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It’s the way she holds his hand. Her hands are slightly covered in dirt and grime from being out in Mondstadt’s wilderness for so long yet she still takes his own into hers tightly, uncaring of his dangerous Harbinger status. She keeps going on and on excitedly talking about the nearby hilichurl camp she cleared on the job today and what she had for lunch, ignoring the stares that come their way. The distrustful glares and distasteful rumours aimed at her because of him.
Childe has tried to talk to her about it, about how he’s ruining her reputation, wondering why she’s so nice to him. She always just tells him not to worry about it.
It’s the way her eyes shine brighter than the flames she casts from her pyro vision. He can see the sparkles in her eyes when she talks about her favourite foods and her job. She doesn’t hold back her excitement when chatting away about her best friend or her grandfather. He loves the way they shimmer whenever he talks about his siblings back home. She would get along with Teucer and Tonia, he thinks.
They’ve made little promises to each other, for him to help her find her grandfather (if he’s even still out there) and for her to visit his family.
It’s the way she wields her bow. Like a warrior whose arrows strike true. She tries to teach him to wield the bow more formally, but he can never get used to it. They challenge each other all the time to hit targets far away (though she usually wins, but he won’t give up).
When he finally wins they go for a meal at Good Hunter together and enjoy a good time in each others’ presence. He could almost forget the stares burning through his back.
It’s the way her smile saddens when she talks about her problems. Once, she talks about how she might have been dating Eula if her best friend weren’t dating someone else. He doesn’t know why his heart feels slightly heavier from her words. He chooses to ignore it. “Yeah! Yanfei’s a lawyer from Liyue. They met when Eula saved her one time! She’s super cool and knows a ton about the laws in Liyue! Most of it goes right over my head though…” Amber’s “ears” droop slightly, as if discouraged.
He laughs at her action, whether or not it was done unknowingly. Cute , he thinks. “Everyone has things they’re good at, I mean come on! Your aim with that bow is top notch.”
Amber bounces back instantly, puffing her cheeks up like a squirrel and huffing indignantly. “Says you, you’re good at everything! On top of using a bow you can cook, clean, wield a sword, polearm, use a catalyst…” She would continue to list more if he hadn’t placed a finger on her lips. Her eyes widened in surprise at his bold action.
His gaze softens, eyes staring into hers. “It’s not about what I can do. You have things only you can do. Aren’t you the only Outrider in Mondstadt?”
Her smile returns to her face, and all feels right again. “Yeah, I guess you’re right!”
...It’s the way her heart belongs to another, yet he still can’t help falling for her.