You stood just outside of the city, geared up and ready to go. It was scary, you had to admit. You'd been holding yourself up in your house for a few weeks, but now you're going on the journey of a lifetime. There was a small chance you wouldn't be coming back, so you took the time to say goodbye to a few people, the people who believed in you.

Although you hated to admit it, Aether was one of those people. Your current life goal was to finish what your mother started and become more powerful than the traveler. Though you sometimes thought ill of Aether, you knew that was one-sided. Aether only wished the best for you and for your safety. He really was such a kind person, so somehow, you couldn't hate him despite you wanting to.

But telling Aether about Scaramouche was the hardest part.

Earlier that morning, you decided to tell Aether you were leaving and why.

"Y/N!" You could hear Aether's enthusiastic voice from behind. You turned around, carrying your large bag, "Where are you headed? It's been a while since you've gone out!"

You averted your eyes, knowing very well what he would say if you told him. Taking a deep breath, you pushed through, "Aether, uhm.. I'm going to Liyue for a bit. And I might be headed to Snezhnaya too."

Aether seemed confused, "Snezhnaya? What business would you have there?" He chuckled, "Visiting a friend maybe?"

"I'm.. going with someone.."

The longer you stood there, the harder it was becoming for you to explain yourself.

"Oh really? Who?" He asked, genuinely interested in what you had to say. You could hear Paimon's distant yelling in the back. It seemed like she was talking to Sara over at Good Hunter. Something about sticky honey roast, perhaps.

The pressure was beginning to become too much for you. You closed your eyes and blurted it out, "I'm going with Scaramouche."

You said it. You didn't know why, but it felt like you were telling your parents you were in love with someone you shouldn't be in love with. That was the feeling you felt. It felt wrong, but you didn't really care.

"You.. don't care that he's a harbinger?" Aether asked. You half expected him to lash out at you, but he didn't.

You shook your head to his response.

"Does he make you happy?"

You looked at him this time. Did Scaramouche really make you happy? You thought he did, but now you weren't so sure. But to make Aether satisfied, you nodded, "Yes, he does."

Aether sighed, "I have no right to stop you. And I know you could take care of yourself if he were to hurt you. Just please, be careful."

You gently smiled, a bit relieved at his answer, "Thank you, Aether.."

The two of you said your final goodbyes and you set off for the main entrance where the Fatui were waiting for you.

From now on, you were a prisoner. Though you weren't actually a prisoner, everyone there, except for Scaramouche, had no idea. It would be difficult to keep up the act, but you knew you could do it. After all, you had Scaramouche to back you up and get you through it. You knew you could rely on him at least.

Scaramouche pulled you aside which startled you, "Okay listen up Y/N." He started whispering, "I'm going to have to be a little rough with you alright? It's just while we're around other Fatui. So don't be alarmed."

"I understand, don't worry about it." You already knew he would have to treat you like you were a mere ant on the ground. Still, you were happy that he at least warned you first.

He quickly grabbed your arm and started pulling you towards the entrance where the group of Fatui were standing.

"Soldiers!" Scaramouche yelled, causing the agents to stand in formation, "We'll be escorting this prisoner to Liyue, as well as to Snezhnaya if needed."

They all looked mildly confused, to which he snapped back, "I will not tolerate any questions being asked about them. It's confidential." He gave you a look of regret and slightly pushed you towards the group, ".. but be careful with them! They're not to be harmed in any way, understood?"

The soldiers immediately said "yes sir" in unison. One of them took your wrists and tied them together with a cloth. You understood why, but Scaramouche could've asked them to just let you be? The bonds weren't necessary whatsoever. You looked over to Scaramouche who simply winked at you.

Did he make them tie you up on purpose just for his own amusement?? Your face turned pink and you glared at him quite furiously. All he did was clear his throat and walk forward, leaving you with two Fatui agents by your side.

♢♢♢

Before you knew it, the sky was growing dark, yet the fatui were still full of energy to keep going. It must have been because of how long they were stationed in Mondstadt.

The only thing keeping them from going was Scaramouche. He insisted on stopping for the night. The group was confused why but they didn't dare question it.

Of course, you knew why. Scaramouche was up all night planning escape routes and backup plans just in case things went south with the Tsaritsa. You felt bad for letting him do all the work, but he knew the Tsaritsa better than anyone. You wouldn't have been much help to him in that situation.

Scaramouche decided that you'd get your own tent, just so you didn't raise any suspicion by sharing with him.

But at this point, you'd be surprised if the Fatui didn't suspect something. Scaramouche was surprisingly bad at lying about your "secret" relationship.

Obviously they were all too scared to ask him about it, which is probably why he was being so careless. But still, you'd probably been figured out already, and by a mere agent too.

In any case, most of the Fatui soldiers were in their respective tents, except for the two that kept watch over the camp. It was customary for at least two soldiers to keep watch at night, and every so often they'd switch with two different ones.

As you attempted to get comfortable, which was pretty difficult considering you were still tied up at your wrists, your tent opened.

"Miss me?" You heard the familiar voice that made you roll your eyes.

You whispered, "What are you doing? You're going to blow our cover!"

Scaramouche quietly walked into your tent and then closed it right after. How long was he planning to stay? At this rate, the soldiers would notice he was gone and they'd get suspicious. It gave you quite a lot of anxiety just thinking about it.

He looked you up and down, "You know, you look quite attractive with your wrists tied up like that."

Huh?? You two were on a very dangerous mission that you might not come back from and he's complimenting you??

Maybe you were more nervous than he was. You thought that was the most logical answer. After all, he was very powerful and terrifying.

"I call that sexual harassment." You snapped back, a bit flustered. Under different circumstances, that comment would've made you feel differently, but now, it was at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Scaramouche sighed, gently taking off the bonds that held your wrists together, "Better?"

"Yes, thank you," you said, not looking him in the eyes.

He sighed again, this time it was sincere, "I know this isn't the ideal situation, but I promise we won't have to keep up this act when we reach Liyue," he inched closer to you, "I'll be able to be alone without any soldiers there."

Couldn't he simply just call them off? If he didn't need them, why was he going with them?

He continued, as if he was reading your mind, "If I told them to go without us, it would look strange. You know what I mean?"

Now he was concerned about being caught?? He was so hypocritical.

"Yeah yeah," you rolled your eyes, "You should go rest. You didn't sleep at all last night."

Scaramouche just sat there looking at you. You knew what he was thinking and you didn't like it. You glared at him, "You can't sleep here. We'll get caught for sure. You can survive one night without me."

He almost looked disheartened when you said that. Then again, he understood why he couldn't stay so he didn't push the subject any farther.

"Fine, but if any of these soldiers hurt you or touch you, tell me and I'll take care of them." Scaramouche said with a bit of passion in his voice. Wow, he really meant it.

You simply nodded and like that, he left your tent.

Finally, you could have peace and quiet. As you laid your head down on the somewhat hard floor, you began to rethink the whole situation. Again.

Why?

That simple question continuously flooded your head, no matter what time of day.

Why were you doing this?

You tried to think about it logically. First, you travel with a complete stranger just because he had a handsome face, and then you start to fall for this complete stranger, only to find out that he was your enemy all along. Then, you went 2 weeks without him yet somehow he showed up again and you ran right back into his pathetic Fatui arms.

Were you that desperate?

You knew the consequences, you saw the red flags, but did you care? No. But why?

You still didn't have the answer to that fateful question, and you weren't sure you'd find it anytime soon. For now, you were fine being with him until you did find the answer. All you knew was that you loved him, and that's all that mattered. Who knows, maybe you were here simply because your life lacked a certain excitement. Maybe it wasn't thrilling enough.

Before long, you found yourself drifting off to sleep once again.

💀