The Winter Ball (12.8)

When Lumina woke up, she squinted as the golden rays of the sun filtered into the room—Her own room. All of a sudden, everything came back to her. The castle, meeting Bella and her team, trying to get their hands on whatever the White Lotus wanted, Veronica, Mina—

Mina.

"Hey, Lumi. Glad to see you're awake," The woman was sitting on the ground next to the bed, tired eyes blinking slowly as her head rested on her hands, looking up at Lumina. It seemed as though she had just woken up, most likely waking up when Lumina had moved.

The older woman smiled, reaching out and stroking her hair, "Hey, Princess. How long have I been out?"

"About five days. Xander was starting to get worried but Elliot and I had to convince him for a good four hours that this was actually only normal because of your injuries and how exhausted you were. Hell, Xander himself was out for over three days because of the drug in his system," Mina's eyebrows furrowed at that, "My absolute brat of a brother can be credited for that one."

Lumina sighed, running a hand through her hair, "How's everyone else then? I'm guessing Bella is staying with us now, and you mentioned Elliot so I'm guessing Chaewon is here as well?"

Mina shrugged, "Chaewon and Elliot have their own place but they're over here often enough that they're practically living here. Leon seems really, really, really happy. I'm glad that they finally found each other. Honestly, though, Risále has been a bit weird around Chaewon and Elliot. She seemed to know it as well, but when I asked her, she said it wasn't her. Apparently, it's Apocalypse that's wary of them. Won't say why though," She explained. "Xander and Kaedan are still healing but they're mostly alright now, as lovey-dovey as ever, although it's a bit strange to see Elliot and Chaewon occasionally hitting on them."

"Right, I completely forgot what those four were like," Lumina shook her head, "Literally the only two exceptions to Xander and Kaedan's possessiveness."

Mina's eyes lit up, "Oh my god, speaking of things that happened when Chaewon and Elliot started staying here, did you know that when he was like nine or ten, Leon had one of those 'celebrity crush' type things on Xander?"

"No fucking way."

"Yes fucking way. Chaewon bullies him about it all the time and he still gets flustered when it's brought up. Hyunwoo thinks it's adorable, but that boy can charm anyone and everyone apparently. He straight up told Xander that he definitely gets why Leon might have had a crush on him back then. It's been a while since I've seen Xander that thrown off. Also, that Southern twang is something else, I think Risále's losing her mind over it," Mina giggled.

"I can't believe I missed something like that, seriously," Lumina buried her face in her hand and laughed.

Mina laughed along with her, her hand resting near Lumina's free one. Seeing that, Lumina reached forward, grabbing the woman's smaller hand in her own. Mina blushed at the gesture and looked away, "...I have no idea what's going on between Hyunwoo, Leon, Risále, and Bella. Obviously, Hyunwoo and Leon are together, but Hyunwoo and Bella also made themselves official after we got back here since they were really just waiting on Leon's permission. Whatever the fuck is going on between Bella and Risále—Yeah, no, I'm just going to say it straight up, the sexual tension is actually unbearable. And then Risále and Leon—Well, they've kind of always had that little thing going on, like are they friends, are they something more, not even they know. Hyunwoo seems to find it endearing. He just thinks Risále is very cute. That boy is blunt as hell, he literally just told me when I asked. And well, Bella and Leon, we saw what happened at the ball. I can't tell if he's intimidated by her or attracted to her."

Lumina raised an eyebrow, "A combination of both?"

"A combination of both."

The brunette laughed softly, "Man, these kids…They're like a half-functional polycule. This will be interesting because Hyunwoo and Bella both don't seem the type to hide their feelings but Risále and Leon are literally idiots sometimes."

Mina nodded, humming, and intertwined her and Lumina's fingers, "Owen and Fenix…They realized what was actually going on during the battle. They're alright now!" She soothed at Lumina's concerned expression, "They're still coming to terms with it. Of course, they had to practically convince Leon that they didn't hate him for it. I…Didn't say this before because I don't want Leon to feel even worse about something out of his control but…" Mina sighed, "I think the most fucked up part about this is that I have no idea what our lives mean now. Do they even mean anything? If all of this…Well, you know what I'm saying. Does this just mean that everything up until now, everything after we first got put into this situation, does it not count?"

Lumina let out a deep breath, "I think that's going to vary from person to person. Some people might feel like it doesn't count but I…I think that whether it counts or not, it's still our life, isn't it? If you think too much about it, you'll just break your head open trying to find answers to questions that genuinely don't have answers."

"Right as always, Lumi," Mina smiled, "God, I just hope the kids don't think about it too much. Right now, they're…Just trying to enjoy the time they have now before we get launched into something else. I think the two of them, Val, and Nia are like a little quartet now. It's…Comforting to see them get to be kids for a while at least. Although, I think Xander yelled at them for…Oh yeah, they were making out on his car."

"...On his car?" 

Mina giggled, "I think it was meant to be romantic or something, they were kissing in the rain, and eventually they ended up on the front of the car. Xander was livid until Elliot asked him to explain the time he caught Kaedan and him making out in the backseat of the car years ago. Xander shut up pretty quick after that."

"...I need to talk to Elliot, I need more blackmail material, oh my god-"

"You are certainly something else, Lumina Liu," Mina shook her head, "I think that's about everything that's going on right now. The older ones along with Hyunwoo, Bella, Risále, and Leon are trying to figure out what to do with what Bella and Risále found. It does really suck, though, knowing that Risále and Leon don't get that same luxury of being kids that Val and Fenix get even though they're the same age, just by the nature of how deeply involved they are in all of this. Especially since Risále has regained some of her memories."

"Really? What does she remember?

"Not what we remember. She has a lot more to remember than us, you know, the amnesia made it a lot more difficult. She does remember she was a scientist and that quite a lot of us seemed pretty familiar to her. She remembers certain instances that don't seem to fit though, basically what we went through a couple of months ago. She seems to know a lot of things intuitively though. She and Bella found a safe with a flash drive in it and it seemed to have some sort of clue to find the Wings. Risále said that she only knew what kind of safe it was because she made it, but she doesn't know why she created it. That, and Apocalypse gave her the passcode but man, that woman is very hard to talk to," Mina rolled her eyes, "Anyways, Risále said that whatever is on the flash drive is not the only thing they need, and she doesn't think the White Lotus knows that. We're probably going to divide up teams tomorrow, you'll get filled in more about it then. Don't stress yourself out for now. Just relax and get some rest."

Mina went to stand up, but Lumina didn't let go of her hand, a strong grip on it, "Wait, you talked about everyone else…What about us?" The older woman asked softly, "What's…Happening with us?"

"...That depends. What do you want to happen with us?" Mina asked, her voice hushed as though she couldn't bear to break the quiet atmosphere they had created.

Lumina took a deep breath, "Veronica wasn't lying. I'm…I'm in love with you. I think I have been for a lot longer than I realized. I only really started realizing it when Leon joined us. When he, Fenix, and Owen started making jokes about us being together, it really kind of hammered in that I…I would like to be with you. Of course, Xander has known this whole time, the bastard knows way too much about me, but I think after the Veronica situation, he didn't want to push me. He wanted me to figure it out on my own. I think I knew for sure after that one time you dated a guy."

"God, what was his name? Hiro or something? Yeah, the one guy I dated, and my god do I regret it, the man had no idea what being a boyfriend meant," Mina laughed, sitting on the bed, facing Lumina.

The other woman hummed, "The entire time, all I could think was that I could treat you way better than him. I think that's when it really sunk in that I was in love with you. I mean—How could I not? You're talented, funny, kind, an absolute badass, so, so strong, and not to mention gorgeous as well. It was honestly only a matter of time until I fell—Or until I realized I fell in love with you. And it wasn't just that, it was—It was the way you made me feel. You taught me that I deserved better, you taught me that I could be loved—You taught me what love actually was. So, I…I…Mina?"

Lumina looked up at the other woman to see that Mina was wiping away tears. In concern, she reached up, flinching a little at the pain but wiped a stray tear off her cheek.

"What's wrong?"

"It's…It's nothing…I'm not hurt, I'm just really happy…I think I've dreamed of this moment since I was fourteen…" Mina laughed, "But I don't think I ever actually believed it would actually happen."

Lumina shifted, cupping Mina's face in her hand before whispering, "All this time? It's been almost ten years…"

Mina giggled, a little choked up by the sob that left her chest, "A bit pathetic, I know. I don't really feel guilty for it, but I wanted so badly to steal you away from her back then. She never deserved you, I always thought I could make you so much happier…But I didn't want to ruin our friendship. You were—You were one of the only friends I had. Kaedan and Emilio were my only friends and Kaedan…I didn't get to see him often because of the distance. Emilio…He was gone by the time you came into my life. I couldn't lose that. And after the whole Veronica situation, I was scared that you might not…Want a relationship…"

"I was with a few other women after that though…"

"It never lasted," Mina sighed, "I didn't just want to be a passing fancy. It was…Easier just to not say anything. I just got so used to having these feelings that I even thought I had grown out of my feelings for you. Really, they were just somewhat dormant. They were always there I was just…Used to it. And then everything happened, especially with Veronica coming back…I couldn't stand the idea of her thinking that you could ever love a monster like her again…And maybe I was being petty and I wanted to show her that I could be a much better girlfriend."

Lumina giggled, "You're adorable…And you're right. You are better for me than she ever was, even though you and I weren't dating, I felt more loved with you than I ever did with her. I think at some point, especially after we got back to Sector 2, I wished…You were my girlfriend. And…That's something I would still like now."

Mina looked at her with a warm, teary-eyed smile, "Then, ask me now."

Lumina took the other woman's hand and pulled it to her, pressing her lips to the back of Mina's hand, and then looked at her with soft eyes, "Minnie, my Princess, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

The blue-haired woman covered her mouth as she managed to hold the sob back, "Yes, yes, I will, I love you. Lumina, I'm so in love with you," She launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around Lumina and burying her wet face in the other woman's neck. Lumina yelped slightly at the pain from the sudden movement and Mina leaned back in alarm, "Sorry! Sorry, I got excited, let me just—!" Mina went to move away but was stopped immediately by Lumina wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her back against her, letting the shorter woman rest her head against her chest.

"No, you're not allowed to leave now. You have to stay right here next to me," Lumina said, a pout on her face. 

Mina blushed and hid her face again, "I wouldn't have any complaints against that…" She said, smiling. Lumina gently tilted her chin up with two fingers.

"Why are you shy, Minnie? We've been best friends for so long."

"You try having your crush of almost a decade tell you that they like you back, it's not that easy, Lumina!"

"I've also been your best friend for almost a decade."

"Lady, I think I didn't have a crush on you for maybe two weeks of that entire time, I literally liked you two weeks after meeting you. Yeah, I don't know what to do because I have had a long time to think about stuff I would want to do if you ever did like me back and now it's sinking in that it's actually possible for some of that stuff to happen…" Mina trailed off as she realized Lumina wasn't paying attention anymore. In fact, the woman was looking intently at Mina's lips. At this, she let out a small huff, "If you want to kiss me, you can just ask."

Lumina chuckled, "Well then, Princess. Can I kiss you?" She asked, her voice teasing but the underlying sincerity was obvious.

Mina gulped, her eyes flitting down to Lumina's lips as well. She lifted her hands and gently cupped Lumina's face, pressing their foreheads together. Letting out a shaky breath, she nodded her head.

Cupping the back of the other woman's neck, Lumina leaned in. Her eyes fluttered shut as she slowly closed the gap between them, lips pressing softly against Mina's. Mina gasped softly but melted into the kiss, her entire body relaxing as she responded just as gently. Lumina's hand slowly moved from the back of Mina's neck, gently threading her fingers through her hair. She pulled her closer as she leaned back against the headboard of the bed, pulling away for a moment to breathe before pulling Mina in for another kiss.

The other woman leaned forward unsteadily and Lumina stopped for a moment, "Alright, come here," She said softly, tugging Mina's leg up. Mina shifted so that she was now practically sitting on Lumina's lap, her hands resting on her shoulders as she leaned in for another slow kiss, this one longer than the previous ones. Lumina's hand moved from Mina's hair down her body and to the small of her back. She brought her other hand around and wrapped it around Mina's waist as she nipped on Mina's lip lightly. Mina let out a quiet noise before kissing Lumina harder.

"Hey, Mina, I just wanted to tell you everyone is down to going out for dinner tonight—What the fuck!?" Leon's voice had practically gone shrill, "Jesus Christ, my eyes! Why is it always me?!"

Mina had already made the decision to not look Leon in the eyes, and simply buried her face in Lumina's neck, hugging her tight. Lumina hooked her chin over Mina's shoulder before glaring at Leon, "Go away, Leon, I'm trying to make out with my girlfriend."

"Firstly, congratulations, I've been waiting three years for this, I can't wait for Xander to hear, he might actually cry. Secondly, if you're gonna make out, at least lock the damn door!" Leon sighed, "Come find me when you're done, I'll be busy trying to pour bleach in my eyes."

Mina didn't move her head, simply waving back at him to signal that she had heard him, but then she picked up her head and looked at him, "Oh, stop complaining, you're acting like we're the worst you've walked in on when we know for a fact that's not the truth."

"Please do not remind me, I've been trying to clear that image from my head for over a year now. See you later."

Lumina leaned back to look at the woman on her lap, "Dinner?"

"Oh!" Mina exclaimed, "Yeah, since Hyunwoo, Bella, and Val joined us at a stressful time, I thought we should have a huge dinner to welcome them. And of course, to welcome our two returned soldiers," She rolled her eyes, "Honestly, I don't even know why Chaewon and Elliot didn't keep in contact. Actually, I need to tell you," She became serious, "I think you should talk to Val. From what she, Bella, and Hyunwoo have mentioned, Veronica…Ruined her life as well. Hyunwoo, too."

The other woman sighed and nodded, "I will, eventually. I never thought that Veronica would have impacted so many other people, especially now that I know she's not just my abusive asshole of an ex-girlfriend but also a part of the White Lotus scientist branch…"

"We couldn't have known…" Mina said sympathetically.

"I know," Letting out a heavy breath, Lumina looked at her again, "Can I have a kiss for comfort?" She teased. She was surprised to feel Mina cup her face and lean to kiss her again, sweet and slow.

At Lumina's surprised look, she giggled, "What, now that I have the chance to kiss you as much as I want, I'm going to take every opportunity!"

Only pausing for a moment, Lumina smiled and pulled her down, "Fuck, you're adorable, how am I supposed to not kiss you?" She could feel Mina's smile against her lips and the other woman's fingers tangling in the pajamas she was wearing as the kiss got deeper, "Wait, wait, Mina, before we go any further, I need to tell you something-"

Mina smiled, "You're asexual, right?"

Lumina gaped, "How did you—I didn't tell you, did I?"

"You didn't have to," Mina giggled, "There were some telltale signs when you were younger, and well…In the grocery store, when you first saw Veronica. I heard what you said and kind of put two and two together."

The brunette was quiet for a moment before she spoke, "Are you…Is that okay with you?" She asked, heart in her throat, "I mean, I know you don't care but being in a relationship with an asexual is totally different—"

"Hey, listen, I love you. And I want what makes you comfortable. Don't ever push yourself for me. I'm guessing kissing and making out and stuff is okay, but if you never want to have sex, I don't care. That's fine with me. I just want you to be happy," Mina said, kissing her cheek.

Lumina sighed in relief and ducked to press her face into Mina's neck, dropping a kiss there, "Thank you, Princess. Same for you. I only want what makes you comfortable and what makes you happy."

"Then I think we're in agreement," Mina laughed, draping her arms over Lumina's shoulders.

"Hm, well, I can say sex is definitely not off the table for me."

"Lumi!"