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Beside the dying embers of their campfire, Lohen found himself nestled against his boyfriend's lap. Illuga's hand lovingly caressed his hair, deftly working through any knots that it came across. The calloused fingers gently threading through viridian locks earned a content hum from the knight.
For most of his life, gentle never had a place in Lohen's life. He had been born and raised by firm parents who believed in discipline above all else. There were no loving hands that would pick him up or gently remove the splinters from his palms. He had no memories of his tears being brushed aside with whispered words of comfort. And there was no warm embrace he could turn to after his sleep was stolen by night terrors.
No, he did not know what it meant to be gentle. Not until he met Illuga. The man who has never flinched away from the uncanny knight. The man who intertwines their hands as if they belong together. The man who now never parts from him without a kiss and a promise to come back soon. And the man who, on nights like these, always lets Lohen lay down his weary head while he brushes through his hair.
Even on the worst days, Illuga's gentleness never waivered, not even when faced with Lohen's sharp edges. It's what Lohen loves most about his nightingale.
Fingers getting caught on a particularly stubborn knot brought Lohen back to the present. Little more than a breath escaped Illuga as he apologized.
"Why are you saying sorry, birdie? You didn't seem to have any problems with pulling my hair last nigh-"
Illuga blushed and covered Lohen's mouth with his hand. A move he very quickly regretted after feeling Lohen drag his tongue across it in retaliation. As soon as it came, the hand was gone while Illuga wiped it against the grass. "Ew—don't do that, Lohen. It's gross."
Lohen cocked his head to the side and raised himself, so he could get a better look at the flustered lightkeeper from where he was situated in his lap. He threw a charming smirk his way as he said, "You've never complained about what my tongue can do bef-"
A single finger shushed him before he could continue—Illuga's voice was stern this time. "Stop teasing or I'm leaving."
They both knew he wouldn't dare leave his boyfriend lying in the grass alone, but Lohen stopped anyway. He was rewarded with a peck against his forehead before Illuga softly prompted Lohen to lay back down. As they settled back into their original positions, Illuga wasted no time in bringing his hand back to Lohen's hair.
Back to looking up, Lohen focused on the endless expanse of stars that dotted across the night sky. The sight brought back a vague memory.
"Birdie?"
Illuga hummed in acknowledgment.
"Do y'know any of the constellations?"
"A couple. Why?"
"Where'd you learn?"
"Some of my aunts and uncles when I was younger." When Lohen didn't immediately respond, Illuga looked down and tapped him on the temple with a loving smile. "What's going on up here, sweetheart? Tell me what you're thinking."
The endearing nickname spilling from Illuga's lips was all it took to convince Lohen to talk. "My mom taught me every constellation she knew. It was around the same time I started sneaking out at night—I think she knew and that's why she was so insistent about it. Told me it would keep me from getting lost."
"And did it work?" Lohen didn't talk about his childhood much, and Illuga couldn't recall him ever mentioning anything specific like this about his parents. He wasn't exactly in a place to judge, but the lightkeeper was admittedly curious.
Lohen took note of his little bird's rapt attention and chuckled. "I'm still here, aren't I?"
The knight didn't elaborate anymore and Illuga didn't push. The lightkeeper's mind wandered, thinking more about what Lohen had said and why it sounded so familiar. It took a moment, but eventually it dawned on him.
"After Aedon joined me, I started doing research to figure out how to take care of him. I remember reading that nightingale's migrate at night and use stars to navigate."
Lohen remained still beneath Illuga's gentle touch and even gentler words.
"It's instinct. They didn't have to be taught, they just know that if they follow them they'll end up where they belong. The stars guide them back home."
"Aedon doesn't migrate or anything, right?"
"No, but he does always find his way back to me."
"Does that mean your lantern is the 'star' that guides him? Y'know that makes sense with how quick he can find you. I thought it was sorta creepy."
The two shared a laugh, getting lost in the peacefulness that settled around them while the moon hung overhead. It had passed a long time ago, but Illuga vaguely remembered a time when he had childishly been afraid of night and the darkness it brings. Most fatal Wild Hunt attacks usually take place at night and he had lost more comrades then he should have to nights similar to this—only next to Lohen did he feel safe enough to admire its beauty.
Illuga looked up, watching the stars, and his voice cut through the silence once more, saying, "It's a nice thought."
"What is?" Lohen asked while intently watching his birdie get lost in the stars.
"Maybe we all have a star that's guiding us back to where we're meant to be."
Lohen stopped at that and also looked back up at the stars. He ran his eyes across each constellation his mother had taught him, reciting the individual name of each and every star. He had never been more thankful for how thorough she was—much like her son she didn't do anything halfway. Feeling satisfied that her teachings had held up, Lohen turned back towards Illuga. "Well then… go ahead and pick one."
"Pick what? A star?"
"Duh. If you really are a birdie then we need to make sure you have a star to follow, or else you might get lost."
The lightkeeper wasn't looking up anymore. Instead, he dropped his gaze to meet the crimson-teal eyes of his beloved knight. A knight who was already looking back at him with such devotion it made Illuga's heart briefly stop. If he asked Lohen to actually drag a star down from the sky in that moment, he had no doubt that his boyfriend would find a way to make it happen.
Softly, without breaking eye contact, he said, "What if I already have one?"
That wasn't what the viridian-haired knight wanted to hear. "The hell do you mean 'I already have one'? Way to ruin the mood, birdie," he said while practically pouting at Illuga's dismissal.
Illuga smile was impossibly soft as he took a moment to grab one of Lohen's hands with his own and brought the other to caress his cheek. "What if I said you're my star? Would that bring the mood back?"
"…Birdie, that doesn't make sense."
"If a star leads a bird home, then you're my star. Nothing feels more like home than being with you."
"…Leave the flirting to me and just pick an actual one," Lohen mumbled. The uncharacteristic blush that had erupted across the knight's cheeks left the lightkeeper feeling smug.
"No. I already have the only one I'll ever need. If I'm your birdie, then you're my star. Now we're even." To emphasize his point, Illuga raised their joined hands and pressed a lingering kiss to the back of Lohen's hand.
"You're getting too good at this."
"I learned from the best. But if you really don't like it, I won't call you it-"
The swiftness with which he was cut off told Illuga everything he needed to know about Lohen's opinion on his new nickname. "No! It's fine—it's just very… you."
"Well, good thing that you love me."
"Yeah. Yeah, I do."
"I love you too, my star~"
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