Chapter Text
“Ah, Master Illuga. What a welcome surprise. It has been far too long since we’ve seen each other.” Flins’ smooth voice washed over Illuga as he was ushered through the threshold of his home.
He leveled the man a flat stare. “Sir Flins, you came to Piramida two days ago because, and I quote ‘I missed you, Master Illuga.’”
“And?”
Illuga just sighed, rubbing his gloved hands down his face before moving to the couch in the connected room. Flins followed behind.
“Is there something on your mind, Master Illuga? You seem rather… distressed.”
A deep groan escaped his throat before speaking. Illuga came here to escape the issue he’s been dealing with for the past week or so, but Flins was always too perceptive for his own good. And, well, it’s not as if he was doing a very good job of hiding it in the first place, so he could hardly fault Flins for asking.
He just wished he hadn’t. Because Illuga knew, now that he was given the opportunity, he was going to start ranting about it, and that will just make him even more frustrated, and make him rant more about it, and get more frustrated, and so on.
“Distressed? I’m more than distressed. I’m so, ugh! He’s just, I can’t. Ah! This guy is so ughhh.” Illuga groaned again, louder and more guttural.
“I didn’t quite catch that, Young Master.” The amused smile on Flins’ face was evident in his voice despite Illuga’s eyes being squeezed shut, the heels of his hands pressed deeply into them. “Could you repeat it? A little slower this time.”
The younger Lightkeeper let out a long exhale, leaning his head back against the couch and opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling. “It’s this knight. He’s just, ugh, I don’t even know how to describe him. Loud, abrasive, overenthusiastic, eccentric, rude, batshit fucking insane.”
“Sounds like you know a lot of ways to describe him.”
Illuga whipped his head towards Flins, his dark glare wiping the pleased smirk off the other’s lips.
“Sorry, sorry. So, why is this knight giving you so much trouble? I’d be happy to scare him off for you if you’d like.”
“No, that’s the problem. He’d like that.” Another long sigh. “And it’s not like I can just get rid of him either. My old man wants the Lightkeepers to build better connections with the Knights of Favonius since it seems like they’re here to stay, at least in small numbers, so he’s got me paired up with this vice captain guy to do night patrols, and he’s driving me crazy. And apparently, this was Grandmaster Varka’s idea. Said we’d ‘get along great,’ and ‘work perfectly together.’ But this knight, he’s just— He’s unhinged. An actual lunatic.”
“You’re making me more than a little curious about meeting this individual. Are you patrolling with him again tonight?”
“Yes, but you are not coming," he spoke, voice firm. "That would just make everything worse.”
“Alright, whatever you say, Master Illuga. Just remember, if you ever need anything, even just to get away from this guy, I will always be here.”
Huffing slightly, Illuga relaxed into the couch, trying to let the tension from his ranting seep out as much as possible. “For now, can I just rest here for a while.”
“Of course. You know I’m always happy to host you.”
⊰══════════⊱
The first time Illuga met Lohen, he thought it would be a good thing. Despite the Grandmaster’s departure back to Mondstadt, the Knights of Favonius planned to keep their outpost in Nod Krai up and running. So, when Nikita summoned Illuga for a meeting, and he saw a knight sitting in the room with a wide smile on his face, he could only see the discussion going well. And it did. For the most part, at least.
“Hey! Come sit down. I have someone I’d like you to meet.” Nikita gestured to the seat beside the knight, who held out their hand in greeting.
“Hi, Illuga! I’ve heard so much about you,”
Getting a closer look at the man before him, Illuga could tell there was something slightly off about him. His smile was just a little too wide. His tone, a little too eager. And his eyes. His eyes were… strange. And not just in their dark, almost empty color, or the fact that he couldn’t help but notice a twisted similarity to his own. It was the calculating stare that seemed to look straight through him, so contradictory to the rest of him.
“I’m Lohen, Vice Captain of the 5th company of the Knights of Favonius. It is a pleasure to finally meet you!”
Lohen. He’s heard the name before. Just in passing during the many short interactions he’s had with the knights over the past couple of months. Favonius Keep and Cliffwatch Camp being as close as they were caused them to cross paths quite often. However, he’d never seen Lohen before.
Of what they said about the man, Illuga couldn’t remember much. Only how, when uttered by a knight, the name was spoken as if they were invoking some sort of curse. Illuga tried not to think about that. Pushing aside the memories, Illuga took the vice captain’s outstretched hand with a light smile and a curt nod. “Likewise.”
As their eyes met, Illuga had to suppress a shudder. Their hands remained locked for a beat too long, each sizing up the other, although for seemingly different reasons. Not that Illuga had any chance of guessing what Lohen was thinking based on the mixed signals of an expression he was giving.
Struggling to pull his gaze away from the eyes boring into his own, Illuga turned his head back to his father. He tried to ignore the fact that he could feel Lohen’s eyes continue to linger on him. “So, as nice as it is to meet one of our allies, I’d assume we were called here for a particular reason.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Let’s get down to business.”
The meeting itself was uneventful. Nikita told the two of them of his and Grandmaster Varka’s goal to continue to strengthen their alliance due to the decision of the knights to stay in the region until further notice. Being similar in age and rank, the Grandmaster recommended they work together. In theory, Illuga thought the idea sounded great. In practice, he was a little unsure. Not because of the concept, but because of the man he’d have to spend his night patrols with.
“Illuga, stay back for a moment. Lohen, you’re free to go.” Nikita told them as they both got up to leave.
“Alright then,” Lohen said, a knowing smile playing on his lips. “See ya out there, Illuga.”
He let the door slam shut behind him with a responding BANG, leaving the two lightkeepers in silence.
With the other man out of the room, Illuga released a breath he didn’t know he was holding, letting his shoulder relax along with it. “Ok, Pops, what do you wanna talk to me about?”
His father sighed slightly before starting. “I think this is going to be a great opportunity for both of our factions, and I trust the Grandmaster’s judgment, but he did give me a bit of a warning.”
Illuga didn’t particularly like the sound of that. “And? Go on.”
“He told me Lohen is a bit of a…wild card. That he’s a strong and dedicated knight, but he has some quirks to him, and didn’t elaborate further than that. But he also said that, out of anyone he could think of, you two were the best for this. That you’d balance each other out, and work perfectly together. I know you’re strong and can take care of yourself, just… if he gives you any unnecessary trouble, or things aren’t working out well, promise me you’ll let me know. I’m sure Grandmaster Varka will understand.”
Well that wasn’t ominous at all. At least it confirmed his suspicions that there was something a little weird about the guy, but he’s sure it’s not something he isn’t able to handle. They haven’t interacted much, but just like his father, he trusts the Grandmaster’s judgment, so there shouldn’t really be anything to worry about.
“Alright, I promise. But I’m sure we’ll make a great team!” Illuga put on the most confident, reassuring smile he could muster. He’s not sure his father bought the act, but he didn’t say anything. He just smiled and waved him out the door.
Closing the door gently as he left, he let the smile drop from his face, leaving a weary expression in its place. He sighed, letting the bustling sounds of Piramida drown out his worries. There was no point in一
“So, Illuga.”
“ACK!” Illuga jumped, not hearing the sound of the knight sidling up next to him despite the heavy, metal boots treading against the metal ground of the city.
Lohen just laughed at the reaction, haughty and amused. Illuga turned to glare in return.
Unphased, Lohen continued with a smirk. “How about we go somewhere a bit quieter so we can talk, get to know each other a little. Maybe a sparring range. Understanding someone's battle style is the best way to get to know someone, don’t you think?”
“Um, I guess. It probably would be a good idea to learn how we both fight if we’re going to be going into battle alongside each other.”
“Yes! Exactly! I’ve only seen you lightkeepers fight at a distance. I want to see it up close. See how well it fares against my own blade.” Unlike the deep, calculating intensity they held before, Lohen’s eyes as he spoke rapidly were wide, almost manic. “Come on, lead the way. I do hope you don’t disappoint me, Squad Leader.”
⊰══════════⊱
Flins did come with him.
Maybe when Illuga went to the lighthouse to find Flins and rant to him about his current predicament, he subconsciously wanted it. He does always like having Flins with him.
Ever since Flins showed Illuga his true form, which took a lot of pouting and pushing through the fae’s deflections of Illuga’s observations, Illuga began to find comfort in the presence of Flins’ lantern. After they started officially dating, Illuga started finding the lantern in random places around him. It was most often in his room but also hung somewhere on the grounds ofCliffwatch Camp, or in Nasha Town during a meeting. Illuga had to scold Flins for barging into his space unannounced but he was never truly upset at him for doing so. Whenever he saw the lantern, Illuga would always pick him up and carry him around. Sometimes, when out of view of others, Flins would transform back into human form, but other times, he would remain as a lantern, silently staying with Illuga.
The azure flame of Flins’ true form did not radiate any sort of heat. If anything, it was vaguely cold, but Illuga still felt warm whenever he had the lantern with him. It was comforting just being in his presence. Illuga was even starting to understand the ways Flins responded emotionally while in his lantern form.
He could feel the flames pulse with laughter, sadness, intrigue, affection, and many other distinct reactions. That’s why when Illuga locked eyes with the knight in the distance, at their planned meeting spot, he could feel the blue flame in the lantern attached to his hip stiffen as they continued to move closer.
Lohen wore a lazy grin on his lips as he raised his arm in greeting. Once Illuga closed the distance, the knight raised an eyebrow, eyes immediately snapping to the new addition to Illuga’s outfit.
Illuga wasn’t sure if Lohen noticed the lantern so quickly due to his keen observational skill or if the pulsing aura Flins was exuding—which felt strangely like a warning of danger (not worrying at all)—was noticeable to more than just him.
“What’s with the new lantern?”
“Oh, um, I’m just keeping it safe for… a friend tonight. Don’t worry, I’ve still got my own, and Aedon.” Illuga pulled out his own lantern, letting it light up its bright gold color, Aedon flying out as he did so. The little bird stayed out even as he clicked the lamp back off, settling into Illuga’s hair like a nest.
That response only seemed to intrigue Lohen more. “Could I see it? I’ve never seen a lightkeeper use a lantern like that,” he said, reaching his hand out towards Flins, nearly touching him. When did he even get that close?
Illuga flinched back at the movement, at the same time the lantern’s flame flared, its color deepening, hues shifting to red for only a second.
Lohen pulled his hand back, lifting it in unison with his other in surrender. “Woah, woah, sorry. No touching the cool lantern, I guess.” He shrugged, a clear look of disappointment on his face as he stared at the way Illuga’s hand rested protectively on the lantern. “Well, whatever. Let’s get going.” Lohen summoned his spear, twirling it with a grace nonexistent in any other way he used the weapon, turning in the direction of the night’s patrol route. “We’ve got ground to cover and wild hunt to slaughter. I’ve had a dull couple of days since we last met up, so you better not slow me down. I don’t plan on stopping until I’m soaked to the bone in blood.”
Well, his disappointment was short-lived. Despite facing away from Illuga, he knew exactly what expression the knight was making. A wide grin with dark, lidded eyes. Needy and manic. Illuga shuddered at the thought alone. A tiny cold flare from his hip sent him a mixture of questions and comfort. Illuga couldn’t know exactly what Flins was asking, but whatever it was, he doubted he had an answer. Even after multiple nights spent battling a common enemy together, Lohen was an enigma.
“Yeah, sure. Lead the way then.”
Lohen didn’t need to be told twice. Just as he was about to head off in one direction, the snarl of a monster rang out in another. They both turned towards the sound, Lohen taking off in a sprint with a gleeful skip in his steps and a laugh. With a light sigh, Illuga followed, moving to keep pace with the other man.
⊰══════════⊱
Their spar drew a crowd. Illuga wasn’t particularly happy with that development, but Lohen didn’t seem to care in the slightest, his focus on their battle as unwavering as the smile on his lips. It was more than strange. Illuga had never seen anyone take so much pleasure in combat. Pride, enjoyment in a friendly spar, happiness and relief after a victory? Sure. But Lohen was ecstatic. It freaked Illuga out.
He laughed as their spears clashed, the power of the strikes knocking them both back, only to push harder on the next attack. He smiled as he landed a kick on Illuga’s chest, causing him to reel back and struggle to regain his balance. Weirdest of all, he seemed to moan when the sharp blade of Illuga’s polearm sliced past every layer of clothes on his torso, coating the metal with a deep red.
The blood dripping from the fresh wound was finally enough for Illuga to call an end to their battle, even if there was something in his body that pushed him to keep fighting. It wasn’t as if he wanted their supposedly friendly spar to ‘get to know each other’ to go as far as it did, but it hit a point where he just couldn’t seem to stop.
Their battle started slow, both assessing the other, but it didn’t take more than a minute of light blows and parries for Lohen to get bored of that, striking with a speed and force Illuga wasn’t expecting. He barely had enough time to block the polearm from skewering him. Even by the end of their battle, Illuga wasn’t entirely sure he wouldn’t have a hole in his chest if he hadn’t stopped the attack.
After that, Illuga was left on the back foot, playing defense for Lohen’s seemingly lethal attacks.
“What are you doing!?” Illuga yelled over the sound of his own heart beat as their weapons were locked in a stalemate of strength between them. “Are you trying to kill me?”
For a moment, Lohen just laughed, until Illuga knocked him back, finally having the upper hand, even if only for a moment. “Maybe I am.” His grin widened as he easily dodged a jab, pushing in with his own much more aggressive move. “But you aren’t dead, are you?”
Illuga jumped back, already fully back on the defensive.
“And doesn’t it get your blood pumping so much more when your life is on the line? It’s no fun if you’re just half-assing it.” A powerful strike. “It’s actually rather“—the loud pang of metal against metal—“disrespectful. Don’t you agree“—the sting of a blade as it slides cleanly across skin—“Illuga?”
It was a papercut compared to the injuries visible all over his skin, but there was blood seeping down his cheek. It was real. And if Illuga hadn’t dodged, the thin slice would’ve been more than deep enough to leave a scar. That was the first time of many that the word surfaced as a way to describe Lohen.
Insane.
This was supposed to be a friendly spar. To understand the other’s fighting prowess before they would share the battlefield and work as a team. But here he was, trading blows with a supposedly new ally, the threat of death from a knight’s spear only one failed dodge or parry away.
Obviously, he couldn’t let that happen. Nor could he let the lightkeeper onlookers see him weak or defeated. And he definitely couldn’t let this knight continue to look at him like that. Like he was some toy. Something for him to toss around for a bit before moving on to something new. Like he could just play with him.
Barely blocking another one of Lohen’s deadly strikes, Illuga was pushed to his knees, struggling to keep himself from falling lower. Each one of Lohen’s attacks were precise and powerful, rapid with almost no pattern.
“Oh, come on, Illuga. Don’t you lead a squad that’s out on the front lines? If you love defending so much, maybe you should be stationed back here. Holed up in Piramida until the danger finds you.”
Unable to hold back the sound, Illuga growled, bearing his teeth as he continued to block strike after strike.
“What was that? Did you say something down there?” Lohen was just about leaning over him, his manic grin seeming like just as much of an attack as the hilt of his polearm pressing down on Illuga’s.
Illuga’s grip tightened. His lip twitched. He felt another low growl simmering in his chest. Then, as if his patience was a rubber band being stretched more and more from every taunt, jab, and euphoric look directed his way, he snapped.
Using his lower position as an advantage, he released his grip on his polearm, pushing himself to move forward. The lack of pressure and support from pressing down on Illuga’s weapon, threw Lohen completely off balance, leaving him to topple to the ground. Before he could get back up, Illuga used his foot to flip Lohen to his back, pressing his boot into the knight’s chest to keep him in place.
There was a rare darkness flooding Illuga’s eyes as they met Lohen’s, their gazes holding a similar intensity. But while Illuga’s lips were pressed into a tight line, Lohen’s quirked up into a smirk, as if, despite their positions, he’d just won.
Illuga thought that would be the end of it, but while Lohen was still holding his own spear, Illuga’s was on the ground a couple steps away. Even at the strange angle of the slash, the lightkeeper had to leap away from the tip of the blade directed at his shins. Luckily, he landed right next to his weapon, picking it up as Lohen pulled himself from the ground. But Illuga didn’t wait. This was a battle, and he couldn’t let himself be put so far on the back foot again.
He lunged. A strike as deadly as those he directed at the wild hunt was clumsily blocked as Lohen tried to regain his balance. Illuga didn’t even give himself enough time to be thankful the attack didn’t land before he pushed in again.
Their battle was back in full swing, but this time, Illuga didn’t hold back, much to his opponents delight. “That’s more like it!” Lohen’s elated laughs joined the chorus of metal meeting metal.
They danced around each other, perfectly matching in strength and bladework, although the difference in the way their spears spun, and stabbed, and sliced was clear to any onlooker. Fabric was ripped, skin was nicked, armor was dented, and their breaths ran ragged as the fight dragged on. They both knew there were people watching. There were sounds of shouts and cheers, but they felt so far away, garbled and unimportant. All Illuga could focus on was Lohen.
It couldn’t have been more than five minutes, since they raised their weapons against each other, but it felt neverending. It felt addicting. Until…“Nnggghhhhhh.” A low, pleasured sound fell from Lohen’s lips as the blade of Illuga’s spear carved into his side. The knight faltered for just long enough for Illuga to realize what he’d done.
⊰══════════⊱
As much as Illuga hated to admit it, Lohen really was a sight to behold on the battlefield. Being on the receiving end of his attacks is one thing, but watching at a distance, every inch and movement of his body in view as he moved from one enemy to the next, was like a dance. Except the dancer had no sense of poise, didn’t care what any audience thought, and was more than a little fucked in the head.
Having been a partner in that dance before, Illuga knew the power and technique behind each strike, but it didn’t look that way from afar. Lohen’s grip on his weapon was unconventional and loose. Illuga couldn’t fathom why he’d started wielding it in that way, or how he managed to put so much strength behind it, but it allowed the knight to swing his polearm around like a toy with seemingly no care for its trajectory. The aimless swings, however, were just an illusion. Despite the erratic movements and apparent lack of care, every strike hit its mark. In a strange way, the unpredictable flow of his spear, jabs and slashes interspersed with perfectly aimed shots from his crossbow, brutal stabs of his dagger, and lethal barrages of razor sharp ice, was strangely beautiful.
After the fifth near miss from an exile’s flame on their first patrol together, Illuga stopped counting how many times he’d had to pull his eyes away from his partner to focus back on the battle at hand. The fact that there was just about nothing that could break Lohen’s attention away from a battle was the only reason he’d never been caught staring.
When Illuga once again found his eyes following the sound of heavy breathing and elated cackles, he was met with the now familiar scene of erratic attacks and terrifyingly unrestrained glee. No one should be smiling that much while they stand atop an unmoving monster, stabbing it over and over in the chest, only prolonging the inevitable disintegration of its corpse.
The constant sound of metal breaking through flesh only stopped when Lohen turned his attention quickly to an incoming wilderness exile, landing one quick shot from his crossbow directly in the middle of its spreading, purple corruption. The wilderness hunter he’d been standing on top of turned to dust in unison with the exile. Lohen barely stumbled as he dropped a few inches to the ground. He then picked up his polearm, which had lodged itself deep in the snow, before running off towards the next closest enemies.
A dull pulsing on Illuga’s hip reminded him that he was also on this battlefield. With barely a second to spare, he dodged the attack of a rampaging wilderness hunter, before sending Aedon out to daze the creature. He swung his polearm in fluid, practiced ease, quickly dispatching the monster, letting it collapse into nothing. He gave Flins a gentle caress in thanks, as he scanned the battlefield for his next target. He couldn’t let himself become distracted again.
“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it.” Lohen sidled up close to Illuga shortly after the last of the wild hunt in the area was destroyed. Both of them were dotted with flecks and smears of pinky purple on their clothes and faces, but neither seemed hurt. Despite the importance of the job, a single outbreak of the now weakened wild hunt was more than easy enough for either of them to clear out alone. With both of them, it was also quite fast.
Which is why Lohen’s words were far from sincere. He wasn’t satisfied in the slightest. And that just meant he’d be annoying as hell until there was another battle to throw himself into or the sun peeked over the horizon. Whichever came first. Illuga hoped it’d be the former. He’d rather deal with more of the wild hunt than a restless, bored Lohen.
Likely noticing his agitation, Flins’ flame burned a little brighter in comfort. It wasn’t much, but it felt nice. They walked in silence for a few minutes as they followed Illuga’s assigned patrol path, staying wary of possible danger. At multiple times, Lohen seemed like he wanted to say something, opening his mouth to start, but closing it before any words could come out. Those few minutes were definitely the longest he’d heard the knight go without making a sound. The quiet made Illuga wary, and the eyes that tracked his every movement didn’t help that.
In the end, Illuga was the one to break the silence, the tension becoming too heavy to bear. “If you’re planning to ask me to spar, I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”
“Huh? Where’d you get that idea? I haven’t even said anything!”
“Yeah, that’s the problem. It feels like you’re trying to figure out what to say, and considering the fact that you’re staring at me like I’m your next punching bag, after that wild hunt outbreak didn’t satiate whatever it is that makes you so…” Illuga gestured vaguely towards Lohen, “...you.”
The knight huffed out a laugh. “I’m gonna take that as a compliment. I take pride in my unique hobbies. But just looking at you doesn’t have to mean I see you as my next opponent. I mean, you were staring at me with even more intensity, and I’m not expecting you to ask me for a spar.”
“Well yeah, because I’m not some battle crazed一” Before Illuga could finish his retort, Lohen’s words finally sunk in. “You noticed?”
Lohen’s grin sharpened. “It’d be hard not to. The weight of your gaze burns.” The word rolled off his tongue like a purr. “But it makes me wonder, did you see something you like?” The heat of Lohen’s breath spread over Illuga’s ear, the words spoken from barely a hair's breadth away.
Unable to stop himself, Illuga shuddered from the sudden closeness. A similar feeling presented itself at his hip. On instinct, a hand moved towards the lantern he had secured to his jacket to comfortingly caress the fae, only for his fingers to recoil at the painful heat of the glass.
Heat.
Flins doesn’t burn hot.
Lohen’s unwavering gaze and slightly cocked eyebrow told Illuga he was waiting on an answer. “Um, I was just, uh.” He took a breath, unsure of what to say but the truth. “I find it interesting, watching how you fight. It’s unique.” Despite the quiet of his voice, Illuga’s eyes met Lohen’s with a surprising ferocity, only breaking their eye contact as he struggled to suppress a yelp. The heat from Flins’ lantern intensified, breaching the barrier of Illuga’s thick coat, warming his leg uncomfortably.
If Lohen noticed the expanding heat, he didn’t mention it, too focused on the lightkeeper in front of him. “I’d be more than happy to show it to you up close, if you’d like.”
“I already told you not to get your hopes up about a spar. If that’s even what it could be called. A death match is more like it.” The burning at his side was nearing excruciating. There’s no way Lohen couldn’t feel it by now.
“Aw, you’re no fun.” Lohen pouted for a second before finally asking the question Illuga was waiting for. “Ok, what the fuck is up with the lantern? It feels like it’s about to explode, or something.”
Following the other man’s gaze, Illuga finally looked at Flins. His flame was glowing a brighter red than he’d ever seen it.
“Do you want me to try and cool it down for you?” Lohen already had the tip of his spear pointed at Flins, frost beginning to cover the tip. Illuga didn’t know what exactly he was planning to do with that, but he wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to find out.
“No, no. It’s ok, I can deal with it. Umm…” Illuga had no idea how to deal with it, well, safely at least. So, unsure of any other option, Illuga prepared for his hand to burn.
He was trying to hit the lantern, but the searing pain that immediately passed through his glove and his palm didn’t allow his hand to linger on the lantern’s glass casing for anything stronger than a light tap. He just needed it to be enough to get Flins’ attention.
“HEY! You’re burning like crazy,” Illuga shouted at the seemingly inanimate object. “Cool down already. You’re gonna cook me alive.” It took only a second for the flame’s intensity to subside, turning back to its normal flickering blues and purples. A lingering heat remained, but it wasn’t searing or painful. A subtle buzz from the glass surface against Illuga’s coat felt like both shame and an apology wrapped into one.
“You just talked to that lamp… and it listened.”
“Uhh, no. It stopped because I hit it, not because of what I said.” Illuga chuckled nervously. “It’s just malfunctioning a bit.”
“Yeah, a bit.”
⊰══════════⊱
For the entire walk to the infirmary, Lohen kept his eyes glued to Illuga, barely blinking. He also looked nothing like he was just stabbed. While he didn’t make much noise, he was still grinning, and there was barely a hint of pain showing in his movements or expressions. At least he didn’t protest as he held Lohen up from under his arm, forcing him to lean against Illuga for support. He even seemed to put more weight on him than necessary, if only to encroach closer into Illuga’s space than anything else.
They managed to get about halfway from the training area to their destination before Lohen seemed to become bored of the silence. “You know, I actually think I’m about to fall,” he whispered, barely loud enough for Illuga to hear despite their proximity. “Maybe you should carry me to the infirmary.” For some reason, Illuga didn’t think Lohen was actually about to fall.
“You seem to be doing just fine to me.” Illuga grumbled, not looking at Lohen or slowing their pace. Lohen showed no trouble with keeping up.
Lohen huffed a quiet chuckle, quickly discarding the line of conversation for something new. “So, what do you do as a captain, Illuga? Sounds like a lot of responsibility.”
“I’m not a captain. I’m a squad leader.”
“Eh, same difference. You lead a squad, that’s what a captain does.”
“Is that what you do, captain?”
“I’m vice captain, actually. And thank Barbatos for that. If I had to deal with the incompetence of my subordinates any more than I already do, I think I’d just let the wild hunt take me,” Lohen said it like it was the easiest thing in the world. Like he didn’t just insult an entire company of knights that he was partially in charge of.
Finally reaching their destination, Illuga used his free hand to prop open the door. “That’s not very… nice.”
Lohen let out a short, loud laugh which was quickly contained within the small room. The movement made Lohen wince, finally showing that he felt any pain from his fresh wound. Illuga ushered him to sit on the low bed table and quickly turned to grab the medical supplies he needed to patch up the slash. He was no medic, but he had enough field experience with injuries, that he knew how to take care of the wound well enough.
“I just tell it like it is. But I don’t actually care too much. The 5th company doesn’t work as a combined unit all that often, and when we do, well, the more they fall behind, the more monsters for me to slice to pieces.”
Well, that was a weird thing to say. Especially with the dreamy look that suddenly flooded Lohen's eyes. Illuga was finding that Lohen said a lot of weird things.
After setting the supplies down next to the knight, Illuga grabbed at the edge of Lohen’s jacket-cloak thing (who even designed that), to pull it off his shoulders. Lohen’s hand immediately shot out to Illuga’s wrist, locking it in place while the edge of the fabric fell off the other man’s frame and onto the bed.
The vice grip on his wrist was protective and dangerous, but Lohen’s face seemed more… Confused? Caught off guard? Flustered? “What are you一”
Before Lohen could even finish his thought, Illuga yanked his hand out of the grip and took a big step back, putting distance between them. “Oh, oh! I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have just一” He waved his hands in apology, his face heating up with the realization of what he’d just done—“I should’ve asked before doing that. I mean, I should’ve just let you do it. ‘Cause you need your clothes off, so I can clean and dress the wound.” Illuga turned his head to the side. He didn’t really want Lohen to see how red he was clearly turning, although it was probably a bit too late for that.
There was silence for a moment while Illuga stared at the wall before it was broken by the sound of Lohen’s laugh, a sound Illuga was realizing he was already a bit too familiar with. “Oh come on, don’t start feeling embarrassed now. Not after being so quick to pull off my clothes. I like when people take the initiative.”
Illuga turned back to see a smirk on Lohen’s lips. It wasn’t like the smile from their fight. It wasn’t feral with unfettered glee, but more teasing, challenging in a way that didn’t involve blades. He didn’t want to deal with this. Not when the look reminded him a bit too much of Flins, if only a bit sharper and more transparent in its intention. And Illuga really didn’t need two people purposefully riling him up for their own entertainment.
It was only endearing when Flins did it. And when Flins didn’t do it too much.
Illuga looked straight at Lohen, raising an eyebrow. He had to tamp down the blush still lingering on his skin. He was going to face this challenge head on. “Weren’t you the one who stopped me? Would you like me to get back to it, or would you rather I stand here and watch you struggle to strip out of your overly complicated clothing while you lose more and more blood?”
For a moment, Lohen sat stock still, face blank as he stared at Illuga. The response was clearly nothing like what he expected. But, much to Illuga’s displeasure, the smirk on the other man’s face reappeared like it never left. “Oh my, Captain Illuga, is that something you’re into. Well then, who am I to refuse.”
The blood was once again rushing to Illuga’s face, but he just ignored it. “Squad Leader, not capta一Oh whatever. Just, let me get your clothes off so I can patch you up.”
“Go right ahead, Captain.” The smirk stayed plastered on Lohen’s face the entire time Illuga spent peeling off each layer of his uniform. Despite the fact that he should have been worried about all the blood he was losing for every extra second it took before Illuga could cover the wound, Lohen didn’t help in the slightest.
If Illuga poured a little bit too much alcohol onto the wound to clean it, or pulled a little too tight while wrapping Lohen’s torso, no one needed to know that. And if Lohen sounded a little too pleased at the rough actions, Illuga decided that he was going to completely ignore that.
⊰══════════⊱
The trio’s (or rather, duo’s, to Lohen’s knowledge) respite from combat was short lived. And not because of the wild hunt. They had already wandered slightly outside Illuga’s normal patrol route, led away by the hunt’s attack. They found themselves walking into a small cropping of trees rarely visited by the Lightkeepers. The wild hunt rarely inhabited such locations.
The sound of movement in the small forest caught Illuga’s attention, turning his lamp in its direction. It was probably just an animal, but it never hurt to check. Already moving that way, Lohen clearly had the same idea. They only took a few steps before freezing, standing silent to listen to the noise change from the rustling of movement, to speaking.
“Is this really a good idea? You know I’m not one to deny orders, but I feel like this is just asking for trouble.” The voice was deep with a clear Snezhnayan accent, one far more pronounced than the watered down version common in Nod Krai.
“Oh, don’t be such a worry wart about it. We’re not doing anything intrusive. Just basic reconnaissance, information gathering.” The second voice was higher pitched, but much more confident in tone. The accent was just as thick.
Moving just close enough to see three large men moving a set of boxes to the side of a purple tent, Lohen and Illuga both turned to look at each other. Flins flared with a quiet curiosity at his side. It wasn’t hard to figure out what they just stumbled into. And by the hungry look on Lohen’s face, he was more than aware too. Illuga needed to stop him from doing something stupid.
Everyone knew Nod Krai was a no man’s land, and while The League was in the process of trying to change that at least in some respects, no one faction truly owned any land. But most of the time, people had the common sense not to encroach on the territories run and inhabited by other factions. The Lightkeepers had never had many issues with the Fatui due to the separation of their space and lack of overlap in their duties and actions. They weren’t allied in any way, but there was no particular animosity between them.
Most Lightkeepers, including Illuga, were far from fans of the organization and their recent operations in the region, but that came down to personal dislike and ideological differences. In the recent years of increasing Fatui activity in Nod Krai, it had become an unspoken rule on the part of both factions, that they don’t interfere with or cause issues for each other. It was better that way for the preservation of two factions and the protection of the region.
That isn’t to say there haven’t been petty disagreements or unfacilitated skirmishes between the members from time to time, but there has never been anything more than that. So for there to be multiple Fatui members setting up camp as close as they were to Lightkeeper manned territories with the intention to carry out some sort of orders, there was likely something unsavory going on.
There was, however, a possibility that there was nothing sinister going on, there had been some sort of misunderstanding, or that Illuga didn’t have the information necessary to accurately assess the situation at hand. For that reason, when Illuga looked at Lohen, knowing exactly what he was thinking, he grabbed the knight’s wrist to stop him from running off to start a fight with an unknown amount of Fatui.
Lohen glared down at his hand, then back up at Illuga’s eyes. “Oh come on, Illuga.” He whispered with a flat stare before raising an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you think I’m actually stupid enough to just run in there and start stabbing people.”
The ease at which Lohen talked about stabbing people would’ve made Illuga shudder just a few weeks ago. Now, he’d become used to it. (Although it was more often about the wild hunt and not people so maybe it should have worried him at least a little).
Illuga returned the stare with a disapproving look, clearly over the man’s antics. “Stupid? No. Insane, bloodthirsty? Bored enough? Absolutely.” The quick pulses emanating from Flins’ lantern told Illuga that he was clearly amused by their exchange.
“You know me so well, captain~” He hissed quietly, before stealing his voice into a still low, but serious tone. “But really, I’m a Vice Captain of the Knights of Favonius. I understand how complicated the politics of wars and territories and factions are. As much as I’d love to ignore all of that, I won’t just attack some random Fatui encampment just because I’m bored. Usually.”
“Usually?”
Lohen just smiled as a response to that, which really didn’t reassure Illuga in the slightest.
The knight let out a long, drawn out sigh of disappointment as he twisted his wrist from Illuga’s loosened grip, moving his hand to meet Illuga’s, lacing their fingers together. “Alright then, let’s get back to patrolling then.” Illuga didn’t think much of Lohen’s action. He had been a strangely touchy person since they first met, always encroaching on his space, leaning his head on Illuga’s neck when they sat down for a break, pulling at his arm to drag him in a different direction.
As difficult as Lohen was to be around, there were some things he didn’t completely mind. His complete disregard for personal space was one of those things. At first he thought it was a bit weird, they didn’t really know each other, and well, Illuga was in a relationship, but he came to accept it to be just another one of Lohen’s many eccentric oddities, and, unlike many of the others, it didn’t really cause any harm, so he stopped thinking much of it. That was until he started to feel the intense heat radiating from Flins’ lantern again.
Illuga looked at the red glow emanating from his side, then back at his hand, fingers interwoven with Lohen’s. A realization formed in Illuga’s head.
Oh. Flins was jealous.
There was something about the discovery that made Illuga want to hold on tighter, pull Lohen closer, see just how hot and bright Flins could burn. But they were also standing right outside a Fatui camp, Lohen was starting to notice the heat as it grew, and Illuga wasn’t like that. Not like Flins was, flirting indiscriminately despite, or maybe because of, how Illuga reacted.
That thought made Illuga hold on for a second longer, before reluctantly pulling his hand out of Lohen’s grip. The heat immediately lessened. He ran his fingers over the lantern, finding comfort in the strangeness of the lingering heat. “Yeah, we should get moving. I’ll just have to report this to my old man when we get一” All of the remaining warmth of the glass surface disappeared, replacing it with an empty cold, and a deep red glow.
At the same time, there was a dull crunch. A woosh. Then Illuga turned, raising his lantern over his head, light side down, catching the thick blade of a Fatui gun, milliseconds before it could have cleaved him down the middle. That attack was meant to kill him.
Before Illuga could do anything to retaliate, his lantern still being used as a shield against the blade, there was a shrill scream, and the weapon went limp. He jumped out from under it to avoid the blade as the gun fell from the wielder's hands.
Lohen’s laugh was the first thing to let Illuga know what had just happened. The second was the sight of a Fatui Oprichniki skewered through the stomach by Lohen’s spear. Despite only being on her feet because the weapon was still held tight in the owner's hand, she was clearly still breathing, although it was with great difficulty. He flinched slightly at the sight of the Fatui woman coughing a spurt of blood from her mouth.
“Come on, sneak attacks are no fun.” Lohen all but pouts as he pulls his weapon back, blood spewing from the hole in the middle of her chest. The Fatuus crumpled to the ground, coating the snow covered ground in a deep red. “If you want to kill us!” he shouted to no one in particular, but they both knew there were more Fatui somewhere in the trees, “at least make it interesting!”
Illuga’s eyes stayed trained on the, now clearly dead, body in the snow. “You-you killed her.”
“It was you or her. The decision was obvious.” Lohen didn’t look or sound the least bit remorseful for his actions. “I don’t make it a habit to一”
Before he could finish his thought, their attention was brought to the sound of gunfire. Aedon quickly emerged from Illuga’s lamp and deflected the oncoming bullets with a burst of energy. Both Lohen and Illuga were prepared for the next attack.
They came from all sides. At least a dozen Fatui operatives with a wide variety of builds and weapons. More bullets whirred in their direction. Illuga managed to create a geo construct to stop the ranged onslaught while Lohen completely ignored the danger of the projectiles, launching himself towards the nearest enemy with only one thought in mind: fight.
Shattering the construct and summoning his spear to his hand, Illuga wasn’t far behind. But unlike Lohen, who swung and stabbed his polearm in a frenzied glee, Illuga was holding back. Outside of training, he had never fought humans before. He couldn’t just pierce through them indiscriminately or blast them with a blinding flash of kuuvhaki like with the monsters of the wild hunt. With humans, one attack to the wrong spot could leave them dead, just like the spear through the chest of the woman who nearly killed him.
Illuga may have been a bit slower and more methodical than he would usually be, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t match or overpower his opponents. The Fatui were clearly trying to kill both him and Lohen, so his battle forged instincts still took over. He managed to knock multiple foes unconscious or otherwise incapacitate them, while being careful with his attacks.
Lohen seemed to be having no such issues. “That’s more like it! Give me everything you’ve got.” Illuga could hear the voracity in the knight’s voice with every word. Each stab or slash of his spear, each blast of ice, every shot from his crossbow was punctuated with a cacophony of laughter and a plea for more.
Out of the corner of his eye, Illuga watched as ice spread itself over one of the Fatui men’s massive shields, before shattering like glass under the hilt of Lohen’s spear. He turned the weapon around and threw it, the power of it piercing clean through the arm of the Fatuus.
“Don’t tell me you need a shield to keep up with little ol’ me. Attack me like you mean it!” The hulking mass of a man seemed to growl beneath his mask, the sound drowned out by Lohen’s wild cackles.
Illuga missed what happened next, too focused on his own battle, but after managing to knock his opponent to the ground, he was able to see how it ended.
“Was that all? I really thought you’d put up more of a fight than that.” Lohen pouted, standing next to the now downed Fatuus. His hand was wrapped around his polearm which was lodged in the man’s side. “It’s a good thing your comrades haven’t been so easy to take down.” He yanked the spear back, letting a trickle of red flow into the white snow of the forest.
He didn’t seem to give it a second thought before running towards more of their enemies, his manic grin reforming itself on his lips as he dodged a particularly brutal attack. “Oh? Three on one? Don’t you dare hold back!”
“You’re insane!” Illuga heard one of the Fatui women shout, just barely dodging an arrow, only to end up directly in the path of Lohen’s spear.
With a kick to the woman’s middle, she was sent stumbling to the ground. “Yeah, I get that a lot.”
The sounds of battle continued to rage. Metal on metal. Shattering ice. Grunts of exertion. Joyous laughter. Lost in the adrenaline, it was impossible to know how long they fought or how many enemies they’d taken down. Illuga was covered in knicks and scratches. He would be black and blue with bruises the next day, but that only mattered if he lasted until then. So he fought, and fought until the snow was dyed red, and the sounds of gunshots subsided.
Locked in combat with a particularly strong Fatuus, Illuga watched another enemy fall at Lohen’s hand. This was the last one. There was no one else left standing except…
“LOHEN!” Holding back a strike from who he’d believed to be their last opponent, Illuga turned his head towards his companion. Using all the strength he could muster, Illuga pushed back against the weapon, slashing with his spear on instinct alone一anything to get his attacker off of him as fast as possible.
With the immediate danger to himself gone, Illuga turned and leapt towards Lohen, tackling him to the ground just as a barrage of electro-charged bullets rained towards them.
“Aedon!” Illuga raised his lantern just before they hit the ground, allowing the golden bird to swoop quickly towards the Fatui Opreniki, knocking her down and leaving her guns sputtering and sparking from a blast of light. Satisfied, Aedon flew back into Illuga’s lantern.
For a moment, it was silent.
No weapons clashing. No gunfire. No laughing. Just the sound of breathing, heavy and fast from a long, intense battle.
Illuga pressed himself off the ground, and looked at Lohen who laid beneath him, caged between his arms. Lohen’s breathing was just as loud as Illuga’s, but unlike how he was sure he looked, Lohen didn’t look tired. The knight had a lazy, satisfied grin on his lip, and a strange sharpness in his eyes.
“Lohen, are you…”—he took a couple breaths—“alright?”
“Oh, I’m doing amazing. I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun.”
Illuga rolled his eyes. He should’ve expected such an answer.
“Although, sparring with you was pretty close. If you hadn’t cut it short, it could’ve topped even this.”
For some reason, Illuga felt heat rising to his face at the comment. He shouldn’t have cared about who this battle crazed maniac liked to fight, but for some reason, he couldn’t help but feel proud at the thought.
Lohen reached up and tucked a piece of Illuga's hair behind his ear. “But maybe it’s because you were here, fighting alongside me, that made it so entertaining.”
When Lohen’s hand moved to rest itself on Illuga’s jaw, and his smile softened more than Illuga had ever seen it, the heat in Illuga’s body continued to rise. If Flins had been jealous before…
But instead of feeling a different heat radiating from Flins’ lantern, he suddenly felt…cold.
A warning.
“We have to go!” Illuga grabbed Lohen’s hand and pulled them both to their feet. There was movement around them in the snow.
Lohen looked around, his eyes moving from person to person in the snow. Illuga couldn’t fathom what was going on in his mind as his gaze darted around, before finally landing back on Illuga. There was a hint of disappointment in his voice as he spoke. “Yeah, most of them are still alive. It’s not worth staying here any longer. Let’s go.”
Illuga nodded and started off in one direction, before quickly stopping again at a particularly bloody patch in the snow. In the middle of it lay the last Fatuus Illuga had fought. He froze, his eyes blown wide at the sight.
A massive slash cut through the person’s entire chest leading up to their neck. Their mask was sliced in half, leaving a gash across their face and revealing their blank, lifeless stare.
A strong tug on his hand yanked him forward. “Illuga! We have to go!”
Illuga forced his gaze away from the body and allowed himself to be pulled along, he followed Lohen out of the forest, and far enough away from the Fatui camp that they wouldn’t be able to follow despite the bloody trail they left in their wake.