MOONLIGHT FRAGMENTS.

@lunaetis cartethyia / fleurdelys - sent. 「 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝟎𝟐 / 𝟎𝟗 / 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 」

「ㅤ he had been such a calming presence every time they see one another, and cartethyia found herself looking forward to their next meeting whenever their time together came to a close. the thought sent a flush of heat to her cheeks, and for a moment she was grateful he wouldn't see just how easily flustered she was in his company. though, there was no confirmation whether he was able to tell or not. ( she had a hunch that he was. )

that, and she had developed a habit of fidgeting and toying with his fingers. a very habit that he had kindly allowed her to do when they sat not too far from one another. something about the feel of his hand brought a sense of calm to her mind, as did listening to his voice. he always looked so calm when he speaks, and cartethyia ended up staring at him. a sense of warmth rose inside her chest, a feeling that made her feel more human than anything. it was weird ... a good weird. to feel like she didn't have to be what others saw her or expected of her. that it was alright to simply exist as a normal girl, not the vessel of the light and dark tide.

perhaps it was the books she had read, or how she had been wanting to thank him for everything he had done — the small gap between them shortened in a quiet shift as her lips ghosted a touch of almost kiss over his cheek. the realization slammed into her that made her almost short-circuit over her own action.

" ah — i ... ! i'm sorry ! i ... was thinking i wanted to ... thank you — and ... " her cheeks were burning, and with her pale skin it was blooming red from her own awkwardness and panic. what did i just do — did i really just kiss him ? even if it's on the cheek !! that's — " i — i — "

the words of panic died down for a moment, and though he wasn't witnessing it with his gaze, he'd be able to feel the way the air shifted in its transition. her smaller hand that was toying with his became larger, the hand that was made to hold a sword, now. fleurdelys carefully curled her digits around his, bringing it up so her lips could press a kiss over the top of his knuckles.

like a knight pledging an oath.

" apologies. i hope we did not offend you. " her grasp of his hand tightened ever so slightly. the blessed maiden smiled, gaze softening. " we simply meant to show you our gratitude. the methods might be slightly unorthodox, but the intention is just, i assure you. "

she could hear her other self squeaking at the back of her head.ㅤ 」

ㅤAnd though he may be blind, and cannot see, he is still an empath. He can still perceive. He can notice, he can tell - it is obvious - when she is flustered; why she is flustered; what is making her flustered. He knows.  ( it is about him . ) But very rarely, if at all, will there be any confirmation that he knows. That he is aware. There won’t be. Mostly because he is blind, and he chooses not to say anything, but also because there is no need to say it. Andoain is not that kind of man: to say something about it. She is already very hyperaware - he does not need to say anything. There are, of course, other things, too, that give it away. 

my eyes fail me , but i had no use for them anyway . i do not need them to see you .

ㅤAn anchor. That is what the martyr is, oddly. Or, perhaps, not so oddly at all. ( it is not the first time that somebody has seen him as such . ) If she finds some semblance of stability - serenity - fidgeting around with his hand, then who was he to stop her? He isn’t anybody. And he wouldn’t. He won’t. Better she find peace, and comfort, in that hand, than to find worry, and despair. So, he allows her to play, and fidget. He does not mind, and he takes no heed in it. Calm as ever, he gives no indication that he is paying special attention. 

He knows that if she wants to say, or do, something, then, she will.  Committing to it, however, is another story entirely. 

ㅤAndoain does take note of Cartethyia moving. Leaning in. He knows. And, quite subtly, he moves too. Not enough to expose him, or his actions, but enough to offer her an opportunity. If she so chooses to take it. ( he knows that she may not . she may hesitate , and pull away . ) If a kiss is what she wants to give - even if it is the faintest of pecks - then she may give it. She is allowed; and he is not opposed. He wants it, actually. It is a sign that he is cared about. Loved, cherished. And while he believes that he is not always deserving of love, and of grace, he still wants it. He yearns for it, too. Sometimes. 

ah , there it is : ㅤㅤthe panic ,ㅤㅤ the worry ,ㅤㅤ the concern .

you are allowed to love too , cartethyia . indulge yourself . 

ㅤHe waits, however, instead of responding. Does not utter a single word, or release a sound. Readies himself, for the other. The other half. His hand stays still, and he stays as relaxed as he can be. Offers a kind and warm smile, through the transition; at longer fingers that curl in between his; when ‘she’ pulls his hand closer to her lips to kiss it. 

ㅤㅤ“ neither of your selves would ever offend me, fleurdelys , ”ㅤㅤ it isn’t that he prefers her over the other, he just knows that one half is more confident than the other, and he is more inclined to admit something to this ‘other’, even though he is absolutely certain that Cartethyia will still be able to hear it.ㅤㅤ “i know there was no ill-intent ━ ”ㅤㅤ a soft and gentle laugh, albeit short, and stifled. Suppressed. ㅤㅤ“ ━ i liked it , actually . ” 

He has desires too. Wants, and needs.  ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ“ i wanted it . ”

My memory has all but faded completely... But I will always remember how much she, too, loved these flowers.

"Miss Wolf, please help. I do not understand what it wants." He sounds calm enough but Alain looks like he might start crying soon, and in his hands is his phone is making some sort of alarm noise.

maybe, just maybe, that was why she sought to bring a surprise on the day of a new beginning. the stars were her guide, and though eula had journeyed away from mondstadt many times, this marked the first time she had come so far out. what hope did she have to find the man when she didn't tell him of her arrival ? yet, just like how he was able to find her in her secret spot while the celebration was in full bloom, the familiar sight of the person she had longed so ardently to see made her breath catch in her throat as her heart quickened instinctively.

heels clicked against the stone, and he looked almost as if he was pulled straight out of a story book with his silhouette bathed in the moonlight and starry night above. it should be easy for her to call out his name after so long, yet no words made themselves heard. even so, he heard her anyway, as if he was waiting, as if he knew she was going to find him.

no words were needed when her arms found his frame and the distance between them was gone. his lips felt warm against her own as the night breeze enveloped around them. last year, she thanked him for being with her at her most vulnerable, and this year ... this year she had come to him to fulfill that promise. the longing had her reluctant to pull away, and the kiss lasted just a breath longer before her gaze finally reopened to meet his. she was so far from her birthplace, from the land and city she had sworn to protect, yet —

" happy new year to you, dear scribe. "

— it was the first time she felt like she was truly home.

A whole year has passed since he had walked the cobbled streets of Mondstadt City, trading desert and rainforest for urban living for the singular reason of seeing her. What had begun as a passing glance while travelling back and forth with Collei in the name of research and diplomacy had soon unravelled into curiosity and then direct interest with all that he uncovered.

A city mired in its past, repeating its mistakes, punishing the wrong figure. And her bearing it with the grace of a dancer, existing despite, defying each expectation that they set upon her due to something as simple as her surname.

Alhaitham still thinks them ridiculous even now, thousands of miles away in one of the reading nooks that afforded him peace and a gaze of the stars with the books he had borrowed from the House of Daena.

Around him the city thrummed with celebrations, distant enough to have no need to adjust the settings on his headphones, but close enough he could appreciate the passage of time in his own way.

His peace is disturbed with the click of heels on stone walkway, a noise that should not yet be so familiar and yet his mind cannot deny the truth of it, and so he draws his gaze upwards, laying his book aside in time. The vision he receives confirms his suspicions and he has time enough to rise to his feet, research abandoned, as she closes the hap and ends up enveloped in his arms.

It is simple to lean down and kiss her in greeting, to raise one hand to cradle her cheek, content to move back and study her features when she draws away.

"And to you, Spindrift Knight. Would it be right of me to assume that you have chosen to begin the year anew in my company, being so far from home?" He is direct in his question, mouth curling at the edges. "I warn you now, my house mate will endeavour to stumble through the doors in the early hours criticising my lack of warning for your arrival. I hope you are prepared."

He cannot find it in himself to complain. Not when the moonlight paints a pretty image and the distance between them has closed once more. For once, he is content to allow logistics to wait, choosing instead to steal a second firm but brief kiss before finding her hand with his his, lacing fingers together. Let Sumeru have their loud celebrations and overindulgence, he's got all the company that he needs.