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@somnia-project
Hellooooo~
Varya and I have come here to announce that I am going to be sprucing up this blog a lil bit. Plans in no particular order include:
♦ Get up-to-date with permalink pages ♦ Add additional chapter navigation at the bottom of permalink pages ♦ Edit posts to remove dead links and ratings system ♦ New navigation page ♦ Make more of an effort to post bullshit on here
Thanks for your time, and my Ao3 can always be found here. Happy reading!
"Oh? What are you hiding, Nightshade?"
it's now been 4 years. i don't think it's going away any time soon.
me and my proofreader re-discovering the built-in google docs chat
it's not that i'm not writing, it's that everything i write is a barely coherent scrambling of notes instead of a linear narrative
new interlude chapter (ch 7) is up on ao3, but i'm too lazy to make a post right now so that'll come later 🤡
the link to the chapter, for your clicking convenience
new interlude chapter (ch 7) is up on ao3, but i'm too lazy to make a post right now so that'll come later 🤡
i once again wrote a chapter out of order
Somnia Ch. 1 Repost
1 - Melt
[This is the First Chapter] [Next Chapter]
Words: 2,648
Rated [T+] - Here is an explanation of my rating system.
Summary: Lumine is ill-prepared for the weather in Snezhnaya. Though there are plenty of beds in Tartaglia's family's house, wouldn't it be warmer just to share?
The whole fic should have just been this old one-shot. It's been over 2 years and I'm just now getting the ball rolling on this whole thing, so it's time for a repost of the initial event that started it all.
Tartaglia lay in his childhood bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been years since he had last slept there, and the scratching of the wool against his skin gave him a nostalgic sorrow, like he had left something behind. The other bed laid empty, another single wool blanket carefully draped over it. He put his arm over his eyes, wondering if it had been a good idea to return so soon. One day wasn’t quite enough to spend any meaningful time with his family, and he wasn’t sure if he was grateful for having any kind of time with his family or if he regretted making the trip at all. He supposed that worrying about it wouldn’t do him any good; they were leaving first thing in the morning anyway. Regardless, his restless mind was robbing him of his much needed sleep.
The sound of the bedroom door opening quietly distracted him from his thoughts. He listened as light and hurried footsteps traveled over the rug and to the other bed. The wood frame creaked under the weight of someone sitting upon it for the first time in years. A loud huff. Tartaglia could feel eyes on him. It was nearly impossible not to crack a smile, but he would pretend that he was asleep for now unless she addressed him.
"Tartaglia?"
"Lumine?" He grinned and quickly pulled his arm from his face and turned his head to look in her direction. Lumine was sitting upright on the bed, completely wrapped in the wool blanket with only her face visible, and she was pouting. Her cuteness caught him off guard and his heart may have skipped a beat or two, but he quickly regained his composure.
"It's cold," she grumbled, pulling the blanket even tighter around herself. Tartaglia laughed at such on obvious statement.
"Of course it's cold! We're in Snezhnaya. I really hope you didn't forget that somehow.” Lumine grumbled and turned her head defiantly to deflect his insult.
“Aw don’t be like that,” he sang. “You could always come over here and I'll keep you warm." He turned to his side and lifted up his own blanket flirtatiously, inviting her to share his bed.
"No!" Lumine whispered harshly. "No way! I am not sharing a bed with you!" She shook her head as she declined.
"Well I guess you'll just freeze then," Tartaglia conceded and rolled back over with an exaggerated sigh. "A shame too. How will I ever be able to explain this to the Knights of Favonius? I guess I'll just have to run away and change my identity. They'll surely come after me if they think I let something happen to you out here." The sounds of the other bed creaking, and then footsteps toward him.
Got her.
"I didn't tell them," she said. He turned to face her again, this time he was confused. What did she mean she didn’t tell them? His puzzlement must have shown on his face because she repeated it.
"I didn't tell anybody I was coming here. Not the Knights of Favonius or even the Adventurers’ Guild. Let me tell you, it was hard enough to convince Paimon to keep this just between us.” Lumine shook her head as she spoke. “It's not everyone's business what I'm doing every second of every day. I'm allowed to do things on my own, contrary to popular belief."
Her gaze was serious. He had thought that when she reluctantly agreed to come to Snezhnaya with him for leisure that it would be a one time adventure, that she only did it because she had promised Teucer. He figured she would have told each one of her friends every tiny detail about the trip as a precaution in case the Fatui made a move on her, but now he was feeling unsure of her intentions. Had she really trusted him, a Fatui Harbinger, enough to travel so far from her other friends without telling them where she was?
Tartaglia snorted, then laughed at the situation. Everyone really wanted a piece of her, didn't they? This girl who looked like a dumpling wrapped up in his brother's old wool blanket pouting at him was so important that several organizations felt the need to constantly keep tabs on her. It was only fair though, he figured. She was incredibly strong, not to mention nobody knew where she came from. She was very intriguing. He wanted to know more about her.
She sniffled. Tartaglia could see that her nose was getting red, and she kept scrunching her face like she felt a sneeze coming.
"Come on," he chuckled, "you can bring the blanket with you; just get in." Lumine glared down at him and very reluctantly sat on the edge of his bed, her back toward him. She scooted herself back on top of Tartaglia's blanket then lifted her legs into the bed and laid down, never once removing the blanket she already had around herself. He laughed.
"Well this isn't exactly what I had in mind. It's not going to make a lot of difference if you're still under just one blanket."
"Then give me both of the blankets," she mumbled.
"Now that's cold, Lumine. You would let me freeze in the night? And after my family showed you so much hospitality. Imagine how upset my poor little siblings would be to find me frozen solid in the morning: a big brosicle!"
"Argh, fine!" Lumine seemed to have finally had enough of him telling her what to do. She jumped out of the bed and threw the second blanket she had wrapped herself with onto Tartaglia's face. "Make it up however you want, just do it fast okay!"
He laughed as he sat up, grabbing the blanket and spreading it out to toss over his own to create a double layer. Once he was satisfied that it was good enough he glanced toward Lumine and saw what she was wearing. A very short, white night dress with a frilled hem and collar, the latter of which rested halfway down her shoulders, exposing bare skin as well as her collarbones. He could see how delicate her legs were beneath the hem, which only barely covered the tops of her thighs. The fabric also seemed to be quite thin; silk from Liyue perhaps? Her arms were crossed over her chest so he couldn't gauge exactly how sheer it was. Unfortunate, but he could live with the mystery for now. He grinned.
"Well no wonder you're cold," he teased her and lifted up the blankets. "Come on now before you freeze." Lumine glared down at him in contempt.
"I'm not going to do anything weird," he insisted with his sweetest smile. She lifted an eyebrow at him.
"Promise?"
"Maybe I wouldn't go that far-"
"I'm sleeping with Paimon and Tonia," Lumine said as she began to turn around.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I promise I won't do anything weird," Tartaglia urged. She pursed her lips into an unsure frown and climbed into the bed, this time facing him directly. He nearly forgot to breathe in that moment she was so close. Her toes brushed against his shin for a moment and he felt how ice cold her skin was. The sensation made him jump.
“Really? You’re not even wearing socks?” he interrogated, moving his shins further away to avoid her toes.
“I can’t sleep with them on,” she rebutted as she continued to pursue his warmth until he finally gave in to the momentary discomfort. She really hadn't prepared for this trip, had she? At least it was just a short leisure trip and she wasn't alone. Tartaglia took comfort in the fact that this exposure would better prepare her for the future.
The future… That was right.
Peaceful moments like this won’t last, he thought to himself. He had enough political knowledge to realize that the world was spinning into chaos, but not enough to know how to stop it. His folly in Liyue Harbor was proof of that. Even the man he felt he had grown close to as a friend was only using him as a pawn in a much bigger scheme, just as so many others had. It wasn’t safe to put his trust in others anymore.
Tartaglia was pulled from his thoughts when Lumine shuffled her arm to her front and placed her hand between their faces, her fingers curled except for one in particular.
"Pinkie promise me you won't do anything weird to me in my sleep."
"You really don't trust me, do you?" Is what he said, ironically, but she had to trust him to an extent. She wouldn’t be there with him in that moment otherwise.
She pushed her hand closer to his face. Lumine was really serious about a pinkie promise, wasn’t she? He was tempted to lightly nip at her finger just to get a reaction out of her, but he knew she would be furious if he did. He wasn't too keen on the idea of chasing her down in the snow in the middle of the night, so he elected not to bite her this time. He sighed with a small laugh and brought his own hand to meet hers. He hesitated at first, his heart skipping a beat when their fingers first touched.
She doesn’t know.
Of course, the traveler from another world wouldn’t have the same knowledge used to trick him over and over. Rex Lapis had fooled her just as well. Would other archons try to use her to their own ends as he and Barbatos did? Tartaglia couldn’t watch that happen.
“I’ll make this promise: I’m going to keep you safe,” he told her in a hushed voice as if any notes of affection in his tone needed to be kept secret between the two of them. “The Knights, the Guild, hell even the Liyue Qixing won’t have to worry if you’re with me. Whether it’s money or strength, you can always rely on me when you’re in need.”
“W-What the hell are you talking about?” Lumine stuttered as her face grew red. “Is this some kind of confession?”
“Hmm,” Tartaglia hummed in response. “Try not to think about it too hard.” He gave her a wink and grinned as he watch her face flush all the way to her ears. He was proud of himself that he managed to get her to make such a cute expression.
“Fine,” she grumbled. “As long as that promise includes not doing anything weird to me in the night.”
“I said I’d keep you safe, didn’t I?” A loaded promise, but in the moment he didn’t care.
“How am I supposed to know what your definition of that is?”
“I just don’t want you see you hurt,” he confessed. Lumine’s expression softened into a more serious gaze.
“Just stick with promising me only for tonight, all right?” she sighed.
“All right,” Tartaglia replied to her with a tender smile. In his heart he knew he would promise more, however. He wanted to be by her side more than just a night.
"You make a pinkie promise, you keep it all your life," he started.
"You break a pinkie promise," Lumine continued and narrowed her eyes, "I throw you on the ice." Their little fingers wrapped around each other.
"The cold will kill the pinkie that once betrayed your friend." He tightened his grip, feeling his breath hitch in his throat. He wondered if she noticed how fast his heart was beating, and if hers may have been as well.
"The frost will freeze your tongue off, so you never lie again." They unclasped their little fingers and let their hands rest between them, not quite touching, but Tartaglia could start to feel her body heat under the blankets.
"Feeling warmer now that you're with me?" he asked with a smug grin. Lumine nodded and let out a small, breathy yawn that tugged on his heart strings. He wished he could fall asleep as fast as she did. Now that she had fallen asleep, laying next to her made him even more anxious. Every time she let out a deep breath he held his, unsure of what to do. Of course he knew he should just close his eyes and go to sleep, but he couldn't stop looking at her. She looked so small and calm, unlike the fury and excitement she radiated while awake. Tartaglia liked this side of her too. He stroked her arm with the tips of his fingers, feeling the warmth radiating off her skin, the sensation making his heart beat faster. He had promised he wouldn't do anything weird, but he still wasn't sure what Lumine's definition of weird could be. She stirred in her sleep, startling him to pull his hand away from her. It may have been just a nursery rhyme, but he knew Lumine would literally cut his tongue out if he broke his promise.
He held his breath, waiting for her to wake up and scold him, but she didn't open her eyes. Instead she moved even closer to him. One of her legs slid between his, which in turn caused her dress to ride up and expose her abdomen to his own bare stomach. Her hand slid over his navel and reached around to his back under his shirt. The sensation of her smooth skin sent what felt like a bolt of lightning through his body, though somehow far different from any electro powers he’d used. Her face was only inches away from his. Lumine was so close to him that he couldn't breathe for fear of waking her. Yet, the anxiety he felt was invigorating. It was a new and foreign kind of excitement to him that he never even dreamed of experiencing. In fact, he'd never given any thought at all to this kind of intimacy with another person. Lumine. Her thoughts, her feelings, and her body; they were a whole new battlefield for him, one he wasn't sure if he could ever conquer, but that made the idea all the more exciting.
Tartaglia's breath finally escaped his lungs, involuntarily shaky and vocal. He moved his tongue around inside his mouth to get rid of the dryness that had taken hold. Luckily the cold had made it so he wasn't sweating from all of the new sensations he was experiencing. He was starting to feel lightheaded from all of the times he'd held his breath, but that in turn with their combined body heat had also started to make him finally feel sleepy. His breath steadied and Tartaglia was finally starting to relax. Lumine was definitely fast asleep, and it didn't look like she was going to wake up to any small movements he made. He decided that wrapping arms around each other wasn't anything weird and moved his arm to cradle her back.
He already knew that he liked her. Since the moment he'd met her he had wanted to be involved in her life, and fighting her had brought him exhilaration he could have only dreamed of. Now he felt that they could have something even more. Lumine was in his home, in his bed with him, the rest of his family sleeping soundly within the house. She didn't belong and yet she fit in so well. He didn't want to let her go. If they could lie there and hold each other forever he might even have been happy with just that. The tiredness was finally beginning to take over. He was as relaxed as he had ever been in her embrace.
Tartaglia shifted to grace Lumine's forehead with a long and chaste kiss, holding her body against his own. He rested his forehead against hers, and finally he was able to let sleep take him.
6 - Exhale
[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter] Words: 2,819 Rated [EX] - Here is an explanation of my rating system. Pairing: ChiLumi Summary: I forgot how to write straight people. 🤡 This was originally supposed to be part of chapter 5 but, well... Partly I wanted to separate it so ppl not interested in the sex bits can skip it, I guess. Read on Ao3, Read on Wattpad, or continue to read here on Tumblr below. It's only been 3 months since the last chapter?! I don't know what to say for myself about this one. Read more starts at the beginning because we're getting right into it.
“Lumi,” he swallowed, “I really want to kiss you right now.” He could hear her breath hitching in her throat, followed by a small whimper as she parted her lips. “Please…can we…” Tartaglia’s words trailed off.
“Yes,” she whispered and moved forward, brushing her mouth against his. They stayed like that for a moment before he leaned in for an awkward kiss. He opened his mouth just a bit to slip in his tongue, the taste of salt sticking to him. A shaky sigh escaped her body before she kissed him back with wine and passion on her tongue.
Tartaglia could feel the blood rushing from his head as she became more unwound the longer she kissed him. It wouldn’t be long before he was about to lose control himself. Just making out with her was wracking his nerves more than he’d expected. Maybe he was still too intoxicated for this.
Lumine slid her hands from Tartaglia’s chest around to his sides, causing him to flinch. The chill of his damp shirt ran across his body as she moved her chest against his. He whimpered at the feeling of her breasts pressing against him through the fabric, so he pulled back and grabbed the hem of the shirt and began to lift it off of her.
“H-Hey!” she protested, grabbing his arms, but Tartaglia quickly shushed her.
“It’s only fair that I rinse the salt water off your body too, right?” he justified. It was also a chance for them to slow down for a moment. He would never admit as much out loud, but she didn’t need to now that; what if he ended up humiliating himself?
No. It was his boundless confidence that got him through the Fatui training and deadly missions in the past. He could handle a little bit of sex…
…probably.
Lumine relaxed her grip on him and sighed.
“Arms up.” He shook his own arms slightly to coax her. She closed her eyes and lifted her arms over her head and he peeled the cold, damp shirt from her pale skin, throwing it to the side. He wrapped his arm around her back and held her close, giving her skin a warm respite from the cold air.
“Now you’re going to be salty again,” Lumine pouted. Tartaglia traced his index finger down the bare skin of her back, causing her to shudder.
“Forget about salt water,” he said. “Only think about me.” He tilted her face upward and kissed her again, feeling bold since she had let him undress her.
“It’s cold in here,” Lumine said. Tartaglia slipped his arm under her legs and stood, lifting her in his arms and making his way past the door as she covered her chest. When they passed through the threshold she grabbed the door frame with her free hand, stopping him from moving any further. He looked down at her to see what was wrong.
“We haven’t finished bathing yet,” she protested.
Tartaglia chuckled and lowered his forehead to to hers.
“We’re about to get dirty anyway.”
Lumine let go of the door frame and he carried her toward the bed. As he was about to put her down she threw her arms around his neck and held tight.
“Wait!” she demanded. “We’ve still got wet clothes on!”
Tartaglia laughed, rubbing his hands between her shoulder blades.
“All right.” He let her down to her feet, where she quickly re-covered her chest and ran to one side of the bed.
“You go first,” she ordered as she turned her back to him. It was cute how she acted shy around him. That attitude was for him and him alone; nobody else got to see her like that. Only him.
He removed his underwear and climbed into the bed, covering his body up to his shoulders with the sheets and propping himself on his side. He watched as Lumine also removed the rest of her clothing. She quickly covered herself as much as she could with one hand, awkwardly squeezing her legs together as she hurried under the sheets as well.
The two of them stared at each other in silence, both knowing that without the sheets they were fully exposed to each other. Her face was flushed red and she looked at him with anticipation. It reminded him of that first night in Morepesok where they had shared a bed together. This time was different. They weren’t under his parents’ roof anymore. The way that they looked at each other now was far from chaste.
Tartaglia moved his hand between their faces, palm open, for Lumine to rest her own palm on top. It wasn’t just pinkies, all of their fingers were interlaced this time.
“Ajax,” she whined as she moved closer to him. He felt his face heat up at the sound of his own name; she had never called him that before, not even in his own house. It felt more intimate. It emphasized how he was naked before her, stripped of everything that others had intended for him and leaving him feeling as though he were someone entirely new in that moment, someone he wanted to be.
Everything else — titles, expectations, fears — they melted away as her lips overtook his own, as she bit and sucked on his lower lip. He let go of her hand to trace down her side, stopping to grab her hip and pull her closer. He bent his knee forward and she wrapped her leg around him, settling herself onto his thigh.
It seemed that she had anticipated this, losing all reservation as she began to have her way with him. How long had she felt so strongly about him, and why had she been trying so hard to hide it up until now? Perhaps those questions no longer mattered, not when she sucked on his collarbone and reached between his legs to grasp him in her hand.
It moved fast from there, and before he knew it he found himself on top of her, surrounded by sensations he’d never felt before. With a push and a mutual gasp, heavenly warmth spread through his entire body. It felt as though something was unfurling inside his chest that was so profound he was unsure of how to react to it. It urged him to keep going. He bent to reach her face and kiss her again.
And then Lumine whimpered, pressing her palms against his chest and knocking his hip with her knee. There was an odd sensation that brought their passion to a halt: she was so tense that Tartaglia could not move any further inside of her, nor could he pull out.
Nothing like this had happened in the novels he’d read, but they were just novels. Those kinds of books weren’t exactly a how-to guide on romance. He had to figure out what was happening before things got too awkward and ruined their entire night.
“Uhh, Lumine?”
“WHAT?!”
Too late. Her outburst made her tense up even more, gripping him to tightly that it was almost painful.
“Haah, Lumi, calm down,” he breathed and tried to compose himself. “I-I can’t move, so I need you to relax. Hey…” He propped himself on his elbows and lightly rubbed her temples, making little circles with his fingertips in soothing motions. She took a few deep breaths, and he could feel her start to loosen up beneath him.
“Tell me what’s wrong, Lumi,” he said. “Did I fuck this up?”
“No! Ah…”
She tensed up again, and he did his best to not overreact. If they both panicked it would all be over. This was not how Tartaglia wanted their first time making love to turn out. He wanted to make her feel good, love her physically, but it felt like her body was rejecting him outright. As much as he didn’t want to cut it short, he had to accept that maybe they just weren’t ready for it yet.
But if we can’t do it now when we’ve already come this far, will there ever be hope for us in the future?
Doubt lingered in his mind. He could have her. They were already in that position. Forcing his way into a night of passion and letting their relationship implode in a single grand conquest was an option. It was a poor option, but still presented itself nonetheless. He could pretend that he loved her and then run away back to Snezhnaya and wait for her to chase him down and cut out his tongue.
However, that wouldn’t the victory he was striving for. He was trying to gain her affection, not make her hate him even more. Hurting her and betraying the trust that she’d put in him to even get them there in the first place would only make him a coward in the end.
“We…we can stop,” he offered.
“I…” Lumine hesitated for while before she let out a long sigh. “I want…”
“Hm? What do you want?”
She didn’t answer, pressing her lips together and looking to the side to avoid his gaze, or maybe just to avoid the question. Tartaglia shifted his arms again to interlace their fingers again, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
“Let’s take a minute to just breathe,” he said. “Is that all right?”
Lumine nodded.
He rested his forehead on the pillow beside her and listened to her take steady, controlled breaths. He wondered what was going on inside her head, if there was something that caused her to hesitate or if she couldn’t control it. He admitted to himself that he was afraid she didn’t want him around, that he was only in her way. The thought of her leaving scared him. Tartaglia… Ajax didn’t want to be alone anymore.
“Lumine…” He breathed across her neck, feeling her pulse through his lips as he planted gentle kisses on her skin. She ran her fingers through his hair, turning her head to expose her neck to him even more. They touched each other softly, wordlessly, and eventually she relaxed enough to where he could move again. When he pulled back, she suddenly gasped and grabbed his biceps.
“Ajax-!”
He froze his hips and lifted his head to look down at her, face red, eyes shining, with her bottom lip sucked between her teeth.
“I’m sorry! Does it hurt?”
“No,” Lumine shook her head, “please keep going.”
With those words she rolled her hips forward, thrusting him deeper into her core. Tartaglia choked out an airy moan, overwhelmed by the sensation of her warmth.
“Tell me what you want,” he said, voice cracking as he reached around to cradle the back of her head.
“I — haah — I want you, Ajax.”
Their lips met, shaking, hesitant at first. It wasn’t long before they found rhythm with each other, tongues and fingers intertwined while they rocked their bodies together like gentle waves. He wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or all of the new sensations he was experiencing, but everything began to spin.
Lumine hooked her leg around his hip and spun them both over, ending up in a position with her legs spread on either side of his hips. Sweat, salt, skin flushed and tight with goosebumps, she was fully exposed on top of him. Tartaglia let out a breath in awe in the short moment when he could see her full body. The moon shining in from the window highlighted the details of her skin; the tan lines from her gloves and dress, the creases where her stomach and breasts folded just so slightly, the dimples on her thighs where she pressed against him.
There was no more hesitation in her movements. As soon as Lumine had him where she wanted she started sliding up and down on his cock, hands gripping his sides and mouth reaching to kiss and suck on his chest. When she moved up Tartaglia could feel her pulling him with her, never fully separating, sending ripples of pleasure through his entire lower half. He ran his fingers through her hair, desperate for something to grab onto but never pulling, only gently gripping and letting go with repeated motions.
The way she used his body to please herself without a hint of shame…he thought to himself that maybe his battle for her affection was over before it had even started. She didn’t care about anything else, only how they came together in that room.
At that point both of them had completely lost themselves to pleasure. There was nothing left in that room but sweating and moaning and grunting, punctuated by a mewling sound Tartaglia didn’t even know he could make when Lumine used her teeth to tease one of his nipples.
“Fuck, you’re so good, babygirl,” he managed to whine. She only moaned in response and sped up her movements, drooling over his chest as her arms began to shake while she wrapped them around the back of his neck…
…and then, after a moment of silence where Tartaglia felt like he was in a vice from his head to his dick, Lumine cried out in relief. After the initial outburst she continued to pant over loud, drawn out moans as she heaved to the point where he feared that her lungs might give out.
He moved his hands to her thighs to steady her as she leaned back, her posture more relaxed now. The saliva that trailed down her chin glistened in the moonbeams that shined through the window, dripping down and mixing with the rest of the fluids between them. She gazed upward, not focused on anything in particular, simply taking deep breaths and swallowing audibly as she continued to pulsate around him.
As much as he enjoyed seeing her like that, he wanted her to acknowledge him. He tensed, throbbing inside of her as he gripped her thighs in his hands, the sensations making her jolt with a little yelp.
“Hey girlie,” he purred, “look at me.”
She did. Lumine looked down at him with those big, golden eyes as if she’d forgotten where they were and what they were doing. She then reached down with both hands to meet his and stroked his fingers before coaxing him to intertwine them with her own again. The two of them connected felt perfect to him. The way she smiled, the subtle movement of her rocking her hips against him again…
…Tartaglia never wanted that night to end.
“You can move,” Lumine told him as she picked up her pace again. “I want to see what kind of face you make when you cum.”
“Be sure to keep your eyes on me then,” he retorted as he gave her a light thrust. He started out safe, unsure of how much power he should put behind it. It was going so smoothly, he didn’t want to ruin it.
Lumine chuckled, “You can go harder than that.”
He thrust again, this time coaxing a little moan out from between her lips.
“Harder.”
Again.
“Harder.”
Eventually he managed to put enough force into fucking her to quench her thirst, replacing her demands with sounds of pure pleasure. Her hands followed his own back down to her thighs, and Tartaglia could see everything once more. Her skin glistened with sweat, her breasts bounced in time with her body, and flame began to mix with gold between her legs. Unlike earlier, he could slide through her so easily now, and she moved her hips in time with his, letting him know how good she felt when she cried out.
“Yes, yes! Oooh, Ajax, I think I’m-!”
“Keep your eyes — haah — open,” he reminded her between moans. He felt the tension in his abdomen reaching its peak. “You — ah — wanted to see my face, remember? I’m almost there, Lumi.”
“Please!” she begged, pushing her knees in around his waist. “If you do then I’ll-! I’m going to-! Aja~x!”
The way that Lumine whined his name sent him over the edge. A guttural moan escaped his throat as all of the tension in his body suddenly released at once inside of her, making her gasp. He felt his eyes roll back, his face hot and his throat becoming dry as she kept riding him through his orgasm.
“Yes, that’s it!” he could hear her say through her panting. She tensed, shook, then let out a cry even more visceral than the last as she clenched around him so hard he thought she might never let go. Then, she collapsed on top of him, exhausted.
When he came to his senses he moved his hands to her head, petting and stroking her hair. Lumine scooted up his chest, and both of them were still heaving for breaths as they crashed their lips together anyway in passionate fury.
He smiled against her, reveling in his victory.
5 - Freesia
[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter] Words: 4,139 Rated [M-S] - Here is an explanation of my rating system. Pairing: ChiLumi Summary: Childe tries his best to have a decent time at the wine-tasting event despite the tension in the air. Read on Ao3, Read on Wattpad, or continue to read here on Tumblr below. Just ignore the fact that it's been over a year since chapter 4, ok? Please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think! I take constructive criticism, btw. 😏
When Tartaglia awoke the sun was hanging low in the sky, very nearly sunset. He rolled over with a groan and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, squinting to see through the rays of sunlight beaming in from the window. The light wrapped around Lumine as she sat at the table in the center of the room, writing something.
“Well it took you long enough,” she huffed.
Tartaglia hummed in response, unable to take his eyes off of her in his tired state. The darker gold strands of her hair particularly stood out in the evening light. She was so focused on whatever she was writing that she didn’t notice him staring. He was snapped out of his daze by the mumbling coming from behind him. Paimon was sleeping on her back with her hands raised in the air, grabbing at something she was seeing in her dream.
“No…sticky honey roast…AH!” Suddenly she sat straight up, slurping the excess drool from the inside of her mouth before it fell onto the bedspread. She turned and screamed again, launching herself into the air where she stayed floating above the bed. “AH!! IT’S CHILDE!”
“Yes, comrade,” he chuckled and propped himself up on his elbow. “That is my name.”
“No it’s not,” Lumine grumbled.
Funny, he thought to himself, that you would know that when I’ve never heard you say my real name to my face.
He reached into the drawer on the nightstand and pulled his belt bag out and retrieved the mysterious pyro vision. He rolled onto his back and stared up at it between his fingers, the flame pattern staying in place as he rotated the orb. It was so odd to see a vision without its metal housing; it was impossible to even determine what nation it came from. His first guess was Mondstat, since that’s where he’d found it, but it also seemed to have been deliberately placed inside that ruin guard. He couldn’t make any sense of it, and it reeked of foul play. The more he thought about it, the warmer it became in his hand, and the more he could feel the rage welling up inside of him.
The fucking Fatui…
“Well what are we having for dinner? Paimon’s hungry!” Her sudden outburst ripped him out of his thoughts, and he fumbled the vision in his hand before dropping it directly onto his face.
“Ow, shit!”
“Stop messing around!” Paimon scolded him. “What if you break it?!”
“Not before it breaks my face. Ow…” He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sat up and put the vision back inside of his belt bag.
“They should be just about finished setting up everything downstairs,” Lumine said. “I’m almost done with my report for the Knights.”
“Is that your way of asking us to wait up for you?” Tartaglia teased. She huffed in response, which all but confirmed his accusation. He stood up to find his boots and directed his attention back to Paimon. “As far as what to eat, I would say sticky honey roast since that’s what you were mumbling about in your sleep, but that might be off the table since we’re in Liyue.”
“Pops at Stone Gate said that the carts from Mondstat were carrying food, so it could still be a possibility,” Lumine corrected him and set down her pen.
“You mean we could have food from both Mondstat and Liyue at the same time?!” Paimon shot up from the bed and flew through the air erratically. “Oh man we’ve really hit the jackpot after last night’s disaster! It’s a dream come true!”
“Oh, so my cooking isn’t enough for you now? I see how it is.” Lumine shook her head as she finished sealing her report and stood, while Paimon frantically tried to argue that wasn’t the case. Tartaglia laughed as he fastened his jacket over his chest, and he nearly tripped as he rushed to put on his boots while Lumine was already making her way out the door.
“It isn’t funny! Hey, wait for Paimon!” she shrieked as she followed the two of them out onto the breezeway. Lively voices of the patrons downstairs were carried up on the chilled night breeze, growing louder as they approached the ground level. Normally Tartaglia would be on high alert, but for once it was a party that had nothing to do with his work. Besides, with Lumine around the two of them could take on any kind of freak occurrence they were confronted with.
“Ah, I was wondering when you would show up.”
Tartaglia’s eye twitched when he looked forward to see the Master of the Dawn Winery greeting them, or rather greeting Lumine and Paimon as he took her report.
“This is quite hefty, what in the world happened while I was gone?”
“A bunch of monsters showed up out of nowhere last night and - mmph!!” Lumine slapped her hand over Paimon’s mouth.
“It was nothing that the Knights of Favonius and I couldn’t handle,” she told him. “It’s been resolved, so try not to worry about it too much. You can even go over my report if that would make you feel better.”
“I’ll…take your word for it,” he sighed. “This is why I don’t like to leave the city for too long. Who knows what could have happened if you hadn’t been there to reel in…that.”
“How rude,” Tartaglia scoffed and stepped up next to Lumine. “You’re seriously going to blame it on me? For your information I was the one doing most of the work to protect the city!”
“You’ll fight anything for any reason!” Paimon interjected before she turned back to Diluc. “Childe is telling the truth though, he was really laying into those monsters before they could even get to the bridge.”
“See? I’ve got more witnesses if you still don’t believe me.” Tartaglia grinned and threw one hand in the air in a half-shrug, the other planted on his hip.
Diluc grumbled, clearly discontented with being unable to argue with Paimon for siding with a Fatuus, a Harbinger no less. He looked to Tartaglia, then to Lumine and sighed.
“I’ll deliver your full report personally when I return to the city tomorrow. Lumine, Paimon, please enjoy the party.” Diluc narrowed his eyes at Tartaglia, then he walked briskly past the group, nearly knocking shoulders with him. It was meant to be intentional, a warning, sizing him up. Tartaglia’s hand twitched, and he cracked his knuckles to try and abate the itch he had to do something about Diluc’s attitude.
The party itself was pleasant in the moments that Tartaglia couldn’t spot Diluc out of the corner of his eye. Plenty of food, somehow enough to sate both Paimon and Lumine while still leaving enough for the other guests, as well as plenty of drink. He found himself hovering near the wine sampling table and scanning the area for far too long. Breaking the habit of behavior he had at events where he had to work for the Fatui proved to be difficult, and he found himself drinking more and more just to try to relax despite the occasional flashes of red hair in his peripheral vision.
What caught his attention even more though, was the fact that Lumine seemed to have made a new friend: a woman with warm mauve hair and smiling brown eyes. The two of them were chatting excitedly about something, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying over the band playing nearby. Despite her outward attitude, he noticed that Lumine was actually quite popular with everyone. Even if it looked like she was just going with the flow, she really just clicked with all sorts of people. Though as far as he knew he had to be the one who was closest with her…right?
“-ilde. Childe!”
“Huh?” He whipped his head around to see Paimon floating next to him and trying to get his attention.
“What the heck are you so focused on? Paimon’s been calling you for a whole minute!”
“I was just looking at- Lumine, you’re back.” As he turned forward he saw her approaching him. “Where’s your friend?”
“She had to go home. Sounded like she’s not supposed to be out late,” she explained. “The music is really starting to pick up though! Hurry, before they shift the mood again!” Lumine suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the wine table and into the clearing in the center of the room, leading him into an upbeat dance.
She was smiling. Lumine was smiling as they danced together, and when he dipped her low he could see her cheeks flushed pink and the small beads of sweat forming on her throat. It was such a different dance than what they’d experienced before.
This…this is nice too…
When the music reached its crescendo it was as if nothing else existed but the two of them on that dance floor, hand-in-hand, smiling at each other and spinning in perfect sync. The rest of the world felt so far away, Tartaglia forgot about where they were and everyone else around them. The only thing that mattered was that she was smiling, and that she was smiling at him. He was holding her close when the music ended, stuck in a moment that he wished would last forever.
"The song is over," Lumine huffed and gave his chest a light slap.
"Let's just wait for the next one."
"No. I need a break." She pushed harder, and he conceded and let her go. As soon as he did she took off and disappeared into the crowd, leaving him alone on the dance floor. The world came back into view, people staring at him, probably wondering why he was standing there by himself, what he'd done to upset his partner. If he had known then he would go after her and try to fix it.
Instead, Tartaglia made his way over to the drink table and browsed the samples of Mondstat's wines once again. He picked one with a light color and threw it back, not bothering with bouquet or taste. All he knew was that if he wanted to stay relaxed he needed to keep drinking.
He reached for a second glass, but it was obstructed from his reach by a gloved hand.
“I’m cutting you off.”
“Excuse me?” Tartaglia looked up to see Diluc with his eyes narrowed and an aura of fury radiating from him.
“Unless you want me to personally remove you, walk away right now,” Diluc threatened. Tartaglia’s hand twitched. He was itching for something, so he may as well give into provocation and fight him already. He had done a good job avoiding Diluc all evening up until that point, and now he was ready to punch the sorry grimace right off his face.
“How about we take this outside, away from the crowd?”
“We are outside, Childe,” Diluc nagged. “It’s an open-air deck.”
“I’m taking you outside before you do something stupid,” Lumine suddenly strode up behind him and wrapped both of her arms around his own. He stumbled back a bit, pulled by her weight. Diluc turned his nose up at him and crossed his arms.
“Next time, then.” Tartaglia grinned and pulled his arm free before turning his back and quickly darting ahead of Lumine onto the main road in front of the inn. As much as he would have enjoyed a fight with the Master of the Dawn Winery, it wasn't an appropriate time or place for it.
The cool night air stuck to his skin as he and Lumine walked down the uneven road, making him more aware of how much he had been sweating. He would definitely need to take a shower when they got back to the room.
"I can't believe you actually managed to drink this much," Lumine sighed. Tartaglia figured that being a steady hold for an overly intoxicated Harbinger was not in her plans for the night. He hadn't meant to drink that much; the alcohol from Dawn Winery was much stronger than he had expected. It didn't look good for him. Lumine tensed up more every time he bumped into her or grabbed her shoulder to regain his balance. If he didn't cut it out soon, he thought she might go back to the room without him, or even worse, leave.
"Let's take a break here," Tartaglia suggested, leaning forward onto the side of the large bridge that overlooked Dihua Marsh. The Millileth officer that had been there earlier was gone, probably to sneak some wine for themself. Everything was dimly lit by the moon, and the orange lights from the inn were dancing on the calm water below. Faint music and laughter could be heard in the distance. Tartaglia felt oddly relaxed, still thinking about their dance from before.
Lumine leaned down next to him to look him in the eyes. She was close. His heartbeat sped up. He found himself wanting that night to never end so that he could spend as much time with her as possible, so he could stop thinking about work and politics and…
Shit, he just wanted to relax.
"So, have I made my Lumi’s night yet?" He smiled. Her eyes widened and her cheeks grew red. Tartaglia could see her visibly tense away from him as her breath hitched in her throat. The redness from her cheeks was spreading to her ears as she averted her gaze to the water below.
"You're wasted," she muttered under her breath. Perhaps she was right about that. He thought it was about time they headed back to the inn. He turned around, now precariously leaning onto the side of the bridge with his back to the water. Lumine walked out in front of him with her head down. She stopped in the center of the bridge and mumbled again. He only caught her saying her own name.
"What was that?" Tartaglia asked her. "I couldn't quite hear you."
"What…" she lifted her head up to face him, her cheeks still flushed, "what do you really mean when you say ‘my Lumi?’" She grabbed her own arms in a sort of self hug. She looked adorable. He felt his face heat up, the blood rushing around in his head made him dizzy. The way she looked at him was so enticing, a mix of happiness and despair that made him ache and he wanted to do something about it. If she kept making that face at him he felt like he could lose all control of himself. He wanted her to make more new expressions for him at his beck and call. He was ready to run to her and shape her face to his will when he felt all gravity leave his body. He was so dizzy.
He could hear her call for him. His name sounded wrong somehow. Was she far away? Something slammed into his back, then a second and more solid impact, and suddenly he couldn't breathe as water overtook his face and body.
Ah, so that's what happened, he though to himself. This certainly is not a good look for me.
He felt even more weight on top of him before the feeling of being dragged ashore. Peering upward he could see Lumine's golden blonde hair hovering over his face. Drops of brackish water fell from her hair directly into his eyes. He rolled onto his side, gasping. The air had been knocked out of his lungs when he hit the bottom of the shallow marsh. It must have been unsightly, but at least he wasn't vomiting.
“Are you hurt?!" Lumine put one hand on his back and another on his chest. He grabbed the hand she'd put on his chest with his own, squeezing tight so she wouldn't pull away.
"No," he wheezed, "just a little rattled." He felt her pulse racing through her fingers.
"Let's go back to the inn. We'll get sick if we stay out here in these wet clothes," she asserted while pulling upward to signal him to stand.
"Right," Tartaglia stood up with shaking legs, Lumine's hand still tight in his grasp against his chest.
"Your heart is beating so fast," she wriggled her fingers underneath his hand. He loosened his grip to allow her to flatten her palm against his chest to feel.
"That's what happens when you're close to me," he breathed.
"So it's definitely from the fall then," she sighed. Before he could grab her hand again she whisked it away and began walking back to the inn through the grass. Of course she would be frustrated with him after that; he was frustrated with himself. Falling off of a bridge was definitely a new thing to add to the list of stupid things he had done in his life. Tartaglia glanced around to make sure nobody else saw what had happened. The marsh looked empty enough, but he couldn’t be sure unless he swept the area. His hand twitched.
“Let’s go, Comrade Cretin!” Lumine called back to him. He trailed behind her, watching as she occasionally looked back to make sure he hadn't collapsed.
The crowds were beginning to disperse as they reached the inn. Enough people were stumbling that it didn't look too strange when Tartaglia wrapped an arm around Lumine's shoulder, though she did sigh with disapproval. They were almost to their suite anyway, but they did have to wait for the elevator. The stairs’ guard rail wasn't high enough to trust, considering how easily he'd fallen off a bridge.
“Too much to drink, Childe?” Tartaglia turned his head to see Diluc had followed them to the waiting area for the elevator. He had a smug look on his face and sipped from the glass he was holding.
“No,” Lumine had already tightened her grip on his waist and growled at him. “Do not fight each other.”
"Where the heck did you two run off to?!" Paimon rushed out from behind Diluc. "Paimon thought you ran off together and might never come back!" she cried.
"Aw, of course we wouldn't leave you." Tartaglia reached out to pat her head.
"No! You don’t get to pat Paimon!" She reeled back and crossed her arms.
Tartaglia sighed. What had started out as a fun night had spiraled into a disaster beyond his control. Maybe he shouldn't be holding back. Maybe he should just attack Diluc and turn the entire inn upside-down. That was more his style. That was what he normally would have done, and he would have engaged Lumine in another battle for the ages under the moonlight of Wangshu Inn...
...if he didn't want to keep her around, but he wanted her to stay. He controlled himself to stay by her side, if only for just a little bit longer before he would be inevitably called back to Snezhnaya.
"Actually, Paimon," Diluc spoke up. "I was hoping you could help me with something food-related."
What? What's happening?
In his shock, Tartaglia let himself be led to the elevator by Lumine, and Paimon's excited voice faded into background noise as they got further and further away. He wasn't sure what had just occurred, but it seemed like Diluc had intentionally held Paimon back. But why would he do that? It just didn't make any sense to him, unless...
Had Lumine asked him to distract Paimon so that she could be alone with him?
No, she couldn't have. When would she have done that?
Tartaglia tried not to get too excited about it as they entered the room they had rented, thinking instead of the shower he so desperately needed. He was thankful that it was a full suite, which meant there was hot water on demand. Being a Fatui Harbinger with a lot of mora had its perks at times, like when he wanted to slack off and embarrass himself in front of the girl he liked.
"You go first," said Lumine. "I'll wait for you to finish." He frowned at her suggestion.
"Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on your favorite Harbinger? What if this is all a ruse to get you alone?"
"Of course it is!" She put her hands on her hips. "That's why I'm not going into the bathroom with you!" He swayed and fell to his knees in front of her as if a dizzy spell had overtaken him. "H-Hey!" she gasped, bending down to put her hands on his shoulders.
"I'm not sure I can be trusted to take care of myself right now," he lied. The fall into the marsh had actually sobered him up a little, but he knew that if he continued to act inebriated he could play it off better in the morning should the situation turn sour.
"All right," Lumine conceded. "Give me your shirt." Tartaglia removed his jacket, tossing it to the floor. He then peeled off his wet shirt and handed it to her. "Go ahead into the bathroom ahead of me."
"Why? I don't mind watching you undress." He smirked.
"Well I do!"
“How is this any different from when we got here?”
“Just shut up and get in there!” Lumine shooed him into the bathroom and shut the door. He could hear her unbuckle her dress and the thump the damp fabric made as it hit the floor. He wanted to see her pale skin sparkling under the thin layer of salt water from the marsh. Tartaglia removed his pants and threw them to the side. He left his underwear on, though. He knew that all bets were off if those came off this early in his battle for her affection. He sat on a wooden stool near the faucet and waited for a moment before the door opened in front of him.
Lumine's face was heavily flushed, because she knew what she looked like in those damp clothes. His red undershirt had much more length on her, down past her hips. The dampness caused it to cling to her chest, creating an outline of her shape underneath. Her white bloomers, too, clung to her body and were nearly transparent. Tartaglia felt his face heat up and he closed his legs together. She quickly made her way to the faucet and twisted it on, grabbing a nearby metal basin to fill.
"No more foolery. We're just gonna rinse off, change into dry robes, and then go to bed, okay?" She checked the temperature and then began pouring the first basin of water over his head before he could reply. The water was comfortably warm running through his hair and down his back. He didn't dare interrupt her while she did this for fear she'd drop the basin on him. He patiently sat while she filled it a second time to pour over each of his shoulders. The next refill she poured over his chest, the feeling of which made his mind go to static for a moment before she spoke.
"There, that should get most of the salt off." Lumine put the basin down and pushed her hair behind her ear. When she lifted her arm to do so he could see purple discoloration from her wrist halfway up to her elbow. Did she jump off of the bridge after him? He reached out and ran his fingertips over her skin, causing her to flinch away.
"You shouldn't be jumping from such high places," he scolded. "You're lucky it's just a bruise."
"Well you shouldn't be getting piss drunk and falling off of bridges, but we can't all control our actions now can we?" she huffed.
"Ooh, fighting words," Tartaglia sang while moving forward to kneel on the floor in front of Lumine. "Is that what you're in the mood for tonight, Lumine? A fight?" He pushed the other side of her hair behind her ear, weaving his fingers through her short blonde locks. Her breathing sped up as he pressed his forehead to hers, the tips of their noses tapping against one another. She moved her hands to his chest.
“Please,” he breathed, “don’t push me away, Lumine.” He moved even closer and wrapped his other hand around her back, pinning her body to his. He could feel her heart beating fast, relieved to know that he wasn't the only one. Their lips were so close to one another. One tiny motion from either of them could ignite the flames burning within him. He had to tread carefully.
"Lumi," he swallowed, "I really want to kiss you right now." He could hear her breath hitching in her throat, followed by a small whimper as she parted her lips. "Please...can we..." Tartaglia's words trailed off.
"Yes."
Chapter 6 is up on the permalink page!! Tumblr Post format and alternative sites will be up soon!!
The reviews are in!
2/2 beta readers say Chapter 6 is good!!
i know it's been uuuhhh -- *counts* IT'S ONLY BEEN 3 MONTHS?!?!
um...anyway 😳 i know i don't have a tight update schedule but uh, we left off where things were heating up in chapter 5, so i hope y'all will like where this goes as much as my beta readers did 💙
i feel like during the long gaps between updates i've been honing my writing skills and really figuring out where i want to take Act I's plot, so i hope that comes across in newer chapters
thank you so much for being patient with me ❤
5 - Freesia
[Previous Chapter] - [Next Chapter] Words: 4,139 Rated [M-S] - Here is an explanation of my rating system. Pairing: ChiLumi Summary: Childe tries his best to have a decent time at the wine-tasting event despite the tension in the air. Read on Ao3, Read on Wattpad, or continue to read here on Tumblr below. Just ignore the fact that it's been over a year since chapter 4, ok? Please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think! I take constructive criticism, btw. 😏
When Tartaglia awoke the sun was hanging low in the sky, very nearly sunset. He rolled over with a groan and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, squinting to see through the rays of sunlight beaming in from the window. The light wrapped around Lumine as she sat at the table in the center of the room, writing something.
“Well it took you long enough,” she huffed.
Tartaglia hummed in response, unable to take his eyes off of her in his tired state. The darker gold strands of her hair particularly stood out in the evening light. She was so focused on whatever she was writing that she didn’t notice him staring. He was snapped out of his daze by the mumbling coming from behind him. Paimon was sleeping on her back with her hands raised in the air, grabbing at something she was seeing in her dream.
“No…sticky honey roast…AH!” Suddenly she sat straight up, slurping the excess drool from the inside of her mouth before it fell onto the bedspread. She turned and screamed again, launching herself into the air where she stayed floating above the bed. “AH!! IT’S CHILDE!”
“Yes, comrade,” he chuckled and propped himself up on his elbow. “That is my name.”
“No it’s not,” Lumine grumbled.
Funny, he thought to himself, that you would know that when I’ve never heard you say my real name to my face.
He reached into the drawer on the nightstand and pulled his belt bag out and retrieved the mysterious pyro vision. He rolled onto his back and stared up at it between his fingers, the flame pattern staying in place as he rotated the orb. It was so odd to see a vision without its metal housing; it was impossible to even determine what nation it came from. His first guess was Mondstat, since that’s where he’d found it, but it also seemed to have been deliberately placed inside that ruin guard. He couldn’t make any sense of it, and it reeked of foul play. The more he thought about it, the warmer it became in his hand, and the more he could feel the rage welling up inside of him.
The fucking Fatui…
“Well what are we having for dinner? Paimon’s hungry!” Her sudden outburst ripped him out of his thoughts, and he fumbled the vision in his hand before dropping it directly onto his face.
“Ow, shit!”
“Stop messing around!” Paimon scolded him. “What if you break it?!”
“Not before it breaks my face. Ow…” He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he sat up and put the vision back inside of his belt bag.
“They should be just about finished setting up everything downstairs,” Lumine said. “I’m almost done with my report for the Knights.”
“Is that your way of asking us to wait up for you?” Tartaglia teased. She huffed in response, which all but confirmed his accusation. He stood up to find his boots and directed his attention back to Paimon. “As far as what to eat, I would say sticky honey roast since that’s what you were mumbling about in your sleep, but that might be off the table since we’re in Liyue.”
“Pops at Stone Gate said that the carts from Mondstat were carrying food, so it could still be a possibility,” Lumine corrected him and set down her pen.
“You mean we could have food from both Mondstat and Liyue at the same time?!” Paimon shot up from the bed and flew through the air erratically. “Oh man we’ve really hit the jackpot after last night’s disaster! It’s a dream come true!”
“Oh, so my cooking isn’t enough for you now? I see how it is.” Lumine shook her head as she finished sealing her report and stood, while Paimon frantically tried to argue that wasn’t the case. Tartaglia laughed as he fastened his jacket over his chest, and he nearly tripped as he rushed to put on his boots while Lumine was already making her way out the door.
“It isn’t funny! Hey, wait for Paimon!” she shrieked as she followed the two of them out onto the breezeway. Lively voices of the patrons downstairs were carried up on the chilled night breeze, growing louder as they approached the ground level. Normally Tartaglia would be on high alert, but for once it was a party that had nothing to do with his work. Besides, with Lumine around the two of them could take on any kind of freak occurrence they were confronted with.
“Ah, I was wondering when you would show up.”
Tartaglia’s eye twitched when he looked forward to see the Master of the Dawn Winery greeting them, or rather greeting Lumine and Paimon as he took her report.
“This is quite hefty, what in the world happened while I was gone?”
“A bunch of monsters showed up out of nowhere last night and - mmph!!” Lumine slapped her hand over Paimon’s mouth.
“It was nothing that the Knights of Favonius and I couldn’t handle,” she told him. “It’s been resolved, so try not to worry about it too much. You can even go over my report if that would make you feel better.”
“I’ll…take your word for it,” he sighed. “This is why I don’t like to leave the city for too long. Who knows what could have happened if you hadn’t been there to reel in…that.”
“How rude,” Tartaglia scoffed and stepped up next to Lumine. “You’re seriously going to blame it on me? For your information I was the one doing most of the work to protect the city!”
“You’ll fight anything for any reason!” Paimon interjected before she turned back to Diluc. “Childe is telling the truth though, he was really laying into those monsters before they could even get to the bridge.”
“See? I’ve got more witnesses if you still don’t believe me.” Tartaglia grinned and threw one hand in the air in a half-shrug, the other planted on his hip.
Diluc grumbled, clearly discontented with being unable to argue with Paimon for siding with a Fatuus, a Harbinger no less. He looked to Tartaglia, then to Lumine and sighed.
“I’ll deliver your full report personally when I return to the city tomorrow. Lumine, Paimon, please enjoy the party.” Diluc narrowed his eyes at Tartaglia, then he walked briskly past the group, nearly knocking shoulders with him. It was meant to be intentional, a warning, sizing him up. Tartaglia’s hand twitched, and he cracked his knuckles to try and abate the itch he had to do something about Diluc’s attitude.
The party itself was pleasant in the moments that Tartaglia couldn’t spot Diluc out of the corner of his eye. Plenty of food, somehow enough to sate both Paimon and Lumine while still leaving enough for the other guests, as well as plenty of drink. He found himself hovering near the wine sampling table and scanning the area for far too long. Breaking the habit of behavior he had at events where he had to work for the Fatui proved to be difficult, and he found himself drinking more and more just to try to relax despite the occasional flashes of red hair in his peripheral vision.
What caught his attention even more though, was the fact that Lumine seemed to have made a new friend: a woman with warm mauve hair and smiling brown eyes. The two of them were chatting excitedly about something, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying over the band playing nearby. Despite her outward attitude, he noticed that Lumine was actually quite popular with everyone. Even if it looked like she was just going with the flow, she really just clicked with all sorts of people. Though as far as he knew he had to be the one who was closest with her…right?
“-ilde. Childe!”
“Huh?” He whipped his head around to see Paimon floating next to him and trying to get his attention.
“What the heck are you so focused on? Paimon’s been calling you for a whole minute!”
“I was just looking at- Lumine, you’re back.” As he turned forward he saw her approaching him. “Where’s your friend?”
“She had to go home. Sounded like she’s not supposed to be out late,” she explained. “The music is really starting to pick up though! Hurry, before they shift the mood again!” Lumine suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the wine table and into the clearing in the center of the room, leading him into an upbeat dance.
She was smiling. Lumine was smiling as they danced together, and when he dipped her low he could see her cheeks flushed pink and the small beads of sweat forming on her throat. It was such a different dance than what they’d experienced before.
This…this is nice too…
When the music reached its crescendo it was as if nothing else existed but the two of them on that dance floor, hand-in-hand, smiling at each other and spinning in perfect sync. The rest of the world felt so far away, Tartaglia forgot about where they were and everyone else around them. The only thing that mattered was that she was smiling, and that she was smiling at him. He was holding her close when the music ended, stuck in a moment that he wished would last forever.
"The song is over," Lumine huffed and gave his chest a light slap.
"Let's just wait for the next one."
"No. I need a break." She pushed harder, and he conceded and let her go. As soon as he did she took off and disappeared into the crowd, leaving him alone on the dance floor. The world came back into view, people staring at him, probably wondering why he was standing there by himself, what he'd done to upset his partner. If he had known then he would go after her and try to fix it.
Instead, Tartaglia made his way over to the drink table and browsed the samples of Mondstat's wines once again. He picked one with a light color and threw it back, not bothering with bouquet or taste. All he knew was that if he wanted to stay relaxed he needed to keep drinking.
He reached for a second glass, but it was obstructed from his reach by a gloved hand.
“I’m cutting you off.”
“Excuse me?” Tartaglia looked up to see Diluc with his eyes narrowed and an aura of fury radiating from him.
“Unless you want me to personally remove you, walk away right now,” Diluc threatened. Tartaglia’s hand twitched. He was itching for something, so he may as well give into provocation and fight him already. He had done a good job avoiding Diluc all evening up until that point, and now he was ready to punch the sorry grimace right off his face.
“How about we take this outside, away from the crowd?”
“We are outside, Childe,” Diluc nagged. “It’s an open-air deck.”
“I’m taking you outside before you do something stupid,” Lumine suddenly strode up behind him and wrapped both of her arms around his own. He stumbled back a bit, pulled by her weight. Diluc turned his nose up at him and crossed his arms.
“Next time, then.” Tartaglia grinned and pulled his arm free before turning his back and quickly darting ahead of Lumine onto the main road in front of the inn. As much as he would have enjoyed a fight with the Master of the Dawn Winery, it wasn't an appropriate time or place for it.
The cool night air stuck to his skin as he and Lumine walked down the uneven road, making him more aware of how much he had been sweating. He would definitely need to take a shower when they got back to the room.
"I can't believe you actually managed to drink this much," Lumine sighed. Tartaglia figured that being a steady hold for an overly intoxicated Harbinger was not in her plans for the night. He hadn't meant to drink that much; the alcohol from Dawn Winery was much stronger than he had expected. It didn't look good for him. Lumine tensed up more every time he bumped into her or grabbed her shoulder to regain his balance. If he didn't cut it out soon, he thought she might go back to the room without him, or even worse, leave.
"Let's take a break here," Tartaglia suggested, leaning forward onto the side of the large bridge that overlooked Dihua Marsh. The Millileth officer that had been there earlier was gone, probably to sneak some wine for themself. Everything was dimly lit by the moon, and the orange lights from the inn were dancing on the calm water below. Faint music and laughter could be heard in the distance. Tartaglia felt oddly relaxed, still thinking about their dance from before.
Lumine leaned down next to him to look him in the eyes. She was close. His heartbeat sped up. He found himself wanting that night to never end so that he could spend as much time with her as possible, so he could stop thinking about work and politics and…
Shit, he just wanted to relax.
"So, have I made my Lumi’s night yet?" He smiled. Her eyes widened and her cheeks grew red. Tartaglia could see her visibly tense away from him as her breath hitched in her throat. The redness from her cheeks was spreading to her ears as she averted her gaze to the water below.
"You're wasted," she muttered under her breath. Perhaps she was right about that. He thought it was about time they headed back to the inn. He turned around, now precariously leaning onto the side of the bridge with his back to the water. Lumine walked out in front of him with her head down. She stopped in the center of the bridge and mumbled again. He only caught her saying her own name.
"What was that?" Tartaglia asked her. "I couldn't quite hear you."
"What…" she lifted her head up to face him, her cheeks still flushed, "what do you really mean when you say ‘my Lumi?’" She grabbed her own arms in a sort of self hug. She looked adorable. He felt his face heat up, the blood rushing around in his head made him dizzy. The way she looked at him was so enticing, a mix of happiness and despair that made him ache and he wanted to do something about it. If she kept making that face at him he felt like he could lose all control of himself. He wanted her to make more new expressions for him at his beck and call. He was ready to run to her and shape her face to his will when he felt all gravity leave his body. He was so dizzy.
He could hear her call for him. His name sounded wrong somehow. Was she far away? Something slammed into his back, then a second and more solid impact, and suddenly he couldn't breathe as water overtook his face and body.
Ah, so that's what happened, he though to himself. This certainly is not a good look for me.
He felt even more weight on top of him before the feeling of being dragged ashore. Peering upward he could see Lumine's golden blonde hair hovering over his face. Drops of brackish water fell from her hair directly into his eyes. He rolled onto his side, gasping. The air had been knocked out of his lungs when he hit the bottom of the shallow marsh. It must have been unsightly, but at least he wasn't vomiting.
“Are you hurt?!" Lumine put one hand on his back and another on his chest. He grabbed the hand she'd put on his chest with his own, squeezing tight so she wouldn't pull away.
"No," he wheezed, "just a little rattled." He felt her pulse racing through her fingers.
"Let's go back to the inn. We'll get sick if we stay out here in these wet clothes," she asserted while pulling upward to signal him to stand.
"Right," Tartaglia stood up with shaking legs, Lumine's hand still tight in his grasp against his chest.
"Your heart is beating so fast," she wriggled her fingers underneath his hand. He loosened his grip to allow her to flatten her palm against his chest to feel.
"That's what happens when you're close to me," he breathed.
"So it's definitely from the fall then," she sighed. Before he could grab her hand again she whisked it away and began walking back to the inn through the grass. Of course she would be frustrated with him after that; he was frustrated with himself. Falling off of a bridge was definitely a new thing to add to the list of stupid things he had done in his life. Tartaglia glanced around to make sure nobody else saw what had happened. The marsh looked empty enough, but he couldn’t be sure unless he swept the area. His hand twitched.
“Let’s go, Comrade Cretin!” Lumine called back to him. He trailed behind her, watching as she occasionally looked back to make sure he hadn't collapsed.
The crowds were beginning to disperse as they reached the inn. Enough people were stumbling that it didn't look too strange when Tartaglia wrapped an arm around Lumine's shoulder, though she did sigh with disapproval. They were almost to their suite anyway, but they did have to wait for the elevator. The stairs’ guard rail wasn't high enough to trust, considering how easily he'd fallen off a bridge.
“Too much to drink, Childe?” Tartaglia turned his head to see Diluc had followed them to the waiting area for the elevator. He had a smug look on his face and sipped from the glass he was holding.
“No,” Lumine had already tightened her grip on his waist and growled at him. “Do not fight each other.”
"Where the heck did you two run off to?!" Paimon rushed out from behind Diluc. "Paimon thought you ran off together and might never come back!" she cried.
"Aw, of course we wouldn't leave you." Tartaglia reached out to pat her head.
"No! You don’t get to pat Paimon!" She reeled back and crossed her arms.
Tartaglia sighed. What had started out as a fun night had spiraled into a disaster beyond his control. Maybe he shouldn't be holding back. Maybe he should just attack Diluc and turn the entire inn upside-down. That was more his style. That was what he normally would have done, and he would have engaged Lumine in another battle for the ages under the moonlight of Wangshu Inn...
...if he didn't want to keep her around, but he wanted her to stay. He controlled himself to stay by her side, if only for just a little bit longer before he would be inevitably called back to Snezhnaya.
"Actually, Paimon," Diluc spoke up. "I was hoping you could help me with something food-related."
What? What's happening?
In his shock, Tartaglia let himself be led to the elevator by Lumine, and Paimon's excited voice faded into background noise as they got further and further away. He wasn't sure what had just occurred, but it seemed like Diluc had intentionally held Paimon back. But why would he do that? It just didn't make any sense to him, unless...
Had Lumine asked him to distract Paimon so that she could be alone with him?
No, she couldn't have. When would she have done that?
Tartaglia tried not to get too excited about it as they entered the room they had rented, thinking instead of the shower he so desperately needed. He was thankful that it was a full suite, which meant there was hot water on demand. Being a Fatui Harbinger with a lot of mora had its perks at times, like when he wanted to slack off and embarrass himself in front of the girl he liked.
"You go first," said Lumine. "I'll wait for you to finish." He frowned at her suggestion.
"Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on your favorite Harbinger? What if this is all a ruse to get you alone?"
"Of course it is!" She put her hands on her hips. "That's why I'm not going into the bathroom with you!" He swayed and fell to his knees in front of her as if a dizzy spell had overtaken him. "H-Hey!" she gasped, bending down to put her hands on his shoulders.
"I'm not sure I can be trusted to take care of myself right now," he lied. The fall into the marsh had actually sobered him up a little, but he knew that if he continued to act inebriated he could play it off better in the morning should the situation turn sour.
"All right," Lumine conceded. "Give me your shirt." Tartaglia removed his jacket, tossing it to the floor. He then peeled off his wet shirt and handed it to her. "Go ahead into the bathroom ahead of me."
"Why? I don't mind watching you undress." He smirked.
"Well I do!"
“How is this any different from when we got here?”
“Just shut up and get in there!” Lumine shooed him into the bathroom and shut the door. He could hear her unbuckle her dress and the thump the damp fabric made as it hit the floor. He wanted to see her pale skin sparkling under the thin layer of salt water from the marsh. Tartaglia removed his pants and threw them to the side. He left his underwear on, though. He knew that all bets were off if those came off this early in his battle for her affection. He sat on a wooden stool near the faucet and waited for a moment before the door opened in front of him.
Lumine's face was heavily flushed, because she knew what she looked like in those damp clothes. His red undershirt had much more length on her, down past her hips. The dampness caused it to cling to her chest, creating an outline of her shape underneath. Her white bloomers, too, clung to her body and were nearly transparent. Tartaglia felt his face heat up and he closed his legs together. She quickly made her way to the faucet and twisted it on, grabbing a nearby metal basin to fill.
"No more foolery. We're just gonna rinse off, change into dry robes, and then go to bed, okay?" She checked the temperature and then began pouring the first basin of water over his head before he could reply. The water was comfortably warm running through his hair and down his back. He didn't dare interrupt her while she did this for fear she'd drop the basin on him. He patiently sat while she filled it a second time to pour over each of his shoulders. The next refill she poured over his chest, the feeling of which made his mind go to static for a moment before she spoke.
"There, that should get most of the salt off." Lumine put the basin down and pushed her hair behind her ear. When she lifted her arm to do so he could see purple discoloration from her wrist halfway up to her elbow. Did she jump off of the bridge after him? He reached out and ran his fingertips over her skin, causing her to flinch away.
"You shouldn't be jumping from such high places," he scolded. "You're lucky it's just a bruise."
"Well you shouldn't be getting piss drunk and falling off of bridges, but we can't all control our actions now can we?" she huffed.
"Ooh, fighting words," Tartaglia sang while moving forward to kneel on the floor in front of Lumine. "Is that what you're in the mood for tonight, Lumine? A fight?" He pushed the other side of her hair behind her ear, weaving his fingers through her short blonde locks. Her breathing sped up as he pressed his forehead to hers, the tips of their noses tapping against one another. She moved her hands to his chest.
“Please,” he breathed, “don’t push me away, Lumine.” He moved even closer and wrapped his other hand around her back, pinning her body to his. He could feel her heart beating fast, relieved to know that he wasn't the only one. Their lips were so close to one another. One tiny motion from either of them could ignite the flames burning within him. He had to tread carefully.
"Lumi," he swallowed, "I really want to kiss you right now." He could hear her breath hitching in her throat, followed by a small whimper as she parted her lips. "Please...can we..." Tartaglia's words trailed off.
"Yes."
Chapter 3 of TRIVIUM is live on both Ao3 and Wattpad! (links in reblog)
!!Warnings!!
TRIVIUM features mature content and is rated for audiences 18 and older!
Summary:
Aether and Lumine are journalism students who lost their childhood friend to a Vision. Determined to discover what happened to him the two of them search for Celestia, the alleged compound where Vision-Wielders are kept. Upon being captured by armed guards Aether finds himself separated from Lumine, and no one will tell him where she is. Despite not having a Vision himself, Aether is added to the list of Celestia’s residents and placed in the Anemo Group against his will under the watchful eyes of Barbatos. Aether will learn the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of many different people whose lives were forever changed by Visions while he tries to find out what happened to his sister and their friend, all while unraveling a plot that could put the entire world itself in jeopardy.
Links:
Read on Ao3 Read on Wattpad
Chapter 3 of TRIVIUM is live on both Ao3 and Wattpad! (links in reblog)
!!Warnings!!
TRIVIUM features mature content and is rated for audiences 18 and older!
Summary:
Aether and Lumine are journalism students who lost their childhood friend to a Vision. Determined to discover what happened to him the two of them search for Celestia, the alleged compound where Vision-Wielders are kept. Upon being captured by armed guards Aether finds himself separated from Lumine, and no one will tell him where she is. Despite not having a Vision himself, Aether is added to the list of Celestia’s residents and placed in the Anemo Group against his will under the watchful eyes of Barbatos. Aether will learn the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of many different people whose lives were forever changed by Visions while he tries to find out what happened to his sister and their friend, all while unraveling a plot that could put the entire world itself in jeopardy.
y'all aren't gonna believe this but
finally learned how to write multiple drafts and edit/revise them normally
finished the revised draft of chapter 3 of Trivium
so it's sitting in the marinade for now, awaiting beta-reading. should be out by the end of next week 🥰
~hiiiii i'm dead inside have chapter 2 of Oreshinai!~
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