When Aether woke up in a foreign room, his first instinct was to draw out his sword. Who wouldn't, if they'd gone to sleep on their bed and woke up somewhere completely unknown?
He sat up and looked around frantically. "What the…?"
Hearing himself, one of his hands went to his throat in a panic; that wasn't his voice, that was Lumine's. Only after that did he realize that the sword he was holding wasn't his, but rather the sword he'd seen Lumine fight the Herald with, all those months ago. Only to confirm his suspicions, his hand went to his hair; it was short, with longer bangs.
His initial shock subsided once he realized what was going on, and he sighed in exasperation. Of course, of course, this had to happen eventually. Usually, the two would be together whenever the swap occurred, but given the current circumstances, this could prove to be quite the nuisance.
While he was sure Lumine was grief-stricken by their separation, she wasn't stupid; in his body, she could easily gather information about the Abyss' whereabouts—his whereabouts. Aether missed his sister dearly as well, and on more than one occasion he was tempted to give everything up just to be reunited with her again, but his goal, his reasons, were rock solid.
His sister needed to see the situation of each nation before she could ever hope to understand him.
The swap, a forgotten occurrence, would complicate things.
Then again, it was possible Lumine hadn't actually forgotten and was waiting for this to happen to investigate; Aether rubbed his forehead in frustration. She could be unpredictable on occasion.
"Lumineee~! Are you awake already? Paimon is hungry! Can we go to the kitchen to have breakfast, please?" came a squeaky voice from a balcony attached to the room, and soon a flying fairy came flying in his direction.
"I'm not–" he started, but stopped once he realized he recognized the creature; just like with the sword, he remembered seeing her with Lumine months ago, next to his sister. A traveling companion, perhaps? He also saw her flying next to Lumine while fighting some hilichurls.
Aether hummed and looked down at the bedsheets, falling deep in thought. If this little thing had been with Lumine for long enough, he could use her as a source of information in order to impersonate his sister. After all, he didn't want to raise suspicions on her; he still loved her with all of his heart, and the last thing he wanted was to accidentally ruin her relationships with others.
"Paimon to Lumine!" the fairy waved her hand in front of his face, causing him to look up at her. "Are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?"
Aether frowned. Another nightmare? Lumine had constant nightmares?
He shook his head; that wasn't important at the moment, he could inquire about that later. Right now, though, he had to make a deal with the fairy.
"Listen, uh… Paimon. I'm not Lumine."
"Haha… What?" she tilted her head to the side, brows knitting together in confusion. He couldn't really blame her, if he was being honest.
"I don't know if Lumine told you about this, but once every few years, we trade bodies. It's a thing that happened to all twins from our home planet," he explained as simply and vaguely as he could. Getting into the logistics of it would mean opening a whole new can of worms, and the sooner they struck a deal, the better. Based on the way her expression changed from confusion to shock, Aether figured Lumine might have mentioned the swap to her.
"I'm not Lumine, I'm Aether. Her brother," he added, just in case it hadn't been clear enough. He patiently waited for her to digest the information, however, he frowned when she slowly reached over for a pillow. What was she–
She threw the pillow at him. With such an impressive strength it made him lose his balance a little.
"Why did you abandon Lumine like that?! She'd been through so much and for what?! Just to catch a glimpse of you? You have no idea how much she suffered, how much she cried and how many sleepless nights she had to endure because of you!" she was yelling at him, her hands gesturing wildly.
"Wait–"
"And when she could finally sleep, what did it bring? Nightmares! So many nightmares! If Xiao hadn't been there for her to take care of the worst of them, who knows how she would be now!" Paimon stomped her foot in the air and then crossed her arms, giving him a glare he could not take seriously even if he tried.
Her words did manage to affect him, though. It hurt to know how much Lumine had actually suffered because of him, but he knew his little sister, her resilience and her persistence weren't easy to deter. She would finish her journey and they would both be reunited in the end, and maybe, she would understand him, and join him as well. It was only a matter of time.
What struck him as odd was the mention of Xiao. He knew who Paimon was talking about; the Conqueror of Demons, the Guardian Yaksha, last of his kind. Aether had only heard so much about him, that he was very aloof and standoffish. How in the name of Teyvat did he and his sister become close? Close enough for the adeptus to help her with her nightmares? Lumine wasn't the kind to allow others to see her in a moment of weakness; it was almost a fact that she trusted Xiao quite a lot.
A part of him was curious to know, to see, the kind of relationship they shared. Aether had heard about Xiao, but he didn't exactly know the guy and, well, if he was becoming increasingly close to Lumine, he had to at least meet him. One way or another, even if that meant meeting him as Lumine.
"Stop ignoring Paimon!" the fairy snapped him out of his thoughts again and he blinked to focus his attention on her again. Right. Okay.
"I need your help pretending to be Lumine, especially regarding what she does on a daily basis and the kind of relationship she has with others," he stated instead, not really in the mood to waste time.
"Why would Paimon help you, huh? Paimon doesn't exactly like you, you know," she pursed her lips and turned her gaze away from his with a frown. Aether was tempted to pull her by the ear and just make her obey, but that would help nobody. Instead, he simply sighed.
"How about a deal, then?" he proposed finally. Paimon turned to him again, silently asking him to continue. He straightened up.
"If you help me today, I'll write Lumine a letter with information about the Abyss and leave it so you can give it to her. How does that sound?"
Paimon placed her hand on her chin and, apparently, mulled it over. After what felt like hours, she looked at him again, arms crossed.
"Okay! But only if in the letter you apologize to Lumine for making her sad!"
He didn't even give it a second thought. Aether had planned on including an apology in the letter, anyway. Of course, he wouldn't tell Paimon that.
"Deal."
Lumine was so obviously in love with Xiao, it was painful to think about.
When Paimon told him that she went to Wangshu Inn everyday just to prepare almond tofu, give it to the adeptus and talk for a little while before leaving, Aether couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Lumine usually didn't make such an arduous effort to befriend somebody. If the person didn't want to be her friend, she'd just leave them alone without so much as a second thought; her time was precious, and she wasn't about to waste it on someone who clearly wasn't worth it.
While he waited for the chef to finish the dessert—there was no way he was making the thing on his own—, he inquired a little more about Xiao and Lumine's relationship. Paimon never really said whether they were friends, or something more; just that they were 'close', so he figured it out on his own. If Lumine took time off her schedule to cook for him, and Xiao had helped her with nightmares for two weeks straight without deeming it as a bother (according to Paimon), then they definitely were a little more than just friends.
For goodness' sake, Lu, why did you have to fall for an adeptus?
"Here's the tofu, miss Lumine," the chef approached the table, placing the plate right in front of him. It looked good, he wasn't going to lie. Thanking the man, Aether stood up and took the plate in his hands, ready to make his way to the balcony.
"I have to admit… I'm surprised you didn't make it yourself this time," the chef added just as he was about to leave. Paimon didn't utter a word and simply turned to Aether so he could reply.
"I'm… a little tired today," he replied, managing a smile. The chef nodded in acknowledgement and went back to the kitchen.
The pair made their way to the balcony in complete silence, and somehow, Aether knew it wasn't common for Paimon to stay with her mouth shut; she definitely gave off chatty vibes to him. It was better if she didn't talk much, though. He preferred it this way.
"He's not here," Aether pointed out the obvious once they were on what Paimon had addressed as 'Xiao's balcony'. What sort of stuck up arrogant person had an entire balcony to himself? The inn wasn't his, for goodness' sake.
"Paimon can see that! Sometimes he isn't here, so Lumine calls him," Paimon shrugged and he had to raise an eyebrow at her.
"She just says his name and he shows up?"
"Yep."
"Why? How does that work?"
"He promised her he would show up immediately if she ever called him, and Paimon doesn't know how he does it. Paimon only knows it doesn't work when Paimon tries," the little fairy shrugged again. Aether looked around again; there wasn't a single soul up there besides themselves.
He couldn't help but wonder if it would work, given it wasn't actually Lumine who would be calling the adeptus. Aether would try, but if it didn't work, he would just leave the almond tofu with a note.
"… Xiao?" he called out, a little louder than his normal speaking voice. He looked around again, and there was still nobody else with them.
A second more, then two, and then a gentle breeze that ruffled his hair slightly. That was all, but even after waiting for a few more seconds, they remained alone.
"Huh… It doesn't work, apparently," Aether concluded. Not like he cared much, really, but he was slightly disappointed since he did want to meet Xiao, but no point in dwelling on the matter, since he would see the adeptus later, anyway. He walked over to the railing and placed the plate on top of a safe enough spot, before bringing out a pen and paper.
"What are you doing?" Paimon asked, floating closer to see what he was doing. Aether only answered once he had tucked the note under the plate, visible enough for Xiao to notice once he was back.
"I can't call him, so I'm leaving the food. Lumine wouldn't leave it without a word, though. Not normally," he turned to Paimon to see her reaction. She nodded and didn't voice whatever it was that was bothering her; something clearly was, since her eyes were glued to the note.
"Anyway. Commissions, right? And then… we have to meet up with Xiao in Nantianmen for… a spar Lumine requested?"
"Yeah, exactly, and don't forget to stop by Wanmin Restaurant for Paimon's food!" she reminded him, but at least she didn't sound angry anymore. While she ate, she'd hopefully remain silent.
Commissions were easy, even if he didn't have his actual powers, and instead had to use borrowed Anemo from Barbatos' statue.
It was just… sad to think about, that his sister had been reduced to this; someone who ran errands for other people.
On one or two, he had to fight abyss mages and needless to say, it wasn't something he particularly enjoyed doing, but Paimon insisted he had to, otherwise he would be jeopardizing Lumine. That was enough to keep him going.
At the moment, he was on his way to Nantianmen, having made sure to get there on time, since apparently Xiao despised tardiness. Not wanting to be on his bad side and have Xiao cast suspicion on him, he departed considerably early from the Harbour, once they were done with everything there.
Lumine's routine was horribly repetitive, and he'd only been through it once! Aether had to ask Paimon twice if his sister did actually go through the same thing everyday, and she said that yes, with the occasional new thing here and there that came either from relentless exploration or commissions.
She would explore every last corner of a nation before moving on to the next and at the moment, she was finishing up with Inazuma. Why was she in Liyue today? To catch up with friends, and Xiao, before going back to the Electro nation.
Soon enough, he spotted the strange tree they were supposed to meet under. With a couple of more steps, he was able to discern a silhouette.
A young man was there, with his arms crossed, and Aether figured that was Xiao if Paimon's description was anything to go by. Nobody said anything as he approached, and he used the opportunity to scrutinize the adeptus.
While Xiao was still taller than Lumine, Aether didn't take long to notice that in his body, he would be slightly taller than him, and he didn't exactly fit in the tall side of the spectrum: the yaksha was pretty short.
However, Aether wouldn't deny Xiao was very attractive. He wouldn't be surprised if Lumine found his looks to be between his best qualities, either. Then again, she never really cared about physical appearance on the people she became interested in. At least there wasn't a loss there.
The only fault he could find was him being an adeptus, and Aether had to hold in the urge to frown at the thought. Adepti were so naive and so easy to use, and under the late Morax, even more so.
It was pathetic.
"Good afternoon, Xiao," he said finally, but he didn't attempt to smile, since he knew it would be obviously fake. The adeptus in question turned his head in Aether's direction and wasn't discreet in the slightest as he scrutinized him as well. It might be a good idea to try and smile, then. Quickly picturing a fond memory of his, a smile easily made its way to his lips; it worked, given Xiao physically relaxed at that and his eyes acquired a fondness that wasn't there before.
A fondness that wasn't intended for Aether to see.
"Good afternoon," Xiao said as he dropped his arms and summoned a beautiful jade spear, the ore glistening thanks to the last rays of the sun as it dipped beneath the horizon. "Are you ready?"
"Straight to the point, as always," Aether replied what he knew for a fact Lumine would say. He stretched for a few seconds before summoning Lumine's dull blade and moving it around to get used to its weight again; it was very strange to fight with a weapon that wasn't his own, but he was lucky enough to have a sword as his weapon of choice, just like his sister.
"Ready," Aether took a stance and it took a few seconds for Xiao to attack first.
Xiao was an incredibly tough opponent, even with him holding back due to it being a spar.
He was quick and his attacks were smooth, nearly beautiful, and it almost looked like he was dancing, effortlessly blocking Aether's own attacks, who grunted as he hit the ground after the adeptus had tripped him, sword a meter away from his reach.
He'd lost four times in a row already, which was embarrassing, but they had all been close calls, at the very least; Xiao had been a bit faster, that was all. The fact that he won the first two rounds did help keep some of his dignity intact, though.
Just as he was sitting up and getting ready for another one, propping himself up on his elbows, he stopped moving—and breathing too—when the sharp side of Xiao's spear was pressed against his neck, pushing enough to leave a superficial cut on his skin. The adeptus was standing over him, the harshness in his eyes back, and now they held something else that Aether didn't exactly like. He opened his mouth to protest, ask, anything, but Xiao beat him to it.
"Who are you?"
So Xiao wasn't completely naive, at least not when it came to Lumine. The yaskha was observant enough to notice that 'Lumine' wasn't acting exactly like the Lumine he knew; apparently the impersonation of his sister needed some polishing. Maybe he'd accidentally let his personal fighting style slip during the sparring? It was a possibility. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to think about it for too long, feeling the spear cut a little deeper.
"Answer me," Xiao demanded, but Aether found himself chuckling despite the sting in his neck.
"Heh. I'm starting to see why my sister likes you so much," he commented once he had stopped.
"Your sister?" another question, but his expression had changed, and Xiao now had an eyebrow raised in Aether's direction.
"Lumine," was the only thing Aether said, curious to see how Xiao would react to the information. He was surprised, that was obvious, and much to Aether's relief, the pressure against his neck slackened just enough for him to breathe normally.
"… You're Aether?" he asked, voice laced with disbelief rather than being cold and rigid like before.
"She told you about me?" Tilting his head to the side, allowing his curiosity to shine through, Aether wasn't afraid to question just how much Xiao knew about him. Instead of answering though, Xiao pulled the spear away and took a few steps back to give Aether some space.
The blond could feel blood trickling down from the wound, and he wiped it off before it could taint Lumine's clothing. The sting was noticeable, but bearable nonetheless; looking back at Xiao, he didn't seem to regret the tiny injury he inflicted.
"Would you mind explaining what this is all about first?" Xiao asked once Aether had stood up, gesturing at him being inside Lumine's body, or looking like Lumine, or whatever Xiao thought was happening.
"It's a thing that happens once every couple of years, we switch bodies for a day. So what did she say?" Aether asked, but didn't insist anymore, giving the yaksha a few seconds to digest the information. It wasn't something you heard of everyday, after all.
In the meantime, he allowed his mind to drift off again. Xiao was clearly very capable and strong, as were all of the adepti, did they seriously have to continue being bound to the contracts Morax sealed with them, despite the archon being dead?
It was straight up unfair, that this remaining yaksha was bound to endless suffering, only ever capable of finding respite in death. All of those centuries, while the yakshas fought against the undying wrath of bygone gods, what was Morax doing? Minting Mora? Leisurely walking amongst mortals, occasionally sipping his tea?
He had to admit he didn't have a grudge against the adepti themselves, just how gullible they could be and how they blindly decided to accept contracts with such horrible consequences. At the very least the Four Winds of Mondstadt were free to a certain extent.
"She speaks very fondly of you," Xiao answered finally, snapping Aether out of his mind bubble. The way he ended his sentence felt odd, though, like he had initially intended to say something else but thought it best to stay silent about it. In any case, he didn't give off vibes of being a liar; no harm in trusting his words.
Aether had spoken fondly of Lumine to Dainsleif, back when they were traveling companions, always talking about how she was usually the most sociable and amiable one out of the two. Not to say Aether didn't like people—he did! But he wasn't as trusting as his sister, so of course he came to realize the truth of this world before she did.
"Well, I'll be off now," he announced, happy with the information he got and not really daring to inquire any further, walking over to retrieve the sword and let it disappear in a low yellow light. "You're strong, take care of her until it's time for us to leave, will you?"
While he had to admit it was sudden, the tension was palpable and he didn't really want to stay here, in Lumine's body, with Xiao knowing it was actually him.
When Aether turned around to face Xiao again, he found the adeptus' grip on his spear to have tightened, lips pressed in a firm line.
Oh?
"What, did you forget she will leave this world with me as soon as I say the word?" Aether wasn't the kind to poke people's sides, fully expecting to rile them up, but Xiao was fun to tease and judging on unspoken words, it didn't take him long to conclude that the short yaksha held a grudge against him for unintentionally hurting Lumine. He shouldn't; their relationship wouldn't have gone far if Aether hadn't denied his sister's request to leave Teyvat.
Xiao only narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue.
"I will put her wishes before my own when the time comes for her to leave, unlike what you are doing."
After saying those words, Xiao was gone in a flash of teal and black before Aether could even think of a reply.
•• ••
A few hours earlier…
When Xiao got to the balcony, he was surprised by many things, the main one being the lone plate of almond tofu on the railing.
The traveler would usually call him if he wasn't there in the first place, so he could eat and she could talk to him about the most mundane of things. He didn't mind, though, as hearing her voice was enough for him to stay.
Just to make sure, he looked around in case she was planning to ambush him in any way, but there wasn't a sign of her anywhere and so, he walked over to the railing and took the note underneath the plate to read it.
Xiao,
I'm sorry I couldn't be with you this time around, but I'm awfully busy with the guild, and there seems to be a lead about my brother. It's vague, but a lead is a lead so I had to follow it.
I promise I'll make it up to you!
Lumine.
Her handwriting wasn't exactly the same, nor did the words seem to make sense.
Usually she would tell him about everything, especially if it concerned her brother, it felt odd for her to write a note to him about it instead. Even more so, she would always spend at least five minutes with him while he ate.
Handwriting aside, there wasn't a heart next to her name. During the time she was in Inazuma, and she wrote him letters, she would sign her name with a heart right next to it.
He was already used to it, that was true, but whenever he remembered Lumine casually mentioning that she only ever drew that heart for her letters to him, his own heart would beat a little faster. Why would she omit it now? Was she angry at him? Maybe he was thinking too hard about it, maybe she was actually busy and in a rush.
His worries came back when he ate the almond tofu—it was Yanxiao's, not Lumine's. Being the only dish he ate, besides the very rare grilled tiger fish here and there, it was obvious he would be able to differentiate the two.
He tried to shake off the incoming thoughts of insecurity, silencing the voices that latched onto the spark of sadness.
If everything was well, he'd see her later in the day.
The second Lumine greeted him without a smile, Xiao held back the urge to ask what was wrong.
He looked her over, and she didn't look like she was injured in any way. Her hair was a little disheveled, but keeping in mind she'd been doing her commissions earlier, it was completely normal.
Fortunately, she smiled soon enough and it allowed Xiao to relax a little. She looked fine, not angry at all, so the sparring could proceed as normal. Maybe later he'd inquire about the lead on her brother.
It only took two rounds of losing for Xiao to do two things.
One, to learn his sparring partner's fighting pattern.
Two, to realize that his sparring partner wasn't actually Lumine.
Sure, it looked like her, it sounded like her and it talked like her, but its fighting style was the opposite of Lumine's. The traveler always attacked first and whoever this was waited for him to attack first, and their movements literally mirrored those of the girl he knew.
It was a relief he didn't have to insist on getting the identity much; with just one question and a bit of pushing, it was enough to get a confession.
What he didn't expect was for it to be Aether.
He'd seen him in Lumine's dreams and in her nightmares, and knew what he looked like. Xiao had a faint grasp on his personality, too, based solely on what Lumine had told him about her brother, about how he was always able to make her laugh and smile without breaking a sweat, about how she was always the one to introduce people to him, about how he was a somewhat overprotective older brother.
A part of him wanted to tell the guy exactly what he thought of him, memories of holding Lumine in his arms as she cried into his chest, screaming her brother's name after waking up from a nightmare coming to the front of his mind. She held onto him so tightly, asking him to please not leave her, to please stay by her side.
Xiao bit his tongue. It wasn't a matter he could just barge in, and Lumine wouldn't appreciate him talking to her brother in such a manner. Being able to be there whenever Lumine needed comfort was enough for Xiao.
He made the obvious effort to ignore the echo of Aether's words once he was gone, reminding him that Lumine would leave him one day.
The next morning, she came to the balcony earlier than usual and didn't have to call for him given he was already there. When he saw her, it took him a moment to remember that it was her, not Aether anymore.
Eating the dessert—which was made by her this time—instead of being able to focus on her words, Xiao kept his focus on simply her instead. Her eyes, her cheeks, the gestures she made with her hands, her sun-kissed hair, her lips–
He caught something about a letter from her brother, but that was about it. The second he was done and he'd put the plate aside, he interrupted her.
"I am sorry."
Lumine stopped talking immediately and turned to him, frowning and tilting her head to the side slightly, something he'd seen Aether do as well. They shared some habits, apparently.
"Sorry? Why?" she asked.
Xiao brought up a hesitant hand, and lightly grazed the healing cut on her neck with a gloved thumb. Lumine's breath hitched and she stayed still.
"For this," he mumbled, but before he could drop his hand and leave it at his side again, Lumine held it and kept it on her skin.
"Don't be. I know why you did it and you had every reason to."
He closed his eyes and sighed. Lumine was too nice to him, and she trusted him too much. Her light and her warmth were intoxicating, Xiao knew he would never get enough of her and he'd let her become a constant in his life, one he welcomed with open arms.
"Stay with me," and don't ever leave were words left unsaid.
"Always," she replied without missing a beat, kissing the inside of his wrist, not even questioning the sudden request.
She will leave this world with me as soon as I say the word.
Xiao pushed the reminder to the back of his mind, deciding to believe her lies and hope.
•• ••
My dearest Lumine,
If I'm honest with you, the swap caught me completely off guard. Imagine my surprise when I woke up and suddenly a fairy of sorts came flying in my direction addressing me by your name! A part of me hopes you were a little more prepared than I was.
Before anything else, I want to apologize. I'm sorry for hurting you and I'm sorry for leaving you, but once you reach the end of your journey, you will understand why I did it. I'm sure of it. I still love you with all of my heart, little sister, and believe it or not, it pained me to be separated from you for so long as well.
Paimon specifically requested me to include an apology as part of our deal, but I was going to do it anyway (don't tell her that, please).
Maybe you figured this out on your own, but I'm established in Fontaine at the moment, bringing justice to the nation of the God of Justice… It's quite ironic.
I got your commissions done for the day and even gave Xiao a serving of almond tofu, according to what Paimon told me to do.
I know you and you're so painfully in love with the guy, it's kind of gross. But hey, you do you, I guess. I met him and at least you have good taste in men, I'll give you that. He's strong, too, and smart; he figured me out (and cut the neck while interrogating me).
I can't help but wonder, if given the choice, would you stay for him? How much do you actually love him?
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Sorry, ignore the smudge above. I was pouring out my thoughts without really thinking about the implications.
We will see each other soon, and never forget I always keep you close to my heart,
Aether.
