Chapter Text
It’s quiet.
It’s quiet, save for the quiet snores belonging to Xiangling, and the constant mumbles leaving Hutao’s lips. Lumine fiddles with her blanket, tossing and turning, despite lying against the fluffiest pillow ever.
She makes a mental reminder to thank Xiao for the extra blankets because it’s freezing in this room. Then again– she’s only clad in a tank top and shorts. Lumine lifts herself from the bed, tip-toeing to her luggage bag to change into more warm, comfortable clothing before sneaking out of the room.
Sleep betrays her, so she delves into her adventurous side and decides going to the beach at 2am in a foreign country is a good idea. A part of her bubbles with excitement, as she exits the door and pockets her room key.
It’s pitch black, save for the dim lights of poles surrounding the resort. It takes her eyes a short while to adjust to the darkness, and Lumine’s heart thumps with both fear and excitement, as she relies on the light sources surrounding the beach to make her way to the sandy area.
Once she does, Lumine looks for any human contact nearby for solace, and spots a couple in the distance, minding their own business. She scoffs, hoping they wouldn’t notice her presence and mistake her for some sort of pervert. Eventually, Lumine settles on the soft, white sand, clasping her knees together, exhaling as she does so and calms herself with the frequent murmurs of the waves.
When she looks up, a myriad of stars greet her, scintillating brightly in the night sky. Her lips curl, a few constellation names pop up in her mind while she traces them with her finger in the air.
“Can’t sleep?”
A familiar voice startles Lumine from her daydream, evidently as she lets out a small shriek in surprise. It causes Kazuha to chuckle in reply, whispering a small ‘sorry’ while he moves towards her.
“Archons, Kazuha— I thought you were a ghost,” Lumine sighs and pats the spot beside her. “And yes.”
Kazuha hums in response, sitting next to her quietly while basking in twilight.
“Can’t sleep too?” Lumine tilts her head, pursing her lips as she hugs her knees closer.
“No,” He shakes his head. “It’s a bit hard to sleep when your brother sleeptalks about slaying a dragon in his dreams.”
Lumine snorts and shakes her head. Oh Aether. “He does that sometimes, especially when he’s tired.”
Kazuha chuckles in response. “I don’t mind it. I just thought it would be nice to take a walk and clear my mind.”
Lumine tuts. “Is there something going on lately?”
Kazuha’s gaze lands on her, and pink dusts his cheeks. “Not in particular.” She hums in response, averting her gaze back to the sky.
It’s pitch black, which is perfect for stargazing. Lumine points out a constellation, reciting its name perfectly and causes the silver-haired male to look at her with awe.
“You haven’t changed, haven’t you?” Kazuha tilts his head, his query laced with childlike adoration.
Lumine turns to him, raising an eyebrow at the question. “What do you mean?”
Kazuha smiles, pointing up at the sky and traces the outline of Lapis dei. “Stargazing. And remembering each of their names. I’m assuming you still do?”
Lumine blinks in realisation and laughs. “Oh. Oh, no— not all of them. I wish I did, though. I’ve been so caught up with my studies that I don’t think there’s a lot of time spent in just looking at stars.”
“That’s disappointing,” Kazuha nods. “But I understand. You always had that smile on your face when you found your constellation.”
“Viatrix, right?”
Lumine grins, and turns to look at the crimson-eyed male. “You remember!”
Kazuha laughs melodically and pats her head. It takes Lumine by surprise, evidently as she stiffens under the action.
“How could I forget?”
Kazuha mutters these words under his breath, and it could’ve passed off as a whisper if he wasn’t so close to her. Crimson eyes never leaving molten gold, it takes Lumine a few seconds to realise that their proximity was akin to a needle’s length, and the scent of peppermint tea is ever-so obvious in his breath.
“Lumine,” Kazuha breathes. “I need to tell you something.”
For some reason— deep down, Lumine knows.
Lumine knows what he’s going to say, and it shouldn’t bother her. Of course it shouldn’t. But she can’t shake the feeling that there’s something that’s going to go wrong once he admits—
“…I have feelings for you.”
Archons.
Lumine gapes, comparable to a fish out of water. He said it. He said it!
Something swirls in the pit of her stomach, (is it acid reflux? ) and she doesn’t know if it’s butterflies or because she had too much soda mixed with a bundle of nerves after receiving a confession.
“You— you—“ She manages to choke out, but Kazuha beats her to it.
“I’m not going to rush you for an answer,” Kazuha quickly tries to defuse the situation. “It’s… a lot to take in, I know, but I just thought you deserve to know.”
Lumine calms down, feeling her cheeks tint pink. “…Since when?”
Kazuha chuckles. “Since you moved to Inazuma.”
His reply causes her to flip out. She knew he harboured more affection for her than he did for Aether, but ever since they were kids? Lumine must’ve been as dense as a rock.
“From the looks of it, I take it you’ve never realised?” Kazuha tilts his head while laughing.
“I… no…” Lumine looks at her sand-clad feet and fiddles her thumbs. How did she even manage to get someone like Kazuha to fall for her?
“…As expected of our golden girl.” Kazuha chuckles. That’s what makes her so endearing, he supposes. Lumine crinkles her nose at the nickname, knowing it’s something that her classmates call her sometimes to tease her.
It’s quiet for a few minutes, and the corner of her lips curl. Lumine lets herself relax, because that’s how it feels like to be with Kazuha. Autumn mornings, the first drop of rain that slides down your cheek and warm, toasted bread. Simple, and easy.
That’s all there is to it, right?
“…The moon,” Kazuha breaks the comforting silence between them, avoiding her blinking gaze. “It’s beautiful, isn't it?” he whispers under his breath, but it’s louder than ever.
Lumine’s eyes dart towards the moon, luminous and beautiful. She sees it, another constellation.
Acer Palmatum.
“It really is,” she grins, turning towards the crimson-eyed male to find his gaze settling onto her with his usual tame smile. Distance seemed nonexistent between them for a moment that felt almost eternal.
For a second, Lumine finds herself captivated by Kazuha’s crimson rubies.
Fingertips close, lips parting, and just when Kazuha’s eyes are fluttering shut, Lumine turns away. Her heartbeat’s right out of her chest while her cheeks redden. Was he– was Kazuha about to kiss her? Her?
Lumine purses her lips and fiddles her fingers together nervously. “I–It’s kinda late, don’t you think so?”
A disappointed look flashes across Kazuha’s face for a split second, before he chuckles and rises, raising his hand to her. “...It seems so,” he mutters. “What a waste.”
Lumine takes his hand, turning her attention back to him immediately. “It would be selfish for me to wish time would stop at this moment, no?” Kazuha grins, tilting his head.
“I– Um,” Lumine stutters, tongue-tied because of his forwardness. She looks at their clasped hands and retracts hers immediately. Kazuha chuckles at the action.
“Sweet dreams, Lumine.” he smiles, crimson eyes glinting while he turns. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
_______
Holy crap. Holy crap.
It hasn’t even been a minute since Kazuha left, but Lumine feels the urge to dive into the sea headfirst and resurfacing in the morning because holy crap. Kazuha confessed to her. Kazuha, her childhood friend, confessed to her. To her!
A part of Lumine feels elated because someone actually likes her. And it’s Kaedehara Kazuha, nonetheless. Her ego feels a bit inflated, but at the same time– dread feels her up because how else will she face Kazuha now?
She can’t even think of him without remembering his confession under the moonlight. Archons. How did she greet him before this? Lumine bites her lip. Okay. Calm down.
Let’s just– head back and get some sleep. She rises, cheeks still flushed and walks back with shaky steps, into the comfort of her shared room. Lumine sheds the outerwear, leaving her tank top and climbs into bed with shaky breaths.
It’s a problem for tomorrow’s Lumine to deal with. Right now– she’ll just… sleep it off.
_______
“D-Dvalin… Zzz,” Bump. “Wind.. Wind– zzz… blade..”
Scaramouche’s eye twitches. He has half a mind to shove a pillow against Aether’s face so he would stop sleep-talking, but murder in a different country might raise some issues for them when their little group returns to Inazuma.
He shuts his eyes tight once again, trying to get some shut-eye. He fails, because there’s rustling in the distance and Scaramouche spots a glimpse of silver hair in the darkness. There’s a prompt, silent attempt to exit the room, and it’s when the hallway light shines that Scaramouche notices the silver hair colour belonging to Kazuha.
He waits for the door to close and the discernable click of a lock before he rises in his bed. Where was Kazuha going dead in the night? Scaramouche purses his lips in thought, before rising and grabbing a hoodie.
He can’t sleep, anyways. Might as well see what he’s up to– or take a breath of fresh air. Scaramouche blinks rapidly. No harm in doing so, right?
The door creaks slightly as Scaramouche pries it open, trying his best to not wake up the others. He fails, for a second because Aether suddenly yelps during sleep-talking, earning a kick from Xiao.
Scaramouche shakes his head, shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie before leaving. The door clicks behind him, mentally reminding himself the keycard was in the pocket of his pants before he stalks– ahem, follows, Kazuha.
He wasn’t far off. The beach was visible from where he was, and he could already spot Kazuha’s distinct windbreaker under the lights. It didn’t help that his stupid silver head was giving off a glare that made his eyes hurt.
Scaramouche huffs and hurries off. He tries his best to be distinct, a bit grateful that the lights were slightly dim and his black hoodie. He curiosity peaks even more when he sees the object of Kazuha’s focus.
It was Lumine.
Scaramouche’s gaze lowered. It was Lumine, sitting on the beach and a few meters away from the body of water. He could recognise her blonde hair and petite figure from miles away. He hides behind a palm tree, clicking his tongue when he sees Kazuha’s figure startle the blonde before he seats himself right beside her.
Now how the heck was he supposed to listen in on their conversations? The waves were too loud and he doesn’t like the way Lumine laughs when Kazuha’s around.
Scaramouche grabs his hoodie, wrapping it around himself and prays he blends with the darkness. He tiptoes, immediately rushing forward to hide behind a parasol while eyeing the two figures.
From this spot, he could spot their facial expressions a bit clearer, but Scaramouche was still unable to make off anything from their lips. Drat.
While he was busy trying to figure out another way to sneak closer, (maybe casually holding a surfboard and pretend he’s surfing in the middle of the night?) Kazuha says something that makes Lumine pause with flushed cheeks.
Scaramouche squints and spots the stiffness in her posture and the way Kazuha tries to calm her down. He’s smiling at her, that god-forbidden smile that makes Scaramouche want to shove a trash bag over his head.
The conversation wasn’t long, because a few minutes after that, Kazuha rises and waves her off before moving back to their room.
Shit.
Scaramouche was too near the entrance, panic filling his body while he immediately ducks out of the parasol to swiftly return first. Anyone could’ve thought he was an animal with the way he sprinted, but hopefully Kazuha was too busy trying to decipher Lumine’s reaction to his confession before he realises Scaramouche’s disappearance.
Thankfully, Scaramouche returns first, diving headfirst into his bed and immediately shoving himself into the covers ‘discreetly’.
Kazuha’s longing expression is still fresh in his mind, along with Lumine’s somewhat regretful gaze. He lets his mind wander, before finally closing his eyes and makes a mental reminder to probe Lumine about this soon.