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Lynette catches him shortly after one of their shows one night, her arms crossed over her chest and her face entirely more unimpressed than it usually is.
"You have it bad," she tells him dryly, and Lyney, unfortunately, has to agree.
Still, futile as it is, the magician tries to play it off. He's nonchalant as he pushes one of their prop boxes back behind stage, his sister following him diligently with a covered birdcage pressed against her chest. "I'm sure I don't know what you're referring to."
Lynette's eye roll has never been more scalding. "Lyney, I don't understand why you keep attempting to lie to me, of all people. You know it won't work."
(And it is true, because for as close as they are and for as close as they will continue to be, Lynette has proven herself to be the only one able to see through his lies within an instant.
It is endearing, but, she's still his sister, and so it is also quite annoying.)
Lyney purses his lips, but does not answer aside from a slight shake of his head. He, for one, does not appreciate this weird sense of being out of control of his own emotions, nor does he appreciate being questioned on it before he's had the time to figure it out himself. Granted both him and Lynette know very well that the chances of him actually attempting to figure it out on his own were close to zero, practiced in the art of redirection as he is, but it's still an unpleasant feeling, and Lyney doesn't entirely feel like he can be blamed for it.
"She's pretty," Lynette pushes.
"She's beautiful," Lyney corrects, and Lynette rolls her eyes again, her head dipping in a half nod of acceptance as she passes him, her feet light and airy and, Lyney's eyes narrow, quite a bit faster than usual.
"Good, because I dressed myself up like you before the show and asked her out on a date for you."
The box Lyney had been pushing tilts and tips over itself under the sudden force of Lyney's startled strength. The bird inside Lynette's cage bristles and chirps in distress as he turns, his voice loud and booming throughout the empty podiums of the Opera Epiclese as he shouts, "You did what?!"
Just before Lynette disappears behind the curtains with the caged bird still clutched to her chest, she turns her head back to look at him, a rare yet distinct light of pure mischief shining within her violet eyes as she adds, "She'll be waiting for you tomorrow at Freminet's favorite diving spot, brother, don't keep her waiting."
And Lyney, for all his faked confidence and showboating tendencies, can only stare in frozen astonishment as his stunned brain attempts to catch up while he watches his sister go.
Freminet's favorite diving spot. The one that, if Lyney recalls correctly - and he most certainly does - really looks more like a private hideaway for couples than anything else.
A date.
With Lumine.
Tomorrow.
For as much as he wants to strangle his beloved sister right now, Lyney is rather grateful for the way she had quickly made herself scarce after dropping this absolute nuclear bomb on him without any sort of warning. He sinks to the floor, crouching in on himself as he covers his intensely flushed face with his hands and tries his very best to ignore the way his heart is pounding rapidly against the center of his chest as his thoughts proceed to run wild.
A date.
With Lumine.
Pretty, confident, sometimes strangely terrifying, Lumine.
Strong, intelligent, definitely resourceful, Lumine.
He recalls the way she had faced their Archon in court; how she had boldly countered each of her accusations and had demanded to end this ludicrous slander on their names, her eyes narrowed and her voice booming as she insisted on their innocence.
It had been entirely inappropriate given the situation and just how shortly the two of them had known each other but Lyney….Lyney is sure he hadn't felt that attracted to anyone in his entire life.
Lumine had shone like the stars itself at that moment, as well as when she'd backed him up and protected him when facing the goons sent after them during the investigation of Cesar's death.
His face warms even further, and Lyney is sure he might get sick. He feels warm all over, his mind is fuzzy and his heart just won't stop pounding.
A date.
Promptly, Lyney decides that he does not know whether to thank or curse Lynette's entire existence.
Now both Lynette and, on a rare occasion once or twice, even Father had warned Lyney in the past that his showboasting tendencies were sure to get him in trouble one day. Sure, Lyney had meticulously crafted a living out of the fanfare- a shield, even, but sometimes, even he has to admit that his extravagant acts and sneaky grins are far more excessive than is likely warranted.
(He does however get rather much of a kick out of the reaction those stunts produce, and maybe that is a flaw of his own, but it is all in good will and harmless fun.)
Now, however, his actions have finally come back to bite him and Lyney fully understands why his sister had been so adamant about her warnings.
During the relatively short time that he's had the pleasure of knowing her, Lyney's learned that Lumine, for all her strength, intelligence and battle prowess, is rather impulsive. He'd seen it during their first meeting when her jaw had clenched in irritation at Focalors' challenge and hadn't hesitated to draw her sword at a literal god. He'd seen it shortly after, when she'd stared that very same god down and boldly declared in front of the entire Court how she'd be defending Lyney's innocence against these false accusations; and he sees it now, when she gives a startled gasp of his name and immediately proceeds to dive after him when he slips and tumbles over the aquabus’ edge and straight into the ocean below despite the fact that he's a Fontaine-born citizen and probably knows these waters a lot better than she does.
Shortly before Lumine’s rather distressed - and rather adorable - face blocks his view, he catches sight of both Paimon’s terrified expression, and Lynette’s utterly unimpressed one as she watches them go down. Lyney almost has the sense to be embarrassed. Almost.
His sister had been in on the trick, of course. Had been a key, albeit rather begrudging, element in it, even. He would gather both Lumine and Paimon’s rapt attention with his cheap tricks, stage presence and, in the case of the traveler, sweet talking, while Lynette would take both the time and her vision to discreetly set up the props needed for him to make his fall only to then reappear onto the aquabus fully unscathed and maybe a little sheepish.
Evidently he had not accounted for Lumine’s quick - possibly selfless, definitely stupid - thinking as she hadn’t hesitated to jump after him as soon as he had ‘accidentally’ made his way off the aquabus and part of Lyney thinks that maybe, just maybe, that had been his fault as well.
Lumine grabs him by the waist as they fall, face contorted in sheer determination and focus as she pulls him in close, either not minding or not even hearing the way Lyney lets out a rather humiliating noise at their sudden proximity as she uses her impressive elemental power to slow their descend and lessen their impact as they inevitably hit the water and start their plummeting down towards the bottom.
The sudden change in atmosphere as he sinks from land into water makes his ears pop, as it always does. His heart is also quite stubbornly pounding against his chest and ringing in his ears, unlike what it always does, as Lumine has most certainly not let go of him this entire time. Instead she, in an act that had been nothing but pure heroic instinct, Lyney is well aware, had pulled him even closer and just as suddenly as he had hit the water, Lyney is breaking shore and-
Oh.
Oh.
Lumine is…Lumine is pretty built, huh?
The poor magician does not know what to think or say as he suddenly finds himself securely enveloped within Lumine's rather strongly built arms, her voice hardly giving way for any sense of strain as she effortlessly carries his entire weight - made only heavier by the lingering mass of Fontaine's waters still dripping from his clothes - onto the beach just as easily as she would have had it been little Paimon locked within her arms instead of him.
He thinks he hears her call out to him, his name sounding rather melodic coming from her tongue as she adjusts her grip on his lower back and legs but alas, Lyney cannot answer, for he is fairly certain that his brain had short-circuited underneath the sudden show of strength.
She could probably bench him, he thinks, and his face immediately catches flame in utter mortification.
You have it bad, a voice that sounds an awful lot like Lynette's suddenly rings within the barely-conscious space that is his own warped mind, and once again, Lyney finds himself having to agree.
Lumine, the kind, gentle, beautiful soul that she is, seems to entirely misinterpret the source of Lyney's sudden unresponsiveness. Her brows knit together in a concerned frown, movements hasty as she gently lays him down onto the rough sand of the beach and entirely unaware of the way he silently laments the loss of contact. "Lyney," she presses, her hands finding settlement on his shoulders as she only leans in further into his space and attempts to shake him back to reality. "Lyney! Are you alright? Did you swallow any water?"
No, Lyney thinks to himself, and, quite unhelpfully, only himself.
“Do you think he needs CPR?” Paimon asks cautiously, voice thick with crippling concern.
Briefly, Lyney wonders just when it was that the fairy had joined them on the beach, up until he realizes just what exactly had come out of her mouth, paired with the sudden feeling of Lumine’s soft hands on his cheeks as well as the telling sensation of her steadily leaning in and once more, Lyney absolutely short circuits.
But, no, if Paimon is here, then that would mean that-
“He’s fine,” Lynette’s tired voice rings out shortly after, and Lyney is sure he could sing.
He has never considered himself to be abundantly religious; doesn’t really think that being a part of such an ungodly organization as the Fatui gives him any right to, in all honesty. In that exact moment, however, he praises both the gods and his sister because for as much as the idea of being on the receiving end of Lumine’s care appeals to him, he is not very confident in his nor his poor heart’s ability to survive should she go as far as to put her lips on him.
(He does, however, regret his silent praising of his sister shortly after when she tells Lumine in the most innocently deadpan way to just roll him back into the ocean; that this had happened before and it would be the quickest way to get him back to himself for sure.
Lynette, he is reminded quite cruelly, has a rather mean streak should the situation call for it.)
Later that night, when Lyney has only halfway managed to return to himself and long after the pair of them had said goodbye to the enigmatic traveler and her loud little companion, Freminet can’t seem to stop shooting worried glances over at Lyney’s uncharacteristically quiet form across the dinner table. He doesn’t seem to be eating much, either, lost far too deeply inside of his own mind and it doesn’t take long before the younger boy makes a worried inquiry about their brother’s health.
In a rather comedic twist on the norm, Lynette answers for him, and once more, Lyney is reminded of her hidden mean streak as she casually lifts her napkin to her lips and answers with what she considers to be complete honesty, “He’s finally felt a woman’s touch.”
Lyney's head drops onto the table.
So far, Lumine hasn't been all that receptive to Lyney's wooing. On the flip side, she hasn't been entirely unaffected by them, either.
Where the magician is used to getting flustered and over the top reactions, hers are usually far more controlled. Lumine always seems to know what she's doing, even with her impulsive and sometimes even hot-headed personality. She never gives the magician anything more than a slight blush and a fond little roll of her eyes, and while Lyney knows his advances are getting to her in at least some way, it is far from the reaction he would rather like to see coming from her.
Lyney, however, is far from the type to give up. Father considered it a good trait; Lynette not so much.
"Why don't you come assist me and Lynette in one of our shows sometime?" Lyney says smoothly, voice low and undeniably charged as he watches her swim across one of Fontaine's many lakes in peaceful content. He's got his cheek resting against his palm, stare sharp as he trails her movements with his eyes. His lips quirk, and he's sort of glad Lynette isn't there with them at the moment. "I'm sure you'd look rather radiant in a magician's getup- perhaps even more so than you already are!"
Lumine, to her credit, doesn't seem very fazed by his obvious attempt at flirtation. She halts her backstrokes, turning herself upright as she gently glides across the water and over towards him. Lyney wants to say he is better than that, he truly does, but Archons is it mesmerizing to watch her swim.
"Oh? And here I thought you liked me just the way I am," she says rather dryly, stopping directly in front of him and resting both her palms and her chin on the wet rocks between them. Her stare is captivating, and Lyney has known since day one that he always would be a sucker for those deep, topaz eyes of hers, but watching her now, dripping wet and with the barest hints of a smile, she reminds him much of the sirens mentioned in the stories of old.
And Lyney is sure; he would likely be the first to jump.
He cannot, however, allow her to beat him at his own game.
Lyney dips down, a rush of delight flooding through him as her eyes instinctively widen at the sudden closeness. "You're right," he concedes, leaning in further if only for her to feel the brunt of his whisper as he adds, "It would be impossible to look any more beautiful than this."
Her face flushes, lips falling into a thin line in what Lyney is almost certain must be silent astonishment. His victory, however, is short-lived, as Lumine's expression blankens into something quiet and thoughtful almost immediately. It reminds him rather strikingly of the few times he's caught her staring at both him and Lynette with a look of melancholy on her face; and briefly, Lyney worries if he might have accidentally triggered something within her memory.
She doesn't let him worry long, the thoughtfulness in her eyes solidifying as she evidently had come to a decision, and Lyney is stunned as she swims even closer towards him and reaches a hand, dripping wet as it is, to gently rest against his face.
"You're quite the sweet talker…" Lumine says, her voice having dropped to something that sounds almost husky to his ears, and Lyney's breath catches in his throat. "Is that something you use against all the ladies, or…" her thumb caresses across his skin, and the poor magician almost shivers. "Is it something reserved just for me?"
And once again, Lyney absolutely short-circuits.
Surely, this is happening far too much. It's becoming embarrassing how easy it is for her to render him mindless and stupefied without even making a conscious effort. Father would be ashamed.
Still, Lyney's answer comes quick, and above all else, absolutely breathless. "Just you," he confesses earnestly, his stare wide and locked on her and her alone as he almost forgets to so much as blink, entirely caught up in her spell as he is. "Always, just you. Only you."
Lumine stifles a giggle behind a dainty yet powerful hand; one that Lyney is positive had stolen hearts and ended gods alike. "So much for the suave magician act, huh?" She teases, pulling away from him if only to rest her head back against the rocks and gift him a warm smile. "I didn't think you'd be this adorable."
Adorable, his mind insists on echoing, and he suddenly finds it rather difficult to force himself to focus.
Lyney huffs. "That 'suave magician act' only works so long as my dear audience doesn't strike back with an underhanded attack, you know!"
Once again, Lumine laughs, and when she meets his stare this time, it is almost predatory in nature. Predatory enough that this time, when Lyney meets her gaze, he actually does shiver. "Come now, Lyney, I've lived far too long to be bested at something like this. You'll need to try harder."
"My dear, I'll have you know that-" he pauses, blinks. "Wait, how old are you?"
Lumine pauses, too. Clearly, the question seemed to have struck something deep within her as she blinks thrice and stares back at him like a deer caught in headlights. The fact that she quite obviously has to think a question as simple as that through should have been answer enough, really, but unfortunately for Lyney, he is still attempting to recover from the traveler's earlier sneak attack.
"Well…" she starts, head tilting rather cutely. "I've been asleep for a long time so I doubt I can really give you the actual number anymore, but it's gotta have been a few thousand years give or take?"
This time, Lyney is the one to blink.
"I'm sorry, my sweet, but I think I might have misheard because I believe you said a few thousand years old?"
Lumine crosses her arms over her chest, golden stare having redirected itself heavenwards as her face contorts into a frown and her full lips form into a pout. "Maybe? I'm honestly not sure, the laws of time change with each world so while I'm sure I've hit the quadruple digits at least somewhere, I might just still be in the hundreds here in Teyvat."
His jaw snaps shut, his clever tongue for once seeming to fail him as the magician has suddenly found himself at an entire loss for words.
Her name had been a rather popular topic within the circles of the Fatui, and Lyney has heard it mentioned once or twice how she wasn't a being native to their world but…this…this is something else entirely-
That mesmerizing stare falls back onto him, and this time, when she frowns, it is with both surprise and a touch of concern. "You didn't know?"
"No?"
Her frown deepens. "I thought this was common knowledge among the Fatui…?"
"No??? And even if it was, Lynette and I aren't very high-ranking-"
"Makes sense," Lumine nods easily, entirely ignorant of the incredulous look Lyney is giving her. She pushes herself out of the water, the lake making a valiant but futile attempt at keeping her down as the waters rise along with her body and when she settles down next to him and slicks her hair back out of her face with an exaggerated yet contentful sigh, Lyney is sure his mouth feels a little dry.
She pauses again, nose wrinkling and face scrunching rather adorably as she adds, "Then again, I don't think Childe knows either…"
Ah.
'Childe', again.
Lyney had seen the way the pair interacted with each other; something that was an odd mix of tension and hostility, but still carrying enough friendship and respect for it to feel lighthearted.
Tartaglia especially seemed to have grown a rather strong attachment to Lumine; and while Lyney most certainly couldn't blame him for that much, he cannot say he is much of a fan of the blatant way in which the other man showers her in praises and not-so-subtly attempts to insert himself into as much of her presence as he could.
(And yes, the magician is well-aware of how much of a hypocrite that makes him, but even Lynette's brows had risen the first time she had seen the pair of them interact, and it took quite a lot of everything for something to catch her attention like that.)
Lyney stares at her, watches the way she sighs and straightens herself, then proceeds to wring some water out of her dress. He snaps his fingers and suddenly a cape makes its home around her shoulders, and as Lumine giggles and sinks herself further into the surprise warmth, part of him already knows that he is far from standing a chance against a Harbinger.
Another, more hopeful part, wonders if the subtle glances and gentle smiles Lumine has been giving him doesn't mean that Lyney is the one that had caught her interest already.
Her eyes shine as she turns and grants him the brightest of smiles, her cheeks rosy for reasons she would not be disclosing, but as Lyney laughs and returns her rather contagious smile, he somehow doesn't feel very worried.
"Lyney." Freminet stands in front of him with a look of uncharacteristic resolve on his face. Lyney looks up from his cards; looks to the side to share a dubious look with Lynette only to be abruptly reminded that his sister is, for once, not here, and slowly returns his gaze to his younger brother's still form.
"Yes, Freminet?" He tries, somewhat cautious as he eyes their youngest's appearance. He's still dripping wet, the wooden flooring beneath him surely on its way to becoming ruined as he clutches his diving helmet close to his chest and stares at Lyney as if he is absolutely ready to fight him should he give an answer the usually soft-spoken boy would not like.
"Miss Lumine went diving with me today."
Lyney blinks twice; nods his head slowly. "Yes…?"
Freminet's brows furrow even further, his lips pulling downwards into a determined little pout. "She went diving with me, Lyney."
"Yes, I understood tha-"
"Marry her."
"Sorry, sorry," Lyney pleads, somehow still infuriatingly charming as he stumbles his way into the cafe he'd told Lumine to wait for him at the night before. He dances his way around a startled waitress with his signature flourish, and where he normally would have presented her a flirty smile, cheeky comment and sly wink, he now only gives her a formal bow and apologetic tip of his hat.
(It had been a gradual change, but not an unexpected one. Lyney only has eyes for one, after all.)
"You're late," Lumine chastises him, quite dry in her delivery. Lyney's eyes fall onto the table as he slides into his seat, and he visibly cringes at seeing that he'd apparently been tardy enough for Lumine to have made her way through no less than three cups of tea during his absence.
"I know," he pants, a testament to how he'd rushed his way over. "It took a lot of bribing to get Lynette to handle tonight's show preparations by herself, and by the time she agreed it had already gotten fairly late. It's no excuse, but-" he presses his hat to his chest, face oddly sincere and nearly pleading as he reaches for Lumine's free hand with the other. She blinks as he leans in, his lips a feather-light touch against her knuckles as he breathes, "Could you find it within your heart to forgive me, my darling?"
"...you do know she likely only did that to get more desserts out of you, right?" Lumine eventually replies, the words rather slow as she eyes him in a pretense of coolness, but the subtle flush to her cheeks belie her, and Lyney thinks it's absolutely delightful.
"Oh, but of course!" Swiftly, Lyney flips his top hat back on top of his head, a snap of his well-practiced fingers all that's needed for his own cup of tea to appear out of his playing cards. A trick he had, admittedly, stolen from his sister. "I am no fool, my dear. I may pretend otherwise, but I know full well whenever she's trying to play me. Unfortunately for me, that knowledge doesn't do anything for my inability to say no when it comes to my siblings."
Lumine giggles, something distinct twinkling within her eyes as she leans forward and rests her cheek against her palm. "Got you wrapped around your finger, does she?"
"Yes. I don't know how she does it."
"And you never will," the traveler grins, and it is then that Lyney realizes that the look in her eyes is, of course, blatant pride. "It's a little sister's duty to extort her brother as much as she can, you know?"
Lyney gasps, hand pressed rather dramatically against his heart in false offense. "Surely you wouldn't be so cruel as to leave me to my fate, Lumine? If you know her methods, I implore you to share!"
Her grin widens. "Trade secret."
"Lumine."
"Sorry, Lyney. I used to do the same to my brother, it would be rather hypocritical of me to share."
Ah, Lyney thinks suddenly. Sharply. Of course, she's a twin, too.
"I'd like to meet him someday," Lyney announces suddenly, stirring his tea with an exaggerated pout as he sags further into his chair. "Maybe two heads are enough to figure out what damning spell you creatures have placed on us."
Lumine's laugh is melodious and bell-like; a symphony beautiful enough for Lyney to stutter in his performance as he watches her attempt to stifle her giggle behind her fingers once more.
It is true that he has long-since accepted his unfortunate fate of falling and falling hard for this strange, enigmatic and sometimes even dangerous traveler, but each time Lyney thinks he's gotten used to it, Lumine turns around and does something that pulls him right back in all over again.
(This, Lyney thinks reluctantly, must be why Father had warned him to keep his cards close and his heart even closer. Unfortunately for the both of them, Lumine just had a way of barreling through any and all defenses without doing much of anything.)
"I don't think you can," Lumine teases him, her eyes, usually sad and wistful whenever she speaks of her brother, now shining in sheer amusement as she stares back at him. "You're free to try though…maybe after you've managed to get on his good side again."
"Why, that would imply I'd have done something to get on his bad side!"
"Let me put it this way," Lumine places down her teacup in front of her, smile suddenly cheeky as she folds her hands underneath her chin and leans in once more. "Say you don't see Lynette for quite some time, and by the time you come back to her, there's a guy hanging around her and treating her in the exact way you treat me. How would you feel?"
Lyney pauses for a long, long moment, his active imagination running rather wild at the scenario Lumine has painted for him. She knows it too; Lyney knows she does, because her grin seems to be only widening the longer his quick-witted tongue refuses to provide him with an answer.
He also knows that the rather instinctive anger coursing through him at this imaginary man attempting to steal his sister's heart is entirely irrational, but then he supposes Lumine's point couldn't have been made clearer in any other way.
"...point proven," he concedes, and Lumine snorts.
The following hour is spent with the pair sharing stories about their siblings. They range from happy stories, to tension-filled moments, to silly pranks, and to shared experiences.
Lumine tells him rather excitedly about Aether, and just how much mischief the pair were prone to get into. She shines brighter than the stars itself as she talks; telling him about how they'd learned to fight, the pranks they would pull, and how they would sneak and fly away from home so they could watch the meteor showers from up close together.
Lyney can't deny the way that he is absolutely floored by just how beautiful she looks within her excitement; within her happiness. He had already engraved the goal of 'making Lumine happy' deep within his consciousness long ago, but frankly, if she would be looking at him like this, he feels all the more inclined to make that promise a reality.
A promise that would, evidently, have to be put on hold for about as long as her journey would last, because the more Lumine talks, the more her smile fades, and it isn't long before her voice starts cracking along with it. Lyney looks at her in concern- near panic, even, and it doesn't escape him how her hands tremble as she delicately attempts to put her tea cup back down.
"Do you think it would ever get better?" She asks him suddenly, voice quiet and hopeful. "If you were in my position?"
Lyney hesitates, thinks of lying because that's what he does best, but then decides against it. He's lied far too much to her already, and while they may be getting closer day by day, Lyney knows he hasn't fully regained Lumine's trust yet. Lying to her now, even if he would consider it to be for her own good, would only prove detrimental in the end.
(Besides, the mere memory of her crestfallen and betrayed face as his lies had come to light still haunts him to this very day. Truly, Lyney had been doomed from the start.)
He bites his lip, shakes his head. "No," he tells her honestly, his voice dropping to something equally as somber. He recalls the way it had felt; losing Lynette for only a single day, and recalls the complete and utter anguish that had come with it as well. He can't possibly imagine what it'd be like to lose her for over five centuries; and he can't possibly imagine how it had been possible for Lumine to survive this long without what was essentially her other half. "Not until I got her back, at least."
Lumine sinks further into her chair, a hint of tears misting her beautifully golden eyes and her smile dejected. It's obvious that her mind is far from being at the present, and when she speaks next, she isn't looking at Lyney. "What if she didn't want to come back?"
And all of a sudden, it clicks.
She's seen him, he realizes with a start, and just as suddenly, the dreadful reality sinks in as he puts the various pieces she had left him in place. Lumine surely wouldn't want his pity, but Lyney can't help the way his heart aches for her as he asks, voice equally as quiet, "He rejected you, didn't he?"
"Yes," she tells him, and it's resolute, as if she's long accepted her fate.
Lyney bites his lip. For as trained as he is at gathering and redirecting his audience's attention in such a way to always bring a smile to their faces, he does not think he's equipped enough for something like this. He should understand best, after all.
The magician grits his teeth as he looks at her, not liking the dejected and, above all, pained cloud holding his usually dashing starlight in its grasps. He isn't thinking when he gets up from his chair and makes his way over, and briefly, Lyney thinks that maybe he had become rather impulsive as well.
Lumine looks up as she feels his hat coming down on her head, her eyes lined with both surprise and her tears, but as Lyney only stares down at her with a look of pain in his eyes that surely reflects her own, then proceeds to bend enough for him to gingerly press his lips against her hairline…well, there is no feasible way she would have been able to stop the tears from falling down her face then.
She's frozen stiff as he pulls away, his mouth lingering against her hair in a gesture that is purely instinctual. Father had taught him the importance of knowing when to put yourself out there, and when to keep a low profile. Right now, Lyney is sure the pair of them are attracting lots of attention, given both of their well-known statuses and the fact that the Fontainian people crave juicy drama, but he can't quite bring himself to care, either.
"If it had been me," he tells her earnestly, his voice a soft and gentle lull meant for her ears and her ears alone. "I would have kept chasing her, up until the point she physically pushed me away herself- and maybe even then, to be honest."
Lyney doesn't jolt as Lumine hesitantly wraps her arms around him; nor does he bother to entertain any prying gazes as he leads her out of the cafe by the waist. He does, however, keep his hat firmly secured on her golden hair as they leave, if only to grant her some sense of privacy as she attempts to gather herself and allows herself to listen to his soothing whispers of reassurance.
That night, when Lyney comes home, he hugs Lynette just as tight as he'd had when she had been taken from him.
That night, when Lyney comes home…Lynette's only response is a silent return of the sudden hug, not daring to tease or even question him about what had essentially been supposed to be his date with Lumine.
"I've been giving her too many roses," Lyney decides one day, stare contemplative and uncharacteristically serious as he sits and ponders in their living room chair.
"Yes," Lynette deadpans, dryer than the Sumeru desert as she sits on the couch opposite of him, one of Freminet's toys on her lap. "You have."
Her brother is silent for another ten seconds, evidently taking his current dilemma far more serious than any of the Fatui missions they had been on, and then snaps his fingers. "I should switch to giving her chocolates instead!"
"No."
Freminet pokes his head into the room then, his stare half apologetic for Lynette's sake, and half intrigued for Lyney's. "How about those macarons you said she liked?"
"Freminet!"
"Freminet, you have an absolutely magnificent mind!"
Lyney ends up giving her both the macarons and an extra box of chocolates if only because he knows Paimon will complain if he doesn't.
The sheer look of delight on Lumine's face when she opens the box, followed by an immediate look of sheepish - and damningly cute - guilt as she immediately tries to compose herself and thank Lyney for the gifts, is in his opinion worth far more than any of his performances.
They had performed here so often that at some point, the Opera stage had started to become something like a second home to them.
It is where they feel at their most confident; their most comfortable. It is where they draw gazes filled with awe, and wonder and, above all, joy as they perform the tricks and shows they had pushed entire lifetimes into mastering.
Yes, the Opera stage truly does feel like a second home to them.
Yet right now, Lyney doesn't think he has ever felt more nervous than he is right now, and they aren't even putting on a performance.
"Does it bother you?" He asks into the air, his voice echoing around the seemingly empty room as he paces the stage in a pretense of his usual confidence. He's got his cards in his hands, flashy in the way that he always is as he swiftly makes them reappear, disappear, and rain all around him with ease. Cardistry had been one of the earliest things Lyney had taught himself during his long journey to becoming a full-fledged magician, but eventually, the better he got, it had started bleeding into an unintentional nervous tick. Something needed to keep his hands busy while he schooled his face into the perfect mask. Something Lynette is probably well aware of.
"Does what bother me?" Her voice echoes much in the way his had done, yet she remains unseen.
And Lyney, to his utter dismay, cannot get the words out without stuttering. "Me and- w-well, my, uh… feelings. For the…Traveler."
Lynette's head pops out from somewhere above the stage, lithe body expertly balanced on top of the wooden beams keeping the ceiling together. There is a hint of curiosity in her signature apathetic stare as she looks down at him, her tail whipping the air exactly once.
"Would my opinion change the way that you feel?"
"Of course it would," Lyney says softly, his voice almost sounding sad as he admits it. "Your opinion is what matters the most." And should she give an answer that was not in his favor, well, then…then Lyney supposes he would just have to learn to deal with it.
(Luckily for him, he appears to be the only one who thinks so.)
"That's stupid," Lynette says, visibly annoyed as she lifts herself back up onto the bars with catlike ease and continues securing the props needed for their next show. Her face looks as indifferent as it always has been, as does her voice. Her ears, however, are pressed flat against her skull, and her grip is too tight as she pulls the rope taut. That's how Lyney knows he's managed to piss her off somehow.
"It's not-"
"It is." Lynette insists. She drops the rope, her eyes narrowed and lips turned downwards as she stares down at him from the ceiling. "I know we have no one but each other, Lyney, but you really ought to stop inserting me into everything that you do. She makes you happy, and that's all I want."
"But if you don't agree-"
"I never said that."
"Well, you haven't seemed exactly supportive-"
And suddenly, she's in front of him, having dropped down from the ceiling in a show of swift elegance; her fall only cushioned by a helping gust of her Anemo vision. Lyney almost flinches back at the suddenness of it, his hand automatically reaching for his hat as the elements threaten to blow it away.
"No, I haven't been exactly supportive of you making a fool of yourself, brother, there's a difference." She crosses her arms over her chest, voice dropping as her tail swishes around behind her in sheer agitation at what Lyney presumes to be his own actions. "I actually approve, if you really want to hear it. If there was anyone I was going to trust you with, it'd be her."
He tips his hat lower; low enough for it to cover his eyes and, hopefully, his growing blush. "Really?" He asks, suddenly quiet.
Lynette smiles back at him, both her stare and her voice softening in an expression Lyney hasn't seen in a long, long time. "Of course," she says softly, flicking her fingers just enough to tip his hat back up. "I honestly can't imagine anyone else I'd want more as a sister. I know Freminet thinks so too."
Lyney snorts. "Freminet told me to marry her."
"...how about we wait on that one just a little bit longer?"
Lyney laughs, eyes filling with joy that is, for once, entirely genuine as he proceeds to pull his sister in and ruffles her hair in a show of pure affection. Lynette grumbles in his hold, struggling and pawing at his hands in order to get away. She rolls her eyes at the exaggerated praises he sings her, but even then, Lyney can tell that she's smiling.
(He thinks then, that Lumine must truly be a creature woven by the gods themselves. After all, it is far from an easy task to get Lynette to like, let alone vouch for, a person that isn't family.)
"Do you want to see a magic trick?" Lyney whispers, breathless and, for once, nervous as he hovers over Lumine's equally as stunned form.
She blinks up at him, cheeks rosy and breathing labored, her arms pinned directly above her head and held in place by Lyney's own. Neither of them are quite aware of just how they had ended up tangled in each other this way, but similarly, neither of them seem to mind very much; nor do they look like they want to stop.
"Yes," she breathes, and the world around them seems to come to a halt as Lyney exhales, then proceeds to close the gap and touch his lips against hers.
The first taste of her on his tongue is enough for him to consider it worth the wait; the second is enough to cleanse each and every crippling worry that had been plaguing him since the day Father had first set her eyes on him, and by the third, as well as the absolutely intoxicating sound of his name uttered breathlessly on her quickly swelling lips, Lyney is about ready to give it all up for her.
He wonders, then, if this is the right thing to do. They are on the opposite ends of what he is sure is a looming war, given the rather strong distaste Lumine seems to have for the Fatui as a whole. There is also the heavy possibility of Father catching wind of his closeness with the traveler and using that against the both of them, something Lyney is far from willing to play a part in, but can't rule out just yet, either.
Lumine, however, isn't planning on letting him go that easily, because as soon as the worrisome thoughts get to him enough for him to pull back, Lyney is met with the absolutely sinful sight of her flushed face, rosy cheeks, lidded eyes and another breathless whisper of his name. Her hand caresses his face in a way that is beyond sweet as she reaches out, and as Lyney leans into the touch and mumbles his content, she only tugs him closer.
"Will you show me another one?" She whispers, quiet and almost hopeful, and Lyney, for all his smarts and skills, has come to the sudden yet damning realization that he is utterly weak for this strange, enigmatic woman descending from the stars themselves.
So of course, when she requests his services so sweetly, Lyney is far from able to deny.
As their lips meet again for the second, and certainly not the last, time that night, Lyney considers that maybe, just maybe, things had been meant to go this way from the start.
He, for one, does not feel very inclined to fight it.