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There was always something about autumn that Lumine liked.
Not only just the stillness of the world, as if time were bleeding into a lazy hum, but it was beautiful. The trees turning from their greens into vibrant golds and reds, blanketing the earth in satisfying crunches. When the wind rustled their leaves, a sense of peace always washed over her, and she’d take a moment to take it all in. Not to mention the fashion of fall was one of her favorites. She couldn’t go wrong with big, oversized sweaters, especially if they were from her boyfriend.
Finally, she got a day off. Trying to push through the week had been a task and a half, and she glanced around the house that she had to herself. Xiao was still working, unfortunately, or she would have spent the entire day cuddling with him. Lord knows how long she would’ve been tied into his grasp. When he was feeling clingy and tired, she was lucky to even go to the bathroom.
She laughed to herself as she set up the candle, thinking of Xiao’s unhappy, tired expression when she tried to leave. His hair would be in a mess, eyes groggy and golden. He’d have a little pout, and grumble something unintelligible before trying to pull her back. What always really got her was his voice when he just woke up. Something about that husky, lower octave sent shivers through her spine. That almost made it worth it to stay in his grasp.
The candle she picked was seasonal, and one she wished were there all year round. Apple cinnamon, heralding the presence of fall. It permeated the room, taking the stress from her bones. She placed it on the mantle of their fireplace, and she took in a refreshing, long breath. It’d been a long time since she’d had the house to herself. It was a little odd, but she was determined to make the most of it. And she was sure that Xiao would be annoyed when he came home. Someday, she hoped that they’d be able to find a better job for him that wasn’t a coding office job.
It was weird to think that she’d been his for 5 years. A stupid smile rushed across her face when she remembered that dorky college student, blush heavy on his face and refusing to meet her eyes. He stuttered through all of his words, barely able to get them out and fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. He held a small bouquet of flowers out to her, and he made sure that they were somewhere that no one else would peek. Aside from Aether. Aether was always there, and he was about ready to jump out of the shadows and beat up Xiao.
It wasn’t a big bouquet of flowers. He must’ve grabbed whatever he could afford. It tickled Lumine’s heart, because she knew just how hard he was struggling with money. His job wasn’t going well, and his boss was a dick. Plus, he hadn’t gotten enough of a scholarship to cover his college books, and had to pay for them out of pocket. So, when he asked her out at the fountain, the prismatic colors of the water dancing in the night air, there was no way that she could’ve said no.
Lumine wandered over to the window, pushing it open and taking in the cold air. The cold was always refreshing for her. And thankfully, fall had the perfect amount of chill. A little nip here and there, but not enough to freeze your toes off. Sweet and lovely. She stood there for a couple of seconds, letting the breeze fall over her, before wandering over to the fireplace and getting a fire started.
At some point, she’d grabbed her earbuds and put on some music. It’d been a productive day; she got a lot of cleaning done, started laundry, and even baked some cookies for when Xiao got home. After all of that, she fell onto the couch with a tired sigh. It wouldn’t be long until Xiao came home, so she grabbed what blankets she could muster and made a very impressive nest if she did say so herself.
She didn’t know how much longer it was, but eventually she heard the door handle jiggle. She’d almost fallen asleep in that time, and she forced herself awake to see him walk through the door. Somedays, Lumine wondered how she managed to get such a good looking guy as her boyfriend. She’d mentioned a couple of times that he’d make a lot of money if he became a magazine model, and he would get that adorable little pout on his face. But I’m reserved for you, he’d say as if it was obvious. Then, he’d turn back to whatever he was doing, leaving Lumine a mess of butterflies.
He’d since taken his formal jacket off, his white, collared shirt unbuttoned at the top. There were a couple of ring earrings that he’d put on, which Lumine always adored. They only let him have a couple of them on at a time, so it was rare that she was able to see all of his piercings on at once. Idly, she wondered if she’d ever be able to get one of those rings on her hand. He’d been forced to put on formal dress pants and shoes, which looked good on him but he always looked so uncomfortable with. But there was always something about his shirt being rolled up to his arms, his jacket slung over his shoulder, and the visible tattoos on his arms that made Lumine’s mind wander many different places.
The moment he came in, he sighed, hanging up his jacket and kicking off his shoes. Already, she could tell that he was miffed. How miffed he was was yet to be determined, but he didn’t seem to notice her presence immediately. Probably still lost in his own little world.
“Hi honey,” Lumine purred, and he glanced over to her. His shoulder slumped when he saw her, and a tired smile immediately washed over him. ‘“Long day?”
“Too long. People are dumbasses,” he growled, shaking his hair like a wet dog. A cute little quirk that he did when he was finally home. “No one knows how to do anything, ever.”
Lumine hummed with a frown. “Was it the new guys?”
“Them and the other assholes from the other departments.” He wandered over to the kitchen, and his eyes immediately spotted the plate full of cookies. “You baked today?”
“Mhm.” Lumine tilted her head and giggled. “I got a lot done today. Laundry’s almost done, too, so you have fresh clothes for tomorrow.”
“Mmn,” Xiao said, already putting a cookie in his mouth. “Berifeback,” he mumbled through it, wandering to their room.
Lumine snickered to herself, watching him leave. She’d learned that she could tell just how bad he was feeling by what he put on after work. It’d become a habit for her. When he came back out without a shirt and some pajamas, she couldn’t help the frown on her face. That meant that he really wasn’t doing okay, but seeing him like this always made her heart race.
Tattoos ran up and down his arms, winding and twisting around his biceps. On the right, an intricate light blue design of a bird. On the left, a twisting snake of black spiraling down to his hand. On every curve, a different flower resembling his friends laid amidst the scales. Around his neck, his necklace of dog tags hung down, clinking as he stood in the middle of the room. They were always on him, hidden just under his shirt. All of that beautiful sexiness was topped off by the very fluffy, white pajama pants with blue birds fluttering around them.
“Did you get a new candle?” He asked, wandering over to the still burning glass.
“Yeah, they had it on sale. Smells good, huh?”
He nodded, looking over to her with a smile. “Yeah. Smells like your perfume. I like it.”
Damn this man and his unintentional smooth talk.
She giggled at him, and he gave her that smile-head-tilt-combo that won her over. Lumine held out her arms to him, giving him grabby hands. “C’mere. I want my boy.”
He snorted, shaking his hair one last time before pulling up the blankets and taking his favorite spot on her chest. His warmth was so nice, and he smelled of fresh flowers and a bit of incense. Lumine wrapped her arms around his neck, placing a kiss to his head as he settled in, nuzzling her neck. She shivered when he snaked his hands under her shirt, landing under her back, and he immediately hummed out in relief.
Lumine learned early on that Xiao had a thing for feeling skin on skin. Never in a sexual way, unless he was feeling up to it. But he’d lost a lot of people in his life, and being able to feel that she was there for sure, by keeping his hands against her skin, was extremely comforting to him. It took her a bit to get used to it, because she didn’t know how to react to such intimacy early on in their relationship. She’d never experienced anything like it, especially not in her previous, shitty relationships. Part of it was scary because of that, and thankfully, he respected that as they eased into it.
But now, such moments like this were paramount. It’d become a much needed decompression for the two of them. As her hand ran through his dark locks, she could hear the long, shaky sigh as he relaxed into her. Her hand ran up and down his back, and he did his best to take in every drop of her. She chuckled when he started to pepper kisses against her neck.
“So, not good today, huh?”
“Mm-mmn. They can’t seem to wrap their heads around the most basic of operations. Those new guys especially.” He clicked his tongue at the memory of them, groaning. “One of them is more flowery words than actual work, and the other is a hard worker but he’s an anxious mess 80% of the time. Very gullible.”
“What were their names again? You mentioned them but I can’t remember.”
“Uuuh… Xingqiu and Chongyun, I think?” He sighed. “Chongyun has promise once he gets the actual coding down, but Xingqiu is just asking to be fired.”
“Why has he not been?”
“Cause he’s the director’s son.”
“Ah. That’d do it.” Lumine pressed another kiss to his head. “Don’t kill them, please.”
He groaned. “Can I at least beat them up?”
“No, because you’ll get fired.”
“I’m okay with that.”
“And also get put in jail.”
“I’m less okay with that.”
Lumine giggled, and she could feel his smile against her neck. Despite his professional appearance, Xiao was actually a war veteran. It surprised her when she first heard about it, but he’d been in service for maybe 4 years before coming back. It hadn’t been easy for him, losing a lot of friends in the process. And when he came back, trying to integrate into society was extremely difficult. So, he fell into the gang scene, staying there for maybe a year or so. It was when he was left in his solitude in a jail cell that he decided it wasn’t for him. He didn’t want it anymore. Said that he’d gotten tired of the bloodshed.
Now, he clung to her like his life depended on it. A puppy dog in her arms. She knew she was well protected with him, and thankfully Aether realized that too. It was hard to imagine such a sweetheart ever doing such horrible actions, but she knew better. It showed in the panicked look he’d get sometimes when he heard a loud noise, or the way that he’d be prepared to attack someone if they walked up behind him. Lumine had learned all of these, like he’d learned her ticks.
The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s warmth and the sound of their heartbeat. The fireplace crackled, and the sweet smell of apple cinnamon wafted through the air. Occasionally, a cold breeze would wander through, but it was negated by the presence of her lover. Lumine ran her hand over the scars on his skin, giving each of them their due and their love. She knew the gunshot wounds on his torso, and the knife wounds on his arms like they were old friends. He’d gone through so much. She had, too, but not to such a degree. So, she did everything she could to make sure that he knew he was loved.
“Lumine?” He mumbled out eventually. There was a sleepiness to his voice, and she couldn’t help the smile on her face.
“Yes?”
“I love you.” He nuzzled further to her neck. “Like, a lot.”
She laughed, and grinned at him as he pushed himself up enough to see her. Damn those eyes of his. Beautifully golden, complementing beautifully with the dark hair and the blue streaks. Sharp features, and a smile that melted her heart. “I love you too,” she purred as he leaned down and placed a long kiss to her. He pulled a happy sigh from her, and one kiss quickly became two, and two became four. She’d never get tired of this.
Lumine had loved before, in the relationships that she’d had. But she loved Xiao, with all her heart. He treated her with all the care and gentleness in the world, and Lumine had never experienced such care and consideration. And in moments like this, it reassured her that he loved her just as much. When he was happily satisfied, he resumed his position on her chest with a happy hum.
As her hands ran through his hair and across his skin, Xiao thanked the Gods for blessing him with such a star. She’d been so patient with him and all of his past, never making a big deal out of it, but simply making sure that he was okay in the smallest ways. She made sure not to be loud with any of the pans, to let him know that she was behind him, and to allow him to have moments like this when his brain was not okay. It spoke volumes to him in ways that flattering words could never do.
They didn’t say much. They didn’t need to. Everything was already said, and had been said a million times over. But there was one thing that Xiao kept close to his chest. It made his heart pound as much as the day that he’d asked her out, his anxiety mingling with the butterflies in his chest. On his laptop, he’d been researching and comparing what the perfect wedding ring would be for her. He prayed that, one, she’d say yes, and two… that she never looked at his search history, because he wanted to make it as special as she was.
As apple cinnamon filled the air, the sound of crackling fire mixing with the crickets and fluttering leaves just outside the window, Xiao found himself quickly falling asleep. Her heartbeat was just as much of a lullaby as the one she hummed for him. The wedding ring would have to wait another day, he lamented. But, at least he knew what candle to bring with him on the next business trip.