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

I do mind.

[ lumine pushes the bowl away from her, her appetite completely gone. aether, on the other hand, continues to eat his soup, taking a forkful of the potato as well while letting the two have at it. if he needs to rein his sister in, he will, but at the moment, it doesn't seem like lumine needs any reining in. ]

I'm not comfortable using the bedroom upstairs. [ and she's pretty sure he knows which bedroom she's talking about unless she wants him to still point that out to him. which she doesn't. ] So I'd rather Aether and I stay in the room downstairs.

[ she understands that he's injured and all, but surely, he can't expect her to stay in the same room she mentioned that's not hers earlier. ]

Otherwise, if it's going to be an issue, we can always return to the apartment.

[Ajax is a little taken aback, but he realizes that he doesn't actually know if the other room upstairs is a bedroom or not. Since Lumine was in the teapot previous to themselves, he takes it that it is indeed, not a bedroom. He gives her an apologetic look, letting out a small laugh.]

Sorry. I thought that the other room upstairs was also a bedroom, but we didn't go in there at all, did we.

[Ajax He glances over to Aether, to get a read on his friend's expression, before returning to the matter at hand.]

That's fine, I'll stay upstairs then. I've only got some clothes that I need to move anyhow, so it shouldn't be a problem. Is that to your satisfaction?

[ aether only shrugs at him in response, unwilling to get involved in the middle of whatever is happening. he, for one, doesn't really care which bedroom they stay in, but it seems lumine does, so he'll go along with her judgment. no use arguing with his sister when she's somehow on a proverbial warpath.

in any case, lumine gets up from her seat and takes her bowl over to the sink, still untouched and without another glance at ajax. she's more than happy to return the favour of ignoring him. ]

I'll see you in the bedroom, Ae. I'm tired.

[ once more, aether just shrugs and waves his hand at her, his mouth still full of potatoes and spicy broth. it's only after her footsteps have faded and the door to one of the rooms slides close that he swallows the food and turns to look at ajax.

you can get out of this, you know. ]

[Ajax watches her go, not saying another word. He figures he'll leave her alone for a while, because he understands she's still got a lot to process. He only returns to his food, sighing into it.]

I'm not sure if I know what you mean, Aether.

[He takes another bite of his soup, still looking down into it, not knowing what to do at this point. He's barely had time to process anything himself, and he had a lot on his plate to consider, even if she wasn't part of this process at all.]

[ sure, but i'm just saying you can still get out of this if you want.

ajax is a good friend, yes. and aether cares about him despite all the stupidity they've been through all these years, all the mess they've found themselves in, including the last incident in the volkov's warehouse.

but ajax should know by now who aether will side with. at the end of the day, lumine is still his twin sister, and no matter how difficult she can be to deal with, there's no way he can abandon her or not stay by her side. he's unable and unwilling to fix this on behalf of ajax, even if he wanted to.

if you two are going to be like this every other week, then the eventual end result is just going to be disastrous. ]

[Ajax just shakes his head, eating a bit more. He appreciates his concern, but is it really that simple? None of this will ever be simple, none of it will ever be normal. Just as his eyes will never look the same again, forever lacking light in them until the day he dies.]

Things are far more complicated than you think, to just "get out". Whatever she told you was only a fraction of the truth, I'm sure of it.

[He knows that they were talking about him, at least at some point while he'd been making dinner. Aether wouldn't of said anything to him the way he did if they hadn't.]

Besides, I can't just walk away. There's no way I could allow myself to do so. Aether... [Ajax continues to stare down into his soup, speaking softly:] I love her. I really do.

[Another bite is taken, but it feels forced now, finding himself losing his own appetite.]

I wish she'd talk to me, but I don't think she's even being honest with herself. I know why she's upset; it's because she doesn't want to lose me, and I think she feels as if she already has. At least, that's what I think. I know that probably doesn't make much sense right now. Sorry.

[ aether sighs heavily. complicated is an understatement, as it's always been with the guys who date his sister, especially lumine can be pretty detached about her relationships if it becomes too much of a pain for her. but for once, it doesn't seem like it's one-sided, considering how it affects his twin sister too in more ways than one.

and here i thought i'd never see you stupidly fall in love with anyone. i should've made a bet with the other guys.

having known ajax for a while, it's almost hilariously pitiable how he's down so bad over a girl when he's never been like this before. but then again, said girl is also his twin sister, so aether also has very little reason to pity him.

he finishes his soup before going for the potatoes, tearing it apart with his fork and slathering it in butter.

well, she did say you're changing to someone else. whatever that means. i suppose only lumine can tell. she's pretty perceptive, after all, so it won't surprise him if she's noticed something's amiss. and to be fair, she's pretty upset over it.

and he's never seen her this affected over a guy. what a mess. why do you think she's not being honest with herself? ]

[Ajax can't help but laugh at Aether's jab at him. He also, is a little surprised that he would fall in love so hard over someone like he has. Even if he understands part of the reason why, which in and of itself is also incredibly complicated. Maybe he was always meant to find her, as if it was fate or destiny that would lead him to Lumine, having felt that pull the moment he met her.

And if it's true, if he really is what Childe says he is, then everything seems to fall into place perfectly. Even he can't deny that.]

I don't think she wants to admit that she cares for me, even though her actions betray her every step of the way, haha. And what's happening to me is making things even worse, it seems.

[He glances up at Aether, a small, sad smile on his face.]

She's both right and wrong, by the way. About me changing. I suppose if you want to understand more, you can go look at the rest of the pictures down the hallway, past the one with yourself and Lumine.

[He pauses to play with one of the beets in his soup, sighing.]

There's one of me, too.

[ lumine just has to find the most self-aware guy to hook up with, hasn't she? aether's almost amused, if only because his sister has never been one to let down her guard even around the guys she dated. and yet, here's someone who can read her like an open book despite her proclivities at deflection.

he presses his lips together, forehead wrinkling. yeah, no. i'll check it out when i'm ready to check it out.

as it stands, his own photo with lumine still looms over him like an unknown creature, something that he still hasn't completely addressed with his sister.

anyway, give her time and space. she'll probably come around eventually. probably, eventually.

the operational words in that sentence, really. ajax should know by now how stubborn his sister is, so he shouldn't be surprised if this takes time to fix between the two of them. at least, by then, you might have fully recovered already. ]

[Ajax didn't figure that Aether would be too happy to hear that, but he feels that they can't really run from the truth of the matter. The man only hopes that Lumine is forthright with her brother about things. He too, may end up in their same situation- and that's already been enough of a hardship.]

Hopefully it won't take quite that long. She knows I don't like the idea of being away from her for longer than necessary.

[The cheeky grin on his face says it all- that he'll be a brat somehow to get what he wants, even if he has to use The Look that he's sure Aether is all too familiar with.]

But, for now, I'll concentrate on taking care of my things. I suppose if Lumine leaves you with unanswered questions when the two of you finally get to sit down and talk, I'll do my best to fill in the gaps for you. [He pauses, looking very serious all of a sudden.]

I'm not interested in hiding things from you, Aether, really. I don't think any of us should be leaving each other in the dark anymore. Things have gotten far too dangerous for that.

[He waves a hand, to go, picking up his bowl to head off to the kitchen. He'll leave the twins alone for the rest of the evening, to put his things upstairs and have their pet cryo slime nurse his knee for him. It sure seemed happy to see him...he guesses he and Childe made up after their first interaction.]

[ just because my sister knows about it doesn't necessarily mean she'll do something about it.

in any case, aether just waves a hand as he too finishes his meal, picking up his own dishes to set them down in the sink before heading over to the bedroom where lumine's waiting. where it's clear from his twin sister's expression that they have much to talk about, much to discuss—not just about ajax, but about their current circumstances and aether's questions about the photos.

lumine continues to avoid ajax in the next couple of days, preferring to do her work in her shared room with aether or back in the apartment when everyone else is in the teapot. but anyone with their head screwed on right will eventually realise that she's gone.

and she's not gone as in she swerved into another room to avoid ajax heading down the hall, but gone as in no trace of her person in the teapot or in the apartment.

aether, on the other hand, has become more comfortable wandering around the realm, checking out the different islands and speaking to tubby. his conversation with lumine about their past counterparts, the other lumine living within her, and the changes happening to ajax has mostly answered his lingering questions. sure, he's still skeptical about it all, and a part of him still refuses to accept what's happened before, but he's less broody about it now. he still has questions, questions that are best posed to ajax, but that can wait when his sister returns.

he walks into ajax's bedroom in the teapot, frowning at his phone and raising it above his head. nope, the signal is still dead, looks like.

there's no reception in this place, is there? ]

[The few days following are not entirely pleasant for Ajax- he's still in a bit of pain, though the cryo slime is helping his injuries heal a little faster by having it ice him for small increments of time here and there- but what's the most terrible is Lumine avoiding him.

He understands why, but that doesn't mean he has to like it, sighing when he's unable to see her. However, he is capable of displaying a modicum of patience, giving her the space she wants for now and not trying to bother her, not yet at least. Though, something nags at him at the back of his mind, and he tries to dismiss it. But it's a clear message:

She's going to do something stupid that he's not going to approve of, he knows it. It's just a matter of time until it happens.

Ajax looks up from his laptop as he sits on the bed, working on a project for the company offline as Aether walks into the room.]

Not at all, haha. I suppose when you live in a magically-produced hammerspace such as this, things like phone signal and wifi can't reach it. It's like we're in a completely separate universe, connected only by the teapot itself. Speaking of which.

[He gives Aether a questioning look.]

I need to send this report off. Is...she in the apartment right now?

[ it takes aether a few minutes to respond to him, mostly still busy tinkering with his phone. it seems that ajax is right that phone signals just don't exist in a magical realm like this, no matter how fantastic it is. perhaps he should work with tubby on getting that fixed; surely, they can both find a way to get technology and magic sorted out?

apartment? he looks confused for a moment, looking up with a frown at ajax before looking back down at his phone. oh, you mean, lumine? she's in liyue, remember?

why else would he be trying to get a signal into the teapot? lumine promised him that she'd give him a call soon, and it wouldn't do good if she couldn't reach him. he should tag along with ajax to the apartment to get that signal again.

she'll be back in a couple of days. ]

[There's a sudden flash of anger that rises up in him, one that he manages to keep off of his face save for a slight twinge in his mouth. Sounds like to him that Aether had assumed he was told, but he wasn't- and that puts a very, very bad taste in his mouth.]

No, [he responds, his voice flat, working on keeping his temper down so he doesn't explode on Aether for something that isn't his fault.]

I don't remember. Because she never told me she departed to Liyue.

[And when she comes back, he's giving her the rundown of why she's an idiot and why she should of at least told him. It's almost like he feels a little betrayed by her, as if everything that's happened and the efforts made to keep her safe didn't matter to her.

He closes his laptop, putting it in his laptop bag and slinging it over his shoulder before he gets up off the bed, reaching for his stick.]

Let's go up to the apartment. We wouldn't want to be missing any phone calls, would we.

[Now he knows why Aether was asking about reception. Got it.]

[ she never told you?

now that's genuine confusion crossing aether's face as he watches ajax get up from the bed, limping out of the bedroom. lumine never said anything to ajax about leaving for liyue? and aether assumed that she did, considering what had happened lately despite her current conflict with him.

he follows him out of the teapot and into the apartment, the air around them shimmering as the realm disappears, and that's when his phone starts chiming, lumine's stream of messages finally pouring in.

aether settles on the sofa as he scrolls through her texts, his sister letting him know that she's found the person she's looking for, that she'll be home sooner than she expected, that there are a few things she needs to tell aether again when she gets back.

i guess she'll be home earlier than the two days she told me about. ]

[After finding his footing, Ajax walks over to the sofa with Aether to settle upon it, not groaning nearly as much as he had in the days prior as he begins to feel better as he sits. It's a relief to hear that she's alright for the moment, so he'll take solace in that, but he can't get over how stupid it was for her to leave alone again when she'd nearly died a week ago.]

Good, [Ajax responds in a silent fury, concentrating on saving his energy for when she came back to give her an earful.] I'll be waiting for her return then.

[His laptop is taken out of the bag, so he can begin to work on the online side of things in regards to his work, tapping away on his computer looking suspiciously impassive as he does so. He doesn't want to go off on Aether about how pissed he is, and it's obvious that the man is seething as he sends an email off by hitting his trackpad a little harder than what's necessary.]

Please keep in close touch with her for me. If she doesn't respond to you in a healthy amount of time, I want to know about it immediately.

[ what is a healthy amount of time for ajax? aether doesn't really know, but he assumes that he simply meant it to be regular communication with him. not that he holds it against his friend, seeing that lumine's practically just snuck out of the teapot without telling him at all or even letting him know about her plans.

aether sighs when his phone chimes happily again as it receives another message from lumine, a picture sent as well of her standing near one of the statues in liyue with another man.

again, reckless and dangerous.

it's over a day and a half later when lumine finally returns from her trip, looking exhausted but in one piece and clearly unharmed. she immediately teleports into the teapot, tossing her coat and her bag onto the sofa and walking into her shared bedroom with aether. ]

Ae, I'm back, [ she calls out but silence responds to her voice, the house seemingly empty. ] Aether?

[ she walks out of the house to find tubby snoozing in her little teapot again, stirring when she notices lumine. the adeptus tells her that her twin brother has gone exploring the realm again having talked to her about infrastructures yesterday.

he should be on the last island. he did say he'll be back at the house later in time for dinner. ]

... Huh, [ lumine murmurs out loud as she walks back into the house, plopping onto the sofa. she could always just work while waiting for him. ]

[Ajax is preparing himself something to eat, a simple sandwich or two when he hears Lumine come back. Perfect, he thinks, adding a third sandwich onto the plate before he decides to step out into the living room as he limps over to the couch.

Ajax sits down right next to her, a friendly expression tugging at the corners of his mouth, but there are tones of anger and irritation lining that smile. He offers her a sandwich, holding the plate out for her to take one if she'd like.]

I'm glad to see you've returned safe and sound. I do hope you have a moment to...talk.

[Not that he's giving her the option anyway. Ajax is making sure she knows that he's not happy with her, and his lectures are going to be different than Aether's. He will wait patiently for her to answer. He's got all the time in the world.]

[ lumine stares at him when he suddenly sits down next to her, already on the cusp of getting up and walking away. instead, she simply returns to her laptop and the document she's reviewing before he came over, pushing his proffered plate of sandwiches.

she can tell he's upset; he doesn't have to say it out loud. but then, it isn't as if she's broken any rules nor is she a child that needs adult supervision. and while she realises that aether's kidnapping had been recent and is one of the reasons why they're even in the teapot, she's not about to imprison herself in this realm and not live her life.

besides, wasn't it his suggestion to go find zhongli? ]

I'm busy, Ajax.

You aren't for the next few minutes or so.

[The look he shoots her is intense, like a switch that was flipped without warning. The plate gets set down on the coffee table in front of them, and he idly picks one up as if that same switch was flipped back, his voice casual as he takes a bite out of it.]

So, [he begins,] when were you planning on telling me that you intended to go to Liyue? Or did the past few weeks just...slip your mind?

[He takes another bite again, the smile that he'd worn earlier completely faded from his features. His eyes divert away from her, glancing casually out the window, waiting.]

[ lumine says nothing for a few minutes, her hands running across her laptop's keyboard as she revises some of the documents she received. she also remains unmoving from her spot on the sofa, unwilling to budge despite ajax insistence on sitting next to her. as if there isn't enough space on the sofa to accommodate the both of them. ]

I intended to go to Liyue, and now I'm back, [ she says flatly, the clacking of the keyboard filling in the silence between the two of them.

honestly, if he has something to say, then he should just say it. instead, he's beating around the bush like this. ]

Is that satisfactory?

No, no it's not.

[It's now that his voice hits a calm fury, her own dismissive tone of her own making his temper rise. His hand presses the back of the laptop screen, lowering it to halfway as he stares at her now. There's a fire behind them, not willing to put up with deflections or incomplete answers.]

You should have told me you were leaving. Have you learned nothing from what's happened so far? Have you already forgotten you just got out of the hospital, how you nearly died if you hadn't been rushed there as fast as you were?

[Ajax leans a little forward, that fire building now as he speaks. She's not a child, there's no excuse for her actions here, as far as he's concerned.]

I don't want to keep you here like a prisoner, but we still have to be careful. Keeping me in the dark isn't helping.

[ her brows furrow when she finds the screen of her laptop lowered by his hand, and she almost, almost brushes it off. it doesn't help that he's using that tone on her, talking her down and telling her off like she's a child. it's infuriating, as if the past few days haven't been already. ]

I told Aether where I was going.

[ and clearly, since he's being an impertinent ass right now, aether told him about it. so why is he ragging her about her quick trip to liyue? it isn't as if it was a field trip.

when he leans in forward, lumine moves back and away from him, closing the lid of her laptop with a snap. ]

Again, I'm already back, so I don't see why this is still an issue.

Because something could have happened. Because the last time, and the time before that, you were captured by our enemies.

[Ajax's stare only grows more intense, and he will not let up or let her think that this is okay to do.]

Aether doesn't have the power to help you when you get into trouble, but I have the resources that could of gotten you there undetected so you could go about your business while we could breathe a little easier here.

[His hand goes up to unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt, which he's been wearing in a way to hide the bandages that still wrap around his chest. Pointing to them, he scolds her more, unrelenting.]

Do you see this? I'm in no condition right now to save you again if you get into trouble. Aether didn't stand a chance against that god. He wouldn't now either, had you gotten captured in Liyue. Or would you just rather die? Is that why you keep sneaking off?

[ her eyes narrow before she gets up from the sofa, laptop under her arm, when ajax raises his voice. scolding her, emotionally blackmailing her by pointing out his injuries— ]

I don't want to deal with this right now from you.

[ she storms off towards her shared bedroom with aether, her own temper rising in tandem with ajax's. sure, he has a point, but she's unwilling to admit it. after all, what matters is that she got back safely and without a hitch, fulfilling what she needed to do in liyue. something that he clearly can't understand. ]

And you don't have to save me next time. Spare yourself the trouble of getting more broken ribs.

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