Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As the sun rose, Gaming walked back from his daily morning workout. It had become part of his routine to leave early to keep himself fit, as both of his jobs as a Wuoshu dancer and a guard for the Secure and Transport agency were pretty physically demanding. His friends and family often nagged him about not pushing himself too hard, and getting his rest, but it was never something that had ever stopped him. Nobody achieves their dreams by just sitting on their ass, much less achieves having their rent paid at the end of every month.

But, to say he wasn't getting increasingly fatigued would be a lie. 

Ensuring he made it on time to practice with his dance troupe Mighty Mythical Beasts, maintaining his good relationship with his father, and escorting goods was heavy to balance. He'd often come home and not have any free time, just collapsing on his bed and falling asleep, right then and there. But the thing that weighed most on his mind was how lonely he'd become.

It's not like he didn't have friends; he had plenty. In fact, he seemed to have a friend wherever he went (which resulted in some pretty sweet discounts at times), but little people he really connected with. He'd achieved what he wouldn't dream of a few years ago, with finally making things up with his family and actually being able to book gigs with his passion of Wuoshu dance. And yet, he felt so empty.

All of these things weighed on his mind as he inhaled the crisp, cold air, walking back to the place he'd been renting on the outskirts of Liyue Harbor. He'd been looking forward for the weather to finally stop being humid, but the sudden chilly-ness had proved problematic, as his winter wardrobe wasn't stacked at all. This time last year, he was so low on mora that he had to borrow his Uncle's raggedy jacket to not freeze to death. But, said jacket he had left at home, thinking it would be fine, as he'd get hot from all the cardio was doing. And yet, here he was, shivering when it was completely avoidable if he had just remembered-

.

"Do you need something warm to wear...? I have this spare coat if you do..."

A gentle, airy voice interrupted Gaming internally scolding himself for not having anything to keep him warm. It wasn't a familiar one, which was strange. Not many came around the route where he'd been living, besides the occasional merchant. Looking over his shoulder, it was an unfamiliar face: a blonde young man, appearing to be around Gaming's age. He wore unfamiliar clothing that Gaming sworn he saw in a Fontanian Steambird newspaper, and extended his hand holding the aforementioned coat.

"That would be dope, t-thank you..." Gaming chattered his teeth a bit as he put on the coat he had been offered, thankful for the strangers kindness. "I h-haven't really seen you around, are you visiting? What's your n-name?"

The young man, a little surprised by Gaming's inquiry, hesitated a bit before answering.

"My name's Freminet. I'm here for... a job. I live in Fontaine, but I've been here for about a week..."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Freminet." Gaming replied cheerfully, still pretty cold as beforehand he'd only been wearing a light tank top. "Y'know what? Would you like to come with me for some breakfast? I could use the company. My treat, of course. Gotta pay you back for lending me your coat, hehe!" He gave Freminet a playful wink.

Freminet paused for a bit, taken aback by how willing Gaming was to share a meal with someone he'd only just met. 

"I.... That might be nice, actually. Where are we going to go?"

A smile spread across Gaming's face. "Well, there's this cafe in Liyue Harbor that has the best pastries, so if you're feeling homesick for Fontaine at all, they have that covered. Or, we could head to Wangshu Inn and get one of their signature breakfasts. A lot of their stuff is pretty spicy though, I'll warn you! Once I ordered their spicy duck not realizing it wasn't their normal duck, and I was all like 'Agh!! Did my pyro vision reach my mouth or something!!' Gaming acted out the situation and chuckled, before realizing how long he'd been talking. "Sorry, I'm rambling. But, where'd you like to go? I'll pay for either."

Freminet twirled his hair a bit and replied.

"The cafe sounds nice. Is it far...?"

Was he this cute before?  Gaming thought to himself, his heart fluttering for a brief moment before snapping back to reality and not realizing he still hadn't responded to Freminet.

"No, it's not far at all. Ten minute walk tops, and I'll be here to entertain you on the way! Plus, if any sketchy people try to rob us or something, I'm one of the best and busiest guards in a shipping company I work at! At least, that's what I say as a defense when I'm late. My boss does not appreciate it." Gaming laughed. He seemed to get a smile out of Freminet, which gave him a warm feeling in his chest.

Must be this warm coat... its definitely the coat.

"That sounds like a plan. I do have to be somewhere at 11, but seeing how early it is, we should be fine..." Freminet trailed off, seemingly leaving out information about where he needed to go on purpose. Although Gaming considered asking where so he could bring Freminet there, as he knew of all sorts of shortcuts and passes in Liyue, he decided against it, not wanting Freminet to think he's being weird or invasive. 

Gaming walked forward, looking back to beckon Freminet with him, and he followed. As they walked, the gentle cooing of morning doves filled the silence, along with the crunch of the leaves under their feet, and as they got closer to the harbor, the voices of the everyday people. Those going to work, opening up their stands, setting out on boats... It was a nice feeling for Gaming, to have someone to experience these simple things in the morning.

And, for just a moment, all of Gaming's worries melted away.

Chapter Text

"Well, here we are."

In front of Gaming and Freminet was a cafe. The corner it was on was bustling with activity, with people passing by on their daily commutes.

"Don't worry about it being full. I'm good friends with one of the waiters, so they should be able to get us a few seats." Gaming assured Freminet, as they walked into the cafe. A chime sounded as the door swung open and closed.

"Hey, Chen!" Gaming called out to a figure near the entrance. The two had become friends during one of Gaming's shipments of spices when Chen had ran a street food buisness. After some small talk, Chen offered the two a table near a window, and the two settled into their seats.

"It's nice here. I like the little penguin decorations." Freminet said, scanning the menu. "It reminds me of Pers."

"If you don't mind me asking, who, or what's Pers?" Gaming looked over the menu himself, even though he already knew what he was getting.

"Oh, I forgot... Pers is a mechanical penguin I have. I like engineering... It's useful for when things break around the house too."


"Break around the house? Do you live with anyone?" Gaming put the menu down.

"I do, with my twin siblings Lyney and Lynette. They're a little famous in Fontaine for their magician work, but It's kind of embarrassing constantly being compared to them." Freminet sighed, a twinge of sadness in his voice.

"If it helps, I have no idea who they are." Gaming chuckled, and gave Freminet a smirk, which softened Freminet's expression from a grimace to a smile. "Have you figured out what you wanted to order yet? If you can't decide, I recommend the Fruity Trio. I've never been to Fontaine, but man they know how to make pastries like no other."

"That sounds good actually. If you don't mind, I'd also like some tea with it... you don't have to get me it though, since you're paying and all." Freminet replied, not wanting to overstep.

"No, that's all chill! One of the best parts about this place is that it's totally affordable, and it's not exactly like I'm strapped for cash right now." As he explained, Gaming called over a waiter to take their order. "I haven't been short for work lately. Not that I ever am."

"What do you do for work? You were out by yourself pretty early earlier, and most people don't go out on morning runs in the cold for their office job." Freminet tilted his head as he asked.

Gaming laughed. "I work at the Secure and Transport agency full time, getting stuff from point A to point B. Usually shipments. There's no short of bandits in Liyue, so its not unusual that I have to break a sweat. And, sometimes, I get a gig with my dance troupe! We're called the 'Mighty Mythical Beasts', and come to think of it..." Gaming paused to suspense. "We have a performance in two days! So, I always have to be in shape."


"Don't you get tired...? That all seems like a lot to do, day to day." Their food was placed down on their table, and Gaming thanked the waiter who'd brought it as Freminet questioned Gaming.

"To be honest, I'm exhausted." Gaming's face sunk. "I barely have any time to do non-work related things anymore. Getting rest is an entire different story, too. Maybe that's why you offering me that coat felt so nice... To get kindness from a stranger like that... it's not something that happens everyday. Usually, people just owe me a favor. But you...." Gaming blushed, before realizing he'd been rambling. "Anyway, yeah, work is pretty tiring."

Freminet paused his eating as Gaming praised him. "I'm glad." He checked his watch, and began to get up. "This was really nice, but I have to go to my job... It's 10:30, and if I don't leave now, I'll be late."


"But your food!" Gaming protested.

"If its not too much trouble, could you get it boxed up for me...? You can also keep it, it's your money and all, but here's where I'm staying if you want to come drop it off." Freminet scribbled down his address on a napkin and handed it to Gaming. As he received the napkin, Gaming repeated the address in his mind, to try to memorize it.

"Will do! It'll be just like work, with escorting goods, and all that." Gaming smiled, and waved. "Goodbye Freminet. It was really nice getting breakfast with you, and I promise you'll have that leftover Fruity Trio by tonight." He gave Freminet a determined smile, and Freminet gave one back, and he began to leave the diner.

As Freminet walked away, Gaming had a weird feeling in his chest. Almost butterfly-like. Before he could even begin to ponder it, he realized he was still wearing the coat Freminet had loaned him!

He dashed out the door after taking out mora from his wallet to cover the bill, taking off the coat and calling out Freminet's name.

"Freminet! Wait!"

Freminet stopped and turned around to see a panting Gaming, holding his coat.

"I forgot to give this back to you... I'll... see you later...." Out of breath, Gaming said his goodbye.

"Thank you, Gaming. I'll see you around, hopefully." Freminet smiled, and before Gaming knew it, he was on his way.

And even though he'd already taken off that coat, Gaming had that warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest.