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After months of talking and planning, Lumine and Paimon had finally landed in Snezhnaya as promised.
Teucer was beyond excited, jumping in Lumines arms as he shouted how much he missed her and happy to see her once again. His whole family were just as excited with his older siblings making a detour home just to meet this mysterious girl their two brothers went on about.
Snezhnaya was indeed as cold as Ajax had gone on about. Most of the rooms had a heated stove including the guest bedroom to accommodate those who were not accustomed to the cold weather.
That was where Lumine and Paimon made their temporary home and where a certain auburn headed boy was about to get a smack in the face for waking her up in the middle of the night.
“I have something to show you. I promise this will be worth it.” Hewhispered, handing Lumine her jacket, boots and winter accessories.
Yawning, she took the pieces of clothing and put them on, a little too tired to argue back and groggily let him lead the way through the dark house and out onto the back porch.
What she saw was absolutely stunning.
The sky.
There were all sorts of colors dancing and waving across the night sky. It was breathtaking and something even Lumine couldn’t recall ever experiencing in all her travels.
Light snowfall made the scene even more magical, the snow reflecting light making the environment stunning.
Ajax made his spot beside her, leaning forward on the railing looking up at the sky with a smile on his face.
“You know, there’s a few old stories based on the lights in Snezhnaya.”
Lumine glanced over at him with curiosity, cocking her head and waiting for him to continue.
“One story is that the lights are from a fox who’s tail caught on fire and so the sparks ended up in the sky.”
“That sounds horrible.” Lumine added, chuckling a little at the visual. “What are the others?”
“Well, some say it’s a sign of good fortune for the fishermen. Others say the lights help reduce labor pain as long as the mother doesn’t look at the lights herself.”
“That’s….interesting. I assume it doesn’t help with the pain.”
“Absolutely not. They are just old tales that were passed down from generation to generation. Another popular story is that the lights are a sign of a dragon entering a village to seduce women whose men left the village.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at the last story. “Seduce? Like, try to sleep with them?”
“Apparently so.” Ajax joined her in her laughs. He knew they were just crazy stories he heard as a child but they stuck with him. “Maybe I should ask the dragon for some pointers.”
Lumine, being entertained and surprised at the same time, was taken aback. “What?!”
Now his laughter increased, finding it all too entertaining seeing Lumine's response to his comment. He was hoping for a reaction but this was better than he imagined. Teasing her was fulfilling.
“I said I should ask the dragon…”
“I heard what you said! Do you want to seduce married women?”
“No. Just one. And she’s not married.”
She scrunched her face, trying to tell if he was being serious or not. On one hand it was a weird joke but on the other hand, was he being serious?
Looking back up at the sky, Lumine couldn’t help but entertain the idea and curiosity in her head.
“So who is she? Or he?”
“She.”
“Ah. She someone you grew up with?”
“Nope.”
“Have I met her?”
“Yes.”
Now she was absolutely confused. There wasn’t anyone else she had met while visiting Snezhnaya outside of his family.
“Does she live in Snezhnaya?”
“No.”
Childe chuckled, watching her expression change with each answer he threw at her.
“I guess I have to give up.”
“Want some hints?”
With a huff of defeat, Lumine glared at him in silence before turning away from him.
“Maybe.”
“Well…” he started, thinking intently so he would pick his words carefully around her.
“She’s very strong and independent. Kind hearted and caring. She can be rough and straightforward when she has to be but gentle too. She loves her family and does her best to continuously improve herself.”
“I am sure if she heard you, her head would be big.” Her joke lightened the mood up and she elbowed him in his side. “She sounds like a good person.”
“She is. Unfortunately I don’t think she realizes my feelings for her.”
“Why don’t you tell her?”
“Well…” he started, turning his attention from the snowy environment to face her. “I just did.”
One second.
Two seconds.
Then three and four. Ajax couldn’t tell if she even registered his words until her eyes shot at him. Her entire expression in disbelief.
Suddenly he felt very nervous. They were just having a casual conversation and he felt he went too far this time.
Mentally kicking himself, he let out a nervous laugh and ran his hand through his hair. He honestly didn’t think before he said that. Getting caught up in the moment, he let it slip without thinking of how awkward it may have made things.
God he hoped he didn’t make things worse between them or scare her. A cold breeze swept across his face, reminding him of where he was.
“I’m sure you are getting cold out here. Let’s go back in.”
As he took a step towards the sliding door, something caught his jacket sleeve and he turned to see Lumine staring at him. Her expression hard to read.
“Well, if I were the dragon, I would suggest some things you can do to seduce the one you like.”
A curious brow raised on Ajax’s face as he realized she was playing along with the mythology.
“Oh. Please tell.” He said, making his place back to the spot to where he was standing.
The petite blonde smirked, moving Ajax’s closest arm and fitting herself between the man and the railing. Wrapping his arms around her, he laid his head on hers, smiling and enjoying her warmth in such a cold yet beautiful world.
“Hypothetically, if I were the dragon, I’d tell him that he needs to show loyalty to family. To put their needs above his own and to show love no matter the situation. I would also suggest being kind and thoughtful. Be protective and use his strength to help those who can not protect themselves. Then to love her continuously. To understand her and put effort into a relationship on equal grounds. Make her feel loved.”
Lumine turned her head to look at Ajax, a small smile evident on her face.
“But, don’t I do all that already?” He questioned with a raised brow.
“Hmmm. I guess so. So asking the dragon would be pointless if you are already succeeding.”
“I…….”
Ajax paused for a moment, soaking in her words. Was she saying he already seduced her? Did she like him as much as he liked her?
The petite girl leaned back into his chest, relaxing her head along his collarbone. Instinctively, Ajax removed his hands from the wooden railing, wrapping them around her to pull her close into him.
—————
The house was dark, only the lights from the sky shining inside from the uncovered windows. Quietly, Ajax led the way back down the hall to where the bedrooms were, being as quiet as possible and checking to make sure Lumine was still following behind.
Upon reaching his bedroom door, he kept walking towards the guest room but felt his arm being grabbed once again and paused to look behind him.
It was hard to see her face in the dark so Ajax moved close to her, grabbing her arms and leaning down to whisper.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. I was just thinking. Do you think….” Lumine paused, looking away with a small blush forming on her cheeks. “….never mind.”
Ajax held her tight as she went to move around him.
“You can ask anything. You know that. I won’t judge.” He reassured her, letting go of one of Lumine's arms to brush a strand of hair from her face.
“I….can I join you tonight? Paimon likes to hog the blankets and…”
“Of course.” He gave her no time to explain. He didn’t want an explanation. Opening his bedroom door, he let her walk in first and they began to take their outer layers of clothing off and made their way to his bed. Lumine slipped in first, letting the down feather blanket snug her as Ajax got in on the other side, adjusting himself to relax on his back and steady his breathing.
He had not planned on this happening at all but he wasn’t complaining. Lumine moved a bit, relaxing herself before rolling on her side to look at Ajax who was starting at the ceiling.
She shifted herself once again, moving to cuddle up onto his side where he moved his arm to allow her access to his chest.
“You’re much warmer than Paimon.” She joked, wrapping an arm across his chest and he used his other hand to hold hers.
“With as hot headed as she can be, I’m surprised she’s not warmer.”
“Stop.”
“It’s true.”
“Archons.”
They both let out a laugh, fully relaxing in each other’s embrace before letting sleep set in.
“Goodnight, Ajax.”
He turned, placing a drawn out but soft kiss on her head before laying his head back down comfortably.
“Goodnight, moya lyubov.”