Weeks of waiting multiplied onto months, yet still Aether hadn't returned. Dragonspine remained the same without him, but (y/n) felt alone once again. When the iced over land glowed with the light of the sun, she'd find herself wondering how Aether was faring. She could not see all the way to Sumeru, much as she wished she could. Her vision already gave her more than enough sight over the surrounding area.

        "Leaving isn't an option," (y/n) reminded herself. She had managed to get up to the Skyfrost Nail today. It was quite the distance down from here, and she could see that the sky was surprisingly clearer. "He must have forgotten. Or maybe he found his sister and went home." Afterall, Aether had told her his true goal for traveling across Teyvat to begin with. It wouldn't be such a far fetched idea to think that he did find his lost sibling and left Teyvat behind. Thinking that was the case, she had stopped looking for his arrivals.

        The longer she idled away her time in this spot, the less she wanted to leave it. If Aether was not coming back, then she had no reason to get down. She was much like the unfortunate survivors of Khaenri'ah who couldn't perish even if they wanted to. Although her curse was one that differed greatly from theirs. Given out by the same accusers, but dealt with a different way.

        If she were to actually leave, the use of her vision would be like poison to anyone in nearby. Just being around it would drain a person's strength. As an act of mercy, so her accusers had called it, the only way to stop the effects was to keep it in nearly freezing temperatures. It was as if they were specifically restricting her to Dragonspine, as that was the place she was near when it all happened.

        A wind stronger than usual blew past. Instinctively, (y/n) clutched her blanket around her shoulders to prevent it from blowing away. It was worn out from her constant use of the item, but she still very much cherished it.

        "Stupid wind," she mumbled. She looked over the edge of the Skyfrost Nail with a scowl. As if hearing her complaint, the wind picked back up again the moment she let her blanket go. The gusts here were never this forceful, and it yanked the blanket right from her shoulders.

        She did not think when she acted. Her only focus was catching the one thing left that she had to hold on to. She didn't even notice herself falling as she caught hold of the blanket. It was too late to react by the time she did notice.

        "If it isn't my old friend irony..." she thought. But she would have been wrong, for irony wasn't the name of the friend she was seeking.

        Fast as a shooting star and just a brilliant as the day she met him, Aether appeared to save her from her fall. Even if for a brief moment, it felt like they were flying. A set of perfectly places snowflakes glinted in the light of the real sun. If she could have frozen time itself right then, she would have loved to.

        Aether landed safely and knelt down onto the stone tiled ground of the ruins atop the mountain. He cradled (y/n) in his arms and pulled her closer. "Don't scare me like that, please," he whispered. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

        Still in a state of shock, (y/n) rose a hand up to lightly pat his back. "You actually came back," she noted. "Thank you." It was an expression of gratitude for saving her and for visiting once more.

        "Of course I came back. I've missed you." He breathed a sigh of relief, still not releasing her from his hold. "There was so much going on. I went to Sumeru and had to deal with yet another crisis. I don't even want to think about Fontaine. It was kind of stressful." He nuzzled against her and buried his face into her neck. "I needed a break. I wanted to come see you, and I really should have been here sooner. If I hadn't gotten here just now..."

        "I'm okay." She wondered if he realized how close he was. How dangerous it could potentially be for him even in the cold weather. "It's good to see you again." She meant to think that sentence, but she was glad to have put it in words instead. Aether hummed in agreement and finally let her go.

        "I brought you some gifts." He gave her back her space as if he hadn't just been unnaturally close even for good cause. When he pulled out a short stack of thin papers, (y/n) blinked at him in wonder. "The flowers wouldn't be fresh anymore if I had brought them, so I took pictures of everything instead. I can't take you there myself just yet, but I haven't given up on that. Until then, I hope these will help you see the rest of Teyvat a little better."

        He handed the photos to her and watched her slowly sort through the stack. Her tears were cold against her cheeks, but (y/n) didn't care. Each and every photo was taken with great care. "They're all so beautiful."

        Aether merely nodded. His face was rested against his hand as he sat directly across from her leaned over onto his arm. (Y/n) missed the content stare that he observed her with. She was too busy taking in the sights of places she never thought she'd be able to see.

        "You took these all on your own?"

        "Mhm," Aether responded. "But I missed one of the most important ones. I came all the way here to make a permanent record."

        (Y/n) watched Aether pull out a device that she wasn't familiar with. He moved so that he sat next to her. "Here, look this way. Yeah, right at that circle thing." He held the device out in front of them. A clicking sound could be heard shortly afterwards, and a new piece of paper came right put of the mechanical device. "Now you'll always have me nearby until I can take you with me."

        "Oh..." (y/n) accepted the photo from him. The captured moment displayed her curiousity in the camera while Aether was grinning. "Can I take one too?"

        "Of course." He handed her the device. "You have to aim that part at whatever you want to take a picture of and then-" Click! The camera had still been pointed towards the ground. "Wait not yet. You click that after you point it in the right direction."

        (Y/n) lifted the lens and aimed it at him before he could even try to protest. Click! She caught his surprise in the photo that printed itself out of the device, and giggled at the result. Aether smiled at her enjoyment of the camera's capture.

        "You can keep it if you want to."

        "No way!" (Y/n) quickly shook her head. "You have to take it with you to bring back more of these." She held up one of the photos he had taken in Sumeru. A waterfall that led into a stream surrounded by life. She got an idea. "Come on, this way." She got up and began to head down the mountain away from the ruins.

        Aether followed after her without questioning anything until they arrived at a relatively empty space with a few trees and plenty of snow. The sun was still high in the sky and hit the area perfectly.

         "Hm? What is it?" Aether finally asked. There was nothing to see here afterall.

        "Just stand right there, and don't move." She put a short distance between them and aimed the camera at Aether. The rays of sunlight bounced off his hair so perfectly. Click! She hadn't been this happy in quite some time and slightly bounced while waiting for the photo to print. When she got the results, she went back over to Aether to show him. "This one is my favorite," she told him.

        "Then I guess that makes it my favorite one too since you took the picture for me." He pulled her into a hug without warning, startling her for a moment. "I promise you, I'll never wait this long to see you again. I don't think I'd be able to handle it. So please stay safe until I come back. I'll bring you with me next time, and we can take pictures of things like this in person. Maybe next time, I can take your picture too."

        "Why not take one now?" (y/n) offered.

        It became the start of a story that would withstand the tests of time. Although no one ever found out where the two of them went once their journey ended, there were plenty of faded photos that detailed their journey. One of turning a curse into a blessing.
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Hope this little two parter was enjoyable! Until next time you epic readers!