Trust-Scaralumi fanfic

Chapter nineteen-the brightest star

    "That sure was an eventful day." Paimon squealed as they all settled back in Lumine's little house. They all sat by the hearth except for Wanderer (because he's a puppet, he doesn't get cold)

    Nahida nodded. "Yes, it was! Tomorrow, we'll have lots of work to do, cleaning up."

    Paimon groaned at the very thought. Lumine flicked her gently on the forehead, signaling for her not to ruin to fun while it lasts.

     Wanderer stared outside at the intense snowstorm, his gaze never wavering. Lumine sat down next to him on the couch, and also looked outside.

     "What's so interesting?" Lumine asked, scooting closer to him. It was cold, being farther away from the fire.

     Wanderer finally broke his gaze, and looked over at Lumine, his expression numb.

    "What is snow made of?"

    Lumine blinked."Huh?"

    Wanderer sighed. "I remembered a story my mother-" he corrected himself, "-Ei told me. It goes something like;

    Whenever the sparkling snow falls outside your window, be sure to look after the bright flakes. These are memories forgotten from the past, blessed upon the land by the archons. That's why it rarely snows. These gifts are rare, and enjoy every second of it while it lasts."

     Wanderer shrugged. "Just a silly old story. Don't put it to heart. It's useless." 

    Lumine just looked outside with a sort of amusement on her face. It was true-apart from Dragonspine, she had never really seen snow on Teyvat before. Maybe it's just because Dragonspine had so many lost memories that it never stops snowing. 

    Lumine laughed. "And here I thought that these were just frozen little bits of water."

    Wanderer rolled his eyes. "Because it is. I told you, it's a myth. It's not true."

    And yet, he continued to stare at the snowflakes in awe, perhaps reliving some past memories. His face didn't show it, but inside, he was feeling turmoil. The past has been haunting him for a while now, and he couldn't seem to shake it off.

    Breaking away from the awkward situation, Lumine got up, and silently went to go make some treats.

    "A good Christmas always ends in yummies!" She declared, and went to make hot chocolate and Gingerbread.

     After a while, after Paimon, Nahida, and Wanderer all had their fun, Lumine was done with her treats as well. She carried over four large mugs of hot chocolate (with the tiny marshmallows too!) and a plate of 8 large gingerbread men.

    "I burnt a little bit of the Gingerbread men's hands and feet, I hope you three won't mind."

    Lumine grinned guiltily.

    Paimon shook her head. "We won't even know if you added lizard tails to them-we've never had them before!"

    But Nahida just smiled, and Wanderer looked away.

    "I don't care for sweets."

     Lumine looked over, alarmed. "Wanderer! A good Christmas always ends in treats! You can't break tradition!" 

    Wanderer snorted. "I've never had this tradition. It was always you and your stupid 'traditions'."

    Paimon huffed. For the first time, she didn't ask to take Wanderer's food.

    "Come'on, Wanderer! Don't ruin the fun!"

    Wanderer sighed, and for their sake, he hesitantly nodded.

    Lumine let out a sigh of relief. She handed Wanderer his mug and his two Gingerbread men. He noticed something peculiar about these cookies. They were shaped in a girl and a boy, and their icing depicted Lumine and Wanderer.

    He secretly appreciated this tiny detail, and felt that these cookies were too precious to eat. He slipped them into his pocket. He then raised the mug to his lips, letting the sickeningly sweet and gooey liquid slide into his mouth. He resisted the urge to barf.

   "Ugh...I-I mean thanks! I love this 'hot chocolate'!" 

    Sensing the sarcasm in his voice, Lumine gave him a look.

    "W-what?!" Wanderer pouted, "I said thanks..."

    Lumine just sighed, and let him be. She then shut the window curtains, and turned on the lamp with a faint click. It was nice and cozy next to the hearth, so much so that even Wanderer was drawn to it, quietly sipping hot chocolate along with the rest of them.

     Later, Wanderer tried the snow, but soon realized that it was far too thick for him to make his way through. So, he stayed in Lumine's hut, and slept on the couch. (Nope. I'm not making them sleep in the same bed. You pervert.)

    With the cackling fire and the howling winds outside, Wanderer's eyes remained wide open well into the night. He tossed and turned, but could not fall asleep. Instead, he just sat up, silently made his way towards the door, and tried to open it without making any noise. The monstrous winds blew open the door, letting freezing air into the warm house. He quickly scrambled outside and shut the door, hoping that Lumine wouldn't notice this sudden rush of cooler air.

    Sitting in the foot-high snow, he wrapped his arms around his knees, and stared up at the brightest star, shimmering bright in the sky, and all alone.

    "...mother..."

    He closed his eyes, letting the cold consume him.

    "What do I do?"