Chapter Text
I.
When Venti first saw Lumine in the aftermath of Rex Lapis’ “assassination” (and the emancipation of his old friend at that) her eyes held some mirth within them. He looked at her, amused at the glow she radiated even from afar.
“Oya?” Venti smiled, carefully setting himself down as he descended from the hands of his very own statue.
Lumine smiled at him, Paimon afloat by her side. The flying companion appeared to have been berating her. She huffed in disdain, crossing her arms and looking away from Lumine. The traveler can only sigh before looking back at her bard friend, pleading him to talk some sense to Paimon, so it seemed.
But about what? Venti thought in silence.
“Had Lumine ignored the pleas of your latest gastro pursuit again, Paimon?” He walked towards them as they did. Paimon flew quickly beside him, circling him before setting down on his right and pointing a finger at the traveler.
“Paimon wishes it was just that! You have to talk some sense to her. She’s a madwoman, Paimon tells you!” She almost screeched.
So if it was not about food, what could it possibly be then? Something was very grave indeed if Paimon had been sulking for things other than food. But looking at Lumine, Venti cannot seem to find any fault. She was glowing for archon’s sake. What could be any more wrong than that?
“Hmm, but your friend here is ever radiant as the sun. Why would she be a madwoman?” Venti folded his arms and placed a hand under his chin. He looked at Lumine from head to toe. “Well, there’s nothing I can see. Unless it’s internal and I cannot fatho—oh.”
The hand on his chin found its way to his mouth, covering the small “o” that formed on his lips. He smiled before chuckling, then full time laughing.
'So that’s why' he thought. That’s why he thought it was all-too-human, that shine in her eyes because the look on Lumine’s face was very human indeed. He sure was happy to find his friend standing bashfully in front of him. For a being unconfined by the bounds of humanity, there she stood, all too human. Lumine can cure abyssal energy, can defeat overlords of the sea. For Venti and a few of Lumine’s friends who had placed the pieces together, Lumine was no human. She looked like one, for sure, and for now, feels like one.
“You’re in love.” Venti can’t stop smiling.
Lumine could only smile gently. She was warm, and Venti could see that from the pink that dusted her cheeks. Paimon groaned before flying back to Lumine and lightly grabbing her shoulders. The small fairy talked so fast and incoherently that Venti could only make out a few words that definitely stood out from the usual vocabulary.
Harbinger and fatui.
And it dawned on him. Lumine was in love but it was with no ordinary man. Paimon’s apprehension made sense to him now and he could only shake his head before starting to walk towards the gate of the city. He called out to them and summoned a lyre on his hands, playing a tune he had played on two occasions: once for two ancient souls who roamed the land of Guili, and the other for a yaksha he encountered by chance as he was playing on the Guyun moonlight. He smiled, closing his eyes, letting the wind flow through them as they made their way to Windrise where he and Lumine always talked when she returned from her travels. Venti wasted no time asking Lumine when they settled by the roots of the oak tree.
“Does the blockhead know of this?” The first of the many questions he asked earned a laugh from Lumine. She would have expected this from him.
“He knows, but we did most of the figuring out for him. You know how Zhongli is.” She chuckled before leaning back at the tree.
“Ah, Morax and his ways. No wonder he still can’t solve that flying rock of his.” Venti also leaned back, still playing the lyre. “But, Lumine, would you care to tell me why you’ve descended divinity for a fatui? A harbinger one at that. Diluc’s gonna shit his pants for sure once he finds out, yanno?” Venti laughs at the mental image.
Paimon muffled lots of words of agreement as she munched on food. If there was anything good coming out from the whole ordeal is that she had been enjoying bribing Lumine for more food than usual to simmer her whining down. Lumine saw her reaction before taking something from her bag and unwrapping something. Paimon’s eyes widened before smiling with her eyes closed and taking the food gently.
“Well for one, he cooks really really well.” Lumine looked at Paimon fondly. “I guess that’s a good thing, mostly for Paimon, because I don’t have to worry about what to feed her.”Paimon now agrees with this as she munched on Childe’s version of honey sticky roast. He knows their favorites by heart, more so how to cook them in the manner they liked best. He remembered small things like that. It only makes Lumine’s heart swell.
“Paimon’s not going to deny that.” She swallowed before preparing to bite again. “And Paimon can’t deny too that Childe is a very good older brother. It’s like behind the icy exterior of the fatui lies a softer warmer Childe.”
And that too.
Lumine smiled at the thought of their encounter with Teucer. She hadn’t been on speaking terms with him after the Osial and Jade Chamber incident. She wasn’t even planning to. But so help her archons, she could not believe that a lost boy named Teucer would lead her back to the devil. Lumine couldn’t deny Childe forgiveness the afternoon she saw how different he was from the Tartaglia they knew. He was first Childe, protector of childhood dreams. How could she not feel the pang of hurt seeing him all beaten up from using his Foul Legacy? Not for world domination, but to protect Teucer and his innocence.
And then there was Ajax—the goddamned sweet, warm, protective older brother to Teucer, Anthon, and Tonia. Always writing letters to his beloved siblings with so much love. Also having the audacity to include her in his letters! Lumine initially scoffed at the thought of Childe telling stories of her in his letters. Bastard might be telling how she was a brute, ever so small and—
“Not at all. In fact, he said that if he ever had the chance, he'd quit his job and join you on your adventures!”
And everything collapsed. Teucer’s words still echo to her, as clear as a sunny day. Lumine could only smile at the little one as she thought how it would be like to have Childe beside her traveling Teyvat. Something so warm and sentimental was laced with those words that Lumine couldn’t stop the feelings that gripped her heart days and months after that.
One day, Paimon had suddenly gone missing. Lumine was just using the alchemy table when she realized that the pixie was nowhere to be found. As she walked along Feiyun Slope calling out to Paimon, a ginger-haired man appeared beside her.
“Hey, comrade. Let’s go on a date!”
She soon found out that he apparently bribed Paimon with Mora and food to spend some time alone with her.
And soon instances of Paimon suddenly missing happened more.
Their dates initially purely consisted of sparring, but as months flew by other ordeals started to occupy the time they had together. Dinner had been inserted into the routine, he insisted this so that “she can teach him how to use chopsticks” or so he says.
“Girlie, you have to have dinner with me once a week so you can monitor my progress,” Childe whined as he struggled to grip the chopsticks given to him by a certain consultant. “Or else I will fail in conquering the gastronomical pursuits Zhongli so speaks of.” He placed the utensils down before looking at her, deep blue eyes gazing at her with such intensity.
“We can’t have that do we, zveda moya?” Childe smiled with his eyes closed.
But then once became twice. And two times turned to four times a week. He still sucked using it. Lumine started to think he was doing it on purpose just to have her keep coming for dinner. And of course the damned zveda moya. She was starting to lose her mind trying to translate the thing. In an attempt to force it out of Childe, she tried using it to Zhongli one time he accompanied the two.
“Zhongli,” She started, setting down her utensils as she finished, “perhaps we can drink the osmanthus wine you fondly speak of, one day…”
Childe and Zhongli seemed to agree, both drinking from their own teacups.
“Zveda moya…”
Childe spits his drink in an instant before whipping his head to look at the girl beside him. Zhongli choked a little bit before reaching for a napkin.
“I apologize, Lumine. But may I ask why the sudden endearment? Must I take this a confession and—“ Zhongli started.
“An endearment! Aha!” Lumine exclaimed, startling both men. She looked at Childe, pointing her fingers at him, beaming. Proud. She was finally able to unearth the meaning behind what he had always called her.
Childe felt panic surge through his body initially, before chuckling and propping his arm on the table, placing his head on his hand. He then inched his face closer to Lumine.
“And what about it, zveda moya?”
Lumine couldn’t handle the proximity and Childe’s sudden boldness that she abruptly stood up and excused herself to find some lotus heads. Childe merely chuckled, before settling his eyes on Zhongli who smirked with closed eyes, sipping tea.
“What?” Childe asked, sighing as he picked his chopsticks and took a dumpling with such ease.
“Nothing. Just keep up the good work,” he paused, “zveda moya.” Zhongli sipped, amusement still evident on his face
“Oh shut up.” Childe scoffed throwing a fallen part of the dumpling to Zhongli’s face.
“Oh, I would die to see that.” Venti laughed.
“I’d rather you not,” Lumine replied sighing.