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Varka is the Knight of Boreas, the Wolf of the North. That's what echoes in his very empty, drunken brain a hundred times a minute as he stares at the cats lazing beside his draught.
Insecurity isn't something Varka concerns himself with. His own feats and glory have shown their worth. Mondstadt's Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius. He has his pride, his dignity—
"C'mon, Grand Master! Surely you can handle more than this?"
Varka doesn't bare his fangs, because he's not a mindless, animalistic brute. His ears are more sensitive than usual, flicking uncomfortably on his head as he tries to filter out the tavern's grinding noise.
"For someone who has a distaste for alcohol, you seem to spend a lot of time at Cat's Tail," Varka tries to deflect.
Lohen grins up at him. It's that sharp, knowing smirk that cuts through the alcohol-induced haze Varka put himself in, trying to keep his mind out of the ditch Lohen dug beneath him. Yet, his throat feels too dry, his arms too heavy.
"There's something interesting about watching people waste away in here. Poisoning themselves with booze… Well, I can't say I'm entertained by people who can't even tell what they're drinking."
Varka eyes the tankards of his comrades in concern, even though he's kept his eyes on Lohen for most of the night. There's a Genius Invokation game board on the table, left unkept after the many rounds the knights played before they passed out cold. A tortoiseshell cat lies on top of Varka's deck of cards, its rumbling purr vibrating the table.
For once, Varka is thankful that most of the patrons around them are too lost in themselves to take note of him. Him, and the sharp-eyed bunny sizing him up like prey.
"So, how about it? One last drink?"
Lohen uncrosses his legs, leaning his head back. Considering that he's settled on Varka's lap, their faces end up much closer than one would consider appropriate for their roles.
He's no fool—he shouldn't have entertained Lohen's whims from the beginning, should have held himself an arm's length away from the sly rabbit omega before he could allow his interest to fester. Varka bites on the inside of his mouth, holding back the urge to sink his teeth deep, eyes lowering to the glass Lohen holds out for him.
"What poison is it this time? If it's a laxative, I'll have you in solitary confinement for the rest of the week."
Lohen snorts, feet kicking against the chair of a fellow knight, completely knocked out. "Fool you once, and everything's a drug for bowel movement. That's the kind of thing that's only funny the first time."
"Fool me twice, shame on me," Varka echoes. "It's been a long night, and it's best we get out of here before Miss Diona loses her temper. Your games can wait for another day."
Warmth presses against his shoulder; Lohen's lips curl into a pout as he blinks up at Varka, head resting against Varka's collarbone. "What happened to trust? A comrade's offering you a drink, and you're turning it down?"
Varka rolls his eyes, ready to snap back at the little rascal, before Lohen continues, "If I take a sip, would you drink it?"
Ah.
That's new. Lohen's always full of surprises. "Is it not booze?"
"A cocktail, made by yours truly. I can prove it's not poisoned, and you'll drink it all before we go." Magenta glints in his eyes as he raises the rim of the glass to his lips, yellow sloshing back and forth like crashing waves. Varka stares, entranced, while Lohen tilts the cup, the liquid lowering slowly until Lohen pulls away.
His throat bobs once, tongue flicking out to lick his lips. "There. Too sweet for my liking, hm."
Lohen's eyes pierces into his as he hands over the glass. The condensation drips to the floor as Varka takes it, carefully watching Lohen's expression. His usually-upright ears have pressed backwards, his smile disturbingly false while he swings his legs back and forth.
Prey hybrids tend to respond to threats instinctively. Even though Varka is the Grand Master that protects Mondstadt, he's still a wolf hybrid, and an alpha to boot—he can't fault anyone for being wary around him. Despite that, Lohen doesn't show a single flicker of that hesitance, turning his back to Varka and teasing him without shame.
He's in control of his emotions, in control of his demeanour. Totally in control.
Varka holds onto the end of his tail with his free hand as Lohen shifts on his lap, keeping it from wagging embarrassingly. Before he can overthink it, he downs the drink all in one go, letting the burning sugariness clog up his throat.
It doesn't have the unmistakable taste of medicine that Lohen usually taints his drinks with. Confusion washes over Varka for a second, until he sees Lohen chuckle.
"Alright! Let's get you back home before it hits."
Lohen hops to his feet, handing a bag of Mora to Margaret before walking for the door. Varka stands up, trailing after Lohen mindlessly before he remembers his inebriated comrades.
"Before it hits—? Uh, sorry about the mess, Miss Margaret, Miss Diona. Thank you for hosting us." Varka raises a hand in apology, though it's shaky and lacks the confidence that he usually musters. Margaret waves him off, already cleaning up the bar.
For the most part, Lohen's mixes aren't enough to take him out, and if they are, the scent or discolouration is obvious enough for him to avoid. Varka says it's his sheer willpower that keeps him immune, the sisters at the Church think he has an inhumane digestive system, and Albedo rips him a new one whenever he finds out about it. The warmth rising in his stomach can be easily mistaken for the effects of a night of drinking, but Varka knows better than to let his guard down.
"What did you put in it?" He catches up to Lohen with a few stumbles, his heart thudding faster than usual against his ribs. "And why are we going in the same direction?"
Lohen looks just fine, other than the pink flush on his cheeks. The omega beams up at him, all honey-sweet and innocent.
"Can't I make sure that the Grand Master gets home safe? Surely you can trust a little omega like me not to do anything."
Varka snorts. "Right. Thank you for your service." Even a blind man wouldn't be foolish enough to let their guard down near Lohen—the frigid sensation of battle-lust dominates the mild scent of mint and windwheel asters he radiates. Or perhaps that's just around him, it'd do no good for a Knight of Favonius to keep citizens cowering.
Despite his heavy feet, Varka manages to return to his house just fine. Lohen stares at him with an odd look on his face, eyes darting up and down.
"Is it really not working? Are you sure you're an alpha?"
"That's a rude thing to say to someone," Varka says, an eyebrow raised. Rubbing at the back of his neck, he watches Lohen frown in dismay, looking down at his—uhm—
As a frequenter of taverns and bars, Varka isn't unaware of the type of poisons someone might put in a drink. Besides Lohen's assassination attempts, he's been a victim of overenthusiastic admirers using underhanded tactics to accompany him home. He's had his booze spiked with aphrodisiacs of all kinds, and walked them off as easily as he would after a dozen drinks.
Varka didn't feel its effects, not until Lohen grabs onto his arm and presses a hand over his pants. His body feels like it's bursting into flames, his throat drying as his mind tells him to lean down and bite bite bite.
"Hm, I guess it wasn't strong enough? Or maybe I got the dosage wrong," Lohen mutters to himself, still palming Varka's tight trousers. "Or are you just smaller than I thought?"
He moves before he thinks, grabbing Lohen by the wrist and pulling him away from his stiffening erection. The embarrassment of losing his composure isn't as worrying as the realisation that Lohen also drank from the cup; Varka grabs him by the jaw to look him straight in the eye. "You brat— You actually drank from that?!"
Lohen smiles, leaning into Varka's palm. His ears droop downwards, a hum rumbling in his chest. "That wouldn't do, would it? Luckily for me, this synthetic stimulant are used for alphas to replicate the effects of a rut, so I'll just end up with an upset stomach!"
Varka sighs in relief, but is quickly reminded of his own predicament when Lohen tugs down his glove and nibbles at the inside of his wrist, near the exposed scent gland. His face burns, the fur of his tail standing upright, quickly pulling away from Lohen. But the other knight has him cornered in front of his own home, like an oblivious bunny approaching a wolf twice its size.
"Fine, you win. Now go home, kid." Varka unlocks his front door with unsteady hands, blood bursting on his tongue with how hard he's biting at his cheek. His pants are too tight, his mind hazy, the scent of omega clinging to him dangerously. The threads of his sanity are close to snapping, especially with Lohen grabbing at his arm.
If it were anyone else, Varka would be downright pissed by his current situation. He's not dazed enough to be compromised, but his only comprehensible thoughts involve omega and knot and claim. But scolding Lohen would do neither of them any good—he knew exactly what he was walking into and still drank Lohen's mix as a provocation. Varka groans under his breath, trying to get through his front door without one plotting bunny hopping his way in.
"I'd feel terrible leaving you alone in this state!" Lohen is practically oozing temptation with every word he speaks, flooding the air around them with pheromones. Sly rascal, linking his arm around Varka's, knowing that the alpha wouldn't be able to muster the strength to pull away.
But there's a reason Varka doesn't take in a mate, rarely lets anyone accompany him in bed besides the occasional beta on drunken nights. He's pretty large, even for an alpha, in most aspects of his physicality. His instincts are wired to dominate wholly, far from the chivalrous conduct that he holds himself to in normal circumstances. Combined with his overwhelming strength and size, it's too risky for Varka to get involved with an omega that could set him off.
Lohen, unsurprisingly, could care less about these valid concerns, even if they were voiced. He wants to keep Varka on his toes, challenge him in any way possible, without considering his own wellbeing.
"Hey, Varka? Have you forgotten where you are?"
Varka blinks, looking down at Lohen. He hadn't noticed when he started dragging Lohen closer to himself, using his once-trapped arm to wrap around Lohen and grab him by the waist. They're standing in the middle of his open doorway, with the vice captain pinned against the door and staring up at him.
Resisting the urge to drag Lohen onto the ground and rip his prim uniform off, Varka takes a step back and chokes out, "You have to go, Lohen. C'mon, I could end up hurting you—"
Speaking turns into a difficult affair with Lohen's scent clogging his throat. Varka slams the front door shut before anyone can notice the sly rabbit's scheme in the dead of the night, with intoxicated patrons returning to their homes. The drug is certainly effective—Varka is burning up from the inside out, his cock painfully hard in the confines of his pants. His breathing has turned laboured, focus turning to Lohen's pouting lips and lidded gaze and the perking bunny ears that don't even reach his shoulders.
"You're really persistent, aren't you? An omega in front of you while you're basically battling a rut, and you're still oh-so-concerned about me. You could have your way with me right now—pin me against the wall and knot me until I'm begging for your forgiveness. I wouldn't even fight back, Grand Master, not with these pathetic instincts of mine. Let me take responsibility, hm?"
Lohen pushes and pushes, letting out giggles while leaning in Varka's space. He tugs at his own choker, exposing the unmarred skin where his scent gland hides, pristine and ready to be marked.
"Brat." Varka's mind spins; he grabs Lohen by the collar to drag him further into the house.
If he weren't under the influence of multiple substances, he would argue about the complications of a workplace relationship and power imbalance, or that he's more than double of Lohen's age. There's no more room for reason in his head, not when Lohen is giving himself up so freely for Varka to take.
"You don't know when to stop, kid. I let you get away with too much." He's likely going to regret letting Lohen's scent permeate through his entire home in the morning, but Varka's only interest at the moment is getting Lohen into his bed. "What was your plan here—dose me with an aphrodisiac and slink into my house?"
Lohen stumbles beside him, laughing breathlessly. "I was thinking that you'd just fuck me like a mutt—like ten minutes earlier, actually. I didn't really think it through besides that."
"That's—!" Varka can't even lecture him about the risk of public indecency or disrespect, his free hand that isn't keeping Lohen in place reaching down to unbuckle Lohen's pants. The omega is pushed into his pillow face-first, clutching at Varka's fingers around the back of his neck while he squirms.
If he said that he had never thought of Lohen in this manner, it would be a blatant lie. Varka isn't proud of his unusual fixation in the vice captain, the helplessness he feels whenever Lohen is in the vicinity. As the Grand Master, he has the responsibility to look after his subordinates. It had been what he told himself when he lets Lohen mess around in his office and overstep boundaries in ways he would never let anyone else do.
Lohen is more perceptive than he lets on—he just rarely cares enough to focus on anything that isn't for his own interest. Unfortunately for Varka, he's been caught in Lohen's trap for much longer than he realised.
The scent that he used to chase desperately under the gunpowder and medicine is now heavy in the air, tempting him to bury his face into Lohen's neck. Varka tosses aside the many pieces of the dark blue uniform, leaving Lohen in nothing but his thin underwear. He had let go of Lohen at some point, allowing the boy to turn on his back and press his foot on Varka's thigh.
"Is it better than you imagined? Or do you need me to fight back a little to get it up?" Lohen grins, nudging Varka's crotch.
"I was not imagining anything," Varka mutters, focusing on the damp patch on his boxers, soaking through the black fabric. His jaw aches with want, as he pulls Lohen's underwear off, the sheen of slick dripping from his cunt.
A visceral reaction brings his mouth forward to the heady scent, hunger stewing in his abdomen. Varka's hands goes to the omega's waist, easily wrapping around the expanse of Lohen's torso to prevent him from pulling away. Lohen really is too small beneath him, flushed pink and sharp, knowing eyes digging into Varka's skin.
"With how much you stare, everyone already assumed you were fucking me." Fingers push into Varka's hair, scratching behind his ears absently. "You have no idea how many omegas kept prodding me about your prowess in bed… I—I had to make a few assumptions to satisfy your passionate admirers, mhh, like your inexperience with eating pussy. Hah, my bad."
Varka licks at his pussy and pulls away to bite at his soft thighs, imagining it to be his nape, his response delayed from the delicious distraction in front of him. "What—hey! Couldn't you have gone with honesty instead?!"
Lohen tries to grind his hips forward, kicking at Varka's back with his heels as he fusses. Despite the lean muscle he developed from all his combat experience, Lohen can't free himself from Varka's grip, which seems to annoy the rabbit hybrid amidst his pleasure. Varka moves upwards, sucking at the swollen bud peeking from between Lohen's folds, holding Lohen in place when he whines and jostles.
As much as the omega enjoys running his mouth, having his clit played with turns him into a mess of moans and cries. His cock throbs in his pants, the aching need to fuck Lohen instantly clawing at his nerves, but Lohen feels frailly small in his hands. Varka frees one hand to drag against Lohen's cunt, coating his fingers in the sweet slick before he pushes one in.
"You really didn't think this through. I ought to just fuck you like this, even if I barely fit." The threat is empty—he'd never risk getting Lohen hurt by his own hands, even if Lohen keeps trying to bait him into doing so. But being able to see the way Lohen stretches around him makes him a little nervous; even putting the second one in looks like it would hurt.
Lohen gasps, jerks, flinches, but he doesn't ask Varka to stop. His eyes are hazy, clenching around Varka as he's being stimulated inside and out. "Yes, yes— Just put it in. I want it now, Varka."
"Ask for it properly, you rascal. You only address me properly when you think you've got the upper hand on me, huh?" Varka takes his time stretching Lohen open on his fingers, using his other hand to examine the scars of Lohen's abdomen. It's not just wounds from the line of fire or training, but scattered marks of unusual discolouration from Barbatos knows what types of substances injected into his body.
He moves up to look at Lohen properly, whose face has finally turned a bright crimson from being teased. Pressing a kiss to Lohen's forehead, Varka slides an arm under his back to move him away from hitting the headboard.
"You think you're so smart, old man…" Lohen tugs at his ears, an admission of his embarrassment as he pulls them over his face. He pushes himself to his elbows, scowling down between them. "You haven't even taken off your pants—did the drug really work?"
Varka has been actively avoiding the thought of his dick for his sanity. He tries and fails; Lohen throws his head back and whimpers, the movement a little too stiff and practised. It still works like a charm, because he wouldn't be in this situation if he had any self-restraint when it comes to Lohen.
Varka pulls his fingers out, tugging at the stretched rim. Getting his clothes off is a difficult affair when he's rock-hard and staring at Lohen's pussy, his pants seeming to be working against him. "I'm starting to think that your motives for this are a bit more twisted than I expected."
"Is that right?" Lohen shudders, flipping over onto his stomach. His choker is still on from when Varka stripped him, a weak attempt to cover the one spot he's been aching to bite. With a deft hand, Lohen starts unbuckling it.
Varka's vision goes red. His cock is finally out of its constraints, heavy and flushed red and throbbing. For Lohen to expose his nape for Varka to see, a dangerous invitation to offer an alpha in such a precarious situation. His hand moves like lightning, covering Lohen's neck as quickly as it was revealed, pinning Lohen down to the bed.
"You—" Varka hovers over the smaller omega, flipping him back over like he's weightless. "Quit teasing already. I can't risk marking you like this."
Before Lohen is able to snap back with that venomous tongue of his, Varka pulls his thighs apart, pushing them to his chest as the way he desires to see. Having Lohen under him and on his back elicits a certain heat in him; Varka squeezes the base of his cock, stifling his own arousal as he lines himself up in front of Lohen.
"Stickler for convention, aren't you…" The lean legs curl around his waist, muscles flexing under pale skin. Lohen looks fucked out even before Varka is inside him, though he's twitching restlessly without meeting Varka's eyes.
Varka can only sigh as he pats Lohen on the butt. "Don't be so tense."
"I'm not—oh—"
The wet heat that wraps around the head of his cock is a sublime experience, tight and nearly suffocating. Varka grunts, resisting the temptation of burying all the way in at once.
As expected, Lohen freezes up like trapped prey. Cunt pulsing around Varka, slick dripping onto the sheets even through his instinctual fear. His cute ears are now flat and pointing backwards, ramrod-stiff and anticipating.
Varka stifles a chuckle, lest he upsets Lohen with his amusement. Ruffling the hair between his ears, Varka doesn't move until Lohen catches his breath, which leads to—
"Drop that smug look already, will you? You're taking way too long, I should have known copulation wouldn't be your strong suit."
—Lohen running his mouth, of course. There's nothing that can truly shut him up, no matter how hard Varka tries. Fingers digging in Lohen's hair, he gives it a light tug. "You were the one that came to me, remember? Take some responsibility."
Rocking his hips forward, he drives his cock into Lohen with one swift thrust, the bed shaking beneath them. Varka has never been one to chase sexual gratification even in his earlier years besides what is necessary, but now he's wondering if he's always been missing out of the heavy instants of pleasure, or if it's just Lohen that drives him up the wall.
It's a breath of relief to feel the soaked warmth around him, after what feels like years' worth of pent-up exasperation. Lohen lets out a high-pitched noise that he would never admit to making, clawing at Varka's shoulders.
The scent of mint and windwheel asters sears his throat, drool pooling in his mouth subconsciously. Letting his instincts guide him, Varka presses his lips against Lohen's, tasting bitter herbs and bubblegum. The omega's teeth are sharp, nipping at his bottom lip with as much annoyance he can muster.
"Mh— Varka, alpha, slow down—" Lohen pants into his mouth, sweat beading on his forehead. His eyes are glazed over, his hands in an iron grip on Varka's shoulders. Varka doesn't trust that look in the slightest. He's been fooled one too many times by false innocence.
Cupping his hand behind Lohen's head, he keeps Lohen still enough to catch his lips again, rendering him unable to come up with more complaints. It feels like he's too deep into the smaller boy, like he might accidentally hurt him, but Lohen doesn't show any sign of discomfort, tremors and muffled moans shaking his body.
Varka pulls away when he has to catch his breath, holding Lohen up when he goes limp in Varka's arms. "Is—is this revenge?" Lohen groans out through his breathlessness, voice battered from the way Varka slams into him rhythmically. His pussy clenches around Varka, hands moving to Varka's nape, rubbing and teasing his aching scent gland.
A low growl rumbles in his chest, stirring up an unknown possessiveness in the depths of Varka's mind. It's embarrassing and childish for someone his age; he buries his nose into Lohen's hair, huffing into it and drinking in the scent of Lohen. Bracing himself with one forearm on the bed, Varka thrusts into Lohen with laser focus, watching the minutes twists of vulnerable emotion on Lohen's face.
Before Varka can think that he's actually seeing a show of honesty from Lohen, a smirk cuts through his expression.
"You're trying to breed me, Grand Master? Getting me knocked up in your bed?"
"Lohen."
The imagery of it is etched into his brain now—Lohen, round and swelling with his child, always in Varka's vicinity and soaked in Varka's scent. An unrealistic fantasy, considering that Lohen can't stay still for the life of him, which would lead to Varka worrying about him even more than he already does—Varka shudders in both fear and arousal, biting down on Lohen's shoulder.
The omega grunts, scent sweetening like blossoms at dawn. Varka breathes against Lohen, unsteady, ragged; the thrum of an incoming orgasm swallows him whole, warmth rushing towards his head like the crashing waves of the sea.
Lohen comes with a choked whine, kicking at Varka's back and twisting in his arms, trying to escape the relentless pressure that wrecks his insides. Submitting to his own pleasure, Varka can only follow his own desires, the heavy thought of mate breed mate ringing in his ears like a church bell's echo.
"Varka—" Varka spills his seed into Lohen, burying deep into his cunt and curling around him protectively. His mark left inside Lohen, taking root at this very moment—
After a few moments, a fist lands on his head, knocking at his scalp in annoyance. "You can't knock me up, you know I'm on birth control. Obviously, that might change if you bite me, but—"
Despite the short amount of time that had passed since he came, Varka can feel himself twitch. While inside Lohen.
"What exactly was that drug you gave me again?" Varka sighs, wrapping his arm around Lohen's back to turn them around. The shuffling nudges his cock further into Lohen, making the omega hiss under his breath as he lays on Varka's chest.
"Just something to get you going, what's wrong? It was a large dose, but it's not going to—oh."
With both hands on Lohen's waist and keeping him on his cock, Varka says, "This is yours to deal with, isn't it?"
Lohen scowls at him with a flushed face.
Varka wakes up to a headache and Lohen beside him, bare and wrecked with bruises and bite marks. He's sitting upright, examining between his thighs shamelessly, the scent of mint and flora shrouding his room like a cooling blanket.
Guilt weighs on him instantly, the state of Lohen's body looking worse than when he went on a week-long solo expedition in Nod-Krai. Varka reaches out to rest his hand on Lohen's back, rubbing above the fluffy tail, the little rabbit perking up when he realises Varka's wakefulness.
"Grand Master! I thought you'd be out cold for longer!" Lohen rolls over to look at him, sitting on Varka's abdomen with a sparkle in his eyes.
Perhaps it's the lingering drugs—Varka can't help but think that Lohen is much cuter when he's not plotting to kill Varka via poison. Finger brushing over a scabbing bite on Lohen's thigh, he says, "Don't call me that right now. I really did lose control of myself… Seriously, do you have no understanding of danger?"
"You didn't claim me, so it clearly wasn't that bad, alpha." Lohen shrugs, picking at his broken skin. "I'll try harder next time to convince you."
Varka chokes on his own spit, coughing and spluttering while Lohen hops off the bed, eyes darting around the room before he picks up his clothes. He trusts Lohen inexplicably, is glad that Lohen trusts him too… but he really wishes that the other knight would stop throwing himself into the jaws of danger for no reason at all.
Then again, he's not in any position to be saying that.
"I need to stop letting you drug me." Varka struggles to sit up, shaking his head as he pushes off the covers. "Archons, is it dawn? Jean's going to kill me."
"Old news, old man," Lohen says snidely, closing the bathroom door behind him.
"Hey, I need to report to headquarters before you do!"
"You're already late, what's the point? Your paperwork won't be done even if you had the extra hours."
Never mind. Definitely not cute.