insurmountable | i'm dragging a heart that weighs a ton / holding out for not just anyone

Hahaha, alright.

[He grins at her- that was a face, and it's amusing even this early in the morning. He squeezes her hip once before he gets up, finding his clothes that had been thrown to the floor at some point in the night. Pulling on his underwear and pants at least, he exits the room to go rummage around in their kitchen.

It's sometime later that he returns, having found the trays he was looking for despite the fact that she hadn't told him where they were. He brings hers first, walking back into the room with pancakes, bacon and eggs with coffee and milk for her.]

I hope you didn't fall back asleep.

[He rounds to her side of the bed, waiting for her.]

[ unfortunately for him, she did doze off once more, falling asleep almost immediately when he stepped out of the room. without ajax, the sheets next to her feel cooler to the touch, more comfortable for someone like her who prefers lower temperatures. lumine only stirs again when she feels the mattress underneath her shift, a weight pressed on her side of the bed.

she blearily looks at him, trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes. it's not too successful when she's practically squinting in the sunlight, adjusting her sight. ]

I didn't fall asleep. [ and yet she remains in bed, head resting on a pillow. ] Not when I can hear you moving around downstairs. You were pretty noisy.

[ lumine gives it a beat, still not sitting up on the bed. ] What did you make?

[He sets the tray in his lap, taking the plate and showing her what he's made.]

Pancakes, bacon, and eggs. I would have made sausage too but I wasn't sure if we'd eat it all.

[He sets it back on the tray, looking at her expectantly.]

I brought butter and syrup for you too, as well as milk and coffee. Sit up, I think you'll enjoy it.

[ ... maybe she should've asked for a more unreasonable breakfast to give herself a bit more time to sleep in and lounge in bed. in any case, lumine slowly tries to sit up with a sigh, tugging the blanket to wrap it around her naked body, groaning quietly when she has to move her sore muscles. ]

That's a good call, [ she replies to his remark about the sausages, reaching out for the fork. ] I doubt we'll be able to finish all this, either.

[ she's not used to eating breakfast, after all. if only because she does prefer to go to work early and she can just grab something to eat if she does get hungry halfway through the morning.

lumine takes a small forkful of pancakes into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. ]

Don't you have work today?

[Before he answers her question, he goes out into the hall to grab the other tray he'd prepared for himself, sitting as close to her as possible towards the end of the bed. He sets that tray in his lap, sitting further towards the center for better balance, and begins to eat himself.]

Mmmmmhmmm. [He says through his own bite of pancakes.] But I have the privilege of setting my own hours. No one blinks an eye if I walk in a few hours late. I don't have any appointments set for today, so I can take all the time I need.

[He hasn't gotten a phone call yet, so obviously everyone at the office is fine.]

They've gotten used to it. Sometimes my job demands my time at night, so I'm sure they've just assumed that's the case today.

[ appointments ... lumine presses her lips together as she poke at the egg yolk, letting it explode and ooze out on the plate.

right. she should probably check her phone if there are any messages, emails or meetings that she needs to attend and address for that day. if it's urgent, though, then she would've no doubt received a call about it already, but seeing that they're leaving alone for once ... then again, she could always have her assistant bring over the paperwork she needs to handle for the day. ]

You shouldn't slack off too much.

[ because setting his own hours, walking in whenever he wants to—all of those count as slacking off. even if it does merit him for a bit. ]

Hahaha, [he can't help but laugh, not surprised that she'd think he was slacking off. On the contrary, really.]

I don't slack off too much. I take extended lunches every now and again, but I assure you all my work is meticulously finished every day. Even if I show up late. I'll stay late if I have to.

[Really, that's just how he is- he knows exactly how much time he needs and finishes his projects, no matter what they are, with a surgical expertise.]

So don't worry too much about me. Who's going to fire me, anyway?

[ his dad probably can. cut him off to everything, leave him to the mercy of this continent's whims. that's a good punishment, she thinks, especially for someone like ajax. ]

I'm not worried, [ she replies almost immediately, cutting up a piece of bacon and nibbling on it slowly. ] I'm just saying that you don't seem to have work every time I see you.

[ the last time she saw him "working" was when she punched him in the jaw. and even then, lumine doesn't even know if that's considered as work. ]

Unless you've changed occupations lately to stalker.

[Ajax shoots her a flat look, and without skipping a beat:]

Stalking is already part of my job.

[And he takes a bite of his eggs, refusing to explain himself, offering no other information other than that. He's not even lying to her- this is how Aether and Lumine have some measure of protection, even though they clearly failed Lumine.]

[ it's not like he needs to explain himself further. as someone from the criminal underworld, lumine supposes that he stalks because he needs to. like what he said, it's a part of his job; you can't exactly land a hit on someone if you don't follow them around or get to know them in some way.

at least, that's how the movies portray it. ]

You sure made it a full-time job, though. [ she looks at him mildly as she continues to nibble on the bacon, reminding him of liyue. of mondstadt. ]

So, is this— [ she gestures at her room. ] A part of that stalking job?

[The sass she hands right back to him makes him laugh, a genuine chuckle that makes him put his fork down so he can brace himself on the bed.]

No, I'm afraid it's not. It was a nice surprise when you invited me up, though it does put my mind at ease having you by my side in case anyone had any ideas of taking you.

[His face is all smiles, but he's deadly serious about that. If anyone tried anything with her while he was around, he'd capture them, torture information out of them and then kill them without blinking.]

I don't mean to sour the mood, but I'd still like to address that with you, later.

[Not now, they're enjoying breakfast.]

But we do both have our jobs to attend to, and I don't want to inconvenience you any more than I already have, and will have to in the future.

[ lumine doesn't know how that can be addressed. she, for one, has no idea how it'll work when they have their own respective responsibilities. she doesn't want to stay at home, she doesn't want to stay at his home, either. despite the danger looming over her head, she refuses to allow her life to stop just because of it.

she opens her mouth to say something in response when she blinks, frowning. her gaze flickers to ajax's face, his expression as sunny as the weather outside her weather, to her open door, eyes widening when she sees something that she shouldn't be seeing that morning.

lumi, did you have someone over last night? there are still cups in the living ro—

she meets aether's golden eyes, her brother's surprised expression mirroring hers, before they move to the figure sitting shirtless on her bed. a moment later, he's looking back at her, eyes narrowing at the fact that she's naked under the sheets. ]

You're ... home early? [ aether remains silent, just looking at the both of them. ] ... How was Inazuma?

[Lumine's eyes widening is the first hint.

His head whips around as Aether stands in the doorway, and he freezes for a second. This is...unexpected. He's not sure if he should say anything, so he opts not to, though he's got a feeling he's going to get addressed in about a fraction of a second. Ajax doesn't even dare eat any more of the food he's made. He can't even offer any extra food to her brother as an olive branch, because he'd only made enough for the two of them.

Guess if Aether asks, he'll just have to be straightforward with him, sans the terrible vision they'd experienced of watching all of them die in a battle against a god.]

[ lumine's always been an advocate for a silent, peaceful environment, but the silence that's just settled inside and around her room is the kind of silence that she'd rather fling herself out the window for. it's thick, it's heavy and she's pretty sure that if looks could kill, ajax would be dead, revived and then killed all over again by aether.

inazuma's certainly less exciting than what's just happened here.

she opens her mouth again to say something before her brother holds up a hand to stop her, the words on her tongue dissipating like water on a hot day. one-sided lecture, here we go, she thinks. but then, she can see him turning towards ajax, a look of mild expectation on his face.

... i assume lumi's clothes and your shirt just suddenly disappeared while you were saving her from the guys trying to kidnap her, ajax?

aah, lumine assumes that whatever they talked about behind her back, it didn't include this. ]

[Note to self: In the event of more escapades with Lumine, have sex at his house from now on.

He smiles back at Aether meekly, knowing that he's in a little bit of hot water with his friend. After all, if he's being honest, he did have sex with his sister, and there is a conversation to be had there. But man, he does not want to have it right here, right now, with Lumine in the room.]

It's not quite like that, but let's just say there were certain events that led up to it that do concern the protection of your sister from the cowards who tried to kidnap her previously.

[That's not false, at least. They were training for that, it's just one thing lead to another and...]

It was a stressful day, even though no danger came to us.

[Please Aether, buy that will you?]

Edited 2022-05-25 02:49 (UTC)

[ stressful day that my sister helped you destress?

lumine lowers her gaze to her breakfast, nonchalantly cutting up the pancakes and shoving each piece into her mouth one after another. if she's busy eating, then her mouth should be discouraged from having to reply and address that comment from aether. after all, it's rude to talk with your mouth full, right? so yep, eating is the best way out of this mess right now.

she does glance at ajax, gesturing with her chin. maybe he should, you know, try to usher her twin brother somewhere else so they can talk about this. man to man, or whatever. ]

[Yep. He caught that gesture from her, and he'll take that and try to give her some privacy. Having to act like she's just been caught by her father having sex with a boy is probably not a situation she really wants to deal with.]

Why don't we talk about this in the living room instead, Aether.

[Ajax stands, with his tray and food, and walks towards the door. At least Lumine can take care of herself while he takes care of matters downstairs. He gestures to his angry friend, trying to stay cheerful about this, and the two go downstairs.

Right before Ajax goes out of Lumine's view, he quickly turns and gives her a wave and a wink- he's got it, he'll clear this up.]

[ the moment the two are gone, lumine gets out of her bed, stretching her arms above her head. she honestly still feels sore, ajax having gotten the better of her last night, but it's nothing that a good, hot shower can soothe. at the very least, she doesn't have to deal with the both of them until she's done washing up and getting dressed.

passing by her open door, she can hear aether raise his voice, snippets of his ranting heard up to the second floor, no doubt scolding ajax. and while that's amusing in itself, lumine's pretty sure her lecture's coming up soon. if not by lunchtime, then her brother will probably facilitate it over dinner.

—my sister! she's not the type you sleep around with like your college—

—not included in what we agreed on when we spoke—

—in my own house—

fun, she thinks, as she slips into her bathroom with a laugh. ]

[It's not the first time Aether has scolded him, but it has been since college since he's done so. He tries to get a word in edgewise during his rant, but doesn't manage. He waits till he's finished, before speaking again.]

Before you go off again, hear me out.

[He quickly shoots a glance over to see if Lumine is there, before he lowers his voice. He doesn't want her to hear, because he's still unsure of everything himself.]

Listen, your sister...it's not like college. All those girls failed to interest me past a little fling, but...

[He sighs. How do you explain to an angry brother that your feelings might be influenced by a couple who lived over a thousand years ago? And that you're still working out who you even are anymore?]

...she's unlike anyone I've ever met. And I don't think it's unrequited either, alright? I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first about it. I'm still trying to figure some things out.

[He looks down at the ground, taking a deep breath. That was a lot.]

[ believing him is a bit of a challenge for aether, especially when he's more than aware of ajax's nature and proclivities. he's familiar with what he's interested in, with what he likes, and also, what gets him to lose interest. throw lumine and her unpredictable temperament into the mix and it's just a volatile pair that's eventually going to be the cause of his headaches for days, weeks and months to come.

see, this is why he's rarely mentioned her to any of his college friends. he's worried about this, even more so that this is ajax and his family is even more concerning than most families.

you couldn't have picked someone else? really? it has to be lumine?

when he's normally surrounded by girls, anyway? during his job and assignments, given his connections? aether looks like he's about to yell again before he just glares at him.

i don't approve of this relationship at all. it's dangerous for her, and you know it.

lumine lifts a brow at her twin brother's remark as she's leaning over the balustrade of the second floor walkway, watching the both of them talk. the shower was quick, painless—she can just take a longer bath later on when this circus is all over. ]

Huh, and here I thought you two were friends. [ she glances between ajax and aether. ] What's that saying, bros before hos?

[He sighs as Aether scolds him again, lifting his hand to his head. He would have preferred his friend not find out about this until he had his mind sorted out, but here he was. Getting chewed in his living room for sleeping and having feelings for Aether's sister. Why is it he can plan an entire hit on someone's life but not be able to conceal this?

Ajax doesn't really answer when Aether says this is dangerous. He'd argue that it's far more dangerous for her not to be with him now, after what they've seen and what they know. But again, how does one explain that to him? He knows Lumine would rather keep it quiet, as Aether's knowledge may place him in just as much danger, if he wasn't already. He'd have to talk to her about that later, if she would allow Aether in on everything that's happening. It's not as if it doesn't involve him too, in some way.

Lumine's voice cutting through the tension gets him to lift his head, snorting at her remark. Archons, really...]

I don't know if you thought about that phrase before you used it, [he calls, teasing her a little.

Turning to Aether, keeping his voice down, he says:]

Will you at least believe me that keeping her safe means more to me than just protecting a relative of a friend of the family? I still have to get to the bottom of this, after all.

Oh, I thought about it well.

[ after all, lumine's heard very briefly and loudly about his escapades in college. not that her own twin brother is innocent in that regard; she's pretty sure aether has had his share of girls in his bed years ago. but seeing that ajax is part of the mafia, his family involved in seedy things, well ...

still, she's on the receiving end of aether's glare at that comment, lumine staring down back at him.

not helping. please stop flirting with him, lu. ]

If I wanted to flirt, I'd be down there and you'd be going hoarse yelling at me. [ she turns away from them to head back into her bedroom, waving a hand at them. ] Besides, if you're allowed to sleep with whoever you want, then I should be allowed to sleep with whoever I want.

[ that's not the point, lumine! also, i don't bring them here. in our home!

that is probably going to earn her an earful later, and an argument will definitely explode out of this mess. but then, aether just has to accept that sooner or later; she's not a kid anymore, after all. ]

Anyway, I'm heading to work in a bit. Ajax, don't leave your shirt here like a snake, please.

I'll take care of it~

[He responds, smiling as he watches her go and disappear into her bedroom. He can't help but find that entire exchange amusing, how she's just sassed her own brother like that. But hey, is she wrong? Ajax doesn't think so. He sets his arms akimbo, looking back to Aether and grinning like an idiot.

She's kinda great like that, isn't she?]

Perhaps I should get going too. I'm surprised my phone isn't ringing off the hook with panicked calls about missing meetings with key clients. I'll be right back.

[Which is partly true, just...not for today. Clapping Aether on the shoulder, he starts climbing the stairs to retrieve his shirt from the bedroom. He knocks a few times on the door, before entering the room, spotting his shirt and swiping it up off the floor.]

He's going to give you a real earful later, isn't he.

[He looks to Lumine, apologetic- he hadn't meant to get her in trouble with her brother.]

[ lumine's standing in front of her mirror when ajax walks back in, inspecting the bitemarks he's left on her neck with a frown. there's only so much her makeup can do to hide those things, really. so she'll have to wear something less conspicuous for the next few days.

at his remark, she glances up at him on the mirror but she shrugs her shoulders and walks over to her closet. ]

I'll talk to him later. It's fine, don't worry about it.

[ aether's upset, she knows that. and she also knows that he's upset because the rug's been pulled out from underneath him. not that lumine expected this development, but she had hoped to break it gently to him eventually. it looks like she'll have to employ some other tactic to soothe her twin brother's ruffled feathers. ]

No guarantees he'll ever be thrilled by today.

Yeah, I wasn't counting on it either...

[Finally he throws his shirt on, buttoning it up and smoothing it out a little, though it had sat in a crumpled pile all night. He'll have to go home anyway, so he gives up on it for the time being.]

I'll give you a call in a couple of days or so, okay? After we let our nerves settle for the time being. We've...got a lot to talk about.

[He smiles sadly at the floor, before moving on, pushing those feelings back with a brighter smile to cover it.]

And...perhaps we'll talk at my place instead, haha.

Edited 2022-05-25 13:34 (UTC)

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