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Illuga, for all sense and purposes, was supposed to be having a good day, damn it.
He had gotten to his shift early to find that all the machines were clean for once, most likely due to his Boss Diluc’s presence at the cafe on Friday’s. Diluc had even given him a bonus. It wasn’t much, but Illuga took pride in the fact that he was a hard worker. Apparently it was a rare trait to have in Mondstadt, considering it was called the city of freedom and all. At least that’s what Diluc told him, but he considered it a compliment from the colder man.
The bonus was nice, it meant he could get Aedon a new toy. He was a rather spoiled bird, but Illuga digressed. He was the biggest connection he had to his homeland back in Nod-Krai. He and his best friend Flins had found him injured in a park. Illuga had tried to release him a few times when his wing had fully healed, but time after time the little nightingale had refused. The two had been inseparable since.
To top it all off, he had only been getting the most pleasant of customers. Ones he didn’t really have to talk too often to and that got their orders and stuck to themselves. Illuga never really called himself an introvert, but keeping a smile at the counter gave him a headache, and any customer that gave him relief was a good one.
Yes, today was finally supposed to be a good day, especially considering the week he had.
Then, an hour before his shift finished and he got to go home, he showed up. The damn problem that had made his week hell, gallavanting into the cafe as if he owned the place. His light blue hair bounced with his walk, letting his naturally brown roots catch the shadows every once in a while. Illuga had only learned his name, Lohen, by force once he realised that the stout man was going to be a problem for more than one day.
“Hey, Birdy, just the usual order please.” Lohen said as he leaned his full weight on the counter, pushing himself into Illuga’s space
Lohen didn’t even say anything. His eye subtly twitching at that corny nickname was more than enough of a response in his mind.
Lohen snickered. “Awww, come on, aren't you going to write down anything, or have you already gotten lazy with your job Illuga?”
Illuga sighed, every encounter with this man was even more proof of why he shouldn’t have a name tag while working. Maybe he’d be able to convince Diluc to get rid of them if he complained enough.
He looked down at his screen before quickly putting Lohen’s order in, already annoyed that he had memorized it in the one week he had known the menace. “I’m not, just considering things.”
Considering things like how best to ignore him.
“Heh, I knew you were interested in me. It can’t be helped though. I am a man of beauty.”
This is what made Illuga’s mind reel to no end. The unabashed confidence, the constant flirtations, and the sheer fucking will to annoy him to annoy until closing. He had been up to this confusing array of tricks since Monday when he had entered the shop for the first time, wanting to talk to Diluc about something, and somehow got distracted by Illuga’s beauty. (Lohen’s words, not his.)
Illuga chose to hide his emotions by taking refuge behind the steamer. Maybe it was better to just pretend like Lohen wasn’t trying to fluster him at every turn. Every part of his body wanted him to argue against the flirtatious words, but that would just give Lohen what he wanted. It’s not like he was actually interested in the man, but he just happened to be easily carried away by such words. It reminded him slightly of his friendship with Flins, but he shot that thought away as quickly as it came.
He put Lohen’s drink on the counter, using every bit of his strength not to slam it. “Your drink.”
“Thanks Birdie.” Lohen took a quick sip of his drink, despite it being flagrantly hot. “Any chance I could get a date with it to go?”
“As I’ve said, I’m not interested.” Illuga grumbled, wishing for a customer to arrive so that he could continue to try ignoring Lohen’s advances.
“Really?” Lohen asked, “You started blushing the moment you saw me.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.” Illuga retorted, defensive. “I just don’t deal well with annoying people.”
Lohen laughed at that, the harsh, bright, and sharp sound carrying through the relatively empty cafe. Illuga realised that the blue haired man had finally gotten Illuga to insult him.
“You know,” Lohen whispered, like he was telling Illuga some big secret. “I’ve been told I’m only annoying until I’ve gotten what I’ve wanted.”
Illiga shivered. “I doubt it.”
Just then, the backdoor behind the counter opened revealing Illuga’s saviour, his boss.
Diluc’s sigh was deep and personal. “Didn’t I tell you to just come in the back when you get here? I don’t need you interrupting my staff while they’re working.”
Lohen smiled at Diluc, but Illuga could see that it wasn’t genuine warmth. “You didn’t tell me you were hiring such pretty workers. I’ve been inclined to visit every day.”
Diluc looked at Illuga with pity in his eyes while Illuga avoided eye contact as much as possible.
“Hmmm, well, come into my office then, I want to make this quick.” Diluc said, looking out at the few meanderers passing by on the street in the warm evening light. “Illuga, you can pack up for the day. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Right,” Illuga responded, intrigued by whatever business the two had with each other. But well, he wasn’t much of one to meddle. Whatever made Lohen not his problem was a win, so he promptly started on closing the cafe for the weekend.
______________________________________________________________________________
The next day, Illuga was spending his afternoon playing games with Flins online. It was a way for the two of them to still connect with each other despite the drastic difference in distance to each other, and while neither of them were any good at the games they played, it was still fun to mess around with each other and tell the other of their previous weeks, and oh boy, did Illuga have a week.
He had been ranting for an hour about Lohen and his stupidly blue hair and the fact that he must have contacts in his eyes because he actually had both red and blue irises. His antics had become a full blown conspiracy about Celestia creating a man specifically meant to annoy him.
“You know,” Flins interrupted while Illuga was ranting about how Lohen liked his coffee too hot. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone rile you up this much.”
Illuga grumbled “That should just prove how annoying he is.”
“Didn’t you find me annoying when we first met?”
He had actually found Flins to be a nuisance when they first met, although not for that long. Flins and Illuga had met in high school, Flins being a year older. The two were both slight outcasts, but had somehow eventually found a connection with each other. Probably something to do with Flins repeatedly ditching him on school responsibilities, and Illuga constantly seeking him out to settle the score. Flins had found a hobby in subtly annoying his fellow peer, which only got more infuriating for Illuga the more he knew why Flins was doing it. It wasn’t his fault his facial reactions were so entertaining!
“That’s-, That’s besides the point!” Illuga sputtered, ignoring whatever Flins was trying to imply.
“I’m just saying,” Flins said. “Maybe he’s being a nuisance for the same reason I was.”
“But then why is he just flirting with me so openly?”
Flins chuckled. “Have you ever considered that he might actually be attracted to you?”
“But-.” Illuga stopped himself from saying anything as he let his thoughts process themselves. It wasn’t like Lohen’s flirting was catching on to him, after all, he only left Flins’s teasing with the teensiest of crushes. One that had gotten crushed the moment he had found out Flins wasn’t interested in romantic relationships at all. Obviously Lohen was much more of a flirt than Flins, but he would not let himself fall into the same pitfall yet again. “Ugh, it doesn’t matter anyway.”
“Well I would watch out.” Flins warned, clear entertainment in his eyes. “From what I’ve been hearing from you about this, Lohen, he might be showing up at your work again.”
Illuga groaned. “Don’t remind me, maybe I’ll be able to get Diluc to do something about it, the two seem to know each other."
______________________________________________________________________________
“What do you mean you can’t do anything?!” Illuga practically yelled.
He had spent his shift once again the unfortunate focus of Lohen’s attention, something that only became more annoying when Diluc came in and promptly ignored the situation going on at the counter. Illuga had just finished his shift and was having a much needed conversation with his boss.
Diluc sighed. “I mean just that, Lohen isn’t an ordinary customer for us.”
“Can’t you even talk to him to tone down the flirting? And what does that even mean?”
“Nothing important to you.” Diluc said, palming his face because Illuga was making a problem for him, and it had to do with Lohen out of all people. Illuga wasn’t guilty though. If he had to deal with that blue haired twerp, then so did his boss. “Just be careful around him. I’ll try to see if I convince him to leave you alone.”
“Right, of course.” Controlling his emotions, Illuga pushed on his jacket on and left the otherwise empty building as quickly as possible.
The outdoors were a nice temperature compared to the rather stuffy cafe. Steaming drinks for multiple hours a day wasn’t a particularly cooling activity. Illuga always enjoyed the walks home, especially since he got to experience the sunset on the meander to his apartment. It was a small ritual to rid himself of the stress of work.
Mondstadt was quite an old city, which meant that it had quite a few alleyways and narrow streets webbing through it. It was charming in a way, feeling like you were being swallowed up by the buildings towering over the old cobblestone roads. It was nice in another way. Since cars couldn’t always make their way through such narrow passageways, walking shorter distances was quite quick as a pedestrian.
It was honestly one of the things, other than the history, that had brought him to Mondstadt. He had written his final thesis on the city. Being a History major the place was just dripping with information, and his study visit had entrapped him in the culture as well. It was just a shame that finding a job that related to all that history was harder than Illuga had thought.
The library was already filled by someone much more resilient than him, and unfortunately many museums were only operational during festivals, which made getting a steady source of income incredibly hard. Still, he had worked at some historical sites. Dragonspine had been his favorite since the cold was so similar to his home country and he had gotten along well with Albedo, the head researcher for the area. It was actually Albedo who had recommended the cafe to Illuga as a good stepping stone so that he could get settled more and send out feelers in the community to eventually get a better job.
Illuga, lost in his thoughts, allowed his legs to lead him instead of his head, letting the notably windy streets carry him back home. Maybe it was the gusts buffeting his ears that distracted him, or his own thoughts about the prospects of a better job, but he didn’t notice the scuffle in the darkened alley in front of him until gunshots much too close for his liking sounded out pulling him away from his nice autumnal walk.
For the first few moments he froze as a shadowed figure gracefully shot across the cobblestone is some godly form of violence. Illuga made the stupid decision to watch as what could only be described as an angel of death took out men twice his size one by one. Gang fights weren’t that uncommon in Nod-krai, especially in Nasha town where his parents lived. It wasn’t that uncommon to hear gunshots while trying to sleep. It was only after it was somewhat too late when the sound of a bullet ricocheting on brick near his left side that he remembered the words his parents had ingrained into him when he first started playing with his friends as a young boy.
Run when you can and hide if you need to.
He didn’t have that much time to make a move, but seemed as if the fight was already over when he made it to the edge of an alley only to turn back into an equally dark street. It was the silence that disturbed him enough to jump against a group of trash cans. He just hoped the fleeting sound of his steps and his racing heartbeat weren’t loud enough to alert the victor. After all, not many gang members wanted any witnesses.
Illuga waited silently, body poised for anything. While trying to breathe as silently as possible, he thought over all the self defence classes he had ever been in. Maybe they hadn’t really been enough. His breathing shook a little when he heard light steps on the concrete coming his way, at least only loud enough to give him some measure between him and the figure he desperately didn’t want to meet. He almost thought he could hear heavy breaths just behind him, but when he jumped out to defend himself, it was already too late.
He was easily pinned against the wall he was beside and quickly felt the blade of a knife press against his throat. He closed his eyes and tried to make himself small, there wasn’t much left for him to do but make himself the tiniest threat he could possibly be.
“I’m really sorry! I was just on my way home! I won’t tell anyone anything. I really just saw you guys by accident-
“Birdie?” His assailant asked, perhaps with a little too much glee. After all, he still had his knife at Illuga’s throat.
It was with that singular word that recognition flooded through him. He didn’t even need to open his eyes. Still, he did anyway, only to be met by Lohen’s face splattered with blood. The blue-haired man’s face was some gruesome mix of enthusiasm and relief.
“And here I thought you were back-up. What are you doing walking home in dark alleys like that? It’s dangerous out here at night.”
Illuga coughed, his surprise not doing much to tamper his adrenaline. “Of course I know that. I’ve done self defence classes you know.”
Lohen laughed. And well, a part of Illuga understood the joke. “You really are a riot, Birdie. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re safe and sound every night now that you’re caught up in all this.”
Illuga glared at the blue haired man, the shadows lining his body making him much more terrifying than what was reasonable. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m going to walk you home.” Lohen smiled, leaving no room for argument. “I don’t think self defence can help you against the monsters you might face here at night. They have guns.”
“Dont infantilise me.” Illuga scoffed, “And can you please put your knife away? I’m not a fan of blades at my neck.”
Lohen pushed away from Illuga and pocketed the silver knife, giving him some well needed room. “Of course, of course, anything for you~.”
It was then that Illuga finally got a good look at Lohen. Not that he usually tried to look at him, but the bullet wound staining his clothes was a little obvious. Illuga considered himself a serious person, but for some reason, he couldn’t stop himself from helping the injured and sick. Blame his barely disguised bleeding heart.
“Shit, you’re bleeding!” He gasped, quickly taking off his jacket to put pressure on the wound.
Lohen’s voice was passive as he tried to wave Illuga’s worries off. “Relax, it’s a shallow wound. I’ll just patch it up after I drop you off.”
“Shouldn’t we be going to the hospital?”
“And tell them what, that I accidentally shot myself?” Lohen looked into Illuga’s eyes, reality checking him. “This isn’t something that you go to the police for.”
Illuga grumbled. “At least let me help, I have first aid at home, and there’s no way I’m letting you walk the streets alone after being attacked like that.”
Lohen looked almost shocked by the amount, before barking out sharp laughter. “Are you saying you want me to stay at your place for the night? Wow Birdie, I didn’t know you to be so bold.”
Illuga sighed and damned himself. “Just as long as you’re respectful.”
“Of course.” Lohen joked. “I’ll be the most chivalrous man you’ve ever seen.”
Illuga severely doubted that. “Let’s just go, it’s not so good to be near the aftermath of the fight.”
Lohen hummed. “As you say, Birdie.”
Illuga stood up and helped Lohen do the same, although it didn’t really look like he needed it. Still, he wrapped his arm around the other man to support him.
Lohen leaned into the embrace. “Is it because you’re with me, or are you getting more comfortable with touch Birdie?”
Illuga gave the blue haired man a look. “You’re shot, I don’t see the need for you to complain.”
Lohen snickered. “Oh, I’m not complaining at all.”
And with that, they took off rather quickly to Illuga’s apartment.
______________________________________________________________________________
It turned out that Lohen was much more of a fussy patient than he thought. He constantly moved around and made it hard to dress his wound, and then critiqued him for being slow. It didn’t help either that his constant flirting continued when he wasn’t complaining about Illuga’s performance at bandaging a gunshot wound.
Chivalrous his ass.
“Can’t you just stay still?” Illuga asked, frustratedly pushing his hair from his face.
“I can’t help it.” Lohen said, “What would you do if a beautiful man was feeling you up?”
Illuga groaned. “You know that’s not what I’m doing. Stop teasing me, It’ll go faster if you just listen!”
“Oh, but I like going slow.” Lohen smirked “I’m sure I can get you to like going slow too~."
Illuga chose that he wasn’t going to honor that with a reaction. “Why were you even being attacked anyway? Seems like there were quite a few people after you.”
Lohen looked him in the eyes, showing with eye contact how dangerous that question was. “There’s a gang from another part of the city. They don’t like me all too much. Damn bastards must have figured out my schedule of visiting you every day and planned an ambush.”
Illuga folded his next question along his tongue before finally deciding to ask it. “Why don’t they like you?”
“Do you really want that answer, Birdie?”
Illuga nodded. It wasn’t like they had known each other long enough for Illuga to not be worried, but Lohen had already shown his favor for the Nod-Kraian. He wasn’t worried about Lohen per say, more what the danger was if he associated with him.
Lohen sighed, something Illuga realised was a rare sight. “It comes with the job, I suppose. The Knights of Favonius are a gang that’s much more reasonable than the others, at least in my opinion. Our Grandmaster usually only goes after people trying to cheat the community, other gangs included. I’m more of an executor of the will of the gang.”
Illuga hummed in acknowledgement, watching Lohen shift uncomfortably.
The blue haired man continued. “Which means a lot of things. My official title is Vice-Captain, but usually I just go around to our associates to get clues of wrongdoings. An example of that would be my meetings with Diluc. But other than that I usually enforce our borders and carry out any of the more violent missions the gang needs to be carried out.”
Illuga absorbed the information, connecting the dots as to why the dark alleys he walked through had actually been safe. “So is Diluc also part of your gang?” He asked.
“Archons, I wish.” Lohen answered, shaking his head. “He used to be, but got cold feet when his dad died a few years ago. Used to be one of the most promising members next to me. Still good as an informant though, I think he likes the less busy lifestyle.”
Illuga frowned. “I’m not in any danger by associating with you, am I?”
Lohen hummed and closed his eyes, which gave Illuga a chance to finish securing the gang members' bandages while he was deep in thought.
“I can’t guarantee your full safety, Birdie.” Lohen said. “But that doesn’t mean you haven’t been in danger from the start. Most people who associate with the Knights of Favonius remain as safe as we can make it, but that doesn’t mean nothing has ever happened. It’s not like you’re not associated with us already, considering you're working with Diluc, but tonight was definitely a one off. We’re pretty deep in our territory, but there’s nothing stopping adversary members from sneaking past our patrols if they’re lucky.”
Illuga stayed silent and sorted the new information he had received, only being knocked out of his thoughts when Lohen shifted his weight onto him.
“Birdie, I don't want you to think I’m trying to put you in danger here. I’m going to protect you no matter what, no matter what our relationship is.”
“I know that,” Illuga muttered, “My best friend actually works as a Lightkeeper in Nod-Krai. It’s kinda like the police force in the country. I was actually part of it too while I was getting my degree. Trust me, I know about professions that attract danger.”
Lohen relaxed in Illuga’s grasp in relief.
“That doesn’t mean I’m not worried though.” Illuga continued. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, I’m getting rather attached to you. So of course I’m going to get worried about your nightly escapades the more I get to know you. I’m not going to stop you from doing what you want, but consider my apartment a safe place to go the next time you get shot.”
Lohen smiled, and kissed Illuga on the cheek. “Thanks Birdie, I really appreciate it.”
Illuga sputtered. “That doesn’t mean I want a relationship yet, you’re still sleeping on the couch!”
Lohen got up, carrying his bloodied shirts to put in the wash. “Was that a “yet” I heard?”
“Just get some rest, will you?” Illuga argued “And don’t go fighting anyone till you’re healed.”
“Fine, as long as you promise to give my courting a chance.”
Illuga blushed, averting his eyes as the other stripped from the rest of his clothes so he could sleep comfortably. “Whatever.”
“I'll take it!” Lohen laughed, arranging the blanket Illuga had given him on the couch. “See you tomorrow Birdie.”
______________________________________________________________________________
The next two months were odd, so to say. Illuga had continued to work at the cafe, slowly falling for Lohen’s stupid charm. The damn sneak had even managed to get his number, which was an annoyance that Illuga looked forward to every day. His complaints about the sprite young man to Flins became lesser and further apart, which only made Flins’s own teasing about the situation ten times worse. He had to admit to himself now that whatever he and Lohen had, it was far past platonic. Lohen was starting to steal a few too many kisses from him for that not to be the case.
He supposed it wasn’t all great though, considering he was being woken up by harsh knocking at his window. It was making Aedelon screech, which wasn’t helping since he really wanted to go back to sleep and not deal with whatever his new friend wanted from him.
Illuga opened the window, giving his intruder enough room to not go barreling to the cobblestone street below. He did think about it though. Just for a second.
“Lohen” Illuga grumbled, fatigue still hanging onto his voice. “I live on the third floor for Archon’s sake, what in Celestia’s name are you doing?”
“You haven’t given me a house key yet.” Lohen retorted, planting a kiss on Illuga's forehead as he pushed himself into the Nod-Kraian’s bedroom. “How else am I supposed to get inside?”
“Like a sane person?” Illuga said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “You could have let me know beforehand too. You know it’s my day off.”
“I did, you just never answered me.”
Illuga looked at his phone. “Yeah, you texted me like an hour ago, when I was still asleep. How was I supposed to know if you’re coming when I’m not conscious to see your warning?”
Lohen snickered, walking past Illuga’s disheveled form to say hello to Aedelon. “That’s why I came in through your window instead of knocking on your front door. Much easier to wake you up that way. Anyway, don’t you want to see the surprise I have for you? I think you’re going to like it!”
“Sure, sure, what is it?” Illuga asked.
Lohen laughed, the sharp sound now being a comfort instead of an annoyance. “It’s something you have to be there for, not something I can tell you myself. So get dressed, we’re going on an adventure.”
Illuga just decided to go along with the blue haired man’s antics. Plus, he had some chores to do anyway, so he didn’t have much issue with starting the day early. He got dressed quickly, rolling his eyes at the whistle Lohen shot him as he did so. Once he was ready, he was quickly escorted out of his apartment - Thankfully through the front door - by the excitable man dragging him along.
The two made their way to the Favonius Headquarters. The building was surprisingly public for a gang hideout. He had been brought once or twice by Lohen already, but usually only to meet some people to go to in case he was in danger and couldn’t reach Lohen. The Knights of Favonius seemed to be unofficial protectors of the city in a way, considering there wasn’t much of a police presence in the City of Freedom.
“Why are we here?” Illuga asked as he was pushed through the front doors.
“Be patient.” Lohen responded. “I promise you’ll be just as excited as me in a moment’s notice.”
The pair passed by groups of passerby’s walking through the hall. The Headquarters seemed to be a community centre of sorts for those who pledged loyalty, so it wasn’t uncommon to see regular citizens visiting the Headquarters' library or gym. It was quite an odd experience watching them play or hang out together considering the first member of The Knights of Favonius he had met was Lohen. They ended up passing by the amenities though, and instead climbed the stairs to the offices above.
Lohen led him into an office he had never been in before, which wasn’t saying much, since he had only been in Lohen’s office. Even then he hadn’t gotten much time to take in the details of that room as Lohen had attacked him with his lips the moment the door had closed.
This office seemed quite thoroughly cleaned compared to Lohen’s though, with much less paperwork and more scientific equipment lining the shelves. A blonde haired man sat at the desk, looking up at Illuga as he entered the room.
“Ah Illuga, thanks for coming in on such short notice.” The man at the desk said,
“Albedo? I didn’t know you were part of the knights?”
Albedo nodded. “It has been easier to get grants from the Vice-Grandmaster than it has to get from the government.”
“Yes, but from the Knights?” Illuga asked. “I can’t think of them invested in academics.”
“The Knights aren’t your usual gang, that’s for sure.” Lohen said, stealing attention from the other two in the room. “That’s actually why we’re here right now.”
“Right.” Albedo hummed. “The Knights have been wanting to focus more on teaching Mondstadt’s history, and while you are from Nod-Krai, your knowledge of our country is quite detailed, I think you’ll be perfect for the job.”
Illuga tried to push down his giddiness and remain calm. “And what would that job entail?”
Albedo explained. “Teaching opportunities mostly, as well as research expeditions with the rest of the research team to different parts of Mondstadt. You’d be expected to share anything you study with the Library as well.”
Illuga smiled, excitement clouding his thoughts. He had truly been given his dream job on a silver platter. He didn’t even really care how much Mora was going to be offered for the job.
“Thank you so much!” He said “I can’t thank you enough for this opportunity.”
Albedo smiled, although it was small, like he was telling a joke only to himself. “Trust me, you’ll be doing the research team a favor. Lisa will be so much easier to deal with with you already being claimed by Lohen”
Illuga blushed hard at that, the colour in his face only deepening as Lohen pushed his arms around him. ‘It’ll be good for security too. Not many people are brave enough to go after the citizens directly hired by the knights.”
“Oh please.” Illuga mumbled. “You just want me closer to your workplace.”
Lohen laughed “Guilty as charged!”
“What’s going to happen to my position at the cafe though?” Illuga wondered. “Isn’t it a bit rude to quit so abruptly.”
“Eh, I’m sure we can get Noelle to sub in while Diluc finds a new hire.” Lohen answered, waving Illuga off. “She likes busy work anyway. Her and Diluc seem to get along as well.”
Albedo nodded, catching Illuga’s attention. “Then, I’ll get a contract written up as soon as possible. I hope to be working with you soon, Illuga.”
“I do too.” the Nod-Kraian said, bowing to show his thanks.
And with that, Lohen pulled Illuga out of Albedo’s office and into his own, mostly so he could get his hands on the other man.
”So, what did you think of the surprise?” Lohen asked in between biting kisses into Illuga’s neck.
“I love it, I don’t even know what to say.” Illuga replied, trying to keep his breathing steady against Lohen’s ministrations.
The blue haired man looked Illuga in the eyes, something like hope hidden in his eyes. “Do you think you like it enough to give going on an official date with me a try?”
“Oh for the love of Archon’s, why not?” Illuga shook his head, smiling. “Where would we even go though?”
Lohen hummed, nuzzling into the marks he had already left on Illuga’s neck. “How about Dragonspine? It has some nice ruins, and the cold is good for cuddling future boyfriends.”
Illuga laughed, and kissed Lohen’s cheek. “You’re ridiculous. It sounds perfect.” When Lohen didn’t answer right away, the Nod-Kraian looked down and noticed the rosy flush on Lohen’s face. “Is that a blush I see? What happened to my Vice-Captains effortless charm?”
Lohen grumbled in embarrassment, a sight Illuga was quite happy to get his first look of. “Maybe this Vice-Captain didn’t expect his charm to work. I don’t have the fanciest job by any means. I wouldn’t have blamed you for running away.”
“I’m the one who gets to decide that,” Illuga said, cuddling into Lohen’s arms. “And I think I’m ready to try this out. I just hope your flirting doesn’t get any worse. I can only get flustered in public so much before people start giving me weird looks while I’m walking down the street.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you then, there is no way I’m not going to flaunt you every chance I get.”
Illuga pouted and looked away. “Then maybe I’m not so ready to date.”
Lohen immediately took that opportunity to start “convincing” Illuga of why he would be such a good boyfriend, and Illuga realised once again just how much of a problem it was that Lohen was such a good kisser. The blue haired man was going to be able to convince him of anything if this kept up.
Oh well, at least he had the annoying asshole as a boyfriend now.