Love and Other Delusions | Chilumi

Hide and Seek

"Then stay in the teapot, like I initially proposed." Lumine said.

"Alone?" Childe looked at her furrowed eyebrows.

Lumine turned to her companion. "Don't look at me, Paimon does not want to stay in the teapot with him." Paimon said before disappearing into thin air once more to hide.

Lumine groaned in frustration.

"Look I wanna help, but I can't have you running in the open like that again." Lumine said.

"Worried I'll get caught?" Childe said with a smirk.

"Yes!" Lumine said. "If you get caught and they find out you're a Fatui, a harbinger no less, the rebellion will lose trust in me before I could even explain."

"Seems to me the rebellion is a bunch of small minded people." Childe muttered.

"Hey, don't talk about them like that." Lumine glared.

"Well if they aren't then they wouldn't judge you right away." Childe said.

"I had to fight a bunch of kairagi to prove myself to my troops!" Lumine said. "I was already captain then."

"Well that was necessary to gain the trust of subordinates." Childe said.

Lumine paused. He had a point. Plus he probably had more experience having subordinates than she ever had.

"Then what do you want me to do to help you?" Lumine asked.

"Nothing. I came here to help you." Childe said.

"That makes no sense, how can you help me if you said you committed treason by siding with me?" Lumine crossed her arms.

"By the sidelines, backlines, I don't know. Hell I'll go to the frontlines to if you want." Childe said.

"You can help in the sidelines once the rebellion knows you can actually help." Lumine said.

"But-" Childe was about to argue once more but they heard a rustle behind them. "You know what, let's just discuss this in the teapot." He finished.

So they headed there. But despite being surely alone, they two didn't speak a word.

It was as if they were both waiting on the other to explain their thoughts.

"Don't fight with the Fatui." Childe said.

"What? Why are you bringing this up now? Is that some sort of threat?" Lumine raised an eyebrow.

"Sort of, yes." Childe said nonchalantly.

"Why?" Lumined crossed her arms. "I really can't understand you."

Childe let out a small chuckle. "Yet you were so ready to introduce me to the rebellion earlier." He said.

"What are you planning?" She glared.

"Nothing. It's more the Fatui's plan than mine. They didn't take you into account in the formula and you're stirring up quite the trouble for them." Childe said.

"I can't help if the Fatui's plans are suspicious as fuck." Lumine muttered.

Childe once again laughed. "Point taken." He said.

"Still, I don't believe what you told me earlier." Lumine said. "The plan. What good will collecting all the gnosis do to the point that you're willing to summon gods that were already at peace?"

"I don't know, Number 11 isn't really that high of a position in the Harbingers you know." Childe said. "Not much information is given to this chump."

"Is that why you chose to rebel against them?" Lumine asked.

"Maybe." Childe said, getting comfortable on the couch and laying down. "This place is more comfortable than I thought it would be." He commented.

"You're changing the subject." Lumine pointed out.

"Just saying my mind." Childe said.

Lumine stood up and sat on the chair that was closer to the couch Childe was on.

"What?" Childe asked, turning his head to Lumine's direction.

"Answer me this seriously okay?" She said.

Childe simply looked at her, then sat up to face her with a serious look.

"The Fatui, they're planning something big right? And somehow that clashes with your own plans?"

"Yes, that's right." He replied.

"Does it have to do with me?" She asked.

Childe looked at her, ready to say something.

"Don't-" Lumine started, before Childe could reply.

"Don't say something like I'm flattering myself again. I've been thinking hard why you'd come to me specifically. I doubt you came here for nothing, protection? You can do that yourself. I know you're capable enough. There's nothing else that'll be helpful to you by sticking with me." Lumine explained.

Childe laughed. "I wasn't going to answer sarcastically." He muttered.

"Yeah. I did come here because of you." He finally admitted. "Guess you could say I was worried. But to put it simply, I needed to see how you were."

"That's stupid, going all the way to Inazuma just for that." Lumine rolled her eyes.

"For a person who'd cry for me, that's not nearly enough." He said. And instantly Lumine became a blushing mess.

"I-it was just once." She stumbled on her words.

"Yeah, but really. Thank you for that."