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Lumine had been acting off ever since he saved her from Dottore. She was good at concealing it, but Wanderer noticed. Despite her being hard to read most of the time, he was one of the few who understood her better than most people. Which was ironic, considering he tried to kill her three or four times.
Normally he wouldn't care. Everyone gets sad or down sometimes, it's normal. And surely she wasn't disappointed he saved her, she wasn't that kind of person. Could it have been because he gave up his chance at revenge for her? No, that wasn't it, he'd already explained himself and told her not to beat herself up over it. If that really was the reason why she was so melancholic, he'd be annoyed. But for some reason, he found himself more curious than normal. Was it worry, he wondered? No, that couldn't be it. Why would he be worried when she was safe and sound now that he'd saved her?
Soon, he would lend his core to Lumine in hopes of defeating Dottore; or at least stopping him for a good while. He knew he didn't have a heart, but his core was the closest thing to it. And he entrusted his heart to Lumine. He had been bickering with Sandrone for quite a while at this point, given he had to discuss it with her as well. But as he grew more and more annoyed with Sandrone's hysterical behavior, he figured he would get some fresh air out on the balcony. Despite the pain in his shoulder from where his artificial skin was chipped and Dottore seemingly trying to cause the end of the world, he felt unusually calm. He brushed it off as something to do with the fact he could start over with his peers he once detested, but deep down, he guessed it was probably because Lumine was safe and away from the Doctor. Not that he would ever admit it out loud.
Stepping out onto the balcony, he took two steps before noticing Lumine was already outside, leaning on the railing and staring up at the false moon with a longing expression. Raising a brow, he strided over to stand next to her and leaned his back against the metal railing.
"What's got you all mopey today?" He asked accusingly, his usual sarcastic tone evident in his voice. Lumine didn't seem surprised he was there, and Wanderer figured it was because she sensed him. He wasn't all that shocked. "Hat Guy? Aren't you supposed to be inside with Sandrone?" Lumine inquired, her smile widening just a little. Wanderer scoffed and looked away, crossing his arms. "Still calling me Hat Guy, huh... Am I not allowed to get fresh air anymore?" He asked accusingly.
Lumine simply laughed and rubbed her arm with a sigh. "Right, right, of course." She smiled before going to fidget with her nails, which were surprisingly well taken care of despite her constant fights and adventures. "Well? Are you gonna answer my question or not?" He asked. Despite his sarcastic tone, Lumine could tell he was pretending to be more annoyed than he actually was. She couldn't figure out why, but perhaps she didn't really need to. Lumine knew Wanderer didn't know about the Unknown God or how she came to Teyvat; just that she wasn't from here in the first place.
"I just... I miss my wings, is all." She looked towards him for a moment. Wanderer seemed slightly taken aback. Lumine had wings? Every day, she somehow managed to surprise him. "Wings? You had wings?" He scoffed. This time, his questions held a more curious tone and less of a standoffish one. Lumine nodded and looked back up at the stars, while Wanderer kept his gaze on her with a raised brow.
"Mhm. So did my brother. But... An unknown god took our powers, and separated us a long time ago. And with my powers, I lost my wings, too. Without them, I feel... Wrong. Like a part of me is missing. I don't know if I'll ever get them back." She shook her head as she leaned her forearms on the railing while hugging herself, looking down at the humans wandering Nasha Town. "When you saved me from Dottore, I felt like I was flying again. I have my wind glider, but... It's not the same. And the way you fly with your Vision, it's a lot similar to how I did back then." Her smile was small and melancholic, as if she wanted to cry. Her eyes weren't puffy or glossy, and she wasn't holding back tears, but Wanderer could tell she wanted to. After all, he'd felt that more than once throughout his miserable life.
Wanderer didn't know what her wings looked like. Maybe they were like Nicole's, or maybe they were huge and white and fluffy. He started picturing Lumine with all different kinds of wings, and she looked pretty with each kind he imagined.
"Hmph. So, you're like a fallen angel like Nicole?" Wanderer asked, with a hint of something similar to passive-aggressive teasing in his voice. Lumine shook her head with a laugh. "No, but it's nice to know you think of me as an angel!" She smiled, and Wanderer simply turned his head away with an annoyed groan. Considering the fact she could see a hint of pink on his cheeks, she figured Ei must've gone through great lengths to create him, for someone who wanted a non-human like puppet. Or perhaps maybe it was a long-lasting effect of Dottore's experiments. Either way, she found it cute.
"Not that you'd be too far from one. That's all I'll say." Wanderer huffed. Despite his scowling, he meant it with a different kind of sincerity that few had ever seen from him within his lifetime.
Lumine gave a small, fond laugh and turned her head back to the sky. Wanderer, gazed back at her for a moment, before sighing and holding his hand out for her to take. "Give me your hand." He bluntly spoke. Lumine seemed taken aback, staring at his hand for a moment before lifting her gaze to his face. "Eh? Why-" Before she could finish, Wanderer cut her off and further moved his hand towards her. "Relax. Do you trust me?"
Lumine didn't ponder for more than a second before she took his hand. As Wanderer activated his vision and his hat seemingly disintegrated into Anemo energy, his other hand found its way to her waist as he used his Vision to push the both of them off of the ground.
"W-Woah!"
Within the blink of an eye, they were already floating above the clouds, his fingers intertwining loosely with hers.
Lumine was speechless for a moment, looking down at the clouds before up at the stars and the moon. She felt... Like she was flying. She almost felt as if she could cry. "Wow... It's breathtaking. The true moon is beautiful." Lumine sighed with a happy, almost nostalgic smile. He thought for a moment before letting go of her back, still keeping their fingers intertwined. Then, he used his Vision to surround her with Anemo energy and let her hand go, allowing her to float by herself.
Lumine flailed her arms slightly to catch her balance, letting out a noise of surprise before laughing as she spun herself once. She spread her arms out and swung her legs as if she were truly flying again, and Wanderer let a small smirk grace his lips. Her eyes seemed to be sparkling as she looked down at the clouds below her. "No need to thank me, I see little point in it." Wanderer quickly stated, but he'd never admit how it filled him with peace to see her smile.
As Lumine floated around while laughing happily, he circled around her as well, as if were two birds dancing together in the sky. Twirling around each other while flying as Wanderer kept the both of them up with his Vision, he finally felt peaceful for the first time since arriving in Nod-Krai.
Lumine waited a moment, before quickly turning to wrap Wanderer in a tight hug. "Still, thank you. This means a lot to me." She spoke quietly. Wanderer couldn't remember the last time he'd been hugged by someone, and his eyes widened from the unexpected gesture. Nahida had once told him that hugs from the right people felt like soft, fuzzy blankets. Though, he figured everyone would feel like that when it came to the legendary Traveler and Paimon. He quickly snapped out of his daze and scoffed, grumbling slightly. "Like I already said, there's no need to thank me." But despite this, he placed both his hands on her back and returned the hug for just a few seconds. Lumine noticed that, for a puppet, he was very warm. Back when she first took his hand in Irminsul while he was Scaramouche, his hands were freezing cold and stiff. Now, they were soft and a little more trusting.
"It's almost time for the core transfer. Are you sure you're up for it?" Lumine asked as she pulled back slightly, her hands gliding down from his shoulders to his forearms. Wanderer seemed annoyed at this, and simply clicked his tongue. "If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't be agreeing in the first place." He stated, but his gaze softened a little once he heard her laugh, seeing her smile while the moonlight kissed her face.
Once they had both descended back to the balcony, Wanderer didn't have time to do anything before Lumine pulled him into another short hug. "I won't say thank you this time, so just accept this." She felt Wanderer stiffen at first, and she thought he would pull away after a second hugn, but he didn't. "I promise I won't let anything happen to your core, no matter what you say." He paused to take in her words with something unreadable within his eyes. The feeling of someone wanting him to live, of someone wanting to protect him, was new. And despite his past experiences, if he'd learned anything from Nahida, he felt more inclined to accept Lumine's gesture and words.
"...I won't argue with you." He sighed as he returned the hug once more, this time just a little tighter.
Until you get your wings back, I can be your wings. Just as you've been mine.