let simmer

SUMMARY

Lumine could have simply asked Childe for the recipe, but she wanted this to be a surprise.

NOTES

Chilumi Month 2022 | Day 8: Cooking

See the end of the work for more notes.

Lumine absentmindedly stirred the pot. The soup had a characteristic red tinge to it; the color of beet oozing into the water. With a small splash, she dropped the seared brown pieces of meat into the pot.

Now, to cover and let it simmer.

Lumine had never cooked borscht before. Childe made one for her not too long ago when he received specialty ingredients from his family back in Morepesok. She watched him bring the vegetables and meat together into one aromatic crimson stew, discreetly noting his process and committing it to memory.

Lumine could have simply asked him for the recipe, but she wanted this to be a surprise. She eye-balled her measurements, hoping for the best. As for the ingredients, she had no contact from Snezhnaya to smuggle it to her, and she would not ask her husband to do it, lest he get suspicious and find out about the surprise. Instead, she substituted ingredients and thanked Sumeru for selling the spices she needed for the dish.

Lumine had pride. She was a great chef after all. If she couldn’t cook something from memory for the first time, what good was she?

Still, she hoped for the best.

Lumine had only tasted borscht the one time Childe made it for her, and the memory of its taste was fading fast in her brain. While the soup simmered, she took the occasional sip. However, the effort was futile now that she did not know what a good borscht tasted like.

Childe, of course, would say it was delicious. Everything was delicious to him. Even the charred fried egg she made as a prank. No, he would not be helpful at all. Besides, this wasn’t for him. Well, he’s part of it, but mostly this was for his family. They had a visit planned very soon and Lumine thought it would be a good idea to impress them. She had cooked for them before, mostly her own specialties and dishes from other nations they never had before. But this, this would be the first time Lumine would even attempt to cook anything Snezhnayan, much less attempt to replicate a family recipe.

Lumine took another sip. It tasted good for her, at least, but she had no way of knowing if it was good enough. That was all that mattered, really. She wasn’t sure why—even after a year of marriage—why she was so worried about this. Logically, Lumine shouldn’t. Childe’s family loved her. Teucer literally invited her to visit their family on his first day of meeting her. It was downright impossible for them to hate her.

But if she messed up this borscht? There’s no telling what could happen.

Childe had another thirty minutes or so before he arrived home. Lumine went home early for this, in the hopes that she would finish the dish before Childe came home, pack it in secret, and surprise everyone when they arrive in Morepesok.

Lumine froze at the sound of the front door opening.

“Honey, I’m home!” her husband called out.

Oh, no. Why was he home early?

“Mm, that smells good. Is that what I think it is?” Childe said, entering the kitchen and loosening his tie. His mouth hung open upon setting his eyes on the pot. Lumine felt heat in her cheeks and ears, caught redhanded. Childe stared at the pot, then turned to Lumine with a wide grin. “Is this for me?”

Childe didn’t wait for an answer. He took a spoonful of soup and tasted it. Lumine scrutinized his face for his reaction. He narrowed his eyes at her, taking another sip.

“This is supposed to be borscht?” he asked.

Lumine nodded. “How is it?”

Childe frowned. “I mean, you got the color right. But the taste... it’s a little...”

Her heart sank. Oh, no. Was it that bad?

Childe’s face softened as he pulled her close to an embrace. He bent his head down to her ear and whispered, “I was kidding. It’s the best borscht I’ve ever tasted.”

Lumine pushed Childe away and slapped his chest. “That was not funny. You’re sleeping on the couch.”

“No! No, I’m sorry,” he said, pressing a kiss on her forehead. “It’s so good, even better than Mama’s.”

Lumine glowered at him.

“Too much?”

“Is it really that good?”

Childe nodded. “Yeah. What are you even worried for? You’ve cooked countless of regional specialties and I’ve never seen you failed once.”

“Well,” Lumine replied tentatively. “This is different. I’m not cooking this for us.”

The realization dawned on his face in the form of the slightest twinkle in his eye. “For my family? Lumine! You didn’t have to—”

“Shut it, Childe. I want to.”

His smile was so wide it could’ve reached his ears. “I—I have no words, honestly. You have no idea how happy I am right now.”

“Stop,” Lumine said, but she didn’t want him to. Seeing him absolutely delighted at the mere idea of her cooking borscht for his family made her happy, too. Even if he was maybe a little biased when it came to her cooking.

“You should cook another batch, though. Because this is all mine.”

Lumine swatted his hands away from the pot. “You don’t deserve any after that joke you made earlier.”

He pouted. “I said I was sorry.”

Ugh. Not fair when he used his puppy eyes on her like that. “Fine, you can have a little bit more. But not all of it.”

Childe took another spoonful of beets, beef and soup, as much as he could fit in one big ladle, and ate all of it. He chewed, rolling his eyes to the back of his head and moaning audibly. Lumine couldn’t help but smile. Childe might be one to love everything she cooked, but if he reacted like this, then maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. Perhaps, his family might even love it. Childe was right—what was she even worried about?

He grabbed her by the shoulders, an amazed look on his face. “How? You never asked me for the recipe.”

“Remember that time you made borscht for me?”

Childe nodded.

“Yeah, I kind of tried memorizing the way you did it and tonight I just eye-balled everything.” Lumine smiled. “It’s not yet done, though. I don’t think. I still need to put the cabbages and potatoes.” She prodded at the beef, testing if it was tender enough or if it needed more time.

“Not bad,” Childe said, grinning. “You got it exactly right, actually.”

“Is the beef soft enough?”

“Maybe a few more minutes or so,” Childe replied, hugging Lumine from behind as she stirred the pot. “Just leave it to simmer for a bit.” He kissed her neck, raising the hair on her skin. “In the meantime, we can...”

“Settle down, boy,” Lumine said, but she made no move to pull away from his kisses.

“What?” he said, feigning innocence. “I’m just showing appreciation to my lovely, talented wife.”

“Mm, I think I like the sound of that.”

“As another surprise for my family, maybe we can bring back home a baby—”

Lumine pushed him away and playfully punched him. “Not funny, Childe.”

“Who said it was a joke?”

NOTES

Wrote this real quick in one sitting for today's Chilumi Month prompt! I kept thinking about that one Childe teapot voiceline he had about making authentic borscht for the Traveler and I can't wait for when we get that recipe in-game so we can cook it for him 🥺 Also, I've never tried borscht before and now I'm curious what it tastes like lol.

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