Chapter Text
"Scara said they're running a little late." Mona laid her phone down on their cluttered cafe table. She returned her attention to her drink, stirring it slowly until her anxieties and disappointment melted with the marshmallows.
Lumine watched a small pout form on her friend's fair face. She had been friends with Mona long enough to know the flurry of thoughts flooding her mind. She was likely weighing all the reasons for their tardiness, whether it was as simple as losing track of time or as extreme as their car getting swept up by a cyclone.
"I'm so sorry, Lumine." Mona finally looked up from her swirling drink, gray eyes pleading apologetically. "I reminded him of the meet up time so many times." Lumine was left with no room to interject as Mona began rambling. "Honestly, he's too early usually." Even if Lumine wanted to say something, she was too taken aback by the sudden unsolicited explanation.
"No worries," was all Lumine managed to say. She wasn't quite sure yet what brought it on, but she was glad that these two simple words put Mona's heart at ease. She watched a sigh of relief leave Mona's lips and stars return to her gray gaze.
Truthfully, the boys' tardiness was a blessing for Lumine. It meant that she had more time to fill another chapter of their girlhood stories. If she had to be completely honest, it wouldn't upset her if they didn't show up at all. However, that was a selfish wish she kept to herself, away from the whims of the universe. Mona would be saddened if Scaramouche canceled on her, and that wasn't something Lumine wished to see. Besides, they rarely got together these days (curse the hectic schedules of adult life), so Lumine accepted Mona's proposal to meet up with them in the evening.
All the wounds they collected throughout the year were healed by the day they spent together. Whether it was work grudges, boy troubles, or living in general, their own girlish giggles mended their fractured hearts and tired spirits. They explored the holiday market with hot cocoa in their freezing hands and at the will of the cold winter wind. Their wallets were sucked dry by the last minute, closing day discounts, something Lumine guessed Mona would be scolded for later. It was a girls' day out that warranted envy, for it was a privilege to have such a grand day with your closest girl friend.
If she had to name one annoying thing about the day, it was the unpleasant shock she got when they first arrived. The bustling crowd made navigating the market a pain, but only life was to blame for that inconvenience. It seemed that the year caught everyone in its whirlwind, and there were more people who also had only today to refresh themselves before returning to work. Besides, the sea of shoppers meant good business for the vendors.
"It's really okay?" Mona asked after taking a sip of her second hot chocolate of the day. "You usually hate when people show up late."
So that's what that was about.
Mona was right about her intolerance for tardiness, but Lumine's sprits had been so high that it truly didn't bother her this time. She felt no need to display the mask that she mastered to appear nonchalant. "I'm not going to let men ruin a good day."
"Oh don't act like you're not excited to see him," Mona teased. She had asked Scaramouche to bring along a friend, so Lumine wouldn't have to third-wheel the couple. It was a request made with good intentions, but the person Scaramouche chose to invite was the last person she wanted to meet in an atmosphere as romantic as a winter market.
"Scara!" Mona shouted from one end of the glittering tree-lined street. She waved her arm as best as she could to get the man's attention after spotting his classic bowl-cut hairstyle. Her arm raised halfway, movement constricted by several shopping bags carrying a day's worth of buy one, get one free deals.
"How much did you spend today?" He asked after sauntering toward them.
Lumine stepped back to allow the couple some space to catch up. It was also a preemptive escape just in case they got into another one of their screaming matches. Their yelling was usually harmless and a means to cover up embarrassment, but Lumine did not want to get caught up in it at all.
Scaramouche eyed Mona's shopping bags, slight irritation in his blue gaze. He removed his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms. Both Lumine and Mona knew he was holding himself back, but Lumine braced herself for a sudden exclamation from either party anyway.
"It doesn't matter," Mona said before he make any other smart remarks. She thrust half of the bags toward him, and his arms uncrossed instinctively to catch the bags as she released them hastily. "It's late, but happy birthday." She pulled her scarf up and shrunk into it, hiding her blushing cheeks and avoiding his eye contact.
Scaramouche's irritation dissipated with the sigh that left his mouth, which stayed quiet longer than expected. His eyes softened. "It matters," He said gently as he took all the bags in one hand. With his now empty hand, he lightly flicked her forehead. "You don't have to spend money on me."
A flip seemed to switch in Mona's head. All signs of shyness or embarrassment disappeared as she readied herself to ragebait her boyfriend. Mona's flushed cheeks were replaced by furrowed eyebrows, and her meek stance shifted into a challenging one. Her hands landed on her hips, and she glared at him as she spoke the magic words, "So you hate me."
Lumine could only roll her eyes. It wasn't the screaming match that she expected, but it was definitely her second guess. For as long as the couple had been together, ragebaiting was their special bonding activity. Some might argue that it was their version of foreplay, but that wasn't something Lumine was ready to think about yet.
"I'm saying," Scaramouche swiftly snaked his arm under hers and around her waist. He pulled her to close their distance, and she stumbled into his body like he intended. "I want you to spend time with me instead."
Mona's lips fell apart just the slightest, but no words of disagreement nor distaste left her mouth. Her previous fiery expression melted away under the heat of their mutual mortification. Her cheeks flushed once more, and Scaramouche's ears lit up in the same pinkish glow. They shared a brief look of contemplation before denying themselves pleasure. Although they didn't budge from their current intimate position, they each turned away from each other — Scaramouche turned his head to the side, and Mona buried her face into his shoulder.
"Am I interrupting something?"
A huffy sigh left Lumine's lips at the sound of the disembodied voice. The man she dreaded seeing this evening finally arrived. Her uneasiness didn't come from anything about him specifically. She just disliked the annoying confusion he brought with him. Her actions didn't feel like her own when she was around him, but it also felt natural at the same time. The fact that there might be more to learn about herself discomforted her.
The few times their paths crossed made them acquaintances, but they were far from being well acquainted. They had exchanged greetings and simple conversations before, but none were worth recalling. It couldn't be helped that their potential was wasted by pathetic excuses for interactions. That was just the nature of parties, the usual setting under which they met. Since Lumine tended to keep to herself and her friends and he continually got dragged away by his, there was never a good time to actually get to know each other.
Despite their lack of meaningful exchanges, there were some memorable moments. The brief instances in which their glances were held instead of passed and whispers were exchanged when he noticed her standing alone were what she held onto most from those functions. Neither one of them ever crossed the line, but they lingered at the border more often than not. It was these events that made her unsure of their relationship, if they even had one. She always chalked up her curiosities about him to spring allergies, summer heat, or changing seasons.
Lumine turned to Childe with an unimpressed expression, but her smart mouth stayed shut. Any remarks she had settled in her throat when her eyes landed on a miniature version of him standing adorably beside him. "And you are?" She asked as she lowered herself to meet the boy at eye level.
Childe nudged the boy with a gentle pat on the back, a gesture to let him know it was safe to introduce himself.
"My name's Teucer!" The boy jutted his arm out, hand open for a shake. "It's nice to meet you, Miss." He grinned excitedly at Lumine as she accepted his handshake.
"Nice to meet you, Teucer." His energy was contagious, and Lumine mirrored his smile as their hands shook gently. "My name is Lumine."
"Sorry I'm late," Childe said directly to Lumine. He offered her his hand to help her up, a gesture she accepted without much thought. "My family asked me to take him along at the last second."
"And obviously you couldn't say no to such a cute face." Lumine patted Teucer's bundled up head. She almost felt bad that Childe had been volunteered for so many menial tasks on his last day off. Not only did he get roped into keeping her company, he had to babysit his brother at the same time.
"Took you long enough," Scaramouche grumbled. The couple had calmed down at last, but they stayed wrapped in each other's arms. "You guys can handle yourselves, right?" They were clearly itching to be alone together.
Childe answered for the both him and Lumine, shooing them away with his hand.
"Bye Uncle Kuni!" Teucer waved both hands up high, fingers sprawled to their maximum reach. Even Scaramouche couldn't resist this kid. He returned the wave, albeit less excitedly but returned nonetheless.
"I could have just gone home if they were going to leave together." Lumine mumbled into the folds of her scarf. She glanced back at Childe, hoping that he hadn't heard her unkind statement. Fortunately, his attention appeared to be taken by the loud conversation their friends were having across the way.
Scaramouche had pulled out one of Mona's gifts for him from the plethora of bags they possessed. "Are you serious?" He asked with a deadpanned expression, the cat-eared beanie crushed in his annoyed grip. His eyes narrowed at his girlfriend in disbelief.
Mona reached into the same bag and pulled out another hat, a matching one. "We're matching!" Her excitement shone like stars in her eyes, and Scaramouche folded immediately. He was charmed by how the stars on her hat matched the ones in her eyes.
He put his hat on his head without hesitation. "Only because it's cold." Mona knew that was only an excuse to make himself look cool, but she didn't argue it because he looked absolutely darling in her gift. She wanted so badly to reach for the ears and pinch them teasingly, but her train of thought was interrupted by him snatching her hat out of her hand. She stood still as he put it on her pretty head. "It'd be annoying if you got sick." His adjustments were gentle, and he took care not to mess up her hair, carefully pulling out her face framing strands.
Once the couple left hand in hand, out of their earshot and line of sight, Childe returned his attention to Lumine. "I can take you home if that's what you prefer." So he did hear her.
Lumine's heart dropped to her stomach, and she winced at the thought of reconciliation, but she sucked up her pride and shook her head in response to his proposal. She already felt bad that he had to drive out here because of her (well, her friend). It would make her feel even worse sending him home after a mere eleven minutes, especially with his younger brother around.
"And deny Teucer of a magical winter's day?"
"He's my brother, and you didn't sign up for this."
"Well, I'm signing up now." Lumine told him firmly, unrelenting to his attempts to change her mind. "So, shall we?"
"I want to hold hands with Miss too!" Teucer pointed at Childe and Lumine's still connected hands. Had neither of them let go after he helped her up? Had they really been holding hands for the entire walk?
They both looked down to where he pointed then up at each other, incredulous silence drowning out the festive holiday music. Childe cleared his throat as Lumine let go of his hand first. She offered her hand to Teucer, who eagerly took it and began pulling her ahead.
Their first stop was the ever busy hot chocolate stand. Even on the market's last day, the lines were never-ending. Lumine felt for the elves working tirelessly behind the counter. Fortunately for them, she drank enough of the festive drink to last her the rest of the holiday season. She was definitely one less customer they had to worry about.
"Big Brother, don't forget one for Miss Lumine." Teucer said when he noticed how she had stood away from the line. Childe looked at Lumine, and Teucer followed suit. Had it only been Childe looking at her, she would have immediately shook her head.
Lumine pretended like she hadn't heard what Teucer said. She walked toward the siblings, taking her time as to delay her response. Each step she took, she reconsidered the sugary drink like picking petals off a flower.
Teucer seemed well behaved; he could handle rejection with an explanation, right?
Rejecting a child's wishes during the holidays is something miserable adults do. Perhaps she could nurse the drink for the rest of the evening.
Even if she held the drink all night, it would be wasteful to purchase something she would definitely ditch once she found an opening to do so.
"Miss Lumine, my brother will buy you a drink too." Teucer told her once she reached them.
Lumine thanked what heavenly deity was watching over her tonight. She was presented a glorious loophole, so she wouldn't have to look like a total Scrooge. "That's so kind of you, but I don't want to impose." She glanced up at Childe, golden eyes begging him to catch her drift.
"Buddy," Childe interjected gently before Teucer could say anymore. "Why don't the three of us share one?"
The three of them? Had he not wanted one as well? Did they just save each other?
Teucer tapped his chin with his finger as he considered the offer, and Childe made sure that his little brother didn't get enough time to think about denying it. "Gotta save our stomachs for more treats." Just like that, Teucer nodded his cute little head in agreement.
While daylight was still hanging on, they took their time wandering the faux-snow dusted walkways. Childe and Lumine strolled side by side, watchful eyes on Teucer, who joyfully walked a couple steps ahead. His hands which had held each of theirs now wrapped around the large cup of liquid sugar that would send him into a crash hours later.
"You were pretty good back there."
"It was nothing." Childe chuckled at the memory of her desperately looking for an out against an elementary school kid. "When you come from a big family, it's just one of the things you learn to do."
Their conversations were always like this, fading in and out like a faulty lightbulb. It was always one step forward into a hole in the ground. Until they found a way out of it, whatever they had between them stayed stagnant.
"Let's go on the train!" Teucer stopped in his tracks and pointed at the ride that just returned. He jogged to save a spot in line, careful not to spill the drink in his hands. He snaked his small, agile body under and between the crowd beginning to form as the train returned from its tour.
Childe went ahead, stride getting longer as to not lose his brother. Lumine's small steps worked overtime to stay close to him as he made way for the two of them, whispering apologies and excuse-me's to get to where Teucer had ended up. Without looking back at her, he offered an open hand to make sure they didn't lose each other. Lumine hesitated for only a second, knowing this wasn't the time to overthink, and she placed her gloved hand in his bare one. His strong fingers wrapped around hers tightly as he pulled her along.
"Teucer," Childe called once they reached him in the line. Who knew that the train would garner so much attention in such a short span of time? How did all these families fill the line in the time it took them to catch up to Teucer? "Don't run off like that again."
Once the ride attendant raised the chain, Teucer led them to what he thought was the best seat. Most kids tried to get close to the conductor, but Teucer wanted the very last cart. He took a seat on the inner side, leaving the middle for Childe and the outer side for Lumine. Childe had offered the middle seat to her, but for the sake of watching his brother, she insisted that he sit there instead.
Since the train ride was a tour through the market, it was projected to take a decent amount of time. Childe decided he would get comfortable before they were on their feet again. He leaned back in the seat and released his grip on her fingers without much of a thought to his actions. He only meant to rest his hands on his lap, but to his surprise, she had delicately wrapped her fingers around his.
"If you're not comfortable with this," Lumine said as she raised up their joined hands. "Let me know." She had waited for the ride to begin before mentioning it, selfishly trapping him for the duration of the train ride. Unless he wanted to confront her and create tension in this small space, he'd have to oblige to her curious indulgence.
He answered her by simply tightening his grip, and the reciprocation ignited a spark on the scattered ammunition in her heart. She stared ahead, gaze unwavering despite the scenic winter wonderland passing by. All she could focus on was the heat of their joined hands.
"Miss Lumine, look over here!" Teucer held Childe's phone up, front camera capturing the three of them in its frame. She smiled at their reflection on the phone screen, eyes thinning into soft crescents. The shutter sounded, and Teucer immediately went into the camera roll to examine his masterpiece. "You're like a princess." He zoomed in on Lumine and turned the phone to show her.
Lumine laughed at Teucer's sudden compliment, slightly flabbergasted by his flattery and embarrassed to see her face so zoomed up. "Your brother's quite the charmer," She said through her light chuckling. "I wonder where he learned that from." She cast an accusatory glance at Childe, who shrugged and shook his head in denial.
"Miss, do you have a prince?"
Lumine pursed her lips for a moment, lightly humming as she feigned a thought before she shook her head. "Did you have someone in mind?" She half expected he would volunteer himself up to be her little prince. It wouldn't be the first time a kid developed a crush on her.
"My big brother." Kids really do say the darndest things. Bless his heart, only children would say such things so nonchalantly.
Childe was in complete shock, blindsided by his younger brother's audacity. It wasn't easy to catch him off guard, but that's family for you. Unable to form coherent sentences and thoughts in utter disarray, Childe managed an awkward laugh and a weak smile.
On the other hand, Lumine was having the time of her life. From an outsider's perspective, they would have thought she was enjoying the silly train ride a little too much for someone her age. Her laugh rang like a soft melody over the jingle playing from the cart's speaker. She was grateful for Teucer's chosen cart — had they been anywhere else, the joyous holiday atmosphere would have been disrupted for several families. From where they sat, only the couple in front of them had the misfortune of having their holiday date disturbed.
Lumine wiped the tears forming at the corner of her eyes, catching them before they fell further. After catching her breath, she rubbed her cheek gently, massaging with her fingertips to relieve the aching that resulted from laughing so hard. "You brought your kid brother to be your wingman?"
"Come on," Childe groaned at her amusement. "He's doing that all on his own." Childe was starting to think the entire evening had been a dream, that he accidentally knocked out before leaving the house. It was unfathomable how his own brother, the baby of his family, was flirting with a girl for him.
"So you're saying you don't want to be my prince?" Once the words left her mouth, it became apparent to Lumine why Mona and Scaramouche were always bickering. The act of ragebaiting was exhilarating. Everything about it was addictive — from the speed at which it turned the conversation back on the other person to the taunting tone of the delivery, Lumine fully understood why they engaged in it so often.
As the sun began its descent, several vendors began closing up shop. The three of them wandered the booth-lined sidewalks, window-shopping where they could. The brief intimacy they shared during the train ride ended once they returned to the station. They returned to their version of normal, mutually carrying on like nothing happened. Was what they had merely the result of close proximity?
Lumine straggled behind the brothers, watching as Childe bought just about anything Teucer showed slight interest in. It was endearing the way he doted on Teucer, and admittedly, she had been a little surprised by his tenderness. He must have heard it often, how people wouldn't have expected this kind of behavior from him. Compared to Lumine, he was worlds better in the older sibling department.
While looking at handmade accessories, she listened to them discuss enthusiastically about which trinkets suited their other siblings. It hadn't even occurred to her to shop for her brother. It was certainly too late to start now since there weren't many options left. She hadn't even bought anything for herself.
"It's buy one, get one half off." The girl in charge of the shop popped up from beneath the table. "If you have any questions about any pieces, let me know." She disappeared beneath the table again, likely beginning her clean up before it got dark.
Lumine scanned the array of accessories on the table. The craftsmanship alone made Lumine want to purchase something, but she hadn't the slightest idea where to start. Each piece had a statement floral pendant, but she wasn't even really sure which flower she favored.
"Lumine," Childe called out. "We'll be over there." He walked backwards as he communicated to her where he and Teucer were headed, pointing in the direction behind him with his thumb.
She shifted her gaze to the colorful flashing lights ahead and decided she'd catch up with them in a bit. She wasn't big on carnival games as winning them was simply an illusion. Before you knew it, you've spent way too much on practically nothing. Most of the prizes could be bought elsewhere for much less, and the novelty of succeeding lasted only while your brain was overstimulated by the incessant ringing of victory bells and game attendants' persistent blarney as they lured passersby into their money trap.
She returned her focus to the accessories, paying more attention to the hair clips in particular this time. Since Lumine's personal brand included her various hair accessories, it only made sense for her to shop for another one. But did she really need more? Lumine's eyes lingered on a Liyuen inspired design, but her desire to purchase it felt too impulsive.
She cursed her indecisiveness and relieved the poor shop owner's of her delayed departure. Lumine took one of her business cards and thanked the girl before catching up to Childe and Teucer, who were hunched over a fishing game.
"You know it's all a big scam, right?
Childe looked up from the pool of floating magnetic fish. He handed his fishing pole to Teucer, then dramatically placed both hands over his heart like he'd just been shot. He looked at Lumine with his big blue eyes, mouth slightly agape as he feigned a pained gasp. "Have some faith in me."
"Do I have your trust now?"
Childe ended up winning not one, not two, but three big prizes from the stupid fishing game. It took one round of warm ups before he easily fished up the ones marked for large prizes among several big fish marked for dud prizes.
After winning the first prize for Teucer, he insisted on winning another one for Lumine. She definitely didn't need more clutter for her room, but he had paid for another round before she could reject his proposal. After two big wins, the last round was for his ego and the crowd that had formed around them.
Lumine had to peel him away from the game when she noticed the attendants' unhappy expressions while he picked yet another big prize. She somewhat understood their contempt toward Childe, but the pros outweighed the cons. Sure, he made it look easy, but it was unlikely the same results would occur with anyone else in the crowd.
They retreated before anything dangerous could happen. The three of them garnered sparkly stares from children as they walked back to the market with three Teucer-sized plush toys in their arms.
Lumine wouldn't give him the satisfaction of proving her wrong. "You just got lucky."
Daylight gave its final push, glowing pink that quickly transitioned into dark purple and blue as it prepared to display a sea of stars. The trio made their final stop of the day, street food for a quick dinner before they bid farewell to each other and the holiday season.
Teucer chose a classic — hot dogs. It almost unavoidable with the number of vendors grilling them on the corners of the market's perimeter. The smell of grilled sausages in the cold air was intoxicating, and it elicited a craving they didn't realize they had.
"Just order for me whatever you're getting," Childe told Lumine as he placed his bagged narwhal beside Lumine and Teucer's prizes. "Going to hit the restroom real quick." He placed a hand on Teucer's shoulder to get his attention. "Buddy, stay close to Lumine."
Teucer nodded obediently, even taking Lumine's hand again to show his older brother that he had nothing to worry about.
"Please promise me you'll use an actual one in a store." She grimaced at the thought of him using a portable toilet, especially with how late in the day and how late in the market's duration it was. Who knows what sorts of disgusting things had built up in there over the long weekend?
"It's faster to say you care about me." He teased, scurrying away before she could think about making a cutting retort.
Childe took long, nonchalant strides in the direction of the arts and crafts booths. His speed steadily increased as he got further from Lumine and Teucer, hiding his real intent for slipping away. His eyes scanned the shops that were still packing up, hopeful that one of them was the one he was looking for.
He jogged up to the handmade accessories shop Lumine had lingered at before they parted briefly. "Excuse me." Childe tapped on the girl's shoulder as she dismantled her display shelves. "There was a blonde girl here not too long ago." Childe raised his hand near his chest as he described her height and shook his hand around his shoulder to show her hair length. "You wouldn't happen to know what she was looking at, would you?"
When she had joined up with them at the fishing game, he noticed she didn't come with a shopping bag despite staying back that long. It was the longest she lingered at any shop today, so he found it strange she didn't get anything. In fact, she spent all day yielding to his and Teucer's whims without a word of complaint. The least he could do for her was get her a little gift.
The girl nodded and raised her pointer finger up at him, gesturing for him to give her one second as she went to check her inventory. She pulled out a bag of assorted accessories, pulling out a hair clip set. "She seemed most interested in this, but I didn't want to pressure her." The girl held up the clips for him to see, the dangling details swinging in the passing winter breeze. "It's a buy one, get one half off deal."
He knew few flowers by name, but he recognized the one used for the centerpiece of this hair clip. Thanks to his friend's unsolicited trivia facts, Childe knew it was a glaze lily. He wondered if Lumine also knew what flower this was or if she was simply attracted to its beauty. He almost hoped it was the latter, for if she knew what the flower meant, the nature of their relationship would change irreversibly.
"And what do you suggest to pair with this?"
Childe returned to Lumine and Teucer, who had moved to a nearby seating area. With Lumine's back to him, he raised a finger to his lips when he made eye contact with Teucer. Initially, he hadn't meant to sneak up on her, but he wanted to observe them a while longer. It warmed his heart to see his brother enjoy her company and how she looked after him with honest joy.
His feelings for her were complicated. From the start, he was interested in her as a person. She carried herself with pride and dignity, but it wasn't egotistic. It was the kind of personality that made her attractive but difficult to approach, and he was completed enticed by the challenge. She charmed him without trying, and he wanted to know more about his opponent.
Fortunately, their paths crossed on multiple occasions, courtesy of their mutual friends' habitual partying. Even with that many opportunities, they barely had a chance to interact properly. The dance they engaged in was a constant scrimmage for the leading role — for every push, there was a consequent pull. It was a blessing and curse to be matched with a partner of comparable abilities.
When Scaramouche's open-invite for the hangout hit their group chat, Childe jumped on it before anyone else could. In fact, his excitement manifested as several typos in his message to accept the invite. It was his only chance to have her undivided attention on him. Finally, they'd have no distractions. He would be able to face her one-on-one, that is, until his family dumped Teucer on him. His plan seemed to fall apart right before his eyes, and he'd basically given up on pursuing the challenge until she insisted on continuing with the evening despite the minor changes.
"Welcome back." Lumine's voice was muffled by both the food in her cheeks and hand covering her mouth. Her eyes followed his movements curiously as he took the seat beside her, swallowing her food as he placed a small paper bag on the table. "What's that?"
"Well, it's no crown," Childe dumped a neatly wrapped package into his palm and pulled at the ribbons to reveal the hair clips inside, "but it's still suited for a princess."
Lumine looked down at the clips in his hand, eyes slightly widened and lips barely parted. Not only was the gift itself a shock, she was even more in disbelief at how closely he paid attention to her. She looked back up at him, eyes softening as realization settled — he'd always been observant.
Childe removed the accessories from their packaging, shoving the plastic into his pocket. "May I?"
She turned her body to face him, sitting as still as she could. Lumine managed a single slow nod. Her breath slowed as one of his hands rested gently on her head, keeping it steady while he removed her current hair accessory. She mentally reminded herself to keep breathing, afraid her body would involuntarily malfunction while overworking itself to keep her calm. Lumine contemplated on keeping her eyes opened or closed but ultimately succumbed to his relaxing touch and closed her eyes.
Teucer watched the couple curiously, picking at the shared fries on the table.
With her sight obscured, the sensation of his long fingers gently adjusting her hair made her heart race. She heard the click of her current hair clip unlocking and felt it slide out, the released hair falling lightly against her cheek. His fingertips brushed her lightly flushed cheek as he carefully retrieved the fallen section and pinched it back, so he could clip her golden tendrils. Childe repeated this process on the other side, mindfully adjusting the tautness as to retain her effortlessly soft appearance.
Once his hands pulled back and she no longer felt the comforting presence of his hands, she slowly opened her eyes, glittering gold reflecting in his deep blue. "How does it look?"
Childe opened his mouth to compliment her, but Teucer beat him to it. His brother exclaimed excitedly about how beautiful she looked, even going onto describe how the dangling jewels were shiny like her eyes. He really had to hand it to his brother for expressing more than he ever did in the time they knew each other.
Lumine giggled at Teucer's enthusiasm and thanked him for his kind words. She looked toward Childe with a shy smile and mouthed her thanks to him before going back to entertaining Teucer.
With the night's appearance, the trio began their departure. Lumine shouldered the weight of their plush prizes in her hands while Childe carried a sleepy Teucer on his back. They retraced their steps through the tree-lined market streets one last time until their path was lit only by the starry night and occasional streetlamp.
"Hey," Lumine whispered as to keep from waking the slumbering child. "Wasn't that store doing a buy one, get one deal?" She recalled the girl advertising to her a discount while she pondered the hair clips. Surely he didn't forfeit the discount just to get her a gift. "Don't tell me you didn't anything else."
Childe came to a slow stop, and Lumine follow suit. He shifted Teucer's weight carefully, so he could carry him with one arm behind his back. "The girl at the stand suggested I get this." Childe held up his hand for her to see. In addition to the pinky rings he always wore, his right ring finger now had one as well. It was a matching set, his ring and her hair clips. "How is it?"
"Fit for a prince."