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It was a year after Ajax and Lumine got married on the beaches of Yaoguang Shoal in Liyue. Lumine wasn’t too fond of the cold, but she knew Ajax wouldn’t want to be far away from his family once they got married, and she couldn’t blame him; he’d spent so much time traveling as a harbinger that he really just wanted to be near his family.
They settled in Morepesok, close to his childhood home. Lumine was well over five hundred years old, and Ajax was twenty-four. She joked he’d married an old woman, but he always told her she wasn’t old anyways, and he’d rather be with her as an old woman than not at all.
Unfortunately for Lumine, Aether lived in Liyue with his wife, Keqing, so he wasn’t the closest, but they visited each other sometimes. It was much easier to be further from one family member than several - Lumine would never have forced Ajax to live so far away from his parents and siblings.
Reflecting on the past year, Lumine was grateful for her marriage. Her wedding to Ajax was big, being the traveler who saved many nations, but to augment the large-scale wedding, they had a small ceremony beforehand with just them, Ajax’s family, and Aether. Truthfully, Lumine didn’t need all the fanfare - she only cared about being with Ajax - but she knew her many friends across Teyvat wanted to share in her happiness. There were many photos and gifts from the large occasion.
It was funny, Lumine mused. She had traveled so many worlds with her brother, but both of them were perfectly content to settle down in Teyvat instead of leaving for another world. Granted, Lumine only convinced Aether to stay by telling him she was in love with Ajax soon after she saved him from the Abyss Order, but it wasn’t long until Aether met Keqing and fell for her. Lumine had gloated to Aether that she knew he’d find love on Teyvat after he asked Keqing on a date last year.
Lumine was content with her life, and she sighed happily before calling out to her husband from the living room of their cozy home. “Ajax?”
Ajax perked up at the sound of his wife’s voice. He had been tending to their garden. They lived near the sea, so it was easy to have a small crop. “Yes, lyubimaya?” He called back.
“Can you help me with something?”
“Of course!”
When Ajax entered their home from outside, he wasn’t prepared for what he would see. Their living room was decorated with orange and red paper lanterns from Liyue, Kamera photos chronicling their relationship, and light blue and white balloons. “Surprise!” She waved both hands with a cheesy grin, praying her husband would be impressed by all the effort she put into their anniversary surprise. Luckily, it didn’t take too long to set up while he was outside tending to their garden.
Ajax’s heart melted, and he immediately pulled his wife into a tight embrace. “Oh, Lumine, it’s perfect! How long were you planning this?”
“Since our wedding,” Lumine joked, and Ajax ruffled her hair with a chuckle. “But in all seriousness, probably the past couple months. Keqing helped me think of ideas.” She traced his jawline with a finger absentmindedly.
“You’re crazy but amazing, girlie. I feel bad - I didn’t do anything like this for you. In fact,” Ajax led Lumine to the kitchen and showed her a cake, “all I did was bake us an anniversary cake.”
Lumine smiled. “You know I’m not worried about that, right? Just being with you is enough for me. The fact that you even baked a cake for us means a lot to me.”
Ajax embraced his wife again and kissed her forehead. “Let’s sit in the living room. I can get a good look at those photos, and we can eat some cake later. How’s that sound?”
“Perfect; lead the way,” Lumine replied happily, and Ajax took her hand, taking her back into the living room.
The two settled on the couch after Lumine lit the logs in the fireplace with her pyro abilities, cuddling together under a large blanket knitted by Ajax’s mother. Ajax took some time to admire the photos strewn about the room.
There were photos of them with his family, ones of them sparring, others of their engagement and wedding, and more. He was surprised to see some pictures - how were they taken, and by whom? But he supposed that didn’t matter - what mattered was that Lumine had encapsulated their time together through these photographs, and it made his heart soar with joy.
Some time passed, and Ajax looked down at Lumine cuddled up in his arms. “Do you want to go out anywhere for our anniversary?”
“Mm…” Lumine looked thoughtful. “Maybe to get some dinner, but I don’t need to go anywhere else. Home with you is enough for me.”
“You’re so cute,” Ajax whispered under his breath, squeezing his wife a little closer.
“What was that?” Lumine asked, and Ajax simply laughed instead of answering. Lumine rolled her eyes, shrugging it off. He probably said something mushy anyway.
“I love you, you big dork.”
Ajax kissed the top of Lumine’s head. “I love you too, lyubimaya.”
Lumine’s lips quirked up in a smile. Something she always admired about her husband was his boundless energy and his ability to bring smiles to the people around him. Of course, he used to be a fearsome harbinger, and to his credit, he was still a terrifying warrior, but most people who saw him these days saw him as a dear doting husband, son, and sibling. He was always seen helping people out around town and playing roles in the local acting troupes, and he was good at making plays interactive with the children attending.
Lumine was convinced Ajax would be the perfect father. In fact, that feeling far outweighed her fear of being a bad mother. She wanted so desperately to watch him become a father, to watch him cradle their baby in his arms, to hear him coo at their child and sing Snezhnayan lullabies. She may not have understood the language very well (she’d certainly picked up bits and pieces in their marriage), but he sounded so sweet in his native tongue regardless of her level of understanding.
Lumine finally decided to take the leap; she couldn’t bear to keep her thoughts to herself anymore. Ajax deserved for her to be honest with him in the fact that she wanted a family as much as he did. She wanted him to become a father sooner rather than later. She’d been thinking about it a lot lately, so what time was better than now?
“I was thinking…” Lumine sucked in a breath, gathering her courage, “we could talk about having a baby.”
Ajax’s deep blue eyes widened in surprise. He never pushed the subject with his wife because she always seemed hesitant about it, which was a great contrast to his well-known desire to have a large family. (Aether also told Ajax he would personally escort him to hell if he ever forced kids on Lumine, but Ajax loved Lumine too much to push her without his warning.)
“You mean that?” Ajax stopped himself and took a deep breath. “I mean, you’re sure you want to talk about one now?”
“Yes, I’m ready.” Lumine confirmed despite feeling nervous. “I think I’m ready for us to try. I think we could do it. Be parents, I mean.”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Ajax started slowly, “what made you change your mind?”
Lumine wrung her hands. “I’ve seen how you interact with the village kids. I’ve seen how gentle you are with them. Not to mention, you also were so gentle with Teucer when he was younger,” she explained, taking another deep breath to steady herself, “and I want to see that side of you with a child of our own.”
Ajax’s cheeks flushed red in surprise. “Aww, girlie, I’m touched. I didn’t know you saw me that way.”
“Of course I do! You’re the love of my life, the other half of me,” Lumine leaned her head on Ajax’s shoulder, “I see sides of you that you don’t see in yourself. I want to see you as a father. I want to have a baby together.”
Ajax’s soft smile turned into a smirk as he leaned close to Lumine, his lips millimeters from touching hers. His eyes were dark and half-lidded. “Why wait? Let’s start~”
Lumine’s face turned scarlet. “Ajax! N-Not yet! What about the rest of our anniversary-”
Ajax pulled away with a howl of laughter. “You should’ve seen your face, girlie! I’m just kidding. I have a surprise of my own for you, so it’s not time for that.”
Lumine pouted, her pride wounded. “What is it?” She asked sourly.
Ajax grinned. He glanced outside, and seeing what he was looking for, he turned back to his wife giddily. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He got to his feet and offered Lumine both of his hands. She took them, and he led her out of their home. Outside, Aether stood on their porch, his hands stuffed in the pockets of a thick coat. Beside him was his wife, Keqing, who had her arm linked with his.
“Hey, sis.”
“Aether! Keqing!” Lumine ran towards them and engulfed them both in a tight hug. “You paid for their trip here, I’m guessing?” She asked her husband, who was still grinning from ear to ear, and he nodded.
“You lied! You did more than bake a cake!” Lumine said to Ajax and took a step back to give Aether and Keqing some space. Everyone knew that the twins enjoyed getting the chance to see each other whenever they could, so Ajax bringing them to each other was definitely the best gift for Lumine.
“We’re treating you two to dinner!” Keqing explained with a warm smile.
Aether looked like he couldn’t contain his excitement. “And, you’ll be the first to know, we’re officially engaged!” He held up Keqing’s hand for Lumine to see, and she immediately marveled at the pretty ring on her friend’s finger that was lined with amethyst stones.
“It’s beautiful, Ae! And congratulations, you two! We’re so happy for you!” Lumine smiled widely, and Ajax wrapped his arm around her.
“Thanks! And happy anniversary to you two! A year together is special!” Aether was radiating happiness. “Even if it’s with him.”
Ajax and Aether had a sort of love-hate relationship. More so, Aether was protective of his sister, but he knew Ajax made her happy. Ajax had nothing against Aether, but sometimes Aether’s protectiveness was annoying. He could protect his wife just fine! (Of course, Aether wanted to protect Lumine from him, but he didn’t seem to understand that. He was rather literal.)
“He has ears, you know!” Ajax reminded Aether pleasantly.
Aether waved a hand flippantly, uncaring. “Are you guys ready to go?”
“Let me grab our coats, and then we’ll be ready.” Ajax retreated into the house. Lumine suddenly realized how cold she was and shivered. She never did well in the cold.
Ajax returned soon enough, and he wrapped Lumine’s coat around her. “Thanks, babe,” she kissed his cheek, and the small group headed off towards the town to get to the restaurant.
Dinner came and went, and Ajax cut the anniversary cake he baked for Lumine when they all got home. They enjoyed the cake with conversation and laughter, talking late into the evening. Keqing and Aether got settled in the guest room after they were done talking, and Ajax and Lumine went to their own room.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year of us being married. It feels like just yesterday we were fighting at the Golden House over the Exuvia,” Lumine commented as she traced circles with her finger around on Ajax’s bare chest.
“Yeah, it really doesn’t feel all that long ago, huh?” Ajax agreed with a light laugh. “One year of married life down, forever to go.”
Lumine groaned. “Oh, geez. I don’t think I can survive that.”
Ajax pinched Lumine’s cheek with narrowed eyes. “Hey, if you can survive a year with me, you can survive forever!”
“Ow, ow! Quit it!” Lumine said with a laugh. “Okay, okay! I’m sorry! You’re right!”
Ajax let go of his wife’s cheek and smirked in satisfaction. “That’s what I thought. Now, unfortunately, I don’t get to properly enjoy our anniversary night with you with your brother next door,” he sighed in disappointment, but then he grinned, “but this time next year, maybe we’ll have a baby already, and they’ll be taking care of him or her while we go to an inn on our own for some alone time~”
Lumine blushed. “You think we’ll have a baby that fast?”
Ajax’s grin turned into a smirk, and he looked into Lumine’s eyes. “Perhaps~” He then couldn’t help yawning. “I guess it’s time to turn in for the night, though.”
Lumine smiled as they got more comfortable cuddling. “This was a wonderful anniversary, Ajax. I love you so much,” she whispered.
Ajax kissed his wife’s temple, and she nestled her head into the crook of his neck. “I love you too, Lumine. Like I said, next year, we’ll have an even better anniversary; I can feel it!”
Lumine laughed. “I’m holding you to it.”
“You can count on me, lyubimaya!”
And with that, the married couple fell asleep, content in each other’s arms from their first wedding anniversary together. Neither knew what they next year would hold, but they knew it would be wonderful as long as they were together.