My heart is warm like Snezhnaya (ChiLumi ff)

Nine

Tw for mentions of blood

"Yes Anthon, for the third time, Liyue people do not eat rocks!", Childe retorts in a lighthearted argument with his sibling.

"Yeah yeah, then It must be as boring as it is here", Anton retorts rolling his eyes.

"Let Tartaglia concentrate, he is making the potatoes you were supposed to have made Anthon", Tonia scolds her brother.

All the three of them are in the kitchen, a very organized and ample space with nice warm lighting.

Childe is still distracted even when Anthon stops making dumb questions. His perspective of the future has never been something he thought was important. He will focus always on the present, just these days he was concerned about the outcome of the Winter dance, whether he was putting Lumine in too much danger.
Some sense of guilt catches up to him all if the sudden.

"Have you been eating well Tartaglia?"

"Yes? No, I don't know", Childe hasn't been really listening to all she's been saying.

"Are you alright?"

"Maybe, why are you asking so many questions?", He says with irritation in his tone.

His mind kept trailing off while using the knife to slice the vegetables, the more irritated he became by his worries the more aggressively he chopped the poor greens until he hears a cry of horror from his sister. He gets startled and turns his head to face her. She has a panicked look to her and covers her mouth with both hands, he follows her eyes that were set on his hands. He had slid into his skin accidentally, which he did not notice, and the blood ran down to his arm.

"I am sorry I'll go clean myself", While Childe was used to seeing blood, his sister was not, he panicked over her overreaction and excused himself to the bathroom apologizing under his breath. "I can take care of myself don't worry, continue with the dinner" He reassures his siblings, sounding more like a demand to stay calm.

He busts the door open and gets the faucet on the sink running and stares at the red getting diluted in the water, just now he notices the cut made it deep along his index finger, he pressed in with his right hand and lets out a small "Ouch".

"Childe are you okay", he lifts his head and in the mirror he sees Lumine calling him, she is sitting on the toilet seat putting on a pair of stockings, she is wearing something cozier than what she would normally wear, still in her regular outfit color pallet, a white sweater, and white pleated mini skirt. Her hair was still damp, Childe stares at her cheeks and lips red from the cold, his head tracing her figure. He jerks his head away and makes his way to the door, apologizing for forgetting she was there. "I'm such an idiot, I'm so sorry", his face again was bright red.

A hand stops him from leaving, instead of being embarrassed or shocked she looked concerned for him. Not only did she notice his wound but also his head was elsewhere since they came to Snezhnaya. Instead of prying into his worries, she silently pulled him to sit, he did with his head low, shadows hiding his expression, and she tended his wound with care and bandaged his hand with a first aid kit that was in the restroom.

"Thank you, Lumine", is also he said refusing to move his position.
"Childe, what's bothering you?", she finally spoke after resolving the task she had at hand. She couldn't help asking, this time not merely to satisfy her curiosity. "I am okay", he finally spoke, lifting his face to smile at her. She stood up from where she was kneeling. "You are a terrible liar Tartaglia, but that is something I like about you". Lumine took a deep breath picked up her towel and left silently.

He was left alone in the cold bathroom, scratching his head. Before standing back up he made a promise to himself, an oath to protect her, that he will honor even if it costs his life.

He was called for dinner, and so he stepped up his performance and joked and chatted on the table just like before, with Lumine glancing his way with an unconvinced stare.

He excused himself and left to take his turn in the shower, He came out wearing black pants and a button-up shirt feeling refreshed somehow. He went to Lumine's room and knocked before opening the door.
"Lumine, you should try to sleep a little early, tomorrow I'll take you ice fishing, and there's no better time than the morning."

"Oh sure", She turned around from where she was reading a Travellers guide around Snezhnaya.

"Who knows, perhaps we will find a giant sea monster to behead, I can't wait".

"You are back to normal aren't you".

The boy just flashed a confident smile.

"by the way, that book ain't all that great"

Lumine raised an eyebrow, "you read?"

"Isn't it obvious? You already have the best travel guide around Sneznaya and yet you bother yourself with a book"

"I was planning on exploring and asking around for maybe more insights about celestia and the abyss"

"Ah yes, well, I can't be much help with that I'm afraid, but don't go running around carelessly, Sneznaya doesn't believe in tears as they say"

"I guess, thank you Tartaglia, for everything"

He came forward and sat on the side of the bed.

"The adventurers guild hails from here, and funny enough it is not very welcoming to Adventurers, This place creates soldiers, agents for presence in all seven nations"

"Time is cruel Childe, the longer my search comes without answers, the more useless everything is, People's kindness towards me, all this time, and yet-... Yet I wish I could stay a little while longer with you all like this"

She leans her head on his shoulder and takes his hand to check the bandages.

"Even the sharpest blades need to be maintained every now and then, goes for the both of us I guess.
Do not fret, everything you desire will be soon all yours for the taking, I ought to breath to see that day, so I'll keep fighting too"