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

[Ajax laughs, taking another bite of his sandwich. He supposes he can see her point of view, having lived a life that's been without getting her hands dirty in such areas such as murder. Well, at least until recently, but he's yet to ask her about that. Not something to address now, but maybe after they rescue Aether.]

Maybe it's better to just think of him as my father instead of a mob boss. Perhaps once you meet him, you'll be able to see him in a different light. He's actually a very kind person, once you get to know him. I just wouldn't get in the way of his business prospects, is all.

[ does she have to meet him, though? like, how would she even face the guy whose men she got killed? lumine realises that they're there for her and her brother's protected; she even demanded it from ajax after dragging his brother into their secrets. but even so, she didn't think it would actually get them killed. ]

Your father, who is the supposed criminal overlord of the underground scene in Fontaine ... [ she doesn't mean that sarcastically, at least. she's heard enough stories about his family. ] Sure.

[ and she's sitting next to his heir, having an egg and bacon sandwich for breakfast. if she were told several months ago that this is going to be her future, she would've laughed at it. it's not so funny right now. ]

And his son who just kissed my brother over a week ago ...

Hey, c'mon....

[He know she's teasing him, but it's still not a memory he wants to keep around. Ajax will truly never live it down, even if the reason was to save her from bodily injury. And that video...he sighs, defeated, letting his face rest against an open palm.]

Enough about that, now. [He waves one hand in dismissal of the subject.] See, it's not so strange, is it? You met me, and I'm sure I don't exactly fit the bill of your movie-esque mafia boss, now do I?

[Though, he feels like it's a movie, sometimes. With all the extraordinary things that have happened to them in these past months. And it's far from over. If he thinks on it too hard, he can feel the weight of their circumstances pressing down on him.

But if he's with Lumine, it should be no obstacle. There's something deep within him that tells him that, that the two of them are unstoppable together. Perhaps it's Childe, perhaps it's his own feelings on the matter.]

[ nope, she's never going to let him live it down. at least, not while that infernal video is still on her phone. so far, even her twin brother has yet to convince her to delete it. and if aether has been unsuccessful, then chances are, ajax too is going to be. ]

I don't know.

[ lumine throws him a sideways glance, taking another bite of her sandwich and seemingly giving him a once-over. a moment later, she's gesturing with her hands. ]

You know how those mafia guys in movies dress up? [ sure, right now, he looks like a dork in her kitchen, but bear with her. ] With the shirt unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up, really terrible style? All you're missing are those giant, gold necklaces that look like chains.

[Ajax knows a direct attack on his style when he sees it, and he throws her a face of faux abjection before shrugging at her and crossing his arms. Please, he knows he looks good in what he wears and how he wears it, and he's not letting that ding his ego whatsoever.]

I happen to think I look pretty good in my choice and style of clothing, thank you very much. I can see what you're up to here, thinking you can knock me down a peg.

[He huffs at her, sitting back into his seat a little more as he finishes off his breakfast, satisfied with his own cooking.]

I like to be comfortable in what I wear. It doesn't matter to me what others think of it.

[ shrugging, as she too finishes her sandwich: ] If that's true, then what I think shouldn't matter.

[ look, lumine never said he didn't look good. she's just saying that in terms of style, he's not that different from the mafia characters in movies. of course, who knows if that's really how the mafia styles themselves; she, for one, isn't too keen to find out. ]

Then again, no wonder some of your men have a crush on you.

[ aaaaand that's all she says, getting up from her seat to carry her plate and mug to the sink, a smile playing on her lips. see, maybe it's for the best that his men could stay incognito while protecting her. ]

[He nearly chokes on his own coffee when she brings that fact right to his face, swallowing it down hard before turning to look incredulously at her.]

What's that supposed to mean?

[When did she ever take the time to talk to any of them? If he didn't know any better, he was sure she was just making it up- or referring to Luke.]

If you're referrecing that Fatui soldier from our vision-

[He swears, going that far just to tease him. He'll think of a way to repay her for her kindness here right now.]

-he's not one of my men. Subordinates from a thousand years ago don't count.

[ please, ajax. his men are as conspicuous as he is when they're trailing her, to the point that she's started recognising some of them. prior to the incident in inazuma too, they're become more comfortable in letting her know their presence around her. ]

I'm not referring to Luke, but your actual men.

[ lumine rinses her plate and her cup before she stows them in the dishwasher to take care of it later. at his look, she just shrugs. ]

What? You didn't know?

[Ajax drinks down more of his coffee, still not buying it. She has to be just teasing him because he kissed Aether, trying to make this whole situation worse.]

I think you're pulling my leg. Besides, even if any of them did, they'd never admit it.

[This lady, he swears, giving him so much grief. Ajax drapes one arm over the back of the chair he sits in, giving her a very unimpressed look.]

You're not jealous of any of them, now are you? It's quite alright if you are, but don't worry. Not only am I not into guys, I'm only looking at you anyhow.

[Another unimpressed sip from his cup, the ongoing stare back at her. He's still not believing a word she's saying.]

Oh, you think I have no means of making people talk?

[ lumine returns that unimpressed look with an amused one, snorting and cocking her eyebrow. and to say that she's jealous, the audacity of this man. acting as if she's on the same pedestal as her twin brother in terms of her affection. ]

I can be quite convincing when I want to be. Aether might be better at sweet-talking people and putting his charms on, but I'm not half as bad.

[ a beat, because she's not about to miss the opportunity of rubbing her own victories in his face: ] Besides, weren't you on that end of that leash just some time ago?

[Ajax downs the last of his coffee, standing up himself now to head to the sink to rinse his own dishes, giving her a glance as he passes by her to do so.]

I don't know what you're talking about. What leash are you speaking of? I don't remember that ever happening.

[The plate and cup get put into the dishwasher, and he turns to start to run hot water into the sink, plugging it and adding some soap to clean the pans he'd used to make breakfast.]

Besides, [he adds,] I'm not one who can be leashed anyhow. I wish you luck if you're going to try.

[ lumine sidesteps him, nonchalantly walking over to the fridge to grab a glass of water that she can carry to her room. she doesn't even give him another glance, simply focusing on her own stuff while debating on what she'll be having later for lunch. ]

I'd remind you, but you'd enjoy it too much.

[ and she still has work to do that can't be delayed any more. she does pause for a moment, glancing at him over her shoulder before walking back to her room. ]

Besides, you could always be couched.

Is that so? I think you know what would happen if you reminded me. You know, I think you'd enjoy it too, haha.

[Though she isn't wrong, he would love every second of it. Her couch threat doesn't seem to bother him, as he begins to clean up the kitchen. But for now, he begins to wash the pans and utensils that can't be put in the dishwasher, smirking as she walks back to her room to begin her work for the day.

He still has work too, and a lot of it- and in order to really see her smile again, he has to find Aether.

So he'll leave her to her own business, and will spend this time making the kitchen look cleaner than he'd even left it the night before.]

[ she's not about to give him the satisfaction of admitting to anything, and denying it will just make him even more obnoxious and overbearing than before. maybe she should've asked tatiana to drag his brother home and leave him be, even if having him here makes her, well, a little less anxious.

lumine returns to her room, closing the door behind her for some peace and quiet. there were a few missed calls on her phone, including one from the reception downstairs, and she gives them all a ring. a few minutes later, she's stepping back out of her room. ]

I need to go downstairs for a bit.

[ she smoothens her hair and her shirt as she pads over to the door, passing by ajax wherever he is. ]

The reception called and told me there's a package for me sitting in my mailbox since last night.

[Ajax looks up from just finishing wiping the stove down as she speaks, his eye quirked. Normally, he wouldn't question her having to go downstairs for anything at all, especially a package or any mail, but these circumstances were not normal.

If they were normal, he wouldn't even be in the apartment right now.]

Were you expecting one?

[He asks, caution lacing his tone. But he shakes his head a moment later, would someone already have the address to her apartment? Maybe. It wouldn't be hard information to get. And he hasn't even let her answer before he sounded suspicious.]

...Sorry. Maybe I'm being a little paranoid.

[ that's a good question, one that gets her to pause in the middle of the hallway. ]

No, not really.

[ there are only a couple of people who know she's in the apartment: her housekeeper and her assistant. of course, that's not counting ajax's sister and himself, but those are all people she can trust, people she's known for a very long time. ]

... But it might be from my assistant. I know there are a few pending things I still need to sign. [ lumine turns to look at him. ] If I don't return in ten minutes, then feel free to panic and check on me downstairs. I'll just be at the reception.

[Now finished, he walks out of the kitchen to join her momentarily before she goes downstairs. It puts his mind more at ease to know that her assistant would send her mail, but something at the back of his mind still wonders.]

Okay. Surprise packages like his are usually a pretty big red flag in my line of work. But I suppose it makes a lot of sense that your assistant might have to send you something out of the blue.

[Still, he gives her a concerned look, eyes soft with worry regardless. He knows she can take care of herself, but he's seen things go sideways too many times.]

Just...be careful with it on the way back up, okay? Don't shake it or do anything unnecessary, just in case.

[ lumine's not surprised that packages are a bit of a suspicious item for him, considering their family business. and to be honest, she'd be a little wary too, considering their circumstances. but would they really be subtle about this when they've already taken her brother? ]

But how would I know what's inside if I don't shake it?

[ she's joking but she knows he's just worried. funny, how he's more concerned about her safety than her own self, whose brother was kidnapped in their own apartment. ]

I'll be fine. [ she pats his arm before slipping on her sandals and stepping out the door. ] I'll be back in a few.

[Ajax's shoulders seems to relax as he sighs, giving her a mildly exasperated look at her joke. But she's right, she'll be fine, silently making his way back to the couch as she steps out to open his laptop once again to begin his work. He lets himself get distracted by that until she comes back, not having to wait long thankfully.

No need for him to panic, but what does catch his eye is the package that she brings back. One that does make him panic, concern lining his face heavier than before she'd left.]

Lumine...that's hardly what I was expecting when you said you had a package.

[ to be fair, it's also not the kind of package she was expecting, at least not from her assistant. she usually sends them in brown paper packaging, neatly wrapped up with a note written on it. but this is just confusing to her? it doesn't have a card either with the sender's name, the ribbon very meticulously tied.

so she's not surprised that that's ajax's reaction upon her return, closing the door behind her, the lock clicking. ]

It's not what I was expecting too, okay?

[ she sets the thing down on the coffee table before walking over to the kitchen to grab another glass of water, drinking instead from the bottle out of annoyance. ]

It's probably from some guy sending stuff at work again.

[For a second, he feels a creeping jealousy in the pit of his stomach, and he tries brushing it to the side. But it irks him, the idea of some guy at her job getting her address and sending her a gift. It's too bad that he can't scare them off like he did to those drunkards at the Windblume festival.]

Perhaps they should practice a little more respect and not find your home address using their connections at work.

[It's a failed attempt to hide his jealousy, his words clearly laced with it as he looks at the gift. Who even does that. Ajax takes a deep breath, trying to push those feelings away as he tries to focus. What if it wasn't some gift from a coworker, but something else?]

Anyway, it may not be from a secret admirer from your job. I wondered at first if it could be a bomb, but when I consider it further, that's not our foe's MO. They want us alive, or they wouldn't of gone to the trouble of trying to put evil spirits inside of us to control us.

[They would have just killed them, right then and there.]

[ oh my oh my oh my, did she hear what she thinks she heard?

lumine pauses from her drink, turning to look at ajax with a raised eyebrow. a moment later, she's returning the bottle back to the fridge, walking over to the living with an amused grin on her lips. not the first time he's shown that kind of front before, but it was never this openly. ]

You're not jealous, are you? [ look who's throwing that line back at him, plopping down on the couch next to him. ] You should know that this is a pretty common occurrence back at the office. Like I said, I'm not too bad at putting on my charms, especially with clients.

[ aether gets pretty annoyed by that, so she's left all the charming to him, something that her brother is happy to oblige. ]

It could be another lingerie.

[ she's kidding! ]

[Ajax's face contorts into some weird form of denial and annoyance, moreso because she mentions this happens frequently. He only stares at her when she plops down next to him, and he can feel his stomach burn a bit brighter. He tries to wash that look on his face and that emotion away, closing his eyes and looking away, taking the time to breathe.

But, lingerie. She has to be joking.]

You're just trying to get my goat.

[He folds his arms over his chest, sitting back into the couch, opening his eyes once more and looking over to her like he's onto her.]

Maybe I'll have to send you something myself, and make sure they all see it. Perhaps a large bouquet of your favorite flowers with your name on it, right at the receptionist's desk.

Edited (ugh my spelling why) 2022-07-01 16:24 (UTC)

[ oh wow, he's being huffy like a child. which is even more amusing, considering that they're not even officially dating. she supposes that the two of them sleeping together, even if it's only been a couple of times so far, has given him the impression that she's his in a way.

she pokes his cheek, half-expecting it to be puffed up. ]

I've never worn it before, don't worry. So you'll be the first person to see me in it.

[ again, she's just kidding. though it's very fun to try and poke his buttons every now and then, especially when he reacts like a baby to her teasing.

in any case, lumine takes the box and puts it on her lap. ]

What will you do if it is lingerie?

[She'll find his jaw set and his cheek a little puffy, a sharp breath coming out his nose. Even if he doesn't fully believe that she's recieved any undergarments from anyone, he still feels like he better be the first and only one to see her in it. And then he'll enjoy removing it from her later that night.

His eyes move from her to the box, wondering what's really inside. He snorts when she asks what he'll do, and that's an easy answer.]

First, I'll take it and put it on my head.

[Because he can think of no better way to add insult to injury. He's sure that's the last thing any guy at her office would want.]

Second, I'll kiss you with it still on my head, and then later tonight, you can put it on just so I can take it right back off of you.

[His cheeks are still puffed up a little, but he is calmed a little by the idea that this is how he can really stick it to the guy who'd had the gall to send her lingerie.]

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