”

“Of course I won. Who do you think I am?”

You let out a chuckle as you left the room. Continuing down the hall, you spotted Ganyu walking around with a few files. Her eyes blinked slowly, as if she were just waking up from a nap. “Good afternoon, Ganyu,” you greeted the in-house archivist. “New exhibit?”

“Indeed! We received more information on trading our historical fashion exhibits. Their archivist was so polite when I called her.”

“That’s a great change of pace from whatever was happening with the Natlan museum,” you grinned. “See you around!”

You kept walking, and threw away the skin of your apple into a trash can when it got too long. Two of the seasonal interns, Chongyun and Xingqiu greeted you with gentle smiles, continuing conversation about books that were donated from the outskirts of the city.

Once more, you entered the hallway to Professor Zhongli’s office. Plugging in the passcode and briefly looking into the retina scanner, the doors pulled open. Cutting away the last of the apple skin, you piped up to your boss. “Hey, I’m bac--” you began before your eyes widened.

Before Mr. Zhongli’s desk was a tall, lean man. His head was a mop of coral colored waves, sticking out in odd places. His cheek and nose, the only visible part of him before he turned around, was milky pale with freckles. His lips were a soft pink, rosy and warm.

But none of his features stood out as much as his coat did. Like yours, it was collared, with buttons and a loose belt. It sat on his shoulders nicely. The shade was a neutral gray, with red lining on the inside. The belt had a small charm on it at the end.

But, black was the standard color of Mr. Zhongli’s forces. You took it that this person, whoever it was, was an enemy.

As if on instinct, you angled your knife back and threw it. It barely missed, grazing the side of his neck and causing blood to drip down slowly. Taking in a deep breath, you tightened your hands into fists, ready to fight.

It was then that you noticed that Mr. Zhongli was behind this person, and his hand was raised. In the aforementioned hand was your knife, which he promptly slammed down into his desk. You let out a little squeak, surprised and embarrassed. “What did I talk about needing a partner? More than that, what did I say about self-control?!” he grumbled, crossing his arms. Your hands relaxed, but you couldn’t keep your temper at bay.

“Professor, who the hell is this?” you barely got out, discarding your uneaten apple.

“Do all your subordinates have this kind of bloodlust? I mean, if they do, I don’t have a problem with it, but I’d like to know in advance,” the man spoke up. You rolled your eyes.

“Shut up. You speak out of order.”

“And you just tried to murder me!”

“Enough!” he silenced, looking at the two of you. Clicking his tongue, he fished around in one of the drawers. Pulling out a cloth, he offered it to you. “Your neck. It’s bleeding a little.”

Touching it gently, you recoiled when you saw the crimson liquid. Tsking, you hastily took it and dabbed at it. You didn’t even notice, too obsessed with trying to protect your boss. Maybe he was right about needing a little more control.

“Will you please, for the love of Rex Lapis, explain who this is?!” you exclaimed As you pulled away the cloth, you set it down and folded it nicely.

“Seems like I only have one piece of cloth. Treat that cut, please,” he ignored you blatantly, to your chagrin.

“Thank you,” he replied cheerfully, cleaning the side of his neck. You cringed, aghast that both of your blood was on that pristine white towel.

“Two temperaments, both hot-headed in different ways. Two matching scars that will form, both of the sides of your necks. And now, two bloods, both on the same cloth.”

“Aren’t you a history professor? I don’t think you’re my Liyuean historical philosophy teacher,” you muttered.

“Chariot,” the professor piped up, looking at you. You perked up in attention, eager that he addressed you for the first time since entering the office.

“Yes, Professor?”

“Meet your new partner. Code name: Childe. Childe, meet your partner: Chariot.”

You gaped openly. “Excuse me?”

don’t usually do an end note, but before i get asked: no, the reader will not be referred to by their code name all the time. be patient, my “y/n” lovers <3

taglist (open!): @da-disappointment @neonnian @escapeis

#grace writes #genshin impact x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact childe #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact reader insert

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