Archive of Our Own

The day had at least started off fairly well for Childe. He’d eaten breakfast with his family, had a normal day at work and had even gotten to leave early after finishing his paperwork, and then he’d made great time on the highway towards his evening destination: the local amusement park. As soon as he’d parked and gotten out of his car, however, everything had flipped on its head, turning for the worse. His fate, despite being seemingly excited for their first date and evening together, had apparently ditched him.

She wasn’t responding to any of the texts he’d sent throughout the day as he updated her on his ETA.

Glancing down at his watch, Childe ran a hand through his already tousled hair, further disheveling it until it looked like he’d just escaped from a tornado. He hadn’t had time to go home and actually make himself look decent, worried about arriving on time even after leaving work early. He’d arrived right around when they were supposed to meet up thanks to the light traffic, but there was no sign of her anywhere around the entrance to the amusement park or the parking lot.

He tried texting her one last time before he gave up on the whole date, banking on the hope that she’d just been busy. On a whim, he pulled up one of his social media profiles and looked her up, curious to see if she’d posted anything earlier that day. And sure enough, it seemed like she’d posted just a few minutes prior, tagging her friends in a photo on her feed. 

Ah, so this is what it’s like to be stood up.

It seemed like he wasn’t the only one who was having a bad day, either. Right as he turned around to walk back to his car from the park entrance, he saw a young man and woman standing together off to one side of the gate. They seemed to be in the middle of an unpleasant conversation judging just by what he could overhear as he walked by them.

“-ot you, it’s me.” The young man shook his head and awkwardly patted the petite blonde woman in front of him on the shoulder before he abruptly turned on his heel and began walking in the direction of the parking lot. He’d pulled his phone out before he was even ten paces away from the poor girl he’d obviously just dumped.

To her credit, she seemed to be holding herself together well for being dumped so suddenly, or at least that’s what Childe had thought until he heard a broken sob come from her as she pulled out her phone and started calling someone’s number. 

Childe didn’t mean to overhear her conversation, but she was speaking loudly and also happened to stand close to where he needed to walk to get back to his car, at the place he’d agreed to meet his date.

Whoever she was calling didn’t seem to pick up, and he had to listen as she left the saddest voicemail he thought he’d ever heard. “M-Mona? It’s Lumine. I’m at the amusement park for ah- for my date, b-but he just dumped me. He was my ride here, so I’m… well, I’m stranded here, and I was just wondering if you could maybe give me a ride back to my apartment. Let me know when you get this, alright? Bye.”

Her shoulders were slumped as low as they possibly could go and were trembling slightly, like she was barely holding herself together.

Childe was about to just ignore it all and walk back to his car, but right as he was about to walk past her, a new idea struck him. He carefully approached where she’d just sat down on one of the nearby benches as she sniffled softly, her makeup starting to run from the tears that fell.

“Hey, so-“ Before he could even finish his greeting, her head had snapped her, her eyes narrowing as she focused on him, and the normally confident young man suddenly found himself speechless as he stared into those molten gold eyes as they met his lightless blue ones.

“I’m not interested,” she snapped. “If you can’t tell, I just got dumped, and I’m not looking for a quick fling right now.”

Well, I guess that is what it looks like, huh.

Before she could get up and walk away from him, Childe waved his hands in front of her like he was literally trying to clear the misconceptions between them. “No, that’s now what I-“ He sighed. “It just seems like we’re both having a bad day, so I was wondering if…”

This was probably the worst attempt at communication in the history of humankind ever, and she seemed to think so as well.

“What, it’s your birthday, too?” Oof…

That made him snap his mouth shut, physically wincing at her bitter tone. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she said softly, reaching up to wipe her eyes before she remembered she had makeup on, instead putting her hands in her lap awkwardly.

In an effort to salvage this encounter and not come off like a creep, Childe dug around in the small bag he’d carried with him and offered her a soft makeup cloth to wipe her eyes with. She eyed it, and then him, with a wary expression. “What’s this for?”

He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s a makeup wipe. I sometimes carry them with me because you never know what can happen. Seems like this is one of those times.”

Hesitantly, the young woman took it from him, their fingertips brushing briefly when he handed her the wipe as well as a small compact mirror. She carefully dabbed at her eyes while looking into it, trying to make sure that she didn’t look too much like a monster.

“Well, aren’t you just prepared for anything, huh.” She seemed to have at least stopped crying, looking at him with no small amount of curiosity. “So, what do you want?”

She handed the mirror back to him, her makeup mostly salvaged, as she waited for his answer. Giving her a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his neck, Childe finally explained himself. “Believe it or not, I was stood up as well, and I’ve already bought the tickets… so I was wondering if you maybe wanted to make the best of the situation.”

That seemed to surprise her, those brilliantly warm eyes of hers widening. “And you… want to go with me?”

“Ah, uh… Yes?” Childe wasn’t sure why she seemed so surprised by that.

After a moment’s consideration, the woman nodded to herself and stood up, dusting off her skirt. “My name’s Lumine. What’s yours?” Lumine held out her hand for Childe to shake, which he did immediately while flashing her a boyish grin.

“I’m Childe.” At the incredulous expression she shot him, he clarified. “It’s a nickname.”

He already knew what she was thinking. She didn’t even have to say it. “Yes, I’m aware that it sounds kind of dumb.”

Lumine just smiled softly while she walked with him towards the ticket counter. “Just remember that you’re the one that said that, not me.”

Once they reached the counter, Childe pulled out his wallet and held out a shiny card that Lumine didn’t recognize. Before she could ask what it was, the person behind the counter nodded and snapped a wristband on him and then beckoned for her to hold her arm up to him so he could do the same to her.

With their wristbands securing their entry into the park as well as access to any and all rides they wanted to go on, the pair walked through the gate. The first place they stopped was at the large map display not too far from the entrance. When they reached it, Lumine began studying it in earnest, looking at all of the rides the park offered.

“Is this your first time coming here?” Childe couldn’t help but ask, curious.

Lumine nodded sheepishly, a light dusting of pink blush spreading across her face. “Yeah, that’s why I was looking forward to this so much. My brother and I didn’t really get to do anything like this growing up.”

“Well, let’s make the most of it, alright? What do you want to ride first?”

Both of them studied the map quietly for several long seconds before they each pointed towards what ride they wanted, their fingers bumping together as they tried to hit the same spot on the map. Looking at each other in surprise, they both started laughing. The place they’d both chosen was a large roller coaster that dominated a lot of the park’s northern real estate, one of Childe’s favorite rides.

“You like roller coasters?” The smile on Childe’s face was eager, beaming at the prospect of finding a fellow adrenaline junkie in the wild.

Lumine just threw a soft laugh his way. “I’ve never actually ridden one. I’m a little scared, to be honest, but that’s why I want to do it first. Get it over with, you know?”

His grin only widened, giving her a sense of dread. “Oh, you’re gonna love it! Come on!” Without waiting for her response, Childe grabbed Lumine’s hand and began tugging her along with him towards the back part of the park where the ride was located. “This way we can work from the back to the front of the park and be close to the entrance when we’re done too!”

Lumine barely had had time to grab one of the small pamphlet-sized park maps before Childe had pulled her away. It was a fairly long walk to the back of the park, and since it was so late in the afternoon already, after school and most 9-5 jobs had ended for the day, there was a large crowd that spanned the entire park. She began to worry that she was going to lose Childe in all of the people even though he was holding her hand fairly tightly, so she intertwined her fingers with his even tighter to make sure that they wouldn’t be separated.

She missed the way he had glanced backwards and down at their hands with an unreadable expression. Her hand fits so perfectly in mine… 

When they finally reached the roller coaster, Lumine was panting, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. “Oh, look how long the line is…” she said breathlessly.

There were people lined up all the way down the twisting ramp that led to the entrance of the ride, and the line even wrapped around the corner, seeming to stretch on further. Childe just insistently tugged his new companion along with him to the bottom of the ramp and scanned his wristband at a machine that was off to one side of another pathway that led up the ramp. The machine softly beeped, and a member of the ride’s staff that was blocking the second pathway stepped out of the way to let the pair pass once Lumine had also scanned her wristband.

A few dirty looks were shot their way as the duo made their way up to the very top of the ramp, stopping right at the front of the line. Lumine seemed baffled, staring at the wristband on her arm like it held some kind of magical secret she wasn’t privy to. 

“Why did we get to bypass the line?” She asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

Childe smiled down at her, his chest puffed out ever so slightly with pride. “It’s a fast pass system, given to those with annual passes. It means we get to go into a separate, expedited line for whatever rides we want!”

“This must have cost a fortune! You didn’t ha-“ Before Lumine could panic further, Childe pressed his index finger to her lips, instantly shushing her.

“Don’t worry,” he said with a laugh. “I already paid for these, remember? Just enjoy it, girlie.”

The use of that nickname made Lumine blush, and she quickly turned away to hide the rosy glow that had bloomed across her cheeks. She wasn’t fast enough, though.

Ha, cute.

It took less than a minute for the next car to pull back into the roller coaster’s station, ready to get rid of its passengers and seat the next riders, and Childe and Lumine got the first pick of the seats. Childe had headed straight for the ones at the very front, sliding into the plush leather seat with a content sigh. Lumine, however, seemed to hesitate.

“Something wrong, miss?” The amusement park employee that controlled the ride and checked everyone’s safety restraints was watching them, a concerned look on his face.

Shaking her head, Lumine slid into the seat beside Childe without another word, their thighs touching as the safety bar was lowered over them.

“I feel like I’m going to fly out of this thing,” she finally muttered to herself under her breath, expressing her anxious thoughts.

Childe just chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you.” He slid his arm around her shoulder, careful to only touch the back of her shirt, his hand resting on her upper arm, respectful of her personal space. “Feel more secure now?”

After a sheepish nod, Lumine smiled at him though her hands gripped the safety bar like her life depended on it.

The ride began not too long after that, the roller coaster car lurching into a slow roll as it began to climb the first small hill. Lumine’s heart was in her throat when they reached the crest of that hill, and she instinctively leaned against Childe and clamped her eyes shut when the car picked up speed and shot down the fairly-unimpressive hill, her stomach still lurching despite the small drop.

She was sure that she wasn’t going to survive the ride.

Instead of dying like she thought she was going to, Lumine couldn’t help but start laughing at the excited whoops and yells Childe would let out as they went down each hill, really beginning to enjoy the ride with him. By the time they were going up the largest hill near the end of the ride, her eyes were open, and she eagerly looked around at what she could see from so high up.

“Are you going to hold your hands up for this one?” Childe was leaning in close to her so that she could hear him over the sound of the car on the tracks and the other passengers, his nose almost brushing against her ear.

Giving him the side eye, she shook her head rapidly. “No way, I don’t have a death wish!”

After having another laugh, Childe stopped teasing her about it, but he did move to hold his own hand up, keeping the one that was around Lumine there to make her feel safe. With only one hand raised, it looked more like he was trying to answer a question in school. That mental image made Lumine giggle, her nervousness evaporating with the help of her companion’s confidence. Feeling a surge of bravery, she threw her hands up right as the car rolled over the crest of the hill and started racing down the decline.

Childe was lucky that he didn’t suffer a ruptured eardrum from how loudly and shrilly Lumine screamed, instantly latching onto his torso with a death grip, forgetting about the safety rail in front of her. He wouldn’t have changed anything for the world.

When the car finally rolled back into its “station” to offload the ride’s passengers, Lumine and Childe’s hair looked like they had just gone through a tornado, and Lumine tried to run her fingers through hers to smooth some of it down, but there wasn’t much she could do.

“Here, let me help.”

Lumine looked up to find Childe standing surprisingly close as he focused on fixing her hair, lightly carding his hands through it as he tried to tame some of the bits that were sticking out everywhere. His touch was soft, like Lumine was some sort of delicate flower he was afraid of hurting. She could feel another blush blooming on her face, and she knocked his hands away after becoming flustered.

“I-it should be fine now.” Realizing that she might have overreacted and made things awkward between them, she glanced at his own hair. “…Somehow yours looks neater than before , even if not by much.”

That made him laugh again, and Lumine found herself smiling easily in response.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” he said honestly, running a hand through his hair as an afterthought, only succeeding in making a few more strands stick out. “What would you like to ride next?”

Lumine pulled out her map, smoothing out the crinkles it had gotten in her pocket and began looking over the nearby rides. “Hmm, what do you suggest?”

Childe hummed, cocking his head as he pondered her question, his hair sweeping over the top of his eyes. “What about the chair lift? We’ll get a good look at the whole park from a bird’s eye view that way.”

“Okay!” Without thinking, Lumine linked her hand with Childe’s again, not wanting to be separated from him in the large crowd of people. He said nothing, just dutifully leading her in the direction of their chosen ride.

While they were walking, Lumine’s phone started ringing, the ringtone playing a jingle from one of Lumine’s favorite movies she’d been interested in lately. “Oh, sorry! It’s my friend calling me back, so I’ve gotta take it, okay?”

“Go right ahead. I’ll lead us to the lift while you talk.”

“Hello?” Lumine had to hold the phone away from her ear as soon as she answered it, knowing exactly how loud her friend could be, and sure enough, a loud screech was the first thing that came through. Childe wasn’t walking too close to her, but he could still make out most of what was being said on both sides of the conversation.

“…What do you mean he dumped you?! On your BIRTHDAY of all days? Ohhh, I’m gonna kill him!” No doubt that rant would have continued if not for Lumine interrupting her.

“Mona, calm down!” Lumine shot Childe an apologetic look when they stopped near the chair lift’s entrance, and he shrugged in response, flashing her a sympathetic smile. “Listen, I found someone else to go with, so you don’t have to pick me up right now, alright?”

“Found someone to go with? Did you see someone you knew there?”

Lumine paused. “…Not exactly?”

“ What do you mean not exactly?! Are you with a stranger?” She held the phone away from her ears once more as Mona became borderline hysterical. “What if he’s a creep?!”

A sigh. “Well, he’s been a perfect gentleman so far in my book.” Childe shot her a thumbs up paired with a lopsided grin that made her roll her eyes. “I’ll tell you more about it later, alright? We’re about to get on the chair lift. I’ll call you back!”

After hanging up, she gave Childe an apologetic look once more. “Sorry about that.”

He just shook his head, the smile still on his face. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I’m glad that you have someone who cares enough about you to want to murder that guy from before. That makes two of us.”

The raw honesty in his voice made Lumine’s eyes widen, but he continued speaking before she could ask him about it, though. “The line starts just up here, if you’re ready to go.”

“O-oh, yeah. Yeah, I am.” She followed him up to the machine that scanned their wristbands again and then walked up the line’s ramp up to the very front again.

When it was their turn to get into a lift, the park associate began detailing what they would need to do. “This ride doesn’t stop, so we will line you both up right there at that yellow line. Then you’ll have to sit down on the lift right when it touches the backs of your legs and then immediately bring your legs up.”

He looked at Lumine, frowning. Childe seemed to guess what the associate was thinking. “She’s tall enough. I made sure.”

That comment made Lumine’s brow furrow and her mouth tilt into a frown, but the young man just nodded. “Alright, but it may be a bit difficult. If you miss your shot, you can try again when the next life comes.”

“Did he really think I was too short?” She voiced her question as soon as they were out of the man’s earshot, while they were walking to the yellow line on the floor.

Childe was looking behind them, keeping an eye on the approaching lift. Unlike Lumine, who was possibly too short to easily get into the seat, he had the opposite problem, too talk to just be able to sit down comfortably. Instead, he had to bend his knees and stick his rear out, a sight that made Lumine snicker.

“You look ridiculous,” she commented, unable to hold back a few giggles. He just playfully rolled his eyes at her.

When the lift finally reached them, Lumine wasn’t quite prepared, and she yelped as the seat hit her squarely on the behind, forcing her to almost hop to get into the seat thanks to her petite stature. It was Childe’s turn to get in his own little joke towards her in return.

“Well, at least I didn’t have to jump to sit down!”

They both broke into laughter as the chair lift began its ascent over the amusement park. Lumine began to get nervous as they went along, leaning into Childe’s side for comfort. He seemed to notice fairly quickly, glancing down at her in concern.

“Do you want me to hold onto you again? I won’t let you fall out, I promise. I’ve ridden on this with my little brothers and sister, and they’ve always come away from it unscathed, and believe it or not, they’re even smaller than you,” he couldn’t help that little jab he added at the end, trying to get her to laugh.

A small smile crossed her face, and she nodded, sighing with relief when he wrapped his arm securely around her, using his free one to point out the various rides as they went near them, telling her about the various attractions. Once she no longer felt like she was going to become a splatter on the pavement several meters below them, she began to ask her own questions, though they weren’t about the rides.

“You have siblings?”

Childe smiled as the soft breeze ruffled his hair lightly. “Yeah, I have a lot of siblings. Two younger brothers, a younger sister, two older brothers, and finally, an older sister as well. I’m the middle child of seven. There’s a lot of us,” he said with a laugh.

When he turned to look at Lumine and ask her about her own family, he was momentarily dazzled by the warmth in her own smile, and he found that he couldn’t look away. She seemed to not notice, instead turning to look at the sights below them.

“It’s just my twin brother and I, really.” Her words had been so soft that Childe almost thought he’d imagined her saying them. It didn’t take a genius to sense that there was something tough about that subject so he didn’t pry, instead distracting her by pointing out all of the rides.

The ride was over before they knew it, both of them carefully getting out of their lift and making their way towards the ramp to get off of the ride proper. Both of them had decided that the boat chute would be the next ride they went on, hoping to cool off around the water from sitting in the sun for so long. The weather was fairly mild that day, early in August, and though it was a bit breezy, they were too warm.

The line for it was even longer than the roller coaster’s had been, probably thanks to everyone else having that same idea, and Lumine was once again thankful for the fact that they could bypass most of the line instead of having to wait forever. There were still quite a few people ahead of them even in the expedited lane, and while they were waiting, Childe’s phone started going off, a soft chime playing several times in a row, like someone was sending several short messages rapidly.

He sighed to himself, shaking his head, not bothering to pull the phone out of his pocket and instead looked out over the lake that was beside the ride they were about to go on. Lumine could feel the annoyance rolling off of Childe in waves, and she frowned, worried.

“You don’t need to get that?”

Childe turned to look at her and shook his head. “Nah, it’s the girl that stood me up. I’ve already texted her and told her I wouldn’t be answering for a while, so she can wait.”

“What if she’s having car trouble or something?”

The next words he spoke were filled with bitterness. “She’s not. I saw her posts on Instagram right before I went up and talked to you.”

Lumine could sense that there was something he wasn’t telling her, but she didn’t feel close enough to him considering the fact that she’d met him less than two hours before, so she just nodded and looked out over the water as well.

The line kept moving while they were each alone with their thoughts, and before long, they were able to get into the long boat that served as the ride’s seating, settling into the front. A middle-aged couple sat behind them with their small child in between them. They had to wait in the station while the boat ahead of them started on its journey, giving the passengers a couple of minutes of downtime. There was nothing to do but wait.

“Are you two on a date?” The words directed at Childe and Lumine came from behind them, and they both turned to look at its owner, the woman sitting in the next set of seats.

When Lumine looked at Childe then and found him gazing back at her, reality dawned on them at the same time that… Yes , what they were doing technically was a date, though neither of them had intended it that way. A blush spread across her face, and she shyly looked at her hands that were folded in her lap, not sure what to answer.

Childe just smiled secretively. “Something like that.”

“Aw, look at how bashful she is! Don’t worry, honey, I think you both look like a good match for each other, and you young man,” she directed towards Childe with a wave of her hand. “Don’t think I didn’t see you making eyes at her when she wasn’t looking.”

That made Lumine’s head shoot up to look at him, watching as he immediately glanced away, his own blush matching hers from earlier. Before she or the woman could comment on it, the boat suddenly lurched forward as it caught the tracks below the water, nearly making Lumine smack her head against Childe’s shoulder.

Looking ahead towards the tracks, all there was was the gaping maw of a seemingly endless, pitch-black tunnel.

“Uh, Childe…? Why’s it so dark ?”

He looked to where she was staring and chuckled. “Right, you haven’t gone on this before. This part of the ride goes through a really dark tunnel before coming out of the other side and continuing. I think it was made because of the way the surrounding lake is shaped.”

Silence engulfed everyone as the boat entered the tunnel. The couple’s child began to get fussy, and Childe took the moment to lean closer to Lumine to whisper in her ear.

“You’re okay, right?” He was close enough that she could feel his hot breath against her neck, and the heat emanating from his body was making her both flustered and also dizzy.

“Yes,” she whispered back softly. “I just wasn’t expecting it at all.”

She suddenly felt Childe slip his hand into hers, squeezing it as a way of giving her comfort. Lumine didn’t mind, smiling in the dark, her eyes scanning beside her for any sign that she could see of him.

The day had started off so horribly for her, but since meeting him, it had turned around, and she was having a lot of fun, quite possibly more than she would have had with her original date. That thought both baffled and amused Lumine, and she was beginning to become more curious about her ginger savior, longing to learn more about him:

What his siblings thought of him, where he worked, if he’d gone to school, if they somehow had any friends in common, and several other thoughts that swirled through her head.

She doubted that they did, suspecting that he had an entirely different kind of friend base than her, especially given how easygoing and calm he seemed. He was just easy to get along with, unlike her, when she was more timid and not as outspoken. Lumine knew that she was getting ahead of herself, that he was just being kind to a random girl he saw crying, but she couldn’t help but wonder if they could maybe become friends, if she could see him again.

A girl could dream, right?

Lumine was shaken out of her thoughts by the sudden blinding light that engulfed the boat as they suddenly exited the tunnel. She gasped when she realized how close she and Childe were to each other, their noses almost touching, his arm resting behind her back on the seat. He must have been trying to see her in the dark as well.

The couple behind them chuckled, sharing a secretive smile between them as Childe and Lumine quickly moved away from each other, both blushing again.

“Sorry,” they both said at the same time, only succeeding in flustering each other even more than before.

Lumine opened her mouth to say something further, but right as she did, the boat reached the crest of a hill that she hadn’t been aware they were on, and without any time to think, it plummeted downwards and struck the water at great speeds. She was smacked with water right in the face, and she and Childe were absolutely drenched by the wave of water. The poor girl shrieked loudly, instinctively grabbing onto Childe for comfort, like he could protect her from the cold water.

He just laughed, shaking his head like a wet dog to get some of the water out of his hair, splattering Lumine with water drops. 

The rest of the ride went smoothly, only a small journey around the side of the lake with small waves lapping at their boat as it pulled back into the entrance of the station to complete its loop. Sunlight had begun to steadily fade into dusk by the time the pair had finally exited the ride, and Lumine started shivering, chilled from the cold, brisk wind and the oncoming night. Childe, however, seemed fine, busying himself with making sure his phone and wallet had survived the ride alright.

“Hey,” he said when he finally looked up at her, seeing her petite body trembling. “Are you- ah, shit, you’re probably freezing!”

Almost instinctively, Childe began to pull his hoodie off over his head, giving Lumine a perfect view of his abs when his shirt was pulled up along with it, the sight making the poor girl’s brain short circuit at that flash of skin before she realized what he was doing. The next thing she knew, he was holding the article of clothing out towards her, one of his eyebrows raised at her disoriented gaze.

“Something catch your eye?” His tone was teasing but his brows had knit together when she shivered after being hit by a particularly large wind gust. “Ah… here. Wear it.”

Lumine hesitantly took it, holding it close to her. “What about you? Won’t you get cold?”

“Nah, I’m from Snezhnaya. It’s warmer now than the hottest summer there, so I feel perfectly fine.”

She nodded, going to put it on, but she stopped, laughing. “I do appreciate the thought but uh… it’s also wet, so I really doubt that it’ll make me any warmer.”

Childe stared at her blankly for a minute, like he’d just forgotten that he was also soaked from the ride in his haste to make her comfortable. He reached out to feel the sleeve, and sure enough, it was fairly wet. “Alright, fair. Gift shop?”

“Gift shop,” Lumine nodded, parroting him both for emphasis and also in agreement.

Luckily they didn’t have to walk very far before they reached the section of the amusement park that contained the food stands, carnival games, and the small gift shop. All of the shops and stands were lined up along one side of the lake, stretching out in a long boardwalk-like strip with the gift shop at the northernmost point.

It was warm inside the gift shop, and Lumine sighed in contentment as they stepped out of the wind that had been steadily picking up while they were walking. Most of the front area of the gift shop was a dedicated space for small items like magnets, key chains, and mugs that all had the name of the amusement park on them. Nearby, there were several shelves of every kind of plush animal imaginable, and she had to try very hard to resist the urge to pick one out and buy it.

The very back wall of the building was where the clothing was located, mainly consisting of several normal t-shirts with the amusement park’s name on them as well, some tank tops, hats, and finally, after the pair dug through the shelves for a couple of minutes, they found the very small selection of hoodies.

“See any designs you like?” Childe was leaning over Lumine’s shoulder, looking down at what she was holding.

There was, in fact, only one design, and Lumine laughed as she gestured to the slim selection. The only difference in all of them were the colors of the hoodies themselves, the logo of the park the same on all of them. They came in a mint green, light pink, yellow, and a very pretty dark blue. After a moment’s consideration, she began digging through the dark blue pile for one that would fit her. Her choice seemed to interest Childe, who chuckled softly.

“Trying to match my eyes?”

His words startled Lumine, and she turned around to look at him, rocking forward onto the balls of her feet to decrease the height difference between them so she could look him in the eyes. They ended up being a bit closer than either one of them had anticipated, and they both froze, looking into each other’s eyes as if searching for the answer to a question neither of them knew. Lumine was able to break out of her trance first, forcing herself to look down at the dark blue hoodie in her hands.

She still didn’t answer Childe’s question, though the choice she made pretty much did so for her. “I think… that I’ll take this one, after all.”

Not waiting for him to follow her, Lumine stepped past him and took the hoodie to the cashier to pay for it. Before she could even pull out her wallet, Childe had slid in between her and the counter, pulling his own out faster before he handed the cashier a very shiny credit card.

“Nope, I’m buying it because it’s my fault you got wet.”

His comment made Lumine pout and the cashier chuckle. “Oh, come on, miss! Let your boyfriend treat you!” the lady teased good-naturedly.

Both of them ended up blushing deeply, though Childe was able to hide his behind a grin as he snatched the newly purchased hoodie out of Lumine’s hands and dumped it over Lumine’s head.

“She’s right, come on, Printsessa!” He grabbed Lumine’s hand as she still struggled to get her arms and head through the hoodie’s holes, laughing as he held the door open for his flailing companion.

When she finally had the hoodie on properly, Lumine suddenly felt even smaller than she usually did, her small frame dwarfed by the too-large garment. Still, it was soft, fluffy, and warm, a very welcomed barrier between her skin and the cold wind and night air.

“Printsessa? What the hell is that about?” She wasn’t mad, more just confused by the sudden nickname.

Childe just laughed again as he began pushing Lumine forward gently, steering her along with his hands on her shoulders. “Just treating you as you deserve, like a princess. It’s your birthday, right? Well, it’s my present to you. Happy Birthday!”

He couldn’t see it from his position behind her, but Lumine’s expression had changed from one of mild annoyance to a soft smile, looking down at her hoodie as she walked.

“Where do you want to go now?” Childe’s words pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked over her shoulder at him, about to answer his question.

Before she could, however, her stomach answered for her, growling loudly, loud enough that Childe definitely heard it, especially considering that he’d shot her a wry smile.

“Hungry?”

A deep blush bloomed across Lumine’s cheeks and up to the tips of her ears, and Childe couldn’t help the thought that crossed his mind unbidden. Cute…

Instead of teasing her though, he just let go of her shoulders, putting his hands behind him as he walked, looking across the lake. “I know I am. Hungry, that is. I want something sweet to eat. What about you?”

“Ooh, yeah, something sweet to eat sounds amazing right now!” The blush on her face had faded and was replaced by a wide smile as Lumine looked towards the many food stalls grouped on the other side of the long strip of carnival game booths.

They both walked side by side towards the food stalls, and Lumine kept stealing little glances at Childe the whole time, eyes ghosting over his figure since he’d kept his hoodie off, slung over his shoulder, no longer covering up his muscular form. She had known that his face was attractive, but she hadn’t imagined him being so… fit, since the baggy hoodie left a lot up to the imagination, hiding his physique. She’d imagined something a lot more average than the reality she was faced with.

He seemed to notice what she was doing, and he had a little smirk on his face as they walked, like he was proud of the attention she was “secretly” giving him. It was certainly a nice ego boost at least.

When they reached the first of the many food stalls, the pair stopped walking and scanned over what each of them offered. “So,” Childe began, “looks like we have a lot of choices, everything from cotton candy to funnel cakes along with the non-sweet staples like corn dogs, popcorn, and even giant turkey legs. Does any of that sound good to you?”

Lumine was quiet as she considered her options, playing with the hem of her hoodie. “What about snow cones? Do they have those?”

That made him laugh. “Weren’t you just cold? And now you want something frozen ?!”

“Don’t laugh!” Lumine playfully smacked him on the arm. “I love them, okay? My twin and I always got different flavors to try so we could split them.”

There was a smile on her face as she recalled the fond memories, and it made Childe smile as well. “Snow cones it is, then. Let’s get closer so we can see what flavors they have.”

The pair got into the relatively short line, and when they were close enough to clearly see the board that had all of the flavors listed, each of them selected one. Lumine got one that was a violent shade of bright pink - bubblegum-flavored. Childe settled for an equally bright blue raspberry one.

Once both of them had their chosen snow cones, they made their way to one of the many parasol-covered tables nearby to relax and take their time eating the cold treats.

Lumine dug into hers first, humming happily at the sweet taste on her tongue. Looking up, she found Childe watching her thoughtfully, his own snow cone still untouched. “W-what is it? Do I have something on my face?”

Realizing that he had gotten caught, he glanced away almost self-consciously. “No, it’s not that.” He paused, as if he was deliberating on what he was going to say next. “Haha, it’s kind of embarrassing, but I like seeing you smile, especially after having seen you crying before. This suits you much better.”

His words made Lumine’s eyes widen in surprise, and once again, that damned blush appeared on her face. It wasn’t alone, though. Childe was also blushing, the rosy hue mixing in with the splattering of freckles on his cheeks. He seemed nervous, his eyes darting around like he wasn’t sure where to look, but he finally settled on staring down his snow cone, absentmindedly stabbing at it with his spoon.

“Sorry if that was weir-“

“Thank you.” Lumine interrupted him, her words firm as her eyes glittered with brightness in the setting sun.

Childe just stared at her, confused. “Huh?”

Lumine repeated her words, louder this time. “Thank you - for everything. I’m having… a lot of fun tonight, and it’s all thanks to you saving me.”

If he had been blushing before, then his face was even redder than his hair then. “I was just being a decent person. I couldn’t let a pretty girl like you go home looking so heartbroken, even more-so when I learned that it was your birthday.”

Childe was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes still darting around like before, but they always found their way back to Lumine somehow. It almost seemed like he wasn’t used to receiving compliments, something that made Lumine sad. Determined to shower her savior with all of the affection and praise she could while the “date” was still going on, she suddenly sat up straighter, grinning.

“Well, since it’s my birthday and all… you should let me try some of your snow cone!”

That seemed to shake him out of his flustered state, and after he recovered, Childe flashed her a bright, boyish grin, possibly the first smile of his that she saw reach his eyes. “Alright, I think I can do that.”

He took the small spoon that had come with the snow cone and dug out a scoop of the bright blue-colored ice and held it up to her. “Say aaaah~”

Lumine certainly hadn’t expected him to want to feed her , but it would have felt awkward just telling him no, so she dutifully leaned forward and took the small bite of flavored ice, letting him pull the empty spoon out of her mouth. Her cheeks were still lit in a soft, rosy glow at the intimate gesture, but she swallowed the spoonful, smiling afterwards.

“Well? How’d you like it?”

She took a moment to seriously contemplate the flavor with a lick of her lips, not realizing that Childe’s gaze was instantly drawn to the motion, his eyes darkening ever so slightly. Whatever he’d been thinking, when she replied to his question, it made him focus back on the subject at hand instead of whatever he’d been thinking about before.

“I like it, though it’s a bit sour. Do you want to try mine?”

The smile he gave her was filled with mischief that lit up his eyes. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Childe just grinned at her as he propped his head up with his chin in his palm, opening his mouth for her to feed him a bite of her snow cone. Lumine’s brain short circuited, and she stared at him with wide eyes, frozen in place until he arched an eyebrow and spoke again.

“Well, what are you waiting for? For it to melt?”

That seemed to pull her focus back in, and she stabbed her spoon into her snow cone a bit too forcefully, and a small piece of the pink ice came shooting out of the styrofoam cup and hit her in the face, a bit of it sticking to her cheek as it melted. Her shocked expression made Childe burst into a small fit of laughter, the cheerful sound making Lumine just shake her head and smile.

“Don’t you say a word,” she warned playfully, finally digging out a spoonful of her snow cone for him to try.

Childe did as she said, not saying anything as he suddenly reached out and swiped his thumb across her cheek, catching the small spot of melted ice, licking it off of his finger, successfully and thoroughly stunning Lumine yet again. 

She’d already held the spoon out for him, frozen in place, and he leaned forward and ate that bite too, and once he’d swallowed it, leaned back in his chair with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Sorry, I couldn't help myself.”

After she didn’t respond, his smile faltered, and he self-consciously crossed his arms, worried. “Ah, I went too far, didn’t I?” I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

It took Lumine a moment to respond. “N-no, it’s just that I wasn’t expecting it. Was it tasty?” She gave him a hesitant smile.

Relieved, Childe nodded. “It was, and you know what? The small taste from your cheek was definitely the better of the two. It must have been from how sweet you are,” he said cheesily, winking at her.

They both stared at one another in silence before Lumine burst into a fit of laughter, the sound making Childe join in, smiling at her. “Sorry, sorry. I know that that’s probably the corniest thing that anyone’s ever said to you, but I just thought I should act the part of the boyfriend since we’re technically on a date. Is it working?”

“Well, it’s definitely something, I’ll say that much. But don’t worry, I’ll definitely let you know if you’re bothering me. How’s that sound? Do we have a deal?” She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

“Sounds great. Also, your tongue is super pink by the way. Is mine blue?” He stuck out his own for her to see, both of them leaning closer to each other. Just as hers was bright pink, his tongue was a shade of blue that complimented his eyes perfectly.

What the pair didn’t seem to realize was that they were both very close to one another, and it definitely, definitely looked like they were about to kiss. It was the perfect photo opportunity, and one of the park staff photographers just happened to take the chance and snapped one of them. When the camera clicked and the flash went off, both of them seemed to realize what it looked like, and they immediately straightened up to give each other more room.

The photographer approached the pair, holding up his camera. “I think I just captured my best picture all day. Would you two like to see? I can even have it framed in the gift shop for you with a discount if you’d like!

Lumine was about to decline, but Childe seemed to jump at the chance, nodding with a grin. “Yeah, let me see it!”

The photographer approached them and pulled up the photos she had taken on an iPad, turning it towards Childe so he could inspect them. They must have impressed him because he immediately got the order number for the photo before Lumine had even seen it. When he was satisfied with looking at it, he handed the iPad back to the photographer who then spoke to Lumine.

Your boyfriend has already paid for two copies, but would you like to see it as well?”

She didn't bother correcting the photographer about her relationship with Childe, knowing that it would just complicate everything and take too long to explain, so instead, she just leaned over the table to look at the iPad. What she saw in the photo made her eyes widen and her heart flutter in her chest.

Lumine and Childe both had their dyed tongues sticking out at each other, but it was their eyes that attracted Lumine's attention. The look that was shared between them was… affectionate to say the least. She could definitely see how people would assume they were a couple, and she couldn't help but wonder: Just what would it be like to date him? She didn't know anything about him really, aside from the fact that he liked roller coasters and had a lot of siblings. And that he was incredibly kind and charming.

We’re probably incompatible… Don’t get your hopes up, Lumi.

“Well? Looks good, doesn't it?”

 Childe's words made her look up at him, realizing that she'd just been silently staring at the photos. He hadn't bothered to correct the photographer about the nature of their relationship either.

“Ah, I- Yes, it does.” Lumine suddenly felt very shy, glancing everywhere but at Childe. He seemed to realize that, and he chuckled softly.

He changed the subject, not wanting her to get too overwhelmed, turning his attention back to the photographer. “We just go pick the photos up at the gift shop before the park closes tonight, yeah?”

The photographer glanced between the pair with a confused expression, but she didn't voice her questions, instead nodding at Childe. “Yeah, that's right! Do you two want any more pictures taken?”

Childe shook his head, suddenly wrapping his arm around Lumine to tuck her in close against his side before he lightly bonked her head with his. “Nah, we're good. Thank you, though. We'll be sure to swing by in a little while to pick them up!”

After the photographer walked away to find his next victims, Childe awkwardly removed his arm from around Lumine. “Sorry about that. I didn't really know how to tell her that we're not dating, so I thought it'd be best to just pretend.”

“No, it's alright. I didn't know how either. It… was a good photo though, wasn't it?”

He grinned at her. “It was. That's why I'm buying a copy for both you and I.”

Lumine was surprised. “Why? We're… probably not going to see each other ever again. I don't even know your real name.” Her voice was small, and it was filled with melancholy, tinged with sadness at that thought. She'd really begun to like Childe.

“Ajax.”

His sudden admission caught her off guard. “Huh?” She said intelligently, confused.

“Ajax. It's my name.” Childe, Ajax , smiled down at her, but before she could comment on it, he was already pulling her by the hand away from the tables and towards a nearby ride. “Come on, this one is a lot of fun!”

Lumine let him pull her along, staring at the back of his head, wondering what he was thinking, as they scanned their wristbands and went to the front of the line.

The ride was a large circular platform, much like that of a carousel, but instead of having horses to ride on, there were rounded seats with a steering wheel in the middle of them. Childe and Lumine sat beside each other on one, and Childe, upon seeing Lumine's curious gaze focused on the wheel in front of them, grabbed it, turning it. The seat immediately spun in place even though the ride hadn't started, and it surprised Lumine, making her squeal. She grabbed onto his arm for dear life, making him laugh. That only made him spin them faster.

When the ride started, the large circle began rotating, steadily picking up speed while it played cheery music. Childe kept spinning them, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, and by the time the ride was done, the both of them were so dizzy and nauseous that they remained seated in the ride until they were forced off to allow the next riders in. Lumine was leaning against Childe, holding onto his shirt while he had his arm wrapped around her middle. 

They made a beeline for an empty bench, both sitting down heavily to try and alleviate some of their discomfort.

“I… regret my decision to spin us so much.” Childe had leaned back against the bench and laid his head back, his arm resting ov2r his eyes as he struggled to keep down all of the sugar they had both ingested right before the ride, a grave error that neither one of them would ever make again.

Lumine just mumbled under her breath, leaning her head against his shoulder, willing to try anything to hold her head in place and stop the spinning. “I regret the whole ride. I regret the snow cone. I regret… a lot.”

“Do you regret anything else tonight?” Childe’s words were spoken so quietly that Lumine thought she’d imagined them at first, but then she felt him shift positions to rest his head against hers as they sat on the bench. “...Lumine?”

She smiled softly to herself, not that he could see anyway. Almost hesitating, she reached for his hand he was resting on his leg and then gently intertwined her fingers with his. Lumine could feel him stiffen instinctively and then let out a soft breath, like he’d been holding it while waiting for her answer.

“No, Ajax, I don’t think I do.” That affirmation was all he needed, lightly squeezing her hand in response.

Childe had started lightly tracing his thumb over Lumine’s hand, just about the only movement his hand could still do with their fingers interlaced like they were. He’d opened his mouth to say something to her when there was a shrill, almost growl -like snarl that came from someone right in front of them. Lumine’s eyes snapped open, and she instinctively sat up completely straight, her head no longer resting against Childe’s shoulder, though her hand stayed in his.

In front of them stood a young woman whose face was contorted into an expression of pure rage, her hands balled into fists as they rested on her hips. She seemed so angry that she was trembling from rage. “So, this is why you weren’t answering your phone?!”

It only took Lumine a second or two before everything clicked in place together. This must be the girl that stood him up… 

Childe was staring at her, and Lumine couldn’t see it from where she was sitting beside him, but his eyes were narrowed, and his mouth was set into a deep scowl. He didn’t say anything though, instead just sitting there while she began to yell at him, to berate him for “cheating” on her, to scream about him not answering her texts, and after trying to be polite and not interfere, Lumine had had enough when she raised her hand as if to slap him.

Lumine stood up, several inches shorter than the woman, moving to stand between her and Childe. “Okay, you can stop right there, lady. You ditched him , not the other way around! He waited for you, and when you didn’t show up, he took it upon himself to help someone he didn’t even know! I was dumped on my birthday, and he’s just trying his best, okay? He’s not cheating on you, but you know what? If I was him, I’d dump your ass right now just for this attitude!”

Once she’d started tearing into her, she couldn’t stop. “I’ve only known Ajax for a couple of hours, but he’s already shown me how fun, how kind, how amazing he can be, and I know that he deserves someone who will care for him better than you have!”

Her own body was trembling from how angry she was, and tears had formed at the corners of her eyes. Before she could get even more worked up, she felt the soft weight of Childe’s hand on her shoulder. “I’ve got it from here, alright?” He wasn’t looking at her, and his voice was stern, flat, like he was suppressing all emotion from it.

Lumine thought she’d made him mad, and that thought made her tears well up even more, thinking she’d horribly overstepped the boundaries between them, her makeup beginning to smudge again.

“She’s right.” Childe then turned to Lumine and gave her a soft, compassion-filled smile before he turned back to the speechless woman in front of them. “We weren’t even dating yet, so there’s no way I could be cheating on you. If you were so interested in me, then maybe you should have thought of that before standing me up. I’ve had the best night tonight in a long time, so I suppose that I actually have you to thank for that. If you had shown up, I’d never have met Lumine.”

The woman opened and closed her mouth, much like a fish, before she finally managed to say something. “Childe, w-”

“No, I don’t want to hear it.” With that, Childe grabbed Lumine’s hand and began pulling her away from the benches, practically dragging her with him.

Once they had put some distance between themselves and the woman, Childe stopped walking, his back to Lumine. He was staring off at the nearby lake quietly as if contemplating something. It didn’t take him too long to finally say what was on his mind. He turned to face Lumine, a smile on his face, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“I thought for a moment that I was going to have to separate you two and break up a fight if that continued much longer.”

Lumine just crossed her arms, letting out her breath in a huff. “I could have taken her.”

He evidently hadn’t expected that answer, and Childe couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up out of him. “Somehow, I don’t doubt that, girlie.” Well, aren’t you something?

Their walk away from the benches had ended a bit away from the food stalls and rides, close to the long line of carnival game booths, their bright lights and loud sounds making the place very lively. Childe turned to Lumine, another smile on his face, though his eyes seemed to be searching her face for something. What, she didn’t know. Before she could ask him, he tugged at her hand again, pulling her towards the first game booth.

“Come on, I wanna win you something for defending me so valiantly!” He was still grinning when they reached the booth, and without a second thought, Childe suddenly turned around and tugged Lumine into his arms, caging her in with his hands lightly holding her flush against him. His chin was resting on her head, and she could hear the frantic beating in his chest from that position.

“Thanks, by the way. I don’t think anyone has ever really stood up for me like that before, so… Thank you, Lumine.” The way he said that made her blush. It had been filled with such honesty, so… affectionate she could almost imagine him saying her name like that as her boyfriend.

Clearing his throat, like he was embarrassed, he let her go before facing the booths so that she couldn’t see the blush on his face. “What prize do you want?”

The first booth was one where darts were thrown at balloons to score points, and that was the one Lumine approached, her golden eyes scanned over all of the prizes, pausing as one caught her eye. It was a large narwhal, light blue with swirls of white over its body, easily the largest prize in the booth and also the one that required the most points to win.

“That one,” she said with a smirk, turning to look at Childe, “ If you think you can win it.”

A spark of fire kindled in his eyes at the challenge, and a smirk of his own spread across his face, mirroring hers. “Oh, I see how it is. Fine, that whale’s gonna be yours, you just wait!”

With a laugh, Lumine joined him in front of the booth as he paid for one game’s worth of darts, the five projectiles held in his hands. There were several different colors and sizes of balloons, each with their own point values. The smaller the balloon and the brighter the color, the more points they were worth. Some of the balloons were even moving up and down on guided tracks to make them hard to hit.

Childe winked at Lumine before he made a big show of spinning in place before launching the dark with perfect aim, popping one of the small, moving, bright red balloons, grinning at her. 

The person running the booth seemed to be having a good time watching them, cheering for the young man as well despite the fact that that meant he’d have to give up one of his largest prizes if he earned enough points. “Wow! You’re pretty good at this! You’ve got a talented boyfriend, young lady.”

Not even five minutes later, and Childe had enough points to get whatever he wanted.

Triumphant, he still wore that infuriating smirk on his face as the owner of the booth clapped for him. “You must be really proud of your boyfriend! No one has gotten that many points all day, so whatever prize you want is well deserved.”

“I am,” Lumine said softly just loud enough for Childe to hear.

He grinned at her, pointed to the giant stuffed narwhal. “We’ll take that one, only the best for my girlfriend.”

Lumine knew that he was just playing along, but even so, she felt a surge of euphoria fill her at the brilliant smile he flashed her as he handed her the narwhal that made her seem even smaller in comparison to its large size. Once again, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to really be dating Childe.

“Well, how about you give him something as a reward? Maybe… a kiss?” The booth runner just had to chime in with that, making the pair blush at each other, both with wide eyes.

Childe started to shake his head, but before he could, Lumine spoke up. “I’ll be sure to… give him his reward later,” she lied, not quite realizing just how that would sound taken out of context.

Her words made Childe’s eyes widen, and he quickly grabbed the narwhal back from her to hide his flustered expression. “I-I’ll carry this. Come on, we should go pick up our pictures from the gift shop before it closes.”

The booth runner gave them a wolf whistle as they left, calling out after them. “You go get that reward, young man!”

Lumine realized what it sounded like, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. “Ah, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mea-”

“It’s alright.” Childe’s words interrupted her as he still looked ahead while carrying the giant whale plush under one arm, holding out his other hand for Lumine to take. “Might as well play the part, right?”

There was no way he was going to admit that he actually wanted to hold her hand more, that he wanted to get to know her for more than just a random pick-me-up date.

Lumine immediately intertwined her fingers with Childe’s, the pair quickly making it to the gift shop again. When they entered the shop again, the cashier from before waved at them. “Why hello, you’re back! How can I help you?”

Childe gave her a smooth smile, pulling Lumine against his side to rest his hand on her waist. “We’re here to pick up a picture one of the photographers took. I have the order number and receipt. Do you need anything else?”

“Nope, that’s all!” She eyed the whale under Childe’s arm as she looked up the order number. “Wow, that’s quite the prize! I wish my boyfriend was as considerate as you.”

Once she had the order number, she excused herself to go get the photos but not without one last quip over her shoulder. “You two are gonna have to invite me to the wedding!”

Lumine sighed softly, shaking her head. “At this rate, we’re going to have to invite every employee in the amusement park.”

She hadn’t meant to sound like it was something that would actually happen, but she had, and Childe started imagining it, how she would look in a white dress. …Like an angel.

“Oh, definitely,” he finally said, also shaking his head. 

The employee came back from the back office of the store holding a thick envelope, and she gave it to Childe to inspect. Satisfied that the photos were correct, they bid goodbye again and left the gift shop.

“Come on, I have someplace I wanna show you next.”

They were holding hands again, and Lumine was smiling, looking down at them. She didn’t hear Childe at first, looking up at him blankly while she digested his words. “Do you really have something to show me, or was that just an excuse to get away from that awkward situation… again?”

“A little of both, actually.” He stopped walking then, gesturing with a jerk of his head to the ride in front of him. It made Lumine look at him with wide eyes.

“The ferris wheel? Isn’t the park going to close for the night soon?” Indeed, night had slowly begun to creep up on them while they’d been eating and playing games, the only source of light coming from the rides and numerous street lights.

Childe grinned at her. “We have time for this one, trust me.”

Lumine dutifully followed Childe into the fast line once more, and they were almost immediately given one of the small seats to ride in. Childe stepped in first, holding the narwhal plush in his lap as he motioned for Lumine to sit down beside him. Once she was safely in the seat, he handed the giant plush to her, expecting her to place it between them. Instead, Lumine squeezed it in on her other side, having to shuffle closer to Childe in the process. One of her arms was wrapped around it, the other resting on her lap.

After a moment’s hesitation, Childe gently tapped the back of her hand with two of his fingers, and when she automatically turned her hand palm upwards, he grabbed it, interlacing their fingers once more.

The ride promptly began, and the initial jerk of the seats made Lumine flinch as they began to rise upwards. While they were getting closer to the top of the wheel, they were both quiet, each lost in their own thoughts, still enjoying each other’s presence without feeling the need to say anything. When the ride reached the top, it suddenly stopped, making Lumine anxious.

“I wonder if everything’s okay…” She expressed her worries, looking down to the seats and ground below them.

Childe just chuckled. “Oh, it’s perfectly fine.” He leaned close to her ear, his breath hot against her neck as he softly whispered, “You should look up, not down.”

Lumine gasped at his closeness, shuddering but not from the cold. Doing as he said, she looked up at the sky just in time for a large firework to come shooting out of a boat on the lake, exploding up above them in a myriad of colors. She was entranced by the fireworks show, squeezing Childe’s hand as she watched all of them.

It seemed almost… magical.

They sat there for several minutes as the fireworks finally died down, their seat never moving from the very top of the ride, almost like it had been planned that way, but there was no way the staff would have known or even cared that it was their seat at the top, or… at least that’s what Lumine thought until Childe said something to change her mind.

“I’m glad that it was all timed right. It’s a good way to end the night, isn’t it?”

Lumine turned to look at him with a confused expression. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, ah - haha, my family owns this amusement park, and I… might have set it up so that my date and I would end up here at the end of the night with the best view of the fireworks.” He seemed to have a hard time looking at her, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

She just stared at him. “You’re just now telling me that your family owns the park ?!”

Childe only laughed as the ride began moving again, bringing them closer to the night’s end. When their seats reached the bottom of the ride and the safety bar was raised, he took the whale plush under his arm again while he kept his free hand in Lumine’s, the two of them slowly making their way back to the park entrance. Neither of them said anything until they had gone through the gate that led to the parking lot.

“Well, I guess this is where we part ways, huh.” Childe’s voice seemed to have melancholy tinting it again, like he didn’t want the night to end.

Lumine could relate to that sentiment very well. “Yeah… I had fun tonight.”

Neither of them were looking at one another. Then, suddenly, they both turned to each other and started speaking at the same time.

“Hey, wh-” - “What if-”

They both stopped, laughing awkwardly. Childe spoke first. “You go first.”

“Okay,” Lumine began, suddenly nervous. “I was just wondering if-”

Before she could finish her thought, she was interrupted again, this time by someone calling her name followed by the loud honk of a car horn. Looking up, she potted Mona waving at her from a car pulled up to the curb nearby. “Lumine! Hey, over here! Is that the guy that- No, that wouldn’t make sense… Why would he be here if he dumped you…?” She was muttering to herself, somehow still loud enough for Childe to hear.

Lumine let out an annoyed huff of breath at being interrupted. “Oh, Mona, hi! No, this is… Ajax. He offered to stay and spend the evening with me since he was stood up by his own date.”

“Oooooh, I see~” Mona was grinning at her, her eyes occasionally glancing towards Childe. “Are you ready to go? I have a cupcake with your name on it from your favorite bakery as a pick-me-up!”

“Okay, just give me a second!”

Childe was still standing nearby, as if he was waiting for something. Lumine turned back to him, sheepishly looking at the ground before she tried to say what had been on her mind before. “So, I… Uhm..”

“Can… I see you again?” Childe had taken a chance, a shot in the dark at seeing Lumine again, and this seemed to surprise her.

She gasped, her eyes widening. “You want to? What about that girl?”

“Not interested in her. She didn’t bother showing up and as such, lost her shot to someone that I, quite frankly, have a lot more interest in. I want to see you again.”

After only a moment’s hesitation, Lumine suddenly grabbed him by the shirt collar, tugging on it until he was on eye level with her. He was too shocked to do anything, leaving him open enough for Lumine to place a quick kiss on his cheek, letting go of his shirt immediately after.

“That’s your reward for taking me on the date, but I still owe you for the narwhal, so you can’t get away from me until I’ve repaid you, alright?!” She didn’t know what she was doing or saying. All she did know was that she wanted to see him again, too.

Childe just stared at her as a wide smile spread on his face before he brushed his fingertips across where she’d just kissed him. “Well give me your number then, girlie. I think dinner would be a good way to repay me, if you’re interested, that is.”

After they exchanged phone numbers, Lumine shyly waved at him before getting into Mona’s car with the large plush. She was just staring at her in amazement. “Okay, missy, now you’ve got to tell me what went down tonight!”

Childe was still standing there until the car had pulled away and left his line of sight. He also still had that wide grin on his face as he began the walk back to his car. “Lumine, Lumine, Lumine…” he chanted her name, truly looking forward to seeing her again, to learning everything about the woman who had just happened to be in the right place at the right time.