Kill Me Slowly || Tartaglia/Childe

Chapter 08

After dressing, you left your room to eat breakfast. Since you woke up at a later time than usual, nobody was around as they were busy doing their own tasks so you ate breakfast alone. Not too long after, you decide to explore around the camp and somehow, you ended up in a garden-like area that was similar to where you first met Xingqiu, only that there wasn't a fountain.

You could hear a rustling sound from afar. Curious, you walk towards the source of the sound and see Tartaglia holding onto a bow. Closing one eye, he focuses on the target in front of him. He pulls onto the bow, adjusting his grip on the arrow on the string for better precision. Soon, he lets go of the string and much to your surprise, the arrow hits the bull's eye.

"How could someone drink so much the day before and could hit a bull's eye?" You thought, eyeing the arrow on the center of the dummy.

"How long are you going to stand there?" He spoke, facing your direction. "O-Oh..." You blush, flustered that you were seen even though you were trying to be discreet.

"I-I just happen to pass by." You reply, eyes not meeting his.

"Perhaps you would like to try?"

"I-I don't know how... I've never touched a bow in my life."

"Come." He extends his hand out and you take it. He guides you along to where he was standing and lets you hold on to his bow. He inserts the arrow and leaves you alone. You give him a worried look. He gives you an encouraging look and said, "Go on. Try."

You purse your lips together then mimic Tartaglia's pose earlier. You close one eye and focus on the target while pulling onto the arrow and string. Once you let go of it, the arrow flies a little distance then lands on the dirt. With a dejected look, you face Tartaglia and said, "I can't do it."

He doesn't say anything and picks up the arrow before positioning himself behind you, his chest pressed against your back. He aligns the arrow once more then guides you by placing his hand atop yours. You blush at the contact, not expecting him to be so close. His hands feel rough yet warm, sending you small shockwaves.

"What's wrong, Princess? You seem nervous." He says, snapping you out of your trance. He lets go of you and walks into your front, checking your appearance. "You're red. Did you catch the flu?"

He presses his forehead against yours, checking the temperature. "No, no, no... this is bad!" Not only did he touch your hand, but his face is now close to yours. "Y-You're too close..." You place your hands at his chest in an attempt to push him away, and when he does, he checks your appearance once more just to make sure that it wasn't serious to the point where he had to call the doctor to come over.

"Huh? You're even redder now."

"N-No I'm not! I-It's the sun!" You cover your face to avoid him. "I-I think Ganyu's calling me. I'm going to go now!" You ran away from him without looking back and when you reach your room, you quickly lock the door and breathe out a sigh of relief. You place a hand over your chest, trying to calm the rapid beating of your heart.

"Gosh... I shouldn't be acting like this." You shake your head then lightly slap your cheeks. "Get it together—" THUNK! Light but sudden, a sound came from the window, giving you a scare.

"W-What was that?" Slowly, you inch closer to the window and see the same greenish-yellow canary you had treated the day before. You open the window and the bird flies inside, its feet landing on the window sill. You notice a small piece of paper attached to its leg. You take it and unfold it to reveal a neat handwriting of two Chinese characters: 谢谢 (thank you).

Once you removed the paper from its leg, the bird flies away, finishing its task to deliver the message.

Notes

✬ Image belongs to @_Lounette_ on twitter!