— Characters & Paring: ChiLumi (Childe/ Tartaglia x Lumine), Paimon
— Tags: soft, fluff, modern AU
— Summary: Childe and Lumine are cooking up some fluff in the kitchen.
— Word count: 2036
— Ao3
“What’s that?”
Paimon peeked out from the desk. Her big eyes widened in curiosity as she saw the small paper in Lumine’s hand.
“Oh... It’s nothing.” Lumine quickly folded the paper and turned away.
“Well, from that burning face of yours, I can tell from whom the paper was sent!”
Lumine could only place a hand on her cheek and then denied Paimon’s teasing, “I’ve already told you that it’s nothing...”
But Paimon isn’t one to be fooled easily. It didn’t take half a day for her to find out from Lumine herself that the paper was actually a dinner invitation from Childe.
And little Paimon spent the rest of the day following Lumine everywhere, constantly whining about not being invited. Obviously, when it comes to food, no one knows it better than Paimon!
Lumine felt both annoyed and embarrassed. It was meant to be a secret; this invitation. Aether — her twin brother — must not know about it. He doesn’t want his sister to be involved with the Fatui — the people who had sabotaged their business in the past. Childe happened to be one of their members.
Childe is the owner of the Northland Bank in Liyue, and a Fatui Harbinger. There are so many rumors about him; including words that he’s a merciless killer. You don’t want to be a target of the Fatui, ever; especially the young Eleventh Harbinger’s. But Childe has not done anything bad to Lumine and her brother. On the contrary, he has helped her so many times; with money, for the most part. At first, Lumine was wary of him, and refused his help. However, as she’s spent time getting to know him more, she thinks he’s actually not bad at all. Though he, himself, often remarks that he’s kind of a bad guy.
Aether and Lumine weren’t born into this world; they came from another. They possess a magnificent yet mysterious power inside. They could not find the way back to their original world, so they decided to stay. The two take requests from every citizen who needs help with anything involving magic. The business is blooming, but it also means that they have to face danger all the time. For that reason, Lumine is very grateful for Childe’s help.
The dinner was in fact her treat, to thank him for what he had done for her. Yet Childe was always busy and hard to reach. Then one beautiful morning, Lumine found his dinner invitation inside a bouquet of silk flowers in the doorway. Though she tried so hard to hide, the smile and blushing face stayed with her for the whole day.
Lumine made Paimon promise that she would never tell Aether about this when he returned home from his mission in Mondstadt. In exchange, Paimon would be treated with as much food as she wanted at Wanmin Restaurant. Little Paimon made a deal without a second of thought. She even encouraged Lumine to find a gift for Childe. Although both Lumine and Childe aren’t from Liyue, she appreciates the etiquette to give the host something nice when visiting their house.
Choosing the gift was quite a difficult task because Lumine didn’t know what Childe might like. A person of wealth and high social status like him must have had everything he wanted, and Lumine wasn’t content with anything she had found in Liyue Harbor market. In the end, she decided to trust in her own cooking skill and make a lovely sunsettia pie, decorated with dandelions. She had learnt this recipe during her time in Mondstadt. Nothing speaks good will more than a handmade gift itself. She had high hopes that Childe would like it.
A long, tedious week had finally passed. Lumine sent her gratitude toward the Archons, for there weren’t many tasks to complete that week. Lumine dressed herself in a pure white shirt, with a long navy skirt that cascaded down, covering her knees. A perfect combination for her porcelain skin and golden eyes.
Following the instructions written on the invitation card, Lumine found Childe’s apartment in the northern part of Liyue Harbor. She spent a minute admiring the architecture, how ancient and modern breaths blended together without losing each’s values. Realizing it was a little early still, Lumine’s concerned. She walked back and forth in front of the door. Would Childe welcome his early guest? Or should she go somewhere else then come back later? Lumine had come to realize that she was just overthinking it. There’s nothing to worry about, nor expect more from a dinner between two friends.
As Lumine was about to ring the bell, the door opened at the same time. Childe’s face peeked out from behind, still with a messy orange hair and soft ocean eyes, and a bright smile to greet her.
“Huh? You’re early, ojou-chan!”
Lumine blushed. “Ah, yes... I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for? Come. Let’s get you inside.” Childe took a step back. Lumine walked in after a little hesitation.
Her first impression of Childe’s apartment was that it’s spacious and neat. Large glass windows offered a stunning view of the harbor drenched in the sunset beneath them. This place was much different from Lumine, Aether and Paimon’s little one-story house. But she sensed the lingering loneliness from the place, as its owner was not often seen at home.
“If I hadn’t noticed you from the front camera, you’d have just walked around being cute at my front door like that?”
Lumine’s cheeks turned bright red. Childe had seen it all?
“It’s not like that... I was just afraid that you might not like an early guest...”
Suddenly, Childe leant down, bringing his face closer to Lumine. Her heart jumped.
“I welcome you all the time, ojou-chan. You can call me in the middle of the night and I’ll come right to you. Y’know. At night. When you crave for arms that can cure your loneliness...”
“A-Aright!” Lumine avoided Childe’s gaze and mischievous smirk. “I... I brought something for you.”
S h e e p i s h l y as she pushed the basket of pie she had made for Childe herself, he took it with obvious delight. Uncovering the cloth on top of it, Childe found a fragrant pie inside.
“Mmh. Sunsettia, jam, and dandelions?” Childe took in the scent while making a comment. “How clever you are with your hands, ojou-chan!”
The compliment made Lumine’s blush glow even darker. Childe was amused by the scene that he caused. He has always been so fond of teasing her, though his words have some truth in them.
“Thank you.” Childe raised the basket and beamed. “Now, feel free to explore the place when I finish today's menu, alright?”
It was not until then Lumine noticed Childe’s wearing an apron with a narwhal on the front. It was cute and suited him well. Thinking so made Lumine’s cheeks turn red again.
“Are you cooking?” She asked.
“Yes. But I’m almost done. Ojou-chan only needs to wait a little longer. Why are you looking at me like that though?”
Lumine was indeed surprised. She had never expected that Childe would cook their dinner. For her. It surpassed all her expectations for the day.
“I just think you’re a very busy person.”
“It’s true that I have lots of things on my hands. But I always make time for you, ojou-chan. You only need to say a word.”
Once again, Childe showed her that teasing and attractive smile of his. He can never be serious! Lumine furrowed her brows, but her lips curved into a light smile.
“I often cook for my sister. So you can be assured of my cooking skill. Though this is my very first time trying to make so many Liyue dishes, I hope they are to your taste,” said Childe while taking the basket to his kitchen. Lumine timidly followed right after. The smell of food from the kitchen embraced her in a warm welcome. It was no different than the scent in her friend Xiangling’s Wanmin Restaurant when she came to visit.
Lumine was curious about what Childe’s cooking. But he told her to wait for him in the living room.
“Would you need my help?” asked Lumine.
Childe blinked in surprise. “You want to help me in the kitchen? With those exquisite hands of yours?”
“I quite enjoy cooking,” replied Lumine. Compared to sitting and waiting to be served, rolling her sleeves up in the kitchen with Childe seemed to be a lot more exciting. “I want to learn Liyue dishes too!”
The corner of Childe’s lips curved into a grin. “Ojou-chan! You are truly a wonderful person!”
Lumine turned away immediately, pretending to be looking for another apron, but in fact, she was just hiding her deep red face from Childe.
“Here,” said Childe as he took out an apron which also had a narwhal on it. “Let me help you.”
Embarrassed, Lumine told him she could do it herself. Childe pretended not to hear her at all. He pulled her closer and wrapped the apron around her while grinning like a fool.
The following atmosphere was rather pleasant. There were here and there the sounds of cutting, slicing, the sound of lid touching the pot, or the words exchanged by the two. It was nice to see another side of Childe; he could really be serious and focused in the kitchen. He was like a professional chef, completely putting his mind into his cooking, not even noticing the drops of sweat around his forehead and temples. Lumine could not help but wonder what face he would be wearing while doing the Fatui works.
Lumine was tasked with cutting the vegetables and watching over the steaming Crystal Shrimp. She was very eager to see the ruddy shrimps beautifully inside their transparent wrappers. Childe had made many dishes; there was Calla lily Seafood Soup, Black-back Perch Stew, Jade Parcels, even the famous and difficult-to-make Adeptus’ Temptation. All were well-known dishes in Liyue. It was a pity that Paimon wasn’t there!
Childe had come to the final step of making Jade Parcels. He poured a layer of hot sauce on the dish and asked Lumine to come over.
“Could you taste the sauce for me? I don’t know how spicy it would be perfect for you.”
Lumine nodded and started looking for a small spoon. As soon as she turned to Childe, he had already swiped a finger on the plate, taking a small amount of sauce and bringing it to Lumine.
“Taste it here.”
The pungent odor right in front of her was so good. Lumine didn’t put much thinking into that and just leaned toward Childe, tasting the sauce on his finger.
“Mmmmh. I think it’s good enough.”
The atmosphere became so hot all of the sudden. Childe felt his burning finger; the intense heat was even greater than one from the Pyro Regisvine near Luhua Pool. And it’s definitely not the Jueyun chili to take the blame. The image of Lumine licking the sauce on his finger kept repeating itself on Childe’s head. He was just messing around with her, never expecting her to actually taste it. He was well-prepared to be pushed away, even slapped in the face for behaving so inappropriate.
Apparently, the naive Lumine did not think that far. She only felt that the sauce Childe had made was excellent. Xiangling had a new rival in town!
Lumine’s eyes casually met with Childe’s. He was still standing frozen in the middle of the kitchen with a plate of Jade Parcels in one hand, the other holding out in mid air.
“Childe?” Her call pulled him back to reality.
“Ah... yes... Sorry. It’s a bit too hot in here, isn’t it? Can you... uh... help me set the table?”
Lumine nodded her head with a smile. Unbeknownst to her, Childe had sneaked out onto the balcony to take some fresh air and calm himself down. May the Archons above forgive him for all the things he wanted to do to her in the kitchen just now. Childe cursed himself, and was determined not to ever make any Jade Parcel again, not until he can forgive himself for having those nasty thoughts!
-The End-
