Antihero // Freminet FF

3: Alex

I instantly regretted my decision of coming to that show as soon as I walked into the opera house.

There was Freminet, sitting in the VIP area, shyly waving at me. I walked up to him and wanted to sit down next to him, when I suddenly saw the reason why I regretted coming to the show: Lyney.

He was standing on the stage, waving his arms at me like his life depended on it and grinning at me like an idiot. I just smiled awkwardly and sat down next to Freminet, then decided to start a conversation.
"Is your brother always like this? If yes, then you're nothing alike. How can you be brothers?"
Freminet's eyes darkened a little.
"We... we're not blood-related."

My eyes widened a little. It all made sense — they were nothing alike at all, of course they weren't blood-related. Use your brain, Alex! And now, he was probably mad at me. Damnit...

I quickly looked away and tried to say something helpful and less annoying.
"...uhm, touchy subject, huh?"
Yeah. Very helpful. Damn you, Alex.

Freminet averted his eyes and nodded.
"Yes. Please don't bringing it up."
Archons, I felt so bad for him. But on the other hand, my past hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows either. Quite the opposite, actually.
"You know, I know what it's like to not have any blood-related relatives around. Lived through it myself."

"What?" He looked at me in surprise. "You actually did?"
"Yeah. My mother died when my sister was born and my father... let's not talk about him. My sister and I were brought to an orphanage in Snezhnaya and a rich couple adopted us. They were treating us like maids and slaves, not their daughters. When I was six, they..."

My voice broke down and I swallowed hardly, trying to fight the tears that were starting to well up in my eyes. Freminet hesitantly reached out with his hand, then gently grabbed my hand. I silently gasped when his fingers wrapped around my hand, as if to say 'it's okay'. That helped me to continue and I swallowed again.

"T-they... murdered my sister. Right before my eyes. And they said that if-..."
I sniffled and squeezed his hand a little, seeking the comfort it brought me.
"...they said they'd do the same to me if I wasn't a 'good little girl'."

With wide eyes, Freminet stared at me. Even I had still troubles wrapping my head around the fact that they said that to a six-year-old whose little sister had just died. But these people showed no mercy. They were cruel. And I had to live with that cruelty for years.

"I-I'm so sorry." Freminet looked at me with softer eyes. He gently squeezed my hand, and I couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same kind of comfort as I did.
I just nodded and slowly wiped the tears off my cheeks.
"It's alright. Don't be sorry for something that's not your fault, Freminet."

He looked away again.
"B-but-... uhm... okay. C-can I tell you about my past, too...?"
I gently put my second hand on his, enveloping his small hand with my fingers. I swear I could feel it shaking a little under my touch.
"Of course. Go ahead."

"Well... my father was a bad person. He-... had lots of debts that he couldn't pay, but he abandoned me and my mother without ever giving the mora. A-and my mother couldn't pay the debts either. The court threatened to take me away from her, so she brought me to the House of the Hearth. I grew up there ever since."
Freminet looked at the floor, his hand still tightly gripping mine.

I raised an eyebrow. He was a member of the House of the Hearth, an orphanage led by the Fatui? So... did that make him a Fatuus?

I was taught by the people in the orphanage that the Fatui were the best people in Teyvat. But my real mother has always told me to "beware of the Snezhnayan diplomats". And of course I'd listen to my mother, knowing that she was probably watching me from the sky every night. And I didn't want her to be disappointed in the child she loved so much.

But I had to push that thought aside. Right now, Freminet was a child who needed my comfort and support.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Freminet. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"
I tried to be as polite as possible. And I've talked to Fatui before — by which I mean Lyney — who doesn't really seem like a bad guy. Perhaps he's just weird. And Freminet... he didn't look like the guy to brutally slaughter people either.

Freminet looked at me for a moment, then, his eyes fixed on the floor again. He seemed embarrassed by his request for some reason. His voice was shaking, too.
"Would you... be willing to... hug me?"

My eyes widened a little, and I could feel my heart do a little flip. Hug him? He looked so fragile and slim. What if I squeezed him too tightly and accidentally broke him? Archons, I was acting like a mother. He just literally asked for a hug. Nothing more.

With slightly awkward movements, we both stood up, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him against my chest. I was four or five inches taller than him, so his head just reached my shoulders.
But, strangely, the hug didn't feel... bad. Quite the opposite. I found myself enjoying the proximity between us and the feeling of warmth his presence brought me. So I subconsciously hugged him a little tighter.

Freminet's movements were stiff and insecure, as if he was afraid of how I'd react to his touch. When I hugged him a little tighter, he wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his face in my chest.

I winged slightly at the close contact, and I could feel his heart beating against my ribcage in a quick and unsteady motion. His shoulders were shaking a little, and he made some quiet, barely audible sniffling noises.

He was crying.

Damnit, I wasn't good at comforting. Not at all. But I felt the urge to try it anyway. Just for him. Maybe it would be a better thank you than the flowers I gave him.

My movements were very hesitant and slow, but I found myself gently running my hand through his light blonde hair and resting the side of my head on his so I could whisper to him without others hearing me. There was no need for unwanted attention from other people. My voice was strangely soft when I spoke to him.
"Shh. It's okay. You... can let it out."

Freminet just let out a small sob and his hands started clutching the back of my shirt. His voice was a few octaves higher than usual, which made it sound like a strangled, choked out whisper.
"T-thank... you..."

We spent a few minutes there, standing like this, with him just quietly crying and me holding him tightly. I figured that I wasn't exactly the best at comforting people with words, so I just kept hugging him. That was the only thing I did and the only thing I wanted to do, because I felt like he needed exactly that.