ACCIDENTAL | lyney [✔︎]

x.

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR LYNEY'S STORY QUEST
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

nearly two weeks had passed since the deal was broken. lyney resumed life as usual, except he was sadder, more down. he also found himself looking for [name] during his shows. he swore he caught glimpses of her beautiful face, but lynette disagreed, saying she hadn't seen the other girl even once.

disheartened, his enthusiasm during shows lessened. he sighed, staring out at the anticipating crowd with a small frown. surely she would come at least once? he was proven correct when the familiar figure of [name] appeared in the crowd. his expression brightened and his lips tugged upwards.

as much as he wanted to rush out and speak to her, he had a show to run. lynette caught his eye and motioned to begin. so he did. smiling widely, he stepped onto the stage.

"good evening, ladies and gentlemen! welcome to lyney and lynette's magic show!" he stated enthusiastically, much more so than the previous shows. he caught [name]'s gaze in the audience and gave her a wink before beginning his tricks.

they were simple: pulling a dove out of thin air, turning cards into confetti. his heart raced with anticipation for the finale. he knew what he'd be doing; he'd be performing his late teacher's final trick. after announcing that the finale would be held outside the opera epiclese, he hurried to meet [name], only to stop short at the sight of her talking with another man.

he frowned as a sharp pain hit his heart. surely she hadn't moved on like that...? shaking his head, he began making his way towards the top of the opera house. this trick would be nerve wracking but he was confident in his abilities. lyney comfortably settled in the large wooden box, hearing the excited murmurs of the crowd despite how high up he was.

there was a snapping sound and he felt the box drop slightly. he took a deep breath as the floor beneath him opened. now free falling several hundred feet in the air, he smiled. the feeling of weightlessness was refreshing and he found that he rather liked it. it reminded him of when he fell in love with [name].

moments before hitting the ground, he disappeared into confetti, leaving the crowd shouting excitedly. lyney sat behind a bush, listening to the people as he calmed his heart. as much as he'd love to talk to the woman he loved, he needed to meet up with lumine.

•••

[name] wasn't sure what she was expecting when she met her new suitor, but being dragged to a magic show was certainly not it. he was a few years younger than her, merely seventeen compared to her nineteen, and absolutely believed in magic.

she met lyney's gaze at one point before averting her eyes elsewhere. she wasn't ready to talk to him quite yet. her suitor watched with a childlike wonder, practically dragging her outside at the mention of the finale.

she sighed, watching as a large wooden box dangled several hundred feet in the air. as one of the ropes snapped, she stared with wide eyes, realizing lyney was in the box. the floor fell and out dropped lyney, free falling. she felt her heartbeat rise and she worriedly watched him. surely he wouldn't die?

when he disappeared into confetti, she exhaled shakily, relief flooding her body. he wasn't dead. she awkwardly grabbed her suitor's hand and began walking away, no longer wanting to stay. boire showed no hesitation, eagerly dragging the girl towards the aquabus station.

as they boarded, he began gushing about how pretty lynette was. [name] listened quietly, smiling all the while. she knew neither of them wanted to be in this forced relationship, so it was nice to hear him talk about someone else.

a silence fell over them and she sighed. the rest of the ride was quiet and as soon as they reached the city, [name] hurried off. boire followed behind quickly, grabbing her hand. she glanced at him; he was handsome, with his curly dark hair and bright brown eyes, but she found she preferred lyney.

as they walked towards her house, she kept her eyes on her feet. she missed talking with lyney, even though he lied about who he was. they approached the large house, hand-in-hand. stopping in front of the door, boire released his hold as she spun around to bid him good night.

"good night, boire. i'll see you tomorrow?" he nodded and she smiled, turning back around to enter the house. once she shut the door behind her, she sighed. [name] kicked off her shoes, picking them up and beginning to walk further into the house, only to stop short at the sight of lynette sitting calmly on the couch sipping tea.

the cat girl looked up, meeting her gaze. she gave a simple nod of acknowledgment before going back to her tea. [name] felt her shoes slip from her hand, not even wincing as they hit the ground with a thud.

"lynette," she started, "why are you here?"

the other girl didn't respond until she set her teacup down and met [name]'s gaze. "your father let me in."

"why are you here, though?"

"lyney misses you," she replied bluntly. "i'm tired of seeing him mope."

"that's not reason enough to come here."

"it is. i ask that you please talk to lyney before he falls further into his depression."

"he seemed fine at the show."

"because he saw you, even though you were with another man."

she had forgotten they locked eyes... "so seeing me made him happy?"

"yes. please talk to lyney." [name] sighed as lynette repeated what she said.

"i don't think i'm ready to." lynette remained silent, staring at the other girl with an apathetic expression. [name] frowned. "i'm serious, lynette. i'm not ready to talk to him."

the cat girl's expression softened. "all i ask is that you talk to him."

"i'll think about it. now please, finish your tea and leave."

•••

as lynette entered the house she shared with her brothers, she was greeted with the sight of freminet tinkering with pers. lyney was nowhere to be found. the smell of fish came from the kitchen and she nearly drooled at the smell of it.

"where is lyney?" she asked, shaking out of her daydream of fish.

"he's in his room," freminet responded, glancing up at the girl. "i made dinner."

"thank you." with that, she made her way towards her elder brother's room. she knocked, and upon getting no response, opened the door. there was a lump of blankets on the bed and her ear twitched in annoyance. she noticed lyney poke his head out to see who it was. he had deep bags under his eyes and he was paler than usual, likely due to a lack of eating. he huffed before going back to hiding.

"lyney," she called out. she got a grunt in reply, causing her to frown. "you need to eat. freminet made dinner..."

"no."

"why?"

"..."

"lyney."

"no!" his voice cracked and it sounded like he was crying. lynette's frown deepened.

"lyney, please. i know it hurts, but she wouldn't want you to starve yourself." he remained silent, not even bothering with a grunt. after several more tries, she gave up with a sigh. "i'll leave a plate for you."