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It was almost Valentines Day.
Lumine was supposed to be practicing how to make chocolate at home. But luck was not on her side, she had forgotten her keys on her bed and Aether wouldn't be home from his track team meeting until well into the evening. Which meant she had to borrow the communal kitchens at school. Surprisingly, there was nobody here yet, and she hoped it stayed that way so they wouldn't be able to judge her non-existent baking skills.
She had purchased a bunch of ingredients for this very moment. Chocolate wouldn't be that hard to make. Lumine had overheard some other girls boasting that they would bake elaborate pastries for their significant other or crush. She wasn't confident in being able to make a decent baked good in time for Valentines, but you can't mess up chocolate...right?
She sighed, no point in moping about it. Rolling up her sleeves, she donned an apron and pulled out the cooking tools she would need from the cabinets. While she was rinsing the equipment, she didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind her until someone spoke directly beside her ear.
"What are you doing ojou-chan?"
Lumine felt her heart jump out of her chest and she whirled around, barely suppressing her scream. Childe stood in front of her with a grin.
"Goodness! You almost scared me to death, why did you sneak up on me?!"
"Stop being dramatic." He rolled his eyes and leaned against the counter. "I called your name several times but you didn't hear me. What's got you thinking so hard?"
Lumine turned, grabbing a cloth to dry off the dishes so she could stall for time. "I-I was thinking of making chocolate."
Childe's face darkened slightly and he frowned, demeanor suddenly tense. "Who's it for?"
"None of your business!" She huffed, taking out her ingredients that she brought from a bag and laying them out on the counter. "Who said it was for someone anyways. I could be making it for myself, you know?" Yes, nice save Lumine! She cheered in her head.
He picked up a bag of chopped nuts, eyeing the rest of the additional assortment of toppings that she was going to decorate the chocolate with. "You really think you can fool anyone with that?" He laughed loudly. "Obviously you're giving it to someone if you're putting this much effort into making chocolate. Plus, Valentines is coming up."
Childe looked at her from the corner of his vision. "...Is it someone you like?"
She gulped, looking away from him. "Fine. You caught me, I'm making chocolate for Valentine's Day okay?! You said so yourself, so of course it's for someone I like." She stumbled on her words near the end.
"Hmm. Didn't think you could bake. Should I be the taste-tester then? I should make sure you don't accidently poison the poor guy." Childe snickered.
While he donned a casual stance, he was far from that with the way he was grinding his teeth.
" Please. You just want to eat chocolate." She scoffed, heating up a bowl of cocoa butter over a small pan of water. "If you're gonna stay, then you better work for it!" She tossed an apron at him.
He caught it easily without blinking. "Shall we see who makes better chocolate then?"
She facepalmed. "Why do you always make everything a competition?"
"It's more fun!" He chuckled as he tied the apron behind him and washed his hands.
"...No. Not today."
"Hm. Too bad." Childe sounded disappointed but it was quickly replaced by a mischievous smile. He leaned on the counter, flicking water at her as he dried his hands. "So you didn't answer my question earlier. Who is it?"
"Why should I tell you?" Lumine blushed under his gaze, opting to keep her eyes on the melting butter instead.
"I just want to know who was able to steal the ice princess' heart." He twirled a cinnamon stick in his hand. "You always turn down love confessions so I figured you weren't interested in anyone."
It's you, you dumb fuck. Is what she wanted to say, but she wasn't that brave. Yet.
"He's...really stubborn. He gets on my nerves all the time and won't leave me alone. I don't know why I even fell for him." Lumine said after a moment. But she wasn't done, the words kept tumbling out of her mouth before she knew it.
"He's rude, he's brash, and he gets into trouble all the time. But you know what? I kinda like that about him. He's also a caring guy, and will protect his family even if it means he gets hurt. He's sweet when he wants to be and his smile. God, his eyes literally light up and so blu-" She snapped her mouth shut when she realized what she was about to say.
Childe raised an eyebrow.
She cleared her throat, fanning herself as her face flushed. She blamed it on the heat from the stove. She glanced down at the mixture in the pan, deeming it ready. Grabbing the measured cocoa powder from earlier, she slowly stirred it in.
"I've said too much. Grab me those bowls, won't you?"
He silently obeyed her request, and handed several bowls to her. "So, you're into bad guys."
"He is kind of a bad guy, I guess." She admitted.
"You're gonna give Aether a burst blood vessel. I can't wait to see it." Childe didn't say anything more after that, prepping the silicone molds and ingredients for decoration later.
She poured in some honey, watching carefully so the chocolate doesn't burn. Periodically, she would pour some of the mixture out into a bowl and then continue adding more sweetness before repeating the procedure. Once she was satisfied with the varying levels of sweetness, she turned off the stove.
She handed him a bowl of melted chocolate, instructing him to pour it into a mold while she grabbed some chopped almonds to mix into one of the bowls. Next, she melted some white chocolate in the microwave, pouring it in the mold with the dark chocolate to create a swirl of flavour.
"Are you gonna give all of this to him?" Childe mused, looking down at the amount of chocolates that would come out.
"Not all of it. Just the ones that taste the best. I don't know which flavors are gonna be good so I was going to experiment today." Lumine explained without looking up from her work. She sprinkled dried fruit on top of a couple slots, switching up the ingredients once in a while. Childe watched her frown in concentration, a twisting feeling forming in his stomach the more he thought about it.
"He's one lucky guy. Do I know him?" He probed.
"Um yeah, you know him. I guess you can say that you're pretty close."
Childe furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. There weren't many people he would consider close. He could count on one hand the number of people he was close with, but none of them really seemed to fit her description of the guy.
They placed the molds in the fridge after allowing it to cool, now they just had to wait for it to set.
Lumine set a timer for 15 minutes and began to clean up with Childe, the two of them working quietly. It felt strangely domestic, she thought. Shrugging off her apron, she hooked it back onto the wall where she found it.
Taking a seat, she waited for Childe while he put away the last of the tools.
"...Are you gonna give anything to someone tomorrow?" Lumine asked shyly.
He shrugged. "Who am I gonna give it to?"
She felt a little disappointed but relieved at the same time. "Oh, I don't know. You have a crowd of girls surrounding you all the time." She said bitterly.
"Oh? Is that jealousy I hear?" He perked up at her tone.
"Hah! In your dreams, as if I would be. I was just curious, that's all." She tried to sound uninterested, scrolling through her phone mindlessly. "Hey, I just realized. What are you doing here anyways? Don't you have to go home?"
"Hm? Changing the subject are we?" He teased. "Aether told me what happened so I figured I'd keep you company. A pretty girl like you shouldn't be out so late."
Lumine frowned. So he had only come because her brother had asked him? "Oh. Well I can take care of myself you know. Might I remind you I can easily beat you in a spar?"
"Of course. But we fought without any underhanded tricks. You don't know what can happen out there." He grumbled.
"Awww, is someone worried about me? Thanks Childe, you're so sweet." She smiled softly at him and ruffled his hair. He ducked his head, bringing a hand up to push her hand away.
"Just looking out for a friend."
A friend. She supposed that was good enough for now. Tomorrow, it would change in her favour, hopefully.
The timer on her phone alerted them that it was time to check in the chocolates. Childe followed her to the fridge and together they pulled out the molds onto a nearby counter.
"They look okay." She gave an experimental poke and felt the smooth surface under her finger. "I think they're ready!" She exclaimed excitedly, popping the chocolates out one by one.
"They might look good, but do they taste good?" Childe chuckled.
"That's for you to find out Mr. Taste-tester. Try each flavour and tell me which one you think tastes the best."
He observed the variety of chocolates in front of him. There were probably around 10 different flavors, each row had 4 of the same kind.
"Let's start off simple yeah?" He picked up a plain piece of dark chocolate, handing one to her as well.
Popping it in his mouth, he was hit with a smooth wave of bitterness that melted in his mouth. "Damn, that's bitter." He didn't mind dark chocolate, enjoyed it even. But even this was too strong for his standards.
Lumine agreed, her face contorted into a grimace. "Yuck! I think I should've put more honey in this mixture. I should feed these to Aether hahaha!"
"Do it. Make sure to take a picture of his face and send it to me."
"I will." Her eyes twinkled with excitement. They spent the rest of the time eating the different flavours of chocolate they made and ranked the best ones.
"I really liked the peppermint one! I think the bitterness of the dark chocolate compliments the minty freshness." Lumine decides after pondering over her options.
"Hmm, I think I like this one the most." He points at the bar with crushed peanuts, seeds, sea salt, and rose petals. "The crunchiness and hint of salt makes it stand out. Plus the presentation looks nice and colourful."
"Ah, that one was really good too! I think they were all pretty delicious. Except for the first row of plain dark chocolate! That was probably the first patch I poured out."
"I'd say you did a pretty good job ojou-chan. I'm sure he'll like it either way."
"I hope so." Lumine took out some containers to store the chocolates in. "Pick 5 of the ones you liked the most. I-I need a guy's opinion you know?!" Lumine blurted out.
"Why don't you just give him one of each?"
"Isn't that too much? I think 5 is a good number."
"...You just want to eat them yourself don't you?"
"...Maybe."
The two of them burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs and struggling to catch their breaths.
"What would your crush say, knowing you're such a glutton?" Childe poked her stomach which caused her to squirm away with a squeal.
"Can you blame me? They're just too good to give up." She whined, closing the lid and grabbing her bag.
"I didn't think you had it in ya. You did well." He ruffled her hair, following her out to the hall.
"You think so low of my cooking skills?"
"Well, last time you made some suspicious mora meat."
"!" Lumine flushed at the memory of the abomination she had created. "I- I thought you forgot about that! Also, for your information, it was my first time making it."
"Sure, whatever floats your boat."
The sky was darkening and the temperature had dropped when they exited the school building.
Lampposts sputtered to life, lighting the way down the street. The two of them walked side-by-side, hands in their pockets to shield them from the chilly air.
"Aether should be home by now…" Lumine muttered to herself as she pulled her coat closer to her.
A warm fabric dropped around her neck and she grasped it in surprise.
"You need to wear warmer clothes ojou-chan. Who's gonna keep me in check if you get sick hm?" Childe wrapped his signature red scarf around her, cocooning her in his scent. It smelt like a warm campfire, and she couldn't help but pull it closer to her nose.
"Well I didn't think I would have been out for this long...thanks Childe."
He gave a gentle smile that he rarely made when others were around. She liked to think that it was reserved for her.
Lumine felt his coat brush against hers and she became aware of the fact that they had somehow walked closer together than before. The scarf was able to hide her blush that was forming in her cheeks.
"We're here." He announced suddenly. Lumine looked up and realized they were already in front of her home.
"Ah. That was fast! Do you want to come in and warm up a bit before you go? Aether will be happy to see you too." She turned to him, a hand on her door and waited for his response.
A flicker of hesitation passed by his face, but stepped back a few steps, turning to go. "Nah, I gotta head home otherwise Teucer's gonna be on my case." He laughed. "Thanks for the offer though. Tell Aether I said hi."
"Okay. See you tomorrow! And thanks for everything today!" She called after him. He simply raised a hand and she headed inside. The warm heat of her home enveloped her and she could hear sounds of a TV show playing in the background.
It wasn't until she got her shoes off that she realized she still had his scarf. When she ran back out, he was already gone. She sighed, waddling back in.
"Lumine! You're finally home. How were the chocolates? Childe walked you home right- Oh." Aether appeared from the living room, stopping himself short when he saw the scarf around her.
"Uh- it was cold so-!" Lumine tried to explain but trailed off when she saw his deadpan look.
"Lumine, you're so obvious." Her brother smirked and sank back into the couch to resume his TV show.
"I don't have feelings for Childe!" She squeaked, following him into the living room.
"Okay. I didn't ask." He raised a brow, eyes focused on the screen in front of him.
Lumine huffed, plopping down on the seat beside him. "What am I gonna do…"
"You made the chocolates for him, right? Just give him the chocolates. As his friend, I'm telling you it'll be okay. You're literally the only girl he hangs out with regularly and doesn't hate."
"You don't know that." She took out the containers and placed them on the table in front of them before she clutched her bag closer to her. "Besides, he helped me make the chocolates too! He said there was no one he wanted to give chocolate to and he wasn't interested in anyone."
"He said that?" Aether scoffed. "Did he really say that or did you just assume?"
Lumine shrinked back. "Well…"
"Uh huh, that's what I thought. Tomorrow's the day Lumine! You've liked him for a while yeah? I don't exactly like the fact that my baby sister will get taken away but if it's Childe...well he's not bad I suppose."
"He has the Aether approval?" Lumine glanced at him with a mix of surprise and hope.
"I thought you said you didn't have feelings for him~?" He joked, catching a pillow that was thrown at him with a laugh.
"Grr. Fine, I do!" Lumine hid her face with the pillow she threw at him. "What if he rejects me? Then our friendship is gonna be ruined…"
"I'll beat him up for making you cry and leading you on then." Aether reassured her, rubbing her back soothingly. "Besides, he gave you his favourite scarf. You must mean something to him!"
Lumine slowly lifted her head up, the scarf felt soft under her fingers. "I don't want to have expectations."
"Whatever happens, happens."
She nodded and offered a small smile. "Thanks Aether, you always know what to say."
He ruffled her hair, then directed his attention to the containers. "Now, let's see what you made!" He flipped open the lid and popped the first piece he saw into his mouth.
She knew immediately which one he had eaten when he grimaced hard and shuddered. "Oooo, I was gonna warn you that two of them were super bitter."
"A little earlier would've been nice…"
"I should put these in the fridge so they don't melt tomorrow. Want another? These ones are pretty good." She pointed at some other flavours in the container.
"Heh, you know me so well." He grabbed the peppermint one to ease the bitterness of the prior one. "Mmm, much better."
She closed the lids and gathered them up to store into the fridge. She would have to wake up a little earlier to bag them in a nice wrapper.
Although she was a little disappointed that the surprise was ruined, at least she was able to see which flavours he enjoyed the most. She was also grateful for his company, it would've taken a lot longer if he wasn't there to help.
Lumine sighed, tugging off the scarf and coat as she face-planted onto her bed. She curled up in a ball, hugging the scarf close to her to stare at the fabric. It was comforting. Before she knew it, she drifted off into a sweet slumber, dreaming about a certain redhead.
-
She woke up to a banging on her door.
"Lumine! Wake up or you're going to be late!" Her brother shouted from the other side. She heard his footsteps fade as he went down the stairs and the slam of the front door.
She grumbled sleepily. What time was it?
Blindly reaching for her phone, she finally found it under her pillow. Her eyes snapped open and she flew out of bed when she read the time. 7:30?!
She cursed at herself for falling asleep without setting her alarm last night. She only had 30 minutes before her class would start!
"I'm gonna kill Aether for not waking me up earlier!"
So much for getting up early.
Lumine realized with horror that she was still in yesterday's clothes, uniform wrinkled and hair a mess. She internally screamed and quickly stripped to don a fresh set of clothes.
"Fuck my life. Why now of all times!!!" The last time she slept in was years ago. How could she make such a blunder on the day she was going to confess no less?
After freshening up in the washroom, she grabbed her chocolates, stuffing the best ones carefully in a clear bag before trying it up with a pastel blue and yellow ribbon. It was a little crude, but it would suffice for now. She could fix it later. She grabbed an ice pack and placed the chocolates together in her lunch bag to keep them from melting.
Lumine stole a glance at the clock. 7:47 am.
The school wasn't too far from here. If she ran, she would still make it in time. Breakfast would have to be skipped. She grabbed her lunch and hazardly shoved it into her bag, stumbling to the front door to get her shoes on.
She gave herself a once over, mentally checking off the things she needed to bring. Bag? Check. Lunch? Check. Chocolates? Check. Phone? Got it. Keys? Yep. Appearance? Presentable.
She locked the door behind her, sprinting down the street towards school.
Lumine might've shoved past a few people in her way, but she had a place to be so it was too bad. They were in her way.
Skidding around the corner, the school was in view and she rejoiced. She would make it!
With a minute left to spare, she managed to barge into her classroom before the teacher arrived.
"You look like shit." Childe snickered as soon as she sat down at her desk, removing his bag that he put on top to save it.
She spun around in her chair, glaring at him while struggling to catch her breath. "Gee, thanks. I didn't know."
"It's not like you. Rolled out of the wrong side of bed today?"
"I only woke up 30 minutes ago. I'm gonna kill Aether!" She slammed a fist onto Childe's desk and he watched in amusement.
"My, pushing the responsibility to your brother? I didn't know Lumine couldn't get up by herself."
She gawked at him in offense. "Excuse me, I'll have you know it's been years since I've slept in like this. In my defense, I fell asleep right away and forgot to set my alarm."
"Is that so?" He drawled. Something in him shifted once something dawned on him, and she could tell his mood dropped. "Well, today is Valentine's Day. Wouldn't wanna be late on the day you confess right? Good thing you made it in time ojou-chan! Good luck."
"Don't smile if you're gonna fake it. I thought we were past that stage." Lumine pouted at the smile plastered on his face. It dropped right away after she spoke, replaced with something colder.
"Hmm, maybe you thought wrong." He rested a cheek on his hand with a bored gaze, drumming his fingers on the desk.
"Geez, what's wrong with you today?" She frowned at his hostility, turning around to face the front now that the teacher was here.
Great, how am I supposed to confess if he's upset?!
He didn't pester her with random pokes and jabs today like he usually did. Lumine found herself kinda disappointed, even though she found them annoying most of the time.
She spun around to talk to him once class was over, but he was already out halfway out the door when she did.
Lumine blinked. Did she do something wrong? He usually waited for her so they could walk to the next class together.
Maybe it was a good thing. She could use this time to prepare her confession and fix up the presentation of her chocolate. Giving it at lunchtime wouldn't be a good idea, other girls would most likely swarm him with chocolates and confessions. It would have to be after-school. They usually walked home together until they had to go in separate directions anyways.
Lumine realized she forgot to bring Childe's scarf with her. Maybe that was why he was so mopey. Duh. It would be a perfect opportunity to confess too.
She decided to send a quick text to him.
Lumine (8:52 am): Wait for me after-school today!! I need to return your scarf, I left it at home lol.
His reply came a few minutes later.
Childe (8:56 am): It's okay, you can return it tomorrow.
She frowned at his response. Her excuse was no longer viable.
Lumine (8:57 am): Are you busy? I can run home quick for lunch and grab it. It won't take long!
Childe (8:57 am): ok
Well, that was something at least. Not one to be discouraged by such things, she gathered her stuff and headed to her next class. Hopefully Childe saved her spot.
She passed by many couples in the hall, a few of them in the middle of confessions. Flowers, letters and chocolates were exchanged. Some even brought giant teddy bears for their significant others. Lumine could never do that in public, she had to give props to whoever planned grand spectacles in the open like that.
I wonder if Childe would do that… for a moment, she imagined him boldly showing her off as his girlfriend. He loved attention, lived off of it in fact. She shook her head to clear the thought away. He would probably do that, no question about it.
She headed into her class, scanning the room for Childe. He was sitting beside Zhongli, engaged in conversation while they waited for class to start. The seat beside him was empty and she made a beeline towards it. However, some nameless girl beat her to it when she was mere steps away, trying to get his attention. Childe glanced at the girl uninterestedly for a second, and she thought he would tell her that the seat was taken. She was slightly hurt when he simply turned back to face Zhongli.
Amber eyes slid to her. "Hello Lumine, how are you today?"
"Hi Zhongli. I kinda had a rough morning, but I'm okay. Hope you're doing well?" She smiled, walking up to their desks.
"I am, thank you for asking." Zhongli politely nodded, frowning at the lack of open seats around them. "It seems there are no more seats. Apologies for not saving a seat for you, it was a mistake on my part."
"Ah! It's okay, I'll just sit over there." She pointed to the other side of the room, glancing at Childe who was playing on his phone. "I'll see you guys later." She awkwardly shuffled away, discouraged by the lack of response from the ginger.
"Hi Kaeya, is this spot open?" She inquired, gesturing at the seat beside the flirtatious man. She had no problem with him, they were friends actually, but sometimes his behaviour made him too pushy for comfort. Especially during class. Alas, it was one of the few seats left, so she had no choice.
"Lumine! It's been a while, sit." He pulled the chair out for her and waved her over. She took a seat and opened her bag to search for her notebook. Kaeya took a peek in her bag, spotting the wrapped chocolates sticking out.
"Oh? Are you giving chocolates to someone or did you receive that?" He smirked, snatching it out and whistling at the effort put in to make them.
"Stop, give that back Kaeya!" She exclaimed, reaching for him. He only moved it out further, a sadistic glint forming in his eyes. Suddenly, a hand grabbed it from him and they both looked up.
"Ara. What do we have here?" Lisa looked at the chocolates in her hands. "Kaeya, might I remind you that this is no way to act in front of a lady such as Lumine? You could have accidentally messed up the gift." She scolded, handing it back to Lumine with a smile.
She held it in relief, storing it back in the safety of her bag. "Thank you Lisa! Kaeya, you're so mean." She pouted. He laughed loudly, tossing his head back and bringing his arms up around his chair casually.
"Sorry, sorry. I just wanted some fun, that's all." He grinned as Lisa took her seat behind them "Who's it for?" Her two classmates leaned in to hear her answer curiously.
Blushing at suddenly being put on the spot, her eyes flickered to Childe across from her, only to see that he was already staring at her. Lumine whipped her head back towards her friends. "Um! No one!"
Kaeya glanced at the direction she looked at and he gave her the widest grin that could only mean trouble. " Oh. I see now. Finally gonna do it?"
Lisa giggled at the blonde's reaction. "My baby Lumine is all grown up! When are you giving it?"
"Lisa, not you too! We're the same age, who are you calling baby?!" Lumine whined. "...I'mgivingitafterschool."
"Oh ho, good luck!" Kaeya patted her back just as the teacher walked in and ordered the class to settle down.
"Good morning class. I'm sure you all know what day it is, might I remind you that today is still a school day and I expect all of you to pay attention. Before we start the lesson today, the Teyvat Event Committee will be distributing flowers purchased by your secret admirer!"
On cue, the door opened again and Amber along with a few others walked in, carrying baskets of flowers.
The class burst into cheers, excitement rising to see who got what and making guesses.
Lumine used to be given quite a few, but ever since her brother had been fending off interested boys more aggressively and she had been hanging out with Childe, her admirers had chosen to watch from a distance. She supposed Aether and Childe were too intimidating to cross. She didn't mind, and although she was grateful for the flowers, it was less embarrassing since the attention wouldn't be on her.
That's why she was surprised when Amber stopped in front of her first and offered her a whole bouquet of lilies. The whole class erupted with hoots and "ooo's".
Lumine stared at the flowers in front of her, wondering who had gifted it to her considering people usually only bought a single flower, not a whole bouquet. She looked around for a tag or card but found none. "I-Is there a message or something from this person?"
Amber shook her head. "Actually, we only received their order through a letter with their payment so we're not sure. But we also have a few others for you…" She reached in the basket and gave her a single cecilia, followed by windwheel asters and glaze lilies. "These are from separate people."
Kaeya elbowed her sides teasingly. "Looks like Lumine's still got game! Maybe we'll see a fight for her love?"
Lumine ducked her head, her heart racing at the amount of flowers that were given to her. Who was it? No, who were they?
"I-It might not mean anything ahaha...you know how some people gift it to their friends and all!" She tried to reason, latching onto a tag from the windwheel asters. "See! This one's from Venti. A beautiful flower for a beautiful girl, ehe! - Wait no!"
Kaeya searched the other flowers for any other tags. Only the cecilia and lilies had no name. The glaze lily was sent by Zhongli, who apparently sent it out of pity as he thought she would not receive any this year due to her brother. Of course he would, she facepalmed.
"Well maybe these," Kaeya gestured to the single flowers, "but definitely not this ." The bouquet of lilies must've cost a lot.
"That stupid bard with his jokes…" Lumine held a fist up, internally crying at how she just made things worse.
"Seems like you have a lot of admirers, Miss Lumine." The teacher said in amusement. While others had also received flowers, nobody in the room had gotten as much as she did.
She simply gave a tight smile before shrinking in her seat. How was she going to carry all these flowers for the rest of the day?
Then she remembered she had to head home to grab Childe's scarf. She could drop it off then. She sighed, taking a peek in his direction but he was only focused on the teacher. Guess she really did have to wait until after school to give it to him.
Lunchtime came by in a blink of an eye, and she hurriedly ran down the stairs to head home.
"Lumine."
She turned around. "Albedo? Ah, sorry I'm kind of in a rush but did you need something?"
"I apologize for taking up your time, but I wanted to discuss something with you." He shifted his weight side to side while observing her flowers bundled in her arms.
"Oh, if it's quick!" She followed him to a more secluded area and they stood, facing each other.
"I take it you received the flowers?" He smiled gently once he saw the cecilias peeking out from under the bouquet.
Lumine looked at him in surprise. "Ah, it was you who sent one?" Did he send the lilies?
"Indeed. I thought that cecilias would suit you. I hope you like them," He cleared his throat, "Forgive me, but I wanted to let you know that I believe I am developing some feelings towards you and I would appreciate it if you gave me a chance."
She felt a blush forming at his confession. Albedo was kind, they were similar in some ways, so it was comfortable being in his presence.
Gripping the hem of her shirt, she replied, "Albedo...thank you, but I like someone else."
He looked disappointed, but accepted her rejection and stepped back. "Of course, I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable."
"You didn't, it's okay! I really appreciated it." She smiled bashfully, tucking her hair behind her ear. Although she held no feelings towards Albedo, being confessed to was still a heart-racing moment and she felt giddy.
"I believe you had somewhere to be? Don't let me hold you up." He tilted his head at her and her eyes widened.
"Ah! That's right, sorry Albedo, see you later!" With that, she rushed towards the double doors down the hall. She happened to pass by Aether, who gawked at the flowers overflowing in her arms.
"Lumine?!"
Oops, he wasn't supposed to see that. Not that she could've kept it from him, but he was definitely going to be giving suspicious glares at any guy that came close to her today.
"Sorry Aether, gotta go!" She shouted as she exited the building, the rush of cold air blowing her hair astray. Although lunchtime was about 40 minutes long, she didn't want to waste time. She was hungry!
Jabbing her keys into her lock, she pushed the door open and sighed. Dropping off the flowers on her desk, she picked up the scarf from her bed. She glanced at it bitterly, what was up with Childe today? He was acting like a grumpy old man. Maybe he was mad that he didn't receive as much love confessions and gifts as last year? But he wasn't the type to care about those kinds of things in the first place.
Lumine sighed once more, wishing he could just tell her what was wrong.
She went downstairs, heating up her lunch in the kitchen. Might as well eat here.
She texted Childe to let him know she would be eating at home today so she couldn't join him for lunch.
He read it but didn't reply. She knew him well enough to tell that he was definitely sulking. As for why, she had no idea but she intended to find out.
Lumine waited by Childe's locker after school, sending a text to let him know she was here. 10 minutes passed. 30. By now, the halls were clear, only a few stragglers such as herself were still at school.
She texted him again.
Lumine (3:32 pm): where are you???
Childe (3:34 pm): sorry, something came up.
What the fuck.
She was gonna tear her hair out and shove it down his throat. Why did she like this buffoon again?
Aether could tell she wasn't in a good mood when she stomped up the stairs and slammed her door.
"What happened?" He asked worriedly outside her door.
"I couldn't even give it to him. He's been avoiding me the whole day, what's wrong with him?!" She yelled in her pillow.
She imagined her pillow as Childe and began to take her frustration out on it, punching it in rapid strikes. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.
"I'll talk to him." Aether said firmly, pulling out his phone.
"Don't! He'll know what you're trying to do. Just- I'll take care of it tomorrow." Lumine sighed, hugging the pillow tightly as she fell back onto her bed.
"...Okay. Let me know if you want me to give him a piece of my mind."
Lumine resolved to make him talk to her no matter what. He was stubborn, but she was even more stubborn .
As she laid there in bed that night, tossing and turning, she cursed him for keeping her up. She faced the desk where she had placed the flowers, lost in her thoughts. Whoever had gifted her the lilies meant to make a statement. There weren't many people she could list who was bold enough to draw that much attention and be able to afford the cost. She squashed the hopeful feeling in her chest. No expectations, remember?
Eventually, she felt frustrated enough to rip the covers off of her, tugging her coat on and grabbing the scarf with the chocolates. Clearly she wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon. She might as well be productive and get to the bottom of this. She glanced at the clock, although it was this late at night (or should she say morning?), she knew Childe was probably still up at this hour. He was a complete night-owl.
She silently made her way down the stairs, careful not to make any sounds lest Aether wake up and grill her on where she was going so late at night, especially if she was going to see a guy.
Her boots crunched beneath the snow as she made her way towards the direction of Childe's house. There was no way he could avoid her if she came directly to him like this. He lived a bit far from her, but she didn't mind the walk. It gave her time to think.
Her palms started to sweat by the time his house was within viewing distance. She wanted to turn around. She wanted to run. But her legs refused to move, and she remained rooted in place while she stared at his window, the lights still on like she expected. She shivered, realizing that she was still basically in her pajamas save for the coat she threw on.
All this for some stupid chocolates. This better be worth it. She thought bitterly.
Lumine (2:17am): Come outside.
She watched as his shadow appeared at the window, curtains shoved aside to look outside. They made eye contact. The curtains were released and she leaned against the brick wall of his gate, waiting for him to come down.
The gates creaked open as Childe swung them open, out of breath and his clothes haphazardly thrown on.
"Lumine?! What are you doing here so late, is everything okay?" He assessed her state and pulled her through the gates frantically. "Gods, look at you, you're freezing."
This was the part where she was supposed to demand that he explain his behaviour today and ream him out with some choice words.
But she simply tugged her arm away from him and shoved the scarf along with the bag of chocolates they made together at his chest. He stumbled back in surprise, holding the objects with a dumbfounded expression.
With a sudden urge to cry, she spun around without looking at him and left wordlessly. Out of all the scenarios she imagined, this was not how she imagined it would go.
"Wait, Lumine!" He called after her.
Feeling hot tears spill down her cheeks, she started running down the streets and wiped them away harshly.
She heard a pair of footsteps chase her and she sharply turned a corner, not wanting to see him in this state. But he knew this neighbourhood better than her, and before she knew it, he had caught up to her by taking a shortcut. They collided with each other, and Childe forced her to face him.
The cold air made it hurt to breathe, and she struggled against his hold. "Let me go!" Her voice echoed loudly through the quiet night.
"Stay still, Lumine! What's gotten into you?" He gasped, embracing her tightly. She gripped the front of his coat, whether to bring him closer or push him away, she didn't know. A sob escaped her.
"Me? What's gotten into you?! You ignored me the whole day and acted like such an asshole! Let go of me! " She swiped at his feet, bringing him off-balance and she intended to run when he fell. Unfortunately, she miscalculated and he ended up landing on top of her. The snow cushioned their fall in the middle of the street, but she was practically squashed beneath him.
He pushed himself up and supported himself with his elbows, hovering over her. Her eyes glistened with tears, and she turned her face away. The scarf and chocolates were discarded onto the snowy ground beside them.
"I saw you with Albedo earlier." He began, "How come you didn't give him the chocolates?"
She scoffed, "Are you kidding me? It wasn't even for him."
Childe furrowed his brows. "Didn't you like him? He confessed to you too. I mean, Albedo and I are not exactly close but-"
"It was you."
"-I don't see how the description fits him- Wait, what?"
The snow pricked at her neck and it was rapidly numbing her skin, but she honestly couldn't care.
"It was meant for you." She repeated, letting the words process in his head. She saw the gears turn in his head before he jumped off of her in disbelief, sitting in the snow.
"I don't understand."
"God, what is there not to understand? I like you! " She yelled while sitting up. This was too embarrassing, she hoped the residents in this area wouldn't be woken up by her exclamation. But her job here was done. The weight of not being able to confess lifted off of her, and she felt herself relax slightly.
She pushed herself up, intending to run away from the boy who made her heart race. But he shot up and grabbed her arm, pulling her back against his chest. His forehead came down to rest on her shoulder, and she froze.
"...Do you mean it?" He murmured.
"Do you think I would say that kind of thing for fun at 2 in the morning ?"
"Say it again."
"I like you, Childe." Lumine said tiredly. She deflated against him, leaning back fully and letting him support her weight.
Lumine felt his head lift up and she turned her neck to look at him, their noses brushing past each other from their proximity.
She leaned back in surprise but he gave chase, capturing her lips with his.
"!" She shut her eyes at the unfamiliar sensation. His lips were soft, and the warmth that came from him was more than she expected. Their kiss was awkward. Inexperience clearly showing as their teeth clashed while they tried to find the proper flow, but they worked together until they got it right.
The couple broke apart for air for a second before Childe dove back in for more.
"C-Childe…" Lumine gasped.
He pulled back to look into her eyes. "I'm an idiot." He blurted out suddenly. She blinked. Then, she was giggling.
"You realize that now? "
Childe pouted. "Hey! I'm not always an idiot."
She stared at him.
"Okay, maybe I am…" He sighed. "But I'm your idiot now."
"Stop, that's so cliche!" She laughed, lightly pushing him away.
He bent down to grab the scarf and the bag of chocolates, dusting off the snow from both of them.
"Seriously though, I was jealous over nothing. I'm sorry. I was being a jerk and taking my anger out on you unfairly. I just couldn't stand the thought of you confessing to another guy and...and-"
She shushed him by placing a finger on his lips. "I'm still mad at you for that. But, I'm glad you realize what you did was wrong." She said gently, removing her finger. "Were you the one who sent me the lilies?"
He broke out in a huge grin, puffing out his chest with pride. "Of course!"
Lumine rolled her eyes. "Always seeking attention, you silly goose. What happened to 'I'm not giving something to anyone!'"
He scratched the back of his nape. "Well, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I said I got you flowers…"
"Thank you though, they were really pretty."
She went up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek.
He pulled her in for another kiss without warning, cutting off her squeal. "Let me walk you home. I can't believe you came all the way here at this time of day."
Childe frowned at her attire, pants now slightly damp from the melted snow. He draped the scarf over her, pulling her hood up and moved her forward with him pressed behind her back for warmth.
"I couldn't sleep." She grumbled, waddling along with him. It was difficult to walk in this state, but she couldn't bring herself to remove herself from his grasp. She snuggled closer to him, her legs were freezing, no doubt a recipe for catching a cold. "It's your fault!"
"Sorry, sorry." He eyed the bag of chocolates in his hand. "Can I eat it now?"
"Well technically you already did. But go ahead."
He pulled the ribbons loose, plopping one in his mouth. "These are really good by the way. You did great!" He gave a thumbs up.
"You can't just eat in front of me without offering me one." She whined, reaching for the bag. He pulled it out of reach with a mischievous grin.
"Nuh uh. These are mine now! Besides, you have extra at home."
"That's too far. Sharing is caring?" She fluttered her lashes at him, trying one more time to get him to cave.
He made a show of pondering about it before he declined. "Nope."
"Fine." She crossed her arms and continued their walk.
To her surprise, Childe twirled her around and parted her mouth with his tongue, slipping a piece of chocolate in. The sugary sweet melted between their tongues as they fought for ownership of the piece. Eventually it dissolved, and they parted, a string of saliva connecting their lips.
Lumine hid her face behind her hands. "Childe, you- That's not fair!"
"You said you wanted chocolate, so I gave it to you." He said innocently.
She couldn't stop smiling, he was so infuriating!
"...Was it too much? I won't do it again." Childe frowned when he saw that she was still covering her face without saying anything.
"-ain."
"What?"
"...Again." She repeated louder this time.
"..."
Lumine parted her fingers over her eyes to take a peek at his reaction. Only this time he was the one flustered. Her fingers closed back up.
"Never mind!" She squeaked. How could she say something like that!
But then she heard the crinkle of the wrapper, and her hands were being pulled away from her face. He bent down with the chocolate in between his teeth and nudged it past her lips, their noses bumping against each other gently.
Lumine shut her eyes tightly, the chocolate tasted sweeter than when they tried it yesterday. She felt like her heart was going to explode and lost herself in the taste. Of the chocolate. Of him.
She wasn't sure how long they stood there together, but by the time they came to their senses, the bag had become empty and snow started to fall heavily.
They panted heavily, refusing to look at each other as they blushed.
"S-Should we go?" Lumine asked.
"Y-Yeah."
They shook off the accumulating snow on their heads and then continued down the path holding hands.
Abruptly, Childe stopped in his tracks and caused Lumine to stare at him in confusion.
"I just realized I didn't close the gates."
He was in such a rush to run after her that he just bolted out. Anybody could sneak into his household and rob them blind since he also didn't lock the door.
"Go ahead. I can head back myself, I know family comes first!" Lumine smiled, pushing him back towards his house.
Childe protested, "I can't leave you to walk home alone at this hour during this heavy snowfall."
"What do you want me to do then?" Lumine placed her hands on her hips with a withering stare.
He considered his options, glancing up at the sky. The snow didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon and they still had quite a distance to go. Her attire wouldn't keep her warm enough at this rate judging by the slight shivering she tried to hide. "...We can stay at my place?"
"Eh? Is that a good idea...your parents or siblings might see us." She blushed.
"Everyone's still asleep, they won't even know you're here." He blinked.
"Yeah, but they might get the wrong idea if they walk in-"
"It's not like it's your first time coming to my house…? What are you thinking about, Lumine?"
"Anyone would think like that if they see me in your room at this time!"
"My room?! God Lumine, we were just gonna sit in my living room. I wasn't planning on doing anything weird!" He choked, covering his face while trying his best not to fantasize certain scenarios.
"Oh." Lumine quietly said, embarrassed at her hasty conclusions. Fuckkkkkkk.
They refused to look at each other on the way back, too flustered to say anything, but still held hands.
The storm ended up getting worse by the time they reached his house. Shuffling inside, they sighed in relief at the comfort of the heat. Shaking off the snow from their clothes, they hung their coats up on the rack to let them dry.
"T-Take a seat okay? I'll get us some warm tea." Childe gestured towards the couch and escaped into the kitchen before she could say anything.
Feeling a bit awkward, she gingerly sat down, listening to the sounds of ceramic clink and the boil of water. The open space was dimly lit, everywhere else was dark save for the lights on upstairs from his room.
She kept the scarf around her neck. Snow particles were stuck onto it, rapidly melting now that they were inside and she brushed them off as best as she could. This was Childe's precious scarf after all.
The boy himself reappeared with a tray of steaming cups, which were promptly set down on the table in front of them. Lumine thanked him and cupped it in her hands.
"Ahh that's a lot better." She sighed in content.
"Let me get some blankets for us."
"It's okay! I'll warm up soon enough."
"Please Lumine, you're shivering."
Lumine looked down at herself in surprise. Her body was shivering, but she couldn't really tell with how numb her limbs felt. "Oh. I guess I am."
Childe joined her on the couch once he got some blankets and together they buried themselves in it until only their faces showed.
"You good now?" He asked beside her. He looked like an egg, it was strangely adorable.
"Dunno, can't really feel my legs." She admitted. The material of her pajama pants were thin, and having rolled around in the snow didn't help.
He sighed, shuffling closer to her. "Hmm, this won't do. Come here." He beckoned her into his lap.
As he sat behind her, she greedily seeked his warmth and snuggled against him. "Hehe, we look so silly right now."
He chuckled, and she could hear his chest rumble from the sound. He was about to respond but was interrupted by a voice quietly calling out to him.
"Big brother?" Teucer rubbed his eyes, leaning against the wall behind them sleepily. "What are you doing?"
Lumine shrunk down, completely covering herself so Teucer wouldn't see her.
Childe held her closer and adjusted their position slightly to block Teucer's view. He craned his neck towards his little brother and gave a nervous laugh. "Nothing Teuce, just uh- couldn't sleep so I figured a new surrounding would help! Go back to bed, why are you up?"
He stepped a bit closer, eyeing the lump of blankets on Childe. "I heard someone talking with you. Is someone here?"
"Nope! Who would be here at this hour- I'm just talking to myself. Better hurry along, or Mr. Cyclops won't visit your dreams!" Childe tensed as Teucer came directly behind the couch. Luckily, his view was blocked by the back of the couch due to his short height, so only everything above Childe's shoulder was seen.
"Mr. Cyclops! You're right, good night brother!" With that, the younger siblings raced back to his room.
Lumine poked her head up moments later. "...Is he gone?" She whispered.
"Yeah."
The two sagged in relief before turning to look at each other.
"Sorry for the trouble…I hope the storm stops soon." Lumine sighed.
"Nah, you're fine." He reassured her with a smile. "But the snow doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. It'll be a while."
She frowned, "What should we do?"
"We could watch a movie to pass the time?" Childe suggests, pulling out his phone and his earbuds.
"Sure."
She wasn't sure when or how they fell asleep but they were shaken awake by his mother in the morning.
Childe woke up first, grumbling at the disturbance. It wasn't until he heard a giggle, that his eyes shot open, and he jerked forward from his seat. His actions startled Lumine, who had her head rested on his shoulder.
Their blankets fell down onto the ground.
Lumine groggily looked up. "What time is-" she gasped at the sight of his mother standing in front of them.
"Childe~ What is the meaning of this?" His mother smiled menacingly.
"I can explain…"
She turned to Lumine and grasped her hands.
"Please take good care of my son Lumine. I don't need to remind you that you're still the only girl he brought home~" She winked, relishing in the girl's flustered reaction. "Join us for breakfast since you're already here. Come!"
Childe's mother skittered away and they were left alone.
"Shit, Aether is gonna kill me isn't he?"
Lumine paled, grabbing for her phone to see that she had a dozen missed calls from her brother.
"We're both dead."