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Lumine popped one of the crystal shrimps that were delivered into her mouth and opened up the accompanying letter. The taste of the sea and light texture gave her a sense of nostalgia. Like the warm sunny afternoon on a quiet weekend spent relaxing by the sea.
It was Xingqiu’s birthday today and like many of her companions, he too sent her a message wishing for company on the festive day. Lumine licked her lips and decided to head to Liyue to grant that wish. It was a small request but she understood the importance of company, as well as the fulfilment it brings.
When she arrived in Liyue Harbour, the day was beginning to darken but it was still much too early for their meeting. Lumine decided to wander around to observe the bustling streets and take note of what had changed during her time away. She sat down to listen to Tea Master Liu Su for a while. Then she wandered around for some grilled tiger fish and listened to Iron Tongue Tian. As she let his words pass through her ears, a man sitting on a nearby table took notice of the golden-haired traveller.
“Excuse me,” Lumine shifted her eyes to the man, wary of him until she felt a strange sense of familiarity. “You remind me of a character I read in an article recently…” It was an abrupt conversation and Lumine knew where this was heading, judging from his comment and what she had read earlier in Xingqiu’s letter. “A golden-haired traveler with an equally golden heart.”
Lumine could only smile awkwardly as she had no clue what was being said about her. Chances were that the man approached with a commission and since she was preoccupied, she tried to get out of it. That was until she looked a bit closer at the man.
He sported navy hair and golden eyes, like someone else she came to see. Well-dressed, with a long coat made of the finest silk that did not escape her attention. That’s when it dawned on her that he appeared to be an older Xingqiu.
“…Xingqiu?!” Lumine jumped up, disturbing the other patrons. She quickly apologised and dragged the man outside. “How did you suddenly grow up so fast?” She couldn’t help but notice the gap between the young man she knew and the much more mature man standing before her. Her mouth was slightly agape but she tried to contain herself, cheeks slightly warm from embarrassment.
“Ahaha, I see you’re well acquainted with my younger brother.” The man brushed his hair back awkwardly, laughing at the traveller’s misunderstanding. “I’m Xingqiu’s older brother. I’ve heard many a tale from him about a brave traveller in these parts to father’s chagrin…” He trailed off and looked warmly at Lumine. “You’re different from how I imagined, but I’m glad you seem like a good person.”
Lumine could sense the brotherly love emanating from him. Her embarrassment was only slightly overridden by the remembrance of the bond between herself and her own brother. She wondered if this was how her brother doted on her to others when she wasn’t around, but unfortunately no one could answer that now.
She apologised for her misunderstanding but he just waved his hands like it was nothing. Clearly a type of person who would cause worry at the top of the food chain in Liyue… She started to understand Xingqiu’s worries about his future should his brother take the helm of the Feiyun Commerce Guild.
“I just wanted to see if I was right about you being the famous traveller.” He smiled and Lumine couldn’t help but be slightly enchanted. “I see why my brother was suddenly so excited about tonight. Well then I’d better be on my way.” Lumine turned around and saw an aide patiently waiting by, with a nervous expression. He must be busy, she thought.
Saying their farewells, Lumine wondered if he was the equivalent to Mondstadt’s Diluc in Liyue. Though she wasn’t sure if he had already chosen a life partner, with that background, Mora and appearance, it’d be hard to convince anyone that he wasn’t an ideal husband.
As the moon began to rise, Lumine decided to head off to meet Xingqiu. On their secret rooftop.
“Lumine!” It appeared that he was much earlier than she expected. He waved excitedly to her.
They spent a great deal of time reading her sensationalised exploits around Teyvat with Lumine offering corrections from time to time. He had brought more snacks to share and she too brought a rare book for him to peruse as a present. He was one year older, and one year closer to fully fledged adulthood.
Lumine idly wondered if Xingqiu would grow up to be as attractive as his elder brother and chuckled to herself. His existence would be like a light to moths for many women of Liyue, though she assumed he preferred his quiet reading time to romance.
“Something interesting did happen to me on my way here…” Lumine found the situation amusing and decided to tell Xingqiu. “I met your brother.”
Xingqiu scrunched up his face, not liking the direction of the conversation already. His brother was a simpleton and he had no doubt that the traveller would not harbour any amicable feelings toward him. But what followed was what surprised him the most.
“I’m sure that man has broken many hearts in Liyue.” Lumine laughed heartily.
“…Huh?” Xingqiu’s eyebrows turned downward as he got closer to Lumine. He didn’t like the way that she was smiling so much thinking about her meeting with his brother. “Could it be that he matches your standards for an ideal man?”
She stopped. The comment came out more frosty than Xingqiu realised but that wasn’t the main problem here. Lumine was puzzled by his sudden change in tone. Normally one would be happy to hear praise of a family member…or so she thought.
“W-what does that have to do with my taste in men?!” Lumine became increasingly flustered. Never had she expected this kind of talk from Xingqiu.
“Everything….” Unconvinced, Xingqiu drew closer to her. Her face was clearly heating up, though he couldn’t be sure if it was himself or the memory of her brother that caused it. Nor could he discount the fact that she clearly praised his brother’s appearance and not once! Not once! Did she compliment him, even though they look incredibly similar! Xingqiu’s chest ached dully. “Then?”
“N-nothing! I was just going to say that you both look so alike, you’ll also be a lady killer in the future!” Lumine tried to push Xingqiu away and turned to hide her face from him.
The ache in his chest almost immediately subsided. And now it felt more like butterflies were dancing in his stomach. Xingqiu smiled slyly with clear amber eyes. He took her right hand in his left and pulled it up to his face.
“It’s a pity for the other women of Liyue then.” He stared straight into Lumine’s eyes, still holding onto her hand. “I hold only one person in my heart.”
Not missing a beat, he took Lumine’s slender wrist to his lips and planted a small soft kiss on it. His navy hair lightly caressed her skin but soon enough he let her go, only to cause Lumine to wonder if she had dreamed the entire thing. Continuing on a new topic of conversation as they had before, they spent a wonderful evening together.
Later Lumine learnt from Albedo that a kiss to the hand was just an act of chivalry, on par with Xingqiu’s nature. However, she had mistakingly assumed that a wrist kiss carried the same meaning, which was sure to lead her into disaster in the future.