Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Friday afternoon, a time to relax after all the taxing lessons, but not for Lumine. No, she has been sitting in her office since lectures were over, giving love advice to numerous visitors despite having never experienced love herself.

‘Ironic, I know.’ Lumine thought to herself.

Questioning the sanity of her situation while waiting for the next appointment, Lumine briefly reviewed the contents from the meeting she had with Lisa earlier this week.

The aftermath of the Windblume festival on Mondstatd University Campus led to copious amounts of love problems. Students, desperate to amend relationships, or advance further, decided that instead of studying, they should put countless anonymous requests to any ‘Have a Suggestion?’ box around campus, or alternatively, send similar requests to the University intranet page.

In turn, professors, along with the management teams, sent multiple complaints to the Acting Dean, Jean -A.D. Jean for short; everyone agrees that Acting Dean Jean sounds ridiculous- who had her hands full with actually important business. Stressed with her work, A.D. Jean sent out a request in pursuit for the help of another member of staff.

Hearing the words ‘help with teenage love problems’ had put many off, but not the heroine. Enter the saviour, the brave heroine: Lisa, oh, kind gentle lady, had readily taken it upon herself to help A.D. Jean out with this burden.

Instead of disciplining the troublemakers, she sought out for a Love Counsellor. According to Lisa, Professor Kaeya was first assumed into this position, but nobody had booked an appointment. Then Lisa, who after conducting several surveys, judged that the suitable candidate to be the Love Counsellor had to be a trustworthy female of the same age as the campus students. As a result, Lumine was appointed as the ‘Love Counsellor’.

In all honesty, Lumine was absolutely bewildered at the turn of events, especially Lisa’s questionable hand in the interference.

Speaking of Lisa, that she-devil of a librarian had used underhanded tactics to 'persuade' Lumine, leaving her with no choice but to accept her Love Counsellor ‘preposition’. As her superior, Lisa could not force anything upon her without consent, but Lumine never expected her to use such a dirty trick.

In her thoughtless outrage, Lumine made a mental note to never talk to Lisa ever again.

After everything was agreed upon in their meeting, they had an old storage room in the library cleared out, turning it into a makeshift office for Lumine’s love counselling.

The information laid out in her mind had been distorted with frequent revisits, all coupled with a sprinkle of spite, insanity, and even a little excitement. Sitting in her excitingly brand-spanking-new office, she laid her head on the desk, mindlessly clicking through tabs on the monitor.

Sighing to herself, she came to a conclusion.

‘This place is weird. wHY is everything so weird? Ugh, is it too late to question that now when I’m in my third year? No? Good. Thank you for listening to my TEDtalk.’

Another voice in her mind piped up.

‘You’re weird.’

After a delay, her original voice countered.

‘Shut up.’

‘But you are, ya little hypocrite.’

‘Go away, don’t point out the truth, let me be anGRy.’

‘Hah, so even you admit it.’

‘Tsk, I told you to sh-’

Lumine’s head snapped up. Her internal monolog- no, conversation, was cut short by a light knock on the door.

Stiffening up, Lumine mustered her courage and called out: “Come in.”

Lumine became restless in her chair, a stark contrast to her previous blank look when she was preoccupied with mental gymnastics against herself. Trying her best to appear composed, she straightened up, just as the next person walked through the door.

Her eyes laid on the person in front of her.

Amber.

Yes, it was Amber, the very same Amber who Lumine hopelessly pined for.

In Lumine’s first year, and Amber’s second, she had found herself lost, separated from both Aether and Paimon, and somehow in the gallery.

Even through texting, they could not easily find one another; the maps were confusing, and vague descriptions along with unclear directions from others led to an entirely different location.

It was a recurring event during her first year, but on this particular occasion, Amber, wearing an eager grin, seemingly approached the damsel in distress.

At first, Lumine, having spotted the advancement of an overly keen, outgoing person, pulled out her phone in an attempt to appear busy.

‘Please just move along. I’m not lost, I’ve only been walking around aimlessly because I, uh, need to pee.’

Lumine racked her brains, ‘No, she won’t buy it, there’s literally a big ass toilet sign right there. No.. gotta think of a better excuse.’

Before she could formulate a better explanation, a voice rang out.

“Hey Timaeus, how was the test…”

To Lumine’s relief, and strangely, a tinge of disappointment, the girl wasn’t going to talk to her.

‘There are plenty of students who wander around, I guess, plus it’s none of her business to care about how I’m doing…’ Lumine reasoned with herself to stop the rush of red overtaking her face.

Looking up, Lumine’s eyes were magnetised to the girl. She seemed to be lean, and was tall in height, assisted by the added length of her headband. They were the most striking aspect, a crimson headband atop her head in the distinct shape of bunny ears.

‘Bunny girl, that’s what I’ll call her.’

A cascade of brown hair flowed down, reaching her midriff. Her face, currently plastered with a dazzling smile, was encircled by shorter hair, highlighting her almond-shaped face and soft jawline.

The girl, having felt the intense stare from Lumine behind Timaeus, shifted her gaze and met Lumine’s eyes. Before Lumine could break away, her eyes were enraptured by her hazel eyes, enveloping her in a welcoming warmth. Lumine froze, but the bunny girl shot her a slight, yet confident smile.

Unable to react in time, Bunny girl had already concentrated back on the people around her when Lumine put her hand up to wave at her.

Bunny girl’s banter and laughter rang throughout the building, resonating with her heart.

Lumine came to a resolution.

‘I have fifteen minutes before my lecture starts, and there is no way I am going to miss it because I am too anxious to be chill.’

Captivated by the girl’s confidence, and her radiance, Lumine made up her mind and worked up her courage to ask the girl for help. It was unusual for her to step out of her comfort zone, but this time she had been inspired to be more bold, and was determined to see it through.

-- 

Faced with a stuttering Lumine, Bunny girl simply smiled- which lit a small, unknowing flame inside of Lumine- and walked her to her lecture hall. On the way, Amber gave a brief tour of the campus, and conversed lightly with Lumine.

Looking back, it would have been a smart decision to pay more attention to the surroundings so she wouldn’t get lost again, Lumine reflected, but she was just so absorbed by Amber’s brilliance, that she couldn’t think ahead at the time.

Through small talk, they discovered their shared interest in volleyball, and Amber, being an avid member of the Volleyball Club, eagerly persuaded her to join, offering her an exclusive bonus of non-existent unlimited free food, a stress-free life and some unicorns.

“Okay,” Amber said with a laugh, “I’ll admit that the last one was weird.”

“Y-yeah it was, but I like weird.” Lumine chuckled, trying to reflect the same confidence externally.

Internally, she screamed.

‘That was such a weird thing to say!’

With an amused grin, Amber stopped in front of the door to the lecture hall.

“Well, here’s your stop, m’lady.” Amber said with a little bow.

“Thank you, really, thanks a lot Amber.”

“No worries,” Amber glances at her wrist watch, “but it seems like I need to get going too! So I’ll see you… maybe sometime again?”

Having already encountered similar one-time-off chance meetings, Lumine wasn’t as hopeful as the brunette, but nevertheless tried to respond with a degree of the same enthusiasm.

“Yeah, maybe… well, I guess bye for now then," Lumine cringed internally, "you should also probably hurry.”

“Yeah okay! See you around!” Amber took off into the direction they came from, waving back at Lumine before turning around to avoid the other students piling into the building for their lecture.

Throughout the professor’s rambling, Amber lingered on her mind, and tried as she might have, Lumine just couldn’t concentrate on the lecture, especially not when she could think about Amber instead.

Later in the semester, when revisiting her notes for an upcoming test, she scowled at herself for the incoherent sentences written on that day.

-- 

Fast forwarding to the new year, when clubs and associations put up posters and held a special demo afternoon to entice the first years into signing up, Lumine, with the lousy 'advice' of Amber, decided to join the Volleyball club.

At the very first meet of the year, she saw Amber, who sent a small wave in her direction when their eyes met. Thus through the Volleyball Club, Lumine was able to get a lot closer to Amber.

In contrast to Lumine’s first impression of Amber in the library, she was much more like the benevolent sunlight than a blazing bonfire. Amber was courageous, but gentle; strong, but open-minded, and reliable as well as responsible, traits which Lumine had sought comfort from for more times than she could count.

Of course, Amber had her own flaws: she was clumsy, sometimes too loud and her middle name was burnt steak. With a straightforward demeanor, she would sometimes come off as being brash, or insensitive, but Lumine liked her nonetheless, after all, they were best friends.

At the beginning of Lumine’s second year, out of seemingly nowhere, Amber suggested acquainting Lumine with her dorm mates Barbara, Noelle and their other close friend, Bennet. They had already met a few times before, but not officially; their only encounters were short and brief, swept up in the back of Lumine’s mind, preoccupied with the time spent with Amber. Oh, and of course her studies.

Lumine, when she was first introduced to Amber’s group, was rather timid; in her mind, she felt she could easily be rejected by them if she wasn’t as confident or as bright as Amber. So mustering up her image of ‘cool Lumine’, she engaged with them with the intent to impress.

To Amber, Lumine felt janky, and it was clear that her odd mannerisms were affecting her attitude to the conversations. Multiple times, she zoned out and acted out of character, cracking inappropriate jokes out of nowhere. Having noticed the abnormal behaviour, Amber pulled her aside to ‘go to the toilet’.

“What’s wrong Lumine?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“You seemed a bit… different? Dratz, I shouldn’t have put you in a situation you couldn’t refuse, I’m so so-”

“No! That’s not it!” Lumine shrank back from her outburst, “ ...I just, I was scared that, that they feel like I’m too different, or in the way, or something…”

The mood was brought down by a wave of dense air, filling Lumine’s mind with self-doubts and deprecation. Amber, having noted the despaired expression, puffed herself up.

“Hey! You may be an outsider for now, but have more faith. If not in yourself or in them, then at least in me!”

Amber cupped Lumine’s face in both of her hands, causing her to jump at the sudden action.

“I promise you, I would never do something to you that makes you insecure, got it? They’re my friends, and you are too,” A pause, “so I guarantee you that you’ll have a much better time being yourself rather than trying to fit in.”

Jammed in Lumine’s throat were the words she wanted to respond with, held down by uncertainty.

There was another pause as Amber desperately tried to convey the meaning of her words through her eyes, following Lumine’s darting gaze, until they focused on hers. Moments passed looking deep into Lumine’s eyes, and Amber squished her hands against Lumine’s cheeks while blowing raspberries to diffuse the tension.

Laughing together, Lumine relaxed and spoke up.

“Thank you Amber, but you shouldn’t spoil me so much…” Amber looked quizzical, and Lumine took advantage of the moment to slip out of her vice grip and continue.

“But thank you, for your words of encouragement. I think…" Lumine trailed off, searching for her words, "I think I’ll…I’ll believe in the you that believes in me.”

“Ewwww, cringe!” Amber said jokingly, “Das cringe!”

“We were having such a nice moment Amber…”

“Heh heh.” Amber pulled a face at Lumine, eliciting a chuckle from her lips.

“Anyways, we should head back now. You coming Lumine?”

The blonde hesitated, ducking her head to the side with a look of indecision.

“Y-” Amber reached out first, but was interrupted with a wobbling, yet confident beam blooming on Lumine’s face.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

With each new interaction around Amber’s friends, she became more confident in herself. She was very grateful that despite being solely Amber's friend in the beginning, Bennett, Barbara and Noelle accepted Lumine with open arms. Even though Lumine had gotten close to all three in different ways, Amber was still the unbeatable number one in her heart.

Ever since Lumine's second year, she started hanging out with Amber and her friends more and more, leaving behind Aether and his group of misfits. They were nice, and they were most interesting to keep company, especially Amy and her best friend Oscar, but Amber’s group had eventually won her over.

It was no surprise, seeing how she grew very close to Amber.

The separation left Lumine a bit sad, and she was sure Aether was too, even if he wasn’t willing to admit it, but the one who suffered the most from the split-up was Paimon, who was the twin’s closest friend. When the twins had split into two different groups, Paimon was faced with a dilemma: Aether or Lumine.

Naturally, Paimon being Paimon, decided to side with either, and created a designated fortnight schedule to ensure time spent with both twins was equal, down to the very last second. As none of the three lived in the University dorms, they still had some time during some weekends to maintain their comedic threeway dynamic.

-- 

Midway through her third year, Amber and Lumine were close enough that even Lumine would admit that Amber was one of her best friends when asked. They were inseparable, even when they weren't physically next to each other.

When they couldn’t meet up, they relied on a digital form of communication to keep up to date with one another.

Immeasurable amounts of nights were spent texting and calling between the two, and Lumine would always stay up late with Amber, even when it had left her weighed down with sleep in the early mornings.

Sometime down the line, It became a habit to text each other ‘Goodnight’ and wake up to a ‘Good morning’ from Amber, who always woke up earlier for her morning jog.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Lumine wasn’t sure when it began, but Amber started to shamelessly flirt with her through her texts, slipping in affectionate, but soppy nicknames here and there, while using emojis that could be interpreted as a flirting attempt.

So Lumine, who was unsure of how to respond at first, went along with it.

Amber: Good morning babe ;)

Lumine: Gd morning?

A: i see someone just woke up
A: why the question mrk?

L: …
L: Why babe?

A: why not? ;)

L: uHj, Amb you know I hate it when you say that

A: lovey ou too *kissy emoji*
A: love you*

Lumine, who was still lying down, groggy with sleep, shot up at Amber’s ‘confession’ of love.She knew text-flirting was common between friends as a joke, but for some reason, Lumine wasn’t able to bring herself to this conclusion. A part of her felt disappointed if it was the case.

L: Wait till you see my half dead face when I wake up

A: still cute

L: Then you won’t be saying the same thing anymore
L: nUH uh, you haven't seen it, so you can’t say anything

A: sure cutie

L: Cutie?

A: yeh
A: you’re my cutie pie

The nickname produced an involuntary blush to rise on Lumine’s cheeks. It wasn’t fair how Amber could be so bold without feeling an ounce of Lumine’s embarrassment.

‘It’s time to fight fire with fire.’ Lumine resolved.

Her thumbs hovered over the keys momentarily, before tapping out her retaliation.

L: But you're cuter, so you should be my cutie pie

A: aww, but I wanna be your hun bun

L: Hun bun?
L: Bread?
L: Braed is cute I suppose

A: 'laughing emojis'
A: it's short for Honey Bunny you dork

L: Oh. Bread is still cute though
L: And tbh hun bun is really cute, like you
L: So I dub thee my hun bun from now on

A: !! 'Blushing emoji'
A: my cutie pie *kissy emoji*

L: My hun bun <3

Bennett: you guys do realise this is the group chat right???
Ben: right????????

Barbara: I don’t think they do Benny

Noelle: I don’t think they do Bennett

Ben: how do you even mistake the group chat for your dms
Ben: and so damn early in the morning…

N: 6am isn’t that early

Bar: Yeah Benny

A: Yeah Benny

L: Yeah Benny

Ben: uggghhhh, stop ganging up on me
Ben: and you two lovebirds
Ben: Go, begone

N: Your sappy asses can get outta here
N: But it was very cute tho

Bar: ^

Ben: go makeout somewhere else

Bar: I think I’d like to see that

N: OMG BARBS NO

Ben: wtf

A: we’re going, dont needja guys interferrin anyway

L: haha, sorry guys *the one where the dude’s smiling with a single drop of sweat face*

Even though it became a routine, every time Amber texted a flirtatious message to her, it sent a shot of burning elation through Lumine’s body, and made her want to bury her face in a pillow to scream in jubilation.

But the playfulness didn’t stop there.

Lately, Amber and Lumine have been sharing prolonged eye contact on many occasions, and they also became more physically expressive with one another. Lumine knew their friendship wasn’t too different from before, yet somehow, everything had felt more… intimate.

Once, when they were close enough, Amber trailed her index finger lightly down Lumine’s arm, and then looked up with a sly smile hanging off her lips, and a knowing look in her eyes. Entranced, Lumine steadily returns her burning gaze with the same vigour.

“Phoo,” Paimon fans herself with her hand dramatically, “can anyone else feel the sexual tension, or is it just me?”

Paimon called out.

“Paimon, they were going to kiss!” Barbara exclaimed in a hushed tone.

Bennett and Noelle nodded enthusiastically, making the two very flushed and aware of their friends.

They were at Lumine’s house that afternoon to play the new ‘Just Dance’ on the Switch. At first they kept to a rotation of players so the six of them could all play with the joy cons, but when it was Lumine’s turn to sit out, she felt the dip in the sofa as Amber plonked herself down next to her with a smile. Unknowingly, in the span of the next song, they had cosied up to one another.

And upon the realisation of their close proximity under their friends’ watchful eyes after Paimon’s exclamation, they disentangled their limbs and settled into their respective spaces on the sofa.

Countless nights, she had hoped that it wasn’t just her who felt the attraction, because, Archons, it was embarrassing to admit, but all of it had left her feeling hot with shame and desire. It became apparent, especially during nights when her desires became too hard to suppress, and she was left in the dark with only her wildest imaginable fantasies, and a very aroused body.

The incident that afternoon had left Lumine with a swell of hopefulness, an answer to her wishes, compelling her to spill her words of affection right then and there on the sofa for the brunette. But she held her tongue; there was a certain time and place for confessions, and it certainly wasn’t when she was playing ‘Just Dance’ with her friends, wearing mismatched socks, with ‘Baby Shark‘ playing in the background while Bennett and Noelle were moving jerkily in front of them.

Despite how Lumine felt about ‘places and timings’, she couldn't wait until the next in-person meeting to confess her feelings. She wasn’t even sure if she could speak out if Amber was right in front of her.

So Lumine waited until their nightly texting routine to subtly lay the groundwork for her confession.

L: Can I call you tonight?

A: yeh sure
A: whats up? you don’t usually call unless something’s come up

Okay, it was somewhat subtle.

Instead of answering, Lumine pressed the call button. Merely seconds passed before Amber picked up.

“I just wanted to hear your voice.” Lumine started.

Amber chuckled triumphantly.

“Who wouldn’t.”

At first they were talking leisurely with each other, sharing their weekly stories and disclosing the silliest memories of their past. With every passing minute, courage built up inside of her, so when they were sitting in a comfortable silence, Lumine decided to ask.

“Amber.”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve been flirting with me a lot these days, are you interested in me?

A pause. Though it had lasted very shortly, anxiety ate away at Lumine, devouring the very confidence she gathered up in the past few hours. She waited with bated breath.

“Um, not really. Anyways…”

She later laughed it off as a joke, but to Lumine’s chagrin, Amber seemed completely disinterested, not even willing to further expand on the subject. Disheartened, she didn’t probe any further nor made another attempt to bring up the topic again during the rest of their call.

Honestly, Lumine was content enough to just be best friends with Amber, but no matter how many times she told herself that, she couldn’t help the surge of tears that burst out that night.

Although things have stayed the same since that call, Lumine, who was the very embodiment of a heartbroken maiden, would every so often avoid Amber’s longing gaze.

Chapter Text

The front desk of the library was occupied by a bored-looking Amber. Propping her head up with her arm, she stared into dead space with a blank expression, sighing heavily for the hundredth time that hour.

“Amber sweetie, don’t tell me you’re slacking off right now?” Lisa ‘s muffled voice called out from the back office.

“No I’m not.” Amber grumbled 

Behind her, the door clicked open, and a certain lazy ass sauntered out of her ‘office’ (bedroom).

“Sweetie, I know you’re waiting for your cutie pie to show up so you can ogle at her for the next hour, but she’s taken up another job, so she won’t be helping out in the library for a while.”

Amber turned to Lisa with a slight frown.

“What? When was this? And how do you know?”

Amber faced an inner turmoil. Her own confidence has been waning for the last few days, and the new information only weighed her down further.

Seeing the dejected look on Amber’s face, Lisa opted for a buoyant tone.

 “She’s a love counsellor now.”

Lifting her head up, Amber’s face morphed into one of disbelief, which then cracked into an involuntary smile.

“Pfffft,” Amber stifled her chortle, “A what now?”

Trying to contain herself, she collapsed onto the desk in a shaking fit of muffled laughter. A moment passed before Amber looked up, wiping a tear away. She continued.

“Tell me you’re kidding.”

“Nope. Even with my magnitude of wisdom, I would not be able to come up with such a poor excuse of a story.”

“Okay,” Amber nodded slowly, dragging out the word, “Then… Love Counsellor?

Lisa chuckled. She proceeded to bend down next to the monitor, typing into the intranet search engine. With a few clicks, she navigated into a bright pink website. Amber winced at the sickeningly mushy theme: love hearts and doves and cupid . 

“You can book an appointment with your cutie for this afternoon if you hurry.” 

“Uh… That’s a horrible idea.”

Eyes still on the screen, Lisa gasped lightly, “Oh dear, it seems like she won't be available until this Friday now.”

“What? Are you serious?”

Amber hurried over next to Lisa, slightly nudging her out of the way to peer at the screen.

“Oh, you didn’t know? Lumine is a very popular girl, of course she is almost fully booked. I mean, if I was a suitor , I would most definitely book a twenty-minute private session behind locked doors and sound-proof wa-”

“Okay, enough. I know what you’re trying to do, Lisa, and.... it’s working, so you don’t need to say anymore.”

Dramatically hiding her shocked expression behind her hand, Lisa gasped.

“Oh my! Amber, you naughty girl, it seems like you also want to book a private sessi- ”

“Shut up Lisa.”

Seeing the bashful pout on her face, Lisa chuckled and reached out a hand to ruffle Amber’s curls. 

Reluctantly, Amber entered her details into the website, booking for the last available slot for that Friday.

“You better give me a full report of what happens, every last juicy-.”

“Lisa!”

-- 

Here she was, just in time for her appointment with the Love Counsellor. 

Amber sat down in the chair with a neutral posture, one not too overly comfortable nor professional. It had been days since her eyes were able to fully examine Lumine without her turning away. 

Maybe if she had just said something instead of panicking and brushing her off, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out like this.

Upon closer inspection, though Lumine maintained steady eye contact with her, it was obvious to Amber that she was a nervous wreck. It was a feeling that Amber could also relate to at this very moment.

Breaking contact, Lumine coughed into her hand.

“So,” Lumine extended the syllable, “Amber. What love problem has been eating at your heart?”

“...”

Amber sat in silence, held down by the tension. How was going to explain herself? Where should she even start? At the beginning? What even is the beginning? And how would Lumine feel? Gosh, what if it turns into a mess?

Then it occured to Amber. 

Just start with the simplest point. The most straightforward and honest fact: the root of her recent anxieties, and a problem only the Love Counsellor can solve. 

Amber stood up from her chair, arms slamming down onto the surface. An action so unexpecting of Amber that Lumine flinched. With her arms supporting the weight of her upper body, Amber leaned over the desk while staring intensely into Lumine’s eyes.

“I like you, Lumine.” She declared.

-- 

At first, Amber thought of Lumine as nothing more than an average friend. 

However, through the frequent meets of the Volleyball Club, Amber and Lumine had become close friends. Amber’s previous partner had left, so she paired up with Lumine when they warmed up and needed to do certain drills. Some evenings, they would even stay after club activities to focus on honing their skills, or, when left alone, just play about for as long as they could, sweating and laughing while competing in the most ridiculous challenges. 

Other evenings, when they were free of academic burdens, they would enjoy a dinner of store- bought sandwiches before having a stroll around the campus. It was so eerily peaceful when enshrouded in the darkness, there was an undeniable layer of danger which had made the blonde especially uneasy.  

In those moments, Lumine would grasp onto Amber’s hand dearly, sighing in relief from the warmth of another person. And despite these past experiences, Lumine would still gladly accompany Amber on these strolls no matter how many times Amber asked “You sure?”.

After their nightly stroll, Amber would let Lumine crash in her dorm room. Conveniently, one of the double bunk beds was empty as its owner had left last year to move in with her family, so Lumine would sleep in the bed below Amber’s.

The starting week of the winter semester of Amber’s fourth year, she brought Lumine to her dorm room to stay for the month for their training period before the volleyball competitions. They weren’t part of the official university team, but competitions weren’t limited to just the professionals.  

Even though it wasn’t the first time Amber slept in the same room as Lumine, she felt restless. 

As time progressed, Amber had found herself more and more drawn to Lumine, her little hand gestures when she spoke, the expressions that flickered through one conversation, and especially her eyes, the colour of clear honey. Looking into them always brought about a sweet warmth.

The sweet-natured Lumine, who Amber had first thought to be boring, surprised her with how unexpecting she was. Lumine was delicate, but that wasn't an excuse to undermine her. Truthfully, she was a strong and fierce person who held an unwavering determination. Lumine excelled in most things she did, but not because of pure talent; when faced with a difficult task, she never gave in, giving it her all with her best effort.

And to add to that, she was an amazing cook.

Impressive as she was, Amber had often found comfort in Lumine's 'delicate side', her open mindedness and playfulness felt like a breath of fresh air from her own stress, no matter how long their time together.

But it wasn’t just Lumine’s personality that drew her in.

Earlier one night, when Lumine was changing into her pyjamas, Amber could only gulp as her eyes leered at her figure, the lightly toned arms, and her bare back. She couldn’t deny the heat that rushed to her cheeks when she thought of holding the half-naked Lumine from behind while inhaling her vanilla scent.  But her libido didn’t just stop there.

Out of nowhere, a predatorial-like possession overcame Amber. She wanted nothing more than to strip the girl fully naked and pin her down on the bed, doing Archons-know-what . 

Taking in deep breaths, she tried to calm her thoughts down, but it didn’t help that Amber could see the peaks of the perky tips of Lumine's breasts through the fabric of her clothes. 

'Shit, stop being such a pervert!' Amber scolded herself.

With such shameful thoughts running through her head, it was undeniable to her in that instant that she liked Lumine, and not just as a friend.

-- 

“Um,” Lumine’s frowned slightly, “I like you too Amber.”

No, it seems the message wasn’t conveyed correctly. Of course they liked each other, that’s why they are friends, but-

“I… I meant as in.. I meant…” Amber stumbled over her words, lowering her head as the initial impulse washed away to reveal a more bashful side.

Lumine stood up slowly, drawing Amber’s attention by placing a hand on her arm.

“Do you…” Lumine spoke tentatively, “Do you mean that you like me as more than a friend?”

“Yes.” An instant reply. Amber lifted up her head and stared into Lumine’s eyes, searching for the slightest sign of rejection.

She was taken back when Lumine lightly tapped her nose with a smile.

“I… like you too.” Lumine muttered in a hush tone.

Elation bubbled through Amber, but it all came crashing down when she saw Lumine’s frown.

"But what you said before… I dunno, I’m really confused here.”

“Uh-” 

“You flirted with me, but you were leading me on! You said you weren’t interested, ” Lumine waved about, “but now you’re confessing to me?” She shook her head slightly with a distressed expression, “What is it that you want?”

“I…” Amber looked into her eyes, “I want you, Lumine.”

“But-”

“What I said before… I panicked. I mean, it was fairly obvious what you were trying to do when you asked me if I was interested,” Lumine shot up straight, blood rushing to her face, “and, well what I’m trying to say is that you caught me off-guard, so I just said no, but I lied, I didn’t mean to, I just kinda panicked, and well…” Amber trailed off in her ramble as she leaned away, flailing her arms.

Dread silenced the room as Lumine made her way around the desk.

“I believed you back then.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Amber lowered her head.

“You made me sad.”

“...I’m really sorry.

“I cried.”

“Lumine… I’m so so sorry about what I said, it was stupid, and I should’ve cleared it up much earlier, so I’m really sorry.”

“Then you’ll have to make it up to me.”

Amber nodded, abashed.

“A date. You owe me a date.”

“Huh?” Amber lifted her head up. Even though Lumine’s voice projected confidence, a creeping blush coloured her cheeks readily.

“Tomorrow, let’s meet at Good Hunter’s, just the two of us...” Lumine’s voice faltered.

It wasn’t unusual for the two of them to hang out alone, but something about the way Lumine phrased her request, how her hands fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and adorned a bashfulness expression …

“Okay, it’s a promise.”

Looking down, Lumine hummed in response, too embarrassed to meet Amber’s eyes.

Closing the distance between them, Amber wrapped her arms around Lumine, and nuzzled her neck, sniffing in her vanilla scent. Burying her burning face into Amber’s shoulder and hugged her back.

Before long, Amber reluctantly pulled away, holding Lumine at arm’s length with an endearing look in her eyes.

“Thank you. I’m so happy I could kiss you.”

A pause as the realisation sunk in.

“Er, whu, I, eh…” Spluttering nonsense, Amber held her hands to her face, covering the darkening red hues.

“Then why don’t you?” Lumine asked.

It was a rhetorical question, a challenge, a command, and she accepted. Amber gulped, a dizzying buzz clouding her mind. How long she has looked forward to taking her pink, supple lips. 

Gradually, they leaned in and their lips connected. Lumine’s lips were soft against hers, with a faint sweet taste of chocolate. To Amber’s disappointment, they pulled away before she could fully savour her lips.

Hunger washed over Lumine’s eyes, and Amber bit her lips.

“Again.” Lumine demanded.

They leaned back in, sharing another brief kiss.

“Again.” Lumine whispered, her breath brushing against Amber’s cheek.

Before Lumine could pull away, Amber opened her mouth, deepening the kiss.

“...mmgh…” Lumine moaned, spurring Amber to drive up the intensity of the kiss. Clumsily, Amber pushed Lumine against the wall without disconnecting the kiss, her knee sliding up between Lumine’s legs, eliciting another moan from the girl. Amber then broke off the kiss, trailing her lips along Lumine’s jawline down to the neck, then licked and sucked on the skin where her jaw met her neck..

“ St-stop… Amber… mmh…” Arousal had completely washed over Amber’s mind, overtaking her body. No longer in control, Amber drowned in Lumine’s heat, fueled on by her whimpers of pleasure.

“Amber!” Snapped out of her trance, Amber looked at Lumine. Her face was fully flushed, her hair was disheveled. Amber was certain that Lumine’s state was a reflection of her own.

Having finally caught Amber’s attention, Lumine cleared her throat and looked down. Amber’s eyes followed her lead and she jumped back from Lumine at her realisation. One of her hands had snaked up Lumine’s shirt, fingertips brushing against the clips of her bra, while the other hand hovered above the waistband of her jeans.

“I, er!” Amber stammered.

“Let’s… save this for another day okay?” Lumine said shyly.

Flustered, Amber could only nod in response.

They stood in their places, unsure of what to do.

“Well…” Lumine started, breaking the tension. Stepping away from the wall and brushing off her clothes, she clapped her hands together.

“Anyways! Your appointment has ended,” Lumine checked the clock on the wall and winced, “thirteen minutes ago.”

The blush which had just settled down reappeared once again on Amber’s face in a full-bloomed fashion.

“It’s fine, it’s the last appointment of today anyways.”

“Today? Wait, how long are you doing this for?”

A sly grin spread across Lumine’s face.

“Why, do you miss gawking at me in the library?” 

“...Of course I do.”

A light blush sprinkled across Lumine’s face.

“Well,” Lumine dragged out the word, “According to Lisa, I’ll have to do this for another month or so.”

Amber groaned in response, then frowned at the revelation.

“Wait, Lisa? What does she have to do with this?”

Lumine looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“You don’t know? Aren’t you very close with her?”

“Yeah, but she won’t tell me anything.”

A pause.

“Oh, well,” Lumine swayed around nervously, “Lisa offered me this position.”

“Mhmm?” Amber caught onto Lumine’s jittery movement, “and what else did she offer you?”

“Why do you say that?” An unnaturally high pitched response.

“Just spill it Lumine, I know you’re not the type to willingly be a love counsellor.”

Lumine sighed defeatedly, “Okay. So Lisa, she offered to tell me stories about you… the embarrassing ones.” Lumine muttered the last part in a rap, barely audible for Amber to hear.

“Ugh, I wish I never said anything to that hag.” Amber turned her attention back on Lumine. “And you,” Lumine squeaked, “you can hear everything straight from me, but you gotta repay me with a kiss for your betrayal, and another one just because.”

Amber held her palm out and cupped Lumine’s face, pressing her lips on hers. Already adapted to each other, they melded together, their limbs entangled.

“You can have more if you spend more time with me instead.” Amber enticed Lumine in a husky voice after they pulled away.

Lumine smiled. “As tempting as your offer is, I’m gonna have to turn you down. I promised Lisa, so you won’t be seeing me in the library these few days.” 

Amber pouted. This wasn’t how it was supposed to work. Her inviting voice and their sensual kiss should have seduced Lumine to agree to her terms. Suddenly, Amber perked up, in a moment of ingenuity, she thought of a solution.

“Actually, I just came up with an idea. I’ll book every single one of your appointments available for the next month, and then you don’t have to stay-”

Lumine laughed. “Did you get that idea from Lisa?”

“Huh?” Amber knitted her brows together.

How did Lisa become involved in this topic?

“She booked all the spare appointments for this week. I thought it was a glitch, but then Lisa said that she did it for fun or something. I dunno, but she’s being really weird these days.”

Then everything in Amber’s mind connected. Lisa had operated as the mastermind behind everything: turning Lumine into the love counsellor, starving Amber of her dose of Lumine, then pushing her to book an appointment with the fake threats. Who knows what more she did!

With a huff, Amber muttered under her breath-

“Lisa, I’m gonna kill you.”

-- 

A few weeks after the confrontation, they advanced into the next stage of their relationship with a promotion from ‘the person they liked’ to the title ‘girlfriends’. It was then that Lumine decided to introduce her new girlfriend, Amber, to Aether.

He was not surprised, afterall, this was the girl who snatched Lumine away from his group.

“I approve of you for now, but if you do anything, I’ll hurt you.”

“Aether, stop being so stupid,”

“Ugh, just let me have my moment Lumine, jeez.”

“No, and I won’t let you hurt my girlfriend,” Amber’s heart squeezed at Lumine’s declaration, ”plus, shouldn’t you concentrate more on your own little romance?”

An involuntary blush coloured his cheeks.

At some point, Aether had also fallen for someone. He has yet to tell Lumine who it is, but she had a general idea of who it could be.

“Shut up and go make out with your girlfriend somewhere.” Aether turned to Amber, “Oh, I have nothing against you, in fact, I’m grateful that you can keep that brat in check.”

“Hey!” Lumine glared at him.

“Amber, help.” Aether turned to her with a desperate plea.

“Don’t do anything, Amber.” Lumine glared at her. 

Caught in the crossfire of the siblings, she could only chuckle wryly as she scratched her head.

--

The other group of people they told about their relationship were their friends. When they announced the news to them, they were met with a barrage of questions, inappropriate questions which they did not answer.

Whenever Amber and Lumine were together, they would act mushy, giving each other small pecks and announcing their love for each other, inducing nausea in their friends. That, however, didn’t stop them from being nosy. 

Once, when Lumine pinned Amber down on her dorm bed and kissed her, preparing to go down on her, they gathered at the doorway to watch, not knowing what Lumine had planned. The duo only realised they had an audience when Barbara inched too close to them despite the whispered warnings of the others. 

From then on, they would check on their friends every so often in their paranoia when spending time alone together. Lumine especially learnt her lesson to keep the mature activities till night time.

Currently, resting in Amber’s dorm room together with Lumine, they cuddled on the bed. It was both of their last year in university, so they were fatigued from the heavy academic burden on them. Nonetheless, they still made time for one another. Sleep deprived, Lumine started to lightly nap on Amber’s laps.

Stroking her hair, Amber leaned down and pressed a kiss to her eyelid.

The future was uncertain: they both took different courses and had a different path ahead of  them, but there was one thing that Amber was sure of right now.

“I love you Lumine.”

Lumine stirred in her sleep, cracking her eyes open slightly. Her mouth widened into a smile when she looked at Amber.

“I love you too Amber.”