Chapter Text
Everything was proceeding fairly normally after The Racher of Solnari dan The Doctor had been defeated. Celebrations weren’t a big deal in Nod Krai, unlike in the city where food wasn't a luxury. It was enough to bring news of the victory, and the calm residents could resume their daily struggle for survival.
Varka had returned home to Mondstadt with his knights after months of helping eradicate the remnants of the Wild Hunt and the Evil Eye that had spread throughout Nod Krai. Abyssal energy still lingered in some places, but it was nowhere near as prevalent as it had been before Varka embarked on his first expedition.
If only Varka could stay here a little longer, that was on Flins’ mind as he joined the others to escort Varka’s group to the border of Nod Krai. Flins had been mingling with humans for quite some time, and the Grandmaster was the only one who made him feel bound to him rather than the other way around. From unwinding with a drink together, to quietly accompanying him as he napped in strange places after skipping work, to whatever kind of dandelion wine which made the fae seem so enchanted that they ended up spending some steamy time together in bed on several occasions.
But Flins knew how much Varka longed for his hometown. The Grandmaster had devoted all his strength protecting the people who didn’t even know him. It reminded Flins, to some extent, of the first time he decided to turned his heart to humanity and how he felt a sense of loss when the lives of the Lightkeepers —strangers who had fought alongside him upon his awakening from his long slumber— were snatched away by the Wild Hunt.
"I don’t know when, but I’ll definitely make time to come back," Varka’s words before they parted ways haunted him. And what could Flins say other than, “Have a safe trip" to him?
There was. There should have been something Flins wanted to say at that moment.
Something was different about Flins. The lantern fae felt that the curse Dottore had placed on him seemed to be working in his favor. The blue flame inside his lantern was dimming, and he could feel its effects on his weakening body. Every day he felt the urge to vomit something from his stomach, not to mention his dizzy head and his back, which felt as if it had been struck by an old piece of iron.
His body had become more sensitive. His condition didn’t even allow him to return to his original form —that blue flame, which was growing smaller and smaller inside his lantern. He grew tired easily even after patrolling for just a few hours, and lying in bed helped restore his energy, though not as much as staying inside his cozy lantern. He rarely went fishing anymore because the fishy smell made his stomach churn, and he preferred to sit among the fragrant frostmoon lamps.
Illuga was the first to notice the change in Flins when the captain visited him at the Final Night Cemetery with some supplies. Normally, Flins wasn’t the type to welcome guests empty-handed, but this time his body felt too weak to even catch a few fish and cook them into a delicious meal for Illuga. So, he simply offered plain water to quench his thirst. Illuga, however, didn’t mind. The important thing was that he was glad to see Flins was still alive. But in a condition like this, how could Illuga possibly leave him alone?
“Mr. Flins, why don’t you eat first? I just happen to have brought some Nod Krai hot dogs with me. I was going to eat them on the way here, but I think enjoying them with you would be more fun,” said Illuga as he set the food basket on Flins’s side table, which was located right beneath the lighthouse.
“Thank you very much, Young Master. You went out of your way,” replied Flins, looking at the cold food laid out before him, the sight of the meat alone was making his mouth watering. Ugh, the roaring hunger in his stomach was making him even more restless.
Flins usually pretended to eat human food when he was with others, even though it tasted like junk to him. Only when no one was watching would he bring his lantern close and absorb all the energy contained within the food. But right now, the intense craving to chew on that sausage-topped bread was growing ever stronger. In fact, over the past few months, he’d felt his clothes growing tight as he’d kept eating like a normal human and had stopped feeding his blue flame altogether.
So there he was, heartily enjoying his dinner with Illuga, and it really did lift his mood after several days of feeling frustrated with his physical condition. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long, because a few minutes later he felt an urgent need to rush to the bathroom and vomit.
“Mr. Flins!”
Illuga had been waiting outside the bathroom by the time Flins had finished his business and rinsed his mouth.
“Young Master, I’m sorry for worrying you. Do you remember the curse I told you about when you scolded me back then? I think the curse is taking hold of me now.”
“N-No way! I’ll find out how to break that curse!” Illuga’s eyes trembled with panic, looked as if he were about to cry. He shook his head vigorously and firmly grasped Flins’s hand. “We have to go see Miss Lauma right now, Mr. Flins!”
“This... isn’t a curse. I don’t sense any negative energy at all from Mr. Flins.”
Lauma spoke after thoroughly examining Flins’s entire body. The lantern fae returned to his seated position after lying on the stone bed for several minutes, clutching his stomach as he felt the urge to vomit for the fourth time that day. If it’s not a curse, then what? Flins sensed that Lauma hadn’t finished speaking and was still in the process of drawing her conclusions.
Illuga grew increasingly anxious. “Then what’s happening to Mr. Flins, Miss Lauma? M-Maybe someone poisoned his food? But I ate a Nod Krai hot dog from the same shop and didn’t feel anything.”
“How long have you been feeling this way?” Lauma asked to Flins.
“Maybe… exactly four months since the Knights of Favonious returned to Mondstadt, which was also the last time I drank alcohol because I started feeling the pain.”
“FOUR MONTHS??? Goodness, Mr. Flins! We’ve met several times, and you’ve been hiding this from me? I know you tend to take your own safety lightly, but I never expected it to be this bad!”
“Young Master Illuga, please calm down—”
Lauma’s eyes widened as she heard Flins' words. She quickly wiped the look of surprise from her face and replaced it with a smile.
“Mr. Flins, I don’t sense any curse coming from you. On the contrary, I sense life growing inside you.”
The argument between Illuga and Flins stopped the moment they heard Lauma’s words, and they both stared at the Moonchanter in shock.
“Mr. Flins, you must be feeling a significant change in your abdomen. Then there’s the nausea, the heightened sense of smell, the heightened sensitivity—all signs of pregnancy. Judging by the size of your abdomen now, I estimate the pregnancy is already in its fourth to fifth month.”
Oh.
So that’s how it is.
Flins knew he was a Snowland Fae specifically created by the artisans of Hyperborea using forbidden methods—he had no idea how Faes from other factions were created. That’s why he never expected that this created body could actually harbor an innocent life.
So, was Varka really serious when he said he wanted to put a baby inside Flins every time they had sex? Flins really thought it was just Varka's drunken thoughts!
“PREGNANT???” Illuga nearly shouted in disbelief, but there was no way the Moonchanter was joking. “But, Mr. Flins, you—”
"Young Master." Flins finally found his voice again. "You once suspected me whether I was human or not, didn’t you? The answer is exactly what you’re thinking right now.”
“Oh, I really don’t know whether to be angry or relieved that this isn’t a curse, but your attitude is clearly infuriating me, Mr. Flins! Who did this to you? I still need to beat them up! And you can’t hide this from that person either, Mr. Flins. You absolutely have to make them take responsibility!”
Flins sighed. Once Illuga got this angry, it was hard to calm him down. He glanced at Lauma, who was still smiling and trying to soothe the frustrated captain, whose assumptions had been answered in an unexpected way.
The fae’s gaze then met that of the moonchanter. It seemed Lauma knew more than she let on. The woman was indeed very skilled at hiding her feelings and suspicions.
But this time, Flins’s face flushed with embarrassment, because Lauma clearly knew who was responsible for the child Flins was currently carrying.
“Grandmaster Varka, there’s a letter for you.”
“HUH??!!!” Varka jolted awake from his nap, fully alert, and spotted Mika peeking out from behind a stack of unsigned papers. “Oh—Mika, you startled me. Just leave it on my desk, no need to wake me up, hehe~”
The paperwork in Mondstadt was never-ending. Even after the Windblume Festival, Varka still had to grapple with his reports from the expedition to Nod Krai, business permits for merchants from outside the city, not to mention tax matters and court hearings he had to attend if any illegal issues arose. Yeah, this was the result of his struggle to eradicate the Wild Hunt in Nod Krai. At least his people could handle these daily matters rather than having to live in fear and the shadow of the Abyss.
He couldn’t deny that he also missed Nod Krai. More precisely, he missed the fae who had captivated his heart from the very first time they met. Varka was constantly enchanted and intrigued every time he exchanged greetings with Flins. Oh, even now he desperately wanted to stroke his silky hair and take him to—
“Grandmaster, you’re daydreaming again!” Mika just stared at him. “I’m sorry, but Master Jean has authorized me to always wake you up if you fall asleep while working, Grandmaster. Oh, and the letter is actually from Nod Krai.”
“Nod Krai? Is there a problem?” Varka immediately took the letter, which he had initially dismissed as not urgent.
“I don’t know. It says it’s from Master Flins. The letter seems to be from a few weeks ago, but it only arrived now because of bad weather and ended up getting lost at Dornman Port.”
“WHAT?!? WHAT IF IT'S EMERGENCY???!!!”
“Grandmaster, calm down.”
"I understand." Varka sighed as he finally controlled himself. "Thank you so much, Mika!”
After that, Mika said goodbye, intending to go to Dornman Port because Lohen had specifically asked him to come.
Varka was left alone in the room frantic, staring at the letter sealed with the Lightkeeper’s seal. Wasn’t that a personal letter from Flins? But they said it was from Flins himself. And unfortunately, the letter had been in transit for weeks. What if Nod Krai was in a state of danger and Varka was too late to help?
Damn! Next time, Varka will make a new regulation for the administrative side of things so that correspondence like this doesn’t end up in such a mess.
Carefully, Varka broke the wax seal on the envelope, trying not to tear it, but his large hands weren’t as deft as Jean’s when it came to opening letters. Trembling, Varka slowly unfolded the slightly crumpled sheet of paper—perhaps it had gotten wet in the rain during the journey.
“Dear Grandmaster Varka,”
Varka gasped and immediately looked up at the ceiling upon seeing his full title written in the first line. The handwriting was unmistakably Flins’—he’d often seen the fae writing reports during his visits to Final Night Cemetery. But Flins had only addressed him by his title once, and that was during their first professional meeting.
Was Flins angry with him?
No, no. Flins was the most gentle and beautiful creature Varka had ever met, with a heart as noble as any.
But what if Varka had made a mistake? Varka had indeed promised to visit Nod Krai, but the current situation still didn’t allow for a trip there. He’d been scolded by Seamus and pleaded with him to give Jean a break, so Varka had to fulfill his actual responsibilities as a Grandmaster. Oh, if only this task could be finished in an instant.
Yes, if it was possible, Jean certainly wouldn’t be this stressed out now that Varka had left on an expedition.
Summoning his courage, Varka finally forced his eyes to scan the next sentence in Flins’s letter.
“By means of this letter, I am writing to inform you that I will be unable to join you for drinks anymore.”
All right. Varka had clearly made a mistake.
It was clearly no trivial mistake for Flins to say something like this even before Varka had returned. Flins had chosen to write a letter that might prevent him from setting foot in Nod Krai ever again.
Whatever it was, Varka had to make amends immediately. If necessary, Varka would lying flat on the ground, until his face down and kiss Flins’s feet so that the fae would forgive him. He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve to read the letter through to the end.
"There are certain circumstances to which I must duly adapt, for it would seem that your dearest Anemo Archon, Barbatos, has seen fit to bless your seed and allow it to bloom inside me.
Yours faithfully,
Kyryll Chudomirovich Flins"
“Huh?”
He stared at the last sentence of the letter blankly.
“Oh...”
He started to grasp the context.
“HUUUH????!!!!!!!”
Varka’s scream was so deafening that the Knights of Favonius on guard along the corridor and even outside the building immediately ran to him with swords, thinking there was an enemy ambush inside his room.