“Lumine is the student council president and Childe is the school’s number one troublemaker. They cross paths more than they’d like. Especially when Childe finds out Lumine’s big secret. Highschool AU à la Kaichou wa Maid-sama.”
[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4]
hey all so sorry for the delay—i was playing through dragonspine and got busy with the holiday season too ;__;
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the president and the troublemaker (part 5)
“You sure you got proper training?” Childe asked Lumine as he circled her, noting her various fighting forms.
“I got training,” Lumine said, her muscles feeling shaky after holding her form for so long. “Proper might be stretching it.”
Childe raised a brow, and Lumine sighed, relaxing her body. “Classes are expensive,” she explained. “Even if I wanted proper training, I wouldn’t have been able to pay for it.”
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I’m teaching you for free,” Childe said. “Out of the goodness of my heart.”
“Thank you, O Kind One,” Lumine said sarcastically. “Proper training didn’t even matter in Kaeya’s arena. It was kind of just like a free for all.”
“That won’t pass here. The fighters here aren’t just some thugs off the streets; these people have had that proper training, and are going to quickly outclass you if you don’t get that training in as well.”
“I thought you and Kaeya both said I was good at this?”
“Talent is one thing, but it will only get you so far. You’ve still got to train and hone your skills if you ever want to progress further and better yourself.”
“You sound so wise.” Lumine tilted her head. “If only you could do this at school too, you’d stop causing so much trouble for me and my student council.”
Childe shrugged, a smirk on his lips. “Where’s the fun in that?”
She rolled her eyes. “Alright, c’mon. This is the only time where I have to listen to you, so let’s get it over with.”
With enthusiasm, he walked her through various forms of punches and kicks—foot placements, weight distribution, where to send her strength—and soon enough Lumine was sprawled on the soft gym floor, all of her muscles aching and sweat pooling on her skin. Childe sat a few feet away from her, stretching.
“You’re not even breaking a sweat,” Lumine said between gasps of breath.
He smiled. “Been doing this a long time.”
She sighed. “I can’t wait for my first fight next week.”
“You’re not nervous at all?”
“Of course not,” Lumine answered with a scoff. “I’ve been waiting for that paycheck for a while now.”
“How interesting,” Childe said looking around the gym. “Your little Vice President brother not here today?”
“No, he’s covering some student council work for me while I’m here,” she replied.
“Oh? Finally delegating your work instead of doing it all yourself?”
“Yup. If there’s anyone I trust to do the work as competently as me, it’s Aether.”
“You two are really close, then.”
“He’s my twin,” Lumine said. She glanced at Childe who in turn was looking out one of the large windows. She realized she knew nothing about him—except that he liked to stir up trouble wherever he went. “Do you have any siblings?”
A small smile. “I do. Too many, in fact.” He held up his hand. “Five siblings.”
“Oh god.” Lumine grimaced. “There’s five of you running around out there?”
He laughed. “C’mon, Pres. I’m not that bad once you get to know me, right?”
“I don’t know you.”
“You wound me,” he teased. There was a slight pause. Then, “Two older siblings: one brother, one sister. Then three younger ones: two brothers and one sister.” He started counting them off on his hands. “Alexei, Misha, Anthon, Tonia, Teucer.”
“So you’re the middle child,” Lumine noted. “Is that why you do all this? For attention?”
“Nope,” he replied, shaking his head. “Haven’t I told you already? This is all for fun.”
“Fun,” she muttered. She was doing what she had to for her family; would it be so horrible to enjoy it along the way? Childe seemed perfectly happy where he was. Could she ever be the same way? How does he do it?
“Trying to figure me out, Pres?” Childe smirked. “I’m flattered.”
She looked at him, at his glinting blue eyes, and rugged orange hair—scars running up and down his arms and legs.
Don’t get too involved with him. Aether’s words rang out in her mind.
“Absolutely not,” she said, quickly getting up off the floor. “Well, I think we should call it a day. Thanks for the training today.”
As she was leaving the gym, she couldn’t help but feel like she was disappointing Aether somehow.
But it was natural right? Childe was going to be coaching her for the foreseeable future, and they were bound to get closer. It didn’t mean she was going to become involved with whatever delinquent activities he was doing. She was just learning from him.
She clenched her fist. Just…learning….
* * *
The student council room was abuzz as the members rushed around, finishing their end-of-month reports: budgets, expenses, cataloguing—anything and everything that needed to be tracked.
Soon enough, the room was flooded with the orange hues of the sunset, and the council treasurer, a soft-spoken student named Noelle, timidly walked up to Lumine’s desk.
“Madame President?” she asked. “Some of the members were wondering if we could go home soon?”
Lumine blinked. “Is all your work done?”
“Ah, n-no,” Noelle responded. She clasped her two hands together. “W-we just wanted to get home before it got too dark.”
Amber came up beside Noelle, a worried expression on her face. “Yes, there have been reports of some creeps targeting high school girls and assaulting them at night.” She pursed her lips. “I know there’s still a lot of work to be done, but I think it’s safest if all of us leave earlier than usual.”
Bennett stood up, thumb pointing to his chest. “No worries! Me and Xiao will do our best to protect you ladies! Right, Xiao?”
The council historian, Xiao, glanced up from his own paperwork. “Yes,” he agreed simply in his usual monotonous voice.
“Hey, where’s Aether anyways?” Bennett asked Lumine.
“He got called into work right after school today,” she told him. She looked at Amber and Noelle. “I agree, it would probably be safest if we all leave now.” Then, she pursed her lips. “But, like you said, there still is a lot of work to be done, and the deadline is the day after tomorrow…”
“We can try finishing it all tomorrow then!” Amber suggested enthusiastically.
Lumine shook her head. “It’s too much, even if we tried finishing it all tomorrow.” She stood up. “Okay, everyone is dismissed. I will stay behind and complete some things to make sure we can finish by tomorrow.”
“B-but, Madame President! What about you?” Noelle protested.
“Don’t worry about me. My priority as your President is to make sure you all are taken care of.” Lumine gave them a small smile. “If I can’t protect you guys, and step up when you all need me, what kind of President would I be?”
“I’ll stay behind to protect you!” Bennett offered.
Lumine laughed. “Thank you, Bennett, really. But I need you and Xiao to make sure these ladies get home safe, okay?”
Her council was all looking at her, expressions worn with worry.
“I promise you, I will be okay.” Lumine walked to the door, gesturing out of it. “Now please: your President is ordering you all to go home.”
After much reluctance, all the student council members were on their way: Bennett walking Amber home and Xiao walking Noelle home.
Eventually, as the sky turned darker and darker, Lumine finished up enough work to ensure that her council could finish by their deadline.
She walked through the school gates as the last of the sunlight was dipping below the horizon, and a little inkling of worry bubbled in her gut.
She shook her head. I’ll be fine, she thought, shaking out her hands to loosen them up—just in case she needed to throw out a few punches later.
Walking a bit further, she mentally ran through all the forms Childe had taught her yesterday. For this kick, I need my right foot forward, then my arms need to be—
A hand clamped over her mouth from behind.
An arm wrapped around her waist, trapping her own arms to her sides.
Shit! Is this the attacker they were talking about earlier?!
She clenched her jaw. I’ll stop you right now, you creep!
Lumine brought her foot up, and slammed down on her attacker’s foot with all her force. They stumbled a bit, loosening their grip on her, which gave her the perfect opportunity to break out of their grasp, elbowing them in the gut. She heard them fall on the ground behind her. She spun around, raising her fists, ready to strike—
“Childe?”
The tall ginger let out a sheepish laugh while holding his side.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Lumine blurted.
He slowly stood. “Playing stalker, I guess.” He rubbed his side. “God, your elbow is strong.”
She clenched her fists. “Anyone else would report you to the cops right away.”
“You need to be more aware of your surroundings,” Childe said, ignoring her comments. “Haven’t you heard the news recently?”
Lumine threw him a glare. “I have heard about it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that attacker is you.”
“Just keeping you on your toes, Pres.” He smiled, but something about it was…off. A little more strained than usual.
“A simple warning would have been fine,” Lumine said. “I could have seriously injured you.”
“Ah, but you didn’t,” he retorted. “If I was actually the attacker, you would have been knocked out by now.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Let me walk you home.”
Lumine gripped the strap of her school bag, walking away. “No thank you. Especially not after what you just did.”
“Lumine, wait—”
She stopped in place. He hadn’t ever said her name before, she realized, and her heart fluttered at how it sounded coming from him. Too close for comfort.
“Don’t you dare follow me,” she said through gritted teeth, continuing to walk home.
After a bit, she glanced back, and Childe was still standing there, hands in his pockets, looking back behind at the school.
Lumine trusted her brother more than anyone in the world. She knew he wanted the best for her, and she knew the best thing would be to do what Aether said: don’t get involved with Childe.
Then…why did it hurt to push him away?
* * *
The next day, the student council was again in a hurry to get their work done on time, before the sun set. After stacking piles upon piles of papers on Lumine’s desk, the council collectively let out a sigh when the last stack was put down.
“Aether isn’t here again?” Xiao asked.
“Someone at his store quit suddenly, so he’s been called in to cover their shifts for now,” Lumine explained. “He sends his apologies.”
“Well, let’s get out of here quickly,” Amber said.
Soon the council was walking through the hallways, towards the entrance, ready to part ways.
“Amber and I have to rush to the store before they close,” Bennett said, him and Amber already running down the halls. “We gotta get some supplies for our Outdoors Club!”
“Bye! Thank you for your work!” Lumine called after them. She turned to Noelle and Xiao. “Are you good to walk Noelle home, Xiao?”
Xiao nodded. “What about you, Madame President?”
“Hey, I survived last night,” she said. “I’ll survive tonight as well. Plus, I have to help lock up anyways.”
The boy frowned slightly. “If you insist.”
“I do insist,” Lumine said quickly. “Thank you both for your work also. Get home safe, okay?”
“Thank you, Madame President,” Noelle responded softly.
Xiao and Noelle walked away, and Lumine started to make her way around the school, locking up all the entrances. She had been such a stellar president that all the administration trusted her with this task if she and her council had to stay late into the evening.
As she locked the last entrance, she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned quickly, eyes scanning the entire hallway.
But there was nothing there. The hall was empty, and it was silent.
She let out an exasperated sigh. Maybe she was overworking herself again and her brain was playing tricks on her. She made her way towards the front gates.
BZZZT!
The lights above her flickered then went out, plunging her into darkness.
What?
“Don’t move,” a voice said behind her.
“If you listen to us, we won’t hurt you,” a second voice added.
Something plastic pressed into her back, and she recognized it as a taser. Then, someone started to wrap her arms in duct tape. They put a piece of tape across her mouth.
They walked around her, looking down at her. One of the men was short and stocky, wearing glasses, while the other man was tall and thin, glassesless.
“We’ve been watching you for a while, Lumine,” Glasses said. “And we’ve really gotten to know you. We know you’re such a good student council president.”
“Yes, so diligent and selfless,” No Glasses added. “Just relax, okay? We’ll show you a good time as your reward.”
As they rambled, Lumine’s mind ran through all the possibilities of how to absolutely pummel them.
The only thing stopping her was the taser, currently in Glasses’ hand; she couldn’t be hit by that, otherwise she was done for.
She knew what to do. Now to just wait for the right moment.
* * *
She’s taking longer than usual, Childe thought, leaning against the wall of the school building. A while had passed since he had seen the rest of her student council leave, which meant she was all alone now.
Sure, she was going to be mad at him for coming here again, but he needed to. His thoughts wouldn’t settle unless he saw her get home safe.
He knew she was more than capable on her own. She wasn’t weak.
But she was human. And there are some bad people in the world, ready to do anything to hurt you, Lumine.
He sighed, starting to walk away. Maybe she already left and I just missed it…
“Lumine.”
Childe froze. His head snapped to the door, eyes wide. He had barely heard it, but someone had said her name. Inside the school.
He didn’t move a muscle, straining to hear more.
“…so diligent…” another voice spoke.
Two. There were two attackers.
Feeling the muscles in his body ignite, Childe quickly moved to the nearest window.
An icy dagger ripped into his heart.
Kneeling on the ground was Lumine, her arms bound, her mouth sealed, and two men were standing before her, one wielding a taser. The two men started walking towards her.
Childe’s face twitched, like he was subconsciously suppressing a snarl.
He stepped back, winding his body up, ready to kick through the window and go flying in.
Just as his foot shattered the glass, Lumine stood up, ripping through her bindings.
…
Huh?
* * *
Glasses and his friend started walking towards her, practically drooling.
Now!
Lumine stood up, pulling her arms apart, and breaking through the duct tape bindings. She ripped the duct tape off her mouth.
“You know me?” Lumine shouted as the two men watched her with wide eyes. “You don’t know a single thing about me.”
Using their shock to her advantage, she kicked the taser out of Glasses’ hand, then grabbed him by his collar, easily throwing him over her shoulder. She turned her attention to No Glasses, who was still frozen in shock. She easily swung her fist at his face, and he passed out on the floor next to Glasses.
Standing over their bodies, breathing heavily, a loud burst of laughter sounded behind her. Leaping back, ready to strike another attacker, she stopped when she saw who it was.
“Childe?!” she cried between heavy breaths.
Childe continued laughing hysterically, then wiped at the corners of his eyes. “Just…wow,” he managed to get out.
Lumine looked past him. Her jaw dropped. “Th-the window!”
Childe blinked, then looked behind him. “Oh. About that…”
* * *
After giving their reports to the police, Childe and Lumine stood side by side as the police car drove away, the two perpetrators locked away in the back of the cruiser.
“You’re really going to pay for the window?” Lumine asked, breaking the silence.
“Of course. I broke it.”
“It’s going to be expensive.”
He shrugged. “A small price to pay.”
Lumine bit her lip.
He came to my rescue. Again. She looked at the shattered glass on the floor. He was really ready to save me.
All she had done was push him away. And yet, here he was, by her side, coming to her rescue again.
“Thank you,” Lumine said softly.
Childe looked at her, his eyes slightly widened. Then a smile, just as soft. “Anytime.”
She returned the smile, and it felt okay. It felt right.
Maybe Aether was wrong. Afterall, he wasn’t the one spending time with Childe and learning more about him. How Childe could be caring and selfless and so patient with her.
Yes. Aether, I think…
…I think you may be wrong about Childe.
* * *
[part 6 coming soon]