「
"i look up at the gaps of sunlight, i miss you more than anything."
」
Earbuds: the small little white things that most students had in either of their ears everyday. Of course, when you're attending such a rigorous university, who could blame them? It's natural to want to be accompanied by your favorite tunes whilst studying for an upcoming test or doing homework.
You were no different from the others in this case, specifically during class time.
"Y/N."
Unfortunately, this was often frowned upon by teachers.
"Lyney, I'm not playing right now, if you grab my earbud I will smack the ever-loving shit out of you."
~
shoes (no s) 🤓
You
THIS
BITCH
does anyone have earbuds theyre not using pretty please 😘
Hu Tao
chat is this real
Ajax
no bc watching y/n square up w lyney was actually the FUNNIEST SHIT EVER LMAOOOO
MS KUSANALI WAS JUST SITTING THERE WATCHING IT TOO
Kuni
bro rlly snatched it... 💀
~
diabolical 😈
Lyney
im being so fucking deadass right now
Ajax
we get it 😂
keep an eye out
thats what we've been doing this entire time
Lyney
clearly not enough.
Kuni
why won't you freaks let me leave?
i broke off all ties.
Freminet
it's a little late for that one...
you aren't exactly allowed to just jump ship, you already know too much.
Lynette
Just help out
Black hair grey streaks
Probably sticks out like a sore thumb
Ajax
WRIOTHESLEY????
guys that mofo is NOTTT scary LMAO
Kuni
not scary to us
but to the rookies i'd see why
Lyney
scaramouche you dont get it rn.
i KNOW he's watching me.
Kuni
first off
its kunikuzushi now
not scaramouche
second off
you sound like a schizo
hard pass
Sandrone
the doctor is gonna beat ur ass if you go rogue
Freminet
damn.
Ajax
stfu sandrone
we'll look for the guy lyney
Sandrone
five ranks lower and you still wanna talk.
Ajax
and i'll keep talking
just bc ur a harbinger doesnt give you the right to be an asshole to the others
you wanna talk about respecting the upper ranks?
kuni can easily slap the shit out of you and you still wanna pipe up
Lyney
honestly, if i was a harbinger, i'd beat the shit out of all of you right now.
this guy is clearly a threat
work your harbinger magic
Kuni
as i said before
im not a harbinger
Lynette
You can take the harbinger out of the Fatui but you can't take the Fatui out of the harbinger
You're apart of the association until it dissolves or until you're dead
Kuni
bitch wanna test that
vacant sixth spot in a day
WATCH.
Ajax
kuni try not to beg nahida to make the world forget him challenge (IMPOSSIBLE!!!)
Sandrone
for the sake of brevity, here:
we'll keep an eye out, but this is most likely a false alarm.
Lyney
thank you.
Ajax
OK BUT LIKE LISTEN
lyney
why r u so worried abt one guy
Kuni
probably about y/n
who's currently blowing up my phone about a missing earbud
Lyney
wait what whys she texting you
Sandrone
nah 💀
Freminet
i really dont need to hear this
Lynette
Bye
~
Lyney
doll <3
hey
respond
GIVE ME
THE DAMN EARBUD
BACK
HOE
ma poupée is so angsty
stick to doll.
i dont need you calling me poopee
doll is bad enough
ok LMAO
i have them
just come by my dorm
thats so farrrrr
UGH
~
You dragged yourself up the stairwell and trudged your feet through the floor to the familiar door, gently rapping your knuckles against the wood a few times and watching the door open.
Lyney leaned on the doorframe, holding your earbud in his palm. "Here. Still angry?"
"Very." You opened your earbud case and watched the missing earbud click in with the amgnet, snapping it shut and stuffing it in your pocket. "This isn't over, magic boy." You huffed. Suddenly, a flash of black fur beneath your feet caught your attention. "Is that...?"
Rosseland sat innocently by the blonde's feet, looking at you in curiosity. Lyney scooped the black cat up into his arms and cradled her. "Rosseland. She's in my dorm today since her and Pers were getting a little sick of each other."
"Pers?"
"Freminet's little animatronic friend, Pers, is a penguin." You inwardly groaned at his matter-of-fact tone. "Lynette also has a cat, but that little guy has an affinity for her so he doesn't like coming by my dorm too often. I tried leaving Rosseland with Lynette... you remember... and she was not a happy camper."
The clicking of a door near you nearly made you jump, whipping your head around and letting e/c meet gold. Xiao raised an eyebrow at your presence, noticing Lyney in the doorway before shrugging. The blonde poked his head out and waved. "Oh, Xiao!"
Xiao approached the two of you. "I'm not surprised Y/N is here. Meeting the family already?" He directed the question to you.
"Just meeting Rosseland." You grinned, giggling as the black cat batted its paws at you. "She's so eepy..."
Lyney chose not to question your word choice. "Where you headed, Adeptus Xiao?"
"How humorous." Xiao grumbled, deadpanning. "I was planning on heading over to Kuni's. He wanted me to stream with him."
"I thought Kuni streams with Kazuha and Heizou?" You questioned.
Xiao shrugged. "He's really taking advantage of that suite of a dorm room he has."
"And here I thought Mr. Morax's favorite would show some sympathy towards his other favored companion." You spoke sarcastically before gasping. "Sorry. That was rude. Nice meeting you, Xiao."
Golden eyes flickered down to the arm you'd extended, intending on shaking his hand, before the teal-haired male grabbed your hand and set it down at your side. "Spare the formalities, I really couldn't care less." He spoke. "I can take a joke."
Lyney narrowed his eyes at that lingering touch the two of you shared, straining a smile. "Wanna see a trick, Xiao?"
"I'm about to leave anyway--"
"Good to know."
Lyney's eyes communicated a look you couldn't quite get, but Xiao surely could. Nodding, the male waved to the boy of you and nodded his head before leaving.
"A bit blunt, weren't you?" You questioned, watching him leave.
Lyney shook his head. "He's unbreakable. Hey, why don't we go somewhere?"
"I don't forgive you."
--
Lyney pouted, violet eyes focused on you from across the canteen. Why are so many of her friends guys? Is Hu Tao gay? Gosh, that table is like a fucking shield.
"Wonder what lover boy is day dreaming about..." Heizou smirked, grabbing the blonde's jaw. "My guy is focused!"
"Hey..." Lyney whined, shooing the auburn-haired male's hand away. "I'm just wondering if she's still mad at me or not."
Xiao rolled his eyes, passing the dismayed blonde an annoyed look. "I'd be pretty pissed too if someone just snatched my earbud from my ear."
Lyney frowned. "Oh, because you're so moral, aren't you? Look at her, smiling at Ajax and Kuni and Kaveh and..."
"I get it." Kazuha perked up. "He's jealous."
"What?!"
Albedo watched in amusement as Heizou stood up off his chair and made his way towards your table, yelling something about telling you his feelings whilst Lyney pleaded with him not to before groaning and hiding his flushed face in his hands.
"I don't like her. I think she's stupid. Yeah."
"I believe that the typical diagnosis for your condition..." Albedo spoke sweetly, patting him on the head comfortingly. "... is known as denial."
--
"What's good, 'kuzushi?"
"That's a shitty nickname, 'zou." Kunikuzushi spoke blankly, lifting his hand to dab up Heizou's awaiting hand. Olive eyes narrowed at his words.
"Oh, so you just get to call me an elephant?" Heizou folded his arms across his chest before moving his gaze towards you. "I'm actually here for my friend's favorite girl, Y/N."
Hu Tao snickered. "This is gonna be so good..." She whispered, whipping out her phone and hitting record. You glared at her for her display of interest in what Heizou had to say.
You knew that Lyney's friend group seemed chaotic, but you never expected to witness it first hand.
However, when Heizou opened his cheeky mouth to speak a change in the air of the room occurred. It felt as if the air began blowing in contrast to its typically stillness, making you question if the AC system was turned on. You turned your head to look up at the vent unit above your head before nearly falling off your seat at the sound of Itto shrieking.
You felt a hand grab the back of your chair and stop you from catapulting to the floor, that hand being your friend Kuni's. Kunikuzushi wore an unamused expression on his face at the spectacle as he placed your chair back upright.
Rubbing your eyes and finally taking a look at the topic at hand, you noticed Lyney standing mischeviously next to a very distressed Heizou.
"Oh shit, you made him lose his voice like that mermaid!" Kaveh wheezed, banging his fist on the table in pure laughter. "That's good, that's good."
"And for my next trick, I'm gonna give him his voice back and pray that he doesn't start spewing bullshit." Lyney smiled, pressing his thumb and middle finger together and snapping.
"What the fuck?!" Heizou yelled.
Kunikuzushi still seemed unamazed at this. "One of your less impressive tricks, Lyney."
A smile played at the magician's lips, patting his dear friend Heizou on the shoulder before speaking. "How do you know that that was my trick? Kuni, don't you wear a watch on your left hand?"
The dark-haired male did indeed feel a sudden lightness on his left wrist, and to his surprise, his silver watch had gone missing. Staring up at the blonde, he saw said watch in his hands.
"Man, if I wanted a magic show, I would've come to you guys." Ajax spoke as Kunikuzushi clipped the watch back onto his wrist. "Why are you both here?"
"Just taking Heizou back to our table. He's like a stray, haha."
"Did you poison me, or something?" Heizou questioned, trying to figure out the trick he'd been a victim to.
"Maybe. Farewell!"
--
"Scaramouche--"
"I told you to quit calling me that, you bitch." Kunikuzushi swatted at a very angry Sandrone's hand. "Gosh, what the hell do you want from me?!"
The dirty blonde narrowed her eyes at him, glimpsing at the perplexed Ajax next to him before sighing and folding her arms across her chest. "Listen, alright? I've gotten orders that important intel has been dropped off for us regarding our next move."
"Cool, get those twins and the other little guy to grab it." He spat.
Sandrone set her hands on her hips and watched as Ajax and Kunikuzushi moved to walk away from her, parting her lips and speaking: "I'm sure the Doctor would wish to seek an audience with you regarding your betrayal to the Fatui." She grinned at the way he visibly tensed, his movement similar to a doe in headlights.
Ajax turned around to look at the awaiting female. "Everytime you're about to lose an argument you just love to bring that old hag Dottore up, don't you?" He spoke in a venomous tone. "Look, I'll pick it up. Just leave the guy alone."
"No, because..." Kuni spun around on his heel, a dead look in his eyes. "... you done got me fucked up if you think that I'm going to let some low-life, unsightly, wretched vermin speak to me like that."
But Sandrone loved nothing more than to brave the thunder's fury. "Just as a puppeteer does, she yanks the puppet's strings--"
Kuni marched up to her and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, moving to slam her against the nearby locker and muttering curses under his breath before Ajax grabbed his wrist.
"Let's not get too hasty, you both!" The ginger laughed nervously. "After all, we all have one common enemy, don't we? I can do it really quick. Where is it?"
--
"Listen, nobody told me about this--"
You stopped in your tracks, finding yourself in front of a closed classroom door. Hushed voices could be heard from the other side of this door, and one of these voices sounding a bit familiar.
"I don't care."
"But--!" This male voice wasn't familar, a bit quieter compared to the others.
"Doesn't matter. Shifting the blame to everyone but yourselves is quite pathetic." A female voice. Her tone seemed frightening, like a possessed doll had come to life. You could only catch a small glimpse of this woman's face, her features soft and her stature small. She looks... sweet? "The Knave would be disappointed."
Knave? That's an unfortunate name. "I... apologize." Lyney spoke, remorseful. "I wouldn't want to disappoint Father."
"Me neither." Another female voice, this one a bit more pleasant to the ears.
"Then get to it." That was your cue to leave. With one last flicker of maroon in your peripheral, you lifted your feet up from off the ground and dashed away.
--
Sandrone's eyes widened in anger. "What was that?" She hissed at the loud footsteps, her voice similar to that of a snake.
"Someone was listening in." Lyney deduced, ripping the door open and looking out into the hallway. Seeing a sliver of a foot vanish and the door to the stairwell slam shut, he rushed towards the disturbance.
Lynette and Freminet peeked their heads from the doorway, hesitant to follow. Glancing at each other, they both came into a reluctant silent agreement and moved to follow. Sandrone watched in annoyance, muttering something about street rats.
"I'll go this way." Freminet jutted his thumb towards the opposite stairwell, waiting for Lynette's small nod in acknowledgment before leaping to it.
Meanwhile, Lyney listened for the small pants and erratic footsteps up the stairwell, a door from above opening and then slamming shut. Violet eyes remained trained onto this door as he ran up the stairs, reaching into his bag and feeling around before his hand hit a smooth, circular object. The tips of his fingers felt the surge of energy and heat, whipping it out and clipping it in place on his back.
This pyro vision grew alit, bits of ash falling onto the floor before disintegrating into nothingness.
Momentum resulting in him sliding down the hallway, his alertness grew at the clicking of a door. He slowed his footsteps and silenced them just like he'd done millions of times before, squeezing his eyes tightly shut in an attempt to put his elemental sight into use.
The trails of blue caught his attention and he followed without a second thought, letting these trails lead him towards a supply closet.
Freminet and Lynette came running, joining Lyney's side.
"I'm going in." Lyney spoke. "Stay out here in case they try running." His hand reached for the sleek, silver knob and slipped in like a paper in the wind, shutting the door behind him.
Violet eyes scanned the narrow room. A dingy, yellow light illuminated the small closet and dangling string hung loosely from this bulb, starkly contrasting the luxurious feel of the school. Shelves crowded the room, leaving one place.
Violet met e/c.
You looked at him in horror, your back pressed tightly against the wall and your head just barely touching the bottom of the shelf above you. The look in his eyes seemed completely different; one of genuine disbelief and horror, like he'd been caught in the trap of a mouse. You'd found the cracks in this perfect mask he'd created for himself, and now, all he could do was look at you with shaky pupils. A faint glint of crimson caught your attention, the sound of crackling that you'd hear when standing in front of a fireplace. You watched in curiosity as his hand reach behind him, unclipping this mysterious glowing object from his back and tossing it into his bag.
He kicked the door open gently with his back foot, peeking his head outside. "Nothing happened, alright? If Lady Marionette asks, tell her that it was a rat that'd gotten in through a propped door." He spoke, his tone taking a completely different shift compared to his usual playful one. "I'll explain everything later." You could faintly hear a few noises of agreement before scattering footsteps, Lyney pulled the door shut and clicking it locked.
Lyney cleared his throat, folding his arms across his chest and keaning his back against the door. His eyes bore holes into you, a new look of frustration on his face. "How much did you hear?"
"I have so many questions." You breathed. "But I didn't hear a lot. Just that girl shitting on all three of you. What's her problem?"
"Y/N, you can't ever do that again." The blonde spoke firmly. "I'd explain it all to you, I really would, but for the sake of my standing in this school I can't."
"Yeah, considering you looked like you were about to kill me, I wouldn't..." Your eyes widened at the faint glowing in Lyney's bag. "... First question. What the fuck do you have in your backpack?"
"That's for me to know." He responded. "I need to get you out--"
The ringing of his phone cut through the dull buzzing of the dingy lightbulb, the name of his twin lighting up his screen as he pulled the phone up to his ear. "Yes, Lynette?"
"Whatever well-kept secret you have going on right now is about to not be a secret anymore." Lynette spoke tensely. "Sandrone's coming up there. Is your vision removed?"
"Not so loud!" Lyney hissed, worried that you'd hear. "It's removed and should be deactivated, but I think I have a different plan. Could you stall her?"
"... I suppose."
Lyney hung up the phone and stared at your expectant figure, a terrified look on his face. "On a scale of one to ten, how do you feel about being left in the dark? One being horrible and ten being fine?"
"Lyney. I'm going to need you to explain."
"I hope it's ten."
"Lyney!"
Shutting the lights off with a yank of the string and slipping out of the room, you found yourself in the dark.
Great.
--
"Caught it." Lyney grinned, keeping his eyes focused onto the lower part of his hat instead of the emerging Fatuus.
"Was it really just a snooping rat?" Sandrone spoke in disbelief, narrowing her eyes at him. She watched as Lyney made a show of showing her the bottom of his hat, a squeaking rat scrambling around in the rim. She looked at it in disgust, nearly gagging at the sight of the rodent. "I suppose you weren't lying. Carry on."
--
As you sat quietly in the dark, you finally had a moment to catch your breath.
Lyney had a secret. You knew that the siblings had been granted a scholarship to the school, considering Lyney's talk of budgeting, but due to what means? They weren't extraordinary. Just magicians and divers.
The idea of snooping around and a new mystery enticed you. What was this secretive male hiding from everyone? Who was Lady Marionette? EV?
The item in his backpack.
Wait. But a small part of your brain reprimanded your recklessness, inwardly hitting yourself at how you'd put Lyney through so much trouble. You pouted to yourself and thought over your past actions, taking note of every time Lyney had to swoop in and save you.
You squinted as the door opened and let the afternoon light flood in the dark room. Your eyes had adjusted to the pitch black ess of the room, so you'd had a bit of trouble readjusting to the light. Lyney extended a gloved hand to you, signs of anxiousness apparent in his trembling figure.
Letting him lead you out, he never spared you a single glance.
--
You were a little shocked when Lyney led you all the way to your dorm room, waiting by the door and patiently watching you unlock it. His eyes focused on the swift and sharp movements of your hands as you turned your key through the hole and listened for the gentle clicks in the door.
But he furrowed his brows when you hadn't opened the door yet.
"I'm sorry." You whispered. "I shouldn't have snuck around."
His eyes widened at your sudden apology, his breath hitching in response as he stared at you in some sort of wide-eyed shock. His lips parted like he was about to say something, but he stopped and gently pushed your door open.
Your eyes dimmed at this. I wouldn't accept that apology either. That was stupid.
"Goodnight, Lyney." You said, ashamed, as you moved to walk inside your dorm and held the door with the intent of closing it once he left.
But he didn't leave. He stood ever so still, like he'd been frozen.
"Y/N." You looked up at the mention of your name from his lips. "Promise me that you'll never do that again."
"Huh?"
"May I come in?"
His abrupt request had you cocking your head to the side in curiosity, but you gave in. "You may." You answered in a questioning tone of voice. Your eyes remained on him as he quietly shut the door behind him and turned the lock shut.
"You need to promise me that you're never going to do that again." Lyney said, his voice hoarse. "I don't mind you being curious, but you must understand that what happened today wasn't exactly just a friendly game of hide and seek."
"Then what was it? Why are you being so secretive about this?" You asked.
"I..." The blonde paused in defeat. "I have my own reasons for why I am refusing to elaborate on this, but by defending you today, I risked everything."
That caught you by surprise. He was really willing to risk it all... "Why for me?"
"I don't know." He shook his head. "But when you ran away like that, you instantly became a threat--"
"To who?"
"Let me finish!" He pleaded. "You could've died! Okay?! Is that really what you wanted to hear? I could've died too! Stripped of everything!"
Your heart dropped at his proclamation, watching the heave of his chest as he breathed erratically. You could see the smallest bit of sweat glistening off his forehead in the golden light the sunset provided, the yellow contrasting his purple eyes. The fact that you could've lost your own life due to your curiosity, as well as his, made you sick to your stomach.
"These people are powerful, Y/N." He continued, his voice heavy with defeat and resignation. "Far more powerful than I could ever dream to be. If we would've been caught, I don't think I would've been able to save you."
You let yourself sit back onto the mattress of your bed, clenching the soft sheets in your palms and letting the realization hit you. "Hand-to-hand combat? I'm sure she wouldn't..."
"It's not hand-to-hand, it's--!" Lyney wished to grab at something, anything, but the lightness in his palms angered him more than anything. He groaned. "It's something else. Just know that I put everything on the line today. If you ever see anything like that again, look the other way and keep walking."
"No matter what you see and no matter how horrific it looks, look the other way and keep walking."
"But--"
"Y/N." He grabbed your hand, holding it tightly between both of his. "Please."
Agreeing to Lyney's terms would mean the immediate end to your investigation about him. However, if he were telling the truth, you owed him your life.
"I promise." You reluctantly said. "I promise on the terms that that means you and your siblings will also remain safe if I make this promise."
His tense expression melted into a softer one, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "Thank you."
And with that, he slipped out of your dorm room and shut the door carefully, leaving you to question just about everything.
a/n: i took a fat nap and i feel like shit lowk 🙁 im lowk hyped to go back t9 school so i can see my friends again but otherwise im not looking forward to actually having to learn.... anyway song of the chapter is francis forever by mitski!!!
stay safe!! drink water, eat food, sleep well, and take care of yourselves!! ilysm 💕💕💕💕💕💕