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After experiencing yet another event that could have sent the planet into chaos, Lumine's friends in Sumeru had all insisted on her staying to recuperate. But of course, she didn't agree. "I don't even feel a thing!" She told them, "I'll go back to Nod Krai and rest there, it's more convenient that way." These statements—along with some other bold declarations of her self-proclaimed indisputable healthiness—received a scoff from Wanderer, who shot her a meaningful look but ultimately said nothing. She quickly bade them all a heartfelt goodbye and didn't waste a single second before setting foot on her journey.
Staring at the Flagship room's ceiling, Lumine groans as her entire body is set aflame due to no one's fault but her own. She finds herself thinking back on the concern her friends expressed before she left, wishing she hadn't been so stubborn.
Truthfully, she did want to linger in Sumeru for a while longer. There were celebrations afoot and she's been invited to every single one of them. She refused their hospitality in the heat of the moment—Dottore had just been defeated, sure, but there was another Fatui operative on the loose, one who may already be wreaking havoc in Snezhnaya for (she has no doubt) nefarious reasons. Her body wasn't sore then, although she's sure now that adrenaline was the only thing protecting her from the pain her injuries would later bring.
The moment they arrived in Nod Krai, she booked a room and collapsed on the ground, where she plans on staying for the foreseeable future. Her ever-reliable companion frantically searches their bags to presumably help with the whole not-moving-from-the-ground situation they have going on.
"Archons!" Paimon squeals, the tavern's lively noise unable to suppress her high-pitched voice. "We're completely out of... Of everything! Bandages, potions, we have nothing!"
"Calm down, calm down. I just need to rest." Lumine gives her a weak smile.
"Look at you!"
"Just give it a few days, I swear…" Lumine's voice trails as she senses Paimon gearing up for a scolding. She knows Paimon enough to know that the anxiety of not helping is killing her. She resolves to nip this in the bud. "Alright, what if you go out and get us some real food? And maybe stock up on some healing stuff?"
Paimon sighs, her shoulders drooping at the sight of the traveler sprawled on the floor by herself. "Alright, but Paimon will help you sit up from the floor. No complaining!"
After a painstaking back-and-forth of "it hurts!" and frantic apologies, Lumine is finally sitting on the floor with her back resting on the bed frame. She pretends to be mad at Paimon for the pain she put her in, but eagerly waves her (probably) injured arm as her companion floated towards the door.
Alone with nothing to do, Lumine's world felt dreary. The glass of water was staring at her, MOCKING her for letting it get to this. When she first arrived, Nod Krai was completely fine. Plus, from what little she heard on the way here, Snezhnaya was in no immediate danger. Or at least, not in a way that people are aware of. She feels like an idiot for ignoring all the signs: the faint cracking sound from her finger during the fight with Dottore, her constant wincing as they walked, or how her friends in Sumeru looked at her like a wounded puppy. Looking back, she probably looked—and probably still looks—like hell.
"Any chance you're a sentient cup that can float to my mouth?" Lumine looks at the glass of water, half-expecting to make the impossible happen through sheer will alone.
As she and the cup compete in a staredown, a series of knocks snap Lumine out of her ridiculous reverie.
"Paimon?" she calls out.
"Excuse me, I'm one of the Flagship's staff. There's a man outside asking if the traveler is taking visitors, but, uh…"
"Did he leave a name?"
"Yes, but, uhm, may I open the door?"
Lumine freezes for a moment. She isn't really in the mood for strangers to see her sitting motionlessly on the floor, but… The man sounds pretty shaken up. Whatever it is, it's probably something important. Did something already happen in the few hours she's been here?
"Go ahead!"
The door swings open but the staff member's feet remain rooted in place. Instead, they clutch the door frame for leverage to poke their head inside. "It's Mr. Childe. He asked to keep it a secret—says he has a few things to give you. Should I send him in?" they say in a hushed voice.
The mention of Childe's name stirs something in Lumine. It's been a long, long time. "… Is this a prank?"
They shake their head. "Should I send him away?—"
"No!" Lumine says a little too loudly. She immediately clears her throat and fakes a cough. "Sorry. I meant… You can send him in. I've been waiting on some information, anyway," she tacks on, lest anyone thinks there's anything else going on between them.
"Alright, ma'am." They promptly close the door and walk away.
Lumine takes a deep breath. Great. Not only has a stranger seen her in this state, someone she actually knows will also see her like this. She can't decide which is worse. Lumine huffs as she uses her good hand to fiddle with her hair and clothes, hoping it will make herself look somewhat presentable.
All too soon, another series of soft knocks makes Lumine jolt.
"I'm coming in, okay?"
Finally, a hooded figure dressed in light grays and deep reds appears before her. Maybe it's the new angle, but Lumine remembers him a little shorter than he is now. He looks a little… Out of it? For whatever reason, he's standing awkwardly in the doorway and surveying the room.
"I-I have a cold pack." Childe waves the object in his hand, which freezes in mid-air when his eyes land on Lumine. "You look awful."
"So I keep hearing." Lumine rolls her eyes. "You look well."
"You… I thought? They told me that—" Underneath his hood, Childe turns pink. "Need to rest on the bed. Where's your little friend?"
Lumine tries her best not to laugh at Childe's attempt at a proper sentence. "Paimon," she stresses, "is out getting supplies. And I'm fine on the floor. I'm keeping the water company. See?" She pats the rim of the glass of water beside her like a pet.
Childe holds up a bag she didn't notice he had behind him. "I'm right on time, then. Should I call her?"
Guess the water joke didn't land.
Lumine shakes her head. "That's very kind of you. But we needed to stock up on some things anyway, so, uh, no need to call her—HEY!"
As Lumine was talking, Childe took the opportunity to scoop her into his arms and plop her onto the bed. For a brief moment, she felt her body spark alight once more—whether it's from the inflammation in her joints or a different flame entirely, she doesn't know. There isn't any time to think about any of that as Childe's arms leave her body as soon as she got situated against the headboard.
He picks up the cup from the floor and places it on the bedside table. "Sorry. Did that hurt?" He stifles a laugh, avoiding her gaze as he places a pillow behind her back.
"You think?!" Lumine's voice comes out higher pitched than usual, forcing Childe to look at her once more. "Well, I'm on the bed. You can leave now."
"Not a chance. I can't leave my wounded comrade to fend for herself, can I?" Childe's eyes don't leave hers for a second as he sits down on the floor to the left of the bed. "Besides, this was a long overdue visit anyway. I wanted to see you back when Arlecchino told me you were in trouble, but she insisted that they could handle it. Then I got busy with a project, and, well, when I heard of talk that you were in Nod Krai looking like hell…"
Lumine groans. People have got to be exaggerating how awful she looks. Her clothes even look perfectly clean! "Oh, get up from the floor. You know you don't owe me anything."
"Sure, but like I said: I would very much like for you to be there when I have the world beneath my feet. I'm just securing the chances of that happening." He rests his forearms on the edge of the bed, his dull blue eyes still looking up at her. "It would also be a shame if I couldn't kiss you every now and then. I’d have nothing to look forward to."
“Shhh!” Lumine’s hand shoots up to cover his mouth—an action she immediately regrets as her limbs still feel like jelly. “May I remind you where we are?”
“Oh, relax. It’s so loud outside. Do you seriously think anyone’s eavesdropping?” Childe places his hand over hers, pressing his cheek further into her hand. “Besides, it’s all true.”
All pretenses Lumine has tried to play up falters at the sight. She tries to give him a smirk. "Really, now? There's nothing else that motivates you to get up in the morning? No other hopes and dreams?"
He shrugs. "I've placed all my bets in this one right in front of me. Is that bad?"
"Mhm. I pity you. Truly. Do they teach you to talk like this at the Fatui?" The snark she tries to emulate comes across insincere.
"Would you believe me if I said we did?"
With the amount of negotiating and intelligence gathering the Fatui needs to do? "I definitely wouldn't be surprised." Despite her aching bones, she impatiently decides to pulls Childe’s face towards hers.
Unfortunately for Lumine, Childe has other ideas. He resists her pull, instead opting to stand up and sit beside her on the bed. "Let me play doctor for a moment. What are your injuries?"
It takes everything in her not to flinch at the mention of that word.
"I'm mostly just sore, honest. I didn't rest enough after that whole thing with Dottore."
In a similar fashion, Childe visibly tenses at the mention of his colleague. "You were also there. When he…"
"Yeah, yeah. He didn't make it easy for us, but it's been taken care of."
"So he went after you twice?"
Lumine laughs. "Hah. I don't think he specifically wanted me the second time around."
Childe sighs as he rummages through the things he brought. "I would have said I'm gonna kill him when I see him next, but it looks like you already took care of that." He takes out a vial and hands it to her. "Did he—I mean, did you get hurt anywhere else?"
"Oh, do you have any tape or bandages or something?" Lumine changes the subject, not wanting to be made to elaborate on her recent adventure. "I think I sprained a finger. Or maybe it broke. I don't know." She holds up her right hand, sporting a visibly swollen and slightly purple finger.
Silently, he takes her hand and rests it on his. Taking out some gauze and tape with his other hand, he makes quick work of her swollen index finger, taping it to her middle one. With the only sound filling the silence being the noise from the tavern, the pair are left alone with their thoughts. For Childe, this meant the small voice in the back of his head grew even louder after the first mention of Dottore.
"I hate this," Childe mumbles, staring at Lumine's hand in his.
Lumine blinks. "Nobody forced you to come here, asshole." She scoffs, retracting her hand and keeping it on her lap.
“I meant... I hate that I wasn't there to help. And that you felt you had to come here while in pain.” Childe's palms rest open on the bed, his eyes following Lumine's hand. “I know you’re tough. It just sucks to look at you like this. You need to take it easy.”
“If it helps, I’m sure the others are just as tired as I am. We all did our part. It just so happens that my talents were needed on the actual battle front. I genuinely thought I was going to die for a few seconds there.”
For a few moments, Childe’s mouth hung slightly agape. Just as quickly, though, he closes his mouth and slaps his hand on his forehead. "…I was thinking something insensitive just now," Childe admits, "I was imagining how thrilling it must have been."
The conversation halts to a lull a second time.
Lumine knows how it is with Childe. Since she met him, he's always been vocal about being an adrenaline junkie. He's constantly seeking ways to improve in battle, often to his own detriment. He seems addicted to the feeling of pushing himself to his limits in battle. He's lucky that most times it's a warranted effort, so nobody bats an eye.
She reaches out her good hand and runs her fingers through his hair, knocking the hood away from his face. As her fingers trail down his cheek, he unapologetically leans into the touch.
His hand finds its way back on hers. “Just so we’re clear, I did still mean it. I’d kill Dottore for what he did to you if I could.”
“What he did to Teyvat, you mean?” Lumine chuckles at the sincerity in his voice. “Whatever project you're working on, take it easy as well. Make sure you get your rest."
Childe snorts. "Yeah, wouldn't wanna end up like you."
Lumine slaps his forehead, earning what sounded like a teenaged giggle from him. "You of all people should know this doesn't usually happen. I had a lapse in judgment this one time!"
"Happens to the best of us." Childe sits down next to her. "Here, give me your hand." He holds out his palm.
"Why?"
"I have something to make it feel better."
Lumine laughs. "Painkillers, I hope?" she asks, holding out her injured hand.
Childe takes her hand for the second time and gently pulls it towards his face, planting a kiss on the newly bandaged area.
Somehow, through the layers of cloth on her fingers, his kiss sends out a warmth that spreads from her fingertips to the rest of her body. “Cheesy, but effective. You’re gonna have to come down here and kiss me, ‘cause I can't m—”
Before she can finish her sentence, Childe jerks forward and crashes into her lips. It has been a long, long time since she was able to hold him like this. Her arms, no matter how much they ached, wound itself tightly around his waist, desperately pulling him closer. It suddenly occurs to her that when her journey brings her to Snezhnaya, it wouldn't be so difficult to coordinate meetings like this with Childe. At the same time, though…
“Traveller! I didn’t know what you wanted, so I think I may have gotten too much! That’s alright, isn't it?” An exhausted Paimon calls from the hallway.
Childe instantaneously rips himself away from Lumine, landing on the floor from the force.
When the door swings open, Paimon immediately drops both her jaw and the shopping bags on the ground. “What are you doing here?!”
“Paimon!” Childe scrambles to his feet to help Paimon with the bags. “I heard you guys were in trouble, so I brought over some supplies,” he quickly interjects.
Paimon, ever the sucker for free things, wears a softened expression upon seeing what Childe brought. “Aww! Thanks! That’s thoughtful. But Traveller needs her rest, so I think maybe you should go?”
“Yes, yeah, I, uhm, was just about to go, anyway,” Childe stammers as he hesitantly turns around, “take care, guys!” He shoots Lumine an apologetic look as Paimon guides him out. Lumine finds herself smiling at the door even as Paimon closes it behind her.
Paimon’s head whips around. “So, why was he really here?”