The door to the small home creaked as it opened. Lu Wen peered around the corner, "Oh, you guys are back! How was it?"

To Lu Wen's surprise, Scaramouche was holding a sleeping Tobi in his arms. It was rather late, way past his usual bedtime.

She giggled quietly, "Seems like he's warmed up to you." Lu Wen very cautiously took Tobi from his arms, "I'll put him to bed, if you guys want, I have an extra room. That is, if you need a place to stay."

You smiled, "We would hate to intrude-"

"Nonsense! I love getting to spend time with you! We hardly see each other anymore." She frowned.

Lu Wen was right. You don't even remember when the last time the two do you hung out was. Must've been years ago. Because of that, you decided to take her up on her offer, "Thanks Lu Wen. I really appreciate it."

"Course," she smiled as she silently walked up the stairs, "It's the door to your right, make yourselves at home, I'll be down in a minute."

Just as she left, you turned to Scaramouche, "I'm sure you have to be somewhere.. after all they probably suspect something's up, since we've been missing all day-"

"Don't worry about it," Scaramouche brushed it off, "They're too terrified of me to confront me about it."

You sighed, folding your arms, "Don't you think that's being too reckless? I mean, they could tell the Tsaritsa. It would ruin our whole plan."

He smiled, almost a devious smile, "I have their upmost trust, I think I can afford to be a little reckless every once in a while, hm?" He winked at you, which honestly made you a bit flustered.

Suddenly, Lu Wen appeared from upstairs. She quickly sat down at the table, signaling for you to sit.

"Okay, now spill. I want all the details on you two!" Lu Wen put her hands together, "Was it love at first sight?? Did you hate each other at first? Ooh, forbidden love is so romantic!"

"Uh," you averted your eyes, "It's not as perfect as you make it sound."

She tilted her head in confusion, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Scaramouche slowly started to sink in his chair, almost as if he was waiting for something bad to take place. Like he was preparing for his death. He knew if Lu Wen knew what really happened, she'd kick him out without hesitation. And he completely understood why, he knew what he did was terrible, and he was trying to fix it. In fact, he'd happily receive whatever criticism was coming his way, that's how bad he felt.

You nervously laughed, "Well uh.. it was pretty uneventful. We met each other while we were both researching those meteorites, decided to travel together, and here we are."

Lu Wen seemed unamused. She folded her arms in disappointment, "Aw come on, there's gotta be more to it than that! When did you.. you know, find out who he was?"

The aura in the room suddenly changed, and Scaramouche could feel it. You glanced over to him very quickly only to turn back to your friend.

In all honesty, you were hoping you wouldn't have to think about it anymore. You would hate to relive it. It caused you a lot of conflicting feelings.

"Um," you hesitated, "Well, I found out eventually from a friend, we got into a fight, but obviously we worked through our differences and here we are." You looked over at Scaramouche, who looked so nervous he looked like he had just seen a ghost. After you said that though, he calmed down a bit. You guessed he was scared of what you'd say.

You didn't blame him though. If you told her the whole story, she would've flipped out on him. Lu Wen was not to be trifled with. Obviously you forgave him, and you knew he was trying his best to make things right, you also knew he loved you, so the past was in the past. You just had to trust him, and hopefully it wouldn't bite you in the butt one day. You believed in second chances, and you were happy, that's what mattered.

"Aww, you two are so cute," Lu Wen giggled, "Forbidden love has always been my favorite genre of novel."

You rolled your eyes, "We aren't characters in a book you know." You held back your smile, she never failed to make you laugh.

"Well, not yet! I bet you two will make the history books!" She stood up. It seemed like she was acting something out, "A kindhearted adventurer meets a devilish Harbinger, they fall in love and conquer the world together! Ahh! Maybe I should commission someone to write this! I know the second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild is into writing.. maybe I'll get him to do it.." she quietly schemed.

Scaramouche smirked, "Conquering the world together huh..? Doesn't seem like a bad idea." He glanced over at you, sending a shiver down your spine. How could he say such things in such a flirtatious manner??

Lu Wen quickly changed her attitude, "Oh my, I'm sorry! You're both probably tired. I won't keep you any longer."

"Thanks Lu Wen," you smiled.

Lu Wen started up the stairs until she stopped. She looked back at the two of you, "You guys.. are going to sleep though, right?"

You were puzzled, "Hm? What do you mean?"

"Haha, nothing! Well, goodnight!" And like that, Lu Wen disappeared into the darkness that was the second floor.

You turned to Scaramouche, confused, "What's she on about?"

Scaramouche just avoided your question and headed straight for the guest room. You peered into the doorway to find him spread out across the bed. He must've been very tired, after all he practically threw himself onto the bed.

Walking into the room, you sat next to him, "Will we leave again tomorrow..?"

Scaramouche took a few seconds to answer. Finally, he sat up and sighed, "I'm afraid so. I'm sorry. I know you wanted to stay longer."

You shook your head and threw on a smile, "Oh don't worry about it. I'll have many chances to see them again!"

In the back of your mind, you knew that might not be true. You were heading for Snezhnaya to see the cryo archon herself. If she deemed you two liars, it was over for both of you. You knew deep down that it was possible you may never return to Liyue or Mondstadt. You'd be leaving Tobi, Lu Wen, Aether, and everyone else behind. Were you ready for that? Was this all worth it?

You looked to the side after dozing off into deep thought. To your surprise, Scaramouche had been gazing at you the whole time. It caught you off guard a bit, "What..?"

He smiled, "Nothing. Don't worry about it." He laid down in the bed properly, pulling the covers over him, "We should rest. We have a long day ahead of us."

You nodded, he was right, it would be a tiring day. You slowly crawled your way next to him, getting into the covers as well.

"Y/N?" Scaramouche asked sincerely.

You turned to face him. You could tell something was on his mind as you stared into his bright blue eyes.

"Yes?"

He turned to lay on his back, maybe so he wouldn't have to look at you, "What do you think will happen.. if she sees through our lie..?"

Huh? Was he scared? Scaramouche was a man that knew almost everything you asked him. He was always sure of himself. He'd never ask anyone for anything, let alone asking for reassurance. This felt so unnatural to hear from him.

"I don't know," you answered, "You know her better than I do."

Scaramouche chuckled, yet it sounded sad somehow, "You're right. I guess I do."

At this rate, he was starting to scare you a bit. You feared for his mental state. Was he really okay with this? It just occurred to you that you never asked him what he wanted. Did he really want this?

Scaramouche's job, and potentially his life, was on the line. Was he really willing to give it all up just because he fell in love with someone he shouldn't have?

"Are you okay..?" You asked him, hoping to get a genuine response.

He smiled, "Yeah. I've just been thinking."

"About what?"

"About what our chances are of escaping if things go south."

You weren't really expecting such a pessimistic answer. But now you were curious. What did he really think about it?

You inched closer to him, maybe for a sense of security, "And what did you come up with..?"

Scaramouche turned back around to face you, your faces inches from each other, "They're very slim."

Somehow, you knew he would say something like that. You wanted to think positively but the situation said otherwise. How could anyone be positive in a situation like this? Your whole life depended on if the cryo archon was in a good mood at the time.

"Y/N."

"Yes..?" Now, he was really starting to scare you. Not for you though. You were scared for him.

"I think.. I might leave the Fatui."

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