By the time Teucer had fallen asleep, it was almost twelve in the evening. Childe appears from Teucer's room, gently closing the door behind him.
"Sorry," Childe speaks in a whisper, "I took quite some time coaxing him to sleep. Let me make it up to you by preparing a hot bath. Sounds good, yeah?"
You nod, following beside him. Taking a few more steps, you stop by a door to which Childe holds open, letting you enter first. You mutter a 'thank you' and once you've stepped in, you were quite amazed by Childe's room. It was a huge contrast to what he was staying in back in the camp.
"I know," Childe begins, "My mom's always decorating here and there. The place's probably full of the things I brought over."
"It's nice." You compliment, hands glossing over the flower decoration hanging on his wall.
"For a moment." Childe disappears into the bathroom, probably to prepare the hot bath he mentioned earlier. There you stood in the middle of the room, not knowing what you should do.
Slowly, you approach the bed, plopping yourself on the soft mattress. You inhale, taking a deep breath before exhaling. "The bed smells just like Childe..." You pull on the blankets, pretending as if it was Childe beside you. Suddenly, the bed dips and you shriek in surprise.
"Shh." Childe places a finger over your lips, "It's just me... now what were you doing, Princess?" He takes a strand of your hair, pressing a kiss onto it.
"N-Nothing!" You stutter, a blush prominently evident on your cheeks.
"Why would you go for the blankets..." His thumb glides over your bottom lip, "when you could have the real thing."
Childe has a playful smirk on and you could see the teasing glint in his eyes. He inches closer, lips merely centimeters apart and once he sees you close your eyes, he presses a quick kiss not on your lips but on his thumb that was separating the both of you. "You're so cute."
Flustered, you push Childe off of you and he tumbles onto the edge of the bed. "I-I'm going to take a bath!"
You scurry towards the bathroom and slide the door shut. You could feel the rapid thumping of your heart as you place a hand over your chest. Childe, indeed, is a charmer. You couldn't get his stupid smirk off of your mind. Perhaps a bath could do.
You strip off all of your clothing, the cold air making the ends of your hair stand. You quickly hop into the circular bathtub, the warmth of the bathwater spreading throughout your body. As you were enjoying your bath, you gasp, suddenly remembering you hadn't brought any of your clothing inside.
You remove yourself from the bath, grabbing a towel before wrapping it securely around your body. Slowly and quietly, you slid the door open, taking a peek. Childe was by the window, basking under the light of the full moon.
"Childe." You call in a soft voice, taking into mind that his family was already asleep. Childe doesn't turn his head, probably didn't hear your voice so you repeat, this time a little louder. He whips his head in your direction and blushes. "W-What—"
"M-My clothes... I forgot."
"A-Ah... hold on, I'll get them from your luggage."
Childe heads towards the corner of the room where your luggage was situated, he opens it and searches for a nightgown. Once he's got it, he hands it to you, though he doesn't let go of it. "C-Childe? I'm shivering... can I please have my clothes?"
"I-If..." He stutters, "If you haven't washed your hair yet, would you allow me?"
"I-I—"
"N-No pressure at all. You don't need to—"
You slide the door open, enough for Childe to enter the bathroom. You don't take off the towel and enter the bathtub once again. Childe places your nightgown on the space beside the sink and grabs a stool, heading in your direction. He stops, situating himself behind you before taking all of your hair in one hand. With his other hand, he pumps a decent amount of shampoo and dumps it all over your hair, giving you a gentle massage to your head as well.
You groan in pleasure. Not only are you in a warm bath but also receiving a good service from Childe. "Where did you learn to do this?"
"I'm not particularly good at it as my mother is but I've come around with some practice. Your hair isn't as long as Tonia's so it's easier to manage."
"Ah, I see..."
"Why do you ask?" Childe questions, "Wait, don't answer." He stops, a wide grin is plastered on his face. "You must think I'm husband material."
"H-Husband?" You almost choke on your own saliva.
"Oh, my bad." Childe's smile falters. A princess such as yourself can't be married to a man who could possibly lose his life on the battlefield.
You couldn't feel Childe's fingers combing through your hair anymore. You turn around to see him with his eyebrows furrowed. You lean into his palm and he snaps out of his thoughts at the sudden warmth. An apologetic smile is plastered upon his face.
"I should wash up so you can bathe next." You tell Childe and he agrees, leaving the bathroom. Minutes later (you finished taking a bath), Childe occupies the bathroom. As he comes out, he sees you by the spot he was by earlier, gazing outside the window.
"A lovely full moon, isn't it?" Childe speaks.
"Yes..." You say, still staring at the full moon. "I have always wondered what Chang'e was doing up in the moon. It must be so lonely."
Childe approaches you, gently patting your head. "Come, it's late already. A princess needs her beauty sleep."
As you follow him, you halt in your steps, alarming Childe. "What's wrong?"
"T-There's only one bed..."
"You can sleep on the bed. I'll take the couch."
"A-Are you sure?" You look at the couch. Childe could sleep in it but it would be very uncomfortable for a tall man to have his legs dangling by the edge of the couch.
"W-We can sleep together."
Despite how many times Childe rejects your offer, it seems like you weren't backing down and he was running out of other excuses.
"It's okay, Princess. You need—"
"I-I'm okay with it... if you'd like, we could have a pillow between us. Otherwise... I'll sleep on the couch instead."
Childe couldn't let that happen at all so he complied with your request.
Now with a pillow in between the both of you, you could finally take a good night's rest but the thought that you and Childe were sharing the same bed made you feel flustered. You couldn't sleep. You kept tumbling and tumbling until you feel a hand on your waist pulling you close until you hit a hard object (his chest).
With the pillow gone, Childe has you in his arms. Truly, you felt more at ease. He shifts closer, planting a small kiss on your forehead. "Good night, Princess."
"Good night, Childe."
"It's Ajax. Call me Ajax."
Notes
✬ Chang'e is the Chinese goddess of the moon.