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In the quiet village of Morepesok was a small, lively tavern. Despite its humble appearance, they served the strongest alcohol anyone could find in Snezhnaya.
Lumine slammed the wooden cup down on the counter as she finished chugging her drink. “I can see why you like it here.”
“So, what’s the verdict?” he asked, motioning for the bartender to bring them two shots of fire-water. “Still think Mondstadt is the best?”
The bartender sighed. “Ms. Traveler, you look like you have some sense. Mr. Tartaglia over here drinks his weight in booze on the rare occasion he’s here. Please dissuade him.”
The pair shared a look.
A shit-eating grin appeared on Lumine’s face. “I’ll take care of him. The princess will get home safe, sir.”
Childe had gotten quite red at this point, but somehow he got even redder. “Oh, fuck off. I’ve been holding off on the drinks to make sure YOU get home safe.”
“Is that a challenge?” Lumine’s eyebrow quirked.
“Okay, people, I think this may’ve gotten out of hand—” the bartender tried to interject, but it was too late. The two have resolved to get into a staredown, their foreheads and eyebrows creasing with every passing second.
As the bartender hesitantly gave the pair more alcohol, one of the patrons in the tavern slipped his friend a pouch. “My bet’s on the girl. You in?”
“You’re crazy if you think foreigners can handle the stuff we have,” the man across grumbled as he placed his own pouch in one of two growing betting pools.
The two ignored the betting and continued with their own conversation.
“While this place is divine, there’s something about Mondstadt, you know.” Lumine downed another shot. “Maybe I’m a little biased. It’s home. I’ve done so much in my time here, but Mondstadt is just so… Quaint? And charming. It really has that small-town community vibe going for it.”
Despite his hazy vision, Childe could clearly see how her half-lidded eyes lit up when she talked about that nation. She recounted her adventures, laughing and smiling sweetly as she stared at her newly filled glass.
It might have been the alcohol taking over, but Childe could have sworn he felt his world slow down. He was suddenly hyper-aware of her every movement: the way her hair swayed just above her shoulders, her setting down the glass to readjust her gloves before she takes a swig, and—oh, she was smirking at him, in a way that’s so cocky it circled back to cute.
He felt a headache coming on.
“You seem out of it, Mr. Tartaglia. Ready to admit defeat?”
Childe shook his head. Admitting defeat meant that they’d have to go home. He took a glance at the woman smiling beside him, her elbows resting on the counter as she moved forward to take a closer look at him. He quickly looked away out of fear for where his gaze could end up.
He was so, so screwed.
Childe placed his glass back on the counter and gripped his forehead with both hands. “You win.”
As a collection of groans and cheers erupted in the tavern, Lumine stood up and quickly downed the glass in her hand as well as the one Childe had just put down. “Thank you very much, good sir. Please put everything on this guy’s tab.” She ruffled Childe’s hair. "We had a lovely time.”
“Be careful on your way out.”
Lumine slightly bowed her head at the bartender as she dragged a heavy, blushing Childe out the door.
“Say, will your parents be mad that I’ll be bringing you home drunk—AH!”
Childe’s heart leaped out of his chest as he watched Lumine’s foot miss the doorstep and tumble to the ground. Usually his reaction time is better than this. “Hey!” He almost tripped on the step himself as he rushed to help her up. “You alright?”
She used a hand to grab onto his arm for support, while her other clutched the back of her head. “I guess…” She looks around and let out a sigh of relief as she saw the mostly empty village of Morepesok.
Childe couldn’t help but giggle. “To answer your question, I think my parents would be even more furious that the first girl I’m bringing home is a drunk.”
“Oh, lay off it.” Lumine let go of his arm, her eyes still fixed to the ground. “I’ll sleep on a bench tonight.”
“No need for drastic measures. I believe my house has something for sobering up. Let’s sneak in for a bit.” He took off his jacket and handed it to her, leaving him in his dark red polo.
Lumine absentmindedly accepted and wore it around her shoulders. “Won’t your family see us?”
“They’re asleep. Come on.” He lazily threw an arm around her shoulders. Mostly to keep her from swaying, but also to keep himself from falling over as they walked.
The two quietly walked to his house in as straight a line as two hammered individuals could manage—which is to say, not straight in the slightest. Halfway through, Childe decided to peel his arm away from Lumine’s shoulders. He told her it was because his arm was falling asleep, but really he was trying to keep her ears away from his chest lest she hear how fast his heart was beating. She didn’t relent, though, and instead rest her head (and most of her weight, if he were being honest) on his arm. Only when they reached his front door did they decide to give each other space.
Despite the contact initially making Childe nervous, he found himself regretting the loss when it came to.
As they entered the foyer, Childe clumsily dropped to his knees to haphazardly rummage through a drawer.
Lumine stood to the side, her inebriation momentarily forgotten as she looked at the pictures that hung on the wall. “Wow,” she said, “I didn’t realize your family was this big.”
“It’s even bigger in person.” Childe chuckled. “Here. Drink this and you’ll feel a bit better—”
“Ajax?”
Childe dropped the bottle back into the drawer.
“… Traveler?”
“Teucer!” Lumine nervously chuckled.
The little boy ran past his older brother in favor of rushing to embrace Lumine. “I missed you soooo much!”
“Me too, Teucer. You’ve grown so big!” Lumine tensed up as Teucer hugged her. Mouthing, “I smell like alcohol!” to Childe.
Childe’s eyes widened and immediately pulled Teucer away. “Hey, buddy. It’s way past your bedtime. Say goodbye to the traveler and I’ll tuck you in, alright?”
Teucer’s eyes lit up as he grabbed Childe’s hand. “Oh, you guys are just in time! We’ve been baking all night, and the first batch is here. We should eat inside with the traveler.”
Lumine, who has taken the time away from Teucer to rapidly chew on mint, was forced to prematurely swallow the spicy leaf. “I don’t think I can stay for long, you know the life of an adventurer…”
“Teucer, what’s taking you so long?—” Tonia’s face is painted with an excitement similar to Teucer’s. “Oh, it’s the traveler! Mamo!” She rushed back to kitchen, leaving the three alone in the foyer.
“C’mon!” Teucer grabbed Lumine’s hand, guiding the pair through the living room and into the kitchen.
If Childe thought his headache was bad, this whole situation definitely unlocked a secret higher level he hasn’t experienced before. He gave Lumine a nervous look, only to find her already looking at him with the same anxiety written all over her.
“Sorry,” he whispers.
Lumine gave him a tight-lipped smile and handed him a mint leaf, which he discreetly put in his mouth before anyone could see.
“The prodigal son returns,” Childe’s older brother teased as he took out a pan from the oven.
“Not in front of guests,” Tonia scolded.
“Welcome to our home, Traveler.” His mother reached over the counter and shook Lumine’s hand. “We’ve heard so much about you from Ajax. It’s an honor to have you here.”
Childe looked over at Lumine, who was smiling uncomfortably at the whole scene. He wanted to groan. This was not at all how he imagined introducing Lumine to his family.
“She’s a bit tired, Ma.” Childe subconsciously inched closer to Lumine in an effort to keep himself from swaying where he stood. “I think we’ll just sit on the couch.”
Through Childe’s hazy vision, he could still clearly see how his mom’s eyes narrowed at him. “Of course, she may sit on the couch. You, on the other hand, will help prepare the food. And then you can join her,” she said, not looking up from the dough she’s kneading with the two youngest.
“Yes, ma’am…”
“O-Oh, I don’t mind helping, really.” Lumine looked over at Childe. “Ajax has done so much for me and my companion recently. It’s the least I could do.”
Lumine uttering his childhood name sent Childe’s mind into a frenzy. It certainly didn’t help that the alcohol lowered his usually airtight inhibitions. He took a deep breath, hoping it would calm his nervous system.
“Nonsense. You go relax over there,” he says through semi-gritted teeth as he guided her to the couch.
“You’re red as a beetroot,” Lumine whispers as they reach the couch, “are you sure you can even stay upright?”
“I’ll be quick,” Childe attempted to deadpan, gently pushing Lumine by the shoulders to get her to sit down.
As soon as he arrived in the kitchen, one of his older sisters threw an arm around him. “Hey, so, what were you two doing out so late?”
“Get off me,” Childe grumbled, “I’m going to get the plates.” He swatted her sister’s arm away from him as he hastily took dishware and cutlery from the shelf.
“You smell like the tavern.” An older brother chimed in from behind him.
“That obvious, huh?” Childe lowered his voice even more, “does Mama know?”
His brother glanced over his shoulder before turning back to Childe. “No. She’s got her hands full with the three kids. They’re pretty slow workers.” He shoved a plate of buttered toast into his arms, alongside the jar Childe dropped earlier. “I’ll hold down the fort. Go feed your girl.”
“She’s not my—!”
His older sister pushed him toward the couch. “Go now while Mama isn't looking.”
As Childe approached, Lumine had already fallen asleep. When he sat down, he couldn’t help but stare for a moment. She looked incredibly still, with her arms crossed and her head facing forward. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was just resting her eyes.
Before he could reach his hand to tuck her hair behind her ears, Lumine’s eyes fluttered open. Embarrassed, Childe retracted his hand and held out the plate in front of her instead. “Eat. You might feel better.”
“Okay, bossy.” Lumine took a piece. “So, you guys always do this?”
“What?”
“Bake in the middle of the night?”
“Oh, yeah. I guess.” Childe glimpsed over at the kitchen. “When there are kids in the house that can’t sleep, my family likes to put that energy to good use.”
“You probably made a lot of bread in your youth, then.” Lumine took a third slice from the plate.
Childe looked down at his lap. “No, actually.” He smiled reservedly as he turned his gaze back to Lumine.
“Right. Sorry,” Lumine sheepishly said, “hey, if you’re ever in the mood to bake at night, you know where to find me. I’m sure Paimon wouldn’t mind the company.”
He smiled a bit wider. “I’ll take you up on that.” For reasons unbeknownst even to himself, he instinctively held out his hand, which reminded him of the jar he’d been holding all this time. “... By the way, I got what we came for.”
Lumine took the jar and drank half before handing it back to Childe. “Drink up.”
As Childe took his own swig, his family members started moving to the living room and claimed their spots. Some were on regular chairs, on the floor, and unfortunately for him and Lumine, quite a lot decided to take the couch. The suddenly crowded space left everyone pressing against each other.
Sat on the floor near Lumine was Anthon, who was buzzing with questions. “Traveler, is it true you defeated the evil dragon in Mondstadt?”
Lumine winced and clutched her head, but quickly played it off like she was just wracking her brain. “Oof. That was a long time ago. I, uh, wouldn’t use those exact words but yeah, pretty much.”
“I heard you’ve faced many dragons before, is that true?” Tonia quietly asked.
“Oh, I’ve met more dragons than you can imagine. Some bad, some good. Just like humans.”
The conversations went on seamlessly, even with a visitor around. That is, until someone asked a seemingly harmless question.
“I heard you once beat up our guy the councilor over here. How true?” Childe’s older brother motions to him.
Lumine gave Childe a smug look. “Hmm. I totally kicked his—”
“Let’s talk about something else.” Childe glared at Lumine, who still wasn’t done gloating.
Teucer raised his hand. “But wait, why would the traveler do that?”
The once lively living room fell into an almost complete silence.
“I—” Childe started to explain.
Lumine kept her smile up despite how awkward the air got. “I was just practicing on him. Gotta keep your skills sharp.”
“But why?” Teucer’s eyebrows furrowed.
Childe’s mother, who was previously only silently laughing in the sidelines, finally put her foot down. “Alright, I think the traveler is really tired. Kids, it’s time to go to bed, so she can too.”
“Aww…”
“Way to go, Teucer,” Anthon groaned as he dragged his feet to the stairs.
“That’s not very nice, kid.” An older brother scolded.
“Put your plates in the sink, everyone. Your father will take care of it when he gets home,” his mother said, “Ajax, stay here. I want to talk to you.”
Lumine nabbed Childe’s dishes from him. “I’ll give you some space,” she whispers in his ear. After nodding politely at his mother, she joined the rest of the family by the sink.
Childe’s mother raised her eyebrows, but decided not to say anything as she sat next to Childe. For a while, he sat still, unable to determine whether this was going to be a scolding or a simple lecture. He gulped and closed his eyes, waiting for the moment his mother opens her mouth.
Then, he feels a warm hand on his cheek. “How have you been?”
Oh.
Slowly, Childe opened his eyes to see his Mama looking over him with a sad smile. His tense shoulders finally dropped as he tried to remove her hand from his face. “You’re aware I’ve been good. I sent a letter two months ago, right? I’m fine. Totally.”
“Yes, but…” She sighed, taking hold of the hand Childe used to remove hers. “You show up in the middle of the night, drunk and—”
“Drunk?” Childe laughed nervously. "H—”
“You think I didn’t notice? I just didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of your girlfriend.”
His eyes widened. “Hey, she’s drunk too. I wasn’t drinking because I’m not fine. It’s… Social drinking.”
“So she IS your girlfriend? And you planned on letting her go home drunk?!” His mother’s grip on him tightened.
“Ow, Ma! No, she isn’t!” Childe hushed, “and keep it down!”
She huffed. “I don’t know how you kids do courtship these days—”
Childe’s whisper may as well have been a shout. “Courtship?!”
“—But you can’t let her go home drunk, whatever your… relationship status is.”
“I’m going to—”
“Take her home?” She let go of his hand and crossed her arms. “In your state? And if something happens to you two?”
“You’re seriously underestimating your own son.”
“She has to stay the night.”
“What?!”
“That’s final. I’m not letting a young intoxicated woman go out on the streets on my watch.”
Childe looked back at Lumine, who was busy helping Anthon organize the dishes. “Yes, ma’am…”
“And I hope you stay for a while this time, too.” She held both of her son’s hands in her own once more. “We’d love to have you here.”
He snorted. “I’m sure Father would love that.”
Her smile dropped. “Don’t be like that. Your father would want you here.”
“Really? Where is he, then?” Childe reclaimed his hands from her as he stood up. “I’ll go upstairs and fix the bed.”
As Childe watched his mother look down at her lap, he instantly felt his heart sink. “I know you meant well.” He sighed as he took her hand and squeezed. “I love you.”
She lingered for a second and brushed her thumb over his hand, but promptly let go. “Go do what you need to do.”
With a shaky breath, he left his mother on the couch and head toward Lumine, whose back was still facing him. A grin crept up on his face as an idea crossed his mind. He quietly walked directly behind Lumine and bent down so his mouth was close to her ear.
“Meet me upstairs,” he whispered.
Without warning, Lumine grabbed his jaw and pushed his head away. He stumbled backwards and hit his hip on the counter, earning a few laughs from the remaining crowd.
His sister, still sat on the counter, shook her head. “Are you sure you’re my brother?”
“Shut up,” he hissed.
As Lumine put back the last of the dishes, she turned to face Childe and raised both eyebrows.
He might as well get it over with. “Mother said you have to stay the night. You can’t go home by yourself this late.”
“… Anthon, it’s time to say good night. I’ll tuck you in, alright?” Their eldest sister dragged the little boy away from the kitchen. “The rest of you, too. Say good night to Ajax and the traveler.”
With the family gathered up and returned to their quarters, left alone in the kitchen were Childe and Lumine. She held the counter behind her for support as they left. “I’m not gonna lie, I can barely stand anymore.”
“My head is kind of spinning, too,” Childe said, “come on, let’s go upstairs. Slowly.”
Thankfully, his house wasn’t that tall to begin with, so the journey upwards wasn’t as challenging as it could have been. If it were just a few steps taller, the pair may have never reached their room.
When he opened the door, he found it exactly as he left it. The walls were plain, the shelves were empty, and the bed was made. Not a single trace of the person that once lived there.
"Wow, they really gutted this place out," Lumine said as she looked around. "Let me guess, your dad?"
Childe nodded absentmindedly as he took out more blankets and pillows from a drawer to place on the floor. “There was this incident in the past. I had to move all my things out. He said he couldn't trust me at home so… I left. He probably heard I was in town and deliberately came home late.”
“"Must be hard coming back here."”
"It's fine. He's a good man and he loves us. So does the rest of my family. Things are different now, especially with me, so it's a bit more complicated. I wish it wasn't, though."
"Family is rarely ever that cut and dry."
He paused for a moment. He didn't know the exact details of how things went down with her twin, but he knew it wasn't pretty. "Yeah, I got the feeling you'd understand."
Lumine patted the space beside her. “You should at least get the bed for your troubles. I’ll take the floor.”
Childe laughed and turned to look at her. Neatly folded at the foot of the bed were her sleeves and the scarf she almost never took off. It was only then that he truly realized what he was seeing. Lumine was in his room, on his bed. She was looking up at him with her sleepy, golden eyes and she was… Just sitting there. Like it was the most normal thing in the world.
His mouth moved on its own. “This is all your fault, y’know that?”
Lumine frowned. “Excuse me?”
“You had just had to get all competitive,” he ranted seriously as he sat down next to her, the blankets long forgotten in the drawer. “All I wanted to do was show you around. Show you a good time, take you home, stuff like that. This wasn't supposed to happen yet.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then—Then you suggested it was a challenge. You know I don't back down on anything. And then, you and the alcohol and you were laughing and you said my name and the dishes—” he rambled.
“Can I say something real quick?”
In an instant, Lumine’s mouth came crashing into his. As it were, she pulled him down by the collar of his shirt with both hands. In contrast, Childe had his eyes wide open and his hands aimlessly hung in the air. To put it simply, it was sloppy; their lips weren't at all where they needed to be. It wasn't long before he held her sides and pulled away.
“Am I dreaming?” he asked, panting. More specifically, he wanted to ask: “Are you real?”
Lumine’s eyes were still fixed on his lips. “You tell me, Ajax.”
There it was again. That name. It sounded sickly-sweet when it dripped from her lips. Of course, he had no choice but to indulge her. For the time being, his worries about his talk with his mother and his place within his family all melted away. All he knew was he couldn't afford to miss this.
He removed a glove and pressed a hand on her cheek, kissing her properly this time. Lumine’s hands found their way on Childe’s collar once more and she pulled, tipping them over and onto the bed as she kissed him back with much more force. Childe hummed and made a mental note that even with this, Lumine refused to give up the upper hand.
Though the two started like they could have gone on forever, it was not to be. As soon as their heads hit the mattress, the alcohol caught them off-guard and whacked them both to sleep. The extra blankets, pillows, and the fact that one of them should have taken the floor were now all things of the past.