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One day in Snezhnaya, when the snow was falling gently upon the ground, covering the land in a white blanket, Childe walked out from a local metalsmith shop. He had come to make custom orders of ruin guard, or Mr Cyclops, figurines for Teucer.
Of course he had also made some orders for the rest of his family, for his beloved Princess Tonia, a small and dainty diadem from the Fontanian jeweler. For Anthon books from Sumeru, that was of course made for children to read, though Childe had wanted to get him a toy at first. However, after witnessing his younger brother jumping into a pit of fire because ‘someone said that fire doesn't burn in the middle of a fire pit’ made Childe think that maybe, just maybe it was time for Anthon to gain some general knowledge.
For his parents, he got them new clothes. Ones that were lined with the finest fur and were sure to keep them warm and cozy during winter. He had also picked out some medicine for his father from the Liyuen merchant.
With a smile on his face, Childe walked out of the shop after confirming his order. With all his shopping done, he walked back to the palace, making sure to take a longer path as he wished to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere a bit longer. He greeted the civilians and they greeted him back with a smile.
Along the way, he passed by a toy shop that he frequent. It was located far from the town center and the toys they sold were more expansive, made with quality materials, which is why Childe frequent this store often. However, the toy shop did not have many customers due to its high prices.
So imagine Childe's surprise when he saw Capitano walking out of the store, his back straight as he stood tall. Behind him trailed a few young kids, all smiling happily with a toy in each of their tiny hands. They yelled in excitement as they asked to be carried up. Capitano bent down and lifted the kids up, one in each hand. The rest of the children gathered around his legs as Capitano told them to wait for their turn.
Childe rarely talked to his coworkers, and they rarely talked to him. However, something about Capitano, the big Fatui Harbinger, carrying kids in his hands while more kids ran around him, made Childe want to talk to him and gain his acknowledgement. (while also getting to hear stories about those ADORABLE children, maybe they could be friends with his siblings)
“What an unusual sight” thought Childe, as he watched Capitano switch from his usually cold demeanor to a dotting adult who was trying to give equal attention to each of the children. Childe decided not to disturb his coworker and continued on his way. After that encounter, Childes gained a newfound respect for The Captain.
( Capitano never saw him, Childe was not sure why, maybe he was too focused on the children)
It was a few weeks after that incident, when Childe just so happened to catch Capitano in action. Before that day he had never seen Capitano fight, and honestly it left Childe’s mouth hanging. The way he fought was efficient and effective, leaving no movement wasted. Childe’s dull blue eyes brightened a bit as he saw the Captain in action. Not only was he a great fighter but he also was great with children.
From that day onwards, Childe decided that he would be Capitano’s fan, vowing that one day, he will get Capitano to tell him stories about those kids.
And so Childe decided that he would try and get Capitano’s attention. Whenever both of them are in the palace, Childe would trail behind Capitano like a lost puppy, not really saying anything but his eyes were full of sparkles. Sometimes Childe would even challenge him to a fight, but was always declined by Capitano. Capitano noticed the constant trailing, of course, but he never said anything about it as he was used to having children trailing behind him.
It was quite a spectacle, honestly. The other Harbingers would see a streak of black pass by followed by a streak of orange and red. They would tease him about it, but he would brush it off and talk about how well Capitano fought.
Soon, even the Tsaritsa caught wind of it. It didn’t take long for most of Snezhnaya to find out that their 11th Harbinger was the number one fanboy of the masked (well more masked then the rest) Harbinger.
And that’s how Childe came to be known as Capitano’s number one fan.