Chapter Text
After the huge kerfuffle with the smuggler in Film Fantasyland, Ifa had expected things to calm down. At least enough for him and his friends to hang out together. It was their first time beyond Natlan’s borders, after all. But his hopes had faded like a whistle in the wind upon encountering the Fontainian judicial system.
Or, more accurately, the insane amount of paperwork that accompanied it.
As active participants in the ploy to apprehend the smuggler, Kinich, Ororon, and even Cacucu had to spend a fair amount of time giving their statements to the Marechaussee Phantom. Ifa was still classified as a civilian for the incident, so he dodged having to wait in those cramped halls of the Palais Mermonia, but it also meant he had no one to hang out with. He could certainly go and watch more films, but without Ororon’s off-kilter observations, it just wasn’t the same. To avoid feeling like a caged qucusaur, Ifa took to the streets of Fontaine to soak in the sights.
The Court of Fontaine was a far cry from the towns in Natlan. Everything was so clean and polished, devoid of even the smallest splash of colorful graffiti. It was beautiful in its own way, like an art piece painstakingly maintained within a glass case. Ifa could never imagine living in such an orderly city, but he couldn’t deny it had its charm. He particularly enjoyed the numerous fountains, each adding some much-needed motion to the otherwise rigid architecture. It was while resting his feet by the Central Plaza Fountain that he heard a familiar voice over the crash of flowing water.
“Hey, Ifa! Didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Ifa turned toward the voice and was greeted with the pleasant sight of Lumine strolling his way. Her shout drew the attention of more than a few people, but then again, how could she not draw peoples’ gaze? She moved with an easy grace he’d only seen from Iktomisaurs, the fluttering of her layered dress almost hypnotic as she walked. Her hair glittered gold in the sunlight, and Ifa couldn’t help but mirror her warm smile as she reached his side.
“Hey there, bro! How’s it goin’?” A moment passed before Ifa’s words registered in his own mind. “Oh, wait… you’re not really a ‘bro’, are you? Sorry about that, Lumine.”
Letting out an amused huff, Lumine shook her head. “It’s fine. I get called a lot of things, and ‘bro’ is far from my least favorite moniker.” In a smooth motion, she sat next to him, the smell of exotic flowers buffeting Ifa for a moment before it faded into the background. “Anyway, what are you up to today? Any exciting things planned for your vacation?”
Ifa chuckled and shrugged. “Not at the moment. I was thinking of going to the new theme park, but it just doesn’t feel fair since Ororon and I planned on going together.”
“That would put a damper on things. Like if I went to an all-you-can-eat buffet without Paimon. I’d never hear the end of it!”
“Exactly!” Ifa could perfectly imagine the look of utter betrayal and disgust on the poor fairy’s face in such a scenario. It likely wouldn’t be all that dissimilar to Ororon’s pouting, though perhaps with less guilt-inducing, puppy-dog eyes. “So now I’m just sight-seeing by myself, I guess.”
“And how are you enjoying it so far?”
Ifa leaned back on the bench, turning the question over in his mind as he watched the fountain’s many concentric rings slowly spin. He couldn’t say that he’d choose to wander around the city by himself, even if it was nice to zone out while taking in the scenery. It was in Ifa’s nature to be social; after all, a lone Qucusaur flying around was an easy target.
“Think I’d prefer to have company, if I’m being totally honest.”
“I know how you feel. Exploring is always more fun with friends.”
Lumine adjusted how she was sitting, and Ifa couldn’t help but notice that she was significantly closer to him when she settled. If he wanted, he could easily lay his arm around her shoulders and pull her even closer. However, Ifa was nowhere near that bold, even with people he knew well, and Lumine – Tumaini, the Hope of Natlan – was little more than an acquaintance, albeit one he wouldn’t mind getting to know better.
He was spared of an awkward silence by Lumine clearing her throat and asking nonchalantly, “Would you like me to keep you company? I’ve been all over Fontaine, so I can show you some of the best spots for sightseeing.”
“Yeah, I’d love that!” Ifa said, a bit quicker than necessary. “What’d you have in mind?”
Lumine hopped to her feet with a smile, offering her hand to him like every gentleman did in the movies he’d seen. “Just pick a direction,” she chirped, “and I’ll lead the way.”
* * * * * * * * * *
The rest of the day passed in a whirlwind of activity. Ifa hadn’t realized how many places one could visit in a day until he had Lumine leading the charge. From climbing the mountains of Elynas and taking a balloon ride to the highest point of the Court, to the depths of the hidden Melusine Village and the long beaches with pods of blubberbeasts resting peacefully, it felt as though there wasn’t an inch of Fontaine she hadn’t shown him in one way or another.
As the sun sank to the horizon, however, their stamina waned, and Ifa somehow managed to guide them back to the Hotel Debord for a meal. Neither ate much, and so they shared just a bit more time chatting over tea. Once their cups were dry, Lumine escorted Ifa to his room.
“Well, here we are,” Ifa said, digging in his pocket for the room key. “Guess you’ve got your own accommodations sorted, so this is where we say ‘see ya later’, yeah?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Lumine sighed. “I’ll… see you tomorrow?”
“Yeah! Tomorrow!” Ifa swore there was more than just exhaustion in her voice, almost as if she were… disappointed. Whatever it was, he didn’t think he could sort it out that night. “Anyway, thanks for showing me around today, br– Lumine. Next time you’re in Natlan, swing by my place, and I’ll be sure to return the favor.”
With a hand on the door, Ifa looked back at Lumine one more time, to properly see her off. Just to look her in the eye as they said their farewells. But the halo of light cast by the Hotel Debord’s chandelier almost swirled around her, taking his breath away as if Lumine herself was a shining star. Her lips curled up sweetly as she stifled a giggle, presumably at his verbal slip-up, but that was hardly on his mind as it hit Ifa just how pretty she was. A simple wave goodbye didn’t feel like enough. Before he could think twice, Ifa leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
“So, uh, be seeing you around then?” Ifa tugged the brim of his hat down as he pulled away, a futile attempt to cover the rapidly growing blush across his cheeks. “G’night, Lu—”
Without warning, Ifa found himself muffled as Lumine pulled him down and pressed her lips to his. It was far from the chaste little thing he’d given her; this kiss was meant to linger, and so Ifa let his eyes close, going with the flow of whatever passionate riptide had caught him and bringing a hand to her waist as an anchor. Lumine wrapped a slender hand around the back of his neck, keeping him steady as she slipped her tongue past his lips, bringing the sweet tang of bulle fruit juice with it. He moaned softly as she leisurely explored his mouth, the halls around them momentarily forgotten.
“Whoa…” Ifa gasped quietly when she pulled away, his mind only barely catching up with the situation. “No idea what I did to deserve that kind of send-off, but you won’t hear me complaining.”
A small chuckle bubbled up from Lumine’s chest. “You know, we don’t have to part ways quite yet.” Her sly smile seemed like it would be at-odds with her ethereal beauty, but on her lips, such cunning looked almost… natural. And Ifa could feel his blood rushing south at the sultry whisper her voice had fallen to. “I’m quite fond of you, and I’d really like to spend some of our time together a bit more… intimately.”
Were my pants always this tight? Ifa thought as his mind rushed to catch up to what his body already knew. Never had he been propositioned quite so boldly, and damn if he didn’t want to accept immediately. But the lead in a romance movie, Ifa was not, and he refused to go further without Lumine knowing that. His pride would never survive disappointing her in the bedroom.
“I’d, uh, really like that, but…” Ifa swallowed thickly, tearing his eyes away from her expectant gaze. “I’m not exactly the best at this stuff. Though, if you’re okay with a bit of a lackluster performance, then I’m down.”
Lumine snickered softly and shook her head. “That’s not a problem. I prefer leading anyway, and I’d love to hear you sing. Just.” She delicately tucked a piece of hair behind his ear. “For.” Her finger followed the curve of his jawline, across his cheek, burning a path with her touch. “Me.” She brought her finger to rest against his lips, tracing them as if memorizing a newly-made map.
A choked sound escaped Ifa’s lips that landed somewhere between “oh, yes” and “gods, please”. Making any sort of coherent statement seemed an enormous task at that moment, so he simply settled on nodding vigorously. His clumsy attempts to get the door open felt impossibly long, the simple task of turning the handle made difficult as his mind whirled with thoughts of Lumine touching — fondling — his body. The moment they were inside with the lock firmly latched, he went to kiss her again.
Only to find himself pinned against the door, Lumine’s lips swallowing his needy moans. She was far fiercer that time, tangling a hand in his hair, holding him steady as she explored his mouth at her leisure. Lumine’s free hand went to Ifa’s thigh, hoisting his leg over her hip as she pressed their bodies together. He could do little more than hold on as she swept him into her pace.
“Your voice is so pretty, Ifa,” Lumine sighed, pressing her knee against the tent in his pants. “You can sing a bit louder, can’t you?”
“Ah~” Ifa moaned softly before Lumine resumed ravaging his lips. He wasn’t sure he could get much harder, but her request made his belly tighten in anticipation. Gods, please, make me sing, Lumine. Show me what you can do to me. “Bed… Room...” Ifa gasped in the short pause for breath. “To your right… Ah!”
Lumine barely gave him time to finish his thought before hoisting him into her arms. “Impatient, are we?” she chided, striding into the cozy bedroom anyway. “That eager to be ravished?”
“Can you blame me?” His breath stuttered over the last word, trembling as Lumine pressed her lips to his neck. “I ain’t been in this position before. Wanna see what it’s like, y’know?”
Her lips curled into a smile against his skin, mischievously nibbling as she spoke. “Then I’ll do my best to impress. But first…” Lumine sat him down on the end of the plush bed, pulling away to look him in the eye. The sly glint had vanished, replaced with an earnest glimmer, and she tenderly cupped his face. “Do you like giving or… receiving?”
Ifa blinked slowly. He’d never given that question much thought. There wasn’t any need to when his partners either wanted him to do the penetrating or limited their sexual activities to touching. Of course, when he was younger and just discovered what sex was, Ifa had spent some time with his fingers up his ass, just to see what it was like, but the experience didn’t leave a strong impression on him one way or the other. Now that he was being given options, he wasn’t quite sure how to answer.
“Don’t think I have a preference. Never been on the receiving end myself, but I ain’t opposed to it,” Ifa shrugged. “What do you prefer?”
Lumine’s eyes lit up like a beacon in the night. “I prefer giving.” Her hands drifted down his shoulders, thumbing the collar of his jacket like a child ready to unwrap a gift. “I love laying my partner down and watching them come undone as I’m pounding inside them. But for your first time… I promise I’ll be a gentle lover.”
“Works for me.” Ifa deftly caught her hand, raising it to his lips and placing a kiss on her fingers. “Show me whatcha got.”