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

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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.

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[ 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)

I...

[Truthfully, he has no words for this, none at all. It's not like he can lie to her the same way he does with his siblings, to keep them from the shady things that he and his father do. And it's especially bad now, because he knows the truth behind the hickey. So maybe...maybe he can just tell the truth, without telling the truth.]

I don't know. Really, this has never happened before. I'm sorry, [he pleads, running out of places to go with this.]

You know I wouldn't of done that to you consciously. I didn't even dream last night, so I'm not sure why I...

[He glances towards her neck again, grimacing. Childe, why did you think she wouldn't find it! It's more likely he did it and didn't care.]

I'm sorry, truly. You'll forgive me, won't you? It was an accident.

[ her eyes narrow, her lips thinning even more as he rambles on.

see, that would've been more convincing to her if he didn't suddenly stop talking when his eyes landed on her neck again. but it's clear that he's either run out of excuses and is currently grasping for straws or he's just realised how bad he is at lying. ]

Why would you ask for my forgiveness if it was an accident?

[ that too makes him even more suspicious. is it because he's conscious of what he's done and now that he's caught, he's trying to backpedal? impressive, very impressive. ]

You're sounding more and more guilty with every excuse you make.

[This is going south, maybe he needs to try something else. Life would of been easier had the Harbinger just kept his hands and mouth under control.]

Even if it's an accident, it's still my fault. You'd complained about your neck hurting earlier, and I thought it was because you'd slept on it at the wrong angle...but really, it was because somewhere in my sleep-addled brain was the idea of being intimate without...being intimate.

[He looks to her, apologetic again.]

I understand if you're upset with me, but I really wouldn't of done this normally. Not while you're asleep, at least.

[He'd totally do it if she were awake, though...]

[ it's still suspicious, the way he frames it. as if he really left it there unconsciously when it's clear that it wasn't. after all, the mark he left on her neck isn't a tiny bitemark but a bruise that's not going to go away for the next several days. how is she supposed to hide that unless she wears a scarf in the current weather?

in any case, she walks around the desk, sighing heavily at him and adjusting the towel around her. and when it seems like she's about to yell at him further, lumine does the unexpected and complete opposite. ]

Oh, so if I were awake, you wouldn't hesitate to do it?

[ she straddles his lap, knees slotting in the small space between his hips and the armchair. the towel she's wearing hikes a little further up her thighs, but even so, her expression remains irritated. ]

So, that's your definition of normal?

[Now this is an unexpected turn.

His mind first goes to the logical thought, that this is dangerous and he's about to find himself in a bad position. Another part of him goes, well maybe she's not as mad about this as he thought, and it was just the initial shock of it all that really ignited her temper on him like that, but maybe she's strangely accepted his excuse.

The downside is that it's almost as if he can feel the blood leaving his brain to help fuel the other head that's attached to his body. Ajax lets out a long exhale as she straddles him, fighting to keep his eyes locked with her own.]

Of course I wouldn't, I know how you like how I pay special attention to you.

[But he may not leave a hickey on her quite...like that one...]

You, on the other hand, speaking of normalcy, seem to be up to something.

[The last time she got mad at him, she straddled him similarly. Though, he didn't give her the chance to do anything about it then.]

[ he says that, and yet, his subconscious left that hickey on her quite visibly. no subtlety at all nor no so-called special attention provided, just a seemingly obvious way of marking her as if she's his for everyone to see. not that that's not like him, seeing that ajax has a jealous streak in him that he's unable to hold back.

but who would he need to show her off to in this teapot? it's not like tubby or even aether don't know what's going on between them. his men aren't here either. ]

Just a thought, but if you're leaving hickeys on me while asleep, you must be very pent-up.

[ frustrated, even. lumine leans against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and slotting her hips against his very snuggly. the fact that she's not wearing anything underneath the towel is going to become quite obvious soon. ]

I'm trying to make sure it doesn't happen again.

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