Work Text:
Piramida was a city that never slept, even as the moon hung high in the sky the sound of work boots hitting metal floors as patrol shifts changed always filled the air. It did, occasionally, get quieter than usual.
Illuga didn’t live far from the main square of Piramida, he was even closer to one of the elevators that lead to the lower levels. He was more than used to people constantly walking past his home, quite murmurs of stagey talk or even recent gossip following them. Though tonight as Illuga approached the familiar building there seemed no sign of passing lightkeepers.
He tried not to think too hard about it. Didn’t let his mind wander to thinking there was some bad news that had yet to reach him. He simply focused on ignoring the ever growing pile of mail stuffed in the mailbox and opening the door to his home.
And oh, such a happy sight awaited him.
The blue of a familiar cape hung from a hook along the wall next to the door, standing out against the warm browns and oranges of the house as much as its owner did.
The owner in question was found a little deeper into the house. Sitting happily on the floor, squished between the couch and the low coffee table that sat in front of it. It couldn’t have been comfortable, even with the rug separating the man from the floor there was no way it provided enough cushioning. Then again pain was never something Illuga had seen his lover shy from.
Lover.
It was a new word. At least it felt like it. He wasn’t quite sure when ‘new’ was the wrong word to describe what had grown between him and the knight. It had been a few months since they made things official, though there had been quite some time of confusing feelings and awkward pinning before that. On Illuga’s part at least, Lohen seemed quite sure of his feelings from day one.
It was rather embarrassing to look back on now, how obviously Lohen had been flirting when they first met. How oblivious Illuga had been to it. He was always so caught up in leading his squad and clearing up hoards of the Wild Hunt he often forgot he was meant to have a life and connections outside of his work.
But now, after pulling his head out of his ass, or rather Lohen dragging it out, and confessing he got to come home to the sweet sight of his boyfriend cozyed up in his home.
“Birdie!” Lohen smiled up at him, sharp canines on full display, “thought you’d never come home.”
Illuga shed his coat, hanging it next to the blue cape. “Sorry, patrol took longer than usual. Had an abnormally strong hoard to take care of.”
Lohen let out a dramatic gasp, “and you didn’t come get me? and here I thought you loved me ‘luga.”
“You know I do, bunny.” Illuga let out a soft sigh paired with an eye roll before his attention landed on the mess on the table, “besides you seem rather busy.”
The coffee table had been covered with tools not completely unfamiliar to him. A mortar and pestle filled with a strange green mush sat directly in front of Lohen, and a note book filled with messy notes sat next to it, ink still drying on its pages. Different plants and herbs took up the rest of the space, some still sat in the pouches they were stored in when not in use, others were dumped out for easier access.
“Ehh kinda, got bored torturing- oh sorry, training my underlings” Lohen paused to let out a little giggle, nose scrunching up in the cute way it always does when he laughs, “so I ditched.”
Illuga flopped down next to him, boots now tossed to the side with Lohen’s, “and you decided to make a mess of the living room to occupy yourself?”
“I’m experimenting with Nod-Krai’s plants to make some new poisons.” He makes a dramatic gesture towards one side of the pile of herds, “getting stuff sent from Mondstadt is too much of a pain and takes way too long for how quickly I go through it.”
Illuga hums in understanding as he adjusts his position, he was right about the rug. “And you’re sitting on the floor, why?”
Lohen shrugs at that, hands back to being busy with the paste. Illuga leans his head back to rest it on the cushions of the couch and let his eyes fall shut. A soft quiet fell over the pair. The sound of Lohen’s work echoed off the walls as he started humming a soft tune. It sounded vaguely familiar, probably a Mondstadtian tune he’s heard during his visits to the Favonius Keep.
Illuga takes the rare moment of peace to let his mind wander. Perhaps he’d finish some paperwork tonight after dinner if Lohen was going to be distracted. What should he make for dinner? Perhaps some lohikeitto, it was simple enough and Lohen always liked when he made it. Yeah that would work. He should probably get up and start it. Oh but he was so comfortable, Lohen’s warmth radiating off him made his muscles relax. Maybe the floor wasn’t so bad after all.
Well until Lohen draped his whole body on Illuga’s lap.
“What are you doing?” Illuga laughed. Lohen was now laying stomach down across Illuga’s lap while he reached over to where his boots lay discarded.
Suddenly he lifted up one hand in victory, an item clutched in his fist. The movement made him sift his whole body so Illuga had to hold him steady with one hand on Lohen’s lower back and the other on the back of one thigh. “Just needed my knife, forgot it in my boot.”
Lohen wiggled out of Illuga’s grasp, first moving to lay on his back then sitting up. Instead of moving back to his place on the floor he stayed happily perched in Illuga’s lap like his own personal throne. Illuga simply wrapped his arms around the knight’s waist and hooked his chin over his shoulder to watch as he worked.
“I think I finally got it this time,” Lohen grabbed a vial of bright green liquid and dipped the blade of his knife as far as he could in it. Spinning around with an eerie smile. When he pulled it out and was left with a green glow sticking to the metal. Lohen waved it around, looking back at his boyfriend turned seat with a dark look in his eyes, “wanna go try it out?”
“You want me to go fight monsters with you after getting off work, where I fight monsters all day ?”
“Yes.”
A pause sat between them, Lohen with his big smile and Illuga with his tired eyes. “No way.”
“What? Why not?” Lohen wined, “Come on birdie, just a quick fight then we can come back. I promise.”
“Nope, I’m all tuckered out for the night.”
Lohen pouted, knife now discarded on the table so he could cross his arms. Illuga smiled before leaning in to leave a quick kiss on his cheek, right on the mole that sat prettily under a blue and red eye. He only received a huff in return.
“You can go out on your own, you do all the time.”
“Nahh,” Lohen promptly gave up on throwing a fit and relaxed against the light keeper, “it’ll only be fun if you come with.”
Illuga gave another kiss to Lohen’s cheek, “we’ll go out tomorrow then, our patrols take similar routes we can do both together.”
“M’kayyy.” Lohen giggles and leans in to share a kiss. “My birdie, my sweet, loving birdie is gonna come fight with me.”
“You say that like I don’t do that all the time.”
“Yeah but it’s still as exciting as the first time you agreed to come with.”
They two sat cuddled up against each other for a little longer, occasionally sharing a soft kiss before Lohen got antsy again. “Are you sure we can’t go tonight?”
“Very sure, bun.” Illuga adjusted his hold on his lover before standing, bringing Lohen up with him a princess carry, “if you wanna cut something up so bad you can come help me with dinner.”
Lohen wrapped his arms around Illuga’s neck, his sharp smile back on his face, “well if my birdie is so kind as to bring me there then I simply must aid him in any task he asks.”