Work Text:
It’s a wonderful morning, and Childe is awake.
He stretches, pushing his hand against Lumine’s bare back, nudging her over as he groans.
She huffs, face pressed against the tent cloth thanks to him. Lumine sits up, throwing her blanket over his head, stretching and smacking it.
“Ow! Good morning to you too, girlie.”
She smirks, throwing on a shirt and tossing him his bag, tucked next to her feet.
“I’ll go make breakfast.” She kisses him on the side of the head before ducking out into the foggy morning, leaving the man to smooth his bedhead and try to find his brain cells.
“Good morning!!” Venti’s cheery smile this early is exactly what she wants to see. His hand on Paimon’s head, smoothing her hair as she naps on him, is also sweet. His hand closed around a wooden spoon, stirring things in the pot, is not.
Lumine’s eyes widen as she sits beside him, reaching across to take the utensil away before something explodes. “Morning,” she manages, yawning.
Xiao rests under a nearby tree, but walks over, seeing her. “I supervised.”
“Thank archons.”
Venti giggles. “My cooking isn’t so bad, is it?”
“Diluc still won’t let you back in Dawn Winery after last time,” Xiao says, arms crossed, fingers tapping along his arm.
He’s still shirtless, and when Lumine notices small marks along his collarbone, barely hidden by his necklaces, she looks away quick.
Paimon has been sleeping in her own tent lately, and Lumine can imagine why. Though it’s a pain to set up three every night, it seems it’s a need for the two couples.
“Diluc shouldn’t have let me cook without his best wine,” Venti says, grin huge. “In my gut.”
“How do you have so much energy this early,” Childe says, foot getting tangled in the tent flap when he tries to walk out. He trips over himself, groaning, having to lower his lanky body enough to disentangle himself before trudging over to Lumine, boots still unlaced.
“Your shoe’s untied,” she says, stepping on one of the laces, holding it down.
It takes him a full minute to realize why he can’t get a good grip on it.
Childe heaves a huge, tired sigh, dropping his head in her lap. “Oh dear sweet love of mine," he mumbles against her thighs, "have mercy on me, I pray to the archons above and the kindness in your bones. Have mercy so this man may one day conquer the world. I can’t do it without my shoelaces, you know.”
By the end of his speech Lumine is giggling, stroking his hair between her fingers. The edges of it have gotten longer, framing his face, stiff in the humidity of the morning.
Venti chuckles, braiding his hair while he waits for breakfast.
Xiao just smiles, turning away. Regardless of who’s in power, he knows his enemies, and it’s not these three.
Besides, it’s good to support their friends’ dreams, right?
“I’ll try,” Lumine relents, tapping Childe’s nose, scrunching it up.
He smiles, lifting his head once more, resuming his work. It takes another minute for him to realize she’s still standing on his shoelace.
He tickles under her leg to get her to finally lift it, her laughter filling up the gorge. Everyone takes a collective sigh, thankful to be here, amongst those who have such mornings.
“Breakfast is ready!”
Xiao walks over and takes a seat across from the others. Venti rouses Paimon, though it isn’t necessary as she’s awake the second someone mentions food. She flits over to sit beside the Yaksha.
Venti passes out bowls to everyone.
Lumine knows that they aren’t used to having breakfast each day. Xiao’s usually exhausted after a night of fighting, but she’s been working hard to alleviate those burdens from his back.
Venti used to be too poor to afford a breakfast to eat, wandering around to pick apples during the day. But now he gets to sleep with them, and eat everyday, multiple meals.
Childe grew up without being granted food by his father, but since coming here she’s made sure he’s spoiled every day.
Slowly, Xiao and Childe are learning to cook too, so they’ve taken over lunch and dinner duties.
Paimon’s happy every second she spends here, beside Lumine and people that they’ve come to adore.
Lumine looks to them, to the curls in Childe’s hair, freckles standing out on skin that looks like it’s glowing with the fog behind him. He smiles, stealing an extra mushroom from Paimon.
“Childe!!”
“I have to do my bad deed for the day,” he says, before dropping it into his mouth from a pair of chopsticks.
They put some in his left hand rather than his right, and would you know it, he’s doing much better.
It also helps that Xiao hid all of the silverware.
Xiao, for his part, has been much more free than anyone else, this entire time. He’s relieved of his official duties, and able to make friends.
He’s been blessed enough that he can start going around humans, observing the people he’s spent centuries protecting, while they’re on commissions.
His body, too, is far less injured than even a few weeks ago. He’s healing slowly, but he’s healing.
He smiles as he eats his breakfast, something Venti cooked up beside the regular food.
He might not need to worry about nutrients the same way as everyone else, but he’s a person who deserves to eat with everyone else. So they always make him food when they eat, just like they would for everyone else.
He’s been much more comfortable, walking around their camp. Participating in discussions. Smiling once in awhile, and every time, it makes Lumine feel light.
He’s safe, and he’s happy.
Venti is finally safe too. He’s not wandering around on his own, and he’s been drinking a lot less. He’s doing his best to enjoy every day, staring out at the evening stars along with everyone, doing their hair, and smiling.
The songs he’s been singing have been full of hope, and happiness.
Lumine feels that they have a good chance of finding her brother like this. That, once they do, things might be okay.
Even if they aren’t what she expected. Even if Childe has this need to take over the world, and she doesn’t know what Venti’s past was like. Even if Xiao is still in danger, and she still wants to save him with every bit of her heart.
She loves them. She can’t wait to make a world for Childe to rule in, a land for Venti to be appreciated in, and a home for Xiao to rest in.
Lumine looks to Paimon, and they share a secret smile.
“Here you go girlie, you can take my mushrooms.” Childe drops his into Lumine’s bowl. “They’re good for you.”
“You didn’t give any to Paimon!!” She jumps up from the other side, pouting.
Lumine gladly switches bowls with the pixie, grimacing.
“Lumine you need to eat your veggies,” Venti says, in his best stern voice.
“Shut up old man.”
“They’re good for mortals,” Xiao scolds.
Oh my archons there’s two of them.
“I’m going to cook you all if you don’t let me eat my carrots in peace.”
Childe laughs so hard, seeing her stern face, that he falls backwards off his log, landing on the ground.
The bowl remains in his hand, upright, perfectly safe.