Archive of Our Own

It was obviously Lohen's idea.

And you were opposed. At least at first.

"Do you actually want us to kill each other?" You asked with disbelief, shaking your head disapprovingly at his full of excitement, sparkling eyes.

You and Lohen were sparring partners for a while, a really long while. Fighting was the roots of your relationship, and the thing that brought you togther in the first place. With time, enjoying your duels somehow turned into enjoying each other's company, and enjoying each other's company somehow turned into friendship. And after some time the friendship turned into... a weird, romantically charged but never addressed intimacy.

But it was working for the two of you. Nobody would probably ever guessed that Mondstadt could fit two sado-masochistic freaks at the same time, but well, here you were. It made sense for the two of you to become close eventually. And it was such a natural thing, that neither of you felt the necessity to formally address the bond you shared.

You always felt like for Lohen it was the fight that mattered the most in the end anyway. And with your own set of twisted preferences, you didn't necessarily mind engaging in his thrill.

So when you were proposed to yet another duel, but where the usage of your Visions was permitted, you also agreed despite everything.

You did try to be rational about it at first. Someone had to be, because otherwise you two would end up massacring each other long ago, in more brutal ways than any innocent Mondstadter would ever imagine. And what he proposed was a highly risky, irresponsible, dangarous thing after all.

But who you were to deny the Vice Captain's will?

You only pretended not to like the idea for a short while.

You still insisted on carefully choosing the place for the duel first though. After all, you couldn't just go all out on the common training grounds. It needed to be somewhere remote enough for you to safely unleash your powers. Somewhere were no citizens would accidentally walk in, or where wild animals wouldn't get hurt in the process.

Your proposition was the Starsnatch Cliff. A location faraway from the city enough. Not attended by many because it required hiking... And the monsters were more commonly gathering around those areas rather than wildlife. It made a great spot for an extensive sparring session.

Lohen agreed without questioning.

And without questioning, he also agreed to follow you all the way up to the very top of the cliff.

His lips curved into a gleeful smirk the moment he realised you were leading him up to the peak. Fighting near the dangarous edge of the cliff... His hands were trembling with giddy excitement before you two even reached the spot. He was getting pumped up just from thinking about what was going to unfold.

He knew that you chose the spot deliberately, just to make things spicier for the both of you. You carefully thought of the place that would guarantee safety for others, but at the same time, risk for yourselves. Just to add to the thrill. You knew he'd love a doubled dose of adrenaline... So you did him a small favor.

"Well, isn't this a lovely spot..." Lohen cooed, glancing around the area from the top of the cliff. The green commons of Mondstadt spread vastly at the mountains feet, and the city lights flickered softly in the distance. He hummed appreciatively and stepped closer to the spiky edge, glancing below. Just to see the deep blue sheet of water spreading beneath.

You stood calmly with your hands crossed, patiently waiting for him to finish admiring the numerous advantages of your spot. Your hair heaved in the warm evening air as you were watching him, proud to successfully content to the tastes of your dear sparring partner. When Lohen finally turned to you, nodding with a fully approving look, you replied with a wide smirk.

The thought of possibly falling off the cliff in the thrill of the battle obviously crossed your minds. But neither of you was scared of that risk enough to suggest anything to prevent it.

The sole possibility was an exciting bonus after all.

And then, with a sharp shift in the air, the long awaited duel begun.

You started off strong as always. Blows of fresh, gusty wind, crashed against frosty strikes, as Anemo and Cryo energy started mixing together. The gales of abruptly cooled air, tossed your clothes and hair roughly, swirls strong enough to send the growing nearby Cecilia flowers flying into the whirl...

The ice was cracking along with metal as your blades kept clashing, hit after hit, block after block. First scratches and bruises started to form, the taste of iron lingering in your mouths from the ragged breathing in the mist of freezing air. You fought against the cold bravely, with loud, raspy gasps, determined to land any hit. Lohen did the same even more eagerly, yet even he was unable to block all of the wind blasts sent by your blade. Some strong enough to send him flying a few feet backwards.

Finally, he changed the strategy, and tried to immobilize you. Spikes of ice suddenly rose from the ground, reaching your feet fast, and the next thing you knew, you were trapped frozen to the ground. You hissed displeased, your sharp, focused eyes snapping forward to Lohen, already charging at you with a follow up attack.

The steel of his knife blinked at you, the moment he detached it from his thigh. With a viscious smirk he struck, swift and aggressive.

But being as experienced at fighting the Vice Captain as you were, you successfully predicted where the weapon was aimed.

You managed to grab his wrist fractions before the hit, forcing it away. By enforcing the Anemo energy at your legs, the ice successfully broke off, and you took a few steady steps backwards towards the cliff's edge. He just snickered loudly, an eerily wide grin splitting his face before he charged to attack again. The flame in his agitated eyes flickered brightly with a truely murderous intent.

That made you sense this was the right moment.

You extended both of your arms forward and shot a blow of Anemo straight to his stomach. Your wind sending him flying right over the cliff's edge.

He laughed maniacally, half in disbelief, half in amusement at your audacity to just throw him across the battlefield like this. His chest throbbed even more excitedly when he felt himself fall. A glimpse of your turning silhouette was all he cought before he started flying into emptiness.

He sighed in pure delight.

Strange reaction for someone who was just thrown off a cliff... but not so strange coming for Lohen. Even with the vast sea spreading beneath, it wasn't anything he wasn't able to land anyway.

As he was falling, eyes still on the edge, his smirk only grew wider when he saw you jump down.

You had a blade in your hand ready to strike, aiming to reach him mid air.

You were just as crazy as him, Lohen thought. His pupils almost dilated in pure amazement, as he bared his teeth at you in a feral grin.

You never failed to keep his blood rushing.

The fall should've ended with you both sinking into the sea below the cliff. That is, if only you two weren't too extraordinary to accept such a fate.

Lohen's hand swept behind him just before the impact. A mist of frost boomed across the sea's surface, locking the water in a prison of thick ice.

You anticipated such a move from him, otherwise you wouldn't risk jumping off in a chase. Knowing each other's tricks was a significant advantage during your fights. And it also created the base for making some particularly reckless decisions.

You readjusted the grip on your blade for landing on the freshly created frozen battlefield, as Lohen reached it first. He landed gracefully, using a plunging attack and you soon followed, your weapon missing him by a thread. He slid to the side, and chuckled dangerously, fixing his sharp gaze on you. Your own eyes gleamed with unsatiated fire as you rose to your feet and kept a deliberate distance.

The cold breeze grazed your cheeks, your skin warmed up enough to melt away the adorning it icy shreds. Your steady breaths filled the air, creating small clouds of steam in the enshrouding you mist of frost.

A pulse later, you were at it again.

Metal clinked against metal, panting and heavy groans dominated over the distant sea waves' sounds.

You used swirl reaction to further broaden the frozen area, as you continued charging at each other. Lohen's element was definitely dominating the field, and he kept reinforcing the Cryo energy around you two to make sure the icy surface wouldn't unexpectedly melt away. Battling on such unstable, slick ground was a challenging task but surely not for the freaks like you.

Neither of you was anywhere near running out of steam.

You were determined to win. Lohen was determined to just the same AND making the duel last as long as possible. You knew that, and as much as satisfying seeing your companion so in his element was, you also had an exceptionally powerful drive for emerging victorious. And so, you got a dangerous idea.

You decided to break the ice beneath Lohen's feet. The frozen layer you stood on was already wobbling on water, the sea not nearly as calm and steady as before. The Hydro got pretty much churned up from your fervent hits and swirls of elemental energy, yet you still decided to struck with your blade. The icy floor cracked alarmingly, but didn't shatter. Before you got to straighten up and land another strike, Lohen was at you already to prevent it.

You lifted your head and rolled backwards, still crouching near the bottom when Lohen came charging with his knife once more. You landed a kick to push him away, which got a weak grunt out of him, but wasn't painful enough to discourage from attacking.

There was no hit strong enough to achieve that for Lohen anyway.

You clenched your jaw and cursed when his body got suddenly above yours. Your breath hitched. Your eyes widened in involuntarily panic.

You barely managed to stop the deadly end of his weapon from piercing through your face.

He sneered and giggled breathlessly as he hovered above you, both of his hands on the hilt pushing the blade downward. Your fists clasped over his wrist, desperately fighting the unshakable strength.

"Need to tap out? I fear you don't really have how, right now..." He breathed, a creepy grin splitting his face. You mustered up enough strength to huff disapprovingly, your gaze piercing him with a silent warning at the mockery in his tone. Your hands tightened their grip, determined not to back down.

It was to be expected that he didn't make anything of the glare you sent him. If anything, it only delighted him more.

"If that's it, just say a word... As tempting as it is to cut through that pretty face, even I would be mourning it later..." The lazy tease in his voice was pissing you off. You even ignored the way he indirectly called you 'pretty', as you were too immersed in the desire to win. Instead, you focused on the slight strain from grappling with you that was audible in his tone. But even so, he didn't let down even a bit...

You narrowed your eyes in annoyance, trying not to give in to the provocation. Your teeth already gritted from the efforts, your muscles trembled subtly but you refused to falter. He hummed, offering you an approving glance, shaking his head with amused disbelief. To your discontent, he leaned closer, his frantic eyes lidding as a sly grin graced his lips. You were at a breaking point, your shaky breath mingling with his own, and he could clearly see the exhaustion painting on your face.

His gaze darkened, smirk turning outright wicked.

"Don't push it, princess."

You snapped.

He had an exceptional talent for picking words just right to make you fuming with rage.

Without longer hesitation, you bend your legs inwards, knees squeezing on his waist hard before you heavily swinged your entire body weight to the side. The pull was strong enough to successfully roll you both over onto the slick frozen surface. His mockery was always like fuel to the fire to you. With fury driven precision you twisted his arms, your previously immobilized hands now gripping his wrists in a steel hold. This time, you leaned on top of his body, pushing his arms above his head by the wrists. Your knees kept his sides clenched, you made sure the metal buckles of your shoes were digging into his skin too.

He was now the one flexing hard, snarling at you like a feral animal refusing to get tamed. The wild grin never left his face, although it was now particularly taut, teeth clenched as he rebelled against your pressure.

You were almost out of breath. Keeping him still on the wet icy floe required engaging your entire body, now tense and steady above his. But the pride from regaining the upper hand already swelled in your chest. It was filling you with giddy satisfaction, you were not gonna let go of easily now.

Your sharp, fiery gaze flickered over his roughed up face briefly. You took a moment to actually study him. Scraped ice and dust from earlier battling adorned his flushed cheeks, the tips of his hair already damp from the accidentally splashed water, melted ice and sweat. Rosy lips were parted from the heavy breathing, flushed from pulsing blood, his chest heaved beneath you. Lifting your gaze higher, there was this small mole right below his eyelid. You always thought it was exceptionally cute. And finally, you met that aroused, delirious look of his. Dark crimson pupils blown wide, high on the thrill of battle, teal irises flickering dangarously with defiance, as he stared at you.

A slow sigh of momentarily appreciation escaped you.

He was the one with a pretty face here.

For a moment you just remained still, admiring the sight. Every time you two battled, you always had the thought of Lohen being an annoyingly attractive male somewhere in the back of your mind, but you kept pushing the thought down for the sake of your own dignity. But during moments like this?

You sometimes wished admiting your feelings towards that maniac wasn't as embarassing to you as it seemed.

It's not like you didn't want to... the thought of confessing was just making you feel too flustered. Vulnerable. Weak. You were sure he felt the same way too. So you were trapped in this strangely erotic mess of a relationship until one of you snapped.

You didn't want it to be you.

But it probably was going to be you.

You were still pinning Lohen down to the frozen layer of water harshly. You didn't even realise that while still fighting with his flexing muscles, your gaze deliberately softened. Your attention just drowned in his appearance, as the sudden rush of "what-if?" thoughts clouded your mind.

He caught on that. He momentarily paused fighting, head tilted almost curiously, as he gauged that subtle shift in your gaze. His brow perked in amusement, the corners of his parted mouth lifting higher with suspicious interest.

"You wanna kiss me?"

Your grip twitched.

Lohen's lips curled wickedly, his eyes lidding with mischief when he saw your tough facade momentarily crack. Your cheeks abruptly burned hotter, an uncontrolable flustered blush paiting your face. It's like he could read your mind. His words echoed in your head. 'You wanna kiss me?'

No shit you did.

But now it didn't make sense. No, you weren't gonna give him the satisfaction. You forcibly focused on slowing down your fluttering heart, a deep breath serving to soothe your nerves.

You weren't an ex-soldier for nothing.

Smoothly regaining your composure, you leaned in, your breath grazing his lips. You saw an involuntarily flicker of surprise in his eyes, the subtle twitch of widening eyelids, disbelief. Then anticipation. It made you smirk content, but you told the tingling in your stomach to shut the fuck up before your grip tightened around Lohen's wrists again. A rough whisper brushed his throbbing lips.

"Maybe if you win."

He snickered, an expression of utter amusement and delight at your daring answer. His eyes narrowed, watching you intrigued. You were good at keeping him on edge. He appreciated you for it. It made things interesting.

You could almost feel his body pulsate from the sudden surge of blood rushing through his veins.

Ignoring the minor slip-up of your composure earlier, you gestured upwards with your chin shortly. Expectantly pointing to the blade, he somehow still held above his head.

Lohen smirked and shot you an appraising glance. He snorted in mock incredulity, but his palms obediently opened, dropping the knife onto ice beneath you.

You sighed relieved. And that's when you made the gravely mistake of relaxing your grip a little.

Before you realised, it was too late.

Of course, the Vice Captian was just waiting for that moment.

In a span of seconds, his body flexed strongly beneath yours, breaking your position effortlessly. You both rolled on the ice yet again. Back to the starting point.

You returned to going back and forth, in hand to hand combat. The tension from moments ago forgotten or maybe it was just fueling you both even more now, no one knows. You spent a while rumbling in the middle of the sea, punching, kicking, gripping at each other. The lead of the duel was changing relentlessly. The casual, raw combat was so natural for you two, that at some point you must've forgotten using your Visions was even allowed in the first place. It was all about the rivalry now. You had to protect your pride.

It was no surprise, you two got so immersed in the fight, that through the sound of rough-and-tumble, the pulsing in your heads, and the dull throbbing of fresh bruises and bumps, the background wet sound of cracking, melting ice wasn't registered...

And the next thing you both heard, was a loud undignified splash which announced your sinkage into the salty water depths.

The frozen surface beneath you didn't last. It broke by itself.

You fell into the sea in a tangle of limbs, rushing to quickly swim away from each other. The cold water swallowed you whole. It soaked through your clothes, hair, uniforms. An unpleasant suffocating sensation filled your ears and nostrils, obstructing your sight too.

You both hurriedly swam upwards. Moments later, you broke the surface with loud gasps and panting, the air flowing into your lungs freely again.

You gathered the sticky, wet hair away from your face, regaining vision, meanwhile Lohen shook his head like a dog spraying off droplets from its fur. You both looked at each other, currently both resembling drowned rats. Only your heads sticked out of the deep sea water beneath Starsnatch Cliff.

The outcome was so absurd and unexpected, you both didn't know what to say. But at the sight of each other so soaked and pathetic like this... you couldn't help but break into silly laughter of disbelief.

Eventually, you decided to swim over to the coast. When your feet both reached the bottom, you started clumsily making way towards the beach. You let Lohen go first, following in his steps. The way he lazily dragged his limbs across the sea, told you he wasn't particularly content with the situation...

Well, neither of you'd predicted this was how your first duel with Visions would've ended.

You weren't too happy yourself, especially with how terrible getting out of the water felt. The way it soaked into your clothes, made it so cold and uncomfortable to move in. Not to mention your body aching and throbbing dully from the fight.

And the beat of your heartbeat... it still wasn't calming down. The adrenaline hasn't worn off just yet. Your hands were still tingling with intent, you still felt weirdly unsatiated. So this was really it? What about winning, what about proving your strength? You were honestly surprised Lohen let it end like this too, not even trying to drown you or anything? You bergudingly admited that... it felt weirdly disappointing.

You sent your companion a careful glance. He seemed indifferent, his guard down. How unlike him. What a rare sight.

What a rare... opportunity.

You were already nearing the beach, the water level just beneath your waists. Your eyes steadily locked on his back as you continued following him in measured strides. You felt adrenaline suddenly spike up, as you involuntarily begun stalking.

Nobody really said the duel was over...

You felt an itching urge.

You kept following Lohen up close, letting your predatory instincts flare up. You haven't got chances to catch him off guard like this often. This was almost perfect, your breath already shallow from excitement. Lohen momentarily stopped in his tracks, to squeeze some water off his cape. Completely unsuspecting.

The itching felt stronger.

You lowered you gaze, weighting the circumstances. The water level was around your calves now. Depth ideal to dip someone's head beneath.

You hesitated. This wasn't your style... Stalking prey and launching when it wasn't looking was more like his cup of tea. He set traps on you countless times before, lurking at you during your patrols, attacking when you were busy. You didn't mind engaging in his little games every time, but you never once set it up yourself. You weren't the type of person who looked for a fight purposefully. Violence was always the last means, a necessity for survival. You didn't need to resolve to it ever since you started living in Mondstadt but...

At a particular moment of your life, you once learnt how to be stealthy too.

Your hands twitched, as your eyes shifted to the back of Lohen's neck. Your fingers drummed restlessly along your thigh, begging to squeeze on something. You bit your lip uncertaintly.

But the itching was only growing in strength. You closed the distance in a deliberate stride.

And gave into the urge.

A sharp yelp cut the air when Lohen got suddenly sweeped off his feet. He was forced to the bottom, his knee bent under the impact. Before he could react, his upper body sank underwater.

Your grip held firm around his neck, firmlier than ever before. You took his bent body between your legs and kept his head pushed low. You were nearly pressing him to the sea bed, with just how much strength that adrenaline rush got you. Fuck, it's been a while since you purposefully sneaked up on someone like this, hasn't it? That feeling of strangling a squirming body... You forgot how oddly satisfying it felt.

You saw the glint of furious crimson from Lohen's eyes under the surface, it only made you grew hotter, blood thicker from the thrill. His hands clutched at yours, fighting your grip, scraping at your arms through your clothes.

He wiggled and choked, but you didn't let go. You stared down with almost sadistic intensity and watched as the air was leaving his lungs. Your head was buzzing from the exhilaration. Your thumbs pressed to his throat firmlier, relishing the feeling of slick, cold skin under your fingertips.

Finally, he grabbed a fistful of sand from sea's bottom and hurled it in your face. You huffed caught off guard, your eyes shutting from the obstruction, as you gasped. But your hold remained steel. A cheap trick. None of the Treasure Hoarders you took down like this before ever thought about it though... Unfortunately for Lohen, the throw was weak anyway. Some silt got into your eyes but it wasn't enough to cut off your way of sight completely, neither to make your position falter.

He then tried to push you off, his hips thrashing beneath you but your weight pressed firmly against his. You realised this is probably how he learns that you actually know how to strangle a person. Your jaw clenched with effort, as you tried to hold back from smirking. This felt way better than it should. Impressing him like that.

He was fighting and flexing hard, but after another while has passed, he finally gave up. His hand which was gripping your forearm, tapped out against it weakly, and you couldn't tell whether it was because of reluctance or did you actually got him so drained.

Either way, you immediately backed down. Your hands switched from his throat to his shoulders, as you pulled him out, and secured him in a steady sitting position. You sat at the wet sand with him, and let out a long shaky sigh. Only now you realised, you were holding in your breath the entire time. Your chest heaved, the riled up heartbeat pounding against it.

The sweet satisfaction of victory was already sending an electric tingling down your spine.

Meanwhile Lohen coughed violently a few times, choking on sea water which still harassed his respiratory system. His hair was dripping and sticking to his face in an unruly mess, hand settled over his throat, as if still feeling the ghost of your grip around it. Sharp gasping for air resounded across the beach.

A sudden spark of concern panged through your chest at the sight and sound of that. Your eyes flickered over his face nervously, as you examined his state, calculating the risk of passing out. You couldn't help but feel a little guilty. You really did a number on him this time. For all that taunting and teasing earlier, you'd say he's earned it... And sure, it felt good putting him in his place for once, and it's true that Lohen was annoying at times. Even more so, when he was purposeful about it, like today.

But at the end of the day, he was still your best friend...

Or something like that.

And so, you forcibly pushed down the victorious pride, for the sake of attending to your companion.

Without hesitation, your fingers reached to comb through his wet strands. You brushed his bangs backwards to clear his line of sight, and you even wiped away the sandy water obstructing his eyes with your delicate thumbs. You held his head in your palms, impatiently waiting for his usually so vivid pupils to finally meet yours. Your head tilted attentively, as you leaned closer. Did you go too far?

No... surely not. It was THE Vice Captain of the Ranged Company, after all.

At last, Lohen caught his breath and took a deep, unrestricted inhale. Dazed red eyes blinked at you through damp eyelashes.

For a moment, he just stared in silence, with an unreadable expression. A nervous shiver run down your spine but you didn't speak first. Maybe you did go too far after all..? You perked your brow at him, carefully.

He snorted weakly and clicked his tongue.

"You must've really not want that kiss, huh?"

You paused, completely baffled.

'You wanna kiss me?' 'Maybe if you win.'

Oh, right. You completely forgot you ever said that.

The corners of his mouth twitched, as he saw the realization on your face, the way your eyes widened slowly, your mouth parted and closed at a loss of words.

Your cheeks blushed flustered. You just shot yourself in the foot.

"I didn't mean it like that!" You exclaimed abruptly, trying to put this back on right track. No way, now he's gonna think you don't like him at all! What the hell? The instant regret that hit you, almost fully dimmed the pleasant victorious sensation you were relishing in just a few seconds ago. You desperately attempted putting the blame on him. "You lowered your guard! The duel wasn't over yet. Should've expected me to attack from behind!"

To your dread, he just snickered and shook his head, some water droplets from his hair running down your palms. He shot you an amused stare.

"I'm just messing with you." He giggled, grinning at you with mischief. His eyes shined at you again, with that beautiful agitated dark red.

"That was fucking incredible." He sighed.

His tone was slightly hoarse from the strangling earlier but it didn't make him sound any less bewitched.

You just paused surprised at the sudden switch. And then you snorted. Of course... this was Lohen you were talking to after all.

"It's been a while since I felt this close to blacking out! Why haven't you ever done this earlier? Could've made things so much more interesting countless times before..." He continued, looking at you genuinely amazed. Like he discovered some kind of a surprise gift, that was waiting to be found.

You sighed half relieved, half in disbelief and finally allowed yourself to pull away. You tilted your head back, eyes lifting to the sky. Your wet hand dragged across your face, washing off the remaining sand and silt he earlier threw at you.

Oh, Archons above... just what have you gotten yourself into by falling for a freak like him.

You lowered your gaze to him again, your lips curling into a smile of your own. He just stared with those hypnotic, creepy eyes of his, a wide satiated grin spreading across the soaked face.

You chuckled and leaned forward, letting out a deep tired sigh.

"I told you this wasn't a good idea."

"And you also told me, we weren't supposed to kill each other." He replied with a sarcastic hitch in his tone, sending you a judging look. "And the next you do is you perform a stealth assassination, which was pretty awesome of course,", he chimed in, "but for someone so against 'masacring' each other in the wilderness, it's pretty inappropriate, don't you agree?"

"You let your guard down... Nobody said the duel was over." You tried to defend yourself again, crossing your arms on your chest, as if it really wasn't your fault. It lacked conviction even now when you said it.

"Damn right it wasn't over... we could've continue this the next day!" He groaned then, splashing the water as he smacked the surface with his palm, emphasizing discontent.

Right, you could've guessed this was his plan... To repeat the session another day to settle the score. Why in the world haven't you thought of that?

Anyways, it was probably for the better not to have a reason to ever repeat that experience.

You held onto that thought, and immediately shook you head.

"No way. No more fighting with Visions. Not now, not never. This was the one and only exception." You responded shortly, decisive. This sparring session definitely costed you both more than anyone anticipated... It was one of the most intense duels you've ever had before.

And even though you did enjoy it, your rational side spoke quite firmly to you on this matter. For once.

"What? You've got to be kidding me, love." He immediately snorted amused, rolling his eyes. The water splashed as he shifted closer, his beady eyes searching yours intensively. "This was so fun! Way more fun than I would've ever imagined in my wildest dreams!" A pleased smile graced his face as he continued in a playful tone. "Besides, it was excellent training as well, if you ask me... How are we supposed to improve at wielding elemental powers if we are gonna fight without them all the time?" His head tilted, as he shot you a sly look.

Lohen was trying to finagle your logical thinking, but your mind was already set.

You didn't humor him anymore. As he spoke, you were already mid lifting out of the water. You stood, squeezing some from your drenched clothes, and with a nonchalant flip of your dripping hair you headed over to the nearing coast.

You heard him huff unimpressed, the sound followed by splashing noises announcing his own rising behind you. But you didn't look back anymore. You were full.

You won. You didn't mess up your relationship. You made him impressed. And you set a clear boundary.

A perfect ending to that crazy duel. Hopefully, you never had to go through it all again.

Not like you'd even want to.

Ever.

...

Some doubts of your decision did start to swirl in your head at that, but you didn't get any more time to think it through carefully. Your walk away was abruptly stopped, punching a choked gasp out of your lips. You nearly lost your balance, as you felt an obstruction at your feet. Looking down, you realised they were clutched in ice, frozen to the ground.

You froze, quite literally, as you heard the quiet footsteps closing in. The cold creeped up your legs to your knees, sending chills through your entire body. The Cryo energy spread quite easily given how wet your clothes already were. You stood immobilized, your body going taut, as your heartrate increased again.

Seems that your denial really upset the Vice Captain.

"Okay then, answer me this..." An eerily calm, laced with poison tone reached you from behind, before he closed the distance. His hands slid over your shoulders, leaving goosebumps across your chilled skin, as he stood exceptionally close to your back. When he leaned in, hot breath was palpable against your ear.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't freeze you to death right now."

You could picture the malicious smirk splitting his face very vividly.

"Since you DID try to assassinate me, you know... You really thought I'd forgive such a disgrace? An attack when I wasn't looking... Beyond disappointing." Lohen continued, his whisper carried a ragged edge, as it resounded against your shivering skin. The sadistic pleasure from watching you tremble was almost radiating off his body.

Oh, so only now he was getting mad at the fact you almost drowned him? Yet he was praising you for it just a few seconds ago. You found it stupid, but given the current circumstances you begrudingly resigned from rolling your eyes...

"You- I told you, you let your guard down, he duel hasn't ended-" You repeated stubbornly, but he must've already grown bored with that pitiful explanation. Because his palm closed over your mouth roughly.

Your startled squeak was muffled under his glove.

"Enough of that cute chipper, sweetheart, I want you to get creative." He purred, his other hand settling over your throat. Your pulse skyrocketed, but you remained still in his grip. Until you felt a cold breeze spread across your soaked neck, deliberately controlled.

"I'm really curious about how many hours you would last entombed in my ice. Do you think your blood is hot enough to melt it?" His low voice rung in your ear again, the cunning sweetness of it making you dizzy. He had a talent for creating just the right mental images... You gulped at the imaginary of your body entirely shackled by icy spikes, locking your limbs, crushing your chest.

He felt your throat move beneath his palm as you swallowed. The hold tightened deliberately as he leaned closer, smirking against the side of your head.

"Should I spill some so we could find out?" Steamy breath teased your sensitive skin, as he chuckled darkly. His other hand freed your mouth.

Only for the cold edge of his knife to press against your chin instead.

When the hell did he even pick it up? Didn't it fall to the sea?

You pushed away the insignificant now questions, and remained completely still. Paralyzed, both by panic, adrenaline, maybe also fear... or excitement? ...Anticipation? Whatever it was that made tingling ripples go down your spine right now.

"One reason. Why I shouldn't turn you into a popsicle right now."

You remained quiet for a moment, steading your uneven breathing. It felt weirdly intimate, being threatened by him like this. You liked it. It was a really curious thing, how fast each of you was able to work the other up so good.

You were a truely even match.

You gulped slowly again before starting in a calm, collected tone. You decided to go for the most obvious answer first. Your eyes looked to the side just a little, searching for his face.

"You like me too much."

He laughed.

"Tch, thats way too corny, you're better than that." He snorted in a mocking tone, readjusting the hold on your neck. The blade brushed your skin teasingly.

You clicked your tongue and made a second attempt, supressing an agitated shiver. Luckily, you had a cleverer guess already prepared.

"Who's gonna keep sparring you if not me?" You cood as your eyebrows raised at him. You put on an unaffected expression.

"Pff, weak." He chuckled dryly anyway. "There's plenty of enemies in Teyvat."

"But not in Mondstadt. The Knights? Oh please, they're no match for you." You huffed and rolled your eyes. The hand at your throat hesitantly twitched. Feeling more confident, as the chill slowly eased from your skin, you continued with a knowing tone.

"You need an equal in strength." You purred suggestively, catching the glimpse of his thin red irises through the corner of your eye.

He hummed, his gloved hand drumming over your throat lightly before he leaned closer.

He took the bait.

"You think we are equal?" Hot lips, contrasting with the icy powers, brushed the shell of your ear.

Your pulse was thumping intensely in your head by now. That low vibration of his teasing tone? It made you hot inside despite the frozen ground at your feet. You might've been covered with water and ice, but inside you were burning. And that fire flared up your fighting spirit again.

"Right, my bad..." You couldn't turn exactly, but your hand reached behind you, slow and steady. Fingers brushed through the soaked hair of his, before you tugged the strands on the back. Lohen's head lifted subtly, offering you a suspicious glance, before with a weak grunt he got suddenly yanked forward.

Your lips fully pressed to his ear as you murmured.

"I'm stronger."

You didn't pull back right away, letting the warmth of your mouth linger against the damp skin. Your fingers relaxed in his hair and combed softly, holding him close. He didn't move. Remained quiet and still.

Then judging by the subtle twitch of his body, you swear you could feel him shake from arousal.

That daring confidence, that taunting spirit of yours always matching his, was what kept winning him over. He finally sighed shakily, the fire you ignited so abruptly in him, turning into burning craving. But not to kill you anymore.

The knife clattered onto the ground, as his hands snapped to wrap around your waist tightly instead, his body pressing completely flush to your back. You gasped at the sudden warmth enveloping you, even despite the dripping clothes. His lips nuzzled the side of your head in return, and you had to supress an excited exhale. You could feel his chest pulsate from exhilaration.

"Never stop sparring me." A hot, desperate kiss grazed your ear.

Your heart momentarily skipped a beat. Then it started drumming so fast, it could've probably escape your chest. The nerves at your ear were set on fire from the touch, heat spreading across your face and body.

An accumulation of it pleasantly coiled between your legs.

You tilted your head to finally really look at him. His eyes were lidded, pupils blown wide, creating two dark pools of crimson amid gleaming teal, watching you mesmerised. Really mesmerised. He was giving you an awe-struck, love-sick look. With an undeniable, lurking in the back, hint of possessiveness.

You liked it.

Your gaze lowered to his lips. Then back onto his eyes.

The heat accumulating in your lower body was VERY palpable now.

"Is that a command or a plea, Vice Captain?" You cleared your throat and asked with a playful hitch in your tone, hiding how eagerly your body was reacting to this all.

Lohen must've realised his expression wasn't quite meeting his usual persona so he snorted, squeezing you tighter. As if to emphasize the power he still held over you.

"You're not even in my Company, smartass." He hummed, shooting you an unimpressed look. But then his head dipped, pressing to the crook of your neck, as he let out a long, hot sigh against your skin. His purr sent a pulse straight to your core.

"Please."

Your stomach fluttered terribly, filling with wild butterflies, and you did your best to keep your composure steady and not betray just how much that breathless plea affected you. Your breath hitched softly before you replied.

"I won't. Not until I kill you." You murmured with a rough edge to your tone. You didn't mean it for real... but he clearly got the sincere devotion carried by the confession.

He lifted his eyes on you. Now, he was really giving you the awe-struck look.

You were so damn sure he wanted to kiss you at that moment.

Should've let him win that duel...

"You swear?" He cooed breathlessly, leaning further to nuzzle your neck, his body pressing even closer into yours. His hands suddenly started to roam your body. Palms moved almost greedily over your torso, your chest, mapping your curves through the tight, drenched clothes. You held back a shaky gasp from getting worked up. He never touched you... this openly before. With intent, which wasn't hitting you.

You liked it.

You unconsciously leaned into the sensation of his hands all over you, your back arching into his own chest. Your blood was buzzing relentlessly through your veins, and every slightest touch was sending even stronger tingles of heat down your spine.

Lohen's hands were reaching for your hips too. Your heart nearly stopped when you felt him pair it with pressing kisses to your neck. Soft. Desperate. Checking how much you'd let him do.

You nearly forgot he asked you a question few seconds ago. A shaky inhale grumbled from your throat as you attempted to speak.

"Fuck- Yes, of course I swear, whatever!" You started, cringing terribly at just how breathless you sounded. Your cheeks flushed pink and you immediately tried to get free from his grasp. You suddenly became much more conscious of the whole situation... And it made you grow uncomfortably flustered. Sadly, the more you wiggled the more clingily his hands were grasping your body. You should know better then think he'd just let you go off easily like this. You cursed and squirmed harder, the heat of his hands already melted away whatever Cryo energy was left on you.. His palm slid along your chest, boldly squeezing your curves. You felt his lips smirk against your neck. Then a slow drag of his warm tongue tasted the sweat from your skin.

You whimpered. You couldn't handle this anymore.

"Archons, yes I will keep kicking your ass just let me go already! I'm freezing cold!" You tried to bring the attention back onto the way you were both still dripping with sea water, in the cool, evening air. The frigid sensation of the sticky fabric clinging to your bodies was only getting increasingly unpleasant, the hotter your body felt inside.

Lohen finally let out last giddy laugh against your neck before backing down. He released your feet from the ice completely, letting you turn to him. Groaning in relief and mild annoyance you finally faced him, as he still held your waist.

"You're sick." You grumbled, planning to scold him more but met with his fully smitten look, your irritatuon magically melted away. Your cheeks still burned uncontrollably, breath uneven and heart racing. But it seemed you weren't the only one in such state. The only difference was, he was grinning like a fool, when his frenzied crimson irises watched you.

It felt weird seeing him like this after he just threatened you. But you weren't one to complain. You begrudingly sighed and leaned closer into his touch, cupping his cheeks. His skin seemed so oddly warm, for a Cryo Vision dweller, this evening.

You noted, you had quite an effect on him too, after all. Your eyes scanned his darkened, lidded ones, as your thumbs subconsciously begun brushing his cheeks. Your eyes lowered to the small mole under his eye, lips involuntarily smiling in endearment.

You couldn't really explain how such a small thing could make a madman like him suddenly seem so cute.

Then, right next to the beauty mark, you saw a small scrape, a leftover from your fight. Your thumb involuntarily wiped away some of the dried blood lingering below it.

Lohen hummed lowly at that, narrowing his eyes at you. He abruptly shifted backwards, as if the genuine affection momentarily put him off.

You pasued, giving him a deadpan stare and squeezing him tighter, not to let go. He squeezed your waist warningly in return as well. You perked your brow at him suspiciously. He just snickered and sighed unimpressed, feigning discontent.

"I like you better when you're trying to kill me."

"You really are sick." You groaned, shaking your head incredulously, the whole romantic atmosphere you were relishing in just a moment ago, popping like a balloon. You exhaled deeply and finally let go, pushing his hands off your waist. He didn't insist on squeezing you this time, just laughing amused at your disappointed reaction.

Because maybe if he didn't say it in that moment, you would've kissed him.

Or maybe you wouldn't. That action proved difficult for you countless times before. Why? You weren't sure. Usually you had no problem reaching for what you wanted. But this felt different. Perhaps, you still needed some time to accept, this was really the person you fell for.

This terribly messed up, sado-masochistic, crazy person.

Half of the Mondstadters' greatest nightmare.

Were you really so different from him, though?

Who knows. You had enough wondering for today. Enough of fighting, and especially enough of lingering at the shore, in a wet uniform.

"We should go... Maybe the infirmary is still open." You decided, regaining your rational approach, offering him a telling glance. But he didn't look as if he was particularly listening. Even though the tension was gone, his mind still seemed to be clouded by something. You rolled your eyes and tugged his sleeve, aiming to bring him back on Teyvat.

"Come on we should get patched up before tomorrow... Your legion can't see their mighty Vice Captain this, can they?" You asked with a humorous hint, patting Lohen's cheek lightly in mock affection. He snapped back to his senses and shook off your hand, with a dry chuckle of his own.

"Yea, it's whatever. Not like any of them would dare to say anything anyway. " He replied with a snort and finally slowly followed.

You walked in silence. Maybe it was because you were both utterly drained from the duel. Or maybe the things got suddenly a little awkard after your emotions finally cooled down. You couldn't shake off the feeling something was wrong. As you were making your way home, you subtly glanced at him appraisingly.

The lazy drag of his limbs, the clouded look again. He wasn't satisfied. You knew the look of disappointment of his, the missing spark of content in the red irises. You weren't believing this. Seriously? After all that had happened, the sparring at the top, jumping off the cliff, battling in the middle of the sea, sinkage, then your assasionation attempt, he still hadn't got enough?

This didn't add up. You involuntarily traced back to all of the events, trying to make out what was he missing. You clicked your tongue regretably realising, just how much you really cared for making his freak happy. But you chose not to belittle yourself for it for now.

You were thinking hard, recalling all your dialogues, the most tenseful moments... And you got it.

You lifted your eyes to the night sky, your palm dragging across your face in disbelief for the second time this day. You battled yourself for a good while before bergudingly sighing in defeat.

The lengths you were agreeing to go for Lohen were embarassing you.

Few moments later you nonchalantly cleared your throat and asked casually.

"How about the Thousand Winds Temple next?"

He perked up in an instant. Like a dog at the sound of the word 'treat'.

"What about it?" He turned to you, crimson eyes blinking in the moonlight.

"For the next duel with Visions... It's remote enough, safe, away from the wilderness... It even has a shape of a colosseum already. Should survive Cryo swirls quite well, no?" You murmured, looking at him through knowing lidded eyes. Like you were doing him a favor. Because quite literally, you were.

The next thing you knew you were sweeped off your feet into the air and twirled in a pair of eager arms. You gasped startled, not expecting his reaction to be this outright. Your wide eyes glanced down at him with surprise, your brow lifting. But your lips soon formed into a wide, cheery smile.

He replied with a sly grin, as he pressed his chin to your chest.

"Would be perfect."