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This fight of them back when she was in Liyue, it just can’t leave her mind alone. Occupying some of her nights, looming over her dreams as a dark shadow, just like her confrontation with Stormterror.
But the fight at the Golden House is different. It is different because it is him.
When she dreams of it, she never makes it to the end. The conclusion of the fight, him reverting to his original form of a young man breathing heavily as he’s kneeling tired in front of her. That part never appears in her dreams.
The rest of the fight always happens the same way. A confident smile decorates his face, as he starts firing one hydro arrow after the other in her direction. She never misses any of her dodges. Playful, he can’t help but let taunts escape his lips. Soon enough, he activates his delusion, and leaps at her. Forgetting all about the bow he is trying to master, the two of them engage in a clash of iron sword and electrical lance. Saying it out loud would do nothing but boost his already quite large ego, but Lumine really admires the way his skilful hands handle his spear as he walks towards her.
But then, he finds the Exuvia empty, and even though they’re fighting inside, it feels just like dark clouds are invading her surroundings.
A cold laugh exits his throat. Even though he is wearing his red mask, one of his gloved hands comes to rest against it, as if he was trying to contain his laughter. But just like the storm looming over her head, his laugh only grows louder. Until it stops and, in his hand, his mask cracks in a loud thud, revealing his face to her.
His gaze is deep and focused on her, freezing her body in place.
In her dream, Paimon is nowhere to be found.
It is just her and Childe.
She feels the sting on her cheek before she even realises what just happened. Flying through the air, his purple lance pierced the ground behind her. Blood falls against her cheek as he walks calmly in her direction. This time, he did not launch himself at her alongside his weapon. She would have been too weak to dodge. His left hand is no more, it has already left his place to dark claws. She can see the darkness crawling on him, covering inch by inch his body… Until she can no longer recognise it. Enveloped in his dark armour, his voice is deep and disturbed, and it sends shivers through her body, as he threatens her for things she is not responsible for. But trying to argue with him as he is in this state is pointless. She learned that the hard way the first time.
His face is always the last part of him to melt into the dark power from the abyss. In his eyes, although devoid of light, she can see something burning just before it disappears from her sight, replaced with that unique gaze, so similar to the one of the Mr Cyclops his youngest brother is so fond of.
In one swift strike, he shatters the ground of their arena.
And as she loses her ground, falling down to what could be her demise, she extends her hand in his direction.
Pulled by the gravity, she can only stare helplessly as his floating silhouette, darkly hovering over her… the abyss replacing his blue eyes staring back.
It’s when she is about to hit the ground that she wakes up.
She jolts awake in a cold sweat. Her heart is pounding like crazy in her chest, and she tries to calm her respiration.
A dream, it was just a dream.
Next to her, Tartaglia seems to be sleeping peacefully, his bare chest moving in rhythm with his calm breathing. Thankfully, she did not wake him up. He looks so much younger and vulnerable like that. She extends a hand towards him, wanting to softly caress his unruly orange hair, but suddenly stop mid movement.
She is being ridiculous, she thinks… Being unable to move on like that.
The first time he showed himself to her in such a form, they were fighting on opposite sides. He foolishly let himself get blinded by his own rage, refusing to admit he had been tricked, and dumping all of his frustration into her… Making her the sole responsible for this whole situation.
This second time, as she was fiercely standing behind him, arm ready to shield his baby brother from the malice of the creature he saw as his bestest friends and heroes, it was to protect her alongside Teucer’s childhood dreams that he let the darkness engulf his entire self.
This time, he was more in control. His body felt like it was on the verge of collapsing from the inside, but he was in control. The ruin guards smashed against one another and tossed around just like they were toys, he took the time to have his gaze linger on her face as he landed in front of them, his task accomplished.
Maybe it was an error, because immediately, surprise overtook him as he noticed the frozen impression on her face. An expression he was not ready to forget any time soon but that he had to leave behind at the risk of exposing one of his darkest secrets to the innocent eyes of his brother.
Weakened by his transformation, and forced to leave Teucer in her care, he never got to ask her about that look.
“I think I love you.”
The words left his mouth before he even had the chance to think about them, and the possible consequences they could have on their relationship. He can see her eyes grow big and he smiles. She looked like she was about to drop her sword in her sudden surprise. She had a bit of mud on her cheek that she quickly got rid of, as she tried to get a hold on herself. His attentive gaze had not missed the way her cheeks darkened in a pretty read because of his words.
“Aren’t you going to say something at least?”
He doesn’t know how to interpret her silence. She is still there at least, and hasn’t tried to hit him yet, which is a good news.
Finally, she decided to break it.
“You… think?”
He nodded enthusiastically.
“Yeah, I think. I mean, it’s not like I know how being in love feels like, this is a first for me.”
He sounded nonchalant, but his eyes never left her face, scanning for her reaction. Her free hand was scratching her other arm... was it just him or was she avoiding his eyes ? He took an experimental step towards her.
“Lumine?”
Lumine, not “girlie”. Suddenly, it felt more personal. Honey finally met blue.
“...Then, how do you know it is love?”
He was standing right in front of her now. Softly, his right hand went against her cheek, cupping it gently. She had not noticed he was now standing so close to her.
“Because it’s you.”
Silence followed these few words falling on her ear like a swift breath, the only answer to them being the scarlet red setting ablaze the traveler's cheeks. It was enough of an answer to him. Tucking a lock of her golden her behind her still red ear, he leaned in, not quite invading the most personal space of her face yet.
He closed his eyes as she closed the distance between them, allowing him to finally show a bit of weakness, letting himself melt against her lips like ice under the sun.
She did not close her eyes.
She looked so small under him like that, so vulnerable. They were far from clashing against one another like they would if they were standing on a battlefield, but the warmth bubbling inside his chest could almost match what he felt when he was holding a blade, ready to strike. Hovering above her, he had her wrist pinned against the mattress she was pressed against. Her big bright eyes were looking at him in anticipation, waiting for his next move.
When it came to her, he was a patient man. Because of their respective titles each, her being the honorary knight and savior of Mondstadt and him the eleventh Fatui Harbinger from Snezhnaya, their relationship not only had to suffer from them both being on opposite sides, but also from the distance. After all, she was the Traveller, and his feet were always taking him wherever his Tsaritsa wanted him to be. But right now, as his hungry eyes were taking in the sight of her body under him, he never felt more impatient.
“Tartaglia…”
His name escaped her lips in a sweet whimper, as he was leaving a trail of kisses on her exposed neck. He hummed against her skin, before softly marking it with his teeth.
“A-Ajax!”
He smirked against her, breath hot against her ear he was now whispering close to.
“Lumine… Tell me if you want me to stop. Say the word and I definitely will.”
She closed her eyes and softly shook her hand in approval. Her face was so red, how cute. Reopening her eyes, she seemed determined to keep looking at him despite it all. He wasted no time in starting his exploration of her body.
A gloved hand went under her dress and she shivered, earning her a smirk from him as his long fingers roamed with curiosity against her skin. Without wasting too much time, they finally found her underwear and she squeaked when he went to cup her most personal space through it. He chuckled at her reaction, his tone of voice a bit darker than usual.
His eyes darkening with his growing lust for her, he took off his glove with his mouth in a hurry, wanting nothing more than to see his own finger disappear inside her underwear, to feel her against him… And as he was about to do just that, he felt her freeze against him, suddenly tense.
Immediately, he stopped, looking up to catch her eyes.
Eyes that were seemingly trying to avoid meeting his.
The expression on her flushed face was nothing like the one she was wearing before. Nor was it a face he would ever expect to see on the face of his partner as they were laying like that underneath him.
Was it fear he was reading in her eyes? He knew he would be her first time, that’s why he was always patient with her, not wanting to rush anything. Just being hers was enough for him. But now that she was finally under him, was he maybe pushing himself on her too much…? No, she knew her. If she wasn’t comfortable, she would just outright say it, and probably would not hesitate to straight up punch him if he was crossing a line too fast. Then why?
“Lumi-”
Their eyes met again, and he froze.
He remembered that look.
It was the same one she was wearing on her face as he landed all clouded in his Foul Legacy’s armor in front of her, after he had finished dealing with Mr. Cyclops and his friend. She was looking at him but yet, it was as if she was seeing someone or something that wasn't really him.
To her, that dark expression in his eyes devoid of light was the same one that was haunting her in her most inescapable dream.
She knew about this part of him, how intense and passionate he could be, may it be for battle or for her. And she loved him like that, she really did.
She wanted this as much as he did.
But she couldn’t free herself from this twisted memory. This one look of him.
And just like that, he knew.
“I’m sorry…”