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

[monoceroscaeli]

[Fontaine: The technological hub of Teyvat.

For as long as anyone can remember, the country of Fontaine has always been the innovative center for the continent. High speed rail was originated here, and now spans across the entirety of Teyvat and beyond. High rises and skyscrapers pepper the skyline, modern Victorian buildings supporting a gear-like aesthetic from an era gone by. A thousand years ago, it was a much different place, but now it thrives with the bright lights and bustle of its people. One can hear the occasional street performer playing for cash, as businessmen and tourists alike walk down narrow cobblestone streets. People are buried in their phones, some take pictures as they gawk at the sights of the city, but one young man in particular walks languidly down the street, enjoying the life around him. He's in no hurry to get where he's going, as he has plenty of time to get there, noting a deli across the street from where he is now that he'll have to try.

Unfortunately, he is on business, so that'll have to wait.

Never being one to be dressed completely formal, he wears a comfortable pair of slacks and dress shoes, with a collared shirt that isn't buttoned up all the way under a grey vest. Various pieces of metal are woven into the vest, notably a crest on his right shoulder with a chain attached to it that hangs under his arm to the back. On his belt lies a Vision, glowing blue with hydro. The young man always seems friendly and easy going, but what lies underneath is something that not many are allowed to know- the heir to the family business of a company who develops tech for various products is also the right hand man of the mafia that runs the city.

And, their true business behind the scenes; creating Delusions to sell on the black market.

Today is a day where some investigating has to be done, and he's headed to see an old friend of his, from university. One that he's sure can help him with this problem he has. Entering the building, he swings in quietly to give a polite wave and a smile to the only person there.

Someone who looked exactly like their brother, whom he can only assume is the twin sister he'd yet to meet that he'd heard about.]

Hello, I was wondering if Aether was in today? I had a...business proposal for him, and I'm sure that he'd love to hear it. Unless of course, you might be of assistance instead.

Comments

[traversal]

Sure, sure. Whatever you say.

[ lumine lets out a laugh inside the bathroom, stripping out of the bedsheets and tossing them in the laundry basket before stepping into the shower. she'll have to get that sorted out in a bit, along with whatever else needs to be cleaned up in the bedroom before aether arrives. though she doubts that her brother will want to stay in that room unless it's been cleansed by fire.

... maybe he'll just douse it in fire using his pyro vision now that he has it back with him. looks like tubby will have a lot of work cut out for her. the adeptus probably regrets letting them in. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Ajax can hear the water turn on, his lips curling into a wicked smile, and he waits about forty-five seconds before he opens the door quietly and slips inside. He makes sure he's quiet, padding lightly across the bathroom floor over to the shower, his finger peeling back the curtain ever so slightly.

There she is, and he quickly jumps in with her, pressing his body against her with a laugh.]

Hey there, [he says, wrapping his arms around her,] I guess second place isn't all that bad after all. Thanks for warming the water up already.

[traversal]

[ with the shower turned on, lumine doesn't notice or hear the door opening or ajax padding in to surprise her, almost jumping up and slipping on the floor when he suddenly showed up. if it weren't for his arms around her, she probably would be on the floor already.

she swats his arm, tilting her head and looking up at him with an annoyed expression. really, he couldn't have done his payback some other way? ]

That was dangerous, stupid. Do you want me to hit my head on the floor and die?

[monoceroscaeli]

Come now! I had you in my arms already, there was never any threat of that happening.

[He wouldn't let it happen either, as far as he's concerned. He looks down at her with a grin, before he lets her go to reach for one of the loofah sponges and soap, sudsing it up.]

Come here.

[He presses himself to her back, reaching around as he begins to scrub her chest and breasts, slow passes that massage and pay special attention to her boobs. Ajax lets his head crane down to nuzzle against her head, his other arm wrapped around her downwards to let his hand rest on her hip, letting the loofah glide over her smooth skin.]

Does this feel nice?

[traversal]

[ maybe not, but she can sense a different kind of threat happening that very moment instead.

lumine narrows her eyes at ajax as he casually reaches for the loofah and soap as if this is nothing but a quick activity they do when she knows the reality of it. and he just proves her point as he starts soaping her down, the passes made by the loofah and his hands deliberately slow. she closes her eyes, letting out a sigh. ]

I wanted to say I can't believe you're taking advantage while Aether's not around, but then, I can believe that too.

[ knowing him, knowing the kind of person he is. ] You realise the point here to clean up, right?

[monoceroscaeli]

[He'll take that sigh as a yes, it does feel nice. So Ajax continues his ministrations to her, the sponge sliding down to her stomach, as if he were trying to prove a point.]

Isn't that what's happening? You're already cleaner than you were two minutes ago. Anyway, it's my fault that you need a shower, so I don't see the problem in making things right.

[He swaps the loofah off to his other hand as he goes lower, reaching downward to her crotch to begin to clean off what he's left on her there. He breathes quietly into her ear:]

Open your legs a little.

[And of course Ajax has other plans, his now free hand coming up to grope and massage one of her breasts, slow and deliberate. He does the same with her neck, placing slow open-mouthed kisses to it, a smile hidden behind each one.]

[traversal]

[ or!! it could be an exasperated sigh.

look, it's too dangerous for her to admit out loud that what he's doing feels very, very good. her senses are still heightened from their round earlier, her body tender and sensitive and thrumming excitedly from every brush of his hand. admitting that what he's doing feels good is just an invitation for him to do more.

... not that she has to say anything for him to do more, as evident by the kisses he's leaving on her neck, the hand on her breast. lumine bites her lower lip to stifle a moan and keep herself from shivering, giving herself a full moment to calm down before she responds to his instruction, her body instinctively doing what it's told. ]

Is this what you call making things right?

[monoceroscaeli]

[Attention is turned towards the other breast now, letting his thumb roll over her nipple as he finishes cleaning her crotch and inner legs. Annoyed with him, but not stopping him from administering each caress and stroke, that's Lumine alright- not admitting to something she's enjoying. He'll switch which side of her neck he's kissing too, to make sure he's got all the bases covered.]

I don't hear any complaints about my work.

[Ajax removes his hand and subsequently the loofah from between her thighs, quickly wiping his own front down before rinsing out the sponge and applying new soap to it.]

We have to do your back now, if you'd be so kind.

[To turn around and let him get at her there, unless she's not actually enjoying it.]

[traversal]

I normally give my feedback after the work is done, you know. Who knows if you could eventually improve on your own?

[ her lips part to let out a soft moan that bubbles out of her throat, head rolling back against his shoulder when he pointedly thumbs at her nipple, growing stiff against his touch. it's embarrassing, really, to hear the sound echo all around them in the bathroom. she hates how much control he has over her body, able to manipulate it to his whims.

it doesn't help either that he suddenly withdraws his hand from her body, a quiet whine escaping her next. her eyes flash open, sending him a withering glare, offended by what he's just done. ]

... And you can't reach my back from there where you're standing? [ is he asking her to turn around? really? ] Which is behind me?

[monoceroscaeli]

[He acts as if he doesn't even see that look she shoots him when he stops to put more soap into the loofah, satisfied with all the nice noises she making. But he brings no attention to it, only interested in what he'll do next.]

I can't clean it quite as well if you don't turn around.

[It's half true. But he doesn't elaborate, choosing not to wait for her to turn herself. His hand gently pushes on her, turning her towards him, before he presses himself up against her as he leans down to crash into a fervent lip lock.

And yet, he still continues to wash her as promised, his arms wrapping around her as he starts to massage her back with not only the sponge but his free hand. Ajax moans quietly, his kiss slow, the passes across her lips passionate, and he stops his kiss when he feels as if he's cleaned her back properly.

He smiles down at her, eyes somehow bright despite their dullness.]

Would you like me to wash your hair now?

[traversal]

You're already—

[ she doesn't even get to utter her protest, already being turned around to face him. and even before she can give him a piece of her mind, demanding what he even means by not being able to clean her back when he's already right there, he cuts her off with a kiss, fervid and passionate, sending electricity down her spine. almost immediately, lumine's eyes close, savouring the intimacy, the caress.

it doesn't last long, and her expression turns sullen when he pulls away, looking very much like a self-satisfied cat with that smile. if she punches him and knocks him out, will she be accused of physical assault? ]

... Has any of your exes told you how annoying you are?

[monoceroscaeli]

If they said so, I can't quite remember.

[He shrugs at her, laughing quietly as he picks up a shampoo bottle. She didn't say no, so he's going to go ahead and continue to finish up. He pours a little into his hand, rubbing them together to get the shampoo across both his hands, before he starts to run his hands through her hair, massaging her scalp.]

Relax. I'll stop teasing you now, haha. If you want to turn back around, you can. I can do this from either side.

[Ajax is playing nice now, swirling one hand through her hair to work the soap in before his other hand joins it, giving her head a nice slow attentive massage.]

[traversal]

[ there's that temptation to grab the shampoo bottle and beat him up with it, hoping it still has enough contents inside to make it an effective weapon. surely, there's another shampoo bottle in the teapot to replace this one.

again, it feels nice, but she can tell what he's trying to do. and lumine swats away his hand from her hair, continuing his task of lathering the shampoo into her hair with her own fingers. see? quicker and faster this way, even if his massage of her scalp just minutes ago is delicious. ]

How about you do your own hair so you can get out of the bath and I can finish my shower?

[ lumine gives him another a shrug as if returning the gesture he made earlier over her question. ]

Go on, now.

[monoceroscaeli]

[He quirks his eyebrow with amusement, laughing at how she swats him away, trying to shoo him off. He did tell her that he'd repay that debt for tripping him up in the living room and nearly falling on the floor. That would have smeared some unwanted substance on the floor, but he feels what he's done here has made up for it.]

I suppose I can consider us even then.

[He says with a smile, but he doesn't go to leave or finish washing his hair, instead choosing to ignore her request to sink his hands into her hair again, pushing hers out of the way. He starts where he left off, being mindful of her eyes as he massages her scalp once more.]

Lumine...

[He says quickly, before she can slap his hands away again.]

I'm grateful that we can have this time together.

[His eyes soften as he looks down at her, and he means it earnestly. The day before, he'd been left in a crumpled heap on the floor, and if it had gone any differently he wouldn't be standing there, able to do something as simple as wash her hair.]

[traversal]

[ honestly, after all that teasing, this sudden bout of sincerity from him looks and sounds a bit facetious. it doesn't help either that he's pushed her hands off of her hair, insisting his own attempt to wash her hair and eliciting an annoyed sound from her. lumine's lips purse as she stares flatly at him. like what even?

in any case, lumine turns away from him, ducking out of his reach and finishing off her hair under the spray of the shower. anything to keep him from getting him to touch her again. ]

You can thank Aether. [ and his lack of presence in the teapot. ] Otherwise he'd be nagging at you right now for even getting into the bath while I'm here.

[ and if he were around, she'd be left to finish her shower in peace. really, she wonders if her brother left her alone with ajax as some kind of test or lapse of judgment in him. she's thinking it's the latter. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

You know that's not what I meant.

[He leans up against the side of the shower, still finding it amusing how bent out of shape she is, but he's not apologizing.]

And don't feign like you don't know what I'm talking about. Even in moments like these when you're all angry at me are moments I treasure.

[He hasn't finished washing himself properly, so he goes to grab the sponge again, soaping it up so he can finish cleaning himself. He scrubs himself as she rinses her hair, waiting patiently right behind her to get under the nozzle himself to rinse it off.]

[traversal]

[ of course he's not apologising. he's never sorry for whatever he does, always irreverent and insolent. that's nothing new for lumine who recently has to constantly deal with him.

she rinses herself one last time before she reaches for the towel, stepping out of the shower and wrapping herself up. she grabs another towel from one of the baskets, using it to gently squeeze the water from her hair. ]

I'm glad you treasure moments when I feel annoyed. That makes me feel so, so happy.

[ like really, what kind of person thinks that way? lumine rolls her eyes before she pads out of the bathroom to head towards her shared bedroom with aether. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

You know, you're really taking everything I'm saying the wrong way. That's hardly what I meant.

[He hadn't realized she was so sensitive about being teased, but he shrugs it off for the moment and finishes washing himself as she leaves the bathroom. It's not too much longer before he steps out himself, wrapping himself in a towel and heading out to the living room.

He knocks on the sliding doors to her bedroom quietly before opening one of them, leaning up against the door frame as he looks at her.]

Lumine...did teasing you in the shower truly make you that upset?

[He asks gingerly, his voice curious and genuine.]

[traversal]

[ lumine's currently rummaging through their dressers for a change of clothes, her back towards the door, when ajax finally shows up. she's also dragged the laundry basket into the room, their pile of clothes, bedsheets and covers tossed into it. still, even when she hears the door open, ajax's voice floating into the room, she doesn't turn around. ]

No, it didn't.

[ a moment later, she's pulling on a summer dress over her head, whipping out the towel from underneath once she's smoothed the fabric down. ]

And it's not my fault you say it in a way that can be misconstrued. [ not that she doesn't get what he's trying to say. her point still stands. ] Anyone could mistake it for something else.

[monoceroscaeli]

[Ajax tucks his towel so he doesn't have to hold it over himself to keep it on, walking inside towards her to plant a kiss on the top of her head.]

I'm sorry. I only meant to express that I'm happy to be here with you.

[He smiles down at her, and he supposes that's all that really needs to be said- she can accept his apology or not. He glances over to the basket, laughing inwardly at the sight, envisioning the lecture that may or may not come later. That is, if he can get it all washed in time.]

Leave the basket to me. I'll get it washed and taken care of. Meet me in the kitchen for lunch? I'll get everything out for you so we can enjoy our meal.

[traversal]

[ she wrinkles her nose when he kisses her, looking at him in dismay at how he so easily tries to smooth it all over with a kiss on her head. so when he finally decides to pull away, though, lumine suddenly grabs his towel and shoves him to the bed, forcing him to sit down on the edge. ]

That's not all, is it? All I get is just an apology?

[ lumine straddles his hips, knees sinking into the mattress. there's an expression of annoyance on her face, her lips pulled to a thin line. if aether suddenly walks in, they'll definitely both be in deep shit.

but as it stands, her brother is probably preoccupied. otherwise, he'd have returned already. ]

Well?

[monoceroscaeli]

[It's unexpected, not what he thought she'd do at all, and his butt gets easily placed on the side of the bed. Before his mind has time to catch up, Lumine is straddling him, and his face turns a shade of pink, looking up at her in surprise. His jaw hangs slack for moment as his hands find her hips, before the realization hits him.

Okay. She deserves this. He did tease her, after all.]

Your wish is my command, haha.

[Ajax wraps an arm around her back, the other arm slides under her butt, and he stands- to put her right on her back onto the bed, dress and all. He throws his towel on the side of the bed, pressing down on her to catch her lips in an intense lock, but breaks it quickly, as he slides down her to spread her legs and lift the fabric of her dress up.

His head disappears underneath the dress, quickly finding her clit with his tongue, beginning to slowly massage it as he slips a hand up her leg to knead softly into the warm skin, humming against her sensitive nub.]

Mmmmmmm...

[traversal]

[ wait, what. ]

Ajax, hold on—

[ lumine manages to gasp, before the rest of whatever that'd been left in her lungs is knocked out of her by sheer pleasure coursing up and down her spine. her gasps that follow are entirely breathless and dry, erratic, soundless things that she valiantly tries to bite back long enough to reclaim air. but it's all in vain, her own body shuddering as her nerves are set afire one after another.

her hips buck against ajax's mouth, helpless as she cries out. her fingers desperately grasp his hair, seeking an anchor amongst waves of pleasure, and they end in curling and tugging the ginger strands sharply. ]

This isn't what I was going to ask, you know!

[monoceroscaeli]

[The pain he feels as she tugs his hair doesn't bother him terribly, not when she bucks against him and trembles under the attention of his tongue. Her body reacting to him is delicious, barely stopping to respond to her.]

Oh...

[His response is delayed, as if he'd misunderstood the assignment, but not apologetic. Making her feel wonderful is his only objective, and this time he intends on finishing it out to not leave her wanting.]

Ask me afterwards, then.

[He brings his other hand in now to grip into her thigh, lavishing his tongue rhythmically on her, breath hot and heavy as if it were a humid summer day. He makes sure his rhythm matches what her body tells him, building his speed slowly to make sure she reaches her peak, the tip of his tongue playing circles on her.]

[traversal]

No—

[ how insolent.

but even that's someone lumine can't voice out, a moan bubbling out of her throat instead in the wake of his cheeky response. and as much as she wants to give herself some semblance of control, she finds herself pinned down, not just by the hands on her thighs but by the debilitating pleasure coursing through her. it honestly feels like her entire body is on fire, her mind blanking out from sheer indulgence.

and it isn't as if she's not yet pent-up, already driven mad thanks to his teasings earlier in the bathroom. so much so that the coil inside of her doesn't need further ministrations, already stretch taut and thin that it snaps at the slightest of touch.

lumine's hips buck once more against his mouth, a cry that sounds like his name leaving her lips, as pleasure overtakes her. she comes with a violent shudder of her body, once more finding a sticky mess between her legs. ]