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A letter arrived.
To the House of the Heath,
I will be delayed in my return to Fontaine. An urgent matter has risen in Nod-Krai regarding the Second and Third Harbingers that requires my attention. I will send news as soon as I am able.
Father
And after Lyney, Lynette and Freminet returned from Nod-Krai after rendering their assistance, another letter arrived. This one more private.
Lyney,
Pass this news onto Lynette and Freminet, as I am sure you would have done even without my prompting, but read the full letter before you start overthinking.
As I’m writing this letter, the Traveler has been taken by the Doctor as part of some bizarre experiment. Columbina is missing as well. Sandrone and I have teamed up with an odd combination of people and we will find the Traveler. Rest assured, he will be fine. Remember who he is, the power he holds and the experience he has. The Doctor wants him alive, he will pull through.
Do not come to Nod-Krai again. I know the depths of your affections for the Traveler, but you are needed in Fontaine to watch over the House. I will send word when I can, or when we have recovered the Traveler and / or Columbina.
Father
”Don’t overthink, she says,” Lyney said hysterically, dropping the letter to cover his face with both hands. He knocked his hat off and it flopped to the sofa he was sat on and rolled onto the ground. “Like that’s easy.”
”She means to have faith in her.” Lynette plucked the letter up delicately to examine it.
“Father is strong.” Freminet nodded.
“If anyone can save the Traveler and Columbina, she can,” Lynette agreed. “Besides, she said she teamed up with people. Father wouldn’t team up with anyone she didn’t think was strong enough, and they have to be good if Miss Sandrone agreed to work with them.”
Lyney was forced to stay in Fontaine and wait for any news coming out of Nod-Krai. His worries only increased people started evacuating out of Nod-Krai and into neighbouring Nations. A letter came not long after that news erupted.
Lyney,
The Traveler is back. I can’t provide more details because we don’t have time, the battle with the Doctor draws closer. Do not come.
Father
“I’m going to die. I’m going to have a heart attack!” Lyney announced, laying on the floor spread-eagled.
“I think it’s funny she has to clarify every time that you shouldn’t go after her.” Lynette smiled behind a cup of tea.
“Will you finally make things official with the Traveler?” Freminet asked, tinkering with Pers on the floor in front of the fireplace.
“What!” Lyney squawked. “Also, call him Aether. Traveler is so… impersonal. He doesn’t really like it.”
”Did he tell you that?” Lynette asked.
“No, but… you can tell. I can see it on his face when someone calls him that versus when he’s called by name,” Lyney sighed. “And anyways, what’s this about making things official?”
”Don’t act like we don’t all know there’s something going on between you.” Lynette raised an eyebrow.
“It’s not like I tried to hide it, it’s just…” Lyney trailed off. It was true that there was something romantic blooming between him and Aether since they first met. They both knew they had feelings for each other, they’d even kissed before. But neither of them had made things official, and Lyney understood Aether felt guilty about travelling around and never being in the same place for a long time, he knew Aether hadn’t wanted to subject him to that. Lyney should have insisted he didn’t care, should have emphasised it, because now he didn’t care about any of that. He just wanted Aether. “Maybe.”
A day later, a portal opened in their living room.
“Good afternoon.” A pleasant voice came from it, startling all three of them.
“Miss Columbina?” Lynette’s eyes widened. ”Father!”
”Children,” Arlecchino greeted, standing behind Columbina. “I asked Columbina to open a portal for you, come now.”
Lyney was the first one through. The room on the other end was large and there were a lot of people gathered there. Lyney recognised the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius as one of them. Some of the others looked vaguely familiar, although he couldn’t place his finger on them.
“Is that all. Arlecchino?” Columbina asked, cocking her head to the side.
“That’s all, thank you, Columbina,” Arlecchino inclined her head. “I must return to Snezhnaya to report back to the Tsaritsa, then to Fontaine to bring Sandrone’s body to the Fontaine Research Institute. I believe she must have had some sort of contingency plan.”
”Sandrone’s body?” Freminet frowned.
“She was shorted out, during the fight with the Doctor,” Arlecchino clarified. “She will be fine, I’m sure. Anyways, you’re to stay here until I return from Snezhnaya, then we can return to Fontaine together.”
”Father…” Lyney began.
“The Traveler has a room at the Flagship. Go now, while his companion is here.” Arlecchino gestured to where Paimon floated near a woman with horns atop her head.
“Thank you, Father.” Lyney barely spared a glance before he left the room. He knew vaguely where the Flagship was from his last visit to Nod-Krai, so his steps were swift. It wasn’t long until he made it to the pub and entered. Considering it was still the middle of the day, it was rather empty and the bartender looked up at him from where he was wiping down some glasses.
“Afternoon, lad.”
”Where’s Aether’s room?” Lyney asked, frantic. “The – the Traveler.”
”Ah, friend of his? Nice of you to visit. Just through that door, and it’ll be the last room to your left.” He pointed. Lyney didn’t bother with thanks, just offering him a nod and hurrying in that direction. He knocked furiously on the door once he was stood in front of it, shuffling his feet anxiously.
“No more food, Demyan, I’ll burst –” Aether paused when he opened the door, his mouth opening slightly in shock when he laid his eyes on Lyney. The blond Fatuus scanned Aether from head to toe, taking in his golden hair tied back in a messy braid, the loose trousers he had on and the complete lack of a shirt. He was barefooted too, so domestic that it hurt Lyney’s heart a little just looking at him. He couldn’t see any injuries, just scars on his chest and arms. ”Lyney?”
”Aether.” Lyney breathed, almost reverently. He reached out with trembling hands and cupped Aether’s cheeks in them, brushing his thumb gently over Aether’s cheekbones.
“What are you doing here?” Aether asked, his voice soft. His own hands came up to curl around Lyney’s wrist, anchoring them.
“Father asked Columbina to make us a portal. I was so worried when I heard the Doctor took you, and then you… you fought him? The Doctor?” Lyney leaned his forehead against Aether’s closing his eyes.
“I’m okay,” Aether murmured, tugging Lyney closer until he fell into strong arms. Aether stepped back and shut the door, staying where he was to squeeze Lyney tightly against him. “I’m okay.”
”You’re okay,” Lyney repeated, comforted by the feeling of warm skin beneath his hands. He nosed at Aether’s neck, pressing his mouth to where his pulse point was and feeling the gentle thrumming (now slowly speeding up) beneath his lips. Aether inhaled sharply but his grip on Lyney only tightened. “Aether.”
”Hm?”
”Kiss me.”
Aether pulled away from the hug to kiss Lyney, one hand still wrapped around his waist. The other went up to cup his jaw, tilting his head just right for Aether to deepen the kiss. Lyney sighed, melting against Aether and kissing back enthusiastically. Aether tugged him closer, pressing their chests against each other and trailed his lips up Lyney’s cheek, kissing his way to a spot behind his ear and earning a gasp from the magician.
“Wait, wait.” Lyney spoke, breathless.
“Hm?” Aether moved away slightly, reluctant.
“Are you… okay?” Lyney asked, nudging Aether to step back a little so he could look at him properly. “Not… hurt?”
”Well, I got hurt a little but I heal quick. Just scars now.” Aether shook his head.
“Was it the Doctor?” Lyney asked grimly.
”This time,” Aether nodded. “We had another crisis here before he showed up. One of the sinners of Khaenri’ah.”
“What?” Lyney furrowed his eyebrows. “Wait, let’s… let’s sit. Tell me everything.”
Aether let Lyney lead him to the sofa by hand. The magician sat and nudged Aether to lay down with his head in Lyney’s lap, and his hands in those blond locks, brushing them away from his face gently.
“I. When we got here, I realised this was the place where my sister and I first landed on Teyvat. That our spaceship was here.”
”Really?” Lyney’s eyes widened. “Did you find it?”
”It was actually on the moon, but we’ll get to that.” Aether waved him off.
“The moon?” Lyney spluttered.
“Long story short, first we had to deal with the Sandrone and her Fatui troops. I won’t apologise for that.” Aether gave him a hard look.
“Wouldn’t expect you too.” Lyney pet the top of his head.
“They were looking for Columbina and… you know, intruding on Hiisi Island. Then, Rerir showed up…” Aether continued speaking, gesticulating with his hands as he recounted everything that had happened since he and Paimon arrived in Nod-Krai.
“Must’ve been difficult,” Lyney murmured, running his index finger down Aether’s nose, causing the other man to wrinkle it and squint. “Cute.”
“Comes with the territory, I guess.” Aether shrugged, sighing.
“Don’t you get tired? Don’t you want a break? It feels like anytime you tell me about your adventures, it’s always you getting roped into other people’s business.”
“Isn’t that how we started off?” Aether’s lips curled up.
“That’s –” Lyney’s cheeks flushed.
“I don’t mind it,” Aether said softly. “Sure, sometimes it’s a lot and I get tired but I like helping people. Especially when they’re good people.”
“Oh, Aether, you’re too good to us.” Lyney sighed.
“Hey, I don’t help everyone.” Aether laughed lightly.
“I’m… really glad you’re okay,” Lyney said after a pause. “I was so worried when I got the letter from Father saying you’d been kidnapped by the Doctor of all people. Then, we got another one saying you were back but now you were going to be fighting him? And she kept insisting I stay in Fontaine.”
“You wanted to come here?” Aether’s eyes widened in surprise.
“In a heartbeat.” Lyney said solemnly.
“Admittedly, I’m glad Arlecchino asked you to stay in Fontaine. I’d have been too worried if you were here. It was bad, we had to evacuate everyone out so we could avoid collateral damage.”
“That really doesn’t make me feel better.” Lyney deadpanned.
“I don’t want to… sugarcoat it.” Aether pulled a face.
“Don’t.”
“We were so close to being screwed. If Sandrone hadn’t sacrificed herself to help bring Columbina back, I don’t know if we would’ve been able to end it.” Aether shook his head.
“Aether… you could have died…”
“I’m not that easily killed,” Aether shook his head with a sad smile. “It’d take a lot more than that to keep me down. It would have hurt, and everyone else might have died, but I would have lived.”
Aether had never really elaborated on it, but Lyney got the sense that he wasn’t fully human. Just from the way he spoke, the odd expression that appeared on his face sometimes when he talked about the Archons, or when he mentioned something in his past that made it feel like it was millenia ago. The way he shrugged off injuries that would normally kill a regular person. He never brought it up, and so neither did Lyney.
“The most he did was torment me with his mind tricks, promise to bring my sister back to me even though I don’t think even he could do that.” Aether chuckled bitterly.
“Your sister, huh…” Lyney hummed. He only had an inkling of the feeling Aether must have all the time, for his twin sister was still by his side. He could only imagine how it must feel to be separated from his second half, as Aether was.
“She wouldn’t come back like that. Not my Lumine,” Aether sighed mournfully. “That’d be too easy.”
“You miss her. I can’t imagine –”
“You might be the person closest to understanding how it feels. You have a twin sister, and I hope you never have to know this feeling.” Aether gave him a smile and Lyney felt a pang in his chest, a deep hurt in his heart because how was it far that this kind boy who laid his head in Lyney’s lap, this sweet boy who offered to help so many people on his journey to finding the person most important to him, how was it fair that he felt such pain?
“Don’t give me that look,” Aether said softly, reaching up to poke Lyney’s cheek. “I’m not giving up, I’m almost at the end of this journey.”
“Just Snezhnaya now,” Lyney chuckled wetly. “Right?”
“Just Snezhnaya now,” Aether nodded. “Are you going to show me around?”
“Wh – really?” Lyney’s eyes widened.
“If you can find time away from your busy schedule. I’m sure Teyvat’s most famous magician has a booked schedule.” Aether teased.
“For you, my dear Aether, I’ll make time.” Lyney lifted Aether’s hand to press a kiss to his knuckles, earning a soft laugh from the golden haired Traveler.
“Flatterer.”
“Just for you.”
Aether rolled his eyes fondly, pulling his hand out of Lyney’s to tug the other man down by his neck and press their lips together once more. He smiled into the kiss, lifting himself up slightly with his other arm so the angle was a little less awkward, but he didn’t break the kiss.
“Aether, Aether, amore,” Lyney whispered against his lips, pulling away to cup his face tenderly. “Can I… will you be my partner? Properly?”
“Is that not unfair to you?” Aether had a slightly pained expression on his face as he sat up properly, thighs pressed against Lyney’s. The other man laced their fingers together, laying their joined hands on his own thigh.
“It never was. But even less so now, because I won’t let you be alone anymore,” Lyney said seriously. “I should have asked when you kissed me the first time. I shouldn’t have let you walk away from me.”
“I left my heart with you.” Aether leaned closer, brushing his nose against Lyney’s cheek.
“You took mine with you,” Lyney murmured, his breath hitching as Aether trailed his lips across Lyney’s cheek, slowly inching back to his lips. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Aether merely hummed, then in one swift movement placed both his hands on Lyney’s hips and lifted him as though he weighed nothing. He dropped Lyney in his lap and tightened his grip on him, cocking his head to the side.
“I’ll be your partner.” He said slowly, leaning in. Lyney’s face flushed even more at the realisation that he had been lifted so easily by Aether. That was really attractive, he thought.
“My partner.” He repeated, as if testing the words on his tongue.
“Yours.” Aether nodded.
“Mine.”