Kill Me Slowly || Tartaglia/Childe

Chapter 16

"A-Achoo!" You sneezed, alarming the green-haired man beside you. Oh, winter. A season you were fascinated of, yet harbor dislike due to the cold.

"I told you not to come outside." Xiao growls, uncrossing his arms to take off his outer coat. He places it over your shoulders, the warmth of his coat enveloping your body. You paid no attention to what Xiao had said, letting out a huff that created a small puff of air that resembled a cloud.

"Look." You point, bringing out your arms to catch the cloud. You reposition your hands in front of Xiao, then opening it, revealing nothing. "Aww." You pout. For something almost as beautiful as a cloud, you weren't able to capture it for Xiao to see.

Xiao grunts. Seeing you upset early in the morning wasn't what he wanted to see nor wanted you to feel. He raises his hand that slowly approaches your head to give you a light pat, but stops midway, hovering above your head as he felt something cold on top of his palm.

"Snow." His breath hitches and his heart thumped loudly against his chest. Snow. Oh, how he hated snow. It reminded him of the past where he was in the war, defending Liyue from being destroyed. There was a time where his men were nearly wiped out. Not only that, the camp was raided, leaving nothing but the cold breeze of winter.

With no food to feed the remaining men, there was no other choice but to eat snow. One of his men protested against it, saying Xiao was crazy but all Xiao replied was: "Once the snow is thick enough, we can eat it." The man thought he was crazy but eventually ate snow for he was unable to quell his hunger.

He wishes he hadn't experienced such a thing but he believed that it was one of the events that made him mentally and physically strong. Though he does not want sympathy for his past, he wishes to share his story with you. After all, it made him the person he is now. But before he could tell you, you were already up, running around as the snowflakes fall.

It felt magical, so surreal to the point that he almost believed he was in a dream but your distant laughter was what pulled him back to reality. It was real. You were with him, somehow erasing the hate he has on the season.

Xiao sees you running back to him in a hurry, almost bumping into him if you hadn't stopped yourself in time. "I'm going to find Childe! He's going to be so excited to know it's snowing!"

For once, he thought he could make you happy with his presence alone but he knows the twinkle in your eyes wasn't for him... it was for someone else and it hurts him. But what can he do? He could ruin your relationship with Childe, telling you what he knows about him but he'd rather not. If you truly felt safe and loved in the arms of Childe, why would he ruin that? The smile on your face is enough for him to keep going, even if it means that he wasn't the one making you smile. But of course, that doesn't mean he was going to give up.

"Go." That was all Xiao mustered to say despite him mentally begging you to not go and stay by his side. "See you later then!" You ran without sparing a glance to Xiao. Though, you were wondering why you were slower than usual until you realize you still had Xiao's coat. You turn on your heel, running back towards Xiao.

"Xiao!" You call to the male, avoiding the small lumps of snow to avoid tripping. Upon hearing his name being called, Xiao couldn't believe what he was hearing. That meant you were coming back!

Once you were at his side, you thank him and return his coat before running off again. For a moment there, he believed that you were coming back for him. With a heavy heart, he stares at your retreating form until you were out of sight.

Xiao felt something light weigh on his shoulder. Knowing that it was Seelie, the bird comforted him by rubbing its head on the fabric of his hanfu. He glances down at his coat before pulling it close to his chest, reminding himself that you were with him seconds ago.

Returning inside the camp, you look for Childe in his room but he wasn't there. Then you visited the kitchen and the dining hall, yet you couldn't find the ginger head. No one had any idea where he is and you were about to ask one of the soldiers but you manage to spot him outside by the stables.

"Childe!" You yell his name as you run towards him. As he was tending to the horse, he hears his name and whips his head towards you and a smile appears on his lips. "Princess."

"Look!" You point, "It's snowing!"

Childe smiles at your childish behavior. You certainly reminded him of his family, especially his little siblings. He was excited for you to meet them, that is if you will come with him.

"Yes, the world looks glorious in snow. Pure white, like the light of the moon."

"Shen... sneh... ugh! I can't even say it."

"Haha," Childe laughs, "It might be difficult to say at first, but I'm sure you'll get there soon."

"Your home... I wonder if it's snowing too."

"We won't know unless we get there... what do you say, Princess? Care to join me?"

The moment Childe asks for the second time, you felt nervous. The first time he asked, you weren't able to give him an answer and told him you needed more time to think. Childe told you that you needn't to rush and has been patient the whole time.

As he waits for your answer, he notices your slightly shaking figure. He takes off his red scarf and wraps it around your neck, smiling to himself after.

"You look lovely." He compliments and you blush. He laughs, seeing you flustered made him happy. He takes a step, bringing himself closer, and brushes away the little flakes of snow that have accumulated on top of your head.

You could feel the warmth in his actions, prompting you to make your final decision. With the small gap in between your bodies, you decided to pull Childe in for a hug, catching him off-guard. "H-Hey."

"I'm going."

"W-What?" Childe heard it yet he couldn't quite believe it. Maybe you said something along the lines of "I'm hungry" as your voice was muffled by the fabric of his clothing. He asks you to repeat the second time just to make sure he wasn't just hearing things.

"I'm coming with you to Snezhnaya."