Chapter Text
He had done it… finally… Aether had achieved his goal. His sister was rescued from the depths of the Abyss’s clutches and was brought back to him. The Unknown God was no longer an issue… Finally, they were able to leave, to find a new home together.
It was… bittersweet, leaving Teyvat. After all, he had made so many connections, so many friendships… It was a shame to have to let them all go…
But, he had known this was coming. He had planted the seeds to prepare others for his leaving long ago. He had even said all of his goodbyes already. Well… all except for one.
All except for the hardest one.
The one he would be breaking a promise when the words finally left his lips.
Picking where to say goodbye had been a challenge, but eventually he had settled on the tree in the fields of Mondstadt. He had begun his journey there after all, and he had taken this person to The City of Freedom several times… it was a special place to The Traveler, and he wanted to see it one last time before he left.
Scaramouche was already waiting for him when he arrived, sitting with one leg pulled to his chest and his back against the tree. His face was… unreadable to Aether… Aether likes to think that he was decent at reading the Former Harbinger’s expressions; they had traveled together for long enough after all. He had seen the range of emotions the other was capable of… so why now was it so hard to get a read on him….?
“I know what is coming, Traveler.” Scaramouche didn’t look up, he did not meet The Traveler’s gaze… “You don’t have to sugar coat it for me.”
They had talked about this. They had prepared for this inevitability. But still, he did not want to break the other boy’s fragile heart more than it had already been broken. He had promised himself that he would not allow himself to become just another betrayal in The Wanderer’s life…
Yet here he was, standing in front of him, waiting to move on to the next world.
The silence hung heavy between them, and in the end it was Scaramouche who broke the silence once more, his voice was soft, the wind barely managing to bring the words to The Traveler’s ears.
“You are leaving Teyvat now… aren’t you…?”
Aether took a deep breath, slowly nodding his head before moving to sit next to the other.
“Right after this….” He admitted, keeping their words a hushed whisper between them. “I wanted… my last memory of Teyvat to be of you.”
The words were hard to get out. Hard to hear. But they were the truth. This was a moment he wanted to remember. Scaramouche was a person he wanted to remember… for the rest of his long life.
Another silence fell between them, and slowly Scaramouche moved to lean against Aether. They sat in silence for a while, the only movement being the gentle breeze in the trees and the movement of Aether’s hand to hold Scaramouche’s. He wasn’t sure how long it was that two sat there, and frankly he didn’t care. He had told Lumine that this would be a long goodbye, he wanted to spend every last moment with Scaramouche that he could.
After what felt like an Eternity, Scaramouche broke the silence once again. “Isn’t it terrible. The moment you tell me that you are leaving… is the same moment that I think I am ready to tell you that I love you…”
…
Aether’s whole world stopped in that moment. He barely remembered to breathe. They had never exactly labeled what they ever were. The stolen kisses, the quiet nights in the teapot with limbs tangled together, the smiles he had gotten to see… it had all been enough for him. They hadn’t needed a label. They were simply… them… Aether had said those three words to him before, but Scaramouche had never said them back to him, he hadn’t been ready yet- and Aether had never pushed him to.
Oh… what a last memory to carry with him.
Aether smiled, turning his head to kiss the top of Scaramouche’s head on his shoulder. “I love you too… and I don’t think that will ever change.” His love for Scaramouche was an enduring one. Similar to how his love for Lumine never faded over their many years of life… but with Scaramouche… it was different. It was THEIRS and theirs alone to hold on to, it was a different kind of love. A love that had healed both of their hearts, and now was chipping away at them. He was sure that his love for Scaramouche would never leave him, even with the distance he was now putting between them.
“You are breaking a promise to me right now. You know that?” Scaramouche’s words had no bite to them, and Aether nodded, fully aware of what he was doing. “But I want you to make me a new one.”
Scaramouche sat up, turning to face Aether fully, and the Traveler mirrored his action. “Don’t you DARE forget me Aether. Promise me. Promise that you won’t forget about me.” The look on the other’s face was so serious… so sorrowful… The expression broke Aether’s heart in a way that he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to recover from.
Tears built up in Aether’s eyes and he laughed, his mind and body not quite sure how to react. He was happy that Scaramouche wanted to carry that memory, sad that they had to leave things between them in this way… what else could he do but laugh and cry?
Hands reached out to take both of Scaramouche’s into his own, not caring how the tears streamed down his cheeks and soft sobs left parted lips. “Of course I won’t Scaramouche… I could never.” Another laugh, forcing himself to look the other straight in the eyes as he cried. “I can promise that I will never forget you. But please… promise me the same, that you won’t forget about me.”
“I promise.” The words left Scaramouche’s lips quickly, nodding as he gripped Aether’s hands a little tighter. “I won’t ever forget you, Aether. Not for as long as I live.”
Aether nodded, leaning in to kiss Scaramouche on the lips one final time. “That’s all I needed to hear…”
Scaramouche pressed his forehead to Aether’s tears welling up in his own eyes now. “I guess… this is finally goodbye then… Traveler…”
“I guess it is…” His breath trembled, lifting a hand to gently wipe away the others' tears as they started to fall. “But you can always look up at the stars and know that I’m out there, thinking of you.. and missing you terribly from wherever I make my home.”
“Don’t…” Scaramouche’s face twisted painfully for a moment, his hand coming up to cup Aether’s cheek as well. “Don’t get all sappy on me.” He relaxed a bit, sniffling softly. “But I’ll remember for you.”
Aether’s thumb ran along Scaramouche’s cheek, a small, bittersweet smile on his face. “That’s all I ask…” He couldn’t ask for anything more… it would be asking for too much.
After a deep trembling breath Scaramouche pulled away, grabbing his hat to put it on and hide his face as he turned to leave. “Goodbye Aether. Don’t you dare go dying on me in some other world.”
Though Scaramouche attempted to deflect, Aether heard how his voice cracked. He knew how to recognize Scaramouche hiding his emotions from him… He didn’t want the other to have to hide from him…
But in the end it was probably better for them both that he did, or else they would just sit there sobbing and holding each other for hours… perhaps Aether might even change his mind…
“I won’t… I’ll be sure that when I do I’ll return to Teyvat so the wind can lead me back home to you.”
“Good.” A pause. There was a moment where it looked like Scaramouche might even turn back to him- But it faded as quickly as it had began, and Scaramouche started to walk away from him. “So long then, Traveler.”
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Though Aether and Lumine had continued to travel several world’s together, no place was quite like Teyvat. And Aether couldn’t help but wonder… if maybe they had made a mistake leaving… With how they had left things in Teyvat it really had become a perfect place. And stupidly they had left it behind. He had fixed it all, made it the ideal home for them but he hadn’t seen it then. Not until he was far, far away did he see that.
He begged Lumine to return to that world, he pleaded, and after some time she reluctantly agreed. His heart felt so light as they came crashing back down in the ocean, he hadn’t even felt tired at all as they swam to the shore.
There was no thought in his head about how long it may have been, what had happened and changed since they had last been here.
But perhaps that WAS something that The Traveler should have considered before their arrival.
He was just happy at the thought of seeing his friends again, of building a real life for him and Lumine here in this place. Sure he was short on Mora, and had left behind several of his objects he had obtained here when he left but… with a few commissions he was sure that they’d be able to buy a house in whatever region they settled in. And of course Mondstadt was at the forefront of his mind.
It was perfect. It was peaceful. He knew his way around the place well. All he had to do was get himself set up at the Adventurer’s Guild again and he’d be set to start taking his commissions all across Teyvat like he had been previously.
“Hello Katheryne!” His voice was chipper as he walked up to the Scheznyan creation, waving at her. “I wanted to open myself up for commission work again, and set my sister up here as well.”
“Yes, of course.” She responded, turning to look down at the papers in front of her. “Name?”
“Aether. And my sister is Lumine. There should already be information on my rank there.”
“Hm…” Katheryne took a moment, searching for the information he spoke of before lifting her head. “I apologize, I have no records of an Aether in my files. Would you like to sign up with the Adventurer’s Guild?”
He paused, blinking a few times before laughing and shaking his head. “Alright Katheryne, I know it’s probably been a while but I know my file should still be there.”
“Unfortunately there are no records pertaining to you. But you may sign up with the Adventures Guild if you would like.”
It hit him then that she was not quite… acting right. There was no recognition in her eyes as they spoke, and he knew that if she did have the records on him surely she would have told him. Katheryne wouldn’t lie like that to him. Perhaps she had just gone through a memory wipe recently… surely things like that had to be done to keep her in working order… “Um… yes. Please, sign us both up.”
He stood there for a while, making sure everything was settled for them before making his way back to his sister, explaining what had happened. “It’s just strange, sure it’s probably been a while but I thought Katheryne of all people would remember…” a heavy sigh left his lips, shaking his head slightly as he started to walk. “But we should be set up for now, at least to take Commissions in Mondstadt.” He handed an Adventurers Guide to her, smiling softly. “So you can get started with that. I think I’m going to head to the Knights of Favonius headquarters and see if they need any help with anything over that way.”
She took the book from him, nodding slightly. “I can get started on some of those. See what it was like for you when you were here.” Lumine shot him a smile, still a little unsure about being on this side of things after everything that had happened. “You should go check in with one of your friends though, see if maybe they know what happened with Katheryne.”
“That’s the plan.” He shot a smile back to her, motioning towards the gates. “Meet up back at Good Hunter when you are done? Then we can start figuring out a few more things.”
“Sounds like a plan Aether.” Lumine tucked the book away, summoning her sword before starting to head off towards her commissions. “Don’t leave me waiting brother!”
He couldn’t help but laugh as she walked away from him. This felt right. This was how things were always supposed to be. He could feel that in his heart. He couldn’t stop his smile as he made his way through the city, waving at a few of the shopkeepers who politely waved back at him. He would have to be sure to stop by at Angel’s Share later when he had the chance, Diluc might have a good idea on who to go to in order to secure a house nearby… it didn’t HAVE to be in the city proper, Springvale was always a solid option. Or perhaps even one of the houses along by Dawn Winery was available… There were many options, all of which were fine with him. It just depended on what they could find and afford he supposed.
Stepping up to the Knights of Favonius headquarters he was stopped by one of the knights, holding his hand out to Aether. “Do you have business here?”
Aether nodded. “Yes, I was just heading in to see Jean and Lisa if they are in.”
“Do you have a meeting?”
“No…?” He questioned, glancing towards the door. “But I’m an old friend, I won’t take up too much of their time. I just wanted to check in, tell them that I’m back in Mondstadt and see if they needed help with anything.”
The knight raised his brow, looking Aether up and down. “I’m sorry but the Grand Master is very busy today, I’m going to have to ask that you make an appointment with her and come back at a later date.”
Oh, so Jean had become the Grand Master finally? Good for her, she had worked so hard and she deserved it. He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “I won’t take up too much of her time, and hopefully I’ll take some work off of her shoulders so please, if I could just-“
“I’m sorry. Unfortunately I just can’t let you-“ A flash of blonde caught his eye as the door opened, drawing his attention away from the guard and up to the figure exiting the headquarters.
“Albedo!!” Aether called out, quickly heading up the few steps separating them to greet his friend. He still wasn’t so sure how long it had been, but regardless, he was thrilled and so elated to see a friend that he had missed so dearly.
Albedo looked up from the sketch pad he was holding, meeting Aether’s gaze with a curious expression on his face. Hopefully he could talk some sense into the guards for him.
“I am sorry…” Albedo spoke, tucking the sketch pad away before turning to Aether once again. “Do I know you?”
Aether opened his mouth to respond, looking into Albedo’s eyes. Was he messing with him…? No… no way… Albedo wouldn’t joke about something like this, not after everything they had been through. Not after Aether’s sorrowful goodbyes. It wasn’t in his character.
Wide golden eyes looked hopefully into Albedo’s, praying that this was just some sort of prank. “Yes… you do…It’s me, Aether. We were friends I- I let you do experiments on me. I helped to solve the Stormterror incident I- I’m the Honorary Knight!”
But there was no recognition in Albedo’s eyes.
“I’m sorry.” Albedo said, expression as neutral as it ever was. “I do not know who you are.”