Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lumine had made a habit of not letting people get too close to her.

It worked well with her lifestyle; a traveler, someone who never stayed in one place for very long, never long enough to call it home. The only place that came close to that, her teapot, didn’t have neighbors or fellow residents (Besides Tubby) and Lumine had control over who could visit and when. It was easy to maintain boundaries, to keep the friends she made at arm's length. She valued them and their friendship, and she knew they valued hers, but there was always the unspoken understanding that they had at least one person they cared for more than her. And she was fine with that.

There was Paimon, of course, but Paimon was different. Paimon wasn’t exactly a person, strictly speaking, and her presence never made Lumine feel the underlying dread that caused her to make these safeguards in the first place--The fear that anyone she let into her life, closer than a good friend, would be taken from her. Or worse, they would leave themselves. 

“Don’t try to stop me….”

“I cannot go with you…”

Aether, turning his back, walking through the portal without-

Lumine shook her head, trying to clear away the memories. She sighed, pulling out her sword. This Ruin Serpent wasn’t going to defeat itself.

*******

An hour later, when Lumine glided down to the bridge by the Hotel Bouffes d’ete, she was glad to see Lyney surrounded by his usual gaggle of small children. He was doing a little magic show for them, as he generally did on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Lumine knew this because she went there with Paimon every once in a while (Alright more often than not) after a particularly frustrating daily commission. Watching Lyney deftly slip cards and flowers to and from the audience, all the while keeping up a constant stream of witty commentary and anecdotes, never failed to make her smile.

Half the time she didn’t even let him know she was there, she just sat on one of the nearby rooftops, snacking on whatever treat Paimon had talked her into getting that day. Did she feel like a stalker? Yeah, sometimes. “So you want to see Lyney, but you don’t want Lyney to see you,” Paimon verified one time. “Isn’t that kind of silly?”

Lumine had raised an eyebrow, holding up the bag of macrons she had bought a few minutes earlier. “Do you want the sweets or not?”

“Ooh, yes please!” Paimon exclaimed, promptly forgetting her question. Lumine breathed a small sigh of relief. She couldn’t let Lyney know that she relied on him to cheer her up, far more than she relied on anyone else. It would shatter her illusion of control.

Today, Lumine had just finished knocking out the Ruin Serpent for the third time in a row. Shinobu’s birthday was coming up, and Lumine remembered her mentioning how she was collecting runic fangs for something or other (Lumine could never remember all the things Shinobu was good at and all the side hobbies she had). Hopefully she still needed six runic fangs, because Lumine didn’t know what she would do with them otherwise. But Lumine needed a good punching bag and gathering presents for a friend was as good an excuse as any. 

She dropped down and sat on the railing a little ways away from Lyney. A couple of the more regular kids saw them and waved. Paimon waved back enthusiastically, while Lumine just smiled, too tired to do much else. Lyney followed the childrens’ line of sight and his face broke out in a grin. He finished the trick he was doing (Pulling a piece of mora from behind a girl’s ear) before clapping his hands together. “Alright, that’s all for today!”

The children scattered as he walked over to the two companions. “Ma cherie! Paimon! What a pleasant surprise!”

“Hi Lyney!” Paimon greeted cheerfully. “What are you up to?”

“Oh, just the usual,” he said, flicking a two of hearts between his fingers. “What about you two?”

“We just finished beating up the Ruin Serpent in the Chasm!”

“Well, I just finished beating up the Ruin Serpent in the Chasm,” Lumine clarified.

“Hey, Paimon was cheering you on from the side! That’s important!”

Lyney laughed. “Support from friends is indeed invaluable. Speaking of which…” he looked at Lumine hopefully. She rolled her eyes, but pulled out her latest fishy concoction. About three months ago she shared her lunch of squirrel fish with him. His face completely lit up when he tried the dish, and ever since Lumine had made a habit of bringing Lyney the results of her cooking whenever she tried a new fish recipe. (Was it another excuse to see him? One hundred percent, but she wasn’t about to admit that to anyone, least of all herself.)

“Tatacos, all the way from Natlan,” she said, handing him the plate. Lyney raised his eyebrows.

“Um…” He examined the tacos before looking back at her sheepishly. “How do I eat this?”

“Like this!” Paimon swooped down, grabbing one of the tacos off of his plate and taking a big bite of the shrimp filled shell.

“Paimon!” Lumine reprimanded. Lyney laughed again.

“It’s alright, it’s almost teatime anyway.” He sat down on the edge of the bridge with his remaining taco. “I know Paimon can’t help herself when it comes to food.”

“Paimon doesn’t know whether to be insulted or not,” Paimon said, taking another bite of her stolen food.

Lyney copied the fairy's action, closing his eyes and leaning back as he chewed. “Ah, I adore you, ma luciole.”

Lumine tried to fight back the blush creeping onto her cheeks. You’re just friends, she scolded herself. To him, she replied, “Well that’s a new one.”

“What’s it mean?” Paimon asked, finishing her taco with a final loud crunch.

Lyney wagged a finger at her. “A magician never reveals his secrets.”

“Oh come on, that’s not a secret! Everyone in this city speaks that except us!” Paimon stomped her foot in the air.

Lyney grinned. “Well that’s not my fault, now is it? Oh,” he snapped his fingers, “by the way, it’s actually Heloir’s birthday next week, and she asked if I could pass on an invitation to you. I wasn’t sure if I would see you before then, so this is an even happier coincidence.”

“Heloir…” Paimon trailed off, clearly trying to remember.

“His sister who’s good with poison,” Lumine supplied.

“Oh right!” Paimon exclaimed. “How old is she turning?”

“Nine, much to Foltz’s dismay. He can’t stand the fact that she’s a month older than him,” Lyney chuckled. He glanced down at a pocket watch that had suddenly appeared in his hand. “Would you look at the time, I have to go meet Lynette. She’ll kill me if I’m late again.” He stood up and took Lumine’s hand, gently brushing his lips against her knuckles. “Thank you for the food, ma luciole. I hope to see you at the party.” He dropped something to the ground at their feet and vanished in a puff of purple smoke.

Lumine coughed as she waved away the smoke. “If I find out that means something bad, I’m not bringing you any more fish!” she called, certain he was still within earshot.

“Paimon doesn’t think he deserves any more fish anyway,” Paimon sniffed. “He didn’t even give us our plate back!”

Something rattled on the railing and the pair looked down to see the aforementioned plate, now clean of any remaining food. On top was a small card. Lumine picked the card up and flipped it over.

Dear Miss Traveler and Paimon, you are invited to my birthday! It’s next week on Wednesday, you have to come! Love, Heloir . Below the message in different handwriting it read, PS- If you would like, I would love to see you arrive a bit early so we could spend some time together without all the children around, maybe 13:00 to 13:30? No pressure, of course. The gift giving officially starts at 14:00. -Lyney.

She looked up at Paimon. “It seems we have to go. Heloir’s orders.”

Paimon rolled her eyes. “Fine, but there better be cake!”

*******

On Wednesday Lumine stood in front of the door to the Hotel Bouffes d’ete. It’s just a birthday party, she reminded herself. Heloir’s birthday party. It’s like going with Xiao to the Lantern Rite, or visiting Klee at the Knights of Favonious.  You’re not here to see him, he just happens to be here. Nevermind the fact that it was 13:00 sharp and she had basically spent the entire day loitering around the Court of Fontaine to make sure she wasn’t late. That was completely unrelated.

She finally brought herself to knock on the door, knowing that if she didn’t Paimon would. Likely in a way that would sound a lot more irritating.

A minute passed before the door opened to reveal Freminet. “Oh, hello Miss Traveler, Paimon. You’re here for the party?”

“Yep!” Paimon said. They followed Freminet into the house and Lumine couldn’t help but look around curiously. It was her first time inside the House of the Hearth. Inside his house, her subconscious reminded her. She quickly shoved down the thought.

“So Freminet, have you been diving anywhere interesting lately?” she asked. He glanced at her.

“Um, I went diving at the Salacia Plain yesterday,” he said quietly.

“Oh, that’s cool. There’s lots of romaritime flowers there, right?” Lumine asked.

“Yeah, I go there when I need to get materials for magic pockets.” Freminet visibly relaxed as they continued talking about where to find different things in the large lake that made up half of Fontaine.

He led them to a room near the back of the house. Lyney leaned against the wall just inside, smiling slightly. As usual he was fiddling with a deck of cards, and Lumine noticed a ten of hearts flash by before he made them all disappear with a flick of his wrist. “You’re here ma cherie! ”

“Hey, what about Paimon?” Paimon asked, stomping her foot.

“Oh of course, Paimon.” Lyney made a big show of thinking, tapping a finger to his lips. He turned back to the group, waving grandly. “Ladies and gentlemen, la crevette!”

Paimon sniffed, crossing her arms. “That sounded alright. Paimon supposes you’re forgiven.”

A ghost of a smile darted across Freminet’s lips as Lyney led them into the room. Lynette sat on a couch, sipping a cup of tea, and Paimon floated over to join her. Lumine leaned towards Freminet while the fairy’s back was turned, raising her eyebrows.

“La crevette means ‘the shrimp,’” was Freminet’s whispered explanation. Lumine barely managed to cover her laugh with a loud cough, causing the rest of the group to glance at her with varying levels of concern.

“Sorry, dust,” she lied, waving at the air in front of her. Lyney smirked, settling on the couch opposite from Lynette. Lumine sat down next to him, still fighting to keep her composure.

“You’re a terrible liar, ma luciole,” he whispered in her ear. Lumine felt her face warm.

“You going to tell me what that means?” she asked, avoiding his gaze. He chuckled.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Where was Freminet when she needed him? A quick glance told her exactly where he was; on a chair by Paimon, way too far away to be of any help. Lumine groaned.

“There’s going to be cake at this party, right?” Paimon asked, completely oblivious to Lumine’s current plight.

“Of course, I don’t think Lynette would forgive me if sweets weren’t included,” Lyney laughed. “She’s been waiting patiently all morning.”

Lynette gave him a slightly flatter stare than usual, raising an eyebrow. “Waiting patiently like you weren’t?”

“Hey, come on!  I was being very patient!” Lyney protested.

Freminet tilted his head. “You were pacing in front of the fireplace for nearly two hours before the Traveler showed up.”

“And then when she knocked on the door you almost tripped and face planted on the floor in your rush to find a suitable ‘I haven’t been waiting anxiously for two hours’ pose,” Lynette added. Lumine found herself torn between feeling flattered or panicked. Lyney wasn’t supposed to actually like her, especially with how much she found herself relying on him. It was a recipe for disaster. She glanced at Lyney to reassure herself, only to find the magician’s face steadily turning the same color as his bowtie.

“They’re exaggerating,” Lyney chuckled uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. He seemed to be avoiding her eyes now.

The conversation moved on to other topics, and Lyney quickly regained his usual confident air. Lumine had just decided she was safe from anymore dangerous territory regarding feelings and such when Lyney brought up the invitation.

“I’m just glad I ran into you last week, I really didn’t know when I would see you next.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to worry. We come watch your magic shows pretty much every week,” Paimon said carelessly. Lumine widened her eyes at the fairy, trying to signal her to be quiet.

“Really? I don’t think I’ve seen you that often.”

“We sit on the roof!”

Lumine sunk back into the couch as far as the cushions would allow. You just couldn’t keep your mouth shut, could you Paimon?

Luckily Lynette seemed to pick up on her discomfort, quickly steering the heat away from her. “Well, whatever the case, it’s good you were there to see the invitation. You have no idea how long Lyney took trying to get the wording just right on that message. If he went through all that and didn't see you, I’m pretty sure he would spontaneously combust.”

“Lynette!”

“What?” she asked innocently. Lumine was pretty sure she never heard Lynette string together more words than when she was teasing her twin brother. Lumine smiled somewhat bittersweetly, thinking of how she did the exact same thing to Aether. Or, she used to.

Soon enough, children started to pop out of nowhere. “Miss Traveler! Paimon! You came!” Heloir exclaimed, practically knocking Lumine off of the couch with her enthusiastic embrace.

“Well you asked so nicely,” Lumine laughed, hugging the little girl. “You’re turning nine, right? That’s so big!”

“I know! I’m a year older than Foltz now!”

“That’s not quite how that works, Heloir,” Lyney said, ruffling her hair.

“Yeah, I’m going to be nine too soon!” Foltz said, hands on his hips. Heloir didn’t seem to mind this too much, instantly going back to Lumine.

“Did you bring me a present?” she asked, finally letting go of her.

“I did, actually,” Lumine said, digging in her pack for the gift Noelle had helped her wrap. Heloir eagerly ripped off the paper, and Lumine sent out a silent requiem for Noelle’s beautiful wrapping.

“Ooh, is it a poison set?”

“Alchemy set,” Lumine corrected. “There’s samples of potions that can shield you from different elements, and samples of potions that can help you channel different elements, like this little red one that helps with pyro. There’s also recipes for all the potions.”

Heloir looked up, eyes wide. “So I can shoot fire like Big Brother?”

“Not exactly,” Lumine tried to think of a way to rephrase it. “If you already have some fire, this helps it burn better. Or if you pour it on something, that thing will catch fire more easily.”

“That’s so cool! Thanks!” Heloir dashed out of the room with her new alchemy set, the rest of the children hot on her heels. Lumine glanced at Lyney.

“I’m suddenly rethinking the wisdom of giving her that.”

Lyney shrugged. “It’s good for her to expand her interests. Even if some curtains do happen to get caught in the crossfire.” There was a distant bang and Lyney leaned closer to her, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Nobody likes those curtains.”

Lumine found herself stifling a laugh again. Freminet stood up, sighing. “I’ll make sure they don’t burn the house down.”

Lynette glanced at her brother and Lumine for a second before turning to Paimon. “Do you want to help me find the cake?”

“Oh, good idea, you can both make sure the other doesn’t eat the whole thing,” Lyney said. Lynette rolled her eyes, swatting his arm with her tail on the way out. Paimon flew out after her without much more than a quick wave at her travel companion. Lumine shook her head.

“Nothing can get in the way of Paimon’s stomach.”

Lyney laughed softly, getting up and making his way over to the hearth. “I think Lynette was counting on it,” he said, picking up a poker and stabbing at the burning logs, now more cinders than wood.

“What?”

Lyney sighed, staring at the flames jump higher. “The truth is, there’s something I need to tell you, and Lynette’s been trying to get rid of my excuses not to. Freminet too, if I had to guess.”

Lumine was silent, hoping against hope that this wasn’t going where she thought it was going.

“You asked what ma luciole means,” he said, finally turning to look at her. “It means my firefly. You always brighten up my day when I see you, and if ever things start getting… bad, I just need to think of you. You’re my light, Lumine.”

She let out a sharp breath. She was sure he’d never said her name before. It was always nicknames, or sometimes the Traveler. Most people called her that, actually. It was rare for someone to actually use her name.

“I know, we haven’t always had the best sense of trust between us. That’s part of why I’m trying to be honest now. I told you I wouldn’t lie to you, that I would be… just Lyney. And…” he hesitates again, trying to find the right words. “I know I feel something for you. Beyond just friendship. I don’t want to put a label on it just yet, but… I think you feel the same way.”

Lyney stopped and looked away from her again. Lumine didn’t think she’d seen him this uncomfortable and vulnerable since the trial. He had completely opened up for her, all cards on the table. And that terrified her.

“I… I’m sorry.” Lumine could feel her palms starting to sweat, her breath speeding up, her pulse starting to pound in her ears. It was starting again, that awful feeling when she couldn’t move, when she couldn’t control the racing in her head, when she couldn’t-- “I- I just can’t. Not now.”

Maybe not ever, her mind whispered as she stood up and fled, abandoning Lyney to stand alone by the hearth.

Chapter Text

Lyney was torn. On the one hand, he was crushed-- and why would you expect anything else? Liar.

He shook his head, focusing on the other emotion wrestling for control; concern. Lumine had clearly been in distress, and while most of that was probably his fault-- it’s all your fault --there seemed to be something more to it. A panic that wasn’t solely based on him.

Of course you would think that, you selfish-

Lyney shook his head, more firmly this time. I’m not making this up, he told himself. He prided himself on being good at reading people, very good. He needed to be; both for his job at the House, and even before, when he and Lynette had been out on the streets. Except that one time, when you failed. When you trusted the wrong person. What about then?

Lyney let out a sharp breath. He couldn’t think about that right now. Right now, Lumine was in trouble. She probably didn’t want to see him, and she could usually take care of herself, but with the way she looked when she ran out… He was betting she wouldn’t be as aware of her surroundings as usual. Even if she didn’t want to see him, she could be in danger.

*******

Paimon was with Lynette in the giant kitchen, both staring in an almost predatory way at Heloir’s cake.

“Paimon, where does the Traveler go when she’s upset?” Lyney asked, dashing into the room. Lynette glanced up sharply, but his focus didn’t waver from the fairy.

Paimon looked at him in confusion. “Why?”

“Just tell me.”

“Well it depends on where we are. If we’re in Inazuma she usually sits at the top of the tree at the Grand Narukami Shrine, if we’re in Mondstadt she likes walking through the Whispering Woods, if we’re in Sumeru, well, it’s different whether we’re closer to the desert or the forest--”

“ Here, Paimon. Where does Lumine go when she’s in Fontaine?” Lyney demanded, resisting the urge to shake the little creature. Lumine was getting farther away by the minute.

“Okay, okay, chill! She likes being by the water. Usually somewhere in Elynas, but it depends on how upset we’re talking.” Paimon paused, her brain finally seeming to catch up. “Is the Traveler upset? Did you make her sad?”

Lyney didn’t bother answering. He was already out the door, bow in hand.

*******

Lumine was, as Paimon predicted, sitting by the water. Her fists were clenched in the wet sand, her eyes were screwed shut, and she seemed to be rocking back and forth.

From his vantage point on top of a nearby hill, Lyney could see the group of Treasure Hoarders attempting to sneak up on her from behind. He growled. Did they have any shame? Do you? You’re here after she was clearly trying to get away from you.

He shook his head. This was different. He wasn’t here to prey on her current vulnerability, like they were. He placed a trick arrow on the string of his bow, carefully drawing it back. Treasure Hoarders were a cowardly bunch, and it shouldn’t take too much to scare them away.

He let his arrow fly and it whizzed through the air, landing on the ground in the middle of the Treasure Hoarders. Purple smoke gushed out, and the thieves let out various noises of panic as they ran away. Lyney rolled his eyes. Yep. Cowards.

Lumine didn’t seem to have noticed any of the commotion, further solidifying his idea that she wasn’t in her right mind at the moment. Lyney slid down the hill, approaching her carefully. As he got closer, he could tell that she was murmuring something to herself.

“Don’t go…don’t go…I don’t want to be alone…” Lyney was about to reach out to her when- “Aether, please. ”

Lyney hesitated, biting his lip. Aether? He’d bet all his magician’s secrets that was her brother’s name. Again the memory of that terrible night ten years ago, when he had been separated from his own twin, rose to the surface.

Finishing his performance at the banquet. The quick slip from elation to panic, Lynette was missing. Feeling like he was about to be sick, finding out what the man who had promised to take care of them had done. Sneaking out, sprinting for more than a mile towards the monster’s estate. Scraping his hands against the rough stone surface of the garden wall. The scent of blood, an unfamiliar silhouette next to his sister-

Lyney shook his head. That wasn’t important right now. Right now Lumine was in the same state of mind he had been in, and unlike him, she couldn’t do anything about it. She had no idea where her twin was. He couldn’t do anything to change that, but he could try and help her clear her head. He gently touched her shoulder. “Lumine?”

Lumine’s eyes snapped open, darting wildly. “Aether?”

“No, it’s just me. Lyney.” Her eyes focused on him and he saw the way she visibly deflated. Lyney sighed. He almost wished he was Aether, if only to ease her obvious pain. “I’m sorry, I’m sure I’m the last person in the world you want to see right now. I was just worried about you, if you want I’ll go get Paimon and leave you alone.”

He started to go, but her hand darted out, clutching at his arm slightly tighter than was comfortable. “No. Please… don’t leave me alone.”

“Okay,” he said, sitting down next to her. Lumine sighed in relief. Her grip loosened a bit, though not enough that he would be able to slip out. She closed her eyes again and resumed her slight rocking, though it seemed a little less frantic than before. Lyney looked around for something to talk about, to hopefully get her mind off her panic.

“Do you see those blubberbeasts?” he asked, pointing out a group that lay basking in the sun. Lumine peeked at them and nodded.

“They’re one of Freminet’s favorites. He has a storybook about a family of them, who live in a kelp forest…” Lyney rambled. Was this working? He couldn’t tell.

“Paimon and I met one once. His name was Berrypuff,” Lumine said softly. “He was too little, so he had to stay in an observatory.”

“Oh?”

Lumine nodded. “Whoever used to stay with him was gone, so we brought him fish every day until he got strong enough to leave.”

“Did Paimon name him? I’ve heard she has a tendency to come up with nicknames for people.”

Lumine chuckled, and he felt a spark of hope. This was good, she seemed to be calming down. “She didn’t, actually. But you’re right, she loves to give people nicknames when they annoy her, like ‘Tone-Deaf Bard” or “Bull-Chucker.”

“Bull-Chucker?”

“Our friend Itto. He has a little bull that he occasionally throws at people.” She paused. “Saying that out loud made me realize just how weird it is.”

“Sounds like a pretty good nickname, then,” Lyney laughed.

“The only person that can rival her nickname giving skills is probably you,” Lumine responded. She smiled, but it quickly dropped from her face.  Lyney felt like kicking himself.

“I’m sorry. I never meant to make you uncomfortable,” he said, avoiding her eyes.

“No, it’s not your fault. I just… I like you. I do. A lot. More than I know what to do with. And that scares me.” Lumine seemed to be forcing the words out.

“I don’t expect anything from you, I hope you know that. I mean, I’d love it, but you don’t owe me anything.” He laughed ruefully. “Let’s be honest, I owe you several times over.”

Lumine smiled briefly. “So, what now?”

“I don’t know. I mean, you don’t have to hide on the roof if you want to come watch my show.” Lumine groaned, covering her face with the hand that wasn’t holding his arm.

“I can’t believe Paimon outed me like that.”

“I’m surprised it took her this long.”

“That’s fair.” Lumine grimaced. “It would be nice to come see you in person.”

“If you want, I’ll reserve two front seats to all our shows. You don’t have to come,” he rushed to add. “Just if you want to.”

Lumine smiled, and this time it stayed. “I’d like that.”