Work Text:
Scratch, scratch.
Childe sighs while erasing a few scribbles. The eraser shavings are flicked off the worn out paper pad while he hums to himself, keeping the melody in his mind as the lyrics become clearer. Despite feeling exhausted from being in the studio for so long, lyrics came pouring into his mind when he heard the right rhythm. What started as mumbles grew to become small vocalizations, and ultimately turned into the right words.
“Ah hah! I think I got it,” Childe says while turning to his manager. The older man worked with him throughout the morning, silently encouraging him the whole time. If not for his manager’s support, Childe’d never thought he would be debuting with the much anticipated idol group, DCKZ.
The man nods, leaning forward to place all of his attention on the young ginger-haired man. “Let’s hear it.”
From a young age, Childe loved rap and the message it could send through music. When their group was first formed, it was established right away he’d only assume that role when he was introduced into the idol group.
Not only did the agency secure a gifted rapper, they also got a talented songwriter under their belt. With experienced people in the industry to guide him along, Childe found excitement in this new page of his life.
“That’s good,” his manager grins. “We can work with this.”
“I think it’ll be something special,” Childe agrees. He turns to his laptop and browses for the audio file with two of his members' singing, the constantly bickering brothers, Diluc and Kaeya. “If we play what we have so far…” He clicks on the file as they listen to what they managed to put together.
“…it can be something,” His manager said, nodding along with Kaeya’s melodic voice. A smile spreads on his lips as Diluc’s powerful voice dances on the tune. “It’s a shame those two don’t get along. Their voices compliment each other very well.”
Childe chuckles, “Their love of music and dance is the only thing that’s keeping them civil.”
Their manager arches an eyebrow. “You have to keep them under control.”
“Please, sir. The girls will love them! The lore they have is intriguing on its own,” Childe points out as he sits back in his chair. The stern look on his manager’s face doesn’t let up, causing the ginger to sigh. “Okay, okay. I’ll have Zhongli talk to them.”
“Don’t put everything on him just because he’s a leader, kid.”
“That’s precisely why he should handle it. I’m just a rapper–” Before he could finish, his stomach grumbles loudly. “–who is very hungry…”
The manager rolls his eyes, but gave Childe a stern nod. “Go touch some grass, kid. You’ve been here too long for your own good.”
“Finally!” Childe shoots up from his seat and stretches his cramped up limbs as he walks out the door. “See you later!”
Although he didn’t account for what felt like endless nights at the studio with the not-so-comfortable couch as his bed. Checking his phone and finally acknowledging the date, he realizes three days have passed since he actually saw the outside world.
The grumbling in his stomach and desire for real food call his name the moment he steps out into the bright sunlight. Suddenly, he feels his phone ring in his pocket. Checking the screen, he saw the name he wanted to see. His girlfriend, Lumine. She texted him: If you’re done being a shut-in, let’s get some food!
You read my mind, girlie. Childe texts her back.
She replied quickly with: Wanmin Restaurant?
Perfect. See you in ten minutes.
Lumine takes the last sip of her water, wipes the sweat from her forehead as she gathers her things. She throws her things into her bag and readies herself to leave the dance studio. The music buzzes softly in the background now.
“Where are you headed to, Lumine?” Her idol-member and leader, Ayaka asks from beside her. Her long, light blue hair was piled onto her head in a bun as she quickly sent what appeared to be a text message on her phone.
“Childe wants to meet up for lunch,” Lumine said as she loops her arm through her purse handle. “I’m going to head out for the day. Nothing else to go over, right?” She asks Ayaka.
“Nope,” Ayaka smiles as she looks over at their other members.
Just like her boyfriend, Lumine was also in the entertainment business.
Her girl group, FREEZE FRAME is a constant headline in the music industry and the most well loved amongst Teyvat. It was just by luck she was able to fall in love with someone with an understanding for what she did.
Her eyes scan the dance studio and take note of what everyone is doing.
Furina and Barbara huddletogether in one area of the room, humming softly to each other as Furina writes something in her journal. No doubt lyrics.
Yun Jin, Eula, and Nilou review the choreography in another corner. With Yun Jin in the front, she counts the steps out loud, her reflection focuses on Eula and Nilou as they accurately follow her movements.
“I think we’ve got it covered here,” Ayaka says as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Unless you have anything you’d like to add?”
Lumine shrugs and shakes her head. “Everything looks great so far. It’s best if we leave off for now and start fresh tomorrow.”
“Agreed,” Ayaka smiles. “Bye, Traveler.”
The nickname Lumine earned herself in the industry was so well used, she didn’t think twice as she said her goodbyes to her members. Lumine was a well-known dancer and singer across Teyvat, preferring dancing over singing..
She left that part to Barbara and Yun Jin.
As she ventures into the city streets, she receives another text from Childe.
I can’t wait to see you. You don’t know how many times I wanted to fight Kaeya and Diluc.
Lumine smirks and types: You shouldn’t get in between family squabbles.
Only a few seconds later, Childe’s message pops up on her phone: I know but I can only take so much, girlie.
Lumine laughs out loud. She was grateful her group didn’t experience the constant bickering between the members. She reaches the street where Wanmin Restaurant was and glimpses her tall, ginger haired boyfriend waiting for her.
“Hi, babe,” Childe noticesher first, meeting her halfway. He wraps his arms around her much smaller frame and kisses her lightly on the lips.
“Hey,” Lumine smiles through the kiss, pulling back and intertwining her hand in his. “Were you waiting for a while?”
“Just got here,” Childe replies as he pulls her towards the entrance. “Let’s get a table before it starts to get busy. I’m starving!”
Before they could enter the restaurant, Lumine’s phone starts to ring. She looks at the screen to see her twin brother, Aether’s caller ID pop up. She holds a finger up to Childe then answers, “Hey, Aether!”
“Hey Lumine!” her brother says. “Are you free to hang out?”
“Yeah, I’m done for the day. What’s up?” She asks as Childe opens the door for her. The bell of the restaurant rings as they get inside.
“Keqing and I are actually in Chihu Rock. Did you want to grab lunch with us?”
Lumine’s expression lights up at the mention of her brother’s long time girlfriend. Keqing was a dear friend of hers. She did miss them both. “I’m actually at lunch with Childe right now,” She glances at Childe, his attention on her at the mention of his name. She mouths her brother’s name to him as he nods in understanding. “We’re at Wanmin Restaurant, we’ll reserve a table for all of us. How’s that sound?”
“That’s perfect. Keqing and I will be there soon,” Aether saysas he hangs up the phone.
The bell rings once more throughout the restaurant as two newcomers with growling stomachs enter. Keqing walks in first, her long violet hair in twin pigtails catches the attention of the hostess.
In tow, with his hand holding hers, her boyfriend, Aether enters. “Wow, it’s so hot.” He grumbles as he fluffs the front part of his shirt. Though it didn’t help much to ventilate the heat. The button-up barely left any room.
Keqing chuckles, reaching into her purse and pats a few beads of sweat off of Aether’s temple. “Good walk we had, eh?” She teases. Aether only manages to give her a playful eye roll before the hostess greets them.
“Hello, welcome in!” The hostess says, immediately recognizing the Yuheng and her spouse. “Do you have a reservation?” She asks.
Keqing nods, “We have. The other half of our party has already been seated.”
“I see them right over there,” Aether points out, nodding towards where his sister immediately stood out amongst the other guests. The hostess nods, gesturing for them to find their table as they navigate through.
The closer they got, the seemingly twin connection the two siblings had became more apparent. Before even Childe sees Aether, Lumine turns the moment he got a few feet within their table. Her choppy blonde bob sways in motion and their eyes finally meet.
Happiness bubbles through Lumine’s warm eyes as she stands up to greet him. “Brother!”
Aether smiles, closing the distance between them to give his twin a much needed hug. “Don’t tell me you’ve already ordered for us?” He jokes as they pull apart.
Lumine rolls her eyes, “Even if I did, you’d just order more on top of that.” Moving around him to give Keqing a greeting hug and kiss on the cheek. “Hi, Keqing! It’s good to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Keqing hums, patting Lumine’s cheek. “You look wonderful like always. I wonder what’s this glow you have going on.”
”It must be me,” Childe adds, making Keqing laugh while Lumine playfully slaps him on the shoulder. “I am her delight.”
”I wouldn’t gloat myself too much there, Childe,” Aether raises an eyebrow at the man. What would have seemed like a tense moment easily dissolved into a warm one as Childe stood up and gave his–well, soon to be brother-in-law a one armed hug.
“I only joke, Aether,” Childe says under his breath with a small smile. The smile became sort of strained as the warmth turned into a stern look from Aether which read, you better be taking care of my sister. Childe reassuringly squeezes Aether’s shoulder. “You don’t have to worry, she’s making sure I stay in line.”
“Yeah, because if I don’t this guy’s ego will grow bigger than it already is!” Lumine jokes as the group takes a seat. She flicks at Childe’s ginger locks. He retaliates by playfully biting at her finger.
“Oh, aren’t they a lovely couple?” Keqing jokes as she opens the menu.
Aether rolls his eyes, shaking his head and trying to refuse the urge to vomit. Though under that, he is genuinely happy his sister found someone who seems like a great fit for her. “How about we start ordering?” He says as he studies the menu.
“I think I’ve come at the right time,” Chef Mao says from beside them. The group had similar friendly grins on their face as the head chef and owner of the restaurant bows in greeting. “Hello my friends, I hope you’re all starving?”
“That’s an understatement,” Childe chuckles. “So, have we decided?”
Aether nods, feeling his stomach grumble as he turns to Lumine. Having a twin did have its perks, she knows what he was craving. He turns to his other half. “You ready to order?” He stretches his arm on the back of her chair and looks over her shoulder as she analyzes the menu.
“Just about. Lumine, Childe. You two order first. I’ll add to it,” the Yuheng said.
”Gotcha. For the hotpot we’d like the spiciest broth…” Childe starts.
Lumine follows up with, “For the meat we’d like beef, lamb, fish. And for the toppings, cabbage, mushroom and tofu!”
Keqing nods along with a few hums of agreement. Then adds, “Also spicy cold beef and wontons in chili oil, please.”
Aether smirks, thinking how adorable she was even in such a casual setting. Her lightly painted pink lips form a small pout, a sign of concentration.
“What are you looking at?” Keqing says, her eyes give him a sideways glance.
“You,” He simply says as he wraps his arm around her shoulders and gently squeezes them.
“Is that it?” Lumine cuts in, looking at Keqing.
Keqing clears her throat, ignoring the slight blush on her cheeks as she closes the menu. “Yes, you’ve gotten everything I like, too.”
”That settles it then,” Chef Mao says as he gathers the menus and bids them a curt goodbye.
“So, how have you two been?” Childe starts as he takes a sip out of his beverage.
Lumine starts to pick away at a few appetizers brought to them, though her attention remains on the couple. “I can’t imagine an aerospace-engineer like you has time to look this relaxed.” She proudly says to Aether.
“It’s barely there but lately I’ve been able to breathe,” Aether sighs but shrugs with a small smile on his face.
“Believe it or not he has more free time than I do this time around,” Keqing adds as she flicks one of her long violet ponytails over her shoulder. “Our home has been full of lovely music~”
“Now Keqing…” Aether tries to steer the conversation until…
“Music?” Childe asks, leaning forward a bit. “Don’t tell me you’re secretly a musical genius like your sister!”
“There you go again with those flowery words,” Lumine huffs, poking Childe’s side in annoyance. She turns back to Aether. “Are you playing the piano again, brother?”
“I am…here and there,” Aether admits with a shy grin. “I only really play when Keqing asks me.”
Keqing chuckles, leaning forward to rest her elbows against the table. “That’s because the home feels so wonderful with the sounds of the piano. Don’t you agree?”
“It’s only because you accompany it with your amazing violin skills,” Aether flirts back as he twirls her violet locks around his finger.
“I didn’t know you played,” Childe genuinely admits. “But I did expect the Yuheng here to play some sort of instrument.”
Keqing snorts, something she normally doesn’t do due to her high-ranking position. “Well, coming from my family it’s a must to play an instrument.”
“It’s more so a hobby for me. I’m not that great at it,” Aether bashfully says which causes Lumine to roll her eyes.
“He’s being modest,” Lumine says to Childe. “You’re very talented, brother.”
“Thank you, Lumine,” Aether says. “But I can certainly say you’re better suited towards music than me.”
“Classical music wasn’t really my tempo,” Lumine admits with a shrug of her shoulders.
“So you play classical?” Childe says with a hum. “Do you have a preference?”
Aether purses his lips. “I tend to stick to the core classics such as Fontainian music.”
“Ah, yes. It’s quite lovely when you play, honey,” Keqing adds with a loving pat on his arm. “It pairs nicely whenever I play, too.”
“Why do you ask?” Aether wonders, turning his attention on Childe again. “You seem to know much about the classics judging from the look on your face.”
Childe shrugs and gives an easy smile. “Well, I kinda do. Believe it or not, I was brought up on classical music.”
“You were?” Keqing asks with a raised eyebrow.
The ginger head hums. “I hate to say it, but it honestly wasn’t my favorite either. Actually, I hated it.”
Aether laughs, “Understandable. What made you change? Your sound is very different from what I know classics to be.”
Childe’s smile softens while he leans back into his chair and glances at Lumine. The blonde girl matches his grin, one that causes Aether to remember how lucky they truly were for each other.
Though he could see the hint of reluctance on his sister’s face. Perhaps she was still getting used to being in a relationship.
He couldn’t quite figure Childe out at first when Lumine introduced them. Although one thing was certain, Childe’s love of music did bring him to Lumine.
Aether supposed it was destiny, in a way.
“I guess out of spite I dipped my toes into modern music. Though I didn’t need much since it was always going to hold my attention despite how I felt towards classical music.”
Keqing leaned into Aether’s embrace as she sipped on her drink. “Why am I not surprised?” She jokes causing the couple across from them to laugh.
“The moment I discovered how writing lyrics made me feel, I knew then and there I wanted to become an idol,” Childe reveals as he slips his arm around Lumine’s shoulders. “Though more of that persuasion is thanks to your sister.”
Aether catchesthe blush as it spreads on Lumine’s cheeks. He can tell that twinkle in her eye meant she really did love that guy.
Keqing’s hand squeezes his thigh under the table. He doesn’t glance at her right away, but his intuition tells him what she means. Being with Keqing for quite some years had made it easier for him to know.
She’s alright, Keqing’s gesture seems to say to him.
Aether squeezes her hand in return as if to tell her, I know. Don’t worry.
Lumine giggles, pushing away Childe’s face with her fingertips. “Maybe I should ask for your next song to have you playing piano or something. Oh, wait, even better. How about you play a clarinet–“
“Girlie, I swear to gods–” Childe smirks, ready to tease her back when their waiters approach their table unexpectedly.
“Alright, I have the broths here,” The head waiter says as he pours a red colored broth into one side of the built-in pot on their table. “And here is the savory one.”
“Oh, this looks so delicious!” Keqing happily sighs as the other waiters start to place dishes the four had ordered earlier onto the table.
“If you need anything else, please let us know!” The waiter says before bowing and leaving the table. The group naturally splits their tasks, grabbing the closest dishes near them as they take turns pouring the ingredients into the boiling pots.
Aether’s stomach grumbles, taking his attention away from the concern he had for his sister only a few minutes ago.
“Aether, the spicy broth is your favorite, isn’t it?” Lumine asks as she stirs the soup.
“Could you help me get some of that stuff out? They should be done by now, ” Aether eagerly says, earning a small giggle from his girlfriend beside him. “What?”
“Nothing, nothing,” Keqing reassures him with a short, quick kiss on his cheek before she loads her bowl up with her serving. “I’d like some of what he is getting, please.” She says to Childe as he hands her the ladle.
The food on the plates starts to disappear and the natural, light-hearted conversation becomes more engaging, Aether takes a few moments to it in. He sets down his empty bowl, leans back into his chair and watches the couple across from him.
Every so often, he notices Childe, almost naturally as if he’s done it many times before, feeds Lumine a few bites of his own food. His sister would accept it with no hesitation, but other times she’d shake her head.
When Aether comes back from his thoughts, he realizes the group is talking about Keqing’s job. Aether sees the way Childe’s eyes lit up and raises an eyebrow when the man leans forward.
“Say, Keqing…I’m only asking this as a concerned member, but…” He looks around for dramatic effect causing both twins to roll their eyes amusingly. He cups the side of his mouth with one hand as he whispers, “…Zhongli has been seen with a high-ranking official in Liyue–”
Keqing’s eyes widened and opens her mouth to reply but Childe quickly finishes his sentence.
“–that so happens to be the Tianquan. If I recall, Lady Ningguang is your boss, right?” Childe raised an eyebrow. Beside him, Lumine gasps, golden eyes wider than Keqing’s as they dart back and forth from the Yuheng and her boyfriend.
“Are you serious? I thought that was just stupid gossip! Are you saying that they’re actually a thing?” Lumine tries to keep her voice down but the excitement got the better of her earning a quick shush from Keqing.
Sensing his girlfriend’s predicament, he leans forward to help her. But not quite in the way Keqing was hoping. “How else do you think Keqing knows Zhongli?” Keqing sends him a glare and bumps his leg under the table with her own but he ignores it. “Whenever I visit Keqing, I always see Zhongli sneaking into Ningguang’s office.”
“Oh I know they’re not discussing anything government related,” Childe teases. “Right?” His blue eyes were begging for confirmation from the closest person to the Tianquan herself. “Well?”
Keqing sighs and her shoulders relax. She lets out a hopeless laugh and shrugs. “I know Ningguang will wring my neck for this, but it’s out of the bag already.” She takes a sip of her tea and mutters, “I see Zhongli sneaking out of that office as if he’d fought a tornado too many times.”
The conversation devolves into other gossip hitting the “age of the news”. Aether initiates by mentioning the newest Duchess of Fontaine, Clorinde and her extravagant marriage to the longtime Duke, Wriothesley.
Keqing circles back the conversation, mentioning how Aether tries to play Cupid with his coworker, Thoma and the well loved Naganohara Fireworks owner, Yoimiya in Inazuma.
Lumine stays on the gossip, but reveals her group member, Nilou, expresses her interest in dating Sumeru’s respectable General Mahamatra which in turn surprises the group. Lumine explains how Nilou knew the leader of the Matra since they were children.
As the gossip gets juicier, the plates of food run out and the broth cools off nearing the end of their get together. The group leaves the restaurant and says their goodbyes to Chef Mao, sending their love to his daughter and their long time friend, Xiangling who happened to be abroad.
The heat from earlier settles into a nice, comfortable warmth. Childe and Keqing share the perfect idea of getting everyone ice creams at a nearby stall. As the pair leave the twins, Aether takes a chance to speak to his sister.
“Lumine,” Aether says as he looks at Childe and Keqing waiting in line across the street. His sister turns to him, catching his serious tone.
“What?” She replies.
”How is your situation with Childe?” He bluntly asks as he slips his hands into his pockets. Despite his even voice, he felt a bit silly asking his sister about her personal life.
Lumine didn’t have much luck with boyfriends in the past. She’d been hurt by previous jerks only using her fame then leaving her when things got serious. She knew the red flags, but this time around, she saw nothing but happiness with Childe.
Aether arched an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side to look at her in the eyes. ”You know you can always come to me for advice.” He says.
Lumine sighs, a little envious of how her brother was lucky to find his soulmate in Keqing in the early years of university. But despite that, she was truly happy for him and adored Keqing as a sister.
She smiles softly, nodding her head as she hugs her twin. “I know. I’m grateful for Keqing and you, brother.” Aether hugs her back, their relationship always was a reassuring one. She pulled away and placed her hands on his shoulders. “But you don’t need to worry about me now.”
“Hey, girlie! We got your ice cream!” Childe calls out to them as if it was on cue.
The twins look at their respective partners, Childe licking the sides of both cones in each of his hands, causing Lumine to laugh.
Lumine looks at Childe, her eyes softened and heart thuds the closer he gets. “I think I’ve finally found a good one.”
Aether relaxes and smiles. He slowly changes his attention to Keqing. The sounds of her heels click against the pavement. Keqing licked the ice cream cone while her other hand held the cup of ice cream. She sends Aether a shy smile, rare to the public but not to him.
His stomach flutters and chest fills with warmth as he watches her.
Turning to Lumine, the twins catch each other’s gazes. She giggles, causing Aether to raise an eyebrow. “What?”
“It’s nothing…well,” Lumine shakes her head and flicks his long braid over his shoulder. “Before you tease me about the way I look at Childe…I wonder if I have that same look you have when you look at Keqing.”
Aether smirks, a blush creeping on his face. “And what look is that?”
Lumine matches his smirk, bumping him on the shoulder and says, “That look of completely and hopelessly–”
“–in love?” Keqing teases as she reaches them. This causes Lumine to laugh and Aether to blush harder. Keqing grins in amusement, kissing Aether’s cheek as she hands him his ice cream cone. “You don’t look adorably lost like he does, Lumine.”
“I’d say you look as if you’re just about ready to pounce on me,” Childe adds, causing the other couple to laugh this time. Aether, being grateful for Childe’s teasing, seems to let him off the hook as Lumine’s cheeks flush. “But jokes on you, I’m into that.”
Lumine grumbles, taking her ice cream cone from him and shoves it lightly onto his lips to shut the ginger haired man up. “Shut up, idiot.”
“You first,” Childe jokes with a grin, cups her face and kisses her.
Not too far off in the distance, with a delicious treat to distract Aether from the sight of his twin sister kissing her boyfriend, he guessed the sweetness was distracting.
“You know, when Lumine first told us about Childe, I expected her heart to be broken in the end,” Keqing says, taking a lick out of her ice cream cone.
“Wow, Keqing. I’m glad you have the utmost belief in my sister’s relationships,” Aether jokes, knowing his sharp-tongued girlfriend meant no ill will towards Lumine. Turning to her, he wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his side. “I hear a ‘but’ in that sentence.”
Keqing hums, chewing on the ice cream cone now as she watches Lumine and Childe break up from their embrace with grins. She rests her head against Aether’s shoulder.
“But…” Keqing continues. “…if things don’t work out between them, I’d say Childe will be heartbroken in the end. Just look how hopefully doomed he is.” She gestures towards the adoring gaze the ginger had on his sister.
“That’s not a bad thing,” Aether notes as he scoops up the last of his ice cream. “At least to me, it looks like they don’t need to worry.”
“Because?” Keqing asks, lifting her head to look at him. “What are you thinking?”
Aether smiles softly, cupping her cheek and gently kisses her. Her lips were still cold from the ice cream, oddly satisfying against his own. Keqing sighs into the kiss, happily responding back for a few moments before pulling away, remembering they were in public.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Keqing mutters, her arms wrapping around his neck as his hands squeezed at her waist.
“Well, we agreed they looked like us when we were first dating,” Aether says with a grin, brushing back her hair. “And look at us now…”
”Mhm, I’ve been stuck with you for years,” Keqing smiles back, her hand on the nape of his neck as she kisses him again. “You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.”
“You just fell harder, that’s all,” Aether whispers against her lips. “But so did I.”
Keqing laughs, her fingers entangled with his blond hair, gently massaging. “Perhaps we should make sure it lasts forever, no?”
Aether’s eyes lit up and his heart started to beat faster, though he didn’t show the surprise. He knew the underlying message in Keqing’s words, although she could be too blunt at times, something as delicate as the thought of marriage was subtle.
Before Aether could reply, Keqing pulls away, a teasing smirk on her face. Then in perfect timing, Lumine called to them. “Brother! Keqing! We have to get going soon!” She walks towards them with Childe’s hand in hers.
“Just got a call from the studio!” Childe says.
“Come on,” Keqing says as she grabs his hand. “Don’t overthink too hard now.”
“That’s entirely your fault,” Aether rolls his eyes, squeezing her hand and allows her to pull him towards the others.
One thing was for certain: perhaps it was time.