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"Girlie… won't you ever tell me the secret behind your baby face?" Childe laughs, before coughing. It had been twenty years since his ginger hair lost its shine. Once a fatui harbinger, he was now just a normal old man. Age had caught up to him, and there was nothing he could do about it. He missed the thrill of fighting. He missed being on the edge of the battlefield, not knowing if it would be his last. He loved strong opponents, but he found the strongest opponent of all.
Time.
And it was an opponent he could not beat.
But, he didn't understand one thing. His wife, Lumine, stayed the same despite the years they've spent together. It would be a lie if Childe said he wasn't jealous. She remained young and healthy, unaffected by the passage of time. She was able to go out everyday, fighting monsters and humans alike. She never complained about her joints aching, nor did she have to worry about losing her hearing.
"I guess it's just in my genes." She smiles, ignoring the real reason why he asked that question. Despite her mission in this world ending decades ago, she didn't move on. And it was all for him. She was a secretive woman, never divulging many details about her life before Teyvat. After losing her twin, she found it hard to talk about her own home. Childe would periodically ask questions pertaining to her biology and her life before, but he rarely found answers. After numerous failures, Lumine still never budged on the topic.
Childe doesn't push it and leans back in his wheelchair. There was no point in prying for more details. His beloved would only open up about her past when she wanted to.
Lumine pushes the wheelchair to his desk.
Since Childe could no longer fight, he picked up other hobbies. His fingers trace the outline of a new toy he was working on. Lumine actually gave him the inspiration. The few times she did talk about her homeland, it was small insignificant details. But they were interesting stories, so Childe didn't mind. She described them as mecha . Childe was around forty-five when they discussed this, but the memory remained vivid in his mind. He could hardly believe the age of swords and polearms were gone, and that more people relied on firearms. He didn't quite know what a gun was either, but Lumine compared it to a bow and arrow. He wonders if he could have mastered using a gun like he did with the bow. But the concept of a mecha was more intriguing to him. He imagined it as the equivalent of any human being able to use his Delusion form. The idea of having that many strong opponents in the world excited him.
He remembers how Lumine used to call herself a traveler. He wondered the amount of worlds she had seen, the different lifestyles everyone had.
"You know, I probably would have become a toy maker if I never fell into the Abyss." Childe reminiscences about his childhood. As an older brother of a big family, they had little money for toys. He often found himself attempting to make toys for Teucer and his other siblings. He could have lived a more peaceful life, free of his blood lust. But... it would be a life where he would have never met Lumine. And a life without fighting or Lumine didn't sound too appealing to Childe.
Lumine picks up the robot toy. At first, Childe's toys were uneven and seemed as if they were painted by a child. But as he lost his youth, he found more time to make toys. Now, he was becoming a master of it. "Your painting has gotten a little better." Lumine smiles. It really did look close to the real thing.
"Only a little?" Childe frowned. He thought he had improved greatly.
"Yeah. You took so long to master the bow, so I think you have a few more decades until you master making toys." Lumine ruffles his hair, before placing the toy back on the desk.
"A few more decades…" Childe trails off. He didn't know how long he had left. He was never scared of dying on the battlefield, but dying to an invisible opponent made him feel uneasy. But what scared him the most was the idea of Lumine no longer being by his side. She had little attachment left to this world, and he wouldn't blame her if she wanted to move on. Childe was never a religious man, but he did wonder what would happen when he finally died. Would his soul join the Gods, or would it simply cease to exist? Or maybe it would reincarnate. He liked the idea of reincarnation. Perhaps he could see Lumine again.
Lumine flicks his forehead. "Stop worrying over useless things." He turns his head back to look up at Lumine. Her golden hair was tied up in a bun, and she had a mischievous smile.
"Did you forget what time it is?" Lumine asks, as if she knew something he didn't…
Until Childe finally remembers.
"That medicine is so bitter… can't I skip it for a day?" He groans, but Lumine only shakes her head. Despite being an old man, he had the taste buds of a child.
"You're like a child sometimes..." Lumine pouts, and Childe sighs. He hates the medicine, but since Lumine was insisting on it...
"Fine, fine. I'll take it, so stop frowning girlie." Childe grins. He thought it was cute when she pouted. It was like teasing a kid, but Childe knew in reality, he was the kid compared to Lumine. He didn't know her exact age, but he felt she was much older, perhaps as old as the gods. But that wouldn't stop him from calling her 'girlie'.
Lumine crouches down to plant a kiss on his cheek. "As a reward, for taking your medicine." Childe blushes, and thinks perhaps taking the medicine isn't too bad.
"Maybe I should do this more often." Childe chuckles.
In moments like these, they really did feel like a normal couple. In moments like these, they can pretend they're like any other pair of natural sweethearts. In moments like these, they almost forget they were once enemies on the battlefield. They had spent decades together, and knew each other by heart.
Childe thought Lumine ignored his age, ignored the fact death was around the corner for him, but in reality she knew. She thought about it constantly. But she didn't want to waste any time worrying. She wanted to spend every moment like it was their last, she wanted their time together to be the fullest. So she pretends she doesn't hear, she pretends she doesn't know his curiosity, and ignores the concept of time.
It was easier that way. It was easier to pretend that they were the same age, that one of them wasn't in declining health, that they were going to be together forever. If it made it easier for him, she didn't mind. It was her mistake to fall in love with someone with such a short lifespan. But she would do it again for him. Even if it meant being alone in the end, she would smile. He shouldn't have to waste his last years worrying about his age, or worrying about her. As long as he remained happy, as long as he remained healthy, the solitude that followed after doesn't matter.
She will always bear her burdens alone. As long as it meant if she could be by his side, for just another day.