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The sounds of Liyue Harbor were familiar, yet striking.
“Well, young miss, we’ve arrived!”
Lumine turned to the boatman, nodding with a smile, albeit a nervous one. “Thank you for ferrying me from Sumeru.”
“Eh, it’s all good. You helped us get our cargo back from the eremites! A boat ride to my destination was the least I could do.”
“Thank you regardless,” she said, nodding them goodbye and stepping onto the time-worn docks. Compared to Sumeru City, or hell, even Port Ormos, the Harbor had an entirely different energy. Bells rang as ships settled in and sailed out, workers called as they hoisted heavy loads on and off their vessels, and merchants hurried in to see what best deals they could get. The fish market was as lively as ever, with laughter and banter going in every which direction.
It’d been too long, it almost felt unfamiliar.
Certainly jarring, at the least. Port Ormos was lively, for sure, but there were quieter conversations, and prying ears. Secrets and deceit, even behind the most innocent of smiles. Ritou was quiet . Not a lot of activity, and what was there was timid. The incoming ships and the merchants always kept a careful eye on those around them. Anxious.
Liyue had none of that. It hit Lumine like a truck.
She choked back a quivering breath. Oh, how she’d missed this. The salty sea air mixed with fresh fish as she passed through the market. Up the stairs to Ying’er’s shop, the sweet floral perfumes mixing with Wanmin’s restaurant just across the street, enough to make Lumine’s stomach grumble. And the storytellers, who waxed and waned about fantastical stories of the rich history of the world. The old toy dealer, who made the most beautiful kites, grinning as children picked out the best to buy.
In truth, Lumine could’ve come any which way to get to Liyue. Paimon wasn’t happy about the whole arrangement, worried that these sailors would do something shady while they were out at sea. But, as Paimon went every which way, her smile bright, Lumine was sure that there weren’t any grievances anymore. Lumine sighed with a grin, as she caught up with Xiangling, who was helping out her father with their restaurant. Lumine did her best to keep up with conversation, but nothing went past Xiangling’s careful eye. She said that she’d take care of Paimon, since she needed her to taste test stuff for her. Then, she sent Lumine a nod and an understanding smile.
She didn’t refuse.
Because Lumine needed time to think. Time to process, and figure out where her brain was at. There’d been so much that happened since she left Liyue. She fought a God—several, technically—she stopped one of them from destroying Sumeru. She stopped two tyrannical reigns, helped a rebellion, undercovered secret shifty plots, made countless friends and allies… all in hopes to get some information about her brother.
And what she did find out shook her to her core.
What was she supposed to make of all that? Her brother was from Teyvat, but they were twins. She remembered flying beside him with wings of gold, crossing worlds. Descenders? The Jester of the fatui personally seeing Aether in Khaenri’ah? She could almost get dizzy with how much her mind swirled. She needed to be home, and Liyue was the closest place to that. Not just for how much she loved the land…
But she missed Xiao.
A man who didn’t expect anything of her, and who understood the toil. Where she could feel like Lumine , not the Traveler, not the Golden Hero, Golden Nara, Hero of Sumeru, Hero of Inazuma, she was Lumine. Intelligent and strong, there was nothing she could hide from him. He saw through it all. He picked up on everything. They didn’t do anything special while they were in Liyue. A tension between them, perhaps. Sitting a bit too close together, taking time out of their day just to talk quietly together, going over recent events. Sometimes, he’d crack a smile. Sometimes, he’d laugh. Those two simple things could make her heart melt for days on end.
When she looked up from her feet, to where she was aimlessly heading, she stopped and laughed to herself. She was so predictable. She stood on the path to Wangshu Inn, in the midst of Dihuya Marsh. Around her was water, long, golden grass, and the blue sky above. The wind was soft, brushing across her arms like a kiss to welcome her back. Cold, but not biting, even if it came off of the water. Lumine wondered if it still worked.
“ XIAO!”
It took not even a second. Black and teal energy appeared in front of her, not far off. The urgency of it made her grin big, bigger than she had in a while. Stepping from it, light as a feather, Xiao’s slender form quickly rushed through. It was almost in slow motion that it happened for her. He had his spear in hand, preparing to fight, but realization passed through his golden eyes when he saw her arms wide open. He barely had his big toe on the ground before he dashed into her.
His spear clattered to the ground, and Lumine was whisked into his arms. She laughed with all her heart, wrapping her arms around his neck. In a burst of anemo, he used the momentum from his dash to leap into the air, twirling them around gently as bright blue energy swirled around them. Slowly, they descended back to the ground, finally able to catch her breath and process that Xiao’s forehead was against hers.
“I missed you too,” she breathed out, unable to get the smile off of her face. Not that she wanted to anyways, this was the first time that Xiao had shown so much excitement .
“You’re back,” he whispered to her. While his smile wasn’t as big as hers (it never was, but it still spoke volumes), it was there and it stayed. “I thought you were in Sumeru.”
“I was.”
“Hmm.” He closed his eyes and nuzzled her, taking a big breath. She could’ve sworn that she heard a shake in his exhale.
“I didn’t think you’d know I was in Sumeru.”
“Mortals aren’t very quiet when they’re drunk.” His eyes opened, and she was taken by that striking amber. It always left her breathless. “You've been busy.”
“If by busy, you mean saving another two nations and fighting gods, then yeah I’d say I’ve been busy.”
“ Very busy,” Xiao hummed, smiling a bit bigger at her giggle. “You’ll have to tell me about it.”
Lumine ran her hand through his dark locks, relishing in the shiver and flutter of his eyelashes. His grip on her waist tightened, holding her closer. “Of course. I have so much to tell.”
“But first, rest.”
She laughed. “I don’t know if I know the meaning of that word.”
“Lumine,” Xiao huffed, knitting his brow. “ Rest . How long have you been holding on by a thread?”
Immediately. It wasn’t even over a meal or a conversation walking back to the Inn. No, he could tell how worn he was from the moment he saw her. He gave an unhappy growl when he saw the surprise in her eyes. “How long have you been hurting?”
She gave a shaky laugh, her hands lowering down to rest on his chest, playing with the pearls of his necklace. “Too long,” she admitted. Her eyes instinctively avoided his, ashamed. But, he took a hand from her waist and tilted her chin back up to see him.
“Let me help,” he said with a heavy frown.
“You already are.”
Xiao finally brought back a smile, albeit smaller than before. There was a silence between them, comfortable, as they took in each other one more. His arm around her kept her close, protecting her from harm, the silk of his glove traced around her cheek, and his eyes kept locked onto hers. Eventually he sighed.
“I missed you.”
Lumine could die happy. Her fingers played with the long locks hanging down, framing his cheeks. To come out and say his feelings was very very rare for Xiao, and she was on cloud nine. Her cheeks hurt from how much she was smiling. “I missed you too,” she whispered, one of her fingers tracing his heavy jawline. “More than you could imagine.”
Xiao made his feelings clear with a kiss.
How long had she been craving this? A year? Two? She didn’t know, but both her hands met the sides of his face as she melted into him. He was gentle, though clearly desperate at the same time. He pressed her to her as much as he could, as if their closeness now wasn’t enough. His hand met the back of her neck, and she could feel his knotted brow against hers. One kiss quickly became two, then three, then too many to count. When she broke away to breathe, he tried to close the gap, before realizing that they’d stopped with a flutter of his eyes opening.
“You’ll get more,” she giggled at his frown and growl. “Trust me, I know not to keep you waiting for too long. But…” Her thumb traced his cheek, and he nuzzled into it like a cat. “I think some almond tofu is long overdue.”
Xiao perked up, and if he had a tail, Lumine was sure that he’d be wagging it. “Almond tofu?”
“Yes, your favorite,” Lumine snickered. “But, I need to fetch Paimon before we do that. Otherwise, she’ll never forgive me.”
Xiao hummed, the gears in his head turning. “…Maybe we can have a meal together? Just the two of us…?”
Lumine couldn’t hold back her laughter. “Is the Conquerer of Demons asking me on a date right now?”
Xiao furrowed his brow. “Is that what mortals call it? A ‘date’?”
“You’re so cute.”
He huffed at her. “You have no respect for the adepti.”
“I know,” she purred, pulling him into another kiss, one that he melted into.
When they pulled away, he smiled big enough to steal the air from her lungs. “Welcome home, Lumine.”
She could’ve stayed there for ages, happily in his arms, kissing him until the sun rose. But, her stomach and probably Paimon said otherwise. Her day was full of surprises, from finally sharing their feelings, to Xiao entering the city to help grab Paimon, and making brief conversation with Xiangling about food. He barely left her side all day, though had to leave occasionally to observe Liyue. Though, he’d mentioned that it was quieter in terms of demons roaming free, so he was back fairly quickly.
Before she knew it, she was in Xiao’s room. He’d taken off the armor, keeping on the bare minimum. Lumine rested on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. His fingers—now ungloved—ran across her new scars. The biggest being the lightning scar that snaked down her back, but also dipping into the gouges that littered her shoulders and hips, from both sword and claw alike. It almost felt like a dream, cuddling him after so many nights wishing she could.
It didn’t take long for sleep to take her. Paired with his heart beat, her worn mind and body, and Paimon’s snores as she curled into Lumine’s stomach—using Xiao’s leg as a pillow—she didn’t keep her eyes open for long. Xiao stayed up, his heart racing too much for him to follow her example. Plus, there were a lot of nightmares, from both Lumine and Paimon. While they tasted disgusting, plagued with fear, anger, confusion and anxity, it was the least Xiao could do.
They’d done so much, helped so many people, saved nations.
They deserved to be helped, for once.
They deserved rest.
So, Xiao made sure that they were loved, protected and warm.
It was the least he could do.
The least anyone could do.
Dear Archons, I missed you.