Archive of Our Own

Somewhere in Sumeru's forest...

Lumine was dragging her boots through the mud near a mountain riverbed, her breath rattling faintly in her chest. Her sword felt heavy against her hip with every step. For two days, a fever had been building up in her body after a rainstorm near a forest, but she had kept moving anyway.

She stopped under a large oak tree and pressed her hand against the rough bark to steady herself. Her head was throbbing badly. The bright green leaves above her blurred together into a single shape while her vision went dark around the edges.

She closed her eyes to wait for the dizziness to pass but her legs gave out completely.

She fell forward into the damp grass with her hands slipping into the mud as she tried to catch herself. Her chest heaved helplessly because her body had no strength left. She couldn't even stand up.

"Well now. You look terrible comrade."

Lumine forced her eyes open. A pair of tall leather boots stopped a few feet away from her face. Standing above her was Childe wearing his gray tunic and his red scarf with a fishing rod resting over his shoulder.

Lumine swallowed hard with a throat that was completely dry. "Childe..."

"The one and only," he said. He dropped his fishing rod into the grass and walked over. The smile left his face the moment he knelt down and saw her condition. "Hey Lumine. Look at me."

She tried to lift her head but it felt too heavy. Childe reached out and pressed his hand to her forehead then pulled it back almost instantly.

"You’re burning up," he said. "Why are you out here alone like this?"

"Commissions," she muttered. She tried to push herself up onto her elbows but her arms buckled instantly. "I have work to do."

"You can barely open your eyes," Childe said. He grabbed her by the arms before she could drop back into the dirt. "What did you get? A tropical fever?"

"I’m fine," she grumbled while weakly hitting his wrist with her hand. "Put me down."

"You aren't even standing Lumine."

Childe put one arm under her knees and the other around her back then lifted her up from the ground in one, smooth movement. Lumine let out a small breath and tried to push his shoulder away but she did not have the strength. Her hand fell against his collarbone while her head drooped onto his shoulder.

"See?" Childe said as he walked through the tall grass. "Zero strength. Stop fighting me."

"..Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"There's an old forest ranger hut ten minutes away," he said while taking long steps up the dirt trail. "It was empty when I passed it earlier. It is dry and out of the sun so you are going to lie down there."

The heat in her body made her feel cold so the warmth of his chest felt good against her face. She closed her eyes and listened to the steady thud of his heartbeat alongside the sound of his boots walking on the path.

Childe pushed open the wooden door of the hut, the shade inside felt like a relief against her skin.

The outpost was small and contained a wooden table and two chairs and a few empty crates, a narrow cot sat in the corner with a clean woven mat on top.

Childe walked over to the cot and laid her down. He held her head up until it rested on the small cloth pillow then stepped back to look at her.

"Step one," he said while running a hand through his hair. "Get you out of all this gear."

Lumine opened her eyes slightly. "Childe—"

"I'm just taking off your boots and your sword belt," he said.

He knelt at the end of the cot to unbuckle the leather straps on her boots and pulled them off her feet. Then he reached over to unclip her sword belt and set the blade against the wall near the door.

Lumine watched him through half-closed eyes. "Why are you in Sumeru?"

"Business," Childe said. "Some trade paperwork for the Northland Bank in Port Ormos. I took an afternoon off to fish and I found you instead." He looked down at her face with a softer expression. "Stay put. I'm going to get some clean river water."

"Don't go far," Lumine murmured.

"I'll be two minutes," he said as he turned toward the door. "Don't try to get up while I'm out."

Childe returned a few minutes later carrying a wooden bucket of river water and a small pile of clean rags he had found in a storage chest. He set the bucket on the floor next to the cot and pulled up a low wooden stool.

Lumine was lying on her back with her breathing heavy and uneven, her cheeks bright red.

"Alright," Childe said. "Let's cool you down."

He dipped a rag into the cold water then squeezed out the extra liquid and folded it neatly. He placed it carefully on her forehead. Lumine flinched at the sudden chill but let out a small sigh as the heat in her face eased up a bit.

"Better?" he asked.

Lumine nodded slowly with her eyes completely unfocused. "Ugh... my head hurts."

"I know. Fevers suck," Childe said. He took her right hand in his and felt her palm which was burning hot. "You push yourself too hard Lumine. You can't fight every monster in Teyvat when you are sick."

"I had to finish my commissions," she muttered with a raspy voice.

"The Guild can wait a day," Childe replied. He dipped a second rag into the water and used it to gently wipe the sweat from her neck and arms. "If you faint in the middle of the woods you can't help anyone anyway."

\

Lumine did not argue because she was simply too tired. The cold water felt good against her skin and Childe’s movements were surprisingly gentle.

As the sun went down, the temperature inside the hut dropped but Lumine’s fever only got worse. She started tossing and turning on the narrow cot with her legs tangling in the thin sheet. She muttered broken sentences under her breath while trapped in a bad dream.

"Aether..." she whispered with her fingers twisting into the fabric of the mattress. "Wait... don't go..."

Childe leaned closer and grabbed her hand to stop her from thrashing around. "Hey Lumine. Wake up."

Lumine’s eyes opened wide but she was not really seeing him. She stared right through him while her breathing stayed fast and shallow. "Aether?"

"It's Ajax," he said softly. He squeezed her hand so she could feel he was real. "Your brother isn't here."

Lumine blinked rapidly as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes and slipped down her temples. "I can't find him."

Childe felt a pang in his chest. He was used to seeing her as a strong fighter who could take down god like beings without flinching so seeing her like this felt entirely wrong.

He didn't know how to fix her problems with her missing brother, but he knew how to take care of someone with a fever.

"I know," Childe said quietly. He sat on the edge of the cot to get closer to her and used his thumb to wipe the tears from her face. "It's okay. You'll find him eventually. But right now you need to rest."

"Don't leave," Lumine whimpered with her grip on his fingers tightening until her knuckles turned white.

"I'm staying right here," Childe promised.

To prove it, he sat down on the dirt floor beside the cot and leaned his back against the wooden frame. He kept his hand firmly wrapped around hers while resting their joined hands on the edge of the mattress.

With his free hand he reached into the bucket to soak the rag again and put it back on her forehead.

"I'll tell you a story," Childe said to distract her. "My little brother Teucer got sick like this last winter. He thought our house was being attacked by giant snow slimes so he tried to throw a boot at my sister Tonia."

Lumine let out a faint shaky breath that almost sounded like a laugh.

Childe smiled a little. He kept talking in a calm steady tone while telling her about Snezhnaya and the deep snowdrifts alongside chaotic dinners with his family. He talked for nearly an hour until his low voice filled the dark room.

Slowly, Lumine’s breathing slowed down. Her muscles relaxed, and her tight grip on his hand loosened into a soft hold before she fell into a deep quiet sleep.

Childe stayed beside her, refreshing the wet rag every thirty minutes while keeping watch over her as the night went on.