Dain, Childe and Lumine have returned from the market and are now preparing to cook dinner.
"Princess, can you hand me the knife?", Dain asked Lumine while rolling up his shirt sleeve.
"Here you go", she gave it to him after tying her apron. She turned to Childe, "Childe, it's ok. We'll prepare the dinner. Go shower first".
"But, we always cook together. What's the difference?", he asked her with a frown.
"Childe, the kitchen is too crowded for three people. There's no need for you to do it", she told him. 'There's no way I'm gonna let them cook together. NOPE. I don't wanna see their accidental touches'.
"WHAT?! Oujo-chan, are you really choosing to cook with him, rather than with me?", he gave her kicked-puppy-expression.
'Oh no. He's pulling that face. Damn, why's he so kissable like that?'. She took a breath and told him, "it is not like that, Childe". She walked up to him, "Dain, promise us to cook dinner while he is here. We always cook together, aren't we? Can you give Dain this time?"
He frowned even deeper when he realized that she was not siding with him. He grumbled silently and turned his face to the side to show that he is not happy with her choice.
'Awww~ he's pouting. Stay still my heart' Lumine stepped closer to his face and smiled sweetly, "come on. I promise I will spar with you one more extra round this week."
He turned back and stared at her for a moment before saying, "I want two."
She giggled at his little pout, "ok, two it is, then."
He finally smiled at her and if he had puppy tail, it would be wagging by now. He gave Dain a glare before going to take a shower.
Dain asked her after Childe left the kitchen, "is he your best friend who is supposed to be gay?"
'Oh no. Is Dain interested in Childe?' She screamed internally. "Huh. Yeah. Why?", she asked him slowly.
He turned his back to her, "no reason. Just for confirmation."
'Dain, please don't be interested in him' she hoped quietly and returned to prepare ingredients.
~
Childe quickly returned after taking shower. Though he can't help in kitchen, he kept watching them with eyes like a hawk. When Lumine asked, he just shrugged and said nothing. Only after the dinner is done, he pulled Lumine away from Dain and asked her to go take a shower and that he would set the table. Dain, too, took a shower in the guest room. Aether and Amber arrived shortly after they had taken shower.
"Smells delicious! I'm starving", Aether announced immediately at the door.
"Well, hello to you, too", Dain remarked him with a small smile.
"Ah yes. Our favorite babysitter", he laughed and greeted Dain with a bro hug.
"Did you grow taller?", Dain asked him which was retorted with, "not as tall as you, I'm afraid", and released him from the hug.
"Hello, Dain. Nice to see you again", Amber greeted Dain with a friendly smile.
"Good to see you, Amber. Is that Baron Bunny?", he asked her.
She gasped with a surprise, "you knew her?"
"Yeah, the twins told me", he replied.
"Oh really?", she smiled happily and turned to her boyfriend, "I knew you love her". She looked back to Dain and started explained him about her bunny excitedly.
Meanwhile Childe pulled Lumine to the side, "even Aether had introduced Amber to Dain, why didn't you do the same?"
Lumine was dumbfounded, "Amber is his girlfriend. Of course, he would introduce her to Dain". 'Is he mad that I hid Dain who's his type from him?!'
"Well, but, if Aether had Amber, you have me, right? Why didn't you introduce us? Am I not your bestfriend?", he grumbled to her.
'Wait. He is pouting because he thought that he isn't important enough to be introduced to my family friend? So, he is not interested in Dain romantically?' , she thought.
"Childe, are you mad because you thought that you aren't important enough to me?", she asked him with a surprised tone.
"Why are you being surprised? I introduced you to my family, my childhood friends, even my neighbors", he retorted and added quietly, "it is like I am not important to you. Does he mean more to you than me?"
"Aww~ Childe, of course not. You are as important as to me, like he is to me", she told him with a smoothing smile. 'Well, if not even more.'
"No, I wanna be your number one friend", he insisted her.
"Of course, you are my number one, big baby", she giggled at his behavior.
"Also, don't touch him too much", he told her with a stern face.
"Touch him? I only hugged him once. But, what's wrong with that?", she asked him.
"I don't know. I feel weird when you touched him", he spoke quietly.
"Weird? How weird?", she was confused.
"I am not sure. I felt a combo of feelings when it happened", he put his right hand on his heart and continued, "I felt anxiety, anger, confusion and mostly fear."
She was dumbfounded, 'did he get jealous with Dain?'
"Are you saying that you like Dain?", she asked him quietly.
"What? No, I feel that for you", he answered honestly. She was surprised and her eyes widened.
He continued with a frown, "I don't know why but I felt like I would lose you to him."
'Did he get worried that he might lose his best friend to someone? Gosh, this man is so adorable'. She hugged him with a giggle, "Of course not, Childe. You would never lose me to anyone. I am yours." 'Platonically or romantically'
He exhaled with a relief and hugged her back tightly. He put his face in her hair and whispered, "mine."
While Childe didn't realize his possessiveness, Lumine was blushing hard in his chest. 'Did I just say I'm yours? Did he just whisper mine? Archon, my heart can't handle it.'
"Lumine, Childe? What are you guys doing?", Aether's voice alarmed her.
She let go of Childe with blushing face, "nothing. We are just re-confirming our friendship."
Childe widely smiled and proudly announced, "yep. I am still her number one."
Aether looked at them with a confused expression and said, "you two are weird. Anyway, dinner now."
~
After dinner, they decided to watch movie marathon.
"Aether, which movie are you choosing?", Lumine asked him after putting down some snacks on the table.
"I am thinking of 'Alice in Borderland'?", he replied her.
"Oh yes. I am down for it", she agreed and turned to others.
"Sure, I haven't watched it yet", Amber nodded and continued petting her bunny.
"I am fine with anything", Dain shrugged.
"I am down if you are", Childe smiled at her and pulled her to his side of the sofa. Dain continued watching them with an unreadable expression.
"Alice, it is, then", Aether started the movie and Amber closed the lights.
From the right side, Amber sat with her bunny on her lap, Aether grumbling cuz the rabbit is taking his girlfriend's attention and not cuddling to him, Dain in the middle, Lumine on his left and Childe, who's sitting close to her.
Childe kept pulling Lumine to his side whenever she wandered a little bit near Dain to grab snacks. She didn't seem to mind it and continued eating her ice cream. Dain is studying their interaction silently.
After the series ended, it's after midnight. Amber's sleeping soundly on Aether's chest. When Lumine opened the lights, she whimpered a little before going back to sleep. Aether quitely held his girlfriend and said silent goodnight to others before retreating to his room. Of course, he left the sleeping rabbit in the living room.
Lumine stretched her body and yawned, "That was pretty great. But, I think I wouldn't survive that hide & seek mission."
Childe shut the TV and asked, "why not? You are a pretty good seeker."
"Yeah, but I don't want that consequence of victory to my friends", she answered while rubbing her eyes.
"I know what you mean but you won't lose. As long as we are together, we can even conquer the world", he said with a grin.
"Aww~ you trust me that much? I am honored", she teased him.
"Princess, go to bed. You had a long day", Dain told her after he had cleaned the snacks.
"Sure, Mr.Babysitter", she stood up before remembering, "wait. Where are you two gonna sleep?"
"In the guest room?", they both answered before looking back to each other.
'How did I forget that we only have one guest room? Arrrrr!', she screamed internally. "It's ok. Childe can sleep with me", she told them nonchalantly. 'He is only interested in me just as a sparring partner anyway and I have a lazy sofa in my room.'
"What? No, Lumine", Dain stopped her before starting to scold her about this arrangement. Meanwhile, Childe's silently blushing in the background.
"Dain, he's not straight. He isn't interested in me", she explained him.
"Princess, I am not convinced that he's gay". When he still refused, she told him, "fine then. You can sleep in my room". 'He's like a big brother anyway. We even slept together whenever we had nightmare.'
"NO! He's not!", Childe, who had been silent, protested loudly. "I can sleep here. It is no big deal, Oujo-chan. Just don't let him sleep in your room", he glared at Dain.
Dain raised his left eyebrow and snorted at him.
"The living room? It doesn't seem comfortable to me", she told him.
"Just give him your camp tent. He can sleep better in it", Dain told her.
"Yeah, I can use it", Childe nodded at her.
"Well, if you say so", she walked away to grab her tent.
After Lumine left the room, "I don't know why you are acting like gay when you aren't", Dain told Childe with a glare.
"Excuse me? I know more about my sexuality than you", Childe retorted at him.
Dain snorted back at him, "so, it seems. But, it's better that you haven't noticed it."
"Notice what?", Childe was confused.
At that time, Lumine came with a camp tent in her hands, "let's build together. It'll be faster."
After they had set up the tent in living room, Lumine remarked, "wow! Now, I want to sleep in the tent. Childe, you take my room."
"No", was Dain's immediate stern answer.
The duo laughed at his tone. He exhaled with a sigh and petted her head, "goodnight, Princess. Sleep well." And, he walked into the guest room.
Childe walked her to her room door and petted her head, even harder to the same spot that Dain touched, "Goodnight, Oujo-chan."
"Oww! Childe, I am gonna be bald", she protested with a whine and pulled away his hand.
"Sorry, sorry. I just can't help it. He touched you there", he laughed at her whine.
"Yeah yeah. See you in the morning", she rubbed softly at her head and went into her room. Childe retreated back to his tent. Dain was studying them through the slight opening of his door, 'Do they really not notice at all?', he thought to himself.
~
Lumine woke up from her sleep because she felt thirsty. She looked at the clock and saw that it is after 3AM.
'I should have drunk water before going to sleep', she stood up and walked into the kitchen. After drinking water, she decided to check on Childe. 'Is he even sleeping well in the tent?'
Before she reached the tent opening, someone from behind held her mouth and grabbed her waist. She was gonna attack them until the moment she heard their mischievous laugh followed by her favorite scent.
She removed his hand and turned back, "Childe, do you have a death wish? I was gonna smash your head into the wall."
"But, you won't. I know you can recognize me", he smirked, not letting go of her fully.
She snorted, "you are lucky that I stopped in time."
He chuckled and asked, "so, what are you up to?"
"Thirsty. You?", she asked him.
"Toilet trip", he smirked at her.
"Gross", she grimaced jokingly. She turned to the tent and said, "I have never had camping in living room. I should try it later."
"Why not now? Come on in. It's cosy", he invited her in.
She shrugged and went inside, "it IS cosy."
He lied down and patted his right side, "lie down."
She didn't refuse and lay down with an exhale, "it smells like you in here."
"Does that mean I'm smelly?", he asked her and smelled himself.
"Yeah, like a pigsty", she joked him.
"Oh really? Let me show you what this pig can do", he told her before sitting up to attack her with tickles.
"What? No! Childe!", she laughed and tossed around.
"I want sorry, Oujo-chan, and I don't hear one", he teased her.
"I am sorry. I AM sorry. You win. Stop it", she laughed and looked back at him with a teary expression. Childe stopped his actions at her defeat and rubbed her tears away with a smirk. He lay back down next to her and stared at her quietly before frowning a bit.
"Childe? What's the matter?", she called him.
"Oujo-chan, do you like Dain?", he asked her quietly.
"Dain? Yeah, I love him", she answered innocently.
"How much? As a family or partner?", he frowned deeper and asked again.
"Well, he's like an older brother to us. Did he see how much he can scold? Nope, I don't want that in my romantic partner", she told him with a giggle.
"Pinky promise that you won't like him more than a friend", he held out his little finger, "I never want to feel that jealousy again."
"Where did all this clinginess come from, Childe?", she asked him but he didn't answer.
'Does he get that afraid to lose his number one place? Well, as long as he's happy'. She didn't hesitate before linking her little finger with his, "promise". 'Actually, the only one I can see romantically is you', She thought to herself.
He exhaled with a relief. 'Does he relieve that much that I wouldn't date? Clingy much?', she wondered to herself with a giggle.
They continued talking about movie remarks and useless gossips before sleepiness took over them.
In the morning, Dain found them holding each other's hands and sleeping soundly in the tent. He turned to Aether who just woke up and walked out from his door, "Aether, is this normal for them?"
Aether just took a glance and yawned, "yeah, it is normal."
Dain asked him again with a frown, "and, you are ok with that?"
Aether answered, "don't worry. Childe won't do anything that she doesn't like and she seemed to like him, too. So, no argument", and grabbed his phone to snap a photo of Lumine drooling a little, which can used to blackmail later.
Dain exhaled and kneeled down to pick Lumine up to let her sleep in her room. When her hand loosened from Childe's hand, he stirred a bit before he drew her back into his chest with his other hand. When she is safely inside his arms, he sighed contently and fell back to sleep.
Aethertook another snap of them. He explained to Dain, "yeah, he's that clingy toLumine but he really doesn't mean any harm. Actually, he is as protective as usto her. He would never let her drink without us. He and I would threaten othermen who tried to ask her out. He would pamper her with ice cream when THAT timeof a month comes. Maybe that's because he has sisters in his family, too", andstood up to do his morning routine. Dain was left with his deep thoughts andstudying their interaction.