Chapter Text
“Come on, come on, come on.”
“Just give me five more minutes, Klee.”
“That's what you said ten minutes ago!”
“I might be able to finish this a little quicker if you stopped getting under my feet, wouldn't you say?”
Aether tried not to laugh as he listened to conversation in the next room. He was sitting on the couch with one leg folded beneath him, an untouched book lying in his lap, while he listened to Klee relentlessly pester Albedo to hurry up. Her excitement was infectious, almost making Aether wish he was going with them.
Almost. He had his own plans that day he was looking forward to.
Small, angry footsteps came stomping into the livingroom. Aether quickly directed his attention back to his book, hiding the fact that he's been eavesdropping. Klee stomped over to him, pointedly crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout.
“Anything I can assist you with?” Aether asked, trying hard not to smile as he peered at her over the edge of his book.
“We're going to be late!” Klee exclaimed unhappily, throwing her arms out to the sides in exasperation.
Aether flinched slightly when Klee's loud voice seemed to stab into the side of his skull. He's had a headache all morning, and now he was definitely feeling it.
“I don't think you can be late to the zoo.” Aether pointed out, lowering his book and reaching up with one hand to rub at his temple.
“Well, we're going to be late.” Klee insisted. “Big brother is sooo slow!”
Aether chuckled and reached over to ruffle her blonde hair. “I'm sure he'll be ready in a second, then you'll be on your way.”
Despite Klee's insistence that the end of the world was upon them, Albedo appeared less than five minutes later. He proudly held up the lunchbox of sandwiches he just finished making.
“We can go now?” Klee asked, excitedly jumping up and down and clasping her hands together.
“We can.” Albedo told her with a smile.
Klee let out a short squeal of excitement that echoed in Aether's ears, before she swung around and practically sprinted out of the front door. Albedo chuckled softly, shaking his head.
“She's so excited, it's adorable.” Aether said, smiling too.
“It sure is. Though I can tell she's going to keep me on my toes all day.” Albedo said. “When are you and Lumine leaving today?”
“As soon as she's ready, she's in the shower.” Aether vaguely motioned in the direction of the bathroom with his thumb. “You and Klee have fun today, okay? Tell her I want to see lots of photos.”
“Will do.”
Albedo leaned over to kiss Aether goodbye, gently cupping his cheek with one hand. He lingered with his lips on Aether's for moment, before slowly pulling back, looking him in the eye. Aether was about to ask if something was up, when Albedo placed a hand over his forehead.
“You feel a little warm.” Albedo said.
Warm? That couldn't be, he'd know if he was sick.
“Nah, I feel fine.” Aether smiled. “It's summer, it's warm.”
“Might just be my imagination then.” Albedo gave him another quick peck on the cheek. “Love you, see you again this evening.”
“Love you too.” Aether waved at Albedo before he stepped outside, closing the door behind him.
Reaching over, Aether deposited the book he had been reading on the coffee table. He stretched, before sinking back into the couch cushions and closing his eyes for a moment. Yeah no, Albedo had to be imagining things. Save for the headache, he felt completely fine.
“Hey, you.”
A baseball cap was playfully plopped down on his head from behind, and Aether jumped. He sat up, lifting the baseball cap with one hand to see. Lumine stood in front of the couch, grinning from ear to ear.
“Don't tell me you were falling asleep there.” She told him. “We've got places to be.”
“I wasn't, I was waiting on you.” Aether argued back playfully. “What were you doing, trying to use up all the hot water left on earth?”
“Ha, ha.” Lumine stuck her tongue out at him. “Come on, get your lazy butt off that couch, let’s go!”
—
Aether was starting to regret his decision to ignore the weather forecast of a heatwave. It was positively boiling outside.
Still, it wasn't like he was about to cancel any of their plans just because of a little heat. It wasn't often that Lumine flew back from Fontaine over the holidays. Aether was insistent on making the most of their time together.
They had plans to drive out to a fishing spot just outside of town, spend their day by the lakeside, then return home just before sunset. En route, they pulled over to seek shelter from the heat at a small diner.
“Next time we plan a summer visit, you're coming to Fontaine.” Lumine said, as she dramatically leaned on the table, raking her fingers through her sweaty blonde hair. “The weather is so much cooler there, I don't know how you're still surviving here.”
“Air conditioning, that's how.” Aether said with a lazy chuckle, as he propped his chin in one hand, closing his eyes. Truthfully, he agreed with Lumine at that moment. The heat was unbearable, he was sweating bullets. Maybe he was dehydrated too, that would explain why his headache still hadn't let up, despite the painkiller he took before leaving home.
“So, when's the wedding?” Lumine asked, sitting upright again, and pulling the strawberry milkshake she bought closer.
“What wedding?”
“Yours.”
Aether lifted his head, raising an eyebrow at Lumine. “Albedo and I aren't even engaged.”
“Exactly, and that's a crime.” Lumine grinned. “Come on, you guys have been dating for like, forever. And you've got that nice house now too. How long before one of you finally pops the question?”
“We've talked about marriage, and we both decided we're going to wait, at least just until we've finished school.” Aether said matter-of-factly.
“Of course you are.” Lumine playfully rolled her eyes. She tilted her glass, pulling a face when she saw she'd finished the last of her milkshake. “Can I buy a refill?”
“We don't want to be driving when the sun’s at its peak, we should get back on the road.” Aether said.
He quickly drank the last of his iced tea, before taking out his wallet. Lumine complained good naturedly, but she didn't protest with his logic. They paid for the drinks, before reluctantly braving the heat outside again. There still wasn't a cloud in the sky, the brutal summer sun seeming to bake the earth. Aether squinted, hissing softly when the bright light made his forehead throb .
“Do you mind driving?” He asked, as they approached the car. “I'll drive again on the way home.”
“Yeah, sure.” Lumine accepted the keys he was holding out to her. “Any reason?”
“I just have a headache. It's probably the heat, so I'll drink some more water.”
“Okay.” Lumine gave his shoulder a playful nudge with hers. “Trust you to get dehydrated before noon.”
Aether rolled his eyes, chuckling, before he got in the passenger seat. Immediately he dug a bottle of water out from the cooler box by his feet. He pressed the cold bottle of water against his forehead for a moment, before unscrewing the cap and drinking a few large gulps. Lumine got into the driver's seat next to him, shifted the seat slightly forward, and started the car. Aether offered her some water as well, which she declined, before he leaned down to put it back in the cooler box.
As Lumine pulled out of the parking lot, Aether turned, leaning over on the door so he was gazing out of the window. The gentle breeze from the car’s air conditioning was heavenly on his sweaty face, and Aether found himself closing his eyes, resting his forehead against the window.
“Bro?”
Aether blinked, looking over at Lumine. She had her gaze on the road, but would occasionally glance over in his direction.
“You good?” She asked. “I know you said you had a headache, but you look like you're overall not feeling well.”
“I'm fine, I'm fine.” Aether told her. “It's just the heat.” He lay his head back on the window. “It's probably what's giving me a headache in the first place.”
“Alright.” Lumine seemed to relax a little, her gaze remaining on the road. “You sure you're up for this fishing trip? We can turn back.”
“I am not missing out on a fishing trip with my sister just because I have a headache.” Aether said immediately. “It's just a headache.”
“Alright, alright, tough guy.” Lumine rolled her eyes playfully. “As long as you're sure.”
They didn't talk much for the remainder of the drive. Aether put some music on, and continued to watch the landscape whiz by. Lumine softly sang along to the music while she drove, rapping her fingertips against the steerwheel to the beat.
After a while, Aether closed his eyes again. His head hurt . He folded an arm up against the car door, and subtly buried his face in the crook of his elbow. The darkness brought immediate relief, and he let out a soft, relieved sigh. He was still convinced the headache would let up soon — as soon as they were off the road and in the shade, he'd feel right as rain again.
The sun was high in the sky when they got off the main road. The drive to the lake was uneven, a little bumpy. Aether tried not to let it show on his face, although the jostling felt like it was turning his brain to mush inside his skull. By the time Lumine stopped the car he was feeling a little nauseous.
“Oh woah, it's been so long since I was here.” Lumine said, sitting back in the driver's seat and grinning broadly.
There were a few campsites around the lake, where the twins had spent a lot of their holidays in the past. It was also a perfect location for a day visit, dotted with fire pits for campfires, and wooden docks to fish from.
Lumine was already out of the car, raising one hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she gazed out over the lake below them. There were a few people around, but it was overall quiet. A group was swimming at the far end of the lake, while two people were building a fire in one of the designated spots to grill some food.
Aether took a deep breath, gathering the courage to get out of the car as well. He grit his teeth, opened the door, and got to his feet. Immediately stars burst in front of his eyes, and he grabbed onto the car for balance. Lumine glanced back at him when he groaned softly, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose with two fingers.
“Your head’s really bothering you, isn't it?” She asked, her face falling.
“I'm fine, it's fine.” Aether dismissively waved a hand in her direction, though he didn't lift his head.
“I can see if there's anything for pain in the car?” Lumine offered. “You keep a first aid kit in the trunk, don't you?”
“I took a painkiller before we left home.” Aether reluctantly opened his eyes again. He checked his watch, blinking a few times when his vision blurred. “I'm sure it'll kick in soon.”
“You already had a headache before we even left home?” Lumine asked.
“Just a mild one.”
“Mild. Yet bad enough that you took a painkiller?”
“Okay, okay.” Aether held his arms out to the sides helplessly. “Yes, my head’s been hurting all morning, but it's still just a headache. I really don't want it getting in the way of our plans today. We don't spend nearly as much time together nowadays, I don't want to miss any opportunity.”
Lumine's face softened. She walked over, putting both her hands on Aether's shoulders.
“Alright, I understand.” She said. “I won't bug you about it. But I also don't like knowing my bro isn't feeling well.”
“I just have a headache.” Aether stubbornly insisted. “I’m fine, I really am.”
“Okay then, I believe you.” Lumike dropped her hands again. “But let me fuss over you a bit until it goes away?”
“Lumine…”
“Come on, when was the last time I got to fuss over my baby brother?”
Aether stared at her blankly. “We're twins.”
“Emotionally, you're the baby brother.” Lumine said mischievously. “Come on. You get the cooler box, I'll get the chairs. We'll camp out by the water until you feel a little better.”
Aether rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide a smile. Lumine’s always naturally gravitated towards the role of big sister, even if they were the same age. It felt strangely nostalgic, having her fuss over him like she used to when they were younger.
He opened the car, taking out the cooler box they brought. Lumine wasted no time hauling their two foldable camping chairs out of the trunk, effortless carrying them under her arms like they weighed nothing. It was a bit of a downhill hike to the lake, and they found a nice quiet spot in the shade.
“Wait, the fishing rods, I forgot the fishing rods.” Aether's shoulders sunk, as he looked at the now-uphill trek back to the car. He didn't have the energy.
“We'll grab them later, the fish aren't going anywhere.” Lumine said dismissively, before she heavily flopped down in one of the chairs. “I'm melting like an ice cream cone right now, let's just chill for a while.”
Aether gratefully sunk down in his own chair. He reached for the cooler box, fishing out his bottle of water again and thirstily drinking from it. Despite being off the road, he was still marginally queasy. It was probably from the headache. Or dehydration. Or both. He took another few gulps of water for good measure, before shoving the near-empty bottle back into the cooler.
Lumine was watching the lake, fanning herself with one hand. She glanced over at him, still smiling. “Brings back memories, huh?”
“Sure does.” Aether smiled too, though he tried to avoid looking at the lake. The sun shining on the water’s surface was blinding.
“Then again, it probably hasn't been that long for you.” Lumine said. “Do you and Albedo come here often?”
“Never, actually.” Aether smiled sadly. “This is our spot. There are a lot of places Albedo and I go together, but coming here isn't the same without you.”
“Awh, you sap.” Lumine leaned over, giving Aether a lighthearted punch to the shoulder that made him laugh.
“I get you, though.” She said, sinking back into her own chair. “I would probably do the same.”
A comfortable silence settled over them. Lumine reached for the bag she stuck beneath her chair, fishing out a thick novel that had a bookmark poking out of it. She settled back in her chair, propped her feet up on a wooden stump, and began to read.
Aether tilted his head back, staring into the canopy of leaves above them. For a while, he watched a small bird that would hop between the branches, picking worms out from gaps in the bark. When he started to lose interest, he simply closed his eyes, relishing in the relief that the darkness brought his aching head.
He must have drifted off, because Aether woke up later, his baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes, and his neck angrily complaining about the position it's been left in. He stiffly righted himself in his chair, squinting against the harsh sunlight as he looked around with narrowed eyes. Lumine was still sitting in the chair next to him, thoroughly engrossed in the book on her lap. Judging by the placement of her bookmark, he couldn't have been asleep for too long. She glanced up when Aether leaned over, reaching for the cooler box again.
“How's your headache?” She asked.
Aether blindly fished out his water bottle, staring at it for a moment as he processed her question. The words on the bottle’s label were skewed and hard to make out.
“Still there.” He said after a few moments, before unscrewing the cap with shaky fingers, and taking a small sip of the water. He was nauseous, although Aether was pretty certain that was from the pain. His head was absolutely throbbing.
“You're pale.” Lumine had closed her book on her lap. “How bad is it?”
“I… I'm not going to lie, pretty bad.” Aether reached up, rubbing his forehead. “Worse than it was.”
“That sucks.” Lumine sounded geniunely sympathetic. “Are you sure you don't want us to go home? You can't have fun if you're hurting.”
Aether opened his mouth, but his voice betrayed him. He wanted to say he was fine, they could stay. But he also didn't like lying, especially to Lumine.
“Aether, we can come again on a different day.” Lumine said softly. “We'll get another chance, before I fly back.”
“I'm sorry.” Aether's shoulders dropped, and he hung his head, closing his eyes. “I want to stay, I've been looking forward to this for ages. But my head is killing me.”
“Like I said, we'll have a do-over later.” Lumine's hand was on his shoulder. “Let's go home, okay?”
Aether nodded reluctantly. He stiffly got to his feet, awkwardly grabbing his sister's arm when the ground seemed to dip beneath him. She supported him by his elbows until he caught his balance.
“Are you dizzy?” Lumine asked.
“A little, it's…” Aether blinked a few times. “... it's kind of hard to see.”
Lumine's eyebrows furrowed. “I hate to say this, but it sounds an awful lot like the beginning stages of a migraine, Aether.”
“Yeah.” Truthfully, he's been trying to deny the fact that it felt like he was getting a migraine. He's only had a couple throughout his life, but they were impossible to forget. It was the last thing he wanted to deal with.
“Tell you what, you go sit in the car.” Lumine said. “I'll bring the stuff up.”
“I can help you carry it.” Aether protested.
“I don't need help.” Lumine said matter-of-factly. “Come on, Lynette and I are always arranging Lyney’s props before performances. They're a lot heavier than this.”
Aether grit his teeth unhappily. He knew Lumine was capable of it, she was strong. Sometimes he wondered if she was even stronger than he was; she was certainly showing more muscle than him. But even if he knew she was capable of carrying everything by herself, it didn't feel right to let her do it.
“I can at least carry the cooler box again.” Aether insisted.
“Fine, but if you start to feel worse, drop it and let me do the heavy lifting.” Lumine said sternly. She nudged his shoulder. “You're stubborn as a mule.”
Aether only gave her a tired smile in response, before picking up the cooler box. His muscles ached as they trekked back uphill, displeased with the strain he was putting on them.
They reached the car, and Lumine went to put the chairs back in the trunk. Aether flopped back down in the passenger seat, sitting back and digging the heels of his palms into his eyes. He felt terrible letting Lumine drive back again after she drove them there, but he didn't trust himself to drive. His vision was too spotty, and it was too hard to focus.
“Alright.” Lumine got into the driver's seat, before holding a hand out to Aether. Two small white pills rested in the palm of her hand. “Get your water.”
“I told you I took a painkiller this morning.” Aether said, although he didn't protest, accepting the medication from her.
“If this really is a migraine, you're going to need something stronger than that.” Lumine said matter-of-factly. “Last time I remember you getting a migraine was…” she stopped, thinking. “We were seventeen or eighteen?”
“Eighteen.” Aether responded, before swiftly swallowing the pills with water.
“Have you had a migraine since then?” Lumine asked, to which Aether only shook his head. She nodded. “Alright. Hopefully this one doesn't get too bad, yeah? Let's go home.” She began to start the car, before stopping and turning back to him. “Actually wait, are you nauseous? You threw up the last time you had a migraine.”
“I'm a little nauseous, but it doesn't feel like I'm going to throw up.” Aether said, leaning his head back against the seat. “That might change though, if this pain doesn't let up.”
“Alright, hang on then.” Lumine quickly undid her seatbelt, and then she was out of the car again. Aether heard her open another door and dig around the backseat for something, but paid it little mind. Fresh beads of sweat were slowly collecting on his face, trickling down his neck and into his clothes. He couldn't wait until they started the car so he could put on the air-conditioning, it was hot .
“Here.”
Aether opened his eyes, just in time for Lumine to place a bucket in his lap. He stared at it blankly for a few moments, trying to figure out where she found it. Oh right, their fishing gear was still in the back.
“Just in case you do get sick and I can't pull over.” Lumine said, as she put her seatbelt back on. “But hopefully you won't need it.”
“I pray I won't.” Aether folded his arm up against the door, once more burying his face in the crook of his elbow. Lumine reached over, and he felt her give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. A moment later, the car started.
Aether drew in a long, shaky breath, squeezing his eyes shut. There was an unmistakable wetness to them, the familiar burn of threatening tears. But he refused to cry. Lumine was right, they'd come again on a different day, this wasn't the end of the world.
“Oh, Aether.” Her hand was on his shoulder again. “Don't cry. It'll only make your head worse.” How did she know?
Something wet rolled down his cheek, and Aether furiously scrubbed at his face. He hated how easily he got emotional, especially when he was with Lumine.
“Does it hurt that much?” She asked him softly. “You had me under the impression it's only the onset of a migraine right now, but if you're already crying…”
“No, no.” Aether sniffed, wiping his face off on his sleeve again. “I'm sorry, it's.. it's not the pain, it's…”
Lumine's shoulders sank a little, and her face softened. Aether felt her cup his cheek with one hand, her thumb gently wiping a stray tear away.
“I'm not going back to Fontaine until the end of the holiday, remember.” She told him softly. “We'll come here again, multiple times if you want. Don't feel like you ruined anything.”
Aether nodded, sniffing again. Lumine squeezed his shoulder, before sinking back into the driver's seat. Aether lay his head back down, burying his face back in the crook of his elbow. Lumine had switched on the air conditioning, and the cold breeze on his face soothed the pain in his head a little.
The car started to move, and Aether buried his face deeper into his arm, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. Lumine took the dirt road slowly, taking extra care to drive around most of the bumps in the road. It took a little longer to get back onto the highway, though Aether didn't mind. He didn't think his head was up to any more jostling around.
It felt like the longest drive of Aether's life.