The Write Stuff

She began her descent towards the manor, Paimon poofing back into her little pocket dimension.

Lumine didn't even bother knocking when she got to the doors. She had spent enough time here in the past few months that the staff knew her. It was at their insistence that she stopped knocking.

"Lumine," Diluc said when the doors opened. The redhead was standing in the main entrance, his coat discarded and his sleeves rolled up. "It's late, is everything okay?"

He gave her a once over, checking her for any visible injuries just as she had seen him do many times before. A wrinkle of concern appeared between his brows when he couldn't find anything out of place.

She nodded, giving him a small reassuring smile. "I was hoping I could stay the night. I don't know if I'd be able to make it all the way back to Mondstadt."

His face softened, his shoulders relaxing. "Of course. Have you had something to eat?"

"Not since lunch."

"Go up to my study. I'll bring you something."

Lumine didn't object and headed upstairs. A fire was still going up there and a stack of papers sat on his desk. He was probably going to be up for a few more hours doing some work. If there was one thing she always got on him about was he stayed up way too late way too often.

His coat was thrown over the back of the couch. She took a seat and pulled the coat over her legs. She had spent some time in the mountains today and she could have sworn the chill was lingering on her despite having been out of there for hours now.

A few minutes later the door opened and Diluc walked in holding a plate with a sandwich.

"Thank you," she said as she accepted the food.

"What'd you take care of today?" he asked, taking a seat next to her. Their knees touched but neither made a move to put space between them.

In the past few weeks small touches like this had become the norm for them especially when it was just the two of them. Their hands brushing against each other as they walked around the winery or Monstadt. Diluc brushing dirt off her shoulder. Lumine adjusting his collar.

A shared, shy look with each of these interactions.

Lumine glanced at Diluc before regaling him with the tales of her day as she ate. She didn't really look at him again as she talked, too focused on devouring the sandwich now that she realized how ravenous she was.

She finally looked to him when she finished her story and her food and her heart disappeared out of her chest. He had his elbow on the back of the couch, his head resting on his hand. There was such fondness on his face that she wondered if he had ever looked at anyone like that.

"Lumine," he said, his voice soft.

"Yes?" she asked. Her voice was so breathless that she wasn't even sure a word left her mouth.

"May I kiss you?"

Her heart reappeared and found a new home in her throat. But nonetheless, she nodded.

Diluc sat up and his hand came to cup her face as he leaned forward. His lips met hers in a surprisingly gentle kiss. She had expected something a bit more passionate from the Pyro user.

His hand moved from her face to the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair.

He pulled away far too soon for her liking. He didn't move far though and his hands stayed in her hair.

"I have been wanting to do that for months," Diluc breathed, his red eyes focused solely on her.