Work Text:
Lumine takes her heels off, letting out a loud sigh in relief as she enters her humble abode. “I’m home!” She exclaims, looking around for a familiar dark green- haired male to find him sitting at his workspace, nose deep in his book.
“Welcome home,” Xiao shifts his eyes to Lumine’s figure as she makes her way towards him, immediately seeking his warmth. A soft smile decorated Xiao's face as he opened his arms, allowing Lumine to embrace him wholeheartedly. “You must be tired.”
“Mmm. Super— tired,” Lumine’s words muffled against him as she fails to stop herself from slowly dozing off. “...Lumine? Hey, at least have dinner, I cooked your favourite.” Xiao pats her head and Lumine raises her head with golden- coloured eyes staring at him. “...Crab, Ham and Veggie Bake?” She blinks rapidly as Xiao nods. “...with a side of Chicken Mushroom Skewers?”
“...Mint Jelly too, for desert.” Xiao rests his palm on top of her head as Lumine tightens her embrace around him. “....Xiao, you don’t understand,” She releases herself, arms loose but holding their place around his waist. “I could kiss you right now.”
Xiao scoffs, rising from his seat along with Lumine in his arms, and pinches her cheek. “Could?” He queries and Lumine answers with a beaming smile. Xiao’s pinch shifts into a tender hold on her cheek, slowly making its way to her jaw before threading his fingers through her hair and finally pulling her in for a kiss.
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Dinner goes by fast when Lumine realises her appetite was actually way larger than she had expected. Patting her stomach after finishing the Mint Jelly Xiao picked up from a nearby bakery, she let out a content sigh as Xiao shakes his head. Oh Lumine.
“Thank you for the food,” Lumine exclaims, both to the Sevens and Xiao. While the boy in front of her merely scrunches his eyebrows in reply, Lumine takes note of his pinkish cheeks and feels her heart warming. Xiao was never a man of words, instead he prefers to express his love in the form of actions— one of the reasons why Lumine fell in love with him in the first place.
She stands up and starts collecting the dishes as she makes her way to the sink to clean. Xiao makes a move to help her as well but earns a stern look from Lumine. The first time they moved in together, they agreed on a rule in their house; and it was if one of them cooked, it was only right for the other to clean up. Needless to say, there have been moments where the rule is completely disregarded, in courtesy of Lumine’s puppy eyes and Xiao’s inability to say no.
“Let me help with some of them, at least.” Xiao mutters, still not leaving his spot beside Lumine at the sink.
Lumine shakes her head. “You cooked a lot today so let me do the cleaning.” She gives him a reassuring smile and Xiao stays rooted there for a while, before sighing. Despite Xiao’s stubborn behaviour, he knew arguing with Lumine over this is a lost cause.
“...Fine. I’ll go warm up the bath for you.” He gives her a look and walks towards their shared bathroom. Lumine lets out a chuckle as she washed the dishes. “...Maybe you could join me?” She teasingly remarks, shifting her gaze to her boyfriend, immediately laughing at how he was literally frozen mid-walking with flushed ears.
Xiao cranes his neck slowly, hoping his cheeks weren’t betraying him unlike his ears. “.....You have no respect for me.” He lamely retorts, eyebrows scrunched but lighthearted. Lumine laughs in reply, a little part of her wondering how much more could she tease him, just to see him embarrassed and pink before her again.
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The sweet scent of lavender lingers in the air of their bedroom the moment they both settle in bed, and Lumine cannot help but shiver slightly at the feeling of cold sheets sliding against her bare legs. Xiao didn’t fall behind and slid in after her, eyeing the pink strap of Lumine’s nightgown, slipping off her shoulders.
Although Lumine doesn’t seem to mind, (or even realise it was drooping,) Xiao feels warmth creeping on his cheeks as he adjusts himself to lie on his stomach and scroll through his phone. The blonde girl beside him huffs, turning to her side and tugs on his shirt. “Xiao.” A small whine leaves her lips as Xiao combs his partially wet hair with his fingers, and turns to look at her. “Hm?”
Lumine stares at the pair of ambers staring into hers, realising Xiao’s cheeks were slightly flushed. Must’ve been the heat from the showers, she thinks. “..Nothing, I just wanted your attention.” She sheepishly grins, and Xiao feels himself blush, the feeling of nervousness akin to butterflies (no matter how cheesy it sounds) creep in his stomach. He was clearly taken aback for a few seconds but masks it off with a cough, earning a smile from Lumine.
“...Tell me about your day.” He requests, while shifting his position to lean his cheek against his palm, eyes never leaving the blonde beside him. It earns him a soft giggle in response.
“That was quick.” Lumine states. “I thought you’d ignore me a couple of times before giving in, just like last time.” Xiao frowns, his fingers finding her cheek and giving it a pinch. “That’s because you were disturbing me in the middle of work, Lumine.”
He’s reminded of the time when Lumine would randomly snake her arms around him while he was busy sketching designs for work. His deadline was in a few days, and all Xiao had in mind was a rough sketch on what he was planning on doing. So to have his lover, all inviting and tempting him in the middle of work had him a tiny bit irritated— and maybe frustrated as well (but not at her, more to himself.).
But it didn’t stop Lumine, of course. She would always find a way to make him comply. How could he deny her, when all she could do was say his name and he’d come running?
So when amber eyes locks with golden ones, cheeks flushed and hair partially damp, Xiao wonders if his brain was pulsating from work stress or simply Lumine herself, clad in a lace pink nightgown, right beside him.
Lumine doesn’t realise the way Xiao’s gaze wandered slightly, too busy talking animatedly about her day. He takes the chance to let his eyes briefly wander to her eyelashes, her small button nose, her flushed cheeks until it rests on top of her lips. Her soft, pink, kissable-
“—you really… listening—?” Xiao sees her lips move but all he could think of is Lumine, Lumine, Lumine.
“—Xiao?” Lumine’s palm was on his cheek, pressing slightly against the angle of his jaw and Xiao blinks back to reality. “Huh?” Was all he could muster. Lumine pouts, eyebrows creasing as she pinches his cheek.
“You were daydreaming,” She states, and her eyes start to observe his features. She notices the dark circles forming under his amber eyes that were slightly red, and his somewhat- chapped lips. “...Haven’t been sleeping well, lately?” Lumine questions with a hint of concern in her tone, body moving closer to Xiao as she takes his face in her small hands.
Xiao merely lets her, knowing Lumine has always been a worrywart even if he didn’t mention anything. Xiao has a habit of not disclosing his personal thoughts and emotions, and the thought of having someone who notices his troubles even without him saying anything, has never crossed his mind. That was, until Lumine came along.
Nevertheless, Xiao knew out of all people Lumine prefers reassurance, and if it wasn’t in the form of words, the least he could do was return it in the form of actions. So he merely settles in looking into her golden- coloured eyes, free hand grabbing Lumine’s wrist and tilts his head, leaving a kiss on her palm to comfort her.
“I’m okay.” He smiles into her palm, and finds amusement in the way Lumine’s cheeks were stained pink with embarrassment. Cute, he thinks.
“You- I-” Lumine stutters, hoping Xiao wouldn’t notice her trembling hands. Why was she so nervous ? Sevens, he merely kissed her on her palm. “I just...” She pouts, and settles her eyes on his shirt instead. ‘ For Rex Lapis’, in bold letters, and a tiny dragon curled around it.
Too focused on his shirt, she doesn’t realise the way Xiao was already leaning in, centimeters away from her when she mutters under her breath.
“I thought I was talking your ear off agai-”
A tender pair of lips pressed against hers; soft, and warm. Lumine could literally feel Xiao’s dark green locks tickling her cheek and took in his scent, almost making her feel intoxicated. Too surprised to respond, Lumine merely stares at Xiao with her mouth slightly agape and her cheeks blossoming red as he leans back, a soft smile adorning his face.
“You think too much, Lumine.” He reassures her, letting his palm rest on her jaw while giving subtle strokes. Lumine’s shy glimpses turned into careful stares as she took the chance to actually look at Xiao’s features. The way he was staring at her, his usual piercing gaze akin to needles, now soft and full of love when he looks at her. It almost makes her feel giddy on the inside, no matter how embarrassing it was to admit.
“How can I not...” Lumine finally replies, letting her hand rest on Xiao’s as her eyes wander to his lips again. “When it’s about you?” She’s again reminded by the feeling of his lips against hers, and feels warmth creeping up her cheeks yet again.
“Geez, give me a warning or something next time..” She mutters begrudgingly with red cheeks as Xiao feels a small smile creep on his face. He leans in, lips dangerously close to her ear.
“I’m going to kiss you again.”
Lumine’s face flushes crimson as she nods shyly, letting out a soft hum of approval as they both lean in, eyelashes fluttering shut while sharing that intimate moment in the dim light of their bedroom.
Even though Xiao was not a man of many words, sometimes he thinks words aren’t enough to describe his feelings for Lumine. So he settles on showing her, through what he thinks are small acts of love, and prays to the Sevens that she knows.
She does.
Sometimes we don’t need words.
Lingering touches, soft pecks here and there, leaving marks, as if announcing to the world that he was hers, and she was his. The feeling of warmth creeping up in their abdomens, matching the heat flushed on their faces as amber eyes stared into golden.
“...I love you.”
But I’ll say it time and time again.