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Lyney feels honored that Aether has invited him to the latter's home. When the traveler asked him if he wanted to see a magic trick as well, Lyney couldn't help but chuckle. What could Aether possibly show a seasoned magician that he doesn't know already?
Well, color him surprised, he didn't expect Aether's home to be inside a teapot. And it isn't a small place either.
Lyney whistles, impressed by the manor standing tall and proud in the middle of a seemingly floating island. Talking about magic and mystery.
"Come on in," Aether opens the door for him, inviting Lyney inside.
Lyney glances at Aether for a few seconds, attempting, futily, to decipher Aether's expression. He looks somewhat serious, taciturn. He isn't talkative to start with, but his expression isn't the most friendly at the moment. Oh boy, he needs to break the ice somehow…
Lyney, despite his nerves, waltzes inside the house, admiring the ample space and the decoration. Only a glance is necessary to tell Lyney that most of the decor are mementos from his travels.
The house feels vacant since it's so big and there's no one else inside at the time, yet there is still a certain warmth to it; the same warmth and nice smell that Aether carries with him.
"Your house is really nice!" Lyney compliments out loud, turning to look back at Aether. A small smile appears on the traveler's face, although it still seems to be tense. "Do you live alone?"
"Kind of." Aether shrugs. "Some friends stay over. Sometimes. There is room enough for everyone after all."
Lyney hums, pacing around the entrance of the mansion. He observes the decor from up close, wondering how many stories those items might have behind them. He wishes Aether would trust him enough to tell Lyney about them one day.
"You can stay over, if you want." Aether rubs the back of his neck, his golden eyes evading Lyney's. "Ah, your siblings too." He adds as an afterthought.
Lyney nods with a sincere smile, thankful for the offer. It's such a nice place, it would be easy to feel at home very quickly. Surely, Lynette and Freminet would love it there. If only they were allowed to…
"Aren't you afraid?" Lyney places his hand over his chest. His eyes squint every so slightly at the blond traveler.
Aether frowns. His lips tense up and so does the rest of his body. The look he gives Lyney is sharp, alert. His fingers twitch. Lyney notices all these details, he has been trained for all kinds of situations.
One false step and Aether might pull out his sword against him.
Lyney perhaps shouldn't have opened his mouth to start with.
"Sorry, I don't mean I would try to do something." Lyney shakes his head. He tries to appear amenable, sincere, but his nerves are getting the worst out of him. "But you don't trust my word that much, do you?"
Aether rolls his eyes and snorts in exasperation. It confuses Lyney. He's having trouble figuring the traveler out right now.
Aether crosses his arms. He now has gotten defensive. His body language is obvious, but his thoughts? Lyney can't begin to imagine what's going through the blond's head.
Lyney needs to change tactics. Lighten the mood somehow.
The magician abruptly opens up his arms, showing his empty hands. He flicks his fingers and a coin is now rolling on his knuckles.
"I bet this Mora that I can take off your hair ornament without you noticing." Lyney smirks with confidence.
Aether's stance changes to one more open; his crossed arms drop and he instead puts his hands to his bare waist. He appears less tense and more curious now. He raises an eyebrow too, showing his interest.
Lyney sighs internally, content that he could redirect the conversation into something more lighthearted.
"Don't blink then, or you might miss me taking it~"
Lyney throws the coin into the air, catches it in his hands once it drops and then opens them to reveal the coin to be gone.
"And now…" Lyney takes his hat off and the hair ornament usually Aether wears tying his braid, is now on top of Lyney's head. "Ta-da!"
"How…?" Aether touches his hair in disbelief, eyes wide open in shock. He brings his half undone braid over his shoulder. Indeed, the hairpiece is gone.
"Well, I warned you not to blink~"
Aether blinks owlishly, throwing his hair back. "I admit that was impressive." It brings a small smile to the traveler's face and that makes Lyney feel relieved enough.
Aether approaches him to take the piece back, his gloves fingers faintly brushing the top of Lyney's head.
The next thing that happens, have them both in complete shock. Aether's axis suddenly spins around and he's getting pinned to the floor, both arms held tight behind his back. He gasps loudly as his chest hits the wooden floor full force.
The magician is holding him down with a strength admirable for someone that looks so thin.
Lyney, on the other hand, is not aware of what he has done.
His ears are ringing.
There's this awful headache, as if someone is drilling into his skull; a deep pain that runs all the way down to the lowest point of his back.
His vision is blurred while his body feels locked into position.
He can't breathe.
Not enough air is entering his lungs.
He feels like he might collapse any second, like his heart might give out.
He is…
"Lyney! Release me!"
Lyney gasps as Aether's desperate voice gets to him, his vision eventually focusing back into the real world. It takes him a few more seconds to realize what he has done.
Oh for the Eleven..
"I…" Lyney releases Aether's arms once his body relaxes past his locked state. He is still awfully tense when he gets off from the traveler's pinned body. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me…!"
Aether huffs, rolling on the floor and sitting up. His rubbing his wrists while his golden eyes stare daggers into Lyney.
Lyney feels his heart and stomach sink. He feels sick. He really likes Aether. He wants nothing more than to be on good terms with him, but fate is not being too kind in that regard.
"It was an unconscious response, please believe me…"
The silence is incredibly awkward, the air can be cut with a knife. Or perhaps the knife is dangling over their heads.
Lyney's chest feels tight, painfully so. He is still hyperventilating. His head is spinning and he doesn't know how to make it up to Aether this time. He almost snapped Aether's arm… It's bad. It's really bad.
His heart aches so much Lyney believes he is going to die right there and then. Terrible memories are playing through his mind at vertiginous speeds while the distress grows inside him just by thinking how Aether must feel even more distrust towards him now.
He can't… he doesn't want Aether to hate him. His heart can't take it.
"Please let me explain…" Lyney picks up his hat. He grips the rim, his knuckles look white from his hard he's holding it. His eyes are glossy from the tears that threaten to fall.
He thought he had gotten over that part of his past.
Aether looks incredibly tense too, his eyes are not leaving Lyney for even a second. He's still rubbing his wrists. They must hurt more than he makes it look.
Lyney kneels down to Aether's eye level, his hat resting on his lap. He is still breathing rather erratically, yet he tries to even it out to be able to speak a little more calmly.
Aether is wary of him, he even flinches away a little when Lyney kneels on the floor.
He has fucked up his relationship with Aether big time now.
"I don't intend to…" Lyney takes a deep breath, looking for the words. "...to victimize myself. It doesn't change the fact that I hurt you just now. But still, would you listen to a story?"
Aether glares at him, eyes half lidded, a frown in place. It's as if that type of expression doesn't belong to such a warm, sweet being as Aether is.
Lyney fears he can't fix what he has done.
The traveler sighs and nods, but still keeps his distance.
"You've seen my sister Lynette. As you know, we're twins." Lyney makes a pause, as if considering his next words. No one other than his sister knows about this. It's not even guaranteed that letting Aether know will salvage their friendship. At the very least, egotistically so, it will give Lyney some peace of mind. "Have you wondered why she has kätzlein features and I don't?"
Aether's eyes roll up, thinking about what he has just been asked. He tilts his head, curious. Lyney is relieved that Aether is willing to listen despite everything.
It doesn't mean Lyney has the words to express what happened. The memory haunts him in a way that he can't describe. He can feel old scars throbbing painfully. It threatens to send him back into a spiral of anxiety.
Lyney steels his resolve. No, he has to do at least this much. Lyney wants Aether to trust him, but how can he do so if he doesn't trust Aether first?
Lyney's distress is obvious on his expression, his usual confident mask is gone to reveal the fragile young boy underneath.
Aether's face softens in return, even contorts into worry, recognizing the vulnerability of Lyney's current state.
Lyney cannot speak, the words are stuck on his throat. If he opens his mouth, he's going to be sick.
"Lyney, you don't have to…" Aether speaks so softly, barely above a whisper. He doesn't move closer to Lyney, but his voice has a great soothing effect on the magician.
Lyney shakes his head. Ignoring the churning of his stomach and the ache of his heart, he lowers his head. His trembling hands part his hair, revealing two gruesome scars, as if something had been ripped out of his skull.
Lyney grimaces as he hears Aether hiss upon seeing it.
Aether understands. Lyney doesn't need to tell him the full story behind it. He's clearly not ready to speak of it. Aether knows there must be an equal painful looking scar on Lyney's lower back.
"I'm sorry, Lyney… it must have been…" Aether has no words to describe it. It wouldn't help the situation to put a name to it either. Lyney knows how bad it was more than anyone. Aether would probably fall short trying to understand his pain. "Your reaction from before is more than justified."
"I hurt you…" Lyney chokes out.
"Yes, but it was an unconscious response. I apologize for touching you without permission."
Aether sounds so sincerely apologetic about it that it makes Lyney let out an awkward giggle. Aether is too nice for his own good.
"I didn't show you so you feel sorry about me, though."
"I know." Aether nods with a stern expression, showing how serious he is about this.
The traveler takes off his gloves, and Lyney tries to not grimace at the angry red marks that he left on his wrists. That same hand is extended towards him.
Lyney blinks at the bare hand and then back at Aether's softened expression. Lyney's walls around his heart melt even further just by gazing into those golden eyes. Those precious eyes, even after everything that has happened between them in such a short time, they still gaze at him with worry and care.
He doesn't deserve it and yet he yearns it anyway. When it's about wanting Aether to pay attention to him, he cannot help but be selfish.
He is painfully aware though that he cannot pursue the way of Father and be the object of Aether's affection at the same time.
Lyney wants it all. He has always been way too ambitious.
He also takes off his gloves and places his palm carefully on top of Aether's.
"I'm willing to give you a chance." Aether's fingers carefully wrap around Lyney's hand. His heart somersaults at such a tender gesture. "I don't think you are a bad person at all. You do what you have to do to keep your family safe." Aether's thumb rubs soothing circles over the back of Lyney's back. Such a simple caress and even then it manages to relax Lyney a big deal. Because Aether is the one doing it. "I would do the same if I was in your position, most likely."
"They might pitch us against each other…" Lyney sighs regrettably. Now knowing Aether's past record with the Fatui, it's the most possible case scenario that it happens. And Lyney is not ready. He doesn't want to hurt Aether, at all. And the traveler, Lyney is sure, doesn't want to hurt him or his siblings either.
"We'll figure that out if it ever comes." There's this sincere, little smile curving Aether's soft-looking lips that makes Lyney's heart skip a beat. "Just… no more lies, alright?"
Lyney's sighs, smiling back at him, his own fingers wrapping around Aether's hand. "I'm sorry I lied to you before." With the lightened mood, Lyney feels he can go back to being his usual self. "Besides, I don't think I can lie to those precious eyes of yours anymore."
Aether sputters quietly for a moment, caught off guard by Lyney's sudden compliment.
"You are an irremediable flirt." Aether huffs, cheeks flushing pink at Lyney's affectionate smile.
"Oho, so you are aware of it!" A chuckle leaves the magician. "And here I was thinking you were as dense as Paimon."
Aether's face goes redder and he huffs in feigned annoyance. He releases Lyney's hand and pushes it towards Lyney's chest.
"Just…ugh…" Aether looks away. Lyney thinks being flustered makes him even cuter. "I'll go make dinner. You can look around if you want… but get back soon."
After saying that, Aether gets up and walks out behind Lyney's back, presumably making his way to the kitchen.
Lyney giggles to himself. Ah, he's really, really cute. He's down bad for the traveler, isn't he. However, he gasps when he opens his hand only to find the mora coin and a seed in his hand. When did Aether…? Catching a magician off guard, the nerve of that guy!
Lyney inspects the seed and his mouth forms a silent 'o' when he realizes it's a rainbow rose seed.
Perhaps there's no real meaning behind it, but in Lyney's mind and heart, it's a symbol that Aether is willing to let a relationship bloom between them. He holds the seed close to his chest and smiles.
"Thanks, Aether."