Chapter Text
Lohen had never hated his omega nature until that moment.
The walls at The Flagship felt as if they were strangling him under the tense ambience that surrounded the table he sat on. Arms crossed over his chest, and chin held high in defiance, he scowled at the two idiots sitting across from him.
"We accepted a marriage proposal on your behalf," his father deadpanned as if he were talking about the weather. "We think he's a suitable partner for someone like…" He paused. Deprecating eyes looked Lohen up and down. "…You."
True to their dumb words, Lohen was never considered an ideal omega —whatever that was— and he wasn't ashamed of that fact. While omegas were supposed to be sweet, frail, and naive, he was none of those things. Ever since he presented, Lohen knew he would have to work even harder than others to earn a place in the Knights of Favonius. He wasn't stupid, though. Because of his nature, he knew it was dumb to try to match alphas in brute force. With that in mind, he took advantage of speed and his meticulously trained strength to the point that he could even overpower alphas who thought they were better than anyone because of their secondary gender. Fools.
He fought his way up to Vice-Captain of the Knights' Fifth Company. A fact that his parents loathed.
Lohen was born to two stupid parents who pretended to be nobility in a world that didn't need nobles anymore. It was funny how high and mighty they thought of themselves when they were only distant relatives of the Gunnhildr Clan. Despite the Clan throwing away all the stupid nobility rules in favour of protecting Mondstadt, these two clowns aligned with the Lawrence's Clan ideals like the stupid fools they were.
His childhood was a nightmare. Treated as his parents' personal toy, Lohen was forced to live a life he despised. Forced to appear noble and learn how to talk to other nobles, even when nobody gave a shit about nobility anymore. The worst came after he presented. Even when combat skills were highly praised among nobles, they were scorned when it came to omegas. According to their absurd rules, omegas had to act according to their nature. Frail and sweet, they were forced to learn how to cook, dance, sew, use their scents as a weapon of seduction, and look pretty. His parents tried to force all that shit on him, and were only met with protest.
Where they wanted him to dress prim and proper, he came back home with ragged clothes covered in blood. When he was supposed to have amazing cooking skills, fitting of someone who would bear children and start a family, Lohen was a shit cook. He didn't know how to sew, hated dancing for others, had a potty mouth, used scent blockers, and laughed like a maniac at the face of a challenging combat.
His parents wanted a perfect little submissive omega, and Lohen was none of those things.
The first thing he did when he had enough savings was ditch his parents and start his own life away from them and their stupid beliefs. He was finally able to breathe and feel confident in his own skin without anyone looking at him in disdain for it.
And now, here they were.
Lohen let out a sardonic laugh as he tilted his head to the side. "For two miserable wannabe-nobles, you sure are too full of yourselves."
His father's face turned into one full of rage. "You-!"
As always, the man had a short temper, and as always, the woman at his side was the one to calm him down. She stretched an arm in front of the man to stop him from getting up and causing a scene. The guy scoffed but listened, crossing his arms over his chest. His mother's cold blue eyes stared at him. "Don't you think you have humiliated us enough?"
At her words, Lohen let out another laugh. Too bored with this conversation, he looked at his nails and answered, "Nope. In fact, I think you should be humiliated even more."
His father's face turned red as the veins on his neck looked like they were about to pop. He laughed at how stupid the man looked.
Ignoring them, the woman kept taking. "You are to be wed to the current Starshyna's adopted son."
Lohen let out another laugh. "Adopted? Thought you wouldn't steep so low." Which was true. Throughout his life, his parents had tried to marry him off to many alphas in hopes of raising their own social status. Most of them ended with broken limbs and bloody faces, cursing his name and breaking off any arrangement before it even started. His parents' choosing someone adopted wasn't something he expected, because it served no purpose in raising their status.
"We wouldn't, but you're not very valuable, so we think this one is enough."
Yeah, right.
Lohen narrowed his eyes. He could see right through their bullshit. They only wanted a deeper connection in Nod-Krai to continue their questionable business.
"We're already doing business with them, so it's a win-win situation."
See? They were so easy to read.
"Business?"
"Nothing that concerns you."
He snorted. If they thought they could force him into an arranged marriage, they were crazy. It had been a long time since Mondstadt abolished forced marriages that omegas had no right to deny. Nowadays, the marriage contract needed their signature to be considered legal, and he had no intention of signing anything these two fools handed him.
Arms still crossed over his chest with disinterest, Lohen confidently lay back on his chair. "Too bad you need me to sign the contract, too."
"We don't."
"You do. Mondstadt laws."
For the first time during their conversation, Lohen's mother smirked. The gesture was creepy enough to send shivers down his spine. "But we aren't in Mondstadt, are we?"
Her words felt like a bucket of ice water thrown at him.
"Wha-?"
"While Nod-Krai is an autonomous region where people from all over Teyvat congregate, it still has its own laws. Nod-Krai's deep connection to Hyperborea is still shown through rites and practices. One of them is arranged marriages. Parents are to choose the partners of their omega children. Unlike Mondstadt, here, we don't need your opinion on anything."
"You had this all planned out, didn't you?" Lohen practically growled. If it wasn't for his scent blockers, he was sure that the whole place would be filled with the rancid smell of his fury.
Her smirk turned wider. "We already accepted the bridewealth and paid the dowry, so there's nothing you can do but accept."
His father smirked too. "We were kind enough to give them a discount for damaged goods. After all, who in their right mind would want you?"
The woman threw an envelope with the marriage-related papers. "We will meet with them here in three days. Be sure to behave." With that, the nasty couple got up and left, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
For once, Lohen was deemed speechless. He didn't bother to look at the papers.
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The next day, Lohen was fucking pissed. The sole memory of his mother's smirk was enough to make his blood boil. He wasn't sure what kind of face he had, but it must have been scary by the way his subordinates got startled and ran away.
As usual, he went by himself to look out for something or someone to fight with. As he walked along Amsvartir, he looked at the horizon and smirked when his eyes landed on the dark purple fog over Kipumaki Cliff.
Knowing well that the Lightkeepers stationed at Cliffwatch Camp would stop him from going further, Lohen sneaked around. Once he was past the camp, he smiled with glee at the idea of fighting the Wild Hunt. And so, he made his way to the base of the cliff with a skip in his steps and humming happily.
The idea of ripping a wilderness hunter apart was enough to lighten up his mood.
Lohen didn't have to go too far to find one. A little further from the camp, he met a group of wilderness exiles and a hunter roaming around. He licked his lips and felt a shiver run through his spine with the excitement of throwing himself into a battle.
Swift as a shadow, Lohen charged at the beasts full of confidence. Upon noticing his presence, the wilderness monsters roared at him. He didn't give them the time to finish, swinging his polearm and ripping apart two exiles; blood splattered around as flesh fell apart. Laughing from the thrill of putting his life on the line. Lohen rushed towards the hunter with a chilling calmness sharpened from years of training. Each stroke of his polearm made the monster groan in pain, driving it further towards defeat. As the hunter struck back, Lohen felt his own flesh opening, but the burning sensation only made him feel even more alive. With a strong swing, the hunter fell on its knees, and Lohen took the chance to slash away one of its arms, making the beast cry out in pain. Before the hunter could react, Lohen used all his strength to pierce its chest with his polearm. The wilderness monster let out one last whine before getting completely frozen and shattering into pieces. Lohen's body shook with a frenzy that was enough to make him forget his earlier anger.
The thrill of battle was truly the best feeling ever!
Wiping the blood off his cheek with the back of his hand, his smile got wider when three more hunters appeared.
He was ready to strike them down when suddenly, someone grabbed the collar of his clothes, throwing him on his back. Lohen groaned when his body hit the ground with another weight crushing him, eyes closed and body aching from the impact.
"Are you crazy?!" The person over him shouted in a scolding manner.
Opening his eyes, he came face to face with a guy with short silver-beige hair that faded to burgundy on his nape. He had blueish-grey eyes with faint red pupils staring at Lohen in a mix of worry and anger. A red star-shaped earring hung from his left ear. He was dressed in a beige winter coat over a white sweater, a harness across his chest, and brown pants. Lohen also noticed the scar on his neck that disappeared under his clothes. Before he could even think anything about it, Lohen scrunched his nose at the other's scent: sandalwood, amber, and vanilla. It was a nice scent that made his traitorous body feel warm against his will, a thing that made him even more pissed. Overwhelmed by the other's closeness, he turned his head to the side and scowled when his gaze landed on a group of lightkeepers fighting his prey.
Great.
His mood soured again.
Lohen tried to struggle the guy away, only to get his arms pinned down on the ground. He sure was strong for someone who didn't look so soft.
"Move aside. Those are mine to kill," the omega growled.
"You shouldn't even be here! The guys at the camp should've stopped you!"
Lohen rolled his eyes as an answer.
Great at their craft, the Lightkeepers finished the three wilderness hunters in a few minutes. A serious-looking woman with her hair tied in a ponytail approached them. "Squad Leader Illuga! Are you hurt?!"
Illuga.
Lohen was familiar with that name.
The youngest person to ever become a Squad Leader among the Lightkeepers. Rumors ran around Nod-Krai about how this guy always remained positive, even with the tragic aftermath the Wild Hunt left behind. Efficient in his work, Illuga was known for managing his tasks efficiently, as well as being a thoughtful support for his teammates. More than once, Lohen had heard Lightkeepers around Nod-Krai praising the guy. Some wished to work under him, while others said that their lanterns felt warmer when they walked beside Illuga. In short, Lohen's total opposite.
Once the girl got closer, her eyes sharpened with recognition. "Wait! I know him! He's the crazy guy who was fighting exiles near the cemetery. I told him to stop, but he didn't listen and kept going. Anleifr had to help me chase him away."
Still keeping Lohen in place, Illuga's eyes narrowed. "Anleifr?!" He called.
A buff man appeared next to the girl. "Yes, I can confirm. We had a hard time forcing him to leave."
Before they could keep going with their nonsense, Lohen muttered, "Get off."
The serious Squad Leader didn't seem to like his tone because he scowled at Lohen. His mouth opened with the intention of saying something, but no words came out. Illuga's eyes landed on the choker adorning Lohen's neck, and a heavy blush covered his whole face. In a flash, the guy let Lohen go. He stood up and looked to the side with embarrassment setting on his soft features.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
Finally free of the other's weight crushing him, Lohen sat up. Ever the gentleman, Illuga extended one hand as a gesture to help the omega up. He snorted, rejected his help, and got up on his own.
Again, Illuga turned to the side, avoiding his gaze. "Are you hurt anyw-?"
Lohen smirked. "Too shy to talk to an omega?" He asked in a teasing manner.
"What?! No, I-"
He didn't let the flustered alpha finish. Turning on his heels, Lohen mumbled, "Ahh! Now I have to look for a different prey. Goddammit!" He picked up his weapon and walked away, not even glancing at the Lightkeepers once.
"What's his problem?" Anleifr asked.
Illuga hummed. "Let's go back."
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"I heard the Grandmaster scolded you for getting in the Lightkeepers' way," Eula said with her usual calmness as she took a sip of her beer. Sitting at her side, Amber smiled sheepishly, feeling apologetic about the other woman's bluntness. The three sat at a table inside The Flagship, chatting about everything and anything. With Lohen stationed in Nod-Krai as part of the expedition team, it had been a long time since they caught up.
"Why are you here again?" He asked.
"We came to deliver some supplies from Mondstadt, but you already knew that." Eula took another sip of her drink. "You look like you want to kill someone."
"My parents."
His piercing stare fell over Lohen. She blinked. "Ah! I get it."
If there was someone in the world who understood his predicament, it was Eula Lawrence.
As a descendant of the infamous Lawrence Clan, Eula had grown up in a similar situation to Lohen. During her childhood, she was forced to act the part of a noble, even though she despised everything about it. After years of enduring her family's nonsense, she eventually severed her ties with the clan and became captain of the Reconnaissance Company with the Knights of Favonius. Unlike Lohen, though, Eula was an alpha, and as such, she grew up being taught how to fight and be a strong, elegant warrior; a thing that she threw away in favor of becoming a knight. Yet, even when she was an alpha at the top of the social pyramid, her Lawrence blood had the people of Mondstadt looking at her with disdain, something Lohen never had to deal with since his family was distant relatives of a well-seen clan. It was only recently that people started treating Eula with respect after all her efforts to protect Mondstadt alongside all the other knights.
"What did they do this time?" Eula said, looking as done as Lohen.
"Arranged a marriage against my will."
"Isn't that against the law?" Amber added.
He sighed. "Not in Nod-Krai."
Eula hummed. "Sucks to be you, then." Lohen pouted at her words. "Stop pouting. You look even uglier than normal when you do that," she added.
Amber sighed. "Eula… we talked about being brutally honest."
"Shut up."
"Lohen…"
Ignoring his remark, Eula took another sip of her beer. Then, she asked, "So… who are you marrying?"
"Some guy. I didn't look at the papers that woman gave me."
"You didn't even check the name of the guy who wants to marry you?" Amber asked in disbelief.
Lohen shrugged. "I'm breaking off this engagement, so I don't really care." He gulped his beer down, enjoying the crisp flavour. His gaze landed on Amber, who seemed curious about his arranged marriage. Pulling out a crumpled paper from his pants' pocket, he asked her, "Wanna see?"
The big ribbon adorning her head dangled around as she nodded. She uncrumpled the paper and read out loud, "Illuga. Squad Leader of the Nightmare Orioles. Starshyna's Nikita adopted son. Alpha. Twenty-five."
Eula whistled in a teasing way. "Ohhh, he's two years younger than you, Lohen. Good for you. You can steal his collagen."
Lohen, though, wasn't listening at all. His brain was still catching up with Amber's words. He blinked. "Can you repeat that?"
"Illuga. Squad Leader of the Nightmare Orioles. Starshyna's Nikita adopt-"
Without any warning, he collapsed over the table, letting out an embarrassing whine. "Shit! Not him!"
"You know him?" Eula asked, poking one of his cheeks with her index finger.
"Unfortunately. He's the youngest person to ever be a squad leader. Praised by others as a talented person. He's highly respected by his subordinates and wishes to protect everyone in Nod-Krai, even against their will. A goody two-shoes."
"Sounds like an accomplished guy," Amber said.
He threw himself over the table again. "Sounds like a pain in the ass." His words got muffled by the furniture.
"There, there," Eula said as she softly patted his back.
The image of Illuga frowning as he scolded him for being reckless came into his mind. Lohen groaned.
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To be honest, Lohen couldn't care less about the marriage meeting thing his parents came up with, and thus, he went out to slaughter some monsters and waste time. He ended up arriving an hour late to the meeting. As he entered The Flagship, he saw his parents sitting at a table across from a man he supposed was the Starshyna and Illuga. Upon seeing him, his mother frowned a bit, clearly pissed at the blood staining his clothes. In a second, her whole demeanor changed, and she laughed with a sweet smile on her face, one that his father copied. Lohen snorted. What a pair of fake clowns. Even when they feigned innocence, Lohen could clearly see by the way his father's fake smile twitched and his mother's hands curled into fists that they were pissed.
Well, he was only there for things to move quicker, so he could ruin the stupid engagement.
He smiled and approached their table as if nothing had happened.
His mother, the great actress, kept the sweet smile on her lips as she gently grabbed his hand. Lohen wanted nothing more than to pull out of her grasp. "This is Lohen, our son."
"Pleased to meet you," he added with a fake ass smile that rivaled his mother's.
Starshyna Nikita took his time to look at him from head to toe, almost as if he were analyzing the way Lohen breathed. The man narrowed his eyes, probably feeling that something was amiss with this fake-ass family. A perceptive one. Just what Lohen expected of the man leading the Lightkeepers. He nodded politely and said, "The pleasure's ours." Sitting at his side, Illuga also gave him a polite nod.
Yep. A goody two-shoes.
Sitting down next to his mother was one of the worst experiences in Lohen's whole life. Under the table, her hand circled his wrist, stopping him from even thinking about leaving. Every time she wanted him to smile and nod, she squeezed his wrist in a way that pissed him off, but he kept the innocent act. After all, there was nothing he could do other than wait for Illuga to break their engagement, and he was already thinking about how he would push the guy to do exactly that.
Lohen sat there with a smile like the perfect doll his parents wanted him to be. Yet, unwilling to take any part in their bullshit, he ignored everything his parents said. Every single word.
After some minutes spent staring at the table while thinking about how to get out of the stupid marriage, he felt someone's eyes on him. Sure enough, when Lohen raised his head, his eyes met Illuga's. Not expecting to be caught, the guy blushed a bit and looked away. Lohen almost snorted.
Stupid.
"This marriage will strengthen our relationship. You and your Lightkeepers won't have to worry about supplies and resources anymore. We'll make sure to deliver them on time and with a discount," Lohen's father said with the stupid fake smile never leaving his dumb face.
Ah! There it was. That's what his idiot parents wanted. They wanted to scam the Lightkeepers by reselling supplies that they bought from the Fatui. What a disgusting pair.
"We should decide a date for the wedding," his mother added with an equally stupid smile. They were clearly in a rush to seal this deal.
Nikita though, seemed to be wary of their bullshit. "Before that, I think it would be great if they had time to get to know each other better!" Though small, the smile he threw at Lohen was full of warmth. Unlike his idiot parents, this man knew what he was doing. Good for him. Lohen smiled back at him softly. Then, the Starshyna turned to his parents, "Don't you think so?"
They both forced another smile, "O-of course." The omega almost snorted at the way their faces twitched from holding such a fake expression on their faces.
Before those two could mutter any more bullshit, Lohen excused himself, "Sorry, but I still have work I need to finish."
"Of course! We can talk another time! It truly was a pleasure to meet you." The Starshyna smiled at him again. He felt bad for this man. Maybe he could tell him about his family's plans in the future and get him to cancel whatever their arrangement was. Whatever the case, he smiled at him and left.
The heavy gaze of his parents over his back felt disgusting.
Once outside, Lohen's face contorted into one full of displeasure. He marched away in anger, a scowl setting on his features. "Those fuckers…"
"Finally showing your true colors?"
Turning around, he found Illuga leaning on a wall with his arms crossed over his chest, carefully analyzing him. One of Lohen's eyes twitched, yet he smiled sweetly.
"My, I didn't know the Squad Leader enjoyed stalking people," he spoke with a mix of honey and venom in his voice.
Illuga ignores his antics. "You forgot this," he said, pulling out a small black square box from his coat's pocket. The sight of that thing got Lohen even more pissed off. Still, he remained in place as the alpha approached slowly, almost as if Lohen was a wounded beast.
Well, at least he was a smart one.
Finally standing face to face, Illuga took Lohen's left hand gently between his own. Almost as if the omega was something precious, he gently took Lohen's glove off. With all the care in the world, Illuga slid the engagement ring on his finger. Lohen disliked everything about that situation, but at least the ring wasn't as flamboyant as his parents probably wanted. It was a simple gold band with three small diamonds embedded in it. Simple but beautiful. Lohen found himself staring at it while thinking that the ring didn't look Bad om his finger. Realizing the nosense he was thinking about, he blushed a bit and hated himself for even thinking such absurd thoughts.
From the corner of his eyes, Lohen saw the other smirking. Clearly, he has seen how dumbfounded the omega was at the stupid ring and found it amusing.
"You seem to be enjoying this," Lohen said with a scoff.
Illuga hummed. "It looks pretty on you."
Lohen snorted. He looked at the ring with annoyance, because he agreed that the thing looked nice, but he didn't like those thoughts one bit. "Don't get used to seeing this thing on my hand. I'm getting rid of this engagement."
Illuga's piercing gaze caught Lohen's eyes, and the latter felt disarmed. The alpha grabbed his hand softly, caressing Lohen's fingers with his own in a teasing way that had the omega blushing. Then, he brought Lohen's hand to his lips, blushing a tender kiss over his ring finger. Lohen almost cursed out loud because of the way his heart raced. After his little stunt, Illuga found his eyes and smirked.
Ah! The little shit was as cunning as himself.
"Sure. Do your best," the younger man said with a lovely smile gracing his features.
Fuck him.
With another scoff, Lohen turned around and walked away fuming. He was definitely breaking off this engagement.
Even if he died in the process.