A haphazard mess of Genshin One-shots

54- Chili: Rocks off the street

Childe's heart jumped the moment he laid eyes on her; her styled, golden fluffy hair complementing her bright white and baby blue summer dress. It floated breezily just above her knees when she twirled to face the entrance of the elevator.

She took out her phone and popped bubblegum in her mouth, and her bright, shimmering eyes somehow made the dull elevator light flattering. She held a bag of groceries in one arm and was scrolling through something with the other, eyes lazily flickering over her iPhone 13 screen with a clear phone case, through which Childe can see a polaroid picture of a field of white flowers.

He was, frankly, looking quite beautiful himself. Orange dress shirt tucked into well-fitted gray work pants, his suit jacket perfectly disheveled after a long day at work. That was why, without a moment of hesitancy, not a second to be self-conscious, he entered flirt mode.

"Need any help?" he offered with his best slightly-flirtatious-but-mostly-gentlemanly smile.

"Huh?" She looked up from her phone, eyes meeting his, and wow.

He let his eyelids lower just a bit and he tilted his head, just slightly, bringing his smile to his eyes. She didn't seem to react. Strange, that usually worked. It was always the subtle gestures, the way one could make themselves slightly more attractive than before... maybe she didn't take subtle hints. No worries, Childe liked a challenge.

"With your groceries, girlie," he explained with an offering hand.

"Oh, no, I'm fine." She hoisted the paper bag up higher on her hip, looking back at her phone.

The elevator passed another floor and the doors opened, but Childe wouldn't get off at his stop. No, he was going wherever she was.

"Strange," Childe noted. "Elevator opening on a random floor. Like fate's giving us more time to talk."

"I don't believe in fate," she quipped.

"Believe in love at first sight?" he asked slyly.

"Occasionally." She looked back up at him. "It depends."

"On what?" Childe asked with a flirtatious grin, leaning ever-so-slightly closer.

She looked him up and down, and Childe kept his cool, never faltering his smile, even biting his lip a bit when he noticed she was observing his face. Her eyes flicked back to her phone for a second, then she turned it off. Success, he's more interesting than her phone!

"I take it back," she said.

Oh, shit, it was working. He thought this would be harder. Next thing she'll say is—

"I don't believe in it," she yawned and looked ahead as the elevator doors opened. "Because stranger danger."

—she did believe in it after seeing Chi- wait what?

"Need me to walk by again?" he offered with a smirk. "So you can catch another first sight? It might change your mind."

She offered him a clearly fake smile and then stepped out of the elevator.

"Strangers are only friends you haven't met," he quickly recovered.

She turned around, right outside the elevator doors, appraising him over again, a bit more interested this time.

"True, astute observation," she nodded. "Probably the smartest thing you've said so far, and it was pretty basic, but I'll take it."

Childe kept a cool exterior, but what the hell did that mean? Was she into him or not? That was clearly very backhanded, maybe it was accidental, though?