Chapter Text
Lumine stared at the clock for what felt like the hundreth of time for the past hour, the sound of her pen tapping against her desk the only sound to break the silence as her golden eyes moved back to the window.
It was a surprisingly boring day at the hospital. The night shift was known to be rather uneventful in the first place but Lumine couldn’t help but find herself disappointed nonetheless, the blonde having hoped to get at least one interesting case, anything that would make time pass even a little faster but unfortunately, fate wasn't as kind that day.
It was five in the morning when her shift finally ended and to say that she was more than ready to go home and have a nice, relaxing bath would have been the understatement of the century.
Little did she know that unfortunately, her night would go nothing as planned.
Lumine hummed as she made her way out of the hospital and back towards her car, the cool night-air softly caressing her skin but before she could reach her car, it happened.
The sound of tires screeching was the only warning she got before she suddenly felt a gloved hand get clamped over her mouth, golden eyes widening when she felt herself getting dragged away from her car.
Lumine struggled against their hold as they pulled her towards a sleek black car, her heartbeat echoing in her ears as her demands for them to let her go were reduced to nothing more than a mumble by the hand that covered her mouth.
It all happened too fast.
One moment she found herself getting harshly pushed into a car, two unfamiliar men seated at each of their side and holding her arms to restrain her movements but it was only when a clicking sound filled the otherwise silence in the car that Lumine instantly went deadly still, golden eyes widening when she felt a small pressure at the side of her head.
No words needed to be spoken for the warning to be clear, the sound of the adrenaline rushing through her veins echoing loudly in her ears and as much as Lumine wanted to do nothing more than to kick them where the sun didn’t shine, she knew better than to speak.
She needed to be calm if she wanted to find out what they could possibly want from a surgeon who had yet to pay off her student loan and lived with an overeating cat so with a heavy heart, the blonde forced herself to remain still.
The car ride was short, the tension in the car suffocating and when they finally stopped, Lumine felt her chest tighten painfully in apprehension.
This time she didn’t fight back when they pulled her outside, their rough treatment earning them an irritated glare from the blonde as she followed them into what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse and as much as she wanted to ignore that this would be the perfect place to get rid of a body, she found it rather hard to.
The sound of her heels clacking against the cement was the only noise to break through the peaceful silence of the night, her arms hurting from the firm grip they had on her and just when she was about to tell them to go shove their guns where it hurt, they suddenly stopped.
Lumine frowned when she found herself in complete and utter darkness, the soft light the moon cast through the window barely enough to make out the faces of the men holding her.
From what she could tell it seemed to be empty, the icy night air biting at her exposed skin but before Lumine could ask what the hell they wanted from her, a voice beat it to her.
“Miss Lumine.”
The sound of her name breaking through the silence instantly made her tense under their hold, golden eyes snapping towards the source of the voice and when she found nothing but darkness staring back at her, her brows lowered in confusion.
It wasn’t until a moment later when the shadows in front of her moved to reveal a dark silhouette, the sounds of footsteps echoing through the tense silence making her pulse spike and when the shadows finally twisted to reveal the owner of that voice, Lumine felt her stomach drop.
Standing in front of her was a tall man dressed in a white button-up shirt that enhanced his muscular build and matching dark pants, brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail and amber eyes catching hers with an intensity that chilled her to the bone.
His entire presence screamed authority, the way the two men holding her lowered their head in respect at his arrival doing little to calm her nerves.
Amber eyes regarded her for a moment longer before they dropped to her arms, brows lowering ever so slightly at the sight and after a few seconds, he spoke once more.
“I hope you treated her with the respect I asked of you.” His cool voice broke through, the underlining warning his words held not going unnoticed by her and not even a moment later, their grip on her arms disappeared.
Lumine frowned as she rubbed her arms to get rid of the dull ache, lips curling downwards in distaste and when she lifted her gaze to catch amber eyes once more, she didn’t bother to hide her irritation.
“I take that you are the one who ordered them to get me?” Lumine asked, the calmness her voice held betraying the nervous flicker in her eyes as the male in front of her nodded.
“Indeed.” He confirmed, his posture composed in a way that didn’t match the light his eyes held. “I apologize for startling you.”
Lumine narrowed her eyes, clearly not convinced as her brows lowered into a confused frown.
“What do you want from me?”
Zhongli regarded her for a moment longer before he inclined his head, the men at her side suddenly stepping away from her before leaving her alone with the unfamiliar man once more and when he spoke, his voice was eerily calm.
“I have heard a lot of your achievements at the hospital.” He revealed, arms folded behind his back and at his next words, Lumine felt herself tense. “I require your skill.”
Confusion flashed in her eyes at that, the blonde opening her lips to ask what he meant by that but before any words could pass her lips, the sound of footsteps reached her ears once more.
Lumine moved her gaze to look at the group of men that suddenly entered, their expressions grave and when they finally stopped and the blonde was able to catch sight of the small stretcher they rolled inside, she felt her heart drop in dread.
Laying there with his shirt drenched in blood was a young male who seemed to be her age, dark teal-colored hair sticking to his sweaty forehead as he held onto his side with a clearly pained expression.
Lumine’s eyes widened at the sight, her first instinct being to instantly go over to aid the injured man but as much as she itched to move, she found that she couldn’t.
It was then that she realized just whom she was facing, the air around her palpably dropping and when she looked up to meet his calm gaze, she felt the pace of her heart pick up.
“Save him.”
The low command echoed loudly in the darkness that surrounded them, the cool metal that was pressed against the back of her head a steady reminder of just whom she was facing.
Molten amber was staring at her with an intensity that nearly made her knees buckle under her weight, the authority of his presence undeniable and yet, Lumine found herself hesitating.
“I'm not going to get involved.”
Amber eyes sparked at her refusal, lips curling downwards in displeasure.
The sound of his footsteps echoed through the dark hall as he approached her, the labored breathing of the injured man a few feet away from her drowning under the sound and when he was towering over her, Lumine felt her heartbeat echo loudly in her ears.
The second his gloved fingers brushed over the side of her face she felt the blood in her veins freeze, his touch ghosting over her chilled skin and when they took hold of her chin, his amber eyes hardened.
“Unfortunately,” His cool voice sent a shiver down the length of her spine, amber eyes filled with a light that promised no good. “You already are.”
Lumine clenched her jaw as she looked at him, the injured male’s pained grunts making her feel as if someone was twisting a knife in her chest and as much as she wanted to ignore it, she couldn’t.
“You will leave me alone after that?”
Amber eyes flashed at her question, the male clearly pleased by her cooperation and when he spoke, his voice held no deception.
“That depends on how well you do.”
The meaning behind his words was clear and although she knew that she had little choice but to accept, Lumine couldn’t help but wonder if she could trust his words nonetheless.
“Boss.”
The hint of urgency that laced the man’s voice was enough for Lumine to finally remove her eyes from the man holding her, the blonde pulling her chin out of his touch to look at the injured male.
It seemed like she had no choice.
The blonde ignored the pressure at the side of her head and swiftly moved to his side, golden eyes instantly scanning his body for the source of his injury and when she carefully moved to lift his arm, she let out a string of curses at the sight that greeted her.
“I can’t save his life without any tools or light.” The blonde declared as she moved to pull her long golden hair into a quick bun, hands then swiftly moving to rip a part of his blood-covered shirt to stop the bleeding as the dark-haired male nodded, eyes falling on the group of his men.
“Get her what she needs.”
Lumine barely registered a handful of them leaving as she fought to stop the bleeding, lips pursed as she tried to make out if he had any other wounds that might cause some trouble later on and although it looked back, she was set on getting both of them out of there alive.
No matter how long it would take her.
Lumine blankly stared as the first rays of the sun brightened the sky, blood-covered hands shaking ever so slightly as she hugged herself to shield her body from the cold.
It had been a grueling four hours in which she had fought to save his life, the few moments she had thought he would lose the fight having drained her of all the energy she had left and it was only when she was sure that he would live that she had told them to take him to some place where he could rest.
She was beyond exhausted, her body pleading with her to finally take a rest but her mind was on high alert, the blonde not foolish enough to believe that everything would be over just like that.
She might have saved his life, yes, but she had gotten herself involved with people who obviously didn’t shy away to dispose of others who might pose a danger to their plans.
“You have done well.”
The sudden voice behind her made her stiffen almost instantly, the blonde not daring to turn around and when she heard him move to stand beside her, she clenched her jaw.
“It’s not like I had a choice.” She lowly returned, the bitterness that laced her voice not going unnoticed as amber eyes moved to look at her with an indiscernible expression.
He regarded her for a moment longer, bright eyes taking in the sight of her blood covered form and when he turned to look at his men that were standing at the entrance of the warehouse, he nudged his chin into her direction.
“Take her home.”
His men did as they were told and moved to get the car, two others slowly stepping forward until they were only a few meters away from her as the male turned to properly face the young doctor next to him.
“Your efforts will be remembered, Miss Lumine.”
Lumine’s lips curved upwards into a bitter smile before she finally turned to look at him, her voice firm when she spoke.
“I’d rather you not.”
He watched as she inclined her head as a parting gesture before she moved to follow his men towards the car that pulled up, the blonde not turning to look back and it was only when she was seated in the back of the vehicle that Lumine noticed the way her blood-covered hands trembled as she held them, jaw clenched as she looked out of the window, praying that she would forever forget about today’s incident.
Ten days.
Ten days had passed ever since that incident Lumine didn’t dare speak of, the blonde having firmly pushed it into the back of her mind for the sake of her own sanity and yet it was always there, lingering in the back of her mind.
When they had dropped her off at her apartment that morning she didn’t question how they knew where she lived, the blonde too exhausted for any parting words as she shut the door close behind her and dropped to the ground.
She couldn’t remember when she had picked herself up nor how she ended up in bed after she had scrubbed the blood from her hands, her body acting on its own and once she finally fell asleep, she hadn’t woken until the ringing sound of her alarm ripped her out of her slumber and she had to get ready for work once more.
She had no time to dwell over what happened and yet, she found herself being more aware of her surroundings, golden eyes flickering over her shoulder every once in a while to ensure that she was on her own.
Lumine wasn’t one to get intimidated by an incident like that, the blonde too busy to allow herself to think too much of it and yet, in the moments when she was just about to drift off into a dreamless slumber she would see molten amber stare back at her with an intensity that sent a shiver down the length of her spine.
It was when she had gone to work two days after the incident and had found a bundle of flowers adorning her desk at the hospital that her steps had faltered, Lumine asking one of the nurses who had delivered them but when they had no answer either, her orbs flashed with curiosity.
Receiving gifts from patients was no rarity, but judging by the way the flowers looked, she could instantly tell that they were the expensive kind.
It wasn’t until she had discovered the note attached to them that she found herself frowning ever so slightly, fingers gently taking hold of the card but the second her eyes fell on its contents, she froze.
A small token of gratitude-Z.
Lumine felt the blood in her veins chill as her eyes skimmed over the sentence once more, golden orbs finally lingering on the last letter and when she got over her initial shock, she felt a wave of anger spark in her.
She crumpled the small card in her hands before grabbing the flowers and tossing them into the bin standing in the corner of her office, jaw clenched in irritation.
That nerve.
She didn’t know whether it was truly meant as a token of gratitude or if it was one of their sick games to keep her reminded of their presence, but frankly- Lumine couldn’t care any less.
What happened that day was in the past, and she refused to acknowledge any remainder of it- be it from her own memories or gifts like that.
With that thought in mind, the blonde continued with her day, unaware of the shadows lingering where even the brightest of lights didn't dare reach.