A Hope in Your Words
Every time Tartaglia and Lumine trained together in the Golden House, they always ended up in the same situation.
It didn't matter who won, how tired they were or what injuries they had received, Tartaglia was so fired up by it all that he couldn't stop and wanted more from his opponent.
Lumine had thought many times that she shouldn't have done that, that she shouldn't have let it happen. Sometimes she had doubts about the rightness of her actions. Tartaglia was probably just taking advantage of her, he couldn't see her as anything more than an opportunity to grow and have fun. He had told her several times that it had been a long time since he had met someone who could bring him so close to his limits, someone with whom he could really enjoy the thrill of a battle. Yet it was enough to lift his blue eyes to her, to remove all her anxiety.
In the end, she persuaded herself in vain, her feelings and instincts always telling her to throw off her chains, to be brave and bold. She fought one of Snezhnaya's strongest men, and more often than not, she was victorious over him, so she deserved to relax a little. But there was one thing that Lumine felt she could never win over him, and that fact totally crushed her heart.
And now it seemed she found herself in the exact same situation.
He was standing in front of her. The young man was standing in front of her, looking at her with fierce eyes. His breathing had not yet completely calmed down, as only minutes ago their weapons had clashed and they had been trying to think of a new trick to surprise the other. Even at this distance, Lumine could see his chest heaving. His hair was dripping with sweat. A mischievous smile spread across his face as it seemed clear to him what was to come next.
"Looks like we're going to have to extend today's training schedule," Tartaglia walked towards her, his footsteps echoing on the dark marble floor. "This fight has got me all excited!"
I should say no to him, I should stop him now, until it's too late. With these thoughts in her head, Lumine watched as Tartaglia moved closer and closer to her. In her mind, she tried to stay strong and not be seduced by any of his glances. If she was able to defeat him again, she could not afford to appear weak after this.
"I see, you doubt yourself lately when I want to have a little more fun with you." he looked down at her, that smile still on his face. "Why should you do that? There's nothing wrong with a little more pleasure. We can get hurt in a fight, and yet you fought me with everything you had!"
He was right, he was absolutely right. They had trained together, sometimes they had suffered serious wounds, and yet she was afraid to let them please each other. Tartaglia was always confident and determined, and he radiated the same to her at times like this. Lumine liked that about him, and yet...
She lowered her head and kept her eyes on the young man's boots instead. "No, Childe." she shook her head, her voice low and a little weak. "I will win both times this time."
"Really?" chuckled Tartaglia. "Please don't leave me like this! You can't just turn me down! You've always–"
"No!" she cut him off. There was begging, yearning, pleading in Tartaglia's voice, and she knew that if she kept listening to him, she would easily do something she would regret later. "No more of this! No more training together! I never want to see you again!"
"Lumine, I beg of you, please don't be so mean to me..." he continued, his voice trailing off by the end of the sentence. As if broken by her sudden statement. "I promise I'll be gentle."
Lumine ignored him. There was no truth in his words anyway. When Tartaglia was really giving it his all and losing his head, he could be as fierce and unpredictable as he had been during their fights. It was as if a hungry demon dwelt within him, constantly urging him to pursue pleasure. She didn't need that at all right now.
But then, unexpectedly, events took a different turn.
Tartaglia leaned closer to her, lifted one arm, and placed his fingers gently, caressingly, on her cheek. Lumine could feel the young man's sweaty palm against her equally clammy skin, brushing against it as it came into contact with the drying sweat drops. Her heart let go of its anger for a moment, and she finally looked up at him.
Everything she saw then only made her forget what she had thought moments ago.
Two blue eyes. They reflected the same emotion she could hear in his voice. Begging, yearning, pleading. Tartaglia's eyebrows were tight and arched upwards, conveying a deep sadness to her.
His eyes! His damned eyes! Lumine thought, and felt that she was affecting him again, felt that she sympathized with him now. It was enough to be touched by his touch and his blue eyes to soothe her. It was enough to make her long for everything that would happen to them afterwards.
The young man's chest heaved. He seemed to need no words to read her thoughts; he knew what she felt. After all this time, it wasn't surprising; Lumine trusted that they knew each other so well.
His fingers, still resting on her cheek, now trailed along her skin, reaching her lips and slowly stroking them. Finishing the movement, his lips quivered into a small smile. "I had a very strange idea for today." Tartaglia spoke to her as if nothing had happened between them before. The disagreement had never existed. Like it was the natural course of things that should happen.
As he finished his words, Tartaglia reached for the brooch that adorned his jacket, placing his fingers behind it and easily snapping the pin out of its place, which attached the object to the fabric, letting go of the chain at the side below. Ridding them, it was the turn of his coat, which he always fastened with a single, unnoticeable hook, and left the rest free. Last of all his mask and his wine-red shirt were similarly left with only a few buttons.
The young man knelt before her, half-naked, his arms stretched out. "See, Lumine, what have you done to me? You were so skillful to wound me!" he continued, and she only now noticed that there was indeed a long wound across his chest. Just below his nipple. Now she could remember the moment she had caused it.
Lumine looked down at him; it was strange to her that she now looked a little taller. "And I've beaten you again!" she said cheekily.
"You did! The Eleventh Fatui Harbinger is truly impressed!" he said playfully. "But it would be even more so if you could get his wounds treated."
What does he mean by "his wounds treated"? Lumine did not understand his words. She stood there, hesitant and surprised, trying to figure out what he was referring to. She didn't have any bandages on her, and anyway... That could only mean one thing.
"Come on, Lumine! Don't keep me waiting!" he grabbed one of her hands and placed his palm over the wound in a single motion. "Lick it! Take a bite! Do anything with it. I want it here and now!" he ordered.
Tartaglia was suddenly quite demanding, but she obeyed him. Still kneeling down, the young man spread his legs, leaving enough room for her. As she crouched down and looked at the ground, she saw that Tartaglia had not lied to her. This fight really had him all worked up. As always. Lumine had to smile at that fact.
Positioning herself in front of him, she wrapped her arms around him, prepared for no turning back after this. She made the decision, unable to resist. She closed her eyes and began to lick the wound with slow movements, her mouth tasting of blood.
"Yes... That's what I want..." the young man panted. "You are very good…"
Encouraged by his compliment, Lumine pulled back her tongue, placed her lips around the wound and sucked in. Tartaglia's body shuddered at her action, a small moan escaping his mouth and his breathing quickening.
"This is what you wanted, right?" she asked. Lumine quite liked this situation, she liked that she was in control this time. She couldn't just dominate the fight. Tartaglia was right, they had never had anything like this before. Certainly not for her. She bent down and sucked again and again on the wound. "You like it that much when it hurts?"
Tartaglia rewarded her with another moan. He lifted his strong arms and rested them on Lumine's back, pulling her closer to him.
How interesting that he used to talk so much, and now he can't? wondered Lumine. She knew that with every act of hers, she was tightening more and more the string of Tartaglia's bow, playing with his patience, but while she could, she wanted to take advantage of it. This was truly the first time it had happened with them, yet she was aware of it, knew it well enough to know it wouldn't last. But the young man liked to have his limits pushed. Why couldn't she give him that?
Gripped by a sudden idea, she aimed at his nipple instead of his wound, took it between her teeth and treated the skin she had taken.
Lumine found his most sensitive spot with this, and the arrow, stretched on the bowstring, unleashed and hit Tartaglia's mind at last.
She didn't realize exactly what happened next. One moment she was kneeling in front of him, now she was lying on the ground with two hungry eyes fixed on her. Tartaglia's heavy breathing indicated to her that she had been able to maintain her superiority so far, and that the limit in this case was not so great.
"Oh, Lumine, Lumine... Did you think you could play this game with me forever?"
"What was the point of all this? You're playing games with me!"
"What for?" laughed Tartaglia. "Don't you still understand? How much I love it when my whole body is filled with adrenaline? The feeling of danger, the racing of my heart? I wanted to know when I was losing my self-control, but you seem to have made me unrestrained too soon."
Lumine then had no time to reply, Tartaglia lowered himself towards him in a riding seat, pinned her arms down and with a gesture of his head ordered her to turn her head to the side. She could not help it, in this situation she was forced to do as he was ordered. The young man nodded and then leaned down to her, the tip of his nose rubbing against her ear several times with passion.
It was a pleasant sensation. She had to admit to herself that it was. His skin against hers, his hot breath as it tickled her senses. It made Lumine relax, close her eyes, forget what Tartaglia had said to her not so long ago...
She had made him unrestrained.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her ear and she was immediately awakened from her calm state.
"Childe!" shouted Lumine, still feeling the fear of the previous shock in her body. The young man's teeth dug deep into the cartilage of her ear. "It hurts!"
Tartaglia pulled away from her at the sound of her voice, his gaze reflecting a slight confusion. "Isn't it customary to return a favor in some way? You have done what I asked, so I will return the same to you."
"Bastard!" She couldn't think of anything else to say, she didn't have any sensible explanation. Indeed, at first she licked his wound, then boldly inflicted pain on him instead. But while it made Tartaglia more excited, it was not good for her.
"But I talk too much! That's the last I'll speak to you for a while." he approached her ear again. "Let us give ourselves over entirely to the pleasures of our bodies," he whispered.
Lumine decided she would not speak to him again. She was just enjoying what they had to give each other; if she opposed it she would make her own situation more difficult. The physical pain didn't really matter compared to what she felt in her soul.
Tartaglia, returning to the place where he had last bitten her, now stuck his tongue in, his teeth also occasionally touching her ear. With each movement he grew fiercer, and the same determination returned to him that she had so recently extinguished.
After a while, bored with her ear, Tartaglia's lips wandered lower and rewarded the delicate skin of her neck with intense kisses. Lumine felt helpless, wishing her arms were free. She wanted to feel his muscular torso, to hold on to him, to claw into him if she had to, but as long as she held him down, there was nothing she could do.
As if he had guessed what she was thinking, Tartaglia let her go. Lumine didn't hesitate; her arms immediately sought his back. What would he say now? Oh, Lumine, how kind you have suddenly become to me! But since they both swore not to speak to each other, she could only guess what he was thinking.
But there was a reason why he lifted his arms from hers. She needed them. With both of them, he reached for the back of Lumine's neck, unlatching the tiny brooch there and releasing the straps of her dress. In one movement Tartaglia exposed both her breasts to him, caressed by the cool air of the room.
A satisfied smile spread across his face, probably pleased with what he saw. He did not wait any longer, as a hungry beast immediately pounced on her, and with fierce movements almost devoured her breasts. Lumine could feel herself losing her senses; Tartaglia was completely enmeshed in her mind and slowly nothing else existed for her but him. Louder and louder moans escaped from her lips, which only encouraged the already determined man.
When Tartaglia finally looked up at her, she saw the same look on his face as when they had first been in this position. Hunger. The young man wanted more than that, wanted more from her body. What exactly could he be thinking now? she wondered. Spread your legs! Now! As soon as Lumine did, Tartaglia slid back. His hard erection stroked her belly, sending a tingling, hot sensation through her body.
Crouching down in front of her, Tartaglia lifted first one leg, then the other, pulling off each of her long white boots that came up to her knees, then turned to her bare legs and kissed her inner thigh. He stopped suddenly when his eyes caught a white, ruffled and damp garment, but after his head instructed her to lift her hips a little, he easily disposed of it.
Tartaglia then put his arms around her spread legs, placed his head between them and licked her. The first was followed by the second, the third, more and more, faster and faster, he caressed her clit. At this rate, I would end up... No, keep going! Lumine's muscles tensed, and in this tense state she felt as if something was about to burst inside her. Her throat went completely dry as she gasped for air, her hips involuntarily lifting so Tartaglia could get even more access. But that certain growing sensation was getting stronger inside her, and with a powerful groan echoing off the empty walls, it finally burst out of her.
Gasping, she tried to pull herself together after her orgasm. Her mind was now completely dulled by the darkness in which only he, Tartaglia, existed after this. But she knew it wasn't over yet.
Through her blurred vision, she saw the young man lick the edge of his mouth, as if he had tasted something delicious. Her mind picked up the clink of metal as Tartaglia fiddled impatiently with his belt. A sigh of relief as his trousers finally stopped squeezing his straining dick. Then she felt an unexpected jolt at her hips...
Lumine's numbness suddenly passed as she realized Tartaglia was moving inside her, panting above her. His violent thrusts became faster and faster, his face closer and closer to hers. But Lumine herself wanted to take her share. Gathering her strength, she lifted her arms from the ground with difficulty and placed them on the back of the young man's head, forcing him to lean down and kiss her. Tartaglia didn't give in so easily, he resisted her, but Lumine wasn't giving up yet. She felt that if she could achieve nothing else, she would at least do this. She longed for his kiss and would have done anything for it.
She wrapped her legs around Tartaglia's hips and, picking up his pace, began to help him too. The man's tense muscles then relaxed slightly, and Lumine swooped down, lifted her head and reached for him. At first she only managed to bite his bottom lip, but with the next push, aided by her fingers, their lips finally touched. Tartaglia, at their next meeting, put his arms behind her head as he bent on the ground and grabbed her hair, surrendering now completely to her kiss. It was all like a duel, which Lumine could win and the winner would get their well-deserved reward at the end.
A wild kiss then ensued between them, where the young man bit her lips several times, their teeth clashed at intervals, their tongues dancing a frantic dance. Only one thing could interrupt it: Lumine's lack of breath. In an unexpected moment, she was forced to release her hold on Tartaglia's lips, who, like her, gasped heavily for air above her.
"Childe... More... Harder... Faster..." moaned Lumine. She had completely forgotten that she had sworn not to speak to him. She was long past the point of sanity. "I want it! I want you!"
Tartaglia, hearing her request, gripped her hair and head even tighter, helping to bring them even closer to climax. The young man kept thrusting into her with his rapid movements, as if only Lumine could give him all of this, as if only she was the one to experience it with. Her loud moans escalated into screams. Their whole bodies were drenched in sweat. They wanted each other. Tartaglia's slow, but quite profound movements finally brought them both to orgasm.
The experience Lumine had after that was like nothing else. Every part of her body was suffused with a feeling of pleasure, and she felt as if Tartaglia had taken her on a journey from which she would find it difficult to return. Soon after, the young man's muscles relaxed, his whole body pressed against her, sliding forward, one arm wrapped around her head. They both knew they were in for an indescribable experience.
- "Childe... I..." said Lumine, staring at the ceiling, her breathing not yet back to normal, the end of the sentence left unfinished. Tartaglia was lying on top of her, his fingers playing with her damp hairline, stroking her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw, even if she didn't turn to look, a satisfied smile spread across his face. Dare I tell him? she wondered. Perhaps he would not answer me after all.
But to her utter dismay, the young man moved closer to her and seemed to finally speak after a long time. "I love fighting with you so much, Lumine!" he said with happiness in his voice. "I love it so much!"
At his words, something in Lumine's soul seemed to go cold, the cruel reality struck her in the face. The last spark of ecstasy from the sex had gone out and was replaced by a smouldering flame of bitterness.
...I love you!
Those were the words she never dared to say to him. She never had the courage to face it.
Lumine was afraid to learn the truth, that Tartaglia probably didn't love her back, but still, the hope that it was not so lived constantly in her soul. Somewhere, deep down, she still trusted that in fact the young man just didn't recognize his feelings, denied them.
After all, what had he said to her now? All sorts of things that might suggest that.
You are very good...
He complimented her.
You have made me unrestrained.
He was affected by her.
But what surprised her most was the way he made her feel like she was all he had.
It all started with just an innocent training session and Tartaglia's unexpected idea. Lumine, on the other hand, was curious, intrigued that her first time could happen with such an attractive young man. But after a while this attraction turned into love and she found herself unable to turn back. His blue eyes, his smile, his confident presence. She fell in love with a man who might never return her feelings.
But Tartaglia was often mean, and Lumine had learned to treat him the same way. In such cases, she fought not only against him, but also against her feelings. She struggled to finally forget him, to get over him, but she felt unable to, unable to give him up. She was caught in an endless cycle from which she could not break free.
The young man stood up at last, pulled his trousers on, fastened his belt back. He picked up his discarded clothes from the ground and put them back on, adjusting his mask over his head. Without even looking at her, he left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
And it was only then that Lumine really felt her feelings, the guilt, the regret that she had once again reached the point she most wanted to avoid, once again unable to resist.
She wished, as her body shook with sobs, that Tartaglia had told her something else, that he had said goodbye to her in a different way.
I love you so much, Lumine! I love you so much!
Lumine hoped these would be his last words to her.