I snapped back to attention just as fast as I had fallen out of it. Using both Anemo and Geo in addition to fully engaging myself in a sword fight with Kaeya must have taken a greater toll on my body than I thought it would. Already, I was beginning to feel soreness aching in the arm I used to summon the Geo structure. Despite my exhaustion, excitement buzzed like newfound energy now that I knew Geo was a real ability and not a fluke.

Could I really make use of a large rock? It hadn't lasted for very long, either. Like I had with Anemo, I needed to practice with it more. Like I trained with a sword, I needed to build the skill to be stronger. I flexed my left hand, tempted to try again.

"Lumine!" a shout took me from my thoughts, and I realized I was still on the ground.

Beside me, Kaeya was picking himself up, and I also moved to stand as best as I could. My legs staggered slightly, but I didn't fall a second time. I watched as Diluc and Childe leaped down from the watchtowers and ran toward us with varying degrees of worry written on their faces. Thoma followed close behind, carrying his bag with him.

"Did you see that?" I wheezed. "Success."

Diluc was the first to reach me. "You're swaying on your feet, Lumine. We all saw you fall. Take a moment to rest for a bit."

The draining effects of using elemental energy faded away. "I can walk it off." I took a step forward and my traitorous leg gave out.

Diluc caught me by the arms and pulled me back up.

"Rest," he whispered in my ear. "You did well, but now you need to rest."

Thoma walked up to us, shouldering his bag and pointing to the outpost hut. "I brought some refreshments with me in my bag and a few other supplies that might come in handy. There's a good spot to sit over there. Let's get you taken care of."

My eyebrows picked up, but I shouldn't have been surprised. Thoma of all people would be this prepared. Though I was curious to see what exactly he had packed, I wasn't the only one who nearly got wiped out by the duel.

"Wait," I turned toward Kaeya and noticed Diluc's supportive hold tighten. "Kaeya, are you okay? I didn't really see what happened when I summoned the Geo structure. Did it make a direct hit?"

"Thank you for your concern." Kaeya rolled his shoulders. "But you don't need to worry about me. It was a close call, but I was only knocked back by the sudden force of the boulder exploding into existence."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "You're not hurt, then?"

"He looks fine enough to me," Diluc grunted.

Kaeya smirked. "Was that a compliment?"

Diluc ignored him, ushering me to the outpost hut. "Let's go."

I really did feel like I could manage on my own at this point, but I didn't want to shrug off Diluc's assistance for two reasons. The first was because he so sincerely believed I would fall off my feet, it would be a waste of energy trying to convince him otherwise. The second reason was what fueled the subtle blush heating my cheeks. Having him this close was nice. Each time the five of us got together, Diluc was distant. Kaeya being so involved made it even worse, and I only ever got to see Diluc genuinely express himself when we were playing chess together.

Thoma beat us there and immediately began unpacking his bag. There were bottles of water, juice, bandages, towels, reading material, an oil lamp—how did he fit all of that in there?

"You come aptly prepared," Diluc assessed.

"I've got enough refreshments for everyone. I know Lumine likes grape juice the most, so I made sure to grab a few extra bottles of that," Thoma smiled. "What do you like, Diluc?"

He grunted a light chuckle beside me. "Grape juice is also my drink of choice."

We sat down at the edge of the hut, and Thoma broke the seal of one grape juice bottle. Reaching once more into his bag, he pulled out a sleeve of paper cups, and I once again was taken aback by his forward-thinking.

"I know, I know," Thoma said as he set three cups down. "I might be overdoing it, but it doesn't hurt to have a little extra comfort. I wasn't sure how the duel would go—whether it would work or not. If it didn't, we'd have these drinks to cheer up a little. You were amazing up there."

"Thanks, Thoma," I blushed. "Kaeya was a good opponent."

Diluc cleared his throat. "Thank you, Thoma. I appreciate your concern not just for Lumine, but for us as well. In our first meeting, I had a feeling that I wasn't the only one with some semblance of honor. It's good to know that I was correct."

Thoma laughed lightly, pouring the grape juice into the cups. "Really? Well, I'm happy to hear that. Any good…friend of Lumine's is also someone I hope to get along with."

Diluc nodded. "Right, friend."

"Friend," Thoma repeated and handed me a cup of grape juice.

I happily accepted it, bringing the cup to my lips and savoring the tangy yet sweet flavor of grapes. From above the rim of my paper cup, I watched Thoma also give one to Diluc.

"Oh, should we cheers?" Thoma asked. "To a successful duel? Childe and Kaeya aren't here yet, so maybe we should wait—"

Diluc interrupted, raising his cup. "Nonsense. We shouldn't distract them from whatever it is they've decided to distract themselves with out there. A toast would be excellent."

I pulled my cup away—glad I hadn't downed the grape juice all in one go—and lightly bumped it with Thoma's and Diluc's.

"Congratulations," Thoma smiled. "You're Celestia Academy's first-ever dual-element wielder."

"Celestia Academy's first Visionless element wielder," Diluc added.

Grinning, I brought my cup back down and drank the rest of my grape juice. I could feel the sugar content replenish my energy reserve, and the flavor was so good that I might have to ask for a second pour.

"And first in my heart," someone spoke in a voice so low I nearly missed it and couldn't make out its owner.

I choked, doubling over and nearly spraying grape juice everywhere. As I coughed down the liquid that invaded my airway, I felt a steady hand pat my back while another rested on my shoulder. My cheeks reddened with the embarrassment of forgetting how to drink properly, but it wasn't my fault. Wiping at my mouth, I looked both of them in the eye.

"Who said that?" I asked.

Thoma looked innocent enough. "Said what?"

"And first in my…" I blushed again. "You didn't hear that?"

Diluc tilted his head in confusion. "What are you going on about?"

I stared into my now-empty cup of grape juice, questioning everything. Had I made that up or did someone really say that I was first in their heart? Between Thoma and Diluc, I wouldn't say there was any particular order that I cared for them, so it couldn't possibly have been a wayward thought of mine. I looked back up, worried they might be questioning my sanity. It's not like the grape juice had alcohol in it.

To my surprise, Diluc was smiling. Not a regular smile, not a smile with teeth, but a teasing smile. Thoma wore an identical expression, and I let my jaw drop with the wonder of what on Teyvat was going on. Maybe there was alcohol in the grape juice after all. Otherwise, I couldn't explain why the two of them appeared to be conspiring together. Conspiring for what exactly?

"It was one of you," I frowned. "I know it."

"Maybe," Thoma said.

"Maybe?" I repeated, slightly annoyed. "You either did or you didn't."

"You think it was one of us?" Diluc asked. "One of us who said 'and first in my heart'?"

I huffed. "Yes."

Wait a minute.

I pointed a finger at Diluc. "How did you know the last word was 'heart'? It must have been you, then."

"That doesn't sound right," Thoma frowned. "Are you saying that I couldn't have been the one to say that you're first in my heart?"

"Well, I mean I guess you—both of you have told me that—it can go either way," I managed to say. "Why did you act like you didn't know who it was, though?"

Thoma laughed. "I've never seen you this flustered before. I'm sorry if we upset you."

"I'm not upset." I fiddled with my cup. "I'm just not used to having both of you here together and knowing that—" Thoma knew that I also had feelings for Diluc. Though Diluc knew I wanted time to understand my feelings, he didn't know the full extent of them. I'd never told him about Thoma's confession or how both of them made my heart flutter. "Diluc…you know?"

He crossed his arms, but his smile didn't falter. "You're going to have to be more specific, Lumine."

"That I share mutual feelings," I mumbled as incoherently as possible. "For you and Thoma."

"What was that?" he leaned closer, smirking. Diluc was smirking at me.

"Oh, come on," I huffed once more. "This isn't like you—either of you. The teasing and jokes normally come from Childe and Kaeya."

"Childe and Kaeya?" Diluc grumbled.

Thoma nodded. "I did tell you."

"Telling me and me believing it are two entirely different concepts." Diluc pinched the bridge of his nose. "As long as it isn't serious."

Again, I was confused.

"What isn't serious?" I asked. "What are you talking about, and what does it have to do with Childe and Kaeya? We've all met together only a few times, so how'd you two manage to team up like this?" Speaking of Childe and Kaeya, what were they up to?

Diluc's smile softened. "Team up, you say. Yes, that is one way to think of it."

"Diluc and I talked about some things on our own time," Thoma explained.

"Oh," I said. "What did you talk about?"

"What do you think we talked about?" Diluc asked pointedly.

Me.

"You've got Pyro in common." Two Pyro users in one spot. Yes. That's why I was suddenly feeling very, very warm.

Thoma shook his head.

They had been talking about me.

"You were bonding over how both of you prefer not to drink alcohol." An excellent change in subject that will hopefully deter my heart from beating out of my chest. "Now that I mention it, I think Thoma should try the juice version of Pinkity—"

"Lumine," Diluc interrupted. "It's alright."

At some point, my eyes had widened like saucers. "What's alright?"

Thoma pointed to my empty cup, and I robotically handed it over. Watching him pour a second serving, all I could think about was how bizarre it was to suddenly find ourselves like this. Thoma, my motivated Vision Studies partner. Diluc, my aloof chess partner. And me as I was.

Diluc took the cup from Thoma and brought it to me. "When Thoma approached me about you, I couldn't help but see him as a rival."

Thoma added in with a nervous chuckle. "Of all the obstacles I've had to overcome at Celestia, explaining myself to an upset Diluc was probably the most daunting. I'm glad he heard me out in the end."

"Yes," Diluc sighed. "And I can admit that accepting it didn't come naturally, but that changed when I pictured what I wanted—for you to be happy. Why would I ever deny you a source of happiness? If there comes a time when I cannot be by your side, it comforts me knowing you have another to turn to. Of all people, I can accept Thoma as that person. I trust your heart, Lumine, and I know you would never treat anyone's feelings as less than what they are."

I frowned, allowing his ominous comment to overshadow the heartstopping ones. "Don't talk like that—like something terrible is about to happen. Is there something going on that I don't know about? Are you going somewhere?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Diluc assured me.

"Neither am I," Thoma said. "You have both of us."

"Both of you," I whispered.

As best as I could, I tried to contain the brimming emotions that roared in my head, in my heart. Surprise. Gratitude. Happiness. Silently, I reached over to grab the bottle of grape juice and poured the remainder of its contents to refill their empty cups. After placing the bottle down, I picked up my own cup and raised it to the space between us.

I cleared my throat. "A toast to growing relationships."

"To us," Thoma beamed.

Diluc's gaze settled on me as our cups met in the middle.

"Cheers."