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Chapter Text

One thing that Freminet was— was antisocial. He was nothing more than an awkward blubber beast when he tried to talk to strangers, and even his family. He was nothing more than a bad brother, a mediocre diver. Freminet was nothing more than— no, he was just nothing. Out of his siblings— the ones he counted as true siblings at least— he knew deep in his heart that no one would actively choose the younger brother. The one who was so lanky that he looked unnaturally stretched out, the one who covered one of their eyes because he could swear one was uneven, the one who muttered and talked to a mechanical penguin for moral support. Who would pick someone like that to talk to? Let alone make a bond with him. 

Yet Lyney— oh so sociable, well-adjusted Lyney, still looked at his brother with a mix of pity and hope in his eyes, which should’ve never been wasted on Freminet’s grimace of a face. 

“You need a friend,” Lyney had stated. 

“He’ll be good for you.”

“He’s the perfect buddy for you, dear brother.”

Mailing address in hand, Freminet couldn’t believe what his brother had set up for him. “A penpal? You’re giving me… a penpal?”

“Actually, Lynette and I decided to give it a more fitting name. A penguin-pal! Trust us, both of us met him, and he’s the perfect candidate. He’s another performer, you know.”

Freminet had to spend some time diving after that. It was a little mortifying to believe that his own adoptive family thought his loneliness was so severe that to would go out searching for a suitable friend for him, as if he were no more than a child… Yet, despite himself, Freminet couldn’t resist, even if this “penguin-pal” was a setup, he couldn’t help his curiosity being piqued in the wake of reading the first letter sent to him. The writing was scrappy, casual, and delightfully simple. It was written in Liyue’s script, which Freminet, oddly enough, was familiar with. Before he had gone and fallen in love with diving, he had tried out learning different languages. As most interests led him, Freminet had no normal, casual interest in anything he liked and learned… and eventually, he had grown fluent in not only Fontainian— but Liyue and Sumeru’s language as well. Freminet couldn't care less about learning about any more languages now that he had diving and the Fatui to focus on, but he still refreshed his knowledge by reading fairy tales in their scripts. It was a delight to see handwritten, casual Liyue writing like this. 

Hi!

I heard from your brother, you’re Freminet.

The first letter, short and sweet, spoke to him in a friendly tone— one that was so obvious that Freminet could catch it. 

I'm so happy to have you as a new pen pal. Or penguin pal! Haha. I’ve never had one before. 

Anyway, I’m Gaming! I’m a Wushou dancer from Liyue.

And Freminet couldn’t resist writing back. 

Father, after hearing of the twins’ little scheme, warned the boy of the dangers of getting close to ones outside the Fatui. Freminet could understand the sentiment; logically, any friendship would either dissipate and go nowhere or lead to the horrible realization that he was part of the fatui. Yet… Freminet couldn’t help it. The allure of having someone as secretive and personal as the delicate pendant of his mother’s. The letters, the small gifts sent in the boxes the letters came from, it was a world he could understand. Suddenly, through writing, Freminet wasn’t scared to socialize anymore. Father, almost kindly, had not stopped Freminet from indulging in the letters he passed to Gaming. 

Gifts from Liyue suddenly littered Freminet’s room, and every single time Freminet got a little trinket in the form of a handmade bracelet or a slightly cracked starconch, he would hurry out to anxiously find something to send back. With the “penguin-pal” letters, Freminet went into the ocean more, not as a mere escape, but a place to explore and find a trinket to share. 

After a couple, pitifully exciting weeks of waiting for letters and receiving them, it finally dawned on Freminet that he didn’t know what Gaming looked like. Freminet wasn’t left wondering, though. 

Dear Freminet, 

I got a gift from my good friend Xingqiu: a kamera!  I hope you enjoy the pictures of my last performance.

I also made some candies with Xiangling for you, but they might not be good. I’m no cook! I hope you visit one day so you can see me in full action.

—Gaming.

And there he was. It wasn’t the greatest picture; it was a little blurry and definitely taken by a person who wasn’t too trained on getting angles or lighting, but he was there. The first thing that drew Freminet’s attention was Gaming’s lion mask. He had heard of it and even had gotten a crudely drawn version of it from him, but nothing matched its exciting form and wild elegance as it had in the picture. He couldn’t imagine the wonderful, star-striking dances that Gaming could probably achieve with such an illusion, as even in a still frame, Freminet found it beautiful. He could also see the zooming line of Gaming’s pet, Man Chai, under his owner’s feet. Freminet theorized, just on how close he was to Gaming’s legs, that he probably tripped up his dance a little, but he knew that Gaming was most likely adaptable enough to make it into his dance. Still, little could break down Freminet’s pure study of Gaming himself. Smiling, eyes wide and wild but still friendly, a man in action, like how a well-respected hero would be posed in a storybook as they fought the big bad. His dark hair with red tips matched seamlessly with the dark green undertones of his hoodie. Freminet could catch that he had a mole or two delicately placed on his neck like a kiss, contrasting with the overall roughness of Gaming’s appearance. He was well-built; healthy muscles were a requirement for both his dance and work as a guard. 

Oh archons. Freminet had to look away, covering Pers’s eyes as if he too could see Gaming’s photograph. He was gorgeous. Unfairly so. 

It took a couple of days for Freminet to look at the letters the same as he did, and still… he struggled to maintain his facade of normalcy in his letters. It was hard to stomach that Freminet was not just writing letters to a disembodied responder, but a handsome Liyuean who had decided to start calling him “Fremmy” in his letters. Still, Freminet couldn’t help but consider Gaming a close friend, as close as he was to the likes of Pers and his other imaginary companions. 

It was only when Freminet had fully gotten back to a flow of written conversation before Gaming had again caught him off guard.

Freminet spat out his tea. 

Lynette flinched, and Lyney yelped. “What was that for?”

“Gaming…” Freminet blinked at the heartfelt letter, feeling both elation and horror mixed into a horrible concoction in his chest. “Gaming wants to meet me.” 

After a moment, Lynette went back to being slumped into her usual chair with a huff of unamusement, Lyney shrugging in apathy. “Oh… well, is that a bad thing?”

Freminet could’ve screamed— he did scream, but grabbed his helmet and placed it on his head to muffle it. This was the worst and best letter of his life.

On the positive side, Lyney had tried— letters from afar could only do so much bonding, and after months of being pen pals— and later “best friends” as Gaming had suddenly claimed in his letters, it was only fair that Gaming would’ve wanted to see more of him. Freminet had successfully befriended a person and had, mostly independently of support, gotten a best friend out of the exchange. But Freminet could only focus on the many, many negatives of this. For one, Freminet had gone much too far for poor Gaming and him to handle. Getting all attached to someone, not only out of the Fatui and out of Fontaine, was one of the worst ideas that Freminet’s feeble emotions had him do; Freminet could barely talk to anyone without slipping up and saying something inappropriate; Freminet could say something rude and completely shatter the mood; he could laugh a weird way, like he often did; Freminet would definitely make a fool of himself in front of Gaming’s friends; he was so unsightly compared to Gaming as well; not to mention mechanical moving, ugly, lanky, smelt like fish, did he mention ugly? And— he needed to get to the ocean. 

“Freminet, oh my archons… wait!” 

Freminet was already off running to his sea base for the night.

Chapter Text

It was a cruel fate for Freminet to find out the next morning that the twins were already brewing a performance in Liyue. They had said it was just a coincidence that their performance was linked to Gaming’s letter, but the diver didn’t exactly buy it. Still, as calmly as he could muster, Freminet told and set up to meet with the boy the minute that the three ended up in Liyue. The journey to Fontaine to Liyue wasn’t a pleasant one either. Forced to travel via boat, that wasn’t the problem. Freminet had never felt so sick on a voyage to another country. It wasn’t even like Freminet had never gone to Liyue before, either— it was the horrible, anxious, and self-destructive turning in his gut that could only be broken by the comfort of the surrounding ocean. Diving was the only solution, yet Freminet couldn’t exactly dive off a boat for any solace from this sinking (no pun intended) feeling. Maybe this is what people feel when they’re seasick… 

“Freminet, trust me. When has anyone not liked you?” Lynette had tried momentarily. Freminet, if he were in a more cynical mood, would’ve laughed. Instead, Freminet only hit his head on the railing of the boat in answer. Lynette, with a sigh, quickly stopped trying. 

It was only when the sun had gone down had Freminet started having the ability to speak again. He had, void of his usual diving escape, thrown himself in a daydream. Freminet could barely remember what the real world had thrown at him that day, but had found guidance through Pers visiting him. He had imagined his world, free of stress and sorrow… where Pers had brought him to the spot that he had learned to swim and given him the most incredible speech, fit for a hero. 

“Let your true self fly! A true companion never leaves his friends for their oddities. It only makes us more unique!” 

Despite the logical side of Freminet knowing that this whole speech was one he had ripped out of a fairytale book, he still felt comfort from it. Gaming, at least in his letters, never showed any sign of disinterest that Freminet could tell when he talked about his job, even in the scrutiny of Lynette. He could imagine that diving was an obscure, foreign thing to Liyue, but…

You dive? That's so cool! I’m no swimmer, but you should show me sometime…

One letter had sweetly stated. Still, Gaming had yet to find out how much of a fiend Freminet was for fairytales.

As Freminet’s anxieties swallowed him up, he also couldn’t help but listen to the pleas, jumping deep in his almost mechanical heart, squealing excitedly at the idea of seeing Gaming in person. A person to talk to, to swim with, to share the connection to the letters… their letters, made just for themselves. It sounded idyllic, perfect, and if Freminet could just go a little while without messing it up like he often did… it might just be fun. Pers had told him so.

It was nice to have someone so accepting, even if Freminet had never met him face-to-face (which was better, in Freminet’s opinion). Gaming had also been such a confidant for Freminet that he had slipped about his own mother. He did cut many details out, such as him being adopted into the Fatui, and the cruelty of “Mother”, but he had told him that his mother died a long time ago and had given Freminet to the orphanage before her death. Freminet, after sending this heartfelt letter, had worried through the nights that he had said too much, but Gaming, as serene and understanding as his imaginary friends, had written as sweet of a letter back.

My mother passed away, too. I miss her deeply. I started Wushou dancing because I wanted to do something to honor her.

I wonder if I made her proud. If she were still here, she’d kiss my head like she used to and laugh at Man Chai’s antics during my shows.

I really wish I had a pendant that special from my own mother. I have a letter from her, but that’s it. I really, really miss her. I bet you feel the same about your own.

Freminet wondered if Gaming cried when he wrote that letter as much as he cried reading it. Gaming was so different from Freminet, but so similar, in a strange way. But Gaming was different in how he handled things; he was braver, nicer, heroic, and more determined. Like a knight– or a well-beloved king of justice. Oh, how I dream of being like that one day, Freminet found himself often wishing. But, Freminet was Freminet, and maybe the closest he could get to being like that ideal was at least being friends with one. 

Gaming was so sweet, and Freminet had no idea how to deal with it. 

“Freminet, we’re here. We’ve set shore.” Jolted awake by his sister, Freminet realized he had spent his last hours on the boat huddled in his room again with his helmet on. From the dark glass of his helmet, he could see the figure of Lynette sighing, coming over to pick it off his head. 

“What time is it?” Freminet muttered shyly. Right. He had been daydreaming again. How embarrassing… 

“Morning. You’ve been in here for hours… Sorry to disturb your Pers time, Freminet.”

Lyney, as if they were one being, chuckled and popped up from behind Lynette. “Let's meet your buddy, yeah?”

All the progress Freminet had made in calming himself down had quickly shattered in an instant. Gaming’s last letter had been written in a pure excitement; he had said that he was planning to meet Freminet, and by inclusion his siblings, at Liyue harbor. There was a small, waiting crowd at the docks. The city was a sea of red and yellow, almost hurting Freminet’s eyes with how bright it was; he was much too used to the calm and cool colors of Fontaine, and if he wasn’t so nervous, he would’ve been excited to see such fairytale esc visuals. People waved and cheered as the Fontainian boat landed and docked, and the twins were quick to try to get off; they had a show to prepare for here, of course. But Freminet took his time to pack up as always. Maybe just a little longer on the boat would be fine… Maybe Freminet could just wait the entire week on it till they went home.  “Freminet, c’mon.” 

Eventually, the twins had to force him out. 

Freminet never felt a larger instinct to run away. Dragged out by the hand, he kept Pers as firmly to his chest as possible in hopes that the cold metal would help smooth his nerves. He didn’t. How would Gaming react to someone of his age holding such a toy? 

Still, it took a while to find Gaming in the crowd. Adding to his many anxieties, he wondered if he had gotten cold feet about Freminet; perhaps he had asked him to visit as a courtesy; perhaps he was just an ongoing joke. Then, there he was. 

The red hair— the maroon hoodie with green— even the pet. “That’s him, right?” Lynette had casually asked. 

Shit. Freminet gulped. It sure was. 

Tapping his foot, Gaming’s eyes were still glued to the Fontainian boat as if anxiously searching for someone— or, more, searching for him. He had Man Chai on a leash that was tightly wound on his arm, which Freminet remembered him saying that his pet absolutely hated. Obviously, it was true with Man Chai’s needless pulling and chewing of the leash, but it seemed like he was on leash less to appease him and more to make sure he didn’t cause any trouble. 

“Ha, look… he’s nervous.” Lyney giggled by the sidelines. If he was right… Freminet was relieved. At least he wasn’t the only anxious one. He flinched when Gaming’s head finally turned, looking casually at Freminet as if he were another stranger in the crowd. He watched those golden eyes shift, though— to Lyney, to Lynette, back to him. Like a fire had just been lit in those eyes, Gaming got the biggest grin that Freminet had ever seen on anyone, running over like a little kid on his birthday. “Hey! Fremmy, you came!” 

Gaming was shorter than Freminet had imagined. A little less than average height, he guessed— so imagine his surprise when the absolute manlet had somehow grabbed him in his arms, picked him up, and swung him around like Freminet was a sack of potatoes. “Oh my archons, you came! You came! Welcome to Liyue, pal!”

“Fremmy?” 

“Pal?” 

The twins giggled to each other. Slipping into their native tongue, which only happened when they were hiding something in a foreign country— or fooling around— Freminet frowned as they spoke.

“A little too close, don’t you think?” 

Gaming looked innocently at the twins, his smile never leaving his face as he dangled Freminet off the ground. Suddenly, Freminet felt like his circulation was being cut off, along with the tingly sensation every time someone touched him, becoming far too great to be comfortable. 

“Can you…”

“Oh, right! My bad.” Gaming smiled, unoffended, placing him gently back down. Still, the dancer bubbled with unrelenting energy as he spent time looking him up and down. “Woiw! It's so great to meet you in person, dude. Wow-wow-wow! You look… great!”

Freminet hadn’t showered in two days. He nodded shyly, feeling the need to bow a little (that's what Liyueans did, right?), before gesturing to the twins. 

“These are… my siblings.”

Grinning, Gaming soon jumped to the twins to shake their hands with intense enthusiasm. “Yeah! Lyney and Lynette, right? Glad to meet you again. You’re here to do a show?” 

“Pleased to see you again, Gaming. And yes, what else for Lantern Rite? My dear sister and I wouldn’t miss performing here for the world.” He gave a little bow, tipping his hat fancily, before giving Freminet an all too cheeky expression.

“Oh, Freminet— I hope you’re not too busy performing with them. I’m stoked to see you— you really should watch my Wushou dance! You can even help me practice if you want. And your siblings— they’re performers, right? I met them one time when they were doing magic tricks. We should really collab and, oh, do you perform too? I know you make the machines and knick-knacks, really cool stuff by the way, but do you—”

Out of instinct, Freminet covered his ears. Gaming’s rambling suddenly stopped. Embarrassed, he forced himself to lower his hands. Damn it. So much for acting like a normal person. Bright eyes flashing, Gaming then chuckled casually, putting a hand on his head in an apologetic manner. “Oh, sorry. Too much talking, yeah?”

“Freminet, you told Gaming about the machinery? I thought we had a deal that magicians never reveal their tricks…” Lyney hummed, nudging at his brother’s shoulder. After a silent moment, he awkwardly realized he had been prompted to respond.

“Ah… I don’t perform with my siblings. I just… help them with set up. I like watching shows, but I don’t really participate.”

Gaming, undeterred, nodded. “Yeah! You’re a diver and all— makes sense. Gosh, I’m happy you at least like watching them, though. This Lantern Rite when we all perform— It's going to be so dope!”

Freminet nodded in response, still unsure what to do with his hands. He fiddled slightly with the straps of his night bag, Gaming eying it closely.

“Oh— hey, you guys want help?” He asked, beaming. “I’m a guard outside of dance, as you know. But I’m great at running around heavy things. If you want manpower, I’m your man! I can also help you unpack your machinery. I’m super interested to see how it works.”

“Ah, again… the secrets of magic tricks should only be known by the magicians casting it—”

“I could show you,” Freminet blurted. Showing off my gadgetry? That sounded like a topic he could stand talking about.

“Wha— Ferminet!” Lyney whined, looking like the air had just been puffed out of his chest. Gaming grinned, before taking Freminet’s bag for him. The diver didn’t really find any of the bags too heavy; despite his thin appearance, he was deceptively strong. Yet, Freminet got the impression that Gaming was just trying to be helpful, so he quickly let the issue go. 

The twins had rented a small house within Liyue Harbor’s side lines; it had enough amenities for the week and was a little too fancy for Freminet to be completely comfortable in, but it matched a Fontainian’s taste. As they entered through the front door, he momentarily worried for Gaming’s back as he set down about three bags from the boat. He had insisted that he’d carry everything, including helping drag in Lyney and Lynette’s show business supplies. Man Chai, Gaming’s pet… something, was practically attempting to assassinate him with how much he hung to his owner’s legs to the point Freminet had silently taken his leash from Gaming’s arm when he wasn’t paying attention. 

“I don’t think pets are allowed in the rental…” Freminet mentioned after a while. Man Chai had now attached himself to his leg, the little ball of fur purring and clawing at his shoe. Gaming wiped his forehead, giving an apologetic laugh and swooping Man Chai into his arms. “Ah, whoops.”

“No pets? Ah, such a shame, Lynette. We have to leave you outside,” Lyney joked, before Lynette slapped his face with a Liyue brochure she grabbed from the dinner table. 

“No, pets are fine here. Our… company got a cheap one.” Lynette explained. Right. The Fatui was paying for this trip… nothing was ever just the simplicity of having fun or “performing.” It always had something connected to watching, collecting info… planning.

“Ah! Well, that's good. There’s no way I want to get you in trouble because of me. Speak of pets— you have one, don’t you, Fremmy?”

“A-ah?”

“Pers! He’s your little guy, am I right?”

Freminet paused, finding embarrassment easily heating his face. He lifted up Pers, finding he had kept him dragged in his hand the entire time without realizing. “Here… is Pers. He’s a…” Toy. “A… invention I made. He’s my best friend.”

Gaming, curious, quickly got closer to Pers— and by inclusion, Freminet’s face— making him wince back a little. Golden eyes blinking, he quickly searched for awkwardness or discomfort; it was usually the reactions to Pers, a toy much too childish for one of his age. 

But, Gaming grinned, beaming again in that almost overwhelming way. Freminet yelped slightly at the other boy’s voice suddenly rising. “Woooaahhh! You made Pers? Aw, you really are an inventor! This is one of the machines you were talking about, right? Can I see how he works?”

Practically jumping to Freminet’s side, he winced at the closeness, watching Gaming’s eyes look back at Freminet then Pers expectantly. He’s… interested. Relaxing, Freminet found this revelation as surprising as when he found the ocean more comfortable than scary. Finding his mouth moving on his own, his own tone quickened, pitching in an excitement of his own.

“Oh— well, Pers has a couple functions. He’s originally made from the simple components of clocks I’ve taken apart, but as he ages, I’ve given him a couple updates with other scraps. He can waddle around in a circle—his dance— he’s also waterproof so I can bring him diving with me. He also can move his wings— which I hope eventually I can modify to make him fly. Also, he’s highly durable and is made with a multiple layered material so his mechanics never get ruined; I don’t dare take him apart, so if something ever does happen, he still has an opening in his back for improvements and modifications. Pers, if I want him to, can also have a heartbeat which I can turn on from the switch located on his tail. I turn it on when I have trouble… uh…” He quickly glanced into Gaming’s attentive gaze. “...Sleeping.”

“Cool!” Gaming muttered, nodding. Usually, this was the response to when Freminet discussed mechanics with people who had no idea what he was talking about, so he didn’t mind the blank response.

“See? I knew a penguin-pal was a good idea.” Lyney muttered quietly to Lynette; Freminet felt himself wanting to go back in his helmet again to hide. 

After that, Gaming quickly offered to help unpack their bags as well. The diver was a little sad that the topic of Pers died so soon, but knew it was only a matter of time before he rambled on too much. Lyney quickly declined help, which he could only guess was his last ditch attempt to avoid spoiling Gaming of any of the machinery they had for the magic show. Plus, Freminet didn’t know how much of the stuff they had with them was… legal, to say the least, so it was probably smart for the Liyue boy to be hidden from it. 

“Freminet, how about you go and check out Liyue with Gaming?” Lyney inquired, simultaneously making him tense up. He knowingly winked at Lynette.  “I know how much you’ve been looking forward to this little trip. You should go have fun.”

“Ah— really?” Gaming perked up, looking at Freminet as if he was just offered a treat. He giggled, getting on his tippy toes and placing his arm around Freminet’s shoulder. “Awesome! We’ll be home here by nine, promise.”

Why must they treat me like I am a child? Freminet couldn’t help but scathe silently, but still flushed at the close proximity. Practically dragged out by the hand by the dancer, he quickly learned that Gaming was the… touchy sort.

Not in a strange sense— actually, probably usual. Freminet knew enough about people to know that they only touched or hugged or held hands when they liked someone, but there was very little physical affection in his life. It was just… strange to have another hand, other than his siblings or father, firmly grasped to his own. 

Gaming asked him questions about Fontaine, the notes in his letters and his siblings all the way down to the main street of town. Struggling to keep up, he watched nervously as people passed in stunning Liyue-styled robes and dresses. He felt a little like a sore thumb compared to the warm hues of the city, still dressed in his usual dark blues and beiges. Fixing his hair, he wondered how Gaming must look compared to him; they were complete splits from each other: one full of boundless energy— one desperately trying to match it.

“Fremmy, ever try dim sum?”

“I… don’t know that dance,” Freminet mumbled dumbly back, his head tilting to get a little more on Gaming’s level. 

“Ha! No, not a dance,” Gaming giggled. “It's a type of Liyuean dish. It’s kind of a snack food, but it's really good! I can eat whole plates of them.” Awkwardly, Freminet fixed his bang; I’m such a fool. Nodding, he hesitated his next words.

 “I… I can try it. I’m sorry, I’m really picky. Usually, I can only stomach seafood.”

“Ahhhh, I see! Well, if not dim sum, we can get some seafood somewhere! We are in the Harbor, so I doubt that will be a problem.”

“I mean, I don’t mind trying it.” He quickly said. Freminet never liked being picky. It was just the texture of most foods… he shuttered slightly. “Does it… have shrimp?”

“Yeah! Sometimes it does. You know— I have a friend who’s a great chef. Xiangling— I probably mentioned her before— makes the greatest food ever! Well, when it actually is food… She’s great at making everything to the customer’s tastes.”

“Alright.” Why come to Liyue and not try its cuisine? Anything to match Gaming’s energy. “I’ll try it.”

Freminet was quickly dragged to what seemed to be a-hole-in-the-wall. It was a tiny joint, maybe just a few tables and an oven, but it was crowded for such a small vendor. Trusting Gaming’s judgement, he glanced for a menu, instead finding a bunch of awards on the wall.

Best Dish of the Year!

Liyue’s First Slime Dish Consequire.

1st Place — Youngest Cook Competition (it was older than the others, dated seven years ago.)

“Ah…”

“Oh, a menu? Honestly, I never really trust Xiangling to have a solid one. She cooks what she wants most of the time.” Gaming explained. Freminet only gulped. He had heard a little bit of Xiangling, and seeing the signs, it felt like all of Gaming’s friends were achievers. Was she the one who had a god for a familiar, or the one who was the heir to the Feiyun Commerce Guild? 

All of Freminet’s friends were just in his head, and Gaming’s were usually just words written on paper. To meet all of these… these…

“Hey! Gaming!” A girl emerged from an open door covered by a curtain patterned with a cute, fiery bear emblem. Blue braids, bright eyed, three plates balanced in her arms with a chubby bear in tow— yes, the one with the god. 

“Xiangling! I want you to meet Fremmy. Well, when you’re not carrying a hundred things at once… need help?” 

“Nope!” Xiangling sing-songed, before quickly giving the dishes to the bear— Gouba, Freminet recalled— who quickly ran to give them to a couple sitting at the side tables.

Anxiety crept in his chest, instinctively trying to hide behind Gaming to no avail (he probably looked like a Leisurely Otter trying to hide behind a pebble, truthfully). Unaware of this, Xiangling only moved to push Gaming away, her hand raised in a friendly notion. “Freminet, right? How are you?”

Stammering, Freminet paused. What was he supposed to do again? How are you…. I’m okay— I’m bad? Nervous? Does she want to know what I ate last? She is a cook—

Xiangling blankly stared at him, looking a little confused before putting her hand down. Shit! He ran out of time.

“No— no need to be so formal,” Freminet tried. That’s what Lyney would say, but his voice was barely a whisper of the confidence his brother usually spoke with. “I… Xiangling, right?”

“Yeah, I thought you got that much,” Xiangling chirped, rocking on her heels. “Gaming has said a lot about your letters. All good things, obviously.  I’m so happy to meet you in person.”

Freminet only nodded. He didn’t dare to talk anymore… knowing himself, he’d just embarrass himself more. Eventually, Gaming chimed in, his voice barely a relief to the disgrace known as Freminet’s social skills. 

“Is anyone else here?”

“Oh, yeah. Xingqiu, Chongyun, and Hu Tao are here for lunch. Do you two want to join their table?”

No. 

“Sure— maybe! If that's okay with you, Fremmy.” It’s not. 

But Gaming looked at him with golden eyes, burning through Freminet’s resolve. 

“Sounds fun.” And say goodbye to our alone time. Maybe if Freminet stayed as quiet and unassuming as possible in the corner of the table, he’d be swiftly forgotten about and left to pay his own bill. Then, later, he could talk to Gaming about “how fun it was” and maybe even mention mechanics again. Then, Freminet would feel natural again.

Xiangling nodded, pointing them to the back tables before going back to rushing into the curtain covered entrance of the restaurant. Careful to stay out of sight behind Gaming as much as possible, he followed him to the side tables. Seeing a table surrounded by people around their age, Freminet could only assume that was Gaming’s assortment of friends… his very, very intimidating friends.

“Gaming!” One shouted, waving. That one was the Feiyun heir. Freminet could smell the wealth from here; smooth face, permed hair, almost reeking of elegance. He held a glass the way a prince ought to with a wine glass, even if it were just juice in a cup. Freminet only lowered his head. He never really knew how to act around rich people like that. 

“Hey, Xingqiu, Chongyun, Hu tao! Remember me talking about Freminet coming over?” 

“Hello,” Xingqiu— the rich one— smirked in that intimidating manner that only great power could imitate, peeking behind Gaming’s shoulder. He turned around in his chair expectantly, dragging the eyes on the paler haired boy behind him. “Only about a hundred times, my friend.”

“Well here he is!” Gaming pretty much squealed, jumping out of the way and revealing Freminet to the elements— which so called were his friends. Freminet only nodded politely, feeling as if the weight of a blubberbeast was crushing his lungs.

A moment of silence rang out between the trio, and Freminet felt like a fly about to be squashed. Eyes dragged along Freminet’s appearance for a moment. What about me? Freminet blinked back, a part of him almost challenging. What about me makes you stare?

“I see you make clocks. You know, in Liyue, gifting clocks is a bad omen.” a girl spoke bluntly. Freminet felt even more color leave his face. Huh? 

“Bad omens usually mean death. Either of you wanna buy a coffin, just in case?”

“Hu Tao!” Xingqiu and the other boy suddenly yelled in unison, smacking her with their hands. 

“Buy one get one half off!~”

“Hu Tao!” They only protested louder. There was a strange scuffle between them— something Freminet couldn’t understand. There was bickering, loud bickering, and a small chastising mutter or two, before Chongyun looked at Freminet apologetically.

“Sorry about that. Hu Tao has been waiting to make that joke to you. Clockwork and all…” He coughed, looking a little flushed himself.

“Right.” Freminet muttered, his shoulders slumping. What strange people…

“I don’t get it.” Gaming muttered, a dense smile still on his face. Awkwardly, both of them sat down at the table. Still, eyes lingered on Freminet. Anxiety crept dangerously in his chest, trying to distract himself from the all prying stares by focusing his attention strictly on Gaming— the only thing in the scene that didn’t make him want to jump and swim back to Fontaine. 

“We got off to a bad start,” Chongyun mumbled apologetically after a while, nodding at the two. “Please, reintroduce us, Gaming.”

Perking back up, Gaming smiled brightly at Freminet, but he could tell from the slight twitch at the side of his mouth that this wasn’t going to plan as much as he wanted, either. “Oh! Well, this is—”

“Xingqiu, heir of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, but I like to be known more as a follower of the simple code of Chivalry. Please to meet your acquaintance.”

“Chongyun,” Chongyun mentioned gently, bowing his head a little in polite greeting (out of all of Gaming’s friends, he was already the one that bothered him the least). 

“—And Hu Tao, which you probably have gotten by now…” 

“Yes,” Freminet muttered, feeling as if he needed to say something. Suddenly, he felt like he had come off rude by the face that Chongyun and Xingqiu exchanged. 

“And of course, the new buddy in town— all of you, remeet Fremmy.”

“Hello.” Freminet repeated, his eyes unfocused on any of them. This was horrible. Freminet sort of imagined he would have Gaming all to himself, but… he looked at Gaming’s encouraging smile… oh well. Lyney often told him that he needed to get better at handling adjustments. This just had to be one of them.

He watched as Xingqiu looked at him closely, as if trying to find something to comment on to start a conversation. 

“So, er— Freminet, you’re from Fontaine, right?” He tried.

“Yes,” Freminet responded simply. What else would I say?  Social rules confused him to no end.

“I heard that Fontaine has some of the best leads in technology! And from Gaming’s description, you’re an inventor. My, I appreciate a fellow creative.” 

“Yeah!” Gaming excitedly chimed in, suddenly beaming. Freminet watched as Gaming grinned at him, almost proudly. “Fremmy here told me all about in one letter how he helped this one researcher totally improve her kamera. She takes a bunch of pictures for official journals, but with the lens he put in, the photos that she compiled looked a thousand times better! It’s like he made it back to what it was when it was brand new. You gave me the pictures too, right? In that little collage?” 

Freminet flushed slightly, nodding. It was something he had thrown together when he felt bad that he didn’t have a gift to send back to Gaming after the other had sent an array of starconches. He wondered if Gaming had told his friends about all their letters. Freminet  never went to share Gaming’s letters to anyone else and would quickly stop even his siblings from looking at them for more than a glance. They felt very personal to him, like a secret. Turns out Gaming didn’t see them that way. 

Probably because he’s not weird, Freminet thought to himself. He did have a habit of being possessive about his belongings. Letters are to be shared. It's not something to be hurt over. Still, it stung. 

“Ah, a fixer-uper type.” Xingqiu smiled, a friendly expression that was supposed to make Freminet be more comfortable, but only made him tense. 

“Do you fix everything in Fontaine?” Chongyun suddenly asked, matching that uncomfortable smile.

Not everything. That would be impossible. Sure, I fix as many machines that I am given to fix, but does that mean I fix everything? Maybe in the concept of those machines… But Freminet knew that this was one of those metaphorical questions that never made sense to him that if he went into too much detail on how the question was completely ridiculous, he’d make the other person uncomfortable. 

“No,” Freminet decided. There was an awkward silence, before he turned to Gaming. “Could… I get some tea?” 

Xiangling came over eventually to take both of Freminet and Gaming’s orders. The dancer had insisted that he tried some dim sum, so Freminet decided on the taste he found familiar: shrimp. Gaming had also quickly gotten him some tea, handing the hot cup as daintily to him as possible as if a little nervous to spill it on him. Gaming rambled on about his knowledge on tea for a moment, which was a nice break from the uncomfortable attempts at conversation that his friends kept throwing onto him, but Freminet started to feel a little worse for wear.

“Hey, I… I need to go to the bathroom for a moment.”

“Oh? Sure Frem, the bathrooms are just over there.” 

Freminet quickly excused himself, watching as plates and plates of dizzying arrays of food landed on the table. Quietly, he tried to walk as casually to the direction of the bathroom as possible, before picking up speed and skittering to an area that no one could see him. He took a large breath, heavy and tired, pulling out Pers and gripping onto his wing. He pressed the cool metal of his companion against the skin of his forehead, shivering slightly. Strangers made him so nervous. 

Other than a mild anxiety attack, Freminet didn’t only excuse himself to get away. He had learned long ago that people started talking about him and other issues right when they thought he was out of ear shot. Easedropping was one of the many skills he had gained in his job at the “orphanage”; it became useful in missions— and in personal troubles like this. 

Freminet tilted his head to listen in. It wasn’t hard; the only thing between him and everyone else was the side of the restaurant, placing him just a few feet within earshot. 

“—wow, Xiangling really outdid herself this time. I hope Fremmy tries this one when he comes back!” Gaming. 

“Yeah.” Chongyun. 

“He’s very… he’s so much more quiet than I expected.” Xingqiu. There it was. Like the tick of the clocks he often fixed, people always cracked down and talked about his many, many flaws behind his back. He knew he had them. He knew people talked about them. Freminet couldn’t bring himself to cry about it anymore.

“Yeah.” Chongyun muttered again, before speaking up— the most he talked this entire time. “I mean— from your letters, he seemed to be a talker like you, ‘Ming. Maybe not as loud, but I thought he’d be a little more… talkative, from how profound he is in the letters.”

“Huh? I thought he was doing just fine.” Gaming muttered, and Freminet’s heart jumped a little. His friends didn’t seem to like him, but at least Gaming was one who stood true— at least for now. That was good to know…

“There’s nothing wrong about him,” Xingqiu assured quickly. Backing down. “But… I just never imagined you hanging out with someone that’s such your…. Opposite. You know, people like Lan Yan make sense as your friend, but…”

Lan Yan? Freminet’s brow furrowed even more, looking down at Pers as if looking for answers on his penguin face. That was a new name that Gaming hadn’t mentioned yet. So there are secrets to Gaming’s feelings. 

“Aw, c'mon guys.” Hu Tao chimed in, her voice as cheery as it was grating to Freminet. “It’s his first day here. This very well might be the first time he’s ever been in Liyue, so why judge on his newbie-jitters?” She giggled. “Well… unless it makes him so nervous he has a heart attack. Then I can sell him a coffin.”

“Hu!” Xingqiu chastised, groaning. “Maybe that's why he’s so quiet. We all made him uncomfortable.” Freminet nodded to himself and made Pers shrug a little. True. They had. 

“Hey, guys. I… I feel a little weird talking about Fremmy behind his back. He’s a good guy, okay?” Freminet’s face softened at Gaming’s words, hearing the first sign of genuine emotion other than excitement he had gotten from him. “I want him to have a ton of fun while he’s here. He’s been a great friend in his letters and really nice so far, so I want him to feel like he can come back any time.”

Freminet sighed, letting himself slightly collapse on the side of the wall. After a moment, he heard the last of the conversation. 

“Is he alright? He’s been in the bathroom for a while.”

Quickly, Freminet went into the bathroom for real. Pretending he had just finished up, he washed his hands, keeping his head down as Gaming walked in and smiled at him. Thankfully, he bought it. 

Freminet couldn’t help but feel guilty he had already used a skill he learned by being in the fatui; he tried to limit, or more accurately, ignore how much involvement he had in their deeds. Still, it proved useful. He had a good idea on what Gaming’s friends thought about it, something that only made their greeting smiles a little more in sour taste. 

Sitting down, he took a sip of his tea, Gaming pointing at a small plate of dumplings. “That’s the shrimp dim sum for you— oh, and there's also some Jueyun chili sauce too…” 

The rest of lunch was what Freminet expected. Gaming’s friends had momentarily given up at making much conversation with the boy, so he busied himself with listening to the chatter to learn more about them. He ate at the sidelines, giving an appreciative hum when Gaming placed another piece of dim sum to his lips to try. Thankfully, Gaming had asked Xiangling to bring Freminet a fork after he struggled for a moment with his chopsticks, allowing him to eat normally as he would at home. He had to admit, the boy had good taste. It wasn’t seafood… but he was delightfully surprised by the delicious array of flavors in each piece that exploded in his mouth each bite. The casing was a comforting consistency, being one of the textures that Freminet could stand, and the spices and flavors in the middle were perfectly balanced. It didn’t take long for Freminet to be uncomfortably full, though, as Gaming kept placing more and more dim sum and rice on his plate for him. 

“I-I think I'm full now, Gaming.” He muttered quietly, watching as Gaming’s chopsticks stopped mid air at yet another shrimp dumpling. “Ah… thank you, though.”

“Ah! Alright, only if you’re sure!” 

Freminet caught a couple of the others glancing at his fork, a comment on it obviously on their tongue but none of them were rude enough to say anything verbally. Freminet let his fork drop with a soft clatter, looking at Xingqiu who was staring at him the most intently. He looked down, seemingly embarrassed. 

Stare at me, Freminet almost dared. Stare at me and actually say something. Then at least you wouldn’t be hiding how much you don’t like me. However, Freminet knew he didn’t exactly know that. 

Finally, the bill came, and Freminet couldn’t believe how grateful he was to see it. 

“I’ll get it,” Xingqiu spoke quickly, grabbing it before Chongyun went to grab it out of his hands. “Hey, no. You got it last time.

“No, no— let me get it! At least for me and Fremmy.” Gaming got up to take it. Turns out Liyueans made a big issue out of bills as they did with forks. There was at least five minutes of polite, but increasingly strained discussion, and eventually, the bill was sat in the middle of the table like an artifact being bidded on. 

“You always get the bill, Qiu. I just got paid too— it won’t be a big deal.”

“Absolutely not! I know your work and paying for all of this would practically bankrupt you!”

“Are you calling me poor?” Chongyun’s face heated up a little. 

“Guys, I can get it. My dad covers my meals anyways, now that we’ve made up…” 

“Not so fast! The parlor has been doing exceptionally well this month. I can take it.”

Slowly, Freminet let his hand wander to the bill. Without a sound, he grabbed it, signing his name and a tip. The fatui said they’d cover our meals. If I can help Lyney bargain with those treasure hoarders about the documents…  He thought, giving it silently to Xiangling. 

Xingqiu's hand went to grab it. “Seriously, I— huh?”

Freminet watched as the four looked down, confused.

“I got it.” Freminet muttered quietly, watching as the chef walked away, giggling under her breath. 

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.

.

Gaming had decided to walk with Freminet back to the room after lunch.

“Really, thank you Fremmy. Seriously, let me repay you for at least my own and your meal. You really didn’t have to at all!”

“No need,” I really needed to. If Freminet had to listen to any more bickering about bills today….

“Well, still. That was really cool for you to do!” Gaming insistently praised. Freminet, embarrassed by it, looked away. It seemed that Gaming’s friends had a similar response. They were surprised to see their quarrel cut short, but impressed and thankful for Freminet paying. Xingqiu had even promised Freminet that next time he saw him, he would bring him to a store and let him pick out anything he wanted from it. It was a lot of attention, which the diver wasn’t fond of, but at least it was positive attention this time. 

“I… really hope you had a good time, you know.” Gaming’s voice dropped more honestly, and Freminet stopped walking. He watched as the dancer, slightly stripped of confidence, kick up at the dirt with a soft laugh. “You… you did, right?”

Hesitating at his words, he watched as Gaming stiffened as he opened his mouth. “I…”

Freminet had to admit it wasn’t a fun dinner, but if he had to think about it, truthfully— he still enjoyed Gaming’s presence. Lyney and Lynette had told him in situations like this, where a person asked for his praise, no matter if he had reservations about it he should respond as positively as he could.

“I did.” Freminet admitted, and watched as Gaming’s shoulders relaxed and he took a relieved breath. “I had fun with you.” He insisted, half to him and half to himself

“A-awesome! Are you free tomorrow?”

Tomorrow? 

“I… I guess I am.” Freminet muttered shyly, watching as Gaming beamed. From the corner of his eye, he could see Lyney walk out of the entrance door to give a small wave at the two. Adjusting his bag, Freminet coughed and nodded. “I should go.”

“I can pick you up in the morning, alright? Do you have any preference where you’d like to go? I can give you a real tour of Liyue, if you want.”

Freminet couldn’t believe that Gaming wasn’t sick of him yet. He nodded shyly again. There wasn’t any real place that he wanted to go in particular. He had decided to just let Gaming take the rope of their plans; like a nice current of the sea, he didn’t feel like he needed to exactly follow a path with him to feel comfortable. He hoped though, that whatever Gaming planned for them tomorrow, they would be alone. “Will there be the… others?”

“Not if you don’t want them to. I wasn’t really planning to see my friends today with you, but I’d honestly really like to get some time with just you.”

“Just… me?” Suddenly, Freminet felt special. He flushed a little, feeling a slight awkward silence form as he quickly tried to get the lump in his throat to dissipate. “Right. I’d like that too.”

“Dope,” Gaming paused, before giving Freminet a small hug. Fireworks shot in Freminet’s mind, and he blushed harder. Oh boy. “I’ll see you tomorrow, pal!” 

Quickly being released, he gave a small wave as he watched the boy leave, feeling Lyney touch his shoulder with a keening voice. “So, had fun?”

Freminet found it completely stressful. Terrible, actually. Gaming’s friends didn’t seem to be his type of people. But… Gaming himself, he was… 

Freminet smiled despite himself. Suddenly, he felt like he had the best day. Lyney watched with a knowing grin at his brother’s lit up face, before giving a firm pat to his shoulder. “Tell me and Lynette all about it later, okay?” 

“Mhm.”

Freminet had made and kept a friend, despite making a fool of himself. If that wasn’t a successful day, he didn’t know what was.

Now how to keep it that way?

Chapter Text

Once out of Freminet’s eyesight, Gaming did a little bounce and heaved a heavy sigh.

“Hoooolly shit.”

Man Chai, still whirling his little body between the dancer's legs, looked up at him as if asking curiously why they stopped midrun. Gaming took a few heavy breaths, trying to stop his heart from racing. What did he feel? Excited to finally see Freminet in person? Terrified he and his friends gave the worst “welcome” possible? Anxious for what was to come of a potentially disastrous tomorrow? Gaming couldn’t tell, but the mix of hyperenergy in his heart, practically giving him a panic attack, did tell him one thing. Freminet was scary.

Not in a “I’m a monster and I’m gonna bite ya!”, not in an adepti “I’m prideful and if you say something wrong I’ll smite you” way— but a… “I swear on high heaven someone can’t realistically look like that!” way. Freminet was drop dead gorgeous! And it didn’t help that every time Gaming tried his usual tricks to charm someone the other boy cringed away as if he was Man Chai to a cucumber.

From his letters alone, Gaming knew he was playing with a little fire getting to know this guy. Freminet was a very different person to him; he wasn’t like Lan Yan, he wasn’t like Xingqiu, he wasn’t even like Chongyun… he was… foreign. The words that Freminet used in his letters were almost alien to him— so alien half the time he read the letters next to Xingqiu so he’d be able to translate about what “Romaritime Flowers” or “Blubberbeasts” were, along with the other things Freminet talked about. Freminet was a diver— something that Liyueans wouldn’t dare be due to the murkiness of the Sea of Clouds. Freminet was a mechanic when the last thing he knew how to do was fix up a clock. Freminet was also a reader, which Gaming definitely wasn’t. Yet, despite all these differences, Gaming found that he could listen to Freminet both in letter and in person for hours and not get bored.

Gaming never found interest in reading and any time that he had tried in the past to get into the books Xingqiu had begged him to try, he couldn’t get through the first ten pages without completely zoning out. But Freminet… he could take those boring, unimaginative words and string them into waves of gentle introspections that Gaming never could fathom writing himself. It was as if Freminet brought the waves of his home to him in those letters, describing the beauty of Fontaine’s waters so vividly that Gaming felt as if he were swimming by the side of the diver.

He did the same when he described his work, too. Gaming could only understand a glimpse of Freminet’s wide knowledge of mechanisms and machines, but the way he described them with such passion made Gaming suddenly wanna try his luck at fixing up clocks too. He actually did try, once— when Xingqiu gave him an old pocketwatch that he had broken. Gaming had asked him for any of his old but expensive pieces of junk a couple days before to try to pawn off for some extra cash (and he refused Xingqiu’s casual mentions of how he could just give him the money himself if he really needed it), so the pocketwatch was just an experiment to try his knack at mechanics as well. He hoped to have given Freminet a working pocketwatch, but he broke it into pieces after a few hours of trying in vain to “bring the clockwork back its heart”, as Freminet had poetically explained it. In the end and out of shame, Gaming played it off as if he just happened to find the shell of the pocketwatch lying around in his storage and gave it to him, passing off the heavy damage to the workings inside to mysterious wear and tear.

However, Freminet’s poeticism that Gaming was so captivated by was hidden in person. Freminet’s voice was equally captivating, but so faint and quiet that Gaming had struggled to catch what he had said all day. And he was restraining himself from speaking, he just knew it.

There were these slivers of the gentle but passionate sentences that Gaming had come to look forward to in his speech, like how he lit up when he asked about his little toy penguin— “Pers”, he recalled. But somehow, it got ruined for him, and Freminet stopped speaking despite his attempts at getting him to talk again.

It didn’t help that lunch was a total bust, too. Gaming knew it! He had pictured an idyllic scene where Gaming and Freminet were sat at a table, where Gaming could show him all the best treats in Xiangling’s cookbook and could slowly prick Freminet open to share more about his stories and life in Fontaine. But… Gaming’s friends happened.

It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy his friends! On the contrary, actually. Gaming couldn’t survive without the support of his pals and strived to see them every day, if not just for a passing wave. It’s just that… Liyueans tended to be a little less welcoming of strangers, especially perceived “strange” ones like Freminet.

He was weird. But Gaming really liked that! He wanted to know more about him very, very, badly, but he could feel the discomfort in that lunch from a mile away. Gaming was especially good at reading others, especially his friends, and no vague twitch of the mouth or quirk of an eyebrow ever alluded him, but Freminet’s face read one thing and one thing only practically the full first day.

Fear. Yet Freminet said he had fun and looked like he was looking forward to hanging out with Gaming the next day.

“Ughh… what does ‘just me’ mean?” he grumbled, kicking at the dirt wildly and pulling at his hair. Freminet’s face was so flat too! Beautiful, but flat. Gaming almost always could crack a smile out of someone— even the most reclusive and stern of people. Yet Freminet didn’t smile, only looked away as if disinterested. Was he boring him? Was he not entertaining enough?

Maybe it's just nerves… that’s what Hu Tao assumed, but Gaming would’ve been taken aback as well from how inappropriate she was to him. Usually, Hu was pretty funny, but Freminet’s half grimace in response only made Gaming feel like he was the most embarrassing jester to ever exist.

Freminet was also slow to respond as well. Gaming couldn’t say that he minded it— it gave him more time to stare at Freminet’s face “expectantly” while he studied the interesting freckles on his cheeks. But it came as a problem when Xingqiu pried and obviously judged him for his character.

And then, Freminet paid for lunch. Gaming couldn’t tell if it was a way to get out of the situation as quickly as possible, a polite thing, or a show of power. He knew what it meant as a Liyuean to insist on paying for a meal, but what did it mean to Fontainians? Maybe the Fontainians just weren’t ones to show their emotions… but Lyney, Freminet’s brother, was as smiley and smug as could be. Lynette was less so, but still much more talkative than Freminet. Freminet was just… just different.
But he was hanging with him tomorrow, and one thing that he learned to never do was give up. He had to make sure the next day was a success.

“Alright, Chai… here’s the plan!” He snapped back to his pet, who looked curiously but excitedly at the familiar action.

“Take him out— like… like to a show! No… he doesn’t seem to like crowds… ah… no— a hike! Yeah? They’re quiet enough. And maybe after I can show him a shop— like… like the bookstore! He likes books, right?”

Man Chai made an excited growl and yowl in response, doing a little spin.

“Yes! And we can wow him! Really show him our stuff! Everyone loves a good wushou dance just for them, right? Well… maybe for dad… but he got over it!”

His pet gave another excited bark. He looked down at him. “Oh… you know… with how you jumped on his legs before, maybe we should leave you home this time.”

Man Chai deflated, before Gaming gave him a nice pet and picked him up on his shoulder. “I’ll try to get a feel for how he feels about you, yeah? Then maybe you can join later.”

Grinning, Gaming put his hands together in a little victory pose. Oh yeah. He was totally gonna charm him— this time, at least.

Chapter Text

Freminet didn’t expect Gaming to be there right in the morning, but the next day, Freminet found out that Gaming was punctual— very punctual. Freminet worried the night before that Gaming would be sick of him by the morning, or get busy with something else far more important— but he had very little time to dwell on this the next day. There was already a knock on the door the minute the sun came up. Actually, maybe even before that.

Freminet had to roll out of bed, half expecting it to be another Fatui member looking to see if they could start on their “mission”, which was scheduled tomorrow night. Already annoyed, he felt himself wanting to ignore the door and wait till it was a more holy hour to deal with work already. The Fatui were important, but not so important to wake him up at five in the morning. 

He had never been a morning person. Or really a day person at all. If Freminet had the choice of getting through the day or staying in bed till the moon came up and he could go to his sea base without anyone seeing him, his choice was obvious. “Who’s there…?” He asked quietly to the door, his face disgruntled. 

“Hey Fremmy! You up?” Startled straight, Freminet felt himself make a horribly embarrassing squeak. He’s here? Now? Freminet looked down at himself. He was still in his bedroom robes and had barely even thought of breakfast, but he assumed he would just miss it as he usually did. 

“Ah… Gaming.” Freminet muttered, half to himself. Please don’t come in.

“Can I come in, buddy?”

Shit. 

“Ah… uh…” Freminet felt himself sputter like a clogged sink, trying to find a way to quickly look a little less like he just rolled out of bed, but it was impossible. He was planning to take a shower… and have time to question his life… why did he have to come so early?

“Oh, sorry. It is pretty early! I forget not everyone is tied to a morning deliveries schedule! I can wait, no worries.”

Freminet frowned, feeling as if his heart was twisting. Slowly, he creaked open the door, looking at Gaming with a pleading look; of course, Gaming was already bright eyed and dressed. “Do you… mind waiting?” He asked quietly, trying not to reveal his pajamaed form. Gaming only laughed, looking a little apologetic himself, as he quickly waved Freminet back inside to get ready. 

Lyney and Lynette started to stir as well, looking in even worse shape than Freminet. They had spent the night working out their “plans” for the mission, while also pestering Freminet for every detail of yesterday. The mission was to watch two Liyue merchants who were said to have documents from the Qixing and… borrow those said documents. Freminet wasn’t technically involved in the mission, but Lyney and Lynette both agreed that if things got messy— like they often did when the twins mixed both their Fatui duties and Magician shows— Freminet would… “bail them out.” Whatever that meant for Freminet to do, he was trying to ignore it. “Ugh… who the hell is at the door this early?” Lyney groaned, his hands held up dramatically in the air. 

“Gaming.” Confused, Lyney watched as Freminet quickly stumbled upstairs to get dressed. 

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.

.

“Ready?”

“Y-yeah.” Gaming took Freminet’s hand and headed for the edge of town. Freminet had tried to put himself together, but on such short notice, he had barely any time to brush his hair. It was a little cold this morning, his clean, wet hair not doing any favors. Despite his jacket, his usual outfit wasn’t particularly made for the cold. It was thin and made to be pretty translucent to be able to dry out quickly, but it made his jacket basically made for looks when he got hit with a chilly breeze. Not to mention his bare legs…

Freminet gripped to Gaming’s warm hand more than ever not to be caught shivering in the cold. “It’s pretty early for any shopping, but I wanted to wake up real early so I could show you one of my favorite spots to go when I need a little nature therapy,” Gaming explained idly. “Do you like hiking?”

“Ah… I… never really tried it myself,” Freminet muttered. If Freminet could help it, he never spent too long on land. “Fontaine doesn’t have many natural areas other than the ocean, so usually, I explore the deep… not the above. It’s… too noisy at parks for me, anyways.” 

Gaming nodded understandingly, pausing to let himself think. Freminet watched his face cautiously, seeing ‘the gears turning in his head’, as Lyney often joked under his breath when Freminet took a while to respond to a question. Wait, don’t tell me he’s… Oh dear, did Freminet accidentally make him think he didn’t want to go with him?

“I–I wouldn’t mind going hiking, though. It sounds fun. I’ll try it.” Freminet said quickly, as Gaming breathed a relieved sigh. He laughed a little. “Would you? I have a little surprise for you, anyway.” 

“For… me?” Freminet hesitated, feeling his face heat up before he nodded quickly. “I tried to pick an activity that would give you a little break from everyone. I’m getting the feeling that other people are a bit much for you, yeah?” 

If Gaming went through the trouble of picking a place, just for them, then… Freminet nodded again, trying to look a little more sure and excited. Even if he genuinely was, people always said that he had a flat happy face. “Thank you.”

“No biggie! Let's go on a hike, yeah? I left Man Chai with dad too— so it’ll just be us!”

Gaming soon led Freminet to the end of Liyue Harbor and to the start of Liyue’s wilderness. If it had been anyone else, he could guess that he would’ve been a little less eager to be completely alone with someone outside of the city, but hand in his, Freminet felt little fear. Freminet looked at the tall mountains around him, the dry ground beneath his shoes both daunting and fascinating. 

Freminet had been to Liyue, but had never explored the mountains before. It wasn’t even like Fontaine had no mountains either. But… Being so close to them to only be able to see the top by tilting your head all the way to the sky was another experience to seeing them in the mist of the horizon. 

“The mountainside next to Liyue Harbor is known as Mount Tianheng! It’s not the tallest mountain in Liyue, but it sure is my favorite. And… the view is awesome.” Gaming explained, pointing to the peak casually, as Freminet felt a wave of daunting wariness. “Are… we going to climb it?” Freminet muttered quietly. 

Gaming blinked, watching as he nervously stared at the tall peaks, before laughing. “Don’t worry pal, there's a path. No way I’d drag you on a hike just to go rock climbing on a dangerous cliffside. We don’t even have a windglider!”

“Dangerous…?” Freminet mumbled even quieter, feeling a slight regret flood through him. Clinging to the secure warmth of his friend’s hand as he followed Gaming’s sure trek to the corner of the mountain. He felt his anxiety fade for a moment as he saw the mountain’s many ledges start to look less like free fall cliffs and more like an intentional pathway. 

“I don’t really go up Mount Tianheng often, nor does anyone else. But sometimes when I need a place to practice my Wushou dance, it's perfect to take a day trip off work and really tune up my skills!” Freminet hummed softly, as if to tell Gaming he was listening. He idly wondered to himself how the other boy would look doing that type of dance on a mountaintop. He could only imagine a figure— a flash of red and gold— dancing as if the sky and birds above were his audience, waving that giant mask around… speaking of…

“Gaming, you haven’t shown me your mask yet,” Freminet blurted out before he could help himself. He hoped he didn’t sound too rude saying that the way he did, but he couldn’t help but be curious on what this “Wushou” lion outfit actually looked like outside of just picture form. Gaming’s eyes widened in realization, before he suddenly grabbed Freminet’s shoulders with a loud gasp. Freminet squeaked, bracing for a hit for a split second before he realized he was with Gaming, and soon looked back to see the ecstatic look on the other boy’s face. “You’re right! I haven’t!” Letting go of him, Gaming— much like his pet— walked around Freminet a few times in excitement and thought. “I totally forgot you haven't seen me in action yet… I was planning yesterday when you landed to show you the little welcome dance I made for you before realizing I… uh, that might’ve been a little too much attention right away.” Freminet nodded, trying to follow Gaming’s face, but found it a little hard to keep turning around in circles. Then, he realized what he had just heard. “A– A welcome dance?”

Gaming paused in his excited circling of Freminet, and snapped his fingers. “Ah— gosh darn it, that was the surprise.” He sighed, but gave out a hearty laugh and tilted his head so far over that Freminet thought he might fall over. Rocking on his feet like a giddy kid, he bonked himself on the head. “Sorry, but you still would like a welcome— or… late welcome dance, right?”

Freminet flushed again, feeling a little shocked and embarrassed just by the mere idea of a dance being dedicated solely to him. It was lucky that Gaming had decided against it in town, because he would’ve just died… 

Freminet watched as Gaming’s face turned from excited to woefully nervous, making him realize he had once again left him hanging on an answer. “Of– of course! I love dances— I mean performances, I…” he coughed, finding that if he backtracked too much, he’d probably sound disingenuous. He tilted his head in a similar way to Gaming. “I just really appreciate that you thought of me enough to make me a dance.”

Gaming’s face turned back to a smile— Thank archons— and laughed as he pulled on Freminet’s hand once more to travel up the mountain with a new found pep in their step. As they traveled up, the dancer talked more about Wushou dancing; despite all the “boom-boom-pows!” and “turn, blink turn— that's one of my favorites—” that Freminet didn’t particularly understand without visuals, he was just grateful to have Gaming’s full attention again. 

Finally at what seemed to be the top of Mount Taiheng’s natural path, the diver's heart surely felt warm— but his legs definitely didn’t. He tried not to shiver from the breeze, he made a short sigh of extrusion, trying to look attentively at Gaming. Gaming wasn’t exhausted or cold seeming at all. Maybe it was because of his pyro vision, but he actually looked a little sweaty; his hands sure were. 

“You like the view, Fremmy?” Freminet, for a moment, thought the dancer was talking about himself , before he realized that Gaming was gesturing to the horizon. Finally letting his attention lead away from Gaming’s face, he looked at the horizon as well before letting out an awed breath. The sunrise was always pretty, but something he constantly missed. It was very similar to a sunset, which Freminet saw daily, but barely took any mind to in Fontaine unless he was appreciating it on the reflection of the sea. But… the sun was another being on the peak of a mountain. It was almost all encompassing at this angle; bright on a beautiful yellow and red sky, fluffy, white clouds were spread out like the wings of a god, the sun was warm and welcoming on his chilly face like a mother’s kiss. Freminet blinked, a little awestruck, as he heard the soft jingle of Gaming’s accessories, and the subtle warmth of Gaming’s pyro vision being used. 

When he looked back, Gaming was beaming, his lion mask over his head in all its glory. Suddenly, Freminet jumped back as the boy spun, the lion jaw snapping. As if a flaming fire was jumping into the air, Gaming masterfully pounced beside him, lowering and then suddenly snapping up as if it truly wasn’t a human controlling it, but a lion, true and alive, was dancing right in front of him. The lion made a few snaps with its jaws, making almost a tune as it looked away— then snapped back to blink at Freminet— turned away, then turned back— then made another pounce. Suddenly, Freminet’s smile was uncontrollable. 

He giggled at the lion’s antics as it suddenly took his hat in its mouth, throwing it up in the air to expertly land on its head. It fluttered its lashes as if asking if it were pretty with his hat on, before it did a spin and somehow managed to toss it onto Freminet’s head again. Gaming lifted his mask, flashing a smile and doing a little flamboyant pose. “Ta–dah! Welcome to Liyue!” 

Freminet couldn’t stop giggling like a giddy little girl, covering his mouth in effort to stop himself. Gaming laughed along, and suddenly, the world felt elated and like it— this scene— this sunset— that dance— was made just for him. Gaming didn’t really need to ask if Freminet liked it. He obviously did. 

“There it is,” Gaming grinned, blurtingly. “You finally smiled!” 

“Huh?” Freminet stopped for a moment, feeling himself flush. Gaming caught himself, looking both apologetic and a little sad that the moment ended. “Aw, don’t stop! Your laugh’s really funny.” 

“What? My laugh is…”

There was a sudden awkward silence, and Freminet remembered that he was cold. Gaming realized what he said, his eyes darted away. “Oh— gods, not in a funny bad way, in a funny cute way! Wait, no, that's worse…” Gaming struggled for a moment, Freminet feeling that weird mix of butterflies and sinking, anxiety again. “Its just that— uh— I haven’t gotten you to smile much! I was just getting afraid that I was starting to make you not like me, so it's nice to… sorry. That was really weird.” 

Freminet didn’t take his eyes off the other’s. If Gaming’s gaze were seas of gold, they would’ve been going through a tsunami of embarrassment and panic. Freminet’s eyes were the same anxious sea of thought, and he realized something a little strange. “Are… you trying to impress me?”

“Well, yeah. Who wouldn’t?” Gaming ran a nervous hand through his hair, suddenly a little quiet and withdrawn, as if that were even possible for someone like him.

 “I mean, you’re super cool— but like… super different. In— In a cool way! You’re so profound in your letters, and really smart, kinda like Xingqiu. But like… you’re even more than him! You’re like, super mysterious. And I guess I’m just… I’m not?” He sighed, shuffling on his feet and lowering his mask like a scolded kid. “You’re just so quiet and reserved and complex. And you don’t smile often. And you kind of flinch away from me sometimes, like I’m scaring you. And usually— I’m kind of the ‘people reader’ extraordinaire! And I thought I could read you, and maybe you were just anxious cause you’re new to the area, but like… you’re still not scared of me. And… I don’t know. You’re really hard for me to read. Am I like… freaking you out somehow?” 

Freminet blinked, both taken aback, minorly flattered, and confused. “I… you don’t have to try to impress me.”

“But like— I should! You’re so cool and… ugh.” Gaming huffed in a little frustration, and Fremient kept his voice even to mirror how Lynette often calmed Lyney down from acting so impulsively.

“I know I am hard to read,” he said softly, feeling a tinge of insecurity, “but I promise I’m happy and having a good time with you. You’re really kind to me, I just… am not used to it. Back at home I don’t have any real friends.”

Gaming paused, worry crossing his pretty face, only embarrassing Freminet further. “Wha… really? How are you friendless? You can’t be.”

“I am,” Freminet insisted with a sigh. “I am usually very alone. I don’t really talk to other people if I can help it— and I’m not friendly. I dive a lot, so usually the only company I have is the Romanitime flowers of the ocean. I don’t really have anyone but my siblings and… Pers. I have some imaginary friends too, so… maybe I’m not alone as I seem, but you’re the only friend I have outside of my family.” 

He looked down. 

“It’s… probably a lot of pressure for you. I’m sorry. If you need me to stop talking, or… smile more, I can. I tend to ruin things like this.” 

Gaming sniffled slightly, pausing at his words with wide and teary ears before he jumped to grab Freminet’s hands. He jumped at the suddenness, but tried to stifle it not to ruin the moment. “Fremmy, you should never feel like that! I–I’ll be your friend! Forever! Hell, I’ll be your best friend!” He looked down, hiding his face, but Freminet could tell his hands were shivering a little. Gaming felt very deeply, Freminet realized; and he never tried to hide it, unlike how he did. Gaming’s show of emotions were like a child’s: genuine and sweet. It was refreshing and a little endearing, but in a small part of him, he wished he could be like that again. Gaming squeezed his palms, and Freminet snapped out of his thoughts.

“You… I get worried about ruining things too. A lot. Sometimes, I kind of— overcompensate, and come off too strong. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to be quiet, or change for me. As long as I know you like me, I’ll be fine!” Gaming looked up with a shaky smile, and Freminet flushed a little at the certainness of his words. “Don’t worry, Fremmy. I’ll keep you so much company this week that you won’t feel lonely for a year!”

“I… I appreciate it,” Freminet nodded, then shivered slightly at the other’s hands letting go of his own. He smiled shyly. “Thank you.”