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moonlite-drabbles · 10 months ago

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Underwater Caves (must be mapped) - Freminet x Mika

cws: cave diving, awkward interactions (to start), earthquakes, non-fatal injury, technically canon compliant.

He first met him four hundred feet underwater.

Well, met is the wrong word. Freminet saw the boy—dressed in a deep blue Mondstadt Knight uniform, exploring the very same underwater caves that Freminet was diving in. And so, out of both curiosity and shyness, Freminet decided to neither leave him alone, nor introduce himself.

So, for the past few days, Freminet had been… trailing behind, so to speak.

Aside from his attire, it was obvious he was not native. It was almost endearing, watching him struggle to figure out how to use water spirits to fight beneath water, or watching him stumble into a current and get dragged across the rolling underwater plains.

Freminet knew it was slightly creepy—well, incredibly creepy—but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Lyney and Lynette were the public figures after all. And besides, Freminet had been diving professionally for years, and one of the most common types of job given to him are rescue missions; which commonly turn out to be body recollection missions. Freminet has seen his share of bloating, discolored corpses trapped in diving gear—both expensive and cheap.

Sure, the boy had a vision—cryo, like him—meaning he couldn’t drown within the bounds of Fontaine, but there were other ways to perish.

Still, stalking was… bad. Very bad. Unless Father requested it of him, he didn’t do it.

So, the next time he saw Mika surface in the air pocket of an underwater cave system, he resolved to actually meet the boy, planning to reveal himself and say hello.

He took a breath, steadying himself as he stood—hid, more like—a little ways away. Before either building up the courage or losing the nerve though, the other boy spoke.

“Hello?” The boy called out. “I-I know you’re there.”

Oh. Oh archons. The boy knew Freminet was there. Well—Freminet was going to show up anyway, but still, it was different when he was out on a timer.

Freminet shuffled out into the open where the boy could see him, giving him a small wave. “…hi.”

The blue eyed boy—and wow those eyes were very blue—smiled awkwardly, tilting his head. “Ah—well, I don’t mean to really be blunt, but, I-uh, have noticed you following me while I dive for the past two days.”

“Oh.”

“Ha—yeah. Um, what—may I ask what that’s about?”

“Oh. You… didn’t seem very confident diving. I didn’t want you to get trapped down here. Plus I was in the area... sorry.”

“Oh—well, that’s fine, I guess. My name is Mika.”

“Oh I’m Freminet.” The conversation lulled for a moment, then, with great effort, Freminet spoke again. “You’re a knight, from Mondstadt, right?”

“Yes, I am a frontline surveyor for the Knights of Favonius.” Realizing how that may sound, he quickly amended; “I’m not on duty though! I do a lot of cartography for the knights—and just cause I like it. I’m on vacation right now technically, ha… not making illegal Military maps for Fontaine.”

“This isn’t the best place to map if you were, anyways.” Freminet shrugged. “No use in mapping ruins if you were doing stuff in the military.”

“I suppose not… oh, sorry, you’ve been standing there so long. Feel free to sit! I always pack extra food too—“

“Thank you.” Freminet said, taking a seat beside Mika.

“So uhm, Freminet, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’re a diver.”

“I am.”

“That’s cool.”

“Thanks.”

Silence.

“Um… what do you do?”

Mika looked at Freminet, an almost concerned tilt to his eyebrows. Oh, right, Mika had already told him.

“Knight. Right. Sorry. I’m not good at this.” Freminet looked away, embarrassed. No. Mortified. Ah, of course he was messing this up. He should have never even approached Mika. Why wasn’t Lyney here—

Mika laughed. Freminet snapped out of his spiral, enchanted by the light chime of Mika’s bubbly laughter.

“Ha—sorry! Sorry! I’m not laughing at you I promise.” Mika struggled to restrain his laughter. “Don’t worry—really. I’m terrible at this too.”

Freminet smiled, a bit awkward, a bit strange, no teeth or mirth to it, but still, he smiled. “What are you mapping?”

“I-oh. Like I said, I’m mapping the ruins down here. I’ve not really worked underwater before, but these are all really interesting. The terminology and key signals for underwater mapping are very interesting too, ha.”

“Will the maps be damaged if they get wet?” Freminet asked quietly.

“Not these ones, the ink and the parchment are waterproof, and covered in a waxy layer. Still, I like to do my mapping on dry land, just in case. Writing underwater can be difficult.”

Freminet nodded, not quite feeling the obligation to respond.

“I'm headed in deeper, since I should have the supplies. I found the remnants of a cave-in earlier today. The—um, floor of the cavern up ahead was the ceiling to one under it, so when it shifted the new path was opened.”

Huh. Freminet would have to take note of that. Quietly, he spoke up. “Well, the deeper in, the more common underwater tremors are. If that part of the cave was unstable, others can also

Mika’s shoulders drooped a bit, catching onto what Freminet was saying. “So you think I shouldn’t proceed?”

“I, sorry, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Mika smiled a bit. “No—Don’t worry about it! I’d be a fool not to listen to the diving expert on this.”

Still, Freminet felt a small pang. Mika did seem excited…

“I could go with you. I’m good at recognizing the warning signs. Besides, I’ve been here a lot.”

“Oh, no, really, I’ll just head back to the surface, no need to accommodate me—that’s fine, r-really!” Mika rushed to reassure him, and Freminet suddenly felt even more bad. Still, the thought of helping the Mondstadt boy through the ruins and caverns made his heartbeat jump.

“I would like to help, if you’d want me to.”

“I—well. If you like to. But only if I can pay your commission fee. You’re a professional, right?”

“…Yes.” Freminet answered. “But I’m really willing to do this free of charge.”

“No, really, I want to pay! Especially if I’m taking your time.”

“…alright.” Freminet agreed. Then, suddenly, he remembered he was down here for a reason. Right, work. “But, we’d have to do it tomorrow. I have to finish my current job.”

“Is it anything I can help with? Since you're helping me?”

Freminet shook his head. “I already completed it. I just need to surface and turn it in.”

“Alright, then I’m probably going to resurface as well, I’d rather not stay here overnight…”

“We can go together…?” Freminet offered, somewhat nervously, as if he might be rejected. But Mika just smiled.

“Sure!”

Mika followed Freminet’s route back through the water to the surface, trusting him to lead them correctly. The thought made Freminet feel sickeningly nervous and a little prideful all at once.

Mika was a sight, gliding through the water. Of course, Freminet knew this when he was watching him, but it was different up close. He was slim, not containing the specific muscle build that a diver like Freminet had, lean, with long legs despite his stature. He was almost doe-like. The wetsuit he was in helped too. Freminet wondered how he’d look against the Fontainian countryside, or bounding through forests, over fallen logs and exposed roots.

He pretended the chill of the water was to blame for his blush. Mika didn’t notice after all.

He probably should have taken the direct path back up to the city, but something in Freminet had him taking Mika through the scenic paths, past the sea otters and the titalgia, the kelp and the spirit creatures.

Mika let out a small laugh as a stingray weaved around him, reaching his hand out to skim over its back. Freminet paused in the water, waiting for him, face carefully blank. Mika apologized sheepishly, flashing a small smile and a scratch to the back of his neck, before swimming to catch up.

Coming to the harbor, the sky had darkened, even if the sun didn’t quite dip over the horizon yet. It must have been late, dinner time. He usually didn’t stay out this late.

Probably why both Lyney and Lynette were waiting by the docks.

“Freminet!” Lyney called out, waving before trotting over to them, Lynnette following slowly.

“Hi.” Freminet responded.

“You’re later than usual.” Lynette said, her eyes catching on Mika. “And you brought… someone.”

“H-hello.” Mika greeted his siblings with a small wave, a bit of a nervous tint to his voice. He turned back to Freminet. “Thank you for your help, Freminet. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Freminet nodded. “It was of no issue. Have a nice day, Mika.”

“Bye!” Lyney waved after him, Lynette simply watching as he disappeared.

As soon as Mika was out of sight, two, catlike eyes snapped to him.

“Who was that?” Lyney asked, a grin stretched across his face.

“Nobody.” Freminet answered, too quickly. Immediately he regretted it—Mika obviously was somebody. And now he caught the catlike attention of his siblings. He should have just said he was someone who got lost. Freminet mentally steeled himself. “Well—I mean. I met him in the bay. He’s not from around here.”

Lynette, who had at some point summoned a cup of tea, tapped her spoon on the edge of the porcelain cup, “Mondstadter accent. Rented wetsuit. Seems true enough.”

“Meeting up with him tomorrow though? How interesting. Did you accept a commission?” Lyney wondered.

“I—yes. I suppose I did.”

“You don't accept spontaneous commissions though.” Lynette said.

“Not once!” Lyney added, suddenly at Freminet’s side.

“Seems our baby brother made a friend.” Lynette added too casually, before sipping her tea.

“Hm, by the looks Fremi gave him though… maybe not…”

Oh no. Oh nonono. Freminet stood, mortified as his siblings took the situation and sprinted with it, matching catlike mischief on their faces. “Guys…”

“Sooooo…” Lyney’s voice startled Freminet from his trance. His brother practically danced around him, ignoring Freminet’s attempts to bat him away before he flung himself over Freminet’s shoulders. “A Mondstadt boy? How unexpected!—especially from my sweet baby brotherrrr—”

“Lynette.” Freminet said quietly, calling out for his sister to save him. To have mercy.

“It is intriguing.” Lynnette said. “What was his last name again?”

His only savior, betraying him. “It’s—it’s not—we’re—I’m not-!”

“Shh.” Lyney cut him off. He was in front of him now, tutting his finger. “Don’t worry, big brother Lyney is gonna help you get the boy.”

“After a background check.” Lynette reminded him, tapping her spoon against the rim of her teacup.

“Aaand a little bit of reconnaissance.” Lyney agreed.

“Please don’t.” Freminet whispered, head hung low. This was the worst outcome.

“Don’t worry your dear little head, baby brother. Everything will be just fine. Just let your wonderful big siblings work our magic!”

“I’m not interested in him, I’m just helping him out a bit—he’s not an experienced diver.”

“You were staring at him like you wanted to tear open his back panel and look at his components, Freminet.”

“I wasn't—what does that even mean?”

“Bad analogy, brother.” Lynette, finally, decided to have mercy. “And don’t worry about it Freminet, I’ll keep Lyney out of trouble.”

“I’d prefer if you kept out of it entirely. It’s just a commission, you don’t need to stalk him…” Freminet tried one final time.

His siblings both just smiled, and Freminet decided maybe it was time to die.

Freminet had woken up early, prepared all his gear, and was out the door before the sun was even over the horizon, the sky that light blue that came before sunrise. Perhaps it was a bit overkill, but without a specified time, Freminet didn’t want to be late.

When he arrived at the docks though, he mentally berated him for his stupidity. Who would come out at six in the morning? Likelihood was that Freminet would wait upwards of two hours for Mika to arrive. He paces the empty docks. What should he do? What would he say?

Ultimately, Freminet decided that, since Mika had shared his food with him yesterday, he’d go to a nearby cafe and grab something for the both of them. To pay him back, of course. Besides—His client etiquette was something he needed to work on, according to both Lyney and Father.

Somewhat impulsively, he spun around, heading towards a cafe near the docks.

He stared at the pastry displays, would a Mondstadter like coffee? It’s not very popular over there, he thought. Mondstadt was known for wine, and if not wine, grape juice. Eggs were a safe bet—Everywhere eats eggs, right?—maybe a breakfast sandwich. Or would he like something sweet? Fontaine was very good at sweets.

Eventually, Freminet decided on a Fontainian classic. A couple sweet croissants—Fontaine was incredibly good at executing them, and unless Mika disliked sugar, he should like these.

But what if he did? Freminet hesitated, should he also grab something else, maybe something less sweet? Before he could make any changes, the cashier had wrapped up the breakfast and Freminet had no choice but to scuttle out the door.

He trotted back back to the docks, the little to-go bag clutched in his hand. Upon arriving, he nearly jumped seeing Mika, sitting on the pier. Mika heard him apparently, head turning.

“Oh! Hello Freminet, sorry if I’m a bit early. I set out early then realized maybe that wasn’t the best idea, ha.” Mika looked… bashful, maybe. People were difficult.

Freminet froze a moment, taking in the sight of Mika sitting at the dock, legs dangling off the side, tips of his feet skimming the water, making little ripples. He was in the wetsuit from yesterday. It looked good above water as well. Mika was lean and a little on the shorter side, but it helped him. Freminet took a small breath.

A moment of silence, before they both spoke: “I brought us breakfast-”

Another moment of silence, staring at one another. Freminet’s face felt hot—he really hoped he wasn’t blushing.

Mika smiled awkwardly. “Oh—wow. Ha. Seems we both had the same idea. If you like, we can pack one of ours up for a snack later?”

“Sure. Um—We can eat yours now?” Freminet carefully lowered himself to the dock, sitting next to Mika.

“If you want.” Mika said, a bit quieter. He handed Freminet a small, paper wrapped piece of food.

It was a homemade breakfast sandwich. Sunny side up egg, lettuce, ham, and cheese on some sort of bagel like bread. He felt sort of embarrassed, since this was obviously homemade. Freminet wasn’t often one for this type of food, but it tasted really good, and he couldn’t help but finish it in mere minutes—something he quickly felt embarrassed about when he looked back to Mika and realized he was only about halfway through his sandwhich.

Mika just laughed though. “Ha—I suppose it’s not just the other knights who enjoy my cooking.”

“It was good. Thank you.” Freminet used the excuse of wiping his face to turn away.

“I—Well—You’re welcome.” Mika turned away as well. “Uhm—so, I have all the maps written out, leading up to the caves we’ll be going into. I’m not sure if we’ll have access to those little ocean spirits—you know, the blue sea creatures that give you abilities underwater?—I don’t know if there'll be any inside the ruins so I marked off the places where I spotted some yesterday.”

“They’re called aberrants. And that’s good. We should steer clear of the destructive ones… the crab and the jellyfish.”

“Y-yeah. I’d rather not trigger a cave-in. Perhaps you could grab a blab—uhm, sorry; I’m not sure how to pronounce it, ‘blubber beast?’, and I’ll grab the hunter's ray.”

Freminet nodded once. “That’s a good idea.”

Mika smiled, cheerful. “Alright. Ready to dive in?”

The plan was this: acquire the aberrants needed, based on Mika’s map, head into the caves and ruins they were in before, and dive as deep as possible while Mika mapped and Freminet kept them safe.

It was an easy job. An easy order—and Freminet was excellent at blocking the world out and following commands.

But he just couldn’t seem to tune the world out when Mika was there. Freminet looked to him often—not unusual, for him to try to gauge the emotions of an employer, but he was looking far to much, and was far to invested in how much Mika was enjoying himself.

So much so, he didn’t heed to warnings the ocean gave him when the shallow fields where hunter rays would roam were strangely empty.

He just shrugged, gesturing for Mika to follow him to the next spot, the trench where blubberbeasts liked to sleep.

No aberrants there either.

The sea was… tranquil. Barren. The way the shallows got when a downpour would scare the fish away. The ocean still as it’s residents hid. It wasn’t the most unusual, but…

They had until dark to get into and out of the ruins—it was a one day trip, and swimming home in the dark wasn’t a good idea—even in the shallows. The two of them were operating on a clock, so to say.

When their search came up empty yet again, Freminet bit his lip, hesitating for a second, before he made the gesture for the two of them to surface.Mika, of course, nodded, following him up until they broke the surface of the water, treading.

Mika’s breaths were a bit heavy. Despite the fact his vision allowed him to breathe in water, swimming was still an exhausting task that strained certain muscles—ones that a foreigner wouldn’t have developed. It was strange to think swimming wasn’t a way of life within Mondstadt. Diving? Sure, it’s dangerous as a baseline and not many in Fontainians even do it. But swimming was basically a part of the people of Fontaine. Some learn to swim before taking their first steps. Mika didn’t have that experience.

Watching Mika’s slightly red face, Freminet suddenly became aware that time wasn’t the only limit they had. Mika could only swim for so long. This was really strenuous for him. “We should take a break on the shore.”

“Hm? Oh—right. We should… probably come up with a plan.” Mika nodded, beginning to swim for the nearest beach.

Freminet moved to grab his forearm, the way he usually did when pulling drowning men to shore, only to realize before he touched Mika. He was fine—just panting. No need to coddle him.

They came to the shore, Mika sitting down in the sand, feet still in the water and Freminet following suit.

It didn’t take long for Mika to catch his breath. Just a minute—Freminet kicked himself for overreacting. He was to busy kicking himself, he didn’t realize Mika was speaking.

“—anyways, really sorry about the aberrants. They were marked down but it seems I didn’t account for everything.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Freminet responded. “Sometimes that happens. Probably just means something big came through, or the currents changed suddenly.”

“Y-yeah. I guess you’d know. Shame though, that we can’t go down today. Suppose this will have to wait until the next time I’m in Fontaine.”

Wait—“You leave soon?”

“No—not quite, but the time up until my departure I’m busy—there are some requests that will take a few days to carry out, and then I’ll leave the night after I finish. Sorry about wasting your time—I-I’ll be sure to pay you in full though!”

Freminet froze, somehow the concept of Mika’s departure hadn’t even crossed his mind. “Oh.”

“S-sorry.” Mika said sheepishly.

“I mean. We still have time—If you’re alright with it, we can go down and try to find an aberrant in the cave. Or we can just go without one. Only if you’re fine with it though.”

“I… I guess I won’t get this chance for a long while.” Mika shot a look towards the tranquil waters of the sea in front of them. The blue curtain of the ocean, with the glare of the sun reflecting off it. It looked so calm, and the feeling of <em>this-will-go-fine</em> was tempting.

Freminet waited.

Mika took in a breath, “Alright. Let’s go.”

In retrospect, Freminet should have dragged them back to the surface

The quiet scratch of the quill against Mika’s parchment. The clicking of Pers’ clockwork insides.

The small air pocket they were resting in was silent. But it didn’t feel uncomfortable. Mika was content to map. Freminet was content to tinker.

They’d been in the caverns for nearly an hour, and they’d just recently reached the stretches of the cavern that was unmapped. So far everything was fine—they hadn’t come across any aberrants, but hadn’t met any enemies or obstacles that necessitated them either.

Aberrants were strange creatures—or ‘spirits’, as some people referred to them. They were incredibly in tune with their enviroment, and recided in the same ecosystems as their more physical counterparts.

Still, as a diver, Freminet felt a little… bare, without the power of an aberrant on his shoulder. He had his claymore, but that would be difficult to wield underwater. Oh well.

“One moment. I’m just about done.” Mika said distractedly. His eyes were trained down on the, parchment, quill scratching across the paper quickly. Freminet didn’t know anyone could write that fast, let alone draw.

Mika suddenly stopped, looking over his work with a scrutinizing eye. He set his quill aside for his ruler, carefully measuring each line of his. Making sure they were proportional.

“How often would you say these caves shift in measurements?” Mika asked. “I want to add notes about margins of error in case anyone needs to travel these.”

“… well, the water currents will slowly widen the passages over time by wearing down the walls and carrying off the minerals, but that takes multiple decades. Other than that, it’s only really cave in’s, or thermal vents acting abnormally that will change the layout… or earthquakes.”

Mika nodded, noting that down. “How frequent are earthquakes?”

“The lower you get the more common they are. Usually they’re small, and hardly ever noticed on the surface. Just one won’t affect the caves too much. But unsteady rocks can shift, or weak rock can crack.”

“Alright, what’s the correlation between depth and their frequency? Is there any specific checkpoints where they get more—”

They went silent as the very rock they sat on, shook.

“… uh, F-Freminet?” Mika whispered, staring at the ground, frozen.

The shaking continued for four, long seconds. Neither of them moved, except for Mika turning his head to him, eyes wide, silently asking him what to do.

The shaking stopped, and Freminet could finally breathe.

He, alone, was used to the phenomenon. It wasn’t too common, something he’d only experienced a handful of times, but not something that’d freak him out. Usually.

Still, with Mika next to him, actual fear flooded his veins, icier than his vision.

“Well, I—uh… didn’t expect that. Haha…” Mika joked, but he was obviously uneasy, what with his labored breaths and the way his hands shook as he packed up his mapping equipment.

Freminet didn’t respond, turning to his depthometer.

“W-Well. You said this was pretty normal, right? Are we able to continue or should we surfa—”

Archons damned, the ground shook again.

The second tremor set the entire day into context. The missing aberrants—they’d follow their living counterparts, who could sense the changes in the earth, heading out of the region affected by the tremors. The region they were in.

“We have to surface.” Freminet said immediately, grabbing Mika by the wrist and summoning his helmet.

“Wha—you said this was normal, though?”

“We’re not deep enough for a small earthquake to be this strong, or have multiple tremors. We need to surface.”

“I—alright, let’s go.” Mika, for a moment, seemed… scared. A moment later though, he nodded, schooling his face. He hopped up, securing his extra things—his bag, notebook, etcetera—to his body, “Are we in immediate danger?”

“It’s hard to tell. Let’s go.”

They left the air pocket, returning to the underwater caves, traveling through them, working together to retrace their exit.

With Freminet’s underwater experience, being used to remembering his path and turning tail, as well as Mika’s maps, it wasn’t the most difficult to start on the path back.

The rock around them only trembled once as they started to leave. Five minutes in, everything seemed calm. Seemed.

Then, the ceiling happened.

The ceiling. The damn cavern ceiling.

They were in a smaller corridor, easily fifteen feet tall, with deep sea foliage splattered throughout it. Coral and kelp framing the dark cave. It wasn’t even claustrophobic. It should have been safe. Safe-ish. Until he heard it.

It shifted, once, twice. Tettering, deciding whether to collapse. The creak of stone—

Freminet swam faster, hand tightening around Mika’s upper arm as he got close, pulling him along that little bit faster.

Then, the collapse.

Behind them, luckily. They could feel the rock fall behind them—the muffled slam of it against the cavern floor, the force of it sent ripples through the water, propelling them forward a bit. The real danger was a chain reaction.

Mika made a frightened noise as a shard of rock fell strangely close, but kept up well enough.

More bits fell. Freminet didn’t dare glance behind them, but the sound was enough to convince him they were big enough to kill. He couldn’t hear his labored breaths, and could only feel his pounding heartbeat over the sounds.

He almost didn’t notice it. The rock slammed into his side. Bluntly, he felt himself shoved, as well as heard a crack.

Mika yelled something, and vaguely he realized the crack was his ribs. Definitely. Huh.

He looked down, helmet making it a bit hard, he wasn’t trapped, but there was red swirling in the water. His blood.

He closed his eyes, only for a second. Opening them, the two of them had moved.

Mika must have been pulling him along, as his arm was over the smaller’s shoulder, and the boy’s hand was wrapped around to cradle his ribs. He also must have been healing him as he swam, as it didn’t hurt.

“Frem—”

“Y-yeah?”

“Oh thank Barbatos.” Mika muttered. Distantly, Freminet was a little surprised to hear the gods name. It made sense though, Mika was a Mondstadter after all. “— earthquake is stopped for now, and we’re close to an air pocket. Should we—“

“Y-yeah, l-let’s…” Freminet said, even though talking strained him. Mika got the idea.

He was strangely calm, as Mika pulled him over his shoulder and dragged him. Sure, they were in immediate danger, but his mind couldn’t help but drift.

Growing geothermal pressure must have been building up for some time. Leading to small tremors in the earth below the region, driving away the fauna. In years past, the institute would monitor these things, but with the—oh, was Mika saying something? Between his helmet and heartbeat thumping in his ears, it was a little difficult to make out the words.

Mika must be worried, Freminet thought distantly. In a pathetic attempt of comfort, Freminet grabbed his arm a bit, squeezing once. I’m still here. Don’t worry.

They must have gotten to the pocket, as suddenly, they broke the surface of the water, and Mika heaved him over his shoulder, dragging him up and laying him down on some rock.

The tremors in the earth had been silent for a bit at this point. How long, Freminet didn’t know. It was a little difficult to process stuff.

Mika tore his helmet off him, tossing it to the side. Freminet kind of wished he didn’t, as sometime during the event, a few tears had slipped down his cheeks.

“Freminet?” Hands on his face. “Freminet? Can you count to five.”

“I-yeah. One, two, three, four, five.” He croaked out.

“Good. And where are you?”

“…underwater. With you.” Probably not enough information. “On a commission.”

Mika let out a shaky breath. “Alright. No concussion probably. I healed you a bit while we were still underwater, but I couldn't do too much. I’m going to continue, alright?”

Freminet nodded, closing his eyes.

A cold mist filled the little air pocket. Freminet peaked one eye open. Mika was holding his notebook again. When the healing flooded his body, cold and numbing against his skin, he nearly cried again. Thank the archons. Thank the Tsaritsa. Thank—

“Thank you.” Freminet’s voice was hoarse, dry, despite the wretched, humid air of the air pocket they surfaced in.

The cool rock beneath him soothed his hot body. Thoughts came easier.

“It’s no issue, really. It’s what I’m trained to do.” Mika sounded relieved, snapping his book shut.

“I’m supposed to be the one keeping us safe. That was my job. I’m sorry I failed.”

“No—really. I’m a healer. I’m supposed to keep people alive. I asked you to be my guide and you did that amazingly.” And then Mika smiled, Freminet could tell. Wanting to see it, Freminet gathered himself and forced his eyes open and looked at the other boy.

“You did well.” He mumbled, glancing away.

“No pain?” Mika scooted closer to him. “Abnormal heart rate? Lingering feelings of cold? Numbness? Do you mind if I check your pulse?”

“I—uhm.”

“O-oh, sorry—procedure. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but I do need to make sure everything is working order now that you’re lucid.”

“… alright. Can… Can I wear my helmet while you do it?”

Mika looked confused for a second, but nodded. “That’s fine, so long as you can answer my questions.”

Freminet summoned his helmet, reveling in hiding in the silky velvet inside. But, even hidden behind the glass of the porthole, he couldn’t help the way his breath caught as Mika expertly grabbed his wrist.

Two fingers pressed to the vein there—caulloused slightly from wielding a polearm—Mika lips twitched as he silently counted.

“I-It’s a little fast…” Mika said, face twisting into slight concern. “I’m going to have you lay down on your back. Focus on your breathing, it could just be shock, or an issue with the cryo I healed you with.”

Or it was a product of Freminet’s sudden flustered-ness.

Probably that, because when he laid back down, counting his breaths, and caught sight of Mika sitting above him, his breathing stuttered.

Mika heard it immediately, but didn’t connect the dots, eyes immediately snapping to him. “Any pain or strain with exhaling and inhaling?”

“… no.”

Mika nodded. “Alright. Just keep calming down. Cryo healing has a small chance of connecting with the blood in the veins and freezing it. This usually never happens without the wielder realizing—the freeze reaction is very tangible—but being surrounded by water may have made me miss it. With your heartbeat being fast your body may be heating up to try and melt it. I—it’s a bit awkward, but I’m going to have to feel around your limbs. Just your fingers, for arms, and calves—! I’ll be quick, tell me if you feel anything.”

“I… I think I’ll be alright.”

“This is just standard, to ensure your safety. Rushed healing jobs can really hurt people. Especially with the cryo element, and more so underwater.”

And what was Freminet going to do? Tell Mika that he was probably the reason for his high heart rate? Absolutely not.

Deft fingers trailed up down his forearm, pressing lightly into the soft skin.

“—well, It’s a highly valued heating element for its ability to numb and painkill, but blood being a liquid makes it dangerous. D-don’t worry though! I haven't killed anyone with healing! Not yet!”

Freminet barely tuned in, trying to keep his breathing even and calm down so this could <em>stop</em>. He was definitely going to keep his helmet on for a while after this—his face was hot, and no doubt red.

Fingers pressed against the pads of his own, one by one, before moving to the next one. Mika was soft, softer than him, but his hands were calloused from wielding a polearm and being a cartographer.

Freminet closed his eyes when Mika moved to his calves, these were quicker, Mika using his palms to feel down the tendons. He pulled away soon after.

“T-there we go! All good. I didn’t find any blockages or cryo constructs, so you should be all good.”

Freminet opened his eyes, looking at Mika through the protection of his helmet. Mika…

His own face was painted with a blush.

“If you’re all good, we should head up. Healing is great, but you should always get looked at by a doctor. Also, I’m not sure how bad that earthquake was, but if it was heard on the surface then your siblings must be worried.”

“Right.” Ah. His siblings. Freminet was not mentally ready to deal with them. Today was… rough. But his body was fine. Tip top shape actually—he’s pretty sure Mika fixed that crick in his neck he’s had for years.

He took Mika’s hand, letting him help him to his feet.

As soon as they were on shore, Mika was herding him towards a doctor, no matter what Freminet said. Which was why he ended up laying on the white sheets of a hospital bed, arm hooked up to the IV bag. It was a little uncomfortable, under his skin, but he dealt. Tearing it out would only make everyone upset. The doctors, Mika, his siblings if they were here. He sighed, laying still as a soldier on the bed.

“A-Alright, tell them what happened, I’ll inform your siblings you’re here. Do you know where they might be?”

“…If practice ended on time, they’ll be at our house. Here—I’ll write down the address.” He forced himself up on shaky arms, only for Mika to protest, softly easing him back down and promising to remember it.

Which was also why both Lyney and Lynette burst through the door nearly ten minutes later—the walk would be twenty, did Mika run to get them? Did they also run to arrive?—immediately at his side over him, Lyney’s voice overlapping with the doctor as question after question after concern was fired off. Honestly, it was too much for Freminet, who wished he had his helmet.

“You’re alright—right?” Lynette said through the chaos, the only person who’s voice made sense. Thank god. His savior.

He turned his head, grabbing her hand and squeezing once before nodding. She nodded once in response.

“I figured. Ignore Lyney’s loudness, he’s just concerned.”

“Concerned?” Lyney whipped around from where he was facing the doctor, a look of indignation on his face. “Of course I am! An earthquake with my little brother trapped underground—it’s a miracle he’s even—”

“Indeed. He’s quite lucky he was swimming with a healer when the incident occurred. Any prolonged injury would have made it especially easy for him to become disoriented and trapped underwater.” The doctor agreed. “With the healing—which was quite potent—your brother should be discharged in just a few hours.”

“Oh… right.” Freminet said distantly. Mika. Where’d he go? He glanced around, hoping to find him in the room, except for the fact it was void of the other boy. “Mika… where’d he go? I need to thank him.”

“Mika stepped out after he brought us here, I believe.” Lynette said, looking to Lyney who nodded in agreement.

“He did seem to slip away—oh right! We also need to thank him for taking care of our brother, Lynette!” Lyney hopped up, spinning around and heading for the door, sticking his head out. Only, a moment later, he stuck it back in the room, turning to the rest of them. “Huh. He’s not in the waiting chairs outside. It seems he left.”

“Oh.” Freminet said, masking his disappointment. Alas, nothing could be kept away from his siblings cat-sharp eyes and ears.

“You really did make a new friend, huh?” Lyney smiled.

Lynette shot him a glare. “Knock it off.”

He huffed. “Whatever. I’ll talk to the doctors, see if we can’t get you discharged sooner rather than later.”

They needed to tell Father, of course. And they’d probably tell Father about Mika. Depending on how they think Father will react, they may even tell her about his dumb stupid dumb crush.

Freminet sighed, laying his head back against the scratchy hospital pillow.

He closed his eyes, listening to the ambient noises of the hospital. The chatter of Lyney speaking to the doctors on the other side of the hospital room. The muffled beeps of pagers. The rhythm of a heart monitor. He sighed, body abnormally heavy.

“I’m sorry.” Lynette said. The unprompted apology made Freminet open his eyes again, looking at her questioningly.

“…for what?”

“Your day with Mika is ruined. You seemed to like him a great deal. And you’re injured, so you will have to refrain from diving for a time. Which you enjoy.. I'm sorry about that.”

“Not badly. And… yeah. I think I liked him.” Freminet looked to the ceiling, blankly. “He was… nice.”

“It’s alright, Freminet. I’ll make this all better.”

Once again, Freminet opened his eyes, turning to his sister, and… oh no.

Sometimes, it is hard to remember that Lynette and Lyney are, in fact, twins. Near identical in many ways. Many of their physical features are close, but there were other things they shared.

Lynette met his eyes, and Freminet’s heart stopped when he saw a small smile and a spark of mischief in her eyes.

“Whatever you’re planning, please don’t.” Freminet quietly begged.

“Big sister will take care of it.” She stood slowly, walking to join their brother by the doctors.

A couple days later, after Freminet had gone home, and resolved himself to never seeing Mika again, there was a knock on the door.

Lyney answered, aware of the other sibling’s general hatred for small talk, and Freminet hadn’t paid it any mind, continuing to tinker with Pers at the dining room table. That was, until he heard Lyney’s frankly too loud voice.

“Oh, Mika! How nice to see you, yes, Freminet is home—”

Freminet was up from the table in seconds, darting over to the door. He ignored Lynette’s snort, coming up right behind his brother to greet Mika. “Hi.”

“H-hi! I—well, I didn’t get to pay you for the commission, and I’m about to head back to Mondstadt. I—well, sorry for showing up at your house unannounced.”

“It’s fine.” Freminet said quickly, before catching his wording. “I—it’s good. It’s nice to see you again.”

“It’s nice to see you too! I’m happy you’re alright!” Mika chirped, taking a small step forward. At some point Lyney had slipped back into the house, leaving them alone, face to face at the door.

They were quiet for a moment, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. At least, Freminet didn’t find it so. They just kinda… stood, looking at each other.

“Oh!” Mika broke the silence first, turning to ruffle through his satchel. “Right, payment!”

Payment? Oh—“…you don’t have to.” Freminet did fail after all. Both of them almost got hurt.

“No no, I got much deeper than I ever thought I would with your help, plus you risked your life for me. I-It’s only fair.” Mika pulled out a pouch, heavy with mora. “H-here.”

Freminet opened his palms, letting Mika drop the pouch into them. “…thanks…”

Mika just smiled, nodding once before waving, and turning tail to run off, probably to catch the aquabus.

Alone now, Freminet stood in the doorway, mora heavy in his hands, and Mika was gone.

He took a deep breath. It was at least nice to see him one last time. He’d shake off his dumb crush soon enough, forgetting about their fairly short time together. A few days at most. They hardly knew each other.

He sighed, turning into his house and shutting the door behind him.

Lynette and Lyney sat at the dining room table, Lyney with a smug grin, and Lynette with a cup of tea.

“I like him.” Lyney commented as Freminet tossed the mora on the counter.

“I like him as well.” Lynette agreed. “Everything turned up well about him.”

Freminet sighed. Of course, leave it to his siblings to find out anything they could—probably everything—about his dumb crash. Quietly, he responded, voice flat. “Doesn’t matter. He’s going home.”

“Oh? Really? How tragic!—my own dearest brother, his first dalliance into love, left heartbroken as the subject of his affections must return home—” Lyney’s concern was exaggerated. Faked. He had something up his magician’s sleeve. Freminet narrowed his eyes.

“Just say it Lyney.” Lynnette scolded.

“We’ve put a request in to travel to Mondstadt and perform there—with the intention of bolstering international camaraderie… and doing some intelligence gathering, of course! If The Knave agrees we’ll be going next month.”

“N-next month?” So soon? What the hell, Lyney!” He turned to his brother, shellshocked.

He was going to see Mika again. In a month. Lyney said something else, but Freminet didn’t register it. He would get to see Mika again.

#Freminet Genshin #Mika Genshin #Fremika #Freminet x Mika #Genshin Fanfic

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