Chapter Text
Mualani can feel the approach of her goddess, she's sure of it.
At first some people were getting hopeful every time a ship approached, but Mualani wasn't really one of them - if Mavuika and Xilonen were coming back so early it probably wouldn't be for good reasons, she's pretty sure.
In the last couple of months there have been more ships, often bringing crates of things marked for delivery to the Archon's storerooms at the Stadium. Some of them are heavy. The People of the Springs have a pier now, one that goes all the way out to the deeper water where the ships can anchor. It makes it a lot easier for both cargo and passengers, so the tribe agreed it was worth the effort.
It's been three months since they left. Mualani is so proud of herself and her friends - everything's going great, Natlan's doing fine and Mavuika's going to be proud of them, she's sure of it. There's so much to tell both her and Xilonen about what's been happening.
It's a day like any other today, as far as Mualani can tell, but something just feels different. Feels right. Like the sun is warmer, the light is brighter, everything's just - whole, in a way it hasn't been since Mavuika and Xilonen left.
So when the word comes in from the watchposts along the coast that a boat is approaching, Mualani doesn't care that the reports say it's definitely Fontainian. She knows Mavuika is on that boat, and of course Xilonen will be with her.
Mualani runs to Amina. They have to be ready - it's the honour of the People of the Springs to welcome their Archon and their Archon's wife home to Natlan, and they have to do it properly.
"If you're sure," Amina says. "I guess the worst that will happen is that everybody has a nice time anyway."
On notice this short there's only so much they can do, but by early afternoon the roasting pits are roasting and the grills are warming up, and Mualani has made contact with Chasca and Kinich and Iansan, and Kinich is going to make sure Citlali and Ororon know and Chasca has promised to bring Kachina.
Mualani is so excited. It's a good thing it's her task today to run around letting people know, because if she wasn't running around she'd probably explode.
Late in the afternoon the boat is drawing up to the beach and Mualani waves so hard her arm could fall off because that's them. Mavuika, looking radiant as only the Pyro Archon can, waving to the crowd forming on the beach as Xilonen pilots the boat. Mavuika's bike is gleaming on the boat's deck.
It's the most amazing day since their wedding. Mualani's so happy.
~
"Should've seen that coming," Xilonen says, looking at the crowded beach.
"Looks like they missed us," Mavuika says, waving.
"Missed you," Xilonen corrects her. "You're the Archon. They won't even notice I'm here."
"I bet you a week of unlimited compliments Mualani hugs you before she even says hello to me and so many people want to hug you you're going to hate it." Mavuika changes her waving angle to a different section of the crowd.
Xilonen slows the boat and flicks the switch to start unwinding the anchor cable. The crowd is - spontaneously, as far as she can tell - starting to sing a hymn to the Archon. "When I win we're going to have sex in my workshop."
"You say that like I wouldn't be happy to do that anyway," Mavuika says.
"Be honest, Mavuika." The boat comes to a halt only a little way away from the new pier. "What could I bet that you wouldn't give me if I just asked for it?" She kills the motor.
"Fair." Mavuika mounts her bike and starts the engine. "Let's arrive in style, shall we?"
"Of course." Xilonen gets on behind her, wrapping her arms firmly around Mavuika's waist. "Love you. I won't be upset when I don't see you for four hours past your adoring people."
"Love you," Mavuika says, and guns it.
~
The hymn ends, and another doesn't start. Mualani thinks the whole crowd is holding their breath as they watch Mavuika and Xilonen mount the bike.
It's probably silly to expect that there'll be something magical about the moment the Archon touches the land again.
The flamestrider's engine roars and it leaps forward, wings of flame bursting from the exhaust as it soars through the air to the beach. It lands in a scatter of sand that glitters in the sun like a rainbow and spins in a circle before they stop. Xilonen dismounts, and Mualani can't wait a moment longer.
~
Mavuika doesn't let the smugness show in her expression as she steadies the bike against the impact of Mualani all but tackling Xilonen into a hug that bumps both of them into the side of the machine before she can even dismount.
"Hey, Mualani, I -" Xilonen starts to say, and that's when Kachina crashes into both of them.
Mavuika smiles and turns to accept her welcome from Amina.
The people waiting to greet Mavuika are a lot more orderly, lining up respectfully. It's to be expected, of course, but it's still a subtle ache in the place that has always felt the distance that comes with being the Archon -
- until she feels the warmth against her side as someone hugs her.
She looks down. It's Kachina, looking terrified but determined, and Mavuika feels a rush of - all kinds of emotions, actually. She looks across her bike as she hugs the kid back and sees Xilonen watching, smiling, before Xilonen turns away again to accept a hug from someone Mavuika wasn't even aware Xilonen knew.
"As I was saying," Mavuika says, turning back to Amina with her arm still around Kachina's shoulders. "It's wonderful to be home."
~
It's almost dawn when they actually reach the Stadium. Mavuika reluctantly concedes that there's enough to do that Xilonen can't go to bed any more than she can; she doesn't like Xilonen's argument that missing only one night's sleep in a row is nothing, but Xilonen is firm that she's not going to sleep alone and they both know Mavuika won't be able to sleep until she's at least spoken to the Council and heard a summary of how Natlan has fared in their absence, so that's that.
Most of the people Mavuika wants to talk to were at the same party they were last night, but about all Mavuika got in terms of reports was that everything's fine, nothing dramatic happened.
Xilonen has her doubts.
There's an extra table in Mavuika's office, very long and apparently there for people to place stacks of written notes about the operations of Natlan while the Archon was gone. Word has also, they're assured, been sent to all of the tribes, and the tribe leaders will be coming to the Stadium as soon as possible.
Chasca arrives with a sleepily happy Mualani not long after Xilonen and Mavuika do. Mualani is eager to show Mavuika her category system for the written records, and Chasca has more detailed verbal summaries of what's been going on than the ones Mavuika's had so far.
Xilonen leaves them to it and takes her kettle down to the workshop. Her workshop, where she's going to have sex with Mavuika even though she lost the bet because Mavuika is indulgent anyway but also definitely finds it hot too.
But not right now. They have a lot to do.
Xilonen deliberately does not look at the little desk where the apprentices will have stacked any commissions that are waiting for Xilonen herself to do. She is looking forward to seeing what the kids have done while she was gone, but that's going to have to wait too.
Unpacking the kettle completely is going to take weeks, assuming she doesn't just keep using it as a nice, convenient place to store really a lot of materials and projects where no-one will mess with them, but it's extremely important that Mavuika doesn't ever look like she's playing favourites, so they need all of the gifts for the tribes to be ready before Mavuika presents any of them.
Xilonen has some individual presents for her friends as well, but she's not the Archon.
For the Scions of the Canopy they have Inazuman hardwoods they can use to make their home both stronger and prettier. The Masters of the Night-Wind get Mondstadt dandelion wine, which is reputed to have some slightly mystical qualities Xilonen is sure they'll enjoy investigating. The Flower-Feather Clan are getting Liyuean silks that will let their balloons soar higher than ever before, and Xilonen has Fontainian sensor devices for the People of the Springs that will monitor for water disturbances further from the shore than they've been able to before.
The Children of Echoes will, she thinks, enjoy some tools for preventing subsidence that the desert-dwellers of Sumeru use, as well as some texts on geological analysis from the Akademiya that Alhaitham and Nahida both assured them are actually worth something. And for the Collective of Plenty, there's a substantial collection of seeds for them to grow everything from jueyun chillies to lavender melon.
She gets the representative samples of their gifts set up in the Speaker's Chamber in good time. Xilonen would absolutely love to go and do any one of a range of other things - start giving her friends their presents, go look at what her apprentices have been doing, have a nap in the Natlan sun for the first time in months - but things aren't quite the way they were before they went on their trip.
Before the wedding she was the Archon's girlfriend, which is a position that officially speaking means absolutely nothing. Now she's the Archon's wife, and for something like the official presentation of the Archon's gifts to the tribes Xilonen has to be present, or it might cause friction.
She's pretty sure she could get away with not showing up for the Children of Echoes, Pacal knows her and knows what she's like, but it might actually risk diminishing his position in the eyes of the other tribes if they found out about it. He'd forgive her, but she doesn't want that to happen in the first place, so she has to show up for that too.
And if the tribal leaders arrive close together enough that they do the presentations together it wouldn't even be an option.
The worst part is that she spent too much time talking to Miko about being her god's chosen one, and what it means to carry that association in public, and that vicious vixen did actually convince Xilonen of some things. Among them that Xilonen can't show up to important official events looking like she just finished DJing a set at her tribe's dance night.
She's not going to change her whole personality, or anything, but she can replace all the lightning bolts on her clothes and jewellery with pyro symbols and maybe make it a little more elegant.
These rings, little one. While I admit they show a touch more class than brass knuckles, they do serve rather the same purpose, don't they?
Xilonen is quite relieved to have multiple continents between them again. Regardless of what Mavuika and Ei seem to think, they are not friends.
After a week Mavuika is still working from dawn until she runs out of people who are willing to be awake to work with her and falls into bed. Xilonen thinks she's overdoing it - everything has clearly been fine and Mavuika does not need to know every detail of everything she missed across all of Natlan within the first week - but she's pretty confident she doesn't actually need to say anything, because Mavuika will stop working past midnight and then getting up at dawn when she realises that Xilonen was serious about not sleeping if Mavuika didn't.
Xilonen is making a great personal sacrifice for love by not taking naps in that time. She's really missed Natlan's sun and the warmth of red stone that's baked in it.
By the eighth day Xilonen is more exhausted than she's been in most of a year and can't quite believe she used to do this kind of thing to herself all the time. She still has plenty of things to do herself, and today that includes going to Citlali's place.
"Oh, you're back," Citlali says when she answers the door. "More questions, I suppose."
"Nope. Got you a present." Xilonen holds up the paper-wrapped package. "From Inazuma."
Citlali's eyes widen. "Get in here."
Xilonen drops into a chair inside. "Funny story," she says. "We met Yae Miko, the owner of the Yae Publishing House." Citlali sits across from her, and Xilonen hands her the package. "I did her a favour. We also talked about the whole heat thing and it gave her an idea for a new genre."
Citlali is opening the package, and taking out the novel with reverence. "A first edition in a new genre?" she exclaims. "That's amazing!" She opens the cover. "Wait, what -" There's something written inside the cover.
"It's actually -" Xilonen starts to say.
"The first ever copy printed of the first edition of the first book in a new genre?!" Citlali sort of screeches. "With an inscription by YAE HERSELF for authenticity?" Citlali sets it back on the desk like she's worried it will explode. "This is the best and most awful thing you could ever do to me!" She clenches her fists. "Now I'll have to wait who knows how long for another copy so I can read it!"
Xilonen blinks. "Why not read that one?"
"And bend the spine? Of the first copy ever printed? Are you crazy?"
"Ah," Xilonen says.
"This is the most collectible thing I've ever touched!" Citlali almost yells.
"That's... good, right?" Xilonen asks carefully. "Like, this is still a thing you want and I don't need to find a different present?"
Citlali huffs. "Yes, it's good. It's amazing. Are you seriously telling me that Yae Miko of the Yae Publishing House owed you a favour and you turned that favour into a gift? For me?"
"Well, yeah." Xilonen nods. "I know you really like the stuff she puts out."
Citlali looks... emotional. Levels of emotional Xilonen doesn't really understand, at this point.
"I maybe." Citlali pauses, takes a breath. "I might be seeing someone. I don't exactly know for sure. We're definitely - there's some kind of emotional connection involved and I'm considering being more open to - to having reason to remember people."
Xilonen smiles. "That's great, Citlali. I'm really happy for you."
"Yes. Well." Citlali looks away. "You're a good kid, Xilonen."
Xilonen tilts her head. "Would you like me to leave now and give you time to process that amount of emotional honesty? I can come back another day."
"You know what - yes. Please do."
Xilonen nods and stands. "Anyone I know?" If Citlali's carrying someone else's scent Xilonen's never going to be able to pick it up past the herbs and incense and alcohol.
Citlali looks shifty. "You offered to leave."
"Got it." Xilonen starts heading for the door.
"Wait," Citlali says. "What favour did you even do for Yae Miko of the Yae Publishing House?"
"I helped her hook up with the Electro Archon," Xilonen says, absolutely deadpan. "I'm apparently the world's leading expert on seducing Archons."
"Oh, very funny," Citlali snaps.
Xilonen skates home, enjoying stretching her legs in Natlan, scooping phlogiston from the flames and using it to go faster, easier, than she could anywhere else they went. Enjoys too being somewhere neither she nor Mavuika gets anxious about being out of each other's sight.
When she reaches the Stadium she doesn't hesitate to enter the Speaker's Chamber. She's no longer required to do more than a courtesy knock, because firstly it's the way to get to the rooms she lives in, and secondly she's married to the Archon and apparently no-one expects anything to do with official Archon business to be a secret from Xilonen ever again.
As it turns out, the Chamber is empty. Mavuika is actually in their rooms, reading through reports. She looks up at Xilonen and smiles.
"Have a good nap?"
People used to only say that sarcastically, Xilonen remembers.
"I wasn't napping. I took Citlali her present," Xilonen tells her.
Mavuika frowns. "We didn't get much sleep last night. You still have time before the sun gets low.'
Xilonen drops onto the couch and picks up Kachina's notebook. She's going through the notes and sketches and things her apprentices did while she was gone so she can organise her thoughts and plans for their lessons, as well as give them feedback. "No, we're working. It would be inappropriate for me to be taking naps while you're still working."
"No it wouldn't." Mavuika lowers the report she was reading.
"Well I'm not going to." Xilonen starts writing. You put a lot of work into this and you did really well, but there's a better approach you could use instead. I'll show you.
"Xilonen."
"Mavuika."
"You need sleep."
"So do you."
"Xilonen, I have work to do."
"Mmhm. Me too."
"You don't have to do that right now."
"Neither do you." Xilonen can tell Mavuika is getting frustrated. She keeps her own tone very mild.
Mavuika makes a little growling sound that is, Xilonen thinks, one of the cutest things she's ever heard.
"That's the cutest sound I've ever heard," she says aloud. It deserves acknowledgment.
"Xilonen," Mavuika huffs.
Xilonen smiles, not looking up from her notes. "If you're wondering why you're getting annoyed more easily than usual it's probably not the lack of sleep," she says. "You're more than strong enough to handle that."
"I know," Mavuika says. "But -"
"It's probably the lack of sex. You're not used to that any more."
Very good. A creative solution. Proud of you, she writes.
Mavuika has gone very still.
"We haven't - when -"
"Sumeru. The night before we headed back to Port Ormos."
The problem wasn't your design. It was the materials. I'll talk to Alom.
"I didn't - are you -" Mavuika looks excessively appalled, Xilonen thinks.
"I'm fine. I knew you were a workaholic when I married you," Xilonen says, because she is and she did.
"But I've hardly said a word to you that wasn't about work since we got home."
"That's true."
"Have I so much as kissed you?"
"No."
"Did you even have lunch today?" Mavuika demands, and -
"Oops." Xilonen winces. That wasn't even intentional, she genuinely forgot while she was showing her apprentices how to build a phlogiston power circuit, and then she was going to see Citlali.
"Xilonen!" Mavuika is putting down her paperwork. "Come with me. You're going to eat something and then we're going to bed."
"But your paperwork -"
"Can wait."
Xilonen lets Mavuika take her hand and draw her up from the couch. "I'm going to draw your attention to that kisses thing." There were a few times Xilonen tried to initiate, but Mavuika was too distracted.
"I'm so sorry, Xilonen," Mavuika says, and finally Xilonen is being kissed, slow and tender and making her acutely aware that she's also used to regular sex, these days.
"I'm really not upset," Xilonen says when they part, aware she definitely will be sounding a little breathless. "We were gone a long time. I've had your attention to myself a lot lately. It was Natlan's turn."
Mavuika kisses her again. "That's no excuse. I'll do better from now on," she says firmly, and kisses along Xilonen's jaw to her neck.
Xilonen's stomach rumbles. She's just slightly too slow to cover it with a moan. "Food, then bed," Mavuika says.
"No, no. Bed then food," Xilonen tries, but Mavuika's attention is entirely on her now and she knows it isn't going to work.
She'll just have to accept Mavuika making her lunch and feeding it to her between kisses while Xilonen straddles her lap, which... it'll do.
There were quite a few times on their travels when Xilonen thought longingly of the very nice bed Mavuika ordered the day Xilonen agreed to dating and had installed in her bedroom as soon as it was finished, to replace the very utilitarian one she'd had before. (Technically it wasn't really big enough for two people, but Mavuika seems to like letting Xilonen sleep more or less on top of her as much as Xilonen likes doing it, so.)
For some reason the prospect of actually having sex in it again doesn't seem to be enough motivation to move when she's eaten enough to satisfy Mavuika and can just stay right here, demanding and getting all the kisses she's clearly owed after a week of outrageous neglect. Mavuika slides her coat off her arms, then unfastens her top, and Xilonen leans back enough to make it easy for Mavuika to put her mouth to her breasts and ignite a line of fire that seems to go from there to her heart to her belly.
She used to go all month between heats without sex and it didn't bother her at all, but now barely more than a week and a half feels like it's been an age.
"Bedroom," Mavuika says.
"Not stopping," Xilonen tells her firmly, and gets exactly the reaction she expects. Mavuika's hands move to under her thighs and she stands, easily carrying Xilonen to bed without interrupting her very important task at all.
Xilonen is not even going to pretend she doesn't think it's sexy when Mavuika does this kind of thing. "I love it when you do this," she says. "You're so hot."
"I'm the Pyro Archon. Being hot is my job," Mavuika says, and Xilonen is going to have some kind of revenge for that... later.