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

[ 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.

[He stands quickly too, and it hurts to do so, but he won't let her just walk away from him. He's not done yet, and he's not going to allow her to brush him off now.]

Yes, tell me not to save you so I have to not only worry about funeral expenses, but losing the woman I care for more than anyone in this world.

[Ajax forgoes the walking stick, steadily limping towards the bedroom after her. Each step is a reminder of what kind of situation she could have gotten into, and it only serves to make him more angry.]

So, I guess it doesn't matter to you that I almost lost my body? That I was nearly killed by that god? I don't appreciate this kind of treatment, you know.

[He can't keep up with her though, his limp holding him back despite walking on it out of sheer anger.]

...Stop running away from me, Lumine.

[ lumine ignores him, briskly walking to her room and slamming the door close before he can say anything else. she supposes that that's her one advantage over ajax that very moment, the fact that she's uninjured and can walk faster than him.

is it running away? sure, maybe. but it's also her archons-given right not to sit down and let someone scold her like she's a child. she knows what she did, she knows the possible consequences of what she'd done. but that's for her to deal with and to scold herself with if something were to happen, not someone else. that's not ajax's call to make.

in any case, she's tossing her laptop on the bed and staying in the room until ajax has lost his steam. there's also that temptation to just teleport out of the teapot and back into the apartment. ]

[He hobbles up to the door, taking a moment to breathe. He'd already lost his temper enough with her, but where she believes he's treating her like a child, he believes she's acting like one.

And he believes she's been terribly unfair to him, leaving him here and avoiding him, making him worry about her when she up and leaves without saying a word.

He slowly opens the door, leaning against the door frame, noticeably off of his bad leg, looking at her with the same intensity, but his voice has lowered significantly.]

You owe me an apology.

[He doesn't budge from that spot, crossing his arms and staring at her from the doorway.]

[ the issue would've been over if she simply indulged him with the apology he's looking for. but ajax should know better than to ask it from her, from someone who's even more stubborn and proud than his own friend. lumine simply sits on the bed, back resting against the pillows and headboard, pulling the laptop onto her knees and resuming the work she's been forced to pause earlier.

at the very least, she's not rolling her eyes despite the desire to do so, despite her own anger simmering under the lid. he can't even respect her own need to be alone and get away from him. ]

Apologise for what? [ her tone is flat, annoyed as she mutters the words, her fingers rapidly moving across her laptop's keyboard. ] Weren't you the one who told me to go find Zhongli?

[ didn't they agree a few weeks ago that she'll take care of going to the statues to resonate with it, something that she even know is reluctant to do? ]

[That comment makes him clench his teeth together, hidden only by the fact that he keeps his mouth closed as he does so. That feels like a slap to the face, to use Childe against him in this manner, when she knows full well he didn't suggest it.]

First of all, [he begins, his temper spiking once more,] you know I didn't tell you to do that. And even if I had, I wouldn't of told you to do it on your own without telling me you were going.

[His arms fold over his chest, not amused by this stupid game she's playing with him now.]

Second, you do realize it's fine that you went, don't you? All you had to do is run it by me. So you owe me an apology for making me worry that something might happen to you, especially after everything that's happened. Like I said, I don't appreciate being treated like this. I don't deserve how you've avoided me like the plague and for running off when there are gods trying to hunt us down.

[ lumine finds her hands shaking, pressing her lips together and biting her tongue to keep herself from lashing out. from pointing out what childe had told her a few days ago about the two of them being one and the same, about being the same person. ]

You want your apology? Fine, sorry that you had to worry your head over me, that you were ignored for the past few days, that you got injured and nearly died because of me.

[ her voice is bitter, acerbic, her temper finally boiling over as well. how dare he throw these things at her face. how dare he lecture her for things that are well within her rights to do. how dare he ask for an apology when she's never done so from him for dragging her into this mess in the first place. ]

Are you finally happy? Now you can get out and you can stop worrying about me.

[Ajax stands there silently for a few moments, locking his eyes with hers and staring back- but his eyes shift, to something more sad, despite the fire that still burns there deep within the ocean blue. When he moves, it's his face first, turning away from her as if it were too difficult to look directly at her anymore. His hand comes up to grip the doorway, slowly turning the rest of himself with it, limping out into the living once more.

The door is gently closed behind him, and he goes over to get his walking stick, the food forgotten on the coffee table.

The thud of slow steps up the staircase softly ring through the walls, uneven as he trudges upstairs back to the bedroom, lying down on the bed. He can't even go out and train to work out his frustrations, so he opts to be alone, to try to take a nap, anything to help him calm down to get his mind off of the argument they just had.]

[ lumine stays in the room for a while until aether finally returns, looking like he's been dragged through a bush and back but seemingly enjoying whatever he's been doing. it's only then that lumine excuses himself from her twin brother, returning to the apartment to send a few emails and messages, one of which is to the person she's met up with in liyue.

in the next few days to a few weeks, said person is visible almost constantly in the realm, seeking lumine and her company every time. still dressed primly in his suit, zhongli moves around the teapot as if it's a place he's spent much of his life in, familiar like the back of his hand. it's almost a little unnerving at first, knowing that this man had been alive ever since the war with the gods a thousand years ago and even before that.

no wonder childe's quick to refer to him, trusting the man's wisdom beyond the ages.

aether, on the other hand, looks skeptical once more as he watches his twin sister take long walks with the taller man along the teapot's beach and islands or quiet tea sessions in the garden, the both of them seemingly deep in conversation. it doesn't look good in the wake of her argument with ajax, making him wonder if there's anything else about this man that causes lumine to keep him by her side at all times.

they're always together. but isn't his face a little too perfect? he mutters out loud, staring at his sister and zhongli from ajax's window, his hand cupping his chin. ... i guess she doesn't like ordinary faces anymore, especially after comparing them to that face. ]

[Ajax is resting on the bed, his hands behind his head as he lays there, staring at the ceiling. He doesn't really want to hear about Lumine at all, and the only good thing about this situation is that Zhongli is here. He was a sight for sore eyes, and he'd known instinctively who the man was the minute he laid eyes on him.]

Do you have a crush on him, Aether?

[He teases, amused that Aether's noticing the god's looks over anything else.]

You know, he's pretty easy to talk to, if you have five hours or so to spare. And his tea is commendable as well. You should find the time.

[He leaves it hanging there, laughing to himself.]

I think the two of you would get along splendidly.

[ nah, i'm not into guys that my sister kissed.

his voice is even, almost bored as aether says that, eyes still trained outside the window. a sigh leaves his lips, shaking his head at the sight below him, seemingly exasperated by the scene.

honestly though, it's gotten a lot more boring since the famed argument between lumine and ajax. and while aether should be happy that he and his sister have started waging a cold war for weeks, it's still an awkward thing to deal with in the teapot. at the very least, they don't have to eat together for meals.

how do you know him anyway? don't tell me you introduced him to my sister.

he has a feeling it has something to do with the guy ajax has inside of him, or something. one of these days, he'd like to have a talk with him too. ]

[Ajax only rolls his eyes, the knowledge from Childe reassuring him that Mr. Zhongli would never touch Lumine. They'd been friends back then, and the former geo archon was respectful and trustworthy. He doesn't comment on that, instead focusing on what happened that day when Childe had told Lumine everything about their impending fusion, and what it entailed.]

Childe told her to seek him out. He was right to do so, he's a close friend of both of them. No doubt that Mr. Zhongli's knowledge will help us in the long run. I'm glad he's here, I just wish I had a moment to get to talk to him myself, outside of the brief time when he first arrived.

[Though he isn't looking forward to the endless rambles about random topics that he really didn't care for- that's just how the guy is. Ajax breathes sharply out of his nose at the memory from Childe's past, remembering how the Harbinger had always come to rest his head on his fist during such get togethers.]

Why do you ask? It doesn't bother you, does it?

[A jab for a jab, as far as he's concerned. Aether can freak out about Lumine dating another guy, even though Ajax knows that isn't why the man is here.]

[ aether hums, still watching his sister and her companion from the window, waving at them both when lumine finally notices him.

should it? he seems like an upstanding guy and lumi's been looking happy for the past week or so whenever she sees him.

a jab for a jab for a jab. no offence, ajax, but with how things are developing on a daily basis, aether has every right to throw that back at him like a pie to his face. he's also getting a little exhausted of lumine's dance around any topic that relates to ajax, her upset visible on her expression despite the impassive look that settles on her face, so much so that he wonders if they're over.

ajax, for one, also isn't acknowledging her, so he assumes as much. can't really say that he didn't warn him. ]

Aether! Come join us. Zhongli would like to meet you.

[ i'm sure you already know how stubborn lumine is. aether keeps his gaze trained outside the window even as he gets back up to his feet, ready to meet his twin sister and the man she's been spending time with. ngl, he is pretty curious about this guy.

if you're waiting for her to make the first move, you'll be waiting until your hair has turned white. i'm not saying she's in the right, but i'm saying that once she's put her mind to doing something, then nothing will be able to stop her, not even me or your soulmate destiny thing. just make sure you don't regret anything.

lumine's smile widens when aether meets them up outside the house, introducing him to the former geo archon and inviting him to tea with the both of them. after all, there's much for them to talk about, especially given the information that zhongli's so far provided her. she excuses herself for a bit, however, to prepare the tea in the kitchen, leaving the two to talk amongst themselves in the garden. ]

Yeah, yeah, thanks, [is all Ajax responds to Aether with, not really caring. It's hardly worth it to him to try to talk to her if all she'll do is walk away from him, so he only turns over on the bed onto his side and lets Aether go downstairs.

But the conversation has left him starting to brood, sighing after ten minutes or so and getting up to go downstairs. He pads lightly down the stairs, passing the kitchen without giving it a look at all as he heads outside. The swirling rush of leaving the teapot encompasses his vision until he finds himself in the apartment once more, heading towards the couch to sit down and check his notifications on his phone and any emails and calls he may of gotten.

It takes about half an hour or so to go through it all, reading through various boring emails and text messages about work at the tech company and about delusion sales. Eventually, he ends up on his discover browser, scrolling down through headlines of online articles until one particular picture and headline catches his eye.

Ajax is up off the couch so quickly, one would think he was never there at all- and he heads back into the teapot, circling around the back to the garden with his eyes wide open with anger and horror.]

They hit your office.

[Is all he says as he brings his phone over, the webpage still loaded to hand it to whatever twin takes it from him.]

They're setting you both up to walk into a trap. I'm willing to bet they can't find us, so they're trying to lure us out.

[ aether takes the phone from ajax, if only because he's the closest to him and lumine, even when he's in such a panic, keeps herself from moving towards him. still, she can see her twin brother's hand shake, his face paling as he read the article on ajax's phone. after all, neither of them expected this; isn't this why they've detached and separated themselves from the others, so they wouldn't get involved?

lumine!

miss lumine—

almost immediately, lumine's on the move, sprinting out of the garden and allowing herself to return to the apartment, the teapot dissolving all around her. it's only when her feet are back on carpeted floor that her phone starts chiming, messages of panic, distress and confusion from various employees pouring into her phone. without a second thought, she starts calling everyone she knows at the office, starting with her assistant. ]

Claire?

[ there's a surprised gasp from her assistant, followed by a cry of relief at the sound of her voice. lumine paces in the apartment, already expecting the worst possible outcome. ]

Tell me what's happened.

[Ajax doesn't even get a word in to tell her to wait before she's sprinted off, his jaw dropped as she quickly moves past all of them. He knows exactly what's going to happen, she's going to get information on it and move as quickly as possible to the office. By herself.]

Stay here, [he says to both Aether and Zhongli,] and make sure that this teapot doesn't get destroyed. I'm going after her, she's going to get herself killed.

[He takes off running, irritated that he knows she's going to take the bait again, hook line and sinker. The scenery of the teapot swirls around him, until he finds himself in the apartment once more.]

Lumine?

[He calls out for her, but she's no where to be found- already left to get down to the office. He's sure there would be police there, but there's always a back way in, and he knows that she'll take it. He'll make sure to find it too.

Thankfully, enough time has passed for his body to heal, and he forgoes getting his car to drive downtown by using his vision to move. Ajax knows he must look like a madman, hydroplaning down streets as fast as he can as people gawk at the rare person who'd been gifted a vision. He doesn't see her anywhere as he travels, wondering how she'd moved so quickly. Or maybe he'd passed her and not known it.

But he finally arrives, and it's exactly what he suspected. Police crawling everywhere, police tape up so he can't get near it. Ajax rounds to the back, hoping to be able to slip in somewhere, or find something that'll give him a clue, since they do like to use unconventional entrances, it seems...]

[ arriving at the site of their building is quick, painless. lumine's honestly surprised that the waypoint, located in an alley nearby, still works despite all these years, mentally reminding herself to thank zhongli when she sees him again for mentioning it. but that can wait later as she walks slowly around the building, taking note of the police line surrounding its perimeter.

she can't be caught here; after all, she'd just been questioned by them a few weeks ago over aether's disappearance. the fact that this happened after that incident will make turn her into a prime suspect somehow.

in any case, she finds one of the stairwells at the back of the building, recalling it as one of the spots where some of the guys used to smoke before they set up a designated smoking area, and slips inside. despite the crowd outside, it's deathly silent inside the office and lumine races up the staircase, eventually finding herself halfway through the building.

she pads through the empty hallways, glancing around to see if anyone is left. claire told her that the building has been evacuated, but there are still others who might be left inside. what catches her eye, however, is the sight of the garden on the same floor, greenery built on a balcony as some sort of personal park for the employees.

her eyes narrow, before she walks over, pushing the glass door to the outside. nothing seems to be out of place, except for a dark patch of something along the bushes. the moment lumine sees it, she knows what it is. ]

Blood ...

[ she follows the trail, ending at the stone ledge of the balcony railing, and stares at the empty building right across it. a moment later, she's climbing up the railing, peering over the edge. it's a long fall down if she makes one wrong move. ]

[He's sure he's found the back entrance, a stairwell tucked into the back that isn't immediately noticeable, and he quickly slips inside the door. Running up the stairwell, he exits into the offices themselves. He's sure Lumine is already here, something in his gut tells him she is- and he searches around for her, keeping away from windows for the moment so no one from the street sees a ginger man roaming about somewhere where he doesn't belong.

Ajax finally manages to find the same garden on the balcony, making his way over to it and opening the glass door and seeing the same trail of blood, leading to a girl who's preparing to climb over the edge of the railing where the blood leads to. With a hiss, he calls out to her, narrowing his eyes. How does she expect to get down from there without hurting herself?]

Lumine-!

[Ajax runs over to the railing, looking around quickly as he joins her at her side. Breathing heavily from all the running he's done, he gives her a tired and frustrated look.]

Wait up a second! Don't rush into this, you're asking to get killed!

[ lumine stops in mid-climb when she hears ajax's voice, her hands stained red after touching the railing that has blood on it. a moment later, she's turning back to the building on the other side, her eyes narrowing at the shadows that seem to be moving in the windows. it's abandoned, no one should be in there. which is honestly strange. ]

I've done this before.

[ not from this height, but she's pretty sure she can jump that distance. at the very least, she's wearing ballet flats and not heels, having come from the teapot. better if she wore sneakers, but it's not like she was expecting this situation.

she gives it a beat, before lumine glances at him over her shoulder, finally swinging herself up the railing, prepared to leap off. ]

You don't have to follow and get injured again. I'll be fine.

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