maid • kaeya

lxxxiii

• third person •

The afternoon sunshine of Mondstadt beamed across the living room of August's home. He shielded his eyes with his hand as he entered, before observing himself in the mirror once more.

It wouldn't be too bad to leave Lucien home alone now... would it..?

She seems to be doing okay... And I've locked away anything she could hurt herself with...

Ugh... I don't know. It's hard to tell with her. It's always hard to tell with her.

August's brows furrowed. I'm hesitant to take her out though. There still hasn't been anymore news about her husband. If he's secretly here now and he spots her... it's game over.

Pursing his lips, August rubbed his forehead, before approaching the front door.

"Lucien!" he called up the stairs. "I'm gonna go do some shopping! Are you gonna be okay alone??"

It wasn't long until those now familiar footsteps came rushing down the staircase. August's gaze softened, his head tilting as they made eye contact.

It had been a few days since August realised his feelings for her. She had only gotten cuter to him since.

"Can I come with you?" Lucien asked hurriedly. Her chest rose and fell a little faster than usual, her eyes clamping shut for a moment as she attempted to compose herself. Though, when she noticed August's gentle smile, she couldn't help but return it.

August's heart thumped against him. He wasn't sure if it was just his feelings or his worry for her. Probably the latter. Or maybe both at the same time. Ugh, love was always so confusing. "Are you sure?" he questioned softly. "I'm just worried about your... situation..."

August's face warmed when Lucien took his hand. This obviously wasn't anything new anymore, but now all it did was set off butterflies in his stomach. She's gonna kill me. Oh seriously. I'm gonna die.

"I feel safe with you," she admitted quietly.

Letting out a small sigh, the smile on August's lips only grew. His hold on her hand tightened, unable to stop his urge to step a little closer to her. "I'm glad," he whispered. "But first... I think you should disguise yourself a bit. Hmm..."

Without warning, August tugged her into the living room. He reached upwards, his short brown locks tumbling over his shoulders as he tugged his hair tie out, stepping behind Lucien. Lucien stared at herself in the mirror before them as August began to brush her hair back with his hands, without a single word.

"Have you ever thought about cutting your hair?" August asked in curiosity unexpectedly. He tied it up into a high ponytail, glancing over at her in the mirror to fix her bangs. "I think you'd look good with short hair."

Lucien's gaze fell. "Um... no," she answered meekly. I'm not allowed to... He would get so angry at me... "Do you really think so..?"

She watched through the mirror as August walked away, grabbing an intricate jewellery box from one of the shelves. He popped it open, taking a quick look inside, before a satisfied smile curved his lips. "Yeah," he replied absentmindedly, approaching her again. "I was just wondering. Your hair's nice like this too."

Lucien's cheeks warmed slightly. Was this the first time he had complimented her appearance? A strange part of her inside wished she could transport back in time a few seconds just to hear it again.

"Look at me," August whispered. Lucien swallowed, turning around. His voice was so gentle when he said that. Her stomach... felt all weird. "You're fine with metals that aren't gold, right?" he questioned. Lucien's pupils dropped as he tugged some jewellery out of the box. It was a pair of large earrings, with diamonds that sparkled remarkably in the sunshine that poured in through the window, reflecting little rainbows upon them. Lucien's mouth fell open momentarily.