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With the Lantern Rite festival coming down to a close, many Liyue residents had started taking down the decorations littered around the Harbor. The lanterns stored safely away in basements downstairs and ribbons cut and trashed or stored in a closet for the next year.
Alongside Lantern Rite being over, many overseas visitors from around Teyvat had started returning back home on their ships or wagons.
Freminet, despite coming to visit Liyue from Fontaine with his siblings, Lyney and Lynette had left about a few days earlier than he had because he decided that he wanted to stay in the Harbor for an additional week. Thankfully he had gotten special permission from Father to do.
The only main reason why he wanted to stay in Liyue for longer was because of Gaming. The lion-dancer he had met walking around in the Harbor about a year ago. He was a year older than Freminet, about half a head shorter than him and a whole lot more extroverted than he was which made conversations a lot more easier. Despite Gaming doing most of the talking, Freminet started feeling more comfortable with social interactions and started to open up more (which made Lyney and Lynette really happy).
They had instantly clicked the moment they met, talking about their hobbies and their little pets (friends) and despite Gaming roping the Fontainian boy into just about everything he did. Such as introducing him to his other friends from the Harbor, taking him around the area to drink tea, and eat Liyue style seafood. He would perform his dances for him in the late nights at Qiaoyang village as the blonde would eagerly watch as he sat on large rocks by the edge of the village. Freminet finally felt like he had made a friend other than his siblings at the House and maybe Charlotte.
But another reason was because Freminet liked Gaming a lot. Not just in a friendly way, but maybe something a bit more than just that. The way the dancer presented himself was something that the diver always admired. He was confident, extroverted, and friendly. Somebody who liked other people and somebody that everybody wanted to be around.
He wasn’t necessarily super popular in Liyue, but he was fairly well-known due to his job as a guard in the harbor and traveling back and forth across the country.
Freminet occasionally envied the way that Gaming could speak to new people without being afraid of tripping over his own words or misunderstood. He envied how easily the boy could make friends as he hung by his side trying his best not to be noticed.
When he asked about it, Gaming had simply told him that he got his personality from his mother but when Freminet tried pushing the topic further, he would always get quiet and his eyes would get misty.
Despite a few awkward first conversations and encounters with Gaming’s other friends from the Harbor, Freminet eventually started getting along with a few of them. He found the chef at Wanmin restaurant pretty easy to get along with and Lan Yan who grew up in the same village with Gaming. She was about two years older than him, but was easy-going and the two even talked about similar basket-weaving and mechanical engineering was to one another.
Freminet also liked the physical aspects of Gaming as well. The way he dressed himself was both casual and stylish, a lion-dragon pendent dangling off of his side as his clothes were mostly in a simple red-black color palette.
Freminet adored his hair, the way he tied it up in a half-up half-down hairstyle with the dark red dye underneath. The Blonde also took note of the eyebrow piercing hidden underneath his bangs, recalling that the boy had told him about it a short while ago.
”Yeah, my dad got so pissed when I pierced my eyebrow, like bro—how’s an eyebrow piercing going to affect my job?”
”It took a lot of talking to for my dad to kinda accept the fact that I would be keeping this thing. But he still makes me cover it up when we go visit relatives, which is expected, so that’s why I grew out my bangs.”
”I see… so who pierced it for you?”
”Oh! I think it was… hmm yeah it was Xingqiu. He said that he learned about piercings from the seniors in the Guhua Clan.” Gaming said, thinking about it as he grinned.
”Isn’t Xingqiu’s family very particular about that stuff? But everyone there has a piercing?” Freminet questioned, he recalled Xingqiu telling him about how the Guhua clan all pierce their ears at birth no matter the gender of the child.
Gaming nodded, “Correct, ear piercing is a traditional skill taught to everyone in the Guhua clan, which was the reason why it was very easy to convince Xingqiu to pierce my eyebrow. He’s such a good piercer that mine has never got infected once before. But if you take care of your piercing very well, it’s very unlikely it will get infected.”
But aside from his hair or his piercings, Freminet also found beauty in Gaming’s facial moles and his features. The young man was handsome, and the diver couldn’t doubt that.
So it came as a huge surprise when Gaming had told him one night during Lantern rite when they had been just outside of the Harbor releasing Xiao Lanterns that he liked him. Upon hearing his confession, Freminet had shyly returned his feelings, stumbling over his words like a fool.
When he told his siblings that night, they had done a mixture of both congratulating and teasing him. Lyney playfully ruffling Freminet’s hair as Lynette made a few cheeky comments from off to the side.
”Congratulations little brother, so when is the first date? When is the wedding?”
”We aren’t— at least not yet!”
”Congratulations Freminet, when are you guys making it official?”
Since Lyney and Lynette had went back to Fontaine a few days ago, Freminet had decided to stay in Gaming’s little hometown for the next few days before he would have to go back.
Freminet had heard about the stories that Gaming had shared about him and his father’s complicated relationship. He knew that Gaming had run away from home before and lived in someone who he called “Aunty Xianyun’s” abode, but after things had resolved, had came back home and their relationship had been so much better since then.
Gaming and Freminet had spent the day in the Harbor together before returning back to the dancer’s abode at night. His father was on a buisness trip so Gaming had full responsibility of the entire house for the entire week.
”Fremi! I can’t believe that you have to go back to Fontaine in three days, I wish you could stay here forever! This house will feel so empty without you.” Gaming cried, collapsing on top of of the boy in a big heap as Freminet gently clung onto him.
”I know! I want to stay longer as well. Maybe when I graduate out of the house, Father will let me stay here, but I still have to stay at the house until I’m at least 21.”
Gaming seemed to playfully complain, sliding off of the blonde as he rolled over. “Aww.. I understand it though. I look forward to seeing you maybe living in Liyue one day. There are so many cool places around here to live at.”
”…Maybe one day we could live together.” Gaming playfully teased, whispering into Freminet’s ear as the two boys giggled amongst one another.
”I really hope that we do… maybe one day.” Freminet lamented, head lulling to the side so he could see Gaming’s face.
”Say, Freminet… uhh back at Lantern rite when we confessed our feelings for each, you said that this was your first time having feelings for another person right?” Gaming questioned, shuffling up into a sitting position as the blonde followed, a heat rising in his cheeks as he held back a small grin.
”Yeah, it is..” Freminet glanced away, a little bit ashamed to be feeling this way as he heard Gaming stifle some laughter.
”Don’t be so nervous Fremi, it’s just me here.” Gaming reassured, taking the blonde’s hands in his own, rubbing over his knuckles with his thumbs as he brought the back of his hand up to kiss.
This had been a reoccurring habit Gaming liked to do to Freminet, as well as frequently holding his hand around the Harbor. The diver didn’t think too much of it until the dancer had confessed his feelings to him that night.
Freminet visibly jolted and Gaming stopped himself, removing his grasp from his the diver’s wrist. “Oh— sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?”
”No, no. Not at all, but I wanted to ask uh… erm. Nevermind.” Freminet shook his head, looking up as Gaming could clearly see that his face was flushed with embarrassment.
”Huh? Now I’m really curious Fremi, what did you want to ask me?” Gaming questioned, playfully interrogating him as he tried to make eye contact with the other boy.
”Aha, it’s it’s nothing don’t worry about it…” Freminet muttered, feeling even more bashful than before as he giggled under his breath.
”Fremi?” Gaming asked again, his eyes turning playfully serious as Freminet averted his gaze.
”Hah… alright fine. I’ll tell you i’ll tell you.” Freminet giggled. “I’ve never…”
Gaming’s curiosity seemed to rise as he grinned. “Come on, say it…”
”I’ve never… kissed anybody ever. And I was wondering if we… if… we could you know…” Freminet stammered, covering his face in embarrassment as Gaming embraced him in a hug, laughing as the blonde half-screamed under his breath.
”So that was it huh? You just want a kiss, that sounds pretty fun.” Gaming said, pulling away from Freminet as the boy looked up, his face still red as he nodded.
”I’m sorry! That was a weird request… we don’t have to—if you don’t…“
”Aww, no need to be so embarrassed about it, i’m always happy to help out.”
”Really?” Freminet asked, a hand went up to touch his lips as he stared at the dancer before him.
”Of course! It’s just us here at this house, nobody’s going to catch us.”
”Have you ever…?” Freminet questioned, slight worry riddled within his gut a little as Gaming nodded.
”Yeah..”
Something in Freminet’s gut seemed to drop, it still showed just how inexperienced the boy truly was. He was Eighteen years old and he’d never once kissed anybody or dated anyone in his life. He felt so behind at times but he wasn’t going to say anything about it.”
Curiosity got the better of him and he felt the urge to ask, “with who if I may ask?”
Gaming awkwardly scratched his head, “Ah… Lan Yan, Chongyun, and Xingqiu.”
The Wushou dancer had dated Lan Yan back in their junior and her senior year of high school but the two decided that being friends was much better and eventually broke up. Chongyun and Xingqiu had been a rather funny story to tell because Chongyun had gone to Gaming first for some “practice” in case he were to ask Xingqiu out. Meanwhile Xingqiu had simply asked him to kiss out of boredom, but also secretly because he wanted to ask Chongyun out in the future.
So no wonder they all were so close to each other.
”Ah I see…” Freminet said, unable to hide his jealous tone as Gaming immediately picked up on the innuendo.
”Don’t worry, most of them were platonic. Freminet, I promise I’ll make your first kiss memorable trust.” Gaming said, a hand going up to caress Freminet’s face.
”The first thing you want to do is build the tension, break the ice a little bit. But since we already know each other pretty well that part’s taken care of.” Gaming lamented, taking his other free hand to gently hold the blonde’s hand. He shuffled closer to the diver as Freminet couldn’t hold back a nervous smile.
”The second thing you want to do is get real close and go for it.” Gaming whispered, his hand reaching up to caress Freminet’s face. The blonde giggled at the touch, visibly ticklish as the Wushou dancer returned the grin.
”Also… closing your eyes is great too. Don’t stress too much about it, it’ll come naturally trust.”
The older boy leaned forward a little, so close that their faces were mere inches away from touching. Freminet closed his eyes when Gaming had leaned in and brought them together.
It was both underwhelming and exhilarating at the same time. This felt like bumping shoulders with someone in a boat, but at the same time he really liked Gaming a lot—the butterflies in his stomach fluttering with excitement.
He could feel Gaming grinning against him as he gently pulled away, lashes fluttering as he smiled. “How… how do you feel about it? Oh my god, it’s been such a long time since I’ve kissed someone…I’m way out of my prime!” Now it was the lion dancer’s turn to feel a little embarrassed himself.
”It… it was good. It feels kinda like bumping shoulders with someone in a boat but doing it with you… it’s incredible. I’ve never felt anything like that before. Can we…do it again?”
Gaming’s heart almost fluttered when he saw that almost desperate looking expression across his not-boyfriend’s face. “Of course we can Fremi!”
Freminet was much more prepared this time, leaning back up into Gaming, feeling the dancer’s hand on his cheek as he half-heartedly placed his hands on the dancer’s waist.
He still felt unsure of where exactly to place his hands and every position felt awkward itself. He had read in his storybooks that people usually placed their hands on the other person’s waist. So Freminet decided to copy it a little, clinging onto his shirt and sweats for a bit of support.
Despite the sensation still feeling quite unfamiliar to the Diver, Gaming’s touch made him feel like he had years of experience.
Gaming pulled away, a faint blush across his face as he had a completely new expression riddled across his face that Freminet had never seen before.
”Can I… use my tongue? Do one of those Fontainian style kisses? If you’re okay with it of course. No pressure.” Gaming shakingly muttered as Freminet nodded. There was no way he was going to pass up an opportunity like this.
The Wushou dancer’s hand went back up to Freminet’s face, kissing him passionately as he could feel his other hand slowly snaking under his sweatshirt, feeling his back muscles as he had left his diving suit out to dry last night.
Freminet felt Gaming’s mouth open ever so slightly and his tongue prodding at his lips. The blonde parted his lips, letting the older boy in as he let out one of the worst sounds he had ever made in his life.
Gaming giggled, “too brash? I’m sorry, let’s start with something a little more light okay?” He said, pulling away as his hands moved down towards Freminet’s waist. He pulled the blonde closer to him as he leaned down towards Freminet’s neck to kiss it.
Freminet sighed, feeling Gaming’s soft lips press against his throat. He was so warm and so soft that this felt like a dream. Gaming’s gentle yet firm grip on his waist didn’t seem to loosen as he gently sucked on the nape of Freminet’s neck.
”Wait—“ Freminet suddenly called out, causing Gaming to glance up. “What is it Fremi?”
”Don’t leave any marks there… sorry. If Father or my siblings see it, they’re gonna tease me to no end.” The diver’s face was red, glancing away as he remembered the time Lyney had came home from a date with the Traveler with marks all over his neck. Father had been out on a Fatui mission at that time so Freminet and Lynette had been responsible to help their brother cover up the marks as fast as possible with a cold spoon.
Their plan was busted when Father had came home early and caught them all in the act. But she wasn’t angry with Lyney, all she had told him to do was to practice safe sex or abstinence which embarrassed Lyney to no end.
”Gotcha. Leave no marks.” Gaming nodded, pecking Freminet on the cheek as leaned back in for another kiss.
Freminet’s quiet whimpers and moans made Gaming feel like he was in heaven. A hand slowly snaking up his sweatshirt as he caressed his bare waist and back underneath. So no diving suit today huh? Must’ve left it out to dry.
Freminet noticed the touch, he noticed their kiss deepening and Gaming’s wandering hands on his body. They caressed his waist, his thighs, and his face and wanting to replicate it, Freminet shyly edged his hand underneath Gaming’s top.
He could feel the dancer’s lean muscles, feeling him up as they passionately kissed. Freminet felt as if he was on top of the world.
Gaming’s touch, everything, being so close to him. This felt like something right out of his storybooks. It was fun, but he was getting really exhausted so quickly.
”Fremi, do you want me to help you get off?” Gaming hoarsely muttered, pulling away as Freminet panted, collapsing onto Gaming’s bed as he caught his breath.
”Ah, no more. No more please, I wasn’t this exhausted when I went diving that one time in the Primordial Sea.” Freminet said, his arm reaching up to cover his eyes as Gaming nodded and laid down besides him.
”Alrighty, I won’t push it any further. Let’s stop for now and lie down together.” Gaming said, laying down next to him as he caressed the blonde’s face.
He never noticed just how many freckles the diver had, tracing over them with his finger as Freminet giggled. “Ticklish huh?” Gaming said, a cunning smile creeping onto his face as Freminet could barely register what happened next.
Gaming’s hands playfully attacking his sides and underarms as he squealed and couldn’t hold back his laughter, the red-haired boy collapsing on top of him as he sighed.
”So all this, what does it make us?”
”Boyfriends?”
”Yeah, boyfriends.”