@caelune: “ i’ve been dying to fight you again. ” there is a distinct hunger in his voice, a kind of salacity one would expect to be reserved for sweet nothings, whispered between lovers tangled in warm sheets, intimate and covetous. childe can no longer recall if he had always been this ravenous, this voracious, by nature, but it’s hard to be anything else when lumine stands before him, lips curved in a kind of smile that could only be described as enticing, blindingly so, and far too distracting. like this, she easily embodies both faces of anemo : the delicate grace of a wispy breeze, and a destructive tempest, standing firm, yet poised with her sword drawn. they’ve agreed upon a friendly spar, made a bet that the harbinger has already forgotten about, for the price that either of them may have to pay at the end of this exchange matters little to him. it’s been far too long since he’s had the opportunity to indulge in a battle against the traveler, and that alone, is reward enough.
the moment it commences, he knows the wait was more than worth it. lumine moves like a melody, the rising crescendo of an overture, as if guided by unseen currents of zephyr. it’s difficult to ground himself when he could get so easily lost in the way she wields her blade, the way soft, fragrant locks pirouette in the wind, the way golden hues ensnare his gaze … but childe manages somehow, just barely, akin to a river navigating rocky terrain, weaving through her attacks with an undeniable fluidity of his own once he regains his senses. it’s not long until he conjures hydro - imbued blades, glistening like liquid - silver under the moonlight, and lumine skillfully deflects his strikes with her own sword. as their blades continue to clash, it feels as if no time had passed since their last duel ; their connection analogous to two sides of a coin, effortlessly falling into sync, rekindling the shared harmony of their previous encounters. they carry on like this for awhile, gusts of anemo and torrents of hydro making messes of them both, until they finally topple to the ground in fits of laughter, childe catching lumine in his arms with ease.
“ ... i couldn’t stop thinking about this. ” about you, really, that’s what he means, and his body knows it, too : the way his skin tingles with blossoming warmth, how the steady cadence of his heart skips a beat every now and then, how his eyes remain trained on petal - pink lips. “ i missed you so much. ”
𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐦 - either too busy, or too hesitant to engage the bloodthirsty harbinger in battle. though lumine enjoyed the song of combat in her veins, the thrill that came with locking swords - childe was a relentless force, a tidal wave sweeping away entire cities, or the darkness of the space between stars. it was easier to say no, even when she did enjoy this - even when he was one of the only people in this world that could keep up, match her blow for blow, and at times... even win. always improving, each time stronger than the last, the tsarista's vanguard was not a weak opponent by any means, even if he did make her weak. his power sung to a long dormant part of her, the one that had traversed the stars, the one that had been born upon a planet of gods... the traveler didn't quite understand it, but she had long since given up trying.
anemo is her song of choice because it reminds her of when she could fly - the gusts of barbatos' wind coming easily along her blade and fingertips. their dance of battle is, as always, a perfect waltz - and ajax the perfect partner. he meets her blow for blow, unending cascades of their elements slinging between them. neither tires quickly, clashing for far longer than any regular humans could - but lumine does not mind. she has missed him so terribly, missed the way that those depthless eyes spark with something in her presence, missed the way he knows her better than anyone else on this damned world. he's like an addiction, pure and simple, and lumine cannot explain the warmth that runs like golden ichor through her veins in his presence - cannot explain why she doesn't mind that their battle ends in a draw again, her sword falling to the side as they tumble to the ground in a tangle of limbs and tinkling laughter, the moonlight casting them both in it's pale glow.
slight arms prop her atop of him, resting lightly on the ground near his head. the harbinger is big enough that lumine lay comfortably atop his chest, delicate skin flushed with both exertion and proximity. it wasn't the first time they'd ended up like this, but... ❝ i was worried about you. ❞ it's her own way, of saying i missed you too, especially as a small and calloused hand cups his cheek, and she drops their foreheads together. ❝ you're an idiot, you know. ❞ soft, affectionate words that hold no bite - especially not as she sinks their lips together, petal soft and adoring. such a sweet kiss, punctuated only by the flick of a delicate tongue, venomous fangs skirting his own bottom tier with a small suck. they part with a light smack, and that same hand soothes through his messy hair, golden eyes narrowing before she nuzzles his cheek. ❝ a hero, ❞ she whispers, ❝ but an idiot. ❞ i could have lost you.
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