(Y/n) woke up to find flower petals scattered across her bed. At first it greatly confused her since the petals were not from a flower she recognized nor was there a reason for them to even be there to begin with.

        It was only after she recalled Aether's return did the flower petals make sense. She tried to stay up and wait for him to come back since she had gotten a letter ahead of time informing her of his supposed arrival. Unable to send him letters directly left their conversations somewhat one-sided. She had fallen asleep in a chair while hoping to see him again. The only explaination for her being in her room now was that Aether had carried her there, for she certainly didn't remember getting up and going to bed herself.

        As (y/n) sat up and examined one of the many petals, she caught a whiff of a pleasant scent. Someone was cooking, and that person had to be Aether. He was one of the best chefs she knew, and he just so happened to cook for her entirely for free. High tier top quality meals all avaliable at a moment's notice.

        Eager to see what exactly was waiting for her, (y/n) left her room and made her way towards the source of the scent. There were flower petals scattered along her path as she walked. Just as she suspected, Aether was there and had definitely cooked breakfast. She could see him quietly putting something together. His hair was completely free of its usual braid, and she caught signs of worry in his focused expression.

        "Good morning," she greeted while appearing from around the corner. Aether looked up from what he was doing at the table with a bit of surprise.

        "Oh, good morning. I didn't know you were already awake." His gaze softened when he saw her. "Wait right there for just two or three more seconds." He made sure that the flowers were placed properly before he got up and approached her with his finished product. "A flower crown for my lovely princess. Sorry that your knight didn't make it in time to greet you." The flower crown was tailored to fit her head perfectly. Aether proudly beamed at his work before kissing (y/n)'s cheek.

        "Thank you, Aether." (Y/n) hugged him. "I'm glad you made it back safely."

        "I was going to bring you breakfast while you were still in bed, but I guess I didn't work fast enough," he said with a laugh. "Go ahead and take a seat, I'll make a plate for you."

        "Aren't you tired? You already cooked. Let me handle this part."

        Aether shook his head at her and kissed her forehead. "Let me take care of you," he said in a voice close to a whisper. "I haven't seen you in weeks. If I had known you would stay up all night for me, I'd have run all the way here. I have the whole day already planned out for us." He kissed her forehead again and reached up to caress her cheek. "I know how much you love playing in my hair, so I took it apart just for you. I learned a new song on my lyre that I want to play for you. This entire day is yours to enjoy." Aether looked her in the eyes, content at the reaction he got as well as his own feelings. "So just leave everything to me today. Please?"

        (Y/n) smiled and pretended to think about it. "Okay, I'll be your princess for today then." She pulled him in for a kiss to which he eagerly accepted. Aether flinched when he felt (y/n) hand reach to play in his hair.

        "The food will get cold," Aether quietly reminded her as he pulled away. "Don't worry. We have the entire day to spend together."

        (Y/n) sat down and watched Aether fix two plates. He kept sneaking glances back at her and smiling to himself until he brought over their breakfast. He had made her favorite dish, one that she had a special proficiency in making herself.

        "It really is so good to see you again," Aether said as he sat across from her. "It's welcoming here with you."

        "Sounds like you had a tough time out there," (y/n) inferred. The food was great as always.

        "Not really." Aether looked away from her slightly blushing. "I went to a festival and helped out with some things, but it wasn't as fun without you there to enjoy it with me."

        "Well aren't you sweet," (y/n) teased.

        "I try to be," he mumbled. "I really did miss you though. I'm going to stay here for a while. I haven't gotten any good leads, and I already know that I have to complete my own journey across Teyvat. Spending time here with you is just part of it."

        Aether slowly looked back over at her and leaned his head against his hand. All he did was admire her from where he sat. It was something he did so often when they were together, but for some reason it made her heart flutter a little more than usual.

        "Your food will get cold if you just stare at me all morning, you know." She couldn't look him directly in the eyes any longer than she had, so she used his earlier words against him.

        He provided a hum of acknowledgement to her statement. Her claim had no effect on him. "You're too precious to me to simply let these moment fly by without enjoying them. I won't stare for too much longer, I promise. I love seeing you as you are." He almost laughed at himself. "If you let me have this little moment for myself, the rest of the day is yours to do as you please just as I promised before."

        And Aether kept his promise. He went along with her whims and tended to her every need for the rest of the day. Afterall, the time he spent with (y/n) was irreplaceable to him.
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Wow, can't believe that was the last one. Well, the After You Read chapter is up next for a final send off. Hopefully I'll see you there!