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Lumine glances at her watch again, judging just how much longer she needs to smile and chat before heading out. It isn't that the movie crew is boring--quite the opposite, really--but she has a meeting she'd rather not be late for and the sky is turning darker by the minute.
"Stay off the roads," the newscaster says cheerily from the TV in the corner, her voice almost lost amid director Hu Tao's laughter. "And stock up on hot cocoa!"
She has plenty of supplies back at her apartment to keep her well fed and occupied should they truly get the amount of snow they're predicting. Enough for two, even. If only they could slip out and--Lumine frowns and glances up, meeting Kazuha's eyes. He tilts his head across the room to Xiao who--bless him--is practically hiding in the corner to keep people from hugging him again.
Very particular about physical affection, that one. Allows it only with trust and time. Makes the few he grants it to feel absolutely cherished and divine.
She swallows, cheeks heating as she meets amber eyes and taps her watch so subtly that to anyone else it would seem like she's checking to make sure it’s ticking.
"Let's get our love triangle together for one more pic!" Venti says with a grin.
The whole romantic comedy has been his baby, his "ode to the pining" as the writer has often said. Given his prior successes, Lumine has no doubt that the film will take her from "silly, dabbling idol" to an actual actress. A few test groups have only cemented her thoughts, citing her chemistry with her "leading man" to be particularly strong.
Kazuha threads his arm through hers with ease, their cheeks close as they form a heart with their fingers. As for Xiao, well, he stands stiffly to the side, amber eyes narrowed and dark.
"Oh squish together, act like you like each other!" Venti says. "You did so well for the other cameras!"
With a sigh, he complies and presses in, his hand so carefully positioned on her waist he might as well be a prop. But the press of his hip against hers as he leans in, the scent of qingxin and cologne, the delicate hitch in breath as he withholds a groan--
The film may have ended with her character in Kazuha's arms, but Lumine has always known Xiao is her leading man.
They weren't kidding about the snow, Lumine thinks as she slips into her apartment an hour later, dropping keys and phone in a bowl.
Her shoes are kicked off to the corner, aching heels and ankles singing her praises as she heads to the kitchen for something more filling than the sample sized portions she wasn't allowed to obliterate at the party. The rule about idols and actors and models being dainty eaters is just as ridiculous as always. If it weren't for the snow, she'd order at least three pizzas now that filming is complete. Who cares about calories when she can burn them off with a little fun and effort?
But she certainly won’t starve with what she has in her cabinets, and there’s no way she’s asking anyone to risk themselves on her behalf.
Lumine glances at her watch again and decides to freshen up, slip into her flannel pajamas and wipe her makeup off.
Twenty minutes pass so slowly it’s almost torture, tiny fears and doubts beginning to slip in. Then the front door opens, the jingle of another set of keys and the soft thud of shoes left in the hall announcing his arrival.
Xiao rounds the corner, tugging his scarf and mask aside as he sets a box of lukewarm pizza on the counter. It's barely out of his hands before Lumine pulls him in, tangles her hands in dark locks damp and glittering from melting snow.
"You know me so well," she murmurs and pops the buttons of his overcoat. "And now I have you all to myself."
He kisses her forehead, her cheeks, her nose. Mouth and tongue needy, almost desperate, as she helps him out of his coat.
"That was torture," he mutters. "I know Kazuha isn't in love with you but, gods, what a mess."
She traces his lower lip and steps away, hanging his coat in the hall closet while he heats the pizza in the oven and finds the plates.
"We might get snowed in," he says, opening cabinets and the fridge as if taking stock. "I might need to stay more than the night."
Lumine shivers at the thought, then at the idea of him actually calling this apartment his “home.”
They've discussed going public before, of really making things official now that she's not a young idol anymore, but the rumors about her dating Kazuha have done quite a bit for the film's PR. The fact that random people on the web have decided he's a better match for her than Xiao confounds her. There were rumors about them too of course, mostly at the beginning. Pointed enough that she was certain someone knew about them, but as vocal as those fans are, they aren't quite as... loud as Kazuha's so what truth there may have been has been lost amid the din.
Lumine's sure it all has something to do with demographics and fan bases and whatnot, but the three of them are on the same page about the cover story.
Once Kazuha announces his engagement to Tomo though, she and Xiao are going to go public--as a couple, not an engaged one.
Well, not yet anyway.
He’s been asking her questions off and on. Pointed and a little odd though he does his best to work them into the conversation--though how often can one “forget” that they’ve left a jewelry catalog on the counter or shyly ask her ring size? Kazuha may be publicly romantic, but Xiao is truly one at heart and home.
"Getting you all to myself for more than just a night? Sounds like a reward for a job well done then," Lumine murmurs, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend’s waist and settling her cheek on his shoulder. "It never feels like home without you."
Xiao strokes along her fingers before turning, intertwining their hands with a rare open smile.
"That's how I feel too."
Carefully, she slips out of bed, leaving her phone on the nightstand as she stumbles to the window and peeks through the blinds. The sight that greets her is brutal, white and sunshine all she can see.
Lumine's lips curl with a lazy smile. Plenty of snow indeed.
She sneaks to the kitchen, brewing a pot of coffee while flipping through the news on her phone. An ad for her upcoming album pops up and she can't resist the blush that races to her cheeks as she recalls the song she wrote about Xiao.
"Are you sure about this?" Paimon asked, fanning her face with a hand. "Because it's certainly not your... usual brand."
"Is it no good?"
Her manager had assured her (with great vehemence) that it was amazing , moving and heartfelt and raw. "Lovingly possessive" was another phrase she'd used with a wink, but Lumine had let that slide without a word.
Paimon is her closest friend and she trusts her with everything (except for food), but her relationship with Xiao? Well, she may have her suspicions, but Lumine won't confirm them for anyone until they're ready. At which point there will be questions, and press conferences, and magazine articles and--
“Good morning,” Xiao says as he appears in the doorway of the bedroom, his pajama bottoms hanging loose around his hips. He crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head, dark locks a mess from their cuddling and languid kissing the night before. “How long have you been up?”
“Not long.”
She can’t help the zing that races through her, makes her warm and tingly as he draws near. There are few things better than coffee, but his affectionate gaze, bare lithe frame, and the tantalizing tease of his happy trail? The tender way he says her name, takes her hand in his? Well, it adds quite the spring to her step as she leans into him.
"Looks like everything's locked down from the snow--and there's more on the way," she says between fluttering kisses, the ghost of mint still fresh and crisp upon their tongues. "Which means we finally have a day to ourselves."
Xiao guides her to the wall, leaning against it to pin her between his arms, his lips gliding along the curve of her ear. "I can think of a few ways to spend it."
She laughs and walks her fingers down his chest, sparks tripping down her back as he shivers.
"Then why don't we head back to bed?"
A breathy sigh escapes as Xiao laps at her core, her own tongue teasing the leaking tip of his shaft, swirling so slowly that he groans into her. Lumine smirks and kisses down his length, nipping at his thigh as she tucks her hair behind her ear. Heat coils in her stomach, not quite molten but the slick between her legs is from more than just her lover's skilled mouth and tongue. She slips him between her lips, bobs just once as his breath hitches--
Then her phone rings on the table, loud and insistent. She releases him with a pop, wiping his pre-cum from her lower lip with a thumb as she shifts.
"Ignore it?" Xiao asks as she groans, swinging over to kneel on the side of the bed. "I thought it was just us today."
And she would agree--oh how she would--but the caller ID shows Jean, and she owes her quite the favor for getting her in contact with Venti and singing her praises.
But Xiao's fingers tracing circles on her thigh, the brush of his lips on the small of her back, the taste of him still on her tongue--
Lumine carefully removes the earpiece from its charger and clips it firmly in place before returning to her boyfriend with a mischievous wink.
"Jean! I thought Lisa forced you to take a vacation!"
"She did, which is why I'm calling. The interview tomorrow? Doesn't look like I'll make it," the reporter says with an unusually heavy sigh. "They've grounded all flights out of Liyue thanks to the weather."
"That is quite the shame!" Lumine says as she presses a finger to Xiao's lips before trailing her hand down his chest. His eyes flick to hers, a brow lifting, but she merely smiles and continues downward. "But I guess that means you get an extra day to relax."
"About that..."
Her knuckles graze the base of his shaft, his muscles clenching in his stomach. And though he mouths her name, Xiao doesn't tell her to stop.
"Could we do the interview now? Over the phone?" Jean asks, the sincerity in her voice very much like Barbara's. "If it isn't too inconvenient, I mean."
"Of course! My hands are never too full to deny a request from you!"
As if to emphasize her point, she curls her fingers around Xiao's length (still slick from his pre-cum and her tongue) and pumps once. He bucks into her hand, cheeks blooming crimson as he turns his head away.
"Thank you, because as many books as the gift shop sells, I suspect I'll have read them all before we take off."
Lumine smirks a bit at that.
Imagine what a story this would make, she thinks as she leans over Xiao's prone form and captures his chin, guiding him back to her. A scoop to top all scoops.
But for now it's their little secret, and as frustrating as it's been pretending on set, right now it offers such a thrill as she strokes him once again.
"Just the usual stuff we agreed on before," Jean continues, the sound of keys clacking barely audible through the earpiece. "Paimon would come after me if we changed it up."
Unlikely, unless she turned into a sticky honey roast, but Lumine doesn't bother to correct her.
Instead she guides Xiao's hand between her legs, his fingers running the length of her folds as her hold tightens around his length. He lifts a brow in question before she nods, then slips two fingers inside with ease. He bites his lower lip as she grinds against his palm, sparks taking flight upon her skin as he brushes her clit.
"Your co-stars, how was it working with them? Any fun tidbits to share?"
Xiao bucks into her hand again, throbbing and somehow feeling even larger than before as she palms him.
"There are so many! Honestly, everyone was great and the chemistry?" she smiles and strokes her lover's cheek with a finger, marveling as his amber eyes meet hers, molten and sweet. "Unbelievable."
She chats amicably about this silly (pre-approved) blooper, that corny inside joke. Puts on the bright and cheery persona as Xiao writhes beneath her touch, his fingers plunging deeper, slick sounds making her shiver.
"There are rumors you and Kazuha are dating. Any truth to that?"
Lumine frowns and Xiao's fingers still as her touches slow. He strokes her folded knee with his clean hand, turning to his side to stare up at her.
"Kazuha is a wonderful person. Quite the romantic at heart--obviously something he and his character share," she says as Xiao stiffens, his eyes narrowing.
Lumine presses three fingers to her lips before pressing them to his, her boyfriend responding almost chastely despite still being knuckle deep in her folds.
"But we're more friends than anything. He gives very good advice," she says as his shoulders loosen, his breath lighter though still fluttering and quick. "Though I must admit that my poetry has made no improvements despite his guidance."
Really? Xiao mouths.
She shrugs and nudges his shoulder, flattening him back out on the bed as she slides off of his fingers. He doesn't know about the song--not yet anyway, with the release still two months out--but the lessons were put to very good use. Will he blush? Swell with pride? Swoon a little bit? She can't wait to find out.
For now though, she straddles his hips with a smirk, his eyes fluttering shut as she teases his length. And though she doesn't sink down on it, he glides so easily along her folds as she presses a hand down beside his head.
"If I was looking for a leading man of my own," she says as Xiao sighs, her fingers tracing lips. "He'd have to be... devoted. Open-hearted and open minded. Gentle, strong, wise."
Molten amber meets tender gold, his hands fisting in the sheets as his tip grazes her clit, her thumb slipping into his mouth.
Loving, fierce, attentive.
Awkward, brave, expressive.
And how expressive her love is beneath her as she lifts her hips and guides him between her folds. As she sinks down onto him so slow and languid as she resists the need to gasp, as her chest quivers at the stretch.
"Sounds like the best of the best," Jean says, someone calling for baggage checks in the distance of the airport. "Truly a woman's dream come true... and like you might have someone in mind already."
"Oh, yes," Lumine says with a muffled giggle, a little bit of truth slipping into her tone. "And one never lets go once they find someone like that, but let's leave it at 'no comment' for now."
His tongue swirls along the pad of her thumb and she clenches around him with a grin, thighs pressing firmly into him as she puts those workout routines and lessons on muscle control to good use at last. Then she drags her hips back until just the tip stirs her lower lips, watching his throat work to swallow a moan. Lumine presses his mouth shut as she takes him mercilessly, riding him with an abandon that has him bucking into her, a hand pressed to his mouth as the other bruises her hip.
"Next is hobbies," Jean says, pages whispering as if she's reading through her notes. "Do you... Lumi, are you alright?"
"Just a bit of morning exercise," she says, smirking as she watches beads of sweat run along the contours of Xiao’s abs. "Need to stay in shape, even on a snow day!"
"Oh! Of course. Thank you for making time for this again. I know it was rather sudden."
Xiao arches into her, his teeth sinking into his hand, his fingers practically clawing at her hip as he comes. Warmth seeps into her stomach, blooming so sweetly that she can't help but blush at how risky this is.
But the thrill of possibly being caught red handed--white handed?--seems to excite Xiao as well, his length still so hard and hot as he continues to spill. His muscles jump as she strokes his chest, his eyes hazy as she pulls the hand from his lips and notes the little mark his teeth have left. She wants to leave her own as well. Litter his skin with teeth and nails--but that will be later, when her silver tongue isn't spinning lines for soundbites and click bait.
"No, no, I appreciate your effort," she says, all cheer and politeness as she lets Xiao take a few gasps of air. "Both of our careers can be so... hard."
And before he can look at her with those exquisitely blissful eyes, Lumine begins moving again, hands roaming up his chest, tweaking his nipples as he shudders. He palms at her breast, fingers sinking in with a force that makes her bite her lip, pain and pleasure screaming through her as she slams down on him.
"But, hobbies. I have several, so ask away!"
They spend a few moments covering what they've covered before, the same lines being recycled and redressed with a few choice words.
And all the while she can't help the surge of power and want and confidence each kiss of their hips gives her, each brush of his length in that spot that makes her see stars and ache. She spares a torturous glance at the clock, shivering as she realizes they must be getting close--in more ways than one.
Xiao gasps, head tipping back as he begins to moan loudly, hips snapping desperately into her own. Lumine brushes his throat with a thumb before pressing, his eyes going wide, gaze blazing even hotter as she applies a bit more pressure. His moans quiet, lashes fluttering on his cheeks as he thrusts so hard, so deep, she barely withholds a yelp as he comes again. Xiao shudders, throat working so hard beneath her palm as he struggles for air, for quiet, for the ride to continue as their combined slick wets her thighs.
She licks her lips, relinquishing her hold to press their chests together, leaning over for a kiss--
"Are there any you'd like to take up?"
Lumine squeezes her eyes shut. "Hobbies?"
"Yes. Anything come to mind?"
She glances down, eyes drinking in the sight of Xiao's sweat dotted chest, quivering stomach, his slick length still buried deep in her folds as his spend leaks out to pool at the base.
Something comes to mind alright.
She grins wickedly as Xiao watches her, amber clouded and hazy but still so dark. His lips are parted as he pulls in a short, ragged breath, her name a whisper of a prayer on his tongue.
She presses a finger to her mouth, a reminder and a tease.
"I've always wanted to take up gardening," she says sweetly.
Her lover has enough presence of mind to lift a brow, his eyes flicking to the fake plants on her shelves. Lumine flicks his nipple with a pout and a glare, grinding herself against him, her clit finally getting the friction that she's resisted.
"I like watching things grow," she continues, angling her hips so his length hits just the right spot as she begins again. "Seed taking root. The promise of so many things blooming."
And then realization sparks in his eyes, Xiao swallowing so hard she can hear it over the blood rushing in her ears, the screaming of her body as it pleads for bliss and relief as he hit her sweet spot, his hands sinking into the bruises on her hips.
Jean says something else--not a question, not from the tone, Lumine thinks--but she's too lost in the thought she's planted to be sure.
"Oh, oh, really?"
Her eyes flutter shut, back beginning to arch as her fingers tweak her nipple, eyes locking with Xiao's as his expression shifts from blissful to something primal, the streaks of tears from his release quickly disappearing from his heated cheeks.
"Looks like they're telling us to head to the hotel," Jean says, something snapping closed and other things rustling loudly as if she's jockeying her phone. "But I think we've covered everything I need."
Oh how Lumine needs. Snakes a hand down to her clit as Xiao's eyes follow, rides him somehow harder as her mind begins to fade, pleasure searing hotter and hotter.
"Great, that's great," she says, struggling to keep from gasping, from screaming as Xiao sits up, his length striking her sweet spot as he does.
"Stay warm, Lumi. We'll talk again soon!"
She barely has enough sense to rip the earpiece off, to chuck it to the nightstand and see her phone darken before her lover sinks his teeth into her shoulder and she finally finds release.
Lumine screams his name, heat and bliss and sparks blinding as she spasms, core insatiable as she clenches around him, knows only the two of them and the high. Then the sparks light to something hotter, shocking and painful even as it prolongs the pleasure. Xiao hovers above her--when did she hit the bed?--as he locks her legs over his shoulders, pistoning his hips until she loses even the strength to scream. His damp locks brush her cheeks, his fingers pressing her oversensitive clit, his length murdering her still spasming walls.
With a groan, he comes again, her nails buried in his back.
"That was..."
"Exciting?" Lumine asks, muscles still fluttering and trembling despite the break she's given them.
Xiao runs his fingers along her thighs, the evidence of their coupling still wet and thick. She can only imagine how much there is inside.
"Something like that," he murmurs.
She smiles and kisses his cheek, toying with a few wild strands of his hair. And though she knows they haven't actually planted anything--she's taken all the precautions, of course, her career taking priority over any kink--she can't help the shiver that races through her again at the thought.
"And just think," she murmurs and strokes his shaft with a finger, Xiao's eyes narrowing as it perks up again. "We still have the rest of the day to enjoy ourselves."