Chapter Text

Do Androids Dream of Electric Love?

God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?

“The Joyous Science”, Friedrich Nietzsche

He turned the volume loud. Enjoying the beat, Aether danced around, using gravity boots to his advantage. His blond braided hair floated in the air while he moved his hips to the rhythm.

“Come on, sis! Join me!” He called out to the short-haired female clone of his. Her golden eyes glared at him disdainfully. The girl sipped on cold coffee from a small carton. Due to zero gravity, the package floated in the air.

“No, thank you. I don’t like looking like a fool.” Her voice sounded younger than she looked, sweet and innocent. 

Switching off his gravity boots, he floated over to her. “Hey, are you still sulking about me beating you in Poker?”

“Maybe.”

“Come on. Lumine. I know you love dancing.” Aether grabbed her coffee and emptied it with a loud slurp. Tossing it aside, he took her hand and dragged her out to the open space of the recreation area.

Finally, she accepted his offer. Switching her boots into half-gravity-mode, the two young adult danced closely together, their hands locked. Lumine was the better dancer; her movements well-timed and graceful. It almost looked as if she was performing a complex choreography. Aether, on the other hand, just enjoyed the company, swinging his head right and left and letting her take the lead.

Having fun like this was a rare sight to see for these two clones. Even though they were originally human, they had been bred to be killing machines. Their bodies were so heavily altered that they were more machine than man. Meant to die on the battlefield. But the Great War between androids and humans was over. They no longer served a purpose; they were free. What to do without a goal? Rot away like their fellow combat cyborgs, unable to adjust and adapt to human life? Become the new villains?

No. The clones who had grown close over the years decided to forge their own path together. They took on any odd job they could find, bought and repaired a scrapped spaceship, and flew out to explore. And neither of them regretted their choice. The vast universe was their goal and there was much to see before they would decide to rest. Brother and sister, yes. Tied together both by genetics and their shared history. Eventually, they had learned the intricate ways of human relationships. So much so, in fact, that most people didn’t even notice they were soldier cyborgs at all. Their prosthetics were well-hidden; even quick scans did not reveal anything suspicious. This made it particularly easy to mingle in both worlds; those of humans and those of machines.

The two danced for a while, lost in their little happy space when suddenly their intercom blinked.

“What is it Paimon?” Lumine asked, floating swiftly towards the cockpit.

“Paimon sees an unmapped planet ahead of us,” a young, cheery voice chirped through the speakers.

“What does it look like?”

“Scanning... Hm, it seems very inhabitable, full of lush forests and plenty of water. But there are no traces of human life except a huge dome to the southwest.”

“Why are you giving our central AI a name?” Aether complained.

“You said it yourself. All AI deserve a little love.” She strapped her seatbelt on and switched off the auto-pilot, then waited for him to take a seat as well. “So, what say you, brother? Let’s go check this place out?”

He grinned. “With pleasure!”

With the music still on full blast, they steered towards the green and blue planet that was reminiscent of Earth. However, the dome stood out like a visible scar. If the clones had to guess, it surely spanned several miles in diameter. 

“I wonder what that is for. Paimon. What’s the atmosphere like?” Lumine asked.

“Gas composition perfect for human life. Water is available in abundance.”

“Yet no traces. Perhaps this was once a terraforming project that took too long?” Aether surmised, his gaze fixated upon the large man-made structure.

“Hm, possibly. But it’s quite large for such a structure?”

“True.”

“Perhaps we should be careful. I’ll land Paimon a little further away.”

Lumine pressed down the control wheel, while Aether throttled the spaceship down. Their descent into the atmosphere was smooth; the weather clear and sunny. The only thing unusual was there was nobody there to communicate with them. No angry voice demanding identification. No oversized Gatling guns welcoming them on sight.

Instead, they startled a flock of birds the moment they landed on a soft, grassy plain. 

“Hggn!” Aether stretched the moment he got out of the seat.

“Can’t wait to breathe unfiltered air!”

Lumine flipped a few switches, before she, too, got up with a loud sigh. “Paimon, send out a few drones to refill our resources.”

“Okay! Paimon will also check fauna!”

“Good idea. We’ll head out a bit.”

“Take Paimon with you!” The AI exclaimed with a sad undertone.

“Alright, alright,” Lumine replied. “I’ll download you to my intercom.”

“Yay! Adventure time!”

“Our AI really likes you, huh,” Aether said, slightly jealous. He had invested a lot of time in developing the ship’s AI, π-2.0-MN-YK. But the moment it gained sentience, it somehow attached itself to Lumine. Even though Lumine was the one who had trouble forming bonds with others. She had seen so much suffering that she had steeled her heart, locked it up. Only a few had managed to snatch a key. This didn’t mean, however, that she was unfriendly. On the contrary, she was more easily swayed by justice, ready to give up her life for the greater cause. 

Aether, on the other hand, was the more sociable clone. He didn’t have a hard time making friends and letting go. But things like justice and the greater good — those were hollow phrases to him. He had seen both humans and androids use empty words over and over again, promising a better tomorrow, a better future. Only for the worlds to go up in a sea of flames. What he did have in common with his sister was that as much fun he had, he didn’t let anybody too close to him. Too often had he made the same mistake. Too often had Lumine come to pick up his shambled self. 

The two got on their motorbikes and headed out.

“Paimon, make sure to cartograph the area. Might be useful.”

“Yes, Paimon is scanning!” The voice happily replied to Lumine. 

The dome was clearly visible from their point. As they drove closer, the landscape suddenly changed. The soil was arid and cracked. The only vegetation visible were dead tree stumps. Machine carcasses littered the way right and left.

“What the fuck happened here?” Aether wondered, slowing down.

“Maybe this is a remnant from the war?” Lumine guessed. “It shook the entire galaxy after all.” But the war was a long time over. More than a century had passed. Why would a remnant still be active?

“Yeah. I really wonder if there are still people living inside that thing.”

“Or machines.”

They carefully approached it. Even though there was something like a road leading up to the dome, the street ended at the massive metal wall that reached a staggering height. From here, they could only guess where the top of the dome was. 

The area was completely silent. No bird chirping. No gentle breeze rustling through leaves.

“Let’s check out if there’s an entrance.” Aether began driving around. The clones were on their bikes for nearly an hour, yet they hadn’t even rounded a quarter of it.

“There’s no use, Aether,” Lumine said, halting her motorbike. “We should head back and send out drones to analyze it.”

“I guess you're right.” He stopped as well and got off his bike. “I wonder what material this is. Can you scan this?” He brushed his gloved hand against it.

“Paimon, scan the surface please.” Lumine pushed her bike next to his and walked over to him.

“Okay! Scanning!”

As the AI began scanning, Aether began to feel a weird vibration coming from the dome. “Huh?” Suddenly, sparks sent him flying back.

“Aether!” Lumine ran over to him. “What happened?!”

“The fucking thing decided to electrocute me!” 

When the two looked back at the dome, they noticed it was covered in a bright red shimmer.

“Paimon, what’s going on?”

“Paimon doesn’t know! It suddenly conjured an electric field!”

A menacing presence manifested itself right before them.

“Intruders. Your journey ends here.” The tall, slender android body hovered through the air. Her golden dead eyes looked down at the two.

“What are you?!” Lumine asked, pulling out her gun and pointed it at her. Aether, too, had quickly stood up again. Unlike her, he conjured a sword made of light.

“I am the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.”

"The wha-?!"

Without further explanation, the android summoned large red blocks out of seemingly nowhere, intending to crush them with it. The clones dodged just in time. Both of them sprouted wings from their cybernetic spines, helping them to take to the air as well.

This did not deter the Sustainer at all. She dodged swiftly any attacks the two threw at her, countering with a hail of red blocks that cut like knives whenever they hit. The two were soon covered in bleeding cuts.

Eventually, the battle shifted high above the ground, at the top of the dome, where the air grew thin. Aether was slowly getting out of breath — after all, he wasn’t prepared to fight at such high altitudes. In one inattentive moment, the Sustainer smashed his body against the dome, electrocuting him. He screamed in pain.

“Aether!” But before Lumine could reach him, the Sustainer was already at his side. Her long, alien hand held him in place, frying him even longer until a part of the dome disappeared, and he fell into the depths below.

“No!” Lumine fired more blasts out of her gun. “Give my brother back!” 

The Sustainer turned around to face her. She was not intimidated at all. Dodging Lumine’s attacks with her slender body, she teleported right above Lumine. With a swift kick, she was catapulted towards the dome. Painful electric energy surrounded her. Just as she was losing consciousness, the wall behind her swallowed her inside.

“Wait... don’t go...!” Lumine called out to the android hovering above her. Then her world turned black.

Chapter Text

The sound of rain woke Lumine up. With a loud sigh, she lifted her naked body off the bed and looked out the window. Bright pink and blue neon lights illuminated her silhouette. Moon City only knew two kinds of weather: rain or no rain. The dome shrouded the world in everlasting darkness.

Lumine stumbled into the bathroom to slap cold water in her face. The mirror image looking back at her didn’t look intimidating at all. With her large honey eyes and pale pink lips, she looked like an innocent doll that could not even harm a fly. Her body was small and petite, hiding her cybernetic implants well. While the reason for her cute face eluded her, she knew very well why she was small: It made it easy to infiltrate and destroy targets from within.

Flashbacks to a mission. It was the first time she had met her brother, Aether. And in just that one job they had formed an unbreakable bond that lasted until today.

“Where are you?” She asked her mirror image. 

No answer.

Of course not. It had been years since they had been separated, thrown under the dome by an unknown entity. When Lumine first awoke, she found herself handcuffed to a hospital bed. Soon after, a dark-skinned young man with dark blue hair arrived, introducing himself as Captain Kaeya Alberich of the Police Department in Moon City. His piercing blue gaze was what stuck with her. With his smooth-talking techniques, he tried to elicit information out of her. But since Lumine had no idea what this place was or how much it knew of the outside world, she remained mostly silent, only stating her name and claiming she had amnesia.

Surprisingly, Captain Alberich let her go after such haphazard questioning, even going so far as to assign an Officer to help her adjust to life in Moon City. Officer Amber was a cheerful, bubbly young woman who enjoyed keeping Lumine company — even if she didn’t want it.

In return, Lumine had begun doing odd jobs for the Police and gaining the trust of their Commissioner, Jean Gunnhildr. She had even awarded an Honorary Badge, making it easy for Lumine to move around without being questioned.

Lumine’s PDA started to beep.

“Yes, yes, yes.” She groaned and stumbled out of the bathroom, looking for her communicator. She quickly fumbled it onto her ear. “Yes, Amber?”

“Oh good morning Lumi! I was about to leave you a message! I got some exciting news for you! Drop by the HQ as soon as possible!”

“Okay, will do.”

“Great! See you then!” Beeeeeeeeep. Lumine yanked the device off her ear, hissing. She then glanced at her own communicator lying on the nightstand next to her bed. Lumine hesitated, but then walked over and put it on. 

“Paimon?” She asked upon activating it.

Loud static noise. But in between the deafening sound Lumine had made out a few words. “... mine ... out ... ayph ...” Was it Aether? Was it Paimon?

It didn’t matter. The device obviously was malfunctioning, cut off from the spaceship. The blurred voice was on repeat. She could spend years trying to tune in to it, but it had never once become clearer.

Lumine hurriedly put on her clothes; a black top with a neck holder, and a pair of pale blue jeans. Then she hurried out of the apartment and down the stairs, stuffing both PDA and communicator in her pockets and tying up her boots along the way.

Beneath her abode was a bar called ‘Angel’s Share’, run by a retired wine dealer who was a former cop gone private investigator. Really, you can’t make this shit up, she thought. Noticing the lights were on, she decided to say hi.

“Good morning, Diluc!” She waved to the red-haired man mopping the floor meticulously. No matter what job he did, he always wore a business suit, complete with a necktie and vest.

He paused and looked up. “Morning.” Then he continued as if he had just imagined her standing there.

Diluc was never a man of many words and quite the contrast to Kaeya. Like fire and ice. Yet the two were something akin to being siblings. While Kaeya loved to paint happy pictures of their childhood, Diluc took particular joy in coming up with new ways for him to die. 

Lumine didn’t bother the bar owner any further and swung herself on a motorbike she had painstakingly brought to life by assembling it out of defunct parts. If there was something she loved, it was speeding down the neon-lit streets and finding new alleys to cut corners.

The Police headquarters were right in the city center. Large advertisements illuminated the area that there was no need for street lamps.

“... come and apply for the Vision Lottery!...” a young male voice spoke. “... and maybe you too might be able to taste the wind of freedom. Ehe!” With a childish laugh, the boy jumped across the screen with a pair of angel wings, before disappearing in a sea of feathers.

Vision Lottery. It was one of these mysteries of this domed world. Normal people could apply to get a chance at receiving a cybernetic implant which helped them harness certain elements around them. Only very few were able to do so and it came with great responsibility. And fame. Some rose up to become superstars, others drifted into infamy. Why this existed? Nobody could provide her a conclusive answer.

Lumine stared blankly at the advertisement screen, lost for a while.

“Miss Lumine!”

The voice of one of the guards brought her back into reality.

“Good morning, Athos,” Lumine said to the blond guard with glasses. She had shown her face so often that the guards greeted her as if she was some high-ranking officer. Walking through the glass doors he had opened for her, Lumine entered the building. Nobody batted an eye when she passed the large open space office. She headed straight to Amber’s office, but the officer was not there. Wondering where she could have gone, she continued to search through the offices. But even Captain Alberich’s office was vacant. By now, Lumine was in the belly of this enormous tower. And only one more office left to check.

Muffled groans came from Commissioner Gunnhildr’s office. Are they arguing again, Lumine wondered. Suddenly, the voices grew silent. She carefully approached the door, but before she could reach for the handle, it opened from the other side. Kaeya exited the room with a loud sigh, pushing a piece of gum in his mouth. His hair was ruffled.

“Captain.”

When he heard her, he immediately put up his winsome smile. “Ah, Lumine! I told you to just call me Kaeya!” He patted her on the shoulder.

Unlike the other officers, Kaeya always wore street clothing. Today, he sported a blue jeans jacket with a fur collar. Looking at his leather gloves, Lumine surmised he had come to work on his motorbike. If there was a striking feature she had to describe, then it was definitely that piratey eyepatch. Arrrr.

“How are you today?” He asked in his suave voice.

“Fine... I guess?” She replied, wondering why he was aggressively shoving her away from the Commissioner’s office. “Have you seen... Amber?” 

“Ah, she wanted to get a few donuts before we head out.”

“Care to tell why she was so excited?”

“We finally found an underground facility where androids are being constructed.”

Androids. It took her only several days of living in Moon City to discover that the typical population feared androids. Clearly, they are still stuck in the Great War, Lumine thought. 

Interestingly, all androids she ever stumbled upon, looked like unfinished products. No human-like skin, choppy movements. Their red eyes scanned their vicinity, hunting for anything remotely breathing. 

According to Kaeya and Amber, the androids originated from the Off-Grid, a once blossoming suburb that was destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion. Nobody survived, except the machines. And because their power source was cut off, they began erecting factories in the other suburbs, producing their Battle Androids to terrorize humans.

One of the main tasks of Moon Police was to find these factories and destroy them. For every facility they found and destroyed, another one arose in the depths below; a never-ending cycle. 

Lumine wondered if perhaps an AI was behind this. Surely there would be a way to bargain, she thought. If Aether was around, he’d head straight into the Off-Grid. While Lumine took a particular interest in humans, Aether had an affinity for androids. Where the fuck are you? If Lumine had been alone, she would have straight-up headed to that place. However, Kaeya always kept a watchful eye on her. Too watchful. What was his agenda? 

She looked at the young man who tried to entangle her in small-talk. He looked and behaved like a human. Even the touch of his skin felt real, just like hers. Yet he could not deceive her professional gaze. The weird glint in his eyes. The unnatural strength. Lumine was very heavy for her petite figure, thanks to all the added wiring and metal configurations within her. Yet on several occasions, he had easily lifted her up without breaking into a sweat. 

“I’m back, y’all!” Amber’s cheery voice could be heard from afar. She happily donated boxes of donuts to her starving colleagues until she was only left with one, handing it over to Lumine. “Breakfast?”

“How about coffee first?” Lumine muttered, accepting the gift anyway.

“One coffee, strong and black, just how you like it,” Amber revealed a large travel mug sporting the Moon Police logo in her other hand. “Here you go!” 

Thirsty for its bitter taste, Lumine nearly yanked the mug out of Amber’s hands, chugging down the hot brew as if it was soda.

Kaeya chuckled. “My, your caffeine addiction is really something.”

“At least it’s not stim.”

He grimaced, knowing full well why she had said that.

After he watched her gobble up her breakfast on the spot, he said, “well, let’s go then?” Lumine nodded, emptying the mug and dutifully placing it in the breakroom’s dishwasher on the way out. At the entrance, Lumine picked up the standard Police laser gun for borrowing. Of course, she could rely on her own trusty blaster, but it was specifically built for androids. Not a good idea to show off such a weapon in a place that distrusted walking machines.

Once outside, Kaeya motioned for the two to wait as he fetched a police car for their trip. When he returned, he was no longer alone. Behind him sat Diluc, his face frowning as always.

“What’s gotten you into joining?” Lumine asked as she got in the backseat. 

“Nothing in particular.”

Bullshit, there’s something that piqued your interest.

Kaeya sighed as he accelerated the car, moving swiftly across the neon-lit streets. With the red-head around, the atmosphere was strained. Nobody dared to say anything. How Lumine wished that Amber would just randomly start to break out in song like she always did.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at a desolated part of the town. A few ruins indicated that this place once was inhabited. The wire mesh fence once used to mark the border of the property, but there was nothing left save a few bricks.

Kaeya summoned an ice shard in his hand. Ah, yes, he had won the Vision lottery, Lumine recalled. She watched him cut through the metal as if he held a diamond in his hand. When he was satisfied with the size of the hole, he bent the wire back, permitting everybody to crawl through and enter the accursed ruins.

Lumine immediately felt as if she had slipped into another world. Everything had gone silent. No street noises, no voices. Instead, it felt as if a thousand menacing eyes were watching their every move. Kaeya moved onwards, nodding towards a gaping hole in the ground. Standing at the edge, she could see assorted metal constructions fading into obscurity.

Without hesitating, Lumine jumped in.

“Lumine!” Amber exclaimed with a surprised gasp, but Lumine was already at the bottom. A quick scan revealed the place to be safe for now.

“You guys can come down, it seems safe!” She called out. Moments later, a metal ladder unfolded with Kaeya coming down first.

“Really, there’s no need to jump into action like this,” he said with a sigh.

Lumine shrugged with a sweet smile that sent his heart flying. Trying to cover his embarrassment, he looked away and coughed.

“Move over.” Diluc hung impatiently on the ladder, waiting for his brother to step aside. Amber soon followed. 

The group stared into a seemingly endless narrow corridor, with machine parts used as walls. The floor they stood on consisted of rusty metal grids that were haphazardly sweltered together. A faint blue light shimmered from below.

“Alright, time to find the core and deactivate its supply. Also, enjoy destroying any Battle Androids you come across,” Kaeya said. Diluc took out an injector from the inside of his vest, jabbing it through the cloth into his underarm. His eyes immediately lit up with a threatening red glow. That stim addict, Lumine thought. Whenever he was involved with their work, he had always used the drug to enhance himself. Judging by the scars she had seen on his underarm, he had been using stims for a long time.

Diluc noticed her staring at him again. He looked away. “Don’t give me that look.”

“Why shouldn’t I? I’ve seen enough people die from overstimming.”

“Not going to happen.”

“That’s what they all said.”

He sighed and pushed past here, following Kaeya and Amber’s lead. 

The group carefully marched on. The facility was eerily quiet. In the distance, they could hear faint hissing noises and a rhythmic clanging, almost like a slow heart beat.

“Brrrr... this place is creepy,” Amber quietly said, as she ducked some overhead cables, trying to keep up with Kaeya who seemingly knew where to go. After what seemed like endless corridors, they reached an open space. Bridges ran from one side to another at different heights. The rhythmic clanging sounded closer.

“I don’t like this,” Diluc said, taking out his gun. Fire pulsated around the barrel. It reminded Lumine, that he, as well as Amber, were Vision holders too. Kaeya motioned for them to follow him across a bridge into the next tunnel. They quickly and quietly did so. 

The claustrophobic maze continued for a while when suddenly the rhythmic clanging stopped. Kaeya halted the group, drawing out his gun.

His intuition proved him right. From around the corner, a Battle Android walked into their view, its red eyes illuminating the dim corridor. Before it could shoot, Kaeya fired his gun, destroying its head in the process. The robot dropped to the ground, the lights in its eyes faded out.

But it was not alone. Several more followed, each with their own menacing aura. Soon they had androids closing in on both sides. The group was busy shooting at everything that moved, hiding behind the piling corpses of their enemies.

“We’re not getting anywhere!” Amber cried out fearfully. Lumine looked down. She could spot another tunnel through the tiny gaps.

“There might be a way. Diluc, I will need your help. Captain Albrich, Amber, keep shooting.”

“I... told... you... to call me Kaeya!” He complained in between shooting.

“... Kaeya...” Lumine hesitantly said.

“Better.”

“Okay, we’re in a hurry now, enough with pleasantries. What do you want me to do,” Diluc interrupted in an annoyed voice.

“Melt us a hole,” Lumine pointed down. “I’ll draw their attention away, so you guys can safely jump through.”

“How are you going to draw their attention away in this narrow space?”

Lumine smiled. It was that ever so sweet smile that even Amber felt her heart skip a beat. 

“Just watch.” With those words, Lumine headed out of the cover, pressing her body against the wall of the other side. With her out in the open, the Battle Androids began focusing on her. Only she miraculously dodged every shot fired at her. Or was it truly a miracle? Diluc could not help but stare at her in awe while he melted the metal below him. It was as if she could see several shots coming straight at her at the same time. And, in turn, it seemed, as if she could accurately shoot down the droids with ease, even though she was under such heavy fire.

Finally, he felt the metal give way. He aggressively kicked it down, revealing a path for them to escape. “Amber! Kaeya!”

The two slowly moved towards the hole, jumping into it. Diluc supported Lumine with shooting as the robots drew closer.

“Jump in already!” Lumine complained.

After much hesitation, he complied.

Of course, Lumine did not follow. If she did, they would all follow them. Concentrating her energy around her body, she blasted a hole behind her. The impact immediately covered the hole with the dead android bodies. 

“Lumine!” She heard Kaeya screaming in terror.

“Don’t worry! I’m still alive! I’ll catch up to you guys! Go ahead! Hurry!”

After a moment of silence, she heard their feet scurry away into the distance. Relived, Lumine let herself fall back into the hole and down into an unknown void, under the watchful gaze of dozens of Battle Androids.

Lumine safely landed on the bottom of the facility, thanks to her wings. Even here down in the depths there seemed to be a mysterious light coming from everywhere, illuminating the area. The place was peacefully silent; only the hissing noise of steam was audible. Scanning the area revealed there were no hostile machines.

“Okay, core room. Let’s see where that could be.” With the help of her PDA, she quickly sketched out typical layouts and decided to go with one particular setting. The way the tunnels had been constructed indicated that it was actually once used to construct civilian androids. Satisfied with her findings, Lumine moved on.

Just like she had surmised, she was in the area that once was frequented by humans. She walked past a breakroom. A room with broken beds. Malfunctioning toilets. Some development offices.

“...hahahaha!...”

An unfamiliar voice. Lumine pressed her body against the wall next to an open door.

“... you won’t believe what I found, Tonya!” The man happily chirped. Silence. “Yes! And she looks so precious! I bet you all will love her!”

Was he talking over a communicator? Lumine wondered if she could sneak a peek.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I need to cut our conversation short. There seems to be a little mouse eavesdropping.”

Right at that moment, a powerful laser blasted through the thin metal wall where Lumine stood. She had just dodged in the last second, rolling to safety and pulling out her gun. When she got up and pointed it at the stranger, she stared right into the barrel of his gun.

“Oh?” The young man had a handsome face. His ginger hair was unkempt, his outfit was rather flashy; fur trimmings around his leather jacket, tight red top, and black pants, accentuating every muscle of his body. On his long red scarf, he carried an oddly fashioned brooch. What stood out the most, however, was his deep blue eyes. Lumine had never seen such an intriguing color before. It was like peering into the depths of the ocean and it cost her all her attention to not get lost in it. “It’s not a mouse but a little kitty it seems?” The man scrutinized her from top to bottom.

“Who are you?” Lumine kept her weapon aimed at him.

“Why don’t we draw back our weapons and introduce ourselves first?”

“... you first.”

He had an irritatingly charming smile as he withdrew his gun, tucking it into a holster hidden beneath his jacket. Lumine copied him, securing it against her belt.

“So?” She asked, watching his every move.

There was something of a surprise in his eyes.  But he eventually replied, “Childe.”

“What kind of weird name is that?”

“Well, if you don’t like it, you could also call me ‘Tartaglia’.”

“That sounds even worse. Tortellini?”

Childe burst out laughing. “Now this is new.”

“What?”

“So... tell me your name?” He managed to ask between his chuckles.

“Lumine.”

“New Moon Police recruit?” He pointed at the badge she had clipped on her belt.

“Just helping out.” Her eyes narrowed. Was this somebody she should know? 

“Interesting.” He moved back and forth as if he was trying to figure out how to solve a Lumine puzzle.

Suddenly, a young girl cried from the room he had come from.

“Oh! She’s activated!” Childe happily exclaimed, rushing back in. Lumine hesitantly followed him. 

The room was rather small and cramped. Only a set of small screens illuminated it. In an open test tube and attached to many cables sat a child android, crying. Her shoulder-long blond hair was smudged with dirt and her clothes so in tatters that she might as well not have anything at all. She must have laid there for very long. Made to order and never picked up. Lumine’s maternal instincts kicked in and she pushed Childe aside to comfort the android. She hugged it until it finally stopped crying.

“Mommy?” The girl asked.

“I’m sorry, I-”

“That’s right, she’s your mommy,” Childe said with a mischievous grin on his face.

“What?!” Lumine stared daggers at him.

He shrugged. “She’s a child android, it’s in her AI to ask who she can imprint as mother and father.”

“Oh, so you’d be willing to let her call you ‘daddy’, huh?” Lumine teased.

As if the girl was waiting for the cue, she called out to Childe, “daddy!”

Childe grimaced. “Well, that was nicely done, you just imprinted me as her father.”

“Serves you right if you imprint me as her mother. You could have waited to let her call your wife so.”

“Wife?”

“Why else would you be wanting to activate an antique android?”

Lumine could literally feel the question marks duplicate exponentially above his head. “Because no child should be left to rot in some abandoned factory, android or not?”

“Ho? I thought all of you guys abhor androids.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Shouldn’t that count for you too, girlie?” Pondering, he continued, “I guess you’re not from Moon City?”

“I-I’ve been around,” she lied. He knew she lied. And she knew he knew. Thankfully, he did not press on.

“Mommy?” The girl’s little fingers wrapped around Lumine’s arm. She looked so precious, it broke her heart to see her in such a sorry state.

“Please don’t call me mommy,” Lumine said, her voice soft, almost angelic. “Call me Lumine, okay?”

“Lu-mine.” 

“Yes, that’s right! Good girl! Now it’s time to give you a name... hm...” She began looking around for ideas. Even Childe helped by returning to the flashing screens.

“It says here she was designated as ‘Klee’, an antique word for ‘Clover’ if I recall correctly.”

“Now that’s a nice name!” Lumine said turning back to the little girl. “You are a very lucky girl, hence your name will be Klee!”

“Klee!” She repeated, happily.

Lumine then looked back at Childe. For a moment he could feel an otherworldly gaze pierce right through him. There was something powerful hidden beneath those soft honey eyes, and it irked him. He wanted to find out more about this mysterious girl.

“Strip.” She suddenly said.

“What?”

“Take off your shirt.”

“I’m sorry girlie, I doubt this is the right place for-”

“I can see you are ripped beneath that shirt and I don’t care. But Klee needs something to wear so just fucking give it to her.” And with a sarcastic tone, she added, “daddy.”

Childe rolled his eyes but actually proceeded to take off his shirt. Lumine quickly discovered his body was covered in many surgery scars. Scars that were particular to cyborgs.

“Like what you see?” He teased when he noticed her staring at him. Lumine turned her head away, hiding her blushing cheeks.

“I... I’m surprised to see a... cyborg.”

“Ho, you have quite the knowledge, girlie.” He walked over to the child and unplugged all the cables that were still attached to her. He then tore off Klee’s rags and helped her into his shirt. It was obviously too large but served its purpose, covering her body properly.

“Thank you, daddy!” She happily exclaimed.

“Now listen here,” Childe exasperatedly said. “Don’t call me daddy...”

“What should Klee call you then?”

Childe hesitated, but then said, “Call me Ajax.”

“Ajax!”

He held his index finger to his lips. “Psst! But only when it’s us, okay? It’s a little secret.” He winked.

Klee giggled and nodded her head in agreement. “Secret! Klee can keep secrets!”

“Good girl!” He hugged her overenthusiastically. Lumine had no idea what to make of him. In one moment he had a dangerous aura, the next he seemed to be friendly. Was he a friend? A foe? She could not tell and it made her feel on edge.

Suddenly, the familiar mechanic sound of Battle Androids walking echoed, coming closer at a fast pace. In the entrance stood two metal robots with menacing red eyes. They aimed their weapons at the newly founded family but were shot down in the head. Both Lumine and Ajax had drawn their weapons almost simultaneously.

“I think it’s better we leave this place now,” Lumine said, shooting down a third robot.

“Couldn’t agree more.” Another one shot. The pair climbed over the dead bodies, executing every oncoming android with superhuman precision, all the while Klee was safely held in Childe’s arm. At least he is a reliable shooter, Lumine thought.

She scanned the research corridors for possible exits while avoiding any oncoming androids. “This way!” She said, making a sharp turn to the right and onto a narrow bridge. The area below was shrouded in steam and darkness, but they all felt the looming presence of unfinished, but aware androids watching every step they did. In the distance, more metal steps echoed through the factory.

Where are the others? Lumine feared for their safety. This was not good. Wasn’t this supposed to be an easy job? Now she was stuck with a dubious stranger and a child android that had memorized her and this person as her parents. Aether would have probably laughed out loud at the thought of her being a mother. It was something that she had actually wanted to try out at some point throughout their journey. But her clone had rightfully pointed out that their life had no place for children.

“Hm, this place is familiar,” Childe suddenly said as he looked around, interrupting Lumine’s thoughts. “I think we’re close to the core. And the core usually has an emergency exit to outside.”

“Then you lead the way.” She let him pass. 

He seemed just as nimble as she was in navigating through the dark. Lumine could not help but wonder how much of him had been replaced. He did not look like a professionally trained cyborg, like her. There were still too many subtle movements that gave away his human side. Judging by the scars he had, he hadn’t grown up to be a cyborg either. Was he perhaps involved in an accident? Or had he willingly undergone the painful procedures? In any case, he was the first cyborg she had met in this world.

Finally, they reached a wide bridge leading up to what looked like the core room. The pale blue light was glowing from the room, but Lumine could not see beyond. This was what supplied the entire factory with energy and their original goal. Switching her scanner on, she recognized familiar figures behind the wall.

“Kaeya! Amber! Diluc!” She called out. The figures seemed to have heard her. Kaeya and Diluc ran towards the entrance. 

“Lumine!” They both called out in relief. However, upon recognizing Childe, the two simultaneously tilted. Ice crystals formed around Kaeya. Diluc immediately pointed his gun at Childe, his eyes glowing aggressively. “Finally, I found-” 

However, he could not finish his sentence. An oversized Battle Android crashed through the ceiling. He was so large and heavy that upon landing on the bridge, the brittle metal snapped, sending Lumine and Childe with Klee tumbling down.

“Lumine!” Kaeya called out in shock.

“Ugh!” Using all her strength in her artificial arms, Lumine tried to stem the metal and concrete debris above them, creating a little pocket. Childe had crouched over Klee, shielding the little girl from the small bits and pieces falling off.

“Can’t let ‘mommy’ steal the show, can we?” He said to Klee with a warm smile before reaching into his pocket. Lumine watched in surprise as he jabbed an injector into his underarm. Another stimmer. Childe’s blue eyes took on an eerie shimmer, something she had never seen before on humans. Was it because he was a cyborg and not just cybernetically enhanced?

Once he was done, he tossed the injector aside and helped Lumine stem the heavy load. Together, they finally freed themselves from the rubble. Their accomplishment was short-lived, however. In that precise moment, the Battle Android that had caused all of this had sprung back to life. Electric sparks flew from its joints, making it even more intimidating than it already was. With a loud hydraulic wheeze, it slowly stood up, towering over the three. Klee was too frightened to say anything, hugging Lumine’s leg tightly.

Seeing one like this was nothing new to Lumine. During the War, she and Aether had fought countless androids that were much larger than these. Singlehandedly. But back then neither of them had to hold back their capabilities.

“Okay, Klee, I want you to be very brave now,” Childe said when he bowed down to look her in the eye. “You stay put while we take care of that scary thing, okay?”

“O-okay.” She unwillingly let go.

“Alright, girlie. You better not disappoint me.” He cracked his knuckles.

“Are you not going to use a gun?” Lumine asked in disbelief.

“I’ll be relying on your precision shots, while I go pound on some metal.” He winked. 

In the next moment, he was gone; as if he had teleported to the Battle Android. She watched how he hit the robot with seemingly bare hands, denting it. Electric sparks flew. Was he a Vision holder, too? Or was it the result of the damage he caused? 

Not wanting to let him down, Lumine began taking out its eyes. However, the Police-issued gun could only do so much damage. Frustrated, she tucked it back into her holster.

“What are you doing?” Childe screamed up ahead.

“Just shut up and keep on punching.” Lumine concentrated, summoning her very own blaster. It had been a while since she last held this weapon in her hand. Feeling confident, she dashed towards the giant. In one elegant move, she dropped to the ground and skidded between its legs while the giant tried to pulverize Lumine with laser shots. Once she was behind, she used her wings to jump high enough and point her gun at the back of its head.

“Time to fry, big one.” 

Bam.

She knew exactly where to aim to take it out in one beam of light. The head buzzed, parts began falling off before the android’s body slumped to the ground.

“Nice show.” Childe clapped, impressed. He, too, began wondering about who she was. Whenever he tried to scan her, the results always came out inconclusive, as if she was an unknown alien. With this little demonstration, he understood that she was definitely not human. He had needed the stim to perform a similar feat, yet she did not show any signs of stimming at all. Was she an android? How did she gain the Police’s trust then? Or was she keeping it a secret? He was very intrigued. I will find out all your little secrets, girlie.

Lumine returned to his side.

“Lumine was really awesome!” Klee chirped, excitedly running up to them.

“Ah, you better keep it a secret too, what you just saw,” Lumine said to her, trying to copy Childe’s wink.

“Yay! More secrets! Klee loves secrets!”

“Such a cheerful girl!” Childe patted her on the head.

“What now, Mr. Enemy?” Lumine dissipated the gun she had just used into thin air.

“Oh, finally figured out?” Childe’s eyes narrowed.

“Well, judging by both Kaeya’s and Diluc’s expression, you don’t seem to be on their party list.”

He laughed. “Well, those two particularly hate me, but I guess it’s time to cut clean. After all, I don’t indulge in fancy intrigues like my colleagues.”

“...”

“Trust me on this.”

“Well?”

“I’m a Harbinger and work for the Fatui. Snezhnayan Syndicate, so to speak.” He saw that it still didn’t ring a bell. A suspicion slowly rose. “Anyway, this means, I’m pretty much the bad guy wherever you go, so it’s best you don’t associate yourself too much with me, unless you enjoy murder and mayhem.”

Lumine tilted her head. Damn, why are you looking this cute, girlie? “If you’re a bad guy, why be helpful in the first place?”

He laughed out loud again. “You’re really funny, girlie! What do you expect? I’m not some psychopathic monster, hahahaha! A job is a job, you know? It pays well. Maybe you should join us after all,” he winked. Why did she find him so charming?

“Lumine!” Kaeya’s echoing voice was nearby.

“Ah, seems like one Prince is eager to rescue his little kitten,” Childe said, looking up to where the shouting came from. “I guess this is where I bid you adieu for now.” He suddenly stood right in front of her. Too close. “If you ever feel like playing around, feel free to come to the Golden House,” he whispered in her ear, sending pleasant goosebumps throughout her body. 

Suddenly, a shot grazed his cheek. He hissed and jumped back, wiping the blood off his face with the back of his hand.

“Get away from her, Tartaglia.” It was the first time Lumine saw Kaeya’s face distort in anger. He pushed himself before Lumine. Both he and Childe were of similar height.

“Hm, why so angry? Have you not fucked her yet?” Childe taunted, moving so close to him that Kaeya could feel his breath on his face. He grabbed him by the collar.

“You better carry your sorry Harbinger ass out of my town,” he angrily hissed. “And I will repeat this one last time: DON’T.TOUCH.HER.”

“You know that’s really only an invitation for me,” Childe grinned. “You better lock her up, Captain Alberich.” His gloved hands traced the contour of Kaeya’s face. “Hm, or maybe I should fuck you instead?”

Kaeya summoned an ice shard and jabbed it into Childe’s thigh. The Harbinger howled in pain, but laughed at the same time, pushing him away.

“Really, so sensitive, Captain.” In a sudden switch, Childe changed his focus back to Lumine, his face friendly and soft. “Take care of precious little Klee for me, for now, comrade!” He winked and strolled away, as if the ice shard in his leg was mere decoration.

“Lumine!” Kaeya exhaled deeply once his silhouette disappeared. “Thank the Archons, you’re alright.” 

“I told you so earlier.” Lumine looked up from where he came from. “Where’s Diluc? Wasn’t he with you?”

“The stim... wore off. He’s not good with handling that.”

Lumine sighed. “Of course not,” she muttered to herself.

“Lumiiine, who is this scary man?” Klee came forward, hugging her leg again. “Why did he threaten daddy?”

Lumine sighed.

“Is that... a child android?” Kaeya looked at the girl, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes, and if you even singe a single strand of hair, I will turn your life to living hell,” she replied with a serious expression on her face.

Kaeya chuckled. “It’s fine by me, though this is going to be amusing, explaining this to the Commissioner.”

“Could be that this facility was once used to produce them, which explains why it’s completely underground.”

Kaeya’s gaze wandered around as if he was lost in a memory.

“Perhaps. Anyway, we should be heading back now.” Kaeya pointed with his thumb behind him. “I bet Amber has already successfully shut the thing down and planted a bomb to destroy it. After that, we’ll send a team in to seal this place.”

Picking up Klee, Lumine nodded. She followed him along a trail of dead battle androids back up to the core room. Amber had been anxiously waiting for their return, tears running down her cheeks. Diluc sat next to her, the red glow gone from his eyes. His breathing was shallow.

“By the Archons, there you are!!” Amber hugged Lumine. Only then she noticed Klee in her arms. “What- what’s this?”

“An android.” Kaeya factually said.

“Android?! But she looks like any type of kid!”

“Klee is Klee!” The girl grumpily chirped. “And Klee has a mommy and daddy!”

Lumine sighed again. “When I get my hands on that rascal...”

Kaeya laughed. “What, she activated the moment you two were around?”

“It’s not funny! I don’t know what to do with her!”

Kaeya shrugged. “Not much... once she memorized your faces, you’d have to pretty much destroy or wipe out her mind. So your best bet is to try and raise her.”

“Klee does not want to be destroyed!” She buried her head in Lumine’s neck.

“Really great.”

“Wow, she acts like a real child! I have never seen such an android before!”

“Well, they’re illegal,” Diluc wearily interjected, pointing to a ladder next to him. “But we really should continue this conversation outside.”

Once outside, Lumine instinctively scanned the area to see whether that guy was around.

“Looking for him?” Kaeya asked while Diluc explained android AI to Amber further ahead.

“Ah, no, not really...” she replied, slightly embarrassed.

“I don’t know what sly words he used, but it’s best to steer clear from him. From all the Syndicate leaders, he’s the most dangerous. Smiles in one moment then slaughters people in the next.”

“Well, he did say something like that.”

“Oh? If even he warns you, all the more reason to heed his advice.”

They finally arrived at the car. “Guess it’s time to head back and talk to the Commissioner about our findings.”

Just as Lumine finished putting on her seatbelt, she noticed there was something in the pocket of her pants. Curious, she took it out. It was a business card. The edges were embossed with gold. There was nothing else printed on it except a golden Chinese-themed house. “W-what is this?”

Diluc who sat next to her and Klee took a glance. His face darkened. “That bastard... invited you.”

“Huh?”

“What what what what? What is going on?” Amber turned around, but all she could see was a blank card with a golden border.

“Is it his business card?” Kaeya asked, looking in the back mirror.

“Yes. It’s the Golden House.”

Chapter Text

“Haaa...” Lumine sighed, staring at the lemon drop martini Diluc had just placed before her on the counter. The neon blue light beneath the countertop dyed the cocktail in a pale green hue. In the background, the music continued to play quietly even though Angel’s Share was empty. After all, it was past closing hours. Knowing the barkeeper granted her the incredible privilege of getting drinks at the weirdest hours, sometimes even for free. 

“Not even a day is over, and you’re missing the little girl already?” Diluc looked at her, his poker face revealing slight amusement.

“Not like you’d understand,” Lumine sulkily responded. It was the weekend, and part of the agreement for keeping Klee was that the android girl spent two days with the Commissioner. While she had officially claimed it was to test her behavior, everybody knew the woman was eager to play out the mother’s role. With Kaeya at her side, they did look like a happy family, much to the jealousy of Lumine. It had been her dream, after all. One that I will never be able to realize. The only comfort Lumine had was knowing that at the end of it all, Klee would always run back to her, calling her ‘mommy’.

“Well, you’ve been complaining a lot about not getting any rest at all, so-” Her glare made him stop mid-sentence. Sighing, he added, “just don’t drink until you fall from the barstool.”

“Fancy hearing such a tip from a stimmer.”

“Hey!”

Lumine giggled as she chugged the cocktail in one big gulp, slamming the empty glass right before Diluc and requesting another one. He knew she had a high tolerance, but this was her 6th martini in a row, and he began to grow worried.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Lumine’s communicator that she had placed on the counter began to blink brightly, nearly blinding both her and Diluc. Hastily, Lumine placed it on, expecting something had happened to Klee.

However, the number was unknown. With an agitated voice, she asked, “pretty ballsy to call at this time of the hour... who is this?”

“Hoho, good evening, girlie. It’s been a while.” Whimpering noises in the background.

“How did you get my number?!”

Blaster shots. Two thuds. “I have my ways.”

Unfazed by what was going on in the background, Lumine said, “that constitutes being a creep, you know?”

“Hahaha. Well, I’m a bad guy, so I guess it’s perfectly acceptable?” 

Lumine scrambled off her stool and hurried to the door, opening it quickly to search the area. The streets were empty. Even the bright neon advertisements were switched off.

“Don’t expect me to come and kidnap you, princess,” he said, breathing noticeably. It sounded as if he was dragging something. “I’m a busy man after all.”

“Where the fuck are you?” She began scanning the area, but there was not a soul to be found. Mumbling sounds over the communicator. He then continued talking to her.

“Definitely not in Moon City. Anyway, I was wondering whether you’ll be dropping by the Golden House anytime soon? We haven’t seen each other in a while.”

Suddenly, Diluc yanked Lumine’s communicator out of her ear. “Is this you, Fatui rat?” he angrily hissed, concluding from the way she talked that it had to be Childe. “Leave her alone!”

“Hoo, am I disturbing some exclusive time between you two?”

Diluc was about to reply, but Lumine quickly reclaimed her device.

“No, and no, I wasn’t planning on dropping by any time soon,” she said. Laughing. Why was he enjoying this so much? 

“Well, then how about a change of plans then? Surely you could drop by this evening? Maybe wear something fancy?”

“Are you inviting me on a date?”

“Maybe.” She could hear him grinning. And she wanted nothing more than to punch that grin out of his face. Realizing he hadn’t convinced her fully yet, he added, “oh, by the way, I’ve heard you’ve been asking a lot about the Off-Grid? I could provide you with some useful information.”

“Fuck you.” This man knew how to bait her.

More laughing. Another shot fired. Another thud. “Well, see you tonight then, girlie! Looking forward!” Beeeeeep.

“Lumine, I hope you’re not seriously considering going to see that man,” Diluc was seriously worried. 

Lumine simply rolled her eyes. Hey, I’m not the one who has personal issues with the Syndicate. “It certainly won’t hurt to hear what he has to say.”

“He’s only going to use you to further his own goals.”

“Which are? You are really very knowledgeable, Diluc,” Lumine narrowed her eyes. 

Avoiding her glare, he replied, “I’m coming with you.”

“Be my guest, as long as you don’t set things on fire,” she shrugged.

There was a sudden loud clattering noise coming from the kitchen.

Alarmed, Lumine and Diluc looked at the revolving door. Her muscles were tense, ready to jump into action.

“Wait here. I’ll go look.” Moving away from the main door, he quietly walked over, clenching his fists. Giving her one last nod, he disappeared into the kitchen.

The next thing she heard was more clattering and a thud. Then silence. 

Lumine waited for a bit. “Diluc?” She eventually asked. This was not good. Had Childe perhaps lied? She closed the door behind her and tip-toed to the counter, from where she armed herself with an empty wine bottle. 

Worried, Lumine called out to him again. “Diluc? Is everything okay?” 

Still no answer.

By now, she was standing right before the revolving door. From beyond, she could hear heavy breathing. Finally, she pushed it open, ready to strike.

“Ah.” Lumine stared blankly at the scenery unfolding on the kitchen floor. Diluc was lying on his stomach, pants down. A very eager Kaeya was massaging his cock between Diluc’s butt cheeks with one hand while the other was fondling him between the legs. Lumine could not determine whether Diluc was enjoying it or not, as he had buried his face entirely in his arms, breathing hard.

Upon hearing the door, he looked up, his face red with embarrassment.

“Uh... I guess I shouldn’t disturb you two?” Lumine asked. Surely, if they had planned on meeting at some point, he would have ushered her out of the bar, right? If this was an assault, wouldn’t he be calling out for help, knowing she was here as well? Weren’t they like brothers? What the fuck was going on?

She slowly walked backward.

“Wait! Ugh...” Diluc stammered. Kaeya, on the other hand, seemed to be utterly oblivious to her presence, moaning and gasping in pleasure.

“D-do you want me to pluck him from you...?” Lumine stopped at the door. It was not like she had never walked in on people having sex before. There had been plenty of occasions where she had to rescue Aether from a precarious situation. Yet, this scene felt as if she had intruded on something incredibly private, making her cheeks flush.

“I... need the tranquilizer... haa... Kaeya, stop already...” He tried very hard to suppress any pleasure he felt by banging his fist against the floor and clenching his teeth. “Please... Lumine!” 

“Huh, why not let me pull him away?”

“He... he’ll just jump on you, instead...” This time, Diluc no longer could hold back; a long moan escaped his lips.

A suspicion formed in the back of Lumine’s mind. She had heard of this before. Sex droids need to orgasm regularly, or they fell into a rut. But this idea came with a myriad of problems. Hadn’t the two said they had grown up together? How was a sex droid capable of growing? How did he end up working for the police? How did nobody know he was an android in the first place?!

“Lumine...” Diluc implored, his voice breaking. 

“Uh... okay, where do you keep it?”

“Mid... haa... drawer... counter... haa...” he stuttered in between gasps. 

Lumine hurried back into the bar. Unfortunately, many drawers were behind the counter, forcing her to go through them until she found one with a key stuck into it. When she opened it, she found many dark brown stim injectors. In a transparent plastic bag next to them, however, lay a stack of white injectors. She took one out and opened the lid. The barrel contained a viscous metallic liquid. Nanomachines. If admitted to robots, it would temporarily short-circuit the central AI’s connection, inducing a forced shutdown, similar to sleep. If humans or cyborgs received it, the results would be lethal.

Rushing back to the kitchen, Lumine jabbed the injector into Kaeya's neck and quickly pressed down the plunger.

“W-wait, no...” Diluc gasped, but it was already too late. Kaeya’s body collapsed, burying him beneath. Lumine plucked the unconscious android off his body. Diluc rolled to the side, revealing he had become a sticky mess. 

“Uh...” Embarrassed, Lumine turned around, accidentally dropping Kaeya on the floor.

“I... apologize,” he replied, equally embarrassed, as he tried to stuff his cock back into his pants. For a moment, neither said anything nor moved.

“I’m sorry to impose on you, but may I use your bathroom?” Diluc quietly said.

“Well, it’s your apartment, so I can’t really say ‘no’,” Lumine replied without turning around.

“Still... thank you. Also, if you want to stop him effectively, you need to wait until he... orgasmed.” She heard him get on his feet and pick up Kaeya. When she turned to look at him, she noticed that he had draped him over his shoulder like a piece of cloth.

“Are you really going to drag Kaeya with you to my apartment?” Lumine looked at him in disbelief.

“I know we’re not the best of friends, but this doesn’t mean I’ll let him lie helplessly on the floor.”

“Uh, I’m not sure I want to have a sex droid in a rut in my apartment.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep watch. Feel free to grab another injector for your safety.”

“Eh, seems like you’re the expert.”

Evil glare. It seemed this was an exceptionally touchy subject to him.

“I hope you understand that what you just... learned will be kept a secret.”

“O...kay.” Holding back any questions, Lumine led him upstairs to her place. Diluc carelessly threw the unconscious Kaeya, pants still down, on her couch, before hurrying to the bathroom.

She used the chance to dress the sex droid back up, or at least try. His pants proved to be so tight that Lumine began to wonder how he managed to wear them in the first place. She was still struggling when Diluc exited the bathroom. He had an amused look on his face as he saw her mounted on top of Kaeya and trying to figure out how to close the buttons.

“That’s a task best left to him. I really have no idea who came up with programming that kind of preference.”

Finally giving up, Lumine retorted, “if he really did grow up with you, such preferences are acquired over time.” She looked up at him. “How long do you know that he is an android?”

“Pretty much right from the start.”

“Huh? Then why do you hate them so much?”

“There are androids. And then there is Kaeya. Or Klee.”

Oh, so you do distinguish, after all?

“Does everybody know?”

Diluc shook his head.

“But what about the Commissioner? I mean, aren’t they... intimate?” Or was he the one Kaeya was intimate with?

“Jean? I don’t know. She has never dropped a hint towards me. However, she is very tight-lipped in general. They were a couple in the past, but recently, they seem to be nothing more than friends.”

“Doesn’t seem like it’s with benefits if he falls into a rut.”

“Could... you kindly get off me?” Kaeya’s voice alerted the two. Realizing her compromising position, she quickly jumped off, grabbing the second injector she had taken with her in anticipation.

Kaeya raised his hand in defense. “I- I’m back to normal.”

“Are you sure?” Diluc walked over to him, his eyebrow raised.

“It feels like it? Did something... happen while I... was not myself?”

Diluc hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “N-nothing, in particular.”

Kaeya got up, expertly closing his tight trousers. “Why am I here in the first place? How much did you tell her?”

Lumine placed the injector back into her pocket. “Tell? I ended up witnessing a porn show is more like it,” she muttered, the images of earlier flashing through her mind and coloring her cheeks rosy.

“Oh.. uh...” Kaeya helplessly looked at the one he loved to call ‘brother’, but Diluc simply looked away.

“Can’t do much if you come crashing through the back door. What made you flare up this badly in the first place? Not even being able to call.”

“I... can’t remember much.” Kaeya was lying. This much Diluc understood. Having Jean had reduced such embarrassing scenes down to a zero. But recently, the ruts had returned, and he was disinclined to reveal who or what was triggering him. Why was he more eager to be comforted by him than by Jean? Was there perhaps a man Kaeya had fallen for? 

“Anyway, I hope you’re back to normal operating mode. We need to accompany Lumine.”

“We?!” Lumine looked at Diluc in disbelief.

“Uh, what’s going on?”

“That Fatui guy has invited her over... when?”

“Tonight.”

“Tonight, so we need to... wait a minute, tonight?!” 

Lumine shrugged. “Why are you still so cross about this? I’ll just waltz in that Golden House, talk, and waltz out again? No need for any of you guys to chaperon me.”

Kaeya began laughing. “Waltz in and out of the Golden House... now that’s a good one!”

“Huh?”

“Cutie, nobody just ‘waltzes’ in and out of the Golden House. It’s an establishment for those bathing in Mora. And there’s a lot of shady business going on.”

“Ho? Seems like you know it well,” Lumine rested her hands on her hips, eagerly awaiting an explanation.

“Well, I’ve been there before. Even Diluc was there, too. Back, when we were still young recruits, and I didn’t wear this eyepatch.” He pointed at the piece of black leather covering his right eye, grinning.

“Kaeya!” Diluc sounded as if he wanted to prevent him from indulging Lumine in his brother’s sins, causing Lumine to chuckle.

“In any way, you’ll need to wear something more suitable than just your regular top and jeans,” Kaeya continued.

“Eh... I hate wearing dresses,” Lumine moped. “I don’t even know what style...”

“Now that the cat is out of the bag, I can freely say that you can rely on my programming to find you something suitable.” He winked. Diluc facepalmed. 

“Please, for the love of the Archons, don’t make it too skimpy.”

“Haha, care to join me then?”

“As long as you pay.”

“Come on now, Diluc, we all know you’re the one with Mora!” He patted him on the shoulder. A few exasperated groans later, the two had finally left her apartment.

Sighing, Lumine crashed on her bed after managing to change into her sleeping t-shirt. What a fucking revelation, she thought to herself. How often had she muttered the term ‘sex droid’ in a derogatory sense before Kaeya? How often had he just continued smiling even though it more than probably had hurt him? Exhausted, she drifted into sleep.

When Lumine opened her eyes, there was only the sky. When had she last seen this beautiful color? Small clouds slowly passed her by as she took in the scenery. The wind brushed through her hair, carrying the scent of flowers.

And blood.

Suddenly, the sky grew dark, transforming into the black dome that she had been living under. Wandering around for a while, she caught a glimpse of long blond hair. “Aether?” She called out. A small light formed. Lumine began running towards it. And there he was, just as she had remembered him. His long blond braided hair. His short but muscular body. However, something was amiss. Dream Aether looked at her with a cold, mesmerizing gaze. The last time she had seen this look was when they were still fighting in the War. There was blood on his hands. On his neck, there was a metal plate with lights attached.

“Aether!” She called out. “Do you know how long I’ve been searching for you? What the hell happened? Where the fuck are you?”

But instead of happily walking towards her, he looked away. Suddenly, he was surrounded by several Battle Androids. “You’re too late, Lumine. I’m sorry.” He turned around and disappeared into nothingness.

“No! Aether!” She reached out to where he had disappeared to as the Battle Androids slowly walked towards her, lifting their blasters. Their red eyes glowed menacingly.

Riiiing.

Lumine woke up to find herself lying on the floor next to her bed, the blanket draped over her. She was breathing heavily, her body covered in sweat.

Somebody knocked at her door. 

Lumine looked out the window to find the neon light advertisements were illuminating the busy streets below her. How long have I been asleep?

“Lumine?” It was Kaeya who sounded worried.

“I-I’m coming!” She quickly called out, hoping he wouldn’t break through the door. Stumbling over her pillow and carpet edges, she somehow made it in one piece to the door and opened it.

She was greeted with Kaeya’s winsome smile. He held up three bags stuffed with shoes and garments.

“Gooood morning sunshine~!” He put on a pleasant singing voice. But this was pre-caffeinated Lumine, and she was not capable of appreciating the beauty of his performance. Thankfully, her hero stood beside him, holding a paper cup filled with steaming hot coffee.

“Coffee!” She replied, pushing past eyepatch man and walking towards Diluc, who had anticipated her behavior. Lumine happily accepted his token of apology, enjoying the beverage sip by sip. She then realized that Diluc was looking away, embarrassed.

“Lumine,” Kaeya spoke on his behalf. “You might want to put on a pair of pants?”

“Huh?” She then realized that her t-shirt was too short to hide her perfectly round butt cheeks completely. “Oh.”

“Oh?”

“Not like it’d matter to you guys anyway?”

Diluc hurriedly walked away without uttering a word, while Kaeya’s smile turned into a tired expression. “Now... listen here, Lumine... there’s absolutely nothing going on between us, and we both prefer the opposite sex, so don’t make this harder on us, yes?”

“Alright, alright, I hear you,“ she replied, chuckling and relieving him of the bags. “I have a few commissions I need to finish before. When I’m done, I’ll tell you so you guys can chaperon me, okay?” She slammed the door right before his nose.

The two waited a long time for Lumine to make her grand appearance, even though she was the one to call them earlier.

“She absolutely thinks we’re an item,” Kaeya sighed, planting his face on the counter.

“Gee, I wonder whose fault it is.” Diluc had begun cleaning the countertop. “Get your face off there, or I’ll disinfect your skin along with the counter.”

“Huh, why not pour acid over me.”

“You know what? I actually have a bottle of acid in the cleaning cabinet. I would gladly douse you in it until you are dissolved.”

“You’ll need more than just a household cleaner to get rid of me effectively.”

“At least it’ll wipe that smug grin off your-”

Kaeya’s communicator began to vibrate. Surprised, he answered the call. “Yes, cutie? Why are you calling? Huh? No, no, that’s supposed to be that way. You’re supposed to flaunt your assets before him. What do you mean, of course, you’ve got boobs! Lumine, you’re supposed to seduce that Fatui guy, not fight him. Just get down here already, okay?” He hung up, sighing again.

“Did you pick the wrong size after all?” Diluc side-eyed his brother.

“No, didn’t seem like it. I don’t know why she’s kicking up a fuzz.”

At that moment, the door opened, and Lumine entered. She had a short, tightly-fitted black dress on with a cut-out around her chest, revealing quite a lot of skin. Too much, she thought, as she walked in wearing a matching pair of overknee patent leather boots. Her neck was covered with a lace choker. Over her shoulder, Lumine had draped a pearl-studded black shoulder bag. With her golden eyes and blond hair, she looked like an otherwordly goddess who had stepped into the mortal realm. Diluc found himself subconsciously loosening the upper button of his shirt. Even the usually suave Kaeya gulped in her presence.

“See?” Lumine highly misinterpreted their reactions. “This is so embarrassing. And you guys were complaining about me wearing an oversized t-shirt earlier when this outfit is clearly more revealing! I can feel the fabric creeping up my butt!” She complained.

“Well, if that Fatui guy doesn’t fall for her looks tonight, then we can safely assume he is 100 percent gay,” Kaeya muttered under his breath.

“For once, I have to agree with you there,” Diluc said, feeling hot.

“I don’t think ‘that Fatui guy’ will be that easily seduced,” she angrily retorted. “If he’s so notorious and dangerous, surely others have tried this method before?”

Kaeya shrugged. “Can’t speak for other districts of Teyvat. But Moon City agents never get that far. He can smell them a mile ahead.”

“What’s with your particular disdain for each other?”

“We’re the only part of this megacity that has no establishment run by them. And they’re pretty salty about that. I’m sure Tartaglia’s going to try to use you to get a solid foothold.”

“I really am not cut out for this,” she sighed, repeatedly straightening her dress.

“You are perfect,” Kaeya encouragingly said as he walked over to her. 

“I... I’ll get the car.” Diluc threw the wiping cloth aside and hurried to the kitchen to use the back door.

Being left alone with Kaeya made Lumine feel anxious. There was a look in his eye that reminded her of his rut earlier. She stumbled backward until her back was pressed against the main door.

“Kaeya?” She asked, trying to verify if he was still present. He stood directly before her, his warm breath on her face. “Kaeya?” She repeated herself, her hands ready to grab the injector out of her purse. 

In the next moment, he returned to his usual self. “Ah, you’re choker is hanging loose.” As if nothing had happened, he fixed it before pushing down the door handle next to her and opening the door.

Outside, Diluc had pulled up with a black BMW sports car. While neither the house that harbored Lumine’s apartment nor his bar looked like from the upper end of the city, his sense of fashion and accessories always reminded her that he belonged to Moon City’s wealthiest. Both he and Kaeya were, therefore, commonly referred to as the “Two Princes”. 

As she got into the car, her thoughts quickly swirled around the ginger-haired cyborg she was about to meet. With every passing minute, she realized her anticipation grew. It had been a while, after all, and even though their last encounter was fleeting, there had been something about him she wasn’t able to shake off. Was it the ever-lingering scent of blood on him? Or how she had to admit that he was incredibly delicious to look at beneath the shirt he had taken off? Lumine found herself drifting into forbidden territory. To provide some distraction, she stared off into the distance while listening to the two Princes’ banter.

Chapter Text

Lumine had thought Moon City was brightly lit. How very wrong she was.

District Liyue’s streets were plastered with one neon sign after the other. Advertisement screens loomed over the high-rise buildings, many depicting a man with dark, long hair and a cold expression on his face. Lumine could not hear the voice since a plethora of music merged into one loud cacophony that drowned out any other sound. However, judging by the setup and sequences, this person was advertising the Vision lottery as well.

Lumine’s gaze wandered around, looking at the people on the streets. To her surprise, her racy outfit did not stand out one bit. Some of the more outlandish costumes consisted of only wearing a thong with high-heel boots and stickers to cover nipples. Others sported leather leashes, enjoying being dragged by their masters from one location to another. In between the crowd, Lumine spotted cosplayers of various ages and sizes enjoying fried street food. People lined the streets, offering a multitude of services to passing cars. Diluc had to brake hard on several occasions, cussing at the frivolous costumes they wore.

“Is... Liyue Teyvat’s red-light district...?” Lumine asked, in awe. 

“It’s the pleasure district,” Kaeya corrected. “All of Teyvat comes here to waste their money on food, gambling, and sex. They say what happens in Liyue stays in Liyue.”

“I see.” It wasn’t the first time Lumine had seen such a place. But as a person who disliked socializing, these places were not her prime destination when touring worlds. On the other hand, Aether would have probably already made friends with several owners, charming them to get free food and service. 

“There it is.” Diluc pointed at a large octagonal building in between the tall buildings. It looked as if it got lost in time, with its design reminiscent of ancient China. Red wooden pillars carried the sloped green roofs over several floors. Unlike the other places, there was neither an obvious sign nor bright lighting. Yet it seemed so popular that people stood in a long line, waiting to gain entrance.

After parking the car, the three walked over to the entrance, wondering whether they had to fall in line like the rest. Just as they were about to go to the end of the queue, a young woman wearing a Venetian carnival mask and a black business suit approached them. Her long brown hair was buzz cut on one side.

“Miss Lumine, I presume?” 

“Yes?” Lumine replied with a surprised tone. 

“Master Tartaglia has instructed me to take care of you.” She looked at the two men behind her. “Your Moon City friends are welcome as well, as long as they deposit all of their weapons at the entrance.” 

Diluc and Kaeya looked at each other. “Very well,” Kaeya eventually said.

“Then follow me.” The woman led the trio back to the entrance, past the meaty bouncers. While Lumine waited for the two to deposit their blasters and knives, she looked around.

The inside of the building was glamorous. Gold decorations sparkled in the light of the yellow lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Statues of lions and phoenixes adorned various doorways and stairs. The floor consisted of bright marble, with various geometrical patterns. When she looked up, she could see all the way up to the top floor, with each floor keeping an octagonal arrangement around the court.

Once the men were done, the masked lady led them to an elevator that was separate from the rest.

“Pretty fancy place.” Kaeya tried to string a conversation as they headed downwards. 

She looked at him with a sigh. “I really don’t know why Master Tartaglia granted you access in the first place. I am warning you. One misstep, and you will become another face on a missing poster.”

Kaeya shrugged but continued. “Care to tell us your name then, lass?”

“Feel free to call me ‘Ekaterina’,” she said with no emotion on her face. Turning towards Lumine, who was smaller than her, she said, “I’m quite surprised that Master Tartaglia has not been exaggerating for once.” A faint smile hushed across her lips, barely visible like her rosy cheeks.

“Eh?”

Before Lumine could ask what she had meant by that, the elevator came to a halt. When the doors opened, the group was greeted by a sea of colorful glow sticks and deafening music. Lumine could feel the bass vibrate through her metal bones. People were dancing to the beat in the pale neon lights. In the darker corners, she could see the silhouettes of couples making out or perhaps even more. Feeling uneasy, Lumine took a few steps back, stumbling right into Ekaterina.

“Leaving so soon?” Even though she had a pleasant voice, it sounded threatening. 

“Uh, it’s been... a while since I last have been to a nightclub,” she admitted nervously. 

“Wear these armbands,” the woman said, handing each one of them a plastic armband that glowed in rainbow colors. “With this, the barkeepers will know the drinks are on the house. Enjoy your stay. I will tell Master Tartaglia that you have arrived.” She then pushed Lumine out into the loud void before taking the elevator up again.

“What now?” Lumine had to scream into the boys’ ears. 

“Let’s enjoy nightlife for a while,” Kaeya replied in an equally loud voice, dragging her onto the dance floor. Diluc watched the two with a frowning face as Kaeya grabbed Lumine’s hips to guide them to the fast beat. Feeling awkward, Lumine plucked his hands and shoved them back to his body. She began dancing to the rhythm, moving her body smoothly like a professional dancer. The two were more than impressed, getting to know this side of her. Naturally, Kaeya did not want to pass on this chance to dance with her, responding to her moves in an equally elegant fashion. Both got lost in fun, ignoring that Diluc was slowly but surely being pushed away from them by the crowd.

It was the first time Lumine had been this close to someone, and while she initially was reluctant to indulge the sex droid before her, she had to admit that he was good at making her feel comfortable. Soon enough, she no longer minded him touching her or even grinding with him to the beat.

However, their intimate moments fell short when girls slowly began dancing around the two, trying to divide them. Realizing what was going on, Kaeya pulled Lumine close into a tight embrace.

“What’s going on?” She had noticed only then that Diluc was stuck at the other end of the night club and desperately trying to return to them.

“Seems like they’re trying to separate us.”

At that moment, the fast music was replaced by slow beats. Couples began dancing close to one another. While the two swung to the beat, arm in arm, their faces were alert, expecting a next attempt at pulling them apart.

“Hm, I believe this girl’s mine tonight.” Childe’s familiar voice addressed them from the side. They both turned their heads to see him stand there with a smug grin on his face. He wore a wine-red shirt with golden clips on the collar and a pair of bright gray patterned trousers with thin, black suspenders. Lumine recognized his signature gloves from her first meeting with him. She found herself staring at him longer than she wanted to, eliciting a playful wink from him.

“Oh? I guess you’ll have to wait until this song is over,” Kaeya did not break eye contact while hugging her even more tightly. He felt her box him in protest, but it did not deter him at all. You want a piece of her? Try me, Kaeya thought. Even if he had initially thought the idea of Lumine flirting with a Harbinger was funny, he found himself distraught at the thought of actually pulling through. How was this man even interested in her in the first place? Childe was not known to be a playboy; his notoriety worked like a natural repellant. None of his information sources had been able to provide conclusive evidence he was up to something. Did this crazy man truly believe having a chance with her?

“Are you perhaps trying to pick a fight, Officer Albrich?” Childe moved close to him. In a surprising twist of things, he wrestled Lumine free, only to grab on to Kaeya’s hips. Stuck with his new dance partner, Kaeya glared at the tall carrot man who seemed to enjoy dancing with him to the romantic song. “I’m not sure that would be a wise move, seeing that I own this place,” Childe sneered.

“Tartaglia,” Kaeya hissed. “That’s enough.” He tried to push Childe away, but he only moved closer, resting his forehead against his as if he was deeply in love. Judging by the look in his eyes, he enjoyed the discomfort he was causing. Seemingly unsatisfied by Kaeya’s agitated reaction, Childe’s hands eventually moved to his butt, pushing their groins together. Kaeya gasped. 

“Uh... should I leave you two then?” Feeling awkwardly left out, Lumine took a step back.

“Stay.” Childe’s voice had an incredibly authoritative tone, forcing her to stop.

Lumine saw the panic in Kaeya’s eyes. Fuck, he’s going to trigger his rut, she thought, remembering Diluc’s words. “I think he gets the point, Childe,” she quickly intervened, but he ignored her voice. Or had she not spoken up loud enough? As she was about to repeat herself, Childe pressed his lips on Kaeya’s. 

The panic slowly subsided, replaced by the incredible hunger Kaeya had not been able to satiate earlier. He melted in Childe’s arms. His hands automatically wandered to Childe’s trousers, tugging on them. When Childe let go of him, Lumine noticed how Kaeya’s mind had gone entirely astray.

Now it was Lumine’s turn to panic. She quickly opened her purse to retrieve the tranquilizer. However, Diluc was faster. Having successfully pushed his way back, he jabbed the injector he, too, had carried with him into Kaeya’s shoulder, instantly rendering his friend unconscious. 

“You bastard.” Diluc’s face was filled with rage. “How much do you know?!”

“Why good evening, Prince of Moon City,” Childe said, keeping his grin on. “Who do you think is supplying you with tranquilizers in the first place? It’s a small world after all.” He chuckled. “Though I didn’t expect him to get turned on this badly immediately. Say, when has he switched his preference to men?”

“Fuck you,” Diluc said, carefully draping his brother in his arms like a princess. 

Lumine was equally angry. “Well, you royally fucked up,” she said, looking at Childe. He stared at her blankly.

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t care if you wanted to trade information or whatever. You provoked a weakness in my friend and that I cannot forgive!” Lumine turned around and decided to follow Diluc, who was already on his way to the elevator. She did not care that the entire night club suddenly had fallen silent, save the music, with all eyes staring at her in disbelief. Just fucking bounce them off at the door if you didn’t want my friends around, you idiot, she thought to herself as they rode the way up.

“Are you sure you’re coming with me?” Diluc asked.

“Why not?”

“He was staring daggers at you when you left. I’m not sure if we’ll leave Liyue alive at this rate.”

“Huh, so not only does he have a big ego, he controls all of Liyue as well?”

“You better be prepared to fight. We are the ones who are unarmed right now.”

The doors opened. The two anticipated an attack, but on the ground floor, there was business as usual. Pleasant flute melodies echoed through the court. Carefully carrying on, they moved towards the exit. Still no signs of an assault

“Are you sure you didn’t just imagine it?” Lumine did not feel any danger at all.

“Trust me, he was mad.”

Once outside, however, she immediately felt a difference. While Diluc seemed to carry on without noticing, she realized that several sharpshooters were targeting them. She halted in her tracks.

“What’s the matter? Did you notice something?”

No, it wasn’t them they were targeting. It was Diluc.

“I guess you are right,” Lumine said, looking around. In the shadows of the Golden House building, she saw a pair of deep blue eyes glowing like a tiger watching its prey.

“I guess you really need to go on without me,” Lumine quietly said. “Take good care of Kaeya then. I’m sure I’ll be back soon!” With a fake smile, she turned around to take on the danger.

“You are the one who’s quite ballsy,” Childe hissed the moment she approached him.

“What? Can’t take rejection?” Her eyes narrowed, but altogether she was relieved to feel Diluc and Kaeya were safe.

“I personally think it was quite valiant,” he retorted. “But you picked the wrong place and time to be heroic.”

Suddenly, she found herself slammed against the wall. 

“You know, I’m still a Harbinger. And nobody messes with them, particularly not when their subordinates are around.”

Ka-shing. In his one hand, he flipped a butterfly knife open and slit her slightly along the shoulder. She flinched a little and watched in amazement as he licked the blood trickling from her wound.

“Hm... it looks and feels like blood, but it doesn’t taste like it... what kind of android are you?” He scrutinized her. Childe knew androids could be sophisticated. But this level boggled his mind.

“Would you like to know,”she retorted, aiming to kick him between the legs, but he quickly moved back with a grin. Gripping the knife in his other hand, he attacked her again. Even in the partial darkness, she could see that glint of joy in his eyes. To him, this was a game. 

She twirled to dodge his attack, closing in on him to punch him in the kidney. But he was just as nimble as she was, turning quickly around and parrying her first with his arm. 

Childe laughed out loud before elbowing her hard in her guts and pushing her several steps back. She gasped as the air was forced out of her lungs. On the other hand, he looked slightly surprised at his elbow, moving his arm up and down as if he had felt pain.

“Heh,” Lumine said, finally triggered. “Why am I even holding back when you’ve seen me in action before,” she muttered. The air around her changed. This cyborg boy was asking to be beaten up, and she would make sure he’d get what he was asking for.

She dashed towards him at superhuman speed, catching him unprepared. Twisting her right leg around his left, she brought him to a fall. Before he touched the ground, she grabbed him by the shirt and threw him over her head, intending to slam him on the floor. Childe broke free, tearing off the buttons of his shirt. He skidded over the ground before coming to a halt.

“Now that is what I wanted to see,” he happily said. “Then I, too, will not hold back.” He took off one of his gloves and cut across the palm of his hand. The blood that spilled out morphed into a large, firm blade that he grasped. It was the first time Lumine had ever seen something like this. Not wanting to be at a disadvantage, she summoned a small sword of light. She was not as strong of a melee fighter as her brother, but she figured it would do against him.

The next moment their blades clashed. Instead of sparks flying, however, the weapons heavily vibrated, causing small tremors on the ground. “What a peculiar weapon you have there, Childe,” Lumine commented, her glance falling on his blood knife.

“Heh, not every person gets to see it,” he said with a grin. “Just something I figured out after receiving a Vision.” Being the one with more stamina, he was eventually able to push her back. Childe then swung his arm around to slash Lumine across her entire torso, but she miraculously disappeared out of sight. For a second, he looked bewildered. 

“Up here, idiot.” 

Just as he looked up, he saw an angel charging down at him, knocking him to the ground with a loud thud. His head swirled from the impact.

“You think you can outdo me, cyborg boy? Your tech predates even the Great War by decades,” he heard her say. Lumine’s body was lying on him, her face dangerously close to his. She had a pair of semi-transparent wings sprouting from her back that were nearly invisible in the darkness.

When his eyesight fully returned, he found himself lost in her glare. Those pair of eyes looked down at him, reveling in superiority. Yet, he found himself drawn to her, like a moth to the flame. How could she be so intoxicatingly gorgeous and fearsome at the same time?

“Don’t underestimate me, girlie,” Childe retorted, finally getting all his senses back. Using his height to his advantage, he flipped her on the back, with him now coming out on top. He jabbed his blade into the concrete floor, causing it to crack and cutting her cheek slightly. 

The two looked at each other, panting. For a moment, it was as if only they existed in the shadows. Without thinking, Childe leaned down and gently kissed the cut on her cheek. Lumine grew flustered.

“Childe!” He felt her fist in his abdomen, forcing him to sit upright. Nevertheless, his eyes hungrily wandered across her body. By now, Lumine’s dress had several more cut-outs, revealing so much skin she might as well only keep her underwear. Childe was only in a slightly better state. However, Lumine could not take her eyes off his scarred, muscular torso peeking through his open shirt. 

She wiped what little blood there was off her face, unsure what his next move would be. However, Childe surprised her a second time, with his bare fingers running across her collarbone up to her neck. It felt as if he was sliding an ice cube across her heated body, causing her to gasp. 

The next thing she noticed was his index finger going under her choker and then forcefully pulling her upper body to him. Before she realized what was going on, she felt his cold lips against hers. His tongue slipped into her mouth, caressing hers gently. 

Their kiss lasted longer than she wanted to admit. His scent mixed with blood proved to be an all too alluring perfume for her. The longer they remained this way, the more her body was craving for his.

Eventually, she resisted the devil. “This is far from over, cyborg boy,” she angrily hissed. 

Childe chuckled. “The night is young.”

Lumine fastened the grip on her blade she had almost let go, wanting to stab him in the stomach, but Childe easily deflected it by grabbing and pushing her arm aside. In response, she elbowed him in the chest. Noticing how he lost his firm position, Lumine grabbed him by his shirt and catapulted him to her left. He landed with a summersault, smiling broadly.

Their blades clashed once more, this time stronger. The ground cracked loudly under the pressure, sending small bits of stone flying in all directions. With moves so fast, the two were barely traceable to the naked eye. 

Fire met ice each time their bodies clashed and skins touched. Instead of backing off, however, both Childe and Lumine always ended up glaring at each other. Their pauses grew longer and longer as they both tried to process the emotions that were running wild. What was part of the battle high? What had become more? 

In a bold move, Childe’s weapon melted back into a puddle, dripping down his hand. He then kissed her again, more passionately, pulling her closer and inadvertently smearing both her face and bare shoulder with the remnants of his blade. 

Lumine grabbed him by the collar, separating herself, albeit hesitantly, from his lips, and shoved him against the wall. The bricks of the Golden House cracked beneath the impact. Childe deeply inhaled, trying to push air back into his lungs. But it did not deter him at all from reaching out to her again. He desperately yearned to burn in the blazing fire.

Kiss after kiss, he eventually managed to soften her grip. He began caressing her petite body, taking off his other glove and carelessly tossing it away. His long fingers wandered down, touching her bare skin and eliciting a gasp from her mouth. Lumine found herself clinging on to his neck, the fabric of her lace bra brushing against his chest. 

It eventually dawned on her where the journey was heading to. With a worried expression on her face, she let Childe go, averting her gaze.

“What’s wrong?”

“This is not what we should be doing,” she whispered.

“Hm, I wonder,” he replied with a wink. “After all, you picked quite an alluring outfit? Even my little Ekaterina could not keep her eyes off you.”

“Well, this was...” Yes, how did she expect this ‘date’ would turn out in the first place? Wasn’t she here to seduce him? How was she now the one falling for his charms?

He continued to kiss her, this time down her neck, her shoulders. What little remained of her black dress he slowly peeled off. “To be honest,” he said in a husky voice, “I was expecting you to be all over me, eager to sell yourself. Yet here we are, and it’s me who’s all over you.”

"Eh?!" She looked at him, surprised. True, she had not noticed that his gaze had changed. And even though his face still had that irritating cheeky smile, the killing intent she had felt earlier had completely vanished.

Grabbing Lumine by the hips, he easily lifted her as if she was as light as a feather. “Childe,” she complained, trying to wiggle herself out of his firm hold. “Aren’t your subordinates watching us?”

She heard him chuckle. “I know all the blind angles, girlie.” His lips wandered towards her cleavage, making her moan quietly.

“A cyborg,” Childe eventually deduced, enjoying how this deadly angel clasped on to him, her eyes begging for more.

Expertly opening the bra at her back, he liberated her breasts from the lace, caressing her nipple with his tongue.

“F-fuck you,” she hissed, pulling at his ginger hair.

“I can stop right now if you don’t want,” he teased. As if to underline his statement, he ceased to caress her, merely holding her in anticipation. She looked at him in disbelief. “So tell me,” he continued, one hand slowly moving between her legs. “How does a pretty cyborg outsider like you end up in our trapped world?” Instead of going further, however, he lifted his hand to return to her hips again.

“A-an accident,” she hesitantly said, digging her fingers into his bare shoulders beneath the shirt.

“Tell me more,” Childe sucked on her nipples while his one hand returned to caress the skin between her legs. Lumine gasped.

“M-my brother... I’m searching... for him... haa... Childe!” She felt his fingers glide across her thong. He noticed she had become quite wet, arousing him in return.

“Have... you met the android... named Sustainer?” He began breathing harder as he pressed her body against his, rubbing against her.

“Yes,” Lumine croaked, enjoying the sensations coursing throughout her entire body.

“Hmph, and yet you haven’t defeated her,” he chuckled, only to suddenly moan loudly when Lumine retaliated by heavily pressing against his cock that was still trapped in his pants.

“You think you’re... the only one who can play games like this?” She said as she continued rubbing her body against his. Incapable of saying anything, he let her move until the crotch area had soaked up all their juices. Hungry to take his pants off, he began fumbling on his belt with one hand. But Lumine stopped him, grabbing him by his wrist and shoving it away. If Childe was the one with extreme stamina, Lumine was the stronger one, and she demonstrated it by squeezing him so tightly that he actually felt pain. He whimpered quietly.

“It’s your turn, cyborg boy,” she retorted, enjoying his struggle as she continued to grind slowly. 

“What... do you want to know?” His voice sounded hoarse.

“Everybody keeps talking about Off-Grid. But nobody lets me get close to there. Why? And do you know anything about someone who looks similar to me?”

“Even if you wanted to go there... you’d have to pass several checkpoints with automatic Gatling guns and laser drones... ah!” He moaned loudly as Lumine’s other hand wandered to his pants, unzipping it and running her fingers across the bump of his underwear. “I wonder... who is the more evil person here...” He continued to hold her tightly with one hand while he struggled to free his other hand from her grasp. “The Syndicate’s executioner, or the Outlander disguised as an angel?”

Lumine chuckled, finally letting him go and helping him out of his trousers. Her warm hand glided across his skin. Childe hissed, realizing he was losing control over the strength in his body. He grabbed her butt with both of his hands and slowly slid into her while she eagerly pulled her thong aside, almost ripping it. The two moaned in unison, holding each other tightly. 

“You better... be gentle,” she mumbled almost inaudibly. Childe smiled.

“As you wish, angel.” 

He moved her body slowly, allowing her to get used to him. Only when she commanded him to go faster, he did so, trying to pay attention to the way she gasped and moaned. However, the pressure within him was building up faster than he anticipated. Hungry to feel more, Childe moved her body more aggressively.

“Childe...!” Lumine exclaimed, surprised at the sudden intensity. If he continued like this, she wouldn’t last much longer.

He ignored her pleas, even enjoying it that she called out to him repeatedly until she climaxed with a loud gasp. Her muscles suddenly grew soft and malleable, making it especially easy for him to penetrate her deeply. When he came, his body violently stuttered. Lumine was forced to hold on to him tightly as his body collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

The two held each other for a while, breathing heavily. Childe gently stroked her hair.

“Tell me, angel, what price must I pay for you to be mine?” He whispered.

“I’m not for sale,” she replied, losing herself in his gaze. “But not killing or torturing my friends is a good start.”

Childe chuckled. “Alright, I promise not to tease them too much in the future.”

Suddenly, the rain set in, quickly drenching them. Their wet skin reflected the faraway neon lights of the main street. The two kissed each other before Lumine pulled away.

“I... I need to get back,” she said, trying to spot her bra in the darkness.

“You’re going nowhere like this.” Even though everything was soaking wet, Childe took off his torn shirt and wrapped it around her.

“Then let me leave a message to tell them I’m okay.”

He sighed. “Where’s your communicator?”

“It... is in my purse.” 

Childe got up, putting his pants back on, but leaving the suspenders down. He looked around to find the pearl-studded bag tossed in a corner. He walked over to it and took out the earpiece. 

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Lumine shrieked as she watched him place it on and dial Diluc’s number.

“Well, now, fallen asleep already?” Childe spoke with a grin on his face. “Then you better get your asses back home for now. Girlie’s going to spend a little more time with me instead. Ah, don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take her home safely.”

“Ugh, Childe! I can never, ever show my face before them anymore!” She exclaimed exasperatedly. “And if they spot you, I’m sure either of them will murder you.”

Shrugging, he replied, “They hated me before. Not like this will change much. Too bad I only wound up in his inbox. I would have loved to hear the agony in his voice.”

“I bet.” She rolled her eyes. “You are really like a naughty child.”

He laughed while he returned the communicator to the purse and handed it over to her. 

“Let’s find somewhere dry, shall we?”

Chapter Text

“Really? For this, I’m missing out on my date?” The suited driver complained to Ekaterina. He ran one hand through his blond hair and sighed loudly. Why yes, he was mainly tasked with driving this Harbinger around. And yes, it filled him with a sense of pride to know he belonged to the trusted circle of the most dangerous man in Teyvat Megacity. But on this night, of all nights, he hadn’t been assigned on duty. It was his chance to finally get to meet up with the cute new recruit. But right in the middle of their dinner, Ekaterina had called him on an urgent matter.

Somebody stomped aggressively against the partition window.

“I can hear you moping, Vlad.” Childe’s muffled voice sounded sinister. Any ordinary employee would have immediately groveled before their master. But anyone working directly under Tartaglia was no ordinary employee.

And I can hear you and this crazy girl moaning non-stop. Who do you think gets to wash out all the stains first thing in the morning, is what Vlad wanted to retort back. Inhaling deeply, he simply replied, “I apologize, sir.” Tonight, he chose to be an ordinary employee.

Ekaterina chuckled. “Don’t worry, Vlad,” she said. “I’ll make sure to make a roster where you and Nadia get some time off together.”

Vlad let out a quiet harrumph as he raced down the bustling streets. The city's nightlife was still in full swing, and the towering digital billboards in every color imaginable lit up the dome sky. From a distance, they merged into a glittering cosmic aurora reflected against the car’s glass. However, neither Lumine nor Childe could appreciate its beauty since they were too intoxicated by the previous battle high and the perfume of love in the air.

As ordered, Vlad took the couple to Childe’s suite in the Northland Bank Tower. Childe possessed several safe houses scattered across Teyvat Megacity, but if the Harbinger wanted to show off, it always had to be this suite. Situated on one of the tower's top floors, he could overlook the glittering city while enjoying a glass of Firewater in solitude.

“Am I not getting too heavy for you?”

Childe and Lumine rode the private elevator alone while his subordinates kept watch outside. Despite her being perfectly capable of standing on her own two feet, Childe had insisted on carrying Lumine in his arms like a princess.

“This… is fine,” he answered, downplaying his exhaustion. Despite his impressive stamina on display both in the car and now here, she was indeed starting to get too heavy. Nonetheless, he was fascinated at how many technological marvels had been crammed into her petite body. Ah, surely the Doctor would be able to pluck out any secrets from beyond this wretched world.

Lumine interrupted his thoughts by wrestling herself from his arms. Unfortunately, her little acrobatic stunt tore what little was left of her black dress, leaving her basically naked. Childe took off his tattered shirt and wrapped it around her.

“Not like I have anything to hide anymore.” Lumine gave him a bemused look.

He pointed at an inconspicuous corner. “I have surveillance cameras everywhere.” Crossing his arms and grinning, Childe added, “Unless you’re fine with me recording you naked to extort you?”

“You would… actually do that, huh.”

Ding.

Instead of receiving a response, the elevator halted at its destination. Childe scanned his handprint and winked at her while the doors opened. Lumine expected a glamorous penthouse but was greeted by a…  rather depressing-looking suite.

Yes, the glass facade overlooking Teyvat Megacity was impressive. Yes, the furniture on display here looked very pricey. But Lumine could not help but feel the loneliness seep through every choice. It didn’t help that Childe hadn’t switched on the light yet, drowning everything in vapid gray. Only the neon lights from outside dared to dip a few corners of the sofa in color. 

This was not a place he happily returned to.

“What’s the matter, Lumine? There are no booby traps here if that’s what’s worrying you.” Childe walked past her and stepped into his apartment. 

Lumine hesitantly followed. “This is not where you live.”

“Mhm, I guess.” Unbothered by her statement, he pointed to a door to his right. “That’s my bedroom with an en-suite. If you want, you can take a shower. I’ll go fetch a bodyguard uniform for you.” Not waiting for a response, Childe headed in the opposite direction, disappearing behind a hidden door. 

Lumine felt a sense of disorientation as she gazed around the unfamiliar apartment. She stumbled around until she finally found a light switch. When she flipped it, a disappointingly dim light illuminated Childe’s apartment. However, it was just enough for Lumine to recognize her surroundings. The cold tiles beneath her feet were supposed to be white but were now gray and dull. The same color could be found throughout the apartment, from the couch set to the open kitchen she passed by. Even Childe's luxurious bedroom was a sea of white, devoid of personality or charm. Lumine frowned, wondering if he had offed the interior designer responsible for this tragedy.

To her surprise, the bathroom seemed more vividly colored. The stark white tiles were offset by a bold splash of blue that trailed behind a striking image of a school of narwhals. The marine theme extended into the walk-in shower. As Lumine explored the space further, she discovered a corner that seemed dedicated to cyborgs' self-treatment. Lumine checked it to see if anything was useful to her, but the equipment was mainly there to camouflage any wounds.

After taking off whatever was left on her, Lumine took a long, hot shower. Thoughts swirled in her mind. How were Kaeya and Diluc doing? Did they get home safely? Did Childe possess more information about the Off-Grid? And what the fuck was she doing here in the first place?

Before she could change her mind, however, Childe came into the bathroom, stark naked.

Lumine yelped in surprise as she had not heard him come in.

“What? Do I look so terrible in the light?” He joined her under the large shower. Technically, Lumine would have to say yes. Her fingers glided along the contours of his scarred body. Metal parts protruded here and there, showing that whoever had done this was not a machine with precision skills.

“Yes,” she eventually said, conceding to the truth. 

Childe chuckled, brushing back her wet hair to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead. He seemed to be many things, Lumine concluded. A crazy killer, a self-absorbed rich prick, a fantastic lover. Accepting he was currently the latter, she nestled into his chest, continuing to stroke his torso. Childe gasped and embraced her tightly, returning the gesture by petting her back all the way to her butt. The two kissed each other tenderly, satisfied with each other’s company for now.

For now.

No sooner had they left the shower, refreshed and clean, had they continued where they had originally left off. Like rabbits in heat, Childe and Lumine could not get enough of the other one’s moans and helpless cries of pleasure until their respective systems eventually began shutting down on them to avoid overheating. Exhausted but very happy, they both fell asleep on the soaked sheets.

Bzzz. Bzzzz. Lumine’s communicator vibrated incessantly on the night table. She couldn’t remember placing it there the night before. She couldn’t remember seeing a black uniform by her side either. Confused and disoriented, she turned around, expecting to find Childe lying next to her. However, his side of the bed was empty.

Her sane mind finally kicked in, and Lumine jolted upright in bed. Finally, she remembered where she was. She couldn't believe she had lost track of time and slept for so long. Her gaze shifted to her communicator, buzzing with several missed calls from Amber. Lumine felt guilty for making her friend worry, but she didn't want to cause her any further stress. She quickly put on her communicator and dialed Amber's number, hoping to ease her friend's concerns.

“Lumi?” Amber’s voice was high-pitched. She was not only worried but scared out of her mind. 

“Yes, it’s me, good morning.” Lumine wondered how highly feared Childe must be to cause such a panic with a Moon City Police officer.

“Thank the Archons! Diluc apparently stormed in last night and got into a heated argument with Commissioner Jean! He then told us that Tartaglia kidnapped you!”

“Uh… I wouldn’t necessarily say kidnap,” Lumine admitted hesitantly.

“Are you alright? Did he hurt you? Where are you?”

“I… I’m alright. There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be coming home soon, okay?”

“You better spill some deets when you get here!”

Lumine chuckled. Of course, Amber was nosey as ever. “We’ll see, okay? In a bit.”

She then put on the clothes Childe had left her and exited the bedroom.

The delightful aroma of freshly made waffles and coffee tickled Lumine’s nostrils. Baited by the prospect of a delicious breakfast, Lumine stumbled toward the open kitchen. Childe was waiting there, leaning against the kitchen bar. He casually tossed a small device into the air and caught it but immediately stopped when he spotted Lumine.

“Good morning, princess.” He grinned at her while he stuffed the thing into a pouch attached to a leather shoulder strap. Beneath it, he wore a deep-red shirt, grey trousers, and matching boots as if ready to head out on a mission immediately.

“Morning.” Lumine beelined to the kitchen counter to selfishly help herself to a plate of waffles with fruit, whipped cream, and a mug full of superb black coffee. Childe watched her silently with a satisfied smile.

“You seem to be a really dangerous guy,” Lumine eventually said, gulping down a large spoon of cream and strawberries.

“You only notice now?” He continued smiling and wiped some cream off the corner of her mouth.

“I really was not interested in getting to know you better, yet I can’t help but be intrigued by what shit you’ve pulled off in the past.”

Childe chuckled. “It’s really refreshing to meet someone who hasn’t grown up beneath this large dome! Let’s just keep it at ‘I’m a dangerous guy’, okay?”

Lumine paused eating and tilted her head in wonder. Childe’s cheeks and ear tips grew red, and he buried his face between his arms resting on the table. He then looked up at her with his deep blue eyes.

“I wish I had met you sooner,” he mysteriously mumbled.

“Well, part of your charm is that you’re definitely not normal.” She chugged the coffee in one large gulp before ruffling his hair. “I appreciate the time spent, Childe.”

“Ajax.”

“Oh, I get the Klee treatment too now?”

“Mhm.” For the first time, she saw a rather childish grin on his face. Lumine’s heart melted. Not even 24 hours later, and she was falling in love with this maniac. Aether would definitely laugh at her.

The two shared another quiet, intimate moment when the elevator unexpectedly announced its arrival.

Ding!

To Lumine’s surprise, Childe looked alarmed. Following his example, she mentally prepared herself for a battle, arming herself with the fork she was eating with. Childe, naturally always prepared, took a gun and quietly rushed to the door. As the doors opened, he aimed the gun at…

Klee.

“I found mommy and daddy!” She excitedly exclaimed.

“Klee! How did you get here?” Stuffing the fork into her back pocket, Lumine hurried to the girl to hug her. To her surprise, Childe remained vigilant, aiming his gun at the child android.

“Ajax!” Lumine hissed and waved for him to put his gun away. She instinctively placed herself before Klee.

“How did you find us? Moreover, how did you get past security?” His voice sounded hostile.

“Mhm, Aunty Jean was arguing with Uncle Diluc, and Klee didn’t like it. But Klee missed mommy and daddy, but nobody could tell me where you were, so Klee went looking!” The little girl grinned triumphantly. “Klee remembered mommy always has a communicator!”

“That explains how you got here, but where are Vlad and Ekaterina?” Childe lowered his gun slightly.

“Hm. People in suits were arguing. And there was a scary lady. Klee tried to run fast.”

Finally, Childe secured his weapon and returned it to its holster. His demeanor remained the same.

“You should leave, Lumine. Take Klee with you.”

“Well, that was my fucking intention in the first place.”

Childe smiled, but Lumine immediately recognized it was forced. He was worried. For her. Not wanting to overstay her welcome, Lumine lifted a happy Klee off the ground and into her arms.

“Which way?”

“Here.” Thankful she understood the hint, he led her through the hidden door into a hallway consisting of naked concrete. At the end of it was a flight of steps. He peered into the darkness below.

“Okay, head down here.”

“All the way?!”

Childe shook his head. “About three to four stories is enough. You will know you’re ‘safe’ when the hallways look like an office. Go through the hallway and then use the public elevators available there. You might get some questionable looks, but nobody will hurt you.”

“What about you?” Lumine grew worried he was in deep trouble.

He grimaced. “It’s fine. Not the first time I have to deal with ‘her’.” Childe then nudged Lumine toward the stairway before hurrying back to his suite.

Lumine summoned her wings and essentially sailed down the center until the place began to look like it belonged to a corporation.

“Wee, that was fun! Klee wants to ride once more!” The girl exclaimed, unaware of the tension.

“Next time, okay? We need to get out safely first. And for this, you need to be a quiet girl. Can you do that?”

“Okay! Sssssh!” Klee playfully put her finger on her lips.

After exhaling deeply, Lumine pushed through the fire exit door and entered a very modern and inviting corridor of Northland Bank. Employees looked at her wide-eyed, but it was as Childe had predicted. Nobody stopped them as the two strange visitors marched up to the elevators and took a ride all the way down. 

Lumine breathed a sigh of relief once she stepped outside. Since it was “day”, the neon advertisements were switched off. Only a few people walked down the street, wearing business outfits. Nothing reminded her of the district party that happened here every night.

“Miss Lumine?”

Ekaterina’s voice made Lumine jump with surprise.

“Ah, uh...”

“Ekaterina,” the bodyguard said with a slight smile. “I’m here on Master Tartaglia’s behalf to escort you back to Moon City.”

Despite her initial protests, Lumine eventually found herself and Klee sitting in an inconspicuous car, with Ekaterina as the driver. The trip was mostly silent, except for Klee, who happily sang various songs.

“Will he be alright?”

Ekaterina glanced at Lumine through the back mirror.

“There is nothing to worry about, Miss Lumine. Master Tartaglia often clashes with his superior.”

Lumine could see how a rascal such as Childe would be tough to handle on a professional level. She chuckled slightly.

Her gaze trailed off into the distance while Klee continued singing children’s tunes. The streets all somehow looked the same way. An endless maze of dreary-looking buildings and roads. Without the neon lights, a lot of Tevat’s charm was gone. Eventually, Lumine found herself staring at the dome above her. While most people grew up with the ever-dark ceiling above them, Lumine continued to dream of the bright, vivid world that was just right beyond their grasp. Absent-mindedly, she asked, “don’t you guys ever wonder if there’s a world beyond?”

“Yes, we do,” Ekaterina diligently responded. “Which is why Master Tartaglia is working hard to change this fact.”

“Oh, he does? Then why is he antagonized by so many people?”

“The Syndicate is not a welfare organization. Besides, you would be surprised at the number of people unwilling to change the status quo.”

Lumine thought of her past encounters in other worlds. All the wars she witnessed, all the battles she partook in. “I guess you are right,” she conceded. “By the way… are we taking a scenic tour, or why does it take so long to get to Moon City?” Lumine wasn’t particularly nervous she was being abducted, yet she wondered why Ekaterina didn’t seem to get closer to familiar terrain.

“There is little wonder Master Tartaglia has taken a liking to you. Perhaps you should consider teaming up with him instead of scraping by in Moon City.” Ekaterina slowed down as she pulled into a mall parking lot.

Lumine groaned. “He’s not letting me go this easily, is he.” Of course. She had been lulled in by the pleasant atmosphere that she didn’t bother to question where they were going in the first place.

Just at that moment, Childe tapped against her window.

“Ajax!” Klee happily chirped and waved. Lumine glared at Ekaterina, who considered her situation quite amusing. Lumine locked the door in protest and reeled the window down.

“No,” she angrily declared, crossing her arms.

“Aw, come on, Princess, I promise I won’t be keeping you forever.” He was back to his usual winsome smile. He bowed down to stick his head in the car.

“Give me a good reason not to chop off your head with the window.” Lumine placed her finger on the button, but Childe gently grabbed her hand to prevent her from doing so. As if Ekaterina could read his mind, she unlocked Lumine’s door through the central system, enabling Childe to open the door.

“Haaaah.” She sighed loudly. Admitting defeat, Lumine exited the car, followed by an excited Klee.

“That’s my girl!” Childe gave a gentlemanly bow to let the two ladies pass. Like a magician, he procured her purse from the previous night and gently draped it around Lumine’s shoulder.

“So? Why are you even here when you’re supposed to get your ass whipped?” Lumine placed her hand on her hips. Childe did not immediately reply. Instead, he nodded Ekaterina a thanks and closed the door.

“Wouldn’t you love to see that unfold,” he dryly commented, picking up Klee and straightening the cute red beret she was wearing.

“Why not?”

But Childe did not respond to her question. The man carried the little girl into the mall, followed by a young woman clutching her purse and looking mildly annoyed.

Lumine then quickly realized why he had chosen this particular venue. The moment they stepped in, people promptly made way for him. Salespeople ran up to the front to greet him with an enthusiastic bow.

“Okay,” Lumine muttered to herself. “This doesn’t impress me much.”

Childe merely laughed. “I would have been disappointed if you said otherwise.”

“So why are we here then? Surely not to flaunt that you own this place.”

“Hm, well, you’re still wearing Ekaterina’s uniform,” he explained while he marched into an expensive boutique. “And we can’t have you showing up at your precious Police department looking like my subordinate now, can we?”

“Good point.” Lumine looked around. “But surely we could just pop down that jeans store and get me a pair of new pants and a discount tee- oof!”

Childe tossed something soft into her face, causing Klee to chuckle. When Lumine checked out what it was, it was a beautiful white top with blue and gold geometric patterns.

“Don’t worry, this outlet produces mainly clothes from wear-resistant fabric.” He then faced the store manager, who had hurried out to greet him. “Please scan her fingerprint. Miss Lumine’s purchases are permanently on my tab.”

“Yes, Mister Tartaglia.” The middle-aged man bowed slightly, then snapped his fingers to beckon the poor salesgirls to fetch the respective equipment.

“Uh, permanently? We have been together for-”

Again, he interrupted her. “Don’t think you’re super special, girlie,” he proclaimed with a cheeky wink. “You’re not the only one on my tab.”

“Klee wants also to be on your tab!” The young girl obviously did not understand what it meant, but Childe just chuckled and let the staff take the girl’s fingerprints to register her as a customer as well. She quickly wrapped them around her little finger, allowing Childe to focus entirely on Lumine.

“So you want me to be part of your harem?” Lumine could not help but marvel at the quality of the top, yet found it difficult to find a matching pair of pants that allowed her free movement. Childe patiently followed her while she tried various combinations, choosing not to respond to her question.

Eventually, he said, “I would like to offer you the chance to work for me.”

“Huh, funny, Ekaterina said the same. In what form? Your escort?” Lumine stared at the reflection in the mirror. She looked so much more feminine in these new clothes. The terrible thing was, she actually liked it. Childe approached her, hugging her from behind.

“I hoped our night was consensual and voluntary, not a trade.” His low voice tickled her ear, sending pleasant shivers down her back.

“Well, yes, but it doesn’t erase the fact that any form of relationship will cause friction on both sides,” Lumine said in an equally low voice.

“Which is why I proposed you switch teams. After all, you don’t want to spend an eternity under this depressing piece of metal, or?”

His offer was tempting. Too tempting. Lumine bit her lip. Childe enjoyed watching her little agony in the mirror, planting even a kiss on her cheek.

“You’re an evil man,” Lumine angrily retorted, freeing himself from his embrace. “I cannot accept your offer, but if you’re willing to compromise, I would be fine with a… joint cooperation.”

Childe’s deep blue eyes lit up. The rather menacing aura he exuded disappeared in an instant. Lumine felt as if she had just told a puppy they were going out for a walk.

“I gleefully accept! What a glorious day!” He gingerly grabbed her by the chin, but instead of pulling her face up, he bent down to plant a kiss on her lips.

“Wh- I told you, I’m not interested in being part of your harem!” Flustered, Lumine pushed him away. The sales clerks witnessing it gasped in horror. What must they have witnessed to react this way? However, Childe wasn’t even bothered by her behavior, which irritated the staff even more. Who was this woman at his side who showed no fear?

In the end, the three ended up with a successful haul. Lumine wore the white top and a pair of black jeggings. They possessed a subtle golden shimmer that added a touch of glamour to her look. She held a bag with two additional outfits for different occasions and her purse in her hand. Klee looked effortlessly cute and chic, with her brand-new red jacket matching her beret. Beneath the coat, she wore a white linen dress and deep red leggings. And because Klee’s shoes were getting too small, Childe also sponsored a pair of brand-new sneakers. With his impeccable style, the three looked like a celebrity family on a PR outing. 

“We’re attracting quite the crowd,” Lumine mumbled as she watched Childe introduce different plushies for Klee at a toy store. Unfortunately, none of his suggestions were to the little girl’s liking.

“Heehee, I wonder what your friends at Moon City Police will say when gossip hits the tabloids,” he said while focusing on Klee.

“The amount of headaches you’re giving me… I hope it’s going to be worth it.”

Just as Childe was about to say something, a boy with reddish-blond hair approached him from behind. “B-brother?!” The boy wore expensive-looking corduroy brown pants and a dark blue sweater that contrasted his bright blue sparkling eyes.

Childe’s eyes widened in surprise. “Teucer!” 

When he exclaimed the boy’s name, the surrounding buzz instantly disappeared. Everyone around them suddenly was back being busy with their own lives. Lumine could not help but be in awe at how much influence this guy seemed to have.

“Teucer?” Lumine asked, carefully scrutinizing the boy. He was about nine or ten years old. Unlike her, Klee approached the boy gleefully. 

“Hi! Klee is Klee!”

The boy’s eyes sparkled even brighter. “Is this… is this…?”

“Ahahaha, Teucer, funny running into you here!” Childe’s demeanor switched utterly again. This time, he was acting like an abashed older brother.

“Well, you did tell me that I can get here as many toys as I like, and I was thinking of getting Klee a present!”

“Aw, that’s so thoughtful of you!” Childe ruffled his little brother’s hair. “So what did you have in mind?”

“How about this one?” Teucer held up a weird-looking ball of fluff with a tail and ears. Immediately, Klee clapped her hands.

“Klee likes this!” She ripped the plushie out of Teucer’s hands and cuddled it tightly. “So soft! Klee calls it Dodoco!”

“Seems you’ve got a luckier hand than I do!” Childe commended his brother for having success.

Lumine felt a pang in her heart. This felt like a warm, heartful family scene, and she was not a part of it. How often had she yearned to be included in a moment like this? Despite her having something akin to a ‘brother’, their relationship differed. Unwittingly, Lumine stepped back as if she wanted to give the three some space. However, Teucer was just as keen of an observer as his older brother was.

“Beautiful golden hair, lady! Are you brother’s girlfriend?” He asked while approaching her. Teucer’s eyes did not seem to stop sparkling. It was so full of life and excitement and in complete juxtaposition to Childe’s eyes.

Lumine was surprised to see Childe react with embarrassment. His cheeks turned slightly pink, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Teucer, that’s not the right way to approach people. First, you should ask for their name,” he said. 

“Oh, I see. My bad! What’s your name? Mine is Teucer!” Teucer said.

“Hello, Teucer,” Lumine replied nervously. “You can call me Lumine.” 

“Lumine! That’s a great name! Are you my brother’s girlfriend?” Teucer repeated his question from earlier. 

“Teucer…” Childe interrupted, crossing his arms and sighing in exasperation. Lumine felt pressured to say the ‘right thing’, but she wasn’t sure what that was. 

“Uh, I don’t think so?” she replied tentatively. 

Teucer’s eyes lost almost all their sparkle.“Oh,” he said, his voice dripping with disappointment.

“Uh, I’m sure he doesn’t need another girl in his ha-, I mean. group of… ladies,” Lumine added, trying to fix the situation. Of course, it only made things worse.

Teucer looked at Lumine incredulously. “What do you mean? Brother doesn’t have any-”

“Okay, that’s enough, why don’t we go have some milkshakes?” Childe awkwardly clapped his hands to divert attention.

“Milkshakes!”

Teucer was successfully distracted.

“Yay! Klee wants milkshakes too!”

Klee, just as well.

Lumine gave Childe a side-eye, but this time, the oh-so-Mr-Deadly-crime-lord chose to avoid eye contact. Instead, he ushered the children into the next dairy bar and let them order food and drinks to their heart’s content. In the end, Lumine made do with Childe’s strange alter ego and joined in on the fun, hoping the kids would have a memorable day at the mall.

When it was time to leave, Lumine waved goodbye and took Klee by the hand. “Okay, you two,” she said in a fake sweet voice. “Have a great evening! Klee and I will go home now.”

“Let me order you a taxi so you get home quickly,” Childe serenely said, waving them an equally fake heartful goodbye.

“Brother!” Teucer complained. His blue eyes seemed bigger than ever before, and his whiny tune signaled he was not ready to let them go.

“Teucer.” Childe softly scolded him. “Lumine and Klee have a home to return to, as do we.”

“But she’s your girlfriend! And I want to play with Klee a little longer…”

“Teucer, Lumine already told you she’s not…”

What was that? A little tear rolling down his brother’s cheek? Lumine had to suppress her laughter when she watched how Childe suddenly grew flustered as he tried to console his baby brother. After pondering for a moment, Lumine decided to indulge the little boy and tease Childe.

“On second thought, maybe we should stay a little longer. What do you think, Klee?” She looked at Klee. Just like she expected, the little girl jumped up and down excitedly. 

“See! Let’s go home together!” Teucer pointed at them. Childe sighed and glared at Lumine upon realizing it was her full intent.

“Alright, why don’t you be a big boy and summon Ekaterina for me, will you?” Putting on his big brother smile, Childe took out his phone and handed it to Teucer.

“Okay!” Teucer gladly accepted his task and began to ring Childe’s subordinate. Meanwhile, Childe approached Lumine, his gaze threatening.

“If anything happens to Teucer, I will pull out your organs with my bare hands, did you hear?” He hissed in her ear. It seemed like Teucer was this man’s weak spot. Any ordinary enemy would use this to their knowledge to extort Childe, but because of his ruthless reputation, nobody dared to touch Teucer. 

Lumine understood he was serious and nodded while she messaged Amber she would be delayed. “If it makes you a little more relieved, I will protect him if something happens.”

She felt his head plop onto her shoulder. It sounded as if he muttered a “thank you”, but Lumine could not properly make out his words because his voice was so muffled. Regardless, she gently patted him on his back as high as she could reach.

It didn’t take long for Ekaterina to arrive in another inconspicuous car.

“Master Tartaglia.” Ekaterina greeted him as they all got into the car.

“Take us to Teucer and my home,” he said, shutting the door.

“Master…?” Even if she only raised her voice slightly, Lumine knew his subordinate was flabbergasted. 

Childe waved dismissively. “It’s a long story.”

Without losing another word, Ekaterina switched on the radio and drove back into Liyue’s heart. With each swap, they changed cars twice, with Childe’s outfit growing more ordinary. At the end, Childe was wearing plain jeans and suspenders with his signature red shirt, and drove a small car by himself. Lumine was impressed at the lengths he was willing to go to just to protect his little brother.

The group arrived at one of the lower-rise skyscrapers at the border of Liyue and Academia District. It seemed like an ordinary neighborhood and certainly possessed nothing of the Ritz Lumine had seen near the Golden House or the Northland Bank Tower. Childe pulled up before a building and guided them inside. After walking up a few flights of steps, they arrived before a weathered-looking wooden door. Lumine half expected to be greeted with another sad display of non-color, but to her surprise, the walls were lined with vomit-green wallpapers and a colorful array of framed photographs. The wooden floor creaked with every step. Mismatched rugs guided the group through the maze of corridors. Wooden stairs leading up. Wooden stairs leading down. Ladders to reach weird nooks and crannies filled with books and toys. Old fixtures barely illuminated the way, yet everything was warm and inviting. This was what Lumine imagined “home” to be like. An interior designer’s nightmare, but full of memories and love. She decided to study the photos hanging on the wall. Each one showed a happy couple and their growing family. Lumine stopped before one particular one: It had singed edges, and the faces of the couple had become indiscernible. The oldest children were already well into adulthood. One teenage boy stood out; he was meek in stature, but Lumine recognized him by the deep blue color of his eyes. The following photos subsequently only featured both a very young Childe and a toddler boy who Lumine presumed to be Teucer. She held her breath. What had happened to this happy family? Is this why Childe tried so hard to preserve the memory by mimicking his family home?

“Where’s… the rest?” She exasperatedly asked, afraid of her fears being confirmed.

Teucer suddenly paused. He joined Lumine before the photo gallery, his gaze pensive. “Brother says they’re no longer with us.”

“Oh. My bad. I shouldn’t have asked.”

The boy shook his head. “All I can ever remember is my brother always being there for me. To me, these faces are just strangers.” And with his smile returning, Teucer ran off into the living room to play with Klee, just like any other ordinary child.

Lumine stood in the hallway a while longer. The lump in her heart felt particularly heavy, even though it was not the first time in her long life to hear such a sad story. She exhaled and then followed up on the children.

As expected, the two were having fun. Klee seemed to enjoy Teucer’s technical explanations of the various toy models he owned. It was then that she noticed that Teucer’s left arm and leg didn’t seem biological at all.

“He was left for dead,” Childe quietly explained as if he read her thoughts. “But I didn’t give up on him.”

“I’m impressed. His prostheses really fooled me for quite a while.”

“If there’s anybody who can pull something like that off, it’s the Doctor.” With a nod of his head, Childe beckoned Lumine into the kitchen.

“The Doctor?” Lumine followed him to see him casually putting on an apron to prepare a meal. Childe scrutinized every ingredient he took from the fridge before washing and cutting it for a soup. He skillfully chopped the vegetables like a professional cook, tossing the pieces effortlessly into a large pot he had been heating.

“If an android or cyborg needs anything, your address is the Doctor. He owns a clinic in Academia, not too far from here. I’m sure he’d be able to update your stuff, too,” he explained.

“Seems he had a lot of practice on you first,” Lumine dryly commented. She disliked people tinkering with her body. Whenever she was severely damaged, either her nanomachines would patch her up, or Aether would take good care of her. Not like it had ever gotten that far again after the War. 

Childe snorted in response to Lumine, then briefly turned around to see what his little brother was doing.

“Our parents were the glue that held the family together, even when I… became successful. The moment they perished, all my siblings disowned me and scattered in all directions. I occasionally stay in contact with one of them just to know they’re alright.”

“Tonya, I presume.”

“You got a good memory.” 

“So what happened to your brother to be considered dead?”

Childe paused for a moment. It looked as if he was contemplating revealing this much to her.

“If it’s too sensitive to ask, I’ll live without getting an answer,” Lumine quickly added to ease the tension, raising her arms in defense.

He shook his head. “It’s nothing secret. Just don’t treat Teucer differently, okay?”

Lumine nodded. It wouldn’t be difficult, considering the camouflage was near-perfect.

“When someone like me becomes famous, you attract a lot of unwanted attention,” Childe explained. He stared at the bubbling pot before him, lost in memory. “And one adversary thought he could play the punish game by setting my family home on fire. It spiraled out of control. When I arrived on the scene, the firefighters had pulled a severely burned Teucer out of the burning house, but they couldn’t find my parents. In the end, they were found in the living room, clutching our latest family photo. This entire place here,” he said, waving the soup ladle like a pointing stick, “is basically a memory reconstruction of how our family home used to look like.”

“I… I don’t know what to say,” Lumine truthfully said, fighting back tears.

“It is what it is. My brother’s here and happy. That’s all that counts.” He stirred one last time and tasted his meal. “Guess dinner’s ready.”

In a sudden change of mood, Childe gave a winsome smile and summoned the children to help set the table. Everybody enjoyed the meal, asking for seconds. Soon, not a single drop of soup was left in the pot.

“I’m really impressed by your cooking,” Lumine exclaimed, stacking all the used dishes together. The children leaned back in their chairs in a happy daze.

“Well, even I need to know how to feed myself,” Childe retorted, half-amused.

“Wait… does that mean you made the waffles this morning, too?” Suddenly, the realization hit her.

Childe raised an eyebrow, then burst out into laughter. “Now, did you think those waffles magically appeared this morning?”

Lumine’s cheeks quickly turned red. Of course, she hadn’t considered how those incredible waffles might have appeared. Too distracted was she by his seemingly whimsical ways, good looks, and blue eyes, and…

Without realizing it, Childe booped her nose.

“Where is your mind trailing off to again? Too impressed by me?” He grinned wide.

“S-stop vaunting yourself, you idiot!” Flustered, Lumine looked away. She heard him laugh, but somehow it felt genuine. 

“No way! Lumine got waffles? I want waffles, too!” Teucer complained. He was soon accompanied by an equally jealous Klee.

“You kids had a lot of sweet stuff today at the milk bar, remember?” Childe explained in a soft voice. “You’ll get my homemade waffles another time.”

After a disappointing sigh, the two children hurried off the table to continue playing while Lumine helped Childe clean up. 

“What an incredibly mundane life,” Lumine quietly said as she stacked the dried dishes in the cupboard.

“Yes. Which is why it’s such a treasure.” His voice was just as low as if he didn’t want to disrupt the illusion. “Though I’m surprised you seem to value the scenery too.”

“Well,” Lumine began to speak. “I always wondered what being just ‘regular’ was like. To live somewhere where it’s not necessary to fight or be prepared to do so.”

“It’s a fragile little bubble,” Childe explained. “I would be lying if I said I don’t miss it every now and then.”

Eventually, the two joined the merry children and played until Klee and Teucer fell asleep on the couch. After covering them with a blanket, Lumine snuggled up to Child on the opposite sofa. They silently watched the sleeping kids and enjoyed the peacefulness. Childe began gently caressing Lumine’s head.

“My goal is to show Teucer the real sky. And I will not stop until this damn dome is torn apart. But…,” he paused for a long moment. “But when all is said and done, I… I would love to introduce you to my brother as my girlfriend.”

Childe spoke in a hushed tone, so Lumine struggled to hear him properly. She felt tired after a long day, and her eyes slowly closed. When Childe looked down at her, he noticed she had drifted off to sleep with a cute smile. On the other hand, he was wide awake and didn't want to miss this moment of intimacy. A new sense of purpose and determination stirred within him. 

With the utmost care, Childe gently lifted Lumine and carefully laid her on the sofa. After ensuring she was comfortable, he tiptoed towards Teucer, not wanting to wake Lumine up.

“Hey, buddy,” he gently woke him. At first, Teucer refused to stir, merely scrunching his nose. But his older brother bothered him with a few playful flicks against his forehead.

“What is it?” Teucer finally woke up, holding his forehead.

“Sssh,” Childe whispered, placing his fingers on his lips. He then pointed at Klee. “I need my tinkering brother’s skills.”

As soon as he heard those words, Teucer’s eyes lit up. A strange, almost eerie, grin spread across the little boy's face. "Does that mean I get to take Klee apart?" he asked, his voice filled with anticipation.

Childe smiled back at him and ruffled his hair. “Only a little.”