Kill Me Slowly || Tartaglia/Childe

Chapter 21

"Xiao! They're too many!" Ganyu breathes, "My arrows are about to run out."

Xiao growls in anger. He couldn't do anything about that. All the supplies are locked in the storage room and it was impossible to leave the hiding spot to retrieve arrows. Even his sword's about to break into two. The only thing Xiao could hope was that Childe could arrive sooner.

"We're not doing well either," Ganyu adds.

"I could see that." Xiao punches the ground in anger. Uh oh. He forgot they had been hiding.

"Check them!" The enemies point to the spot where Xiao had made a noise. Xiao curses beneath his breath. He and Ganyu had no choice now but to jump out of their hiding spots and defend themselves.

Two soldiers held their guns against the two while Xiao and Ganyu held their weapons pointing at them as well. Judging by the appearance of their weapons, they were outclassed. Xiao knew at that moment that they would lose.

"Watch out!" At the corner of his eye, Xiao recognizes somebody and grabs Ganyu, protecting her as he ducks down. Two gunshots could be heard and the men groan in pain. Once Xiao confirms that they were down, he releases Ganyu and thanks his savior.

"M-Master Zhongli?" Ganyu couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Is that really you?"

"This little bird is as cunning as I remember." On Zhongli's finger rests a greenish-yellow canary. It tweets in response to Zhongli's comment before flying over to Xiao's shoulder.

"Go find the others," Zhongli orders Ganyu, "Xiao and I will fend off the enemies."

Ganyu nods and heads off to find Xiangling and the others, making sure they were safe and sound while Zhongli supplied Xiao with a green spear, something Xiao used to practice sparring with Zhongli when he was still his mentor.

Xiao and Zhongli spent hours defending the base along with the soldiers that by the time you both arrive, they were already tidying up the place.

As you hop off the horse with the aid of Ajax, your eyes scan the room for a certain teal-haired man. Xiao was at the corner, leaning against the wall while clutching onto his injured hand. "Xiao! Xiao!"

His ears perk up to the sound of your voice as he turns his head in your direction. He barely registers that you were running towards him, almost missing you if he hadn't moved forward to catch you.

"X-Xiao!" You sniff, tears falling freely from your eyes, "You're okay... you're okay."

Xiao's heart aches to see you cry like this. He wipes away your tears with his thumb and whispers hushed reassurances that he's okay and you need not worry.

You lean backward, tilting your head so you can get a better angle of his face. A scratch is present on his left cheek, probably from the raid earlier. "You're hurt."

"You're okay. That's all I need to know." He pats your head, a small smile on his lips.

"Xiao rarely smiles," Childe notes as he watches your interaction with Xiao. Although he wanted to pull you into his arms right there and then, Childe, jealous that he is, had more important matters as of the moment, and that was Zhongli and the wounded soldiers.

"Let me help you." You point to Xiao's injured arm. Even when Ganyu offered to treat it first, Xiao told her that she should treat the soldiers who were more wounded than he is so he was left unattended despite the ringing pain of the nasty cut on his arm.

Running towards the nearest but also the cleanest water source, you grab a handful before rushing back to Xiao, cleaning the wound. He winces in pain and you mutter a 'sorry' under your breath, trying your hardest not to press on the wound. Then you rip a piece of cloth from your hanfu and wrap it around the arm. "Your hanfu..."

"It's okay. What's more important is that we get it treated... I wouldn't want the wound to get infected."

"Thank you, Princess."

"You're very welcome, Xiao."

"Princess (First Name)?"

You turn your head in the direction of the voice and you see Ganyu together with Xiangling, Chongyun, and Xingqiu.

"You're all safe!" Ganyu catches you in her embrace, missing your presence even if you were gone for just a day. "Glad to see you again, Princess (First Name)."

☆

"My apologies for not coming sooner, Xian Sheng." Childe apologizes while pouring a cup of tea for Zhongli to drink. "I hope you weren't injured."

"Not at all, Childe." He thanks the ginger-head before taking a sip from his cup. "What makes me curious are the enemies... they don't seem like they're from Liyue nor Mondstadt."

"I've noticed. Luckily we managed to capture one alive. Ningguang's questioning him as of the moment while we speak."

"And?"

Childe turns his head towards the soldier stationed by the door and requests him to go check on the progress. He salutes in response, leaving the room. He returns a few minutes later, shaking his head. "He won't speak."

Childe turns to Zhongli as if saying 'you've got your answer.' Childe thanks the soldier as he returns to his post. "Perhaps Beidou could scare the wits out of him."

"If I remember correctly, I've encountered enemies with the same tattoo on their necks... that mark could certainly tell their origin."

"I'll have Ningguang dig on that. More tea?"

"Please."

Meanwhile, as the two conversed, you return to your room, exhausted. With the raid that had happened earlier, you were quite surprised to see your room look the same as before, only that a scroll sits on your desk.

Confused (since you remember placing it inside your drawer), you pick up the scroll and unroll it. Ah, now you remember. It's a letter from your dad. As you read the contents, tears start to brim the corner of your eyes, prompting you not to read any further but you had to... it was important. Really... it was a mistake. By the time you read the last sentence, the color drains from your face and the tears finally spill. Oh, how you wished you didn't read the letter.