Chapter Text
“...You want to go out together on a... 'quest?' ” 
“Exactly!”
Lumi gave him a skeptical look. “And why would we do that?”
Draco pursed his lips in a smile and shrugged, “Because it would be fun!”
The charismatic,fired up, passionate, and self proclaimed “Master of Starr Park” believed he could conquer anything!
And for the most part? that is completely true!
Very little could shake him! Explosions, weird looking fish people, chaos, robots, and impossible odds? he faced it all!! with the same fearless spark in his eyes and that infuriatingly confident smile plastered across his face. Fear was something other people gave into, but Draco charged straight through it without hesitation.
Almost nothing could make his heart falter!
Keyword: Almost.
That’s right, THE Draco of Mad Evil Manor had one teeny tiny weakness…
A crush.
Draco is often pretty good at hiding behind his façade of confidence, the version of himself he wants others to see him as, a badass, knight in shining armour and saviour of dragons! He drowned out every insecurity and every doubt in the loud and excitement of his life, never letting anyone see the parts of himself he wanted hidden.
But the MOMENT Lumi steps in? it ceases to exist. His persona crumbles, and he goes from “Master of Metal who bows to no one!!!” and abruptly shifts to “Stuttering and giddy mess who is trying ridiculously hard to act chill.” His entire persona folds like a cheap lawn chair. Its kind of pathetic.
Soo, he's spent 3 weeks of contemplating and talking to himself in the mirror, practicing what he would say over and over until it felt acceptable. He made finger guns at least once, Possibly twice. Immediately hated himself both times.
At one point he hyped himself up so hard he accidentally called himself “babygirl” and had to sit down for ten minutes as his soul left his body in shame.
But through the pacing, overthinking, and thirty seven imaginary scenario, he finally worked up the courage to ask Lumi out on a date!!
…Except apparently his galaxy-brain genius decided that simply saying “date” was too normal.
too mushy
So instead, he decided to refer to it as:
“A quest.”
Wow. Cue applause.
So here he is; sitting at a table at Barley's, and praying to whatever god that exists that all will go well.
Lumi takes a sip out of her glass of beer, before setting back down on the table with a soft thud. "Alright, i'll bite, where are we headed for our quest?"
Draco's face lit up in an instant. "Traversing the Enchanted Forest! There's something veery important we gotta find there!"
“Oh, really?” Lumi smirked, amused. “And what exactly might that be?”
“I’m not telling!! It’ll ruin the surprise!!” He quickly snapped his head away in the opposite direction.
Lumi let out a short laugh through her nose, leaning back in her chair as she watched him very pointedly avoid eye contact.
“Oh, so it’s serious then.”
“The MOST serious,” Draco said immediately, still refusing to look at her. “Trust me, its like, sooo important.”
“Mhm, Right.”
“And there's also a very real possibility we get horribly lost for like… twenty minutes.” Gaining his composure again, he decided to look back at Lumi.
BIG mistake.
Lumi was grinning into her drink, an eyebrow raised in amusement.
Draco’s face immediately went warm.
Oh no.
No no no, don’t smile at him like that.
He could brawl against an army of shadows and brainwashing tadpoles with less psychological damage.
He coughed into his fist and sat up straighter, trying desperately to reclaim even a shred of dignity. “A-anyway! We leave at dawn.”
“Dawn?” Lumi leaned back in her chair “You do realize dawn is in like… six hours.”
“Exactly!! Optimal questing time! Trust!”
“You just want an excuse to walk around the woods dramatically in the fog.”
Draco gasped. “That is slander.”
“It’s true though.”
“It is MAYBE true.”
Lumi laughed softly, and something in Draco’s chest completely short-circuited. God, This was going horribly. Or amazingly. He genuinely couldn’t tell anymore.
A few weeks ago he’d imagined this conversation going very differently. Cooler. Smoother. Instead here he is, currently sweating through his clothes because she laughed at him twice.
Pathetic.
Absolutely pathetic.
But somehow… She was still here. Still smiling at him, and still agreeing to this ridiculous “quest.”
Lumi rested her chin in her hand. “So what exactly am I supposed to bring for this adventure?”
Draco instantly perked back up. “Good question! Essential supplies include: snacks, a flashlight, and unwavering faith in my leadership.”
“That last one might be difficult.”
“Ouch.” He clutched his chest dramatically. “Wounded by betrayal.”
“I’m serious,” she deadpanned. “Last time I followed you somewhere we almost got in trouble with the twins”
“ALMOST.” Draco pointed at her proudly. “Which means I handled the situation flawlessly.”
“You hid in a heist safe."
“A tactical stealth maneuver!”
Lumi gave an amused chuckle as she sipped her beer.
Again.
Again with the laughing.
Draco was going to explode.
He quickly grabbed his own drink to avoid visibly melting into the floor. Unfortunately, in his panic, he swallowed too fast and immediately started coughing.
Woow, smooth. Incredibly smooth. Someone get this man a standing ovation before he accidentally inhales the table too.
Lumi stared at him for a second before sliding a napkin across the table.
“Yo, you good there?”
Draco gave a weak thumbs up while dying.
“Fantastic,” he croaked.
She shook her head, amused. “You know, for someone who acts fearless all the time, you dont seem as relaxed around me, almost as if youre, like, nervous or something.” She mumbled a little.
Silence.
Draco froze.
Completely.
His soul exited his body and hovered somewhere near the ceiling.
“…What.”
Lumi blinked innocently. “What?”
“Whaaat.”
“You’re doing it right now.”
“I have literally no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Draco.”
“I am the picture of composure.”
Lumi gave him a long look.
At that exact moment, he accidentally knocked over a little plate of breadsticks on the table with his elbow. The bowl hit the floor with a loud clatter, stopping half across the room
A nearby brawler glanced over.
Draco slowly closed his eyes.
“…The universe is against me.” He thought to himself
Lumi burst out laughing this time, full-on laughing, he died on the inside a little out of embarrassment, but that feeling faded quickly.
Because there it was again.
Her warm and bright laugh, unexpected from someone as outwardly cold and distant as her.
And suddenly all the overthinking from the past three weeks felt…… worth it.
Even if he was making a complete fool of himself.
Lumi wiped at the corner of her eye. “Alright, quest-master.”
Draco straightened slightly.
“We leave at dawn.”
His expression lit up so fast it was almost blinding.
“HELL YEAH WE DO!”
