Kill Me Slowly || Tartaglia/Childe

Chapter 18

"Coming home with you..." He whispers, his lips ghosting over your ears, "feels so surreal." Although his comment made you feel the rush of blood coming to your face, providing you some warmth, it couldn't stop the chattering of your teeth. He laughs while tucking the red scarf on your neck more securely so no cold air would seep in.

"Y-You didn't tell me S-Snezhnaya was this cold!" You speak in between chatters, glaring at the ginger-haired man.

"Once we reach Snezhnaya, you'll forget about the cold because the scenery of my homeland... to gaze upon the endless snowy sky, to stand on frozen lakes that won't shatter, no matter how hard you tread. Some people even carve gigantic ice sculptures there! If you like snowball fights, I'll pair with you and we can face off against my siblings."

"Sounds like a blast!"

"Oh, and I almost forgot! I can make authentic Borsch for you with the special ingredients from my hometown... and of course, we have to go ice fishing! The fish are much larger than the ones you find in ponds."

"That sounds lovely."

"Alright, it's settled then!"

Some time has passed and it only took five hours to reach Snezhnaya by horse. Thankfully, you and Childe managed to arrive safely with no one following behind.

"Well, Princess." He hops off the horse, extending a hand out for you to take, "This is my home—"

"Big brother Ajax!" A brown-haired boy holding a toy figurine comes running. "Teucer!" Behind him are two of his siblings— one had her brown locks in braids and the other, albeit bigger than the first, had striking similarities to Childe. "Tonia! Anthon!"

Childe kneels on his knees, extending his arms as the three jump into his arms, tackling him down into the deep snow.

"Big Brother Ajax! We've missed you!" Anthon speaks with tears brimming in his eyes. "When Tonia read the letter, I couldn't believe what I was hearing!"

"You were coming home so soon!" Teucer continues, "Did you fight the bad guys?"

"Yes, yes." Childe lets out a hearty laugh, so ecstatic to see his own siblings once again. Though it comes to a stop when he notices Tonia fiddling with the hem of her dress, unusually quiet about her big brother's return.

"What's wrong, Tonia?" Childe asks. Being the older brother he is, he's concerned with Tonia's behavior.

"You said you'll be bringing someone important..." Tonia speaks in a whisper, "Is it her?"

Childe follows the direction to where she points and his gaze lands on you. His eyes soften and he smiles genuinely.

"Anthon, Tonia, Teucer..." Childe approaches you, one of his hands extended towards you, "This is Princess (First Name), a very special someone I'd like you to meet."

"Princess?" Tonia gasps, her eyes sparkling. It has always been her dream to meet a princess in real life. One look at her collection of toy figurines of princesses and you could tell.

"A-A real princess?" Tonia questions, her eyes traveling back to Childe then to you, marveling at your beauty. The toy figurines couldn't even compare to you.

You try your best to pinch yourself through the thick coat you had on. Now it was your turn to think it was surreal— that you're in Childe's home, the very place he grew up in. Gathering up the courage, you introduce yourself.

"H-Hello. I'm Princess (First Name) from the Kingdom of Jade." You bow.

"Wah!" Tonia pulls at her brother's sleeve. "S-She's real!"