Chapter Text
Lumine wanted to forget everything. Wanted to forget the stupid reason why she was stuck in this limbo between humanity and Celestia. The stupid reason why she ended up separated from her brother. The stupid reason why she had set out on a quest to meet all seven Archons, and subsequently get tangled in their respective countries' problems.
But most important of all, she wanted to forget about his stupid existence. His stupid bloodlust for battle. His stupid, sexy face. His stupidly defined abs and muscles he'd show off mid-battle. His stupid, seemingly innocent, yet dangerous personality Lumine had grown attached to.
Tartaglia, the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers, was a constant brain rot to Lumine, and the latter was doing everything she could to prevent that.
It was really funny. Lumine, the oh-so-powerful deity, embodied by the stars in the sky, and traveller between worlds, dimensions, and universes, was falling for a mortal she shouldn't be harbouring feelings for.
She'd seen the worst from mankind. As the front-seat spectator to the actions and havoc caused by humans and gods alike, she'd seen too many lives lost to childish battles. The bloodshed she'd seen, and the dismembered bodies and limbs she'd grown accustomed to should have desensitised her to mortal feelings and worldly happenings, so why was it that she was falling for a human who didn't have much longer to live?
Lumine remembered the words of her twin brother, Aether, in the world they'd travelled to right before landing in Teyvat.
"Lumine, you're dangerously growing fond of humans. You're developing feelings for those whose lifespans mimic merely a fraction of ours," he'd sternly warned Lumine. "Don't forget who you are. You're the deity of the stars, a god even other gods should be cowering in fear against. You'll never be human. Forget about indulging yourself in them."
Lumine winced at his harsh words. Well, sympathy for a rebelling mortal fighting against a tyrant god wasn't too much of a transgression, was it? Then again, Lumine -- the aforementioned deity of stars -- was the sympathetic yet brash sibling of the two. Aether -- the overseer of light -- was much more calm and unassuming, but he had a conservative mindset. A mindset that drew the boundary between themselves and mortals, not to be crossed.
Whenever Lumine remembered Aether's warning, she'd only feel even more downcast. Unlike Zhongli, she couldn't just give up her godhood and gnosis and call it a day. She wasn't an Archon of Teyvat. She held a much more crucial role in the multiverse, and she feared the repercussions of abandoning her role as a god. On the downside, this meant her relationship with mortals would only remain as acquaintances.
Sometimes, Lumine just wished her homeworld hadn't been destructed by that mysterious, external force a few hundred millennia ago. Maybe, just maybe, she would be saved from the plethora of emotions she was experiencing in her heart right now.
---
Lumine cursed the day Rex Lapis' corpse fell upon the Rite of Descension. If he'd chosen a better day to "die", maybe she wouldn't have gotten detained by the Millelith and Qixing. Then she might not have needed to escape from custody, which in turn would not have led her to be saved by Childe.
Oh, such was fate.
Childe made clear from the get-go that he was a Fatui Harbinger, and Lumine was (rightfully) suspicious of him. She knew, and still harboured a grudge against, what La Signora did to Venti at the entrance of the church in Mondstadt. Who wasn't to say Childe was here for Rex Lapis' gnosis? The possibility of him being the god's alleged murderer was all too prevalent after all.
Despite all that, he was the person who made Lumine feel comfortable in the unfamiliar Liyue Harbour.
He (and Paimon) introduced her to the various Li and Yue dishes. He was her tour guide throughout the entirety of Liyue, bar that time he sent Paimon and her on a wild goose chase around Jueyun Karst for the adepti. He was the reason why Lumine wasn't apprehended by the Qixing. Sure, Zhongli was also a good guide to Liyue, but he was more of a mentor, unlike Childe, who genuinely felt like a friend Lumine could lay her trust upon.
After all, he was the reason why she could bear the wait in Liyue in the first place.
Of course, that didn't mean Lumine wasn't any less suspicious of Childe's intentions in Liyue. Despite him going under the forage of "supervising the Northland Bank's operations", Lumine was sure he was hiding something from her. She had too many questions about and for him, yet whenever they sat together for lunch or went monster-hunting, her heart would always betray her initial suspicions.
The authenticity in Childe's amiable smile latched onto Lumine like a hypnotic charm, and from then on she started to fall into an unrecoverable spiral of affection.
---
There was a reason Aether warned Lumine about trusting mortals too much, and this time she learnt it the hard way.
If she had just detected Childe's intentions a bit earlier, maybe she could have stopped him from wreaking havoc on himself, her, and Liyue Harbour. After all, Ningguang’s sacrifice of the Jade Chamber was probably the only reason why his unleashing a fucking ancient god hadn't resulted in certain doom. She was utterly convinced she had been played by him the entire time since they met.
So why couldn't she help but feel a pang of sympathy when Childe relayed his ire from being misled by both Signora and Zhongli? She shouldn't have been empathising with him of all people, but something in her told her that maybe Childe was equally played just as she had been. Still, Lumine knew better than to trust the likes of him.
---
Lumine wanted to assault whoever controlled the fates of people in Teyvat. She should have realised the similarities between Teucer and Childe from the get-go. When she saw their happy reunion, all Lumine wanted to do was to dash out of Northland Bank and pretend as if she were never there.
Lumine never did as her will wanted her to anyway.
And that was how Lumine and Paimon ended up tagging along with Childe and Teucer to explore the lands of Liyue.
As the two brothers bonded in Liyue Harbour, a fuzzy feeling grew within Lumine. Upon seeing Childe dote on and practically spoil Teucer with everything, she instinctively forgot that this was the same person who had not only tricked her but also threatened the existence of the city they were in right then. Who would've known that Childe could be this loving? Lumine guessed that Teyvat had its fair share of surprises.
After a few days had passed, Childe had brought Teucer to every corner of Liyue Harbour. Though, with his work getting in the way, Teucer would occasionally be left in Lumine’s care. Childe didn't want Teucer to know about his work as a Fatui Harbinger, so not only did he shield Teucer from seeing his dirty side of work, he'd even made up a toy-seller alias just to preserve Teucer's childlike innocence. Even in that toy-making factory, Childe had taken on a horde of Ruin Guards by himself just because he wanted to play along with Teucer, and Lumine really respected him for that. Childe's protectiveness of Teucer and willingness to shield him from Teyvat's evil reminded Lumine of a certain someone...
---
Lumine really missed Aether a lot, and she'd often reminisce about the times she’d spent with him in the previous worlds they travelled to. Aether was constantly on the lookout for any potential threat towards them, and she really appreciated that. However, that often led to him cutting off any relationship with mortals.
"Don't get yourself too attached to mortals. Their lifespans barely last a century. Befriending or romancing them would only be futile," he'd warn whenever Lumine complained. At first, she'd do what all younger siblings do and whine like a baby, but as time went by, she realised the brevity of her role in the multiverse, and soon she'd started sharing the same worldview.
However, with Aether now nowhere to be found and a useless floating glutton of a pixie as her travelling buddy, Lumine had no one to point her in the right direction.
Don't, under any circumstances, fall for a mortal.
The one rule Aether had told her to adhere to. But without her brother figure here to keep Lumine within her confinements, she was so tantalisingly close to breaking it.
Yet, she didn't even realise that.
---
Since Inazuma was closed and there was no one to lead her to the other nations, Lumine had no choice but to continue staying in Liyue Harbour until an opening came. In the meantime, she'd started spending more time with Childe. The latter was still frustrated with the whole Osial fiasco and unwilling to reconcile with Zhongli in any way. With the whole of Liyue Harbour now on horrible terms with the Fatui, Childe had resorted to the only person who'd probably tolerate his presence: Lumine.
The two had been going on expeditions, travelling all over Liyue to hunt and fight monsters. In addition, Childe also helped out Lumine with her daily commissions. And if Lumine was being honest?
She enjoyed Childe a lot.
They would share experiences and stories from their past adventures, as well as their worries. Childe would confide in struggling to become accepted in Liyue Harbour, while Lumine would admit her melancholy of not finding her brother's whereabouts. It was rather comforting how Childe would sympathise with her. He'd even pledged to look for Aether with some help from the Fatui (even if Lumine herself was on their watchlist). Soon enough, Childe had become the only person apart from Paimon whom Lumine could freely talk to. Soon enough, being with Childe was the only thing that kept her in a good mood. Her other Liyuen friends were all busy with their own lives, and she didn't want to bother her companions back in Mondstadt. Maybe those were all excuses, since the only thing she wanted to do was to be with Childe.
Lumine really liked Childe's company. Admittedly, they had found to have a lot in common. And despite his battle-lust and eccentricity, she could count on him whenever she was in trouble. Whether it was a lack of Mora or a call to arms, he'd always be there for her. It was as if he was her second brother.
At first, Lumine was wary of getting too close with Childe. After all, doing that was the opposite of what Aether would have expected from her. However, it'd been a long time since she'd woken up in Mondstadt, and the chance of Aether being dead was all the more increasing.
Maybe, just maybe, it was worth it to give up her divinity to be able to stay with Childe forever...
---
Lumine had so many questions. When she entered the Call of the Abyss, Aether was the last person she'd expect to be in such a place, yet there he was, in the flesh.
And he was the leader of the Abyss Order.
In all her shock, Lumine was speechless. She could only utter, "Aether..." She was on the verge of tears. She'd finally found her long-lost brother! All she wanted was to be reunited with him. Perhaps they could leave Teyvat and once again explore other worlds. However, he had other plans.
Aether declared Dainsleif and Celestia as his and the Abyss' enemies. Even when Lumine tried to convince him to find a new world together, he was absolute on his decision to overthrow Celestia. He would not find peace until the Abyss usurped the whole of Teyvat.
Just before Aether and the Abyss Herald left, he had one last thing to tell Lumine.
"Lumine."
"Yes?" Lumine replied, barely holding in a sob. Was her brother just going to leave her like that?
"I've seen how you have gotten particularly close to that Fatui Harbinger." Aether was definitely referring to Childe there. Also, he was keeping tabs on her?
"Yes, I have, so what?"
"I can't believe I'm asking you this, but who do you love more? Him, or me?"
"That's preposterous! Of course I love you more!" Lumine said incredulously. It was entirely uncharacteristic of him to ask such a stupid question, but the Abyss definitely was a place to lose your mind.
"Good. Then don't associate yourself with that Tartaglia guy," Aether told her with a burst of coldness in his voice. "It's clear you're in love with him. Don't you remember what I've always told you?"
Upon hearing those words, Lumine was shocked to the core. She didn't love him. Their relationship was platonic at best and would remain as such. To think she loved him? Utter crap. Still, Lumine remembered how happy she was when Childe was around compared to when he was not. She remembered how she would smile radiantly whenever he treated her to dinner every few days.
Was Lumine, a god, really in love with a mortal? She was certain that wasn't the case.
"Aether, you know that's complete bullshit. I've never loved a man, ever, and will never love a mortal," she retorted. She desperately wanted to prove to Aether that she wasn't falling for a man who'd die in a few decades.
Aether merely smirked.
"Oh, Lumine, you're the same as ever. Stop trying to deny your feelings," Aether donned a menacing smile which quickly turned to a malicious glare, "Either get him out of your fucking existence or give up your dearest brother and godhood to your stupid infatuation. You know what'll happen if you do that." The implications of the last sentence made Lumine shudder.
Aether turned his back and headed towards the portal while Lumine was struggling to come up with a response.
"Oh, and just one more thing. In any case you decide to give up your divinity for whatever godforsaken reason, just know that I won't spare you when the Abyss eventually conquers Celestia and avenges the horrors done towards Khaenri'ah." He stepped into the portal, and the Abyss Herald followed suit. Dainsleif chased them into the portal. Lumine, too, dashed towards the portal, but it closed on her just before she was able to leave.
Lumine and Paimon were left to digest the events that had just occurred. Paimon looked confused but nevertheless shocked. The girl in question was reduced to tears.
"Lumine, are you okay?" Paimon quipped worriedly, "Let's leave this place quickly... maybe we can get some food from Wanmin's to clear our heads?" Lumine didn't respond, though. The only thing she could think of was Aether's rhetorical question.
"Who do you love more? Him, or me?"
After internally convincing herself that she wasn't indeed crushing on Childe, Lumine came to a conclusion.
She loved Childe. But she loved her brother even more.
In any case, she should just cut ties with Childe and call it a day, but why was the mere thought of it so heart-wrenchingly painful?
"Screw it," Lumine told herself, "I hate Childe with all my being. I never liked him, and will never ever love him. Childe is a monster who almost destroyed Liyue Harbour. I have nothing to do with him. Instead, I am a god who will never harbour feelings for a mortal."
From then on, Lumine indulged herself in the blatant lie that she never loved Childe in the first place.