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

Current Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEmZcgU9fuc&ab_channel=NewNewGirlfriend

Entry tags:

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

[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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ how she'd slept is a very good question, a question she doesn't know the answer to. because lumine's very certain she's had enough hours; it was dreamless, too, which only tells her that she's passed out from exhaustion. and most of the time, if that happens to her after pulling an all-nighter, she feels refreshed the next day.

not today, it seems, despite a warm, lulling feeling that's settled in her limbs. a familiar sensation that she's only had after her intimate evenings with ajax. and she's pretty sure nothing happened the night before. ]

I don't know, [ she yawns again, curling underneath the covers and closing her eyes. ] It feels like I slept and didn't sleep at the same time.

[ she can't sleep again, however! she has things to do, work to finish. ]

We didn't do anything last night, did we?

[Ajax's head sinks into his pillow, burying half his face in it. At least he doesn't have to lie, something he's been nervous about since the moment she woke up. But with any luck, this'll just blow over and she won't even think about last night anymore.]

Mmmmm, no. At some point I cuddled with you, if that's what you're referring to.

[Which is true, he minute he wrapped his arms around her, he passed out. He'd clearly rolled away in the time between then and now, but her presence always lulled him to sleep.]

You should go back to sleep. You're tired, and in no condition to work.

[He knows she's just going to work anyway, but still. He'd rather her rest.]

[ he's right. she probably should go back to sleep, her pillow and the covers very much inviting to once more sink in and let slumber embrace her. spend a few more hours in bed, because surely, her assistant and the others can wait for the files from yesterday, right?

but she can't, and her impressively awake mind is fighting against her exhausted body over territory. ]

Mm, I meant if we slept together last night ...

[ they didn't, they couldn't have. otherwise, she'd feel sore waking up rather than feeling weirdly sated. she'd also at least remember it, which she doesn't. and ajax would never touch her either without her consent. ]

I just need a few more minutes, and then, I'll get up.

[It seems like the end of questioning for now, which is a relief for him. No hard questions, nothing suspicious, good. Just her feeling tired after her body had been walking around and being indulged in some...amorous actions, thanks to Childe. He murmurs back something incoherent back, not about to argue with her if she really wanted to get up.

Rolling on his back, he closes his eyes, but the sunlight bothers him too much to just fall back asleep. It doesn't help that he's used to being awake right now, and gives up pretty quickly on going back to sleep.]

...I'll probably do the same.

[Ajax sits up, deciding that breakfast should probably be on the menu.]

I'm going to make some breakfast, would you like some?

[Given that he found that untouched piece of toast last night, he's not sure if she eats while she's working.]

[ despite lumine saying she'll be up in a few minutes, it's clear that that's not happening. not when she's burying herself in the covers, pulling it higher to block out the sun, and not moving even when ajax finally sits up, having no choice but to wake up. she's even turned away from the window, the covers serving as a shelter from the morning light, to keep the sunlight from shining onto her face.

at his question, she makes an incoherent sound, one that seems like an affirmation and a rejection at the same time. it's hard to tell, especially when it's muffled against the cover.

it's not long before lumine dozes off again, her breathing heavy and even. definitely longer than five minutes, this one is going to be, and ajax will need to wake her up again if he wants her to have breakfast. ]

[He figured she wasn't going to be taking a few minutes to get up. That incoherent noise she just made coupled with the fact that she looks as if she's ready to hibernate for the winter is clear to him that she's not only not going to be eating breakfast, but probably not lunch either. He hasn't forgotten the last time he woke her up, shooing him off to let her sleep longer.

So he lets her sleep, knowing that she really needs it. It's well past noon before he comes back in, sitting on her side of the bed as he rubs her, his hand running the length of her upper body, voice calling for her softly.]

Lumine... [he coos, smiling down at her as she slumbers, noting how peaceful she looks.] Lumine, it's time to wake up...

[She may not be happy with him for letting her sleep this long, but she needed it. After all, she didn't return to bed until the early hours of the morning...]

[ her five minutes turned into over five hours, but even then, there's still a part of her that feels exhausted even when she stirs from his ministrations. normally, she'd brush him off and tell him to go away, but even she knows that she's slept for far too long already and needs to get up.

lumine looks over her shoulder to squint at ajax, holding a hand over her eyes to shade it from the light. the strong sunlight tells her that it's no longer early morning. a moment later, she's turning back around, feeling a tinge of soreness from the back of her neck. ]

Mm, what time is it?

[ even her voice sounds hoarse, the words sleep-coated as her consciousness slowly wakes up. a bit of a challenge, really, in her state. ]

How long was I asleep?

About five hours.

[It sounds much worse when he says it out loud, given how much work she's missed out on because of that much needed nap. But, knowing Lumine, she'll make up for that lost time, and he'll bring her dinner when the time comes.]

It's almost one. You slept like a rock the entire time. I almost didn't want to come in and wake you up, haha.

[He's sure she wouldn't appreciate that though, he thinks as he reaches out to run a hand through her hair.]

Now, if you'd like to go back to sleep, I'd be more than happy to let you.

[ lumine groans as she turns around, pressing her head against his hip and closing her eyes. five hours, and she hasn't started even with one piece of work for today, almost half of her day already gone. this isn't good at all; she's starting to become lazy. ]

No, Ajax, [ she groans, her voice muffled. ] Don't sweet-talk me into sleeping all day.

[ it's tempting, and she really is very tempted, especially with that hand in her hair, soothing her back to restful sleep. but she can't, something that she reminds herself of one more time. ]

... I'm getting up, hold on.

[He laughs quietly, letting his hand now run through her hair over and over, deliberately ignoring her statement. Even if he can't sweet talk her, he could try to lull her back to sleep. But that doesn't mean he won't try, letting his voice lower a bit into a more baritone timbre.]

I know you're still tired, [he says, threads of her hair passing through his fingers like wisps, the warmth of his hand massaging her scalp.]

There's nothing pressing right now. Just relax a while longer.

[He keeps his hand rhythmic, soothing her and trying to coax her back to sleep. He'd prefer this anyway, he'd only come in to wake her up so she didn't get angry with him later for it. But if she willingly goes back to sleep! He's in the clear.]

[ she lets out a quiet whine when he continues to stroke her head, fingers carding through her like a parent trying to soothe a restless child. but she's not a child who needs to be soothed and he's not her parent—even if the motion is pretty much lulling her back to sleep, coaxing her to sink back into the covers. ]

I need to shower, [ she mumbles, her face still buried against his side. recalling her agenda for today will help her—or, at least, it should help her. ]

And sign the paperwork for the guys who got injured. And I still left a bit of Aether's work unfinished ...

[ and there should be a few more she can't remember. she'll remember it when she gets up and takes a cold shower to wake herself up. ]

Five minutes, Ajax.

[Ajax doesn't relent, continuing to to run his hand through her hair. A little while longer and she should fall back asleep he thinks, as he hums back to her.]

All things that can wait for a few more hours at least. But, if five more minutes is all you need, then alright.

[Five minutes should be plenty of time to get her to start snoozing again. He starts humming a melody he knows from his childhood, tone still low to help her drift back off to sleep. Ajax leans down to kiss her head, letting the little bit of gravel in his voice buzz softly next to her ear for a few moments as he continues to hum, hoping this would help her fall asleep.]

[ lumine can feel her consciousness drift back to slumber, swayed by his voice and the lullaby he's humming, her eyes getting heavier and heavier. but she snaps out of her reverie exactly five minutes later, reaching out a hand to tug at his hair sharply, grumbling against his leg as she realises what he's trying to do. ]

Shower! I need to shower and wake up.

[ she slowly gets up from the bed, groaning at how sore her entire body feels despite the restful sleep she's had for the past several hours now. and it's not a soreness either that she associates when she sleeps with ajax.

lumine rests her head against ajax's shoulder for a moment, her eyes still closed. ]

I can't believe you're trying to make me go back to sleep.

[He almost cries out in pain when she yanks his hair, not expecting her to do that. He manages to keep it in by biting his lip, exhaling heavily at her action. Man, that wasn't necessary...

Ajax's eyes follow her as she rests her head against him, letting his fingers slide up into the back of her hair as he looks down at her.]

I can, [he says, letting his hand fall to her back to rub it.] Look, you're already falling asleep sitting up. There's nothing that can't wait for a few more hours while you get some proper shut-eye. You wouldn't want to make silly mistakes on your work just because you weren't alert enough, after all.

[Small, brief kisses are planted to her head, his hand rubbing her wherever he can reach.]

When I came in here, I thought you'd be more awake, but you weren't, [he says soothingly, leaning his head down to speak softly in her ear.] So sleep for a while longer. I'll have food and coffee for you so you can do a little work when you wake.

[ totally necessary since he knows she doesn't want to continue sleeping. ]

I don't know why I'm so tired today.

[ it really does feel like she's been up all night when she's certain she hasn't been. it also didn't feel like she tossed and turned all night, either; she would've woken up. and wouldn't ajax have known if that's the case, especially when he said that he couldn't sleep all night? ]

My neck feels sore, too. [ like someone bit on it, she thinks as she gingerly rubs on it, wincing. ] ... A shower will wake me up, really.

[It takes a lot for Ajax to keep a straight face, but he manages it, somehow. The last thing he needs is for her to find out that her neck has a big bruise on it, and he tries to take a subtle glance at it. He only saw it in the dark when Childe did it- it looks all nice and red and brown with hints of blue from the broken capillaries.

Hm, that looks worse than I thought, haha.

Childe...]

I still think sleeping for a while would be the most beneficial. But, if you feel as if you must get up, I won't stop you.

[Ajax nuzzles her, hoping she won't discover why her neck hurts in the bathroom, but he'll have to play it off like he hasn't seen it yet...]

[ lumine gives it another minute, unwilling to be coaxed back under the sheets by ajax's nuzzling. not even his hand still rubbing her back will be enough to dissuade her from getting up. it's already past noon and she hasn't started any kind of work; at this rate, she won't be able to do anything at all.

a minute later, she pulls away from him despite her expression looking rather exhausted and very much tempted to lean against him once more. but no, lumine's pretty sure a quick, cold shower will wake and energise her.

she tries to give her neck a stretch but that soreness seems to pinch her. a part of her wonders if she's slept at an angle or if it's because she slumped over her desk last night. ]

Any word from Aether?

[ it's highly doubtful that aether would've finished everything already back at volkovs. but then, there's always hope that he might come home soon. ]

[Oh well, he tried to get her to go back to bed. Maybe he should have never woken her up in the first place, but it's too late for that.

Shaking his head, his expression easily betrays there's been no news, the poor guy working his butt off to try to figure out what's going on. It's kept them in Fontaine longer than Ajax would have liked, but it was necessary if they were to get some sort of leg up on their enemy.]

No. When I saw him last night, he hadn't made much progress at all. I can understand how frustrating that probably is for him, so I may go back one last time. We are dealing with the divine, so I was thinking of asking for some...help.

[He does, after all, have a deal with a certain kitsune spirit.]

And, I still owe her some time out on the town...so perhaps now is a good time for it.

[ for a moment, she looks confused as to who he's referring to. but lumine quickly realises the one person who would be able to give them some kind of clarity in this situation, the one other person who's lived through the war against these gods.

she wrinkles her nose in dismay. still, if it would help her brother ... ]

Are you going to let her borrow your body again?

[ lumine doesn't like it, the way ajax just easily releases control of his own self to other people. but she can't exactly complain or tell him no, can she? he's doing this of his own free will, so she can't say anything about it. ]

[There's a very obvious wince from him when she looks at him like that, accompanied by an apologetic smile. He knows she wouldn't like it, but this is for a purpose that's far greater than worrying about autonomy for the night.]

I know you don't like it, [he says with some guilt and remorse lacing his tone,] but I do have a deal with her, after all. I let her write her light novel, she helps us defeat Celestia. As it stands, that's my number one priority, and I don't have the strength to beat them all on my own...yet.

[Because once they win, they can have some semblance of a normal life. They can be safe, and not have to hide in a teapot the rest of their lives. More than anything, that's what he wants right now, and if it means relinquishing his body every now and again to get it, to ensure that Lumine is safe...he'll do it.]

So as much as I enjoy having you all to myself, I'd like Aether to come back as soon as he can, so we can move to our next location. If you'd like, we can talk about it later.

[ she's not about to argue, really. ajax does have a point, but that doesn't mean she likes said point. instead, lumine just sighs and swings her legs over the edge of the bed, testing her balance and her body. she idly wonders if tubby can make her a tub of some sorts, something she can soak in later. ]

Mm, when Aether comes back, maybe.

[ she's tired. she doesn't want to deal with yae guuji or any of her shenanigans at the moment. she just wants to go back to work and stay buried in her work. maybe she'll overwork herself enough to not have to deal with it at all.

lumine pads out of the bedroom, wincing again when she stretches her arms above her head and tilts her head. ]

I'm taking a shower and then going back to work. I guess I'll see you later.

[Ajax stands, following her out, except his destination lies upstairs in the study. He's still got work to finish, and he shakes his head at her as they walk out to the living room.]

I'm not going just yet. I've got a lot of work to do too, so I'll see you upstairs. There's been quite an uptick in sales across a lot of our media devices, particularly televisions in the last month or so. Working out sourcing more materials for it is becoming more of a headache than I thought...

[Thank the archons he doesn't have to deal with any underground matters for the time being.]

Anyway, I won't bore you with the details. I'll see you in there soon.

[Ajax heads now to pad up the stairs, to begin work while she showers. He sits down, opening his laptop to begin working on logistics behind the company's problem...so boring...]

[ he won't be very bored for so long, because lumine storms up the stairs and into the study several minutes later. she's only wearing a towel, much of her hair still dry save for the ends, a look of disbelief and displeasure clearly written all over her face. she quickly stomps over to ajax's desk, slamming the hand that's not holding the towel together on the wooden surface.

does she care that she's tracking water on the tatami mat? no. does she care that she just might splash water on his laptop? no, either. ]

What is this?

[ she points at the back of her neck, the hickey left on her neck looking like a birthmark of some sort with how dark it is against her pale skin. ]

You told me we didn't do anything last night!

[Ajax nearly jumps out of his seat when she slams her hand on the desk, his head whipping over to her from the logistics spreadsheet that's open on his laptop. His jaw is dropped in complete, genuine surprise, so much so that he doesn't quite register what exactly is going on.]

We didn't-

[And that's when it hits him, his eyes widening as his eyes land on the hickey on the back of her neck when she turns her body just so for him to see it. His eyes dart between that and her eyes, a look of shock dominating his expression. He doesn't know if she'll take that as him being genuinely shocked that there was a hickey there or if he was shocked that he discovered it- but he really is shocked.]

H-How...? I don't remember doing such a thing...

[How does he navigate this? He's a terrible liar.

So he chooses to groan, his hand running through his hair to push it back up and out of his eyes. Ajax tries to wear the most convincing look of despair as he can muster, and will pray that this convinces her.]

I've heard of people sleepwalking, but not sleepkissing...

[He lets his hair fall back into his face, sighing heavily.]

All I remember is cuddling up against you, I must have sucked on your neck in my sleep. Perhaps I was so delirious by the time I was able to fall asleep that it affected me even afterwards...

[ she doesn't move from her spot, the expression of annoyance lingering on her face as if daring him to lie to her. his surprise looks genuine, at least, but she can't tell if it's surprise because she suddenly bulldozed into the study like someone on a warpath or surprised because of the hickey on the back of her neck. still, lumine looms over him across the desk, unrelenting.

it doesn't bode well for him, either, that his excuse sucks. so much so that she can't help but repeat it word by word, syllable by syllable like she's spitting out fire. ]

You sucked my neck in your sleep. You sucked my neck in your sleep.

[ what, even she looks confused over that. make it make sense to her, ajax! ]

How is that even possible? [ she just doesn't understand. and he's claiming that he did it in his delirious stare. again, make it make sense to her, ajax. ] Are you a baby who needs to suck something in order for you to fall asleep? Is this something that you do with the girls you sleep with?

Edited 2022-08-23 02:30 (UTC)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject