When Furina asked him that question all those weeks ago, Aether genuinely had no idea what to say. While he did have concerns over her mental health following that nightmare she had, there was something more to it— he just didn't know what. That was another reason for it and the only way for him to understand what that was was to continue seeing Furina.

"Welcome back, Aether" quickly became words he was intimately familiar with as they were what greeted him every time he visited her. It still surprised him how quickly they adjusted to this new routine of theirs. He didn't visit Furina every day— not at first. But as the weeks passed, it was harder and harder for him to have an excuse not to. Paimon teased him about it, but he knew she meant it in good faith.

"Oh! Welcome back. You're early today." —Every now and then, he would arrive earlier than usual while she was still in the middle of making lunch. When that happens, he'd offer a hand and give her some tips and tricks he had picked up in his travels. Most of the time, she defaulted on boiling pasta, especially when she wasn't expecting him to come that day. It wasn't bad per se, but Paimon tended to complain about eating the same thing every time. "It's what comes easy to me, okay?" She pouted. "And it's not like it's bad, right Aether?"

She turned her head towards him expectedly. Aether thought about mentioning how he was also a little sick of pasta but didn't have the heart to be that honest, especially with how proud Furina her cooking. Instead, he just nodded and told Paimon it was rude to say that when they were guests. "Uh… Paimon thinks at this point, we're not just guests…" She muttered under her breath.

"Oh, hey Aether. Welcome back…" —A few times, Furina would greet them with little energy. She'd still put up an effort to smile and seem alright but it wasn't enough to convince him she was doing fine. Furina's usual excuse those days was that she slept late and hadn't fully woken up yet. It was such a blatant lie even Paimon picked up on it. "Is it really that unbelievable for me to have a bad sleep schedule?"

When she acted that way, Aether asked if he could stay the night. Furina was naturally surprised at his request but didn't mind it as much as he thought she would. They'd talk until evening— although it was mostly him recounting his various adventures to an engrossed Furina. She enjoyed listening to his stories and did so with stars in her eyes. After that, they'd make dinner together; Furina always told him she could handle it on her own but Aether insisted; since he was staying over, he wanted to contribute somehow.

Following that and a peaceful dinner, they usually continued where they left off but sometimes Furina wanted to take things easy and read a novel in silence. She offered him something to read but he quickly learned most of what she had was in Fontainian. "Hmm… I better buy a translation dictionary next time," she muttered to herself.

Once it came time to sleep, Furina would give him her spare blanket and pillows. "Good night, Aether."

"Good night, Furina. Sweet dreams."

"...You too."

Though the lights were off, Aether had a hard time sleeping, unlike Paimon who was mumbling about food as she floated around. There was something on his mind that kept him awake. Once he thought it was the right time, he got off the sofa and went over to the bedroom door. He'd be the first to admit what he was doing was questionable but he wanted to make sure Furina was alright. Usually though… she wasn't. That wasn't to say she was hysterical or anything but most nights, she was clearly suffering from terrible dreams. Quiet whimpers would fill the air as Furina muttered incomprehensible begs. Some nights were worse than others but Aether knew the only thing he could do was comfort her the best he could.

"Don't worry. No one is going anywhere." With only that initial nightmare to go off of, Aether tried to assure her she wasn't going to be left alone again. He hoped she could hear him in her sleep and sometimes it worked, but other times, he had to risk it and take it a step further. He held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze; after a few minutes of that, she'd settle down as whatever nightmare tormenting her withered away for the night.

Aether would stay there, sitting next to her and holding her hand until his eyes felt heavy. Only then would he leave her bedroom and go to bed. He gave her sleeping form one last glance at the doorway and muttered something under her breath. "Sweet dreams, Furina…"

"So, word on the streets says you and Miss Furina are seeing each other."

"Pfft! What?!" Aether coughed out after nearly choking on his tea. He stared at Lyney who had the cheeriest of grins, unlike Lynette who just rolled her eyes and resumed eating her slice of cake. Lyney had invited him to join him and his sister for tea that day. Paimon, unfortunately, was whisked away by Navia earlier as the latter needed her help with something, saying that Paimon was "the perfect size" for what she needed. "What are you talking about?"

"You tell me, Aether. All I know is that people saw you two walking together and laughing a few days ago. That's not to mention you're seen going by her home every day," Lyney explained in a teasing tone. "So, what's going on with you two?"

'A few days ago… Oh…' "I was helping her with groceries that day. We talked along the way and I cracked a few jokes." That was it. To think people would overblow something like that. "As for me visiting her, I won't deny it… Wait, not many know where she lives. How do you—"

"Don't focus on the details, Aether." Lyney's smile was so innocent looking but Aether knew better than to trust him on that. "So how are things going between you two? Swimmingly, I hope?"

Aether had no idea how to answer him— there was just too much going through his mind to construct a full sentence. "We're doing fine," he said without realising until it was too late. "Wai—"

"Then I'm happy for you, Aether. Out of everyone in Fontaine or Teyvat really, Miss Furina was the last person I thought would steal your heart," his friend interrupted him with a laugh. "I honestly believed things between you two would be irreparably damaged following her trial." Aether didn't blame him for thinking that— in fact, he believed the same for a while. Now though, their relationship was going strong.

'Wait, no—" "Furina and I are…" Aether tried to say something but trailed off. Until Lyney had brought it up, he hadn't really given his relationship with Furina much thought. They were certainly friends now— or at least he believed so —but they weren't anything more than that. But he hadn't asked her what she thought of him either… "…I hate you, Lyney."

"You wound me, Aether. Here I thought we were friends."

Aether rolled his eyes at Lyney's acting. "Why were you watching Furina anyway?" He asked. How else would they know he was visiting her regularly… Unless Navia mentioned it to them.

"Oh, we weren't watching her per se. We no longer have any reason to," Lyney answered— it didn't take much thinking to figure out what he meant by we. His expression also changed to one of hesitation as he confessed. "Ur… Please understand that though we personally see you as a friend and Father would rather keep things cordial, she has to be cautious. You are, after all, the biggest thorn in the Fatui's side."

He couldn't really fault them for that; he still fought any Fatui he came across in the Fatui countryside (even if they usually attacked him first). He was still a bit miffed at learning he was being spied on though.

Before either of them could say anything, Lynette finally contributed to the conversation. "Just continue what you're doing and Father will leave you be. She'd eventually rule you out as a threat if you don't bother the Fatui while in Fontaine any more than you usually do."

"I would have thought after everything, the Fatui here would know I'm not looking to start a fight," Aether let out a long sigh. "I know you have no choice but to do what Arlecchino asks you to but it hurts a bit."

"We feel the same way too. I hope we'll never have to go against each other; I'd hate myself if we had to hurt you or Miss Furina every all we've been through together," confessed Lyney which made Aether fall silent. After a few moments—

"Furina and I aren't together."

Lyney let out a snort at what he perceived as a denial. "I mean it, Aether, I'm happy for you and Miss Furina. After everything, she deserves happiness. I hope you'll be able to give her that." Aether felt his face warm up at Lyney's unneeded approval. "Well, then. Where were we…"

Their tea party continued for a bit longer with Aether eventually saying goodbye to the twins. Furina would probably wonder what's taking him so long. As he was walking, his mind went back to his earlier musings of his and Furina's relationship. What exactly were they now? 'Damn you, Lyney. You're making me second guess everything…'

—knock knock

'We're just friends. Nothing more,' Aether continued to tell himself as the door opened to reveal Furina. "Oh, welcome home, Aether." She muttered before turning around and walking back. Aether followed her and closed the door; his mind was still distracted to the point he didn't notice Furina had stopped and bumped into her.

"Furina? Is something wrong?"

"No–nothing!" Her voice cracked as she shook her head before calming down. "Er… I just have a lot on my mind right now. I still haven't cleaned up after myself and Clorinde." At her mentioning that, Aether glanced at the coffee table to see there were still two teacups and plates on it. What caught his attention more though were the documents on the table too. He couldn't see what was written clearly but he could tell they were official paperwork for something judging from the lines of texts and boxes. "Don't mind that, it's nothing important," she told him when he asked. Furina then quickly went over and took the papers. "Can you start cooking, please? I need to put these away first."

Without waiting for his answer (though he was willing to do so), Furina ran into her room and shut the door behind her.

"What was that about…" He muttered to himself before shrugging. He could figure that out later; for now, making lunch was a priority.

A/N: And done! Small timeskip and domestic Aerina stuff cause I'm in the mood for it. There's not really much else I have to say now other than Lyney is a tease so see you all next time!