Archive of Our Own ^beta

Lumine thought getting a boyfriend will change a lot of things in her life, but the truth was: it didn't change anything at all. Why, you ask? Because it's hard to talk about a change when she couldn’t see the said boyfriend almost at all. 

Damn Mr Worldwide, she thought to herself on the way to the Komore Teahouse. His duty as the Harbinger made him travel all over the nations and it was hard for the guy to sneak out to visit her teapot under the watchful eyes of other Fatui. It’s one thing to rely on the team from the Northland Bank, they were already weirdly invested in their relationship like a bunch of gossipy relatives, but a whole different story when it came to the underlings still perceiving Childe as the scary and unhinged Tartaglia. 

A sigh escaped her lips. 

It's not that she wanted to own his whole time but come on! As things stood, the girl felt like a wife waiting for her husband to come back from war. 

And no, it's not like the thought of marrying that crazy bastard ever crossed her mind, no no no. 

She slapped her cheeks getting rid of the treacherous blush warming them up and entered the cosy building. 

Ayaka waited in one of the rooms and instantly jumped to her feet at the sight of her friend. The Lady of the Kamisato estate insisted upon this meeting for quite some time and it’s not like the blonde had anything against it, just... crossing the threshold of their private room that evening Lumi felt a certain uneasiness creeping up her spine. As if something big was about to happen. 

"Lumine!" The radiant smile on Ayaka’s face and her warm hug, however, instantly put her mind at ease. She must be imagining things, right? 

That naivety was the girl’s first mistake. 

The two discussed insignificant matters, joked a little, shared gossip and traded stories. Minutes passes, hours even, they ate, had fun and bit by bit Lumi started to lower her guard. This was such a nice outing after all. To think she dared to suspect Aya of plotting and scheming. Preposterous! It wasn’t Ajax, but the princess of the Yashiro Commission we’re talking about here. Seems she was just oversensitive earlier... not! 

Ayaka, as someone dealing with Inazuman politicians since an early age, wasn’t one to be underestimated – she knew exactly how to play the word games and when to strike to get the best results. That’s what she was trained to do and the girl never hesitated to use these skills to her advantage. Especially when matters of great importance were concerned. 

"Lumi, so I’ve been wondering..." she began innocently as the blonde proceeded to leisurely sip her green tea. "Did Mr Childe confess his love to you already?" 

*spurt*  

A fit of violent coughing overtook Lumine as she was fighting to regain her breath. And composure. 

"Oh my, are you all right?" asked the blue-haired girl hovering over her friend, but only received a glare in return. Sadly, it wasn’t very effective threat-wise considering the blonde’s face was red as a beetroot. 

"I-I’ll live, thank you very much, but w-w-why did you ask me that?" she stuttered out. 

Ayaka didn’t respond at first. With an unusually solemn expression sat down and lowered her eyes focusing on fingers clumsily intertwined on her lap. 

She’s nervous. Lumi frowned. 

"Why do I feel like it should be me asking you if you’re all right..." she said quietly, hesitantly rubbing her friend's shoulder. "What happened?" 

The Kamisato heiress finally sighed and looked at Lumine. 

"Nothing happened. And that’s the problem." 

Riiiiight... It sounded like a paradox, but the Traveller wasn’t as ignorant as some people wanted to believe and considering Aya’s previous question the source of her woe seemed quite obvious. 

"This is about Thoma, right?" Lumi crossed her arms. "What did he do? Just say the word and I’ll beat some sense into that dense housewife wannabe." 

"No!" Ayaka grabbed her palms in panic as if Lumine was about to go kick Thoma’s ass right away ...not that she didn’t consider it. It all depended on what was the reason for Ayaka’s complaint, but the girl didn’t have to know that. "He didn’t do anything... Lumine, am I unattractive?" 

"What?!" If Lumi got tempted and made the mistake of taking another sip of tea it would be yet again sent flying across the room. She jumped up. That’s it, he deserves a smack across the head. Right. This. Instant. "Life debt or not, if he said that to you-" 

"No, please, just sit and listen." Ayaka pulled her back down, flustered. "He never said or did anything disrespectful, it’s just that... it’s been half a year since that day, you know when." Lumine nodded, because yes, she remembered quite clearly how Ayaka and Childe stalked her outing with Thoma, which for some weird reason resulted in quite a heart-to-heart between both yet-to-be couples. Thanks to that Lumi could now say she was in a relationship and was convinced the same thing applied to Ayaka.  

Sadly it seemed things weren’t going as smoothly for the Inazuman aristocracy. 

"And?" 

"And we didn't even go on a proper date yet!" Ayaka blurted out. "Not to mention k-k-kissing..." Embarrassment was making the tips of her ears red as a tomato.  

But her face colour wasn’t the problem here. Lumine gaped. Her confession was. 

"What do you mean?" Their situation was different from her and Childe’s. They couldn’t meet up because their circumstances sucked, but Thoma and Ayaka? "You live together for Archons’ sake! You can even go for a simple walk whenever you want to and call it a date." And Lumi, admittedly, was jealous of it with every fibre of her being. 

Yes! She missed that stupid ginger of hers, okay?! Moving on. 

The Kamisato princess shrank in herself. "It’s not like we never meet up, but that’s different. Discussing management of the estate or dealing with the Yashiro Commission’s business isn’t really romantic..." 

"Bullshit," Lumine instantly rejected that statement. It’s not like her relationship with Childe sprouted from especially heart-throbbing activities yet the feelings bloomed between them anyway. If it’s meant to happen it will, whether you like it or not. "Everything is as romantic as you want it to be, so? What’s the problem?" 

"I was thinking... Maybe I was too subtle? Maybe he didn’t understand that I l-like him?" She fiddled with her fingers. "Like him... like that." 

...how? 

The affection was written all over her face. You didn’t need more than one look to see it, so Thoma had to either be blind or stupid not to realise where Ayaka’s feelings lay and somehow Lumine suspected neither was the case.  

Assuming he's not an absolute idiot when it came to romance, then what was the issue here?  

Lumi clearly remembered how soft Thoma’s eyes became when he finally bought that bracelet for Ayaka (one the blue-haired girl secretly wore ever since that day). It was the same look she sometimes saw reflected at herself in the irises blue like a deep sea. He must have felt at least something for his lady, so why the delay – why didn’t he do or say anything? 

...why didn’t you? Lumi closed her eyes suddenly hit with another realisation. She and Childe also had a lot of opportunities to define their relationship and yet something was stopping them, too. 'I love you' was not uttered as if a silent promise existed between them, binding the two to never cross that line. 

Ajax liked to spout a lot of nonsense generally considered romantic, yet the three magic words just couldn’t leave his mouth. And they also never left hers. 

"It’s scary," Lumine whispered tiredly laying her cheek on the tabletop. The blond hair splayed around her face. "Saying it... Confessing. It feels like there’s no coming back if you do this. It’s terrifying." 

Ayaka considered it but didn’t appear entirely convinced. 

"But," she scrunched her nose in thought, "why would you want to come back?" 

Why? Why?! Well... why indeed. Maybe because her existence continued for centuries? Maybe because she thought nothing can surprise her anymore, after all with that kind of experience Lumine should know all ins and outs of living. But in the affairs of the heart she felt almost clueless. Like a barely hatched chick that has no idea how to fly. 

They hugged and kissed and spend time together. Laughed, fought, sometimes just using words, other times grabbing sharp objects and dancing a deadly tango but... were they in love?  

No. The real question was: did she want to be in love? Did she want to throw away all she knew up till now for an uncertain future by the side of a mortal man? 

Her current relationship with Childe was comfortable.  

The girl clenched her fist. 

Too comfortable.  

Since when was she such a wimp that settling for obliviousness seemed like an inviting option? It was easier than baring your soul, not knowing if it will pay off, true. But it was still a coward's choice. 

And the whole reason she was having this absurd conversation right now. 

The blonde suddenly grabbed Ayaka’s hands, startling the girl. The fire was burning in her golden eyes.  

"Okay, let’s do it then!" 

"Do what exactly?" the princess of the Kamisato Clan tilted her head confused. But Lumi’s mind was already made.  

The idiot boys didn’t want to say the words? Fine.  

"Let’s gamble. Let’s confess first." 

*~*~* 

"Wait, what did you say?" Childe’s hand froze in mid-air, the spoon momentarily forgotten. The man gaped at the girl sitting on the other side of the table munching on a sandwich. "A New Year’s Eve double date?" 

Ajax arrived in Lumine’s Serenitea Pot the day before, late at night. Bone-tired, but finally home because yes, at some point he started to treat this mysterious mansion as a home. The intention was to quietly slip into the building and go straight to sleep, yet the sight that greeted him inside made the Harbinger adjust that plan. Lumine was comfortably pressed against the couch holding a book and seconds short of nodding off. It was a losing battle: the girl was bravely holding on while staring at the same page for the last five minutes. 

He couldn’t help but sneak closer and watch. 

The floor was cold so she put her bare feet on the couch, her hair was still slightly wet and glistening in the glow provided by the fireplace. A blanket previously draped around her shoulders slipped a bit uncovering the beautiful lines of her collarbone and shoulders. Her eyelashes fluttered as she struggled with drooping eyelids. 

Childe smiled. 

He missed her. So much.  

His feet moved on their own. The man strode towards the couch and smoothly slid his hands around Lumi’s waist pulling her closer. 

The girl squealed, surprised by the unexpected attack from behind, but relaxed into the embrace as soon as his soft lips kissed her neck. 

"I’m back," he whispered deeply inhaling her scent. Fresh soap and a slight aroma of flowers. The smell reminded him of windwheel asters. Like freedom and playfulness. Something hard to grasp, because it could fly away at any time. 

His arms tightened. 

"About time," Lumine groggily answered back. "A few more minutes and I would fall asleep." 

"I think you already did," he snorted and mischievously pecked her on the neck again. "Sorry for waking you up." 

"Good thing you did, if Xingqiu were to learn I fell asleep while reading his book he would be heartbroken." 

"Then good thing he’s not the one who’s here." 

She twisted in the embrace he mercifully loosened managing to finally face him and smiled seeing Ajax's dishevelled appearance. He was obviously tired and yet looked as if he run to get here. 

The girl giggled reaching out to pick up a small leaf tangled in his ginger hair. It looked even more fiery than usual thanks to the flames still flickering in the fireplace. 

"Yeah, good thing it’s you." She leaned into him returning the hug. So warm. That was such a Childe thing – for someone born in the coldest part of Tevyat he was like a walking heater. It was just another contradiction of his character.   

Lumine dozed off almost instantly, embraced by the pleasant warmth of her lover and soon after he joined her too in the land of dreams. It was something hard to believe and rare to see – for these two oversensitive, almost paranoid people leading the tough life of a warrior to sleep so soundly and defensively. And because of their innate stubbornness both of them weren’t too quick to admit it, but only after falling asleep in each other arms, they understood the meaning of a good night’s rest. 

But back to the kitchen conversation. 

"Ayaka has a hard time inviting Thoma out so I thought maybe we can help them a little. It will be easier to relax with more people present and we wanted to go someplace anyway, so." She shrugged feigning nonchalance.  

"So, it’s killing two birds with one stone? It’s not like I can’t see where you’re coming from..." 'But I hoped we will finally be able to spend some time together. Alone.' At least that’s what was written all over his pouting face. 

Good.  

Goading the boys to be a bit more selfish was, after all, a part of the grand scheme the two crafty ladies came up with a few days prior at the Komore Teahouse, codename "Firecracker." 

The whole operation was actually quite simple and had one main goal: take advantage of the festive atmosphere and confess amidst exploding fireworks! When everyone is riding on high adrenaline excitedly greeting the coming of a New Year it's also a perfect moment to throw caution to the wind and spill your heart out. And maybe hide the shaky voice and flushed cheeks in the colourful flashes blooming in the sky. 

"Don’t worry, it will be fun! Aya told me there’s a big festival happening in Inazuma on New Year’s Eve. There will be stalls with food and drinks and even various games to play. If that’s the case, the more the merrier, right?" As he didn’t appear convinced and still looked like a scolded puppy, Lumine added shrewdly lifting a finger. "And it’s not like we have to stay together the entire night. If things go well between the two of them, we will just secretly disappear. How about that?" 

Certainly, the suggestion instantly made Childe perk up.  

"Now, that’s a plan I can get behind," he grinned.  

"Just remember to behave," she narrowed her eyes in warning. "We don’t want to cause an international scandal." 

But Ajax only laughed in response. Somehow it didn’t comfort her in the slightest. 

...why exactly did she fall for this man? 

She asked herself this question countless times and still didn’t know the answer. 

Maybe she was just crazy like that? 

*~*~* 

It was pretty late when Childe was striding across the Inazuma City. Lumine was probably already asleep and he dreamed of nothing more than joining her (and by "joining her" he preferably meant cuddling together in her bed), but that beautiful vision had to wait. Next day was the New Year’s Eve and he still had one thing to take care of before their promised double date at the Amakane Island. 

It wasn’t hard to spot the tall blond man devouring dango before the Kiminami Restaurant. Definitely by Lumi’s influence, Ajax found himself enjoying this small bar and gladly visited whenever he had the chance. The food was great and the owner was nice, not discriminating against him even after learning his occupation which was a rarity on Teyvat. Plus the fact that Lumine’s Serenitea Pot often stood on one of its shelves (between the jar of the lavender melon paste and the bowl of sakura blooms, was it?) was a pleasant bonus. Gazing at it had a magical power of easing his worries and anxieties even after the worst of days. 

Yes, Ajax felt he was getting sappier and sappier lately, but at the same time he... didn’t hate that. 

"Mr Childe!" Anna greeted the man with a smile. "The usual?" 

"Sure." He smiled back.   

"Sushi and some refreshments coming right up~!" 

It’s true when they say it’s better to be on good terms with your girlfriend’s friends.  

"Isn’t it a bit late for drinking?" Thoma jabbed approaching the Harbinger.  

"Isn’t it late for sweets?" Childe bit back lifting an eyebrow.  

The retainer snorted, slipping into a chair next to the ginger.  

"Haha, fair enough, I guess I deserved that," he chuckled, "though Milady would say there’s no such thing as a bad time for sweets." 

Childe grinned.  

"Lumi would definitely agree." 

It was the first time they met face to face, but somehow felt a weird sense of comradery. A connection.  

Was it because they were of similar age? Shared devotion towards their loved ones? Or possessed a soul of a housewife?  

Hard to tell, but after the tense greeting, they quickly relaxed and could even pretend to be just two normal friends meeting each other for an evening drink. 

"Milady sometimes sneaks some snacks into her room during the day thinking no one sees it, so she can munch on them before bedtime. Isn't she the cutest?" 

"Lumine doesn't even try to hide it, some nights she can straight out march into the kitchen, and in the morning you find out half of the cake is suddenly missing from the fridge." 

Anna put the cups before the laughing men with a barely hidden smirk. She wouldn't dare to say a thing, but oh boy, were they whipped. Like puppies boasting about their masters with sparkling eyes. The restaurant owner could almost imagine tails excitedly wagging behind their backs and needed to quickly cover up the snort with a cough. 

It was, however, obvious sharing stories wasn’t the goal of Childe’s invitation. 

Thoma awkwardly scratched his neck, breaking the pleasant atmosphere. "Not that I’m ungrateful for the opportunity, but I can’t say I know why we’re meeting here like this." 

The truth was, Ajax got Vitaliy to set it up as soon as he heard about the plans the two girls made in his absence regarding the New Year’s date. Lumi was of course adorable in volunteering to play the matchmaker between her friends, but... well, to put it simply, he just wanted her all for himself. 

The job threw him all around the world lately, and as much as he respected Tsaritsa, he really wished she would let him stay in Inazuma for at least a few months. Then he will gladly move to Sumeru and no, this definitely didn’t have anything to do with Lumine’s plan to visit that country next.   

At this point, he was starting to feel the Lumi-withdrawal symptoms and that surely won’t do anyone any good – the Northland Bank’s workers could vouch for it as they found themselves at the receiving end of the Harbinger's frustrations as soon as the Traveller left Liyue for Inazuma. And the most maddening thing was, this time Childe had a realm dispatch from Lumi, so technically speaking he could visit her teapot whenever he wanted. In practice, the whole thing turned out to be pretty useless. 

Randomly disappearing in the middle of a mission would push people to ask too many questions, and that was never a good thing. 

Not that he cared much about his reputation, but what would he do if any unwanted person were to learn about his relationship with the rumoured Outlander? The Northland Bank team was hand-picked and therefore loyal, but others? Ajax didn't trust them one bit. Who knew how many were spies sent by other Harbingers? The assholes would surely want to use Lumi against him. Signora certainly would, a good thing she was already pushing up the daisies, but there were nine other fellows to worry about. That bastard Scaramouche already messed with Lumine and what about someone like Dottore? Childe didn't even want to imagine what kind of shit was brewing in that mad scientist’s head. 

Nope, surprise visits to the Serenitea Pot during his missions were strictly off-limits. 

But that only made him miss her so much more. 

Hence Ajax planned to use his end-of-the-year leave from work as efficiently as possible and with the least number of interruptions. Like this one. Like turning his long-awaited one-on-one time with his girlfriend into a double date. Such a pain in the ass. 

"The reason is very simple," the Harbinger put down his cup with a clank and turned to his companion, "I need you to grab your lady and get lost in the crowd tomorrow." 

*spurt*  

Thoma wheezed struggling to catch a breath. Seeing his pointless endeavours Childe rolled his eyes and slapped the man on the back. Once. Hard.  

One could say the cause for the blond’s respiratory problems went through an unwanted evolution but he bravely surmounted getting hit by a full force of a monster Harbinger. After three minutes could even speak.  

Ajax was a little impressed. He pushed a cup towards the other man.  

"Come on, drink up." 

Thoma made a wry face. "I’m not exactly big on alcohol," he confessed.  

It didn’t seem to faze the ginger.  

"I know that. It’s tea." 

The half Mondstadtian blinked. He knows? ...was it really okay to just ignore this very disturbing statement? He couldn’t however deny that drinking the pleasantly warm liquid did help him regain the lost composure. 

"So," Thoma started tentatively, not sure if he correctly understood the point of this meeting, "you basically just want to have Lumine all to yourself and don't want us to get in your way?" 

Childe beamed, the air around him was almost sparkling from joy. "Precisely!" Dealing with intelligent people was truly a blessing. "Don’t tell me you don’t want to spend some quality time with your princess without any third wheels." 

"Weeellll..." 

"See? It will be beneficial for everyone." 

"Okay, fine," Thoma resignedly leaned against the counter, "but it won’t be as easy as you think. When Milady went to meet up with Lumine she was gone for hours. Who knows what plans did they make?" 

Yes, that certainly seemed like a potential problem. Childe scratched his chin in thought.  

"If she put so much effort into this, I don’t want to disappoint her..." 

"Right?" 

But still, not all was lost.  

"So how about a win-win situation?" the Harbinger proposed.  

"As in..." Thoma frowned deep in thought and then lifted a finger. "We stick together for a bit and then split up?" 

"Bingo!" Childe clapped and downed his second cup. This time it was sake. Also, he was really beginning to like this guy. "This way the girls can enjoy themselves and we can just kidnap them afterwards. Separately, of course. You do your own kidnapping." 

The blond snorted. Having the difficult conversation out of the way the two decided to enjoy a few more cups. Thoma even agreed to try something with a higher percentage than tea – he truly must have been in a good mood or simply felt comfortable in Childe’s company. Despite the Harbinger’s crazy aura, it was clear as day how much he cared for Lumine and Thoma refused to believe that someone capable of such warm and deep feelings could be truly evil. 

If not for their professions, they could easily be friends. That was the sad reality. 

Minutes stretched and the conversation was rolling till one moment it suddenly halted. The blond's ears became suspiciously rosy as he fiddled with his empty dango stick. 

"By the way, and hypothetically speaking of course..." He looked super self-conscious but bit his lip and pushed on. "If you wanted to tell your girlfriend you love her, how would you do it?" 

Childe’s hand, up till now playing with unused chopsticks, stopped. He blinked. Then blinked again, eying the young man. 

"Wait, what?" Is he serious? "You’re saying you’ve been dating for like... what? Six months now? And you never told your princess you lov-" 

The words froze on Ajax’s lips. 

Because wait. 

Wait.  

Waitwaitwaitwai...  

He unknowingly covered his mouth with his hand. 

Wasn’t he the same? Childe was so used to spouting bullshit compliments to irk Lumi before they started dating and then the real ones after, that he somehow forgot he never actually said the most important words of all. 

And she didn’t, either, a treacherous voice whispered in his ear, but he instantly squashed it like a fly. It didn’t matter what Lumine says or not – he would never push her to do anything she was not comfortable with and her circumstances weren’t exactly the easiest to deal with. What did matter was for her to hear him saying these words. To have the reassurance of something stable despite being thrown into an unknown reality. The certainty that at the end of the day he got her back.  

Because that was the truth. 

In battle and in life. 

No matter what happens in the future, where his and her journey would take them, he was sure of it: in the most crucial moments, he would always choose Lumine. Her golden hair, glittering eyes and smile so dazzlingly full of life. Her kindness and wit and stubbornness and the weird obsession with crabs. Her strength and the fact that she could beat him in ten different ways. The warmth that was slowly soaking into his frozen bones the more he stayed by her side, waking him up from years-long slumber. He loved it all. 

And never told her. 

That needs to change.  

He grabbed Thoma by the shoulder. 

The man winced - because the grip was too forceful or the glint in Childe’s eyes looked particularly dangerous? Like a hunter ready to jump his prey. 

"Oh brother, I just realised we can help each other a lot more than we thought." The Harbinger motioned at the restaurant owner. "Anna, give us one more round..." but he quickly stopped and made a correction. "Or you know what? Make it five."  

"F-five??" Thoma stuttered. 

"Yeah, we need fuel, my friend, since we’re about to figure out how to confess to the loves of our lives that they are the loves of our lives, but we just stupidly forgot to tell them for the last half a year. And not make them want to kill us in return." 

The blond instantly paled and not another word of complaint about Childe’s order of alcohol was ever uttered. 

When put that way the whole thing truly seemed like a lost cause. 

*~*~* 

New Year in Inazuma was always celebrated in various ways. People of this country valued tradition but the youngsters also longed for progress and so gladly went with the times mixing old customs with the new. That being said, the most popular spot to gather and celebrate New Year’s Eve was still the Grand Narukami Shrine. Many looked forward to witnessing how the biggest bell on the temple’s premises will ring 108 times at the stroke of midnight, welcoming the future and driving away negative emotions of the past year. 

Childe had to admit he was a bit curious about this custom. From his perspective it certainly seemed quite epic, and the whole thing about "negative emotions" sounded intriguing (Archons knew he could sometimes be described as a walking negative emotion himself) but at the end of the day chose something different. The festival held at the Amakane Island was just too tempting and, well, fun to let such an opportunity pass them by. 

"Aren’t they late?" Thoma frowned. Scanning the crowds entering the festival grounds was making him anxious. It was already past nine o’clock. 

They agreed to meet just before the entrance, as the girls insisted it would make the date more exciting than if they were to already arrive in pairs (and little did they know that being fashionably late was included in their plan). 

"A bit." Ajax sighed, not for the first time that evening. "Do you really think anyone would be stupid enough to mess with these two?" 

It’s the Traveller who saved three countries and the master of Kamisato Art Tachi Jutsu we’re talking about here. 

"Point taken," the blond sheepishly agreed, though still found it difficult to relax. Worrying was probably in his nature. 

"Our girls eat idiots like that for breakfast," the Harbinger continued undeterred. 

"Excuse me," a clear voice cut into the unusual exchange, "since when exactly we became human-eating monsters?" 

The two men whirled on their heels and lo and behold, there stood their temporarily missing scary girlfriends. 

Lumine grinned and pushed Ayaka slightly forward. "So? What do you think?" 

The blonde looked proud like a cat that just swallowed the canary but had every right to, since the Lady of the Kamisato clan truly was stunning that evening. She wore a beautiful dark blue kimono decorated with a bit of fur at the collar and a red camelia pattern; there was also one real flower adorning her hair.   

She looked elegant, a quality that was inherently Ayaka’s and something the heiress won’t even be able to get rid of, but the new clothes granted her an additional aura of just a normal girl about to enjoy an outing with friends. Lumi couldn’t help but smile – after all, it was such a bit step for Aya to take. To throw away the decorum, even for a short moment, and choose to be a bit selfish. 

Thoma stared, his jaw slightly dropping. Childe smirked. He nudged him trying not to outright laugh. "Come on, say something, don’t make the lady wait." 

Because no matter what Lumine and Ajax thought, at that moment the compliment of only one person was truly important.  

Finally gathering himself, Thoma beamed. "You’re truly breath-taking today, Milady." 

The girl’s cheeks flared, but that didn’t prevent her from throwing her boyfriend a light glare. "Ayaka," she grumbled.  

"Right," he laughed, successfully relieving the rest of the tension. "You’re truly breath-taking, Ayaka." 

Giving the two some space, Lumine approached Childe. 

"So, what was that about me eating men for breakfast, hmm?" she lifted an eyebrow in challenge. 

"It was the most sincere compliment of Milady’s strength," Ajax mockingly bowed which earned him a slap to the shoulder and a giggle. "But in all honestly, I’m a bit disappointed."  

"That I didn’t come here covered in blood?" 

"That I can’t see you in such a cute kimono." 

Ah, there it is.  

The girl instantly turned away, but he caught a glimpse of her rosy cheeks anyway. Apparently, she didn’t grow as immune to his flirting as she would like to believe. 

Good~  

Yet when she spoke again, there was an unusual wistful tone hidden in her voice. "I thought about it, you know? Ayaka even bought me a kimono and said she will help me put it on, but..." She shyly grabbed the hem of her white skirt. "Wearing something else just feels uncomfortable." 

Right. Because it was one of the very few things that still linked her with her past and, by extension, with her brother. Such a precious girl, she was. He gently patted her head. 

"I know. Just do want you want to do and it’s gonna be fine." The free and unrestrained Lumine was after all the most beautiful Lumine of all. But suddenly a dangerous smirk passed his lips. The man bent down whispering into her ear. "You would look best without any clothes, anyway." 

"CHILDE!!!" the girl hissed, face on fire.  

"Hahahahahaha!" 

Yes, this was the expression he wanted to see the most. 

"I swear I’m gonna kill you someday."  

"Oh, I’m always ready to take you on, girlie." The waterdrops materialised and danced above his gloved fingertips. 

*ekhm*  

Luckily for everyone, Thoma stepped in to save that peaceful evening from being ruined by two battle crazy maniacs. He coughed loudly, getting back their attention that in the meantime seemed to wander in a very dangerous direction. 

"How about you stop your weird... flirting... thing, and we go see the stalls?" 

The pair eyed each other for a moment longer, before Lumi gave up, grabbed Childe by the hand and started dragging him towards the closest food stall. And he let her, with quite a delight to add. 

"You’re paying," the blonde mumbled.  

He laced their fingers tighter.  

"Oh, good Archons, save my wallet, for it is facing a great trial tonight~" 

Lumine shook her head, but Ayaka noticed how the corners of her mouth were trembling. The Kamisato lady smiled. I want this, she realised. The effortless, comfortable relationship. The ease with which they joined hands, the lightness of their teasing, the feeling of understanding each other to the point where words were no longer needed. 

It's hard to notice emotions that are directed at us personally. You automatically start second-guessing, wonder if what you see is true or just a projection of your wishes. Maybe that’s why Lumine was so scared, but from the outer perspective, there was no room for doubt. These two people were made for each other, even if one was a Fatui agent and the other a Traveller from another land. It didn’t matter. In the most important moment, their palms would still seek each other out driven by a desire to face the world together, not apart. 

Ayaka shyly glanced at Thoma. 

Can the same be said about us?  

And as if sensing her gaze, the man smiled and offered her an arm. "Shall we go?" 

Yes... maybe with a bit of work they can also find their answer – the meaning of their relationship.  

She gracefully accepted his help and arm in arm they went after their laughing friends. 

*~*~* 

"So where to first?" Thoma asked the group, as the only person amongst them who regularly attended festivals and had an actual idea what to expect. The rest was curiously looking around absorbing the sights and the festive mood.  

"I wanted to eat something, but there’s too much to choose from..." Lumi commented, quite overwhelmed, but rightfully so. Stalls with food seemed to be the popular kind, as the appetising aroma assaulted them from every direction. Yakisoba, takoyaki, yakitori – everywhere something was frying or frizzling. There were also sweet snacks like crepes, the ever-popular chocolate-coated bananas or fish-shaped taiyaki. 

Lumine almost started drooling. 

"Hmmm," Thoma mused searching for something, "if there’s one thing that’s a must at the festival, then it’s definitely... ah! Found it." He pointed at a stand a bit further down the road. "Candy apples!" 

"Oh!" Ayaka clapped her hands in delight. "I’ve always wanted to try them." 

"It sounds delicious, doesn’t it?" Lumi grinned at her friend. It was hard to say what made her happier: the prospect of eating a tasty treat or the look of joy in Aya’s eyes. It was unfair how many experiences this girl was robbed of because of her aristocratic roots. I have to invite her out more often, she noted to herself following the group, but then stopped short spotting a familiar figure in front of the candy apple stall. 

The man, as if somehow sensing the friendly gaze, turned towards them and beamed noticing Lumine. 

"Isn’t this the Second to One member of the Arataki Gang?" exclaimed the imposing giant with red horns and a good-natured smile. He enthusiastically patted Lumi’s head, playfully messing up her hair. "What’s up kiddo?" 

"How many times do I have to tell you," she grumbled, swatting his hand away, "I’m not a kid." 

But that answer only made him laugh harder. "Said a pipsqueak. Grow taller, then we can talk." 

However, before the argument had the opportunity to escalate, Childe stepped in, circling his arms around the blonde’s shoulders and yanking her back. "And who might you be?" Despite the smile, there was a dangerous glint hiding in the blue depths of the Harbinger’s gaze. 

He had to crank up his neck to be able to look the other man in the eye, which was, admittedly, slightly irritating. It’s been a while since Childe met anyone taller than him, not to mention someone flashing around his abs without a shred of shame. 

The man grinned crossing his arms. 

"Maybe introduce yourself first, pretty boy? Because the one and Oni sure doesn’t need one." 

"Pretty boy?" Ajax lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Lumi. She only shrugged. 

"Well, he’s not wrong," said matter-of-factly, then proceeded with the introductions. "Meet Arataki Itto, the self-proclaimed-" 

"Who’s self-proclaimed!" 

"-leader of the Arataki Gang. Itto, this is Childe-" 

"Her boyfriend," the ginger proudly cut in. 

...could they let her finish one damn sentence?  

"Wait, what?" Itto huffed, resting his hands on his hips like a mother that's about to go ballistic. "Young lady, you brought a man home?! I do not approve!" 

Lumine crossed her arms. 

"Itto, you're not my dad."  

"As far as I know your dad is currently unavailable, so I'm the best you've got, shrimpy. Plus," he lowered his voice to a 'whisper' everyone could hear, "I always wanted to say that ahahhaha!" 

She squeezed the bridge of her nose. This guy seriously brought trouble everywhere he appeared – and funnily the chaos was never deliberate or created out of malice. The leader of the Arataki Gang was just this kind of a disastrous man, that’s all. 

"Luuumiiiiii~" meanwhile Ajax decided to rub his cheek against her like an overgrown puppy. "What did he mean by 'do not approve?' What is there not to approve?" 

Lumi’s face pretty much read: 'are you seriously asking me that?' 

Letting these two meet wasn’t such a good idea, after all. Their idiocy was too similar not to lead to something absolutely unexpected and awfully catastrophic. 

So, she decided to just ignore the entire conversation and hope for the best (because a feud between a Harbinger and an Oni is something Inazuma would remember for years to come... and she didn’t want to have anything to do with such legends). 

"Well, as for Ayaka and Thoma, you probably already know them," Lumine gestured to their other companions to divert Itto’s attention and, miraculously, it worked. 

"Ah, Ayato’s lil' sis and her bodyguard! How’s the big bro doing? Haven’t seen the man in a while. Just so you know, his latest advice on training beetles was on. Friking. Point. Ever since the winning snacks keep falling on me like summer rain~!" 

"Inazuman summers are mostly dry, no wonder you’re always starved." An unexpected voice mercilessly interrupted the conversation. 

"As dry as your jokes, Kujou Tengu," Itto huffed eying the girl. "Have you decided on the game yet?" 

"'Going home' sounds like a fun game," Sara answered tiredly.  

"Oh, no no no! No way I'm letting you get away this time," he instantly protested, but it seemed to go over her ears.  

"Greetings to the Kamisato Clan. Traveller." 

Ayaka lightly bowed. 

"To you as well Miss Kujou." 

"Hey! Don’t ignore me!" Itto poked Sara in the arm. Repeatedly. You could almost see the vein pulsing on her temple.  

"Just... go buy your apple," she glared at the man as if he were an annoying fly. Well, it was a weirdly apt comparison all things considered. But what was even more surprising, he... actually listened. Grumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'who does the tengu thinks she is?' and 'no one bosses around the great Arataki Itto!' but listened anyway. 

The tengu sighed squeezing the bridge of her nose. 

"Well then, I would like to carry a longer conversation, but as you can see I’m... a bit occupied today. I wish you all a pleasant evening." Bidding them a quick farewell, Sara followed right after. She was clearly roped into this weird 'date,' but her sense of responsibility (and maybe some deeply suppressed competitiveness Itto had a knack for pulling out of her) prevented the girl from simply throwing in the towel and marching home. 

Lumine blinked. "It’s the first time I’ve seen him so obedient," whispered to herself in wonder. Childe, still tightly wrapped around her, of course heard it. He frowned and nodded at the unusual pair engrossed in choosing which candy apple to buy. 

Choosing very, very thoroughly. 

Apparently, General Kujou also had a sweet tooth that she usually wanted to hide. Interesting. 

"What’s the deal with these two?" 

"Hmmm..." Lumine considered the answer and smirked. "He reminds me a bit of you."  

"Excuse me?" Ajax took a step back and puffed. In what way he resembled this uncouth giant?! 

The blond didn’t answer and just pointed at the two. 

"Come on, hurry up! I invited you here to get my revenge, not to spend half an hour choosing a lollipop!" 

"It’s not a lollipop, it’s an apple. There’s a difference in the nutritional value." 

"No. One. Cares," Itto deadpanned. "But our rematch? Now that’s another story. The whole Inazuma is waiting to see the epic battle between the Oni and the Tengu!” 

Kujou didn’t even turn her head, entirely focused on scrutinising the shiny apples put on sticks and leaning towards the one in the fifth row. 

"Then they can wait ten more minutes." 

"Arggghhh!" The man threw his hands into the air... and yet still obediently waited for Sara to buy her food.  

Lumi smiled at Childe. "See?" 

Ugh.  

He groaned internally and refused to meet her eyes. Unfortunately, he saw quite clearly what she was jabbing at and okay, he will admit their approach to flirting might have been a bit similar. Well, the most important thing was: it proved effective, right? So, the Itto guy might not yet be the lost cause. Though still, watching it from the side equalled subjecting himself to another level of pain. And second-hand embarrassment. 

"These two never change," Thoma commented. "And they’re spectacularly blocking the line." Indeed, angry voices around the candy apple stall seemed to be growing louder.  

"I’ve heard them saying something about games?" Childe decided to sneakily change the topic and ask about something that was bothering him ever since Lumi mentioned it a few days prior. "What’s that about?" 

"Inazuman festivals not only offer food, but also entertainment," this time Ayaka answered. "There are various stalls with different games but... I’ve never played any, so I can’t really say more than that." 

Seeing how the girl grew somehow uncomfortable with this confession, Thoma quickly proposed, "So how about we play something first and then come back to eat?" 

"That’s a good idea," Lumi nodded and nudged the blue-haired girl. "I want to play something Ayaka chooses." 

"Me?!" she squeaked in surprise.  

"Sure, why not," Childe easily agreed, quickly catching on the intention of the other two. 

Aya hesitated for a moment longer but finally yielded seeing Thoma’s encouraging smile. Looking around she put on a serious face, as if preparing to complete an important assignment, and focused on finding something fun. Eventually, the girl pointed to the left. 

"How about that?" 

The retainer hummed following her line of sight, "Oh, that’s an interesting choice." 

And it surely was – you certainly won’t expect to see an aristocratic lady at a shooting gallery. 

The rules of the game were simple: you get a rifle, three shots and have fun trying to hit any of the prizes sitting on a shelf a few meters away. If you manage to drop the item down, voilà, it’s yours~! 

"Have you ever shot a gun?" Lumine asked her friend passing her the air rifle, but Ayaka shook her head.  

"No, this is my first time," she answered peering at the weapon so different from the sword the girl was familiar with. "But doesn’t that make it more exciting?" 

It was hard to disagree seeing her eager, sparkling eyes. Lumi glanced at Ajax. 

"You, on the other hand, no doubt tried it before." 

"You're that certain, huh?" 

"Am I wrong, Mr Weapon Master?" she teased. "Your colleagues like to use it, so I'm pretty sure you got tempted to give it a spin or two in the past." 

"Aww, it warms my heart seeing how well you know me~" He playfully poked her nose and picked up the simple rifle scrutinising the crude craftsmanship. "So yes, you are correct. Can’t say guns are my favourite, though." 

"No?" The blonde peeked from the side observing how skilfully the Harbinger loaded the gun. It should have been an unnerving sight: here stood a Fatui agent with a rifle. Such combination often made her fear for her life, but this time she wasn’t scared. Instead 'fascinated' was a more fitting word. He looks good with it, the girl realised with a hint of amusement, definitely more professional than with a bow. "It seems like something easier to master than your current weapon of choice." 

"Yeah, and that’s precisely why I don’t like it." He leaned forward and aimed. "Even a baby would be able to kill with a gun." 

And that obviously didn’t sit right with the man as committed to the art of war as Tartaglia. Battles should be fought between people who have dedicated themselves to honing their skills and thus those knowing the weight of human life and possessing the determination to take it. Souls bold enough to put their ideals and desires on the line. Who are not afraid of any sacrifices. 

Guns were such an easy way out. 

Childe exhaled, held his breath, pulled the trigger. He aimed at the first prize – a huge mascot in the shape of a polar bear. What could have been a better gift for Lumi and an indication of his devotion than an animal just as white as the landscape of his homeland? ...also, with such a size it shouldn’t be that hard to hit it. 

Three shots later he had to rectify his plans. 

"You should really stick to close combat," Lumine chuckled seeing his dejected face. It was adorable in a way.  

"Laugh all you want, I will master it. Eventually," he pouted.  

"Yes, yes," she mockingly patted him on the arm, "you surely will." But the ginger grabbed her hand instead.  

"Give it here." 

"Huh?" 

"It’s not what I wanted," Childe said struggling with a wrapper and then gently slid something cold onto her finger, "but it will do for now." 

What?  

The girl lifted her palm and there sit... a ring. Made out of candy. A consolation prize, she realised. It was orange, smelt like oranges and had a big "diamond" on top. A funny souvenir a little girl would wear and yet... her throat felt dry. 

Nodding to himself in satisfaction, he gently grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. With their eyes linked, kissed the ring. 

Some strange electricity zapped between them. 

Lumi, her cheeks aflame, was suddenly lost for words. 

Because what was she supposed to answer? And what did he mean by saying "for now?" It was suddenly too much for her wildly beating heart. 

"It’s sweet," Lumine whispered not sure herself what exactly was she talking about. The candy? The gesture? ...him? Childe’s fingers softly touched her face, traced the line of her jaw. 

The racket of the festival suddenly felt somewhere far away.  

She could drown in the ocean depths looking at her as if she was the only person on Teyvat.  

"Lumi, I-" 

"I got it!" 

The two jumped, startled by the sudden noise. 

"I got it, Thoma! Did you see that?!" Ayaka was almost bouncing on her feet to her boyfriend’s amusement. Though his eyes also shone with pride.  

"I did, I did. You have a talent for this." 

Childe and Lumine, finally brought to reality, glanced at their friends and-  

"You’ve got to be kidding me!" The Harbinger groaned seeing Ayaka happily hugging the fluffy white polar bear. The stuffed animal weirdly fit the cryo princess, but still!   

"Admit it, that bear and you just weren’t meant to be," the blonde joked, trying to mask the emotions raging in her heart.  

Even when she went to congratulate Ayaka her mind still wandered elsewhere.  

If Aya didn’t yell... what would he say?  

*~*~* 

After the fun brought by the shooting range, Thoma took charge of their little group and the rest gladly followed him around. First, as per the prior promise, they decided to indulge a bit in the pleasure of eating delicious, but not exactly healthy food – that of course included the candy apples that made the girls moan in delight. 

Thoma didn’t mind serving as a tour guide. It gave him a wonderful opportunity to observe Ayaka and take note of every single expression the surrounding attractions managed to paint on her face. From surprise to joy, embarrassment and even unusual eagerness. 

She was so full of life that evening, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. 

It made the man remember the previous night and the meeting with the Harbinger. Childe turned out to be as weird in person as in the stories he heard, but talking with him proved to be deeply enlightening. If you could ignore the drunken ramblings, that is. 

"For the past half a yeear I saw Lumine three times," the ginger slurred a bit slumped on the restaurant’s counter and lifted four fingers, "thhhhree! And you see your lady every day. All you need to do is rrreach out your hand and you can touch her and hug her, ssssmell her hair and kiss her neck and feel her waaaarmth. You have it all at your fingertips and what did you do instead? Big fat nothing! If you love your girl, make her feel loooved, damn it!"  

He had a point, didn’t he? 

Thoma wasted so much time... But it wasn’t easy to break free from the chains of social conventions. Every time he dreamed about sharing a night just like this one with Milady, his thoughts instinctively wandered to the corner of his brain occupied by his insecurities. 

'You’re just a half.'  

'A servant.'  

'A commoner.'  

'A stray that came out of nowhere and dares to dream of things that will never be yours.'  

Ayaka didn't think like that, he knew that. Neither did her brother, the current head of the clan. Both siblings were above such prejudice, he really knew that. But the whispers in his subconscious remained. Thoma covered them up with a smile and a laugh and an easy comradery, but... that didn’t make them go away. 

He clenched his fist. 

And the person dear to him was hurt in the process. 

A small hand slipped into his palm gently unfolding his fingers. 

"Is something wrong?" The blue-grey eyes looking at him were filled with concern and the heart in his chest contorted. When did she become so important to him? 

The excuses, the stalling... it had to stop. The fear needed to go away, replaced by courage to finally move forward and this time with a head held high. 

Thoma smiled intertwining their fingers and gave her a light squeeze. The delicate blush blooming on the girl’s cheeks looked magical in the soft glow of the lanterns hanging all around them. 

"No, it’s fine. Even better than fine." 

And that was the honest truth reflected in both pairs of eyes. Everything was fine. And the warmth shared by their clasped palms felt like home. 

*~*~* 

"Hurry up you two, we found something fun!" 

Something fun mentioned by Lumine turned out to be a stall with a strange water container and countless goldfish swimming in it without a care in the world. 

"Now that is something we just have to try," Thoma commented excitedly. According to the ever-reliable retainer, the goldfish scooping is a must-try when it comes to Inazuman festivals. Nothing raises your competitive spirit and makes you quite damn annoyed at the same time as well as this seemingly simple game. 

The group approached the stall as the crowd surrounding it dispersed to the sound of giggling, leaving behind only two lone figures gazing at the fish. 

The blonde would recognise the familiar tail currently happily swaying from side to side everywhere. And of course, the owner of the tail wasn't alone. 

Lumi instinctively wanted to run up to them and say hello, but she quickly remembered what company she was in and that made her freeze in place. The girl uneasily glanced at Childe. After they started dating, she never once held his affiliation with the Fatui against him – the heart wants what it wants after all. There were many good and handsome men on Teyvat and her life would be so much easier if she fell for any of them... or not fell in love at all. Archons knew that was her very intention before the ginger menace smashed all her plans to smithereens. The one who stole her heart turned out to be the least suitable person of all, but she embraced it. The good, the bad and the crazy. 

Plus, it wasn't like she was the most sane person either. 

The same things, however, can’t be said about the others. Acceptance of her friends turned out to be much harder to gain.  

The fact that Diluc stopped trying to kill Childe on sight was already a big achievement in her book, but Kokomi and Gorou? Their wounds were still too fresh to fling a cocky Harbinger in their faces and expect the resistance leaders to be fine with it... Yet Lumine didn’t want to hide it either. Her feelings were genuine - concealing anything almost felt like admitting she was ashamed of them. 

And that wasn’t the case. Not at all. 

She stole another glance at Ajax, the single and small strand of white in his hair suddenly glinting in the lantern light.  

Some would say their relationship was doomed from the beginning – so many things could go wrong and leave them heartbroken. The future was too uncertain, the situation too unstable to make any promises. However, that was exactly why she decided to cherish it all the more. She will turn the whole Teyvat upside down to save it, but if that won’t be enough, if they truly were living on borrowed time... then she won’t waste it on regrets or fear. 

And will hold Childe’s hand proudly to the very end. 

The man was surprised suddenly feeling a strong tug. Lumi, tightly gripping his hand, pulled Ajax towards the stall with the small fish. Whatever storm just passed through her head, it was resolved and the Harbinger instinctively understood that it was resolved in his favour. 

In a world of countless possibilities, she somehow chose him yet again. 

"Kokomi, Gorou!" Lumine waved as the two turned to them in surprise.  

"Traveller!" The General’s ears twitched at the sight of his comrade in arms. "What brings you here?" 

"Isn’t this supposed to be my question? I thought you would be spending the New Year at home in Watatsumi." 

"That would be very nice, yes," the Priestess answered honestly, "but some duties must be carried out when one desires it the least." 

"Tell me about it," Childe quietly mumbled. It was the sentiment he could painfully relate to as a Harbinger buried in unwanted assignments, especially one with a newly acquired, adorable girlfriend he couldn’t spend time with. 

Kokomi eyed him up and down. Even though he left his mask and Fatui insignia at the Serenitea Pot (causing a stir during w festival wasn’t how he wanted to enjoy this long-awaited date), there was no doubt the girl knew exactly what truth hid behind his easy-going smile.  

Lumi clutched his hand tighter. 

Ajax knew about the resistance... and about Teppei. It wasn’t information easy to extract from Lumine, but every time he came back from a mission, during their reunion her eyes would always stray to his hair. At first, it was a bit alarming – does Lumi like his hair that much? What if she has a thing for gingers in general??? Should he be worried? But after a few times, he finally figured out where her sight was wandering and what was the reason for that. 

She was scared. Worried for him. For them.  

For the Delusion stealing his time the same way it stole her friend’s future. 

That white strand in his hair was a tangible reminder of an irreversible tragedy. And even though he already explained to her that Delusions don’t have the same toxic effects on Vision Holders, her eyes were always filled with concern after a long separation; when they cuddled on their favourite couch in front of the fireplace, she would put her ear over his heart, as if searching for proof and consolation that everything was still all right. 

That no one else will suddenly disappear from her life like so many others before. 

The members of the resistance, though... They won’t greet him with enthusiasm and he couldn’t blame them for that. 

"Hello," Ajax said simply, maybe for the first time in his life not sure how to proceed, so decided on what he was best at: wore the most charming smile and went on the offensive. 

"Isn't just standing here and not giving the game a try considered bad manners?" 

"Not at all." Kokomi crossed her arms, unfazed. "But jumping into an unknown situation without a proper strategy can sure be in bad taste." 

"Well, there's nothing better than hands-on experience, isn't there?" 

"And yet practice cannot exist without theory." 

Before he could shoot anything back Lumine give him a not-so-subtle nudge in the side. 

*ouch*  

Why the hell are you picking a fight with my friends??? her eyes were screaming.  

I'm defending my honour, his were answering. 

His honour? Isn't it usually the lady's honour that should be defended? Lumi sighed. Why was everything always upside down when this man was involved. 

"A-anyway, so you’re here for work?" Lumi asked, diverting the attention to another topic. 

Gorou nodded. 

"We were invited in a gesture of goodwill. The peace between Watatsumi and the shogunate is still fragile, so we need to show everybody that it is also in our desire to maintain this relationship." 

"Ahh, politics. Nothing quite sours the mood as much as serious talks about national affairs," Thoma cut in, glancing at Ayaka. "Isn’t that right?" 

She smiled. 

"That’s why it’s important to achieve a proper balance and find ways to enjoy even the most boring ordeals." 

Kokomi nodded approvingly. "These are wise words, mistress of the Kamisato clan. I’ll be sure to properly reflect on them." Then she turned to Lumine and winked. "That being said, and since we’re already here: care for a game, dear Captain of the Swordfish II?" 

"You mean... goldfish scooping?" 

"Yes, I’ve been theorising about the best approach for this challenge," she glanced at Childe, "but it would be interesting see how well it works in practice, don’t you think?" the Priestess suggested.  

"Sure... though why do I get a feeling I’m walking into a trap right now?" 

Kokomi chuckled dismissively waving her hand. That made her appear ten times more suspicious. "You must be imagining things." She lightly tugged at Gorou’s sleeve. "In the meantime, can you get us something to drink?" 

"Yes, Your Excellency, no problem!" He instantly straightened up.  

"Okay, okay, less saluting, more chilling," Thoma hooked an arm around the General’s shoulders and nodded to the Harbinger. "How about we all go find something delicious for the ladies?"  

Good save, Thoma! Childe wanted to cheer. This guy could truly read a room like no other and save you the unwanted awkwardness – that’s a perfect retainer for you! The value of proper underlings was truly indisputable. 

The blond man winked at Lumi and promptly dragged the boys away. She was anxious since it was quite an unusual combination of characters (it almost sounded like a joke: "so hear me out, a Fatui agent, a Kamisato’s servant and a resistance soldier walk into a bar!"), but her worries disappeared as soon as she heard their slowly receding conversation. 

"And dear Gorou, I hope you didn't forget what you promised me when I saved you from Yae Miko last week," the blond teased slyly.  

The General instantly broke into a cold sweat. 

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," stuttered. His ears were nervously twitching... till Childe curiously touched one of them.  

"Eeek!!" Gorou jumped away looking as if he wanted to simultaneously bite someone and just run, the further the better. "W-Wh-What are you d-doing?!?!" He exasperatedly tried to cover his head.  

The gesture seemed to had an opposite effect on Childe.  

"Aww you're such a cute doggo~!" the Harbinger gushed attempting to pet him.  

"Arghhh don't call me that!!" 

The sound of Thoma’s carefree laughter was the last thing the girls heard after the unusual trio got swallowed by the crowd. 

Finally alone with Kokomi and Ayaka, Lumine could assess her situation. It was a perfect moment to come clean and explain everything to the leader of the resistance, but... how do you explain Childe? 

She ended up dating a murderous Harbinger that almost drowned Liyue Harbour and personally tried to kill her – when you look at it from this perspective it’s hard to tell who is crazier, him or her. 

Kokomi tilted her head and Lumine shuddered under her scrutinising gaze. If someone told her the Priestess could actually read minds she would totally believe it - she just felt as if her every thought was put under a magnifying glass and dissected like a frog. 

"May the best woman win," Kokomi broke the awkward silence holding out a poi, a round scooper made out of paper. 

A peace offering. 

Lumine accepted curiously inspecting the object – it looked so feeble! How the heck is she supposed to catch a fish using this thing? 

Well, the goldfish looked kind of cute, so getting one for her Serenitea Pot didn’t sound like a bad idea and it could even work as a souvenir for Paimon. She focused on one in particular, an especially lazy chubster with a white spot on its nose, and thrust the poi into the water with a loud "ha!" ...not that it helped much. The girl lifted the scooper only to see the paper torn and, quite obviously, no fish caught in it. 

It’s harder than I thought... Frustrated, she glanced to the side and oh boy, calling it a competition felt like a joke. 

Kokomi’s hand was moving at a speed hardly perceived by the naked eye, mercilessly scooping the fish one after another. Lumine could have sworn she saw tears in the eyes of the cutesy goldies snatched from the water and thrown into the air to fly in a pretty arc and land with a splash in a small bowl the girl was holding in her other palm. 

The blonde put her hands together in prayer. Your sacrifice won't be forgotten. There was still a chance the Priestess doesn't intend to use her reward as the emergency provisions... 

But enough with admiring her rival, Lumine’s own struggle wasn’t over yet – she's a hundreds years old Traveller, damn it, she will at least get one. Or her pride might never recover. 

"If I made you uncomfortable, I apologise." 

"What?!" Lumi’s head jerked up surprised by the sudden confession.  

"New Year’s Eve should be a joyful occasion; I didn’t want to sour your mood." 

"No, that’s not true!" The blonde quickly refuted. "It’s me who made things awkward, I should have told you everything sooner," she quietly admitted, focusing on the small fish skilfully dodging her poi. "Just so you know, I didn’t forget. I never will. But this is different, he-" 

"I know," Kokomi interrupted. "I won't forgive what happened either, but I’m not so short-sighted to blame people who had nothing to do with harming my troops just because they’re part of the same organisation." Then she unexpectedly snickered. "And not when I see the way he looks at you. That man would march into the Abyss itself if you only asked, hard to perceive someone like that as evil." 

"Well..." This kind of task he would probably treat as a reward.  

"I am sorry for interrupting your date." Kokomi glanced over her shoulder to meet Ayaka’s eyes. "And the same can be said to you, Miss Kamisato." 

"Oh?! No no no, no such thing!" She waved her hands. "The more the merrier." 

"Also seeing how even Miss Kamisato seems to be fine in such international company, I can only follow suit." 

"Not at all!" Ayaka reflexively rejected the sudden compliment. "And Mr Childe is... He's... Ummm..." She was adorably uncomfortable trying to find the words to convey the mental instability of the Harbinger in the politest manner possible and failing miserably. Well, even the most skilled politicians wouldn't be able to lie their way out of this one. 

Lumine snorted but took pity and decided to save Ayaka from the misery of not being able to end that sentence with 'a good guy.' Because it was true - he most certainly wasn't one. Still.  

"His heart is in the right place. When he remembers he has a heart, that is." 

"Yes, exactly!" The Shirasagi Princess jumped at the convenient lifeline. "For a Harbinger, he’s just a weird person," she nodded bizarrely confident in that statement, as if it somehow explained it all.  

Hmmm, maybe it did? Ajax wasn't your typical guy. In more ways than one. 

"Kokomi is so lucky," Lumine pouted, turning back to the fish. The one she was chasing for the last ten minutes was beginning to look at her with a weird sense of pity hidden in its bead-like eyes. Just you wait..! "If Childe had a tail like Gorou he would be so much easier to deal with." 

"Wha-" Kokomi blinked, taken aback.  

Ayaka, on the other hand, instantly brightened.  

"That's true! Just imagining Thoma with a tail that wags when he's happy or drops when he's sad feels like a dream." 

"Yeah, no more overthinking, plus a fluffy tail ready for petting is in the package," Lumi attacked with the poi, but a loud splash of water was the only thing she was able to achieve. Also, did she imagine it, or did the goldfish slap her hand with its fin?! 

"Miss Sangonomiya is indeed very lucky," Ayaka nodded seriously passing Lumine another poi. 

"Hold on a moment," the lady in question lifted her arms to stop the conversation from going any further. "There seems to be a misunderstanding. Me and the General are here strictly on official business as part of the Watatsumi delegation." 

The other girls exchanged a look and smirked. For a moment they looked truly evil. 

"Riiiiight." 

The Priestess felt her cheeks growing hotter and of course, it was also the moment when the boys chose to return from their trip to acquire the refreshments.  

The men and their impeccable timing.  

Gorou immediately frowned seeing Kokomi’s complexion. "Excuse me, Your Excellency." Putting aside the cup of steaming tea he casually touched her forehead with a thoughtful 'hmmm' "Your face is flushed. It doesn’t look like you have a fever, but we should probably move to someplace warmer." 

Sensing the all-knowing gaze of Lumi and Ayaka, the girl got even redder. 

"That’s... not a bad suggestion." 

Glaring at the two she quickly excused herself, grabbed the fish she won and escaped with the General in tow. His tail was happily swaying left and right as he followed close on her heels.  

Thoma and Childe exchanged a look. 

"What just happened?" the Harbinger scratched his neck and crouched next to the blonde. 

"I got obliterated, that’s what happened," Lumine’s head dropped, the poi got torn once again. 

"Awww comrade, so there are things you’re not good at, huh?" 

"Don’t grin like that," she pouted. 

Ajax beamed even harder and waved at the stallkeeper. "Hey, can I buy one goldfish?" 

"Well, normally we don’t sell the fish, but..." his eyes strayed to Lumine. He observed her disastrous attempts at scooping for the past ten minutes and the man had to admit: she was just too pitiful.  

In his eyes, this tiny blonde looked like a small dejected bunny right now.  

Suddenly overcome with fatherly instincts (or maybe it was the natural affection you feel towards cute animals), the stallkeeper approached Lumi with an expression that seemed to be saying 'it can’t be helped.' "Hey, missy, how about you just choose one. It’s on the house." 

"Really?!" Her eyes were sparkling. 

"Yes yes," he waved, "just pick one." 

"Then..." Lumi grinned and her harmless aura instantly disappeared. There was the wickedness of the worst kind hidden in that smile. She pointed. "That one." 

*~*~* 

The bag with a goldfish swayed in Lumine's hand to the beat of her footsteps. The fish was big, fat, lazy and had a white spot on the tip of its nose. 

Ah, the sweet revenge~  

The creature, as if sensing the pettiness of its new owner, turned its tail to Lumi. 

"Your new kid seems to be going through a rebellious phase," Childe chuckled, not about to pass the opportunity to tease her.  

"It will come around. And it’s not my new kid. I’m taking it to the Serenitea Pot so... it’s ours," the girl shyly mumbled hiding the bag inside the pocket dimension. 

Ajax tripped but luckily caught himself before faceplanting to the ground. And the way he looked at her next... Sometimes his seemingly dead eyes contained so many emotions they were making Lumine’s head spin. Feel as if for him there was no one else in this world worth looking at but her. 

She stared back. Childe gently brushed her hair behind her ear. The place he touched tingled and she lost herself in the sensation. The softness of the gloves’ fabric, the sweet smell still lingering on his fingertips after eating candies before, the way his body seemed to gravitate towards hers. 

"I would like that," he whispered leaning a bit closer-  

"Hey, come on guys, we need to find a good spot for the fireworks show!" Thoma yelled trying to spot them in the growing crowd, blissfully unaware of what he had just interrupted. 

Bad timing, man, bad timing.  

The Harbinger wearily closed his eyes. "And I was beginning to like the guy," grumbled to Lumi’s amusement. The girl slipped into his embrace, instantly placating Ajax’s moodiness.  

Kisses were nice, but so were hugs. 

"He’s right, though. It’s gonna be midnight soon, we better find a place that’s a bit less crowded than this." 

The number of people bustling around the pair was seriously getting out of hand. No to mention that a lot of them looked slightly tipsy. 

When finally rejoined with the other couple, Childe couldn’t help but ask. "Are they selling alcohol here?" 

"They sure do," Thoma nodded to at least a few stalls that despite being purposely pushed out of sight and hidden behind other shops, definitely looked busy. "Oh, now that you mention it, you two should try amazake." 

"She’s not drinking," Ajax immediately shot down the idea.  

"Hey!" 

"Sorry, girlie, but your tolerance is abysmal." 

"It’s not that bad," but her tone was suspiciously defensive. 

"Oh yes, it absolutely is." And call him selfish all you want, drunk Lumine is an experience he would rather not share with others.  

Thoma laughed at their exchange. "Then good thing amazake has almost no alcohol in it. It's a hot drink sometimes mixed with ginger that even kids can drink." 

"Hmm?" Childe crossed his arms. "Okay, now I’m a little curious." 

"It’s a perfect winter drink for sure. When I was younger..." 

Taking advantage of the fact that the two men seemed to be getting along quite well, Lumine left them for a moment and pulled Ayaka to the side. The girl remained unusually silent for the last couple of minutes, and even Thoma’s attempts at goading her to join the discussion resulted in one-word answers and awkward fidgeting. 

Something was clearly wrong, but what? 

The whole evening was going so well... 

"Hey," the blonde lightly squeezed Aya's arm. "You okay?" 

"Fine." Again the curt answer. But Lumi wasn't going to let herself be so easily dismissed.  

"You sure about that? It’s gonna be midnight soon, and there’s a plan we had..." 

This finally elicited a response. 

The blue-haired girl visibly shrunk and grabbed Lumine like a drowning man begging for saving. The blond winced feeling nails digging into her skin. 

"I don’t know if I can do it, Lumi," Ayaka whispered.  

"Why? The date was a huge success. Now all that’s left is to confess just as we agreed. Let’s say 'I love you' when the clock strikes twelve, the dramatic effect will be perfect – it was your idea." 

"But what if he doesn’t accept?" She looked like a cornered animal. Which was ridiculous, because there was no way Thoma could ever say no to his Milady. Especially this time.  

"Ayaka-" 

But before Lumine could reassure her, the two boyfriends butted in, absolutely unaware of what kind of conversation just occurred right under their noses (aka how they were the objects of a very intricate plotting). 

"We still have a bit more time, how about trying this famous sweet sake? I’m kind of intrigued," Childe proposed.  

"Well," Lumi sighed, "I don’t see a reason why no-"  

"Sweet sake?! I saw the stall just a moment ago, I can show you the way!" Not giving anyone time to react, Ayaka fearlessly took her fate into her own hands: grabbed the Harbinger’s arm and bolted.  

Just like that. 

Into the crowd. 

In a matter of seconds, the two disappeared in the mass of people coming from every direction, making it impossible to track them down. 

Lumine watched it all slack-jawed. Dumbfounded, she pointed at the place Ajax just stood in and looked at Thoma. 

"Did your girlfriend just kidnap my boyfriend?" 

It certainly appeared that way. And if not for the fact that Childe thought the world of Lumine, it would be a good moment to get worried. 

Nevertheless, Thoma’s confidence as a boyfriend took a tremendous hit. 

The man let out a very long and weary sigh.  

"Come on, I know where to find them." 

*~*~* 

She panicked. Simply panicked. 

And majorly screwed up. 

Ayaka sunk on the nearest bench looking like a deflated balloon. 

They had a plan. Everything was going well. And yet- 

What a failure.  

The girl felt a strong urge to pull at her hair, but before she had the chance Childe thrust a cup into her shaking hands. Her skin instantly warmed up.  

"Drink, it's quite good." He nodded as some kind of a connoisseur. "Though it would be better with some actual alcohol in it." 

Honestly? She could also use a stronger drink right now. 

Ayaka complied and took a sip. The sweet and pleasantly hot liquid spread in her belly. She closed her eyes, focusing on the sensation. It was nice. Felt her tense muscles loosen and body relax.  

The situation reminded her a bit of her childhood - she used to beg her family to let her try amazake because it was making her feel like an adult. 

And now that I'm an adult, I'm missing the past.  

"So? What's the deal with you princess? Because as much as I like you, I would much rather spend some lovey-dovey time with Lumi than sit here with you. No offence." 

"I know, I'm sorry..." She looked miserable. And this kind of appearance, the hunched shoulders and downcast eyes, suddenly reminded him a bit too much of Tonia when she was being scolded by their mom. 

The man sighed and tiredly sat down. Took another sip before finally nudging the depressed girl. 

"Come on, it's New Year's Eve. What's wrong, spill it." 

If only she knew... Insecurities seemed to be her biggest enemies at the moment, yet she wasn’t sure if someone as self-confident as the Harbinger could accept such an answer. 

"Listen, princess, if you don’t say anything, I will just assume you have a secret crush on me and I’m sorry to inform you, but you're really not my type." It was obvious the man was irritating her on purpose, but it didn’t work as intended.  

Ayaka glanced at him with a frown.  

“Do all men have it? A type?" 

Well, not that he cared about others, but- 

"Sure, everybody has some kind of preferences, right?" 

She nodded and covered the top of her cup with her hand. The steam was lazily slipping through the girl’s fingers.  

"Then..." Ayaka hesitated. "What is your type?" 

"Lumine." 

The answer came straight away.  

The Kamisato lady blinked not sure if she heard that correctly.  

"So, like a blonde or-" 

"Lumine," Ajax repeated tilting his head. What was there hard to understand? 

They stared at each other in consternation before Ayaka sighed and turned away. 

Why did she even bother to ask this hopeless man? But... She couldn't help but feel a little jealous, too. How nice it must be to find yourself at a receiving end of such straightforward love (Lumi would probably deny it and claim the whole thing to be beyond annoying, but at this point, Ayaka was quite sure that every complaint the blonde uttered regarding Childe should be taken with a grain of salt). 

And it’s not like she had nothing to worry about – thinking about things like "types" or "preferences" never crossed her mind before yet maybe it was worth considering? 

What if he really doesn’t find me attractive?  

"Ah!" The Harbinger snapped his fingers finally having an epiphany. "So that’s what this is all about!" 

"What?" Aya grumbled suddenly feeling self-conscious.  

And that weirdo had the audacity to laugh.  

"Missy, whatever you’re thinking just... don't," he awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, trying and failing to stifle a chuckle. "You found yourself a loyal dog. And before you assume anything crazy, maybe talk to the guy first?" 

"If you haven't noticed, we’re sitting here exactly because I couldn’t do that,” she deadpanned. 

"Well," Childe pointed to the path on the right, "it seems you will soon get another opportunity to try." 

"What?!" The lady jumped to her feet and yes, bless Thoma’s height, a distinct blond head was sticking out of the crowd of dark-haired people. And slowly getting closer. 

No no no, that’s too soon! She wasn’t mentally prepared! 

Ayaka turned to Childe in panic. "What do I do now?!" 

He rolled his eyes and pulled her back down to the bench. "Drink your pseudo-sake." 

Her mind was blank enough to instinctively follow the instruction. The sweetness of the drink lingered on her tongue.  

"Good," the man nodded, satisfied. Glanced up, but their companions were still far away, hindered by the crowd. Lumine struggled squeezing between people but still slowly but surely moved towards him. Well, there was no stopping her when she set her mind on something. "Now listen, princess. All the stuff you’re worried about? It's rubbish. When you find the right person, you just know it. Is that guy your 'right person?'" 

"He is," she immediately answered.  

"Are you the right person for him?" 

"I want to be!" 

Ajax felt like a big brother bullshitting his way through a particularly annoying conversation with his little sibling, but drastic measures were sometimes unavoidable.  

"Then trust in that and stop messing up my date, got it?" 

"Got it!" Ayaka squealed. 

He almost expected her to salute. 

Now the man finally understood why Lumine wanted to help these two so much. Watching them was almost painful. 

And I thought we were a mess...  

*~*~* 

After their dates disappeared, Thoma took the lead steering him and Lumine through the festival grounds towards the stall with amazake. As the midnight was drawing closer, the place was getting more and more crowded, meaning it was really not the time to get separated. 

What were you thinking, Aya! Lumi wanted to scream. 

The heiress of the Kamisato clan was amazing – beautiful, elegant, strong, and wise – a dream of every possible bachelor (and quite possibly a fair share of maidens, too) on this planet! In Lumine’s humble opinion if you met Ayaka and didn’t want to date her, that either meant you were already loyally in love (good for you) or there was something wrong with your eyes. Finding anyone closer to perfection was impossible! 

How come such a great, accomplished girl was also so shy and insecure? It was beyond her. 

"You know, Thoma," the blonde yawned stretching her stiff shoulders, "life would be so much easier if I fell in love with you."  

"Tell me about it," he snorted, though a bit tiredly.  

"We would travel to all sorts of different places." 

"Experience all kinds of new stuff."  

"Try all the food."  

"Pet all the dogs." 

Yeah, that sounded like a nice alternative reality scenario. And truthfully, they would make a good couple – with his optimism and her love for freedom. A pair of wide-eyed wanderers chasing adventure. However, the same qualities luckily also made them good friends. Thanks to that they were able to joke like this without any sense of guilt, imagine a hypothetical scenario that would indeed make their lives easier to manage, but... was completely impossible. At the end of the day, their hearts were set on someone else and they didn’t want to change that. 

"I thought you would be in a bigger hurry. Considering we are trying to save your girlfriend from a big bad Harbinger, we’re taking quite a leisure stroll here," the girl commented after a moment's silence.  

"We could get there quicker, but I thought Milady would want a minute to recover," Thoma admitted.  

"Recover from what?" Lumi baited and he shook his head.  

"I don’t know.” And yet he still valued her enough to follow Ayaka's weirdest whims without a word of protest. Such a keeper! Aya, you really need to pull your shit together, and fast! "You’re the closest to her," he glanced at the blonde, "maybe you tell me." 

"She’s just a nervous mess, that’s all." 

"Nervous? What’s there to be nervous about?" As if you’re one to talk. His hands were clenching and unclenching around the pair of silver dog tags hanging around his neck even as Thoma asked this question. 

But okay, I’ll throw you a bone.  

Lumi wanted to help her friends whenever possible, but also decided not to directly meddle in their personal affairs. In many cases, the emotional baggage between the people she met on Teyvat was difficult to untangle (yes, that was a jab at Jean and Diluc in particular), she was scared her intervention might only make the matters worse. However a small nudge should be fine, right? Because it made her mad how much they needed one. 

"She values the time you two spend together. But it also makes her overwhelmed." 

Thoma paled. "So it’s my fault? Am I intimidating?" 

The blonde snorted. If a puppy could be considered intimidating, then sure. 

“No no, it’s not that. Her whole life Ayaka had expectations placed on her, a role she had to play. It’s just hard for her to put it aside and be a little selfish... But you knew that already, right?" 

"Yeah..." 

"So whatever you do, just let her enjoy this relationship. She probably instinctively thinks it’s just another thing she has to be perfect at and that’s not true. Feelings are... messy." Lumine suddenly snorted. "Just look at me and Childe." 

"You’re still better than us and no offence, but if a pair of enemies dating each other is somehow more functional, that’s a bit concerning." 

"Hahaha, none taken." It was the truth after all. "Just..." she patted him affectionately on the back, "do your best."  

"Thanks." 

Shortly after they finally reached the amazake stall. It was situated a bit on the side, right under a big yumemiru tree. The other two were waiting there with two empty cups and pink petals falling all around them – it was amazing how the trees on the Amakane Island seemed to bloom the whole year long... 

Childe stood up as soon as he saw Lumine. Strode forward, but grabbed Thoma's arm as the man was passing him by. The blond frowned, surprised.  

"This would be a good time to get lost in the crowd, brother," whispered with a fake sweet smile. 

Lumi’s eyes narrowed. Her Harbinger was definitely up to no good, but there was no way he would tell her what was going on if she asked directly. The idiot liked to be difficult like that.  

The girl crossed her arms to appear even more intimidating. Quite a feat for a 1,50m shrimp, let's add. 

"I hope you enjoyed your drink." 

Translation: you better bought one for me, too.  

Ajax grinned and pulled a cup from behind his back.  

"Interesting flavours can only be enjoyed in an interesting company." 

Translation: who do you take me for? 

She shook her head and accepted. Took a sip. It was sweet and warm. Perfect to enjoy on a cool winter night like this one, just as Thoma said. 

"It almost makes you regret it’s not snowing today," whispered smiling at her drink.  

And never before did he want to just spirit her away to Snezhnaya and hide away from the endless responsibilities. To cuddle in front of a fireplace in his childhood home while a blizzard rages outside. Drink tea with lemon and honey or even firewater if the mood strikes. 

Snowstorms can make you feel as if you’re the only person alive. The wind and cold raging outside cut you off from the rest of the world. It’s scary. And lonely, too. Allows you to appreciate the warmth of the place that shelters you from the angry forces of nature and the people you share it with all the more. 

One day he would like Lumi to see it all for herself – the untamed powers reigning in his homeland – and hopefully come to love it as much as he does. 

It’s something to look forward to.  

Childe took the blonde by her arm and headed uphill. 

"Come on, or we will be late for the fireworks show." 

The reminder instantly made her snap back to reality. She dug her heels into the ground.  

"What about Thoma and Ayaka?" Lumine narrowed her eyes. "You don’t plan to abandon them, do you?" 

"And what if I am?" the man shamelessly admitted.  

Baffled, she pinched the bridge of her nose.  

"I can’t believe you. So that was your plan all along?" 

"Hey, it’s not like we ditched them. It was a proper double date just like you wanted." His voice lowered as he leaned closer and breathed into her ear, "But now I want to have my girlfriend only for myself. Can’t I?" 

Ugghhh...  

When he looked at her like that with these deep blue eyes, she wasn’t able to say no. 

"It’s not like we can do more for them anyway," Lumine slowly agreed. "I just hope everything will work out."  

Childe, however, didn’t seem too concerned.  

"Oh, it will, trust me." 

Right. Trust him. Easier said than done, considering his good mood often tended to lead to bigger troubles.  

"Please, tell me you didn’t fill Ayaka’s head with some weird ideas," the girl begged, suddenly overcome with a bad feeling.  

"Weeelllll..." 

"Childe!" 

He laughed, satisfied with Lumi’s reaction. Maybe even too satisfied. 

"Easy, comrade, I channelled my inner responsible adult." 

"You have words like 'responsible' in your dictionary?" 

"Right next to 'ravishing,' 'roguish,' and 'rascal.'" 

Lumi rolled her eyes. That sounded about right.  

"Give me some credit," he continued softening a bit, "even I find it hard to make fun of someone who looks like a beaten dog." 

"Oh no, don't even give me that look." 

"What look?" Childe frowned. Was he making a strange face or something? 

"As if you just found another sibling to adopt." 

He almost choked on his own spit. 

"Come on, I'm not that bad," Ajax whined, though without much conviction.  

"You so are," she couldn’t help but snort. "Though this time you're out of luck because Ayaka has an actual big brother."  

"Yeah?" 

"Mhm. A very handsome and elegant young man, at least that's what they say since I never met him," she tried to remember the tales making rounds in the city. There was quite a lot of information to be found on the streets, but every single thing gave her an image of a totally different man. Just who was he, exactly? Admittedly, Lumine was a little intrigued. "Kamisato Ayato, rumoured to be tall, skilful in swordplay and having a Hydro Vision..." She glanced at Ajax with a smirk. "Does that remind you of someone?" 

"Lumine," there was a warning in his tone. "Do I have to make Vitaliy run another background check?" 

"Oh, just leave Vitalya alone. He's a good guy." 

"A good guy?? Did you seriously just call a Fatui agent a good guy? And since when you two got so close?" 

Diminutives were serious business in Snezhnaya – he wouldn’t let just anyone call him per Vitalya. 

"What? If we run across each other, he sometimes helps me with commissions." She glared. "Actually, it happens so often one might think someone told him to tail me." 

"Okay, hold your horses solnyshko. I might be prone to a lot of stupid ideas but I'm not crazy enough to meddle in your deal with the Adventure's Guild. Plus," he grinned, "I know better than anyone that you can take care of yourself just fine."  

"So what, is this really a coincidence?" She scrunched her nose, not entirely convinced. 

"Well... Maybe not exactly," he conceded. "Vitaliy is a very, let's say, old-fashioned fellow. Always says that devushki should be protected, treated with honour and respect, stuff like that. I might not order him to do anything, but since you’re a girlfriend of his boss he would probably keep an eye on you anyway."  

So he was the last living proof that the spirit of chivalry hadn't yet died out. Yet. 

"See? Told you he's a good guy." 

The crowd around them was getting denser. As the two walked towards the top of the hill, the number of times they were shoved, pushed and elbowed in the sides was gradually increasing. After one such instance, Childe growled, barely holding himself back - his (bloodthirst) irritation hardly leaked outside but it was all it took for the road around them to clear in no time. A true miracle. 

Or people of Inazuma just had sharp self-preservation instincts. 

"By the way, how are you even able to recognise him?" Even Ajax couldn’t differentiate between his subordinates on sight – was there some hidden trick to it? "All the Fatui agents wear masks so how do you know which one is Vitaliy?" 

"Ah, that's actually a good story!" She brightened, almost bouncing on her heels at the opportunity to share it. Like a small yellow rabbit. Cute. "One day I was running around Narukami on some errand and came across this Fatui agent standing by the edge of the cliff. With a Mirror Maiden." She wiggled her eyebrows and Childe almost snorted. "They were having a moment so I didn't want to disturb them - tried to sneak past the two, but failed. I immediately pulled out the sword, ready to fight but... surprise!" Lumine grinned. "The agent turned out to be Vitaliy." She lifted her hand and pointed at it. "Since then I noticed he wears a blue ribbon tied around his left wrist." 

"Well damn, that's some juicy gossip, girlie." Childe was honestly impressed: with Lumi’s observation skills and Vitalya’s unexpected popularity. Who would have thought, huh? "That rascal! And you. Northland Bank corrupted you hahaha!'  

"I learnt from the best," she snickered remembering how many times she traded stories with Ekaterina over a cup of tea. That woman knew everything. "Still, Snezhnaya truly is the nation of lovers. It's good the Fatui doesn't forbid fraternising or I don't know how you guys would survive it." 

He hugged her from behind and affectionately kissed the top of her head. "I don't know either." 

Lumine took her time to enjoy the moment. There were only a few minutes left for the clock to hit midnight. A big crowd of people gathered around, all smiling and laughing and... happy. Welcoming the new year has always been a joyful occasion – an opportunity to hope for a brighter future.  

She leaned back. Childe truly was a walking heater and nothing could quite beat the sensation of nestling in his arms. They were not only warm but also... safe. Made her feel needed and wanted. As if this was the place she belonged to. 

The girl glanced up. He was intently staring at the horizon as the mass around them started the countdown. 

Ten... 

Nine... 

Eight... 

This was the moment she prepared for. The climax of her plan.  

Surprisingly, Lumine didn’t feel nervous. The three magic words were at the tip of her tongue. They might change everything or nothing at all, but no matter the result, she was ready to finally face it. 

Three... 

Two... 

One... 

"Childe, I-" 

Boom~! The fireworks exploded, flowers of light and colours bloomed in the night sky. Green and red and purple. Gold as her hair and blue as his eyes. 

The delight on his face was almost boyish and so so lovely. 

"That’s amazing!" he yelled trying to outshout the noise. 

True, Yoimiya outdid herself. 

The explosions in the air could rival the thunderous ringing of a bell coming from the Narukami Shrine. One might expect the two sounds would interfere with each other but, miraculously, they created a pleasant harmony announcing the beginning of a new year. 

"Childe!" Lumi tried once again, she really needed him to hear this. Right this instant. Though, admittedly, the conditions weren’t very favourable at present. She totally overlooked that detail planning the whole thing, didn’t she? 

"Hey!" Ajax lightly shook her arm and pointed at the sky. "Isn’t that..?!" 

Lumine, slightly frustrated, snapped her attention back to the fireworks display and- 

…! 

Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. 

He was right. It was.  

"Paimon..." 

An enormous face of her pixie friend just formed in the sky, undoubtedly thanks to Yoimiya’s crazy firework-making skills. The glittering pixie was smiling at her as if sending to Lumi a silent encouragement. 

She must have known about Lumine’s scheme all along. The blonde never said she couldn't join them (Ajax always accepted her presence as a natural thing), but Paimon explicitly stated she already promised to meet with someone else and disappeared shortly after waking up. 

To think this was her plan. 

Or just a part of it. 

When Paimon’s likeness sparkled one last time and finally blinked away, another two fireworks were simultaneously launched into the sky.  

Lumine took a step forward and froze with her hands on a woody railing as they exploded.  

"It’s... you," Childe gaped. 

"And Aether," the girl whispered, emotions choking her voice.  

The two side profiles were facing each other.  

The last time Lumi saw Ae he turned his back on her and walked away, but not here – today's image of Aether was looking straight in the eye of his sister with a soft, easy-going smile.  

The crowd was awed by the display, not even knowing the true meaning it held. New Year’s Eve was meant to give you courage and motivation to face the future: and that was Paimon’s gift to Lumine. To think she would do something so... 

"Crazy," despite the big goofy grin adorning her face, tears were streaming down her cheeks. A lot of emotions raged in Lumine’s heart, all longing for a release. "She's crazy." 

Childe hugged her again, letting the girl hide in his embrace. She buried herself in his jacket, slipping her arms around his waist. 

The man gently stroked her hair. "And pretty awesome, too." 

Yeah, that was true. 

Thanks to Paimon it was a New Year’s Eve Lumine will never forget. 

"Childe, I... I will find him. I will find my brother." 

And maybe that wasn’t the confession she intended to make, but saying it at that moment simply felt... right.  

Less like wishful thinking and more like a promise. 

It would be nice if we could all get along when that happens.  

*~*~*  

Thoma manoeuvred through the crowd, dragging Ayaka by the hand. Soon they found themselves by a small cliff. The man deftly jumped off and quickly reached out his hands towards his girlfriend.  

"Come on, we gotta hurry!" 

"What?" She was slightly flabbergasted, hesitantly glancing down. "Aren’t we going in the wrong direction?" 

And why are they exactly doing all this instead of having a proper conversation? She prepared mentally to confront Thoma as soon as they meet up, rehearsed the whole speech in her head and it was all for nothing. Again. 

"Just trust me, you’re gonna like it," the retainer grinned and once again gestured to her. "Just jump. I’ll catch you." 

What?!  

As in... jump into his arms? But it was a few meters down?? And she was heavy??? Such an embarrassing thing!! And disgraceful... How can she show him such an uncool side?  

But wouldn’t it be a shame to decline? whispered a small devil sitting on her shoulder with a ginger mop of hair and red scarf, one that awfully resembled a certain Harbinger. He was right, though. When the next such opportunity would arise? 

Ayaka clutched her kimono, closed her eyes and jumped forward. 

The wind whistled in her ears. 

To be honest, she could probably make the landing without any assistance, the kimono was restricting the girl’s movements a lot more than her everyday wear, but she wasn’t a master swordswoman for nothing. Trained to be ready for anything. 

Yet wasn’t it nice to pretend to be just a normal girl once in a while? And have a knight in shining armour waiting to save her? ...to allow herself not to be perfect? 

Strong pair of arms effortlessly caught Ayaka to her little sequel. When she opened her eyes she was met with a wide grin and faintly tinted cheeks. She couldn’t help but stare. 

His eyes were so green... 

Flustered, Thoma broke the moment. Put her down. Before the disappointment hit, he linked their fingers and silently lead the girl along the shore. His hand was warm despite the cool air and Ayaka felt something just as warm blooming in her chest. 

It didn’t take them long to find themselves right under the cliff - all the people, Lumine and Childe included, were gathered above. The view from the beach was just as good as from the hill and they had the advantage of privacy. Luckily no other soul thought about snagging this place ahead of time. 

The couple gazed towards Inazuma City surrounded by indecipherable murmur coming from above and the calm sound of waves. 

Sea was the only calm thing at that moment. 

Thoma suddenly felt a light squeeze. Ayaka’s hand trembled, but there was a determination in her eyes he didn’t see earlier. 

"I'm sorry I ran," her voice was clear and didn’t shake.  

It was a bit unnerving how she could will herself to be cool if needed. Still like a snowflake on a surface of a frozen lake. He scratched his neck. 

"Well, that's to be expected." 

"Expected..." she blinked, the inner ice cracking. "So that's how you see me?" 

As a coward, another devil on her shoulder whispered, but this one looked like Ayaka's mirror image. 

"What?! No, that's not what I wanted to say!" the blond panicked. "Arrgggg, why does everything always come out the wrong way..." 

Thoma combed his hair with his fingers. The black metal headband he always wore loosened, crooked to the left.  

"What I meant is," the words, which was very unlike himself, were coming to the Mondstadian with great difficulty, "I understand the feeling of wanting to run, because... I do it all the time," the man admitted with a sigh. Waves were soaking their shoes yet the two didn't even notice. "Lumine and Childe, they make it all look so easy... I want to be like that too, relaxed and honest and comfortable whenever we're together. But then I see you and all I can think of is how I'm not fit to stand by your side." 

"That's not...!" 

"I know," he quickly stopped her. "I know you don't think that way, that it's just my insecurities talking. But before I know it I end up running away. Saying wrong things and not doing what I should. And want. You and me... it's one big disaster, isn't it?" 

Boom~! 

Startled, their heads jerked up towards the City.  

A big colourful firework exploded in the sky, glittering with yellows, reds and blues. 

It was mesmerising. 

The attention of all people across the country was now focused on this beautiful display. Nobles, commoners, children and elderly, humans and non-humans. Everyone gathered outside to witness the spectacle prepared by Yoimiya and welcome the coming of a new year.  

In this one fleeting moment, everyone was equal, awed by the blinking lights illuminating the night. 

"I don't want to give up," Ayaka whispered, squeezing Thoma’s hand in both of hers. "Maybe we can't click as easily as other couples and it will take us longer to learn how to be together. But... is making an effort something bad?" 

Thoma felt an unexpected coldness tickling his fingers. Glancing down he noticed a silver bracelet with a green gem that slipped down Ayaka’s wrist. 

A gift from half a year ago. And she never took it off. It was cheap, not worthy of the Kamisato heiress, but she still proudly wore it every single day. 

Ahhh, I’m such an idiot.  

“No,” he lifted her hand and gently kissed her fingertips, “it’s not.” 

"I still want to try, b-because" Ayaka's voice stumbled, her cheeks in a rich shade of red. Still, this time the girl was determined not to run away. To trust. She reached up and caringly adjusted his headband. Smiled. Thoma's breathing almost stopped, but he leaned into the touch. "Because I love you." 

The fireworks were still loud, still glittered in the sky making the night almost as bright as a day.  

They were the only witnesses of a delicate first kiss between a shy princess and her loyal retainer. 

And of a soft "I love you too," whispered back when their lips parted. 

*~*~* 

After the buzz of the festival, the Serenitea Pot felt quieter than usual. 

Lumine and Childe walked in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Only the soft sounds of their footsteps disturbed the still night. It was truly a shame this realm had a set season – for New Year’s Eve, it would be more atmospheric if the snow were to crunch under their feet just as it does in Snezhnaya. If their breaths were turning into small puffs of steam and their noses were red from the cold.  

The artificial moon was illuminating their path leading the two towards the big mansion up the hill. 

Lumine’s home. 

Sometimes, when the world seemed less complicated than usual, he liked thinking of it as his home, too.  

"So this is it, huh?" 

Childe hung back a bit as Lumi opened the door. She walked inside but quickly turned around seeing he wasn't following.  

"Come on," the girl nodded, her eyes still glazed after crying them out, but he shook his head.  

"You went through a lot just now, I don’t know if this is a good idea." 

"Huh?" 

Ajax gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She felt so real that day. So human after finally letting it all out. The dishevelled appearance. The bottled fear and longing. The sadness and weakness Lumi never wanted to share, even with him.  

She was more beautiful than ever. 

"You need some rest and," he grinned a bit sheepishly, "I don’t trust my self-control tonight." 

The girl blinked a few times. Childe could almost see the gears spinning in her head. And the exact moment they clicked and Lumi comprehended what he meant. 

Her cheeks flared crimson.

Ahhhh he adored her flustered face the most. 

Laughing, the Harbinger bid her quick farewell and almost managed to leave, but two strong hands quickly grabbed his palm. Her eyes were looking everywhere but at Childe, yet judging by how tightly she was clutching his hand Lumine was determined not to let him go.

"Then don’t." 

"Excuse me?" he barely gasped out.  

"Stay," she whispered amidst the night, shyly glancing up. The blush was still there, but so was strange conviction filling her expression. 

"Do you know what you’re saying?" His heart was five seconds away from jumping out of his chest, damn it! If this turns out to be a joke... 

But Lumi remained relentless. Bent on torturing him even more.  

"I do." 

"And you still don’t want to change your mind?" 

"No." 

He groaned. This girl... She will be the end of him. Finally giving in, Ajax circled her waist. "Aren't you scared that I can hurt you?" 

Snorting, Lumine stood on her tiptoes and cupped his face.  

She already saw all of his ugliness and yet still didn't run away. What was there to be hesitant about now?  

"If it’s you, I’m not scared of anything." Her thumb caressed his cheek. He really mastered the vulnerable puppy look. Adorable. "Because I lov-" 

But there was no room left for Lumi to finish the sentence. Childe dived down, stealing the words right from her lips. Not that she minded that much, instantly melting into the kiss. He still tasted like the sake they tried earlier – spicy and sweet.  

"You're not..." he gasped in between the kisses, "saying it first."  

"It's not a competition... Ajax," she answered just as eager to argue as to continue enjoying the moment. The sensation of his mouth just right under her jaw, his hand sliding down her back, of her own fingers buried in his soft ginger hair.  

He leaned back, slightly out of breath. 

People liked to say Childe’s eyes were dead. Shineless, as if somewhere along the way he lost his will to live as a human and embraced the bloodthirsty demon raging in his soul. That the only things that remained inside them were wicked impulses and destructive desires. 

But not that night.  

That night there was a fire burning in these blue irises. Flames just as dangerous as they were warm. 

"For you, I always want to be the best," the man mischievously pecked her on the nose. 

Lumi giggled. Didn't care one bit she sounded like some giddy high school girl. "Soooo... do you still want to leave?" 

He didn't. Archons knew he didn’t want to go anywhere if that meant leaving her side. And didn't want to be left behind either.  

"I don't." Quite the contrary, his dreams played the opposite tune. Ajax wished to see the world fall to its knees before them. Or bloom and flourish right in front of their eyes if that’s what she desired. He wanted to travel and kiss and fight and cuddle in front of a fire, tired and bruised but happy and free like never before. To face everything together because only then this cruel corrupt world was making a semblance of sense and madness singing in his soul could finally be quelled. "I love you." 

Suddenly it was so easy to say these words. Why did he hesitate for so long, when the joy on Lumi’s face after hearing them could rival the sun and light up the whole Teyvat?  

"I lo- ...ikkkkk!!" 

But once again Ajax didn’t let her finish sweeping the girl off her feet. Literally. Her arms instinctively circled his neck and he shamelessly took advantage of that fact stealing yet another kiss.  

"You’re impossible," she pouted making him laugh.  

"Or so I’ve been told," he took the jab in stride carrying her over the threshold. Like a princess.  

Or like a bride.  

Childe closed the door behind them with a kick. The sound echoed around the empty house embraced by nightly slumber and mixed with bickering and laughter as the couple walked up the stairs. 

All the pieces finally fell into place. 

The proofs of love they could fully share.  

With intertwined words.  

Bodies.  

And souls. 

*~*~* 

The sounds of footsteps startled the pink crab. It bolted towards the sea and buried itself in the sand just as the two humans approached, slowly walking along the shore. 

"Shouldn’t we stay a bit longer, Your Excellency? The invitation encouraged us to celebrate the New Year with the people of the Shogunate..." 

At least that's what Gorou expected them to do, to stay at least till midnight. Contrary to that, Kokomi decided to leave shortly after their encounter with the Traveller’s group. 

"There’s no need," the girl answered crossing her arms. "We want to show that Watatsumi is ready to cooperate with Narukami Island, not that we will bend to their every whim. It will be partnership based on equality or no partnership at all." 

Yes, that made more sense. Still, she appeared weirdly flustered for someone who’s known for maintaining composure even during the hardest of times.

What could have shaken her so much? Gorou wondered. 

It was a bit difficult to ask. After all, The Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island was a master at bottling emotions. The General considered the possibilities and finally decided a diversion might work better than a head-on confrontation. 

He pointed at a transparent bag in her hand.  

"Are you planning to release them?" 

The bag contained the three goldfish the girl won earlier. Kokomi, of course, caught much more than that, but the stall owner looked as if he was about to burst into tears if she were to take them all. 

Well, it was a good chance to show off the generosity of the former resistance. 

Kokomi giggled shaking her head. 

"Well, we can do it, but I’m afraid the Tenryou Commission might treat it as an act of aggression and we will end up with quite a political disaster on our hands." 

"What?!" Gorou’s ears stood on end. A political disaster? Because of three goldfish?! 

"They might look cute and harmless, but releasing goldfish into the wild could end up doing serious harm to the local ecosystem and..." she scratched her chin and grinned mischievously, "now that I think about it, it's a topic I admit I did not yet include in my directives. Should I consider it when we get home?" 

The general almost tripped hearing there’s a possibility the directives might get yet another expansion. 

"I-I think that’s a bit..." He felt big respect for Kokomi... but his pocket space was littered with more books than weapons at this point. Gorou wasn’t entirely sure if that was normal for military leaders and it’s not like he can just walk up to General Kujou and ask her... 

The Priestess, however, just ruffled his hair as she would do to her favourite dog. The gentle touch of her fingers on his ears sent shivers down Gorou’s spine. She smirked seeing the happy wagging of his tail. It was truly adorable. 

'Kokomi is so lucky.'  

'A tail that wags when he's happy or drops when he's sad feels like a dream.'  

..! 

The girl instantly snatched the hand away, her cheeks flaring up. 

What was she even thinking, petting a respected General like that?!?! 

It was all Lumine and Ayaka’s fault! These two put some weird ideas into her head and now she didn’t even know how to look Gorou in the eyes. 

To think she could solve countless battle scenarios, yet couldn’t figure out her own heart... The pains of being a genius apparently included being a bit dense emotion-wise. 

The general frowned, taken aback by her sudden retreat. It’s not like he was a big fan of letting others touch his ears or tail, but with Kokomi, it was quite a different story. 

He couldn’t understand it that well himself, but just staying by her side and receiving these small affections was enough to put him in a good mood for days. And the sudden absence of her presence made him... lonely. 

"So," he loudly cleared his throat, "what do we do with the fish?" 

"Ah, yes, the fish!" She quickly nodded grateful for the change of topic and tightly clutched the bag. "I was thinking that maybe I can just... take them home as a souvenir." Kokomi glanced at him sheepishly – it was unbelievable how different this girl standing before him right now seemed compared to the Divine Priestess everyone relied on back on Watatsumi Island. "Is it too naïve of me?" 

Gorou’s face softened and before he could stop himself, he mirrored her previous gesture lovingly patting her hair.  

"No, it’s not." 

And even though her cheeks once again turned red, this time she didn’t run away and smiled instead.  

They were formidable apart, dangerous together and, most importantly, could just be themselves when staying by each other’s side. As friends, comrades and partners. Such a simple thing for these two people with too many responsibilities on their shoulders was more important than any weird awkwardness instigated by their friends. And they weren’t quite ready to trade it away.  

However, if fighting for ambitions and freedom made them powerful, fighting for love may turn them outright unstoppable.  

And if such a day ever comes, beware those who will stand in their way. 

*~*~* 

"Come on, tengu, move your ass faster or we’re gonna be late." 

"Just... stop nagging." 

Sara clicked her tongue and black wings appeared on her back. She took off, gracefully landing on the roof of Kujou’s residence a few seconds before Itto jumped onto it with a bit too much force, rattling the roof tiles. One cracked, which earned him a glare. 

What were they exactly doing there? That’s a long story, that could actually be summarised in just a few words: it was all the bet’s fault. 

As soon as they parted ways with Lumine, her shifty boyfriend and the Kamisato gang, the two proceeded with the purpose that brought them to Amakane Island in the first place – the Arataki’s constant, annoying whining about a rematch Sara supposedly owed him. It was easy to ignore in normal circumstances, but when he cornered her and dragged to a festival... Still, it was such a long time since she attended one, the girl decided to indulge him as thanks. 

But nothing was ever easy with this guy. She should have remembered – he was like this since childhood. Loud, thick-headed and stubborn. And at that time the idiot didn’t even notice she was a girl... Remembering it had a knack at making the general weirdly irritated. It’s not like it was especially important to her, but... did she really lack any feminine charms?  

Anyway, back to the unfortunate bet and the main source of her current woe. 

So the festival wasn’t exactly the most suitable place to have a fighting match and luckily even Itto understood that, therefore the next best option involved the carnival games.  

That’s how the bet came to be and the competition started – since the games weren’t that serious in nature, they decided to spice things up: whoever loses has to follow the winner’s command. 

Ring toss was, non-surprisingly, won by Sara, after all, she had experience at target practice. The penalty? Itto has to keep a stable job for a week.  

The next challenge was the goldfish scooping and this time, surprisingly, Itto came on top. Maybe his obsession with onikabuto gave him some weird affinity with small animals? Anyway, the price had to be paid – Sara will take a weeklong vacation from her work at Tenryou Commission. 

Katanuki (cutting a picture out of a candy plate)? Sara gained an easy victory as Itto ragequitted after breaking his fifth plate. The penalty for the oni: pray to the Statue of Her Excellency, the Almighty Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder to grant you better smarts next time. 

Eating contest? Arataki apparently wasn’t lying saying he had experience in this one, as he already battled with a pretty wicked opponent in the past. The penalty for the tengu: send a letter to Ms Hina from That's Life magazine's advice column confessing about your crushing defeat at the hands of your (self-proclaimed) biggest lifelong rival. 

The shooting gallery was supposed to be the arena of their last showdown, yet Sara couldn’t help but think this type of competition gave her an unfair advantage and instead dragged the oni to the nearest random stall. Yes, the not-that-tall girl managed to easily move a guy who’s over 2 meters – makes you wonder if she’s that strong, or he’s that willing to go along with her whims. 

The two never thought they will end up at a fortune-teller. The woman dressed in black took one look at the pair and then with an all-knowing grin spouted some nonsense about "having a great future ahead of them if they only watch the first sunrise of the New Year together." 

The great leader of the Arataki gang of course drank up that bullshit like water. 

Thus, after the eventful evening and night, we’re back at the rooftop of the Kujou’s residence with a very tired Sara and super excited Itto ...though in his case that was a pretty normal state of existence. He always seemed as if he downed one too many coffees. 

"Come on," the oni lay down patting the spot next to him, "this place has the best view in town~! Or no! Wait!" He suddenly perked up with a grin. "Should we go bigger? Like Raiden’s shack at Tenshukaku kind of bigger?" 

"No!" Sara immediately sat down, her heart almost jumping out of her chest at that suggestion. She would be so fired if they got caught, not to mention the disgrace and rumours... arrrgghh!! It was too terrifying to even imagine! "It’s fine, this is perfect! Just perfect!" Archons’ forbid someone else hears this madness.

"Ya’ sure?" the man didn't appear entirely convinced but eventually let it go, allowing his back to hit the tiles. The position wasn’t as uncomfortable as it looked from the side, Sara knew because she also enjoyed perching at high places. Not that the general would ever admit to it out loud. 

It wasn’t the first sunrise the girl watched from this spot. And sometimes she even lay down just like Itto. 

However, this time the experience felt different. 

Sara was used to distancing herself – from people and, in a way, from herself. From her own desires, wishes and dream. She was reserved and kept others at arm's length because that was expected of her, both as a General and as a daughter of the Kujou clan. 

Yet this guy here never cared for any of it. 

The girl rested her chin on her knees. 

For him, she was just a tengu he never managed to beat. And Itto didn't hate her for that. Instead of complaining focused on bettering himself. Yes, his methods were a bit... or a bit more than a bit weird, but in the end, he possessed a surprising amount of integrity. And his heart was in the right place- 

"Ho ho~!!" Itto suddenly jumped up and pointed at the horizon. "Look at that brilliant glow, I feel this is gonna be a good one!" 

If only he wasn’t so loud all the time...  

"Can there be a bad kind of sunrise?" Sara asked.

"'Course it can be!" The oni huffed and began to count on his fingers. "You can always wake up with a hangover and then looking at the sun gives you brain damage. Or worse! Some employers, especially at the docks, want you to wake up and start working even before sunrise. Hard to enjoy it when you're half dead. People of Inazuma will understand one day that these guys are the true barbarians, not the oni. Oh yeah, and it absolutely sucks when it rains. Do you know how much time it takes to comb this glorious mane when it gets wet? The answer is: too long!” 

...and why does he feel the need to be so uselessly dramatic all the time?  

Unknowingly to the girl, however, the corners of her lips lifted forming a small precious smile during the whole tirade.  

That was the "magical power" of Arataki Itto – no matter how much you want to deny it, his presence was making everything feel a bit lighter. Warmer. More bearable. Like the sun itself. 

"So, Kujou Tengu, what are you wishing for?" 

"Huh?" She frowned, suddenly not following. 

"Oh, please. It’s the New Year! The best time to wish for something good to happen~!" 

"I don’t have anything like that." 

"Boring! You must have something, everyone does. I want my wings to have the best shine in town~" The pitch of his voice comically went up. "I wish the army starts serving desserts for dinner~"

"I don’t sound like that!" She jumped to her feet, fuming.

"I want Raiden Shogun to pat me on the head~" 

"That’s not-!" 

"I hope one day I will be as awesome as my amazing rival, the great Arataki Itto~" 

He burst out laughing, while she took a hasty step forward... and that was her mistake. 

The girl stumbled on the roof tiles, wildly flailed her arms trying to recover the lost balance. Not that she was in any real danger, if she fell, she could just summon her wings, but Sara was too flustered to consider that option. And Itto wasn’t ready to let her off the hook yet. 

He immediately caught her by the elbow, helping the general regain her footing. 

"Don’t you run on me tengu, the sun is still rising so the charm isn’t complete yet." 

The arguments and words he used were as ridiculous as ever, but... did she imagine it, or was there a softer tone to them. Some kind of weird fondness. 

"You can let go now," she mumbled, but he either didn’t hear or just chose to ignore it. His touch was gentle and despite the additional layer of clothing, the tengu could feel this weird tingling just underneath her skin. It wasn't exactly unpleasant... 

Itto focused on the sun slowly going up. Smiled. His eyes twinkled, yet for once he was calm and unusually quiet.

"Find a dream Sara, it’s too sad not to have one." 

Sara. He almost never called her that. 

"But if you still can’t think of anything by the next New Year," Itto looked her in the eye and grinned, "join the Arataki Gang. I will show you what dreams are made of." 

She stared. The sun was shining on his white hair, giving it a certain glow. It felt as if she was seeing him, truly seeing him for the first time that day, even though they knew each other since they were children. Sometimes it felt it might have been longer than that. But. 

Sara turned away feeling strangely shy. 

"That’s never going to happen, stupid," the general muttered yet that only amused him.  

"Never say never, tengu." 

And for once she was inclined to agree. The future was uncertain. That thought should have made her uneasy, but it didn’t. Quite the contrary, for the first time it made her excited for what’s to come. 

*~*~* 

When Childe woke up, the room was still dark and the other side of the bed was already long since cold. He remembered pretty clearly a warm body pressed against his side when he was falling asleep, so this state of affairs wasn’t exactly how the Harbinger envisioned their morning to look like. 

The man sat up, rubbing his eyes. 

Was she regretting it? Was that why she was gone? But not that long ago Lumine was smiling. Kissing him, whispering his name and... (he couldn’t help but goofily grin to himself) lots of other pleasant things. Getting kisses and whispers in return. She looked happy. 

Ajax chose to believe he’s not wrong on that one.  

Getting off the bed, the Harbinger looked around the room searching for his clothes and eventually found them all neatly folded on a chair nearby. Well, almost all of them. Someone draped his jacket over the back of the chair but the red shirt was nowhere to be found. 

Feeling too lazy to bother with the shoes and too sleepy to care about the lost piece of clothing, he put on what was at hand, threw the jacket around his shoulders and left the room. 

The wooden floor wasn’t that cold, so a barefoot walk didn’t bother him too much. Down the stairs, he saw the front door wide open. The crisp morning air was rushing into the mansion. 

Drawing closer the man finally found what he was looking for and a small smile formed on his lips. 

Lumine was sitting on the steps outside, also barefoot, gazing at the horizon and wearing something very familiar. 

Ajax sat down next to her. She didn’t even flinch, the girl probably already sensed he was there. 

"Girlie, if you’re that short on clothes you have to steal mine, maybe our next date should be a shopping one," he teased taking her by the hand. It was cold. She must have been sitting here for a long while. 

"Or," Lumine slyly glanced at him, “I can keep this one, while you go back to your Fatui lair bare-chested. I wonder what the soldiers will say seeing their commander’s, how do you call it? 'Improper conduct?'" 

"It’s 'breach of the army uniform regulations,' milaya, but they won’t say a thing," Childe smirked. "You see, a lot of their money is riding on us getting happily married within the next five years." 

"What?!" she almost jumped up, but he caught her just in time and pulled to him. 

Despite being rattled just a second before, her back relaxed leaning against his chest and melted into the embrace.  

They stayed like that for a moment longer, quiet and just enjoying the moment. The dark of night was being slowly dispersed by the sun lazily rising up and casting around its golden glow. Neither of the two expected to ever experience this kind of bliss. The closeness of another human being that's not your family yet brings you just as much comfort. And it wasn't just any human. Not everyone worked. For Lumine it was Ajax and for Ajax it was Lumine. It was that simple. Or that difficult. 

"I love you," the blonde whispered twisting a bit and pecking him somewhere on the neck or maybe the jaw. She didn’t really care. Lumine, for the first time in forever, felt content. To breathe, to live, to exist in this small precious moment of peace with someone dear to her heart. And suddenly it didn’t feel scary at all to finally say those three magic words. Actually, they were long overdue. 

"Yeah?" Chile mused trying to appear nonchalant, but she felt how his arms tightened around her. How the heart raced in his chest. "You have such bad taste in men." 

"I know, right?" He cradled her cold hands in his palms and lightly blew hot air into them. It felt nice. And a bit ticklish. "But if I don't take you, some other unfortunate soul might. We can say I'm doing Teyvat a favour." 

"Such noble sacrifice. I don't know how you're gonna survive that." 

"Mhm." It would be a challenge for sure, that she didn’t doubt. A long road stretched before them on the way to that 'happily ever after,' nations to visit and gods to face. But... "But I still really really love you... And I wanted to be the first one to say it but someone-I-won't-name had to butt in," Lumi side-eyed him playfully. That earned her a kiss to her temple. 

She could get behind that kind of trade more often. 

"So, what now?" Childe asked, burying his nose in her hair. It tickled.  

"Now," Lumi once again looked up at the horizon, "we watch the sunrise. And then take everything one step at a time." 

"We will find your brother..." 

"...check on your family." 

"Fix all the world problems on the way..." 

"...or just conquer it all if they piss us off too much." 

Laughter exploded out of him. He didn't expect Lumi to steal his line. 

"I love you," Ajax confessed, now fully capturing her lips.

"I know," she chuckled into the kiss as the warmth of the sun caressed her exposed legs.  

Thoma explained that the first sunrise of the New Year was considered special in Inazuma. There would be no better time to pray for a happy future than when the first rays of the sun warm your face and hide your flushed cheeks.

But in the end, there was no need to hide anything. No need to be afraid or nervous. Everything important has already been said and the only thing left was to simply wish for the next year to be better than the previous one snuggling with someone you love.  

Sitting on the stairs leading to their home, basking in the blush of dawn, the two felt happy.  

Bound by something precious and real. 

*~*~* 

A lot of people were enjoying the sunrise that day.  

A tactician and her general walking along the shore, watching as the sun rises from the sea.  

An oni and a tengu, spread on a rooftop and basking in the first warm rays of daylight.  

A princess and her retainer strolling towards the Kamisato estate, holding hands and observing how the sky slowly brightens.  

And lastly, a Traveller and a Harbinger, cuddled together on the stairs of their home, letting yellow glow take over the realm of the adepti's creation.  

Their cheeks were flushed after finally speaking words that were long overdue and there was nothing but joy hidden in their smiles. They watched the new day come just as only a few hours prior they witnessed the arrival of a new year.  

It was a celebration of a new beginning – one thing was ending, other was being born.  

Hope in a form of a rising sun.  

And only time could tell where that upcoming journey will take them all.