Chapter Text
“Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild.”
Lumine can’t help but give the receptionist a wry smile, water dripping down her body and into a small puddle at her feet. “I’ve finished my commissions for today, Katheryne.”
The receptionist responds in her usual voice, seemingly uninterested in Lumine’s unlucky circumstance, “Thank you for completing today's commissions. Here is your reward.”
As Lumine collects the rewards from the counter with a sigh, head hanging down as she wonders if today’s efforts were worth the few pieces of enhancement materials and mora. She gives the cheery receptionist her thanks before waving goodbye and heading down the stairs in the direction to leave the bustling city.
She’s deep in thought, recounting just how well her commissions had gone, especially the one with Beidou aboard her ship. Her morning had already started off on the wrong foot. As soon as she saw her list of commissions and saw that she would be traveling with Beidou for one of them, she knew she would only find trouble with the captain.
She had met with Beidou a few times before and she had no problem with her, rather Lumine actually found Beidou to be admirable—her headstrong attitude was captivating in a sense, her skills and strength more than commendable and terrifying in her eyes. Certainly, Lumine had great respect for her and her crew.
The issue had lied with exactly what she would be helping Beidou with. Beidou was strong, insanely and almost inhumanly, strong. If she needed help with something, Lumine knew that she was in for a world of hurt. And she was right.
It was by far one of her least favorite scenarios—being at sea (which she hates) and fighting on a ship, fighting even in the ocean.
And she had been knocked into the water by said ship as it thrashed wildly amongst rocky waves in disturbing weather, and to top it off while she was still in the water she had also been attacked by a few sea monsters. By the end of it all, she came out very worn out, very grouchy, and very wet . None of which were her favorite ways to be.
“Paimon never wants to do that again,” her companion sighs, her mood similar to hers. “This reminds Paimon of that one time we were caught in that bad storm, Lumine! Adeptus Xiao helped us that time, remember Lumine?”
Her squeaking shoes slow to a half, Paimon’s words causing her thoughts to shift to a time months ago where she had been caught in a storm, heavens crying rain and skies lighting up in anger as she’s caught in the downpour. She felt similar to the way she feels now, her foul mood off-putting her need to seek shelter. But he had shown up with a scowl on his face and umbrella in his hands.
“Why are you here?”
“Demons do not stop for the rain. Move.”
The sound of Paimon sneezing snaps her back to reality, her tiny companion floating around her nervously, as she rubs at her nose. “Lumine… Paimon thinks we should get dried off! You’ll catch a cold like this!”
She huffs in annoyance but cracks a teasing smile, the playback of her memory lifting her mood a bit, “Maybe if I play sick, I can miss out on Beidou’s party tonight.”
In their moment of victory, Beidou and the other members of The Crux had insisted that she and Paimon join them later tonight in celebration of their feat. Lumine, out of polite habit, had awkwardly accepted.
She brushes wet bangs out of her eyes before taking a moment to think. She had few guesses in mind as to who exactly she could turn to for help. She did want her fishy, seaweed smelling clothes thoroughly washed and dried before tonight’s events. And she craved a warm, herbal bath.
“Let’s try asking Verr Goldet for help. Wangshu Inn isn’t too far from us as it is. We can make it in an hour or so.” Lumine turns and says to her fairy companion who squeals in delight .
“I know you aren’t looking forward to the party tonight, but Paimon’s excited for all the food!”
Lumine smiles earnestly this time and lets out a laugh, “We’d better get going, then.”
It’s happenstance when she meets Xiao at the inn after finally getting herself situated.
When he suggests a match between them this afternoon, panic had set her heart racing and she had voiced some hesitation, almost even using Beidou’s invitation tonight as an excuse to regretfully decline his request.
The last time she had fought against Xiao, she took quite the beating and her body was left moderately bruised and terribly aching by the time they were done.
And though Xiao never once voiced an apology for it, he was clearly remorseful and had even gone out of his way to fetch her painkillers and salve from Bubu Pharmacy.
She never told him that the thoughtfulness he had shown then was enough to cure her painful limbs—and even her shattered pride— but she had appreciatively taken the materials with a smile, heart hammering in her chest and cheeks heating a bit when her fingers had accidentally brushed against his as she took the medicine from him. That was the first of few instances she had with him before she found herself completely smitten with him.
In the beginning, he was cold and abrupt with her, keeping his distance and telling her to use him solely as a weapon—to use him to slay and do her dirty work like the soldier he was, is . But as time went on, despite his grumbles about her keeping a distance from him (she never listened and he never meant it, anyway), they had grown close. With time she’s learned that he held a tender sort of sincerity and kindness hidden in the layers and fronts he often put up. It only captivated her more when she discovered this.
Normally, she would only be overjoyed at the thought of spending a bit of time with him since he always kept himself busy, though as much as she wished she could use this divine intervention as an excuse to miss the celebration, she also wished to keep the feeling in her limbs.
So she steels herself to politely refuse, mind made up and set to carry out her will—but the words that clumsily spill from her lips are “okay, sure” and not the iron-willed no that she was determined to say. She scolds herself, suddenly wishing she could fall into the ocean again, but Xiao’s lips curl upwards into a small smile and her heart squeezes painfully at the sight, regret suddenly flaring wildly inside of her at how she almost said no to this, to him .
He extends his hand to her, a sign of his invitation, and her eyes are drawn to the curve of his fingers and how they wait for her hand to take his.
There’s no hesitation from her this time as she eagerly slides hers into his.
“You performed well.” He remarks as they rest near the trunk and thick roots of the large tree overlooking the area.
She releases a heavy sigh, tension finally flowing out of her body with the breath—it was as if he had sensed her hesitation earlier. His movements were just agile and fluid, but his blows against her landed much softer than times before.
“Oh, please. You weren’t nearly as rough on me this time around.” She admits lamely, lips drawn into a pout.
He stands near her, his eyes focused somewhere beyond the horizon as if in deep thought before he responds, “You would rather lay crippled in bed again?”
The hairs on the back of her neck stand at the thought, the way his words exude power and promise. She swallows hard, again remembering the days she was stuck in bed after one of their fights, misery and helplessness she felt.
“No,” she whispers, shaking her head of the thoughts. “I won’t dare to complain again.”
When he hums in response, a quiet agreement from him, she can’t help the small smile that settles on her face. She would never hear the words spill from his lips, but the way his actions carried his meanings were just like him—hardly noticeable and whisper-like, akin to the wind itself.
He went easy on her because he cares, or so she deludes herself into believing.
She calls his name to bring his attention down to her and she shyly offers for him to rest on her lap, cheeks lightly dusted a shade of pink at her straightforwardness, but she hopes that it was already dark enough for him not to notice since the sun was setting behind them. There was a moment’s hesitation in his eyes before he sighed, clear evidence of his resignation before he followed suit and relaxed with her.
She almost wants to laugh as she remembers the first time she had offered her lap to him— his eyes had gone wide with disbelief, his words stammering as he called her mad, but she wouldn’t forget the way the tip of his ears had turned red and how she had found his embarrassment so funny she had erupted into a fit of laughter. She had tucked that memory in the back of her mind, fondly saving it for days where she missed him the most.
There’s a curtain of silence that falls between them, but it’s not uncomfortable. Rather, it feels pleasant, soothing even. Their gazes are cast to the field in front of them now as they watch the last few moments of the sunset, shadows quickly covering once sun-kissed lands of Nantianmen before disappearing in the moonrise only moments after.
Lumine can’t help the hitch in her breath when she feels a small thrum of energy around her, a very slight shift in the air that probably goes unnoticed to the normal senses as the flowers around them slowly begin to light up, one by one in greeting.
“It’s beautiful.” Lumine sighs, finally releasing the breath she had been holding in for what felt like an eternity. The soft golden glows from the flowers twinkle around them and the soft breeze brings them to motion as if to say hello .
“How enchanting,” she murmurs thoughtlessly, idly stroking through silky strands of inky hair that fell into her lap as Xiao rested his head on her thighs, vaguely wondering herself if she meant the view or him. “It’s so peaceful, too. I don’t want to leave.”
“You should not have agreed if you did not want to go. Beidou is not the kind to forgive so easily.” Xiao reprimands, and she responds with a groan.
“How could I say no to Beidou? ”
“You cannot say no in general.” He hissed, eyes hard on her as she winces at his words.
“Help me out?” She sighs, his words ringing honest between them and she knows better than to fight back in a losing battle. “Beidou can’t possibly say anything if she sees that I’m with you.”
“She will not harm you.”
But I want to stay with you. She bites her tongue to keep the words back, afraid of how he would respond to them. Her fingers pull out of his hair and move to smooth the crinkle in his brow, brushing over his eyes to hide the sudden vulnerability she was feeling.
“Tell me how you and the others managed to seal the dragon here?” She asks, pushing for a distraction to pass along the time.
When she hears him let out a small huff in response to her questions, she feels the corner of her lips lift at his annoyance.
“Is there nothing your mind does not wish to know?” He replies back, his voice just barely above a whisper.
Her eyes never once left his face but she’s given no choice but to meet his when he brushes her fingers away from his face, the skin he touches searing, golden eyes finally meeting his amber ones. She thought she would see evidence of his irritation but she’s surprised to find a hint of amusement glimmering in them as they lock her in place. She wonders if he’s choosing to keep up this game anyway despite his stern words.
“Well, are you even that surprised anymore?” she whispers back to him, hoping to pull more time out of him before he changes his mind.
She wonders at what point in time she started falling for him in this way. Was it as gradual and slow as it was closing the distance between them, or was it as sudden as the snap of her fingers? In between stolen glances at the other and the apparent care they had for the other, the lingering touches between them, she was curious if he'd ever possibly thought of her as something more or if she was a fool for believing there to be something out of nothing.
Xiao had narrowed his eyes at her and she feels her eyes widen a bit in turn, her breath caught in her throat for a moment—had she said the words aloud? Could he read her thoughts?
“There is not nearly enough time to talk about that,” he begins, sighing as he attempts to move out of her lap.
Her heart seizes at his response because she suddenly has enough of an idea to guess that he has to know because Xiao was anything but stupid as she was. She moves her hands down to awkwardly grasp around his chin, head leaning down over him to trap him in place.
“What do you mean by that?” she asks, a bit breathless by the proximity of their faces but desperately needing an answer. His gaze is suddenly hard on her, lips drawn into a thin line but she’s close enough to feel his even breaths fanning over her face. She’s able to smell the intoxicatingly earthy, sweet scent of qingxin mixed with the exertion of their afternoon spar on his skin and it’s almost dizzying.
He reaches a hand to the side of her head, fingers slowly shifting a strand of her hair back behind her ear and out of her face. The gentleness of it was almost overwhelming and she greatly tries to suppress a shiver from the way his fingers lightly brush against her ear.
“I mean, traveler, that you have the captain of The Alcor waiting on you, and she is not a patient woman. This tale can wait for another day. Stop stalling.”
She frowns and she releases her grip on him, back straightening as her trance is rudely broken by the reminder of her fated evening. He was a tease. He was evil and a tease.
“I’m sure she’ll understand if I show up with you, O’ Mighty and Illuminated Adeptus, sir .” She hisses the last word, unable to hide her slight frustration. He gives her a look of annoyance and she responds by childishly sticking her tongue out, tactic backfiring when he unexpectedly, and harshly, flicks her nose, a pained yelp escaping her.
He mutters under his breath as he gracefully stands, something along the lines of her lack of respect. She cradles her nose in a hand, still in slight shock and rather offended by the attack.
But all thoughts fade once he offers her a hand to help her up, and with her free hand, she accepts. Effortlessly, he pulls her up, his other hand supporting her by the small of her back, holding her closer to him than she expected, her pulse deafening in her ears. She’s held steady through the shakiness of her knees adjusting to the sudden shift in balance.
“I will escort you to the edge of the harbor.”