Work Text:
Ayaka never thought she'd ever get used to this routine. Ten years ago, she was forcing herself out of bed to catch the bus to school on time. Now, she woke up to the piercing ring of her alarm clock, so she’ll get her own child to school on time. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that she had a family apart from her brother as of last month. A child and wife, or husband, since Lumine didn’t seem to mind which she called her.
As for herself, she didn’t excel at cooking as well as Lumine did. Which is why when Ayaka entered the kitchen, the smell of pancakes already wafted through the air and stirred an appetite she didn’t have until that very moment. Her partner looked away from the stove to flash her a beautiful grin—one Ayaka could get lost in for days at a time.
“Morning, you. Breakfast is almost done. Can you wake up Klee for me?” Lumine asked in a warm tone.
“Yes. Hopefully, she won’t fight me this time,” Ayaka replied, playfully.
She crossed the apartment and gently knocked on the only door with a Dodoco sign. Her daughter had a small obsession with the bunny mascot and while Ayaka didn’t quite understand why, she now associated the animal with her.
“Klee?” Ayaka called out softly, “Honey, are you up?”
If she learned anything from being her mother for this past month, then Klee was definitely not up. The silence she received reaffirms that belief. Therefore, Ayaka slowly cracked open the door and gave way for the natural light to pour into the dimly-lit room. Klee was sprawled out on her twin-sized bed with the covers halfway off the mattress and her stuffed doll laying across her tiny arm. She looked completely opposite from how Ayaka tucked her in the night before.
A soft giggle left her lips as she approached her daughter and sat on the bed beside the sleeping seven-year-old. Just as Ayaka swept a loose strand of her messy, blonde hair over her ear, the child began to stir in her sleep.
“Mhm… Mama?” Klee said groggily, squinting her eyes at her mother.
“It’s time for school,” Ayaka reminded her in a hushed voice.
“Don’t wanna,” she whined, before rolling on her side and turning her back to her.
“But don’t want to show Dodoco off to everyone at school?”
Suddenly, Klee popped her little head back up. “Dodoco can come?”
“Yes, but you have to be a good girl and get dressed first. You can do that, can’t you?” Ayaka asked calmly.
With her compliance, she pulled the sleepy girl onto her feet and removed her matching red pajamas, decorated in four-leaf clovers. Klee kept her eyes closed as she undressed her and sluggishly moved her body whenever Ayaka told her to. Somehow, she managed to slip her black and gold pleated dress onto her body and her white knee-high socks onto her feet.
“Klee? You have to wake up now. Papa made pancakes for you,” Ayaka told her.
Suddenly, her lids sprung open to reveal her light red eyes. “Pancakes?”
“We should eat them before they get cold.”
“Yes! Oh, wait, mama. Dodoco wants to eat too.” Klee turned around and picked up her stuffed bunny from the bed, hugging it to her chest. “Okay, pancakes time.”
***
Dropping Klee off for her first day at school went swimmingly. The tiny girl bounced with excitement, her large backpack almost slipping off her shoulders which unsurprisingly had a tinier Dodoco attached to it. The fears welling within Ayaka didn’t leave even as she watched a teacher escort her hyper daughter inside the building. Would Klee really be alright by herself? She was a good girl, but she was also a bit of a troublemaker and had difficulties following rules.
Perhaps work would take her mind off her silly concerns.
Lumine drove her to the City Hall next and as Ayaka exited with a smile, she contemplated saying something to the other woman before she would leave. Would it look strange to onlookers if she didn’t? Or would she be stepping over the line by acting as if they were truly wives? Their marriage was nothing but a farce, after all.
“I’ll be home late tonight. The hospital is busy today and we’re slightly understaffed,” Lumine told her.
“Oh…” Ayaka replied, before realizing she made her disappointment embarrassingly obvious. “Then, I’ll pick Klee up from school and cover dinner tonight. Don’t worry about it.”
It would feel a little lonely not coming home to welcome home and the fact that Ayaka was getting used to having company frightened her. After all, their current situation won’t last forever. As soon as Lumine no longer needed her to play her role, she’ll be packing her bags and finding a new apartment to rent.
“Thank you. I’ll make it up to you later,” Lumine said.
Ayaka closed the passenger door and watched her partner drive off, trying not to think too hard about what exactly Lumine meant by making it up to her. Knowing she’ll have larger things to worry about soon, Ayaka shook the silly thoughts from her head and entered City Hall.
Upon entering the poorly ventilated office space, she draped her trench coat over her chair and immediately got to work at her desk. She only made a couple phone calls in when her manager approached her with a calm yet serious expression.
“Miss Kamisato, your special client wishes to see you,” Shinobu informed her.
That was all Ayaka needed to hear to understand the gravity of the situation because she didn’t have any clients. All of her phone calls were from The Garden themselves, to ensure she was readily available whenever they needed her for a job. Wordlessly, Ayaka stood from her chair and followed the green-haired woman into a separate part of the building. It was an area where only assets from her association were allowed, including her and Kuki Shinobu. She wasn’t really her manager, but merely another person playing a role to hide the dirty, ugly truth behind their business.
A long hall brought her to a large, wooden door where the pungent smell of flowers assaulted her nose. The headquarters lived up to its name as it resembled a floral paradise. Tight buds revealed Hotomi had recently planted a new batch of flowers while several were fully bloomed compared to her last visit. Her boss camouflaged perfectly with the foliage due to her soft, pink hair and the fact that she sat on the steps with her slender legs crossed. She had an open book in one hand and a steaming cup of herbal tea in the other.
“Lady Yae, I’ve brought Ice Princess,” Her manager spoke with a deep bow.
“Oh? You two kept me waiting long enough,” Miko said, without looking up from her book once.
Ayaka refrained from commenting that she only called for her ten minutes ago and stood a couple feet away from Miko, her hands folded in her lap. “I apologize for the delay.”
“No need to look so serious. I’m only teasing you, sweet girl.” With a satisfied smile, Miko finally closed her book and set it beside her. “I have a new client for you. I’m certain you’ve heard of Viatrix.”
Her eyes enlarged at the sound of the notorious name. “The master of disguise? Of course, who wouldn’t know of him?”
“We received intel that he’ll be at Springvale Hotel sometime tonight. Your job is to locate the target and assassinate him on sight,” Miko instructed.
This was where she'd motion for Hotomi, her personal assistant, to hand over polaroids of her target, but she stood empty handed today. Quickly, a sense of doubt and uncertainty began to fill Ayaka.
“...And what do I look for? Nobody has actually seen what he looks like.”
“He’ll most likely be in disguise, but our leaker informed us that he’ll be dressed as someone from the VIP list. Try looking for one who behaves the oddest. We can’t let this opportunity slip by us. This is a job I’m entrusting you with, Ice Princess. Can you do it?” Miko asked.
Ayaka resigned to her inevitable fate. “Of course.”
It looked like she’ll have to stick an emergency babysitter on Klee tonight, but at least, Lumine wouldn’t be home to suspect her whereabouts. Hopefully, Kokomi was up to the job.
***
Lumine wanted to be at home with her daughter on her lap and her wife at her side, as they watched a rerun of Dodoco Tales together. Instead, she was stuck in the crowd of a formal party to steal an important document, but it was for the greater good. She was disguised as one of the distinguished guests and knocked out the true man before tying him up in an abandoned building. If things went as planned, she’ll be home in time for dinner with Ayaka and Klee.
With the key card she stole from his pocket, Lumine took the elevator to the fourth floor and entered the room number Childe gave her. The door beeped once unlocked for Lumine to trespass into and right as she flipped on the lightswitch, she heard something shuffle. Before she could reach for her hidden gun, the person held up something sharp to her neck.
“Don’t move,” The person said, their voice low and harsh yet familiar.
…Ayaka? No, it can’t be.
“I want to hurry back to my family. So, may I have the honor of taking your life?” The unidentified woman continued.
“You won’t even give me the pleasure of seeing your face, first?” Lumine asked, making her voice an octave lower. She hoped to stall her long enough to get out of this situation.
Her attacker pressed her weapon closer to her neck, causing the blade to dig into her skin. Lumine didn’t need to feel her neck to know she was bleeding. “Don’t try to buy yourself time. It won’t work on me.”
“Then, why haven’t you killed me yet? You can make it quick and easy,” Lumine continued, discreetly sliding a hand inside her suit where she took out a knife.
Suddenly, Lumine spun around and slashed her knife in the air causing the other to release her and step back. A few strands of pale, white-blue hair caught onto the blade of her knife, causing it to– Lumine stilled. Pale, white-blue hair. Lumine couldn’t quite see her attacker’s face yet because she was holding her cheek, possibly meaning her hit was successful.
“You!”
Suddenly, she lifted her head with her gold needle ready to strike her, proving she was indeed Ayaka.
Her own wife was trying to kill her and she didn’t even recognize her. Lumine will use all her might to keep it that way too, as she took her gun out and pointed it at her. A sane person wouldn’t dare to move with one pointed at them.
“Don’t move!” Lumine yelled, stopping her voice from trembling.
She was a master spy. Therefore, she would get out of this somehow. Luckily, Ayaka didn’t dare to move an inch which was a good start. Now, to coax information out of her.
“Who are you?” The blonde asked while cocking her gun.
Lumine genuinely didn’t know. She thought she did, but once again she was learning that nobody could be trusted. Did Ayaka marry her with the intention of getting close to her, so she’ll let her guard down and give her an opening to assassinate her? Was her relationship with Klee also a farce?
“Is that what you’re concerned about? Soon, you’ll no longer threaten the peace of our nation,” Ayaka continued.
Threaten the peace? That couldn’t be any further from her goals, but she doubted Ayaka would listen to someone who would do anything to stay alive.
“I deserve to know the name of my killer before I die,” Lumine said.
“I’ll give nothing to a scum like you, Viatrix,” Ayaka said as she took a dauntless step forward, despite the gun still pointed at her head.
“Don’t take another step closer.”
Despite her threat, Ayaka moved with a swift speed that Lumine could never prepare for. She did a roundhouse kick causing her gun to fly out her hand and scatter across the floor. Fuck! Quickly, Lumine went for another one of her backup knives, but she was slower than the other woman. Ayaka stabbed her stomach with her needle causing her to let out a cry, as she fell to the ground. Death loomed over her in five-inch heels and with the face of her beloved wife. She desperately needed an escape.
Think, Lumine! Think!
“L-Let me guess. You work for The Garden?” Lumine asked, her voice strained.
Ayaka froze when she spoke, implying that she hit the nail on the head. “You looked into me?”
It was only a guess, but it didn’t take much thinking. After all, The Garden was a secret affiliation known for their skilled and effortless assassination jobs. A few of their own agents have been taken out by the likes of them. However, she could go along with this.
“What kind of spy doesn’t research their enemy?” Lumine lied, smirking through the pain searing through her body. Cupping her wound wouldn’t stop the blood that was spreading at a rapid pace.
“What else do you know?” Ayaka asked, her voice dangerous and low, but she caught a slight tremble. She was nervous, but Lumine didn’t know why. What else was she hiding from her?
“Y-You have a family. If you kill me here, my people will immediately attack you and your loved ones. However, if you let me go, I won’t lay a single finger on them,” Lumine continued, hoping her wife would buy her bluff.
Ayaka was an intelligent woman—more than herself, Lumine believed—but her weakness was that she had one at all. Her lie wasn’t only to save herself, but to test her loyalty. Whether or not Ayaka truly loved them, her response will answer that crucial question. If she didn’t, then she was absolutely a threat.
“How dare you threaten my family! Let you go? I'm going to kill you right here and then, I’ll eliminate the rest of you myself.”
A deadly rage overtook Ayaka who stomped her heel into her leg which caused Lumine to cry out in pain. She didn’t realize her mistake until it was too late.
“…Lumine?” Ayaka spoke.
The blonde stiffened as she looked up into her wide, shocked eyes. She knew she had to move before Ayaka would regain her senses and strike first, but fear paralyzed her and maybe something more. Lumine wanted to know what she would do, if she didn’t intervene.
“Who?” she replied, holding onto the hope that she could still save herself.
Ayaka got down on her knees and placed her soft fingers against her face, only to tear her fitted disguise off and expose Lumine completely. She dropped her bloody needle in shock and fell back until she was sitting on the floor. “You’re… But why?”
Lumine moved, or at least attempted to, because another shot of pain ran through her when she tried to sit up.
“Oh, my god. Lumine, don’t move!” Ayaka said, placing her hands on her shoulders to gently guide her back into a lying position. Like this, she could almost forget that her life hung in her hands a moment ago. “I injured you. I can’t believe– I need to get you to the hospital.”
“You’re smarter than that, Aya. How will you explain all of this to the police?” Lumine chuckled despite it hurting to do so. Even with an open wound, the other woman continued to infatuate her.
Quickly, Ayaka relaxed either at the sound of her nickname or her realizing the weight of the situation. “Then, I’ll patch you up myself.”
“No, finish the deed. You’ll get in trouble if you don’t, won’t you?” Lumine said.
She could only imagine what The Garden would do with a traitor if they uncovered the truth about their relationship. Even if they didn’t, Lumine didn’t want Ayaka to be punished in any shape or form.
“What? But you’ll die,” Ayaka replied, as if she didn’t already know that.
“What kind of assassin cares if someone dies? You do this for a living. What’s one more name on the list?” Lumine teased her.
“You’re not just another name to me!” Ayaka yelled, wrapping her arms around Lumine to scoop her up in her arms effortlessly. Since when was her wife this strong? “You can’t die. I won’t let you.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Home.”
***
Home.
Did they really have that anymore?
Ayaka never thought she’d be sitting in their bathroom, cleaning out a wound she gave her own wife yet here she was. Luckily, she had experience with patching up her own wounds since visits to the hospital would lead to questioning and unwanted suspicion. Having to always come up with lies was draining and now they were all firing back at her.
Tonight was probably her last night here. Lumine, or Viatrix, would undoubtedly kick her out and report her to the police. She was a threat to their– her child and a monster who took lives to put food on the table, but Lumine wasn’t any better, was she? Yet the Lumine she knew didn’t match the one described on paper.
“Ayaka.”
Her voice pulled Ayaka out of her head. “Huh?”
“Maybe you should let me do it,” she suggested, trying to reach for the needle in her hand.
Ayaka automatically moved her hand away. “You’re injured. It’s better if I–”
“But your hands are shaking.”
Ayaka looked down at her hands to confirm and found that Lumine hadn’t lied about that, at least. She knew she was just as guilty, but being misled still hurt. However, Ayaka had no one to blame but herself.
“I’m sorry. I’m not usually like this,” she said.
“It’s okay,” Lumine reassured her softly and took the needle from her hand.
From the warmth in her voice to the way her stomach knotted when their fingers brushed against one another, Ayaka hated it all. It made her feel sicker about this whole situation. Why wouldn’t Lumine kick her out already?
“Lumine? Can I ask a question?” she called.
“Go ahead.”
Ayaka bit down on her bottom lip. “No matter how many times I think about it, I can’t seem to understand why you would admit defeat. Why didn’t you try to kill me yourself?”
Lumine hummed as she concentrated on suturing her wound. “Honestly, I don’t know either.”
“Excuse me?” Ayaka blinked.
“It felt like the right thing to do. If one of us had to die and look after Klee, I would rather it be you.”
“But Klee is your daughter! I’m just a stranger to her–”
“Klee isn’t mine.”
Of course, of course, she wasn’t. Ayaka had an inkling, but she wanted to believe that Lumine was better than that. That Lumine wouldn’t go as far as to get an innocent child involved in her schemes.
“Then, that story about your late wife dying…” Ayaka began.
“Was fake? Yeah, I adopted Klee right before I met you,” she explained.
“Do you even love her?”
Lumine didn’t respond immediately, causing her heart to sink to her stomach. She finished stitching her wound and placed the needle beside the small pile of towels soaked with blood. “I do. I love Klee like she was my own.”
And what about me?
“Is this family actually for your mission, then? Is…” Ayaka played with the edge of her dress idly. “...that your reason for marrying me?”
“Yes, to both,” Lumine answered.
Ayaka smiled through the pain that pierced her chest. She’d rather die than tear up in front of her own enemy. “...I see.”
“But that doesn’t mean my feelings for you two aren’t real. I cherish you two a lot and I’m still grateful to be married to you, Ayaka. I really am.”
Lumine was a master manipulator. Therefore, Ayaka shouldn’t believe her, but she couldn’t see the logic in trying to trick her. Especially not when this place was no longer a home to call her own.
“Okay,” she replied, uncertainty still visible in her words.
“Alright, my turn to ask a question. Why are you an assassin?” Lumine asked.
“Well…” Ayaka frowned deeply as she leaned back into her chair. “I took this job when I was a child. After my parents died, Ayato took on the burden of raising me and I couldn’t sit by and do nothing. I wanted to be useful to him as well, so he’ll have less to worry about.”
“You no longer provide for your brother, though?” she asked, matter-of-factly.
“I don’t,” Ayaka admitted, casting her gaze to her own lap. “He doesn’t need me anymore, so I’ve considered quitting a few times, but never went through with it.”
If she quit, then the fact that she was actually alone and unneeded would feel even more real.
“Ayato will always need you. Don’t say that about yourself.”
Her lips curved into half a smile. “Why are you still making me feel better even now?”
Lumine rolled her chair closer to hers and took a wet towel from the counter, raising it to her cheek. Ayaka recoiled from how cold it was and stared at the blonde in surprise. “What are you doing?”
“Cleaning your wound. Now stop squirming around,” Lumine chided, before putting her fingers underneath her chin and tilting her head towards her.
Ayaka could only pray the heat crawling to her ears weren’t visible. She remained quiet as Lumine began to tend to the scratch she long forgot about.
“...Earlier you said I was threatening the nation. Did The Garden tell you that?” The other filled the silence.
“I was told by my boss that you’re trying to break the peace treaty between Snezhnaya and Mondstadt,” Ayaka answered. “But now that I know Viatrix is you, I find it harder to believe that. Is it true?”
“It isn’t. I’ve been trying to protect the peace treaty which is my entire reason behind forming our family.”
“And your reason for enrolling Klee into that school? Does it have anything to do with your mission, as well?”
“Yes, I needed to get close to one of the parents at her school: Alberich Kaeya,” Lumine explained, bringing neosporin to her cheek. “Sorry, this’ll hurt a bit.”
Ayaka didn’t flinch because she hardly felt anything. Her body has been through worse pain than an inflamed flesh wound. “Alberich? I met his husband before… A blond man, I believe. Is their daughter in the same class as Klee?”
She felt silly now believing Lumine had been so determined to get Klee to enroll because she cared that much as a parent.
“Mhm. I need to investigate Alberich and make sure he isn’t conspiring, but my efforts to get close to him have been a little unsuccessful.”
“I want to help you,” Ayaka said.
Despite her determination, fear of being turned away and told to leave the life she built with Lumine ransacked her. If the other wanted that, she’d comply but not without a fight.
“Why? You’ll be betraying your people if you help me. They’ll kill you,” she reminded her.
“They won’t find out. I’ll make up a lie and tell them you got away from me. I can be an assassin and your partner at the same time.”
“Which kind of partner?”
“Your partner in crime and a wife to come home to every day. I’ll turn a blind eye to everything if you do the same for me. You need me and I need you, and… Klee needs us.”
For a moment, Lumine didn’t say a word as she placed a band-aid over her cheek. It looked silly with tiny bunny faces on it.
“It’ll leave a scar. I’m sorry,” she said, before leaning in and pecking her cheek. “For the mission and for Klee, right?”
Ayaka was falling deeper into something she’ll never get herself out of. Perhaps that was set in stone the minute she proposed to Lumine. Now she was here until death did them part whether that came naturally or by consequence. She leaned over and interlocked their fingers, admiring the identical diamond rings on their hands. Her calloused skin served as a warm reminder of their similar hardships and instilled Ayaka’s goal to make sure Lumine had less blood on her hands. Her troubles were Ayaka’s to share now.
“For Klee, but for you and I, especially.”