Chapter Text
"Do you want to see the wish I wrote on my lantern this year, Xiao?"
There's something magical about the Lunar New Year.
No matter how many times Lumine comes back to Liyue for this time of the year, her heart always holds the same excitement as if it's the very first time. It's hard to put a finger on what exactly it is that makes her so happy, though.
Maybe it's the scent of freshly brewed osmanthus tea that fills the air every afternoon or the taste of rice wine puddings and homemade dumplings that people prepare and sell on the streets. Kids' laughter that can be heard from any part of the city and quiet chatting are something very common and yet, even those little things make the city shine as brightly as lanterns on the night sky. Decorations and music also are affecting the atmosphere in the city and people's hearts.
But maybe, just maybe, Lumine loves the Lantern Festival the most because of one special person who always remains by her side no matter what.
"Hm? Don't mortals have a tradition about that?" Xiao hums to himself before adding a quick bashful afterthought, "The one saying that if one states their desires, they won't come true."
Lumine can't help but chuckle. He's truly the only person who can bring up the topic of human nature and complain about its foolishness while being a part of it himself.
They're on the outskirts of the city now - Lumine is sitting with a lantern between her palms while her thoughts are running wild, wondering about everything and nothing at the same time. Xiao remains next to her, right by her side, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as he watches over her.
Nevertheless, Lumine can't help but feel that he not only takes care of her security and makes sure there's no danger around but also watches her.
She can almost feel his intense gaze focusing on her all the time, no matter what she does. The weight of his stare is slowly but gradually burning her body up, leaving her skin hot in the cold of this night.
It takes everything in Lumine not to shiver and blurt out a comment about the way he acts.
What would Xiao do if she pointed out that he's staring at her, anyway? Would he ignore it and simply shrug it all off with a quick answer about how she still didn't learn to behave well when she's around adepti?
Or perhaps... he would do something else.
Lumine can picture it all, every scene flickers inside her mind and doesn't go away once she tries to focus on anything else. Every word, every action - they always seem to lead her back to Xiao.
She can almost feel it.
His fingers would reach out to lift her chin, tilting her head to make her focus solely on him. The lantern would be lying somewhere on the grass, long-forgotten as her mind would be consumed by desires - each one of them spelling out Xiao's name. Every passing second would only make Lumine's head spin, leaving her hands shaking in an inaudible yearning and anticipation for something, anything.
And then, he would slowly lean in. The time would seem to slow down. There's nothing around, just the two of them and tension in between. She wouldn't be able to do nothing but wait and look at him as he would whisper–
"Lumine."
A loud gasp escapes her lips. Her whole body freezes when she notices Xiao right in front of her.
When did he move closer and for how long he's been staring down at her - she's not sure. He's been standing with his arms folded just a mere moment ago and now he's so close...
Honestly, she's been nothing but restless and distracted tonight.
It's not so much because of the Lantern Rite celebrations, though. Rather, it's all because of Xiao. It's all because she's all alone with him and there are so many things she wishes could happen.
Now is not the best time to think about it.
Minutes pass and Lumine still doesn't say anything - how could she? To think that he was watching her as she was picturing him silencing her with a kiss that might have lead to something more. He saw blood rushing to her cheeks as she wondered if his lips pressed against hers and his hands sliding over her bare body would be able to awake desires hidden underneath their skin.
She can't say how much she needs to feel how it would be like to be his, to see him etching his name onto her skin. So their oath would last forever, so it would turn into something more than just an inaudible promise.
Lumine just wants to hide. It seems so easy to run away and put a hand over her racing heart in a weak attempt to calm down.
She can't do that.
Well, it probably wouldn't work as well as expected, anyway. The weight of his gaze would linger and so would her thoughts. She's more than sure about it.
But neither can she put her hand on the back of his neck and pull him into a kiss to see if a bittersweet dream that shows up in her mind is something she can reach, have.
Lumine swallows. Suddenly, it's hard to say anything.
"You were spacing out again." Xiao's voice makes her tense, startled. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing!" an answer comes fast. Too fast, probably. Lumine watches him tilt his head, visibly doubting her words.
"You are acting in a strange way tonight... You were chuckling earlier out of nowhere, too." Lumine watches him lean just a little bit closer to her. Her breath hitches at the mere proximity, fingers tugging at the edges of her dress. It takes everything in her to stay still. "Are you sure you're not feeling sick?"
"That's... not it."
She clears her throat, averting her face.
Xiao is too beautiful, she thinks. Almost dangerously so.
If looks might kill, she would be already lying lifeless on the ground - all because of him. Even now, being so close to him makes her feel so tense as if the cold knife is gliding over her skin, threatening to press just a little harder. Until it her body trembles underneath its blade.
Yet, she doesn't move away. She can't move away from him even if she tried. Not that she should want to do it, anyway.
With her lips parted and emotions simmering in her lower stomach, she sits and watches as he remains close enough to touch. It's still not enough, she wants him to lean in down even further.
There's something magnetic about him, something that makes her crave...
Ever since the first meeting - when Xiao looked at her and she heard his voice, so deep and calm - she had started to feel something creep its fingers along her spine. Soon, the thoughts that formed in her consciousness turned into wordless nothings muttered into her ears as soon as she caught a glimpse of him. To think about him more and draw him closer.
When Lumine closes her eyes, it's Xiao she sees there. Her dreams - at first vague and shapeless - have become bolder with each new meeting. During nights, she can picture her hands running through his hair and her fingers slowly tracing the outline of his tattoos until her thighs start to tremble and the tension makes her lower stomach ache. It's too much and she needs to quell it, somehow.
The urge soon has morphed into something else... something hungrier...
Lumine shakes her head. Her eyes are shut as she hopes to quiet the noise in her head.
Of course, she can simply shrug it all off and it's actually quite easy. It's late at night, she's tired. It's not like he can read her mind and know what's the truth, right?
And yet, she can't bring herself to do that.
"I was about to show you the wish I wrote on my lantern." Lumine smiles sheepishly. "But I changed my mind a little. So..." for a second, she pauses to look at him only to find him staring right back at her. Something flickers in his eyes, unreadable. That's enough to make her struggle to find the right word. "Um, just guess what I want, Xiao. The thing I wrote."
"Why should I?" he sounds amused, his eyes gleaming.
Lumine ponders over his question.
It's true that she can't show too much of her feelings. The only available option is tiptoeing on the blurry line of the wrong and right - doing things bold enough to show him that she cares yet not so straightforward to make him take a step back.
If Xiao puts his guard up after hearing the right answer, Lumine might play it off as a joke. If he's okay with the word written on the lantern, however, it might be a small step forward for what the future holds for them. Developing a relationship is rather a nerve-racking and slow process, after all.
"Because it's fun!" a breathy chuckle escapes her lips. "Also, you might win a prize once you guess correctly."
It might be simply a product of her overactive imagination and nothing else but right after the words escape Lumine's lips, something shifts in the atmosphere. Xiao's expression remains the same - unreadable with his eyes holding an intensity so overwhelming that one look at him is enough to make her breathless. Yet the air between them starts to become heavier.
"A prize?"
Xiao's voice is soft, betraying nothing. It's impossible to say what he might be thinking and somehow, it makes Lumine nervous.
"Yes," she nods, a ghost of a smile on her face; "any prize you want."
A second passes and another, and then, he sighs.
"Is it health?" Xiao asks suddenly and almost right away sees Lumine shaking her head. "Happiness? Good luck on your travels?"
"No."
Another sigh. "Is it a thing?"
"Not at all, just something I want." Someone she wants.
Xiao's brows furrow in a deep thought.
"Then..." he slowly starts again. "Is your wish being reunited with your brother?"
Lumine takes a deep breath.
"N-no– not this time. I mean, I still want to find him and stay with him but..."
She averts her gaze, focusing on the sea for a second to gain back her composure. The water reflects lanterns and their warm gleam, shining brighter than any time else. If not the mix of way too many intense emotions running through her veins, she could appreciate the view more.
"I know I will find him. I can feel it." Lumine starts again, her voice shaking ever so slightly as she rushes to explain herself. "So this year I wish for someone else but just as important - if not more."
"Your wish... is someone?"
Lumine presses fingers against her lips, flustered. It happens fast like a reflex, as if closing her mouth shut could take her words out, somehow.
Suddenly, Xiao moves.
Everything happens fast after that. Lumine feels his slender fingers wrap around her wrist. Her eyes widen as he leans closer to her until his face is mere inches away from her.
He's so close. Too close.
She can barely concentrate.
It takes her a second to realize what's happening - out of sudden, her mind is blank - that he took her hand, holding it away from her face. That he's waiting for an answer.
"So?"
Hesitantly, Lumine nods.
She doesn't have to say anything more than that - it was supposed to be just a funny little game to amuse Xiao and catch a glimpse of what he thinks about her based on his reaction to her wish. She doesn't have to say that it has a deeper meaning that seems to be etched deep inside her heart.
Still, she decides to indulge him and speak frankly.
"I've heard that the Lantern Festival is closely associated with love - or so it was, at least, especially in the ancient times in Liyue. So, um well, I thought it would be a good moment to pray that archons grant my wish."
Xiao's gaze is piercing, making Lumine feel breathless. She doesn’t move away, enthralled by him.
The silence between them is more tense than usually, hanging in the air, hot and heavy. It will snap any given moment - Lumine is sure of that. Xiao must feel it, too.
But none of them move away.
He doesn't let go of her, not even for a second. Instead, his grip on her tightens slightly.
"Who?"
A shiver runs down her spine at the sound of Xiao's voice. Lumine barely manages to hold back from extending her hand until her fingers brush against his lips, so soft and luscious. And then, she would end up tugging him closer and closer until her wildest dreams become reality–
She wants to yank away, alarmed by the thought that had slipped into her mind. But she can't. Not when Xiao is still holding her wrist between his fingers.
Lumine swallows.
How can he be so straightforward and stay so calm at the same time, anyway? And why is he asking her that? It wasn't supposed to be like that. It was his task to guess the correct answer. She wanted to be the one to make the rules for this little game they've been playing.
So why... Why is she trapped inside the palm of his hand once again?
The only thing she knows is that she doesn't want to fight any of the feelings she experiences anymore.
The lantern she's been holding falls on the ground.
"You, Xiao." Lumine whispers, breathless. "It's your name I wrote on the lantern."
The kiss that follows is just as sudden as it's fierce.
It takes her a moment to register what is happening - that Xiao's lips are pressed against hers and it's not a dream. She feels the warmth radiating off his body hovering over hers and his thumb moving against the skin of the wrist he's still holding.
Her eyes flutter shut and almost right away Xiao pushes her onto the ground. Lumine gasps against his lips, her body instantly arching into him.
Everything that's not him is suddenly long forgotten.
The time turns into something meaningless as both of them start to grow breathless. Lumine feels heat seething in her chest as Xiao lets go of her hand. His fingers slide over her body - she notices his greedy touch on her hips and waist before his palm slowly traces its way upwards to her chest. She feels the warmth of his fingertips on her collarbones and gasps, overwhelmed.
Xiao stops at her chin, tilting her face to deepen the kiss.
Lumine returns every one of them with the equal fervor, letting herself drown in the intensity of him. He's so addictive. She might lose her mind any given moment.
It's all-consuming yet she still wants more, needs more–
Abruptly, Xiao pulls back.
Lumine tenses, holding back a whine that threatens to escape her. She's left wanting, unable to do anything even though he remains close.
Her eyelids flutter as his hot breath ghosts over her lips.
"You know it's a dangerous wish, Lumine." the sound of her name makes her tremble. Somehow, it is always more special when Xiao says it. "I could list way too many reasons why you shouldn't act upon it if you don't want to get hurt."
"I don't care." she answers immediately, her eyes gleaming with confidence as she looks at Xiao.
He remains quiet as if he's trying to hold on to the last resort of his willpower.
In the tense and overwhelming silence, only their roaring heartbeats and the sound of waves crashing against the shores remind them that it's all real. Everything that's happening is not a dream.
Lumine's lips part but before she can say anything - what exactly, she isn't sure - Xiao's hand slip underneath her body. He drags her just a tiny bit closer to himself by her waist until she's pressed against him. And when she feels his hips against hers–
Oh.
"Well then..."
Slowly, he reaches out to her. His touch is feather-light when he brushes hair off her face and then, twists a strand of her hair on his finger. It's slow and gentle yet the tension is still between them - even though none of them is ready to address it properly and cross the line of no return.
Xiao tugs the strand of her hair behind her ear. His hand lingers there, brushing against her cheek, the touch almost unnoticeable in the heat of the moment. And then, his fingers mindlessly glide further down over her jaw.
She's breathless. All because of a mere touch.
Lumine thinks she will never come back from this. She will never recover from him.
They're both but preys to the desires that are constantly consuming them. There's no way to escape it.
"It's my duty to make your wishes come true tonight..."
His murmur is low and husky. Xiao sounds like a sin and Lumine feels her head spinning, heat seething in her chest. His lips are barely brushing against hers as he slowly whispers again.
"... And to take my prize."