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Lohen stood beside the monster's disintegrating corpse, not even sparing a thought for the blood staining his clothes and face. Despite the recent battle, he was bored. He didn't chase them all the way here for these weaklings that couldn't even last a minute under him. He craved a satisfying fight, but unfortunately for him, all the wild hunts in the vicinity seemed to have gone on a group vacation.
His ears picked up the shift in the air before he saw the figure moving towards him at alarming speed. The person who's running for their life was barely recognizable at the speed he was moving, but Lohen picked up certain features as he got closer. Silver-grey hair with dark red tips, about the same height as him, with a lantern that was way too bright it almost blinded him, and a golden messenger bird flying above him. That must be Illuga, the squad captain of the Lightkeepers he'd heard from Varka and only met in passing. If Varka's words were true--Lohen usually took Varka's words at 50% credibility--Illuga was certainly capable in a fight. Which means whatever monster that had gotten him to escape like this must be excitingly powerful.
Now that would be a good fight.
"Hey! Illuga, is it?" He called out, picking up his polearm from the ground, "what's gotten you like this?"
Illuga looked like he really didn't want to stop to answer the question, but he did.
"Shhhhhh! Don't...yell my name...like that!"
Illuga's breathing was ragged. His skin glistened with sweat and his hair sticky on his forehead. His red and blue eyes were wide open in a state of panic.
Cute. He also looked like he could collapse the next second.
"Got some monsters on your tail?" Lohen said, "want me to take care of them?"
"What?" Illuga's eyes widened, "no, you musn't--"
"Don't try to stop me, birdie. I've got this."
"That's not what I meant--"
Aedon suddenly let out a cry of warning, his beak tugged at Illuga's hair, rushing him back into action. Whatever remaining color faded from Illuga's face. He jumped up, and without any further explanation, grabbed Lohen firmly on the wrist and started running again. Lohen was caught by surprise and almost stumbled, but he quickly caught his feet. He suspected Illuga wouldn't have stopped even if he did fall.
"Hey! What the fuck are you doing?" Lohen protested.
"Sorry!"
So he said, but he showed no sign of slowing down or stopping, nor did he offer an explanation. This was the young captain he'd heard so much about, the squad leader who's always making sure everyone's warm enough and offering them hot soup. So much for the rumors, because this guy was definitely not sparing a thought of what he's putting Lohen through right now. Illuga didn't even spare his now captive a glance. Instead, he was busy scanning the area with a dead serious look on his face, taking them into less travelled roads and well into the mountains.
Lohen let curiosity take over him. After all, he was bored. This may not be the fight he wanted, but it's a much better alternative than scanning the coastline for slimes to stab or going back to the meeting at the keep about supplies. He could free himself if he really wanted to, but he decided against it. He would see what this was all about, and he could wait a bit longer to get Illuga to talk. Illuga was much stronger than he looked, and he probably didn't even notice how hard he was holding onto Lohen. Lohen's wrist throbbed with pain, his lung was burning from all the running, but that only added to the excitement. What would it be like if those hands were on his throat? Would he be panting like right now when he's on top of him? Lohen stared at Illuga's profile all he wanted, because there's no way Illuga could notice now, and let random thoughts cross his mind.
Illuga got them into a cave that Lohen never knew existed. Illuga asked the golden bird to keep watch at the entrance of the cave, and they could finally catch a breath, except Lohen didn't give Illuga a chance to do so. Illuga barely sat down against the wall when Lohen lunged forward. Illuga's instinct took over and his body rolled to the left side. The tip of Lohen's spear plunged into the wall just a moment later, where Illuga's ear had been.
"Not bad." Lohen nodded approvingly.
"What's that for?" Illuga cried.
"That's my line." Lohen's hand caught Illuga's collar, his knee between Illuga's legs, his voice low and raspy, "you dragged me all the way into archons know where. You owe me an explanation."
Illuga averted his eyes, "You're right. I apologize, Sir Lohen. I shouldn't have dragged you into this."
"Lohen is fine."
"Can you let me go, Lohen?"
"Fight me, or tell me what's going on."
Illuga bit his lips, seemingly weighing his options. Lohen stared, imagining blood on it. Maybe his own.
"There's no shame in admitting your limits, " Lohen smiled, a bit twisted, "that was quite the sight, running with your tail between your legs like that. Lightkeepers sure are something, aren't they?"
As if a switch was flipped, Illuga launched himself at him, and a blink after he was the one pinning Lohen on the ground. Illuga straddled him, his left hand grabbed Lohen's collar and his right fist swinging high.
Too easy.
"Don't you dare say that about the Lightkeepers!"
"Go on, show me what you've got." Illuga's fist was inches away from Lohen's nose. Lohen pulled his other hand onto his choker. "If you're not going to talk, let's fight."
Illuga for a moment looked like he's really about to give in, but he halted his fist. "No."
"Do I have to taunt you again?"
"You've done a great job making me want to hit you." Illuga shook his head, "but...it wouldn't be right to hurt you, especially after getting you involved in my...problems. I feel bad enough as is."
"Confident, aren't you?" Lohen's legs wrapped around Illuga's body, and in a blink their positions were flipped again. This time Lohen had his dagger out, the blade hovering above Illuga's skin.
"Tell me what's going on." Lohen demanded.
"Fine," Illuga struggled, face getting redder and redder, "just...don't laugh at me."
"Oh, I make no promises." Lohen smirked. This is getting delicious.
"Ugh," Illuga gave up, "I was being chased by--"
Aedon suddenly charged towards them and let out a loud cry of warning. At the same time, a woman's voice came through.
"Mr. Illuga? Are you there?"
"Shit." Illuga whispered with despair in his eyes, "she's here."
"Wow, didn't know you had it in you." Lohen whistled, "what did you do to the poor lady?"
"It's not like that!" Illuga cried, "that's Miss Ineffa, She's...Miss Aino's teaching assistant."
Lohen waited. Illuga took a deep breath.
"I was supposed to be in Miss Aino's class today," Illuga buried his face in his hand, "but I ditched class to get some work done. And...and Aino sent Ineffa to catch everyone who's ran off!"
Lohen's eyes widened in disbelief.
"So you meant to tell me," he's practically shaking with laughter now, "all of this was because you ditched class?"
"Yes, laugh at me later, we have to run now!"
"We?"
"Well, I can't just leave you here! It's almost dark and you don't know the way back!"
"You're the one who dragged me all the way here!"
"Because I can't let you attack her!" Illuga was almost frantic, "Look--I'm sorry. I promise I'll get you out of here safe and make it up to you, so please--"
He grabbed Lohen's arm and tried to run again. Only to collapse on the ground a second later.
"Um. Are you okay?" Lohen let Illuga use him to pull himself up.
"Yeah, I tripped earlier." Illuga winced as soon as he put weight on his left foot. " I...didn't even notice it's hurting until now."
Lohen frowned. Did he ran all this way on a sprained ankle without even noticing? The fine line between pushing one's limit and knowing when to pull back was what made the fight exhlirating. Being ignorant of the line was equivalent to asking to get killed on the battlefield.
"Let me see it."
"It's ok, I don't think it's broken." Illuga sat on the ground, burying his head in his arms, "ah, I guess I have to go back to class now. I have so many reports to go through too, and my patrols--"
"Is that really your top concern right now?"
"I'll get you back to your camp too. I didn't forget." Illuga looked at him, dead serious.
Lohen shook his head. This guy is insane. It's a strange yet refreshing thought, because he's usually on the receiving end of such a statement.
"You know what?" Lohen grinned, "I got a better idea."
Illuga wondered which archon he had offended lately to deserve a day like this. He should have known something was up when two weeks ago, Flins had volunteered to do a supply run in Nasha town for the squad today. Flins had even invited him to come along, but Illuga declined without thinking it through. He had way too much work to do at his camp, and he thought that was Flins' way of making up for turning in his reports late. Now he knew the real reason.
Oh how he wished he'd taken Flins' offer. He could have been enjoying a hot dog in the sun and watching Flins sweet talk the merchant into lowering their price by half, instead of spending hours escaping from Ineffa's catch, spraining an ankle in the process, and ending up in the arms of this annoying knight he just had to run into today.
Maybe he was just bad at ditching classes. That must be it. It's certainly not the consequences of a series of questionable choices catching up to him.
"Mr. Illuga, there you are." Ineffa appeared, a weaponized vaccum ready in hand. She paused upon seeing the scene in front of her, visibly confused "...and this is...?"
Ineffa's confusion was understandable. There's no way she could have expected to find Illuga like this: Lohen was carrying him, one arm supporting his weight and the other scooped under his knees. Lohen did not give him a chance to protest, and frankly, he had no strength left to fight back but to go along with Lohen's plan. Lohen even made him wrap his arms around his neck, to add to the humiliation. He didn't even bother hiding how much he's enjoying Illuga's misery.
"I'm sorry, Miss Ineffa." He said weakly, "this is Sir Lohen--"
"Lohen, vice captain of the fifth company, Knight of Favonius." Lohen said. He sounded polite, too polite, and not at all like the freak earlier. A human would be able to see through the insincerety behind it all, but it seemed to have worked on Ineffa. He even fucking bowed while carrying Illuga, "pleasure to meet you."
"It is my pleasure to meet you as well, Sir Lohen." Ineffa said.
"As you can see," Lohen said innocently, "I found our little bird here in this terrible state. A shame, I would have loved to have a round with whoever did this to him."
"Thank you for your assistance, Sir Lohen. I can bring him back to his camp. We can get him the medical attention he needed, and continue our lecture there." Ineffa offered.
"Oh, but that won't do." Lohen said dramatically. He's enjoying this way too much. "what kind of knight would I be, if I see a damsel in distress and not offer my aid? Grandmaster Varka would cry if he found out I had abandoned chivalry like this."
Said damsel in distress tried to bite him, but there was too much fabric to get through. Lohen's arm tightened around him to stop him from struggling.
"New information about Grandmaster Varka acquired. Updating database." light blue lights flashed from Ineffa's eyes.
"I don't think that's necessary." Illuga mumbled. Lohen trembled against him, trying hard to suppress laughter.
"Anyways, Miss Ineffa," Lohen said, "I'm taking this one back to my camp. I insist."
"Understood." Ineffa nodded,"updating priority: avoid conflict with the Knight of Favonius members. Mr. Illuga, please do rest well. I will deliver your homework today to your camp, and I will be back to collect them in a week."
"Yes. Thank you, Miss Ineffa."
Lohen bowed again, still smiling innocently as if he wasn't the mastermind of the plan.
"Alright. You can put me down now." Illuga made sure they could no longer see Ineffa and let out a long sigh.
"Why?" Lohen looked at him strangely.
"Because..." now that the looming threat was no more, Illuga became hyper-aware of his position. This entire time, Lohen had carried him like he's made of paper. And his arms were still wrapped around Lohen's shoulders. He wanted to let go, but then he'd have no way to balance himself. He was simply too close, he could count Lohen's eyelashes, smell his icy mint scent, and feel his every breath.
"Yeah, no. You're not walking like this."
"I'll be fine! I've had worse."
"Oh, don't give me that. You still owe me a spar, so I'm gonna need you to get better as soon as possible."
"...Fine." Illuga knew by now there's no point arguing with him.
"Besides, I like how you look all flustered like that."
"Why do you always have to be a dick?"
"Is that the right attitude towards someone who just got you out of trouble?"
"You deserve it." Illuga shook his head, surprised by the lack of bite in his own voice. Lohen chuckled.
Realizing what a ridiculous day it had been, Illuga couldn't help laughing a little himself.
"What'ya thinking, birdie?"
A genuine smile bloomed on Illuga's face for the first time of the day. He found himself relaxed now, despite his situation. He didn't even notice Lohen was now studying him with intense curiosity.
"I was just thinking," Illuga said dreamily, "we managed to stall Miss Ineffa for so long. I'm sure most of my colleagues were able to escape."
Lohen stopped his steps. Then he banged his forehead on Illuga's. Hard.
"Hey! What was that for?!"
"Checking for brain damage." Lohen said, he even had the nerve to blow a bubble gum. Illuga wanted to pop it.
Soon they were back to Illuga's camp, and Lohen refused to put him down until they got to his tent. His colleagues all paused their work and focused on the strange development unfolding. Illuga buried his face in Lohen's shoulder. He's well aware it's making it look worse, but he couldn't bear all the curious looks he's receiving.
"Well then, I'll be off." Lohen bowed dramatically again, "sleep well, princess."
"Please spare me." Illuga groaned, "good night, Lohen."
Lohen hummed and turned around.
"Wait." Illuga whispered.
"Hmm? Do you need me to tuck you in? Sing you a lullaby?"
"...Never mind."
"I really will sing, and I'll make sure everyone hears it."
"Okay, okay! I must be out of my mind to say this, alright? But I was just thinking...I had fun today. Somehow. Even with you being annoying. Ugh, I don't know what I'm saying..." Illuga trailed off, not trusting himself to make eye contact, "...I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm glad you were there."
The last few words were barely audible. Lohen closed their distance again. Illuga's heart jumped. Lohen reached for Illuga's hand and brought it to his lips.
"Anytime." He said.
Illuga waited until he couldn't hear his footsteps anymore. Then he pulled a blanket over his head so he could pretend he's not smiling to himself.
Fortunately it was just a sprained ankle, and Illuga was back in action in only a few days time. He took the time to catch up on his paperwork, but as much as he understood the importance of paperworks, he was growing impatient. The wild hunt aren't going to kill themselves. His squad members were still facing danger heads on. He couldn't sit still. He needed some action. And the busier he could make himself, the less he'd have to think about a certain annoying but beautiful knight.
Flins visited him upon hearing about his injury, and Illuga was curious how he found out. He had abused his power and ordered his squad to keep their mouths shut about it, because he didn't want any awkward questions of how he was carried back to the camp by a knight bridal style. Illuga still found his face burning up whenever his mind wondered to that night, which, unfortunately, was way too often than he preferred. Why did he want to see him again after all that? Lohen was obnoxious, battle freak, and loved pressing his buttons, but he found himself thinking back to the way Lohen's eyes burned when he was pinned under him, or the way Lohen's arms felt when he carried him. That thought had Illuga flustered and snapped out of his trance. Flins stared him curiously, asking if he had encountered anyone lately. Illuga had panicked at the question, which gave Flins all the answer he needed.
As soon as he was able to move freely again, he gathered his supplies and prepared for an important diplomatic mission, or so he told himself. He'd been planning this for a couple of days now, and he's proud of the work he had done.
"Hello? I'm looking for Vice Captain Lohen." Illuga smiled warmly.
"Vice Captain Lohen...has a visitor?" The knights exchanged surprised looks.
"You're in luck." One of the knights recognized Illuga from when they had a mission together. He pointed at a tent, "he's in there. He's almost never at camp."
Illuga wasn't sure if that made him lucky or unlucky, but he reminded himself again: this was an important mission. He's here already, and he would see it through. He nodded and approached the tent.
The pained noise coming from inside the tent made him abandon all the composure he'd worked so hard on and rush in.
"Are you okay?!"
Lohen did not look okay. He looked like he was about to cough his lungs out, his eyes bloodshot, and there were tears gathering at the corner of his eyes. Illuga felt panic seize him. He set down the package he brought on the table and took Lohen into his arms.
"Birdie?" Lohen opened his eyes, "am I hallucinating?"
"What happened to you? Shouldn't you be in the medical tent?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Lohen waved dismissively, "I'm volunteering as Albedo's lab rat--he's our head alchemist. He's been working on some new potions to help the knights in battle."
He pointed at a flight of colorful flasks on the table. None of them looked like something that should be ingested. And that's by Illuga's standard. Illuga, who had learned to be very creative with procuring sustenance while fighting in the wild.
"You...you test these on yourself?"
"Not always," Lohen shrugged, "sometimes I give these to monsters or bandits before dealing with them. Makes it more fun, and we could use a bigger sample size."
"...What if something goes wrong?"
"Nah, I have the antidote here." Lohen shrugged, showing Illuga another bottle in his hand. "Although I might really have to reconsider this, if he's going to make them this gross."
Illuga found himself speechless. He tried to focus on the good part: at least he's not dying.
"I'm really excited about this one." Lohen picked up a flask of a florescent green liquid and inspected it like one would a lover, "makes you sick when it touches your lips--we are working on that--but it can really make all your senses sharper once it kicks in. Speaking of which--how's your foot?You're good to spar?"
Illuga ignored the last part. He stared at the liquid, an idea forming in his head.
"What brought you here? Color me surprised." Lohen asked, wiping away the remaining tears with his gloves.
"Never mind that now," Illuga made up his mind. Maybe he looked too eager, but he didn't care. "Say, Lohen, can I volunteer too?"
"Huh?"
"If we can develop a potion that can improve our chances of survival in battle," Illuga said, subtly adding himself into the mix, "the lightkeepers would be very interested."
Lohen's stares were piercing. Illuga steadied his resolve.
"You just said you need more testers. And I'm already here."
"Admirable courage." Lohen crossed his arms, "but there's something more to it, isn't there?"
"I don't know what you're taking about."
"Let me guess then." the corner of his mouth curled up, "are you trying to get out of another class?"
How could this guy be so perceptive? Or was he just terrible at hiding anything he's thinking?
"It's in two hours." Illuga resigned.
"Mhmmm." Lohen smirked, "here's Lying 101--don't try too hard."
Illuga rolled his eyes. "Come on, we can help each other here! I can get you more data, and you can get me out of this class!"
"Yeah, as much as I want to see you beg for it--" Lohen held a flask in front of Illuga. Illuga tried to grab it, only for Lohen to snatch it away the last second, "I can't just give this to you. You're not a knight. We can't involve you in our experiments."
"I take full responsibility of my own actions."
"You know it's not that simple." Lohen's not backing down, "besides, do you always have so little concern of your own well-being?"
"You are one to talk, you were just doing the same thing!" Illuga exclaimed, "besides, you have the antidote. I don't see a problem here."
"Well, you got me there." Lohen raised his hands.
"Now that I think about it, I don't see Grandmaster Varka at camp today?"
"Probably at the Flagship again." Lohen said, "why?"
"I just had a feeling." Illuga smiled, time to shift strategy, "Grandmaster Varka doesn't seem like someone who would approve something like this, does he?"
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." Lohen winked.
"Your knights may be too scared of you to tell him." Illuga said, "but I'm not."
"Playing dirty, are we? Wow, I'm impressed, birdie."
"Did it work?"
"Nope." Lohen threw himself into a chair and crossed his legs, "try harder."
"Oh. Okay. Do you accept bribery?"
"That's not how you ask people to accept bribery."
"I made this." Illuga sat himself down at the table and opened the box he brought. Now that he had to tell him the real reason why he's here, he felt his face heating up.
"Apple pie?" Lohen blinked.
It was still warm. Illuga knew he did a great job just from the smell alone.
"Grandmaster Varka said many good things about Mondstadt's apples." Illuga said, "well, these aren't from Mondstadt, but...I thought you might like an apple dessert."
Lohen's smile froze for a split second.
"For me." He said. He didn't make it sound like a question , but Illuga got the feeling that he was seeking confirmation nonetheless. It was the first time Illuga hear him sounding uncertain.
"Well, as a thank-you for the other day." Illuga said, "I caused you a lot of trouble. I said I'd make it up to you."
"Oh you have nothing to worry about. I had my fun."
"Yeah, you sure did." Illuga sighed, damn it, now his mind went to being in Lohen's arms again. Lohen was right in front of him, and he almost wished he had another reason to get that close again. He quickly dismissed the thought.
"It's just.. I keep thinking about it and I still felt guilty for what I did. The knights are our important ally and I shouldn't be reckless and offend anyone. And I could have gotten you into danger--"
"Is that the reason? Then I won't accept it as bribery."
"Why?!"
"This is so good, by the way." Lohen stuffed another bite into his mouth. He picked up the piece of garnish and inspected it. "you're a man of many talents, birdie."
Illuga definitely got a little carried away with that one. He didn't know what possessed him when he sliced the apple wedge into bunny ear shapes. But then again, what else was he supposed to do with apple slices as garnish.
"Glad you enjoyed it." Illuga said, with as much bite as he could pack into those words, "fine. You've left me with no choice. I was hoping I didn't have to offer this."
Lohen blinked. "Is this going where I think it's going?"
Illuga snatched the potion and leaned closer until he was whispering beside his ears.
"Don't you want to fight me after I drink this, Lohen?"
He knew all along this plan would work, and he was saving it as a last resort, but it was still extremely gratifying seeing the full effect of his words so up close. At first Lohen was looking down, Illuga couldn't see his face, but he could see Lohen's body trembling with a low laughter. Then he threw his head back and erupted into a full-body maniacal laugh.
On one hand, Illuga couldn't tear his eyes away from him. On the other hand, he suddenly had a bad feeling of just what did he get himself into.
"Alright, birdie." Lohen got up when his laugher finally quieted down, "let's get you to that class."
"As you can see from my recordings," Ineffa's eyes projected a video onto a wall in front of them," Mr. Illuga suddenly fell ill during class after drinking a potion, then he said his body was 'burning with an urge to fight', he broke Aino's door and rushed out, and Sir Lohen followed him..."
Varka buried his face into his hands and groaned. Flins' eyebrows twitched.
"The Clink-Clank Krumkake Craftshop values Knight of Favonius and the Lightkeepers as important allies, we do not consider this to be damaging our long-term partnership," Ineffa said diplomatically, "we are only asking for the parts and the cost of door repairment, plus one month of Miss Aino's snack expenses as compensation."
"Two!" Aino cried, still pouting.
"Okay, okay, I believe we can sort this out." Varka said, "but first--where are they now?"
Ineffa pointed to the scene. "I believe they have been fighting for three hours and forty-two minutes."
"I'll go stop this." Varka readied his weapons.
"Please do, dear Varka." Flins offered the most gentle smile, "if I intervene, I cannot guarantee Sir Lohen will come out unharmed."
His body was surrounded by dark shadows and pale blue flames. Varka swallowed hard.
"Mr. Flins, Grandmaster Varka!" Illuga plunged down from above, beaming at them, "are you joining the fun too?"
Varka was used to how Lohen looked in the heat of battle. The dark eyes glowed with blood thirst. The maniacal smile that would forever be a nightmare--if whoever's on the receiving end of it lived long enough to dream again. It was enough to send a chill down his spine even after all this time. As it turned out, it was a hundred times creepier when it was Illuga, smiling so cheerfully and innocently, blood dripping from his face, sending the tip of his spear straight to his face as if inviting him to the most grand celebration. It was enough to send all the alcohol in his blood evaporating. He barely got his blade out in time to block the attack.
"Hey! Don't get distracted! You're fighting me!" Lohen yelled.
"What the fuck did you do?" Varka yelled back, "stop this now!"
"I can't. I might actually get killed." Lohen licked his lips, sounding not a bit concerned.
"You're just having fun!"
"Oh I am." Lohen admitted, "but I can't give him the antidote if I can't pin him down."
"Antidote?"
"You're the one getting distracted!" Illuga charged at them.
"As you can see," Lohen parried the attack, "he's not himself right now. I'd hate to stop the fun, but his body is not used to this style of fighting. It's too much for him."
"What's your plan?"
"Create an opening for me, will you?"
"This better work, or you're in big trouble." Varka fended off another attack. Illuga's polearm sliced through his coat. Lohen took his chance and attacked Illuga from the sides, tackling him to the ground. Both of them rolled on the ground a few times, fighting for dominance, before Lohen finally managed to pin Illuga under him. Illuga tried to struggle free. There was blood all over him but he didn't look pained. Instead, he looked so...into it. He was still smiling, but his eyes screamed for more blood. And Lohen saw his own reflection in his eyes and knew he was the same.
That was a great look on him. It was nothing like the Illuga he knew, and nothing he thought he'd ever see. If he thought normal Illuga was cute, then Illuga in this state would be...estasy. It would be something he'd forever burn into his memory. Lohen had lost his focus for a moment. Illuga had shed his thick coat a while ago, and at this distance, Lohen could clearly see the scar from his neck to his shoulder. He put his fingers on Illuga's throat, and caressed the scar tissue, wondering how close he must have been to death. Illuga bit his hand, hard enough to draw blood, and Lohen felt himself bursting with a new wave of excitement. He wished he could enjoy this for just a bit longer, hell, it was tempting to just let go and let Illuga have his way with him. But too bad, he had to fix the problem he started. Illuga was still struggling hard against him, trying to free himself. Lohen straddled his body while keeping his legs under him, but he couldn't get the antidote to him while his arms were occupied pinned down Illuga's arms. If he let go even a little bit, Illuga would escape.
Lohen took the potion into his mouth, then crashed their lips together.
Illuga froze under him, because no medically-enhanced battle skills could have prepared him for an attack like this. He stilled and allowed the potion to be passed to him, and Lohen kept their lips sealed long enough to make sure the liquid went down.
Illuga's struggle gradually stopped, but Lohen kept his body caged between himself and the ground just in case. He had only just began to realize how exhausted he'd been.
"...Mmm?' Illuga opened his eyes.
"Wakey wakey." Lohen grinned.
"Lohen...What happened?" Illuga tried to sit up, and only then did he realize what position they were in, "why...why are we...?"
"You. Were. Amazing." Lohen finally let go of Illuga. He rolled off of him and threw himself on the ground, and breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Huh?!"
"There you are!" Varka appeared with Flins right behind him. "We were getting worried--"
"How are you feeling, young master Illuga?"
"I'm fine now, I think." Illuga said, "feels like I got ran over by a herd of slothsheep..."
Flins chuckled, looking slightly relieved.
"What---what did I do? Why are you all looking at me like this?" Illuga shuddered at how everyone was staring.
"What do you remember?"
"I remember getting to class and taking the potion, and the rest was a blur..." Illuga tried hard to piece together his memories and failed. "I was hoping to clean up some wild hunts, but it seemed like I completely lost control..."
"That's alright, Miss Ineffa has recordings. I'll be sure to ask her for a copy." Lohen said reassuringly.
"You!" Illuga's face was suddenly red, "what did we---"
He caught himself mid-sentence when he realized Varka and Flins were still watching. Flins observed with great interest.
"Alright, we have reached an agreement with Miss Aino and Miss Ineffa." Varka announced, "you will both be responsible for collecting all the parts Miss Aino requested and cost of door repair, plus one month of Miss Aino's snack expenses. I trust that there are no objections?"
"Worth it." Lohen shrugged.
"Brat." Varka smaked his head, "at least try to look a little guilty, will you?"
"I'm afraid that won't quite serve as a punishment." Flins smiled, "I propose an alternative: I could personally see to that there are no wild hunt or monsters in the vicinity for you to fight."
Lohen's smile froze.
"If you like fighting that much," he challenged, "why not just fight me instead?"
"Again, I believe that would defeat the purpose of the punishment. "
"Are you going to reprimand me too, Mr. Flins?"
"I will do no such thing, young master. You outrank me." Flins looked around made sure they were no longer within Aino and Ineffa's earshot, "but please, do refrain from choosing such--" he glanced at Lohen, "--extreme measures to get out of classes in the future."
"I have a name." Lohen crossed his arms.
"Well," Illuga shot Flins a dejected look, "thanks to you, I'm out of conventional measures."
"So, we are all good here?" Varka asked.
"Yes yes," Lohen said, "feel free to get back to your date."
Varka looked at him with horror in his eyes as if caught in the act. And he's not the only one. Illuga's head shot up an turned to Flins, a look of disbelief on his face. Flins smiled at him and placed a finger over his lips. Then the two older (and much older) men left.
"Grandmaster Varka...and Flins." Illuga mumbled, still digesting the new development when a soft object covered his head.
"Your coat."
"Ohh...Thank you."
"Can you stand up, or should I carry you again?"
"I'm good. I'm good." Illuga pulled himself up, then winced when all his muscles protested, then he panicked when he noticed all the cuts and wounds on Lohen. "Did I do this to you?"
"Eh, we're even."
Illuga sighed. "I'm never ditching classes again."
"Mmm. And Varka says he's never drinking again everytime he's hangover. We all know what that means."
"I'm serious!"
"Sure, sure," Lohen grinned, "I'll be there the next time you do."
Lohen enjoyed the best day he had since he arrived in Nod Krai, and surprisingly, it involved a very minimal amount of fighting. He wasn't exactly looking forward to spending a day collecting portable bearings for Aino and Ineffa, but this also meant he could spend an entire day with Illuga. These days he found himself easily irritated. He didn't remember ever thinking about someone so much to the point of craving their presence. On days he didn't get to see Illuga, he spent all his time letting out his frustrations at any monster he could find.
Illuga was a lot more relaxed around him now. Something changed since their last spar. When you knew each other's moves by heart, there were hardly anything to hide or pretend. He would ask Lohen of Mondstadt, the journey of the expedition, and he would show him all the specialities in Nod Krai, pointing out the ones Lohen never expected to be edible. Most people didn't see Lohen as a target for casual conversation, and Lohen couldn't care less about meaningless small talks, but Illuga seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say, and Lohen found himself talking about his hometown, about other knights, about random things he never even thought about before, and he never knew how it felt so strangely comforting.
He even managed to charm Aino into letting him have a few rounds with Kuckle Duckle, and offered his ideas for enhancements. The pink-haired girl listened to him starry-eyed while Illuga and Ineffa observed them with growing concerns. But in the end, Aino was happy, which was the entire purpose of this day.
"How are you so good with her?" Illuga whispered when Aino and Ineffa were busy arguing over a fresh batch of krumkakes.
"You should meet Klee someday." Lohen smiled, eyes warm with fond memories.
Illuga tilted his head in slight confusion. Lohen stared at the cream at the corner of his mouth and remembered how Illuga's slightly chapped lips felt against his.
"What?"
"Nothing." Lohen said. The sun was bright and warm in the early afternoon. It didn't take long before Illuga yawned and started drifting off, and Lohen let him lean on his shoulders. He chuckled when he imagined how panicked Illuga would be when he woke up because he's "behind schedule" again.
It was a peace he hardly remember, and yet he's starting to find it welcome.
Which was why he had been visiting Illuga's camp whenever he's free.
"No." Illuga was busy writing, not even looking up. "Not today. I have to finish these reports, and then I have to go to class."
"Come on." Lohen sat himself on Illuga's desk, "you're the captain. Just let your subordinates write these things."
"What is this, a devil's whisper?" Illuga smiled to himself, "no thanks. I don't want to be that kind of captain."
"Tsk."Lohen rolled his eyes. "Are you seriously going to that class?"
"I told you, I'm not ditching classes again and I meant it." Illuga sounded proud, "I even did my homework this time."
"Aw, I miss it when you were fun." Lohen put a hand over his chest and sighed dramatically.
"And I miss it when you were quiet."
"When was I ever quiet?"
"Exactly." Illuga smiled, "now please let me finish this. You can join me on my patrol after class--"
"Captain!" A squad member ran towards them, breathless, "we found a rift on the north coast and a large group of wild hunts are pouring out. We need backup immediately!"
Illuga jumped up, his pen abandoned. All the lightkeepers at the camp gathered around him. Lohen watched Illuga going over the strategies with his squad members. Then Illuga turned to him.
"Lohen, " he took a deep breath, "this will be a very dangerous mission. We don't know how many enemies we are facing--"
"Yeah, I'm in," Lohen hopped off Illuga's desk. How could he pass on something like this? "You don't have to keep selling."
Illuga's eyes softened a little.
"What, did you think you can get rid of me?"
"Not even for a second. "Illuga said, "I'm doing the exact opposite."
He extended a hand. "Please lend us your aid, Sir Lohen."
Illuga's eyes were strong with determination. So were all the other lightkeepers. All eyes were on Lohen, waiting for his response.
"It would be my honor." Lohen took his hand.
Illuga's spear always showed up where he wanted it the most. There was no surprise. They had spent many hours sparring, he knew Illuga's attacks by heart, and it was clear Illuga was the same. Lohen was more used to fighting alone. He preferred fighting alone, but somehow having Illuga fighting beside him made it even more satisfying. More and more monsters showed up, and Lohen was getting fired up more and more. He could smell the monster when his dagger slid down the middle of a wild hunt, essentially cutting it in half, its blood splashed on to his face. Illuga was holding out against a big one, his face stone cold, his steps steady and attacks calculated. Lohen shot his crossbow at the monster, creating an opening for Illuga to land a decisive hit. Illuga gave him a grateful smile before moving on to his next target.
Ahh. This feels so good. Always nice to have a fight he can enjoy this much. The rift was getting smaller and the wild hunt was decreasing in numbers, but it didn't matter. Lohen was cutting through them like grass. His eyes glowed with bloodthirst and his laugh was maniac. What if he tried a new move now?
Yes. That was perfect. Illuga better be watching this.
...Illuga?
The golden light that danced by his side had disappeared. Lohen was snapped out of his trance. Then he saw something that made all his blood freeze. Illuga was kneeling before a fallen lightkeeper, completely unaware of a wild hunt sneaking up behind him.
Fuck.
He didn't remember the last time he panicked on the battlefield. But here he was now. His movement was frantic and no longer controlled to precision. All he cared about was getting to Illuga as soon as possible. But there was no time.
He could do this. There would be a cost, but it's nothing he's not willing to pay.
He pushed Illuga out of the way when his spear pierced into the monster. At the same time he heard his own flesh being ripped open and Illuga's panicked cry, then the pain exploded and his vision went black.
Illuga sat by Lohen's bed. He was still shaking from earlier, but his mind was blank. He was covered in blood. From himself. From the monster. From Lohen. He ignored everyone telling him he should go rest, and rushed to Lohen's side as soon as his own wounds were dealt with. Lohen's condition was stable, but he hadn't woken up yet. He looked so pale and vulnerable in this state. A fresh wave of guilt hit him, and Illuga buried his head into his arms.
At least he's alive, a voice in his head said. He should just be grateful of the fact. But another voice said, you're the reason he's in this state. Lohen could have died because of you. So many have died because of you.
Losses are a constant for the Lightkeepers. Illuga had never made peace with the fact. He vowed he never would. He would never allow himself to grow numb over another death, even if it meant letting the pain and guilt eating him alive in moments like this. Why was it always him left alive? But he knew why. He'd never forget the panic and desperation in Lohen's eyes when he pushed him out of the way. He should be the one laying there. Or worse. He knew how well Lohen could handle himself in a fight. He wouldn't have been injured if not for him.
Illuga took Lohen's not bandaged hand into his own and felt how cold it was. His mind went to the first time Lohen dropped him off at his tent, when Lohen placed a gentle kiss on Illuga's hand. It was mischievious, he's aware, but it was enough to send him flustered. He had never known what it's like to feel this way about a person. His life was about eradicating the wild hunt. That's what it meant to be a lightkeeper. They work towards the goal one day at a time, and some of them don't get a chance to see another day. There was no room in his life for the things he'd been wanting. To see that lazy smile in those dark red eyes. To wake up to next to him. To feel his body against his own.
He placed a light kiss on the back of Lohen's hand. To his surprise, he felt fingers caressing his face just when he was about to pull back. His head snapped up.
Lohen's eyes were open.
"Birdie." he called, voice weak and raspy.
"Lohen...you're awake." He'd never heard Lohen like this. It was as if there's a hand twisting his insides.
Lohen's mouth curved into a weak smile. He pat the bed next to him with the good arm. "Come here."
"I...I'm all gross."
"Illuga." Lohen tugged his arm again, "come here."
The way he said his name made Illuga's heart skip a beat. How could he really deny him anything when he's the one putting him in this state? Illuga shed his dirty coat and boots and very carefully climbed under the covers and settled himself beside Lohen. Lohen shuffled beside him.
'Don't move. You'll open your wounds again."
Lohen, of course, ignored reason as always. He slowly rolled himself to the side, wincing and sucking in sharp breaths with every movement until he caged Illuga between his arms.
"Mmmm." Lohen hummed when he finally settled into their new position, satisfied.
Illuga could feel Lohen's warm breath on his hair. His back was pressed against Lohen's chest, and he could feel Lohen's heartbeat. It was as if a dam had broke, the tears that wouldn't come earlier suddenly couldn't stop. Lohen couldn't see him like this, but surely he could feel the soft sobs he's trying so hard to swallow.
"Hey hey, don't cry. I'm not dead yet."
"That's--hic--not funny." Illuga sobbed, "you could have."
"I thought I was in heaven when I woke up and saw you." Lohen whipered, "then I remembered there's no way I'd end up in heaven, so I must be alive."
Illuga chuckled despite himself. "Okay. That one's better."
Lohen seemed pleased.
"Alright, let me have it." He buried his face in Illuga's hair.
"Hmm?"
"This is usually the part where I get yelled at. For acting--what's the word? Irresponsible? Reckless? Crazy?"
Illuga shook his head. "You're not any of those things."
"Hello? Do you even know me?"
"That's not how you fight, and you know it." Illuga took a deep breath, "you fight the way you do because you have faith in your skills. You take calculated risks because you know you can survive them. And you geniunely enjoy it. You know better than anyone how powerful that is. You never place yourself in danger for no reason."
Then he added, "...until now."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lohen rasped.
"I admire the way you fight. It's how I know you will survive. But back there..." Illuga found himself shaking again, "you weren't supposed to throw yourself away for me. "
"I saved your life." Lohen hissed beside his ear, "look me in the eyes and tell me I should have let you die."
You should have. Illuga almost shot back. Don't you get it? I want you to fight the way you always do. I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to die. I wish it was me. Every time. But the moment he turned his head and met Lohen's eyes, all the fire within him had died. The dark red eyes were not burning with anger, instead they were filled with a pain Illuga could not begin to understand. Before he could find words, Lohen's lips were on his. Then his tongue. It was meant to devour and left no room for objection. Illuga let himself be consumed. Lohen kissed like he fought. It was the first time Illuga realized just how much Lohen had been holding back. Then Illuga found himself kissing back. It was the only outlet for all he'd been feeling. His guilt, fear, rage, everything that's making his heart burst that couldn't make sense of, he poured them all into the kiss. Lohen seemed brieftly taken back by the response for a moment, but he welcomed it with a passion that burned Illuga. They both tasted like blood, and Lohen took his time to savour it. And Illuga, in his haze, repeated to himself, he's alive. He's alive.
"There you have it." Lohen said when they finally parted for air, "still think I put myself in danger for 'no reason'?"
Illuga looked away. "I...I didn't mean it like that."
"Oh you totally did. You think your life means nothing."
"This isn't about me!" Illuga cried. "I just--I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I can't become your weakness. Even--even if we both feel--this."
Lohen sank his teeth deep into Illuga's neck. Hard. Illuga's body twitched at the pain.
"No." he growled, "you don't get to kiss like that and say you don't want what we both want."
And with that, Illuga found himself surrendering. His head was a mess, but pain was a language he understood well.
"More." Illuga whispered.
Lohen complied without hesitation.
"Better?"
"Yeah." It was enough to bring him outside of his thoughts, just a little.
"Now listen," Lohen's fingers tightened around Illuga's face, forcing Illuga to meet his eyes, "you are forgetting that I'm a knight. I have vowed to protect everything I love with my life, and I will make the same choice for you in a heartbeat, over and over again, whether you accept it or not."
Illuga blinked away the tears that started flowing again.
"But if it means that much to you," Lohen smiled, looking more like his usual self now, "then I'll promise you this. I came back to you this time. And I will always come back to you, whether you like it or not."
"That's...not fair." Illuga bit his lips.
"Too bad, I've never been interested in playing fair."
"That's true." Illuga sighed, then, "...I'm not really right in the head sometimes, am I?"
"Oh I know, that's part of the charm." Lohen grinned, "I knew that from the beginning. You're crazy even by my standard. It's not everyday that I get to be the voice of reason."
Illuga thought about everything that had led up to this point and realized in horror that Lohen was right. Lohen planted a light kiss on Illuga's hair.
"What are you talking about? You werre just as bad." Illuga mumbled.
"And that's why you like me, am I correct?"
"...maybe." Illuga said. Lohen chuckled and pulled him closer. Neither of them said anything for a while, and Illuga let his thoughts echo. Maybe that's why. Maybe there're more reasons. Maybe I more than 'like' you. Maybe I--
Wait.
"Lohen...did you say something about love earlier?"
There was no response. Instead, Lohen's breathing was steady and peaceful against him.
Of course. Illuga groaned. He closed his eyes and sleep claimed him soon after.
"Meet me at the camp behind the statue at midnight."
Illuga stared at the note in his hand. The handwriting was barely legible, but it's so...Lohen. He had not seen Lohen since he returned to the Favonius camp to nurse his injuries. Illuga wanted to visit, he was dying to know how Lohen was healing, but he had barely slept in days due to another wild hunt sighting near the cliff. He wrote him a few quick letters and entrusted them to Aedon to deliver, but so far, Lohen's response had been how bored he was being confined to a bed and all the things he'd like to do to Illuga once he's better again. Illuga made the mistake of opening one seemingly innocent letter during a stragegy meeting, and immediately choked on water. Flins, again, observed with his signature annoying knowing smile.
"Good work, Aedon." He rubbed the nightingale on its head. Aedon nibbled his fingers affectionately.
Lohen wanted to meet up, and Illuga found himself not sure how to face him. Are they boyfriends now? Is this a date? He'd never been on a date. What do people do on dates in a place where there's nothing but monsters roaming around? Well, Lohen would like that very much, but would that be special enough to count as a 'date'?
He got through the day considering all possible scenarios as if building strategy for a mission. But nothing prepared him for this.
"I'm returning to Mondstadt." Lohen said, uncharacteristically serious.
Illuga froze as if someone dumped a bucket of ice water on him.
"...When?" He managed.
"In the morning. Varka's orders." Lohen stared at him, "they won't let me leave camp because they don't want me to go pick fights, but I have to see you before I go--"
His eyes went wide as Illuga pushed him onto a tree behind him and crashed their lips together. Illuga did the first thing his body told him to, because he could not think anymore. This cannot be happening. Not after Lohen had promised that he would come back to him. He'd finally decided to let himself want this man, want something more than a life of dancing with death, and now he's leaving. His feelings were too much to put into words so he put them all into the kiss. Lohen responded with passion, equally determined to leave nothing unsaid with the kiss. Illuga focused on the sensation and tried to commit it all into his memory forever.
"Here." Illuga removed his earring when they finally parted for air, "take this."
"Really?" Lohen observed it between his fingers.
"Just--" he closed Lohen's fingers around it, "keep it."
"Okay, if you insist." Lohen's mouth curved into a smirk, "I'll see you in two weeks."
"...What?"
"It's just a temporary assignment." Lohen said, amused, "Varka's sending me back to deliver a bunch of letters. I'll be back afterwards."
"You could have said that from the start!"
"Mmm, and miss such a beautiful reaction?"
Illuga launched himself at him. Lohen laughed, he let Illuga hit him, and before Illuga could do it again, he tackled him onto the ground and then caged Illuga under him.
"I want it back." Illuga demanded.
"Nope, too late, it's mine now."
"Then give me yours."
Lohen froze.
"You always have a way of surprising me, birdie."
Illuga grinned in his victory.
"Then, as you wish." Lohen removed his own earring and handed it over.
"No. Put it on me." He said, before his courage faded.
"Mmm, I like it when you talk like that."
Illuga rolled his eyes. Lohen put the earring on him, and admired his work.
"Your turn." He handed the red earring back to Illuga.
Two weeks later, Lohen returned from his mission. Illuga met him at the road to Piramida. Before he could get close, a small box caught him by surprise and flew towards him. Lohen smiled lazily as Illuga frantically caught it.
"You brought me something?" Illuga asked. Lohen shrugged.
It was a white flower encased in a crystal of cryo energy.
"It's a cecilia." Lohen said, "from Mondstadt. Flowers don't last very long on the road, but I wanted you to see this."
His tone was casual, but his eyes were as alert as in battle. He scanned Illuga's face for any reactions like a hawk.
"What does it mean?" Illuga attacked.
"I'll leave you to your guesses."
Illuga grabbed his wrist. His steps became faster and faster, until they were running, just like the first time they were running away from Ineffa.
"Where are we going this time?"
"My place." Illuga said firmly.
FIN