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“Hunt! We see eachother again.”
Lan turns around after hearing Nanook’s call, taking off their crown the moment they notice the Aeon coming closer to their position. Hitting the space with one of their hoofs they get to change where their body was aiming, now standing face to face with The Destruction. Seeing their beloved Hunt completely unmasked makes Nanook stop for a second, just staring into Lan's bare face for what felt like ages. It was not usual for them to keep their crown off their face, despite the time they have been together.
“Is the silence planned?”
The Hunt was not one to hold their punches, very well known amongst the others for being a blunt one. But Nanook was just as honest… majority of the time. The Destruction's brows frowned at those words, ending up coming near The Hunt, crossing both arms and tilting their head slightly back to show mild annoyance.
“It was, clearly. Why would it not be?”
“Since you called for me, I was expecting you to inquire about something.”
Completely honest about anything but their feelings, Nanook was still getting used to that kind of partnership, but it also did not mean they would change all their ways in a heartbeat just because their feelings were requited.
“Maybe if you had kept the crown on I could have done so.”
“Oh? Is my face all that distracting? You previously mentioned that my crown made it seem like I was not paying attention.”
Nanook indeed did ask for that, but they never imagined that the alternative would have an even worse effect on their entire system. It certainly was counterproductive, but going back on their word was not Nanook's way of working.
“It does, when you have it on I can't see your eyes and it bothers me.”
Lan keeps their crown on one hand, making it disappear in a second looking for comfort and range of movement. The Aeon slowly closes in on Nanook who stopped at a ‘safe’ distance from the other, tilting their head extremely curious about that statement, all while their long hair fell to a side having a part of it still rested on their back.
“You can see my eyes now, I am paying attention to you. I always do, in fact. You should never doubt that.”
Nanook felt they were getting hunted by Lan somehow, like their feelings were being targeted and exposed raw to an audience composed only by their companion, stripped of any sort of protection. It was the eyes, sharp akin to their own Lux Arrow. Nanook thought that, with a single look, they would have been able to pierce Yaoshi’s Aeonic self and end their sovereignty over the Path of Abundance. Stupid as it felt, The Destruction would never let another Aeon overpower them, especially one that was not nearly as old as the rest and was the closest to themselves in age.
“Another planned sile–”
And silence it was, but not in the way Lan could have ever expected it to be. Before being able to fully finish the sentence, Nanook got a hold of Lan's face and pulled them in to completely shut them up with their own lips. Lan's eyes widened for a split second, losing their common sharpness before holding tightly onto Nanook's shoulders, keeping the other in place while they leaned in to correspond.
None of them wanted to lose to the other, not even then.
Like the slow movement tectonic plates that finally released to form an earthquake, both Aeons pushed against the other in a battle that anyone would deem too aggressive to be considered a form of affection. But Aeons weren't mortals, they were not bound by what the non-ascended deemed the correct or incorrect ways and, as such, there was no one to tell them how they should do anything, especially since none of the two had previous practice in what came to relationships of that nature. One of Nanook's hands gets a tight hold of Lan's neck to keep them close, not minding their own shoulders having an iron grip from their partner. Rather than a kiss, it was a battle for dominance to see who gave in first, the two most stubborn beings not wanting to yield before the other. Despite that, their eyes were closed, Lan's hoof hitting the space while accidentally stomping through a planet.
Pulling away ended up being the job of both parties, Nanook taking a hand to their own mouth before seeing strings of gold stream down their face and palm. Lan wasn't left unharmed either, keeping their own mouth shut before a thin stream of dark blue escaped from it. They bit each other off.
“What even…”
“Your eyes… those damn eyes…”
Even when the kiss finished, Nanook’s hands returned to Lan's face, bringing it closer to their own and staring directly into Lan's arrow-sharp eyes. The piercing gaze was focused on Nanook, as a slight purple tinted The Hunt's now flushed face despite the seriousness of their expression. Yes, it was usual to see Nanook be so focused and their eyes beaming with a constant tint of determination, but the sudden return to a lack of space between the two just made the golden of them seem more intense.
“You…”
Lan starts speaking, but they get immediately interrupted by their companion, whose voice would have sounded aggressive for anyone that was not used to the firm tone of The Destruction.
“Shut it, I do not want to hear it.”
“I should pierce you with my arrow for biting my tongue off.”
“I am spitting gold… I will not hear that from you.”
Nanook leans forward again, pressing their own forehead against Lan's, narrowing their eyes while trying to keep them meeting the other's. The Destruction did not want to budge, ‘bow down’ to The Hunt, always wanting to meet Lan face to face and no less. Nanook’s hands were still on the other's face, both holding a sort of untold staring contest, as if making everything a competition was part of their relationship.
“Your eyes are intense… Destruction.”
“I could say the same.”
The intense looks never wavered, every little battle only made them feel more for the other, but their personalities never softened enough for anyone other than them to notice. Nanook's hands finally gave in, their fingers deciding to tangle themselves in Lan's hair. They couldn't hug the other properly thanks to how their arms became once ascended. That bit was frustrating, but nothing they couldn't work around. The sharp, golden eyes trailed down Lan's glowing hair, meeting the hand that was playing with it with a care fit for a feather. Nanook’s destruction had an objective of total annihilation, but they knew where to focus to do so; like that, they learned how to be precise when required.
“Such gentle gesture and yet your eyes still seem to pierce through the galaxy.”
“My determination goes beyond my actions, Hunt.”
“And that is what made me accept intertwining my path with yours.”
This next silence was another unplanned one on Nanook's side, hearing their partner comment that in such a forward manner made their own face heat up. While not being able to hug them the way they wanted to, The Destruction still took the time to hold tightly onto Lan's arm and bring it closer to their face, biting down with unrestrained force which made The Hunt flinch slightly, but not enough to want to stop the other's actions. Lan's horse-like legs move hitting the void they stood on once more, frowning slightly.
“What are you doing?”
Without a word of regret, Nanook finally released their companion's arm, their entire mouth filled with the same blue ‘blood’ that previously came out of Lan's mouth thanks to the cutting of the tongue.
“Are you done?”
“With you? Never”
The Hunt clicks their now healed tongue when they hear those words, rubbing their arm and seeing how that wound also disappeared and healed immediately to Nanook's annoyance.
“I will have to make a more permanent one next time…”
“As a heads up, remember hunters do not lower their guard. So I will not let you make one that easily”
The Destruction scoffs after those words, showing their fist to the other while pretending to throw a threat their way, but it was nothing more than yet another challenge.
“Out of everyone, I would feel offended if you were to think I wanted you to let me do it the easy way. I will destroy your defenses so they will be useless around me.”
“Only around you?”
“Did I stutter?”
After saying that, Nanook leans closer to Lan's face once again, their eyes glowing with an implicit challenge on them. The hunter narrows their own, admiring how The Destruction seemed to be seething inside with an untold feeling. Before this one got to explode and release, Lan took two steps forward and held Nanook's waist crossing both their own arms on the other Aeon's back, pressing them to their shape and closing the gap between their bodies.
Another kiss didn't wait long before occurring, this one being just as aggressive as the previous one. Nanook did not shy away from the biting, their tongue had healed already and Lan's too, it was nothing to bite each other again. The Destruction's hands end up holding tightly onto The Hunt's hair, both looking like they were actively fighting with their mouths instead of fists or weapons. Their eyes were closed tight, almost clenched as if trying to forcefully keep them shut, liquid threads of gold and deep blue mixing as they streamed down the sides of their lips. They pressed against each other, both their faces and own celestial bodies, only pulling away after the aggression ceased and they felt more calm, Nanook did not take long before holding Lan's chin tightly with their hand, pressing their face against The Hunt's cheek as if they wanted to imprint their own face on it. Lan was used to this already, only closing their eyes whenever Nanook decided to breathe in hard against their cheek, the arms around The Destruction’s body not leaving their position.
“You smell good.”
The Hunt did not respond to that right away, they knew that was Nanook's way of showing affection, they have talked about that before since the first time they did it Lan was utterly surprised by how different it felt compared to a usual kiss on the cheek. The Destruction oftentimes did it as a greeting, though only to them, but from time to time they felt the need to do it throughout the duration of their encounters.
“It is… endearing when you do that.”
That was unexpected coming from Lan's side, explicit words of affection being outside of the norm, but Nanook felt they could blow up the Imaginary Tree after such sentence. Pretending to be unaffected they just looked back at The Hunt, nodding a couple of times before crossing their arms how they could.
“I can show you how to do it.”
“I don't not think…”
Nanook was staring, but there was a reflection in those eyes they had never shown before, and it was not only Lan’s. The Destruction's iris reflected the glimmer of a child's hope, they have always been the one more connected to their pre-ascension self, even more than Lan, and they could recognize that.
“It would be my utmost pleasure to learn of the customs of your people.”
The glimmer was maintained after the acceptance, Nanook taking the time to repeat the previous action, Lan feeling like the other wanted to make a hole on their face by how strongly they pressed against their cheek with their own. Yet, Nanook always highlighted it as a sign of affection and The Hunt wouldn't argue against that, as they believed their companion wholeheartedly and the gesture was the complete opposite of bothersome.
The other Aeons were surprised when the partnership became official, as none of them had shown any interest in similar matters beforehand. But it was still not unheard of that Aeons formed all kinds of companionships, be it romantic, platonic or purely of friendship. Regardless, the mortals didn't know, both Aeons did not feel the need to tell their factions and followers, as it was completely beside the point of their path. Yet, collaborations between the Xianzhou Alliance and the Antimatter Legion for the destruction of planets loaded by The Abundance became less and less unheard of with time.