Chapter Text
“Almost done packing?”
Lyney hummed. The Fontaine twins were invited to Natlan to perform for all the tribes for the tournament. They were allowed to bring a plus one. So they hoped to bring along Freminet. However, they were not sure if Freminet would want to go. The twins notice their baby brother walk into the room with a letter in his hand. It was directed to him, as the letter had Freminet’s name on it.
“A person with the name….”
Lyney raised a brow, it seemed Freminet had trouble reading a name.
“Ma….hu…eekah?”
“Mahuika?” Lynette questioned him.
He nodded.
“They told me that they’d like for me to participate in the show with you guys”
Mahuika was the person who invited them to perform in Natlan in the first place! Lyney held his brother close. Lynette joined in cause she couldn’t resist. The siblings let go of the embrace.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Start packing!”
“Actually… I already did”
Confused hums arose from the twins.
“GaMing invited me to see one of his Wushou dancing performances, it happens to be where you both are going….”
“Did GaMing become a full-time Wushou dancer?”
Freminet shook his head.
“Not yet, but I hope he will”
The GaMing kid, he slightly concerned Lyney. But every time Freminet returned from their hangouts, he was smiling. So GaMing either was an angel, or something was up.
“Do you know where he’ll be?”
Freminet shook his head.
“All I know is that he should already be on his way or already there”
It was quiet for a couple minutes, so Lyney could focus on packing the last couple things in his bag.
“Did father allow this?”
“She did, yes”
“Then let’s pick some clothes to wear on the way there, who knows how long it’ll take to get to Natlan”
A gentle knock was heard. Lyney walked over to open it.
“Hey, is Freminet home?”
Lyney nodded. He questioned why he was wanted though.
“Yes, but why are you asking for him, Miss Chiori?”
She lightly cleared her throat.
“You’re leaving in four days right? I’ll need his measurements for his costume if he’s performing with you and Lynette” Chiori responded.
Lyney was left shocked. She knew?? How???
“GaMing told me”
Lyney just stared.
“Oh come on, he’s not a bad kid. He actually looked ecstatic when he came to me. He was excited to see him perform with you and Lynette. And if you ask me….”
Chiori motioned for Lyney to come closer.
“GaMing may have a crush on your baby brother”
“He—“
Lyney was at loss for words.
“Is GaMing in town then?”
Chiori nodded.
“It’s quite cute if you ask me”
Lyney only hummed. After handing Freminet to Chiori, he walked out of the hotel. Scanning the area, he saw who he was looking for. He walked over to the brunette, who saw him and waved, quite happily.
“Lyney! Hi! How are you?”
“I’m fine, what exactly are you doing here?”
Lyney was amazing at hiding his tone, since the smile still appeared on GaMing’s face.
“I’m waiting for someone to pick up this tea package! Then I’ll probably try some of the Fontainian restaurants Freminet mentioned”
“Tea package?” Lyney questioned.
That was.. a strange answer.
GaMing nodded.
“My client asked for some of the teas of Chenyu Vale! So I got provided some by my dad! Here, I have extras!”
Tea packages were then in the younger male’s hands.
“And you’re 17 now?”
“18 in December, but it’s only August right now. Oh! I also hope to have something planned for Freminet! I really hope he likes it when I do!”
GaMing then began to ramble about whatever his plans were. Freminet was turning 17 in September. The brunette’s eyes were sparkling as he spoke about his plans. Although, most of his rambling was of tea.
“Ah, GaMing, you came”
Huh. Lyney looked to the person next to him. Lynette??!
He nodded.
“Here’s the tea you ordered! You can check the box to see if I missed any, I have extras if you’d like!” GaMing exclaimed.
“You.. asked for the tea?” Lyney asked, shocked.
She nodded.
“I privately asked his dad for some of the tea from Chenyu Vale. He was more than happy to provide” Lynette explained.
She carefully opened the box. GaMing wasn’t lying. There were at least 100 tea bags in there.
“You said you had extras?” Lynette asked.
GaMing nodded as he placed the extra tea bags he had in the box.
“Are you planning something for Freminet’s birthday?” Lyney asked the 17 year old.
His sister gave a surprised expression when he asked that.
“Actually, I was hoping you’d help” GaMing confessed.
The twins made a hum of confirmation.
“I have so many ideas but I don’t know how to go about it. I know he likes exploring the waters, I know he likes adventuring with Pers… I want this to be super special! I can probably give him a book about the legends of the Liyue seas, or perhaps let him have some dim sum. But I can give that to him as I give him the book!”
Oh GaMing was a mess. Lynette was aware and told Lyney that whenever GaMing rambles, he’s either passionate about the topic, or the subject of conversation means something to him.
Wait a minute.
“Hey GaMing?”
That stopped the boy’s rambling.
“Have you considered going fantasy?”
“Fantasy?” Lynette and GaMing asked in union.
“I accidentally caught Freminet reading those fairytales when he was younger. I still think he has that interest now, as his interests of penguins never escaped him since he was about five” Lyney noted.
Then, as if a lightbulb lit in the brunette’s head. He began to lightly bounce.
“Of course!! Why didn’t I think of that before?! There are tons of fairytales in Liyue!!!”
“I have to ask Xingqiu about it! He knows SO MUCH about the Liyue fairytales!”
“When I return to Liyue, I can ask Xingqiu on your behalf!”
Ah, Lyney didn’t even notice the girl next to him. According to memory, this is Xiangling.
“Thank you Xiangling! You really are a savior!”
“I’m just your wingman! Plus, I’m sure he likes you back! Didn’t you plan this break just to see him?”
“Of course! I was always begged for a vacation by my coworkers! So when I found out the Wushou dancing crew was invited, I had set it then! That’s when I found out Freminet was also invited to join you guys. Made my day honestly!”
“I didn’t realize Freminet meant that much to you” Xiangling replied.
He looked almost offended. But he kept his cool.
“Yeah! I have always wanted to be friends with him! When I got to know him though, he became super cute! I knew then and there I wanted to be around him! He supported me and he SMILED whenever I performed or practiced in front of him!!”
Even when words have frosting, the body language was the cupcake. And the cupcake held the true flavor of the dessert. GaMing rambled on positively about Freminet. But his body language..
“He’s in love” Lynette whispered in the other twin’s ear.
So she noticed too. The teen’s feelings were genuine. It resulted in a small pang in Lyney’s chest. His little brother had someone who was in love with him.
“GaMing’s a good kid. He’s the best for our baby brother”
Yes.. he was the safest option for Freminet regarding love. This also meant something to Lyney. He’d test GaMing in his own way. To see just how willing he was to stay in his life.
“You’re plotting something”
Lyney just shrugged it off.
____________________________________
“Freminet?”
The blonde looked at his brother.
“Do you like anyone?”
He tilted his head.
“What do you mean?”
“Ok, how about this question: What does GaMing mean to you?”
The reaction from the younger boy didn’t surprise Lyney.
“He’s one of my first friends outside of Fontaine.. he’s really fun to be around. And makes me feel warm when he hugs me. He found my cold touch ‘refreshing’”, Freminet answered.
“Alright..”
“He’s really excited to meet you in Natlan”
That brought a genuine smile on the blonde’s face. That same pang he felt earlier returned. Freminet had GaMing, Lynette had her pen pal from Inazuma, who ended up having a huge crush on her. It was fine, Lyney was ok being alone.
Right? The pale blonde shook his head, it wasn’t necessary. He had other things to worry about.
______________________________________
Multiple knocks on the door stirred Lyney. Who is up at 5am and why? Opening the door, he saw the one and only GaMing. What?
“Here! I was asked by Kirara to give you and the others this letter!”
How can this kid be energetic at five in the morning? Taking the letter from the brunette’s hand, Lyney quietly closed the door. The contents of the letter were a surprise to the blonde.
”Greetings Lyney and co.,
I hope this letter finds you well. I have made slight adjustments to the tournament! Would you guys like to pick two teammates (preferably from different nations) and join the teamed competitions? It’s a competition about the best from each nation. Can’t wait to meet all three of you!”
So, he was separated from his siblings.
“Hm.. so if there’s a nation competition…”
He jumped in surprise when he heard a voice next to him.
“Perhaps I can invite miss Kirara..”
Lyney shook his head, he’d be alone. But he can work with strangers, it was no big deal. Today would be a long day.
__________________________________
They finally arrived. It.. wasn’t a humid hot. It was dry. The trio was exhausted from walking in that heat. So they settled with resting near a cafe. Lynette immediately got herself a snack, and Freminet was no where to be found.
“You’re not from here, are you?”
He opened his lilac eyes. Light blue met his. Analyzing the person closer: it was a girl who couldn’t be older than 10, her blonde hair was in a ponytail with a braid on it, she had a foreign uniform, meaning the girl was probably from Natlan, and her tanned skin lightly glowing in the sun.
“Yea, I’m from Fontaine, why?” Lyney asked her.
“Kachina, pleasure to meet a newcomer!”
Her smile was contagious. She sat next to him, handing the taller man a cool glass.
“You looked overheated, so I brought a cool drink! Your sister likes this refreshing tea!”
Kachina pointed at Lynette, who was with a snow haired girl who was introducing her to the snacks and had the same drink he does.
“Yea, she likes snacks,” Lyney replied.
“Is it ok if I team up with her?”
“I don’t see why not, why?”
“The blonde boy I saw earlier ran to a brunette and the brunette asked to team up, quite happily too! He even had a pyro lion buddy!”
Freminet found GaMing then. A small smile went across his face.
“Well, you can go to Lynette, I’ll just explore the place”
“Ok! Stay safe! I mean it!”
___________________________________
It truly was beautiful. Serene, quiet, peaceful. He could finally think. Soft grass, clear sky, birds chirping away happily. It was enough to allow the blonde to close his heavy eyes. His figure did startle some animals, but one nudged an oval object to his hand. A shadowy figure laid on top of a tree, contemplating something.
“Are you going to wake them up or?”
“No. The shut eye is needed, I vaguely saw the bags under them…”
The platinum blonde was real pretty in their eyes. Especially with the hair looking so soft as if it was cotton.
“As observant as always! I wonder if you’ll use it to observe your head!”
A quiet groan came from the other voice. Lyney was peaceful on the ground. Something about the blonde made the other want to get to know them.
“Yo, little dude?”
That resulted in the smaller person nearly falling off the tree branch, thankfully, the grapple helped them get back on.
“Yes?”
“Sorry for startling you, little bro. I have a question!”
The shorter blinked before nodding.
“Itto. Arataki Itto. Do you know where to find uh.. the main place?”
How did a giant man like him, find his way here without seeing the main place in the first place? He didn’t question that further. The shorter one gave directions to the cafe, assuming he’d need it. And Itto left, assuming the 6’5 man wouldn’t get himself lost again. Or was he an Oni? The other shrugged it off, before hazel eyes found their way back to the blonde who was peacefully sleeping on the ground.
“Hey, you’re planning on entering the tournament, right?” A higher pitched voice asked.
The other nodded.
“Since this year it’s in teams only, why don’t we find Mualani and Kachina to team up with them!”
“It has to be with people from other nations”
“Oh. Hm.. why not that one?”
“! But we don’t even know them!”
“That’s the point! Talk to her! Or.. him. I dont know I can’t tell from the outfit. Or what about the tall blonde who had the most delicious treats!?”
“Tall, blonde man… do you mean the one from Inazuma that came a couple days earlier?”
“Yea! Based off rumors, he is here on break! Because uh.. Kamu..Kami…whatever clan asked him to since he worked super hard, unlike you”
The other gave a light scoff.
“Now we should— WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”
With a wave, he jumped off the branch. Prompting his tiny companion to follow.
____________________________________
Whoever the green object was soaring through the air, Lyney found interest. So he climbed, impressed about his stamina keeping up with him. He found himself at the edge of the cliff. One slip and he would fall. However, luck wasn’t on his side. It happened so quickly, he barely had time to process anything before he felt himself get lifted up. Warmth touched his skin, he was confused. Strong grip, soft breeze (if felt soft to him, even tho he was going fast speeds), with beautiful scenery. Is he still dreaming?
Shoes touching the grass, he looked around until he saw a man shorter than him. Maybe 5’0? Or was that with the boots? Lyney is 5’2. Hazel met Lilac. The atmosphere was slightly awkward. But there was an opportunity to analyze the other. Soft forest green hair, hazel eyes, some sort of tattoos and darker skin. He was real handsome in Lyney’s eyes. And from the shorter man’s view: Lilac eyes, platinum blonde hair, freckles and moles that littered his face and body, and pale skin that actually was a little red. The blonde gave him a gentle smile, even if Lyney knew he couldn’t-make it any bigger.
“Lyney” he introduced.
Although, the smile the shorter man gave, Lyney wanted to keep that smile golden forever. Whoever he was, he became special to Lyney.
“Kinich”
Their hands met when Kinich said his name. They wanted to get closer, neither knew why.
“Wanna team up?”