Dead Dove (Do Not Eat) [ZhongChi]

Step on Me

"Ugh, it hurts to move," Childe pressed his hand lightly against his chest and walked out of Baizhu's place. He was finally able to leave but he still wasn't healed. "What did he tell me? I can't remember what he told me." Childe winced and grabbed his head, trying to remember what Zhongli had said. 

"Reason tells me I should avoid that man at all costs. That's what Baizhu said, right?" Childe ran his hand down his face and kept walking. "Where am I anyway?" He walked down to the edge of the alley and looked both ways. In the corner of his eye, he saw the golden-tipped ponytail. 

"Isn't that his signature hairstyle?" Childe shook his head and turned the other way. He walked exactly two steps forward before turning around and following behind. "He went this way, right?" Childe turned the corner. "Why am I following the person who carved my skin for following him?" Childe stopped and rested his head against the wall. He sighed, trying to talk sense into himself. Baizhu was going to murder him if he showed up injured by Zhongli again. 

"Alright, I am going to pretend I never saw him." Childe shoved his hands into his pockets and kept walking. He saw the hair again from the corner of his eye. 

"Fuck my goddamn life," Childe muttered, unable to resist the urge. He sprinted in the direction and kept sprinting, turning corners, unable to catch up. He stopped, holding his knees, finding it difficult to breathe with the bandages wrapped around his chest. "Oh fuck..." He leaned up against the wall and winced, wondering if he'd messed up the scabbing. 

The sound of bloodcurdling screams came from the window right next to the spot he was leaning up against. Childe tensed, not sure if it was safe to stay here. He also couldn't stop his curiosity. He glanced inside, just for a moment, but it was too dark to see anything anyway. 

"Who the fuck are you?" 

Childe turned to see a glimmer of green before he felt a hand on his neck. He was pushed into the wall. He winced. Yeah, he totally fucked up his chest by this point. Baizhu might do more than murder him. 

He opened his mouth to answer but there wasn't time for that. The hand dragged him inside and threw him to the ground. It was wet. Childe looked at his hand. Was this blood? It definitely smelled like blood. His clothes were drenched in it now. He saw amorphous blobs around him. Were those...bodies?

"I found him sneaking around outside, Boss."

"Oh?" 

Childe heard the soft splashing of footsteps walking in blood. He was scared to move. If he did, would he get pushed to the ground again? 

"You're certainly a glutton for punishment." Childe stared at the shoes directly before his face. 

"What do you want me to do with him, Boss?" 

"Relax, Xiao." Childe continued staring at the shoes, wondering if they would move. And they did. One of them moved right to his face, lifting it to look up at the shoes' owner. His gaze just as piercing as before. "This one just did as he was told, isn't that right? Little Fatui spy." 

"All the more reason for-" 

"I told you to stand down," Zhongli growled, gritting his teeth. He pointed directly at the ground. "Sit." Xiao obeyed, from what Childe could hear. He heard the sound of blood splash. 

"Now," Zhongli looked back at Childe. "You came back to me a lot sooner than I'd expected. Look at you, not even fully healed." Zhongli flipped Childe over onto his back and placed his foot on his chest. He winced but didn't dare try to move. He'd thought about grabbing Zhongli's ankle but after their previous encounter, he knew he didn't have the strength to move it. 

Childe swore some of those pain killers were still in his system. Baizhu said they didn't have an aphrodisiac quality but his body still felt hot. 

"Hah," Zhongli moved his foot down to Childe's crotch and stepped on it. "What's got you so hot and bothered? I thought I'd seen it all." Childe blinked and Zhongli dropped down to grab him by the shirt. He held him up high enough to glare face to face. "Did you have fun with the doctor?" 

Was he jealous? Childe must be insane if he thought this man was jealous. But, then again, Baizhu did say he'd have to be crazy to touch him after what Zhongli carved onto his chest. Despite his sense of reason warning against it, he replied: "Baizhu didn't touch me. That's part of the problem..." Childe was unable to tell if the blood on his shirt was from his wound or from the ground. He felt himself drifting off. Was he floating? Why did he feel as if arms had just swooped him up off of the ground? 

He heard Zhongli's voice but couldn't see anything anymore. He only heard bits and pieces of the conversation but Xiao probably wasn't being very agreeable about whatever Zhongli decided to do with him. He heard a loud noise and that's when his consciousness faded completely.