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"You know, pretty girl, we should get married at some point."
Lumine stopped picking the fruit off the sunsettia tree. "We should what?"
Truthfully, she'd only gotten the definition of the word a few weeks ago, when Xiangling had made some joke about her parents' marriage. A lot of the worlds she and Aether had traveled to had come up with some form of a bonding ritual; many types of species enjoyed the idea of being bound to another. She wasn't much different, in that sense - there was something nice about knowing that you had someone to turn to, regardless of all else that had happened.
For a long time, Lumine had that in her brother. There had never been a need for another. Especially as most others likely couldn't exactly travel with them. But in her stay on Teyvat, through her companionship with Paimon and the friendships she'd made since she'd woken up again on that beach… Well, she couldn't deny the idea that something a little more permanent would be nice. She had no idea how long the search for her brother would last. She had even less of an idea of if they'd ever recover their full powers, or if they'd become permanent residents of Teyvat after they reunited.
She didn't hate that idea as much as she used to.
And throughout the last year of becoming romantically intertwined with Childe, Lumine had begun to feel settled. More comfortable in both her own bones and on this world. Though he wasn't perfect - he was still Tartaglia, among other things - and though they both still struggled a bit with trying to figure out the intricacies of being this intimate with another person, Lumine was happy.
But marriage? That was very... permanent. There wasn't really going back from that. Even if she were to leave this planet, go on traveling with her brother, that was something she'd carry with her for the rest of her life.
To be fair, she was starting to realize the friendships she'd made on this planet were not going away anytime soon, as well. But that was different. More intimate, more serious. More life changing.
Childe smiled at her, leaning against a tree in a casual manner. "It would be nice, don't you think?" He asked, shrugging a little. "Traveling with you has once more proven there is no one else I'd rather be tied to."
Besides the Tsaritsa, of course, but they were working on that.
Raising an eyebrow, Lumine turned around to face him fully. "Alright, hypothetically speaking we do get married. Wouldn't you want to wait until I, I don't know, meet the rest of your family? Or go to Snezhnaya?" Teucer adored her already, so it wasn't far fetched to assume that the other members of his family would welcome her with open arms. But she would still like to meet them, if they were to be related in some way.
Besides, she couldn't lie to herself very well. The idea of having such a large family after being separated from her only kin for so long was reassuring, in its own way.
At that, his smile turned a little wistful. "In the future, it'd be nice to have a ceremony with them present," he said, his eyes looking somewhere faraway for a moment before snapping back to reality. Though she didn't say anything, she understood. "But honestly, I wouldn't mind having one with more or less just the two of us."
The unspoken implication was heard loud and clear. It was a concept they'd spoken about before; the way that they could both love others so freely and still feel so small and hidden away at the same time. There weren't many people on Teyvat that Lumine had come across that she felt truly saw her. Most saw the Hero of Mondstadt, the Honorary Knight and the savior of Liyue, loved by the Qixing and the Adepti alike. There weren't many who wanted to speak with just Lumine at first, and that was part of what had drawn her to Childe originally, after the Golden House incident.
He had only ever seen her. Came at her full force when they sparred, never backing down or going easy on her. And, in turn, she understood that side of him, as well. The thirst for bloodshed, the desire to fight. It was something she understood quite well.
What he was asking for, knowing what he knew, was a lot. But Childe was not someone who did anything halfway, and that certainly included their relationship. For that, she was grateful. It was something she should probably think about more heavily - the logistics, what that would mean when she found Aether, or if she ever got her powers back.
Probably, anyways. Lumine had a feeling the answer would still be the same no matter how long she took to think on it. Her heart wanted what it wanted, and she spent enough time on the regular ignoring its cries. He'd always encouraged her to be selfish when it came to him, after all.
She smiled, a little softly, after a long moment. "Okay," she agreed, closing the distance between them and circling her arms around his neck. "We can do that, if you'd like."
Childe kissed her then, his arms pulling her as close as she could go. Lumine often felt like she was walking on air when he did that, still not used to the way it felt to be this physical with another living being. "I would like, very much."
Venti looked at her as if she'd grown three heads. Which, to be fair, if she were Venti, she'd probably think the same. Most definitely think the same, really. This was probably the strangest question he'd ever heard her ask.
"Lumine," he said slowly, patiently. "Lumine, are you okay? Did you get sick during your time in Dragonspine?" Her best friend brought a hand to her forehead, and she leaned in to accommodate it. She was caring like that. "You don't feel warm. Did you eat something bad, maybe?"
Childe, from next to her, hadn't said a word. His gloved hand was covering his mouth, though, which Lumine knew meant he was trying really hard not to laugh at the display. She wanted to scowl, but she couldn't find it in her to do so. She was still too excited by her request, even if Venti was…
Well, rightfully confused. She understood and wouldn't hold it against him. This was her best friend, after all. She could afford him a few moments to play catch up.
"No, nothing like that," she told him, placing her hands on her hips once he'd moved away from checking her temperature. "I'm being serious, you know. I want to know if you can officiate a wedding."
Though Lumine had been to many a world, with many a different mating custom - if there even was one on a particular world at all - she had never really cared to check exactly how it all worked. There had never been a need to before. She and Aether were always going around on their travels, never staying in one place for very long. To grow and get attached to something, or a particular way of life, seemed silly. Customs, holidays, they could all be in good fun when you had at least one person to celebrate them with. But who was she going to get bonded to life to, in a romantic sense? It had just never been on the table before now.
And then, of course, some cursed Unknown God had taken her brother and trapped her on Teyvat, forcing her to actually mingle and make bonds. Make friends that she wouldn't want to leave, even after reuniting with her twin.
Meet Childe. Ajax. Meet someone who could keep up with her, anytime, any place. Someone who made her laugh and felt just as far removed from others as she did, despite him originally being from this world. Someone who… someone who she had eventually fallen in love with.
He'd, apparently - according to Paimon, who was also laughing at the scene playing out before her like a traitor - been in love with her since she'd kicked his ass at the Golden House. He'd told her once that nobody had ever had his Hydro whale thrown on them and still wanted to speak to him afterwards. Lumine could understand that.
And meeting Teucer had really solidified it for her. She hadn't really met anyone on Teyvat who would go quite as dangerously far for their family like she would. Childe was the first, and more importantly, he could empathize with her desperation to find Aether. Lumine had needed that more then she'd known at the time, and since then, she'd found herself sucked into Childe's orbit.
They kept things between them, mostly. Sometimes they'd hold hands in public. They certainly went on enough dates that the people in Liyue Harbor all had their fill of gossip. But Mondstadt, where she hadn't been to in ages since she was still looking for a way into Inazuma?
None of her friends here had known she'd fallen in with a Harbinger. When she came strolling in through the gates with him in tow a week ago, that had been a sight to behold. And now, here she was, asking if Venti could legally marry them, with her future husband and traveling fairy companion laughing at her best friend's reaction.
"You want me to what?" Jean asked, incredulous.
Kaeya, from next to her, looked like he'd just struck gold. Lisa giggled. Amber looked just as aghast as the acting Grand Master. Venti, the cause of this, looked somewhere in between gleeful and outraged; it was almost as if he couldn't pick where to settle. Of course, Lumine thought, of course Venti would drag them on the day the Knights were having a meeting. It couldn't have just been Jean there. No, it had to be all of them.
Childe couldn't contain himself any longer. His muffled laughter broke out into the room, startling those who didn't know him very well yet. Lumine just scowled at him.
"Traveling with you always brings something new to the table," Childe said after he had finally caught his breath, voice still a little shaky from laughing so hard, "but man, Lumi, this has really been something else."
She poked at his shoe with her own a little. "Better then Cocogoat?" She asked, somewhat curious and somewhat irritated. And also, she would never let him live that down. Even if it had been her he was making fun of.
Childe nodded. "Oh, most definitely." He'd turned to face her, mirth in his blue eyes, and Lumine felt as if the room disappeared the longer she looked in them. Even when he was making fun of her, he still managed to draw her in like this. It was ridiculous, really. He took one of her hands in her own, and they both ignored the indignant huff from Amber. "When I said I wanted to marry you, lyubimaya, I didn't mean now. But I appreciate your excitement all the same."
Lumine felt herself flush. She really should be used to this by now - the way he made her heart speed up, the way he addressed her in Snezhnayan, the way he made the whole world fade away when she looked at him. Somehow, she still wasn't. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be used to the way he made her feel in moments like these.
"Well, we're here now," she said, eyes flickering to where her friends stood, watching them with varying levels of shock. "Might as well."
He smiled at her, then - an Ajax smile. The one that she'd only ever seen him throw at her. The redness of her cheeks spread to the tips of her ears. "If that's what you want to do," he agreed, gesturing at the Knights. "Better convince them, then."
Her scowl was instantly back. Traitor. Reasonably speaking, it probably should be her job to figure out who in Mondstadt can officiate legally. And if that license carried over to other countries in Teyvat. Or really… anything about the actual wedding process. She'd barely learned the word marriage three weeks ago, after all.
But she'd already embarrassed herself enough in front of her friends. She was just grateful Diluc wasn't there, too. That was probably something she couldn't come back from. If he would forgive her for marrying a Fatui Harbinger, anyways.
Well, he probably would. Eventually. Diluc liked to pretend he was the type to hold a grudge, but the fact that he saw Kaeya on a routine basis told everyone exactly how well that worked out for him. Besides, Diluc was like her big brother. They'd gotten so close during the Abyss Order fiasco; he'd forgive her for her questionable taste.
Amber looked like she was about to cry. Kaeya, Lumine could tell, was struggling not to clap. She sighed.
"I'm sure this is a bit," Lumine paused, searching for the right word for a moment, "unorthodox. But I would really appreciate it if you could just tell me what the process is."
Maybe it was her puppy dog expression, the one Childe always said could get her out of anything. Maybe it was the tone of voice she'd taken. Maybe it was her dear, dear friends finally taking pity on her.
Jean put her head into her hands. "If this is really what you want, Lumine," she said, weary. She sounded like she needed to sleep for a thousand years. Maybe two, though Lumine wouldn't recommend it - the five hundred or so she'd been asleep for had been quite unpleasant. "I guess I can lead you through the process. Do you want to actually have a wedding?" It sounded, almost, like she had to pry the question from her throat.
At that, Amber and Venti both snapped into action. "Of course she's having a wedding," Amber immediately said, slamming her hands down on Jean's desk. Some papers flew off the table, but nobody besides Jean paid them any mind. "She's not only the Honorary Knight, but she's our friend! There's no way we can just let her get married without a ceremony!"
Venti nodded rapidly, his braids bouncing. "Lumi," Venti looked at her, very seriously. "If you get married and I'm not present, my interruption will not be pleasant. "
Lumine wrinkled her nose. "If you remember, Venti, I asked you to officiate," she pointed out, placing her hands on her hips. "I don't need a fancy party, I just want to get married to Childe." The word married still felt a little odd on her tongue, but she had a feeling she would have to get used to it very soon.
From next to her, Childe put his hand on her shoulder, backing her up with a somewhat dangerous smile. It was an expression she was very familiar with, but the Knights bristled at it. "We've decided we'd hold a proper ceremony once her brother is found," he said, purposefully leaving out the other half of the conversation they'd had. "So I'd appreciate it if you granted us this request."
The tone in the room instantly shifted. For a moment, everyone was quiet, until Venti laughed a little.
"You're a bit scary, Mr. Harbinger," he snorted. "But you raise a good point. I believe I can humbly accept my best friend's request." At that, he gave Lumine a very exaggerated wink. "Jean, make me a minister!"
"Do you even want to say vows?" Venti asked, raising an eyebrow at the two of them. Though her best friend appeared annoyed, Lumine could tell he was actually excited. He'd probably not say it in front of her husband-to-be, but she knew that he was humbled that she'd asked him to officiate.
As excited and humbled he could be about, and she quoted, the lamest wedding ever.
Childe shrugged, indifferent. "There's not much I could say that Lumine doesn't already know," he said, smiling at her. When we have the proper ceremony in the future, we can figure it out then."
When. It was never an if with Childe, always a when. When she found her brother. When she got her powers back. When they were older and satisfied with their travels. Always a promise of a future that for so long, neither had been sure they could afford. But when he said it with such sincerity, said it with such surety that it would happen, Lumine could let herself believe it. If only for the moment.
She smiled back at him, unabashed. "I would rather not have to listen to yet another unprompted speech," she joked, causing his own smile to turn into a pout. "Can you improvise, Venti?"
He rolled his eyes. "You've forgotten who you're talking to, Outlander."
Paimon, who had been suspiciously silent during this, let out a watery laugh. "Does this mean you're staying in Teyvat forever with me, Lumine?" She asked, her voice a little small.
Oh. Lumine felt a little stupid for not having realized it sooner, how the uncertainty of the future would make Paimon feel. After all, she'd been all alone too, when Lumine had pulled her from the water. And all this talk of getting married, and tying her to this world… she could understand the fear that not even something like this would keep her there forever.
"Wherever I go, Paimon, you are always welcome by my side," she said sincerely, turning her gaze to her first friend on this planet. Her little friend's eyes her wet with unshed tears, and Lumine felt her heart well at the sight. "If, of course, you can put up with Mr. More Money Than Sense, that is."
For the first time all day, Paimon laughed. "Paimon has put up with him this long! What's forever to that?"
The miniature ceremony didn't take long at all. Surrounded by the breeze that Venti had called upon them, fireflies lighting the atmosphere, they were married. Lumine had made the ring she'd given to Childe with Wagner the night before. Though the customs of this world had no special value to her, she couldn't deny the way her heartbeat sped up as she'd placed the ring on his finger at Venti's instruction.
Marriage. Together, in a romantic partnership. They were family, now, though in a sense, they had been since they became intertwined with each other like this. Both were the kinds of people who cared too deeply. As soon as they'd realized and accepted their feelings for the other, they had already been placed in that special circle. This was only the next logical step.
Lumine stared for a moment at the ring he'd placed firmly on her finger. It was a simple band, matching the one he wore on his pinkie - that had now moved to what he apparently called his ring finger. She'd wanted to laugh at the name, but found it died on her lips when she looked into his eyes and saw the expression on his face.
There were many emotions she'd seen Childe wear. While sometimes, he was good at keeping his feelings to himself during Fatui missions, he never saw the need outside of them. Lumine had seen him happy, had seen him sad, had seen him broken and had seen him when excitement drummed through his veins. She'd seen him look at her with an emotion she could only call love, many a time, but never had she ever seen him look at her like that.
Like she held all the stars in her eyes. Like every question he'd ever had could be answered by staring into them forever.
"So we're married now, huh?" She asked, voice coming out much quieter then she'd intended. She laughed a little, though it was shaky.
She wondered, not for the first time, what Aether would say when she finally found him. How he would react to knowing that she'd built a life for herself on this planet, while he was so far away. Lumine hoped that he would find it in himself to forgive her for continuing to move without him. Time waited for no one, not even its dearest travelers.
He took her hands again, squeezing them lightly. "We are," Childe agreed. The smile that had made its way onto his face during the ceremony had not left, and she wouldn't be surprised if it lasted the rest of the day. "What do you say we celebrate with a spar?" His eyes twinkled, and at that, she laughed for real.
Even Lumine, with no real connection to the ceremony that had just taken place, knew that was some kind of sacrilegious act. Though, when it came to her… husband, she couldn't say she was surprised.
"Later," she told him. She squeezed his hands once before stepping into his arms. Without hesitation, they came around her, holding her close. It was as natural as breathing, being held by him. "Kaeya and Venti promised us drinks. Then we can fight drunk."
He nodded sagely into her hair. "Oh, yes, pretty girl." Though they were talking about something that the rest of her friends would consider ridiculous, his voice was thick with emotion. "Fighting drunk sounds perfect. Maybe you'll actually lose, for once."
Lumine scowled into his chest. "Yeah, right. Even drunk I could kick your ass, and don't you forget it. I'm not going easy on you just because we're married, you know." Her threat was nullified a bit by the way she snuggled into his chest, however.
"I wouldn't have married you if I thought otherwise," he promised.
Lumine smiled.