It would've been lonesome on that mountain had it not been for Paimon's constant chatter. Aether shimmied around a dangerous-looking bend, finding himself on a wide platform. He took a breath, appreciating the cool breeze as he now could finally take a break after braving the treacherous mountain terrain.

He lowered himself to the ground, crossing his legs on the smooth, cold stone beneath him. His golden braid fluttered in the wind and he brushed his fringe out of his face, running his fingers through his hair. Paimon floated next to him, watching the sun as it dipped below the blanket of clouds.

"It'll get cold soon, Traveller. Paimon thinks we should find a place to rest," Paimon advised.

Aether hummed in agreement. "A few more moments, Paimon. I think we deserve a small break." He fished a small nut bar out of his pocket and handed it to her. "It's not Sweet Madame, but it'll fill your stomach until we find a safe place to cook. That's what you're worried about, right?"

Paimon huffed. "Paimon's serious this time! Paimon cares about you, ya know!" She snatched the bar from the laughing Traveller. "But Paimon will take that bar, thank you very much!"

Little did the pair know that from a cave not far away from them, an arrow was being nocked into a bow, its iron tip gleaming in the setting sun.

⁜※⁜

I aimed. They seemed harmless, but trespassers simply would not do. It was in the Fatui handbook somewhere—where exactly, I wasn't sure, but I knew I had to be rid of them, no matter their motives.

Aim... and fire!

But I never fired. I sighed, lowering the bow. They were... harmless.

It would've been a killer shot, impaling both figures—that I was sure of. I threw my bow back into my weapons stash at the side of the cave and began to climb down the footholds and handholds I had carved into the mountain upon making my arrival... however many years ago. It had been a long long time.

I landed softly on the ground. Immediately, the Traveller was on his feet, sword in hand. Clearly, he was no normal Traveller for him to notice me, as my landing was barely audible.

"F—Fatui!" his companion cried out, darting behind him as she noted the mask that hid my face.

Slowly, he advanced towards me. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Not so harmless, then—but only because he felt threatened. I lifted my hands up. "Easy. I'm unarmed." He stopped but didn't sheathe his blade. I nodded my head towards my place of residence. "Your companion mentioned it was going to be cold tonight, and she's right. These are unforgiving mountains. I have room in there if you want to stay—for one night."

He looked confused but nodded and walked towards me. I had to admit, he was a pleasing sight, gorgeous from every angle—although that could just be me glad to have human contact again.

I led the way, climbing back up the small rocky face with ease and hoisting myself into the cave, then waiting for the Traveller to follow. He followed me effortlessly—while his companion, who I think I heard refer to herself as Paimon, floated up into the cave with no physical exertion at all.

It was unnervingly quiet. Clearly, there was very little trust towards me, even as I lit the fire for him to cook for his floating friend. "If you're hungry, cook," I said, more of an order than a suggestion. It wouldn't do to have them starve.

He nodded and drifted to the fire and made use of my limited cooking materials, his sword still within easy reach of his hand.

I clicked my tongue. "Put that damned thing away. I'm not going to hurt you. Despite what you might think of us, Fatui don't go back on their word. We're honourable in that respect at the very least."

Finally, he sheathed his sword, despite Paimon's quiet worried cries. "Aether," he finally said. Ah, his name. Some trust was starting to show.

"Y/n," I replied. "It's nice to meet you."

"You're... uncommonly friendly for a Fatui Agent. Most would have attacked me already."

"I was close to"—his gaze slid to me—"but I decided against it. It's awfully boring up here on my own." I leaned against the wall, reflecting on my words and the situation. Yes—it was incredibly isolated so high up in the mountains. "You're lucky to have a companion with you, Aether."

"He is indeed!" Paimon chirped.

Despite myself, I smiled beneath my mask. It would've been nice to have a companion with me, no matter how loud or obnoxious, so long as someone was there. For the first time in a long time, I felt a tightness in my chest as I realised I was so completely and utterly alone. Never had I thought that devoting myself to the Tsaritsa would be so lonely. And I began to wonder if she even cared about a young useless Fatui Agent like me. It seemed I had drawn the short stick. I would never regret devoting my life to her cause as a child but this... I tried to convince myself it wasn't a waste of time.

My thoughts were interrupted by a delicious sweet smell wafting through the air and I blinked in surprise as I realised that it was Aether's cooking. It smelled so... so good. It was like I was being pulled in by the scent alone as I drifted off the wall towards the pair.

Aether looked up at me and smiled slightly, asking, "Would you like some Sweet Madame? There's plenty."

"But that's less for Paimon!"

He hushed her sharply before turning back to me.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly..." I trailed off. I couldn't cook this well—no way. Turning down this offer... I would never get this opportunity again.

The decision was made for me as Aether cut off some Sweet Madame and put it on one of the plates he had procured from my messy stash of kitchenware, sliding it across the ground towards me.

Slowly—hesitantly—I sat beside him, picking up the plate and holding it as if it were the most precious thing in the world, as if it were crafted by one of the Seven Archons themselves. As I gazed at Aether—who seemed to have loosened up since our initial introduction—I realised fully how much of the godlike elegance he had. He was... beautiful.

You just long for human contact, I told myself. Yes, that was true, but I longed for him to be the one to be with me. Because only someone like him could overcome the dangers of this mountain and see me. Only someone like him could dare to face a Fatui Agent in the flesh and treat them as an equal. This was what I desired. A friend like him.

It took me a moment to register he had actually said something and another to remember what it was. Something about the time I had spent in these mountains. "..Too long to remember," I replied.

"Really? Where are the other Fatui Agents? Surely you're not up here alone."

"I am. I am up here by myself. I haven't had contact with someone else for a very long time. Sometimes... sometimes I catch myself talking to myself," I admitted with slight embarrassment. "Not even the animals can keep me company as I shoot them all for food."

Aether's gaze seemed to sadden slightly. "That sounds... terrible."

"I didn't ask for your pity," I snapped.

"Sorry..."

Suddenly, I felt bad. I wanted a friend, right? From what I could remember, that was not how friends treated each other. "N—no, don't apologise. I shouldn't have snapped at you." I began eating the food he had cooked as I avoided eye contact, but I couldn't stop the brightness from forming in my eyes. It was... delicious! Incredible! A light groan of pleasure seeped out as I indulged in its taste.

I heard Aether laugh and looked at him. "I didn't think you'd enjoy my cooking that much."

"I—it's better than what I can do. My hunting is impeccable—nearly 100% accuracy with a bow—but I can't cook the game I hunt nearly as well as you can. It's... amazing!"

Paimon hummed in agreement. "Paimon thinks the Traveller makes the best food ever! Ooh, perhaps on our way back we can come see you and Aether can cook for you again, Y/n," she suggested.

"What? Really?" My tone was more hopeful and longing than I had intended, which only proved to me further that I desired their company more—and maybe the food as well. "M—maybe you can stay the night again. And you can teach me how to cook."

Aether sidled closer so he knelt beside me in front of the fire. "I can teach you now if you want."

I nodded eagerly. And as he instructed me through the process of how to create Sweet Madame and a few other dishes—sometimes gripping my hands to guide me through the process—I realised that I never wanted him to leave. But he would once the sun had risen. He would return—only to leave again. I couldn't bear that thought. They said they'd come back—but what if they didn't? What if... they forgot about me? That thought accompanied me long into the night.

⁜※⁜

"Aether..." I said quietly, half-hoping he wouldn't hear me so I didn't have to ask such an embarrassing question. It was late into the night. Paimon had already fallen asleep by the fire which roared freely, warming the chilly mountain air. We had finished cooking a little while ago and I had stored my share away somewhere safe.

"What is it?" he asked from beside me, strands of hair from his braid brushing my shoulder as he turned. Archons, it was softer than I thought when I first laid eyes on it. It was like someone had spun gold into the finest silk.

I couldn't meet his eyes, staring at the burning embers in front of me. "Aether... I..." I felt his hand slide over mine—comforting me and giving me the strength I needed to say the words I longed to say. "Promise me you won't forget me... and that you'll come back."

The words seemed to strike something deep inside him and he wrapped his fingers around mine and squeezed them. "Why would I ever forget you, Y/n? We may not have gone off to a great start—but I see you as my friend. I never forget my friends." I brought up the courage to look at him and found him smiling gently at me. "I promise I'll come back."

I felt like crying—at that smile, at those words, at Aether himself. I hadn't realised how lonely I was until I met him, and to hear him say he'd come back to this desolate treacherous place just for me...

"Let me see your face, Y/n—so that when I leave I'll have something to picture when I remember you, when I think of you."

Slowly, I lifted my free hand to my Fatui mask and removed it. I didn't wear it all the time, but upon hearing someone outside my cave I immediately put it back on. When I saw his eyes glitter slightly upon seeing my face, properly meeting my eyes for the first time, I wondered why I had bothered. If Aether was wearing a mask, I would tear the damn thing right off and throw it off the side of the cliff face.

"Such beauty should never be obstructed," he smiled, taking the mask from my hands and placing it to the side.

I realised I probably was going to start crying if I didn't turn away from him—from his sun-kissed skin, his Archon-blessed golden eyes—which was absolutely not ok and was probably against the Fatui handbook. On impulse, I brushed my lips against his cheek—in gratitude for his compliment, of course—before quickly flipping onto my side, facing the wall, not waiting to see his reaction. He could interpret it how he wished.

I sighed contently as I drifted off to sleep, my thoughts filled with the joy I felt when laying eyes on him, the spark I felt when I kissed him—though it could barely be called a moment due to how brief it was. And I knew that even when he left, I would see him again. I longed for that day.

⁜※⁜

A/N: Sorry for not uploading in a little bit, I've been stockpiling my short stories and editing them constantly instead of updating the actual book 💀 May have accidentally just created a less confused version of Katarina LMAO

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Completed: 13-06-23
Published: 27-06-23
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Fanart credits: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/97187336