Chapter Text
Aether was dumbfounded.
Lyney had left him a rainbow rose. A symbol of passion and romantic encounters. And Lynette had warned she’d be angry if he lost it. Did that mean….
No. Aether was getting ahead of himself. Lyney’s just a flirty dude. There’s no way he actually…
No. Nope. Not going to think that. It’d be awful if he jinxed it, after all.
Aether sighed deeply, sinking into the semi-comfortable bed in his room in the Hotel Debord. The room was completely dark save a sliver of light leaking from under the door. He could hear Paimon snoring in the next room over.
He rolled over onto his side, trying to escape the images of Lyney laughing. Lyney performing the trick that gifted him the rainbow rose. Lyney smiling. Lyney leaning in and…
NO. That last one was not real. Stop imagining it stop imagining it stop imagining it.
Needless to say, Aether wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.
Groaning, the blond peeled himself away from the sheets, sitting up. He stretched, and stood up to go out on a walk.
He made sure to sneak out of the room quietly so as not to disturb Paimon before leaving the hotel and allowing himself to wander the streets of the Court of Fontaine. This late at night, surely past midnight, it was dead quiet. Not even meka guards were out patrolling.
Aether hummed contently, the gentle night breeze blowing softly against the wisps of hair around his neck that had come undone from his braid throughout the day. He had to admit Teyvat was one of the loveliest worlds he had traveled to. And at night, it was even better. Even if the sky was fake, it was a damn good replica.
He walked aimlessly around the court, not paying much mind as to where his feet were leading him.
When he eventually came to, he realized instantly how stupid a move that had been.
“Oh, shit,” he said aloud, as he found himself directly in front of none other than the Hotel Bouffes d’ete. The very place the man he was trying to get out of his head happened to take residence.
He stood in front of the building, staring, for an embarrassingly long time before spinning on his heel and crashing directly into a warm body. Arms instantly reached out to steady him, gloved hands resting gently against his shoulders.
“My, my, leaving already, are we?” That flirtatious voice teased. “You didn’t even stop to say ‘hi.’”
Aether looked up slightly to meet lavender eyes. “What makes you think this was my destination?” Aether hid behind his sass to disguise the sudden rabbit pace his heart decided it should beat in.
Lyney’s lips turned upwards in a smirk. “Was it not? It’s a bit creepy if you were just staring at a random building in the middle of the night without any intent to go inside. Surely you realize this?”
Heat flooded into the blond’s cheeks as he realized the truth behind the other’s words. “I wasn’t trying to stare,” he mumbled, knowing it was hardly even an excuse, much less a good one.
Lyney laughed heartily. Aether couldn’t help but notice his gloved hands still rested unmoving on his shoulders. “You realize that just makes it worse, don’t you? It can only leave one to wonder what the reason is a young man like yourself’s subconscious would be staring aimlessly at a building. Perhaps he longs to see the interior?” Lyney’s head cocked to the side. It was a wonder his top hat didn’t fall. “Or perhaps someone?”
The heat in Aether’s cheeks only grew in intensity. Lyney laughed as the blond fumbled over his words, stuttering incoherent responses. Not even Aether himself understood what he was trying to say.
At last, the hands fell from Aether’s shoulders. One fell to its owner’s side, and the other extended towards Aether. “Well? Would you like to come inside? Or shall I escort you on the continuation of your little nighttime stroll?”
A pause. “Well, I have no need to go in, and I suppose you won’t leave me alone if I try to walk alone.”
“You would guess correctly, my little detective!”
Aether’s rabbit-like heart skips a beat. Did he just say my little detective? That’s practically a pet name! No. No it’s not. Cool it Aether, he probably just meant it in a friendly way. Yeah. That’s it. He has nicknames like that for all his friends. Mhm. That’s why he’s never given me one before now. Aether blinks. He’s never given me a nickname until just now. First the rainbow rose and now this…
“Something the matter?” Lyney asks, turning down the bravado and appearing genuinely concerned.
Shoot, he’s onto me! Aether thought. “No, everything’s alright. Why don’t we start walking.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and continued down what he assumed was his original path. Quick footsteps patted softly against the stone walkways to catch up with him almost instantly.
They walked in silence for some time, neither daring to upset the stillness of the air.
“So, what gave you the idea of a nighttime stroll?” Lyney eventually asks, the silence evidently having bored him.
Aether shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep. Thought it might help to get away from Paimon’s snoring for a bit.”
Lyney laughs, the sound ringing clear like lovely bells. As the sound fades, the comfortable silence left, replaced instead by a tense one. Clearly, there was something more the ashy haired man wanted to say.
After a few moments of silence, he asks, “you sure that’s it? You looked… sad back there.”
Aether glances towards Lyney to find the man staring directly at him, face soft with concern. He takes a sharp breath in and looks away again, those lavender eyes too much right now. “Just… have a lot on my mind. A lot has happened recently, after all. The serial disappearance cases, the Primordial Sea, the whole ordeal at the Fortress of Meropide, the case with Caesar, not to mention the earthquakes in Poisson and the reveal of the Hydro Archon. It’s all just… a lot, I suppose.” Aether found the words he said all to be true, even if they weren’t the complete truth.
Lyney hummed. “Yes, I suppose a lot has happened in the short time you’ve been here, indeed. You’ve done a lot to help Fontaine. You’re practically a local legend.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. I think the tales of your adventures will be passed down as bedtime stories to the children of Fontaine for many years to come. Your name will not easily be forgotten.” Out of the corner of his eye, Aether watched as Lyney lifted his head to the sky and closed his eyes. “I can imagine it now. Today’s children all grown up and with their own, telling them stories of ‘The Great Traveller and Paimon’, and how they saved the nation.”
Aether feels a smile tug at his lips. “I think the children find you more memorable than me. I’m just the guy who is always proving people wrong in court. You’re the one that does the flashy magic tricks.”
“Maybe I’m more memorable in the short-term, and while I do hope my name will go down in magic history, I wouldn’t be where I am without you. If you hadn’t been my defendant in court that day, there’s no way I would’ve won the case! Any fame I get from my shows can all be traced back to you.”
Aether stops. “You really think that?”
Lyney stops too, looking back over his shoulder. “Yes, I do.”
Amber eyes search lavender for any hint of sarcasm or lies, but come up blank. As far as Aether can tell, the man is being completely honest. “Thank you,” he says softly, eyes not wavering.
Lyney smiles softly and extends a hand. “Of course.” Aether takes the offer hesitantly, gloved fingers lacing in-between his own. He lets the taller tug him gently back into their leisurely stroll.
After a few minutes of walking in comfortable silence, the two found themselves back out front of the Hotel Debord.
“I believe this is your temporary residence,” Lyney says softly as he drops Aether’s hand.
“Yes, it is,” Aether replies. “Uh, thank you for walking me back? Even though I didn’t ask you to?”
Lyney chuckles. “You looked like you could use the company.” He took off his hat and used it to make a dramatic bow. “Until we meet again, my starry-eyed companion.”
In a well-practiced movement, he turned and vanished in a soft puff of smoke. When the air cleared, it left no trace there was ever a man there in the first place.
Aether couldn’t help but feel his heart drop slightly as the man left. It was inevitable their stroll would come to an end, even if he realized he didn’t really want it to. Sighing, he turned and entered the hotel.
It wasn’t until he was safely back under his scratchy blankets it occurred to him he had never asked why Lyney was out so late in the first place.