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Mona Megistus, inebriated and with swollen eyes, knocked on Lumine and Paimon's door in the middle of the night. As soon as the door was opened, she rushed in and hugged her host, murmuring:
"Luuuuuuuuuuuumiiiiiiiiiiiiiiineeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Seeing her friend in such a state, Lumine was extremely concerned. But Paimon just took a look and said in disbelief:
"There they go again!"
This had happened before, more than Lumine counted. But the fact that Mona showed up here, at this hour, in this state, only a week before the wedding, was unsettling.
"What again?" Mona hiccuped. She threw Paimon a pout.
"Arguing with him again?" Paimon replied. "You're drunk again! And your eyes are all swollen."
"I'm not crying!" Mona attempted to deny it, but her red eyes denounced it all.
Lumine comforted her companion by patting her on the back:
"Wanderer is probably worried about you. Shall we take you back home?"
"Nope!"
Mona refused to let go, clinging to Lumine even tighter, so much to the point that Lumine felt like her ribs were about to break.
"I'm not going back! He isn't even worried about me either! I want to be here! I want Lumineeeeeee!"
Paimon shook her head as if she had already given up on this case. Lumine chose to pat Mona on the back, because it was useless to reason with the drunk.
"Alright. You can just stay here for tonight. But first, we'll help you sober up."
Mona mumbled something neither Lumine nor Paimon could understand, then obediently followed them both into the living room.
As she dropped onto Lumine's comfy sofa and sipped some sweet lemonade, Mona became quieter. She sat there with a dismayed face, just staring somewhere on the floor. Lumine and Paimon secretly exchanged a concerned glance before Lumine spoke up:
"So what exactly happened between the two of you?"
Mona lifted her still swollen eyes, her body shrinking in the sofa as if to be swallowed by it. She gasped:
"He... He doesn't love me..."
Paimon said:
"I'm convinced the initial reason for getting married is love ! Though I have no idea what love is."
Mona shook her head sadly. She took a long swallow of lemonade before adding:
"There probably won't be a wedding anymore..."
"WHAT?!"
Paimon and Lumine both yelled at the same time, albeit their motivations were significantly different. Lumine was stunned and worried about her friend, while Paimon was lamenting the delicacies she'd already put on the menu.
"What are you talking about?" asked Lumine, "In four weeks, you'll be the bride! Why isn't there a wedding?"
So, Mona began telling what had happened between her and Wanderer just a few hours earlier.
—✧—
Mona went over the wedding party preparation checklist. Everything was almost ready; all that remained was to adjust a few items, such as tablecloths. The tablecloths she wanted were supposed to match the color of the night sky, with a few dazzling stars on top.
Her fiancé, on the other hand, did not think so. Wanderer stated:
"There's no need to make any changes right now. The cloth color is already lovely enough."
Mona frowned:
"But light pink does not go with the astrological concept. And wedding bouquets... I haven't really liked the samples they sent..."
"Haven't you chosen a bunch yet?"
Mona made a shaky motion with her head. Wanderer just sighed.
"What's with that attitude?" She frowned. All of the wedding planning had given her more stress than she could ever be.
"Nothing?" Wanderer responded. Even after a few hundred years, he could not understand why people constantly went beyond with their wedding celebrations. For him, the wedding ceremony is simply a necessary ritual that allows two individuals to live in the same house.Everything was in order, just waiting for the bride and groom to enter the hall. He had also consented to Mona's plan for a Mondstadt-style wedding followed by another Inazuma-style ceremony. But the closer the wedding got, the more irritated and unsatisfied she grew with everything around her.
It started with her wedding gown, which she felt was excessively tight. Then, there were desserts, musical bands, dancing hall, guest seats, and now, flowers and tablecloths.
Mona sighed and rolled her eyes.
"What's wrong with you? I've been working so hard on our wedding plans!"
"I was there with you as well." Wanderer responded in a nonchalant manner. "You and I, we've done almost all the preparations, except for the bridal gown selection because you didn't want me to see it before the wedding day."
Mona remained silent. She clenched her fist around the paper. They had always been polar opposites. He desired a traditional Inazuma wedding, but she wished for an astrological wedding in Mondstadt. She preferred the sparkly tablecloths, whereas he favored the basic, uncomplicated one... From the moment they officially became a couple, they had always clashed about the smallest things. It only got worse when they began arranging their wedding. Mona earnestly hoped that Wanderer would give in to her a little, or perhaps he could understand her current mood a little better. But he defended his point of view, claiming that Mona was unnecessarily overdoing things.
"At the absolute least, you should pretend you agree with me on everything!"
"That also implies lying to you."
Mona bit her lower lip firmly. She stated out loud:
"You disagree with me on everything! Everything, even the smallest, we have to argue to find the winner. I'm tired. Why did I fall in love with you? If I knew it would be like this, I didn't mean to fall for you at all."
Those words struck Wanderer's ears like lightning. He clasped his hands together, and before he could control his words, they slipped out of his mouth:
"And neither did I. I'm not sure why we're a couple after all."
"What did you just say?"
Mona rose to her feet. She could not believe her ears anymore. Wanderer had not looked at her all along, but Mona forced him to look into her eyes.
"You mean this... was a mistake, wasn't it?"
Wanderer wanted to say something to clarify, but it was too late. Mona was enraged. She repeatedly attacked him with very painful words:
"You and I are so different! Like the sun and the moon! For you, astrology is a waste of time, and so am I, right?! That's why you hate my astrological-themed wedding idea!..."
"Mona!" Wanderer also stood up to face his fiancée. He spoke a bit aggressively. "Will you just calm down and listen to me?"
By then, tears had escaped the corners of Mona's eyes. She brushed it off and said:
"If you despise this wedding and my ideas so badly..." Mona paused, then summoned the confidence to say, "Perhaps we shouldn't get married after all!"
"Have you any idea what you just said?"
Wanderer was filled with rage inside. He tried to keep it together, but Mona was making everything worse.
"Perhaps we should reconsider the wedding!" She yelled.
Right. How could we live the rest of their life with someone who is always the opposite of us, who challenges us in all aspects of life? What on Teyvat were they thinking? What was she thinking when she said yes to loving him, and yes to their marriage?
Now she could see that they were not for each other. It was better for them to remain enemies.
Mona could not stand there looking at Wanderer's stunned face for another second. She walked past him and slammed the door shut. She then sipped a lot of wine at the Angel's Share, then turned to Lumine, her bridesmaid and best friend, to confide in.
—✧—
"You need a good night's sleep." Lumine put her arm around Mona's shoulders, gently patting her. "I assure you Wanderer didn't mean to hurt you."
"You don't have to excuse him." Mona replied. She dropped her head to Lumine and sobbed a little. "He doesn't love me. Not. A. Single. Bit!"
"You're afraid that your life will be drastically different from what it is now, right? But no matter what happens, your and Wanderer's sentiments will remain the same. You two have fought so many times that I've lost track. Despite this, you've been together till now. You two would have split up a long time ago if he hadn't truly loved you."
Mona kept quiet, obviously contemplating Lumine's comments. She held her friend even more tightly. Paimon hovered nearby, seeking a way to console her. Love does cause people problems!
Mona went to bed after a lengthy conversation. Paimon quietly proposed to Lumine that they notify Wanderer that his fiancée was here. But she only replied:
"No need. He'll be looking for Mona very soon."
"That's true. Every time they argue, Mona always comes here!" Paimon made a remark.
So it was. Early the next morning, when Lumine and Paimon came out of their Serenitea Pot to go shopping for breakfast, they saw a shadow waiting for them ahead.
"Let Paimon teach that Wanderer a lesson for making Mona cry!"
Lumine stopped her:
"It's their own problem. We should not interfere."
Both Mona and Wanderer had been friends of Lumine for years. It was hard to pick a side. It was certainly never easy to discern what was right and wrong in love. And Lumine had little love experience!
Wanderer did not appear straight away, but instead stood silently outside Lumine's Serenitea Pot. Mona knew he was there even though she didn't hear Lumine or Paimon say anything. She grumbled:
"Let's see how long he can be snooping there!"
But Lumine and Paimon both saw her staring out the window, sighing and frowning all day.
On the evening of the sixth day when Mona stayed with Lumine and Paimon, she whined again:
"He never comes in to visit me. He hasn't asked where I've gone for days now. We’ve never stayed mad at each other this long. Is he no longer in need of me?"
And Lumine calmed her once more:
"Of course he needs you; else, he would not have been here. You both need some time to reflect."
"Do you believe I was wrong too, Lumine?"
"Well, you should not have said that you’re not getting married... That really hurts him."
Mona sat on the sofa for a long time, contemplating. Paimon chimed in:
"Marriage isn't something you can call off when you two disagree, is it?"
"Do you two think I'm overreacting?"
Mona inquired. Lumine and Paimon were at a loss for words. They exchanged worried glances.
The next morning, Wanderer appeared in front of them outside.
"Is she all right in there?" He asked, his gaze locked on Lumine's Serenitea Pot floating in the air.
"She's asleep."
Lumine replied, and Paimon added:
"This man! Can't you just give in a bit to her?"
Wanderer drew his arms around his chest. He also appeared depressed and lacked sleep.
"I’ve fulfilled all of her requests. I really didn't want her to worry about the wedding any longer, so I calmed her and said everything was fine. For me, a simple ceremony to formally become husband and wife is enough. She has other ideas though."
"It's evident to Paimon that you don't know how to spoil a girl!"
Wanderer's expression clouded. Lumine went on to say:
"All she wanted was a fairytale wedding. It can't be too sparse. Even when she never lets anyone know, Mona had been planning her wedding since she was a child!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Paimon gave a nod. "You and her will be together for the rest of your life. You couldn't possibly ignore her wish."
"To a girl, not giving her the perfect wedding she anticipates also means she might have to suffer that marriage for the rest of her life."
Lumine's final phrase slashed into Wanderer's metaphorical heart. He did not have a physical heart, but he discovered something far more valuable along the way, owing in large part to Mona.
Thanks to Mona Megistus, he had experienced love, the most complex human emotion. He would not be completely human if he never knew how to love. And, despite the absence of physical heart, the void in his chest seemed to be filled with the happiness of being near Mona, caressing her; or writhed every time they argued and she stepped out of his sight. No matter how contrary they were, he would never find someone else who could go with him through all the ups and downs of love. Someone like Mona.
Seeming to have realized something, Wanderer asked Lumine's permission to enter the Serenitea Pot. In the bedroom, The sun had barely touched the foot of the bed. Mona was burying herself in the cozy blanket. Wanderer softly brushed her face, causing her to move slightly.
"Hmm…"
Mona may have mistakenly believed she was at home and dreaming, since she forgot about the argument that night. Perhaps the only feeling left was regret and missing Wanderer so much.
Wanderer said quietly.
"Mona... I'm sorry..."
"For what?"
"For neglecting our wedding, for neglecting your point of view..."
Mona drew the covers up higher, attempting to brush Wanderer's touch away. She hated being disturbed in her sleep.
He gave her a gloomy expression. He had felt it would be humiliating to apologize to her. But, for so long, he had always been the first to apologize. To others, he must have given them an instant death. As for Mona, her smile was worth more than his pride, though it took him a few days to let it go and apologize to her at last.
"You can choose your starry tablecloth. You can change the wedding bouquet, or even find a new wedding gown... You can do whatever you desire. Just... Let's stop bickering with each other, please?" Wanderer leaned up close to her and whispered.
"Then quit pestering me..." Mona said drowsily.
"So you're not canceling our wedding anymore, are you?"
Mona blinked. It seemed that the quarrel had returned to her. Awake, upset and furious, she tried to push Wanderer away,she sought to push Wanderer away while also longing to hug him close.
" You said you didn't love me!"
"To be honest, I didn't really say that..." Wanderer attempted to explain. "I was simply not sure why we fell in love — Oh..."
Then, he recollected Lumine and Paimon's earlier advice; if you want to marry Mona, to live with her for the rest of your life, it's best to learn to agree with everything she says; Wanderer paused. He was a little confused if that would help, but he decided to start today:
"Yes. That's right... I don't love you. "
"EXCUSE ME?!"
Mona tossed the blanket and sat up. She looked at Wanderer with fiery eyes, even though her Vision was Hydro.
"I... I didn't mean that!"
"Then what did you mean?"
Mona reached for the pillow and was going to hurl it at Wanderer, but he promptly grabbed her wrist and pulled her close, placing a kiss on her soft lips.
Mona blinked. She had fallen into a completely passive and unexpected position. Her cheeks heated up as she stared at Wanderer, his hand still clasped around her wrist and his lips preventing her from uttering anything further.
After a while, Wanderer let go of Mona and said:
"Don't expect me to agree with everything you say, since some of it is rubbish, ridiculous. And there's no way I'm going to obey your orders. But..."
His voice softened.
"But I've found a way to calm you down and make you listen to me, even if only for a short while."
Wanderer grinned triumphantly, running his thumb over his lips as Mona's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, wanting nothing more than to crawl back beneath the blankets.
She said:
"Hmm... I'll scratch you!"
"That will suffice. So long as you're no longer upset with me."
"But I'm still upset with you!"
"I've already apologized enough. If you're still angry, I'm not going to soothe you. Though, I did have a plan to burn Lumine's Serenitea Pot down if that's the cost to bring you back."
Mona pouted:
"Your apologies are not sincere at all!"
"That's all you get, Mona. And a delightful dinner. You cannot ask for more from me."
"This will do then."
Mona said sullenly. Come to think of it, it turned out that things could have been handled in such a simple way; a kiss, a meal and a few sugar-coated words. Just like Lumine and Paimon had explained to her a few days ago. They also said that in a relationship, arguing with each other was normal. What was important was two people could accept each other's opposites, and strive to live in harmony together.
She hesitated and then added:
"I'm also... sorry. I shouldn't have said that we shouldn't get married..."
Wanderer rolled his eyes in surprise.
"Is it possible that I misheard something? This is the first time you've apologized to me, Mona! Have you actually changed after spending a few days with Lumine and Paimon?"
She reacted with a light thud to his chest, and replied:
"And this is all you get. You cannot ask for more from me!"
Wanderer burst up laughing. He caressed Mona's head and placed a kiss on her forehead.
—✧—
Paimon, carrying a bag of steamy food, said:
"Let's go back. Mona must be up by now."
"Wait!" Lumine stopped her. "We shouldn't be back right now."
"What's the matter?"
Lumine was not sure how to explain it to Paimon. She thought for a moment before saying:
"The two of them just got into an argument, it's definitely going to take time to reconcile. We shouldn't bother them."
"How do you know these things so well when you haven't been in love?!"
Lumine grinned and replied:
"Those late nights reading romantic novels from Yae Publishing House must have helped!"
Paimon nodded:
"That's correct. So they were going to reconcile and then start flirting again?"
Paimon said so loudly that everyone around turned to look at them. Lumine inquired.
"How do you know that?"
Paimon responded nonchalantly, " Deep as are the quarrels, deep becomes the love. I’ve read all your books too!”
So, they walked while laughing. Although neither Lumine nor Paimon had fallen in love, they were glad to be able to support Wanderer and Mona in their relationship. Paimon spoke about all the cuisine at the upcoming wedding ceremony, while Lumine fantasized about being a bride herself, one day.
-The end-