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Not only did her date leave her at the restaurant only a few minutes after they had finished eating, but he also left her with the full bill that took all of her money, even the bus fare she had prepared for the ride home. And all Lumine could do was begin the walk of shame back to her apartment. All of the people she would normally try to contact were out of town on a trip, a trip she’d skipped out on because of this very same date, and Lumine wasn’t in much of a mood to try and call Aether’s friends, though she did shoot her twin a text to let her know what had happened.
To make matters worse, it had started to rain while she was in the restaurant and it was a literal torrential downpour when she left.
There was nothing the poor blonde could do besides begin the long walk towards her apartment after slipping off her heels to walk barefoot, knowing that her pantyhose would be beyond saving when she got there. A car that was driving by seemed to single her out specifically, suddenly swerving into a deep puddle to splash her, drenching her in muddy water.
Lumine was on the verge of tears when she felt someone approaching in a car, the sound of them slowing down alerting her. She just kept looking down at the ground, not wanting to see some random person trying to pick her up.
“Hey girlie, looks like you could use a lift!” The voice made Lumine snap her head up so quickly that she almost gave herself whiplash. Beside her in his expensive car rolling along at a snail’s pace was Childe, one of Aether’s friends. He waved when he saw her looking at him, unlocking his passenger door.
The blonde wiped her face, further smearing her makeup, hesitating before she opened the car door. “I’ll get your seats wet…”
Childe shrugged good-naturedly. “ I can get the seats cleaned. Don’t make me repeat myself. Get in.”
Sighing, Lumine did as he asked, sitting down on the expensive leather seats. She saw her reflection in the side mirror and grimaced. Her makeup was running down her face, and she looked closer to a raccoon than a human being at this point. Childe didn’t say anything about it, switching on the heat as he started driving again.
“Where do you wanna be dropped off?” His eyes were on the road, though he occasionally glanced her way for a split second.
“The graveyard, so I can bury myself,” she said softly, blinking back the tears that threatened to overflow once more. And now she couldn’t even blame the rain.
Childe seemed to pick up on her mood, and he nudged her with his elbow. “I’ve got a better idea. Humor me for a little while?”
Once Lumine had agreed, Childe grinned at her and continued driving, only stopped when he reached a convenience store. Pulling into the parking lot, he got his wallet out of the middle console. “Okay, tell me what your favorite snacks and drinks are. Oh, and what your favorite types of candy are.”
She stared at him like he’d grown a second head, and right when he started to repeat himself, she spoke. “Why? What are you planning?”
“Didn’t I say to humor me? Just tell me.”
Lumine did as he said, and as soon as she finished giving him the small list, he jumped out of the car and dashed into the store, not even bothering to get an umbrella. His legs were long enough that he could just dash inside so quickly that he didn’t get very wet. While Lumine waited in the car with the heater on, she tried to wipe some of her makeup off, only succeeding in smearing it more. Resigning herself to being a raccoon for the foreseeable future, Lumine stared out of the window towards the store, wondering what the hell Childe was planning.
She had met the handsome ginger about a year ago at a party Aether had had after coming home from attending college for a semester. They had met in one of the core classes all of the college attendants had to take and had become fast friends. The only things that she really knew about him was that he was an adrenaline junkie, was far too tall, and had the dumbest nickname he’d ever heard of. Lumine wasn’t even sure if Aether even knew his real name.
They had had a few casual conversations before that had led her to believe that he was just a party-goer and liked to cause havoc, and what he was doing now was going against everything she knew about him. Maybe I misjudged him…
It was around that time that she was startled out of her thoughts by the driver’s seat door opening. Childe poked his head in, a grin on his face. “Can you hold the bags? Only thing that’s bad about having a sports car is being unable to carry much shit at all.”
Once Lumine had nodded, Childe began to hand her three large bags filled with Archons know what, the ginger then climbing into the car and placing a heavier bag at her feet. “I grabbed some extra stuff as well as some stuff for me. I hope you like it all.”
She still had no idea what was going on. Before he pulled out of the parking lot, he ran a hand through his wet hair, and Lumine was unable to stop the thought that he looked really handsome. He glanced at her, smiling before giving her a wink.
“Is my place okay? You can shower and I’ll give you some clothes to change into. My TV is bigger.”
Television? “Uh, yeah, sure I guess.” Lumine was confused, but she felt like she could trust him since her twin did. “Did Aether tell you what happened to me?”
“Yep,” he said with a pop. “Well, at least that your date was a jackass and that you needed to be picked up. You don’t have to tell me what happened though, just what he looks like so I know who to throttle when I see him.”
Lumine’s eyes widened at the conviction of his words, a warm feeling spreading unbidden through her chest. “A-ah,” she said softly, quiet for a moment before she continued. “I guess I just wasn’t his type.”
Childe didn’t seem convinced. “Well then he’s blind and doesn’t deserve you.” Their eyes met as he glanced her way before looking back at the road. “We’re almost to my place. When we get there, you can take a shower while I get everything ready. Sound good?”
His words made her blush, realizing that he seemed serious about what he said of her failed date. After taking a moment to convince herself that he was just being nice, she leaned her head back against the headrest and looked at the roof of the car. “Yeah. Thank you, Childe.”
“Ajax,” he said after a moment of silence.
Lumine looked at him, confused. “Huh?” She said intelligently.
He chuckled, glancing at her. “It’s my name. I just figured that you should know the name of your hero, the one that saved you from walking home barefoot in the pouring rain.”
She just snorted, making him grin. “Alright. Thank you, Ajax .” She had glanced away, missing the way his eyes brightened when she used his birth name.
The rest of the car ride was silent as the two were lost in each of their own worlds. Before Lumine knew it, the car was pulling into the parking lot of a very nice set of apartments, the kind Lumine would have to spend more than an entire month’s paycheck just to afford base rent. She whistled, drawing the ginger's attention once again.
“Wooooow, fancy place,” she murmured, eyes bright as she looked out of the window while Childe pulled into a parking spot.
The young ginger just chuckled. “Wait til you see the inside.” Before he got out of the car, he leaned over and pulled an umbrella out of the floorboard of his passenger seat, careful to not touch Lumine’s legs. “Here, so you don’t get any wetter, though at this point, it might be a lost cause,” he teased with a lopsided grin.
His words made Lumine laugh, though she gently pushed the compact umbrella towards him until it bumped against his chest. “I think this would be more beneficial to you since I’ll just be taking a shower. Don’t worry, this witch doesn’t melt in the rain.”
“Witch?” He mumbled under his breath after Lumine got out of the car. “I’d say you’re much closer to a dream, Printsessa.”
Lumine had clutched the three bags close to her chest while she dashed through the rain to the overhang of the apartment building entrance, laughing as Childe ran after her with the last, heavier bag. He hadn’t bothered to use the umbrella, though he didn’t get much more than vaguely damp by the time he stopped to stand beside her.
They shared a laugh as he input the door code and swiped his card to open the doors of the apartment building. “Come on, elevator’s this way. I’m on the third floor.”
Lumine dutifully followed her savior through the building, looking around in awe of how fancy everything looked. It didn’t take them long to reach the elevator, both stepping in while Childe pressed the correct button.
“I hope you like my apartment. I haven’t really shown it to many people,” Childe said with a laugh, almost like he was covering up an embarrassment he felt.
They passed a few people on the way to his apartment, and they all shot curious glances at Lumine, no doubt because of how disheveled she looked with her wet clothes, bare feet, and smeared makeup. She wondered if they thought she and Childe were dating and had a fight. It wouldn’t be too far out of the realm of possibility based on her appearance.
Nah… There’s no way anyone could think that I was dating him . He’s far too attractive for someone like me…
Lumine, distracted by her thoughts, didn’t realize Childe had stopped walking, accidentally bumping into his back. She narrowly managed to avoid falling flat on her ass, and that was only due to Childe’s quick reflexes, having turned to look at her and shoot his free hand out to catch her in time.
“Easy, there. We’re here.” He jerked his head towards the apartment door in front of them. Another code was input as well as a slide from his key card, and the lock beeped to signify that the credentials were accepted, clicking loudly to unlock.
Childe entered the apartment first, glancing back at his companion. “Sorry if it’s a bit messy. I didn’t expect company today. Feel free to set those bags down wherever. I’ll go start the shower if you wanna follow me.”
Lumine did as he said, looking around at the way the apartment was decorated. There were several photos of similar-looking ginger people, his family, if she had to guess. The furniture all matched and seemed to be high quality, as well as the rugs and electronics in the living room. The place wasn’t actually very messy aside from a discarded jacket on the back of the couch and a game system’s wires and controllers resting on the coffee table.
“If you call this messy, then my apartment is a dump,” Lumine said after she had placed the bags of goodies on the coffee table and turned to follow Childe to the bathroom.
Flipping on the light switch in the bathroom, Childe moved out of the way to let the blonde through, pointing towards the large stand-in shower. There was also a deep tub along another wall. “There. Controls are fairly simple. Just pull it towards the door for hot and away for cold. Oh, and there’s a radio built in. That’s what the little waterproof set of buttons are for on the wall. Feel free to play whatever you like. I’ll come knock when I have some clothes for you to put on, okay?”
Once Lumine had nodded, he left her standing there, saying something about getting things ready. What he meant by that, the blonde had no clue, but she didn’t let it worry her, instead closing the door behind her. Looking in the mirror, she grimaced once more, confronted by her raccoon-like reflection.
Well, if he didn’t think I was hideous before, he certainly does now…
She shook her head and walked over to the glass shower door, opening it before she began to mess with the temperature of the water. It surprised her when she noticed it was a rainfall shower, and she whistled, impressed. “I could stay here forever…”
While the water warmed up, she discarded her wet clothes, folding them up and putting them on the edge of the sink. She’d just wash them when she got home. It didn’t take long for the water to get hot, and she stepped in, sighing softly as the hot water hit her chilled body, making her skin tingle.
Washing off her makeup took quite a bit of scrubbing time, but once she was sure she got it all, she turned to examine the various bottles of soaps that Childe had, curious as to what he used. All of it was definitely expensive, and she was relieved that he wasn’t one of those “27-in-1 soaps” types of men. She’d have had to put him down if that was the case.
Lumine didn’t have much choice but to use his shampoo and conditioner to wash her hair, and she used as little as possible to make sure it wasn’t wasted. Once she was satisfied and clean, warm from the shower, she stepped out right as there was a soft knock at the door.”
“Lumine? I have your clothes here. I’ll leave ‘em on the floor right in front of the door. We can wash your wet clothes once you’re dressed. I got everything ready, so just meet me when you’re done, alright?” Childe spoke through the door, his voice raised to make sure she could hear him.
“Okay, thank you,” Lumine called out, grabbing a large, fluffy towel to dry off with. She waited for a few moments after drying off before she cracked the door open and peeked out. True to his word, Childe had placed a small bundle of clothes right outside the door. She took them, shutting the door once more.
He had given her a large hoodie and a pair of shorts, and Lumine slipped them on, barely able to keep the shorts on because she was so much smaller than he was. The hoodie went to her mid thigh at least, so everything was covered. It felt a bit awkward for her to be without panties or a bra, but there was nothing she could do at the moment. Stepping out of the bathroom, she made her way to the living room, looking around for Childe.
His voice interrupted her silence, calling from the kitchen. “Hey, I’m in here! It’s at the end of the living room. Take a right.”
Lumine followed his directions, hesitantly walking through the doorway. Instantly, she was hit with a tantalizing smell of popcorn cooking, and she inhaled the scent deeply. Childe was at the stove, and he turned to look at her when he heard her. “How do you like your popcorn? Extra butter, covered in chocolate, or with cheese? I can do just about anything with it.”
“Did you say… chocolate-covered popcorn?” Lumine may have died and gone to heaven. There was (((NO))) way that that was a thing he could make.
The grin he shot her made her heart feel weird, but she wasn’t able to dwell on it. “Yep, I sure did. It’s something I used to make for my siblings. Melted chocolate poured and mixed over buttered popcorn. You want me to make it?”
Lumine’s face must have lit up, because he nodded and went to grab some of the chocolate he apparently kept on hand and began to melt it, then tossing the fresh, hot popcorn through it. The blonde watched in amazement. Childe moved with such ease and purpose that she knew he hadn’t been lying about making it often.
“This smells amazing.”
Childe motioned for her to try a piece, moving aside so she could grab some before he poured it all into a large bowl. As soon as Lumine popped a piece into her mouth, she sighed at how heavenly it tasted. The rich butter and chocolate taste mixed with the pinch of salt was absolute perfection, and it almost literally melted in her mouth.
“Good, isn’t it?” When she nodded, he continued talking. “Glad you like it. You can go ahead and chill on the couch while I finish this up. The candy is all laid out on the table as well as various types of soda. I’ll be in there once I grab some glasses.”
She did as he said, her eyes widening at just how much candy he had bought. There was every single thing she had said she liked as well as some that she assumed was for Childe, taking note that he seemed to have a bit of a sweet tooth. Sitting down on the couch, she pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees as she waited for Childe. It didn’t take him long to come in holding the bowl of popcorn and two wine glasses, making her arch an eyebrow.
“Only matching glasses I had. Just pretend it’s wine. We’ll just be fancy bastards today,” he said with a smile, trying to get her to laugh. “I actually have one more thing to get. I’ll be right back. Start thinking of what movie you wanna watch, okay? Anything available now works, and I’ll watch just about anything.”
His attempt to make her laugh worked, and she giggled as she watched him go down the hall and disappear into a room there. He returned a moment later carrying a large blanket that he threw over her and himself as soon as he sat down. It was warm, almost as if he’d just pulled it from the dryer. They were sitting fairly close together, but Childe made sure to not touch her at all, letting her settle down into the blanket.
“So, what movie did you decide on?”
Lumine glanced at the television, her mind going blank. She definitely didn’t want to tell him that all she had been watching recently were indie thriller and horror films. Instead, she just shrugged. “How about you pick?”
Childe hummed. “Okay, I’ll just pop something on,” he said as he reached for his remote and turned it on. After booting up the streaming service of his choice, he started flipping through the selections when something caught Lumine’s eye.
“Wait a sec. You’ve watched “Attack of the ZomBEE?” Lumine hadn’t expected anyone to have seen that aside from her. She’d been one of a handful in the whole theater when it had premiered.
Her words made Childe’s eyebrows shoot up, looking at her incredulously. “ You’ve seen it?” He hadn’t let it known to anyone really, but he enjoyed watching horror movies for the adrenaline he got when scared. “Are you going to see the second one when it comes out in about a month? I was rewatching it to remember what happened so I wouldn’t be confused.”
Lumine sat up straighter, her eyes shining as they shared a connection. “Yeah! I already asked off of work so I can sleep in the next morning after the premiere. No way I’m gonna be going in at 6 am after a midnight premiere.”
They both seemed to realize at the same time that they had more in common than they’d ever realized, both grinning at each other. Childe broke the silence first, glancing away after he’d realized he’d been staring. “Ah, well, do you wanna watch a horror movie?? There was a new one put out a couple of days ago, and it’s pretty good. No biggie if you don’t though.”
Childe half expected Lumine to call him dumb, but to his pleasant surprise, she nodded with a smile. “Yeah! I really like horror movies, actually,” she said with a slight blush on her face. “But uh, I should warn you. I tend to become a koala when I get afraid.”
Cute… “First a raccoon and now a koala, huh,” Childe teased, grinning when she gave him a horrified gasp and slapped his arm.
He just chuckled and moved a bit closer, still close but not touching her as he used a remote to turn off the lights, the only light in the room coming from the twilight outside and the television. Once the horror movie started, the two of them were silent, watching while they snacked on candy and popcorn and drank soda in their fancy wine glasses. At the first jump scare, one that Childe knew was coming, Lumine flinched and instinctively shot her arm out to grasp his, her nails lightly digging into his skin.
At the second jump scare, she moved closer, and by the third one, she was tucked so closely into Childe’s side that it was almost like she was glued to him. He had just laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, lightly tracing circles on it with his thumb every time she let out a gasp at what was happening. The popcorn and candy was gradually consumed as it went on.
When the movie ended and the credits started, they were both silent before Lumine finally spoke. “Thank you… Ajax, for doing this for me today.”
He looked down at her, surprised by how gentle she sounded. “It’s no problem. I mean it about punching that guy’s face in. If it had been me, I’d never have left you. You deserve to be treated like royalty.”
His words caused a deep blush to spread across her face, hers tilted up to look at him. His eyes were soft, and he seemed to realize what he was doing, a deep blush of his own spreading as he gave a short laugh and looked away to run his hand through his hair, not having meant to expose his feelings.
Lumine seemed to consider something for a moment, taking a bite of the chocolate-covered popcorn. “Well, there’s always the movie premiere…”
Childe looked back at her so quickly that it was his turn to get whiplash. Was she… really giving him a chance? “I don’t think Aether would like it very much if I did that, though I’m tempted to ignore that fact.”
They were dancing around the idea of a date, and Lumine seemed to come to a decision first. “Ah, well if you’re too nervous because you know you can’t beat how today went…”
The young man’s eyes flashed. “Is that a challenge?” He had leaned closer, their faces only a few centimeters apart.
“It may be,” she whispered before shyly looking away.
“Well, you should know that I never back down from a challenge. I hope you’re ready to have the best night of your life, Printsessa.”
Lumine just leaned her head against his chest as he squeezed her against him, tucking the blanket closer to both of them as they enjoyed each other’s company. She had to admit that she might have even been a bit thankful for that guy skipping out on her before since she had discovered so much about the man whose arm was currently around her, uncovering feelings that had lain dormant inside of her.