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Time 7:45 pm
Date 26/5

Childe now sat on the counter, one leg over the other. The empty glass in his hand glistened between slender fingers, and one arm leaned on the dark wood of the counter supporting his weight. Despite ginger bangs slightly covering his face, I was sure those wild blues were fixated on me. A rush of strange warmth stirred in my chest. Was I having a heart attack, or was my heart just combusting from his gaze alone? Self-control. . . Self-control!! I stood still, lips struggling to stay pursed together and cheeks swelled slightly. I probs looked more constipated than nervous. "Pfft," he bit his lower lip, holding back clearly from laughing. " Lil miss am I making you uncomfortable? "

He gave me a teasing smirk before pinching my cheeks. " We can't have that ~ " he cooed, inching away after giving my cheeks one more stretch. " See you tomorrow boss ~"

Turning on his heel, he pulled Thoma out of the booth, despite the younger man barely being able to open his eyes. " You vague . . ." The blonde mumbled sleepily, lazily punching the tall fox boy in the chest, before being slung over Childe's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. " I can walk . . . Put me down ."

"Don't worry my lady I'll take good care of him, " the ginger assured me.

Smacking his colleague's ass, Childe made his way out, humming a cheery tune while Thoma grumbled incoherent words in his half-conscious state. "That's Childe for ya . . . " I chuckled awkwardly to myself, before taking one more look at the restaurant. "It's nearly time."

Just two weeks ago this place was filled with nothing more than a pile of dust and junk, but now everything was perfect. Sure it took a bite from the money I had at hand, but all turned out well. With a chief, servers, and a manager, I'll finally open it . . . Okay aside from finding more staff for the kitchen, but overall everything was fine. "Right oh god, I really should call Kaeya about that," scolding myself did not stop me from cursing under my breath for getting sidetracked from my top priority, getting this place to succeed with no slip-ups.

I pulled out the paper slip Childe had given me and made myself comfortable, waiting for the navy-haired man to reply to my call. Fingers fumbling with the small slip, my thumb traced over the small words written on the parchment.

Mond High School, Road 818, 3rd floor, Unlucky Dog.

***
Warning !! Abusive Childe up ahead!

Time 9:15 pm

"You're fucking irritating, " Childe cursed at the blonde, whose body sprawled in the bathtub of the red head's house with his body bare, hands tied, blindfolded, and dick hard from the bone-chilling cold water he had been tossed into upon arriving at the apartment. " Listen, lil miss is really . . . Too sweet and gentle, and your disgusting hands were on her that day. I didn't forgive you nor will I forget."

A mad laugh trembled through the man's chest as he picked up the knife from the side of the sink and pressed the icy-cold blade to his rival's cheek. " I'll fucking ruin that face of yours if you hurt her, use her, or ever touch her like that again," he whispered in a low twisted tone, lips pressed against the blonde's ear and curled into a crooked smile as he looked over him. " Understood ?"

" Y-you're insane, " Thoma's lips trembled, yet the weak shivering smile was evident on his face.

" And you're a traitor, " Childe calmly stated, pushing him by the chest slowly back into the water and watching desperate bubbles float to the clear blue surface. " I'll make sure you remain obedient to my little miss."

The staff ID card in Childe's left hand shimmered as he discarded the knife and passed the piece of plastic between his fingers. No one could hear the rapid splashing of water in the deserted apartment. Holding Thoma down by the hair was Childe's play too, leaving the younger man's effort to claw at his opponent's iron grip to be in vain. After a few seconds and with a few futile scratches covering Childe's hands; the ginger pulled the blonde's head out of the tub, allowing him to cough up all the water he had swallowed in pure agony. The shaky gasps and shivering of his victim's body made doubt circle around the punisher's thoughts. Was this perhaps a little too much for the guy to handle? It was pretty much the same method Childe had used on all his victims, although most of them did not stop only at nearly drowning victims.

"P-please, no more," Thoma begged as his body gave in to the cold iced water and his fingertips became slowly numb. " C-childe. . ."

Hands pale and wrinkly grasped at Childe's wrist, pleading for a release. " That's better, beg more~" he teased. " What do you think your lady will think when she knows what you are ?"

Thoma shivered, and this time it was not the cold water, but the inhuman gaze, those eyes bore into his very soul from above the water, reading his fate. He could not look away. Inescapable. Trapped. Look away and meet death.

"Beg again," the words were whispered into his ear again, only this time they sounded far away, a blur. " Beg. "

He knew that voice, but from where? Ringing played into his ears and the whole world spun, but he kept his eyes  locked on the deadly-deep-ocean he was staring into as he was pulled back up to the surface."Please. . ." The words faded as he became submerged in the water again. . . It suddenly felt familiar.

" Be a good boy and beg,"
"Beg."
"Beg Again."
"Again~Obey"

He opened his mouth to beg, but his words became swallowed by water. All was blue. All was cold. All suddenly became still, and the world was getting darker. His hands surrendered. The surface seemed so far away now, even the light of the lamp reflecting off the water had gotten smaller. . . And then bigger. . and bigger. It was getting too bright he could only squint as white swallowed him whole.

Childe pulled him out and stared at the younger one dumbfounded. " Why didn't you fight back ?" He scoffed, clearly confused and disappointed at the same time. " Don't tell me you're that weak ?"

Thoma could not feel himself. His body felt hollow. Like it was but air. " Master," the word parted out of his lips without a stutter nor a flinch. " Please Master . . ."

A wind nipped at the hairs of his neck and Childe could tell something was . . .odd. Thoma stared straight up at him, green eyes dull and body sluggish as he sat there with his cute face drenched. " Master I'm sorry, " he smiled weakly, attempting to stand as Childe stared at him dumbfounded, and had let his grip on the blonde loose, and in a minute free.

"Master, I'm sorry, " Childe eyed the blonde with suspension as he got out of the tub and sat on the damp floor without even bothering to cover up. " I'll make it up to you master. . ."

Without even waiting for the stunned Childe to say or do anything, the Thoma was on his knees and trying to spread the elder's thighs despite the obvious confusion."Stop!" The ginger instantly grabbed the younger by the wrist and pinned him back down on the floor. " What in the fucking Tsaritsa is wrong with you?!"

Now knocked back into his senses, Thoma's body shivered uncontrollably as he took in the state he had become in. " W-what did I do ?" His voice trembled, overtaken by choked gasps as Childe tried to further hold him down. "WHAT DID I DO ?! TELL ME !"

" Stay the fuck down! " A hard blow came down on the blonde, knocking his face to the side.

A lonely tear ran across the bridge of his nose and dipped down to slide against his cheek, shimmering like a tiny pearl, only to disperse upon touching the white marble of the bathroom floor. " I'm sorry. .. " his voice cracked. " I didn't mean to. . . Whatever I did. . . "

Several pearl tears followed, running down the red, agitated skin of his cheek. He didn't move. Childe slowly loosened his grip, taking in the state of the younger breaking down in front of him. "You work of him . . ." His voice failed to sound threatening, but even with that alone, Thoma's toes only curled in fear and his nails dug into the skin of his wrinkled palm. "Did he. . ."

" . . .He did this to me," Thoma continued, refusing to look at Childe, and prayed he would not get back into that tub again.

" You're his boy toy?" The ginger sighed, placing a hand over his face, this was not what he was expecting. " For fucking sake . . ."

Standing up from his crouched position, he reached out for the white-painted cabinets under the sink while Thoma squeezed himself against the wall between the tub and sink, legs pulled to his chest, and hands clasped to the soft skin of his shoulders. "That sick fuck, " he could hear the ginger curse under his breath as he pulled out a thick, clean, white towel. "Put your hands down."

However, the blonde did not move and only stared at the man's figure with those hopelessly pretty forest-green eyes. "I can't . . . " his lips trembled, but Childe was having none of that and forced his arms down, while aggressively trying to get the blonde's consent to dry his hair.

Whenever Thoma would reach out to dry himself, the back of his hand would earn a painful smack as the ginger dried him off like a wet puppy that was left in the rain. "You will stay here for a while, but don't let that sick bitch know you're here," he spoke, catching a glimpse of the green glint of Thomas's eyes staring up at him from under the towel, head hung low as he let Childe do his thing. " But if you get lil miss caught up in your mess . . . I'll make it ugly."

Thoma's lips parted to speak, but the image of the young owner in his arms made waterworks stream down his cheeks steadily and drip from his chin. He had betrayed her. He was betraying her. Childe however could not tell the tears apart from the water droplets tainting the man's body. "Stay still, " his jaw hardened as he swallowed, feeling his mouth run dry.

Awkward silence drifted in the air as the ginger continued ruffling the messy blonde hair, that had most likely become dry by now. " How long have you worked there ?" Childe cut the heavy atmosphere as he stood up and unplugged, the seal of the bathtub, letting the water flow away into the slightly rusted hole at the bottom.

Thoma flinched as the towel fell onto the cold pink skin of his shoulders, and felt the smooth fabric against his skin bring in a little tension of protection. " My lady is perfect," Childe grinned to himself as he watched the water get drained away. " Don't you think so? Like a pretty lil munchkin~"

The sudden switch in the ginger's attitude made Thoma question the man's sanity, alas he was not wrong either. The thought of the young lady's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment flashes before Thoma's very eyes subconsciously. From her faint pink lipstick to the way she pressed against him ever so tightly. "She's . . . Small," the words left Thoma before he could even think, catching Childe's attention. " Her skin is soft and a bit squishy around the waist. . . . It's almost like holding. . . "

He was at a loss for words as it dawned upon him how far he got dragged into the thought of the woman he was tasked to break. " A goddess ~ " Chidle nodded to himself, before turning to Thoma, staring down at him from where he stood. " And I will make anyone that hurts her graceful heartbreak ~"

Thoma only stared at the mad ginger lifting his arms into the air in a matter of declaring his crazed ambition to the whole world.