I genuinely can't tell even from an author standpoint whether I see this as more romance or close friendship, so readers, this ones up to you. But I personally think it's pretty cute regardless.
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"Diluc!" Lumine cried out, reaching for him as he became surrounded by enemies. She conjured her energy into a tornado that was sent flying his way to clear through the hillychurls in her path. They were swept away in the blink of an eye.
In her hurried distraction to save Diluc from becoming overwhelmed, Lumine failed to notice the mitachurl coming up on her flank. She was bashed with the shield and sent flying in the opposite direction. She hit the ground with a hard thud and her vision went blurry. She heard Diluc and Paimon call out her name, but the only thing still registering in her mind was the flickering flames dancing in front of her vision as Diluc made a desperate attempt to get to her. And then her world went dark for a short while.
The time that passed before Lumine could remember anything again was insignificant, and the only thing she saw when she opened her eyes was a mess of red hair with Diluc's worried eyes underneath.
Will she be okay?
It was Paimons voice. She was talking over Diluc, practically forcing him to tell her that Lumine would be just fine. It wasn't long before her eyes drifted shut again, like they were never opened to begin with.
Diluc carried her the rest of the way back to Dawn Winery while Paimon cried and carried on like it was the end of the world. Upon arrival, he called for his staff to attend to her. The fuss and noise was enough to finally bring Lumine around with a noticeably higher sense of consciousness compared to the last time she opened her eyes.
"What happened?" She asked Paimon as Diluc dropped her onto a soft bed.
Instead of a dignified response, Paimon just cried and screamed about how much Lumine had scared her, and how she's never allowed to get hurt again or Paimons' poor heart just wouldn't handle it. The two hugged and Diluc excused himself. Lumine could feel the throbbing in her head as she sat there in confusion. She was careless, and put herself in trouble. She knew that, but she was grateful to see Paimon and Diluc safe.
"Here," Diluc said as he came back into the room, "put this on your head, it'll make it feel better."
He handed her a mist flower corolla that had been carefully wrapped in cloth to contain the cold. Lumine happily accepted and placed it on the back of her head where she felt the most pain.
"I've had this room cleared out for the night for you."
Lumine nodded and thanked Diluc for all his help.
"It's gotten rather late, I'll have one of the maids bring you a change of clothes to sleep in," he sighed, taking the mostly melted cloth from Lumine. "I'll get them to bring you more ice for your head too."
"No need," she smiled, "I'm feeling better already. Thank you, Master Diluc."
"My rooms right next door if you need anything."
And with that, the two separated ways for the night. Paimon made herself comfortable on the lounge chair under the window, and Lumine changed clothes and went straight to bed to sleep off the headache.
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In her deep slumber, Lumine started to toss and turn. Her mind was full of terror and memories surrounding the mysterious god from all those years ago. A memory that hadn't resurfaced since telling it to Paimon. Flashes of memories flooded her until all she could see was her brothers face being swallowed as he was taken from her. Aether!
Lumine awoke, still screaming her brothers name. Her hand, still outstretched in an attempt to save Aether, expelled a large gust of wind, blowing the contents of the room around in a small tornado. Her breathing was heavy and laboured as if she had just run a marathon, and her mind was clouded with confusion.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Diluc rushed in, turning the light on. He stood in the doorway in a panic, his sword in hand and his hair, disheveled from sleep, fell over his face and down his bare shoulders. His eyes locked with Lumine's, and he watched as the first of her tears began to fall.
"Are you alright? What happened?" Diluc panicked, dropping the sword to the floor and rushing to her side. It made a loud clank on the hardwood floors before dissolving to dust like it was never there.
"Diluc?" She questioned, looking around the room in a panic. Slowly, Lumine began to realise where she was.
"What happened?" He questioned, leaning on the side of the bed and holding her shoulders, checking her for any more injuries that may have happened while she wasn't under his watch.
"I... I had a nightmare," she sobbed, the tears rolling down her cheeks even faster. "It was about my brother."
She collapsed into Diluc, her tears smearing on his skin. Diluc worriedly hugged her back and held her head close to him. He had never seen the traveler in such a state. He attempted to sooth her with soft words of it's okay and you're safe here.
The two of them lay there in quiet while Lumine calmed down. Diluc trailed soft circles across her back and continued to attempt to calm her down.
Finally, Lumine sat up and wiped her face clean with the sleeves of her pyjama shirt. She made an attempt to wipe down Diluc's chest, and their eyes met. After a moment, Lumine burst out into giggles.
"I'm so sorry," she laughed, stray tears still spilling out. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's okay," Diluc said softly, "I'm just glad you're okay."
The two sat quietly for a moment, observing the mess of the room that Lumine had created.
"What was your nightmare about?" Diluc asked, leaning back on the headboard and brushing his hair away from his eyes. Lumine looked down and felt the sadness creep back in.
"My brother. The day I lost him. I haven't thought about it in so long, and I've been keeping myself so busy lately that it's almost like I forgot he was ever taken from me," she said softly, looking down at her hands in shame. She continued explaining to Diluc about the events that transpired that day, how the unknown God had taken him and how she had no memories from her time in Teyvat before finding Paimon.
"I've never been alone before... he's always been with me, but now it's been so long," she said softly, feeling a pang of guilt in her heart for losing Aether.
"You're not alone," he said firmly. He gazed over to Paimon who was still sleeping by the windowsill as if Lumine hadn't tore the room apart just minutes prior. What a heavy sleeper, he thought to himself.
"All of Mondstadt is at your side, and I doubt the little elf will ever be seen without you again," his tone was light, but had a serious air. He was right, everyone whose life Lumine had touched would be there for her through whatever she needed.
"Diluc," she whispered his name softly, "will you stay with me until I fall asleep again?"
"Of course."
He moved himself onto the bed properly and got comfortable. Lumine dropped herself back down onto his chest, laying between his legs to feel more secure.
"Is this okay?" She asked, cautiously resting on him. Diluc simply wrapped his arms around her in response. His fingers gently folded through her hair as he attempted to coax her back to sleep.
"You worried me so much today," he said softly, "first you go and get yourself knocked out, and then you wake up screaming. You're gonna give me a heart attack."
"I'm sorry," she whispered softly as she closed her eyes and leaned into him.
The two laid there in silence until Lumine finally fell asleep. Diluc sat there, watching her sleep soundly, finally looking content after her episode earlier. He leaned back once more, his fingers still tangled in her hair, and decided he wouldn't leave her in case she had another nightmare. He closed his eyes, and slowly fell asleep to the sounds of Lumine's quiet breaths.
They spent the rest of the night there together, dreading the morning in which they would awaken and have to part.
