Trials of the Heart

Chapter 12

"hmm... pers needs a re-alignment. he has too much metal on this side of his body, so he's tipping over."

"oh? is that so? okay," freminet nodded.

i began to slowly reconstruct the heavier side of his body, making sure to keep the design identical to the one he had on the other side. "freminet, i have a question for you."

"huh? yes, Y/N?"

"how long has it been since you made pers? 2-3 years now?"

he nodded, "yeah... it's been some time."

you chuckled, "i think out of all the small creations you made, pers is definitely your favorite, right? i have a version of pers at my house."

"oh really," he asked you, eyes lighting up. "is it also a bird?"

"it's actually more like a mechanical crab," i chuckled. "it's my assistant when i work at home, and it is one of my greatest creations."

"what's its name?"

"{robot name}."

freminet gave you a small smile, "your robot friend sounds very intelligent, especially since you're the one who made it."

"oh hush! i'm not all that," you said, chuckling with a small tint on your cheeks from the praise.

"if i recall correctly, you made coppelius and coppelia, right?"

"i helped design them, yes."

he shook his head, "Y/N, you can't expect me to believe a ton of amateur inventors made two robots that are as complex as some professional machines. you probably did 90% of the work."

i chuckled, "well, even if i did do 90% of the work, my team had to do the other 10%."

"... you need to stop selling yourself short. i... i think you're amazing."

i looked at him, shock on my face before i smiled. "i'm glad you think of me so highly."

"w-well... brother always talks about you so highly. he doesn't say things he doesn't truly mean, as false as that sounds."

you chuckled, "oh lyney... dramatic as ever. speaking of which... how are he and lynette doing?"

"they're..." he searched for words, trying to tell you what was happening without revealing too much information. "well... they're both trying to sort out their lives right now. i heard they got into an argument with the traveler, so lyney is trying to recover."

i frown. "sounds like they're not doing so well."

freminet nodded, "to sum it up, yes. because focalors revealed that they're fatui... they'll have a harder time while being in fontaine."

i sighed, "i figured. freminet, if you don't mind me asking... because you're also from the house of the hearth, are you fatui as well?"

"..." he looked down, almost looking like a dog being scolded.

knowing his answer, i gave him an understanding smile. "you don't have to tell me. and even if you did, your affiliation means nothing to me. i already said that being members of the fatui doesn't faze me."

he nodded, "thank you, Y/N."

i dust my hands off, grabbing a bucket of water to cool them down. after i cool them off and dry them, i walk over to freminet. "you look like you need a hug."

he nodded shyly, "can i?"

"no need to ask," i smiled, opening my arms. "bring it in, freminet."

he hesitantly wrapped his arms around you, and you could feel a small amount of wetness stain your clothing. your heart ached for the boy, knowing how much his family meant to him, even if they weren't by blood. he was hurting but had to stay strong for them and be the pillar that lyney and lynette needed.  

you let him cry in your arms, gently patting his back soothingly to provide him comfort.

meanwhile

"young man, did you want to ask Y/N for help on this? i think we'll need her metal-manipulating to help re-make this gear so it can fit well."

scaramouche dried his hands off, "sure. i'll go ask her."

he walked over to your office, about to barge in and ask for help like he always did before he stopped himself. the door was slightly ajar, allowing him to see what was happening.

"can i," a boy with blonde hair asked you. scaramouche was confused, who exactly is he?

"no need to ask," he saw you smile, opening your arms. "bring it in, freminet."

freminet?

hold on... lynette... freminet... is he another sibling of that damn magician?

freminet hugged you, and scaramouche could see the bittersweet expression on your face as you comforted him. he could faintly see the boy's body shake, and he understood immediately.

yeah. probably another sibling. most likely from the house of the hearth.

"young man, is Y/N available or-"

scaramouche closed the door gently, trying to not make any noise, looking back at the engineer. "she's busy right now."

"oh~ i see... okay, we can continue without the gear then! we'll come back to it later."

scaramouche nodded, walking away from the door and letting you have a moment with freminet.

normally, jealousy would have consumed him and he would have barged in regardless, but something in him told him not to interfere. for an odd reason, he felt an odd connection with the boy that he never met or seen until now. 

he wouldn't admit it to anyone who wasn't you, but he's spent many nights crying in your arms. even if it was the most insignificant matter, your embrace was too comforting for him to not break down. 

even though he hated seeing you hold someone else like you held him, he left both of you alone. 

what is happening to me, have i grown that soft?

he looked at himself in a nearby glass, the look in his eyes was not nearly as cold anymore. even though he was artificial, simply a puppet with no heart and no strings anymore, the look in his eyes seemed more human than ever.

your words from a long time came to mind.

"how can you be a puppet with no strings, kuni? puppets need a puppeteer, but look at you." you laughed, giving him a love-filled smile. "you're your own puppeteer now. you were a puppet to your emotions, but these days it seems like you're becoming better about not letting them enslave you or cloud your rationality. good work!"

he smiled at himself, a genuine smile. i guess you're right, Y/N.

because if he really was a puppet to his jealousy, freminet wouldn't be hugging you. but his rationality told him to leave both of you alone.